Good day folks urb here with a holiday patch!
Gib Santa and Earn a Special Ribbon!
As tradition dictates, Santa will make a surprise appearance in your AO during one of your fights. Seize the opportunity to gib the old man and bag yourself a stylish ribbon that enhances your max Tactical Point potential.
Trench Combat Mode for Classic Warfare:
Imagine yourself as the commander, stationed in the front-line trench. Here, the usual 6-man rule takes a back seat, allowing for a more substantial deployment. The catch? Waves of enemies won't yield Tactical Points (TP). How do you earn them, you ask? Well, strategically retreat to the next trench and pocket 20TP. You can repeat this tactical withdrawal up to 5 times. Tempting as it may be to rush to the rear trench for a quick 100 TP, consider the finer points. Without specific ribbons, your TP maxes out at 20, necessitating thoughtful spending during retreats. Moreover, the farther you retreat, the fiercer the Germans get. Trench warfare demands a delicate balance—hold the line as long as possible, then strategically retreat before the inevitable collapse. It adds a unique twist to the economic dynamics in a game of Mud and Blood, offering creative players a canvas for experimentation.
Rush mode with its unique enemy AI
Rush mode unlocks after achieving your first promotion in classic, resembling the latest special event. This mode introduces a significantly reduced time between waves, creating a heightened sense of urgency. Notably, the enemy matches the speed of your soldiers. However, the key feature of Rush mode is the integration of its own AI system. The primary goal is to enhance the believability of enemy actions, with AI employing tactics such as utilizing cover, strategically holding and regrouping in staging areas, and occasionally advancing as a cohesive unit. This mode aims to improve overall maneuvering, emphasizing tactics like leveraging concealment for flanking maneuvers and employing mutual cover during movement. The dynamic shift is evident, as the enemy becomes a formidable force early in the game, adopting an aggressive approach. This alteration transforms the focus from building strategies to prioritizing rapid and effective fire output in the short to medium term. It will be interesting to see some of you breaking the puzzle on this one.
Introducing the Churchill:
The Brits are entering the fray (albeit selectively) with the robust Churchill tank. This beast boasts heavy armor capable of deflecting incoming AT fire, similar to the formidable Tiger. Armed with a fast-firing 6-pounder, it packs a punch against armored targets. The Churchill, though slow, proves difficult to eliminate, offering a nice option to commanders in classic mode. Priced at 20 TP, future upgrades include the fearsome crocodile variant equipped with a flamethrower.
In campaigns, the Churchill becomes an unstoppable force due to its outstanding armor. However, speed is its Achilles' heel. Deploying a Churchill past the midpoint becomes a gamble, as it may not reach the frontline before being redirected elsewhere. The crew inside enjoys a 4% performance boost, reflecting in the coax and high rate of fire of its main cannon. Overall, the Churchill adds a nice twist for commanders seeking to experiment with a heavy tank.
New Battle Conditions:
Butter Bar:
A greenhorn LT straight from the depot has joined a frontline platoon. Inexperienced and tactically challenged, your mission is to safely escort this rookie to the end line. Succeed, and earn x2 XP. Fail, and there's no XP for the day.
Secondary Duties:
Supply headaches persist as they abandon crucial provisions at our lines. Every section must contribute, designating one member to hand-deliver the supplies. Successfully crossing the end line grants x2 XP, but if the supplies are lost, captured, or destroyed, you leave with nothing.
No Brief:
Your mission is clear, but intel on the battlefield is scarce. The other two battle conditions remain unknown. A sharp commander may decipher the current conditions over time and adjust strategies on the fly.
Here is the list of the changes I've made to this version:
- Changed the horse cart to stick around less when empty.
- Horsecarts can spawn on roads in the campaign now.
- Fixed non-Gold wing holders having the vet save in classic.
- Enemy AI can start switching seats in a vehicle now.
- Fixed an issue where the rifle grenades would not face the direction they are shot at.
- Made the Goliath mines more of a threat. They will now detonate closer to you and can hide when detected.
- Altered the deployment options for Enemy AI when an ambush is sprung.
- SDKFZ222, which has no gunner, will go back from the front line in an attempt to find a qualified gunner as a replacement.
- Reduced Rifle Grenade and Faust morale hit by 5 (from 15 to 10).
- Fixing an issue with flamers not facing the right angle on multiple enemies flamer shot.
- Fixed an issue where the voice lines of some troops would not match the level of tension related to nearby explosions.
- Modified and added some cue tips to improve onboarding.
- Fixed an issue where the original 6-ribbon (campaign) wouldn't provide the advertised bonus.
- Deuces will spawn on roads in the campaign.
- There is now smoke above light mortars upon firing. This is helpful when looking ahead to locate the mortar crew.
- New classic mode: Trench warfare.
- Rush mode is now a permanent unlock with an AI that will hide in the trees more and work as a group.
- New Campaign Battle Condition: Bad Intel (unknown BCs!!).
- New Campaign Battle Condition: Secondary duties (delivery mission).
- New Campaign Battle Condition: Butter Bar (Escort mission).
- Lowered the creep for infantry on classic (Germans gain +1 weapon skill per 20 waves).
- Xmas lights will be deleted if the trench is removed by the map engine.
- Churchill tank, crocodile soon.
- M10 rate of fire slowed down.
- Fix for the counter artillery for the Halftrack 105mm.
- Taunt ribbon timer fixed.
- Created new AI behaviours for Rush mode.
- Adjusted some of the priorities in the decision-making tree for the AI in campaign mode, using the new heatmap concept.
- Added a function that will remove Xmas lights if there is no trench or if it has been moved by the map maker.
Community highlights:
Check this insane wave 317 game by our current Classic Master, Tonny
I'm Following closely the adventures of Tutle the first documented Campaign Master Mode player. It is always very instructive to watch him play the game with such speed and skill.
And of course, our local bruiser MT, which is in my opinion, makes the game look so good with his play style. With Mt it's always hard-hitting gunfights, copious amounts of explosives and straight-up aggression.
Check out Kronos landing on DDay and finishing with 6 men in under 20 min. Good to check out if you want to get in the fight in Campaign and see how to tackle the beach. In the campaign, this fight is very important to finish with all your men and under 20 min as it will give the DDay ribbon with honour which gives 5xp to all your recruits. A substantial advantage in the long run.
How about this crazy classic finish by Up and that 1000 yards stare guy.
That's it for me folks, I appreciate you all and am thankful you took the time to read my patch notes. Let me know in Discord if you have suggestions, or pop over if you have questions we're always happy to help. I Wish you all a great Christmas and will catch up with you in the next update.
Respectfully,
urb
