Were super excited to announce that Isonzo is free to play for everyone on Steam & PlayStation until Monday, November 18th! Whether youve been meaning to give the game a go or are looking to introduce your friends (or foes) to Isonzo, this is the perfect time! All non-DLC content is available, including everything in this update.
The exact dates and times are as follows:
Steam: November 14th 2024, 7 PM CET to November 18th 2024, 7 PM CET
PlayStation: November 14th 2024 to November 18th 2024, 11 AM CET
For more information on this update, check out the announcement blog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/4449087870176591913 If you enjoyed playing Isonzo during the Free Weekend, be sure to check out your preferred store page for discounts! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/ Also, be sure to join our community! Discuss the games, learn about history & stay up-to-date with all the news: X / Twitter YouTube Discord Reddit
Last Monday, 110 years ago, the German order was given to attack the Russian forces, which would start one of the most decisive battles of World War I: The Battle Of Tannenberg. The following day, the battle officially commenced.
This battle is renowned for demonstrating the effectiveness of the German military strategies and highlighting the Russians weak command structures and poor logistics.
These differences in leadership and logistics became even more apparent after the battle had concluded. The Russians had suffered heavy losses, with up to 50,000 killed and 92,000 taken prisoner. The Germans in the meanwhile lost only about 20,000 men.
In-game event
In-game, the Central Powers still haven't managed to snag a victory in the campaigns. However, their difference is starting to shrink. Last year, they had around 50,000 more casualties. In the Battle of Verdun Campaign, the difference was only about 7000. Starting today until September 5th, you can play participate in The Battle Of Tannenberg campaign. All casualties in Frontlines & Maneuver game modes in both Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses. The winning side will be whichever side suffers the least amount of killed and wounded soldiers! So, will the Central Powers come out victorious this time, or will Entente walk away with yet another victory?
News from the Italian Front
Next week, Isonzo receives the Solstice Update! The Austro-Hungarians will charge the town of Nervesa della Bataglia from the banks of the Piave. Montello features many burning forests, trenches, farms and ends in urban warfare for control over the train station. Alongside Montello, included are the M.91 Russisches Repetier-Gewehr (Mosin-Nagant), Schwerhandgranate and the Shellshocked Units Pack DLC with all the blood and bandages you would never wish for. Check out the full announcement: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/4249790899170884237
We made some improvements to the TAA Anti-Aliasing setting, making edges of objects (including foliage) look more smooth. The patch download size is expected to be around 17 mb.
This Sunday 110 years ago, the first World War had officially begun. At the time, no one could've predicted just how large and significant this conflict would become, how many lives would be lost or changed forever. Every year we commemorate this day, and as customary we've enabled the Film Memoir mode for free on PC. While normally exclusive to the owners of the Supporter Pack DLC, everyone on PC can now enable the Film Memoir mode in the popup window or by going to the Options, then Graphics. It'll be available until August 5th! [previewyoutube=U_tVvpUxUKw;full][/previewyoutube]
Film Memoir Screenshot Contest
This year however, there's more! Let's take a moment to stay away from the bloodshed and instead put our focus on the footprint of WW1. This war left a mark on the continent, much still visible to this day. We invite you to take the best possible Film Memoir screenshots of the environments in Verdun, Tannenberg and Isonzo that show both the beauty of the many theaters of war and the marks WW1 left behind. Think trenches, barbed wire, craters, destroyed trees, you name it! Remember that Film Memoir needs to be turned on and we highly recommend you disable the UI. You get two entries for this contest: 1 by posting a screenshot on Discord in the dedicated channel and 1 by posting a screenshot on Reddit with the Memoir Contest flair. These should not be the same screenshots! We'll select 5 winners on Discord and Reddit each, who'll win a DLC pack for Isonzo or the game itself if they don't own it yet. One person cannot win on both platforms and the contest will be closed on August 5th. Good luck!
Montello Teaser
As a little extra, here's a small preview of the flyover for Isonzo's next map: Montello! [previewyoutube=qKfmEhA4G88;full][/previewyoutube]
So ends another campaign. It was a closely fought battle, with 538,375 Central Powers casualties to 528,779 Entente losses - a difference of less than 10,000. The Entente came out on top again, but not by a huge margin. In the historical battle there were probably somewhat more losses for the Entente, but the overall outcome of the battle was complicated. Parts of the French army actually made some of the largest advances since trench warfare began in earnest, but nothing close to what General Nivelle described before the battle. He claimed that a breakthrough could be achieved within two days, which absolutely did not happen.
A village devastated by fighting during the Second Battle of the Aisne.
The morale impact of this failure, alongside heavy casualties, led to French mutinies and Nivelle's replacement. While the new commander-in-chief General Petain immediately established a more defensive posture and took time to restore morale among his troops, the British continued offensive action for the rest of 1917. Later in the year there were some limited French offensives such as the successful Battle of La Malmaison, which built on ground captured during the Second Battle of the Aisne.
Good luck out there soldiers!
New Campaign Event in Verdun & Tannenberg
From today until next Friday 24th, the Second Battle of the Aisne Campaign will be running in Verdun and Tannenberg. Will the Entente or the Central Powers emerge victorious in this epic battle of attrition?
What is a campaign event?
For those who havent fought before, our campaign events are special multi-front battles in Verdun and Tannenberg, where every kill is tallied up, and the side which manages to lose the least troops wins. You can earn a medal for participating in the campaign, with a shinier medal for fighting on multiple fronts. The Second Battle of the Aisne Campaign will run from Friday May 17 and end on Friday May 24.
The Second Battle of the Aisne
French General Nivelle planned the Second Battle of the Aisne as a breakthrough offensive for early 1917, following the major battles of Verdun and the Somme in 1916. He expected the German Army to be exhausted. His vision was for a decisive victory in 48 hours, and he put his reputation on the line by threatening to resign if the offensive wasn't approved. It involved a massive coordination of troops, starting with British attacks towards Arras, then French forces beginning their assault further south in the direction of the Aisne river. Ultimately the battle was not a clear defeat for the French, but Nivelle's grandiose claims about achieving a decisive victory made it feel like that for the soldiers suffering massive casualties in the battle. Morale fell throughout the French Army, with units starting to mutiny - often taking the form of holding a defensive position but refusing any orders to attack. Desertions also increased. Nivelle was fired and replaced with General Ptain, who moved quickly to stamp out mutinous sentiment with a combination of carrot and stick - though mostly carrot. A small number of soldiers were shot for mutiny, but he mostly put effort into improving food, providing better equipment, increasing pay, and allowing for more leave. This worked, and the morale crisis was defused.
Interestingly, there is some debate as to when the Second Battle of the Aisne officially ended. While mid-May is commonly taken as the end point for it (along with the wider Nivelle Offensive itself), some historians have argued that the Battle of La Malmaison in October 1917 should be considered part of the battle as well, since it built on ground captured during the action in April-May. That would matter because the Battle of La Malmaison was actually a clear victory for the French - credit for which should partially go to Nivelle, if considered part of the Nivelle Offensive.
Quiet on the Eastern Front
In the East, the Russians were no longer fighting under a Tsar - the February revolution had dethroned Tsar Nicholas II, and since March 2 the country was governed by the Russian Provisional Government. There would be no grand Russian offensive until the Kerensky Offensive in June, intended to knock Austria-Hungary out of the war. Instead it would effectively break the back of the Russian Army. But that's a story for another time.
The Tsar blessing troops earlier in the war. However, it wasn't all revolution and disaster in the East. The Romanians successfully fought off a major German - Austro-Hungarian offensive from July to September, halting the Central Powers advance and inflicting heavy casualties.
Another Battle of the Isonzo
Under pressure from France, Italy would launch a new offensive in mid-May to try and build pressure on the Central Powers. Italian Chief of Staff Luigi Cadorna obliged with... the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo. In fairness, this was not entirely Cadorna's choice, with the idea of an offensive along the river suggested by the French. He attempted to change tactics, aiming for an advance across a broader 40km front in contrast to the smaller, shorter actions planned with the previous three Battles of the Isonzo.
Artwork portraying battle between Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers in an earlier battle. Where the Second Battle of the Aisne was a mixed bag in terms of results, the Tenth Battle of the Isonzo was a clear Austro-Hungarian victory. Key objectives were not achieved, and an Austro-Hungarian counter-offensive (launched even before the Italians had ceased their own attacks) would recapture almost all the lost territory.
If you want to join the campaign, just hop into Verdun or Tannenberg and play some Frontlines or Maneuver battles!
Be careful out there soldiers!
Join the limited-time Ascent Event in Isonzo!
[previewyoutube=qYpI6wixcfc;full][/previewyoutube] The Ascent game mode brings mountain climbing to our Italian Front FPS Isonzo, with a team of Alpini needing to scale a sheer cliff face and capture an Austro-Hungarian outpost. Climbing is freeform so you can choose your own route up the mountainside - and you'll need to make use of that to try and catch the defenders by surprise! The Austro-Hungarians will need to stay vigilant against sneaky climbers assaulting or bypassing their forward positions lower down the mountain. Piles of rocks will provide excellent improvised weapons to use in situations where a rifle might not be handy.
Read more about the Ascent mode on last week's blog, which goes in-depth on how the special mechanics work. The Ascent event is free for all Isonzo players to join, and will run until April 24th. If you don't own Isonzo yet, now's the perfect time because it's on discount! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Climb for Victory!
We'll see you on the cliff face, soldiers.
This update should make your connection less prone to third party outages.
- Fixed certain connectivity issues with Epic Games Services.
The Weekend Campaign is Over
Historically with the Battle of Verdun the Germans hoped to inflict heavy casualties on the French by taking vital ground and then smashing their counter-attacks. This plan failed, with both sides suffering enormous losses over the course of one of the longest battles in history. In our games, so far the Entente always win the campaigns, so we challenged the community to see if they could give the Central Powers an ahistorical victory, with the potential prize a teaser about the upcoming new Isonzo game mode. The result
Entente Victory! Again.
Its not so easy to change the course of history. But, if you look at the numbers below youll notice the Central Powers only lost around 7000 more troops during the campaign. In previous campaigns the difference would usually be closer to 40-50,000 more Central Powers casualties.
The final results from the campaign. Its still a good performance, and while you couldnt quite beat our challenge weve still decided to share a very mini-teaser with you:
You can see part of the combat area of the new map from the most recently released map in Isonzo: Marmolada.
There will be a bigger teaser coming in next weeks Isonzo blog! If you don't own Isonzo yet and want to explore some higher altitude environments, including the famous Ice City of Marmolada, the game is currently on sale: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Have a great week, soldiers!
Its the 21st of February, 1916. The German 5th Army has commenced their assault on the fortifications in the region of Verdun, after a small delay due to bad weather conditions. They moved for Fort Douaumont, the largest and highest fort of the region. This attack kicked off the longest single battle of WW1, lasting 9 months, 3 weeks and 6 days until December 18th. A true battle of attrition.
source: https://www.iwm.org.uk
In the end, the Battle of Verdun resulted in a combined total of an estimated 714,231-976,000 casualties, about 306,000 of which did not survive. It ultimately resulted in the victory of the French over a weakened and spread-thin German army. The French forces managed to retake much of the lost ground and key points during their counteroffensive in late 1916.
source: https://wereldoorlog1418.nl
In-game event
Now, during the Battle of Verdun, heavy fighting was happening on all fronts. Starting Friday, February 23rd a weekend campaign will start in Verdun and Tannenberg. The Allied Powers versus the Central Powers, all casualties will be kept track of and added to the total losses. Whichever side suffers the least amount of casualties during the campaign will be victorious!
However, the Central Powers havent been able to secure a win so far! So, to give them a little bit of a push, lets up the stakes a bit this time around: if the Central Powers manage to come out on top, well give you your first big teaser for the upcoming new game mode in Isonzo! The campaign will run through the weekend, until Monday morning. Time is of the essence, so get ready to head for the frontlines!
Join the campaign in your game of choice:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/Verdun/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
2023 has been an eventful year for the WW1 Game Series, with special Christmas Truce and Wolf Truce events in Verdun and Tannenberg, and Verdun appearing in a French museum exhibit! The series also celebrated our 10 year anniversary, since Verdun entered Early Access back in 2013! Our latest game Isonzo has naturally taken center stage, with multiple free expansions adding maps and weapons. Thanks to support from the community, it also won the IndieDB Indie of the Year 2022 award! Let's take a look at everything that's been added to the game this year... - 4 Huge New Maps! - 8 New Weapons! - 2 Cosmetic DLC Packs! - Mac Support! - Much more! If you haven't yet felt the crunch of Alpine snow beneath your boots, Isonzo iscurrently 67% off with DLC up to 30% off until January 4th. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Four New Battlefields for Isonzo!
Piave - Caporetto Offensive
Grappa - Caporetto Offensive
Piana - Mountain War Offensive
Marmolada - White War Offensive
Upwards and onwards!
We completed a lot of our roadmap milestones in 2023 just as planned, and there are plenty more coming in 2024! There'll be a new map, more weapons, additional cosmetic DLC packs... and a special game mode! We're maintaining radio silence about the new game mode for now, but keep your ears to the ground and you might pick up some teasers.
Marmolada Video Dev Blog
Go behind the scenes with map designer Kian as he discusses the creation of Marmolada in this YouTube video - including almost 1000 reference images! [previewyoutube=9Y1Is925m4c;full][/previewyoutube]
Verdun at the Museum
In the aisles of the History Center of the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Memorial'14-18 youll be able to find a special exhibition! The War games. Playing with History exhibit allows visitors to immerse themselves into WW1 history, by having 10 games available to play. Were very pleased that Verdun is one of those games! The exhibit runs until May 2024, and entry to the museum and exhibition are both free. If youre in the area, check it out!
Christmas Truce
The Christmas Truce is live once again in Verdun, and youre able to participate in multiple activities together with other soldiers who joined the Christmas Truce. Join a friendly match of football, have a snowball fight or just take a nice relaxing stroll and enjoy the winter scenery. The Truce event runs until January 7th!
Wolves in Tannenberg!
In October, the wolves returned to the forests of Tannenberg, asking the question: would you cease fire with your human foes to battle a new enemy? Some of you will have managed to hold a successful truce to fight off the canine aggressors, and others, not so much.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Last but definitely not least... thank you!
We're extremely grateful for all the support from our great community this year, and it's been wonderful to see people enjoying themselves with our games. We can't wait to show you what we have planned for 2024! On that note, we'll end with a little Isonzo WIP image...
Hello soldiers,
During the war and especially around Christmas, there were several unofficial and spontaneous truces where armies agreed not to shoot at each other. Soldiers would get a chance to take care of the wounded, burry the fallen and were able to find shelter against severe hardships, including frostbite, avalanches, and supply shortage. The last one, not being something uncommon in the Alps on the Italian Front.
But the most well-documented one, which took place on a larger scale was the Christmas Truce on the Western Front. An event inspirend by this extraordinary moment in history is starting today (Dec 21) until January 7 in Verdun!
[previewyoutube=LqSbWDa-RyU;full][/previewyoutube]
You can participate by calling a truce and enter No Mans Land by choosing the Christmas Truce option from the Play menu in the game. Here youre able to meet fellow soldiers, together in a peaceful setting based on the actual Christmas Truce that took place in 1914 on the Western Front.
Want to read more about the Christmas Truce and how we recreated it? You can read it in this article.
Festive activities
During the Christmas Truce in Verdun, youre able to participate in multiple activities together with other soldiers who joined the Christmas Truce. Join a friendly match of football (soccer), have a snowball fight or just have a nice relaxing stroll on the map to enjoy the winter white scenery. At the end of your activities, you can all hurdle up together and relax at the bonfire, listen to some old Christmas Carols and say goodbye to the soldiers who lost their lives by attending a burial.
Christmas wishes from the front
You can send special Christmas wishes to your loved ones straight from the game! There are post offices on the Christmas Truce map that allow you to send people outside the game digital Christmas cards, and theres more to it. If you send Christmas cards from Verdun, you'll automatically join our giveaway raffle! A win-win situation right? So be sure to send your holiday wishes along, which might feel to some people like you're throwing them a life-line! There are multiple post offices around the map, each with different post cards can you find them all?
Christmas Winter Sale
The WW1 Game Series is also on sale later today! Complete your collection by buying the games now or gift a friend the entire bundle to fight on all the fronts together! At least for when the Christmas Truce is over..
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/5227/WW1_Game_Series/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Happy Holidays
Hello Soldiers,
Autumn has arrived onto the Steam store and you know what that means, it's time for sales! You can now get Verdun with 70% off!. The 4-pack bundle is also discounted 65% off. Perfect for you to recruit some of your friends
https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/Verdun/
At the other Fronts...
Isonzo joins the Autumn Sale as well! You can get our latest game with a 67% discount, so you can still join the White War that dropped in hot recently! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
And if you would like more snow, Tannenberg is discounted with 70% off as well. https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
See you at the front soldiers!
Hello Soldiers!
We hope many of you enjoyed Isonzo's Free Weekend & overall content over the 1+ year of free content we've added since its release (and there's still more to come!). We would like to kindly ask you to nominate Isonzo for the Labour of Love Steam Awards
-isonzo announcement link-
If you would like to more about the dev's work process of making the Marmolada map, we recommend you watching this video!
[previewyoutube=9Y1Is925m4c;full][/previewyoutube]
Additionally, we have sales going for the WW1 Game Series as well during the Autumn Sale here on Steam.
You can find Isonzo still discounted with 67% off & Tannenberg with a 70% discount.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Thank you for nomination & see you at the Fronts!
Today is November 11th - Armistice Day. Also known as Poppy Day, Remembrance Day and Veterans Day. A special memorial day dedicated to remember those who gave their life during WW1. Held by several countries, moments of silence fall over several areas all over the world.
As more countries follow this tradition of remembering those whove fallen in their line of duty, November 11th is known under many names, but all with the same idea in mind. This tradition grew out of Armistice Day, which marks the signing of the armistice between the Allies and Germany.
A moment of silence in Verdun
In Verdun, but also Isonzo & Tannenberg, youll be able to remember those who have fallen as well. There's 2 minutes of silence when you start up the game, just as it would be during an IRL memorial. If you choose to participate, youll receive a Remembrance medal afterwards.
Furthermore, weve also enabled the Film Memoir mode (for PC players only) for today as well. You find these settings at Settings -> Graphics.
Remember together
Additionally, we have a special poppy flower emote in our Discord , specially for this day. Feel free to use it in your Discord bio, status and share with others. If you want to, you can share with us as well who and/or how you remember on this day in our dedicated armistice channel. Other activities that you could do to remember on this day are:
- Visit a WW1 museum, stand still by the stories that are being told through the exposition
- Read a WW1-related book. Fiction or nonfiction, whatever has your preference. As long as you feel compelled and touched by the story.
- Watch a WW1 movie and/or series. Your streaming service might have a special dedicated section for today. Watch a movie you enjoy or try something new.
Lest We Forget
Soldiers at the Western Front!
You can get transferred to the Italian Front for free! Yes thats right, until November 13th (7PM CET), you can play Isonzo for FREE! Which means you try our newly released map, Marmolada, as well try out the new weapons! Fight on the beauitful white snowy Marmolada mountain and fight in the ice tunnels of the Ice City.
[previewyoutube=0Bhh96UcM8s;full][/previewyoutube]
If you want to know more about the map, be sure to read the latest devblog.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3791528713024015694?l=english
If you would like to continue your service at the Isonzo Front (after your free period has ended), you can now purchase Isonzo at the 67% discount.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
If youre interested in getting cosmetic DLC for your game, some are currently discounted as well! Heres an overview of what is included in each edition of the game and DLC waves.
Released to day was the Glacial Units. Over 40 items that will make sure that your soldier won't die due to cold, as they're dressed up nice and warm
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2214670/Isonzo__Glacial_Units_Pack/
See you in Italy soldiers!
Hello soldiers at the Western Front!
Its time to explore the maze-like ice tunnels of the Ice City!
[previewyoutube=0Bhh96UcM8s;full][/previewyoutube]
The new Marmolada map is now available for free! This expansion also includes 3 new weapons and a new cosmetic DLC unit as well; the Glacial Units Pack! Havent played Isonzo yet, make sure to keep reading for some exciting news..
Additionally this new pack is included in the Second Wave DLC bundle, if you want to drip up your entire wardrobe.
To give you some information, for Marmolada in Isonzo, the Italians will be the attacking side, which means the Austro-Hungarians will be defending the mountain and their Ice City. Starting off, the Italians will be placed on the mountain side in the open, surrounded by snow. Fighting for objectives outside on the snowy mountain top, making your way through the tunnels of the Ice City to eventually make your way to the final objective; This map is unlike any other in the game.
If you would like to read more in-depth information about this map, you can find it in our latest devblog.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3791528713024015694
Join the Italian Front for free!
Yes, thats right! For the first time, Isonzo will have a free weekend! Starting today at 7PM CET until November 13, you can join the battles in Isonzo for free, right in time to join the White War!
Become a permanent recruit
Want to continue playing Isonzo after the Free Weekend, or looking to update your DLC collection, we got a sale going on later today! Isonzo is at its highest discount ever, 67% off and several DLCs are discounted, alongside our new Second Wave. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
See you at the Italian Front!
Soldiers at the Western Front!
A city made of tunnels and ice is waiting for you! The Marmolada map will be released in Isonzo soon!
[previewyoutube=2CSDteHZjlg;full][/previewyoutube]
The map will be released next week on November 9th for free alongside new weapons and a paid cosmetic DLC pack.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2214670/Isonzo__Glacial_Units_Pack/
You can read more about the maps history in our announcement.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3737484245038187268
Want to be sure youre ready for the battle in The Ice City? You can now get Isonzos Deluxe Edition with a 55% discount!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Hello soldiers! Your comrades need your help on the Eastern Front! Weve got intel that wolves have joined the battlefield. The German and Russian armies have stopped fighting each other to defeat their shared enemy. Are you going to help them? You can join the Wolf Truce until November 1st. [previewyoutube=5X20SeHBIUk;full][/previewyoutube] Later today at 7PM CEST, you can get Tannenberg with 75% off and join the Wolf Truce! Youll be able to earn a special medal during this period if you stay true to the truce. https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Good luck soldier! [/3]
Hello everyone!
In the aisles of the History Center of the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Memorial'14-18, a World War One museum in France, youll be able to find a special exhibition! The "War games. Playing with History allows visitors of the museum to emerge themselves into WW1 history, by having 10 games available to play. Were happy to share that Verdun is one of those games!
Starting today, October 12th, until May 2024, youll be able to visit this special expo at the museum. Entry to the museum and exhibition are both free so if youre in France (or going there on a trip) we definitely recommend you going there.
The exhibition is designed and organized by the Mmorial'14-18 Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, the Defense Communication and Audiovisual Production Establishment (ECPAD) and the Ardennes Departmental Council through the War and Peace Museum.
For more information about the museum, please be sure to check their website. If you do visit the expo, be sure to share pictures with us on social media and/or Discord
Today marks the anniversary of the WW1GameSeries, as today Verdun went into Early Access 10 years ago! We want to thank all our soldiers who have joined the fronts over the years. Did you make your way from the Western Front, towards the Eastern one and ended up high in the mountains in Isonzo? Or are you a new recruit who recently joined any of the fronts? No matter what, we thank you for playing our games! Here are some fun facts for each games, that you might not know.
- The first ideas and concepts for Verdun were made back in August 2006, 17 years ago!
- For Tannenberg, the team considered for a long time to make a Cossacks soldier the main promo banner character
- Isonzo's well beloved OST 'Rinascereme Insieme' wasn't planned at the beginning, but more a place holder song. It really grew on the team and they decided to make it into a full song that you now know and love today
- Combined, the games have 29 maps. Here they are from west to east, north to south:
- Flanders, Artois, Picardie, Aisne, Champagne, Argonne, Vauquois, Douaumont, st. Mihiel, Vosges, Cengio, Fior, Dolomiti, Piana, Grappa, Piave, Caporetto, Sabotino, Gorizia, Carso, Baltic, East Prussia, Galicia, Poland, Carpathians, Prsemysl, Ukraine, Roumania, Dobrudja
Thank you for everything soldiers!
Hello soldiers!
Campaign results
The Battles of August 1914 event has ended and here are the results. Central: 1,595,930 Entente: 1,531,553 Thank you all for participating. We hope to see you again for the next event in the future.
News from the Italian Front
We would like to let you know that the Monte Piana map is now live in Isonzo! [previewyoutube=XAWS13O7bWs;full][/previewyoutube] Its been almost a year since Isonzo was released and a lot has been added and improved since. We still have much more in store, so be sure to join the Italian Front! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Hello everyone!
The Italian Front will have a new map soon!
The Monte Piana map for Isonzo will release next week on September 7th for free!
If you would like to read more about the map and the battle its based on, be sure to read our two latest devblogs about it.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3667672110007215602?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3668799277521916727?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
See you at the Italian Front!
At the start of World War One, the railway from Thionville (Diedenhofen) to Luxembourg City, Arlon and Namur with Belgium as its destination, had been cut by the demolition of the rail bridge over the Meuse at Namur (Belgium). This was the start of the Siege of Maubeuge, which took place on August 24 until September 7, 1914.
By Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1970-009-17 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
During this siege, the Germans who were stationed in the north could only use the single-track line from Trier to Lige, Brussels, Valenciennes and Cambrai, which could accommodate a maximum of forty trains a day.
At the end of August, the garrison made several sorties but the third was a costly failure, after which the French prepared to receive the German attack. The German bombardment began at 1:00 p.m. on 29 August, assisted by agents in the Entrenched Position who passed reports on the fall of shot, greatly increasing the accuracy of the German guns. The forts and infantry shelters (ouvrages) were wrecked by the German and Austrian super-heavy howitzers; German medium artillery also proved unexpectedly effective.
In-game event
Starting today until September 1st, you can play our latest campaign. All casualties in Frontlines & Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses. The winning side will be whoever suffers the least amount of killed and wounded soldiers. Too many First World War battles essentially became meat grinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns.
A new battle awaits at the Italian Front
The Monte Piana map for Isonzo is coming closer! Want to know more about the battle it's based on? Read the latest devblog here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3667672110007215602?l=english
Hello soldiers,
Today marks an important day in history. On this day in 1914, the first World War had officially begun. What many initially thought as a 'short' conflict, turned into an international battlefield for 4 years.
To commemorate this, we've enabled the Film Memoir mode for you all to experience for free, even if you don't own a Supporter Pack DLC. This provides a new experience in the game, so be sure to check it out! You can use this feature for free until August 4th. You can enable the feature by going to Options > Graphics.
[previewyoutube=U_tVvpUxUKw;full][/previewyoutube]
Be sure to share with us in our Discord or on our social media when using the filter!
Other ways to remember
Additionally, weve arranged a list of activities you could do remember this important day in history
- Visit a memorial monument Depending on where you live, there might be a WW1 memorial monument nearby. See if you could visit and pay your respects
- Visit a museum with a WW1 exposition Again, this is depending on where you live, but potentially worth going there. Visit a museum with a WW1 exposition brings you a little closer to the events that took place. There might be even a special tour regarding this important day in history.
- Read a book regarding the Great War Books can be important means of media to remember history, but they can also be used for entertainment purposes. Fiction or nonfiction, there are many books regarding the subject of WW1. Here are a few you could read on this day. - A Mad Catastrophe: The Outbreak of World War I and the Collapse of the Habsburg Empire by Geoffrey Wawro. Delving into the dark heart of Vienna, Wawro shows how it goaded Serbia and Russia into war, before tracing the wavering fortunes of the Royal and Imperial Army as it faced off against two strong opponents and, ultimately, nearly collapsed after just three months of fighting. - The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919 by Mark Thompson. Featuring many well-known characters of the Italian front such as General Luigi Cadorna, Ernest Hemingway and Gabriele DAnnunzio, it shows us what happened when Italy joined the First World War and fought so hard for a victory that was, in the end, a mutilated one that would poison her body politic for generations. - Death of a Hero by Richard Aldington. Semi based on the authors own experience during World War One, the story follows George Winterbourne, who enlists in the British Expeditionary Army during the Great War and gets sent to France. After a rash of casualties leads to his promotion through the ranks, he grows increasingly cynical about the war and disillusioned by the hypocrisies of British society
- Watch a movie/series centering WW1
You might not have much free time to read a book or visit a place. Movies/series are also a great media to remember what happened and experience stories of what (couldve) happened. Here are a few recommendations
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1930/1979/2022). All based on the novel with the same title by Erich Maria Remarque, its for many a must-watch if youre interested in history and World War One. You mightve only seen one movie adaptation. Now is a good time to give others a chance too!
- 1917 (2019), directed by Sam Mendes. You follow the story of Blake & Schofield. The date is April 6th, 1917 and an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory. Its up to them to deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap. - Apocalypse la 1re Guerre mondiale (2014). Originally a French, mini documentary tv series, it is highly acclaimed as it doesnt solely focuses on the the relatively known Flanders and France battles, but also the generally unknown Italian-Austrian, German-Polish-Russian, Japanese-German, Ottoman Empire- Allied and African German Colonies, and other unknown or forgotten fronts and battles. Later translated into English for international audiences as World War 1: The Apocalypse. - Play a World War One game Fully immerse yourself and experience World War One for yourself (to a certain extent of course). Join the Western-, Eastern and/or Italian Front in our games. Hold a moment of silence before you start the battle with your fellow soldiers* in a match. Or try any other WW1-inspired game in your library *this not referring to a moment of silence thats triggered by the game, more a suggestion of what you can do as players yourself.
Anniversary Sale
Additionally to the free Film Memoir mode, you can now find both Verdun (-75%) & Isonzo (-50%) discounted. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Lest We Forget
Hello everyone! The latest Offensive in both Verdun & Tannenberg has come to an end. The final results are Central: 896650 Entente: 860533 We thank you all for participating. Perhaps the tides will turn next time!
Isonzo News
Lately, we've been sharing some news and insights on our dev team and what they're working on for Isonzo! We just released a new devblog, be sure to read it here! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3667669664005207731?l=english Additionaly, Isonzo is currently on sale as well with 50% off! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/ We've released a lot of new content since Isonzo's launch and there's still a lot more to come! We hope to see you at the front o7
Hello soldiers!
The Steam Summer Sale is upon us! Verdun is available with a 75% discount - time to join the Western Front!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/Verdun/
Complete your WW1 Game Series collection
Our other games are on sale as well! You can find Tannenberg with 75% off and the Italian Front aways you in Isonzo with a 45% discount.
In-game Event
This is the perfect time to get Verdun with our in-game Summer Retreat Offensive going on. Read mnore about it here https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/242860/view/3678926034875959648
See you at the front soldiers o7
Its the evening of June 1st, the German forces punched a hole in the French lines to the left of the Marines' position. In response to this the U.S. reserve (23rd Infantry Regiment, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines and the Marine 6th Machine Gun Battalion) started a forced march across 10 km (6.2 mi) to cover up the hole in the defence lineAlready successful a dawn, the following night was consisted of the the American forces holding a line of 20km (12 mi), north of the Paris-Metz Highway, which ran through grain fields and scattered woods, from Triangle Farm The German line opposite ran from Vaux to Bouresches to Belleau.
German commanders ordered an advance on Marigny and Lucy through Belleau Wood as part of a major offensive, in which other German troops would cross the Marne River. U.S. Army General James Harbord countermanded a French order to dig trenches further to to rear, ordering his men to hold where they stand. With bayonets, the Marines dug shallow fighting positions from which they could shoot from the prone position. In the afternoon of 3 June, German infantry attacked the Marine positions through the grain fields with bayonets fixed. The Marines waited until the Germans were within 91m (100 yd) before opening deadly rifle fire which mowed down waves of German infantry and forced the survivors to retreat into the woods
This and many battles that followed where part of the Battle of Belleau Wood
In-game Event
Starting today until July 5th, you can play our latest campaign.All casualties in Frontlines- & Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses. The winning side will be whoever suffers the least amount of killed and wounded soldiers. Too many First World War battles essentially became meat grinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns.
Steam Summer Sale
The Steam Summer Sale will start tomorrow! Youll be able to get Verdun & Tannenberg with 75% off and Isonzo has a 45% discount
Hello soldiers!
