Steel Division 1944 (by wargame red dragon devs) in game trailer and unit stream

[Jarhead0331]

There are two more divisions being released on May 17th.

And more maps? I hope so!

Two more maps on 5/17, as well.

[Jarhead0331]

There are two more divisions being released on May 17th.

And more maps? I hope so!

Seems a bit odd considering the game is out in full on May 23rd. Seems a bit of a small window to get feedback.

[Destraex]

I must agree the detail in the French Division is great. Wish they did the same for the panzergrenadiers in the brown jumpsuits.

[sandman2575]

I think it's very cool that Eugen decided to include the Free French, Polish, and Canadian forces (...yes I know it's a French company). But it would've been easy to make a standard-fare D-Day game where the emphasis was exclusively on the US vs. Germans, with the British playing a 'supporting' role.  Being sticklers for accuracy, I guess it's not too surprising Eugen went in this direction -- so maybe I'm just saying I'm glad Eugen is the co. making this game.  O0

[Destraex]

I am also hoping that they will go Africa and Italy for expansions rather than the predictable Russia.

[Jarhead0331]

I am also hoping that they will go Africa and Italy for expansions rather than the predictable Russia.

Pacific!

[HoodedHorseJoe]

I never said you were lying Jar ;) I just think it's an odd thing. I don't check the main site that often so I didn't see the page you posted.

Just took the new divisions out for a spin. Went ok, neither stood out at me but my ability isn't high so I'm probably not making full use of what I have. Wanted to give that smoke plane a go but didn't get a chance.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I bought that damned smoke plane assuming it was a regular bomber.  Imagine my disappointment when I had a line on 3 IG88 guns all in a row and nailed them with smoke canisters.


I think the big advantage the French division has is that it gets a huge amount of points in the recon phase so in the territory grabbing mode (conquest?), they can clean up.  Having some tanks and half-tracks with decent firepower and survivability doesn't hurt either.

[HoodedHorseJoe]

I don't know about you guys, but I love reading the blog posts they're doing on Divisions in the game. I really like the historical snapshot, and then how that translates in the actual game...

... what I don't like though, is that none of that personality or specialism really comes through in the actual game itself via the Division builder. Take their one on the 352. ID - I can gather from that blog post that they're a decent Infantry-focused Division that'll be good on defence and Phase-A territory control, but I don't think any of that would have come through in the builder itself.

Maybe I've been playing too many games recently where optimisation/build choice matters (I also really like card games and deck-builders, so I'm getting some kind of weird cross-wires here), but in the builder itself I'm having a hard time really evaluating what my choices are. This pick vs. that pick. The blog article mentions the 352 have better recon units than other Divisions, but would I have been able to tell that in the builder?

I can really get behind the idea of each Division being good at a specific thing, but I'm having trouble picking up that information in-game and while I love the blog posts, in principle I shouldn't have to consult external information to find this out.

Sorry, don't mean for this to be a rant. Still really enjoying this game but I find choices stressful and you have so many here :D

[JasonPratt]

Agreed, the in-game needs more information. Then again, we don't even have a proper manual yet, do we...?  ???

Which suggests that Division information will be in the manual.

[Sir Slash]

What is this 'manual' you speak of? You mean some games actually come with a physical book-form of how it is played? Shirley, you jest.  ???

[HoodedHorseJoe]

Don't call me Shirley.

[JasonPratt]

For those who don't know yet, here's the full division list to be available on release out of beta. #/#/# refers to income per minute in Phases A/B/C. Slot numbers are not shown (i.e. how many slots available for infantry, how many for scouts, etc.) Descriptions are paraphrased from the teeeeennnnyyyy popups on their Battlegroup entries.

ALLIES
--------

3rd Armored "Spearhead" -- 65/105/150 -- medium tanks available from Phase A, and no infantry without armored halftracks. Swarms of medium and heavy tanks in Phases B and C.

101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" (to be released) -- 100/105/120 -- elite infantry many of whom (as "airborne") don't give a poot about being stuck behind a front. Very light on anything other than infantry support (which does include airmobile cannons), until a few TDs arrive from the beach. Tons of air support though, and offmap guns. Steady, high early incomes to offset the elite costs. (The paras in this game do not seem to arrive by airdrop?)

