Dogs Of War Vu
Sim/Strategy/War => Games Discussion => Topic started by: Asid on July 26, 2016, 07:31:10 PM
-
(http://unityofcommand.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/ArtPreview39.jpg)
“I do not intend to send any more evening situation reports until the war becomes more exciting”
— Field Marshal Montgomery, one day prior to Battle of the Bulge.
A full update on the campaign game will take more than one post, but you need to start somewhere, so here it goes: an introduction. Check out the pretty pic to your left (you’re welcome!) and relax – it won’t be too long.
At its very core, the campaign game stays the same: you play at the operational level, meaning you don’t control production, politics, and diplomacy. Furthermore, since you’re playing all the battles, you are not playing as any one commander individually. In fact, you’re standing in for the entire operational-level stratum of your faction’s military, literally all of the three- and four star generals commanding at army and theater level.
Read on: Click Here (http://unityofcommand.net/blog/2016/07/26/developer-diary-8-campaign/#more-2204)
-
Whatever happened to this?
-
It's still active, and it looks like it's focusing on the Stalingrad Campaign. Here's the latest blog post: http://unityofcommand.net/blog/2017/09/22/under-the-hood/
-
Unity of command series is on sale right now. Very good war/strategy games. Easy to get into.
-
Unity of Command II
Developer Diary 22 – Halted at Metz
9 MAY @ 6:59PM - ANTE[CT]
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/105c696e715f2115c155d38c5fb2158dce167e3a.png)
September 1944. Hitler’s armies are retreating in disorder after their defeat in the Normandy hedgerows. The Allies keep up the chase across France, but General George Patton’s 3rd US Army is beset by supply difficulties. The Germans finally manage to re-establish a defensive line around the heavily fortified medieval city of Metz. According to orders issued by Hitler, fortress commanders are to hold this position at all costs…
Encouraged by good feedback from our previous post, we decided to start on a series of short trailers about our game mechanics, old and new. The story starts with the 3rd Army actions following the long and bloody stalemate at Metz. It is through a series of coincidences that we are again going on about stragglers (sorry!) but I hope the trailer is worth it for everybody. There is also a lengthy development update at the end of the post, as usual.
Halted at Metz
The Battle of Metz resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, and while the exact German losses remain uncertain, it is known that the 3rd US Army took at least 75.000 prisoners during the operation. For the US forces bogged down in the mud, this created a significant logistical problem, in addition to other hardships.
The scenario starts in November, after weeks of horrific stalemate. The Germans had a moment to regroup and now they’re dug-in. The confluence of rain-swollen rivers of Moselle and Seille creates a natural obstacle to frontal assault and the terrain has all turned to mud. There won’t be any grand sweeping maneuvers here. The battle of Metz will be a slugfest.
Unity of Command II - The Capture of Metz - Chapter 1
https://youtu.be/VQXbNybumIY
The city itself is protected by a deadly network of heavily armed forts with siege guns, some of them complete with medieval moats (that still work perfectly against tanks). The two US divisions shown in the video have the right idea as they go into the attack, trying to outflank the fortification.
Advancing US forces are taking prisoners along the way. If they take enough during one turn, they will provide valuable intel. In this case, the 6th Armored managed to gather that intel, but it’s just more bad news for the 3rd Army: the road to Saarbrücken is heavily guarded by German armor. Airpower could help with this threat, but the weather would need to improve first.
What would you do? Would you wait for air support to deal with the panzers? Order a full frontal attack on Metz? Bypass the city entirely, waiting for lack of supply to catch up with the defenders? With every passing day the industrial production of the Ruhr and the Saar continues contributing to enemy war effort or, in game terms, your prestige sinks lower and lower.
It’s the UI, Stupid
Realistically, most of our time is spent working on the UI. It is simply the most important aspect of a strategy game, period. However great you make the game mechanically, most of the good stuff will remain forever buried unless you make it accessible. With that in mind, we keep adding and streamlining stuff, so here it goes.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/bc76220423f84d91fbfa48db5aef4890696be8cd.jpg)
We have asked the 3rd Army HQ to highlight any bridges that can be blown in this turn. This removes all units from the map for clarity, highlights the bridges, and shows the orange banner in upper right. We’ve found that the banner is often needed. Sometimes via the hotkeys and UI buttons you’ll switch the game to some unknown state and be left wondering: where on earth have my units gone?!
The HQ itself is shown in a pretty basic configuration, with all of its branches at default levels, i.e. not upgraded. This HQ provides the following actions (left to right): bridge repair, bridge destruction, entrenchment, emergency re-supply, suppressive fire, no retreat, deploy and reorg. Actions are then grouped into branches: Force Pool, Intel, Operations, Logistics and Engineering.
The division into branches is inspired by the general staff system used in western militaries: G-1 for personel, G-2 for intel etc. Each HQ can be upgraded differently during the campaign, giving the player some interesting choices about how to adapt to the situation and his own play style. In general, upgrades will provide the HQ with new and advanced actions, such as recon-in-force, security units, etc.
Short Updates
The work continues on many fronts, and I’m never sure how useful are these short updates that I give at the end of my blog posts. Let me know in the comments if you think they are. But first, here is a screenshot of the Italian peninsula from way above. It’s pretty to look at, eh?
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/99ec065e218382065f7d57e8ba39a83243e9d440.jpg)
We’ve kept adding more and more workflows of the “bridge destroy” type shown above (and mentioned in Developer Diary 20[unityofcommand.net] to number around 36). To be honest, I’ve lost count of them, but now that we understand how to add them systematically, we just keep adding more wherever we feel it’s needed.
We also started working on a human-readable AI Playbook. To explain: our AI has always been a heuristic one, not the deep learning kind that’s getting all the media coverage lately. We’d translate some part of a player’s thought process into computer code, which we then call a tactic. The job of the AI is to look for tactics that are applicable in any given situation.
The playbook is the next step in our AI development: it’s a human-readable catalog of tactics that is accessible to team members who are not programmers. It took some time to nail the correct format, and I don’t think scenario designers and players will be able to contribute to the playbook directly just yet. It should be a great tool for this though: when the AI programmer and the scenario designer sit down to discuss, they will have a common language to describe what the AI is doing. Even better, they will be able to record any new tactical ideas in a way that’s understandable to both. I expect great things!
At the last minute Daniel has noticed there is a historical error in one of the images in this post. Can you spot it?
The work continues!
Cheers,
Tomislav
-
Death from Above - AI and Airpower Trailer
18 Jul @ 4:31pm - Ante[CT]
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/99253c6dfe3df843b846189bed64d6815376c8ed.jpg)
November 1944. The city of Metz, located near the German border, still stands in the way of Allied push across France towards the heart of the Third Reich.
Patton’s Third Army had been fighting fiercely since early September to dislodge the Germans from the heavily fortified city, suffering casualties that approached 50%. Hitler had ordered that the city, and the fortress complex around it, were to “hold at all costs”.
Metz did hold. It was one of the greatest shows of resistance by the Third Reich in World War II.
Eyes on the Sky
That is, of course, until December when the last of the city’s defenders were forced to surrender. To help put things into perspective, Americans had more than 3.500 fighter planes and even more bombers available. Together with the Royal Air Force, the combined Allied air strength on the Western Front was almost 14.000 planes.
Luftflotte 3, protecting the German armies on the Western Front, had less than 600 available aircraft. It’s safe to say that Allied air forces held overwhelming superiority over the Luftwaffe in western Europe. German commanders pleaded with Hitler to allocate at least 700 more planes to the area. There was even talk of Luftwaffe’s secret weapon, one so powerful that it could turn the tide of war: world’s first operational jet fighter!
Messerschmitt 262 jets were real and deadly, but in reality jets were barely operational by the time the Battle of Metz took place and were too few in numbers to make a difference. The rest of the requested planes never arrived.
Even with clear air superiority, the Third Army was still bogged down in the mud, unable to advance. There were several reasons for this:
• P–47’s carried 500-pound bombs that had little effect on reinforced concrete and bunkers around Metz
• Tactical Air Command that supported the Third Army was too dispersed (flying both Metz and Brest, almost 800 kilometers apart)
• Metz would open up a route to Frankfurt and Saar, and the Saar route was a lower priority compared to the lower Rhine and the Ruhr. Ruhr>Saar.
• Finally, and most importantly - the bad weather
It is I, AI!
Unity of Command II takes Allied air superiority into account throughout the campaign. Let’s take a look at the trailer:
Unity of Command II - The Capture of Metz - Chapter 2
https://youtu.be/vEpQiXJxp2Y
As soon as the weather clears, the player is given control over thee off-map tactical air force actions that provide recon, air cover and close tactical support for the attacking units on the ground. Bombers are called into action in the video, but Unity of Command II will feature more aerial actions, such as air reconnaissance. Airdrops will also be available, depending on the scenario, date, and your progress in the campaign. As long as there aren’t any large scale ops, attempts to supplement ground transport with the air transport proved effective on the Western Front and the game will mimic these solutions as well.
The trailer ends with the encirclement of Metz, an outcome that wouldn’t be possible without air support. The enemy counter-attack was fierce and, depending on the difficulty settings, a solid show of what the game’s AI is capable of. Or indeed, what the German generals were capable of.
Shield and Sword
The game’s AI takes into account mission objectives, player’s moves and also consults some of the historical moves before taking action. The brutal panzer counterattack that the AI selected as the best option in the trailer mimics the Schild und Schwert (Shield and Sword) tactic mastered by the best defensive commanders of the Third Reich, and is a precursor of what the Allies will have to endure in the Ardennes in December.
Defensive tactics managed to keep the Third Army at Metz for almost three months, which bought time for Hitler to shore up the Siegfried line where many more lives were lost. Still, was Patton’s decision to order a frontal attack on one of the most heavily fortified cities in Western Europe necessary? What would have happened if the fortress was bypassed? Or was there a way to encircle it and take the city in, shall we say, few turns less? Unity of Command II will be out soon - what will be your strategy for Metz?
A full development update is due next week on our blog[unityofcommand.net] (will also be re-posted here on Steam). In the meantime, as usual, feel free to AMA in the comments.
Cheers,
Tomislav
-
I have heard the usual comments, "not serious enough, graphics not serious enough, etc."
I have Unity of Command and the two dlc. I like it.
I'm a sale when Unity of Command 2 Arrives.
-
Unity of command is a great game. It is a great way for people to get into wargaming :thumbsup
-
Developer Diary 23 – A Seaborne Invasion
25 Jul @ 2:11pm - Ante[CT]
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/64a6e35aea533b640cd8e76fef2cb3e35f013af0.png)
In recent weeks, we put a lot of effort into making sure that seaborne invasions play well in the game. This is important because these air/naval operations were such a feature of the Allied campaign. Counting just the historical ones, there’s six: Torch, Husky, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy, and Dragoon.
Granted, we have decided to start the campaign at Wadi Akarit, after the Torch landings, but that still leaves us with five so… invasions aplenty. Speaking of Torch, the period between it and the allied link-up in Tunisia will now feature in the tutorial, not the main campaign. Sadly this leaves Kasserine Pass outside the campaign, but we’ll try to make it up with a standalone scenario.
We’ve been working on the campaign quite a lot, and since campaign play revolves around HQ upgrades, I feel that it’s time to do a proper Headquarters deep dive. In fact, the bulk of this post will be about HQs and the campaign, but let’s quickly talk about invasions first because there is a screenshot, and it is a-mazing.
The invasion force in the screenshot below is typical for Allied operations of this kind. It has battleships providing naval defensive fire, LCVP landing craft ferrying the units involved in the naval assault, and a plane carrying paratroopers. It should really be a C-47 but we don’t have them in the game yet (can you tell which plane we’re using instead? Also, which bb?)