The Italian front has expanded; the Monte Grappa map is now live for everyone!
[previewyoutube=QKW15_J7ENQ;full][/previewyoutube]
This is the third map of the overall Caporetto Expansion, as part of the German Empire in the game!
You can now find Isonzo & some cosmetic DLC packs with a nice discount in celebration of the maps release!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
We hope to see you at the Italian Front!
Hello soldiers! Today marks the anniversary of Verduns full release date! 8 years ago, our first game in the WW1 Game Series was officially released. Since then, the series has expanded to two other games. We thank all of our players, may it be old time veterans or new recruits. Were happy to be in a position where we can share our passion for history, WW1 and videogames with you all.
Just like the old times
From today until May 5th, you can use the Film Memoir mode for free! You can find it under your settings, so be sure to double check and enable it. Be sure to share with us your black and white footage in our Discord or on Twitter with the #Verdunversary hashtag.
Verdun Bingo
Do you see yourself as a veteran player who has done everything in the game and experienced all that is (and was) to offer? Check our special Verdun bingo card! Did you get a Bingo? Be sure to share it with us in our Discord or on Twitter with the #Verdunversary hashtag.
A look back
From Alpha GreenLight on Steam (remember those days) back in 2013 until now 10 years later, a lot has happened since then! Heres a small visual comparison on how the game changed back then.
If you would like a longer timeline of the making of Verdun, we have a handy video on that! [previewyoutube=hiOUyrDxQhI;full][/previewyoutube]
Anniversary Sale
Currently you can find Verdun and Tannenberg with a 70% discount! [spoiler]Great way to check off that one bingo box if you haven't already.[/spoiler] Additionally you can also find the soundtrack for half the price. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1247200/Verdun_Original_Soundtrack/
See you at the front!
Late March, 1918, France. Operation Michael, has begun. A major German military offensive which was the starting point of the German Spring Offensive. The goal was to break the Allied lines, allowing them to advance north-west to seize the Channel Ports. These were of big importance to the British, as it was a big supply line for them.
These plans later got changed by Erich Ludendorff, making the offensive push west, alongside the British front, which was situated north of the Somme river.
In-game
Starting today until the 26th you can play our latest campaign. All casualties in Frontlines- & Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses. The winning side will be whoever suffers the least amount of killed and wounded soldiers. Too many First World War battles essentially became meat grinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns.
Steam Sale
All the WW1 Game Series games are part of the Steam Spring Sale ! You can find both Verdun & Tannenberg with a 75% discount and our latest game Isonzo with 40% off ! This sale with start at 7PM CET.
Hello soldiers !
The Piave map is now available for you to play for free in Isonzo ! Fight on this continuous battle after the Caporetto battle !
[previewyoutube=mqy6Jeu6CiI;full][/previewyoutube]
Additionally, you can now find Isonzo with a 40% discount.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Later today, February 28 at 8PM CET/11AM PST/4AM JST (Wed), a few dev members will be live, playing and talking about Isonzo !
See you at the Italian Front !
Hello soldiers,
A new free map update is coming to Isonzo!
On February 28 , your battle at the Piave river begins! An exciting new battlefield for the Germans and Italians to fight on this beautiful landscape.
You can read more about the battle in the latest Isonzo Intel
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3632752093411262805?l=english
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Hello soldiers,
The annual Christmas event in Verdun is live again! From today ( Dec 22) until January 5, you can experience the Christmas Truce!
[previewyoutube=LqSbWDa-RyU;full][/previewyoutube]
You can participate by calling a truce and enter No Mans Land by choosing the Christmas Truce option from the Play menu in the game. Here youre able to meet fellow soldiers, together in a peaceful setting based on the actual Christmas Truce that took place in 1914 on the Western Front.
Want to read more about the Christmas Truce and how we recreated it? You can read it in this article.
Festive activities
During the Christmas Truce in Verdun, youre able to participate in multiple activities alongside your fellow soldiers. Join a friendly match of football (soccer), have a snowball fight or just have a nice relaxing stroll on the map to enjoy the winter white scenery. At the end of your activities, you can all hurdle up together and relax at the bonfire, listen to some old Christmas Carols and say goodbye to the soldiers who lost their lives by attending a burial.
Christmas wishes from the front
You can send special Christmas wishes to your loved ones straight from the game! There are post offices on the Christmas Truce map that allow you to send people outside the game digital Christmas cards. But theres more ! Besides sending them a special WW1 themed Christmas card, you as the sender are joining our special Christmas raffle. Every card that you send counts as one entry, so be sure to send several cards! You can win special WW1 Game Series prices - from gamekeys to peppermint cans and flower grenades ! Well contact the winners in the 2nd week of January. Be sure to share your screenshots with us as well in our Discord or Twitter #ChristmasTruce.
There are multiple post offices around the map, each with different post cards can you find them all?
Merry Christmas everyone!
Hello soldiers !
Isonzos FREE Caporetto expansion is now available! To celebrate this release, you can get Isonzo with a 20% discount and the DLC packs for the Italians & Austro-Hungarians with 10% off at 7pm CET. Or if you want to invite a friend to the western front, Verdun will be available with a 70% discount!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
You can start playing with the new German Empire faction on the new Caporetto map by simply updating the game.
[previewyoutube=s2V38TymG34;full][/previewyoutube]
Additionally with the German Empire comes their own cosmetic pack. The Royal Units Pack is available for $9.99 and holds over 40 cosmetic items for you to customise your soldiers with
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2197970/Isonzo__Royal_Units_Pack/
Upcoming AMA
On December 7 at 9pm CET founder and creative director Jos (BlackMill Games) & producer Thomas will hold an AMA (ask me anything) here on Steam! You can submit your question in our Discord in the ama channel. Be sure to join our server to send in your question and just chat with us in general while youre there! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3632745751430720171?l=english
See you on the Italian Front soldiers
Hello soldiers !
The big Caporetto Expansion update is coming to Isonzo on December 5! This update will bring the new Caporetto map, the addition of the German Empire faction, new weapons & the Prestige levelling for our veteran soldiers! and the Prestige levelling for our veteran soldiers!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Additionally, there will be cosmetic DLC available for the Germans! The Royal Units Pack will be available on the same day and includes a diverse set of items; the distinctive uniforms of 2 major states within the Deutsches Reich: Bavaria and Wrttemberg. It contains 2 sets of uniforms for all classes, plus a special officer uniform. Overall, the DLC will include 40 items!
The Wolves arrived on the Eastern Front
In Tannenberg, youll be able to participate in the famous Wolf Truce ! Until November 28th, you can join your comrades and enemies in a truce to fight a common enemy. Will you hold the truce and battle against the hungry wolf? Participate in the truce and receive a special medal !
https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Hello soldiers!
Your comrades need your help on the Eastern Front! Weve got intel that the wolves have joined the battlefield. The German and Russian armies have stopped fighting each other to defeat their shared enemy. Are you going to help them?
The Wolf Truce is available November 18-28. Stay true to the truce and obtain a special medal !
Good luck soldiers!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Today is November 11th - Remembrance Day. Also known as Poppy Day, this memorial day is observed by Commonwealth members since the end of World War One. A special day to remember those who have fallen in their line of duty. Other non-Commonwealth countries started to follow this tradition and have their Remembrance Day on November 11th.
This tradition grew out of Armistice Day, which marks the signing of the armistice being signed between the Allies and Germany.
In the United States, this day is better known as Veterans Day.
The common British, Canadian, South African, and ANZAC tradition includes a one- or two-minute silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (11:00 am, 11 November), as that marks the time when the armistice took effect (EU time).
The signing of the Armistice
As stated previously, this day is also known as Poppy Day. The poppy flower is a common symbol of Remembrance Day. It became the symbol of the Royal British Legion, a veterans organisation. They sell paper Poppy flowers which one can wear on their clothing, in memory of those whove fallen. The proceeds will go towards supporting war victims and families whove lost a family member during war.
Remember together with the WW1 Game Series
In our games, youll be able to remember those who have fallen as well. There's 2 minutes of silence when you start up the game, just like the IRL tradition. If you choose to participate, youll receive a Remembrance medal afterwards. Furthermore, weve also enabled the Film Memoir mode for everyone for a timely period. You can enable it by going into settings -> graphics.
Remember with the community
Additionally, we have a special poppy flower emote in our Discord , specially for this day. Feel free to use it in your Discord bio, status and share with others. If you want to, you can share with us as well who and/or how you remember on this day in our dedicated armistice channel.
Lest We Forget
Hello soldiers! Our 3rd game, Isonzo, is OUT NOW! Join the Italian Front now with a 10% discount and a launch-exclusive bonus! [previewyoutube=LYmuhQmRb4M;full][/previewyoutube] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Customise your soldier
Besides a new front, gamemode, weapons etc. Isonzo also brings customization! One of the DLC Packs is the Avanti Savoia Pack! You get this one for free by purchasing Isonzo during the first release week !
Furthermore, we have special Editions of Isonzo that include some additional cosmetic DLC packs! Heres a little overview of whats included in each edition!
Exclusive look at the weaponry in Isonzo
Gamespot took an exclusive look at some of the weapons in Isonzo! Be sure to check the video! [previewyoutube=WqwQ767avbM;full][/previewyoutube]
Good luck on the Italian Front! Avanti!
Hi soldiers! Were happy to share with you our Isonzo collab video is live now! Be sure to watch it! [previewyoutube=cZKegBMBWCA;full][/previewyoutube] For this special occasion, were joined with our friends Pr Sundstrm from the famous metal band Sabaton and historical expert Indy Neidell! With our shared passion and interest for the Great War, this was a super fun experience!
Tannenberg Free to Try
This week Tannenberg is Free for you to play, and with -80% discount a nice addition to the WW1 Game Series to keep! Prep yourself for the next endeavour, Isonzo is launching in t-minus 14 days! https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Latest Isonzo Intel
You can find our latest Isonzo Intel here! We've dedicated two devblogs to the Fior Map, so be sure to read up on them ;) https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3359142561385795518
The mountains await you!
In case youve forgotten to wishlist Isonzo, be sure to do so to be ready to conquer the mountains on September 13! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/ There's no pre-order on Steam, but if you purchase the game during the first week of its release, you'll receive the Avanti Savoia pack! [previewyoutube=H8S3xigIgCg;full][/previewyoutube]
Avanti!
Hi soldiers!
Were happy to share with you all that on August 30th, well release a special collab Isonzo video! Yes, were not doing this alone!
For this special occasion, were joined with our friends from the famous metal band Sabaton and historical expert Indy Neidell! With our shared passion and interest for World War One, this is sure going to be a video to look forward to! Keep an eye out on our YouTube channel for the video!
Did you know we've had a collab video with Indy before? This was back in 2017 for Verdun!
[previewyoutube=hnou6szKDEc;full][/previewyoutube]
Isonzo at gamescom
Currently, members of the WW1 Game Series team is at gamescom, Germany. Here at the Netherlands Pavillion, our members get to talk to other developers in the industry, as well as let media and content creators know about Isonzo. Furthermore we had an exclusive interview with IGN that showed some footage of Isonzo. Check it out! [previewyoutube=7Bd2vlaIf5c;full][/previewyoutube] And if you want to see some more gameplay of each class, you can check this new video here! [previewyoutube=8_kcoGPz1dY;full][/previewyoutube]
Latest Isonzo Intel
You can find our latest Isonzo Intel here! We've dedicated two devblogs to the Fior Map, so be sure to read up on them ;) https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3359142561385795518
The mountains await you!
In case youve forgotten to wishlist Isonzo, be sure to do so to be ready to conquer the mountains on September 13! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Avanti!
Hello soldiers,
Today marks the anniversary of The Battle of Tannenberg, which took place in 1914 on the Eastern front. To commemorate its memory, Tannenberg will be free to play starting today, August 26, for an entire week!
Furthermore, Tannenberg will be on sale as well with an 80% discount! Be sure to grab your copy so you can continue to play after the free trial!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Almost time to fight on the Italian Front!
Isonzos release is not far away! We recently shared some new footage as a premier during Gamescom! Be sure to check the video! [previewyoutube=7Bd2vlaIf5c;full][/previewyoutube] If you havent already, be sure to wishlist Isonzo to be notified when the game is out! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Good luck on the Eastern Front soldier!
Hello soldiers!
The start of the Great War is nearing soon: July 28. Alongside that, we've got quite a series of release anniversaries in the upcoming days. To commemorate this, we've enabled the Film Memoir mode for you all to experience for free, even if you don't own a Supporter Pack DLC! This provides a new experience in the game, so be sure to check it out!
[previewyoutube=U_tVvpUxUKw;full][/previewyoutube]
Maybe you could even unlock the photographer and filmmaker inside of you and try your hand at recreating some classic images? Heres an example from us!
You can share your screenshots and videos with us by tagging us on Twitter or share them in our Discord .
Good luck on the battlefield soldiers!
Don't forget to wishlist our upcoming Italian Front game Isonzo! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Verdun and Tannenberg 75% off!
The WW1 Game Series is on sale this week, to celebrate multiple game launch anniversaries! Both Verdun and Tannenberg are 75% off, and you can even get the Verdun 4 Pack for a 70% discount. https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Are you ready for high altitude combat?
A lot has been happening on the Italian Front as Isonzo gets closer to release, and we've been chronicling the development with a series of blogs over on the Isonzo Steam Hub! While we'd highly recommend checking them all out, today we'll highlight a few of the most exciting and interesting. You can already wishlist Isonzo! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
The Engineer Class and Construction System
One of the new features in Isonzo is the freebuilding construction options available to certain classes - in particular the Engineer. Lay down sandbags and barbed wire to fortify your positions or try and establish some cover for attacking allies. Full blog post here!
An engineer built sandbag position.
The Gorizia Map
Gorizia is the third map in the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo Offensive, featuring urban combat and a river crossing. Read all about it in parts one and two!
Comparison of the in-game train station to historical photo. [previewyoutube=me8MiAeW8mQ;full][/previewyoutube]
Officer Call-ins - Artillery, Gas, and Aviation
In Isonzo the Officer class has access to three areas of support, which are targeted on flares fired by Officers or Mountaineers. Each type of support has a separate cooldown: you can use weaker call-ins more frequently, or wait to deploy the most powerful abilities. Read more about the three support branches: artillery, gas, and aviation.
A 6x speed version of a creeping barrage in action. These can be truly devastating
Gas spreading after shells land.
Heavy bombers in action!
The Dolomites Map
You'll be engaging in extreme mountain warfare on this map as the Italians battle uphill to capture the Sasso di Sesto! With very steep slopes and action focused on two key points, the fighting will be intense. Read parts one and two. [previewyoutube=QJeJnoAL6ws;full][/previewyoutube]
Enlist to fight on the Italian Front!
Finally, we wanted to share a new competition to celebrate Isonzo's release date announcement! You can win a game key and other Isonzo goodies by entering our raffle - all you have to do is sign up for the WW1 Game Series newsletter on our website to enter the raffle and get all the latest news from the development frontlines! Who knows... maybe one of youll be the lucky soldier wholl be receiving an Isonzo goodie pack, including one of the first Isonzo game keys and a special Isonzo poppy grenade! You'll also find WW1 inspired Isonzo propaganda posters! You can download them and use them as your wallpaper, banner or even print them out and hang them up!
Hello soldiers! A week has passed since the start of the our Marines at War campaign, which came to an end today! Thank you all for participating ! The final results of the campaign are here:
- Central Powers: 1,222,643
- Entente: 1,181,200
Wishlist Isonzo
In case you've missed it, we've announced the release date for our upcoming game Isonzo! The game will be released on September 13! Be sure to wishlist the game if you haven't already https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Marines at War - Western Front
The German spring offensive was underway in June 1918, and they had captured Belleau Wood and nearby territory as part of a plan to force a crossing of the Marne river. French and US forces opposed them, with the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments ordered to retake Belleau Wood. The first attack went in on June 6. More than 1000 Marines were killed in that first day of fighting, more than had been killed in all the time since it was first formed in 1775. The Germans repulsed the Americans that time, and in four subsequent attacks as well. But the Marines didnt give up, and their sixth attack finally cleared the woods, with the battle ending on June 26.
Painting of US Marines fighting at Belleau Wood.
Marines at War in-game
Our latest campaign event will run until June 27. All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses, and the winning side will be whoever suffers the least killed and wounded. Too many First World War battles essentially became meatgrinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns. Read the FAQ for more info!
Hello soldiers! We got some big news for you all. Were happy to tell you that our 3rd game, Isonzo will be released on September 13 ! This summer, youll be able to fight up in the mountains, alongside the Isonzo river, rural areas & more! [previewyoutube=bhPPeJi4ehE;full][/previewyoutube] Along with the release date, were revealing a 4th map youll be able to play on in Isonzo; the Dolomites! Will you be able to conquer the mountain along with your fellow Italians? Or will you stand high and mighty on the top as an Austro-Hungarian? Keep the next Isonzo devblog will focus on the recently revealed Dolomites Map! Be sure to keep an eye out! Be sure to wishlist Isonzo if you haven't already! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
See you in the Alps soldiers!
- Fix for map voting
- Fix for displaying DEV/MOD tags
- Fixes for Play Now when there are no active matches
Hello everyone! We would like to let you know that we have a patch addressing the most recent issues with loss of save game data. In case you've lost some of your data since the update in March where we made changes to the save system, please update and let us know if your data is restored. Please inform us in our Discord #techsupport channel if this update has fixed the issue, and of course, if you run into any problems. Thank you for patience and playing our game!
Hello soldiers!
Today is the release anniversary of Verdun! It's already been 7 years since the first game in the WW1 Game Series was officially released and we thank you all for your continuous love and feedback for our games! We're glad we can share this passion for WW1 and videogames with you all! To celebrate this special occasion, we got several things going on!
Starting today, April 28th, until May 2nd, Verdun will be available to play for free on Steam! This is a great opportunity to finally get that one friend to play the game with you or introduce new recruits who might've found us during our Isonzo expo booths to the game where it all started!
But that's not all! Furthemore, you'll be able to get Verdun with an 80% discount! Additionally, a 4-pack for you and your friends is available with a 75% discount and the soundtrack also has 50% off.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1247200/Verdun_Original_Soundtrack/?curator_clanid=35312128
Take the Verdun Quiz & Win!
As we say here in The Netherlands, 'the one who celebrates, treats others!'. We prepared a special Verdun quiz you all can take! Amongst the people who got all the questions right, we'll select one winner who will receive a special goodiebag full of WW1 Game Series merch! You can find the link here. Note that we ask for your email address to be able to contact you in case you're the winner! We're not using your email address for other purposes.
Isonzo Intel
More Isonzo Intel for you all! You thought we were done with highlighting the Gorizia map? No, there's more! Be sure to read up here! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3199254625398454172
Thank you for everything soldiers!
WW1 Game Series Team
We have a new patch for Verdun and Tannenberg for you today! This will improve the save system and additional connection improvements. You might have heard of the patch to the "opentesting" branch that we did earlier this month. This required all players who wanted to test our changes to the save system, as well as improvements for the connection issues, to opt-in by switching branches. We really wanted to be sure that there would be no longer term issues, so we are very happy that many of you switched. We received positive feedback, so today we are rolling out the changes to the main versions of Verdun and Tannenberg.
The update affects two major systems:
Save System
If this update works as intended, you should not notice anything. This update is meant to stop the progression loss and progression inflation (suddenly having billions of XP/level/prestige) from happening again. If you are currently suffering from this "Billions Bug", this might revert your stats to the correct ones, but we cant guarantee anything. If you have suffered from progression loss (data getting set to an earlier state, or nothing at all), this update will sadly not bring back your stats. We made a rigorous reimplementation of our saving and loading structure so that we hopefully never have these issues again. In the unlikely case that there are still issues with this, your old data will stay in place for now. This means that you would still have access to your old data if we need to revert anything, so you won't lose all your data by updating.
Connection issues
This should mark an improvement across the board, please let us know if this is better after the update! We don't expect it to be fully solved yet, and again, we have improved our diagnostics, so if you send us your logs we will be able to track the issues more closely. Best case scenario it will make a big difference right off the bat, and otherwise it will give us more information to continue our efforts. If any of you do experience any issues, please be sure to share your logs with us in the #techsupport channel in our Discord. These will help us address and fix the problems you might come across. [hr][/hr] For everyone on the opentesting branch, thank you again for helping us make sure these changes were safe. You can stay on the opentesting branch if you want, but you will have the same version as everyone. We don't plan on keeping it in active use, unless we have something experimental to test.
Hello soldiers! The Dual Spring Offensive has ended yesterday! The Entente were ahead with almost 40.000 casualties half way through the campaign and at the end these are the end results..
- Central Powers casualties: 1,402,259
- Entente casualties: 1,330,804
Isonzo Intel
Did you read our latest Isonzo Intel? In our 11th dev blog, we discuss different mortars! We provide you with information of different versions and how they are in the game, combined with in-game footage. Be sure to read it if you havent already! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3109179464630950184
Until the next campaign soldiers!
Dual Spring Offensive Update
In our latest campaign, the Entente are ahead by almost 40,000! Could this be a record? The battle continues until March 27, so there's still time for things to change. Only time (and your actions) will tell... Read the FAQ for more info!
New Isonzo Intel!
A new Isonzo Intel is out, and this time we're talking about mortars! Learn about how the mortars will work in our upcoming game, and take a closer look at the Italian Bettica and the Austro-Hungarian M14!
Read the dev blog here!
The unusual Italian Bettica mortar.
Austro-Hungarian M14 mortar firing.
Wishlist Isonzo now!
Spring Offensive - Western Front
Michael, Georgette, Gneisenau, Blcher-Yorck - No these are not the names of soldiers or generals, but the codenames of the German offensives during their spring offensive. Also known as the Kaiserschlacht (Emperor Battle) or the Ludendorff Offensive, it was a series of attacks along the Western Front during WW1 in France and Belgium. Starting on March 21 1918, it was Germany's final attempt to achieve victory by defeating the Allies before the US would arrive as reinforcements. At this point, the German Army had a temporary advantage in numbers with around 50 divisions. These had been freed by the Russian withdrawal with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Operation Michael. German A7V tank in Roye.
Dual Spring Offensive in game
Our latest campaign event will run until March 27. All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses, and the winning side will be whoever suffers the least killed and wounded. Too many First World War battles essentially became meatgrinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns. Read the FAQ for more info!
Isonzo Intel
In case youve missed, we released some Isonzo Intel for you about the Assault Class in Isonzo! Be sure to read it here if you havent already: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/4712459761454927252
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo
Hi everyone! I'm Thomas, the producer of the WW1 Game Series team. We have a patch for you all that hopefully fixes the progression issues (removed/inflated XP) for Verdun and Tannenberg, as well as a high chance of helping with the disconnect issues. For further investigation we added more logging to provide us with more details on the issue going forward. These changes are experimental so please read the following instructions carefully!
UPDATING THE GAME
To update your game to fix the previously named issues, we updated the opentesting branch for both games. This means that the games won't update automatically, you have to switch yourself. We want to be absolutely sure that our changes for data saving dont influence your progression, so that's why we treat it like an experimental patch. How to switch:
- In Steam, right click the game in your list
- Press Properties (the lowest option)
- Navigate to the Betas tab
- Select opentesting from the list.
RISKS
When you switch to the opentesting branch, your current progression will not be at risk. However, if something turns out to be wrong with our fixes, you might lose the stats you gathered since switching. We did some internal testing, enough to deem it safe enough to deploy it here, but we never know for sure until we test at scale. If you switch to the opentesting branch and encounter any disconnection and progression issues, please make sure to:
- Notify us in our community Discord, find the #techsupport channel. You can share it here on Steam as well, but on Discord things go a lot faster!
- Include your player.log and player-prev.log (how to find them)
This patch has new measures to alleviate disconnect issues. Let us know if you experience changes after updating the game. Menu version 318.33151
- Attempted fix for getting random disconnects while playing
- Additional logging to help us get to the bottom of any remaining issues
This patch should help with a certain type of disconnect issues that has been reported frequently. Let us know if you experience changes after updating the game. Menu version 318.33004
- Improvements to joining matches that are ending or in the process of transitioning to next match
- Attempted fix for getting random disconnects while playing
- Possible improvements for getting stuck in loading screen when switching to next map
- Additional logging to help us get to the bottom of any remaining issues
[previewyoutube=LqSbWDa-RyU;full][/previewyoutube] The Christmas Truce is live! From today until January 5, you can call a truce and enter No Mans Land by choosing the Christmas Truce option from the Play menu. Meet up with other players in a peaceful setting based on the real Christmas Truces of 1914 on the Western Front. You can read more about the history and process of building the Christmas Truce in this article.
Snowballs, football, and much more!
In the Christmas Truce, the only teams that matter are football teams. Instead of guns, you can throw snowballs at other players, maybe play a friendly game of football on an improvised pitch, or just walk around and enjoy all the little details and scenes the truce map has to offer.
Witness a handshake ceremony yourself in-game. Relax at the bonfire, listen to recordings of some old Christmas Carols, attend a burial in the temporary peace, and of course
Send postcards and you could win prizes
In the Christmas Truce map you can find post offices that allow you to send people outside the game digital Christmas cards. Every card you send counts as one entry in a Christmas raffle, where you could win game keys or merch from peppermint cans to chocolate and coffee! We'll announce winners after Christmas! There are multiple post offices around the map, each with different post cards can you find them all?
This is the French post office.
Isonzo Progress!
The time to engage in some Alpine warfare is drawing ever closer! Dont forget that you can already wishlist Isonzo on Steam! In case you missed it, our last Isonzo dev diary revealed character customization, including some fine mustache options! [previewyoutube=9HNh5vj5p7c;full][/previewyoutube] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Merry Christmas everyone!
Were happy to announce that both Tannenberg and Isonzo from the WW1 Game Series have been nominated for an Indie of the Year award over on IndieDB. The WW1 Game Series wouldnt be where it is today without all of you, and were grateful for all the encouragement and support youve given us over the years!
If youd like to vote for Tannenberg and Isonzo, there are three days left!
Vote for Isonzo!
Vote for Tannenberg!
Don't forget that you can already wishlist Isonzo! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Labor of Love!
Last chance to nominate Verdun for Labor of Love in the Steam awards!
Wolf truce!
Until December 5 you can be part of the Wolf Truce event in Tannenberg, our Eastern Front game! Packs of hungry wolves may invade your battles, giving both sides a choice - team up to fight off the canine foe, or just try to take advantage of the chaos. For those who succeed in maintaining a truce until the last wolf is dealt with, a special medal will be awarded!
Wolves are on the hunt in Tannenberg!
New Isonzo Feature Reveal
Alongside raising awareness for men's health charity Movember, our latest Isonzo Intel dev blog reveals a new feature for our upcoming Italian Front game: character customization! [previewyoutube=9HNh5vj5p7c;full][/previewyoutube] We're also excited to announce plans for a beta in the near future - you can already sign up to show your interest. Wishlist Isonzo if you haven't already! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
See you in the trenches!
Today is Remembrance day. A memorial day observed by Commonwealth member states and often marked by many other countries it grew out of Armistice Day, which was a tradition until during the Second World War, when the name was changed. The Commonwealth of Nations chose Remembrance Day, while the United States chose Veterans Day.
Armistice Day was so named for the Armistice of Compigne which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month November 11, 1918. For many, this marked the end of World War One.
The signing of the Armistice.
The Poppy is a common symbol of Remembrance Day, hence why its sometimes also referred to as Poppy Day. It became the symbol of the Royal British Legion, a veterans organization. They sell paper Poppy flowers which one can wear on their clothing, in memory of those whove fallen. The proceeds will go towards supporting war victims and families whove lost a family member during war.
In Verdun & Tannenberg, youll be able to commemorate the Armistice as well. There will be 2 minutes of silence when you start up the game, rewarding you with a special Remembrance medal afterwards if you choose to participate.
Furthermore, we have a special poppy emote in our Discord especially for this day. Feel free to share in our Discord if youre remembering anyone special and how youre planning to do so.
For the Facebook users, theres a special Poppy filter that you can use for your profile picture. You can click here to be directed to the filter.
Lest we forget.
Water and Blood 1914 is over
Another campaign, another Entente victory: Central Powers casualties: 1,933,610 Entente casualties: 1,819,664
The Entente win with a lead of 113,946.
For our next campaign, we might just have to shake things up a bit and offer some kind of reward to see if it's possible for the Central Powers to even come close to winning...
Movember
For those who don't know, Movember is a charity for men's health, which started out in 2003 as two Australian friends growing mustaches to see if they could bring them back into fashion. A year later, inspired by how the mustaches could start conversations, they started a website and made a drive for charity, raising $40,000. By 2006 they were raising millions for charity each year, and it's only grown since then. Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 mens health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up mens health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men. Read more on the [url=https://us.movember.com/?home]official Movember website. Of course, the First World War was back when moustaches were still in fashion - take a look at these four below! We're running a poll on Twitter to see who has the greatest moustache...
Vote now on Twitter!
Vote now on Facebook!
By the way, this vote isn't just for fun - the outcome will influence something with the WW1 Game Series as well, so think carefully before you click! Keep your eyes open, we have more plans for Movember and the WW1 Game Series this month...
Isonzo Intel Teaser
We're still hard at work on Isonzo, and we have plans for a new dev blog soon. Here's a little teaser for what kind of subject you might expect.
Happy Halloween, soldiers!
If you look carefully at the menu background, you might spot some spooky details today...
Steam Halloween Sale
Both Verdun and Tannenberg are 60% off in the Steam Halloween Sale! Tempt a friend to enlist for the Western Front, or take a trip to the Eastern Front if you haven't already visited... https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Have a great day!
This is the Dodengang, or 'Trench of Death', a preserved trench, museum and memorial where many soldiers died during the war. It sits on the banks of the Yser Canal, and was an essential part of the network of trenches and bunkers which prevented the Germans making significant gains across the canal.
The Battle of the Yser
Belgian troops stationed along the Ieperlee canal on October 18, 1914, had their peace shattered by a heavy artillery barrage that heralded the coming of the German Fourth Army. The goal of the Germans was to break through and capture the vital channel ports of Dunkirk and Calais. Both sides faced brutal artillery fire the Belgians from the heavy guns of the Fourth Army, the Germans from British warships with howitzers and 152mm naval guns. Alongside Belgian bravery, those guns would see off the first German attack.
HMS Mersey, one of three British monitors which shelled the Germans. More assaults would follow in the coming days, with German troops eventually gaining a bridgehead over the canal by stealth on October 22. Despite valiant efforts, the Belgians and a force of French marines were taking heavy losses in the important town of Diksmuide, and it didnt look like they would be able to hang on. The Belgian King Albert I decided it was time for drastic measures, and on October 25 the canal lock gates at Nieuwpoort were opened. A huge stretch of countryside gradually flooded in the following days, just in time as the Germans broke through Belgian second line positions on October 30. A final attack was planned for the last day of October, but it had to be called off as the flooding continued and threatened to trap the forward German forces. The town of Diksmuide would fall to the Germans 10 days later, but thanks to the flooding the last corner of Belgium would never be captured. It was an impressive performance by the Belgians, who suffered an estimated 20,000 casualties in their defense, but may have been able to inflict even more losses on the Germans.
Four days left
The Water and Blood 1914 campaign is running for another three days, until October 31st. Right now the Entente have a lead of 91,000 casualties - will they manage to increase that to a lead of 100,000 by the end of the campaign? It's in your hands!
In October 1914, the Belgian army put up a tenacious defense against the German Fourth Army as they attempted to cross the Yser river and Yperlee Canal in order to break through to critical channel ports. They were ultimately successful in halting the German advance, and would continue to hold their ground until the very end of the war. Although 95% of Belgium was German occupied, the country never completely fell.
A postcard showing Belgian troops defending a crossing of the Yser river.
Water and Blood 1914 Campaign
Our latest campaign event will run until October 31, when intentional flooding forced a German withdrawal. Which side will be able to win this battle of attrition? All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses, and the winning side will be whoever suffers the least killed and wounded. Too many First World War battles essentially became meatgrinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns. Read the Campaign FAQ here!
