The Great War: Western Front - Update Notes 2.0.0

New Content

Mod Support

• Added Steam Workshop support and Mod manager.
  • Support for custom player-created LUA/AI, XML, TEXTURES, MODELS, and AUDIO as well as model converter.
  • Custom Mod Campaign Example Added

Units

• Added new French Infantry: Army of Africa and Colonial Troops Corps (Start a new Campaign to access to these).
• Added new German Infantry: Royal Bavarian Infantry Corps (Start a new Campaign to access to these).
• Added new French Heavy Tank: The Saint-Chamond.
• Added new German Light Tanks: The Leichter Kampfwagen II (LK II).

Other

• Added new Air Mission: Recon.
• Added new Campaign Objective Events.
• Added Custom Campaign settings options.

Fixes and Improvements

Performance

• Fixed an issue where client would use too much CPU when minimized.
• Optimisation of dead bodies to help further improve performance.
• Optimised performance in Multiplayer.
• Fixed an issue where snow maps were too bright when on low graphics settings.
• Fixed multiple crashes.
• Fixed multiple soft locks.

Other

• Made performance improvements to Multiplayer.
• Fixed errors in Tutorial text.
• Added Target FPS option (reset to default settings to enable)
• Fixed an issue with volume slider skipping some values (reset to default settings to enable).
• Historic missions now default to trainee difficulty to match default campaign difficulty.
• Enabled Encyclopaedia button on main menu.
• Updated the Campaign select menu.
• Various UI adjustments.
• Added a button to the Encyclopaedia that allows players to see a full list of all IWM images and videos used in game.
• Fixed an issue where the Encyclopaedia could not be navigated using the arrow keys.
• Fixed an issue where the Campaign Victory screen would not show the correct campaign progress.

Theatre Commander – Grand Strategy

• Fixed an exploit where large numbers of regions could be surrounded by utilising the edge of the playable map, by adding Supply Chain Regions
• The "Bankrupt!" event for hitting zero or negative gold reserves now has a -25 national will penalty (previously -10). Bankruptcy is also now a recurring event each turn.
• Gold reserves are no longer clamped to available reserves when using Autoresolve, so Autoresolve can now reduce Gold Reserves into negative values.
• Updated tech tree to reflect new content.
• Fixed an issue where Care Package level 3 could not be used in some instances.
• Updated corps UI to better distinguish different types of infantry corps.

Field Commander – Individual RTS Battles

• Various battle maps were graphically updated.
• Added anti-tank sniper status effect icons.
• Added map-wide ambient combat audio.
• Fixed various instances of incorrect textures showing up throughout the maps.
• Fixed an issue where rainy season speed reduction not being applied.
• Updated battlefield setup text in skirmish: changed Time Period to Destruction Level to better reflect that setting’s impact on battlefield.
• Fixed an issue where minimaps would not match the layout of the battlefield.
• Fixed an issue with enemies spawning during the Historic Battle of the Somme.
• Fixed an issue where the Siege Artillery moral penalty would apply to the wrong units if the HQ trench was captured.
• Fixed an issue where the firing arch would not display.

Infantry

• Fix an issue where infantry was getting pushed to the edge of a newly detonated undermine.
• Fixed an issue where Army Intel missions would not reveal attacking units on the battlefield deployment pane.
• Infantry will only use the anti-infantry sniper effect outside of standard rifle range.
• Added the Anti-Tank Rifles to the Sniper tech as an ability for Elite Infantry
• Infantry will only use the AT Rifle effect at standard rifle range.
• Pathfinding was improved in short-distance trench formations.
• When attacking a trench, Raider and Flamethrower units will now stop and use their main weapon briefly before jumping in and entering melee.
• Fixed an issue where infantry would stay prone while moving around.
• Fixed an issue where infantry bypassing a full firing trench would not re-enter the trench network at the earliest opportunity.
• Improved infantry movement through trench networks.
• Fixed an issue where infantry could become locked outside of the map.
• Infantry now slows when running through water such as rivers.