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/fd289bbd7d16f286525cb2655c6ff61bb0049c6d.png)
Mechanically, naval assaults and para drops basically do “what it says on the tin”. Assuming an assault goes well, the unit lands with no MPs and no AP, or with its AP locked if the landing was unopposed. This is consistent with other game mechanics, such as river crossings.
On the following enemy turn, the battleships will be providing naval defensive fire, covering the landing beach hexes. This works out to a -3 artillery (-like) shift against any enemy units attacking our units on the beach.
HQ Command Points
We already mentioned HQs in earlier diaries, and described how they are used for various command and support actions. The actions include everything from bridge repairs to unit reorganization, and performing each one costs some number of command points (CPs).
The number of command points available per turn represents overall commander and staff proficiency of an HQ – there are only so many things an organization can do at once. While coordinating a set piece attack at the front, the HQ can’t also be building fortifications or doing emergency supply runs.
As the campaign game progresses, the number of CPs per turn can be increased. This represents an improvement in HQ staff skill, and happens at times when its units have earned enough xp[unityofcommand.net] to merit an upgrade. At that point, the player may choose to increase the number of CPs per turn (overall skill) or to reduce the CP cost of one specific action (specialize).
HQ Branches
HQs are divided into five branches: Force Pool, Intel, Operations, Logistics, and Engineering. Every action belongs to some branch: for example, bridge repair to engineering. Branches are further divided into three levels, not all of which are always unlocked.
In the screenshot, the US II Corps HQ has Level-1 Force Pool, meaning only deploy and reorg actions are available. The higher levels of this branch are locked, and so transfer step and security unit actions are not available to the player.
The player can unlock higher branch levels at conferences, which are breaks in the campaign game that happen once every six months or so. At a conference the player can, among other things, spend prestige to unlock higher levels of HQ branches.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/965a89fb060d1cbb89fd77860512b63e22f90929.png)
HQ Movement and Range
In the screenshot, you can see that HQ range for the US II Corps equals 10 movement points (MPs) or 3 trucks. The trucks represent transport assets, which are also used in the supply system. Upgrading to add more trucks is possible, but it increases the MPs less and less (5 – 8 – 10 – 11 – 12). This is because increasing HQ range needs to cover an ever larger area.
When an HQ moves, it generally uses the same number of MPs as its range (10 in this case). It then gets 3 more MPs if it moves via uninterrupted rail movement. This is the case for all the HQs we’re actually using in this campaign, but we’ve built some additional flexibility into the system.
Just to give you a taste: one of the possibilities left open for future development is a “mobile” HQ that has a fixed, smaller range, but whose movement is fully upgradeable. This is something we would want to use for a German panzer corps for example, or maybe a late-war Soviet cavalry mechanized group.
In Other News
We released another mini-trailer last week. You can find it in the announcements section here: Death from Above – AI and Airpower Trailer https://steamcommunity.com/games/809230/announcements/detail/1590251701189675187. We are doing a lot of work on localization, testing with a small group of languages to make sure the translations don’t break UI layouts etc. There’s a lot of tweaking ongoing (tweakage?), many fixes and generally the game starting to look like the real thing.
The work continues!
Tom
-
Unity of command is a great game. It is a great way for people to get into wargaming :thumbsup
Not disagreeing, but, calling the game a wargame with training wheels sometimes makes people think it won't have enough grit to entertain a picky hardcore grog.
I don't consider Unity of Command a 'lite' wargame. It might not be massively complex and entirely tedious, but keep in mind, Chess is not massively complex and tedious to play. And yet winning against a good opponent can be extremely hard.
-
I have many grog wargames and I enjoy and find UOC challenging and fun :duel
-
TGS Update and Developer Stream
Thu, 12 September 2019
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/d7a2b7cb17a77e568883b874dc05410039bd6232.png)
Most of our work these days consists of preparing for the beta test and rooting out bugs. We’re not quite there yet, but the game is shaping up nicely. In the meantime, please support our troops by watching the stream and join the war effort by wishlisting and following the game!
We decided to start up our tanks’ engines and stream again. This time we’ll go through the first three missions in the Allied campaign. Our scenario designer and researcher, Daniel Mellbin, will be doing his utmost to explain the new mechanics in Unity of Command II and guide you through the game.
It turns out that we never really showcased the in-game HQ upgrades, which means there’s actually a feature reveal in the stream somewhere. Look for an in-game dialog titled “Upgrade British 8th” or something similar. For those of you requiring instant gratification, here is a screenshot of it in action, this time somewhere around Salerno:
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/33025992/ecfccd0e787e540ccb85eb3acbfec54b2a22eb33.jpg)
While Damir and Pavol are flying the flag for us at the Tokyo Game Show (we’re at booth 10-E74, drop by and say hi if you’re there), we are honoring their commitment with a brand new set of screenshots which should already be up on our Steam page.
Check them out, they’re pretty sweet!
-
Developer Diary 24 – Beta Test Announced
Thu, 10 October 2019
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/cffc62bce20997bf8b9fd7f32e52cb09cbd55252.png)
We’re starting the beta test for UoC II in ten days or so. If you don’t mind spoilers and have a high tolerance for bugs, please apply and help us make it an awesome wargame.
The beta application (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeCaHcl3g908iGJEMhmJfUGcVm5J_lZz0Bw67Be2GZe9yCxA/viewform) is open to everybody. We will ask a few questions, and invite a select group of testers based on the replies. Don’t be sad if you’re not invited – the application form is there to weed out the obvious trolls, and apart from that we mostly pick people at random.
How to Apply
The test will run from Oct 21. Before applying, please consider whether you have enough free time during the first week of the test. You’ll be needing several hours to familiarize yourself with the game, and then provide feedback and comment. We need all of this (including feedback) to happen during the first week of the test, otherwise it’s of limited usefulness to the project.
Some technical notes about the beta: we will be testing a Steam version of the game, on Windows. Mac and non-Steam versions are planned, but not being tested right now.
If you plan on testing multiplayer, note that only hotseat will work in this version. Again, online multiplayer is planned, but not being tested this time. The scenario editor is included.
If you still think this is something you want to do, please throw your name in the hat by filling in the form. Steam doesn't allow links to Google forms, but you'll be able to find the copy of this Diary and the link here: https://unityofcommand.net/blog/2019/10/10/developer-diary-24/
We look forward to seeing you in the beta forum!
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/c4043cfb57ce0e1c2e71dc757cb3baa7bc8164d3.png)
In Other News
I haven’t posted anything on this blog since July. I guess that’s how you know we’re really working then. 😂
Occasionally we’ve been live-streaming from our Steam page, and if you want to catch yourself up on that, check out this YouTube replay.
https://youtu.be/DiaP0FxDudo
Our Steam community posts are worth a read for the little teasers and reveals. Here we show the cards system, (https://steamcommunity.com/groups/2x2Games/announcements/detail/3355665465972875106) with an Opel Blitz pretending to be a GMC. In this other one, (https://steamcommunity.com/groups/2x2Games/announcements/detail/3024653351919611103) we tease out how the in-game upgrades work.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/ea631ce0effd2f298ef211f327176d9fc1a30ddd.jpg)
If you’re spoiler averse, or you have a mac, or you just don’t have time to help these people with their game… anyway, you get the point, you don’t have to be in the beta, the game is releasing in November which should be soon enough.
We’re in the home stretch now, thanks for your support and for following these diaries. The next one will have the word release somewhere in the title. Life is good.
Cheers,
Tomislav
-
Developer Diary 25 – The Power of Supply II
Tue, 5 November 2019
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/4cc05904038910a482bcdefd9c43b61686465aa7.png)
Unity of Command II releases next Tuesday, November 12th. You heard it here first, PR be damned! 😀 To celebrate the occasion, please have this sequel to The Power of Supply (https://unityofcommand.net/blog/2011/11/03/the-power-of-supply/) – the most popular post this blog has ever had
This isn’t just a trip down memory lane, mind you (but hey, 8 years!). Supply is our signature mechanic, and it has been revamped with an eye to all of the theaters of WWII that we plan to visit this time around.
Granted, you won’t be seeing that much of a supply pinch with the Allies in the base campaign. They usually have generous supply, and only really see supply issues immediately following a naval landing. By the time we reach Russia though (in DLC), I suspect the words “supply disruption” will ring with some dread. You are welcome!
Supply Sources
So let’s start with what we know. In screen #1, we see three US infantry units and a single US armored unit, during the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1941. The units are trying to reach their objective in Alexandria (lower right), but for the purpose of this explainer, I will make them just stay in place for the next couple of turns.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/50d674489b71fbd9b8a0da8556701f88ff5768d0.png)
Units need to be supplied on every turn, otherwise they become weak and ineffective. They receive supply at the start of the turn, but only if they are in a supplied hex (location). In screen #2 (below), I press the Supply View button (hotkey V) to check which hexes are in supply and which aren’t.
Supply originates from a supply source (upper left), and then spreads along rail without restriction. You can see that hexes on the rail line itself are supplied (barrel icons). However, farther afield, only a narrow strip along the rail line is supplied (horizontal bar icons). All other hexes on the map are unsupplied (red dots).
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/304c4bbb808c9299332532bc72c51ee798289480.png)
The supply view also tells us that three of our units are out of supply (diamond w/ red dot): the armored unit, and left and central infantry units. Infantry unit to the right is in supply because it sits on a supplied rail hex. After I press End Turn, screen #3 shows you what happens on turn 2: the three units now have a red out-of-supply marker (exclamation icon).
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/8c88e764b26083db162d5b83312417fd530b2663.png)
Supply Hubs
Alright, now I will create a supply hub to push supply outside that narrow strip around the rail line. In screen #4, I press the Create New Hub button (truck w/ arrow) to see where I could place one. You can see that most of the highlighted locations are on the rail line itself (white/blue barrels). Let’s focus on those on-rail locations, and we’ll remember to mention the other ones later.
I decide to place a supply hub close to my objective in Alexandria, so I click where the orange arrow is pointing to.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/d9396b2784a85e002b3593ad625a75b3daba4419.png)
I have created a new hub, and immediately you can see (in screen #5) the area it supplies. This hub has a supply range of 5 MPs (movement points) or 1 truck. In Unity of Command II, range is usually shown using trucks as shorthand: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 trucks simply mean 5, 8, 10, 11 or 12 MPs respectively.
The area supplied by this hub is traced out using the hub’s 5 MPs: we start with 5 and count down to 1 using cost values from the supply column of the movement table. You can tell, for example, that it costs 3 MPs to enter a swamp hex, while it’s only 1MP for clear terrain.
Notice how my central infantry unit is not shown in this view anymore: this is because the new hub will be able to supply it! The other two are still out of supply, but we’ll deal with that later. I hit ENTER (important!) to accept hub placement, and then immediately press End Turn to see what happens next.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/5ca12ea7524a65304577814b416f89f9f6d40926.png)
Units out of Supply
It’s now turn 3, and my armored, and leftmost infantry unit have been out of supply for 2 turns (screen #6). On the first turn a unit is out of supply, the only effect is that it doesn’t recover from suppression like it normally would. On the second turn, two of its steps become suppressed and the unit loses its AP (action point), meaning it cannot attack.
It gets worse from there: a unit on its third turn out of supply becomes fully suppressed, it doesn’t receive full MPs for the turn (meaning it cannot cross rivers) and it doesn’t even capture territory when it moves. Additionally, on all following turns the unit will lose steps and specialists as stragglers. I would like to avoid this happening to my units, so let’s see what can be done.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/2e822359224cbb6bfba7365c670565fc19ccbca6.png)
To supply my leftmost infantry unit, I will extend the range of the new supply hub by adding two more trucks. I press the Supply Network button (truck and barrels), select the supply hub, and use the mouse wheel to add trucks. I then hit ENTER to accept. You can see the result in screen #7: the leftmost infantry unit is now in-supply. Success!