Isonzo Dev Blog #6
In case you havent been following Isonzo on Steam, there has been a new blog talking about the new rifle grenades and a few other weapons. The rifle grenades used in WW1 were early ones, and each nation often came up with very different designs. You can read the sixth Isonzo Intel here!
#1: Italian Benaglia Rifle Grenade, #2 Austro-Hungarian Zeitznder Gewehrgranate, 1st Variant.
Good luck with the campaign soldiers!
We just released a new dev blog for Isonzo! This time it's all about our new class system, which will allow you more freedom in how you equip yourself. Read the basics below, or get all the juicy details in the full blog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/2967296416598907677
Class System
In Isonzo we wanted to tailor the class selection to the nature of the fighting on the Italian Front and to reflect the new gameplay features we are introducing such as construction. We want to put a larger focus on non-combat roles for players to shape the battlefield and help their team members fight more effectively. The focus is on working together and advancing as a team, and the selection of classes reflects this. The classes we have follow a generic class archetype, but for both the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire there will be different weapons and uniforms based on actual historical units that fulfilled these roles. There will be more info in future blogs about the specifics of each class and how these are implemented per faction. The below images are from our brand-new UI that is still very much Work In Progress (some icons are still a bit crusty). As you can also see weve significantly upped the level of detail on our characters as well. Well talk more about what that means as we draw closer to launch!
All factions have classes based on historical units, such as the Italian Alpini as mountaineer versus Austrian Kaiserjagers. [url= https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/2967296416598907677]Read the full article on the Isonzo Steam Hub!
107 years ago today, the First World War began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This was a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip. It was a turbulent affair, and only a series of wild chances led to the death of the Archduke. That said, even if the assassination had never happened, Europe was a tinderbox waiting for a spark. It seems likely that some other event would have provided an excuse for the war.
A headline from an American newspaper. The writers likely didnt imagine that the war in Europe would last more than four years, or that US troops would join the fighting.
In response to the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war, a series of other mobilizations and declarations were made. Russia gathered their troops, and in response Germany assembled an army and declared war on Russia. Luxembourg was occupied by German troops on August 2nd, and they declared war on France the day after. The invasion of Belgium began on August 4th, and Britain sent a demand to Germany to cease their attack under threat of war - predictably there was no response, and so Britain was at war with Germany by midnight of the 4th. The First World War had begun in earnest.
Campaign Event - The War Begins 1914
This months campaign is inspired by the fighting seen at the start of the war. The Germans saw considerable early success, before ultimately being halted outside of Paris during the First Battle of the Marne in September. On the Eastern Front, Russia made a successful advance into Galicia, but suffered enormous losses during the Battle of Tannenberg. All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total. Too many First World War battles essentially became meatgrinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns. The Central Powers have lost all recent campaigns, often by large margins. Will it be different this time? Read the Campaign FAQ here!
WW1 Commemoration Event
Furthermore, to commemorate the start of World War One, were holding a Commemoration event on our social media and Discord channel. From today, July 28, until August 8 well be posting in black and white! Every day we will focus on something else, so be sure to check in daily to see what were up to. Want to go more in-depth with fellow players, mods and devs? We have a special channel in our Discord in relation to our Commemoration event as well. If you havent already, be sure to join our Discord server by clicking here.
Film Memoir Mode
Alongside these events, the Film Memoir mode will be available for free for everyone on PC! Be sure to join us in the black and white posting by sharing your screenshots and clips while using this mode. Dont forget to use the special hashtag #RememberWW1 so we can easily find the content you create while using this feature! And who knows, we might be highlighting some of your reporting efforts!
Welcome new players!
Verdun and Tannenberg were released on the Epic Games Store last Thursday, along with Verdun being free to claim there for a week. Youve likely seen many new players in-game, lets all welcome them to the WW1 battlefields!! Thats all the news from the trenches for now! Wishing you all the best from the WW1 Game Series team!
Attention soldiers on the Western front!
Italian Front Intel
We would like to inform you that there's new Isonzo Intel for you all! We've mentioned previously that there will be a new gamemode in Isonzo; Offensive. In the latest dev blog, we discuss the Offensive more in depth, combined with new images, videos & gifs!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/2981928042027184445 Thank you all for your continious support and excitement for Isonzo! Be sure to wishlist Isonzo if you haven't already and follow our social media for Isonzo news as well! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/
Free Weekend
Welcome to all the new players who joined us during the free weekend! We saw a great number of new players after the weekend. New recruits and veteran players, thank you for your support and love for the game!
Start of WW1 Anniversary
Furthermore, the anniversary of the start of The Great War is approaching at the end of month. We can't say anything specific for now, but please keep your eye out for more WW1GameSeries news! See you on the battlefield!
Hello soldiers of the Western Front! This weekend, June 17-20, youll be able to play Verdun & Tannenberg for free! Were celebrating the release of Verdun & Tannenberg on the latest current gen consoles. [previewyoutube=uJyWIapNe_w;full][/previewyoutube]
Verdun & Tannenberg on Sale
For those of you who are new to the WW1 Game Series, we are happy to see you at the frontlines! The battlefield can always use more soldiers, and right now is the perfect time to join the action permanently! For those who dont own Verdun and/or Tannenberg yet, we have a special deal going combined with the free weekend! You can get either game with 60% off, or get both games together in the bundle with 65% off! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/5227/WW1_Game_Series/
Isonzo Intel
Both Verdun and Tannenberg have laid the foundation for the WW1 Game Series and made it possible for us to continue and create Isonzo! We appreciate your continuous support and enthusiasm for our games and the excitement for our new game! Currently, we are running some closed Alpha tests for Isonzo with PC players right here on Steam! We dont have a scheduled deadline for now, as we want to test the game thoroughly. Be sure to enlist via the form by clicking here. Were currently working hard on delivering the game and we can't wait to share more about it with you! We've already posted a few dev blogs. In the first two dev blogs, we announced the new Offensive game mode, more details about the San Michele map, and how we ensured historical accuracy! If you missed our first video dev blog, be sure to check it out if you havent already: [previewyoutube=UrFOSvYZh8c;full][/previewyoutube] The latest Isonzo Intel is also out now! We talk about some the new weapons youll be to use as you fight for the Alpine peaks, including some interesting Italian firearms! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/4986028794973970850 If you havent already, please make sure you wishlist Isonzo! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790/Isonzo/ Furthermore, if you already own them for previous generation consoles, you might be able to find Verdun & Tannenberg on your current gen console as well. Might be worth checking out Good luck on the battlefield soldier! -WW1 Game Series team
Another campaign comes to a close with another Entente victory. The final tally lies at...
Central Powers: 990,040
Entente: 967,286
Entente wins with 22,754 less casualties than the Central Powers.
Things were a little different in the real battles. The French and British attackers in the Second Battle of Artois suffered around 50,000 more casualties than the defending Germans, while the GorliceTarnw offensive saw an even starker difference, with several hundred-thousand more Russian casualties. Of course, in both cases the total was far below the almost 2,000,000 total casualties we saw in-game.
Isonzo Intel
Don't forget to check out the latest Isonzo Intel dev blog, all about the challenges of recreating historical landscapes! https://steamcommunity.com/games/1556790/announcements/detail/3041597566481848340
The ruins of San Martino del Carso, that you will find yourself battling through in Isonzo. See you next time!
The Second Battle of Artois was primarily a French effort to capture the strategic heights of Vimy Ridge, which the Germans had conquered in 1914. The first French assault actually succeeded, with heavy bombardments and mine detonations opening a path for a fierce assault by the Division Marocaine (Moroccan Division), who succeeded in taking the ridge. Unfortunately for the French, German artillery delayed reserves from moving up to reinforce the Division Marocaine, who were evicted by a strong counter-attack.
The Division Marocaine were among the most decorated units of the French Army.
A memorial to them on Vimy Ridge reads (translated):
"To the Dead of the Moroccan Division
Fearless and Merciless
In memory of Colonel Pein, commanding the 1st Brigade, of Colonel Cros commanding the 2nd Brigade, of the Officers, non commissioned Officers of the Moroccan Division who in glory fell here on 09/10/11 May 1915.
On May 9, 1915 the regiments of the Moroccan Division, rushed from the Berthonval trenches at 10am, fiercely overcame the Germans' resistance and reached Hill 140, their goal, breaking for the first time the enemy's front."
Two days of campaigning remain
The West to East 1915 campaign will continue until this Friday 4th the balance currently stands at 794,025 vs 772,397 in favour of the Entente. Once again the Central Powers are on the back foot...
Isonzo Intel
In case you missed it, the most recent Isonzo Intel Dev Blog was all about the challenges of recreating historical landscapes in a videogame. Aside from the technical side of things, you first have to find good reference materials, and remember that landscapes can change a lot over the years... https://steamcommunity.com/games/1556790/announcements/detail/3041597566481848340 Until next time!
This months campaign is inspired by two eastward offensives from 1915. A combined French and British effort aimed at Vimy Ridge on the Western Front, while on the Eastern Front the Germans saw a minor offensive intended to relieve pressure from their Austro-Hungarian allies turn into something much larger. Were talking, of course, about the Second Battle of Artois and the Gorlice-Tarnw offensive.
All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total. Too many First World War battles essentially became meatgrinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns. The Central Powers have lost all recent campaigns, often by large margins. Will it be different this time?
Read the Campaign FAQ here!
Isonzo Dev Blog #2
Furthermore, we're still working hard on Isonzo! Please be sure to wishlist our upcoming game if you haven't already! Last week, intell was shared on the creation of historical maps in Isonzo, which of course included some new screenshots and a teaser for the next blogpost..! You can read our second Isonzo Intel here!
The carso landscape Good luck in the trenches...
Verdun celebrates 8 years!
[previewyoutube=hiOUyrDxQhI;full][/previewyoutube]
The Poison Prince 1915 Campaign is over
The battle is over, and the Entente have suffered 50,280 less casualties than the Central Powers. Another Entente victory probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who's been following the campaigns so far. Still, things can change so we'll see what happens next time - a new campaign will be coming soon! A note about the total casualties: they once again cleared 2,000,000 total, reaching almost 2,500,000. That's more casualties than the German military suffered during the entirety of WW1... an important reminder that games like Verdun and Tannenberg represent particularly intense frontline combat, of a kind that generally wasn't sustained for very long.
Sturmtruppe geht vor unter Gas - etching and aquatint by Otto Dix. (Stormtroopers Advance Under a Gas Attack)
The first Isonzo intel is released!
For Isonzo research, we made a small road trip down to Italy last year for some on-site research. Three of the team made the trip: series creative director Jos, together with producer Thomas and level designer Robin. As well as photos and recordings of scenery, we made also made a few videos. Here's the first one: [previewyoutube=UrFOSvYZh8c;full][/previewyoutube]Developer Jos on location in Italy, discussing the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo. Even better, we have an extensive dev blog which goes into more detail about the multi-map Offensive game mode! Check it out on the Isonzo steam hub: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3059609427948758060
Remember, a new campaign will be coming soon! See you next time.
The date is April 22nd, 1915 - the time is 5:00pm. A heavy greenish yellow haze rises from the German trenches on the opposite side of the Belgian village of Langemarck. Released from metal canisters, liquid chlorine gas slowly drifted southwestward on the gentle breeze of that sunny afternoon as an artillery bombardment began. French troops were seen staggering back through a barrage of high-explosive shells, falling back behind the Canadian batteries and reserve infantry battalions. A British soldier describes the phenomenon:
"{I watched} figures running wildly in confusion over the fields. Greenish-gray clouds swept down upon them, turning yellow as they travelled over the country blasting everything they touched and shrivelling up the vegetation. . .. Then there staggered into our midst French soldiers, blinded, coughing, chests heaving, faces an ugly purple colour, lips speechless with agony, and behind them in the gas-soaked trenches, we learned that they had left hundreds of dead and dying comrades."
The line on the left was broken by the dangerous cloud of poison, and neither the Allies nor German forces were prepared for the amount of damage the toxic breeze would do. The effect of the gas on the French was greater than the German infantry had anticipated. By nightfall, the Germans had crossed the Yser Canal. By around 8:00pm there were no coherent bodies of French troops east of the canal, batteries in the area had been captured, and the entire left flank of the 1st Canadian Division lay exposed to attack. Although the Belgian and Canadian hinges held firm, Ypres was open for the taking. The gas attack was far more effective than the other German attempt earlier in the year at the Russian town of Bolimw - read about that here.
The Poison Prince Campaign Continues
At the time of writing, the Central Powers have suffered around 22,000 more casualties than the Entente, which would be a significant loss compared to previous campaigns, where the differences were often less than 10,000. The campaign will end on April 30, this Friday.
A new campaign is live in Verdun and Tannenberg! Which side will suffer the least casualties over the next eight days of fighting? All losses from Frontlines and Maneuver mode battles until April 30 will be recorded, with victory going to the side which loses less men.
The Poison Prince campaign is named after Albrecht, Duke of Wrttemberg, who commanded German forces during the first major and successful use of gas during the First World War, during the Second Battle of Ypres. Albrecht was the crown-prince of the Kingdom of Wrttemberg, part of Germany which would cease to exist in 1918.
Casualties following a gas attack.
Although the Second Battle of Ypres was the first significant use of gas, it was not the first attempt by the German army. That dubious honor goes to the Battle of Bolimw in Russia. Well share more about these two moments in history during the course of the campaign!
Read the Campaign FAQ here!
Good luck out there...
Our new game Isonzo, is coming to you later this year! The Great War had many fronts, with different landscapes and battlefields. Following the dark and muddy trenches in Verdun, now come the high mountains and idyllic towns of Isonzo! [previewyoutube=aMNh0_Q7Nss;full][/previewyoutube]
Get the latest Isonzo updates!
If you want to know more about Isonzo, make sure you check out the special post we made on the Isonzo page, and wishlist the game too while you're there! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1556790
Thank you
For now, we want to thank you all for your love and support for Verdun and Tannenberg! Were definitely not forgetting the games that brought us here - were excited for the next step in our WW1 Game Series adventure, and hope youll join us! Arrivederci, hope to see you all in Italy later this year! - The WW1 Game Series team
And so the latest campaign comes to a close, with 945,395 casualties for the Entente and 982,641 for the Central Powers. That's 37,246 more losses for the Central Powers. So far the Entente have generally come out on top in the campaigns - albeit by a small margin. Perhaps people prefer playing for the Allies?
The first Austro-Hungarian counter-offensive aimed at relieving the Prsmsl Fortress consisted of 175,000 men in total, so these losses are vastly greater than any week long battle during the war. As you'd expect, considering that Verdun and Tannenberg are about frontline combat at an intensity that could never be maintained for long in real life.
Thanks to everyone who took part. We hope you had fun and found the history interesting!
The Winter War 1915 campaign continues for a couple more days - have you earned a gold medal yet? While the French and Germans were battling for control of the Hartmanswillerkopf peak, on the Eastern Front there were Austro-Hungarian troops trying to break through to relieve Przemyl Fortress.
A painting of Russian troops marching through the mountains.
In an ill-conceived attempt to relieve the besieged Przemyl Fortress, the Austro-Hungarian command launched a 1915 offensive through the Carpathian Mountains in the depths of Winter. Around 175,000 men were committed to a grueling slog through impossible conditions with deep snow and night temperatures that could reach -25F. A horrific 75% would become casualties through freezing, exhaustion, suicide, and more rarely combat. After some initial success against outnumbered Russian defenders, counter-attacks quickly drove back the Austro-Hungarian effort. They never got close to relieving Przemyl.
A painting of soldiers in snowy conditions.
The campaign will end on February 4th. So far the Entente are ahead with almost 30,000 less casualties than the Central Powers. Will things change before the 4th?
New seasonal event with new medals!
The Winter War 1915 campaign is starting soon - battle will be joined this Thursday 28th! All fallen soldiers will be tracked throughout the event, except for fights only involving bots. Kills will only be counted when a player is involved. It is not required to serve one side during the entire campaign. But surely you'll still be inclined to pick a side? The amount of kills earned by each faction can be seen on the main menu. You can earn special medals during this event. All you have to do is to participate in the battles of Verdun to earn one! You can upgrade your medal by fighting battles in Tannenberg as well - if you fight 5 battles in both games, you'll earn the gold medal! You have until February 4th to do so... https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
A little history
On the Western Front, January 1915 also saw mountain warfare centered on the Hartmanswillerkopf peak in the Vosges mountains. German and French troops fought intermittently from 1914-1916 to control the heights, which offered both sides potential observation of strategic railways. The operations were costly (though nowhere near as brutally harsh as in the Carpathians) and troops were often pulled from the Hartmanswillerkopf conflict to reinforce other areas of the front. Ultimately both sides would go on to accept a stalemate in early 1916, and the situation became stable until 1918.
Photograph from the summit of Hartmanswillerkopf in 1915.
Good luck out there!
A moment of peace
On Christmas Eve 1914, soldiers of both the British and German empires decided to lay down their arms and sing Christmas carols across the trenches. What followed was a rare occurrence during World War I, where troops of opposing sides would meet each other, shake hands, share drinks & food and play games like football. A truly historical moment where humanity won over conflict.
Join the Christmas Truce in Verdun!
From today until January 2nd 2021, you can join the Christmas Truce and even win a special medal for doing so! Jump into a special map where all players have the same loadout. Stories to tell, snowballs to pick up and a football to kick. Celebrate Christmas in a unique way with your fellow soldiers and earn the Christmas Truce medal by participating in the festivities. [previewyoutube=LqSbWDa-RyU;full]https://youtu.be/LqSbWDa-RyU[/previewyoutube]
The gift that keeps giving
This years Christmas will be very different for a lot of people due to everything that has happened. It can be hard to come up with something original. How about something similar to the Princess Mary Christmas gift box? The British member of the royal family set up a fund to send every soldier of the British soldiers a gift. It became a tin box with small presents. Most of them contained cigarettes, a Christmas card, a photograph of Princess Mary and some of them also contained sweets and chocolate. It is perhaps one of the most well known Christmas gifts to have ever existed.
A cold winter sale
If you are looking to enlist on the battlefields of World War I, now is the perfect time! Verdun is -70% off and could be gifted to a fellow soldier. Looking to head over to the Eastern Front? Tannenberg is -60% off as well! https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
From the development team of the WW1 Game Series, we wish you a merry Christmas and a healthy new year!
Just a quick note today to let any console fans among you know that we have released an update allowing Xbox and PlayStation gamers to play Verdun and Tannenberg together!
Sadly we couldnt add cross-play for PC users due to differences in their game versions, such as 64 player matches rather than the 40 player games on console, and other cross-platform balance issues like controller auto-aim.
It's also a free weekend on consoles from December 11-13, meaning Verdun and Tannenberg are open to everyone to try out!
Celebration giveaways!
Even if you dont own a console, you might be interested in the giveaways running on our Twitter youve got a chance to win some tasty mints!
Holidays are coming to the Western Front
With temperatures and snowflakes that are starting to fall, we do not only remember those who have fallen or the conflict they were involved in, we also remember the rare moments of humanity during the war. But more on that later...
Thanksgiving in WW1
As you would expect, US soldiers fighting abroad in 1917 had a very different Thanksgiving than they would be used to, even though efforts were made to at least have something a little fancier than usual on the menu for soldiers in France or getting ready to cross the Atlantic.
A photo of Camp Lewis in the US on Thanksgiving Day in 1917. It was still finishing construction. But things weren't 'normal' for the civilian population either. The US did have rationing in effect in 1917, albeit mostly in a voluntary form. Wheat flour and sugar was regulated, but otherwise it was merely encouraged for people to try and minimize their food usage, with ideas like Meatless Tuesdays and Wheatless Wednesdays. Local food boards were formed around the country to offer advice and recipes that avoided use of foods that were most suitable for sending abroad - whether to feed US soldiers in France, or simply to support the allies of the United States.
The United States Food Administration encouraged Americans to save food to aid European soldiers and civilians.
Meanwhile on the Eastern Front...
Winter is drawing near, and on the Eastern Front, hungry packs of wolves are looking for some fresh meat and the only tasty things around are you, your squadmates, and your enemies! When you hear the wolves howl on the battlefields of Tannenberg, a massive pack of wolves will approach. At this moment, both sides have the opportunity to uphold the truce and fight together against the hungry beasts... or just try to take advantage of the chaos. The event started yesterday, running from November 25 to December 2! [previewyoutube=5X20SeHBIUk;full][/previewyoutube] The Wolf Truce is based on accounts of Russians and Germans on the Eastern Front holding this unique truce in 1917 to fight off ravenous wolves, which appeared in American newspapers such as the New York Times. There are also more sober accounts in Russian history books noting that hungry wolves certainly were a threat, though they generally suggest it was to civilians or isolated soldiers. Discount time! If you don't own Tannenberg but fancy some wolf hunting, now's a great time to join in because there's a 70% discount! But the entire WW1 Game Series is part of the Steam Autumn Sale, so Verdun is also 50% off. https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
The war in the palm of your hands
Finally, for enthusiasts of physical video game releases, we also have some great news! Both Tannenberg and Verdun have a limited boxed release on PlayStation 4. For now, we have a release in selected German and Austrian retail stores. However, you can get international shipments from Amazon DE, with extra postage costs: https://amzn.to/3lGEX4j We are looking at having a international physical release, but we require your feedback. Would you be interested in a PlayStation 4 boxed release of the WW1 Game Series titles? Vote here to let us know: https://forms.gle/8h67ftBCJEU3u2CQ7
Happy Thanksgiving!
Always Remember
At 11 am on November 11th 1918, the Armistice of Compigne went into effect and, for many, marked the end of World War I. A good moment to remember those who have fallen during this long and bloody worldwide conflict. In Verdun (and Tannenberg, our Eastern Front World War I game), you have the optional to commemorate the Armistice in-game. Watch the poppy flower turn red in two minutes of silence and earn a special remembrance medal. There is also a filter overlay for your Facebook profile picture to show your compassion. You can simply add the filter on you Facebook profile image by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3iCMVcq
Learning from the terrors of war
The Armistice was a strange event for the soldiers still fighting. The last soldier to officially be declared KIA in the war, a minute before the Armistice came in effect was US Sergeant Henry Gunther. He was demoted from the rank of Sergeant to private. Seeking to reclaim his rank, he rushed into battle and fell, just a minute before the fighting stopped. It teaches us that life is more important than ambition.
Henry Gunther certainly wasnt the only one to fall on November 11th, 1918. In fact, the day had over 11000 casualties. A part of which was because of continued artillery fire, because the soldiers did not want to bother loading up all the remaining ammunition once the fighting would stop, since rumors of an Armistice would have reached several trenches already. You might think that after the Armistice went into effect, the whole world would burst into song and cheers. This didnt happen everywhere though, as apparently on the front, the soldiers felt empty and there was a lot of silence among them. A British corporal said: the Germans came from the trenches, bowed to us and went away. There was nothing with which we could celebrate, except cookies.
Life during the war
What it must have been like to be a part of World War I is something that generations born after the conflict ended have been wondering. We have records, diary entries and other accounts to remember what it was like to fight in the trenches or forts. Something we try to share with all of you on a daily basis. More information on the Armistice can be found on our social media channels.
Lest we Forget!
A very Bloody Autumn indeed
The Bloody Autumn event has come to an end in Verdun. This seasonal event was based on The Battle of Ypres 1914, which was one of the most violent battles of World War I. While historically, that battle ended in a stalemate, the results during this event do have a winner! The Entente suffered 1.537.161 casualties while the Central Powers lost even more with 1.604.116 fallen soldiers, which makes the Entente faction the winner of the Bloody Autumn 1914! Considering the Battle of Ypres 1914 had around 295.000 casualties in total, its pretty clear that the digital Battlefields have seen a lot more blood spilling than in real life, thankfully! The number of casualties includes the struggles on the Western Front as well as the Siege of Przemyl on the Eastern Front of Tannenberg. For this event we only counted the kills that involved a player, so bots vs bots fights have not been counted. Look out for more Seasonal events coming soon where you can earn more special medals across Verdun & Tannenberg!
A tense screenshot by Verdun player Jon Pettet on Steam!
Remembering the end of WW1
On the 5th of November 1918, allies agreed to take up negotiations for a truce. French general Ferdinand Foch would be writing up one of the most important documents in human history soon after. The Armistice of Compigne was signed on November 11th 1918 and went into effect a couple of hours later. A day to be remembered, but we will have more on that next week
The Battle of Ypres 1914
The autumn can be very harsh to soldiers on the front. Not only do wind and rain make for less visibility, the circumstances were abysmal. Just imagine having to spend the night in a muddy trench with no shower, clean clothes and having to fight for your life the entire day. The First Battle of Ypres was an attempt from both the Central Powers and the Allies to outflank each other from reaching the Belgian border. It is also referred to as the Race to the Sea. This quickly turned into a battle of attrition, with both factions deciding to dig into trenches, thus setting the stage for much of the Western Front of World War I!
New seasonal event, new special medals, new rules!
As with our previous seasonal events, all fallen soldiers from each faction will be tracked throughout this campaign event! However, we made a big change that will affect the number of kills. This time, whenever a fight only involves bots, this will not count towards the faction total of the campaign. Only when a player is involved with a kill or is being killed, it will count. It is not required to serve one side during the entire campaign. But that still remains the question, are you Team Central Powers or Team Entente? The amount of kills earned to each faction can be seen on the main menu. You can earn a special medal during this event. All you have to do is to participate in the battles of Verdun to earn one! You have until November 2nd to do so! There is a way to upgrade your special medal as well, but more on that in a bit...
Patching the front
Along with the campaign, the latest update for Verdun also fixed a few minor issues. These changes are applicable to version 314.22671
- Changed artilley arc calculation to include target height artillery may be slightly more precise as a result
- Fixed collision on haystacks in the maps Aisne and Champagne
- Fixed an issue that would cause Campaigns to appear without them being active
- Fixed campaign medals potentially being awarded during 'coming soon' time
- Fixed a bug that let LMG players teleport across the map
- Fixed jitters on MLE1892
- Added truncation on very long player names, although this shouldn't be very noticeable on PC
- Campaigns After-Action Report now displays separate casualty stats for match and campaign totals
- Fixed clipping and floating bullets on RSC 1917 & 1918
- Fixed motion impacting bullet impact effects
The Eastern Front and Halloween
The Bloody Autumn seasonal event is also active on the Eastern Front! The campaign in Tannenberg is based on the Siege of Przemysl. Participating on both fronts will earn you upgraded special medals, so make sure you are equipped for both the Siege of Przemysl nd the Battle of Ypres! Last but not least, we wanted to share this amazing screenshot ReallyRiles55 on the WW1 Game Series subreddit, who found something that might remind you of a spooky event
The Relief Offensives have ended...
The battle is over, so who won? Well, we tracked the casualties of both sides to see who was taking fewer losses. At some points in the war, commanders were reduced to this kind of attritional combat, simply trying to drain the enemy of soldiers and will to fight. The Entente quickly gained a lead in the casualty advantage (meaning they had this many less casualties), and held onto it throughout the campaign. Between days 6-8 there was a pause as the Central Powers rallied a little, but it didn't last and by the end the Central Powers had suffered 69,817 more losses than the Entente.
However, in the overall context of the campaign, this number is tiny. With both sides combined there were more than 11 million casualties. In our previous campaign, there were less than 9 million casualties over a similar length of time, suggesting the battlefields were more active than previously. If you want to read more about how these numbers stack up against historical figures (TL:DR they're enormously higher) you can take a look at the post when the last campaign ended. These losses would have been devastating for both sides, and the difference is so small as to give neither side a meaningful advantage. Tragically this sort of battle was far from rare during the First World War.
Giveaway winners coming soon!
We'll be announcing winners from the Facebook giveaway very soon! Tins of mints and game keys will be finding their way to lucky winners. Keep an eye on our Facebook page to be the first to hear who won! The campaign is over. Take a well deserved rest... or head straight back out to the trenches!
At the time of writing, Central Powers casualties are 2,437,263 while Entente casualties are at 2,403,869. That's a difference of 33,000 in favor of the Entente. But there are more than six days to go, and things can change quickly.
The Battle of the Somme
At this time in 1916, much of the focus was on the village of Guillemont. General Ferdinand Foch and Field Marshal Douglas Haig had planned to capture the village on this day in 1916, but it didn't come off. Haig considered the attack had been inadequately supervised by his subordinate Henry Rawlinson, and hadn't had enough manpower assigned. A follow-up attack was planned for the following day, on the 25th, but bad weather and a need to replace exhausted divisions caused a delay until September 3rd. When it happened, this attack would finally result in the capture of Guillemont from the Germans, but the cost of fighting in the area had been very high for the Allied forces. Despite air superiority and increasingly accurate artillery fire because of it, the Germans put up a strong, capable defense.
Japan in WW1
The First World War was, as the name suggests, a truly global war. One nation far from Europe who joined the conflict were the Japanese, who declared war on the Central Powers on August 23rd in 1914, and moved against German territories in their sphere of influence. They also sent teams of nurses to France, Russia and Britain. As the war continued, Japan would export large quantities of war material to Entente nations. They also exported a number of rifles - one of which you can use in Verdun's sister game Tannenberg. The first Arisaka Type 30s were built in 1899, and were the standard issue Japanese rifle until 1905 when they were replaced by the Type 38 - however, a lack of supply meant that some units kept using Type 30s until into the Second World War. Desperate for weapons, Russia bought around 300,000 Type 30s from Japan, and they received more from the British who had ordered them from Japan to arm troops until production of the Lee-Enfield could ramp up. It's possible that a number of these rifles would have been present in some capacity during the Brusilov Offensive.
The battle continues... since this post was begun, casualties have risen to 2,450,007 Central Powers and 2,416,463 Entente. There are six days remaining.
Our campaign begins part way through the real offensives that inspired it. The Battle of the Somme had been raging for 51 days already by this date in 1916, and would continue for more than three months. While there were of course pauses and recovery periods during the battle, it's still a long time to sustain offensive operations.
On the Western Front, the fighting was brought to an end by weather rather than a decision by high command. November 18th saw the last real action of the Battle of the Somme before the rain and snow became too much. Until January the following year the real enemy of soldiers on both sides would be the atrocious weather conditions.
Steam Daily Deal!
Get 60% off Verdun and Tannenberg until August 24. If you know someone who hasn't played either game yet but might love both, you can point them to the WW1 Game Series bundle, which is 15% off - taking the total discount on everything in there to 75% off normal price! https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/ As the campaign runs we'll be posting updates along with some history facts, but in Verdun and Tannenberg you can see current casualty rates in the main menu and after each battle ends. Good luck!
The summer can be a good time for launching an offensive. Dryer weather and less harsh conditions make supplying your forces and maintaining morale easier. Which is not to say that summer in the trenches was by any means pleasant. The summer of 1916 saw two major Entente offensives begin, intended to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun, and we will be running our own campaign event this summer as well...
A new campaign
This campaign is inspired by the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front, and the Brusilov Offensive on the Eastern Front. These were major operations for the Entente forces in 1916, and had mixed results. While the Brusilov Offensive was a great success, smashing the Austro-Hungarian army and gaining territory, the Battle of the Somme was a bloodbath that didn't lead to any major change to the front lines. There's more to it than that, of course - but we'll get into details later this week.
How does it work?
Every fallen soldier on the Western and Eastern Fronts will be tracked. If you fight in a public Frontlines or Maneuver match, your actions will contribute to the campaign casualty totals. While the campaign is running, you will be able to see whether the Central Powers or the Entente are currently faring better. The campaign begins on Thursday. Earn a campaign medal! Everyone can earn a special campaign medal by fighting in battles during the event. You can earn a bronze, silver or gold medal. To get gold, fight in five battles on each front - five battles on the Western Front, and five on the Eastern front. In our last campaign the Entente suffered slightly less casualties, but the difference was so minor as to be effectively a draw - like many major battles of the First World War, in fact. Perhaps this time will be different? We'll be running a giveaway during the event and posting some interesting history facts. You can read the Steam news right here on the hub, or follow our Twitter, Facebook or Discord!
Ready your rifle and sharpen your bayonet. Less than a day to go...
