Greetings everyone! I have combined the changes for the last two releases (December 16 and 20) into one convenient set of notes here. These updates focus on totally overhauling the variant/upgrade system, fleshing out assault guns, resource cost tweaks, and AI improvements.

The upgrade overhaul is discussed in more detail in its section below. As for the rest of the updates, the selection of assault guns (AGs) is both more diverse and more viable and AGs can truly take their place as a halfway point between the breakthrough potential of tanks and the soft attack of artillery. Steel and tungsten costs have come down on most vehicles. Italy and Japan in particular have received a much needed helping hand with this update, and the qualitative inferiority of their equipment is now somewhat ameliorated by lower steel/tungsten costs. Finally, I am always looking for ways to improve and fine tune the AI, and this update brings additional love to Italy and France, as well as smaller improvements to the US.

• Added SdKfz 164 Hornisse as 1942 Heavy Tank Destroyer to the German tech tree.
  
• Added StuH 42 as 1942 Medium Assault Gun to the German tech tree.
  
• Added M4 (105) Sherman as 1942 Medium Assault Gun to the American tech tree.
  
• Added BT-7A as 1936 Light Assault Gun to the Soviet tech tree.
  
• Added BT-7M as 1939 light tank to Soviet tech tree.

• M8 Scott reclassified as a Light Assault Gun
  
• Sturmpanzer IV Brummbar reclassified as a Heavy Assault Gun.
  
• Semovente da 90/53 reclassified as a Heavy Tank Destroyer.

All existing upgrades have been rebalanced and two new upgrade types have been added. The goal is to make upgrades more reasonable (in the vanilla system it is possible to design some ridiculously overpowered medium tanks that had no weaknesses) but also make the trade offs between upgrades more fun and engaging for the player.

This is all just a start and additional updates will tweak the upgrade system even further, possibly including some vehicle specific upgrade types to represent historical variants/upgrades that are difficult to reflect with the vanilla system.

• Armor Alloy Quality: Improve armor and hardness at the expense of higher production cost. Each level grants +7% to armor, +2.5% to hardness and +13% to production cost. Upgradable levels 1-3.
  
• Mass Production: Lower production cost at the expense of lower armor, hardness, and reliability. Each level grants -7% to armor, -2% to hardness, -3.5% to reliability and -13% to production cost. Upgradable levels 1-3.
  
• Gun upgrade: Soft and Hard Attack increase per level reduced from 10% to 5%.
  
• Armor upgrade: Armor bonus per level reduced from 5% to 4%
  
• Reliability: Reliability bonus per level reduced from 10% to 8.5%.

General:

• Motorized Artillery combat width reduced from 3 to 2.
  
• Added Light Assault Gun battalions.
  
  Soviet Union:
  
  • T-54 hardness reduced from 98% to 90%
    
  • SU-122 breakthrough increased from 51 to 54.
    
  • T-28 steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • T-34/76 M1941 tungsten cost removed.
    
  • T-34-85 tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • T-43 tungsten cost removed.
    
  • T-43-85 tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • T-44 steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • T-44 tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • T-35 steel cost reduced from 4 to 3.
    
  • IS-3 steel cost reduced from 4 to 3.
    
  • BT-7 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • T-50 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • T-70 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
  Germany:
  
  • E-50 Standardpanzer hardness reduced from 98 to 90%
    
  • Sturmpanzer IV breakthrough increased from 61 to 64.
    
  • Sturmpanzer IV soft attack decreased from 65 to 42.
    
  • Sturmpanzer IV hard attack increased from 15 to 19.
    
  • VK 3002 DB tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Panther (all types) tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Neubaufahrzeug VI (NbFz) steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • Durchsbruchswagen II (DW2) steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Dicker Max TD steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • Sturmpanzer IV steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
  
  Japan:
  
  • Type 97 Chi Ha steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 97 Shinhoto steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 1 Ho-Ni I TD steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 1 Ho-Ni II SPG steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 2 Ho-I tungsten cost removed.
    
  • Type 3 Chi-Nu tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 4 Chi-To tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 3 Ho-Ni III TD steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 3 Ho-Ni III TD tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 4 Ho-Ro SPG steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Type 95 Heavy steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • Mitsubishi 104 steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
  
  Italy:
  
  • M11/39 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M13/40 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M15/42 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M15/42 tungsten cost removed.
    
  • M16/43 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1
    
  • M16/43 tungsten cost removed.
    
  • P26/40 tungsten cost removed.
    
  • Semovente 75/18 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Semovente 75/34 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Semovente 75/46 tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Semovente 90/53 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Semovente 90/53 tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
  United States:
  
  • M-46 Patton hardness reduced from 98 to 90%.
    
  • M3 Lee tungsten cost removed.
    
  • M4 Sherman tungsten cost removed.
    
  • M4A3(75)W Sherman tungsten cost removed.
    
  • M4A3(76)W Sherman tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M4A3E8 Sherman tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • T-23 Medium tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M6A2E1 Heavy Tank steel cost increased from 3 to 4.
    
  • M1/M2 Light tanks (all types) steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M3 Stuart steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M8 Scott steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M10 Wolverine tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M18 Hellcat tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • M36 Jackson tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
  United Kingdom:
  
  • Transition from light tanks to mediums on the tech tree improved.
    
  • Centurion hardness reduced from 98 to 90%.
    
  • Cruiser Mk IIA tungsten cost removed.
    
  • Crusader I tungsten cost removed.
    
  • Crusader III tungsten cost removed.
    
  • Cavalier tungsten cost removed.
    
  • Cromwell IV tungsten cost removed.
    
  • Comet tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Sherman Firefly tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
    
  • Vickers A1E1 steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • Matilda I steel cost reduced from 3 to 1.
    
  • Matilda II steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
    
  • M10 Achilles TD tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
  France:
  
• AMX-50/100 hardness reduced from 98 to 90%.
  
• Char D1 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
• Char D2 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
• Somau S-35 tungsten cost removed.
  
• Somau S-40 tungsten cost removed.
  
• SARL-42 tungsten cost removed.
  
• Char G1R tungsten cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
• Char B1 steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
  
• Char B1 ter steel cost reduced from 3 to 2.
  
• ARL-44 steel cost reduced from 4 to 3.
  
• H-35 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
• AMC-35 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
• FCM-36 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
• H-39 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
• AMX-13 steel cost reduced from 2 to 1.
  
  AI Improvements:
  
  • Improved French AI equipment and unit production logic to build more armored divisions and produce more armored equipment. France should now perform better in the late game.
    
  • Improved Italian AI equipment and unit production logic to improve late game performance and smooth the transition from lights to mediums.
    
  • Added new templates for the Italian AI to improve its use of assault guns, tank destroyers, and towed anti-tank.
    
  • Added new AI templates for the US to enhance the American AI's use of mechanized battalions and to mix more armor/TDs into their infantry formations to improve gameplay and better reflect historical American doctrine.
  
  That's it for today's update. The next update will bring additional industrial tweaks for oil cost, assault guns for the UK tech tree, AI improvements for the US and Soviet Union, and likely further refinements of the upgrade system. Onwards to glorious tank battles!