Add-on Brings New Missions, New Commanders and Challenging New Environments

Kalypso Media is thrilled to announce the release of Africa – Desert War, the next chapter in the World War 2 strategy title, Sudden Strike 4.
Released today for PC, and Xbox One (with PlayStation®4 following on 15th October, Europe only) the Africa – Desert War add-on is based on the most notorious desert skirmishes in North Africa during World War 2.
Sudden Strike 4: Africa – Desert War features two new campaigns with six new single player missions from the North African campaign of World War 2.
In the Axis campaign, you will start the Italian advance on Egypt to take the city of Sidi Barrani, besiege the city of Tobruk and take over its harbor, as well as break through the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. In the Allied campaign, take part in Operation Compass and retake the village of Sidi Barrani, relive the watershed of the Western Desert Campaign, the Second Battle of El Alamein, and break through the German defensive line in the Battle of Mareth. Fight in an unforgiving and harsh desert setting with sandstorms to challenge your tactical wits.

As well as the new campaigns, players can choose from five new doctrine commanders to lead their troops into battle.
On the side of the Axis, armchair generals can choose from the highly decorated German general Erwin Rommel, as well as three additional Italian commanders, including renowned field marshal Giovanni Messe. On the Allies, play as legendary armored division general Sir Richard O’Connor.

As the war heads into new territory, Africa – Desert War introduces over 30 new vehicles including an all new medical truck, the Marder II Tank Destroyer, the British Bishop SPG, as well as the Italian Semovente da 105/25 Assault Gun.

View the Sudden Strike 4: Africa – Desert War trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB5103PKS1U

Africa – Desert War is available now for PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One and PlayStation®4 (PlayStation®4 out 15th October, Europe only).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/873870/Sudden_Strike_4_Africa__Desert_War/


The Sudden Strike 4 base game is required to play.

Commanders!
We have released a new update!

Doctrine skill rework

• Reworked the improved camouflage skill, which now allows the vehicles affected by it to remain hidden, even in open terrain.

Group selection rework

• Players have the opportunity to select a subset of the selected unit with the TAB key, which will allow you to use the unit's skills more effectively.

Commanders!
Stay ahead of the game by re-evaluating their strategies and preparing for the future!
Kalypso Media is excited to reveal a roadmap of free updates planned for Sudden Strike 4.
The first of these updates arrives today for the Steam version [full changelog here], and will arrive on consoles in the near future.

More details follow soon!

Commanders!
This new update for Sudden Strike 4 introduces a new commander, new heavy tanks and two additional multiplayer maps!

New Armoured Doctrine

• Sermyon Timoshenko is now available for all players!
  
  • Utilizing unique soviet tank hunter units and a specialized skill set, this doctrine opens new tactical opportunities to defeat even your deadliest enemies.

New tanks

• Destroy your enemies with the new ISU-122 and SU-100 tank destroyers
  
• Obliterate any opposition with the soviet IS-3 heavy tank
  
• German Army now has the fearsome Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B Tiger II, the renowned “King Tiger”, at their disposal
  
• Allied Forces will receive the late-war T26E4 “Super Pershing” with its powerful 90mm gun

New maps

• Fortify defensive positions and launch counter offensives in the new Canyon and Twin Towns multiplayer maps

Commanders!
In this update, we brought you usability changes, feature extensions and skill balance changes.

Find more details and the full list of changes below:
Custom Key Bindings

• Added the community requested feature for you to be able to customize the key bindings. You can find it in Settings -> Mouse and keyboard layout menu.

Extended Ping functionality

• Added two new ping actions in Multiplayer battles to ask your teammates for defensive and offensive support.

Doctrine skill rework

• Reworked the APCR ammo doctrine skill, which will now penetrate half of the target's armor, instead of giving a flat damage bonus.

Commanders,
we have released a hotfix right now.

The hotfix will contain following fixes:

• Fixed an issue when broken savegames could render the savel/load UI unresponsive
  
• Fixed an issue allowing in-game chat to occasionally appear in global chat
  
• Fixed a case when global chat connectivity issues prevented the creation of multiplayer games

Finland – Winter Storm brings sub-zero conflict to Kalypso’s strategy heavyweight

Kalypso Media is excited to announce the release of the next chapter in its World War 2 strategy heavyweight Sudden Strike 4. Finland – Winter Storm releases today on Steam and other platforms, and is based on the events of the Russian advances on Finland during and after the Winter War, up until the Vyborg Offensive in 1944.

