BTRH mod for Soldiers: Heroes of World War II

Common modifications:
- new maps added and existing maps modified ;
- new units and textures for original and added ones ;
- reviewed balance of the sides;
- distribution of the units lists to the mode 1942 (units and arms for up to 1942) and common mode (all units for the period 1941-1945);
- new types of shells: HEAT, APHV, APDS, SM;
- field artillery on the static gun-carriage added;
- deploying of the individual shelters for the infantry (special HEAT rounds used);
- barbwire and hedgehogs installation added;
- distances reworked;
- updated sound underscoring.

While the community is waiting for their first official Faces Of War add-on, which will be one year old before the end of Q3 2007, we glad to surprise our hardcore fans and diehard community, which originated back in 2004 on release of Soldiers: Heroes of WWII, with great news. It’s not a secret for anyone of us that, when multiplayer of SHOWII mentioned, we mean BTRH mod from Comrades of Blitzkrieg Team Russian Hammers community. Released back in Q3 2005 mod gained fast popularity among the gamers who prefer lasting battles and rich tactical opportunities to transient and monotone battles. Today we will discuss the latest update for BTRH-mod 1.4 released today.

Shells in assortment…

New version of the mod, which has being developed for as long as 9 months, proposes many quantity modifications (units, maps, etc.) and also contains some quality changes in the gameplay. We would like to mention new shells types, added to the last mod version.
There are threew new shell types, such as:
1)HEAT
2)APHV, APDS
3)SM.

Lets review them more detailed.
HEAT shells constructed basing on the directed explosion energy, i.e. this is specific type of a high-explosive shells intended to pierce the armor. Ability to shoot the target with a HEAT shell doesn't depend on a distance. The shell can either strike certain type of the armored unit or not strike.
Power of the HEAT shells depends on the caliber. Any HEAT shells strike light tanks and armored troops with 100% probability. Medium tanks can be defeated with 150, 122, 105, 95, 88 mm shells. At the same time they can be defeated with more efforts by 75-76 mm.
Heavy and super heavy tanks are less vulnerable to 76-75, 88mm but 95 and 105mm could do the trick. HEAT rounds with calibers 150mm and 122mm destroys them with 100% probability. Head of the HEAT shell has yellow color.

Historical authenticity is kept: in german tanks you will find four different types of ammo.

Armor Pearce shells (APHV, APDS) have updated armor piercing abilities, achieved by updating of the strong core round head. Chances to destroy tanks armor are much higher then with regular AP round, but don’t expect to pierce frontal armor of a tank whose armor is just too heavy for this caliber. While using these types of ammo try to pierce weakest, loopholes places on a tank.
Effectiveness of APHV rounds also relies on caliber:
35-57mm light caliber;
75-76mm medium caliber;
85mm heavy caliber;
Britain also got another type of AP shells - APDS – with only 76mm and as effective as heavy caliber APHV rounds. Heads of APHV and APDS are colored black and gray.

Smoke shells (SM) are intended for creation of a heavy smoke screens on the battlefield and providing relative safety to units on maneuvers or reinforcing orders. Only heavy stationary artillery might use this type of rounds. Smoke rounds are colored gray.

These new types of ammo have significantly changed balance and improved the tactical feel of the game. Wise usage of different shells types may gain you major advantage on the battlefield over your enemy in long MP battles. Really often you’ll find yourself saving not only your crew members from burning tank but also that extremely useful special type of ammo so you can later take that sweet revenge with it.

Entrenching and hedgehogs been ordered?

Next enhancement in our mod will be definitely the reason for a cheerful wave of excitement within our community. We are adding to ordinary AT(Anti-Tank) and AP(Anti-Personnel) mines extremely useful features such as : hedgehog, barbwire installation and personal entrenching for infantry. 6 Hedgehogs and barbwires you can find in an engineer truck – only one installation allowed at a time, so you can’t fill pockets with these goodies for the future – choose wisely because you will have to come back to truck for each installation. Also, hedgehogs can be only destroyed by dynamite, but barbwire won’t last next to small HE round explosion. We will see if these features would gain popularity and possible tune it up in the future, but as for now, the whole procedure of deploying them takes lots of valuable time, so we’ll see…

Personal entrenching can be deployed by special high explosion engineering shells – also we included them into engineering trucks and in engineer backpacks. Extremely useful for mortar and claymores regiments with mixed infantry.

Let's shoot at something new?

Practically each one of the four sides of mod received some reinforcements. Changes in the unit list (regular list) and in the updated list (1942 list) definitely will add more variety and historical authenticity to the mod. For example, units from 1942 list and regular exist separately so the mod gains more variety.

All new units can be seen here:

Soviet Union IS-3; GAZ-64`Maxim`; 76mm mod.43; 100mm BS-3
Germany Brummbar; Wespe; Turan; 8.8cm Flak37 Zgkw 18t; 3.7cm PAK 35; 7.5cm LelG 18; Pz-IVF
USA B1bis; Hotchkiss H-35; 75mm M8; 76mm M5
Britain OQF 25-Pounder; Crusader CS; Matilda Frog; Archer; Bishop; Bedford+Bofors; Rolls Royce Mk.I; Crusader ААII; Humber Mk III; Stag Hound; Universal Carrier MkIII; Bedford truck

Also changes were made to the previously added units – some got skin rework, some changed their appearance completely – for instance German tank PZ-IVH or Soviet T-34-85. On a top of that a lot of weapons models were reworked (for example Mosin and Mauser rifles) that used to be exact copies of each other, with just different characteristics, now look completely different and independently good everywhere.

::: Soldiers: Heroes Of WWII is still alive mostly because of the enhancements. This update will only add more spirit, so it should last for a long time. Have a good game!