Beta Updates

[LiamR]

Our first Beta update has just been released. You should find enemy units surrender far more often when surrounded.

v0.5.1
Fixed chain of command not appearing correctly in tactics panel
Fixed crash when MIDDLE/RIGHT click dragging division icons on map onto each other
Frontline visuals visible during deployment phase
Improved frontline visuals
Units surrender more often (instead of always slipping back to friendly lines)
Non-fortified units are physically pushed back when losing

[FoolishMortals]

New version includes a completely revamped tutorial. Please give it try! (Ignore the Matrix launcher's wrong version number)

v0.5.2

• NEW tutorial!

• Made Cherbourg easier (removed enemy armoured division)

• Improved units spreading out when fighting

• Fixed units getting stuck/jittering when clumped up

• Many bug fixesSome crashes fixed

We're monitoring crashes. Please report them if they occur

[FoolishMortals]

We'd like you to try a longer mission using the new EMERGENCY PLANNING SESSION button (can trigger extra planning phase once a day).

We also have a new army constructor screen. Play around with it, but be aware that at some future version your saved armies will be reset.

v0.5.3
New army constructor screen
New level select
New mission: Operation Veritable
Emergency Planning Session button added (next to time controls)! Once a day, allows one extra planning session at any time.Planning phase occurs at 5am (used to be 7pm for old reasons)AI assigns units to guard duty (ex: supply depots)
Increased damage of Artillery Barrage order barrages and Close-Air-Support (unplanned, impromptu barrage damages unchanged)
Decreased default length of Artillery Barrage orderBattle animations freeze when game is paused
Reduced volume of artillery shell animation
Opening feedback panel pauses game
Added zoom button to Battle Report panel
Limited available orders during deployment
Removed one initial Panzer division from Caen (too difficult a start)
Re-enabled Rebase order
Units spread out more when fighting
Units spread out more when travelling long distancesPathfinding improvements

We've been monitoring feedback and have added requested features like battle animations pausing, reduced artillery animation volume and more.

[LiamR]

We are live with latest beta update.

The big additions here are Complex Attack and Complex Defense. These orders will create detailed plans that you can tweak and personalize to create an intricate attack order. Complex attack will order regiments within the division to break through down roads, your artillery to conduct a preliminary barrage, and create a reserve that will automatically reinforce units in trouble. You can then tweak the plan as you want to get the exact outcome you are looking for, or even delete parts of the plan as-needed.

Campaign units now also have persistent veterancy, we have added officers whose traits effect the entire divisions statline, and you can personalize divisions with patches.

v0.6.0
Complex Attacks order: Generates elaborate, multi-step, multi-regiment attack plan for you!
Complex Defense order: Generates elaborate multi-regiment defense plan
Reserve order: Units assemble, send out battalions to reinforce friendlies in distress
Officers can be slotted into top-level headquarters in army constructor
Officers have unique personalities that affect their stats
Division patches & officer portraits can be customized
Campaign units have veterancy that's persistent
Campaign units record casualties taken, must be healed
Rearline artillery & headquarters sit further back
Unit pathfinding & rotation improved
New victory/defeat screen
Improved framerate for large missions & battles
Units gain terrain effects based on nearby terrain (instead of being directly on top of it)
Increased effectiveness of PLANNED artillery & close-air support orders
Decreased Carpet Bomb damage

Known issues
Complex Attack/Defense disabled in 'SIMPLE' planning mode
Loading saves is buggy.
Channel Ports mission has low framerate.
Occasionally crashes.

We are monitoring feedback and your bug reports. We look forward to hearing what people think about the latest update. Have fun everyone!

[LiamR]

A small update for you folks today. The big addition we have is a new campaign system. When you start a campaign you can now give your player character a name, portrait, and even designate your corps name and badge. If you want to skip a level and get straight to a specific scenario, just use the "Skip Mission" button when selecting a level.

The full changelog is below, happy hunting everyone.

v0.6.2
• New campaign screen: choose player officer name, portrait, corps patch, corps name, nationality
• Missions must be unlocked in order (or skipped with 'Skip Mission' button)
• Wait for signal order (wait until you click 'Proceed')
• Wait for date order (wait until specific date/time)
• Revamped Operation Veritable to have you play in the south (Operation Grenade), added flooding around rivers
• Fixed lag when clicking on unit with many orders
• Fixed potential crashes
• Fixed supply depots not being capturable multiple times

[LiamR]

We have a new update out for the Beta. The big two scenario changes are the addition of Operation Market Garden, and a revised version of Operation Veritable/Grenade. There is also a new tutorial out that helps teach the encirclement order and cutting the enemy off from supplies.

