Competitive vs. Realism Setting Explained

[FQ_MichalC]

The guiding principle behind Men of War II's game design is to use our players' feedback to grow and enrich the game. When we see a part of our fans enjoying some mode or feature, while another group less so, instead of removing that part of the game, we create a new one that is based on the suggestions and feedback we receive.

That is why we have created two very different gameplay settings for the game; Competitive, which is the default for most of the game (except for the Classic Mode) and Realism, which was built based on the feedback and suggestions for players who want Men of War II gameplay to feel closer to Men of War: Assault Squad 2 (MOWAS2) or Call to Arms: Gates of Hell (GOH) - that is why Realism is the default setting for Classic Mode multi-player, as that combination provides experience closest to MOWAS2.

But any part of the game can be played in either Setting. You can start a custom lobby and select either Competitive or Realism in its settings; or you can override the default settings by going into Settings => Packages and switching the "Realism Mode" package on or off. This will then change even your single-player campaigns to be played in Realism; the only part of the game unaffected by this is multi-player match-making. Battalions and Combined Arms match-making will always be in Competitive settings, Classic Mode match-making in Realism, to ensure all players abide by the same rules in ranked games.

Now, let us provide the complete list of differences Realism Setting brings, compared to Competitive:

Interface

• The shape of icons above units is closer to the older games (banner instead of diamond). Also, instead of a generic tank icon, icons are used in the same way as on the minimap, with differentiation by unit type.
  
• Icons above units do not display health. For vehicles, it is completely removed, and for infantry, a separate health bar appears when taking damage as in the original Men of War and MOWAS.
  
• Some auxiliary icons do not appear at all. For example, the icon indicating that your vehicle or saboteur has been detected.
  
• A more refined style for additional interface elements, such as the selection background under a unit.

Infantry Combat

• Fortifying a building has less impact on resistance to damage for soldiers inside. It is easier to clear infantry from buildings using high-explosive shells.
  
• Increased accuracy of small arms, but the time to kill is balanced for a classic gameplay experience.
  
• Increased trench digging time.

Armored Combat

• The logic for destroying armored vehicles has been reworked. In Realism Setting, there is a more significant dependency on the shell and the target it hits. Factors include shell caliber, impact location, armor thickness (in the case of high-explosive shells). The role of HP has been moved to secondary importance.
  
• It is possible to repair a damaged hull if the vehicle is not completely destroyed.
  
• Increased module repair time (compared to Competitive settings).
  
• Decreased accuracy of long-range artillery to shift its role to more of a harassing and suppressive fire.
  
• Reload speed adjusted to realistic values (maximum declared rate of fire is only achieved through artillery preparation mode).
  
• Artillery in fog of war can now make more shots before being detected. However, the icon indicating the unit being detected has been removed, so players have to rely on their skill to keep their artillery hidden.

Miscellaneous

• Instead of a simplified fog of war, a more realistic version is used - objects block enemy vision, enabling units to hide behind them.
  
• Increased distance at which player troops spawn in dynamic spawn modes. Static spawn has been returned in the "Capture the Flag" mode.
  
• Friendly Fire is enabled.
  
• The firing range limitation has been returned (artillery and tanks do not fire across the entire map, but each weapon has a different range).
  
• Increased the time it takes for a tractor to attach to towed artillery pieces.