So far so good, yeah? The snag is, we only have 1 truck left. Trucks are a limited resource, just like everything else in war. The game shows us how many we have available to use right now (1, highlighted) and how many are incoming on the next three turns (0, 0, and 0). I will use my last remaining truck on the next turn, so for now let’s just press End Turn and see what happens.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/5ba13727010273f3c87ac391a4306949286bea31.png)
Supply over Roads
Unity of Command II treats roads separately from rail. Both roads and rail allow for quick passage through rough terrain: notice how, when using the road, we’re able to trace through forest hexes for just 1 MP in screen #7.
The roads however, don’t allow supply to spread without restriction like rail does. What you get instead is this: you are allowed to place a supply hub on any road hex within 5 MPs from rail (supplied rail).
This is how I’ll supply my armored unit, which is 3 turns out and sorely in need of supplies. I press Create New Hub again to see (screen #8) that I can place a supply hub on a road pretty close to the unit. I place the hub, and confirm with ENTER. There!
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/6d10b05aeccb09a51a27f77d8d4926d49a475500.png)
I could go on but I think you may be getting the point by now. My final supply situation is shown in screen #9 below. Between the 3-truck hub near Alexandria, and the new 1-truck road hub, my entire area of operations is neatly supplied.
Teasers
This post has grown long enough, but I hope it was a good read. I will leave you with some teasers:
Supply Disruption: notice how some of the in-supply bars in screen #9 have a little red in them? Placing a supply hub on road (as opposed to rail) introduces some uncertainty as to whether your unit will actually receive supply when the turn starts. Other things introduce disruption too: mud, snow, ruined cities, stragglers, etc.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/3db6f09eb84450fd52e120e42d7773959b9a5f63.png)
Emergency Supply: if your units are out of supply, their HQ might be able to re-supply them. HQ supply is usually a bit more robust, so re-supplying units is possible, but it costs the HQ some of its CPs (command points). There are tradeoffs to be had.
Capturing Enemy Supply Hubs: when you capture an enemy supply hub, all friendly units within 1-truck distance become instantly supplied. This can be pretty useful for a supply starved force.
Removing Trucks: not shown in this explainer, but you can remove trucks from supply hubs too. When you do so, they become available on the following turn.
…
We’re real close to release and it’s a little bit crazy right now at 2×2 Games. Encouragement in the comments in encouraged! See you all in a week for the release post.
Cheers! 🙂
Tomislav
-
The price will be $29.99 with a 10% launch discount.
-
29 minus 10% sure beats my usual 60 and 90 dollar purchases :)
-
Unity of Command II is out now! Launch stream and a huge giveaway are live!
Tue, 12 November 2019
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/35074711/ccef13c9c315a5091bea213f408112e4754ae0e8.png)
Dear friends,
Unity of Command II is now available!
Join us right now for a launch celebration and watch a very special guest, XTRG (www.twitch.tv/xtrg), play through the opening stages of the war!
There's a 10% launch discount that's active today, as we appreciate the patience, feedback and support you've given us. Thank you! -10% = £21.41
Finally, there's a surprise from our co-production partners on this project, Croteam, as well as from 2x2 Games: a huge giveaway of 100 games, including Unity of Command Trilogy Bundle, that will fly out in chat during the stream.
Have fun and remember to drop us a line in the discussions section here on Steam, or forums over at unityofcommand.net.
-
Update 4
22 Nov 2019
New Features:
• New hotkeys: U/I for camera zoom
• New hotkeys: J/K for "Next unit" / "Skip unit"
• Option to ignore the system UI scaling
• HQ Engineering Reminder at End of Conference
• Localization update
Fixes:
• AI crash fix
• Fixed campaign victory banner shown after losing a scenario
• Fixed towed spec becoming unsuppressed on emergency supply
• Fixed status billboards for LCI and para units
• Fixed para drops with specialists from previous scenario
• Fixed Schelde cost (200 - > 0)
• Fixed Finland in the campaign map
Map changes:
• Additional beach-type coast added to northern Sicily
Balance fixes and scenario changes (campaign restart required to experience these):
• Scheldt: Axis truck supply added to Welcheren
• Scheldt: saturation strikes replaced with recon
• purchaseable Free French infantry steps added to late war segments
• purchaseable South African infantry steps added to alternate Italian branch
• purchaseable Brazilian infantry steps added to alternate Italian branch
• Lumberjack & undertone: bugged french armor division fix
• Lumberjack & undertone: unit placement fixes
• End at the Elbe: US 97 ID now correctly under US 15th Army
• Road from Rimini: deployment phase added
• Race Across France: deployment phase added
• US towed arty price fix for late war northern Europe segments. (cost change: 10 --> 20)
-
Update 5
28 Nov 2019
New Features:
• View hex UV coordinates in scenario editor (hotkey Z)
• Minor sound effects polish
• Tooltips update
Fixes:
• Fixed crash when mapping map views to CTRL hotkeys
• Fixed Movement view in History mode
• Fixed gamebar flags in History mode
-
Update 6
29 Nov 2019
• Fixed the issue where the game doesn't boot in Steam offline mode
• Fixed strategic objectives not being shown in the campaign screen
• Fixed variant objectives in the Northern Europe campaign segment
• Fixed adding subnationality's armor on reorg (New Zealand armor)
• Tooltip update
-
Update 7
03 Dec 2019
• Fixed unsetting a hotkey in Options (with ESC)
• Fixed prepositioned and theater assets for all factions and nationalities
• Fixed segment missing Schelde in West campaign
• Fixed variant choosing (Volturno Line)
• Fixed captured terrain sweeping when using the Assault crossing action
• Minor UI fixes
• Improved AI performance
-
Update 8
6 Dec 2019
• Added frame rate limit option
• Fixed generals in the campaign
• Fixed towed arty suppression issues
• UI polish
• No longer pausing AI when moving the camera
Content updates (campaign restart needed):
• Husky balance changes
• Dragoon balance changes
• Overlord balance changes
• Various map changes
• Bug fix for variant objective in Hurtgen
• Race across France map border bug fix
• Fixed theater assets bug in Race across France variant
• Added additional German supply in End at the Elbe
• Added Allied theater assets to Normandy Breakout variant
• Added generals McCreery and Truscott to late war Italy
-
Update 9
20 Dec 2019
New Features
• Click on an objective on the sheet to highlight it
• Unit sheet tooltips
• Hold X to lock and inspect the combat sheet
• When creating a new scenario, map selector is now a menu
• Create a new standalone scenario by copying an existing scenario from the campaign
• XP / level-up combat messages
• Next unit / Skip unit buttons now cycle through prepositioned assets
• Added HQ XP lost messages
• Allowed --log kwarg
Fixes
• Fixed scenario score when objective is taken on game start
• Fixed beaches on the Europe map
• Assault Crossing action fixes
• Store/elite store: no deployment on emergency supplied unit
• Card deck fixes
• UI system fixes
• Fixed para plane and LCI performance bug
• Fixed crash on unknown kwargs
• Fixed regular tooltip crash when a hotkey is unbound
• Fixed incorrect armor penalty value in cities
• Fixed armor shift being shown in wrong column for counterattack (on the combat sheet)
• Fixed combat crash
• HQ levels now unsuppress after ending a campaign game
• Fixed XP loss for disbanded HQs
• Newly created scenarios now show up in the scenario (no need to restart the game)
• River fix in Overlord scenario
• Fixed armor shift incorrectly not denied in certain situations
-
How Unity Of Command 2 balances game design with military history
Thu, 2 January 2020
Where abstraction meets accuracy
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/80a78d538f39644760778d3ef419a88291358eae.jpg)
The first Unity Of Command was designed for the open steppes of the Eastern Front. There, the major battles were about manoeuvre, with tank units chasing and covering miles of ground for their objectives, and lines of infantry moving to counter and support. The steppes were perfect for UoC’s unique focus on maintaining your army’s supply lines.
So, when designer Tomislav Uzelac began thinking about turning to the Western front for its sequel, he knew he had a problem. The big battles of France and Italy were slow and attritional, crossing mountain ranges and facing enemies dug into forests. “The question was, how do you go from Case Blue, where you cover 1,000 kilometres in Russia over a month and half, to Monte Cassino, where you stay pounding on one position for six months?” he tells me.
The answer lay in pushing and pulling at the frontline between military accuracy and game abstraction, and in exploring tiny design details which you’d never think could lead to making a vast theatre of war this fun to play. But as well as dealing with Europe’s topography, the sequel would also have to be a lot more complex than the first.
...
Read the full article on The Mechanic:
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2020/01/01/how-unity-of-command-2-balances-game-design-with-military-history/
-
Developer Diary 26 – Updates and Roadmap
Thu, 23 January 2020
Update 10 has gone live for all users today!
We are back! Unity of Command II got released in November, to a good amount of press coverage, glowing reviews, and (predominantly) satisfied players clocking up good hours with the game. We, on the other hand, ended up totally busted from the pre-release crunch.
We are now well rested and all that, but the whole thing made me appreciate my friend Fernando’s militant views on crunch that much more. I’m not sure if another Christmas without a released game would be great either, but the crunch definitely had us bruised.
Release Recap
The release day itself was exciting: it’s been 8 years since the original Unity of Command, and more than 4 since Dev Diary 1. We all got together to push the “release game” button at 7pm local time that evening. This button is a new thing on Steam, as previously you’d just schedule a time and the game would be released automatically. Not sure why they changed to this new system, probably not “because it’s more fun”, but then you never know 😀
You’d expect some bugs and crashes on release, and sure enough we had them, but there were no real disasters so that’s good. We made quick work of the crashes even before the holidays (updates 1-9), and have since moved on to balancing and quality of life improvements. As of this writing, the game seems to be in good shape overall.
One persistent complaint that we’ve been getting is that the game needs more tooltips, tutorials etc. This is… true, and is something we are looking to address in future updates. Thankfully, the community has stepped in: check out Unity of Command II – Short Guides by Sampstra Games for example, or this Japanese language guide by Poge. Many thanks!
Updates and Testing Branch
Starting with Update 10 earlier this month, we have created a Testing Branch on Steam. The updates are now bigger and require some testing before being released. If you want to help us test, or just check out some of the new features and fixes, you can join the Testing Branch.
Update 10 has gone live for all users earlier today, and we have already started the work on Update 11 in the Testing Branch. Check out the full changelist for Update 10 on Steam discussions. Notably, Update 10 includes Wacht Am Rhein, a standalone scenario for the Battle of the Bulge played as the Axis.
We’re looking to add more standalones like this in the future. Here’s a subtle teaser for the one coming up in Update 11. 🙂
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/c0e0c8367f1ebc0e2464d22dba4c29fb429dcf35.jpg)
Roadmap
We plan to continue with the updates, adding new features, quality of life improvements, and standalone scenarios. Regarding entirely new campaigns: we are discussing them (for DLC) but we did not finalize any plans yet. After the huge 30-scenario Allied campaign in the base game, we are perhaps looking for something punchier. We’ll see…
This next image is the design for some of the unit sheet details we’re adding in Update 11. Can you notice the changes and/or guess what they’re for?
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/0fa0a726682fb77265c93a041eb15f30bab46bd2.jpg)
These changes will come bundled with a new batch of tooltips, and hopefully all of that will communicate the unit state more clearly to the player.
Another thing we’re looking at is letting the players restart the campaign from previous conference, as opposed to last scenario only. This has been requested often enough, but there are technical issues that make it non-trivial so we’re only getting to it now. The planned score penalty is 10%, capped at 250 (too harsh?). There will be no prestige penalty as usual.
Further down the line, after Update 11, we are working on a rather large content drop (free update, not DLC). This will add a number of what-if scenarios to the campaign, including completely new what-if campaign tracks.
Along with the new content, there will be a few rule tweaks, and a good chunk of AI work. All of this will require balancing, which means that the Testing Branch will become exciting later in February. If you understand “exciting” to mean “unbalanced and full of people arguing over unit stats”, then this might be a test you’ll want to join 🙂
As a final note, we have added Steam trading cards for Unity of Command II. Pending approval, they should go live in the coming days. I’m not sure what to think of this feature, as this is the first time we have trading cards, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
Cheers,
Tomislav
-
Axis Scenarios Update
Thu, 27 February 2020
German Panzers are now under your command!
