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Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:03 pm
by AlbertoC
Hi all and welcome to another Developer Diary for the upcoming DLC of Order of Battle, Burma Road!

Today we’ll talk and show some of the new units and specializations coming with the expansion.


Special Services

The SAS (Special Air Service) and SBS (Special Boat Service) commandos are designed for sneak attacks and sabotage operations behind enemy lines. The SAS can be transported by armed Chevrolet trucks, only detectable by adjacent enemy ground units. They can also be airdropped and can move easily through all terrain types. The SBS commandos on the other hand can travel through shallow water by canoes, disembark without penalties and cross rivers unobstructed.

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Gurkhas and Chindits

Like the commandos above, the Chindits are established for sabotage and harassment. Unlike commandos they require access to supply sources to remain efficient, but this is compensated by their higher combat strength against enemy infantry and armoured units.

Gurkha units on the other hand are regular infantry units composed from Nepalese soldiers. They are known as some of the most skilled - and most feared - warriors in the world however, and thus provide a unique elite infantry type to the British army.

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Hobart's Funnies

The vehicles designed by Major General Percy Hobart are designed for very specific tasks: The Churchill Crocodile tank mounts a flamethrower for rooting out enemy infantry units, the Churchill AVRE mortar launcher excels at destroying enemy entrenchments and the Sherman Crab carries a device to clear landmines ahead of its path. Finally, this specialization allows normal Churchill tanks to create pontoon bridges, for easier movement across rivers.

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Artillery

The Commonwealth forces will have a wide range of artillery guns at their disposal. In general, bigger - and longer - barrels means higher range and firepower, but each weapon has its own advantages and disadvantages:
The light, short-barreled 4.5 inch howitzer for example can be moved through mountains and difficult terrain, but has a short range and limited firepower.
Heavy guns such as the 7.2 inch Mark 6 excel at destroying enemy fortifications and providing counter battery fire, but their heavy weight causes efficiency loss when pulled through the dense jungles of Burma.
Motorized guns on the other hand have a clear advantage in mobility and can keep up with fast moving armoured vehicles, but their cost in command points and resources limits their widespread use.

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Lend Lease Act

A diplomatic agreement with the United States allows the British and Commonwealth forces to acquire American tanks such as the Stuart light tank and the Sherman medium tank series. Later in the war the British can also deploy Sherman Firefly tanks, which combine the reliable US vehicle with a powerful 17 pounder anti-tank gun.

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Mine Sweeping

Besides the Sherman Crab mentioned earlier in this preview, the British have access to the Metal Detector specialization. This device allow engineers to move around freely on the battlefield and reveal hidden landmines without taking any damage. In addition, the mines can then be cleared quickly within the same turn.

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Military Police

During the unique Quit India scenario in the new campaign, players will have access to unique Military Police units to quell the Indian uprise. These don't pack a lot of firepower, but their shock value is useful in dispersing protesters and rioters. After all, the objective in this mission is to avoid unnecessary casualties among civilians!

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Bomber Stream

The British are specialized in heavy strategic bombers and this is further reflected in the "Bomber Stream" specialization. This gives unique defensive bonuses to their bombers when adjacent to other strategic bombers, both against enemy fighter attacks and flak fire from naval and land-based AA guns.

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Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:12 pm
by bru888
I had no idea what Hobart's Funnies were until I came to this game. If pressed, I would have guessed a comic strip. Talk about ignorant! :roll:

Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:23 pm
by Shards
All the bombers!!!

Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 1:53 pm
by calmhatchery
what can I say? CAN't wait!!! :) great work

Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 9:42 am
by bruce077
"The SAS can be transported by armed Chevrolet trucks, only detectable by adjacent enemy ground units. They can also be airdropped and can move easily through all terrain types." So, they airdrop with the trucks?

Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Thu Jul 27, 2017 11:11 pm
by bru888
bruce077 wrote:"The SAS can be transported by armed Chevrolet trucks, only detectable by adjacent enemy ground units. They can also be airdropped and can move easily through all terrain types." So, they airdrop with the trucks?
We are going to have to wait and see. I think these new units are still under development and that what you see above are test runs. The reason I say this is because I was on the beta team and I don't remember seeing these units in any of the scenarios being tested. I just checked again and they are not even available for purchase in any of the scenarios. They do appear in the scenario editor, sort of, but they don't appear to be operational. As a matter of fact, they don't appear, period. You can see them in the editor but not on the map when the scenario is started. So, it's a work in progress, I believe; one that may be operational on some developer's computer but which has not even made it into beta yet.

EDIT: Heh, this will demonstrate just how much of a work in progress these units are right now, at least in beta. Giant boat people! :)
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Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:27 am
by Kerensky
bru888 wrote:
bruce077 wrote:"The SAS can be transported by armed Chevrolet trucks, only detectable by adjacent enemy ground units. They can also be airdropped and can move easily through all terrain types." So, they airdrop with the trucks?
We are going to have to wait and see. I think these new units are still under development and that what you see above are test runs. The reason I say this is because I was on the beta team and I don't remember seeing these units in any of the scenarios being tested. I just checked again and they are not even available for purchase in any of the scenarios. They do appear in the scenario editor, sort of, but they don't appear to be operational. As a matter of fact, they don't appear, period. You can see them in the editor but not on the map when the scenario is started. So, it's a work in progress, I believe; one that may be operational on some developer's computer but which has not even made it into beta yet.

EDIT: Heh, this will demonstrate just how much of a work in progress these units are right now, at least in beta. Giant boat people! :)
I look forward to the potential of the new units, and we'll see how well they fit into the structures of the existing DLC such that it currently is. Testing isn't over yet though, and a final review of units and unit stats is probably one of the last major items to cover in the next pre-release build. :!:

Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:17 am
by s112233
When is Burma Road due out?

Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:06 pm
by bru888
s112233 wrote:When is Burma Road due out?
It should be soon. The developers just posted a new build in beta which they described as "Aside from bugs or balance tweaks, this build should be more or less feature complete." I take that as code for "It's almost done, guys. Take one last look at it."

Re: Order of Battle: Burma Road - The new units!

Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 5:47 pm
by best75
The developers are doing a great job building the hype for the Bruma DLC with these developer diaries.