Updates to Order of War have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Gameplay changes

* 2 new maps "Proving Grounds" and "Massive Assault"
* Some improvements in AI behavior were added for Multiplayer
* New rules for capturing Control Points (CP) in Multiplayer battles are introduced. CP starts growing white (neutral) once enemy units enter its range regardless of whether player's troops are (or are not) within it
* Supply routes of reinforcements are displayed on the map
* Spawn area (SA) is displayed on minimap in the form a blinking icon when a CP is captured. When a player buys reinforcements the game highlights the SA they are coming from
* Multiplayer maps tuned. Some objects were removed, Control Points shifted, passable/non-passable zones balanced.
* Fire Range displayed when new units are purchased or "move" - order is issued


Features

* Leaderboard option that provides full statistics on players' games, achievements, ranks and positions in overall rating was added to Multiplayer
* Smart automatch feature introduced. The system utilizes Tactical Skill parameter of players to select the most appropriate opponent
* Added support for NVidia 3D stereo (the game can be played well with NVidia Stereo glasses, which is cool feature for personal presentations and PC geeks)


Improvements

* New achievements for multiplayer added
* All occupied players and games that are in progress are highlighted with special color in Game Lobby
* "Surrender" button was added to the in-game menu instead of "Exit Mission" one
* CSAA option added to graphical settings menu that provides better anti-aliasing performance (NVidia cards only)
* Small visual effects improvements added
* User-friendly mechanism of creating passworded games was introduced

Hey Everyone! Our official IGN BLog is live and today is hosting our first video strategy guide to help you learn some strategic maneuvers that can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Check it out right here: http://blogs.ign.com/OrderofWar/2009/12/03/133421/

Bonus Content Includes New Units, Gameplay Mode

(October 22) – To celebrate the one-month anniversary of the release of ORDER OF WAR, Square Enix and Wargaming.net will release a batch of free downloadable content for the game today, Thursday, October 22.

The downloadable content, which is free to all owners of ORDER OF WAR, is comprised of formerly exclusive bonuses that were available only through special pre-order offers at participating retailers. With this update, all players will have identical content, regardless of where they purchased the game.

The free downloadable content update includes:

• Heavy Bomber Squadrons: Addition of German Arado and Allied B-24 Marauder heavy bomber units to air support.
• Infantry Mortar Launchers: Addition of infantry mortar units.
• Off-Map Heavy Artillery: Addition of heavy artillery strikes to the air support menu.
• Survival Mission Mode: New survival mission mode where you fend off waves of attacking enemies for as long as possible.

To receive the free downloadable content, players of ORDER OF WAR need only to start the game. When the game connects to Steam, the Steam system will automatically download and update their install with the DLC items.

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Steam Download Code Giveaway Launching on Official ORDER OF WAR Facebook Page

As a reward to the Steam and ORDER OF WARcommunities, free Steam download codes for ORDER OF WAR will be given away on the Official ORDER OF WAR Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Order-of-War/116852549098) starting this Friday in the inaugural “Fighters Need Friends Friday.”

At least one code will be given away this Friday, with additional codes to be given away in the future. Code giveaways can end at any time, without warning.

So, How Do I Get OOW for FREE?
The free download code will be posted on the Official ORDER OF WAR Facebook Page as an “update.” The first person to grab the code and use it through Steam to download the game gets the game for FREE.

While this won't help you if you already own the game, if you get your friends to pay attention and grab it first, you've got yourself another battle partner.

PC gamers should immediately join the Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Order-of-War/116852549098) to get access to this giveaway and receive updates to our FB page members regarding release timing of the code.

THIS IS NOT A CONTEST, this is a first-come, first-served grab-a-thon giveaway we're doing as a benefit for the OOW and Steam communities, to help people get their friends (and maybe some new players) into the best WWII strategy game of the year. As mentioned above, at least one code will be given away this Friday, with additional codes to be given away in the future. Code giveaways can end at any time, without warning, so don’t wait – join the Facebook Page and be ready this Friday!

Head over and download Order of War today and hop into some awesome WWII strategy action! See you all in multiplayer!!

Square Enix has released the official Order of War Fan Site Kit, a collection of assets and information designed to help fans of the game create their own Order of War-themed fan sites or Clan sites on the Web. Anyone interested in downloading the official Order of War Fan Site Kit to launch their own page dedicated to the game can access the files through the official Web site at the following link:

Order of War Fan Site Kit: http://na.orderofwar.com/_downloads/fankit/fankit.zip

The official Order of War Fan Site Kit contains:
 Order of War Screenshots
 Order of War Logo
 Order of War Hi-Res Artwork
 Order of War Fact Sheet
 Order of War Box Art
 Order of War -Themed Avatars
 Publisher, Developer Logos

Pre-purchase Order of War™ now and you’ll get access to 2 x unique Off-map Heavy Artillery units, one from each of the 2 campaigns of the game.

Campaign One – U.S Artillery: M115 203mm howitzer
The M115 203 mm howitzer, also known as the M115 8 inch howitzer, was a towed howitzer used by the United States Army. Originally designated the 8 inch Howitzer M1, it was designed during the buildup to World War II as a counterpart to the German 17 cm K 18 gun. The M115 could be towed by the M35 Prime Mover gun tractor or a large truck.

Campaign Two – German Artillery: 17 cm Kanone 18
The 17 cm Kanone 18 in Mörserlafette (German: Heavy Howitzer Carriage) (17 cm K 18 in MrsLaf) was a German heavy gun used in the Second World War. It was intended to be employed at the Corps level in order to provide very long-range counterbattery support. Although it was technically an excellent weapon, it was expensive and difficult to maneuver, many were lost when their crew had either to abandon them or to risk capture by advancing allied troops.

Kotaku has gone hands-on with the multiplayer portion of ORDER OF WAR, and posted a preview today. You can check it out right here: http://kotaku.com/5351523/order-of-war-preview-almost-everything-is-in-order

ENJOY!

The wait is almost over! ORDER OF WAR is officially set to release on September 22 in North America. You can download it right here from Steam, of course!

If you're headed over the massive GamesCom convention in Cologne, Germany this week, be sure to stop by the Square Enix booth to check out even more ORDER OF WAR in person. It's going to be a great show and everyone is welcome to join in!

To check out ORDER OF WAR (plus all of the other titles from Square Enix) first-hand, visit booth B54 in Hall 6 of GamesCom 2009. To find out more about Square Enix’s titles at GamesCom, please visit the official website at http://www.eu.square-enix.com/gamescom.