The full changelog is below, happy hunting everyone.

v0.6.5
• Scout/reconnaisance order.
• Wait order.
• New game experience.
• Operation Market Garden mission.
• Tutorial 2.
• Improved plan/order visuals.
• Experiment with new battle system (fire support/assisting).
• New unit variants: paratroopers, light & heavy tanks, mechanized engineers, self-propelled artillery & tank destroyers.
• Revamped Operation Veritable/Grenade.

[LiamR]

v0.7.1 is out now. The big addition we have here is Operation Varsity. This mission involves an allied attack over the Rhine, with two paratrooper divisions at your disposal to help force a crossing. While the war is almost and the German war machine is crumbling, the Axis are dug-in and prepared to fight hard.

We would love to hear from our testers how Varsity plays out. A changelog is posted below.

v0.7.1

• Operation Varsity mission.
• Online observer mode.
• Officer speech bubbles & quips.
• Limited graphic options.

Additionally, this update has....

• Improved unit cohesion.
• Operation Cobra objectives reworked.
• Can slot your own units in tutorials.
• Can purchase new divisions between missions & improved army constructor screen.
• Improved merging of notifications.
• Reinforcements show when they’ll arrive on the map.
• Rebindable keys.

[LiamR]

v0.7.2 is out now on the main beta Branch. New features include...

• Super fast-forward speed (and hotkey)

• Option to automatically super fast-forward at night

• Tutorials now includes night & complex attack

• Many UI improvements

• Battalions are much more cohesive

• Officers are recruitable between missions

• Tactical Air Support recruitable between missions

• Improved army constructor screen

Looking forward to hear everyone's feedback on this.

[LiamR]

v0.8.0 is out now on the beta branch for our testers. There are two big additions to this current build.

The mission "Battle of the Scheldt" is out now. This is the new 9th mission in the campaign and will see you clearing dug-in German defenders from the channels northwest of Antwerp. This mission also features an amphibious landing so please read your briefing carefully.

Officer skill trees have been implemented. Officers will gain skill points that can be spent on perks that will improve the performance for their division. This combined with their personality traits means leadership will drastically alter the performance of your divisions.

We would especially appreciate any feedback about this new skill system, and the new Scheldt mission.

Our full changelog is posted below.

• Officer level up, learn skills

• Voice-acting & unit barks

• In-mission full army viewer (& stats)

• Massively increased artillery barrage supply consumption

• Fixed potential crash with multi-threaded pathfinding

• Fixed daily planning session & report occasionally being skipped

[LiamR]

v0.8.1 has just launched for the beta.

• Divisions are stunned when they lose an officer

• Officers gain random injuries when wounded

• Officers can be captured or killed

• Artillery damage reworked: high initial damage, as barrage continues damage decreases (units find cover) whilst fortification destruction increases

• Planned artillery barrages destroy fortifications more quickly

• Engineers grant nearby units immunity to minefields

• Minefields inflict fewer casualties but far worse status effects (units dela vastly increased damage to enemies stuck in minefields)

• Fixed Wait for Signal button disappearing

• Improved movement logic with assisting sister companies and rearlining

• Improved paradropping mechanics, visuals and audio

• Fixed Canadian flag to be pre-1957 version (oops)

[LiamR]

v0.8.2 is out now for testers.

• New Elsenborn Ridge mission

• New Bastogne Mission

• 7 Activatable Officer Skills: headquarters moves to chosen location, performs action over some hours. Create a new save to start with Officers with active skills

• NEW smoother territory system and visuals

• Photo archive in main menu

• Fixed Saves

• Revamped Market Garden: player can slot their own airborne units, has control of paratroopers

• Added friendly/enemy officer losses to score screen

• Casualty lists in stats screen

• 'Officers Lost' graph in stats screen

• Revamped Operation Varsity: player can slot their own airborne units

• Operation Cobra: moved one initial player unit to arrive as reinforcements when the corridor opens

• WIP Codex

• Daily reports officer losses

• Hid enemy officers behind intel threshold

• Fixed officer status report button being visible on enemy groups

• Taking minefield casualties decreases minefield strength

• Fixed initial deployments occasionally not manning frontlines correctly

• Improved tooltip line wrapping

At this point we have added every scenario we currently plan for the main campaign. Now we would really like to hear from testers what you guys and gals DONT like about the game. If you think a scenario plays poorly, a mechanic is badly explained, the orders system doesn't work like you'd expect etc. we want to hear about it!

Suggestions, thoughts, comments, and critiques are all welcome on the Slitherine Battleplan Beta forums or if you are a part of the beta tester group on the Discord server.