It is Oleksandr from Starni Games with the new Dev log entry. Some of you have been asking about the list of available units in the game - and today we will discuss the topic that is exciting for many - tanks in Headquarters: World War II. I will present to you all models we plan to have at launch and we will discuss what are the strengths and weaknesses of each playable country. If you would like to know more - please follow the link below to access the full Dev log article.
What tanks are available?
Headquarters: World War II will be focusing on the Normandy landings, so the list of available units is limited to what was operated during that time. Some units appear closer to the end of single-player campaigns, or even available only in multiplayer as they arrived a bit late for the historical operations featured in the game.
So, here is the list of available tank units and their preview:
Light tanks:
M3 Stuart (US, UK)
Medium tanks:
Cromwell (UK)
Sherman M4A1 (US, UK)
Sherman Rhino (US, UK)
Sherman M4A1 76(W) (US)
Sherman Firefly (UK)
Sherman M4A1 Flamethrower (US)
Panzer IIIE (GER)*
Panzer IIIN (GER)*
Panzer IVH (GER)
Panzer III Fl (Flamethrower) (GER)
*way outdated by 1944, various Panzer III models still fought in Normandy historically, although in small numbers. It may seem a bit far-fetched historically, but it would also be not fully accurate if the German troops were to field only Tigers and Panthers, so we had to include some older tank models as well.
Heavy tanks:
Churchill Mk VII (UK)
Churchill Crocodile (Flamethrower) (UK)
Sherman M4A3E2(76)W (Jumbo) (US)
Panther (GER)
Tiger (GER)
Tiger II (Koenigstiger) (GER)
What is the right camo for the tank? It is your choice.
We have heard a lot of questions about the authenticity of the camo of the German units. In many screenshots, you could see the German units in grey camo which had been used in 1939-1943 but was outdated by the time of the Normandy landings. We use it as a default camo, but there is a powerful customization tool in the game that allows you to customize every unit’s camo and special signs as you think would be most appropriate.
We know that camo is an important part of WW2 history. However, it changed depending on the time and war theater. That is why we have one default camo that makes it easy to differentiate between countries - olive color for the US, sand color for the UK, and grey color for Germany. The camo that is right for each operation can be easily set by every player to make sure it is correct and give the right feel about what is happening on screen.
Our goal was to create a flexible tool that allows the creation of various scenarios and set-ups including battles in different periods of WWII and on different fronts, allowing you to use the correct camo for every situation and not just keep it Normandy-specific.
I will share more information about the customization of units in one of the future Dev log entries.
What are the key differences between countries in terms of tanks?
If we speak about the summer of 1944, German troops had the strongest armor if we compare individual vehicles. That is reflected in the game and German troops may seem imbalanced at first glance. However, the difference is not too steep and the right tactics are much more important than certain vehicles being better. German troops are also more expensive in multiplayer, so losing them is much more impactful. You could use less armored, but mobile AT vehicles to outmaneuver German armor and destroy powerful but less numerous enemies.
The British troops can fight tank battles quite effectively, thanks to the Sherman Firefly tanks, which have guns comparable with the best German tanks, but much weaker armor. Still, if combined with the right tactics they can be quite fearsome on the battlefield. Other fascinating vehicles are Churchill tanks - which have very strong armor but might lack the firepower to punch through the best enemy tanks. Still, they may be very hard for the enemy to take down.
The US troops struggle to win tank battles face-to-face with the best German tanks (Sherman M4A1 vs Tiger), so they have to be smart about it. US troops have good mobile AT capabilities (which we will touch on in the next Dev log in more detail) allowing them to flank and destroy the German armor with powerful guns that have little protection but are cheaper than the German tanks they could destroy. Another way to do it would be to use more advanced Sherman modifications, such as Sherman Jumbo with a 76 mm gun, which arrived too late for the campaign but can be used in multiplayer games. It combines powerful armor with quite a decent gun.
Right now we are happy with how tank combat works, but to truly understand how the game balance works you will have to take all types of units into consideration, especially Infantry which could be very lethal to vehicles in ambushes and close-quarters combat.
I know you would probably want to know much more about the game - so ask me any questions you have and I will do my best to answer these questions on forums, or in the next Dev logs.
Next time I will tell you more about one of the ways to deal with the enemy armor, namely AT guns and Recon vehicles, so please, stay tuned.
See you next time!