Letter from the Producer #2

So, what are we doing right now?
Some of our time is focused on the current multiplayer Alpha Stress Test, spending time playing the game, reading forum feedback and the analyzing data that’s pouring in. The servers have been holding up well and we have expanded the number of players to keep pushing everything to breaking point. We have recently added 3v3 and 4v4 multiplayer in addition to the 1v1 and 2v2 modes, and we have also added Steam support to invite your friends to private matches. The rest of the team is working hard to finish off the other parts of the game, optimizing the engine and sneaking in some Xmas shopping over lunchtime whenever possible! (OMG, it’s Christmas already?!)

What’s on the horizon?
The team is feeling good about the multiplayer closed beta and I will be able to share details on its exact timing in the near future. You can find out how to get involved on our Facebook and twitter pages, so be sure to like and follow us there for the latest details. In other news we have also pretty much finished the single player game so we are focusing on polishing it into a truly awesome experience.

Last but not least I promised to answer a community question in each letter. This time I plan to try and shed a bit of light on mirror matches and the community questions and concerns around them…

The original Company of Heroes did not allow mirror matches, that is to say a player who selected the Germans, would never be matched up against another German army. This works well from a historical authenticity point of view but does introduce some challenges for the competitive multiplayer community - I mean, who really is the best Wehrmacht player if you can’t mirror match to prove it? On the flip-side allowing mirror matches broadens the player pool which speeds up match-making significantly. We chose to lead with the mirror match feature“ON” in the Alpha Stress Test and will continue to monitor player sentiment in the upcoming closed beta. a final decision onwhat modes are right for mirror match and what’s we feel is best for the franchise, will be made after we have had a chance to fully evaluate it from all angles.