Gameplay
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In order to be successful, tactics must be employed within the squad. Infantry combat will be intense, travel distance is kept to a minimum, but overall pace is relatively “slow”, although this is very subjective.
We are aiming to make the gameplay as tactical as possible but also focus the combat to the intense firefights common during the Battle for Normandy.
To achieve this, we have features like suppression, shock, (relatively) slow player movement, realistic weapon reloading time, believable ballistics and more. Our internal playtests show that the Raid gamemode and level design actually force the players to play slowly, but we also get into a fight more quickly.
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We are aiming for our Raid gamemode to support around 20 players in a match. Each squad currently consists of 6 players, but as we are still heavily playtesting this mode this may change before or during early access. Raid can have a maximum of 2 squads in each team, but the player count and the squad creation rules may change if required for balancing.
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We are expecting Raid matches to take between 12 to 18 minutes and offer an intensive slice of action. Internal play tests and early access players will help us balance this aspect of the game.
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When the game launches into early access, the game will feature three maps:
Pegasus Bridge
Merville Battery
Lion-sur-Mer
Each of the maps in Vanguard: Normandy 1944 will be playable in both day and night lighting, drastically changing how each map is played so it will feel like 6 maps
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We have a beach map in development but it requires a lot more testing and balancing.
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The maps have a quite large playable area for an infantry only game. To give you an example, our largest map has a playable area of about 900x550 metres. However since Raid is objective-based, the action takes place in smaller pockets around the objectives.
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During early access, the game will feature one unique game mode: Raid.
We would like to add more in the future that fit in with the game design of Vanguard and an additional mode “Skirmish” is part of our current Kickstarter stretch goals.
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Each team has different player classes but they fall into four basic categories: .
- Squad Leader
- Assault
- Grenadier/Rifleman
- Machine Gunner
The gear and weapons are different for each team and for each individual class within it . Some classes are limited to a certain number in each squad in order to maintain game balance and historical accuracy.
An additional class “Sniper” is part of our stretch goals.
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Our initial Early Access release will include the following weapons:
Lee Enfield No.4
Sten Mk2
Bren Mk2
Mills Bomb
No. 77 Smoke Grenade
Kar98k
MP40
MG34
M24 Grenade
Nb39 Smoke GrenadeWe hope to expand this list as we progress through Early Access to the full release.
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Vanguard: Normandy 1944 will not have drivable vehicles. In Raid players don’t have to travel far to get into the action as we have created focused infantry combat and intense squad-based gameplay.
Kickstarter
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We are working on fulfilling all the Kickstarter rewards which haven't yet been sent out. We'll announce when items have shipped via our Kickstarter newsletter.
The Game
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Vanguard: Normandy 1944 will first release on Steam Early Access for Windows PC. We do not have plans to support other platforms or consoles at this point in time.
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As we haven’t finished all the work related to performance optimization at this time, we can’t give a definitive answer. Tentative minimum requirements can be referenced from the recently released title “Hunt Showdown”:
Minimum:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 64bit
Processor: Intel i5 @ 2.7GHz (6th Generation) or AMD Ryzen 3 1200
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 TI or AMD Radeon R9 370
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Sound Card: DirectX compatible audio card
Additional Notes: Best experienced with headphones
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English, with the intention to add text localisation for French and Spanish. We hope to add support for more languages in the future.
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We currently have no progression system within the game, though a subtle mechanic may be added in the future.
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We do not have any plans for public testing prior the Steam Early Access launch.
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Vanguard: Normandy 1944, will release in Feburary 2019 on Steam Early Access for Windows PCs. Kickstarter Backers will recieve their copies of the game at on the launch of the game onto Steam Early Access.
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The game is expected to retail for approximately 15 USD.
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Yes, all matches will be hosted on a dedicated server. Support for community servers may be added later.