We are currently releasing only custom battle versions of the mod - a campaign is underway but due to the large amount of work involved we prefer to release smaller updates along the way - in true TGW fashion. The first campaign and post-0.5 battle mods will be related to the North African theatre of WW2, and feature only the factions and units related to that portion of the war. To see more information about the campaign please refer to the post below this one.
(-) North African / Near Eastern Focus: True to the setting of 1.0 and the battle mods working up to it, the factions will include a mix of military and colonial factions, with our final aim of including: British 8th Army, German Afrikakorps, Italian 10th Army, British Mandate of Palestine, French Mandate of Syria with starting regions in the campaign, and Egypt, the United States, Italian East Africa, and the Independent States of Syria and Palestine available in custom battles. These will all have historical unit rosters and uniforms, with accurate equipment depending on how many models we have completed at each release. Furthermore, the campaign ui, music, and other thematic components will keep the general theme in mind.
(-) Platoon/Squad Tactics: The largest universally-available unit, the rifle platoon, will be only 36 men. Most special units will be squad sized (8-12 men) or even smaller. This of course is a big change from the massive armies of TGW, and while battles will not be as large, there are much greater possibilities to utilise cover and formation, as well as much greater tactical flexibility. In the campaign (or battle if chosen) there will be significantly more units, leading to armies of many stacks in size, and battles more like skirmishes in a greater immediate confrontation.
(-) Fog of War: The fog of war concept originally conceived by the Lordz Mod Team, will also be utilized, possibly to a greater extent. Artillery can often fire without being noticed beyond the trail of their projectile's flight. Infantry and cavalry are able to hide in nearly all environments, and able to fire without notice in many. Scouting becomes important - some units such as snipers or cavalry are especially adept - but without it armies are able to sneak into favorable positions without the enemy becoming aware - until it is too late.
(-) Unit Roles:
- Infantry will be the main component of your army. Small enough to avoid artillery, longer ranges, and better rifles will make these units, while smaller, much more deadly. Cover and spread are essential elements of success. Special units such as snipers or assault infantry will fill very specific roles, but will be equally vulnerable to attack. However, most infantry units fit a large variety of roles, experimentation is key.
- Cavalry, if outdated in ww1, was certainly outdated in ww2. These units should never be used in a direct confrontation with infantry, as they will be destroyed. The primary use is in scouting - with a much greater line of sight than grounded units and fast coverage of ground, they are ideally suited for such tasks. However, you can still effectively use cavalry to attack isolated infantry or artillery from the flanks, or in a dragoon role.
- Artillery, while no longer the dominating field force as in TGW, is still very powerful. No longer can you simply let them shoot wherever: fewer pieces, smaller units, and higher accuracy, will mean more focused targeting. Machine guns however, remain strong as ever, and new artillery types, such as autocannons, will have to be considered. Freely moving signallers may scout the area and signal either groups of far-ranged howitzers or even low-flying aircraft to bombard the battlefield and wreak havoc on opponents - for a price.
- Tanks and a greater focus on armoured warfare, will feature as the models become available to us, at this point likely to be at the release of TGW 5.0. Clearly, this will form a pivotal change to the mod and the tactics employed. Until then, some anti-tank infantry is available, armed with bazookas, panzerfausts, or whatever is the appropriate weapon for each nation.
|