Tanks & Aircraft

• Airwings no longer influence mixed nationality calculation.
• Fixed an issue where flags would not show on regions with only airwings present.
• Fixed an issue where refuelling planes would not be correctly returned to the available pool for Air Missions.
• Fixed an issue where tank cannons could get stuck targeting something that cannot be fired at.
• Fixed an issue where tanks would struggle to move through crowds of infantry.<
• Tanks will now delay 0.5 seconds before firing their first shot when getting a bead on their target.
• Increased time between heal ticks to 4 seconds (previously 3)
• Increased the out-of-combat delay (the time the tank must be out of combat before regen begins) to 10 seconds (previously 5).
• Tank regeneration speed is now based on their specific maximum health such that all tanks will take about 4 minutes to regenerate from near death (assuming no interruptions).

Structure & Artillery

• Fixed an issue where undermining could not be selected if the player had reached the population cap.
• Fixed an issue where vision would linger on destroyed artillery objects.
• Fixed an issue where movement arrows would linger on destroyed tanks.
• Improved late war pre-placed trench networks.
• Fixed an issue with destroyed structures reappearing on the mini map when covered by FOW.
• Reduced the cost of Barbed Wire to 7 Supply.
• Barbed Wire and Razor Wire are now fully immune to bullet-based damage (rifles and machine guns). Tank machine guns, infantry rifles and MG emplacements can no longer target wire.

AI Balancing Improvements

Theatre Commander AI (Strategic Mode)

• AI construction of Supply Depots improved. If funding is available, 2 to 6 are now built every turn depending on difficulty.
• Improved selection of opportunistic offensives.
• Priority planned assaults (e.g., salient heads or lines) now allow reducing non-priority and non-planned regions to 1 corps minimum defenders to bolster the planned priority assault.
• Increased the evaluation weight of a region's distance to its capital to further reinforce focus on salient bulges which are closer to the capital, when two or more bulges occur simultaneously.
• Normally salient heads will not push further and overextend into empty regions, but now if they are near a map edge the AI will ignore this rule and try to take the opportunity to surround.
• Priority assaults may cancel all opportunity assaults to avoid over-expenditure during priority defence situations, except for capture of empty regions.
• Further tuning of defensive company distribution based on distance and priority assaults.
• Ensured the sniper upgrade is available at appropriate time period for campaigns.

Field Commander AI (Battle Mode)

• Incorporated scripting system enhancements.
• Ensured more rear defence of flank Control Points with a couple companies each.
• Adjusted minimum company check for rush code.
• Further loosened minimal enemy defence evaluations.
• Companies in the woods will not retreat from tanks or Verdun turrets as they are hidden and should not move.
• Companies in defensive mode will no longer exit woods.
• Companies will use marked forests as potential cover locations in addition to trenches.
• Reduced the usage of airburst in compared to other options.
• Cleared previous movement destination record if an attack order is given, to prevent possible movement orders if the company stops moving.
• Added basic trenches in late game regions which are not on the front line.
• Further adjusted AI use of forestry.
• Fixed defensive adjustments for Allies when in defensive mode.
• On offense, scouting parties are now sent to multiple Control Points immediately. Initial attacks are slightly delayed to compensate.
• Fixed an issue with suppression artillery adjustment to cover multiple targets.
• Siege artillery was set as a fallback type for tank assaults, if heavy is available.
• Reduced the frequency of comms trench construction.
• Adjusted the scale of withdrawal percentages down slightly, based on difficulty.
• Fixed minor issues with artillery targeting, deviation, and friendly fire checks.
• Added scouting aircraft to initial tactical engagement. Ensured aircraft have a default target of the enemy HQ if there is no viable target provided.
• Fixed an issue so that tanks specifically follow infantry, not just other members of the same attack force.
• Assault force general size is now increased when companies are available. Consequential reduction in defence to a standard 5 companies, when attacking.
• Rallying companies will now depart immediately if over half the original attacking force is within engagement distance of the target control point.
• Tactical AI now considers artillery visibility of targets when evaluating which control point to attack.
• Removed companies in melee combat from artillery target spotting.

We trust that the long list of game changes above will greatly improve your experience in The Great War: Western Front™. Let us know what you think of the update and be sure to share your creations with us by tagging @PlayTheGreatWar and using the hashtag #TGW.

The Great War: Western Front Team