After a period in testing, Update 11 for Unity of Command II is now live for all players, delivering new content, UI improvements, features, bug fixes and more.
Battle of Kasserine Pass and Operation Nordwind standalone scenarios are now included, completing an exciting trio of Axis operations together with Wacht Am Rhein.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/a65716745e0ebd92421a340e35dd48f05a1f329b.jpg)
Opening stages of Unternehmen: Wacht am Rhein, Hitler's last-dich effort to turn the tide on the Western Front, played in ultrawide resolution.
The game now includes a “Save As” option. It is enabled by default for standalone scenarios; for campaigns, you need to go to Options > Gameplay > Allow 'Save As'. You also have the option to change the save name when starting a new game/campaign. Happy save scumming!
Other notable changes:
• campaign games can now be restarted from the last conference played. There is a score penalty of 10% (capped at 250) for this, but no prestige penalty.
• the game now counts how many scenarios a unit will stick around for (in the campaign), and displays a 1, 2, or 3+ on the unit sheet.
• persistent cards that are face down in the deck (for example a para card that was just dropped) can now be recouped for 0 prestige, to make room in the deck.
• much more detailed specialist tooltips
Check out the full change log for details:
New features
• New Axis standalone scenario: Nordwind
• New Axis standalone scenario: Kasserine
• Unit sheet polish (click to cycle through specialists)
• Unit sheet tooltips
• Icons for HQs out of supply in Supply view
• Out of supply units reminder in deployment phase
• Added the 'Save As' option in standalone games
• Added the 'Save As' option in the campaign. Enable it in Options -> Gameplay -> Allow 'Save As' in campaigns
• Added the 'Open Save Directory' main menu button
• Added an option to enter the save name when starting a new campaign/game
• In the campaign, each segment after the first can now be reset to the last conference (with a score penalty)
• New tactical naval landing rules: LCIs can be landed in FoW, at most 6 hexes away from where the front line meets the sea
• Used persistent cards can now be recouped for 0 prestige
• Scenario editor stability and UI improvements
• Scenario editor tooltips
Bug fixes
• Next unit button crash fix
• Corrupted save game crash fix
• Fixed a crash when receiving an HQ upgrade in Axis scenarios
• Fixed quitting the campaign when the cinematic is playing
• Fixed scenario length in campaign screen
• Billboard scale fix when the camera is zoomed out
• Fixed incorrect placement of info sheet items immediately after AI turn
-
Unthinkable has happened!
Tue, 21 April 2020
Update 12 Test is now available
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/a5fae5d7d67988efb96dda6ee9dd4971a9cde8d8.jpg)
A gargantuan FREE update, including the new ending to the (overhauled) "Victory in the West" campaign, is now available for playtesting in the newly released Update 12 Test.
How would you end the Second World War? We've been busy making A LOT of changes to the "Victory in the West" campaign to enable you to chose "to impose the will of the Western Allies" by attacking the Soviet forces. Operation Unthinkable is now available, along with IS3 units, SU-100s, Guards Mechanized, Guards Cavalry, IL2s and much much more, as an alternative final battle in the newly released Update 12 Test.
Daniel wrote a nice blog entry describing the path you need to take in order to unlock the Unthinkable, along with instructions on activating the Update 12 Test in case you want to jump in and try the new content straight away. You can read the full blog by visiting our forums, and we'll continue to tweak, update, upgrade and create new content, making Unity of Command II an even better game (and it's already pretty damn good!).
Join the Testing Branch and play the free Update 12 Test today!
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/662bec6a9b88afe1b84c58a7ff2e4773494e36f7.jpg)
"Unthinkable", following an early end to the war things go a bit haywire between east and west
-
V-E Day Update
Thu, 7 May 2020
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/f43821c82bbc06c8df5bb241e668bb3d119856aa.png)
Victory in Europe
The V-E Day update is here, and it’s loaded! There are 13 new scenarios (all what-ifs), a shorter and punchier Second Front campaign, numerous rule and balancing tweaks, and a bunch of technical improvements, including full UI scaling among other things.
I also, ekhm… only now realize that Update 11 somehow slipped in without a post on our blog https://unityofcommand.net/blog/ , with just a quick note here on Steam🤦♂️ Let’s just attribute that to coronavirus-induced panic and move on.
In general, the whole work-from-home thing seems to be working for our team. We are able to stay productive and keep ourselves safe, which is basically all you can ask for at this point. I wish the same, or at least close enough, to all readers of this blog and fans of our games.
Unthinkable
To quote Daniel Mellbin, who designed all the scenarios in the Victory in the West campaign, “things can now get a bit crazy if you succeed with Operation Market Garden and choose to exploit the bridgehead. Things get even crazier if you don’t feel like giving Stalin a free hand in Poland later on.”
Not that it’s super easy to get there, but if you play both Mediterranean and Northern European theaters to their a-historical conclusions, you will be faced with Operation Unthinkable. See, we knew you had secret longings for IS3s, SU-100s, and other Soviet bad boys from the original UoC, so we decided to bring them into play slightly ahead of time 😀
Because things can now get pretty involved in the campaign, we are providing the Scenario Chart below. Click on the image for the HD version, or get it in PDFhttps://unityofcommand.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/UoC2_scenario_chart.pdf or full-size PNG https://unityofcommand.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/scenario_chart_full.png . In addition to scenarios and branching, the chart also enables you to track HQs across scenarios. This should allow for better planning of prestige investment in HQ specializations and upgrades.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/3bb29b2a57d8a31d00493adb26d84850ee41c5d9.jpg)
For those that are slightly tired of slogging it through Italy at the start of each campaign run, we are now providing the Second Front campaign. This one lets you jump straight into the action at Overlord. The Mediterranean theater is removed, and you cannot reach Unthinkable, but other than that it’s the same campaign. You cannot unlock achievements and milestones related to Victory in the West via this shortened campaign, though.
Rules and Balancing
Special forces have received special attention in this update. The specialists with the black icon will, from now on:
• Bypass enemy entrenchment in attack (like engineers) but do not remove it (unlike engineers).
• Help their parent unit lower its combat losses: +1 attacker loss shift per active special forces specialist.
Additionally, special forces with the amphibious AMPH flag are able to:
• Land un-suppressed in naval landings and major river crossings.
• Reduce the river shift from -2 to 0 when attacking across minor rivers.
• Allow their parent unit to perform a feint attack (HQ action) across a minor river.
We made smaller changes to other specialists too. Amphibious tanks, like the DD Sherman, now provide armor shift when attacking across minor rivers. M10 tank destroyers got nerfed on attack and defense, while still keeping the formidable +3* armor shift. Stacking multiple towed arty specialists is discouraged further: second and third such specialists are pushed up in the loss queue, by 2 and 4 places respectively.
To help the players keep track of specialists and their abilities, we are providing a Specialist Reference Sheet. You can see a small excerpt below. Get it here in PDF https://unityofcommand.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/specialists.pdf
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/0918d07bc7e973e7ecb1630e349c2589fcb15849.png)
We did some tweaking on the prices too. The Air Recon card now costs 10 prestige. At the same time, recon assets in scenarios have been slashed to just one or two across the board. This should make the asset and its card more meaningful. The AFHQ/SHAEF card was also reduced in price, as we feel it’s a good card that should be used more often. HQ branch upgrades are now cheaper in general. Hopefully this will encourage players to experiment with some of the less-used HQ actions.
UI Scaling
The game is now able to do UI scaling on its own. To turn this, go to Options and adjust these settings:
• Ignore System UI Scaling: this will make the game ignore the “Make everything bigger” Windows setting. The game will render in native display resolution. Note that the “Make fonts bigger” Windows setting is always ignored for game purposes.
• UI Scale: the game will scale (enlarge) UI elements by selected factor, up to 200%. This is done independently of Windows, so you probably want to select the “Ignore System Scaling” option above for anyhing else than 100%.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/03e72a93346b59d8429a2f44603dd7c4e8f8d14d.jpg)
Q: The game appears to be low-resolution and/or text is blurry
It is possible that you have enabled the “Make everything bigger” setting in Windows. Try enabling Ignore System UI Scaling in Options and then restarting the game.
Q: I have a high-resolution display and text is too small to read
Go to Options, and set UI Scale to desired magnification (up to 200%). Restarting the game is not needed.
Q: I’m running with Very High settings on a high-res display and the framerate seems low and/or fan is too loud
Go to Options/Video and set Smoothing to Off. This should be of most help with the framerate, and at the same time not too noticeable visually. Another thing to try is to go to Options/General and disable VSync. This eases the burden on the CPU (not GPU) and should help with fan noise in most cases.
Taking the Sting out of Easy
If you’re finding the game too difficult even on Easy, I recommend that you subscribe to the Recruit Difficulty mod on the Steam Workshop.
I’ve made this one really over-the-top easy. If you’re finding it useful please comment here or on the mod page, as we might want to use the player feedback to add another difficulty level (Cadet level, say).
In a final piece of news, we are releasing the Unity of Command II Soundtrack as a standalone product on Steam. This version offers an extra track (compared to the in-game version), some different mixes and high-quality FLAC files.
As usual, feel free to AMA in the comments.
Cheers!
Tom
-
Blitzkrieg DLC Incoming
Thu, 5 November 2020
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/a38cf81b012f77d52969ec32261e7bad75ba9f7c.png)
Ze Germans have arrived! A 25-scenario campaign and a chunky free update containing many UI improvements and fixes.
The 1939-41 Axis campaign is a wargaming classic, and we were super happy to dig into it, though there were a bunch of challenges to be sure. The sheer number of nationalities and unit types took a lot of time to research and model, and it's actually a pity most of them only show up for a scenario or two. I hope that maybe modders can make further use of some of these units/models in the future.
Quality of Life
We started development on this update by fixing a potentially huge balancing issue. Turns out, at some point we introduced an error into the code, that effectively clamps the “combat odds number” at 6 (should be 9). In practice, this means that a lot of high odds kill values were clamped at 3 KIA – which is just wrong even if you go as far back as UoC1.
Interestingly, no one noticed! 😂 Partly this must be due to the enemy (germans) having reasonably strong units, so very high odds were bound to be rare anyway. And then, even in attrition-type situations, the defender is more likely to retreat in UoC II, because of the new “cumulative retreat” shift rule.
Either way, we replayed “Victory in the West” extensively upon making the change. To me personally, it feels marginally easier and a bit more fun. Other people on the team agreed, so no special changes were made to the campaign in the end.
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/1907fe060ba4f72ee7599626c63d55072d2a656e.png)
On to quality of life changes! In the left (see above, click for full size image) you can see that we’ve added designer notes (1) and army insignia (2) for each of the campaign HQs, and that we now show you a list of HQs (3) when you select a scenario in the campaign screen. Note that all quality of life changes described in this post also apply to base game content.
In the middle, you can see that tooltips appear to the side (4) of menus and sheets. This does not work equally well for all tooltips though, so I enabled it only where I felt it makes sense. You can also see command points on attack icons (5) and HQ selector (6) buttons. That’s a nice little change that will spare you many glances to the HQ sheet down in the lower right.
On the right, you can see that now there are tooltips with full unit stats for enroute units (7). They sure look sweet! I find EXP warnings on deployment (8) even more useful in a practical sense though — if you’re reinforcing your units, they warn you if the next deployment is going to lower ther experience level.
DLC Mechanics and Features
Fixed Fortifications are found in places like the Maginot Line, Eben Emael, Brest etc. They provide a -1/-3 combat shift to defender, depending on whether they are destroyed or intact, respectively. This shift is cumulative (adds up) to the entrenchment shift, so units fortified in fixed fortifications are really hard to flush out.
