"We definitely hoped to release console versions of Tannenberg from the very start."

Was it always the plan to eventually bring Tannenberg over to consoles, or did the reception to the game compel you to do so?

We definitely hoped to release console versions of Tannenberg from the very start, but we were hesitant to get people’s hopes up until we could be certain that it would be feasible. Following the release of the game and the great reception, we were able to say with confidence that the console versions are on the way.

Will Tannenberg support cross-platform play?

Unfortunately we don’t have any plans to support cross-platform play. In this kind of game, gamers using different devices and control methods could find themselves mismatched in response time or accuracy. Perhaps more important is that we will continue to support and update Tannenberg after launch, and it’s much quicker to push updates to the PC version. This makes it difficult to keep the PC and console versions in sync all the time, which would also make cross-platform very difficult.

Did you have to make any changes to the game’s balance of any sort to make sure it was better suited to consoles?

We try to keep all versions of the game in sync as much as possible in terms of balance. This is actually another reason why we don’t support cross-platform – it means we can balance the game to be as fun as possible without needing to worry about whether particular mechanics give an unfair advantage to players on a particular platform.

Will Tannenberg on the consoles have any additional features or content not seen in the PC release, or are you aiming for parity across all versions?

We always aim for parity across all versions of our games. In fact, we have a big update coming soon for the console versions of our first game Verdun, which will add all the latest new content we’ve brought to the PC version of the game.

"We wanted to portray the fighting of the First World War as accurately as possible while making necessary concessions to gameplay, and it’s something our fans expect from us!"

Do you have plans to add any new modes to Tannenberg down the line?

While we don’t have plans for new core game modes, we do like to offer players unique events within the game. For instance, we recently ran a special ‘Wolf Truce’ event in the PC version of the game, where players could find their battlefields swarmed by hordes of hungry wolves. They could call a ceasefire to deal with the new threat… or try to take advantage of the chaos. That wasn’t exactly a new mode per se, but it was definitely a lot of fun!

Authenticity is something that Tannenberg puts a lot of emphasis on- was that something that you knew from the get go was going to be very important to the game’s experience?

Definitely! Authenticity is one of our core values, and it was also central in our previous game Verdun and the whole WW1 Game Series in general. We wanted to portray the fighting of the First World War as accurately as possible while making necessary concessions to gameplay, and it’s something our fans expect from us! We put a lot of effort into ensuring that uniforms, weapons, and other details are correct. The maps in the game are made up of elements inspired by real photographs and records of actual battles to ensure that they are plausible locations that someone from the time would not have been surprised to encounter.

Has adding a single player campaign ever been something you’ve considered, or do you see this as a purely multiplayer experience?

While it would be awesome to create a single player campaign if we had unlimited time and money, we’re an indie company and we have to carefully focus our efforts and resources. Keeping the game focused on multiplayer battles makes it possible for us to create a more immersive experience. It’s worth noting that we do have AI bots in the game, so you can play on your own if you so wish!

Do you have any plans to launch on the Switch?

We don’t currently have any plans for a Switch release… but never say never.

Will the game will feature Xbox One X specific enhancements? What can players expect if they are playing the game on Xbox One X? Is 4K/60fps on the cards?

We’ll definitely be using a higher resolution on the Xbox One X, however we will also be upgrading all our other graphical effects settings instead of going just for 4K. We will use 4K if possible (and otherwise a middle ground like 3K), but we want to make all the other parts of the game look better as well, we have yet to see what we can pull off with the power of the X. We’re not just upgrading to 4K and be done with it, we want to get more out of the Xbox One X!

"Performance is something we will be working hard on in the next 2 months."

And how will the PS4 Pro version turn out in terms of resolution and frame rate?

Very similar to Xbox One X. We’ll be doing the same graphical tweaks, and if there’s room left we’d also like to upgrade the resolution towards 4K. For instance, 3K could be a nice middle ground combined with other graphical upgrades.

How is the game running on the original Xbox One and PS4, frame rate and resolution wise?

Performance is something we will be working hard on in the next 2 months, so this is not final. However we’re currently aiming for 1920×1080 at 30 FPS. We will explore if it makes sense for us to use adaptive resolution if that helps guarantee a stable frame rate.

The PS5 specs were recently revealed in an interview with Wired. What are your thoughts on that?

We’re always happy with more powerful hardware as that can make our job easier… although, since consumer expectations rise along with the hardware quality that’s not always the case in the end, haha.

We’re most excited about the SSD drives as that will make one of the biggest differences: finally, speedy console loading times!

The PS5 will have a Zen 2 CPU processor, which is a major leap over the Jaguar found in the PS4. How will this help in games development?

