With the release of the game’s first teaser trailer, the time has probably come to split off a new thread from the previousones. If history is any indicator, we should be looking at a pre-purchase beta starting in a few months with full release about two months later. Substantial additional information is to be expected from the devs over the upcoming weeks.
So, what do we know right now?
Five new nations: China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and ANZAC (hybrid of Australia and New Zealand)
New coalition system (“super nations” that get several countries’ prototypes, for example the Commonwealth has UK, Canada and ANZAC)
AI improvements and revised deck system (no more cheating AI, added ability to use custom decks with the AI, additional deck filters and sorting options, and hidden deck names in lobby)
New variants added for infantry, allowing foot troops to have better weaponry in modern eras (instead of being restricted to LAWs and RPG-7s)
Amphibious capabilities added for vehicles that historically possessed them
Timeline extended to 1991 with prototypes through the mid-90s
Though some nations (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, East Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia) will not have their armories fully updated to these standards on release, they will be brought up to speed in free post-release DLC, and they will continue to be included in the game with their AirLand Battle arsenals and a few minor additions
Reworked deck system to help rebalance the game (reducing the amount of spam in 1975 decks, adjusting some of the currently useless specializations, infantry are now chosen and are assigned availability separately from their transports so you cannot have as many high-end IFVs or transport helicopters as you could cheap APCs)
Command infantry squads (details are minimal at this time)
UI improvements and a new armory with more intuitive stats
A total of over 1200 units (possibly as many as 1500) across all nations
Improved plane controls
Anyone interested in the new units currently available can take a look at these two threads. New vehicles and infantry are posted on an irregular basis for your viewing pleasure.
Things that will not be in the game:
Paradrops (only on the strategic layer of campaigns)
12. UI improvements and a new armory with more intuitive stats
I like the detailed stats… but apart from it, it really should have a… let’s say summary. For non-military geeks. Something like a subtitle in the stat tab under the name of the unit that says “medium armor transport chopper” or “light scout vehicle” or “heavy IFV w/ AA missiles” or “medium ranged AA”. Hell, maybe add a term more for the variations that are maddening. “extra armor” variation, “optical stabilizer” variation, “extra fuel” variation. etc.
Yeah, that would be nice, it’s kind of a pain if you are playing a new deck or unfamiliar deck, and have to puzzle out for what you need. Like, where the heck are my AA options, what are my AT infantry, etc. I know I’ve accidentally taken the wrong thing a few times. Ohhh, oops, that was an artillery, not an AA =)
Also that was a great starter to this thread, I copied it elsewhere.
The betas are always multiplayer-only and haven’t suffered from any PLACEHOLDER ART issues in the past. I can’t remember the EE beta (apart from my first couple of matches), but the ALB beta had a group of four or five maps and initially only allowed players to choose the precreated decks for each nation. Deck customization was added a few weeks later. Unless you feel comfortable bumbling through your first few games along with everybody else, then it’s probably not the experience you’re looking for.
They tend to put in a lot of balance changes during the beta. As an extreme example, in the early beta, the F-14 and MiG-31’s missiles (which have a huge range of 11km) were capable of shooting at helicopters, along with all other air-to-air missiles. While that’s not necessarily out of the question from a reality standpoint, it also meant that no player could bring helicopters on-map without a strong risk of them being shot down within seconds of arriving on the map. That was very quickly patched.
I would imagine the addition of naval units and the inclusion of amphibious capabilities will cause similar issues in the first days of the beta.
Also, they should put back the graphical indicator of LoS from Ruse
So we can see in one quick look what parts are occluded or not by terrain features and elevation, instead of having to select the fire position command and move the mouse around the unit to see until what parts reach in a 180º arc or whatever you want.
I doubt it will be. Have you played ALB or EE, dean? Time is definitely a constraint and a resource to be managed, but this isn’t an APM series like Starcraft 2. Things get hectic but it’s not a “twitch” RTS. I too go all Detective Murtaugh (I’m too old for this shit!) on twitchy RTS games but I really enjoy ALB.
I think the real fault is the high learning curve. I didn’t manage the game right until I went to EE, tried it again and played the tutorial and first campaign. It makes a better job of introducing the player to how to play and win than the campaign in ALB, where the tutorials seem half baked and the campaign the AI rushes you while the typical noob is still looking at the unit options.
At first, I also wanted a pause option, as the lethal damage and realistic fov system made me hard to stay on top of things in different fronts. But once I learned, it wasn’t as needed! In fact most of the game is about putting units in defensive positions (tree lines, forests, cities) and go from def. position to def. position slowly, while maybe microing a high value tank or chopper.