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/8f76ed137a0bad2ac5358646962b85e76f3d5bcc.png)
Army Group and Panzer Group HQs (1): armies are slow moving infantry formations, and you can upgrade their command range during the campaign, but they never go very fast. Panzer groups, on the other hand, have a fixed small range, but they can be upgraded to full 12MP (+3 if on rail) of movement. You want to keep your panzer generals close to the front.
Long-range Transfer (2): German HQs can transfer steps and specialists anywhere within their command range, not only between adjacent units. This changes everything.
Kampfgruppe (3): when sufficiently upgraded, German HQs can deploy security units (kampfgrupen) that also reorg any stragglers found in the deployment hex. Reorg’d straggler steps become active immediately.
Level-3 Force Pool (4): if a German HQ has its force pool upgraded to level-3, it does not spend command points when reorganizing stragglers at the start of the turn. This is a kind of a “technical” update — we decided to represent German HQs at army group-level and not army-level, so there is simply more stragglers around per HQ than what the Allied HQs had. Upgrade at your earliest convenience!
Oversupply (5): provides a unit with additional (mobile) supplies, and is totally super useful if you are planning to thrust recklessly into the enemy rear with half a dozen panzer divisions on a logistical shoestring. Which, you know… you’d never do, right?
Ju 87 Precision Bombing (6): this theater asset will let you blow a bridge, or destroy two trucks in an enemy supply hub. It’s a lot like “sabotage” except you get 3 hits in one scenario, so lord have mercy on your enemies.
Flying Artillery (7): simulates a heavy air attack by massed close air support aircraft (yes, Stukas again). Flying artillery generates high suppression results on the targeted unit and, even more importantly, has a whopping 50% chance of destroying fixed fortifications.
Release When
The release itself is on November 5th — if you are reading this past the date, the banner below will say "Buy Now" instead of "Add to Wishlist". Either way, make sure that your reaction is spontaneous and automatic! From everyone at 2x2 HQ, we wish you good times with our brand new campaign 😎
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1322670/header.jpg?t=1604599033)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1322670/Unity_of_Command_II__Blitzkrieg/
£7.19
-
UoC II on Mac OS X - Now in Beta
Tue, 22 December 2020
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/bfe773bce48b5c9a3c65dfdb1c1f1433dc5347a0.png)
We have started testing the Mac OS X version of UoC II on Steam.
If you currently own the game (on Windows), and you want to try it on a Mac, you can simply install on the Mac, switch to the beta branch and play. This post explains how to switch to beta:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/809230/discussions/2/3003297945133220808/
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/f7977ded8d9b634293672de3c890934dca709914.jpg)
Please report success, or any issues you run into, in that sub-forum (Testing Branch on Steam).
The game will not be "officially supported" on Mac during this test period. Once we feel it's been sufficiently tested we will enable Mac purchases in the Steam store.
Cheers!
-
Update 14 Test
Mon, 15 February 2021
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/809230/ss_02a54a1bb903d0065034ab953c5caef269532aed.1920x1080.jpg)
Currently in testing: bug fixes, Mac OS support, and more...
We have set Update 14 live on the testing branch. The main purpose of this update is to add support for Mac OS X, but we ended up fixing a lot of issues and even added some small features.
Please report any issues in the "Testing Branch" subforum of our Steam community discussions.
What is Testing Branch and how do I join? https://steamcommunity.com/app/809230/discussions/2/3003297945133220808/?snr=2_groupannouncements_detail_
Features
• Mac OS X support
• odds shown on combat sheet (optional, via options/gameplay)
• combat sheet: tooltips on attacker totals for sup fire, pindown
• victory dialog tooltips
• CTRL-1 hotkey to select scenarios in campaign screen (if occluded by sidebar)
• enroute HQ can be set to arrive at later turns (in scenario editor)
• command line option to run without steam mods (--no-steam-mods)
• open manual and scenario charts from main screen
Bugfixes
• fixed rail hexes on europe map
• fix: crash on remove billboard
• fix: unit rot animation crash
• fix: hq deploy/store crash (hardening)
• fix: armor shift calculation error when unsing amphibious armor
• fix: combat sheet "Armor Shift" message should show the shift value before rounding, not after
• corrected tooltip for "90% Success" milestone
• fix: axis truck card tooltip
• hardening: Interpolation1D.length() sometimes unexplainably returns NaN (numpy.linalg.norm() issue, possibly Mac only)
• armor_shift_f not rounded correctly (ROUND_HALF_UP)
• fix: axis truck card tooltip
• fix: banner now says "Feint Attack" instead of "Pindown"
• fix: crash on naval landing when para animation is still going (hardening)
• fix: para planes fly sideways in history mode
• fix: when you load a campaign ending in loss, victory sound is played
• HQ store view, disable "armor" items if there is no infantry in the fp, or if there isn't enough prestige for armor + infantry
• hardening: runtime check and logging for HeightMap.point_average_height()
• fix: if supply bonus objective is re-taken by AI, theater supply is wrong
• fix: deploy enroute unit, undo, then deploy again (wrong unit state)
• fix: when using the sabotage card, message reports wrong turn value for recovered trucks
• fix: wrong casualty score when para unit is killed on drop. Check the same thing for naval assault.
• fix: AI crash while removing out of supply hub
• fix: front line crash close to a mix of minor/major rivers
• combat: do not negate armor shift in counterattacks that are across the river
• fix: "destroy unit" bonus objective not listed taken after save/load
• fix: FXAA on the mac now works
-
Update 14 is now LIVE
Thu, 25 February 2021
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/809230/ss_02a54a1bb903d0065034ab953c5caef269532aed.1920x1080.jpg)
Bug fixes, Mac OS support, and more...
Update 14 is now live!
The main purpose of this update was to add support for Mac OS X, but we ended up fixing a lot of issues and even added a couple of small features. The changelist is attached below. As usual, if you run into any issues, please report them in the Technical Support subforum on Steam Discussions.
Cheers!
Features
• Mac OS X support
• odds shown on combat sheet (optional, via options/gameplay)
• combat sheet: tooltips on attacker totals for sup fire, pindown
• victory dialog tooltips
• CTRL-1 hotkey to select scenarios in campaign screen (if occluded by sidebar)
• enroute HQ can be set to arrive at later turns (in scenario editor)
• command line option to run without steam mods (--no-steam-mods)
• open manual and scenario charts from main screen
Bugfixes
• fixed rail hexes on europe map
• fix: crash on remove billboard
• fix: unit rot animation crash
• fix: hq deploy/store crash (hardening)
• fix: armor shift calculation error when unsing amphibious armor
• fix: combat sheet "Armor Shift" message should show the shift value before rounding, not after
• corrected tooltip for "90% Success" milestone
• fix: axis truck card tooltip
• hardening: Interpolation1D.length() sometimes unexplainably returns NaN (numpy.linalg.norm() issue, possibly Mac only)
• armor_shift_f not rounded correctly (ROUND_HALF_UP)
• fix: axis truck card tooltip
• fix: banner now says "Feint Attack" instead of "Pindown"
• fix: crash on naval landing when para animation is still going (hardening)
• fix: para planes fly sideways in history mode
• fix: when you load a campaign ending in loss, victory sound is played
• HQ store view, disable "armor" items if there is no infantry in the fp, or if there isn't enough prestige for armor + infantry
• hardening: runtime check and logging for HeightMap.point_average_height()
• fix: if supply bonus objective is re-taken by AI, theater supply is wrong
• fix: deploy enroute unit, undo, then deploy again (wrong unit state)
• fix: when using the sabotage card, message reports wrong turn value for recovered trucks
• fix: wrong casualty score when para unit is killed on drop. Check the same thing for naval assault.
• fix: AI crash while removing out of supply hub
• fix: front line crash close to a mix of minor/major rivers
• combat: do not negate armor shift in counterattacks that are across the river
• fix: "destroy unit" bonus objective not listed taken after save/load
• fix: FXAA on the mac now works
-
Barbarossa DLC Announced
Tue, 2 March 2021
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/b76f113b7d6d3989cff9403aafc34124b79750c7.png)
The Barbarossa DLC will be released on the 21st of April on Steam and the price will be $9,99.
In this DLC, you command Axis forces during Operation Barbarossa, from their summer of roaring victories to the painful halt at the gates of Moscow in the winter of 1941/42.
Key Features
• 23-scenario historical campaign, with battles from the lakes of Karelia in the north to the Black Sea beaches in the south
• Limited, but still difficult to achieve, alternative historical outcomes, such as capturing Moscow in late 1941
• Detailed, zoomed-in maps for the hard-fought sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol
• 20+ new unit types including those from Italy, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Finland, and Spain
• Beautiful new vehicle models including BT-7 and T-26 tanks, and the iconic ZIS-5 truck
Unity of Command II - Barbarossa
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1493580/header.jpg)
In this DLC, you command Axis forces during Operation Barbarossa, from their summer of roaring victories to the painful halt at the gates of Moscow in the winter of 1941/42.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1493580/Unity_of_Command_II__Barbarossa/
-
Tutorial Update
Tue, 20 April 2021
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/9e00cabcd95187034ad70697a41bfec32005471a.png)
A brand new tutorial, and a 3-scenario campaign from Lousiana Maneuvers to Torch Landings.
We are releasing the companion update to the Barbarossa DLC (Update 15) today, one day ahead of the DLC release itself. The main attraction here is the completely overhauled tutorial, but there are a few other features and bug fixes too.
First, a quick recap for the Barbarossa DLC: the release date is April 21, and the price is $9.99. You command Axis forces, from the initial invasion all the way to the Battle for Moscow in late 1941.
• 23-scenario historical campaign, with battles from the lakes of Karelia in the north to the Black Sea beaches in the south
• Limited, but still difficult to achieve, alternative historical outcomes, such as capturing Moscow in late 1941
• Detailed, zoomed-in maps for the hard-fought sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol
• 20+ new unit types including those from Italy, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Finland, and Spain
• Beautiful new vehicle models including BT-7 and T-26 tanks, and the iconic ZIS-5 truck
• New German cards: Blitzkrieg (reloads HQ command points) and Luftflotte
• New terrain type: bog, used to model the impenetrable, swampy terrain facing Army Group North and the Finns
• New original music: 4 brand new tracks by Bruno Babić, composed specifically for Barbarossa DLC
From Zero to Hero – the UoC II Tutorial
The original UoC II tutorial was never a fan favorite, and rightly so. In its defense, it was cobbled together in a few hurried days leading up the game’s release and never given the attention it deserves. Everything about the game was new to us at the time. We didn’t know how the players will react to all the new mechanics. What is obvious, and what needs to be pointed out. What is intuitive, and what needs explaining… all of that was a bit of a mystery to us back then.
I am not saying the new tutorial is perfect, but I assure you there is a world of difference. We are starting off real easy in this one, taking the time to introduce the very basics of movement and combat, how to undo, what are hexes, the fog of war, etc. Don’t worry if this sounds a bit pedestrian: the second tutorial already shows you the finer details of setting up your supply network. By the time you’re done with all six, I assure you that even the grizzled veterans of the vanilla, tutorial-impaired UoC II will have learned a trick or two.
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/061f92c11580498c8c69c2cbfd124dd1982dde64.png)
The six tutorial scenarios are followed by the Tutorial Campaign. It’s only lightly annotated, showing you how to buy stuff on the conference screen, and then you’re off to play the scenarios. You are tasked with leading the fictional “T Force” from the Louisiana Maneuvers, through Torch Landings to the final Run for Tunis scenario.
We invented T Force because we needed a persistent core of units and an HQ to take them through the campaign. As a bonus, it serves to make the campaign easier for the novice player. The historical units are still there, in the North African scenarios, but they are aided by the tutorial “T Force” units. It still makes for quite interesting, if relatively easy, play.
