Company of Heroes: Fortress Europe mod

Fortress Europe will be the first persistent realism modification for Company of Heroes.

Players assume the role of a Company Commander for one of the Allies or Axis nations. Create your companies at our website, take them into battle, and customize them as they grow in experience. No special launcher or extra steps will be required, simply create or edit your company on our website and start the game.

On our website you will be able to create up to eight companies per nation, and you can choose one at the beginning of every battle. Any company type that fought cohesively on the front lines is available for you to use, from infantry companies to tank companies, and everything in-between. In addition to the integral platoons of that company, you can also get support from platoons that historically fought alongside your company type, allowing you to make a well-rounded force that can tackle any obstacle. Support units are divided hierarchically, from Battalion to Corps. 

We use a points-based approach to balancing platoons, with more effective units costing more points to acquire, and everyone being limited to the same point total. Rare equipment is unavailable without perks, ensuring that you cannot create bizarre companies with rare equipment combinations that never fought alongside each other. After the minimum platoons are deducted from your point total, you can spend the remainder on strengthing your company or adding support. Even a mighty Schwere Panzer-Kompanie (German Heavy Tank Company) can have a fair battle against an American Rifle Company.

All units are organized according to their historically accurate formations. Countless hours of research have gone into examining US Tables of Organization and Equipment, British War Establishment documents, and German Kriegsstärkenachweisungen papers. These wartime documents detailed the size, ranks, and equipment allocated to all military units, allowing us to make formations in Fortress Europe be as historically accurate as possible.

Armour penetration data that was collected by the various combatant nations has been used to calculate our own target tables. The effects of explosions are split between the direct impact and the shrapnel; impact hits can spall armour, inflicting damage to the interior from metal fragments, while shrapnel can only wound infantry and puncture unarmoured vehicles. Flamethrowers can smoke out the crew of vehicles and cause engine fires, in addition to being a terror weapon against infantry. Vehicle crews will abandon their vehicles and flee off the battlefield if their situation becomes hopeless due to crippled equipment or casualties. Ammunition is tracked individually for infantry, gun teams, and vehicles, forcing you to manage your resources carefully during the course of the battle.

Every soldier in your force is named, ranked, and gains experience with every battle. Heavy losses to a platoon can wipe out its overall experience gains, bringing them back down to the level of inexperienced recuits as new members replace the dead. Units can be retreated off the battlefield, allowing them to resupply themselves with ammunition before returning, or to escape annihilation so they can retain their experience for a future battle.

Your company commander, as well as your integral platoons, gain experience with every battle which is used to buy perks. Perks unlock rare units and provide benefits that further help customize your force as they become battle-hardened. Support platoons and batteries do not gain experience, as their are loaned from other units and are only under your control during the course of the battle.

We are nearing the Public Alpha testing state, which will include several companies for the United States, Great Britain, and Germany.

Visit our forums if you have any questions or suggestions!

Developers: eliw00d, Contrivance, escforreality, Mirage Knight, panzerjager1943