Welcome back, commanders. Let’s talk maps! In today’s DevBlog, we’ll put the spotlight on several upcoming upgrades to [b]WARNO’s[/b] current roster of maps, from reinforcement routes to redesigned Command Zones. Note that these updates will affect all of [b]WARNO’s[/b] battlefields. The updates will come as part of our game’s official launch from Early Access. [b][h2]Improved Defensive Zones[/h2][/b] The first thing on the list: we will improve specific defensive areas in our maps. Certain battlefields have an overload of chokepoints, which result in “tactical traffic jams.” The superimposition of these sectors in places such as forests or towns makes it much harder for players to read the actual terrain. That’s a major imbalance: both confusing and creating uneven combat situations. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/f7c16a2a02a680150e46d44ea44c4f7310d9bb8f.gif[/img] That’s why we made an effort to pass the magic wand to deblock or update terrain that was considered too narrow - or in the case of [b]Deathrow[/b] or [b]Mount River[/b] - streamline excessively dense areas. [b][h2]Improved Urban District Layouts[/h2][/b] Another improvement coming to [b]WARNO[/b]’s maps is the upgraded sizes of urban districts. As you can imagine, during our game’s Early Access, successive battlefield updates led to disparities in the size of districts - some being too small, others too large. These variations made selecting units inside neighborhoods too challenging, forcing players to finnick their way through. This is a less-than-intuitive experience. We set out to standardize all urban districts currently present within the game. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/e8ddf40d719a648eaaa15711dde4be17db95015a.gif[/img] [b][h2]Standard Reinforcement Times[/h2][/b] A significant update coming to [b]WARNO[/b] is standardizing reinforcement times across battlefields. It’s not as simple as it sounds. It involved redesigning the reinforcement routes on the edges of the map and repositioning certain Command Zones. Several maps either had too long or too fast reinforcement arrival times. Long delays disrupt the game's rhythm too much (and also increase unit losses). [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/6db0e570dd03bd8f62560ec73e41bcfd6f0b6031.gif[/img] The same approach to more balanced urban districts was used. Standardizing the reinforcement times makes it more predictable when units will arrive. [b][h2]Visual Tweaks[/h2][/b] Updating the maps also allowed us to improve their graphics rendering. Some of the battlefields have a bit of a “dull” haze to them, which we have corrected. In the same vein, we worked on making vegetation and mountain textures visually more pleasing and realistic. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/2dd4e9dadbb59a2b9cbdc944c41b3d8d969ca52c.gif[/img] [b][h2]Command Zones updates[/h2][/b] Lastly, on certain maps, we’ll modify the placement and size of Command Zones. See below for some examples! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/688757e73257a909fc2f346c1f2dee7fd40d4342.gif[/img] [b][h2]A DEFCON 2 Tournament Update[/h2][/b] We are also excited to share news about the latest ongoing community-driven team match-up tournament to grace [b]WARNO[/b]: [b]DEFCON 2[/b] - hosted by the amazing [b]WarYes[/b] website. The finals, as well as the third-place team matches of [b]DEFCON 2[/b], are due to be played this weekend, between the 5th and 7th of April. And be prepared, commander; it’s going to be a clash of titans. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/2a7d0b25cbdbcb7a0c0c2c3b4f074316d33a4ccc.png[/img] [b]Third Place[/b] [i]Tmansuffers[/i] (Tmanplays and Hippie) will square off against [i]The return of the revenge of the vab T20 - reloaded[/i] (Tiberius Rancor and Darricks). [b]Finals[/b] [i]Boss of the Gym[/i] (Menkar 4 and STANAG) go head-to-head against [i]Spartan System[/i] (NATOBOY and NBK). All teams in this last round of [b]DEFCON 2[/b] have placed high enough for a share of the $1169 prize pool. Which team will claim themselves World War III champions of [b]WARNO[/b]? Who will bask in the forever glory of being the first winner of [b]DEFCON 2[/b]? Who will be venerated as the [i]alpha and omega[/i] of [b]WARNO[/b] online play (at least for a little while)? This weekend, we’ll find out. Tune in to [b][url=https://www.twitch.tv/WarYesTV]WarYesTV[/url][/b] to watch the nail-biting action unfold live! Want in? Join the [b][url=https://discord.gg/gqBgvgGj8H]WarYes Discord[/url][/b] if you’re keen to sign up for the next DEFCON tournament. Additional details further below. To the victor goes the spoils! [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QsQJbBs7mO5OSvdxJ9e8Yuv8x5vp-_VspbsJVgUVJO0/edit]Detailed Rules[/url] [url=https://challonge.com/DEFCON2]Challonge Bracket[/url] [url=https://matcherino.com/tournaments/109548/overview]Matcherino[/url] [b][h2]Milestone BERNADOTTE out now![/h2][/b] In case you haven’t seen it, the latest milestone - [b]BERNADOTTE[/b] - is out now. It brings the much-anticipated [b]Army General[/b] online [b]Coop[/b] and [b]Versus[/b] functionality, [i]Command & Control[/i] optional game setting, additional divisional “housecleaning,” plus a big balance patch. Be sure to check out the milestone’s details and [url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/1611600/announcements/detail/4152954628630496603]latest patch notes in the previous DevBlog here[/url]. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/41657262/25f8b29467c47c1dd3006d329c21a0ed0337c5af.jpg[/img] Note that the [b]BERNADOTTE[/b] milestone is the last major update before [b]WARNO’s[/b] official launch out of Early Access! [b][h2]Until next week[/h2][/b] Keep it cool, commanders. As always, don’t hesitate to let us know what you think. Join the [b]WARNO[/b] community. Check the latest news on the [b][url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1611600/allnews/]Steam News[/url][/b] page or visit the [b][url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1611600/discussions/]Steam Forums[/url][/b]. Get together with other players on either the excellent [b][url=https://discord.gg/TEeBArm]Discord server[/url][/b], [b][url=https://www.reddit.com/r/warno/]Reddit page[/url][/b], [b][url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiFqzFcEAzeiu3Msr9G7izw]YouTube[/url][/b] or our [b][url=https://www.instagram.com/eugensystems/]Instagram[/url][/b]. See you on the battlefield, commander! 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