Last week we shared a sneak-peek of our biggest update yet! Today we're rolling out a few more changes to the preview build based on your feedback:

Feature Updates:

• Combat Rolls: We've sped up combat rolls and removed a click from the start of the attacker's roll
• Unit Colors: We've toned down the bright colors of the units (so they shouldn't appear neon on some monitors)

Fixes:

• Hits on defenders will now appropriately play sound effects
• Main menu music will play when skipping the intro
• Combat music will no longer cut in and out when certain conditions are met
• Planes destroyed by Anti-Air Artillery should now be properly cleared off the board
• Retreat overlay will no longer appear after defender submarines roll
• Neutral regions are no longer clickable
• Combat will no longer lock up when defender hits have no valid target
• The auto assign button will now function correctly when some aircraft hits have no target
• Anti air results are properly recorded into roll history in observer mode
• Defense profiles will no longer become active until it is your turn in multiplayer games
• Industrial Complex damage numbers will be more visible on the map

These changes appear alongside the major updates in the preview, like an overhaul to the user interface, new dice modes— plus many more features and fixes detailed below.

The preview reflects what we’ve heard from players across the globe: from Steam Forums, Steam Reviews, Beamdog Surveys, Beamdog Support, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Discord, and more! Thanks for all your support & feedback!!!

So, want to take a look? Try it out on Steam!

Check out access instructions & details below...

Try it on Steam:

Notes about the preview:

• Stats | Games played in the preview build won’t affect your game statistics.
• Game Modes | Offline modes and online multiplayer games are available to try out, but ranked mode is not available in the preview.
• Notifications | You won’t receive notifications for live ranked games while you’re logged into the preview build (so make sure to switch back if you’re watching out for timers on ranked matches)
• Tutorial | The game's Learn to Play section is disabled in the preview build

Access Instructions:

1. Launch Steam
2. Navigate to your Library
3. Right-Click on Axis & Allies 1942 Online
4. Select “Properties” from the drop-down menu
5. Click on the “Betas” tab
6. Choose the Beta “Preview - Sneak-peek at the Major Update”
7. Close the Beta window (click “X” in the top right corner)
8. Launch the Game
9. You can switch back to the live version of the game by changing the Betas drop-down back to “none”

Sneak Peek: What’s in the Next Update?

Features

New Dice Modes:

There’s been a ton of discussion in our community around dice rolls. We’ve heard you!

The next big update will add two new dice modes to the game: Low Luck and Biased Dice. Standard Dice will remain an option for players who prefer the classic RNG.

Here’s how these new modes will work…

🎲Low Luck Dice

In Low Luck mode, the number of hits equals the total attack power or defense power of units, divided by six.

If there is a remainder after this calculation (a leftover number not divisible by 6, ie. 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) the game rolls an extra die that hits if the result is equal to or less than the remainder.

Example:

• 2 Tanks and 2 Infantry have a combined Attack Power of 8 = (3+3+1+1)
• Low Luck Calculation: 8 ÷ 6 = 1, remainder 2
• Total Hits = 1 guaranteed hit + a die roll that hits on 2 or lower

🎲Biased Dice

These dice control for extreme results. For each roll, the game takes a random result out of 100 that corresponds to possible dice outcomes (1 through 6). Results of 2, 3, and 4 are more likely to occur than results of 1, 5, or 6.

Menu & Map Updates

Menus

• Visuals | Updated visuals on the Friends List, Notifications and Options menu
• Settings | Updated visuals and streamlined the Settings menu

Heads Up Display (HUD)

• Victory Thermometer | Clearer visuals on the victory city counter in the HUD
• Heads Up Display (HUD) | Now located at the top of the screen (instead of the bottom)
• Hover Information | Names of territories / sea zones display beneath the HUD when you hover your cursor over an area— so you don’t have to guess if it’s Sea Zone 15 or 16!

Map

• Antarctica | Added the continent of Antarctica
• Southern Sea Zones | Expanded southern Sea Zones to create more space for units

War Report

• Post Game Reports | Players can now check out war reports for finished games!
• Visuals | Updated visuals of the report
• Information | Streamlined information to be more useful

Moving Your Troops

• Drag & Drop!!! | In addition to basic click/right-click, a click and drag option is now available— drag & drop units directly in a region, or use the new tokens
• Unit Tokens | New pop-up tokens show units in a territory— these tokens make it simple to pick out that one tank in Tokyo, or grab a unit from a crowded sea zone!
• Expand Movement Details | Click on the diamond movement markers to open a window with details about units involved in the move!
• Arrows | Refined movement arrows for a cleaner look
• Radial Menu | Radial Menu added as default way to control unit movement
  • Standard Movement | Single unit movement is still available on ctrl + right click by default
• Blitz Visuals | New visuals highlight tank blitzes through regions
• Retreat Visuals | New visuals highlight battle retreats

Transport Overhaul

• Streamlined UI | Transport loading/unloading is now easier with a streamlined UI
• Cancellation | Individual steps of transport movement can now be cancelled, rather than needing to cancel the whole movement

Combat

• No More Lane Rolls!!! | All lanes now roll automatically, without needing to click-through— much more like the board game!
• Bombing Raids | Updated visuals and interface for bombing raids (so it’s much easier to tell the difference between a bomber’s standard combat move vs. a raid)
• Combat Board Visuals | Updated a few visuals on the combat board
• Retreat | Prompt to Retreat or Press On is much clearer, (so you won’t accidentally continue the battle when a strategic retreat is called for)
• Roll Log | Dice roll log now shows special rolls separately (ie. anti-air, surprise strikes and bombardments)

Game Phases

• End Phase | To avoid accidentally ending a phase, players now need to click and hold the end-phase button to proceed (players can’t spam-click and miss a full phase anymore...but spamming “Enter” is still available)
• Phase Summary | Streamlined phase summary details (this is no longer a wall of text, but should now be useful at-a-glance!)
• Probability Estimates | Phase summaries now include rough estimates on how likely your planned battles are to succeed
• Mobilization | Industrial complexes now highlight your deployment options
• Updated Tool Tips | See more detailed prompts to help you complete your turns and understand the rules

Defense Profiles

• Interface | Updated the Interface for Defense Profiles
• Maximum 15 | Increased the maximum number of defense profiles to 15
• Turn-based | Defense profiles can only be changed on your turn, not during your opponent’s turn—***Make sure to confirm your defense profile before you finish your turn!!!

Fixes

• Stability | Improved overall stability and performance
• AI Fixes | Addressed several crashes/bugs in AI games
• Profanity Filter | Corrected bugs in the profanity filter that caused it to be too sensitive
• Readability | Text on older operating systems/devices should now be more readable