Developers message

01.07.2015

Hello, everybody! 


As we continue to work on Blitzkrieg 3, we want its development to involve close cooperation with our players. So we've decided to accommodate our biggest update ever with this address. 


Since the game entered Early Access, every update has included changes based on your feedback. Many of the changes concern game balance – we’ve revised unit stats, fixed some of the maps, and significantly changed the game's economy. However, one feature we would like to introduce is a really big feature: a new game mode, called “Active Base Defence”. This is the PvP mode that you've all wanted! 


Originally, when we started developing this sequel in the Blitzkrieg franchise, we set out to establish the difficult task of reviving the RTS genre so we needed a new and interesting idea in order to do that. We decided that online battles with atypical tactics could be that idea! Usually, PvP matches are simulated duels between opponents on equal footing, and on more-or-less symmetrical maps. But in a real war, one opponent is always attacking, while the other is forced to defend. Counter-Strike showed that this asymmetry could make for an interesting FPS gameplay. And so we decided that our RTS-online battles in Blitzkrieg 3 would represent a simulated front line, where one side attacks and the other defends. 


As you know by now, if anything prevents you from commanding your defensive forces in Blitzkrieg 3, your defence is handled by the AI. This was the jumping-off point for us when we started developing our multiplayer – This asynchronous mode is quite difficult to balance in a serious tactical game, as no one has ever done that yet. So originally, our plan was to polish and balance that “asynchronous PvP” multiplayer to the maximum, before moving on to implementing our concept of 'Active Defence', which would be something we understood how to do much better. 


But after going through your feedback, we decided to implement the Active Defence multiplayer mode much earlier, even if that meant changing some things and postponing others. Starting with this update, the matchmaking system searches not only a player matching your level, but most importantly, one who is currently in-game. And from now on, you can personally lead both the attacking and the defending forces, to get the full experience of our idea of the new approach to online battles. We hope you like it! 


One more change that you will notice in this update is a more realistic atmosphere in your military bases. We left the basic unit development system unchanged, but we tried to make it more consistent with the spirit of the period, and with how the interaction and management of military resources actually occurred at the local level. 


As the commander of military units on the front line, you receive orders from Command to capture key points; resources for victories in battles are given as rewards from Command as well, and not as loot from the enemy, Vehicles and infantry are no longer “purchased”, but ordered up from the rear, and when the timer reaches zero, the defender receives reinforcements that rout the attacker's army completely. 


You'll see some other changes in this update too, and as usual, you can check out the whole list here. Well, we won't keep you any longer. We're keen to try out the Active Defense too, not only internally but also on a live battle server with you. See you on the battlefield!