Warno, stylized as WARNO (short for warning order) is a real-time tactics video game created and published by Eugen Systems and released into early access on January 20, 2022.^[1] A spiritual successor to the Wargame series also developed by Eugen, it takes place in a fictionalized World War III setting in the Fulda Gap, portraying a conventional conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact.

Gameplay

Warno's gameplay is best classified as an RTT game. Players control individual units meant to represent historical military vehicles and infantry formations of the late 1980s. There are many game modes in WARNO focusing on various goals, such as conquering a specific area in the Conquest mode or destroying a number of enemy units in Destruction. ^[2] The game is played by anywhere between 1 and 20 people, with multiplayer games scaling up to 10 versus 10. Singleplayer play takes the form of skirmishes against the AI, battles set in specific places, and (upon release) a full campaign.

In both multiplayer and singleplayer modes, all players receive a ticking income of points to spend on deployable units, such as infantry, artillery, tanks, reconnaissance units, air defense units, attack helicopters, helicopter-born infantry, and aircraft. The units available to the player depend on their chosen battlegroup. Various battlegroups have different specializations, such as a focus on infantry combat or combined arms warfare. Some basic unit functions can be controlled by AI, but a majority of actions are done by the player. Units are controlled in real time.^[3]

The playable formations (known as 'Battlegroups') in game are inspired from the orders of battle of divisions, regiments, and rarely corps that would have likely engaged each other during the initial stages of war along the German border, such as the American 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment or the Soviet 79th Guards Tank Division. NATO forces are exclusively those based out of CENTAG, the NATO formation which served in Central Europe, especially Germany.^[4]

While the tactical gameplay is similar to Wargame, Warno has received considerable quality of life improvements and gameplay changes seen in the Steel Division titles, including allowing the AI to carry out smart orders for your units, a reworked deck system incorporating the orders of battle of various relevant divisions, and variants and traits of units in the armory. Warno is also implementing newer single-player content, such as Army General campaigns and Operations taken from Steel Division 2.^[5]

Content

Being set in the late Cold War, WARNO features many distinct playable formations. Representing NATO, these are as follows:

1. 3rd Armored Division (US)
2. 8th Infantry (mech.) Division (US)
3. 82nd Airborne Division (US)
4. 24th Infantry Division (US)
5. 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (US)
6. 1st Armoured Division (UK)
7. 2nd Infantry Division (UK)
8. 5th Armored Division (France)
9. 11th Parachute Brigade (France)
10. 2nd Panzergrenadier Division (Germany)
11. 5th Panzer Division (Germany)
12. Territorialkommando Süd (Germany)
13. Berlin Brigade
    1. French Forces in Berlin
    2. Berlin Infantry Brigade

From the Warsaw Pact,

1. 35th Guards Air Assault Brigade (USSR)
2. 39th Guards Motor Rifle Division (USSR)
3. 79th Guards Tank Division (USSR)
4. 27th Guards Motor Rifle Division(USSR)
5. 119th Independent Tank Regiment (USSR)
6. 4th Motor Rifles Division (East Germany)
7. 7th Panzer Division (East Germany)
8. Erfurt's KdA Detachment (East Germany)
9. Berlin Group (East Germany) (meant to represent forces in defense of Berlin)

References