Featuring Sean, one of our Beta Testers, who has been a great help to us on finding many of the smaller and bigger bugs that somehow found a way into the code. Hope you like his article, we plan to feature others also in form of a guest-authorship.

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My Opinion And Review For 3.1.5 Wikinger,

Hello My name is Fallschirmjäger Stabsfeldwebel Sean, I am one of the Beta Testers for the upcoming Wikinger 3.1.5 patch, introducing the SS Panzer Artillerie Regiment – Verbrannte Erde.

So you might have heard there are some changes coming well they are HUGE changes so sit down get a cup of coffee and enjoy!

New vehicle Portraits

So far, I have been enjoying them a lot, they look beautiful, credit goes to Starbuck for his amazing work.

Here are some of the portraits…

These Are just some of the many vehicles that have been done.

Also new call-in Icons

Like These…

They are amazingly detailed and such an amazing work,I hope you all will enjoy it as I Do.

 

Sniper Rework

So snipers have been reworked, they’ve got their new fancy scopes and new rifles – historical correct as far as possible.

It’s a great addition, they feel useful and not anymore like a RAMBO sniper, great work on the modding team’s side.

I do slightly feel it might make the sniper a little too strong due to having a narrow area of heavily increased line of sight which makes it able to bombard it with off map artillery, and their shooting range might make them also a little bit too strong against infantry.

Keep up the great work!

Note from the Wikinger Team: yes, the sniper’s role has been extended, you can use it for reconnaissance and shooting at long distances (if the terrain allows it). In other fields we made them more vulnerable (only shooting while in scoped mode, only healing when not in scope mode, angle of sight depending on magnification, …)

Artillery Rework

Artillery has been reworked to I quote “more true to realism”.

Increased range, reworked the explosive damage and area of effect.

This will also increase and decrease reload time and give new abilities to certain units – just to call some:

• Motorized Mortar Halftrack of the US Airborne Doctrine gets delayed HE fuse mortar barrage
• German Mortar gets quick response firing ability

 

SS-Panzer Artillerie Regiment (Scorched Earth)

So now we get to the juicy part – we are being pleased with a complete reworked doctrine in the 3.1.5 patch !

SCORCHED EARTH – now “Verbrannte Erde“

And, oh boy is it good 😉

The tech tree, see it yourself,

Panzer IV Ausf H	→	Jagdpanzer IV L/70 Unlock	→	Beutepanzer Dispatch	→	SS KG Hansen Dispatch
Sd.Kfz 223 Fu Unlock	→	SS Scharfschütze	→	Sniper Optics		120mm Mortar Unlock
↓						↓
Panzerwerfer Unlock	→	Beobachtungswagen Unlock	→	Heavy Artillery		Resource Switch
						↓
Schwarze Katzen	→	Booby Traps	→	Advanced Equipment		Butterfly Bombs

Its an amazing combination of infiltration infantry with artillery and mortar supremacy.

From the basic Panzerkampfwagen up to the mighty SS KG Hansen Dispatch with Riding Grenadiers, its a GREAT way of amazing mobility and availability in armor.
The new Beute Panzer Firefly great at medium range tank combat while the SS KG Hansen dispatch is great in countering or fixing holes in your line of defence.

The Leichte Panzerspähwagen Sd.kfz. 223 (Fu)

It is a great addition to your advancing forces, with its artillery call-in it makes is a great opponent in the early game but also during the late game it can come in very handy due to its great artillery choices.

The Panzerwerfer is a great way of destroying defencive positions (looking at you Britain), with its barrage the damage it puts out is worth the price.

Con: Its speed is a bit too low and if it’s countered by anything related to a high calibre it’s bound to die. Keep it protected by infantry and AT!

Beobachtungspanzer

It’s like an upgraded version of the Sd.kfz. 223. Not much to say, it’s a Panzer IV with Artillery call-ins great for assaults.

Note from the Wikinger Team: SEAN! Not much to say about it????
The Beobachtungswagen IV is a mighty addition to the possibilities when it comes to artillery – it can call in a Nebelwerfer barrage, Grille and Hummel shots with an amazing range – of course all reworked artillery strikes.

The SS Scharfschütze and Schwarze Katzen,

are a great addition to the doctrine.

The Katzen can infiltrate and lay traps while the snipers give intel to the artillery and other infantry with the new sniper updates.

120MM Mortar

Okay Here comes a bit of a Bump in my opinion, It’s a great mortar and range, but I think we need at least 2 of them. I know they are powerful, but 1 of them just doesn’t give enough possibilities, it could be so much better.

After all it’s a great unit in general. Put it together with the glorious MG42 buzzsaw, and yeah you can kill any infantry in NO TIME.

It’s a good all round doctrine.

Note from the Wikinger Team: This doctrine is meant as an support doctrine, providing needed firepower from artillery and slowing down the enemy using booby traps and infiltration – our interpretation of a “scorched earth” doctrine.

Some Balancing has been done, the MG42 has been tied up to tier 2 due to its high rate of fire and accuracy.

It might make it a bit easier on the opposite side early game.

In the end I wanna thank the Team, for their great work and dedication to the mod,
thank you and see you on the Battlefield!

Fallschirmjäger Stabsfeldwebel Sean