Matrix Games

EXTRA DETAILS ON THE NEW AXIS OPERATIONS DLC 1939

With July's launch of the Spanish Civil War DLC, our players have received half of their Field Marshal package DLC. And now your battles will continue and Field Marshal editions will be complete as we reveal some details and insights on the next chapter of the Axis Operations Grand Campaign. 

As a foreword: the full scenario list will be coming soon with the launch of 1939's DLC store page, so be on the lookout for that!

1. WORLD WAR II PROPER

While the Spanish Civil War was a great opportunity to explore a new setting and new mechanics for Panzer Corps II, we definitely want returning to mainline World War II to have a much more classic feeling.

Well not too classic, because we've been very happy to see the overwhelming majority of our players celebrate the return of Degrees of Victory through bonus objectives. You will definitely expect to see more mission variety once again, and more new and exciting rewards to purchase with your hard-earned Commendation Points.

In fact the bonus objective of the very first mission of Axis Operations 1939 is... to not destroy a single enemy unit. We said that the Czechoslovakia mission had some special mechanics, and we meant it!

You will have to carefully navigate the (relatively) peaceful annexation of Czechoslovakia with a carefully measured hand instead of barging in and destroying everything in sight (that comes later, don't worry). For those with the knowledge and abilities to carefully control enemy positioning through suppression and retreat, another unique reward awaits. But just to make sure our first mission isn't stonewalling our players right out of the gate, preservation of hostile forces is of course only a bonus objective.

2. THE PATH TO WAR

After your stint in Czechoslovakia, expect a very healthy sized campaign that will take you from missions on the French/German border conflict of Operation Saar, to the classic battles of the Polish invasion, and beyond as may you find yourself already running afoul of Soviet forces advancing from the other direction...

Opportunities abound to acquire new equipment to outfit your personalized force with, so always be on the lookout for various secrets and other non-standard ways of procuring new weaponry!

But as your personal Panzer Corps continues to grow and expand, new enemies and challenges will also continue to evolve and change as well, so don't get too complacent!

3. THE WAR IS JUST BEGINNING

As with the Spanish Civil War, the end of the 1939 campaign will ideally not be the end of your campaign journey.  At the end of Axis Operations 1939, your CORE forces and their haul of captured equipment will once again be saved for future use...

While our historically minded players probably know what historical battles still lie ahead... we think it's a safe guarantee that extra mission variety and exploring relatively unexplored conflicts will continue to make visiting the European theatre of World War II both familiar to those with historical knowledge, and yet still fresh and new as we dive into interesting historical details to shape the battles you will fight through.

4. NO MORE AI PARTNERS... FOR NOW

While we were thrilled to hear so many of our players enjoying the new and innovative features of having an AI counterpart fight alongside you, we want to point out that such a partnership isn't a mainline feature of the Axis Operations. It has no historical place during the 1939 campaigns and battles, and we're not going to try and shoehorn it in where it doesn't belong.

So gone are your AI Ally controlled infantry, once again full access to German infantry forces dominates the battlescape!

Will we see friendly AI forces in the future?  We certainly hope so, when it is historically appropriate. For example, working alongside with Italian or Romanian commands is absolutely on the table. Ideally, we will also refine the system for more control. For example, it would definitely be helpful to order general directives to some friendly units, but not all units at once. So one group might be sent to hold a particular position, while another is sent out hunting for enemy scouts.

We hope you enjoyed this extra reveal and are looking forward to returning to your Panzers for another new campaign full of new battles coming near the end of this month!