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Greetings, Commanders!
With Update 1.609, we continue expanding the battlefield experience in Armored Brigade II with new content and gameplay features. This update will introduce our fifth scripted campaign, “Comrades in Arms,” consisting of eight highly diverse missions told from the perspective of the Warsaw Pact underdogs: East Germany and Poland.
The new campaign is largely based on German (both West and East) and Polish planning documents from the era. It also makes extensive use of the newly added scripted artillery missions, allowing fire support to play a more structured role in mission design. These missions enable us to create a more carefully crafted battlefield, where artillery support is integrated into the larger battleplan rather than simply being an available asset.
A key addition in this build is a set of new AI stances, this time focused on Scout and Contact orders. These behaviors further diversify how units react to battlefield situations, and how formations maintain momentum under fire.
Under Aggressive + Contact, only the element that identifies the threat will halt, while the rest of the formation continues operating. When defensive units come under contact, they will attempt to break enemy observation by reversing out of sight, similar to Scout behavior. Aggressive + Scout emphasizes reconnaissance in-force, avoiding smoke deployment and reversing movements.
As we approach the completion of the AI stances system, we will also release a separate detailed guide explaining how each interaction works, along with a dedicated tutorial mission.
Build 1.609 also introduces the amphibious parameter for vehicles. However, hold your horses: this does not mean that such a vehicle can freely cross water whenever it wants. Instead, the amphibious trait is intended to better represent the differences in swimming capabilities between individual vehicle types. Some platforms are designed for water crossings and will perform significantly better, while others remain vulnerable and may suffer greater losses when attempting the same crossing.
Crossing a river is not as simple as driving a vehicle into the water. Depth, width, bank conditions, and current velocity all influence whether a unit can successfully cross by fording or swimming, even when using amphibious vehicles (and many of them are, in the best case, only theoretically amphibious).
In real-world doctrine, reconnaissance of the near shore and suitable crossing sites is required before attempting a river crossing. This task is usually handled by engineer reconnaissance teams, often operating at echelons as high as the division, which identify crossing points early and help position the resources needed for a successful operation. Such suitable crossing locations are surprisingly rare when compared to the total length of waterways.
Because organic crossing assets are limited, additional support from higher echelons is required in the vast majority of cases. However, this support is only available if higher headquarters has planned ahead, positioned the necessary assets, and coordinated them with the maneuvering force. River crossings are operations that must be prepared well before the first vehicle enters the water.
This is a complex process, both doctrinally and from a gameplay perspective. Currently, designated fording areas represent this preparation, assuming that the necessary planning and reconnaissance have already taken place.
For now, vehicles with stronger amphibious capabilities will cross deep water more effectively, with reduced mobility losses compared to less suitable vehicles. This adds another tactical consideration when planning missions and maneuvers across waterways.
With the “Comrades in Arms” campaign, new AI stances, and more detailed amphibious mechanics, update 1.609 continues our goal of making Armored Brigade II a deeper and richer tactical experience. We look forward to seeing how you put these new tools to use on the battlefield!