We use the Unity game engine for all our games, and we are always CPU bottlenecked. So with such an improvement to our weakest link (CPU), it will help greatly for getting better performance and producing better looking games.

"We don’t currently have any plans for a Switch release… but never say never."

What is your take on Sony’s reluctant policy on cross-play with Xbox and Nintendo?

While we don’t think cross-platform between PC and consoles would necessarily work for our game, it would be great to support cross-platform between different consoles if it were possible.

Do you think cross platform will be one of the defining features of next-gen consoles?

Predicting the future is a risky business! To be honest, it doesn’t feel like there are the right conditions or the right mood among the big studios for cross-platform to be a major feature of next-gen consoles right now, but things can always change! If it does happen, it’ll probably be one of those things where it feels so natural that you wonder how people ever lived without it.

It’s into this environment that Verdun, created by developers Blackmill Games and M2H, is thrown. The game is based on the Battle of Verdun, one of the largest and longest battles of the First World War. The battle began in February of 1918 and lasted 10 months, leaving over 700,000 soldiers wounded, missing, or dead. As a multiplayer game, Verdun bravely attempts to capture the fear, and occasionally crushing boredom, of a war fought between trenches.

"You only have a certain amount of time to capture a trench, and your enemy’s entrenched position (no, I’m not sorry) means that they have a natural advantage, which makes each attack an uphill battle."

The main way to experience Verdun is in Frontlines mode. It’s a game of momentum. While attacking, you charge across the scarred craters and barbed wire of no man’s land in an attempt to seize your enemy’s trench, which the other team must protect. Capturing a trench requires you to maintain control of it for a set period of time. The more allies attempting to capture a trench, the faster the trench is taken. You only have a certain amount of time to capture a trench, and your enemy’s entrenched position (no, I’m not sorry) means that they have a natural advantage, which makes each attack an uphill battle.

Failing to capture a trench means that momentum shifts to the other team, and it’s their turn to attack. The ultimate goal is to capture enough trenches to reach and capture the enemy headquarters. Because of the inherent defensive advantage, the teams switch between offense and defense frequently, and outright victories are often difficult to obtain. Frequently, matches end in a draw.

You can also dip into Rifle Deathmatch, which is exactly what it sounds like, Attrition, aka Team Deathmatch with Verdun’s full arsenal at your disposal, or Squad Defence, a co-op wave defense where you attempt to hold a trench against wave after wave of enemies. Each of these is interesting enough, especially Squad Defence, which is a great place to learn Verdun’s mechanics as the tutorial does very little to teach you. Sadly, however, these playlists are significantly underpopulated (at the time of this writing, they boasted less than 50 players combined), so Frontlines and Squad Defence are really your only options.

"Defending your trench while under gas assault is legitimately scary, as your gas mask farther hampers your already gas-filled view, and the only sounds are that of your character breathing and the approaching gunfire of the enemy."

Both game modes place you in squads and asks you to fill a role. Some squads are standard attack units with riflemen, gunners, and grenadiers, while others are focused on recon or special weapons, such as flamethrowers. Depending on the squad, the squad’s leader – a non-commissioned officer, also known as a NCO – can call in artillery support, aircraft recon, or poison gas.

Playing in a squad, and with your squad, is essential, and the game rewards you for staying close to your NCO and following his orders. Over time, you and your squad will gain experience and career points. The former will level you up, granting new uniforms and squad buffs, while the latter allows you to unlock new tiers of weapons.

When everything works well, Verdun is an engaging game. Defending your trench while under gas assault is legitimately scary, as your gas mask farther hampers your already gas-filled view, and the only sounds are that of your character breathing and the approaching gunfire of the enemy. Tension builds as your team takes defensive positions in your trench, and all you can do is wait, hoping you’ll see them through the gas before a spray bullet cuts you down. Attacking is just as engaging, as your team charges into no man’s land, hoping to make it across to the enemy’s trench and get into the action before a concealed sniper takes you down.

" It can be especially frustrating when you’re trying to gain a better angle to defend your trench, or running from one part of the trench to another, only for your own soldier to bark some canned line about deserters and cowards being shot."

Yes, Verdun is excellent at capturing the tension of trench warfare. But it also shares its tedium. Matches run long – between 15 and 30 minutes – and most of them are spent doing nothing. If you’re on defense, you’ll have to deal with “dead zones,” areas that cordon off a majority of the map and force you to remain into your trench. A failed attack means that you’ll be forced to retreat into a safe area. Set just one toe over the line, even if the line is just a few centimeters outside of your trench, and the screen will fade to black and white, and a countdown timer to appear.