Update
The latest Verdun update includes some tweaks to improve soldier movement around sandbags and to prevent unreasonable climbing of the landscape. You're grunts, not acrobats after all! Read the full changelog on the Steam Hub. A few things of particular note:
- Updated sandbags to have more accurate colliders.
- Improved checks to limit climbing exploits.
- Fix for instant respawning bug.
Tannenberg released on consoles
We are proud to announce the release of Tannenberg on Xbox One and PlayStation 4! This release has been done entirely in-house, like with the Verdun Remaster. The result is looking great, and we can't wait to see what people think. If you know console gamers who might be up for some WW1 action on the Eastern Front, let them know! [previewyoutube=UQlDiL0bxds;full][/previewyoutube] Along with the console release, a new map based on the fortress of Przemyl has been added to the Steam version. Austro-Hungarian defenders held out for 133 days before being forced to surrender. Today also sees the console release of Tannenberg!
Community Artwork
You can find all sorts of interesting bits and pieces in the artwork tab here on the Steam Hub. Below are a few of our recent faves! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2080092667 This GIF of an Australian gun crew really gives you a sense of how powerful these artillery pieces could be. Thanks to Big_Pek for the upload! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1585962268 Storm troopers attack in this piece of artwork uploaded by Augy. Very worth clicking through to see the whole image! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1168459076 An amusing clip of Charlie Chaplin uploaded by Troldskog. Verdun in a nutshell indeed! Do you have some interesting WW1 content to share? Post it on our Steam Hub, or you could come and visit our Discord!
Our Eastern Front shooter Tannenberg is getting a new map on July 24th, at the same time as a console release! Both bits of news are featured in this trailer: [previewyoutube=qUU5rueLeIo;full][/previewyoutube]
Tannenberg on consoles
We can announce the release date for Tannenberg on Xbox One and PlayStation 4: July 24th. Like the Verdun Remaster, we've handled the development of Tannenberg for consoles entirely in-house, and it's shaped up very nicely. If any of your console owning friends might enjoy some WW1 action, let them know! The release will also be optimized to make full use of the extra power offered by the Xbox One X and PlayStation Pro. You can already pre-order Tannenberg for Xbox One.
Steam Summer Sale!
Tannenberg is 60% off, and Verdun is 65% off! If youve been waiting to complete your WW1 Game Series collection, or introduce a friend with a gift, now is the perfect time. Especially with a new map to be released for Tannenberg in just a few weeks
Przemyl!
Przemyl was a fortified town that was the site of the longest siege during WW1. For 133 days the defenders held out against the Russian army, but were ultimately forced to surrender. In-game, you'll be able to fight around the bunkers and gun positions of the fortress.
Discuss the new map (or just chat) on our Discord!
It was this day 105 years ago that Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip fired two shots that would be the spark to ignite the First World War. His first shot hit the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in the neck, his second hit the Archduke's wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in the abdomen. Both died.
It was June 28th, 1914. A month later, the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia on July 28th would mark the start of the First World War.
Painting of the assassination.
Princip only had the chance to attack the Archduke because of a series of unlikely coincidences. He was one of six assassins organized by a secret society called the Black Hand. They were posted along the route of Franz Ferdinand's drive, which was published beforehand, and armed with pistols or bombs. The first two assassins that the motorcade passed chose not to try an attack. The third assassin was Nedeljko abrinovi, who threw a bomb. It bounced off the roof of the Archduke's car, disabling a car behind and injuring about 20 people. The Archduke disembarked to examine the damage before the motorcade continued. abrinovi took a cyanide pill and jumped into the Miljacka river, but the cyanide was expired and the river was shallow - he was apprehended by police shortly afterwards.
Colorized photograph of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
From this point the speed of the car prevented any further attempts, including from Princip as the motorcade passed him. Even with blood from the injured still on his clothes, the Archduke proceeded to give a speech as planned at the city hall, but then decided to visit those injured by the attack in hospital. His driver was not properly informed however, and took a wrong turn leading down a street where Princip was still standing. Even this might not have been fatal, but on being informed of his mistake the driver stopped the car, then stalled it while trying to reverse... practically in front of Princip, who drew his pistol and opened fire. His third shot was intended to kill himself, but he never had a chance to pull the trigger before being captured.
Both Princip and abrinovi suffered from tuberculosis, and had already known they didn't have long to live before joining the assassination attempt. After his capture, Princip said: "I am a Yugoslav nationalist, aiming for the unification of all Yugoslavs, and I do not care what form of state, but it must be freed from Austria."
Gavrilo Princip in prison.
They were both were sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, their tuberculosis along with harsh prison conditions meant that abrinovi died in 1916, and Princip in 1918. Four of their co-conspirators were hanged, and others imprisoned.
It seems likely that even without the assassination of the Archduke, something would have triggered the First World War. Tensions were high in Europe, and although the assassination served as a reason for Austria-Hungary to issue the July Ultimatum - a series of demands, some outrageous - to Serbia, no doubt they would have found another reason in time.
The Serbian response to the ultimatum, which accepted many points but not all, led to the recall of the Austro-Hungarian ambassador and, ultimately, war.
Summer Offensive 1915 Concludes
Almost four million losses for both sides. After a little more than a week of action, the total campaign casualties come out to 4,210,058 from the Central Powers and 4,167,371 on the side of the Entente. Of course, Verdun and Tannenberg only simulate intense front line combat, which was not the standard state of affairs during the war. A week's hard fighting since we last posted on June 15th has increased the total count from around 1,000,000 per side to 4,000,000. How does that tally up with the actual battles? Well, for comparison, France had roughly 1,000,000 killed in action during the entire war, with 4,000,000 wounded. Germany ended the war with closer to 2,000,000 killed to 4,000,000 wounded, while Russia had somewhere in the region of 2,000,000 killed to almost 5,000,000 wounded. These numbers also don't account for captured soldiers taken prisoner, which were huge numbers in some cases - for instance around 92,000 at the Battle of Tannenberg, or perhaps as many as 250,000 during the Gorlice-Tarnw Offensive.
If we use a 1:4 ratio of killed vs wounded, and count perhaps 20% of the Central Powers 'kills' as captured troops with a smaller value for the Entente (as mentioned, a large number of Russian soldiers were captured during the Gorlice-Tarnw Offensive), the following numbers might emerge: [table] [tr] [th][/th] [th]Entente[/th] [th]Central Powers[/th] [/tr] [tr] [th]KIA[/th] [td]640,000[/td] [td]800,000[/td] [/tr] [tr] [th]WIA[/th] [td]2,560,000[/td] [td]3,100,000[/td] [/tr] [tr] [th]POW[/th] [td]800,000[/td] [td]100,000[/td] [/tr] [/table]
Historically...
In the actual battles, the total losses were closer to 480,000 for the Entente compared to 220,000 Central Powers casualties. If you missed it before, you can read a bit more about the history of the Second Battle of Artois or the Gorlice-Tarnw Offensive in our previous news posts.
As for the balance of losses for each side, historically the Germans lost far fewer troops, despite their very successful offensive in the East. In contrast, in our campaign, the Central Powers have actually suffered about 37,000 more losses than the Entente. Maybe the Germans committed less of their artillery to the Eastern Front, and the Russian defenders were better able to hold their positions - it's even possible that the fortifications at Przemyl would have proved more consequential if the Germans hadn't brought up their super-heavy guns. Alternately, the Tsar was more decisive in ordering an initial withdrawal alongside urgent fortification of rear areas. The Russians fell back in good order to solid defensive lines, and the Germans overextended their strength, at the limit of their supply lines and unable to capitalize on their huge advantage in artillery pieces due to supply issues. There might have been a good deal of land captured, and the pressure on Austria-Hungary would still have been lifted, but Central Powers could have been far greater and Russian losses far less. Probably still a Central Powers victory, but not nearly as decisive as historically. Do you have any theories about how the battles could have gone differently to explain this almost 1:1 casualty rate? I haven't touched on the Western Front here, but there are surely possibilities there as well! We hope you all enjoyed this surprise event! It's been great to see people chatting about the event and the history of the two battles we were inspired by. Remember you can always visit the #history channel on our WW1 Game Series Discord to talk to other fans about WW1. There are some cool images and facts to be found there!
Verdun Shadowgaming Tournament!
Looking for more events? Shadowgaming (previous hosted by E4i) contacted us with the following initiative that we are happy to share:
More info to come on this one... We'll end with congratulations to everyone who earned a Gold Summer Offensive 1915 Veteran medal! And credit to player echo1 for the cool screenshot below!
Summer Offensive 1915 Update
At the time of writing, there have been 1,137,028 Central Powers losses, to 1,143,957 Entente casualties. Almost a 1:1 ratio, with a minor lead for the Central Powers... it could still easily go either way, unlike the Second Battle of Artois, which we'll discuss more in the rest of this post. The Summer Offensive 1915 campaign will continue to run until Monday 22nd of June, when the Gorlice-Tarnw Offensive ended. Read more about that operation on the Tannenberg Steam Hub.
The Second Battle of Artois
On this date in 1915, the Second Battle of Artois was in the final stages, with French attackers encountering increasingly challenging German defenses. In particular German positions on reverse slopes were preventing an advance. As you can see on the diagram below, reverse slopes could not easily be hit by regular artillery guns, requiring high angle howitzers instead. At times the French infantry found themselves forced to attack German positions which were entirely undamaged and without even holes in their barbed wire defenses. These attacks went poorly.
French infantry were already exhausted, even as they were called on to dig forward trenches to serve as jump-off points for new attacks - while under German artillery fire. One successful attack with fresh troops would go on to be hit hard by a German counterattack, while French reinforcements were delayed in support trenches now full of wounded men and prisoners.
The British were still launching smaller attacks to try and divert German attention from the French Tenth Army, but experienced ammunition shortages for both artillery and the troops who did successfully capture German trenches. Bad weather including mist and fog led to some friendly fire from British artillery on advancing soldiers. Ultimately the writing was on the wall for the offensive, and it would be formally ended on June 18th. You have until the 22nd - the battle rages on!
The Summer Offensive 1915 begins!
The First World War saw fighting around the world on a scale previously unimaginable for many people. Gains or losses in any individual battle could ultimately have consequences for entire theaters, no matter how minor they might seem at the time. You can experience this yourself today in the WW1 Game Series, as we begin the Summer Offensive 1915 campaign! In short, every fallen soldier on the Western and Eastern Fronts will be tracked. If you fight in a public Frontlines or Maneuver match, your actions will contribute to the campaign casualty totals. While the campaign is running, you will be able to see whether the Central Powers or the Entente are currently faring better. The campaign begins today: the Summer Offensive 1915. The name of this campaign refers to the Second Battle of Artois on the Western Front, and the Gorlice-Tarnw Offensive on the Eastern Front. Overall these two operations did not end well for the Entente factions - will things pan out differently this time?
The Second Battle of Artois ran from 9 May to 18 June, 1915. The French aimed to capture Vimy Ridge and cut off German railway supply to a large part of the front. The British Expeditionary Force launched a supporting attack to increase pressure on the Germans. After initial success and capture of Vimy Ridge, French forces were forced back by a German counterattack. The British attacks did divert two German divisions, but were otherwise failures with high casualties despite heavy bombardments.
Meanwhile on the Eastern Front, the German led Gorlice-Tarnw Offensive lasted longer, from 2 May to 22 June, 1915. It was intended to reduce pressure on Austro-Hungarian forces who had taken a beating from the Russians. The Austro-Hungarians even threatened the Germans that they might seek an individual peace agreement if they didn't offer any military assistance! In the event, the German attack was so successful that they kept pushing and it became a major offensive effort, ending in a German victory and forcing the Great Retreat back to Russia by Russian forces.
What do you think?
Were looking forward to seeing how this campaign turns out! Common questions are answered in this FAQ post. While the campaign is running, you can earn a unique medal for taking part in battles as well. The most prestigious award being given to those who fight at least five battles on both fronts! The campaign will run until Monday 22nd of June, when the Gorlice-Tarnw Offensive ended. Casualties will be tallied until then - in reality, the Entente suffered about three times as many casualties as the Central Powers. The battle awaits - how will events compare to history? Thats down to how you fight. Good luck!
Small Update
Today we released a small update for Verdun. Current and previous changelogs can be found here on the Steam Hub. In this update:
- Improved the Wex's obstacle detection so it can't fire through walls, sandbags and other objects
- Changed Argonne match time limit to 25 minutes, for consistency with other maps
- Fixed custom matches acting up while "permanent attacker" chat command is enabled
- Disabled the squad menu while spectating
- Fixed film memoir issues with motion blur
- Various under the hood fixes
- Updated engine version
What do we think of the Wex?
It's been almost two months since we updated the Wex flamethrower - read the news post for more info. So what do you all think? Discuss on our Steam Hub, or give your opinion in this one question survey!
Competition Time!
Answer this question on our Twitter, and you could win Steam keys, mints in a classy tin, or both!
To enter, visit our Twitter and reply to this tweet with your answer: A, B or C. Make sure to follow us so we can DM you if you win to arrange your prize. There will be three winners chosen at random from those who get the right answer. [olist]
The Film Memoir event has come to an end - thanks to everyone who took part and especially those who shared screenshots or footage! If you really enjoyed playing with Film Memoir mode and want to give us some extra support, the aptly named Supporter Edition DLC includes permanent access to Film Memoir, along with some other nice extras from wallpapers and artwork to the game soundtrack. Now to the competition results! The challenge was to create a short film, a great image, or a short story to accompany a photo. We saw some beautiful scenes captured on film and still image, but the three below were our favorites. Congratulations to...
Best Short Film
[previewyoutube=qD4W2THZGfo;full][/previewyoutube] Tommies in Flanders, a stirring patriotic film of British troops in action. By Liam.
Best Image
A rare moment of quiet in Verdun, captioned: 'British soldiers in the trench. Year 1915.' By Tanya Degurechaff.
Best Story
The body on the ground suggests this is real combat photography rather than being taken during a training exercise! Captioned: 'German officer leading troops to charge enemy positions during the Battle of Tannenberg, in 1914.' By Wise Wolfie. The winners will receive a Supporter Edition, a hefty can of refreshing mints, and one of these delightful roly-polys:
If you won, look out for a Steam friend request from one of our mods so we can get in touch to arrange sending out your prize!
Test yourselves
If you live in the Americas and think you have what it takes to play Verdun competitively, the Verdun Competitive League season is open to all players in North and South America. Get general info on the league at their Steam Group, or contact Xyrlxv. All the best from the WW1 Game Series team!
Experience the First World War as civilian audiences would have done with the new Film Memoir mode in both Verdun and Tannenberg.
Film Memoir mode will set your game to black and white, apply a film grain overlay typical of the 1914-1918 period, and add subtle sound effects for that complete old cinema experience. Don't worry, it isn't April 1st today - the black and white camera mode we joked about before has been made reality!
Partly inspired by the amazing colorization work seen in Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, we wanted to give players a taste of the reverse - turning color into black and white. It can really make you appreciate some of the challenges faced by photographers and filmmakers of the time as they searched for scenes that would translate well to black and white images. Here's a full release trailer:
[previewyoutube=U_tVvpUxUKw;full][/previewyoutube]
Everyone will be able to play with Film Memoir mode until April 26th, after which it will become a bonus part of the Supporter Edition. Owners of the Supporter Edition, either Verdun or Tannenberg, will be able to continue using it anytime they like. And there are other ways... read on!
Show off your journalistic skills and win prizes!
We will be giving away prizes for creating impressive content with Film Memoir mode - merch and a Supporter Edition! TIP: Don't forget to turn off the UI with the F8 key before making your films or photos! We will pick one winner for each of these three categories:
- Best short film
- Best image
- Best story
Photography and film during WW1
The first photograph was produced in 1825, and the technology had gone global by 1850. Military leaders recognized the potential of photography, with the British Army already investigating as early as 1856. The German Kaiser Wilhelm II was a big fan of photography, and he had a sizable collection of court photographers who put out a host of images to glorify him as German leader. This said, before WW1 there were no countries who used photography for military purposes on a large scale. Military leaders were often hostile to non-official photography in general. British Secretary of State for War Lord Kitchener barred all civilian photographers from working near British troops and prohibited personal cameras among those troops - which didn't stop some people from smuggling their cameras to the front.
Folded up, the Vest Pocket Autographic Kodak could fit in a jacket pocket - hence the name. It was even marketed as the 'Soldier's camera' in the US during the war. One exception in the early days of the war was the Belgian Army. Seeking international support, they allowed unusual freedom to friendly and neutral civilian press photographers - their hope being that showing the world their tough situation would inspire support. It so happened that German photographers were trying to highlight the exact same thing, though to show the superiority and success of the German military. Photos like the one seen below, focusing on outdated Belgian equipment, were popular with both sides.
Photograph of Belgian troops and transport dogs, from the Imperial War Museums. Many official photographers may have used staged or recreated scenes to take their photos. While this was understandable given the challenge and sheer danger of taking genuine photos in a war zone, it did undermine the authenticity of some official work. Many newspapers put out calls to amateur photographers on the frontlines to submit photos, especially if they were unsatisfied with the quantity or subjects of the official photos they were given by the government.
This photograph of German troops advancing through gas was originally described as part of an attack on German trenches, but it seems likely that it was actually taken during a training exercise. We can't wait to see what you all come up with using Film Memoir mode!
Earlier this year we read some interesting community discussions about the role of the Wex flamethrower in the game, and since then we spent some time looking into changes to the Wex in order to make it a more worthwhile weapon. With today's update it has been reworked and is out now for you all to try!
Here's what you can expect: in short, the range and power has been increased on the primary attack. Furthermore, a special trait of the Wex is the fire pools that are left behind. These fire pools have also been made more powerful, and a few tricky bugs that could stop them injuring people in certain situations have been squashed. This will make the Wex a capable area denial weapon if used right. Finally, there are some graphical tweaks to make the (now more deadly) fire a little prettier.
The update includes other tweaks and fixes, but it's primarily about the Wex.
Wex Changes
- Improved the Wex's direct fire. Close to its original design, it fires 13 meters, and kills in two hits
- Improved the Wex indirect fire pools, which can be used for area control or to 'throw' fire at places you cannot hit directly. Pools last 3 seconds and kill in five 'hits' if a player remains on it.
- Fixed direct fire pools only damaging each enemy once.
- Removed the limit on enemies that can be damaged by a single direct fire pool.
- Reworked the Wex's particles to match its larger fire range.
- Added particle collision for the Wex's flames (only on higher Particle Graphics settings).
If you read all the way down here, congratulations. We have another update coming tomorrow that will let you see the battlefield in a very different way...
The First World War was one of the first major conflicts where photography and film were highly significant, due among other things to smaller and improved cameras. The nations involved also began to realize the value of photography and film for propaganda purposes. We thought it would be interesting to give players a chance to experience some of the challenges faced by early filmmakers, working with black and white on top of other technical limitations.
Ernest Brooks, one of the relatively few British photographers on the Western Front.
Amateur photographers were able to take cameras with them to the front (sometimes smuggling them against regulations), and press outlets sometimes put out calls for photos from these amateurs when the officially released images didn't satisfy their desire for images from the front.
Soon you'll be able to try recording your own black and white war footage, with our upcoming 'Film Memoir' mode! If they say a picture paints a thousand words, a video must be even more... so check this out:
[previewyoutube=PVdQxrnFHxA;leftthumb]LINK TO VIDEO[/previewyoutube]
Update
Verdun has received a number of improvements this March. Among these are floating weapon shadows, setting issues and animation related trickery.
Weve also increased the AFK (=time to get yourself some drinks and snacks) in private and public matches, ensured certain matchups are more historically accurate in Attrition mode, added a potential fix for game crashes occurring after sound outage and stuttering and thats not all! For a complete overview of the fixes and improvements, be sure to take a look at our changelog here.
Tannenberg Wolf Truce event!
The Eastern Front needs capable soldiers! Be sure to enlist yourself or a friend and join the fray!
[previewyoutube=5X20SeHBIUk;full][/previewyoutube]
Tannenberg is now 55% off during it's thrilling Wolf Truce event!...
Inspired by several historical reports and newspapers, hungry wolves are roving the Eastern Front forming a frightening new foe both sides have to face.
Players are now faced with a dilemma, do you call a truce to face this new threat together, or do you use the ensuing chaos to press on! A special medal can be earned if the truce holds true, but restraining yourself is harder than it sounds!
We look forward to seeing you on both on the Western and Eastern battlefields!
Happy President's Day to our US fans!
Of course, this is a holiday which has changed quite a bit since WW1. Originally it was known only as Washington's Birthday, and fell on February the 22nd since that was, well, his birthday. It wasn't until the thrillingly named Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 that the holiday was officially set to be the third Monday in February. This change might make things more orderly, but it does also mean that (at least since 1971) the holiday is effectively never actually on Washington's birthday anymore. We'll come close in 2022, when it'll be on the 21st! Here's a couple of cartoons from February 22nd in 1918, taken from the Stars & Stripes, the American military newspaper. There's no mention of the holiday in the paper.
Updates
We rounded off last week with a small update on Friday which fixed a few bugs and ironed out a couple more exploits relating to in-game user names, which followed up on an earlier update that fixed a few things, including slower machine gun firing for some players with slower computers. Read the full changelog here.
Player Screenshots
We have a couple of more unusual screenshots from players today!
echo1 put together this wide shot of a soldier bearing down through gas.
A bogged down tank catches the eye in this watery scene by Tom Grump.
We also hope you had a great Valentine's Day!
We've been busy lately, but mostly on secret projects that aren't ready for sharing yet! That doesn't mean we don't have anything interesting for you. Quite the contrary...
A hot topic
There has been some discussion in the community about the Wex - the German flamethrower you might not have seen getting much use in the game. In this thread on the forum people went back and forth on the weaknesses of this unusual weapon. We can say we are looking into ways to make the Wex a powerful, satisfying weapon to use without it being as overpowered as it has been at times in the past. Veteran players will likely remember how the Wex has changed previously - we hope that we can find a happy middle ground for it!
Too colourful?
It appears that some people have been able to give their in-game names bright colors by using a Steam formatting trick. This isn't intentional, and we are planning to fix this with an update soon. We already released an update in January with some fixes. As always, find the latest changelogs here!
1917
Who's seen 1917 in cinemas? It's an incredible experience, filmed in such a way as to give the impression of one continuous shot without obvious cuts.
We had some discussion on Facebook and Twitter, with people recommending a whole host of interesting WW1 films. In particular there were a couple of foreign films which sounded intriguing, put forward after one person said that they found another film from an allied perspective rather dull and uninspired. One of those films is the Hungarian movie Szrke senkik (Grey Nobodies), recommended by Gyrgy! It's not technically WW1 itself, but Meelis also suggested something a bit different with Names in Marble, which is about the Estonian War of Independence shortly after WW1. They do caution that it's perhaps not the most historically accurate film! Finally, Markus mentioned Westfront 1918, a German film from 1930 that he thought had similar vibes to All Quiet on the Western Front.
A still from Westfront 1918: Vier von der Infanterie. There are even more recommendations on the Facebook post itself if you're in need of new films to watch! As a final note, the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Verdun is coming up soon, on February 21st... does anyone have any books or films they'd recommend that cover the Battle of Verdun?
What's your squad defence highscore?
Bartoft posted a screenshot from what must have been an epic squad defence game. In their own words: "A marathon late night Squad Defence game in Verdun. The game started at 11:15pm on 31.1.20 and ended at 5am on 1. 2 .20. This is my last screen shot before our 4 man squad were finally wiped out by the attacking Germans on wave 70. The total game playing time on this shot shows 339 minutes and 51 seconds at the end of wave 69. The screen shot shows enemy dead in our final trench.
In the foreground I am holding my favourite weapon in the game - a Short Magazine Lee Enfield bolt action rifle with a ten shot magazine. I was also equipped with 3 hand grenades at each load out and a trench club for hand to hand fighting. My game log showed I achieved 2035 kills in the game. This could only be achieved with the cooperation of the other players in the squad. Together we worked well as a team backing each other up as necessary when the enemy almost broke through on numerous occasions."
That's all for now! The trenches are waiting...
Verdun remastered out now on PlayStation 4! We're pleased to announce that the PlayStation 4 release of Verdun remastered has passed certification and is now live as well! The update brings new maps, squads, AI bots, a whole new look and feel, revamped audio, and much more... Read the full changelog on Reddit! The update is free for all Verdun owners on PlayStation 4. Steam Winter Sale In other news, the Steam Winter Sale is live and Verdun is 80% off - or expand your war to the Eastern Front and pick up Tannenberg for a 60% discount.
We'll see you on the battlefield!
A Truce Between Giants
Inspired by the true events of the Christmas Truce in 1914, the annual Verdun Christmas Truce event, which has been going on for 7 years already, is live again! Players will be able to experience this unexpected moment of peace and common humanity amidst the horror and chaos of the First World War.
[previewyoutube=LqSbWDa-RyU;full][/previewyoutube]
Players are able to visit a special Christmas Truce map where they can play football matches, have snowball fights and send Christmas cards from the trenches by email or social media. Theres a lot more to do and explore, so enjoy your time with your fellow players and do not fear any bayonet or artillery shell... though a snowball to the face is to be expected!
As 2019 comes to a close were excited to see the revamped version of Verdun released on consoles, and Tannenberg releasing on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2020.
Truce Timeline 2013-2019
The Christmas Truce has quite the storied history by now. It all began back in 2013
2013
Things started on a quiet note, with a short update announcing an in-game truce between Frontline matches. Exchanging seasonal greetings, snowball fights, and football were the first features!
2014
In 2014 there was a longer announcement with some exciting competitions for the first time, and the first appearance of Scottish soldiers in Verdun at the time, only for the Christmas Truce!
2015
For 2015 a new official trailer was released, and the ability to send Christmas cards to friends and family was implemented. As well as that, a brand new Christmas Truce map was added, full of delightful Christmas details. During the event, over 12,000 Christmas cards were sent from the frontlines!
2016
In 2016 we released a special temporary Christmas Truce DLC, with all proceeds going to the War Child charity. Everyone who donated this way got unlimited access to the Christmas Truce over this Christmas.
2017
The War Child donation DLC returned for 2017, with more money raised for charity. We also gave away some WW1 Game Series swag including trench whistles, game keys, and even a thermos or two!
2018
A new feature arrived in 2018 as part of a personal charity effort by M2H tree planting! A new forest of 2,500 trees was donated by M2H as part of Trees for All, to be planted in the Netherlands and Uganda. Soldiers in the trenches of WW1 would prop up trees to serve as Christmas trees, so we added the ability to plant a tree and challenged the community to match our 2,500 trees, with one tree per player. In fact, more 6,000 trees were planted in-game!
2019
Which brings us to today, the seventh year of the Christmas Truce in Verdun. Some of you have been there every year since the beginning, and some will be joining for the first time this year. You can once again earn an annual special medal by participating in a Christmas Truce! We wish everyone a merry Christmas and thank you all for your support!
Happy Holidays everyone! The WW1 Game Series team wishes you all the best!
Exciting news for Xbox fans; Verdun has been remastered bringing all kinds of new content and updates for the players, as well as a completely new look and feel.
[previewyoutube=vdkIH718zfk;full][/previewyoutube]
The graphics have been updated; with more detail on character models as well as other smaller improvements. In addition, a brand new audio system and soundscape has been developed, with improved weapon sounds recorded from real WW1 weapons made available by collectors.
AI controlled soldiers have also been added to the game to ensure battles are always filled. As a cherry on top of the cake, weve also added the latest St. Mihiel map, as well as the Tirailleurs Senegalese and ANZAC squad types to the game. There are numerous other improvements not mentioned, including various improvements in the gameplay, controls and interface.
You can check out the full changelog on Reddit.
Verdun is 60% off in the Steam Autumn sale! Let your history minded friends know, or if you're feeling generous you could get it for them (nothing like a friend signing you up for service on the Western Front...)
Wolves spotted in Tannenberg!
[previewyoutube=dwDXkextcWg;full]https://youtu.be/dwDXkextcWg[/previewyoutube] Tannenberg is 60% off right now as well, and there is a special event running in-game... The Wolf Truce is based off newspaper reports at the time which described masses of hungry wolves attacking soldiers in the face of machine gun fire, gas and grenades! This report from a US newspaper is likely to have been just a little exaggerated, but more sober Russian sources do describe the danger wolves could pose to injured men or stragglers.
In the game a wolf attack gives players the choice to hold a ceasefire and work together to fight off the wolves, or go for complete chaos and continue the battle while also being harried by the pack. A medal can be earned if players manage to defeat the wolves while sticking to the ceasefire - it's harder than it sounds!
This screenshot was taken by a player during the first Wolf Truce event earlier this year.
We look forward to seeing you on both Western and Eastern Front battlefields!
We'd firstly like to express our appreciation for everyone who responded to our Armistice activities here and on social media with thoughtful comments. Its great that after so many years, people are still showing their respect and commemorating the World War One.
This is an impromptu in-game Armistice captured by player bucklington.
Another Armistice screenshot by player Stephen Dedalus.
Battle of Saint-Mihiel 1918
Next Sunday 24th November, player Ranjid is organising another great community re-enactment event. You are invited to join a ferocious battle between the French and Germans at Saint Mihiel. Poilus and Senegalese Tirailleurs will face German Landser squads backed up by Stosstruppen and Pioneers. Since it's a battle in 1918, you can expect some less common weapons like the MP 18s and flamethrowers to be present. This is re-enactment event, so you'll be expected to follow some basic instructions. Your reward is the chance to participate in coordinated 'over the top' mass charges following artillery barrages, bayonet attacks, and simply a more organized battle experience. There's nothing quite like it! Sign up by shooting Ranjid a message - read all about the event here!
This was taken during a Saint-Mihiel battle event held earlier this year!
A screenshot from a previous re-enactment event.
Thanks Ranjid!
We'd like to say thank you to Ranjid for his many wonderful events over the years. He has announced that he will retire from these events in 2020, and we wish him all the best.
Ranjid's favorite GIF from an event (check out the full quality version!) Of course, you don't need any special permissions to arrange an event. In the x64 group we have seen some great matches planned on the EU and US servers, more info here. We love community events, and it'd be great to see others take the initiative and host some events of their own.
Cheers! The WW1 Game Series team
After agreeing the terms of the armistice at the Forest of Compigne.
One hundred and one years ago today, the Armistice was signed between the allied powers and Germany. Earlier armistices had already been signed with German allies, and the Armistice of November 11th, 1918 finally ended fighting for good. It would be extended three times before the Treaty of Versailles officially ended the war.
In Verdun (and our Eastern Front WW1 game Tannenberg) there is an optional two minute silence to commemorate this important day in history. Those who observe it will earn a medal in-game. For those of you on Facebook, we have created an overlay which you can apply to your profile picture. Just follow this link.
