Invasion Scenario Mode:
Invasions are an advanced scenario mode, intended for veteran players. Invasions include amphibious landings, paratroop drops, and special logistics rules governing both invader and defender reinforcements. Invasions require careful planning on both land and air because attackers can only initiate landings where they control air space, and defenders can only bring in reinforcements through ports outside of the attacker’s air control. Contesting the skies, controlling airfields, and guarding your lines of reinforcement are just as important as crushing your opponent’s frontline forces.
In this release, invasion scenarios are available on the island maps: Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. We will extend invasion scenarios to Paris, Tobruk, and a new variant of the Somme map shortly.
New Game Mechanics:
- Dynamic Air Zone: Air control dynamically projected from map edges and controlled airfields. You can now visualize the aerial battlefield using the air overlay and see just how much of the map your squadrons really cover. Dynamic air zones are used in all game modes.
- Amphibious Landings: Amphibious assaults in Invasion scenarios. Units conducting amphibious landings enjoy powerful naval fire support and barrage bonuses.
- Commando Landings: Variant of amphibious landings unique to commando units, commandos can land in both friendly and contested airspace, and without requiring a landing marker. Get ready to become paranoid if your opponent is British.
- Paradrops: Paradrops for the attacking player in Invasion scenarios. If you have air control over a hex and you have paratroopers to spare, you can drop on it.
New Maps:
- Sardinia: An idyllic Mediterranean tourist destination, and also incidentally a fantastic battlefield. Sardinia features rugged mountain bastions, light forests, and sweeping open plains. Some sectors of the island present serious challenges to mechanized movement, but almost every hill-top fortress can be bypassed and isolated with proper planning.
- Corsica: A mountainous and densely forested island that boasts many choke-points to entrap reckless adversaries. Corsica favors infantry combat and places even more importance on controlling the air than other maps.
New Orders of Battle and Order of Battle Updates:
New Orders of Battle:- Allied Operation Husky, featuring US 7th Army and UK 8th Army as they stood during Operation Husky in July/August 1943.
- US 5th Army, featuring US 6th Corps and UK 10th Corps, as they stood during Operation Avalanche in September 1943.
- Axis Operation Husky, featuring the Italian 6th Army and elements of Germany 14th Panzer Corps as they stood during Operation Husky in July/August 1943.
- Axis CorSard, featuring all Italian and German forces on Sardinia and Corsica on September 8, 1943, joined by some units held in reserve on the Italian mainland.
Changes to existing Orders of Battle:
- Added paratroopers to every Soviet OB between 1941-1945.
- Added additional fighter squadron(s) to each of the following OBs, to bring them up to a minimum of 6 fighter squadrons: France 1939/1940, Germany 1939-1941, USA 1939-1941, USSR 1940.
- Increased skirmish bonus for all commandos to +35%.
- Increased skirmish bonus for all paratroopers and some glider infantry to +25%.
- Increased skirmish bonus for most glider infantry to +15%.
Note on Mixed-Nation OBs:
We have temporarily homogenized the graphics of the mixed nation OBs; for example, the German units in Italian 6th Army will graphically look Italian for the moment, but their equipment and organizations are unchanged, so it will not affect gameplay. We had to do this as a temporary measure due to complications we’re working out in the hostile unit shading system employed when an enemy unit shares your nation.Alternate Unit Graphic Set:
The new alternate non-NATO unit graphic set can be toggled on and off in the options screen. You will need to restart the game for this option to take effect.
Changed files in this update