Offering two new mini-campaigns and six missions, the DLC faithfully recreates some of the war’s most important conflicts between the Finnish and Soviet forces. In the Soviet campaign, players will attempt to capture the village of Suomussalmi, protect the railway to Murmansk against a German-Finnish offensive and break through the Finnish defensive lines during the Vyborg Offensive. In the Finnish campaign, you must retake and hold the village of Suomussalmi while crushing Soviet reinforcements, seize back the Lähde sector and hold the final defense line in the Battle of Tali-Ihantala.

Alongside the new campaigns, Finland – Winter Storm also introduces three new doctrine commanders to choose from; artillery expert Vilho Petter Nenonen, tank general Ruben Lagus and renowned general Karl Lennart Oesch, all of which introduce new strategic options for tackling this latest set of challenges. You’ll also have 19 new vehicles to deploy, including new rescue vehicles, the Russian KV-1 and BT-7M, and the Finnish Stug III G and Flak 36.

Finland – Winter Storm is available now on PC via Steam.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/813390/Sudden_Strike_4__Finland_Winter_Storm/

To celebrate the release, Kalypso has prepared a new trailer showcasing the new DLC in all its glory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Gzs6cHoEk

Commanders!
Since the release of Sudden Strike 4 last year, we’ve been working hard on free improvements and new features, and we’d like to confirm to all the fans that we will continue to do so with the version 1.09 update and beyond.

However, all these changes are not possible without also effecting the core of the game: the code. As such, when installing update 1.09, old save-games will no longer be compatible with update 1.09 and beyond. However, overall campaign progress will not be affected. The worst-case scenario is that you will only lose a part of one mission.

We apologise for this inconvenience, and we really have tried to avoid this requirement as best we can, but the changes to the game have been so substantial that we simply cannot circumvent the problem any longer, and in the long term we feel that the benefits will outweigh this.

However, we fully apprecate that some players may prefer to keep their save games, and for this reason we will be providing a workaround: the Legacy branch!

The Legacy branch will allow you to boot up an older version of the game to ensure that, whatever we add to the main game now and in the future, you can still access your old saved games. So to continue play on a save game from before the 1.09 update, you just have to use this new branch.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you continue enjoying Sudden Strike 4 as we work towards providing the best possible strategy experience.

How to access the Legacy branch
1. Go to your Steam library
2. Right-click Sudden Strike 4
3. Select "Properties"
4. Select the "Betas" section
5. Select "legacybranch(1.08)" from the drop-down menu
6. Steam should automatically start the download

To opt out from the Legacy branch, just repeat the steps above and select "NONE" in step 5.

• Added two new multiplayer maps based in Finland*:
  
  • Tali and Citadel.

• Detailed multiplayer result screen
  We added a new tab to the result screen in multiplayer and skirmish battles, where you can compare how you fared against your adversaries and teammates.
  
• Skirmish AI has been further enhanced in both game modes:
  
  • Extended use of abandoned vehicles. From now on the AI will make use of APC’s by towing artilleries to support the main force.
    
  • Better management of supply and repair vehicles. With this new feature, supply and repair units will follow the main force, and whenever a unit in the proximity requires their services, they proactively respond to these calls.
    
  • Transport vehicles will now be used to relocate towed armaments.

• Reworked the explosive equipment distribution, and improved the weapons on all halftrucks.
  
• Instead of Paratroopers, Snipers will now be deployed with TNT equipment.
  
• The HP of halftrucks have been increased and their mounted MGs have an increased rate of fire.

*More details to the newest Sudden Strike 4 DLC: Finland - Winter Storm can be found here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/813390/Sudden_Strike_4__Finland_Winter_Storm/

Commanders!
In this update, we’re bringing you a new Doctrine, new units and improvements for multiplayer and skirmish matches based on player feedback.

Roll out!

New Doctrine
The Armored Doctrine of Hermann Balck is now available for all players!
Utilizing unique German tank hunter units and a specialized skill set, this commander opens new tactical opportunities to defeat your opponents.

Hermann Balck – Armored Doctrine
Coming from a family with a rich military tradition, Hermann Balck fought in both World Wars.
By the end of the second, he was a General of Armored Troops, and his leadership on the Eastern Front earned him the rare Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds.
He was an expert in armored combat and tactics.



New Vehicles in Multiplayer
Destroy your enemies with the new Jagdpanther and Hetzer tank destroyers, and conduct fast blitzkrieg operations with the heavily-armored Panzer II Ausf. J light tank.

• You can now switch between team colours and player colours in multiplayer and skirmish matches.
  
• Improved feedback for capturing strategic locations in Domination mode.
  
• Added a safe planning period at the start of each battle.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/373930/Sudden_Strike_4/