The lasting costs of war
Today we celebrate the end of World War One which lasted more than four years. But we also commemorate the 15-19 million who died, and the over 20 million wounded that survived the war - although with a cost. Wounds could be physical or mental; shell shock being perhaps the most well known mental effect of the war. Shell shock encompassed a wide range of mental reactions to the horror of combat, which were poorly understood at the time. What soldiers in WW1 were experiencing would likely be classified as either combat stress reaction (for temporary effects), or if it was a longer term effect, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
A soldier captured by the Germans in 1918, who was diagnosed with shell shock. The term shell shock was coined because early analysis suggested that mental disorders might be caused by shockwaves from shells. Of course, this was not the case - physically uninjured soldiers could still suffer posttraumatic stress disorder. War correspondent Philip Gibbs wrote of soldiers suffering from shell shock: [quote=Philip Gibbs]Something was wrong. They put on civilian clothes again and looked to their mothers and wives very much like the young men who had gone to business in the peaceful days before August 1914. But they had not come back the same men. Something had altered in them. They were subject to sudden moods, and queer tempers, fits of profound depression alternating with a restless desire for pleasure. Many were easily moved to passion where they lost control of themselves, many were bitter in their speech, violent in opinion, frightening.[/quote] The breakdowns which could be caused by experience of war were often conflated with cowardice or a 'lack of bravery'. During the First World War, this was encouraged by some leaders due to an increasing shortage of manpower and also the unforeseen costs of disability payments to all those suffering mental injuries. After all, if a man was 'only suffering from a momentary loss of heart' he could be sent back into battle. A dismissive attitude towards shell shock could also be caused by simple ignorance. Royal Fusilier William Holbrook said: [quote=William Holbrook]I was reading some time ago where some general said, Theres no such thing as shell shock. He ought to have, he should have been there. I mean its ridiculous to say things like that. You get a man, even if he was a strong man, you get a terrific burst from a shell within say three or four yards of you, you know. It does, it does upset them. Shell shock, oh my god yes.[/quote]
Some doctors advocated the use of cruel 'treatments' like electric shocks to attempt to bring shell shock victims back to fighting condition. The Cambridge History of the First World War estimates that 20% of soldiers may have been affected by shell shock - but these numbers are uncertain, in part because the doctors at the frontlines may have avoided labelling injured men with psychological conditions that would not be considered worthy of a disability pension. One man who did receive a pension was Thomas Olive: [quote=Thomas Olive]I used to have little breakdowns now and then and my wife used to be very frightened. It more or less used to happen at night, when I was in bed. I used to spring up off the bed, you know; it used to frighten her. My daughter, incidentally, is terribly nervous, shes terribly nervous. My wife says its all my fault. Well I had shell shock, you see. I got blown up, you see, and it affected my whole system. I got a pension for about oh, what was it, about 9 shillings a week.[/quote] Its worth noting that the 9 shillings a week was roughly equivalent to about 26 pounds / 30 euros / 33 dollars today. As mentioned before, many of those who suffered mental disorders as a result of their wartime experiences wouldnt even get that. When you pause to remember the Armistice today and think back of all those who fell during the war, also remember those who survived but were still scarred by their experiences, whether physically or mentally.
Lest we forget...
Halloween is almost here, and that means its time for a sale! You can get 60% off Verdun for a limited time! Plus, you may notice a subtle change in-game with menu it's something you wouldn't be surprised to encounter in the trenches of World War One.
Of course, there was no shortage of horrors and unsettling moments during the First World War, some of which are represented in this selection of community screenshots.
View gory spoilers by mousing over the black bar.
Could be a water monster, by Tom Grump.
[spoiler]
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The subject of this screenshot by Tchekhov looks ready to come back to life...
[spoiler]
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By jlduzak, fallen at the wire...
Finally, don't forget that our Eastern Front shooter Tannenberg is also on sale right now...
https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
Happy Halloween!
Updates
This week we have released two small updates for Verdun (and Tannenberg). These come hot on the heels of an earlier update, which we are pleased to say has given users on average a 9% improvement in FPS, and more stable framerates. Of particular note is that the issue where you could be removed from a game 'disconnected due to ServerLogic' should be fixed. Please let us know if you encounter the issue after updating! As well as the things listed below, we are still actively working on some issues such as grenades hanging around in the first person view and medals sometimes not being awarded. When these are solved we'll let you know - many thanks to all of you who have reported issues to us! Read below for a summary of both updates, or check the changelog for the full list.
- Fixed 'ServerLogic' issues
- Firearms now correctly animate melee attacks whilst sprinting
- Fixed esc sometimes not working.
- 'Do you even Die' should now be achievable for all users
- 'Extreme Headhunter' should now be achievable for all users
- Fixed some squad points not being awarded
- Fixed running from crouch/prone sometimes not working
- When using a controller, you can now go through custom match option by tapping A/X on it
- Fixed shiny square blood decals
- Added check to prevent duplicate maps in map-vote
- Fixed footsteps sometimes being silent
- Optimised bandwidth usage
Two screenshots that caught our eye...
French troops defend a position in this screenshot by SovietDoge.
Another SovietDoge screenshot from a community event. Not good odds!
We have a new update for you today! Check out the full changelog on the forums, but here are some highlights:
- Douaumont barracks: fixed spawn in wall and getting stuck in bunk bed room
- Argonne: removed gap in terrain between inner and outer areas
- Fixed Flanders dugout out of bounds issue, fixed a border to include outpost
- Redesigned 'Extreme Head Hunter' Achievement: "In a Frontlines match headshot 5 enemies in a row without dying"
- Redesigned 'Do you even die' Achievement: "Survive a full Frontlines match without dying"
- Health regeneration adjustments:
- Health no longer regenerates while sprinting
- Health regeneration is spread out over time now
- Medium and Heavier damage require additional time to fully heal
- Various performance optimizations
- Verdun and Tannenberg split into two separate .exes. This will enable separate updating and reduce update time, as well as resolving some issues including achievements and voice chat when switching fronts from in-game
- Fixed a bug where you could unbalance the game by swapping squad to the opposite faction
- Fixed a case where you were able to join larger team when joining a game
- Game will add new squad to opposite faction rather than revert to imbalanced team where possible
- The Voice Commands menu can now be navigated with the keyboard numbers like before
- We now save XP when a disconnect kicks you
- New settings and functionality for controllers (14 changes, complete list in full changelog)
Tannenberg new map
[previewyoutube=d-EY1Jib1kA;full][/previewyoutube] A new free map is released today for Tannenberg! Ukraine is a battlefield of distinctive wattle trenches, open plains, and shell craters. The terrain lends itself well to heavy machine guns, which have good lines of sight. Stick to the trenches, or utilize smoke barrages and grenades. Even if you don't own Tannenberg yet, you might in interested in seeing some of the reference photos we used in creating the new map, and reading a little about our mapping process. https://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791458421449/announcements/detail/3031411293978850698
Dev stream Developer Leo will be streaming a battle on the Ukraine map tonight via Steam broadcast, bringing more details on the development of the map and perhaps answering other questions you might have about Tannenberg. Make sure to join us in battle or in the Steam broadcast chat around 9 PM CEST!
We hope to see you on the battlefield!
Console update is coming!
We are putting our updates through console certification now. Assuming everything goes smoothly, we'll be able to give you all a more precise date to expect the updates. It's taken us a little longer than we hoped because we were trying to push larger player counts. We had hoped to expand game sizes to 64 players, but the performance cost was too great. Therefore total player count in game will remain at 32 with a maximum of 24 bots. Console players are on course to be able to enjoy the new interface, new maps, revamped sound effects, the full collection of bug fixes and updates, all the new squads, and battles with bots before the end of the year!
This screenshot by player Procrod was too good to pass up. The caption? 'Welcome to the trench club.'
A pair of community events!
There are two exciting events coming up, one for Verdun and one for Tannenberg. Verdun, Sunday October 20th - First Battle of the Marne 1914 Poilus will battle Landser squads in this organized event. There will be grand charges, valiant defenses, and more organized fighting than you'll get in a public game! Youll need to let the organizer Ranjid know youd like to attend, and be willing to follow a few basic rules on weapon usage and taking orders. Rules include no grenades, LMGs or melee weapons - its all about the rifles, bayonets, and artillery from commanders. Oh, and check your targets - friendly fire will be on! Read the full rules and how to contact Ranjid here.
A group photo from a previous community event. Tannenberg, Saturday October 26th - All vs. All Join a thrilling free for all battle featuring every rifle option in Tannenberg. Enemies could be anywhere so youll need to stay sharp. Choose your weapon, customize it with elements like scopes, bayonets, or stripper clips, and get ready to fight for your life. Its a WW1 rifle deathmatch! Get all the details here!
Fight over the Ukraine in Tannenberg, next week Thursday 17th!
The new Ukraine map for Tannenberg will be released next week! We took a lot of reference photos into account when crafting the map, and below you can see how a few scenes were translated into Tannenberg.
A gun battery in a real life reference photo, and how it looks in-game!
We'll see you again with another Frontline News. Until then, good luck in the trenches!
First, a reminder
Dont forget that Verdun is still 65% off just a few more hours, along with everything else in the M2H publisher sale! That includes Verdun, so if youve got some friends who havent experienced a WW1 artillery barrage yet, now would be a fine time to offer them a little gift.
Ukraine in Tannenberg
The new map is known as Ukraine, and represents Ukrainian territory of the WW1 period. It is inspired by a key section of the Eastern Front which saw heavy fighting during the Brusilov Offensive, Kerensky Offensive, major counter-attacks by the Central Powers, and more. Often referred to as the breadbasket of the Empire, Ukraine was not an independent country when the First World War broke out. Instead the territory was partially owned by Russia, and partly by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nationalist sentiment was growing, but when the war began there were Ukrainians on both sides of the conflict. Some 250,000 Ukrainians fought for Austria-Hungary, but far more fought for the Russian Empire 3.5 million.
Have a look at one of our reference images and how it came out in-game. In-game youll find Ukraine to be a largely open map, with the open plains broken up by the distinctive wattle trenches, a few bunkers, and shell craters. Heavy machineguns are particularly well positioned with good lines of sight, so youll want to remember that all NCOs can call in smoke barrages, regardless of squad type.
Cheers!
If you haven't tried out our Eastern Front offering, Tannenberg is free to try this weekend here on Steam! Invite all your friends who haven't tried the game yet, or just hop online to join the action. But that's not all - there is also an M2H Publisher sale running, where everything is 65% off! Check out all the games available for 65% off here! In short:
- Thursday 8pm
- Friday 5pm
- Saturday 8pm
- Sunday 3pm
Don't delay! Join the battle now...
We've been busy getting the console update for Verdun all shiny and ready for release! But that doesn't mean that the battlefields of Verdun have been silent. We have a few player screenshots below which caught our eye, and for those of you who own Tannenberg as well, there is a community event and a new map teaser.
First Battle of the Marne 1914 (13rd October 2019)
Epic bayonet charges, leaving trenches on command, artillery preparations before an attack, execution rules and more await you at this Tannenberg event! Russian Frontoviks will face off against German Infanterie squads. If you're looking for something a little more organized than your regular match, these community run re-enactment events are the way to go! Read more and how to sign up in this thread!
A team shot of some of the players from a previous event!
And now, on to the screenshots!
Let us know which are your favorites in the comments ;)
A well tailored (and clean!) uniform, taken by Jukebox.
A sniper finds his target in this screenshot by pedros11...
A soldier rests his legs for a moment, by Dr_muctache.
Meanwhile...
...a new map is on the way for Tannenberg!
https://youtu.be/WsfSaPbK5QQ
Squad levelling overhaul, Unity update and more...
Todays update significantly changes how squad levelling works. The system we had in place did not feel right as it was unclear why/how your level increased and for some users it was difficult to reach and maintain a high level. To counter these issues we have chosen to overhaul the system and replace it with something that is more clear and rewarding. Previously, you earned co-op squad XP with each squad member which resulted in the final squad level. In the new system, every player has an individual squad level for each type of squad. The level of a squad in-game is simply the combined squad levels of each player in the squad - so a Tommies squad with two players who have a Tommy squad level of 10 and two players who have a Tommy squad level of 15 would have a total level of 10+10+15+15 = 50. This also means that you can reach a level 100 squad playing by yourself, and if there is any player within your squad who has level 100, the squad will be level 100. For those who have worked hard to reach a high level in the legacy system, fear not! We also ensured that the stats of the legacy system still function as well - anybody who reached a level 100 squad with their friends under the previous system will still see a level 100 squad when they play with those same friends, even if their squad level under the new system would be lower! The legacy system kicks in after a legacy squad level of 10+. It is however no longer possible to level via the legacy system. The update also brings an update to the latest version of Unity (2019.1) plus some smaller tweaks and fixes. These include:
The Latvian update is live in Tannenberg right now!
Fight alongside the Latvian Riflemen as they defend their homeland on the new Baltic map, or attempt to break through the swamps and sand dunes.
New Squad! The Latvian Riflemen are a support squad mostly equipped with the Type 30 and Type 38 Japanese import rifles and older repeating Winchesters, with plenty of grenades for close quarters action. Some of their members carry US M1911 pistols! Their NCO ability can remove weapon sway for 30 seconds, allowing perfect shots by skilled players in the squad at key moments in battle.
Special Grenades! Other weapons added to the game include the Russian M1917 Chemical grenade and the German N Nebelbombe smoke grenade - these two allow players to deploy small local clouds of gas or smoke without the need to call in artillery for the first time!
New Map! The new Baltic map is covered with pools of swampy water, navigable via duckboard walkways and pontoon bridges. Make the most of the sandbag positions and wooden fortifications as you advance across the map - there arent a lot of height differences or areas of natural cover to offer protection. The expansion is free, but if you dont own Tannenberg yet its on 50% sale to celebrate the release! Get it on the Steam store! You can read the full release announcement on the Tannenberg hub!
Full Controller Support
Todays update adds full controller support, expanded custom match options, a team balance change, and various map fixes. If you like playing with a controller, let us know what you think! Some of the highlights:
Well leave you with this amusing image from player Zuluhed. Their caption: Now, kids, i will tell you the story about ghost in the trenches
Steam Summer Sale!
Verdun is 60% off right now in the Steam Summer Sale, and Tannenberg is 50% off! Perfect time for you or your friends to complete the set if you don't already own both games ;)
The Battle of the Somme
A fortnight ago, the Verdun x64 group ran a special defensive battle event. Player controlled Landsers faced endless waves of attacking Tommies. It sounded like people had a good time, and some interesting feedback and comments were posted. A few screenshots below from one of the organizers, SovietDoge:
Guides Update
We updated our official guides for Verdun! This includes updated map and weapon lists, as well as a range of smaller tweaks to the other docs. If you spot anything we missed, let us know on our Discord channel!
That's all for now!
Free weekend!
Verdun is on sale for 80% off AND free to play on Steam this weekend - tell your family, friends, and pets! If you already own the game, come join the fun.
Updates
We have released a few smaller updates following the release of the new UI. The big console update is also progressing nicely, though we cant give an exact date for when we expect to release it just yet.
Screenshots
Its always a pleasure to browse through the screenshots section of the Steam hub, with images which can be anything from funny to impressive to just plain pretty. Heres four that we liked from recent submissions:
Troops preparing for an attack. Taken by Tom Grump.
an der Front mit Ulrich by Rupert.
The attack is halted at the wire in this shot by Wolfblu.
Reaching through the fog of war in this screenshot by Yuithgf.
See you on the battlefield!
Today's Deal: Save 80% on Verdun!*
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
*Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time
The New UI is live!
Its been a long time coming, but the new UI is here. Thank you so much to everyone who tested it out on the open beta branch and gave feedback.
The new UI is here! It comes with a suite of customization options for your in-game HUD, allowing you to control how much information you get while fighting!
Just some of the new HUD options available.
Tutorials
We have also implemented a series of tutorials which will help new players learn how the game works. They will appear in the menus and in battles themselves to illustrate key game mechanics, how squads work, and how NCOs can use their abilities.
A tutorial in battle. Along with the new system, we have also updated the Frontlines tutorial video: https://youtu.be/tIeGf5JF2ZQ
Custom Match Settings
To make life easier on folks setting up custom matches, we have now added menu UI for some gameplay options which were previously only available via console commands, including bot difficulty!
Other Updates
This update also brings some other tweaks and fixes. A few key features from the full changelog:
Console update on the way
Reminder that there is also a big update on the way for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Verdun. This will implement all the new content that has been added to the PC version recently, as well as bringing in the new UI and a raft of other improvements to gameplay and performance. As a nice bonus, we are also close to having full controller support in the Steam version of Verdun.
Stay sharp out there!
Did you know it was Verduns fourth Anniversary last April? Four years is a long time anywhere, but especially in video games. Four years on, and we still have another free update on the way - lets take a look what will be included!
A new look!
The new UI revamps the look and feel of the game. We've shared quite a bit about the new UI already, so we'll leave you with a few new WIP screenshots today:
The new main menu.
Role loadout and squad screen.
Tutorial Hints
To help new players get the hang of things, we will be adding a new system of hints. Here are a few WIP screenshots demonstrating the concept:
The hints will highlight and describe parts of the interface.
They will appear in menus and anywhere else an explanation will be handy for new players.
The hints will explain things during the game itself as well, such as NCO commands.
...and more!
As we mentioned last time, the 32 player classic mode will be going away. Naturally you can still start your own 32 player games via private matches. For instance, check out Xs Friday events - more info here! Finally, if you werent aware, we have a big console update on the way. Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Verdun will see the new squads and other content from the PC version implemented, plus the new UI and other improvements. See you then!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwDXkextcWg From today until April 21 wolf packs will disrupt some Tannenberg maneuver battles! When you hear howling, you will have to decide whether to try and hold a truce to deal with the attacking beasts, or take advantage of the situation. If you can successfully hold a truce, you can earn a special medal. Tannenberg will also be on sale tomorrow in a Steam daily deal! We have also released a small update with a fix to an issue which could cause an unusually long loading time and possible freezes when the game started up.
Join the Wolf Truce!
Be careful in the woods...
We have a pretty packed update for Verdun today with a range of fixes and tweaks. We'd love to get feedback on some of these, in particular the MG deployment changes. There should be less clipping, floating, and exploitable positions where you can shoot without being seen. We've been crawling around the trenches in awkward places trying to do strange things with machine guns and have seen significant improvement.
In part this is due to a new deployment system: you now aim where you want to place your MG, or simply hold the deploy button while standing to go prone and deploy on the ground. A red marker will indicate where you will deploy, so you can easily see if particular bits of terrain are legitimate deploy locations or not.
Let us know your experiences with the new MG deployment!
On the opentesting branch there is also a new report function as part of the new user interface! It will be possible for players to report other players for cheating, chat harassment, voice harassment and offensive names. Data is gathered from the match, processed, and passed on to administrators who may then take manual action based on multiple reports. Note that we will not apply automatic bans based on reports.
The new report function in the new UI.
Updates!
Today's update fixes a range of issues, polishes various aspects of the UI, and makes improvements to bot behaviour. Here are some of the most notable:
- General Features
- In the new UI (currently only on opentesting) players can now report others for cheating / toxic behaviour in-game, and add them to a personal ban list.
- MG deployment improvements: less clipping/floating, fixes instances where MG players could see & shoot at someone while not being visible themselves.
- On Artois, fixed "getting stuck under bridge".
- Update to Douaumont fixing tunnel being sun lit on the inside.
- Spawn map camera is less close in frontlines .
- Fixed being able to switch squad type in squad defense after the first wave
- Fixed third person choke animation not playing after dying by gas Menu Adjustments (in new UI on opentesting)
- Now when you try to join a full squad, instead of attempting to load, no action is taken.
- Front selection can now be done via a sub-panel in the main menu, instead of an overlaid menu.
- Replaced Private Match banner button with Custom Match game mode button.
- Added LOW/MED/HIGH server population indicators. Will also display ping if we have pinged this session. Bots
- Fixed bots not dying from gas.
- Bots will take of their gas mask after exiting gas.
- Fixed issue where bots would still know where their target is if it went hidden by smoke/gas after acquiring the target. The first target acquisition was already never possible through smoke/gas.
- Fixed bots sometimes not spawning.
Future Plans + Special Tannenberg Event
The new UI and tutorial system are very close to release now. We are also planning on removing the 32 player game mode to streamline the main menu and establish a clear focus on the 64 player Frontlines mode. Of course you will still be able to arrange 32 player games via private matches. Finally, there will be a special event beginning in Tannenberg this Friday. If you've been following our Twitter or Facebook you'll likely have some idea what to expect...
We just released a new trailer for our Eastern Front game Tannenberg, featuring all the battlefields currently in the game along with the historical battles which inspired them. Check it out! https://youtu.be/lv1aKJrosU8
Gun Fire Rates
Which guns do you think have the fastest fire rates in Verdun? Outside of obvious candidates like the various machine guns, which rifles are able to put out the most rounds in sixty seconds? Surely something like the 10 round SMLE would be one of the best, right? The results in this post by forumite X may surprise you!
Heavy Artillery
You may know that you can adjust various things in private matches, such as bot numbers, accuracy, limiting the game to specific squads, and so on. Its also possible to adjust the cooldown of NCO call-ins https://youtu.be/GArl7JBDlbQ?t=14 Now this is a heavy artillery barrage!
PS4 Community Event
Some of our PS4 players recently organized a community event, and sent us this nice screenshot :) If you'd like to join them in future, search for the Verdun WW1 Events community group on PS4.
A screenshot of the participants! On our side, steady progress is being made on the big update for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which will bring all the new content which has been added to Verduns PC version to the consoles. Until next time!
Today we had a small update for Verdun which included several bug fixes and two additional language packs. Read the full changelog here.
Language update
After several requests and reviews from players missing Simplified Chinese and Japanese translations in the game, we made sure to add the additional languages to Tannenberg and Verdun.
Screenshot of the squad overview in Simplified Chinese
Community events
Last week we saw several great events organized by community player Ranjid such as the historical Battle of Verdun 1916 event and the Second Battle of Artois, Lorettoschlacht 1915.
Screenshot of those participating in the Sunday battle - Lorettoschlacht 1915 Those wanting to participate in one of his or other player initiatives should make sure to keep an eye on the Competitions/ Event subforum. Community initiatives can be mentioned to one of the mods, this way we can make sure to help you promote your event. The next community event is planned for March 17. Another historical event based on the Battle of Verdun, this time on the map Fort Douaumont! For those curious to know whats next, please check out the https://www.ww1gameseries.com/roadmap. Cheers!
103 years ago today, the Battle of Verdun began at 7:15 a.m.
It would be the longest battle on the Western Front in the First World War, with hundreds of thousands killed in the fighting and within the city of Verdun itself. We produced a short video to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of Verduns namesake battle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz-VJd_HQ2Q&feature=youtu.be
Chinese and Japanese translations on the way!
Our last update added Turkish, Polish and Brazilian Portuguese language support. Japanese and Simplified Chinese will be supported within the next few days!
Heres some screenshots from Tannenberg showing a few of the many languages supported in both games! Work is also proceeding apace on the Verdun console update! Before that we plan to bring full controller support to the PC version of the game, release the UI update and add a new tutorial hint system. You can check out the roadmap for Verdun and Tannenberg for more.
Thats all for now! See you next time.
We have some exciting news today we officially released our second entry in the WW1 Game Series: Tannenberg!
Our Eastern Front shooter is available now, and all you Verdun owners have received a 25% loyalty discount voucher in their inventory - were looking forward to seeing you on the Eastern Front! https://youtu.be/9RW4pfqNyeg
Verdun Update
Today also brings an update for Verdun! Alongside bug fixes and bot improvements, there is language support for Turkish, Polish and Brazilian Portuguese added, and Japanese and Simplified Chinese will be following soon after release! In addition, the price of Verdun will be slightly reduced, so if you know friends who have been interested, now could be a good time for them to check it out! Read the full changelog in our hub.
Tannenberg release!
The release of Tannenberg brings a new squad, map, weapons and a secret event! The new Bulgarian squad utilize a number of iconic weapons like the Mannlicher M90 carbine and the venerable Martini-Henry rifle. As a support squad, they can call in recon flyovers, and have access to a number of balanced loadout choices with rifles, pistols and grenades!
The Bulgarians will join fighting for the new map, which is set in the Dobrudja region between Bulgaria and Romania. With the strategically important waters of the Danube river visible in the distance, there is a central hilltop position to contest, with small fortifications scattered around the hillside leading down to a valley in the north.
After an Early Access period full of updates, useful feedback, and gameplay tweaks, every squad now has their own distinctive loadouts and abilities, and every map has a mix of strategic sectors, offering distinct advantages to the side strong enough to take control. Whats more, we have announced a new special event for this Spring in Tannenberg. The details are still secret for now, but well reveal more soon...
The battle has begun - the Eastern Front awaits!
We have released an update with a wide range of changes and improvements. There are performance tweaks, bug fixes, map adjustments to Douaumont, an update to a new version of Unity, and more! Read the highlights below:
Tannenberg Teaser Trailer!
https://youtu.be/fhSr9ZMtk6kSay hello to the Bulgarians! The countdown has started - thirteen days to go until the release of Tannenberg on February 13th! Cheers!
Welcome back to the first Frontline News of the new year! Were going to take a look back on everything which happened over 2018, and then whats coming in 2019. Lets go!
2018 in Summary
We started the year of 2018 by merging the code bases for Verdun and Tannenberg. Although there were a few struggles at first, it set the stage for a big graphical upgrade for Verdun, shared progress for both games in the future, and ultimately the free expansion that would be released in December
Last year's April Fools joke was taking a gentle dig at the Battle Royale craze. Battle Royal: Northern Front would have featured booty crates, jetpacks, and more wild stuff
The focus was on performance through to September, with a ton of things fixed or tweaked. There were also more graphical updates bringing better distance shadows, lighting and first person view details! As well as general improvements, particular attention was paid to networking and the smooth movement of other players online. Meanwhile the first new squad on the roadmap was released: the ANZACs! They form a squad of engineers with a flair for close combat.
In October we updated and improved many of the sound effects in the game, and added a new prestige system allowing veteran players to gain prestige ranks in exchange for resetting their level to one and starting over. Heres a video showing off some of the new sounds that were added: https://youtu.be/VyIZ2TCCwAQ It was a special Armistice Day last year, being the 100th anniversary of the day the fighting ended. We posted short stories about 100 people who were killed in the fighting or otherwise died as a consequence of the war.
In December we released a free expansion for Verdun to round off the year with a big update. The Senegalese Tirailleurs and St. Mihiel Salient are classic new content, while bot support in a new 64 player Frontlines mode offers an entirely new way to play the game! The objectives might be the same in Frontlines 64, but doubling the number of soldiers fighting makes far more intense battles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnAjYsLD9NE
To top it all off, we ended the year with our now traditional Christmas Truce in Verdun. Thousands of people joined the truce map to throw snowballs, play football, sing carols, and send Christmas cards to their friends. While preparing for the truce, we were also reminded that many soldiers propped up trees in their trenches to serve as Christmas trees. This tree propping inspired the people of M2H to donate a new forest of 2,500 trees via Dutch foundation Trees for All. Each player could plant one tree. We hoped they could match our 2,500 trees... and they blew us away with more than 6,000 trees planted in-game!
...on to 2019!
So that was 2018, now what do we have planned for the new year? We already announced that Tannenberg will be released on February 13th, 2019 - and that players could expect a surprise to arrive at launch... we're tight-lipped about details for now, but it's barely a month away now! The trailer for that also teased the Bulgarians who will be arriving with the release. Bonus points to the keen eyed fans who got the movie reference! Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyUjCk03a0Q&feature=youtu.be We are also working on the user interface update for Verdun, bringing the new style of the revamped Tannenberg UI to our first game. You can already try out our WIP version via the opentesting branch on Steam. You can join opentesting branch by following these instructions: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=572388553 Check out how the new UI looks in Tannenberg, where a first version was released last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfnOYoBHcK4 Thats it for now! Stay tuned for future Frontline News posts, and dont forget that for more news, you can sign up for our newsletter!
Banitsa, a Bulgarian New Years Eve specialty!
Happy New Year from M2H and Blackmill Games!
Its Christmas time, a momentous time in World War 1 as during the darkness and untold misery of war, our common humanity prevailed and both sides laid down their arms to celebrate. We celebrate this extraordinary event with an in-game Christmas Truce, as has become a tradition among Verdun players as well as earning the commemorative Christmas truce medal!
Players will be able to engage each other in snowball fights, football matches and exchanging christmas cards. What you might not know historically about this event, was that some German soldiers also propped up christmas trees among the trenches. For this years Christmas Truce Event, youll be able to plant your own Christmas tree among the trenches.
This tree propping inspired us this year to raise awareness for our planet earth. Deforestation and the resulting environmental damage has hurt our planet and climate significantly these past decades. Because of this, we at M2H want to donate a new forest of 2.500 trees via Trees for All, which will be planted in the Netherlands and Uganda in the fall of 2019. Trees for All is a Dutch foundation that endeavors to combat the deforestation and to compensate for CO2 emissions by planting trees as well as spreading awareness across the world.
As a counter challenge we hope you, the community, plant at least 2.500 trees in-game as a show of solidarity to our planet and help raise awareness for this cause. During the Christmas Truce, you can plant one tree among the trenches. As a token of our gratitude youll be added to the Tree log credit list as well as receiving this years Christmas Truce medal!
More info on the 'tree planting' can be read here: http://truce.ww1gameseries.com/
Just like previous years we will also give away some WW1 Game Series swag. Everyone who sends postcards from the trenches to their loved ones via email or social media, has a chance on winning a Steam key for Tannenberg, peppermint can or thermos. Well announce the five winners in the first week of January.
Lastly; for those interested in Tannenberg, the game is offered at a 40% discount during the Steam Winter sale!
On behalf of the entire team, we wish you all a merry Christmas and an inspiring, peaceful New Year!
https://youtu.be/vnAjYsLD9NE The Verdun expansion has arrived! This is a huge free update, featuring a new 64 player game mode, a new squad, a new map, new weapons, map voting and many other improvements and features. Lets start digging into the new content...
Tirailleurs Sngalese
Tirailleurs Sngalese pose with their distinctive Mle 1907 Berthier rifles. France is reinforced by Tirailleurs Sngalese and four new weapons - these capable colonial troops bring dedication and a strong offensive spirit to the Western Front. The weapons included are machetes for close quarters assaults, Mle 1907 rifles, plus OF1 and petard grenades.
A tirailleur prepares a Petard Grenade.
The St. Mihiel Salient
German soldiers in action. Located within close vicinity of the German border in 1914, this wooded area was targeted in September of 1914 by German attacks in an attempt to cut off the city of Verdun from supplies and support to the south. During this assault, commencing from the Woevre plains to the north, the Germans would advance as far as the city of St. Mihiel on the Meuse river and to the Bois-Le-Pretre ('Priesterwald' in German) on the banks of the Moselle river further east, thus establishing a large intrusion into French lines for years to come. Several attempts were made by French forces to reclaim the formed salient, these were extremely costly. Most notably were the mine battles at Les Eparges in 1915. Eventually St. Mihiel Salient would witness the first major American offensive of the war in September of 1918. It was the first and only offensive of the war made solely by American infantry. Almost 1500 aircraft supported the attack, with 40% of them flown by US pilots. The Americans caught German forces as they were retreating, and a fierce initial artillery barrage followed by aggressive advances led to a significant Allied victory.
A battle on St. Mihiel map. In Verdun, the St. Mihiel map is a battlefield covered with forest, trenches, sandbagged positions, and dirt mounds. Many trees have been destroyed by shellfire, but others still stand. In some areas, the stumps and trunks will be the best source of cover, while in other places there are well built trench lines.
A defensive position in the forest trenches. With St. Mihiel we wanted to capture a completely wooden area that is devastated, unlike our other maps which tend to involve large meadows or open elements. As a starting point we took the location of the bois-le-pretre and actual trench maps from that area to base the map on, it has a gentle slope to it as the setting is in the hills above the Moselle river - if you peek through the trees you might see the valley below. In terms of gameplay we wanted to offer many organic points of exit from trenches through craters and gentle slopes such as is the case on Vosges and Argonne, combined with forward saps to concentrate the fights on, which is also a popular feature on the existing maps. As you get more into the rear of the map you will see the density of vegetation increase to help you orient yourself. Another prominent feature is the landmark of the Croix-des-Carmes (The Carmelite wooden cross) in the center of the map, which switched hands during the battles that raged in 1914 and 1915.
US troops in the attack.
64 Player Frontlines mode
Epic 64 player battle. There will be 64 players battling it out for control of the trenches in the new Frontlines game mode. These epic battles include bot support to guarantee large scale action. As the servers fill, bots will leave until all 64 slots are player filled. Like in Tannenberg, we will continue optimizing the bots. The core gameplay is the same as the Frontlines mode, but tactics will change with more soldiers on the battlefield. There are some adjustments to call-in cooldowns as more NCOs will be present, less grenades are available, a few map changes as well as other tweaks to fit the larger number of players. The core remains the same though - you still win by capturing enemy trenches and defending your own.
To accommodate the 64 player game mode we extended some of the narrow sectors in both Argonne and Artois. Here a screenshot of U.S Doughboys firing from an extra shell-hole created in the 2nd entente line.
Some changes were made to the extreme lines in Artois. The existing Frontlines mode will not change in its essence. No bots will be added to this mode. The only changes you can expect here are a new Spawn and Overview map (more on this later) and the name change: Frontlines (32 players). Bots in the Frontlines Private mode can be set to your preference with the command /setfillbots.