Don’t Go For All Bonus Objectives
In the final scenario of the tutorial, we try to make a point that you are not meant to take all bonus objectives. We understand that a proficient player can, perhaps with some restarting, achieve this feat in most scenarios. It really isn’t the way this game was designed to be played, though. Let me quote AFHQ, straight from the final tutorial scenario briefing:
Bonus objectives are not required for victory, and often present you with a difficult choice. Focusing on one objective can cost you another. And that is OK, don’t feel bad about missing some bonus objectives. It is meant to be that way. Now, run for it!
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/82ee74e367a8251aee9864fed0dbdaa27c510588.jpg)
Personally, dropping objectives is how I’ve always been playing the game. There is a mud patch in the way, or I don’t particularly need the bonus reward? Skip the objective. My force is depleted and I need to bring it up to strength for the campaign? Don’t waste steps taking objectives on time. Even if you’re late on a primary objective, you get at least 25 prestige: don’t massacre 100 prestige worth of steps just to take it “in time”.
You have this freedom with objectives, and it allows you to take an alternative approach to the entire scenario if you want. This is the way the game was designed to be played: set the difficulty level so that it’s
challenging
on a turn-by-turn basis, but be strategic about going for objectives.
One More Turn
This is a new feature: we are letting you request an additional turn to complete the scenario. Such requests are always granted, but your prestige does suffer as a result. The prestige cost starts at 25 but doubles every time such appeals are needed in the campaign.
This option is disabled by default on classic and hard difficulties, but it can be enabled in Options/Gameplay.
We are also giving you a light boost if you’re forced to restart a scenario. On normal, you will receive a truck asset and one flying arty. On easy, there’s more: an air attack, infantry steps, engineers. This feature is never available on classic and hard difficulties.
Anyway, that’s it from me for today. The tutorial was a big undertaking for us, so there wasn’t much time to devote to improvements for non-novice players this time around. We hope that in the next update we can do more on that front. Feel free to comment, and we’ll take a look at what’s possible.
Cheers,
Tomislav
-
Moscow 41 Announced
Thu, 12 August 2021
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1631480/header.jpg)
The Moscow 41 DLC will be released on the 31st of August on Steam and the price will be $6.99.
The beginning of December 1941 saw German forces fighting at the gates of Moscow. Thereafter, ferocious Soviet resistance, coupled with exhaustion and horrendous weather, meant that this was to be the end of the line for Barbarossa.
In Moscow 41 you take control of Soviet forces as they deliver blow after blow to an overextended Wehrmacht during their winter counteroffensives of 1941/42. Though battered and bruised, German armies will prove mighty opponents for the less experienced Red Army, which must also contend with overly ambitious objectives set forth by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.
Key Features
• 11 historical scenarios with many variants, based on the Soviet winter counteroffensive in late 1941 and early 1942
• Limited, but still difficult to achieve, alternative historical outcomes, such as relieving Leningrad or destroying Army Group Center
• New Soviet Guards units
• New winter look for German and Soviet units
• New specialists: Soviet Ski Troops, Divisional Gun
• New card: Artillery Preparation
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1631480/Unity_of_Command_II__Moscow_41/
Unity of Command II - Moscow 41
31 Aug, 2021
StrategyIndieSimulationWorld War IIWargame
In Moscow 41 you take control of Soviet forces as they deliver blow after blow to an overextended Wehrmacht during their winter counteroffensives of 1941/42.
-
Soviet Update
Mon, 30 August 2021
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/ba4f065beb31b8ab32f5661561ad702edfdc5f75.png)
Playable Soviets, a new revision of the manual, balancing the base game, and more.
This is the companion update to the Moscow 41 DLC (Update 16). Everything revolves around the playable Soviets in this one, but there is also a new revision of the manual, quality of life improvements, balancing updates to the base game, and more.
Briefly about the Moscow 41 DLC: it will be released on 31st of August on Steam and the price will be $6.99. You take control of Soviet forces as they deliver blow after blow to an overextended Wehrmacht during their winter counteroffensives of 1941/42. There are 11 historical scenarios total.
Unity of Command II - Moscow 41
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1631480/Unity_of_Command_II__Moscow_41/
Please find the full change list for Update 16 below. Sorry about the abbreviated post for this update: I've had a proper vacation (!) this year, and am not really running at full speed just yet.
Cheers,
Tomislav
Features
• oversupply animation
• precision bombing theater asset - fixed readability of icon
• soviet special: artillery preparation card: sup fire does not spend AP, does not suppress arty specs
• soviet special: set piece possible for units with engineers (arty not mandatory)
• icon for when you're not allowed to place a supply hub (because of stragglers)
• selectable supply hubs
• binoculars icon for recon in force on the unit and the unit sheet
• ski specialists
Bugfixes
• fix: pontoon bridge: destroy, undo, destroy again
• fix: hq_uprade window in campaign screen: no frame around action icon
• fix: more theater asset crashes
• fix: scenario editor crash when the only HQ is enroute
• fix: remove campaign token when losing take-and-hold bonus objective
• fix: crash on certain attacks
• fix: river movement bug
• fix: elite reinforcements undo bug
• fix: scenario editor crash on mac
• Fix: command authority in campaign screen
• Fixes: casualties counting, added stragglers data
• Fix: history mode, HQ overrun update
• Fix: Restart from last conference greyed out
Balancing: Victory in the West
• Wadi Akarit: AI breakout (hard only)
• Alpine Redoubt: turn limits
• Battle for Bavaria: turn limit
• Saar-Vosgues Offensive: turn limits
• Market Garden: Arnhem now hold type objective
• Ljubljana Gap: turn limits
• Race Across France: turn limits
• Advance to Antwerp: turn limits
• Overlord: AI hints, Axis strength, Axis supply sources, turn limits
• Road from Rimini: Turn limits, playable area, Axis supply source location
• Rhine South: turn limits
• Rhine North: turn limits
• Veritable: turn limits
• Lumberjack: turn limits
• Gothic Line: turn limits, Axis strength
• Lorraine: turn limits
• End at the Elbe: turn limits
• Schelde: AI tweaks, turn limits, non active token reward changed
• Hurtgen: Axis supply, turn limits, objective reward fix
Balancing: Barbarossa
• multiple scenarios: changed T-34 to T-34/76
• hgs: changed Sd.Kfz 222 to Sd.Kfz 232, T-34 to T-34/76
• sevastopol_assault: specialists from HQ assigned to units
• rostov: locations added for Soviet reinforcements; one unit location change; AI tweaks
• bryansk, yelnya: minor balance tweaks
-
I Was Killed Near Rzhev
Thu, October 28, 2021
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/db80807c130d6f5625ed1857054d90c5035b2a76.png)
A Developer’s Diary
The battles around Rzhev are easily among the toughest and bloodiest of the entire World War II. They are also not very well known in the west, especially given how the Red Army suffered a quarter of a million dead there in early 1942 alone.
When designing this scenario for Moscow 41, we really wanted to do these momentous events justice. The mechanics and the scenario design were carefully adapted to the period. As a result, the “Rzhev meat grinder” plays very differently from anything you’ve seen in Unity of Command II before.
Our intention is that playing as the Soviets feels authentic with respect to history. The adjustments to play style that this requires can be difficult, but we feel it’s well worth it because it gives an entirely new perspective on this period of the war.
With that in mind, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at a smaller section of the Rzhev Offensive around the Volga crossing. This should highlight some of the new tactical skills and ideas that you’ll be needing when playing as a Soviet commander.
Situation
The plan for our forces in this section of the map is to cut through and capture Rzhev city proper. In doing that, we will demonstrate how to properly develop operations in the Soviet way.
The first thing we notice is that the German unit defending Rzhev is elite. It would be advisable to attack it with at least a veteran unit, in order to bridge the experience gap. There are no veteran units assigned to the Kalinin Front, however. The German unit also has the advantage of being fortified. Before launching our main assault, we will need to breach its fortifications.
Given our relatively weaker units, we should think in terms of power projection in order to achieve our objective. We want enough of our troops within striking range of Rzhev for the main assault to be decisive. There is real potential for high casualties, and a piecemeal effort would only dull our overall combat capabilities.
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/7b9d9000cc40c1ce3ccdd435daef0ed9522d4057.jpg)
Positioning
The tactical situation is rather unfavorable. We are holding a single pontoon bridge across the Volga and, beyond that, only a very narrow corridor surrounded by the enemy from both sides. Besides pouring troops through this gap, we will need to keep them in supply as well.
To get the most out of the Kalinin HQ abilities, specialists should be rearranged during battle preparation and front line troops should receive replacements by reorganizing rear units. Note that city terrain does not favor armor specialists and plan your dispositions accordingly.
The first task at hand is to widen the corridor for security reasons. Our troops should constantly be poured through the gap since this is the only center of gravity for the Kalinin Front. The entire width of the front should move as one big column, employing all troops that can be spared from defensive duty.
The Soviets
Soviet units are unique in that they’re able to mount Set Piece Attacks with a Sapper specialist only – they do not require artillery. This, combined with Suppressive Fire and then a direct assault, will be our main method for breaching enemy fortifications outside city terrain.
Another good use for a Set Piece Attack is to force an enemy unit to retreat without taking undue losses yourself. In the absence of artillery this is best combined with Feint Attack beforehand. A Feint Attack will both weaken the enemy and increase its chance of retreating.
When playing the Soviets, it is crucial to weaken the enemy with preliminary attacks before landing the main blow, as the odds are often stacked against you. Sometimes this means taking higher casualties than the enemy does, so always make sure that you have enough troops for follow up attacks.
While entrenchment can be lifted with Suppressive Fire and the Artillery Preparation card can concentrate that fire in a narrow area, using artillery always brings the risk of turning the city into ruins. If that happens such an attack is highly counterproductive. Artillery is best used for breaching defensive lines outside of settlements while Sappers are best used for assaulting cities.
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/ddbf1c99fbf9fa91bfc7fc3b4113248f45d1e07b.jpg)
Supply
We want to create a supply hub as close as possible to the gap in the enemy lines. The hex next to our pontoon bridge is the best location but, to place a hub there, we need to clear the forest road running north the Volga.
Killing the lone German unit blocking this road connects the new hub to the supplied rail line in the north west. If we’re in need of trucks, the nearby hub can be reduced, and its truck re-deployed at the pontoon bridge hub.
With the corridor secured, and the gap widened, we are able to resolve our supply issues and assemble a bigger force on the other side of the river. The stage is now set for an approach to our target.
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/996f9411c0be5675a63004f6fd3593f628e1f0f1.jpg)
Sappers
The chance to breach entrenchment/fortifications with a Set Piece Attack will depend on the combat odds. To increase the odds, Sappers are best used on stronger units like Guards, Cavalry or regular infantry with veteran status.
If a Set Piece Attack is only partially successful, your attacking unit will be left with many of its steps suppressed. On top of that, the enemy HQ may be able to re-entrench the defending unit during its own turn. It’s not guaranteed that your unit will be able to attack again on the following turn.
For this reason, Sappers are best used in pairs. This heavily increases the chance of success simply by planning to use power projection in advance.
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/121db6316654a4142d40daba2230987ba95ddddd.jpg)
Ski Troops
Recon in Force is not a new HQ action but, starting with Moscow 41 DLC, we’ve added “binoculars” icons to the units capable of using it in the current turn. As a reminder, these are armored units, or other units with an active recon specialist (provided that their HQ has this ability).
Soviet ski specialists, besides granting an attack bonus in snow terrain, also enable Recon in Force. This works great for removing enemy Zone of Control, so that a target hex can be attacked multiple times by rotating your units in the attack.
Less well known is the tactic of clearing enemy supply hub, HQ or stragglers with Recon in Force. A ski specialist, similar to a recon specialist, can be used to clear these enemy structures, provided the fighting takes place in the snow.
Unlike a recon specialist though, the ski specialist is not suppressed after recon in force. You can use it to clear the way (with Recon in Force), and then provide its attack bonus later in the same turn. Provided you employ them properly, ski specialists can be devastating to the enemy.