Fail to retreat far enough into your trench in the allotted time, and you’ll die. It can be especially frustrating when you’re trying to gain a better angle to defend your trench, or running from one part of the trench to another, only for your own soldier to bark some canned line about deserters and cowards being shot. Both of these things will frequently take you into the dead zone for at least a moment, even when it feels like they shouldn’t, which means that if you’re playing properly, it will happen a lot.

So you wait, but even when you get into combat, the tedium is compounded by long respawn times, which can run more than 20 seconds. Worse still, you’re just as likely to respawn out in the open, right in the line of sight of an opportune sniper, as you are in the safety of your trench.

"When Verdun works, when all of its disparate elements combine properly, the mixture of tension and uniqueness it provides is unlike anything else and utterly engaging. Too often, however, the game gets in its own way, either due to technical issues or poor design decisions."

The game’s visual design doesn’t do it any favors. Verdun is an ugly game. No man’s land probably wasn’t pretty, and that’s understandable, but there’s little excuse for how visually bland the levels are, and how technically unimpressive they are, to boot. I could deal with the game’s color palette, which seems to deal almost exclusively in varying shades of brown with the odd smattering of green if the levels were at least well-presented, but they aren’t.

There’s also a number of niggling gameplay issues. The game will often lose your bullets, meaning that you’ll spend a lot of time lining up your shots only for nothing to happen. This would be fine (and would probably mean that you’d missed) if it only happened during long-range rifle shootouts, but I’ve fired into enemies at point-blank range, both human players and AI enemies, shots that couldn’t possibly be missed, and nothing has happened. Team balancing is also poor, and the only way to fix significantly unbalanced teams is for player to switch of their own accord. Verdun seems to lack the ability to balance itself. It’s also quite easy to get stuck on objects in the environment for no discernable reason.

When Verdun works, when all of its disparate elements combine properly, the mixture of tension and uniqueness it provides is unlike anything else and utterly engaging. Too often, however, the game gets in its own way, either due to technical issues or poor design decisions. There’s sparks of glory to be found in these trenches, yes; but at this moment it is largely unrealized, like a great soldier who misses the cry to attack, and sits in his trench as his brothers charge a field, waiting for an order that may never come again.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

If you’re enjoying the Battlefield 1 beta and want a meatier World War 1 shooting experience, then it wouldn’t hurt to try out Black Mill Games’ Verdun which is out now for the PlayStation 4. It’s been available on PC since April 2015 after spending a considerable amount of time in Steam Early Access and features realistic, squad-based WW1 combat.

Verdun releases with four game modes – Frontlines, Squad Defense, Rifle Deathmatch and Attrition Warfare – while supporting up to 32 players at once. Inspired by the Battle of Verdun at France in 1916, the game emphasizes trench warface and realistic shooting with a variety of weapons, realistic maps and settings and more.

The digital version retails for $20 on the PlayStation 4 and will arrive on the Xbox One later following a short delay. What are your thoughts on Verdun and will you be picking it up? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for updates on the Xbox One version’s release date.

The PlayStation 4 NEO and the Xbox One Scorpio are almost here (or at least one of them is), and they promise a very interesting change for the console gaming market. Since they are so different conceptually from everything we have had before, we love to muse on just how they will change things on the developer and consumer side.

So when we got the chance to chat with Mike Hergaarden, co-founder of M2H, and developers on the upcoming Verdun, we decided to pose the same question to them- how do the Xbox One Scorpio and PS4 NEO change things from a development perspective?

“Ultimately nothing will change: because of the new power everyone will expect 4K support and then we’ll still be optimizing games just as hard as today,” Hergaarden said.

That does make sense- but if they had the chance to choose how they would utilize the extra power in the Scorpio, would they go for a higher 4K resolution with lower framerate, or a relatively lower resolution, such as 1080p, but with a higher framerate, something like 60fps? “If we need to choose, 1080p/60fps. Smooth gameplay is more important on the long run,” he said.

Hergaarden also sounded off on Microsoft having the more powerful system on the market over the PS4 now, noting that his own games, written in Unity, are CPU bound, and so unless he can be sure that the Scorpio has a better CPU than the base Xbox One, the extra power doesn’t add much from his perspective.

“On the Unity engine we’re mostly CPU bound,” he said. “So for us the CPU seems to be all that matters for performance, it’s unclear if Scorpio has a better CPU. So we’re not sure just yet…but it might not differ so much.”

And do M2H plan to support the NEO and Scorpio with games unique to those systems? “We have no plans for games specific to these platforms. We’ll keep making the games we envision and then check the suited platforms.”

All of that sounds good- and it sounds like, as far as M2H are concerned, there really isn’t much of a change from the status quo, even with the Scorpio and NEO coming up.