New UI
The new Tannenberg UI has been progressing nicely, and we have the first version of the new Verdun UI ready for testing! If you want to try the new UI, you can use the opentesting beta. This is available via Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=572388553 You can switch back to the regular stable version of the game at any time by going to the beta menu and selecting NONE.
The new UI currently on the opentesting branche.
Spawn and Overview map
We added a Spawn and Overview map to each game mode. You can now choose to deploy in a friendly or sector spawn point via the Spawn map. Another new feature is the Overview map where you can regain your bearings by pressing M - this will enlarge the mini-map. Battles will become more insightful, these maps will give especially new players a better understanding of the situation.
Enhanced awareness of the flow of battle: you can now see where your squad is and your spawn.
The spawn map also animates whenever a sector is captured and changes the view angle based on your faction.
Map voting
By community request we now have a Map Voting system in place. After a match end you can now influence where to fight next. The results will be shown after everyone voted to make sure no majority influence occurs.
Example of a map vote.
What else?
There is much more in the expansion: barbed wire will no longer kill you - although it will still make you a sitting duck if you get caught up in it -, jumpshooting has been removed and you now get immediate feedback as well as a score penalty for friendly fire. Read the full changelog to see all the changes.
Many thanks to you all!
Wed also like to take a moment to give our thanks to your support over the years. We hope that this expansion shows that Verdun hasnt been forgotten even with the full release of Tannenberg coming up. By request, there is a Supporter Edition now available for Verdun - like the Tannenberg one, it features the soundtrack, a pack of Verdun artwork, characters, and weapon renders, a Supporter Star, and bonus career points for new players to unlock more weapons and loadouts at the start. Finally ho ho ho, Christmas is on the way! As in the past, we expect there may be a ceasefire in parts of the front
There is a big update planned for Verdun later this year - regular readers of the Frontline News likely have a good idea what will be featured, but we have some new details to release today! Our main goals with this update are to make the game more accessible to new players, and to make sure that people can enjoy the game at any time of the day, in all parts of the world on PC and console! We hope this will also lead to players returning more often, since the game will be playable at all times. Our other goal is to enhance the World War One atmosphere within the game - this is central to the whole vision behind the WW1 Game Series. While compromises will always need to be made for playability, there is plenty of scope for changes to boost player immersion.
New User Interface
We will release an open testing version of the new UI for the Winter Update. Those of you who also play Tannenberg will already have an impression of what to expect here! We will continue to refine and improve the UI in the Tannenberg Early Access, and once weve got all the rough edges smoothed off we will release it for all Verdun players. Heres a mockup of the squad selection menu for Verdun in the new UI:
Part of the user interface we havent changed yet in Tannenberg is the games browser - but we have an update planned. It will no longer be necessary to set a password for a private game, it will be easier to find private matches, and there will be improvements to the browser for games of all types. This will be part of the new UI when it is released in Verdun.
New 64 Player Frontlines mode with bot support!
Much has been said about the bots - some people are looking forward to their introduction - especially in quieter areas of the world - while others have concerns. We can announce that bots will be coming to Verdun in a new Frontlines game mode - so nobody will be forced to play with bots. If you like your Verdun experience as it is, you can keep on playing in the current Frontlines mode.
A screenshot of 64 players in action! The new Frontlines mode variant will feature more than just bots - it will also increase the player count to 64! This will intensify the WW1 ambience and create more epic battles which we think will prove popular with the part of the community who have shown interest in larger scale fights. Naturally as more players join a game, bots will leave, so busy servers will see 32v32 player battles! There will also be gameplay tweaks to factors like call-in cooldowns and grenade loadouts to fit the larger number of squads fighting.The bots will also be available for private matches, where players will be able to adjust the skill of the bots and bot numbers to their satisfaction. The new 64 player Frontlines mode will provide a slightly more gentle introduction to the game (its still trench warfare after all), giving new players some space as part of a larger team to learn the basics of movement, weapons handling, squad loadouts, objectives, and how to navigate the maps. We hope that having a game mode with bots will encourage people to return to the game more often, since they will always be able to play. There will also be a new spawning UI in the new Frontlines game mode, with an overview map will provide a good indication of where you can spawn, where the enemy are coming from or currently defending, and generally help orient people as they spawn in. It will also be implemented in the current Frontlines. We are aiming to implement this in the current open testing UI for the Winter Update.
A WIP gif of the upcoming spawn UI.
Jumpshooting
One of our guiding principles for each game in the WW1 Game Series is to deliver a historical game capturing some of the WW1 atmosphere, including the difficult situations soldiers would encounter where they had to make tactical decisions. Although we know some players have gotten used to it, jumpshooting does not fit in this vision. We have struggled to take a clear position here as we wanted to find a solution which could keep all players happy, yet from a design perspective it just doesnt fit the game we want to make, or the ethos of the series. Therefore it is not something we will continue to support. The removal of jumpshooting is primarily related to the atmosphere in the game: it looks ridiculous. This is also why we didnt implement it in Tannenberg.
Barbed Wire Rework
The update will also see a change to how barbed wire works. Weve seen many new players struggle (literally) with barbed wire. In short, it will no longer kill you. New wire will be an obstacle that can reduce your health and stamina while limiting your movement speed, making you a sitting duck if you get caught up for too long, but it wont kill you.
New Content and Features
There will be several other features as part of the update - for instance, players will be able to vote for the next map once a battle ends! A score penalty for shooting your own team will also be added, along with some adjustments to balance of call-ins. As for new content, a second squad and a map are on the roadmap, but what squad, and where will the map be based? Here is the first teaser for the next new map...
And the squad? Thats something were going to keep under wraps for now - weve got to keep some air of mystery around the update! Expect more sneak peeks in these upcoming weeks! We know we havent been as quick to comment on certain topics as we normally are. There were some tough calls to make, so we wanted to take some extra time to review your given feedback carefully and playtest certain changes ourselves. Thats all for now. We understand that some might be shocked, others will be excited. We ask you all to stay civil to each other and to have some patience to wait and experience the changes.
Today is the 100 year anniversary of Armistice Day. In 1918, on the 11th of November at the 11th hour the fighting finally ended after 4 years, 3 months and 2 weeks as the armistice came into effect. Although the war would not be officially over until the Treaty of Versailles took effect on January 10th 1920, the armistice ended combat on land, sea and in the air between Germany and the Allies.
To mark this day, we are allowing players to participate in a two minutes silence in Verdun and Tannenberg, have produced a Facebook frame, and we will be posting one hundred stories of people who died during the war or as a consequence of it. Over 40,000,000 soldiers and civilians were killed or injured, and countless more would have their lives changed by the war and the aftermath.
The community organised today two events as well to commemorate:
- Verdun Armistice Event at 10:49 AM CET by x64: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/verdx64#announcements/detail/1698314631049440738
- Kaiserschlacht 1918 at 6:30 PM CET by Sturmbataillon Nr.2: https://steamcommunity.com/app/242860/discussions/7/1735469327934698504/
Its a big day for the WW1 Game Series today as our Eastern Front game Tannenberg has a release date set! It will be leaving Early Access for full release on February 13th next year! The launch will see the arrival of Bulgaria - get a glimpse in the release announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/iyUjCk03a0Q Today we also released a small update for Verdun (changelog here), but we can announce that we have a big update planned! After this week well be sharing more information about bots, gameplay improvements, new content, and...
An All New Interface
The new interface was implemented in Tannenberg just today! Weve gone through the whole game from top to bottom and updated everything. The new user interface will be coming to Verdun once weve smoothed out any rough edges! Early Access players (and you?!) are asked to share their feedback via the Tannenberg hub. There is more we can do, particularly to make the game more accessible to new players. We already have ideas which were working out, though we would like to hear your thoughts on the current version as well. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so here are a few thousand words in the form of a video https://youtu.be/xfnOYoBHcK4 Stay tuned for more news on the update, and our First World War remembrance this Sunday.
A new update has arrived bringing fixes, gameplay improvements, better sound effects, and a brand new prestige system! Read on to find out more...
Prestige System
The highlight in this update is the next step on our roadmap: the new prestige system! When our veteran players reach level 100, they can now choose to increase their prestige rank. This earns a new icon emphasizing their veteran status. Then, while keeping all accumulated XP, their player level is set back to one, along with resetting their unlocks and squad roles specialization. They can then level up to 100 again and there is more than one prestige rank to unlock for the truly dedicated!
More updates
Of note are better selection of multiplayer game hosts, several sound improvements, and adjusted sights on the P17, Lewis and BAR to make them less obstructing. A few other key changes in this update are:
The updated sights on the BAR, P17 and Lewis.
The Poilus textures were also made more crisp.
3rd person weapons now look more vibrant and metal more reflective.
Belated Easter?
Survey and Giveaway!
Were running another small survey, this time on your playing habits around Verdun and Tannenberg. Once again its a 5 minute questionnaire, and by taking part youll be entered into a giveaway with a chance to win a key for Verdun or Tannenberg. Take part in the survey! Coming up soon we have more info on the mysterious new content - were looking forward to sharing some of our WIP stuff with you!
As we progress through our roadmap, continue working towards the full release of Tannenberg, and of course fixing bugs and doing other small polish tasks, we even squeezed in some time to get some player feedback at EGX Birmingham!.
Bots and EGX
We had a great time at EGX in Birmingham a few weeks ago. Even better, we got to showcase a WIP build of the bots in Frontlines for Verdun! Thanks to everyone who tried them out and gave feedback. The response was positive, and were on track to add them to the game before the end of the year. Details on the implementation will follow.
Prestige System and Map Voting
Two other features on the roadmap are map voting and the prestige system. Both are still on course to be released in Q4 of this year, and in fact we hope to release the prestige system very very soon! This would allow our veteran level 100 players to go even further and show off with special rank icons for each prestige level achieved.
Large Scale Historical Battles
Another Reenactment Event is being held on the 21st of October. The topic will be the Battle of Hamel. If you want a WW1 experience with a bit more discipline and organized WW1 tactics, dont hesitate to contact the event manager Ranjid.
A photo from a recent event. There are also two historical events planned this coming weekend! First is a mixed event with several cool scenarios centred on the French sectors and the arrival of American troops on that Saturday for Verdun, and Brusilov Offensive on that Sunday for Tannenberg! Both have space for up to 128 players! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEZ8K3Sc-lQ
Australia Together!
Harrigarno has brought our attention to a 64 player Steam group for Australian players. If youre interested in 64 player battles and live down under (sorry) check it out here! And finally, whats this? You may have seen it already if you follow our social media, otherwise enjoy a sneak peek at this new weapon...
Until next time!
1918 Australians as could be found at Villers-Bretonneux
The first mystery squad hits the battlefield today! Many of you have requested them, and we're excited to announce that the ANZACs are the next new squad to be added for free for Verdun. While they might be best known for their role at Gallipoli, soldiers from Australia and New Zealand also made significant contributions in many battles on the Western Front.
https://youtu.be/0Uu_DiaKHj4
ANZACs get quite a distinct set of equipment and uniform
Special detail given to the equipment and leather webbing
The ANZACs will form an engineer squad with plentiful options for close combat, including the unusual Webley-Fosbery. For those who prefer to keep a bit more distance, there are plenty of loadouts with SMLEs, and the Lewis Gun for the Fire Support role.
And that’s not all...!
ANZAC engineers, tunnelers at hill 60
New Sounds
Verdun & Tannenberg get a big audio update. Our audio engineering team at Game Audio Squad has been working in parallel to redesign the audio from scratch. Since April this year the community was brought and has been polished since. For the weapon audio they were working from recordings supplied by our friends over at C&Rsenal (Thank you Othais & Mae), who fired and reloaded most of the available weapons, which have found their way ingame. Check out a large selection of fired weapons here There are many features in the new system, some are tied heavily to the gameplay such as:
After some trench fighting the slouch hats become worn
You call that a knife? With this update we are on track with our Q3 roadmap as outlined here: https://ww1gameseries.com/roadmap Welcome to the front mates!
As we approach Q4 of 2018, we have a roadmap update. Our networking improvements went live last week, so the only item remaining on the roadmap for Q3 is the new mystery squad…
New Weapons
It's always nice to add interesting new tools of war to the game. We've got two to show off today, one quite advanced for the time, and one a literal 'tool' of war. Webley-Fosbery The Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver was of unusual design with the zig-zag grooves on the cyclinder which were cocked by sliding the upper part of the frame back in recoil. Because this design did not require the rotation of the cylinder when pulling the trigger it was much easier to fire accuratly and thus popular with target shooters. It saw limited action during WW1 as private purchase weapon, never being adopted because of easy fauling of the mechanism.
The Webley-Fosbery was a recoil-operated automatic revolver. Entrenching Tool The desperate nature of the fighting in the trenches saw the use of entrenching tools as effective melee weapons. The 1908 E-Tool was carried by most commonwealth troops and was easily accessible as a melee weapon.
Not only useful for digging trenches!
Reenactment Event - First Battle of Ypres 1914
If you fancy the idea of taking part in a 128 player Verdun battle, and don't mind a bit of discipline, take a look at this thread if you think you might be interested. Here an example of a previous Reenactment Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51mUI0hNKZI&feature=youtu.be
European Nations Cup 2018
The tournament is happening this weekend! Our community has also organized a battle of national teams in Europe - last year saw 169 players take part! For more info check out this thread. Battle begins on Saturday 15th - best of luck to everyone involved!
Our latest update features changes and improvements to the networking code, as described in the roadmap. The exact effects will vary depending on how good your network connection is and what servers you typically play on, but the action should be smoother with less stuttering characters.
A laggy player seen through the old networking code.
The same level of lag under the new networking code.
Key Changes
This update also features many more tweaks and bug fixes (see changelog), such as:
Updated Characters
A new optimization pass has allowed us to not only make the characters cheaper in performance terms, but also to increase the detail and variety.
No more silly moustaches, the new tommies are ready to go over the top! Our character artist James was also able to give some extra attention to smaller details:
The tommy gunner carrying the M1914 Lewis Gun now has the appropriate drum mag pouch. Part of the optimization was an overhaul to the way we render sleeves, and so we are now better able to match the sleeves and hands to the character. Such as on our gunner with gloves:
Keeping those gunner hands warm, since 1915.
Updated Audio
We started feedback rounds for the Verdun audio overhaul in early April as we prepared to switch to the new FMOD system. Our partners at Game Audio Squad have been working on this project for a while, and are now in the final stages of its deployment. We addressed feedback in no less than 6 feedback rounds in 5 months and the last changes have been deployed to the opentesting branch for about 2 weeks now, gathering further feedback. In order to use the new sounds; either switch to the opentesting branch or add “FMOD FMOD_WIP” to your launch options.
Many features await: an advanced weapon reverb system, C&Rsenal recordings, supersonic cracks and more! Read the changelog for the complete list. Don’t forget that you can check out our roadmap to see our upcoming plans for Verdun. If you spot issues in the game or have suggestions, you can post on our support website - vote up the topic if someone else has already made a post, or create one yourself. Let us know if you see an improvement in networking!
We have been making good progress on the networking update which is the next item on our roadmap. The exact effects will vary depending on how good your network connection is and what servers you typically play on, but the action should be smoother with less stuttering characters. Our data suggests that player positions are now 100% more accurate compared to the old networking, which should reduce the chance of being shot while behind cover and ping advantages.
A laggy player seen through the old networking code.
The same level of lag under the new networking code.
There are also a range of other bug fixes on our open testing build - of particular note:
European Nations Cup 2018
Our community is organizing a European Verdun tournament! Starting in September, national teams will be battling it out to find out who’s the best of the best. There are no restrictions on playtime or level, so whether you’re a regular competitive player or not, feel free to join. Last year saw 169 players take part! Read more and sign up in this thread.
Today we have updates on the new user interface, and some follow up on the spawning changes we made.
New spawning heatmaps
So, this is how spawning on Artois appeared before we made changes to spawning - the lines are showing shots which killed players shortly after they spawned.
Spawn killing heatmap on Artois before the update. ...and this is how it looks after the updates!
Spawn killing heatmap on Artois after the update. As you can see, things look quite different now. In particular, the number of short distance spawn killings along trench lines have been greatly reduced. Across all the maps we've seen a huge decrease in spawn kills, which weren’t all that common to start with! The following table shows exactly how things have changed. We measured two periods of 8 days, from 18-25 June and then 9-16 July.
We’re also not done yet. Two maps (Argonne and Aisne) have been adjusted to reduce spawn kills, but we have changes to a few other maps in the works as well.
GIF of spawn killing heatmaps on Aisne.
User Interface Progress
We have new WIP images of the upcoming UI to show off! Take a look at how the post-game summary and scoreboard are coming along:
WIP of the new post match summary screen - the player icons (currently grey boxes) are planned to use Steam avatars.
The WIP new scoreboard. That’s all for this week. Have a great summer everyone!
As announced previously, our focus has been on improving performance and polishing the game but that isn’t all that’s in the pipeline for Verdun. We’ve already mentioned bots, sound overhaul and the UI overhaul, but we’ve also had a range of requests for new content and features. Today we are excited to share our plans with you!
Below we have a list of planned new content and features based on our expected release dates. Keep in mind things can change - we’ll do our best to keep you in the loop. When release dates are confirmed, we will highlight it here. You can follow the current state of development and our plans for both Verdun and Tannenberg here. We will be updating this roadmap around the beginning of each month.
Be aware that the listing below (and roadmap items in the same quarter) have no specific order. Some tasks are unrelated to each other and run in parallel, while others have dependencies. This means that items that have been planned in the far future can be already in progress, or partially complete but waiting for another items to be completed first.
Planned for Q3, 2018
Networking Update Alongside our continued updates to chase down bugs and make gameplay improvements such as the spawning changes to reduce spawn killing, we are working on sound and networking. You can already try out the new sound system and give us feedback - check out this post to find out how. We are also planning to make a significant push to improve our networking code. Our focus will be on providing a smoother experience and less stuttering player characters if they have a bad connection. New Squad We have a new squad planned for Verdun! A squad that has been much requested by the community will be joining the Western Front! This will be a completely free content addition.
Planned for Q4, 2018
Another Squad! In fact, we have not one but two squads planned! This squad we’re going to leave as a surprise - what we can say is that it will be representing some of the lesser-known combatants involved in significant actions on the Western Front. This will also be completely free content addition. New Map! Verdun already covers a wide variety of battlefields, but we’ve been inspired by community suggestions and have a new map planned! We’ll drop more details and teasers in the coming months, but it will continue the tradition of being distinct from existing maps. This will be a completely free content addition. In-game Report System The user feedback and bug reports on our support website have been very useful, so we are planning to add a tool which makes it easy to report issues from inside the game itself. This system will also allow people to effectively report harassment, griefers, and potential cheaters so we can gather some solid data alongside reports. Map Voting By community request, we are planning to add a way for players to vote in the game on which map they want to battle on next. This will not be an option to vote for all available maps but rather a choice between two maps. Bots We are working on adding optional bots to the Frontlines game mode and we hope to be able to release them before the end of the year. Of course anything to do with AI can be unpredictable in terms of how long it takes to complete, but Q4 is what we’re hoping for. Prestige System Many of our players are Verdun veterans and we thought it would be nice to add a system to show off that veterancy. Currently the max player level is 100 - we would like to offer the chance to go beyond that and show a different rank icon for each prestige tier you gain. New User Interface We’ve been teasing the upcoming user interface overhaul for a while now and our plan is to release it before the end of the year! We will make sure all of the current features will also be available in the new UI and plan to gather early user feedback in the same manner as we did with the sound update.
Planned for Q1, 2019
Tutorial We have also been looking into the creation of an improved tutorial for Verdun. Trench warfare is a challenge for the inexperienced and it can feel very harsh when people start playing Verdun. Anything we can do to address this and make new players more likely to stick around is good news. New Languages Another addition to the game we have been considering is support for more languages. For instance, by request we are looking at adding support for simplified and traditional Chinese. This could also help boost the population of the servers in South-East Asia.
Planned for Q2, 2019
Big Console Update As console is much more complex to update compared to Steam, we haven’t been able to do as many updates to the console versions of Verdun as we’d like. But now we have a plan for a very substantial update (hopefully early next year) which would bring all the fixes, improvements, and new content we’ve created into the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game.
Ongoing
Performance improvements and bug fixes will be ongoing of course! We recently released a large update with bug fixes and gameplay improvements and we will carry on making progress here.These items will continue to be a priority even as we introduce the other new content. Your user reports on our support website have been instrumental here, and we’ll continue to be steering our efforts based on player input there.
Supporter’s Edition
Following our release of the Supporter’s Edition in Tannenberg, we have had requests for a similar DLC for Verdun as well. It’s great to hear that some of you would like to support the game even more! We’ve been developing Verdun for over five years now with free content from new squads and maps to the Horrors of War update and the Christmas Truce. Everything on this roadmap is going to be completely free as well. Purchases of the Supporter’s Edition DLCs are completely optional and help us keep on cranking out the updates!
Today’s update is the result of some intense bug fixing work over the last few weeks, and it comes jam-packed with fixes. Many of these will be familiar to those of you trying out our open testing branch.
Key Changes
Here are a few of the most requested / long-standing issues fixed or greatly improved:
- Spawn changes to reduce spawn killing:
- For selecting spawns, we now require enemies to be at least 25+ meters away if they are in the same sector, otherwise 15+ meters (Used to be 10+ for squadspawn and 15+ for other spawns). This should greatly reduce spawnkilling when inside a contested Verdun-Frontlines sector.
- Squad spawns (on player) are now allowed within 15 meters (instead of sometimes 8 [when in own sector] or 15 [other]).
- Spawn sorting: We used to sort based on closest distance to goal (contestedsector/breach point). However we now give spawnpoints a score that takes into account the distance to goal, distance to enemy and distance to squadmates.
- Spawn protection against explosions (arty/grenades) raised from 2 to 4 seconds as arty/grenades can be in-progress during your spawn.
- We have made changes to notorious spawnkilling spots in Aisne, other maps and further tweaks will be based on the new results.
- Fixed a case of third person machine gun animations not playing correctly which resulted in weapons being held wrong
- Allowed more trade-kill time for melee hits which should make close combat more reliable.
- Fixed wall and ceiling exploits in Douaumont, improved map boundaries on Champagne.
- Frontlines: Fixed, no longer let players spawn on NCO who is in a 'desertion' area
- Fixed bug where you would spawn with a gray screen
- Fixed case where you could get stuck in ADS
- Fixed a specific syncing issue where calling in an ability was not allowed
Visual Polishing Changes
Smoothed out first person weapon movement
Tweaked distance shadows and overlap with realtime
Tweaked gasmask goggle FX and how light falls into the mask
Thanks to everyone reporting issues on our bug tracker!
We’ve been helped hugely by the reports on our UserEcho site, which have allowed us to gather information and track down some stubborn issues. Please do keep on reporting bugs and issues so we can reproduce and fix them! The more info you provide in reports, the quicker we can reproduce and start solving them. This has made a big dent in our pile of bug reports, and we are still going through the feedback as well. We haven’t responded to everything yet, but we’re getting there! That said, we will be announcing a more extensive roadmap for Verdun any day now. So expect Verdun news shortly! Cheers!
Our open testing branch already contained a large number of fixes and changes, but we’ve now added even more! We’ve also written a bit about our ongoing efforts to reduce spawn killing. Some key changes include:
- Spawnkilling has been greatly reduced via tweaked spawn rules and some mapping changes. More info below.
- Fixed the bug where ladders were often not detected by making ladder collisions not affect movement. This fixes some ladder that were not walkable.
- Allowed more trade-kill time for melee hits which should make close combat more reliable.
- Fixed a case of third person machine gun animations not playing correctly which resulted in weapons being held wrong.
- Fixed various first person weapon animation bugs/stutters.
- Fixed overlapping messages when many messages are sent.
- Fixed wall and ceiling exploits in Douaumont, improved map boundaries on Champagne.
- Fixed case where you could get stuck in ADS.
Spawning Changes
To investigate the reports on spawn killing we have created heatmaps so we could research all possible cases. Through these heatmaps we have found that around 20% of the spawn killing happens because spawns are simply too exposed. This requires map changes which we will work on over the course of the coming updates. We have already adjusted Aisne and Argonne. The other 80% cases of spawn killing happened in trenches because the distances there often exceeded the spawn safety distance of 15m. To fix this we had to adjust the spawning rules.
An example of the heatmap in action. For selecting spawns, we now require enemies to be at least 25+ meters away if they are in the same sector, otherwise they need to be 15+ meters away. It used to be 10+ for squad spawn and 15+ for other spawns. Spawn point selection also takes into account the distance to enemies and squad mates with more weight given there compared to distance to the objective. So it’s possible you may spawn a bit further from the current objective, but also further from enemies and closer to allies. We also increased the spawn protection time vs spawn killing by grenades and artillery from 2 to 4 seconds, since it was found that 2 seconds was not enough. Artillery salvos can last quite a while! We are pretty positive these changes will significantly reduce spawn killing and we look forward to your feedback! Be aware that this change doesn't instantly apply when you are playing on the open testing version - the host of the match needs to be on the open testing version to have the new spawning behavior since the host dictates the spawning behavior.
How do I join the open testing branch?
It’s a very simple process which is part of Steam itself, so it’s also easy to switch back to the regular version of the game. Here’s a guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=572388553
We have put out an update on the Opentesting branch of Verdun. This is a development version of the game which everyone can access if they want to try out new updates before we release them officially. Activating Opentesting is an easy process - this post explains it. And don’t worry, it’s equally easy to switch back to regular Verdun.
Additionally, player biggalloot is planning an event this Saturday 9th to try out many of the new changes to private matches, including 100+ player counts. They wrote a nice post outlining some of the possibilities for our new system, which was made using feedback from this thread.
Here’s another awesome screenshot by player echo1, taken during a test event with 110 players. These player counts aren’t supported for official servers, but we allow the option for private matches.
Reenactment Weekend!
We visited the Museum Huis het Doorn from May 26-27 during their ‘Living History’ weekend. It was a great time, and we got to meet some Scottish, Italian and Dutch Verdun players (also reenactors) who have also helped us with weapon percussion sound effects. You can take a look at our photo album on Facebook!
One of the photos from the reenactment weekend.
War Correspondent Winners
Our first War Correspondent competition finished earlier this week, and we had a lot of good entries! But there could only be two winners… here they are: Player Votes Winner: Thomas Friedrich Grump
"War Correspondent: Today the German High Command announced plans to combat recent British gains in Ypres with Unrestricted Submarine Warfare" Mods and Devs Choice Winner: SOVIETDOGE
"OUR WAR CORRESPONDENT IN FRANCE - Our French allies have commenced their attack to retake the fort of Douamont. Over the top mon amis!" Another War Correspondent contest will be starting soon - keep an eye on our social media or Steam Hub to find out when. For now, check out both entries on our Facebook album!
Our update today is dedicated to everyone who has taken the time to vote, comment or start cases on our UserEcho support website! Thank you all for your input, we’ve been steadily working through cases and hope you are all happy with another big sweep!
Some notable fixes and changes:
New Frontlines rule: Defenders and attackers may no longer be further away than 2 sectors before getting a desertion warning. This should keep the action more concentrated and encourage people to engage in the attack and defense rather than trying to rack up kills from safety.
Douaumont map update: access to the roof has been blocked. We’ll be keeping a close eye out for similar issues.
MG deployment changed: First and third person should now matchup much better. We still have one glitch left to kill when tweaking your position, but we’re working on it!
Medal fix Players missing a medal for participating in the Christmas Truce and/or Early Access should get their medal on logging in. Inconsistent settings fix: we understand that it’s annoying having to adjust your settings constantly after a game switch, this should be resolved now. Our apologies! As we’ve been fixing issues with Verdun, it’s helped us address issues in Tannenberg, and vice-versa. The Tannenberg update and changelog can be found here. Please keep the reports coming! If we don’t know about issues, we can’t fix them. Post them on our UserEcho support website so we can continue smashing bugs and make this game greater! Don’t forget to vote and comment on issues you think are important so we know how many people are affected.
Roumania joins the war in Tannenberg
We also have some exciting news from the Eastern Front, where a new Roumanian squad has been added to the game. They come with new weapons and… a new map! The Roumania map is inspired by Mount Cosna and the north-northwestern areas of Roumania. Take a look at the our new trailer dedicated to the Roumanian update: https://youtu.be/1q7mzfUizDE
Now back to the battlefield!
The First World War was the original modern industrial war. It was also one of the earliest wars where cameras were small enough and quick enough to reliably capture unposed scenes of battle. But even with the very best equipment, actually capturing an outstanding image in the chaos of combat is very challenging.
Our question to you is: do you have what it takes to be a War Correspondent in Verdun and Tannenberg! After all, taking a screenshot is just one quick tap of F12 (after hiding the HUD with F8), and then adding an enticing 140 character description. So how hard could it be? ;)
Long story short, we’re starting a competition to see who can produce the best combat news report. Share your best story and screenshot from a battle and get featured in the official Steam Hubs and on our social media!
Want to join the competition?
Make sure to upload all images and info in our Steam Hub - Screenshots section. All content shared on other social media platforms won’t count as an entry.
To enter the competition please include:
It's been a busy few weeks for us! Last Wednesday we released a big update, followed by some additional fixes on Friday. We are looking into implementing bots for Frontlines in Verdun, and we know some people have concerns about this. We've said a little about that below.
The Wednesday update also included many adjustments to the new sound system that we're working on - if you want to try it out, we've included instructions in this post! Finally, we have more info about a reenactment battle being run by our community this Saturday.
FMOD Beta Sound System
We have been working on improving the sounds in Verdun and Tannenberg. You can already try them out and give us feedback in this thread on the Verdun forums! You can join the testing by adding the following to your launch options: FMOD FMOD_WIP Note: make sure you are on the latest version! How to add launch options: https://gyazo.com/142bc5d7db202d57b67addd377b2e167
Bots
There was a lot of speculation and concern about how bots will be added to Verdun. To clarify things, aside from the survey results showing a significant interest in adding bots to Frontlines, another reason we want to do so is as an option for the low population servers like ASIA, AU, SA, etc. This will also make the game playable in the far future when player count is very low on even EU and US. See it as a last resort when regular matches are not possible. You'll also be able to enable bots in private matches. We also hope that bots will increase player retention, particularly among new players. If people know they can play a game anytime we should see more people online. For newbies, being able to start out with some easier opponents before moving to more competitive battles with humans should make the initial hurdle of getting into Verdun easier.
UserEcho Support Site
We are moving all bug reports and suggestions (except for particular things such as the FMOD beta sound feedback thread linked above) to our UserEcho support site. We have recently made some changes to the system there so that we can answer reports more easily. It's a great tool which:
Reenactment Battles
The two GIFs in this post were taken during events run by the people behind the Verdun x64 and Tannenberg x64 group. They have recently reorganized their events into the three following categories, which should make things easier if you've not joined one before! - Casual x64 Friday Matches (fun events) - Historical Scenarios (themed public events) - Reenactment Events (invite list only) This Sunday they are running a Tannenberg Battle of Lemberg 1914 event. You can read more in this post! To get the latest game updates, follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also talk with us on Discord!
Programmer Vacancy
We are looking for an experienced Unity C# Programmer, who can work remotely on freelance basis. If you think that might be you, get in touch.
Screenshot by player Lil Manny.
We have released a new update to Verdun and Tannenberg. The most notable items include:
Sound Effects
We’ve made a number of adjustments here based on the sound system feedback thread. It would be great if you could try it out and let us know what you think in the new sound system feedback thread! How to activate the new system for testing is in the post above.
Full Changelog
Community highlights
- New ambience layers added (people felt alone on the map)
- Barbed wire volume fix (was too low)
- Grenade pull volume fix (was too low)
- Hitmarker sound removed
- New reload sounds + added layers to beef it up
- New layers to gunshots (beef up the gunshots)
- New tail layer gunshots
- New sounds: Fall damage + Ammo pickup + Bush/tree rustle
- Skull crack fix
- Vocal effects added (distance equalizing + delay)
- Gramophone effect
- New artillery explosions
- Mosin reload - recharge fix
- Overall mix changes
Happy Anniversary
Verdun is celebrating its three year anniversary today! The game has seen new squads, new maps, new game modes and much more over the years. We’d like to give a big thank you to everyone who has played and supported our little (or not so little anymore!) World War One FPS. People were skeptical about an indie company making a multiplayer shooter... we’re glad we went for it anyway! Whether you’ve been with us from the early days or picked up the game recently, thank you! Pictures are worth a thousand words, so here’s one old screenshot Verdun as it used to be, with more below...