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/1998de6b2c73b0a2fb817151ac8dc5b33bd15435.jpg)
Don’t Go For All Bonus Objectives
We’ve decided to make this a periodic reminder🙂. If you miss a bonus objective here or there, it’s really not a big deal. Sometimes bonus objectives are designed to be concurrent to each other. You give more attention to one area, and this gets reflected in the other. It is your desire and effort to become a better strategist that really counts.
That would be all for this post, comrades. We hope your efforts at defending the motherland improve as a result of the techniques acquired on this website. In fact, anything else would gravely displease comrade Stalin. And we cannot have that. Ура!! ✊
-
Stalingrad DLC Now Available!
Mon, 15 November 2021
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1676010/header.jpg?)
Unity of Command II returns to its roots, 10 years after the original "Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign"
After staving off the Soviet winter counteroffensive of 1941/42, the German Wehrmacht reclaims the initiative the following summer. Concentrating their forces in the south, the Germans once again slice through Soviet lines, aiming for the oilfields of the Caucasus and the industrial city of Stalingrad. But the Red Army has learned much from past failures and prepares to strike back in an overwhelming fashion.
In this DLC, you will command the multinational Army Group South in its bid to deliver a crippling blow to the Soviet war machine, while securing oil for Germany’s ongoing conquests.
Key Features
• A 15-scenario historical campaign covering the German “Fall Blau” offensive and the Caucasus campaign, through the Soviet counterattack at Stalingrad and on to the Third Battle of Kharkov
• A 9-scenario alternative history branch exploring what might have happened had the Axis focused their entire 1942 effort on the Caucasus
• New specialists: Soviet T-60 and Lend-Lease M3 tanks, Marder tank destroyers, Sturm pioneers, and more
• New unit models for Soviet mechanized troops, T-34/76 tanks, German SS Panzer Grenadiers, Italian motorized infantry, and more
• Our toughest AI yet, capable of mounting major offensives that will keep your Romanians, Hungarians, and Italians reeling in shock and awe!
• New music from Bruno Babić, including re-arranged tracks from the original Unity of Command (2011) soundtrack
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1676010/Unity_of_Command_II__Stalingrad/
-
Desert Rats DLC Announced
Thu, 2 June 2022
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/6581b6463e3062ab15dcf7e7caaff6479f3a77d7.jpg)
Are you ready to fight on islands, in the snow, on the beaches, and in the desert in our most varied DLC so far? And how good is your British accent lately, sharp as ever? Jolly good, then...
Desert Rats, the new DLC for Unity of Command II, will be out on the 14th of July. Keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of inflation, we are sticking to the usual $9.99/€8.19 price point. Enjoy!
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1884780/header.jpg)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1884780/Unity_of_Command_II__Desert_Rats/
This DLC promises "see-saw action in the sweltering heat of the Desert in operations such as Compass and Crusader", and "dogged fighting in the mountains of Eritrea and the Blitz through Somalia and into Ethiopia". Here is what all of that means in terms of scenarios:
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/10c61aa885b4d810d5e2fe4abba6bdc80ebb9a53.jpg)
If this has you feeling like a Firebrand
Crusader
picking up his Battlaxe
... and there are weeks to go before the Pugilism
can start: please consider channeling your energy into an enthusiastic Steam review. It really helps! Double that if you have 100+ hours in the game
You can also go play the new standalone "Operation Seydlitz", now live in the Testing Branch:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/809230/discussions/0/3415430580681485952/
Cheers!
-
Desert Update
Tue, 12 July 2022
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/871577ab99b158a7046181a9386b32b4ef3eda55.jpg)
The companion update to Desert Rats DLC
We are releasing the companion update to Desert Rats DLC today (Update 18), two days ahead of the DLC release itself.
First, a quick recap of the DLC: the release date is July 14, and the price is $9.99. You take command of Allied forces as they attempt to stop first the Italians, and then the Germans in the form of Afrika Korps.
• 21 scenarios based on British Commonwealth campaigns in East Africa, North Africa, and the Mediterranean in 1940-41.
• Large map coverage expanded to include the Western Desert and the Middle East, plus a brand new map for East Africa.
• Many new units from the Commonwealth nations.
• Desert camouflage for existing Axis and Allied units.
• An alt-history track in which, after the victory at El Alamein, a powerful mobile force conducts a non-stop drive to Tripoli (with Monty, no less).
New Desert Terrain
In this update, we added support for certain terrain features commonly found in the North African theater: dunes, escarpments, and ridges. The desert we previously encountered in the game (in Tunisia) was rocky desert, easily traversable for both infantry and armor. It is ideal terrain for mobile operations.
For this DLC we needed a terrain type that is more rough, as we are running into sand dunes of the Western Desert and Tripolitania. The resulting "dunes" terrain is difficult to attack in, and near impossible to traverse ( "A" movement cost). Enjoy!
Escarpments and ridges are long terrain features (hexsides) that extend over tens of kilometers. In our model, escarpments are steep cliffs that prevent movement, but allow for suppressive fire. If traversed by a road though, they are free for movement, and units can even attack.
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//34609669/7723b733212207fc65f53dd368915fa792425123.png)
Ridges are modeled as long, slightly elevated crests in the terrain. They provide a combat bonus for the defender, and impose and additional 1MP movement cost. It is to our surprise that legendary features such as Alam el Halfa, Ruweisat or Miteirya ridges are not more prominent geographically, but we think the characterization is fair and those battles clicked together well.
As you can see in the screenshot, starting with this update we added a map legend. It is enabled in all map views: terrain, supply, movement, and weather. Hover over items for detailed information in tooltips.
Odds and Ends
We added a standalone "Seydlitz" scenario to the Stalingrad DLC in this update. This is about the battles at Rzhev in the summer of 1942. If you own the DLC it will simply appear under "Standalone Scenarios". Enjoy the meat grinder!
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//34609669/0302835381c820b37849dbf70891ddde29c789c9.png)
Windows 7 Discontinued
We had to do this, please don't be mad. Unity of Command II is built with python, which discontinued Windows 7 in its version 3.9 from October 2020 (Microsoft did the same in January of the same year). We stuck with python 3.8 for a while, but now we need to move on.
In case you can't run this on anything but a Windows 7 machine, you have two options:
• Switch to the legacy_windows_7 branch in the Steam Library (properties -> betas). This will continue to run anything you bought by this time just fine, but it won't support Desert Rats or future content.
• According to user TacError (thx!), it is possible to get the game to run using nalexandru's "api-ms-win-core-path-HACK" library from github. If you know what you're doing this might be the way to go but we haven't tested it and cannot recommend.
Game Won't Run After Update
This happens after every update - a number of people get hit with this, mostly because some AV software mistakenly labels the game as a virus (a "false positive"). Please make sure to at least "verify integrity of local files" and add an exception for "uoc2.exe" in your antivirus before submitting an angry complaint
There are other known reasons why the game might be running into problems, all listed in this helpful forum thread https://steamcommunity.com/app/809230/discussions/0/2243300286290193065/?snr=2_groupannouncements_detail_ . In particular, Razer Cortex in-game overlay can cause the game to crash so please turn it off (this is a new one, listed towards the bottom of the forum post).
Desert Rats DLC releases on July 14th at 10 am PST.
Take care, and campaign responsibly. Cheers!
-
Desert Fox DLC Announced
Thu, November 17, 2022
In the boots of one of the iconic commanders of World War II
After leading the Allied forces in Desert Rats, it's now time to turn around and take command of the Afrika Korps led by 🦊 Gen. Erwin Rommel!
Desert Fox, the new DLC for Unity of Command II, will be out on Steam on the 8th of December. Enjoy the time-proven pricing formula as our DLC remain priced at $9.99.
Unity of Command II - Desert Fox
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1911150/header.jpg)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911150/Unity_of_Command_II__Desert_Fox/
The expansion brings 25+ new Axis scenarios in North Africa, East Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The main attraction is the historical 1941-43 Axis campaign, and not one but two separate alt-history tracks on top!
Enjoy!
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//34609669/e65a9738bba1741f63514baca4ffd0f15b753c53.jpg)
March 1941. Italy’s imperial ambitions are in tatters. Her armies in Greece and Libya are shattered, her navy humiliated at Taranto and Cape Matapan, and her colonies in East Africa on the brink of surrender. Against all odds, the Allies hold the initiative in the Mediterranean.
Germany has big plans for 1941, and they don’t include a Mediterranean diversion. Still, Italy cannot be allowed to fail entirely. The Wehrmacht hurriedly sets about conquering Greece, and shoring up Italian defenses in Libya with a small mechanized force.
Its name: the Afrika Korps. Its leader: Gen. Erwin Rommel.
Axis forces in North Africa are a curious mix: the Afrika Korps was an elite and highly agile force, while the more numerous Italian divisions supporting it were often brave but poorly-led and not equipped for mobile warfare. Defeating the British here will require utmost skill making the most of inadequate supplies and forces of mixed quality.
Key Features
- 25+ Axis scenarios in North Africa, East Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East
- Historical 1941-43 Axis campaign, plus two separate alt-history tracks
- Beautiful new Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 airplane and Littorio-class battleship models
- A new Fliegerführer Afrika card
- A brand new music track from Bruno Babić
-
Trailer for Desert Fox DLC
https://youtu.be/Y3o-1aE6tYA
-
Desert Fox DLC Now Available
Thu, 8 December 2022
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/809230/header_alt_assets_5.jpg)
Take command of the Afrika Korps led by no less than the 🦊 himself -- Gen. Erwin Rommel!
Germany has big plans for 1941, and they don’t include a Mediterranean diversion. Still, Italy cannot be allowed to fail entirely. The Wehrmacht hurriedly sets about conquering Greece, and shoring up Italian defenses in Libya with a small mechanized force.
Its name: the Afrika Korps. Its leader: Gen. Erwin Rommel.
This expansion brings 25+ new Axis scenarios in North Africa, East Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. The main attraction is the historical 1941-43 Axis campaign, plus not one but two separate alt-history tracks on top!
Enjoy!
Unity of Command II - Desert Fox
https://store.steampowered.com/app/809230/Unity_of_Command_II/
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/31137802a46673782d3e304d353d5b20ba409b03.jpg)
-
Don 42 DLC Now Available
Thu, 18 May 2023
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1870350/header.jpg)
Soviet offensives from the Don to the Dnieper during the fateful winter of 1942/43
The winter of 1942/43 approaches, and with their enemy stretched thin at Stalingrad, the Soviets plan to deliver severe blows to Hitler's armies...
This campaign includes some of the largest encirclements of Axis forces in the war. You will be in charge of fresh Tank Corps as they launch deep battle
strikes into the enemy’s rear. But be warned: although weakened, the fascist invaders are still dangerous and will remind you that commanding the Red Army means accepting losses.
Enjoy!
Unity of Command II - Don 42
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1870350/header.jpg?t=1684428727)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1870350/Unity_of_Command_II__Don_42/
£5.89
(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/34609669/07727a94c8cf6e61c34bd773df8196f652b81a17.png)
-
Kursk DLC Announced - Dev Diary #1
Tue, September 26, 2023
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/2307940/header.jpg)
After two full campaigns in Africa, and a short one in the Don Bend, Unity of Command 2 stays on the Eastern Front.
Unity of Command II reaches it's 8th DLC! Kursk is a rich DLC with two complete campaigns, Soviet and German, plus two separate alt-history tracks in the German campaign! The DLC releases on October 19th
, and there are 31 scenarios in total. Given the size of the thing, we have raised our usual DLC price to $11.99
(please don't be mad).