2nd Infantry "Indianhead" -- 75/120/135 -- grunts with a few rangers to start, veteran riflemen are the backbone, weak on tanks, but decent pak arty to push around. Also, Xylophone rocket launchers?

2e Blindee "2e DB" -- 105/110/115 -- elite French recon division, with American Wolverines, light tanks, armored cars.

Guards Household "The Household Division" (tbr) -- 80/125/130 -- British, good quality tanks and infantry, with Cromwells to start and Fireflies in Phase B. Takes a while to get going, though, with expensive units and slow income early.

6th Airborne "Red Devils" (tbr) -- 70/125/135 -- elite British infantry with paras able to operate in enemy lines, and a little more armor and arty than the 101st.

15th Infantry "Scottish" -- 85/120/125 -- early cheap veteran British infantry, but weak on support in Phase A. Strongest in Phase B with Churchill tanks and massive arty. Its best anti-tank is towed, and only arrives Phase C.

3rd Canadian Infantry (tbr) -- 70/120/130 -- heavy APC and light flamethrower vehicles in Phase A, stormtrooper infantry, serious anti-tank only arrives in Phase C.

1st Pancerna "Black Division" (tbr) -- 90/115/125 -- fast cav infantry and Phase A tank destroyers with air support. Weak on Phases B and C.


AXIS
-----

Panzer Lehr (tbr) -- 75/95/150 -- veteran troops, weak in early phases, dominating hard in Phase C when the Tigers and TigerIIs arrive.

12th SS Panzer "Hitlerjugend" -- 70/115/135 -- good leaders, young troops, weak in Phase A but 'closer to the front' than the Panzer Lehr so the armored support starts to arrive sooner: Panthers, self-propelled arty, Flaks. They do commandeer one Cromwell and one Firefly in Phase A.

21st Panzer "Rommel's Zirkus" -- 85/120/125 -- close to the beaches, it gets its armor strongly in Phase A, although mostly captured French equipment. A few King Tigers in Phase C.

116th Panzer "Windhund Division" (tbr) -- 90/100/120 -- costly Phase A infantry, but good arty selection, and a very wide tank selection starting in Phase A with older light tanks, moving to Panzer and Jagdpanzer IVs in Phase B and Panthers in Phase C.

17th PanzerGrenadier "Gotz Von Berlichingen" -- 75/125/130 -- mechanized infantry, strong on defense, lots of StuGs, some off-map arty.

3rd Fallschimjager "Grune Teufel" (tbr) -- 85/95/145 -- the "Green Devils" paratroops, tons of elite infantry who don't mind being caught behind lines. Not much infantry support, but lots of air support.

91st Luftlande "Haudegen Division" -- 80/120/130 -- the description talks about captured French tanks, but that seems to be a lie? Or maybe just historical color irrelevant to the game. This is the division I've been playing since beta opened, and I can tell you they use early German tanks up through the Panzer III (only a few as leaders), with StuGs (and a few StuHs) as their armored backbone in Phases B and C. [EDITED TO CORRECT: I thought the Pzr35 and 39 were basically upmodded Pz38 and maybe PzII, but evidently they are the repurposed French tanks. Hotchkiss 35 and 39.] They get a very interesting mix of everything except good tanks (and destroyers beyond the StuG), actually: trash infantry, elite and veteran infantry, paratroops, very decent air support, good arty (including off-map options up to rail guns), lots of good leaders, lots of infantry support, anti-air swarms. Their main weakness aside from cruddy tank options, is their lack of focus. Oh, and their transport vehicles suck.

352 Infantry "Pegasus Division" (tbr) -- 90/100/130 -- strong veteran infantry defenders (almost foiled Omaha Beach), lots of cheap vet infantry early, strong arty and anti-tank later.

716th Infantry "Eichenlaub Division" (tbr) -- 100/110/120 -- a steady economy that starts strong early to build up infantry defense, lots of machine guns, arty assets, early 88 dual-purpose, infantry support tanks arrive later.

[Father Ted]

Don't call me Shirley.

Fun fact: at my local pub quiz the other night one of the questions was  "In Airplane, what was the line to which Leslie Nielsen responded, 'Don't call me Shirley'?".

[Toonces]

Surely you must be joking!

I think.