Quite a difference, no?
Before Steam
This three year anniversary only counts the years since we launched on Early Access in 2015, following a Greenlight campaign (remember Greenlight?), when Verdun actually has an even longer history. Take a look at this GIF from 2013, when Verdun was a fun side project for a few college students. Back then it was a WW1 deathmatch shooter which you could play in your browser!
This is why you should always aim ;) We also gave a sizable interview back then which included quite a comparison between the alpha and the release version. You can see we’ve been busy over the last few years, but what’s coming next? The recent Verdun Survey was setup with exactly that thought in mind.
Survey Results
We had an amazing 760 responses to our Verdun Survey, so a big thank you to everyone who took the time to fill it out! There’s a lot of data to work with and we want to make sure to make wise decisions. That said, we can already see some interesting details jump out at us.
Do you recognize this map?
Roadmap
Here are our immediate action points based on the analysis we’ve done so far:
The OpNoobs Tournament Final!
It’s time for the Verdun E4I World Championship Finals! The action will be going down this Saturday & Sunday, 14+15 April between 2PM EST - 7PM EST.
The broadcast will be on the OPNoobs Twitch Stream at https://www.twitch.tv/opnoobsonline, and will include a giveaway raffle in the chat. Go to www.verdun.live to register. Contestants will play throughout Saturday and Sunday, progressing through double elimination brackets - teams are eliminated only after they lose two matches. Prizes for the first three places: 1st Place: Outlast 2, Mafia III + Mafia III: Sign of the Times, Subterrain 2nd Place: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Laser League, Lara Croft GO 3rd Place: AER Memories Old, Overgrowth The teams who qualified in the last six months are:
Super Survey - A Few Extra Realism Questions
We’ve had more than 500 responses to our Verdun survey (you can still fill it in if you haven’t already!) and it’s been very informative. Some answers are what we expected while others surprised us. We’re hoping to do a more detailed write up of the findings and our plans in the future, but for now there was one particular question we wanted to go into a little more detail on. This was the question about whether you felt Verdun should be more realism focused or more arcade focused, on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being maximum simulation and 5 being maximum arcade. Unsurprisingly the majority opted for realism, with 74% of you going for 1-2, and another 20% for 3.
Trenches by night, taken by player Anubis6A. While it’s good to confirm our expectations, we’re now looking for more details about what you mean when you say you want the game to be realistic, especially those of you who picked 2 or 3, which suggests that you don’t want the game to be accurate in every respect. With that in mind, we have a super-short bonus survey! If you could rate how important you think realism is in a few different areas it would really help us make the right choices. Fill out the survey. Last question, we promise. Except for… more on this later!
Update News
We recently released updates with a number of fixes, tweaks, and other improvements. Of particular note:
Historical Battle
There are more historical events coming up! First up is the Battle of Champagne 1915. It’s a public historical battle event - once again, that means using particular loadouts and obeying your commanders! You can read the event rules on the Verdun x64 group page, and sign up for the event.
A screenshot from the last historical battle. The next event is the Battle of Hartmannswillerkopf, september 1915 on Vosges - a realistic battle on Sunday April 29. That one will be a closed match and invite only. If you want to take part, the following post has contact details for one of the community organizers running the events. You can contact them on Steam or Discord to ask about being added to the invite list. See you for the next Frontline News! Until then, stay up to date by following us on Twitter or Facebook.
At the WWI game series HQ we have been quite busy with wrapping up Tannenberg for its launch whenever the new UI system is finished (It will be better, we promise).
Of course, we’ve not been sitting still on other fronts! While watching the latest games industry trends we’ve spotted a relatively unexplored niche in the market. There are a few games appearing in the survival genre, but we have a most unique twist: Just like the movie Highlander “there can only be one victor”. I’m sure you’ve never heard of such a game idea before, but we are sure it’s going to be popular. We even came up with a name for it:
We all know the bitter Northern Front is the ideal place for such a scenario.
Our concept would include a starting sequence in which players are parachuted out of a monoplane onto the vast Northern Front theater, where they will have to fight wolves, rats and other players for survival. All this will be set in a post-apocalyptic alt-right universe.
After our last cooperation with EADICE(™) in 2016 on the crossover, vehicles are no problem for us! Well… if you have the correct DLC that is.
Beside the innovative gameplay, we would also include community-requested features - one example being the ability to shoot,reload, or pretty much do anything while jumping as high as possible for maximum 1337-skill levels. All inspired by early 20th century Thunderbirds-style jetpack tech.
FAB looking Thunderbird l33t player, moments before recking your last loot crate!
Last but not least we have taken a look at the most successful features of similar games and came to the conclusion that additional bragging and gambling features are the way to forward, if we want [strike]that 4th house in Cabo for our shareholders[/strike] to ensure a sense of pride and accomplishment for players as they collect different mustaches.
WIP of our booty crate system.
That pretty much wraps it up for this April first. An exciting step forwards for the franchise, if not the entire industry. Have a great Easter!
Welcome back to another Frontline News! There’s a historical battle planned this weekend by the community, and a survey for Verdun veterans and newbies alike! If you want to have your say about Verdun’s future direction (and the direction of the WW1 Game Series as a whole) then the survey is open right now.
Verdun Survey
There was a great response to our Tannenberg Survey, and more than a few people asking for an equivalent Verdun Survey… so we put one together! You can fill out the Verdun Survey right now. We’re looking forward to getting more awesome feedback :)
Historical Battle Next Weekend
Another community organized historical battle is on the way! You can sign up now for the upcoming historical battle, to be held next Sunday, April 8. Read about the details and sign up in this thread. If you’re not familiar with these historical battles, the basic concept is that players sign up and agree to follow rules about using certain roles and weapons, and most importantly following orders from superiors. This allows more organized and focused ‘set-piece’ battles - one of our devs joined the last Verdun battle and made some GIFs of the experience. Here's one:
The x64 group don't only run historical battles - they also organize casual events and more. This post explains it all. Take a look if you're interested in joining an organized battle :)
A New Gun for Tannenberg
It's not strictly Verdun news, but this latest gun teaser for Tannenberg was too cool not to share! The Roth-Steyr M1907 was the first semi-automatic pistol adopted by a branch of a major land army. It stands out with the long bolt and integral 10 round magazine loaded from the top with stripper clips.
Thanks to our player echo1 once more for their amazing combat photography (the first image in this post), and we'll see you again for the next Frontline News!
A move to a new version of Unity should bring performance improvements, and if you’d like to take part in a historically focused Battle of the Somme within Verdun, you’ll be able to this weekend! First, a quick reminder that if you run into any bugs, please submit them here: https://verdun.userecho.com/ It helps us keep everything organized and lets us focus on the most serious bugs which are affecting the most people!
New Update
Unity Update We recently released new updates for Verdun and Tannenberg - now that they share the same code base it allows us to do these kinds of simultaneous updates much more easily. Both games will benefit from our move to the latest version of Unity - in our tests we’ve seen low-end machines getting around a 10% performance boost, and some high-end machines get up to a 25% improvement. Sprinting You will also be able to stop to aim or crouch while sprinting, then return to sprinting without needing to repress the sprint key - we’re hoping this and similar changes in the future can make movement feel more natural and fluid. Let us know your thoughts if you’ve noticed this change!
Bots and more! Bot aiming behaviour has been tweaked so they should be less ‘jittery’, and they won’t be aiming down the sights unless they can see an enemy. We’ve also fixed a couple of weapon animations and an issue with invisible flamethrower flames that some people were reporting, and we switched to Fullscreen Windowed rather than Fullscreen Exclusive, which fixes a freeze issue, improves alt-tabbing, and solves a Unity screen focus problem. You can read the full changelog here.
The Battle of the Somme
A group of our players is setting up another pair of 64 player historical battle events, this time for the Battle of the Somme! You can read about the rules for the match here, and join the group if you’re interested! In short, players commit to using particular classes and weapons, and then following the orders of a commander and their NCOs. This allows actions like coordinated bayonet charges and a general sense of being part of a more organized battle.
Here’s a photo of the French team from a previous historical battle, and another one from the German perspective during the battle. A European match is scheduled for Friday 16, and a US match on Saturday 17.
OpNoobs Qualifier
The Overpowered Noobs E4I Verdun World Cup has its penultimate qualifier coming up tomorrow! For an overview of the teams competing, check out this preview piece by caster Soren Patton. The action will be broadcast live on Twitch - best of luck to all the participants! Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for news and interesting history snippets until our next Frontline News post, or talk with us on Discord!
We’ve been working hard on performance since the last Frontline News, though of course not everyone on our team is a programmer, so we have some new sounds to show off alongside our other news…
^screenshot by player [INEGRONI]MASTERMASCO^
Unity Engine Update
If you didn’t know, Verdun and Tannenberg are made in Unity. This means that when Unity releases updates, both good and bad things can happen with our code - luckily, this time it’s all good! In short, the latest Unity update fixes some issues and makes some improvements which should have a big impact on performance. Combined with work we’ve been doing on how ragdolls are handled, we’re looking at perhaps a 20-25% improvement in performance - this will depend on the exact combination of hardware you’re using, of course. There is still more work to be done to get everything ship-shape, but we’re hoping to be able to roll out this update soon!
Sound System
On the topic of teasers, check out these five new weapon sounds, all recorded from real guns! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNODFxU7YHw&feature=youtu.be These new sounds will also come along with a new sound system, which among other things should make it easier to get a sense of where sounds are coming from in the environment around you.
Steam Live Stream!
This Friday at 4:00 PM CET we are going to be trying out a new feature on Steam - live streaming from our Steam Store page! If you’re interested in watching us play and chat about Verdun, just visit the Verdun Store Page. Both through a web browser or inside the Steam app itself will work fine. We hope to see you there! Keep an eye on our Steam news (follow us if you like) or watch for our announcements on Facebook or Twitter to hear about our next Frontline News post.
For today’s Frontline News we have some cool events for you, one official and one player organized, along with a chance to get Verdun in a special Humble Bundle!
Verdun World Cup North American Qualifier
The next qualifier round in the Verdun World Cup tournament being run by The Overpowered Noobs is coming up this Saturday February 10! You will be able to watch the action live on their Twitch stream! Pro caster Soren Patten has a great write-up introducing the teams who will be competing on the OPN website. Which team are you supporting?
Sturm-Bataillon Nr. 2
If you’re interested in joining a clan for some more organized play, you could do a lot worse than Sturm-Bataillon Nr. 2! We posted one of their trailers on our social media recently, and if you didn’t see it it’s definitely worth taking a look on YouTube.
Historical Battle Event February 18
A group of Verdun players are running a historical battle scenario on February Sunday 18! It will be a 32 vs 32 player battle on the Argonne map, with friendly fire and with players expected to take specific squads and loadouts in order to replicate the actual battle for the Argonne. Each side has a commander, who gives orders to the whole team and leads them. Soldiers and NCOs alike have to obey his orders, with NCOs and the commander allowed to shoot soldiers that disobey orders. The event will be held on the 18h of February. Start time will be 7 PM German time or 7 PM CET. If you want to take part in an epic battle, add your name to the list below. There are 49 participants so far! https://doodle.com/poll/w2vh5wdbqtm2tzs2
Humble Bundle Best of 2017
We’re proud to say that Verdun is part of the Humble Bundle’s Best of 2017 bundle! You can get Verdun and seven other great games selected from various bundles from across the course of 2017. Take a look!
That’s it for now. The screenshots above were made by our player echo1, a very talented frontline photographer! If you have some cool shots of your own, upload them on Steam, or post them on our Twitter and tag us so we can retweet our favorites! Keep an eye on our Steam news (follow us if you like) or watch for our announcements on Facebook or Twitter to hear about our next Frontline News post.
Verdun and Tannenberg brought together
The main part of the Merge Update is, well, the merge of our two games. The code bases are now aligned, which is essential to our long-term goal of continuing support for Verdun. As a small team, we simply can’t support two different code bases. This merge will allow us to make more frequent updates to Verdun - the differences between Verdun and Tannenberg had made it impossible to do side-by-side updates, but now that the two games are aligned, we have a unified platform. It also means that we can switch our focus to performance optimization for both games. One side-effect of the merge is that a number of bug fixes done during the development of Tannenberg are now applied to Verdun, which can have unpredictable results, such as the way strafe movement was affected. We moved quickly to resolve that issue, and we will continue to do so as necessary. You can report bugs on our forums or at our support website. However, although all the benefits might not be immediately obvious from a player perspective you should make no mistake - this merge is a big step forward. It makes it possible to continue properly supporting Verdun and Tannenberg together into the future. Plus you no longer need to quit one game to play the other! If you own both Verdun and Tannenberg, there’s now a slick in-game menu so that you can switch from West Front to East Front and back again with ease.
Graphical Improvements
When you load up Verdun, one of the first things you’ll notice with the update are the new graphical features. Screen space shadows add more depth to the world around you, while new image effects, reflection probes, and a deepsky fog system subtly enhance the atmosphere.
Smaller changes include performance tweaks, animation adjustment, changes to the Douaumont map (we have been aware of continuing criticisms on the forums), and more. The full changelog is long, but as we said earlier, the biggest changes are highly technical and behind the scenes.
Steam Daily Deal
To celebrate the merge, the complete WW1 Game Series bundle is part of the Steam Daily Deal! This is a great opportunity to introduce friends to the delights of WW1 FPS action, or to pick up Verdun or Tannenberg if you don’t own one of them yet, with a game left over to gift. We’ll see you next time!
Today's Deal: Save 75% on Verdun!*
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
*Offer ends Wednesday at 10AM Pacific Time
The Christmas Truce of 1914 is going to be reenacted in Verdun once again this Winter, from December 21 to January 4! As in previous years, you’ll be able to get a taste of this unusual moment of peace and reflection in the midst of the enormous devastation of the First World War.
https://youtu.be/oPj5-J_6mQY
Between every few normal matches, players will experience the Christmas Truce event on a special map featuring football, snowball fights and Christmas cards which can be sent from the trenches by email or social media. Everyone who sends postcards to their loved ones has a chance of winning some WW1 Game Series swag, from Verdun / Tannenberg keys to a trench whistle or thermos. We’ll announce three winners everyday on this thread.
There will also be a Christmas Truce DLC to allow players to easily donate to War Child UK for €1.99 / $1.99 / £1.69. All players who pay for the DLC get a unique Christmas Truce 2017 medal, and will be able to access the Christmas Truce whenever they like for as long as they like until January 4.
War Child is a charity working to help support children affected by war or living in conflict zones.
FAQ
Do I need to buy the DLC to play on the Christmas Truce map? No, everyone will be able to experience the Christmas Truce between every few regular matches. However, if you do get the DLC and donate to War Child UK you’ll get an exclusive Christmas Truce War Child medal and be able to join the Christmas Truce whenever you like, as long as you like until January 4. This includes joining existing Christmas Truce games in progress, or starting your own. What is War Child? They are a charity working to protect and support children in conflict zones or affected by war. You can read more about them on www.warchild.org.uk. How can I win prizes by sending postcards? It’s easy! Every day, we will randomly pick three winners from those who sent postcards that day. Winners will be announced in this thread, and could win a key for Verdun or Tannenberg, a trench whistle, or a Verdun thermos! Is the Christmas Truce also happening on consoles? The Christmas Truce is for PC only. If I buy the DLC, can I access the Christmas Truce after the event ends? No, but as well as sending money to War Child, buying the DLC will unlock the ‘Christmas Truce War Child’ medal and allow you to access the Christmas Truce event whenever you like for as long as you like until January 4. Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy the snow if you have some, otherwise come enjoy it in Verdun :)
The Steam Autumn sale is here, and Verdun is 50% off until November 28! Don’t forget that anyone who owns Verdun can also get 20% off Tannenberg until December 1.
OpNoobs Tournament - Signup for Third Qualifiers
The second round of qualifiers in the OpNoobs Verdun World Championship have been played and the results are in. Read about the outcome of each match, or you can watch the games with commentary on the OpNoobs YouTube channel:
And even if you didn’t take part in the first two qualifying rounds, there’s still time to make it into the tournament! You can already sign up for the next qualifiers which start on January 6 2018.
Improvements to Verdun
The launch of Tannenberg has gone very well and we’re pleased to see a lot of people enjoying the game. So which of the improvements from Tannenberg will we also see coming to Verdun? As we’re working with the same engine, performance upgrades are on the way as well as new weapon and ambient sounds, an improved user interface and an in-game switch between the Western and Eastern Fronts for those playing both games. Not all of these features have seen the light of day in Tannenberg yet, so don’t expect them in Verdun right away. First we want to make sure it’s all running smoothly before integrating it into Verdun. We’ll keep you posted!
We did it, and not without your support! Thanks to all of you we have been given the opportunity to work on the standalone expansion Tannenberg! The game just released into open beta on Steam Early Access – which has been great for Verdun in the past.
https://youtu.be/IR6k2MagQbs
You can get Tannenberg for $17.99, with a 20% loyalty discount for those owning Verdun until December 1 2017. It's content complete, and we're going to use the open beta period for improving the balance, sounds and performance, plus implementing a new user interface.
Verdun will not be left behind, and the game will benefit from the visual and performance improvements in Tannenberg. Updates are planned for the game in these upcoming months including an easy in-game way to switch between the two fronts.
Sneak peak of the new UI
There's a special in-game medal for everyone who joins the Tannenberg open beta, and if you keep an eye on our Facebook, Twitter, and Steam Hub, you can join in some launch celebration events where a lucky few will be able to win Tannenberg keys!
If you have comments or feedback (and we hope you will!) you can post them in the Tannenberg Steam hub, or on our Discord channel. A huge thank you to all our Tannenberg alpha and closed beta testers, as well as the Verdun players who have already been submitting issues there!
Wrap up warm and keep your sabre sharp ;)
Cheers, M2H & Blackmill Games
Interesting links:
Armistice Day and War Child
Tomorrow, 99 years ago, the Armistice was signed and fighting finally ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It would be prolonged three times before peace was ratified in January 1920.
We have an in-game remembrance event tomorrow - if you spend two minutes in reflection as the poppy turns red, you will unlock a medal. Verdun is also on sale in the War Child UK’s - Armistice bundle. 50% of the net revenue from this sale will be gifted to the charity for children affected by conflict.
Tannenberg is coming...
It won’t be long until Tannenberg is available for purchase! The closed beta has been going well and we’re eagerly looking forward to getting more feedback. Interested in seeing some first impressions? Check out this thread with several YouTuber preview videos: http://steamcommunity.com/app/633460/discussions/0/1483235412200762893/ Don’t forget to add Tannenberg to your wishlist now - Verdun players will receive a loyalty discount at release!
Cheers!
Keep an eye out in the game for our little Halloween trick. Maybe this GIF will offer a clue...
And if you didn't see it already, we had a Twitter post showing off some nice costumes from 1916:
Also don't forget that Verdun is on a 50% discount until tomorrow in the Steam Halloween sale. Watch out for rats, Happy Halloween!
Small update
As you may have noticed a small update went live this week (see changelog). We’ve adjusted the spectator menu, added a small grace time window (of 25ms) where tradekills are allowed and fixed some cases of ‘shots not registering’.
Tannenberg Alpha Testing at full steam!
With the Early Access release drawing nearer we are still hard work testing the current builds, for which we still need more help. We have already been getting a lot of new testers on board. Recently another group of 1,400 soldiers has been released into Tannenberg so we are picking up speed. But we have more room so if you haven’t already, you can join Tannenberg Alpha Testing using the link below. We do ask you to have at least 20 hours of Verdun playtime. We need experienced soldiers! Join the Tannenberg Alpha: http://steamcommunity.com/app/633460/discussions/0/2217311444342949200/
Q&A in the Tannenberg Hub!
And finally, we also have a new Frontline News in the Tannenberg Hub that is well worth checking out, since we have a Q&A with Lead Artist Jim ‘Volcol’ Chilton with some interesting information on the design process. http://steamcommunity.com/games/tannenberg/announcements/detail/1446078264113815728
New Update
A new update went live, adding a bunch of new fixes, tweaks and general improvements to both the main and opentesting versions of Verdun. For the complete changelog check out the link below. http://steamcommunity.com/app/242860/discussions/0/365163686050549961/
European Championship
We would also like to ask your attention for an exciting tournament taking place this weekend. This Saturday at 4:30PM CET you can join E4I on OpNoobs' Twitch channel to follow the European Verdun Championship 2017 (EUVC 2017). For future updates and announcement follow their E4I Steam group!
Eastern front details
[url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1150792774]
Strategy is key in the new Maneuver Game mode of Tannenberg Finally, we have some tidbits of information we want to share with you. Don’t forget to also check out the Tannenberg Hub. We have frequent news and previews there in regards to developments on the Eastern Front, such as the new Frontline News edition that focuses on Maneuver. Check out the article to learn more about the strategy and design philosophy behind the new game mode: http://steamcommunity.com/gid/103582791458421449/announcements/detail/1482105700867634127 Have a good weekend!
The date is set – Tannenberg will be available on Steam Early Access from November 16. Experience combat on the Eastern Front as Russian forces battle Austro-Hungarian and German troops for the plains, forests and villages along the borders of the Russian Empire. Watch the announcement trailer: https://youtu.be/zL7cEuh4nF8 We have also revealed the first bit of information about the all new Maneuver game mode which will pitch 64 players into epic battles to encircle and cut-off enemy positions. Read more in the latest news on the Tannenberg Steam page
We have a small update for you, concerning some of the recent changes and updates. As we’re sure you’ve noticed, earlier this month saw the release of a new update:
- Upgrade to Unity 2017.1p2
- SSAA disabled, will be replaced with better post fx in a future update
- Fixed retrieving weapon attachments for RDM/Attrition
Balancing testing
If you are interested in our ongoing balancing of Verdun, please check out the following post. This explains how to use our online document, where you can see all changes and leave feedback. http://steamcommunity.com/app/242860/discussions/0/133256689835004772/
Frontline News In The Tannenberg Hub
And finally we wanted to ask your attention for a brand new edition of Frontline News in the Tannenberg Hub, showcasing the Galicia Map and an addition to the gunplay mechanics. And... there is also a call to arms for the current Alpha Test. http://steamcommunity.com/games/tannenberg/announcements/detail/2514552206141303112 Enjoy!
Welcome to the first edition of Frontline News! We wanted to include you in some of the hard work going on behind the scenes, by adding personal stories to the content that we share. Below you’ll find a link to additional intel relating to the two most recent Tannenberg previews that we posted, provided by Jim ‘Volcol’ Chilton, lead artist and newborn youtube celebrity (thanks to the video video from The Great War)! http://steamcommunity.com/games/tannenberg/announcements/detail/1331226238866875025 Of course we are busy improving Verdun too. We recently upgraded to Unity Engine 5.6 and would like to rally more people to help us with general testing and bug hunting in OPENTESTING (V259.6286). To close things off we would like to point your attention to a cool Community Organized North-American championship. It’s taking place on July 15-16th and can be followed on Twitch. You can check out all the details here: http://opnoobs.com/championships/verdun-north-american-championship Feel free to join us on Discord , if you want to chat some more about this subject (or any other subject for that matter). Cheers!
Save 70% on Verdun during this week's Midweek Madness*! Additionally, you can play the game for free until Friday at 9am Pacific.
Verdun is the first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic World War One setting. The merciless trench warfare offers a unique battlefield experience, immersing you and your squad into intense battles of attack and defense.
*Discount ends Friday at 10AM Pacific Time
Some of you have been fighting across the virtual trenches of Verdun for almost as long as the real war lasted. There have been new maps and squads along with many other updates, and now we've decided it's time to expand the experience to include a different part of the First World War – hell is about to break loose on the Eastern Front...
https://youtu.be/sE32n9kUddU
Tannenberg will be a standalone expansion to Verdun and the second game in the 1914-1918 WW1 Game Series, this time focused on the Eastern Front! As the Russian Empire faces off against the Austro-Hungarians and their German allies, it will feature new squads, weapons and maps, along with a new 64 player game mode. Expect to fight across open fields, and adjust your tactics accordingly. While it can be bought and played without owning Verdun, Tannenberg is closely linked to Verdun (you’ll be able to easily switch from one to the other as you play). This also means that the release of Tannenberg won’t signal the end of support for Verdun, so don't worry on that front.
More details will follow as we get closer to release. For now you can read more in the FAQ.
Keep an eye on our announcements on Steam for more sneak peeks, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can already add Tannenberg to your Steam wishlist!
We would like to touch base with you on a few matters. First of all, we are very proud of the making-off video we did together with THE GREAT WAR Youtube channel, which focusses on Fort Douaumont and how we tried to be as historically accurate as possible in its recreation in-game. The original video appeared online a few days ago but for those of you who want the full monty - we have now an extended version for you to enjoy! https://youtu.be/V5EfqBEc1Ks We are very proud of how Verdun has evolved since release. To this day there are multiple servers running simultaneously, with several battles taking place at the same time consistently throughout the day. On top of that we have ideas and plans to expand the player base, so please bear with us for more news coming soon. We are aware many of you are craving new content. We are on the eve of being able to let you in on everything we have been working on, so keep a close eye on our social channels and all will become clear. In closing, we are very grateful for your continued support. Truly! The players bring the game to live, which is most definitely the case with Verdun. We want to assure you we are still greatly invested in Verdun, and respect the time you have invested in the game accordingly. We are here, we hear you, and we will continue to support you. Last but not least, yesterday we committed some minor fixes, read the Changelog for more details. Fight the good fight! The Verdun Team
If you have been playing the latest test version (by enabling opentesting in the Steam settings) you will already be familiar with the changes we are pushing to the live version of Verdun. After extensive testing it is now time for our entire player base to enjoy these fixes and improvements.
We are especially proud of the minimap update, which should be a welcome improvement for everyone that likes to keep a close eye on the surrounding area, as well as some graphical updates and enhancements.
Here below a summary of the most noteworthy fixes, for more details please check out our changelog.
Fixes
- Fixed no spawn issue with grey screen
- Fixed an issue where SSAA was sometimes still enabled after disabling it from the settings
- Possible multikill fix
- Fixed outlines in spectator mode and decals appearing on characters
- Fixed incorrect alignment of usernames in the squad lobby
- Fixed floating wire in Vosges
- Fixed weird main menu camera-movement after exiting game
- Minimap update: Sharper rendering, more consistent lines, different color-coding (yellow is always contested zone)
- Improved ragdolls
- Added startup option to disable all mouse smoothing being done ('-raw-input')
- Added kick and ban to player info (banning/kicking via scoreboard)
- Added terrain shadowmapping in distance
- Optimised some artillery calls performance
Today we reveal the next step in the Verdun experience - with all the focus on the Entente and Central Powers, we’ve overlooked a vital faction in the trenches – the rats. No more! With the working title ‘Unleash the Vermin’, we are working on several new squads with a range of loadouts and abilities. From the black rats (motto: ‘We eat anything’) and their food sense passive ability to the brown rats (‘Bigger is better’) with their multiple squad roles capable of burrowing, there will be a range of options available to rat players.
To whet your appetite, here’s a gif showing a brown rat ‘pack leader’ scouting a route while the human players are distracted during an attack. This loadout of the pack leader can’t burrow (note the relatively clean tail and paws), but instead leaves a trail boosting the speed of fellow squad members. Obviously this is a WIP shot so none of the UI is in place yet.
Possible future additions include different species (such as the wooly rat - though never recorded as present in the trenches, who can know for sure? Best to include them just in case) or a new game mode featuring only rats as they compete for food and mates. Naturally, once added this would become the new default game mode, replacing frontlines.
If you have your own ideas about future rat squads, you can share them already! We’re sure there are some great unique loadout possibilities for the Sumatran bamboo rat or the giant cloud rats, for instance. Until next time!
Over these past few days we released several updates with a wide range of fixes.
There have been changes made to the visuals with better lighting and a sharper UI, environment and animation bug fixes, and a big improvement in memory usage - including fixing a number of memory leaks.
Of course there is more, make sure to read the full changelog here .
After successful releases on Steam and the PlayStation 4, we can announce today that Verdun is also available on the Xbox One! https://youtu.be/XboXaVzjoe4 All platforms are important to us and therefore we’re sure that you will understand that this release will not affect the PC version. In fact the PC version is still evolving each day, and guess what? More is yet to come …:) For those wanting to play the game on the Xbox One as well, make sure to participate in our giveaway event. Simply share how you would heat things up in the trenches via Twitter with the #fireupVerdun hashtag or Facebook and get a chance to win an Xbox One Verdun key or a Verdun thermos flask….
Great news! On the 8th of March we will be releasing Verdun on Xbox One!!
It would be great if you could help us launch this game with a bang on Xbox One by sharing your WW1 Verdun war whoop via Nouncy[/]: http://verdun.nouncy.com/VerdunX1
More dev news will follow soon.
About two weeks ago, we opened a discussion thread with links to a few spreadsheets that we had been working on with the Verdun community. These were balancing sheets for squad loadouts, weapon stats, and abilities. We were looking for more feedback from all of you, and we got it! We now have released these loadout changes which shall improve the balance between the Entente and the Central Powers for similar squad types (e.g. Alpenjager and Chasseurs Alpins) and to make all loadout options viable. We would now like to look into the other aspects such as individual weapons and squad abilities. Therefore we invite everyone to provide feedback on the current document. You can find all the information on how to provide your feedback in this thread: http://steamcommunity.com/app/242860/discussions/0/133256689835004772/
After going through a lot of open testing, we just released a nice selection of adjustments and fixes. You can find a full list of changes on our Changelog. But some notable changes in this update are:
- Fixed an issue with damage reduction over distance. Pistols can no longer one hit kill over long distances, and damage curves have been adjusted based on this fix. NOTE: Suggestions on the damage balance can be given via this Google Doc
- The torso area of character hitboxes has been increased, so that stomach/belly hits will be less common.
- Various ragdoll improvements.
- Animation improvements and fixes.
- Better map cycle which will stop cycles like Map A -> Map B -> Map A again.
- And much more!
We have seen some great initiatives these past months in the community and we wanted to make sure they become more visible for others. We’ll make sure that tournaments for example are shown more prominently in the ‘Competition and Event’ sub-forum: http://steamcommunity.com/app/242860/discussions/7/ Also, we will be highlighting a few of these initiatives such as now… Players are welcomed in the following tournaments:
- European Nations Cup – 2017 offered to you by Daykare
- American Nations Cup – 2017 offered to you by PdB
- AU Verdun Community Tournament offered to you by trenchrat Harrigarno
At the end of this month, we’re visiting Verdun together with the crew from WW1 YouTube Channel; The Great War.
We would like to invite you all on the 31rst for some drinks, snacks and a Q&A session.
The gathering will be hosted at the 'Romagne 14-18 museum', a venue that has been a great inspiration and references for the game.
For more information, make sure to check the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1338299159571146/
To sign up, just simply register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.de/e/the-great-war-verdun-game-fan-meeting-tickets-30489970322?aff=efbevent
Did you spot them in the truce, or maybe in one of our hints…? Today the ‘ladies of hell’ have arrived… The Highlanders joined the trench warfare!
https://youtu.be/cSJYBXHb4Y4 The Scottish were no stranger to war, and when the call to arms came in 1914, a relatively large number of Scottish young men eagerly joined the ranks of the British in Belgium. Wearing their traditional kilts, they performed many aggressive scouting maneuvers, often finding themselves in the thick of savage battles such as Loos and Arras. They suffered a staggering number of casualties as a result, but were nevertheless undeterred and soon earned the nicknamed the “ladies from hell”.
