It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the third Dev log entry. Today, I will tell you more about the highly realistic environment in Headquarters: World War II and how you can interact with it to change the battlefield as the combat progresses, by destroying buildings, walls, and other objects.
The visual appeal
One of the key aspects of Headquarters: World War II is that despite a very serious topic - World War II, it has visually appealing peaceful towns (until you start demolishing them that is), making a stark contrast between this peaceful beauty and the war raging around and threatening to start wreaking havoc any moment.
The finer details
We put a lot of work into creating a very detailed environment - we have misc items on the tables in the yard and even mushrooms in the forest you could zoom in and look for.
Buildings destruction
The vast majority of buildings in the game can be destroyed, changing the way they affect the combat. Each building has 3 states: regular, damaged, and destroyed.
Each has its own set of bonuses it provides to the unit occupying it, which diminish as destruction progresses. So, if a building that served as the advanced position for your troops has collapsed - a sensible option would be to move to a better position.
Obstacles destruction
Apart from buildings, there are other things you can interact with - various walls and other things that could block your path. Landing a couple of shots near them could destroy the object. Another approach would be to drive your heavy tanks right through the pesky roadblock. They also provide combat bonuses, and your ability to destroy them depends on the type of unit - jeeps cannot punch through stone walls, but tanks could.
Dynamic battlefield
Being able to destroy objects on the battlefield adds an extra tactical layer to combat. Being able to react quickly to these changes, or creating new opportunities yourself - is one of the key elements of the game.
Coming up next
In the next Dev log, I will focus more on the different terrain types and explain the elevated terrain mechanics. I will tell you more about:
- Different terrain types
- Elevated terrain mechanics
- Terrain’s interaction with the Line of Fire