Remarkably, this, one of our finest DLC, is the work of two designers entirely new to the series: prolific workshop contributor FrancenCZ and the youtube prodigy Hexaboo (yes, that guy). Please give them your support as they take over our community posts for a couple of developer diaries.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/34609669/d97cd51748817a69b65c860b537612bc2e1b4e01.jpg)
Tanks, Dashes, and Models
After two campaigns in North Africa and the Middle East and a colossal race around the Don Bend, it seems only fair that Unity of Command 2 stays on the Soviet-German Front, with a hefty expansion that lets you play as either of the sides in the fighting surrounding the Battle of Kursk and the epic events that came after it.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/8965669336c19226a3da80cce29aacbb78772bad.png)
The Soviet campaign that gave the DLC its name covers a period between 4 July 1943 and somewhere in December 1943, going far beyond the fighting around the Kursk salient, the usual focus of this part of the war. From a hard-fought breakthrough at Smolensk, the liberation of Donbass that took two tries, and the elimination of the bridgehead at Taman, to the mad dash to the Dnieper and the increasingly tough maneuvering in the late-autumn mud around Gomel, Kiev, and Krivoy Rog.
Since this was a time of monumental successes for the Red Army, all of the missions in the Kursk campaign represent historical operations whose outcomes, with one notable exception, are in line with what actually happened. Similarly to Don 42, the secondary and challenge objectives we are so used to in Unity of Command either represent slightly optimistic deadlines for areas and cities ultimately liberated, or stand for secondary objectives set in the operation plans themselves. In fact, if you know how the actual operations took place, the campaign makes it possible to emulate the decisions and achieve success.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/93e94f211cede17c602e27fc802e0f9b2517b676.png)
In contrast, given the lacklustre performance of the Wehrmacht during the period, the opposing-force Zitadelle campaign, just like every other German campaign in this game, invited a bit of a flight of fantasy, resulting in a historical and an alternative branch. The choice depends on how well you do in the increasingly precarious offensive and defensive engagements at the north and south faces of the Kursk salient. In the historical branch, you will find yourself other side of some of the missions in the Kursk campaign, although for the Germans, the fighting extends into 1944, with battles in Belarus and Korsun Pocket.
However, should Zitadelle succeed, you’ll get to travel around, with a renewed effort by Army Group North to take Leningrad and Karelia and a chance for you to command a bunch of Finnish troops. The other theatre is the impending disaster in Italy, a disaster you actually get to avert in the alternative branch. Once again, much attention is paid to Italian troops, which this time, fight for both sides.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/871cf69c66e5143603d6dcc0084a185dd97c01d3.png)
New features at a glance
- Dozens of new and updated specialist steps, from Storm Sappers and Soviet recon troops, to Panzer IIIM and Brummbär, to handfuls and handfuls of Italian and Finnish specialists.
- Extra-nasty and difficult-to-suppress elite towed anti-tank gun specialists (Soviet Tank Destroyer Brigades and German 88mm Pak 43), for added horror in the offensives.
- Completely new and gorgeous models for Soviet Regular and Guards Infantry models. Valenki are back in style!
- Reskins of existing models, including the elegant and remarkable T-34 for the Finnish tank division.
- Expanded and updated main map, which now features a detailed and swampy Karelia and Finland, and more complex terrain in southern Ukraine.
- Zoomed-in maps for the city of Novorossiysk and the island of Leros: that’s right, you will get to enjoy a naval landing no matter which campaign you choose!
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/9102ad060f242647506ec722ad1e04b0de1a085f.png)
Closer than you think
The Kursk DLC is virtually completed and only needs some of that final beta-testing polish to make sure you enjoy it frustration-free once we release it on 19 October. And stay tuned for Dev Diary #2 if you are interested in how the campaigns came about, what kind of historical research went into them, and the ultimate question for the ages: is Unity of Command 2 a puzzle game?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2307940/Unity_of_Command_II__Kursk/
Cheers,
FrancenCZ and Hexaboo
-
Developer Stream w/ Hexaboo
18 Oct 2023
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/34609669/54b086e6fb92b669b7bb19612c810e14b755d195.jpg)
Upcoming Event Starts Thu, 19 October 2023
Join the developers in playing the new DLC on release day. Hexaboo will be streaming, with Frank and Tomislav as guests. We'll be playing a little bit of both campaigns included in the new DLC:
- 16-scenario Soviet Kursk campaign, starting with the defensive action at Prokhorovka and covering every significant Soviet battle until the end of 1943.
- Zitadelle 43, a 15-scenario German campaign, featuring the initial German attack and the most important counterattacks up to the battles for Korsun Pocket in early 1944.
Cheers!
Unity of Command II - Kursk
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/2307940/header.jpg)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2307940/Unity_of_Command_II__Kursk/
-
Companion Update for the upcoming Kursk DLC
Wed, 18 October 2023
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/809230/ss_47eee2f12310b012ed98154d81823728fc640779.jpg)
This update contains bug fixes, asset and localization updates for the upcoming Kursk DLC.
If you have any issues after the update, please check the Steam discussion thread "Troubleshooting and Crashes". Specifically, we often see antivirus "false positives" after updates:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/809230/discussions/0/2243300286290193065/
if you are seeing a very dark game screen (much darker than the screenshots on the Steam store) and you are running an AMD graphics card, please subscribe to the "AMD Fix" in the workshop:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/809230/discussions/0/3644000310592615858/
Cheers!
-
Kursk DLC Now Available + Dev Diary #2
Thu, October 19, 2023
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/34609669/6ff5eec7e3c58feaa6be9907409f42a50d9e9842.jpg)
The Kursk DLC is now live, and you can enjoy this 31-scenario work of beauty from Hexaboo and Frank. Here is the second part of their dev diary:
In our first dev diary, we offered you a look at what you can expect from the two campaigns of Unity of Command 2’s latest Kursk DLC, and by this point, if you’re interested in it at all, you’re sure to be well-familiar with all its specs and features. So for this dev diary, we’ve decided to share a few insights into the personal stories and design process and ideas of Frank and Hexaboo, for whom this expansion is their first.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/149c3862f563172d430c5cd7c2256d1898590a89.jpg)
Hexaboo
Almost went to Spain
It all began last autumn when Daniel, one of the game’s developers, approached me and asked (making sure there was a little suspense) if I wanted to make a DLC campaign for Unity of Command. Which was a bit surprising, given that the last time I made anything for a video game had been about twenty years ago, which I made sure Daniel knew.
Nevertheless, a ‘soft yes’ was said, with a few ideas for what that campaign could be. A mini-campaign dedicated to the Spanish Civil War was a less-obvious favourite at the time, particularly attractive because I know the language and could get deeper into the research. But then everything froze, as 2x2 were busy putting their finishing touches on Desert Fox.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/2c337a911e650d7bc93616a88adc4f0fddab8683.png)
Set the boundaries
Fast forward to December 2022, and the vague proposal of ‘what if you make a campaign’ crystallised into ‘let’s do Kursk’. Which is where it all began. Given some initial hiatus, figuring out how to work with the scenario editor and sharing thoughts about what unit parameters and new sets of specialists we could use in Kursk, I took the ‘canonical’ list of Red Army operations covering a period of about six months starting with the Battle of Kursk, arranged them month by month and put it all on a map. As you can see, there was a fair bit of space left for ahistorical battles, but 16 scenarios was our limit, so it was an easy decision to keep things between 4 July and 1 December 1943, and strictly historical.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/b6a195dbc7d240ddda7ece29bc03c9204091b5f2.png)
Found dirt in the archives
For half a year, talks and videos about this period of the war became the background noise in my home. Books and memoirs, too, gave a general understanding of the events, as well as the mood on a personal level, but everything you see on the map in the game — individual units, their relative strengths, even the locations of individual specialists — would have simply not happened without archival documents, including the massive daily German Situation East maps, captured Army Group Centre maps, online collections like Lexicon der Wehrmacht, and even the occasional browsing session in the Bundesarchiv.
But there is no way I couldn’t mention the fact that Soviet military documents from the period were declassified wholesale back in 2008, and in recent years, Pamyat Naroda (‘People’s Memory’) has become a vast and continuously growing repository of digitised stuff*, with first-hand operational maps, often meticulously prepared, sometimes at as low a level as the regiment, and obviously colossal quantities of other documents. So when I wondered what weather to set in the Kiev mission, I looked up Voronezh Front’s operations record log for late November, found the reported temperatures and allusions to ‘roads only passable by tracked vehicles’, and BAM! the scenario is full of dirt now! You can rely on us going the whole nine yards, to make your playing experience a gloopy living nightmare!
* As an aside, if you happen to read Russian, you can easily choose a random research topic and become a citizen historian. Because you wouldn’t believe the incredible amounts of overlooked original materials that are really out there.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/a6f7e8344fd3f836429a6078a019269d46776fa4.png)
Frank
Creating Zitadelle 43
When creating the initial concept for the campaign structure of Zitadelle 43, a sister campaign to Kursk, we were looking at a very clear design problem. The Germans were on their back foot for most of this period of the war, and besides some of its summer offensive, the Wehrmacht really didn’t have a great time. So we tried to figure out how to turn this period into actual scenarios, and eventually a full campaign set from the German perspective.
In a bid to escape the obvious and terrifyingly repetitive pattern of fighting endless retreat scenarios, I looked for the most interesting and fluid offensive or defensive battles waged by Germany’s generals in 1943. This effort proved largely successful, especially thanks to German operational maps and digitised maps from the Soviet archives, leading to a relatively short but original historical line of scenarios for the German Zitadelle campaign, featuring the work of many well-known commanders like Erhardt Raus, Hermann Balck, Walter Model, Paul Hausser, and others. I focused on the engagements where the Germans either decided to stand and fight or even took to the offensive again, even if in a limited capacity, making it possible for the player to mirror or even surpass the achievements of real, historical generals.
https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/457ef9a9d0355b484bed00d579814d6b7bbf6dcc.png
Finnishing pasta
The Zitadelle campaign branches into some alternative history, offering a couple of new fronts, and one of the trips it takes the player on is to the north. Specifically to Karelia and the almost encircled Leningrad. But the Germans aren’t the only ones flexing their muscles here, as the Finns make their entrance as well. Bringing back the Finnish army for a few scenarios let a breath of fresh creative air in, with Goran, our talented artist, making a new and stunning model for the Finnish armoured division and the motorised infantry Jaakari unit. Facing plenty of terrain obstacles and led by two persistent HQs, the Finns make sure the alt-history branch in the north runs well.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Europe, the Allies also have got some new toys of their own. The co-belligerent Italian army makes a return in this campaign, this time as the opponent of the Wehrmacht. They have their own HQ, commanders, and specialist steps, and I hope you find them to be memorable opponents. Not leaving the Axis empty-handed though, since after all, they were supported by a number of Italian units still loyal to their cause on the Apennine Peninsula. These include, the paratroopers of the Nembo division, or ‘La Decima’, appearing in that game as the RSI Paracadutisti special forces specialist available to the Germans in limited numbers in Italy. There are also a number of captured and re-purposed formerly Italian vehicle specialists like the Semovente or M15/42.
(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//34609669/e3402a4e77694a209f37020545289ce18a76b560.png)
Blessed by our mapmaker
It would also be unfair to not mention the amazing and diligent work our colleague Daniel invested into the game’s maps. Thanks to him, the main Europe map has expanded into Eastern Karelia reaching the White Sea and the town of Belomorsk. There is now also a new and gorgeous map of the Island of Leros and a more detailed map of Ukraine created specifically to accommodate this expansion. His advice and coordination skills were crucial to making sure that the campaigns you get in Kursk DLC are as high-quality as possible.
--
And thus, 9 months in the making, Kursk DLC is about to fall eagerly into the hands of the players. We sincerely hope you enjoy playing these campaigns at least as much as we have enjoyed taking this long creative journey, and who knows, it may not be the last time you find us posting dev diaries and feeding you tiny glimpses of our work?
Cheers!
Unity of Command II - Kursk
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/2307940/header.jpg)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2307940/Unity_of_Command_II__Kursk/