The Scottish squad will perform the role of aggressive scouting in Verdun. They are armed with the distinctive Pattern 1914 Enfield, a five-round “dog-leg” bolt handle rifle ideal for marksmen. This rifle was used in the later years of the war as a designated sniper rifle. The rifle combines the elements of the famous German Mauser, the five-round internal box magazine, with some Lee-Enfield features. Compared to the standard Lee-Enfield, the Pattern 1914 was more accurate and durable, though heavier as well.
The Scottish squad has been added to the game Verdun for free on Steam today and is expected on the PS4 by the end of the month!
From December 16 – January 2 the Christmas Truce of WW1 is re-enacted in Verdun to remember this historical event of peace that happened more than a century ago. This year there is a twist… This one time seasonal event will be part of War Child Armistice to raise money for children affected by conflict. https://youtu.be/oPj5-J_6mQY On a dedicated winter map players can throw snowballs at each other, play football matches, sing along with Christmas carols and send Christmas cards to their loved ones. By sharing these cards players will automatically participate in the daily Verdun giveaway and get a chance on winning an extra Verdun key, trench whistle and/or Verdun peppermint can. Via the Temporary DLC a donation of either €2.99, €7.99 or €12.99 will give you unlimited access to the event until January 2 2017. Regular Verdun players will be able to participate in this truce event every other third match for 5 minutes. Verdun game will have a 50% discount during the whole Christmas Truce. Also, the Verdun team will be streaming this event via Twitch on the 21rst of December at 10pm CET / 4pm EST - www.Twitch.tv/VerdunGame. Enjoy the Holidays! Cheers, War Child UK & Verdun team Supporting children in conflict - #WarChildArmistice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAQ:
- Wat is the difference between playing the truce via the base game and the truce via the Donation DLC?
There are three differences;
- In the Donation DLC you can join the truce whenever you like.
- You can earn a Christmas Truce - War Child medal.
- When purchasing the temporary DLC you support the War Child cause.
- When I purchase the Donation DLC, will I be able to play the Christmas Truce after January 2, 2017? No, this is simple a donation for a seasonal event.
- Will there be extra content available once I donate more?
No, we offer 3 tiers to choose from. It is up to you how much you can spare for the War Child cause.
- Will we be able to play with the Scottish troops in the main game play? Not yet...
http://store.steampowered.com/app/439480/ On December 16 the Christmas Truce of WW1 will be re-enacted in Verdun. This year the event will be part of the War Child Armistice campaign. A limited version of the truce will be offered between the regular matches, and an unlimited version is available for those that make a donation for the charity. Via the temporary DLC donations can be made from €2.99 and up. Make sure to add the temporary DLC to your wishlist. More news will follow. For now we added a few screenshots to give you an impression....
As like every month we are continuously working on getting the game better and better. This led to several fixes already! All updates for the PC are mentioned on the Verdun Steam changelog. Some noteworthy fixes are:
- Fixed WEX flamethrower
- Improved switching to next level so it does not kick you when loading
- No more stabbing/melee through objects
- Improved the colliders (hitboxes) on the players
- Added an anti cheat measurements
- Increased maximum firing range
- Fixed certain reserved slots never timing out
- Fixed incorrect abilities when squad level lowers
- Fixed head gore
- Changes to loading sequence to prevent verify cache issues
Verdun is not only available via Steam.. it just released as well on the PlayStation 4!! As mentioned before we will keep supporting both platforms and continue working on getting Verdun better and better every day. More news on that will follow soon. For now, let’s please enjoy our new trailer: youtu.be/maYTgEEDx88 Ooh and for those wanting to play the game on the PC and PS4, make sure to participate in our give away event. Simply share your WW1 trench shovel in action via Twitter or Facebook and make a chance on winning a PlayStation 4 key or a WW1 trench shovel replica…. For questions, check the FAQ
Today's Deal: Save 60% on Verdun!*
Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are!
*Offer ends Tuesday at 10AM Pacific Time
Rumors are about to be confirmed…………....the first WW1 FPS game is coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on August 30 2016!
https://youtu.be/t_2Jy-2Zvew
We received a lot of requests for a console version for Verdun, therefore we started looking into this opportunity. Today we are proud to share the news with you, the first WW1 FPS is coming to console this summer!
And don’t worry, we have seen your questions as well on what is to come new for the PC version. We are looking into some opportunities here as well though can’t confirm anything yet. Hopefully more news will arrive the trenches soon…
We just released a spectator mode in-game. A feature that has been developed together with the community and that will be handy for the Official Community tournament.
With this mode you can follow players in first person view within a match. This by simply hitting the button ‘Spectate this match’.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=695414475
You can also switch to a free camera view, as spectator this will give you a perfect vantage point to see the rush of battle.
and the aftermath...
Make sure to try it out and sign up for the Official Community tournament!
Today the French commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Verdun.
This vicious battle of attrition lasted for 303 days, and there were over 700,000 casualties. 377,231 of these are estimated to be French.
You can read more about Verdun - the longest and bloodiest battle of WW1 - every week via: Verdun One Hundred Years Ago
For those that would like to try and win a(nother) Verdun Steam key, make sure to test your WW1 knowledge with the Verdun Facebook Quiz: https://www.facebook.com/VerdunGame
Great initiative from OpNoobs, the Verdun League and EthixGaming. They have brought us the official Verdun Community tournament! The tournament will take place on June 11, 12 and the finals on June 18, 19. For more information and participation please visit: opnoobs.com/e4i/blackmill/vct-2016/ Enlist now! http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=686435644
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=674435385 Exactly one year ago, we released WW1 FPS Verdun! A great milestone, that we couldn't pass without a small mentioning. Especially as the developments around Verdun didn't stop there and than. This past year we continued working on several updates and performance improvements. We hope you are satisfied with what we have done, and that we will see more of you in the trenches upcoming year!
Today we are celebrating 80.000 Facebook page likes!! On Twitter almost 5.000 followers... and on Youtube 5.283 followers. It is amazing to see such interest and support. The word-of-mouth around Verdun did us very good, thank you all!! Here a few keys for some lucky ones: LPTC0-BL3XP-DD5DJ DY0X0-82WPT-F5HCR HPH4B-M9EKP-3BPEI CR3F3-J6ZN6-5W0H2 QZ29E-GQD7Y-T3TD8 KTMBM-AQW5M-CIXR7 T7D7T-IAERV-YXLLI E5ZC3-8LI5L-B05T7 Don't forget to keep following and sharing the 'Verdun-love' on: @VerdunGame https://www.facebook.com/VerdunGame/ https://www.youtube.com/user/VerdunGame
2016 April fools Joke, Aprilscherze,Poisson d'avril,Día de los Inocentes,первоапрельские розыгрыши,エイプリルフール,Prima Aprilis, 1 April grap,április bolondjai,primeiro de abril,ziua Pacalelilor,Априли-ли-ли,prvi april ,Nisan aptallar,愚人节
Welcome back to another Brief Verdun Community Development Update. After the successful launch of the “Horrors of War” expansion developers are now making serious plans for future features and content. Cavalry A serious community request since day 1 cavalry will be part of the existing frontline matches. Every faction will have a cavalry squad (German Uhlans, French Dragoons etc.) which can be used to effectively navigate the trenches and nomansland. First balance tests show a very positive impact on gameplay expressed by tester“X-BigDukeSix”: “Cavalry obviously played a pivotal role in the trench warfare after 1915, with this update we feel both gameplay and realism are stepped up a notch”.
Leaked BF5:Verdun footage More gore mechanics changes Another big step forwards will be the changes in zoom distance and the complete removal of strafing from the game. The community has been extremely vocal about this, especially the competitive scene demanded more changes. According to community organiser “Fluffybunny”: ”We noticed that veteran players were still able to jumpshot somebody across the plains of picardie, further nerfing of the zoom is required”
Making longshots great again
2016 April fools Joke, Aprilscherze,Poisson d'avril,Día de los Inocentes,первоапрельские розыгрыши,エイプリルフール,Prima Aprilis, 1 April grap,április bolondjai,primeiro de abril,ziua Pacalelilor,Априли-ли-ли,prvi april ,Nisan aptallar,愚人节
The removal of strafe from the game means a departure from traditional FPS and common sense intuitive mechanics as we know it, thus transforming Verdun to a higher level of existence.
Finally this will bring zab back under control Tanks and ™™Battlefield™™ Also the devs are working together with ™DICE™ on making a battlefield-Verdun crossover with vehicular sandbox gameplay the core of the new game. One of the major changes will be a departure of community friendly features such as massive free expansion packs with over 40 new weapons (did I mention free?) and instead going over to 70 dollar core game™.
prepare the parachutes The Verdun Team wishes you a great month of April and a lot of fun playing “Horrors of War”.
2016 April fools Joke, Aprilscherze,Poisson d'avril,Día de los Inocentes,первоапрельские розыгрыши,エイプリルフール,Prima Aprilis, 1 April grap,április bolondjai,primeiro de abril,ziua Pacalelilor,Априли-ли-ли,prvi april ,Nisan aptallar,愚人节
The time is finally here...Verdun is receiving a massive FREE EXPANSION! Not only are American and Belgian squads being added to the game, there are also new German soldiers, a whole new night region called Champagne, horrendous gore, a new Co-op game mode, animations upgrade and over 40 new weapons, along with new abilities and additional equipment. Check out the new trailer here: https://youtu.be/AchJpEGgQ5k With this expansion we offer more diverse historical battles in an immersive environment. Soldiers are confronted with more WW1 situations such as fighting during the night, offensive battles, more varied squads and a host of new weaponry that calls for careful tactical maneuvering. The realistic WW1 atmosphere has been strengthened with a new animation blending system, dismemberments, more blood, more corpses and a whole new region; Champagne. This expansion was promised from the release and we all hope it was worth waiting for… Enjoy, let’s meet in the trenches! PS The developers will be streaming their movements through the trenches via Steam and Twitch.tv/VerdunGame upcoming Saturday (March 26) at 3PM EST/ 8PM GMT. PPS For more details check the changelog
Welcome back to another Brief Verdun Community Development Update. We are working very hard on the launch of the upcoming expansion pack, 10 days remain!
Marines
This week we’d like to show once more the US Marine squad in game. The focus of the marines ingame will be brutal weapons such as the m1897 trench gun and the m1903 springfield as well white phosphorus strikes.
A U.S marine squad taking cover behind a knocked-out FT-17 tank on the Marne. Note the use of the American 30-06 springfield and chauchat. The officer can be seen wearing an overseas cap
More Champagne
The last few weeks have seen testing on the champagne map where we polished the gameplay and glitches. The map has proven itself to be quite different from the other maps in terms of gameplay already with a much greater focus on defensive teamwork (holding off all the communication trenches) and close quarters.
Overview of the vast, deep trench network constructed on the champagne front. The whole terrain has a gentle sloped curve and is modeled after an actual location on the champagen front.
One of the nicer parts of the map is the destroyed forest. Which has several unfinished and shallow trenches, in contrast with the deeper trenches in the German sector.
Dismemberment
The gore system was quite a tough nut to crack and we’ve been developing it for quite some time now. The dismemberment system has come a long way since the first version, as well as the new blood system. In the past few weeks we’ve been polishing it and will be universal next week.
We’ve also expanded the system to become more dynamic, not all soldiers die instantly, some who have lost limbs remain…
The dismemberment system in action, soldiers who are not instantly killed remain on the field, crying out.
All of these elements add to the immersion of the game, making the game less ‘clean’ and shows more of the hardship and reality of the trench war.
Screenshots of the Week
“Canadians assault a trench, Artois, 1915”
That will be all for this week. Be sure to check in next week for more information and media about the upcoming content update. In the meanwhile sign up here.
The free expansion of Verdun is scheduled for release on the 23rd of March!
This expansion will include a new map, a new game mode, new squads, new weaponry, new animations, night battles, and… many more! So save the date and make sure to attend a whole new WW1 Verdun experience on the 23rd. Ooh and don’t worry, we will continue teasing you in the meantime…
For those that haven’t got a hold of a Verdun Steam key yet, be sure to participate in our Verdun centenary activities. There are just a few more days left. More information about these activities can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/242860/discussions/0/405692224234923113/
Welcome back to another Brief Verdun Community Development Update. Behind the scenes we are still very busy and on track with the upcoming expansion pack.
Test build
We’d still like to invite you to join up and experience the awesome new content. Sign up for the testing group here. Upon joining the test group, we issue game keys for the installation of the testing build, upon downloading you can then provide feedback within the group itself. The testing is done using a separate game build, so you can still play the current live build when testing is quiet.
Developments
This week one more teaser from the new gamemode that will be part of the content update:
"Fighting off waves of Ai enemies with your squad in, here a large number of “Poilu” crosses the green fields of the aisne towards our ditch-turned defensive position. Also in view, the new scope visuals"
On the Champagne front
We’d like to share more teasing material of the upcoming ‘champagne’ map with you. We put quite a lot of effort in making this map different from the others. One of the aspecs is that there is a lot more ways to flank enemies inside of their own trench lines. Melee weapons will be more powerful and surprise tactics possible.
"Nocturnal allied trench raid in the champagne sector. The night map will feature plenty of dark corners to hide in and sneak upon the enemies."
Screenshots of the Week
“Carnage on the western front, 1915”
That will be all for this week. Be sure to check in next week for more information and media about the upcoming content update. In the meanwhile sign up here.
Today it is exactly 100 years since the Battle of Verdun took place (February 21 1916 -December 18 1916). One of the longest and most costly battles in human history with over 300 days and 300 nights of fighting and more than 976,000 casualties. It’s time we look back to this horrendous war, honour the fallen and remind ourselves to have respect for humanity.
History
Read more about the Battle of Verdun here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=629392138
Remember
Remember the lost ones, share on social media one of the #WeShallRemember images
Giveaway
We will also be gifting 300 Steam key’s, make sure to share our Verdun Centenary post #WeShallRemember within 300 hours.
https://www.facebook.com/VerdunGame/
https://twitter.com/verdungame
Welcome back to another Brief Verdun Community Development Update. We are very busy working with the community to prepare the upcoming content update. We'd like to share some of the info with you!
Test build
We’d again like to invite more people to join up and experience the awesome new content. You can sign up for the testing group here. Upon joining the test group, we issue game keys for the installation of the testing build, upon downloading you can then provide feedback within the group itself. The testing is done using a separate game build, so you can still play the current live build when testing is quiet.
Gore System
As promised we can reveal the first preview of the gore dismemberment system. You hear that right! In order to depict the devastating effects of artillery and explosives we decided that a decent system for dismemberment was needed.
Next to that we decided to go big on decals as well. We are using a super-efficient system called “deferred decals” to render out blood stains with minimal performance impact.
The system also accommodates several stages of dismemberment and total destruction. Note that by default this has been turned off.
Heavy work in progress: Several stages of dismemberment in combination with the updated ragdoll physics
A more dynamic approach to corpses is also implemented. The count can be set pretty high and the effects after a fight can be quite horrendous. Shown here after fending off a wave in the new “squad defense” game mode (more about that soon). (Warning: Graphic)
More next week!
On the Champagne front
With the last touches added last week we are almost done with the map. The testing team is currently making sure there are no more glitches left. Last week we saw underground areas, this week we will take a look at the forested area. Dramatic lighting, fallen trees, fog and dark shadows create a very distinct environment.
"Part of the French rear line is set in a forest. Being on the reversed slope, the trenches are shallow and in true french style somewhat irregular of nature. The dark, foggy woods provide a dramatic location for desperate last-line defenses."
Screenshots of the Week
“German Assault, Artois, 1917”
That will be all for this week. Be sure to check in next week for more information and media about the upcoming content update. In the meanwhile sign up here.
Welcome back to another Verdun Community Development Update. Because we are doing a lot of work behind the scenes at the moment and are actively testing the content update with the community we are going to keep this update brief. We also would like to welcome everyone who joined us during the lunar sale.
Test build
With almost universal appreciation for the test build we like to invite more people to join up and experience the awesome new content. You can sign up for the testing group here. Upon joining the test group, we issue game keys for the installation of the testing build, upon downloading you can then provide feedback within the group itself. The testing is done using a separate game build, so you can still play the current live build when testing is quiet.
Works
So what has been going on behind the scenes? Well for a starters the gore system is finally nearing completion. Next week we will do an extensive preview of what is to come in the content update. Next to that the final touches on the weapons and animations are proceeding nicely. We’ve been getting a lot of good feedback from weapon experts and community feedback on what they like and dislike. While most of the original weapon stats have been upheld the game with updated animations gets way more immersive and feels different (in a good way).
New more lively animations such as the MG15na
Some work was done as well to include new particle FX for the bigger artillery
Firing the Artillery luger, holding with two hands
On the Champagne front
This week saw most of the mapping operations on the champagne front completed. Detailing has been carreed out. One of the refreshing elements of Champagne is the presence of several underground passages. We wanted to reflect the static nature of the fighting and the creation of several strongpoints (blanc-mont, massiges) in the region by adding also underground elements.
"One of the many underground tunnels that are part of the champagne map. This one is an semi-abandoned communication tunnel to the German Rear line."
Screenshots of the Week
“He never saw me crawling towards his post, Argonne, 1917”
That will be all for this week. Be sure to check in next week for more information and media about the upcoming content update. In the meanwhile sign up here.
Welcome back to another Verdun Community Development Update. This week we have a very exciting announcement and loads of content to show!
Initial test build results
The test build for the upcoming content update has received overwhelmingly positive response from everyone who has participated in the first week of testing. All weapons function well, and the general consensus is that the update is a great step forward for the game. We are still working out the systems for the flamethrower and fire damage, as well as polishing some animations.
If you are reading this and think, “I would like to join as well!”, then look no further. You can sign up for the testing group here. Upon joining the test group, we issue game keys for the installation of the testing build, upon downloading you can then provide feedback within the group itself. The testing is done using a separate game build, so you can still play the current live build when testing is quiet.
So what is in this big new update? Well, over the past months we have teased quite a lot of content, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
More Champagne
After last week’s surprise announcement of the upcoming night map “Champagne” we couldn’t resist showcasing some more of this amazing new game environment. We’d also like to introduce images of the new U.S squads in-game for the first time.
“U.S Doughboys and elements of Marines on a combined operation in the Champagne region. Known as the battle of “Blanc Mont Ridge” in October of 1918. Most obvious is the presence of the iconic M1897 winchester “Trench Gun”. A feared and most deadly weapon in the close proximity of the trenches in Champagne.”
“Outflanking a group of German sentries, Champagne 1918. The new map allows for tense close quarters combat, and thanks to a less-linear design of trench lines it becomes possible to surprise defenders and attackers by attacking from unexpected corners.”
Next week we’ll release more teasers of the map including some of the iconic underground dugouts to explore.
Updated animations, extraction
Some animation improvements have been done, last week we already saw the bullet extraction (though heavily a WIP). This week we show some of the many new reload animations.
Gew. 98 reload animation, now forcefully pressing the bullets into the magazine
Reloading the Belgian FN1900, correctly pulling the slide upon insertion. Also note the Belgian officer sleeve
Screenshots of the Week
“French overrunning a German mortar position in the Argonne, 1918”
Welcome back to another Verdun Community Development Update. This week we have a great announcement and tons of content to show!
Test build live!
The test build for the upcoming content update is now available for selected testers! In the coming weeks we will trial the massive content and all its aspects (including gore, new artillery abilities, flamethrowers, 73 weapons and more) with the community.
If you are reading this and think, “I would like to join as well!”, look no further. You can sign up for the testing group here. Upon joining the test group, you will be able to give feedback and receive a key for the Verdun testing application. You will be able to keep having the regular verdun client installed side-by-side.
So what is in this update? The past months we have teased quite a lot, but there is still so much more to show:
Champagne
This week we’ll also be revealing a little more info about the upcoming map titled “Champagne”. This map is based on the champagne front. A somewhat forgotten front, it saw major fighting in both 1915 and in the final offensive of 1918 which saw a major U.S breakthrough. The frontline is situated between Reims and the Argonne and consists mainly of open farmlands and hills. Many of these hills such as the “Main de Massiges” (“The hand of Massiges”) were heavily fortified.
Combined with the fact that the front was largely static between 1916 and 1917, Champagne serves as inspiration for a totally different style of map which is entirely centered around the fighting within the complex lines of trenches. This should really contrast with the other maps where large portions of the fighting takes place in or around nomansland. Another iconic element which has been added to the game through Champagne is also that of night fighting.
Our level designer has created some of our most stunningly realistic trenches in this new map, that really should do justice to the extensive and chaotic trench networks that could be found on the western front. Take a look at these teaser images (which also incorporate some of the upcoming new squad types)
“German "Pionier" squad conducting a night raid on the champagne front using a flamethrower. Note the entrenching tools carried by the pioneers as well as their distinctive canvas-covered stahlhelm. Also in the image is a soldier wielding the artillery luger (with 32-round drum magazine) The ‘Pionier’ class officer is using a C96 pistol for this raid”
"French Night attack in the champagne sector, 1915. French troops wearing their mid-1915 transitional uniform attack the German stronghold at the "Main de Massiges" ridge. Note the french officer wielding a m1892 revolver."
"German sentries fighting off a night assault, possibly American, champagne front 1918. The iconic German "Sappenpanzer", which (while mostly impractical) saw fairly common use among German sentries."
New feature: bullet extraction
New in the upcoming update is also animated extraction of the empty cartridges.
New Gasmask: The Small Box Respirator
Last week we introduced the new first person animations for the French gasmask, the M2. This week we can show you the newly added SBR (Small Box Respirator). It has a distinctive tube and comprises of two main components, the mask and the box filter - usually carried in a bag and placed on the chest.
Note the iconic tube and a different experience from the current M17 mask
Chauchat M1918 .30-06 “The worst”
The U.S didn’t have much in the way of a lightweight machine gun come 1917, so when it entered the war, the U.S forces were issued with French Chauchat LMGs. The U.S later developed the m1918 due to a series of issues that were commonly faced by soldiers within the front lines. Primarily, the open sided magazine (which had been a major issue for French soldiers in the mud of the trenches) was replaced with a boxed magazine and a conversion to accept .30-06 rounds.
The M1918 will be used by U.S marine squad by the close combat support role. The .30-06 round gives a slightly different performance from the french m1915 chauchat. The fact that it was frequently ditched by troops in the field because of jamming will be reflected in the fire rate of the weapon.
The team personally observed these distinct magazines dug-up in the meuse argonne region
The C96 also received a great reloading animation of its stripper clip. This is just one of the many items you will be able to try in the test version.
The C96 cannot be reloaded mid-clip
Screenshots of the Week
“Gas alert in a German Trench”
That will be all for this update. We hope to see a lot of applications for the closed test build and see you on the front!
Welcome back to another Verdun update. This week we are still working heavily towards the launch of the next content update. A special news update will be released to inform you once we near completion and as we iron out some final touches.
This update also marks the beginning of a new sort of weekly update which will focus more so in in-game features, squads and new maps. To avoid confusion; the term weekly “weapon wednesday” as we called them in the beginning will no longer be used. (This being in part due to us having little in the way of new weapons to create as we finished most of the western front!).
Content Update
So what are we up to? Well our current plan for the upcoming content update is to deploy this on a separate testing game instance, so that you will be able to play both the regular matches and help us test the new content. The testing will be private initially, but should open up in the weeks to come. More information on this will follow soon.
We’re also excited to show the first impression teaser of the new map. The map is nearing finalization in terms of layout and content and it will be part of the upcoming content test. It will combine some long-requested community features. Take a gander:
More map impressions in our next updates!
Features
Now we’d like to tease some of the new features that have kept us busy. For a starters we have redone ALL the animations for all the first person weapons. Also weapon sights have been edited and they look a lot more immersive, for instance in this image:
The Belgian Kar 89 with updated sight picture
We also updated FP gas masks and added the allied French and British/American masks as first person models (No more German gas masks for all nations!) Here is a little teaser of the M2 mask:
Updated lens textures for more immersion
Cool work in progress stuff
As a bonus little for the 24 hour update delay we’d like to demonstrate an awesome new feature that we are currently working on as part of the gore system: Updated Ragdoll physics/animation hybrids. Gore will be part of the upcoming content update testing phase. Some elements have been polished since our initial trials in October and it is now ready to test again.
Seamless blending between animation and ragdoll
Next timewe shall reveal more features and some animated gifs of the verdun gore system (dismemberment being one of them)
In addition to the new weapons and animations, Unity 5.3 allows for a new kind of Physically Based Rendering technique which allows for a nicer representation of metals in-game. Our artists have worked tirelessly since new years to update weapon materials (as was as working on all of the other things). Here an example of some of the new material work.
The ruby was also reworked
Performance
In addition to all the content production, we have seen a massive gain in FPS increase across the board. The last few updates have a statistically measured 30% increase since December. Optimization is still ongoing as we find ways to deal with verdun’s detailed environments in more effective ways. We are specifically looking at lower-end machines this week.
Screenshots of the Week
“Gas cloud engulfs a trench, western front 1915”
That will be all for this update. We hope to inform you as soon as possible on the launch of the update test.
Welcome to another weekly Verdun update! First of all the entire development team wishes you a happy 2016. During the christmas truce a massive 12.000 christmas cards were sent from the frontlines and the whole event received quite some attention on the web.
Secondly we want to update you on the development of the game. Over the past few months we have showcased our new arsenal, we’ve had 17 weekly (or near enough!) updates and have written around 35 pages of update text. We will continue to update with more other media which will showcase the progress towards the upcoming free content updates. This week we’ll keep it snappy as there is a lot to prepare for the forthcoming launch of the free content.
M1917 Wechselapparat “Wex” Flamethrower
The German Wechselapparat Flamethrower or ‘wex’ was developed in 1917 after successful but outdated Kleif flamethrower. Flamethrowers had seen use since the early years of the war, one of the first recorded uses being during 1915 near Verdun. As the war progressed flamethrowers grew in complexity as well as size - including the famous british Livens flamethrower. Come 1917 the Germans were in need of a lighter weight, more adaptable flame thrower - capable of being handles by one or two crew members. The ‘wex’ saw effective use in 1917/18 and was the basis for a number of flamethrowers including the Model 40 German flamethrower and portable No 2 British flamethrower in WW2.
The Wex will be used by German pioneer troops to counter the U.S marine squads. With limited range and fuel capacity, the wex will be a tricky weapon to master… however given the correct handler, it could quite possibly be the deadliest weapon to see action on the fronts of Verdun.
Verdun Beginners group
During the holidays, the people behind the verdun league and other community members have started an official verdun beginners group geared towards helping the crazy amount of new recruits who joined in during the christmas sale. If you are new to the game and want to become better you can sign up here.
Game development status
We did not cease development during the holiday season. In fact we made great strides on the performance front in the last two weeks with the new clustering technique for the levels. Several community members with some long standing issues are now reporting their performance being improved considerably on the testing branch. This should go live soon.
Content update
We are happy to report that the free content updates are on the horizon now. While we are still working to finalize all all of it, we can state that there will be new squads, weapons, map and more coming your way pretty soon. We are not releasing any statement on the timeframe at this point, however we are in the final stages of production and deployment on most fronts to give you an indication of its status.
Screenshots of the Week
“A shell claims the life of an unteroffizier, Argonne sector, 1915”
Awards
We were also awarded IndieDB’s 2015 editors choice “Best Multiplayer”, and we were in the top 10 players’ vote. Thanks for voting for us!
That will be all for this week. Next week more info on the deployment of the free content!
Verdun
M2H
Blackmill Games
2015-04-28
Action Indie Strategy Simulation Coop
Game News Posts 207
🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
🕹️ Partial Controller Support
Very Positive
(28311 reviews)
https://www.ww1gameseries.com/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860
The Game includes VR Support
WW1Series_LinuxPlayer [1.98 G]
Verdun - Supporter Edition Upgrade
The game takes place on the western front between 1914 and 1918, in one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history. The developers were inspired by the infamous Battle of Verdun in 1916. The game offers 4 distinct game-modes: Frontlines, Attrition, Rifle Deathmatch, and Squad Defense. There are also many historically accurate features such as realistic WW1 weaponry, authentic uniforms, horrendous gore, and maps based on the real battlefields of France and Belgium.
The Frontlines game mode is unique in its tactical complexity. The realistic trenches are challenging to fight in and require tactical cunning to capture and defend. The Entente and Central Powers strive to gain control of frontline sectors. In one battle you’ll find yourself rushing the enemy trenches during an offensive action in order to gain ground, while in another you might be defending your recently conquered ground against a fierce enemy counter-attack.
Players can choose to be part of one of the many squad types in the game, each of which have their own distinct tactical roles. By working together with your friends, you can earn experience that improves the power and versatility of your squad. As you gain more experience fighting and get promoted in rank, you also earn Career Points which you can use to unlock specializations, weapons and equipment.
In the Attrition game mode, the Entente and the Central Powers are pitted against each other in a single battle. Each side has a number of tickets which represents the amount of manpower they have. When a player is killed and respawns, a ticket is deducted from the side they belonged to. When a side has no more tickets, players of that side cannot respawn - the last side standing wins!
The Rifle Deathmatch is a free-for-all game mode, where all players are pitted against each other in a thrilling contest of skill using only bolt-action rifles.
In the Squad Defense mode, the player along with three squad-mates will have to defend a position as long as they can against endless waves of AI controlled attackers.
Verdun key features include:
•Realistic World War 1 gameplay: Authentic weaponry with realistic bullet physics, skill based weapon handling, gore, poisonous gas with a claustrophobic gas mask experience, horrendous gore and artillery barrages
•Tactical squad-based FPS: Unique squad leveling system, distinct squad types and roles, voice chat
•True trench warfare: Real-time dynamic frontline with momentum-based attack and counter-attack gameplay
•Authentic World War 1 setting: Typical WW1 music and style, historical battlefields set on the Western Front
•Challenging game modes: Team-based Frontline, tactical Attrition, skill-based Rifle Deathmatch and desperate survival in Squad Defense
The gameplay is as immersive and gritty as it can get with elements such as realistic gore that portrays the true horror of the 1st World War Battlefield. This feature can naturally be disable if preferred. The authentic weapons need to be handled with skill, as they each feel differently and there are no floating crosshairs to aid your aim. Also, the realistic bullet physics require you to lead your shots when firing on a moving target at long range. In the event of a gas attack, you need to put on your gas mask, which impairs your view and gives you a very claustrophobic experience. And if getting shot or gassed isn’t enough, sudden artillery barrages that are called in by NCO’s can pin you down if you’re caught in the open and might obliterate your entire squad. This unforgiving war isn’t for the faint hearted!
Team play is what lies at the heart of Verdun. When you start a game, your first choice is to fight for either the Entente or the Central Powers. You can form one of the different squad types available to that side with up to three of your friends. Each squad has a specific tactic that is based on the historical units of that time. Depending on your squad’s type, players can choose a specific role within the squad, complete with historically accurate attire, weapons and special abilities. The more Co-op experience you and your squad mates earn together, the more powerful your squad will become and the better abilities will be unlocked. This progression is also shown visually as you and your squad get more advanced uniforms. You will also earn Career Points, which can be spent to unlock specializations, weapons and equipment.
The true WW1 battlefield experience has been captured in a real-time dynamic frontline, set in historically accurate locations of the Western Front. These frontline maps are comprised out of multiple sectors that can be captured by either side. Staying true to the typical attrition warfare of that time, both sides attack and counter-attack each other in turn, compelling you to defend each captured sector of trenches!
The development team has done extensive field research at Verdun and has been advised by knowledgeable historians to make sure Verdun is as historically accurate as it can get. Uniforms have been recreated to the tiniest details, the weapons are modeled to exact references and the maps use realistic World War 1 props and terrain layouts. Also, everything in the game has been tailored to recreate the grim atmosphere that is so typical of WW1; Gloomy clouded skies, an immersive interface combined with realistic sounds, accurate native voices that evoke the feeling of actually being there in the trenches, mud covered - trenches whilst peering over your rifle to spot the enemy.
- OS: Ubuntu 18.04+ 64bit only. Other distros will probably work. but are not officially supported.
- Processor: Intel CPU Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz. AMD CPU Phenom II X4 940Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Geforce GTX 960M / Radeon HD 7750 or higher. 1GB video card memoryNetwork: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 8 GB available spaceAdditional Notes: Multiplayer only. make sure you have a stable and fast internet connection.
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 4GB video card memory
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