Heroes and Generals Update spruces up UI, revamps character progression

Heroes and Generals, the strategic shooter that mixes browser-based strategy with hardcore FPS, has been thoroughly entrenched in its open beta for some time now. Idle hands won't win you a war though, and developer Reto-Moto has been slowly advancing through its long checklist of changes as it marches the FPS towards full release. The latest update named "Newgarden" is Heroes & Generals final build of the year, and goes a long way towards ensuring 2013 ends on a positive note for the FPS.

First up is Heroes & Generals new UI, which was revamped to make it faster to use and more intuitive. For those that don't know, Heroes & Generals uses a separate browser plugin to handle the strategic side of the game as well most of the game's eother menus. Before Newgarden, many players (myself included) experienced frequent bugs and instability while using the plugin. The UI changes aren't quite complete, and Reto-Moto has stated players should expect additional UI features and polish in the upcoming months.

Going hand-in-hand with the UI update, Reto-Moto has also taken the opportunity to change player progression. Characters now progress through a linear progression tree. As they rank up they'll gain ranks and ribbons, allowing them to unlock new weapons, specific to their accomplishments.

At set ranks players get to choose whether they wish to branch out into new branches of the military; including tank crewman, fighter pilots, and recon. Reto-Moto has said that despite the changes to character progression, the team has made sure players don't lose their current character's experience progression, with only a handful of minor changes being made to the character's themselves.

Changes to how Heroes and Generals render visibility have also been put into place to ensure players at both the low and high end of the PC power spectrum get a fair experience. No more turning down the detail to spot someone hiding along the treeline. Other changes, including a revamp of the map "the airfield", improved audio feedback, and numerous bug fixes round out the list of changes added in Newgarden.

More indepth details concerning the new progression system along with additional patch notes can be found on the official announcement page here. For those curious where the game is headed, Reto-Moto released an extensive developer feedback series in which the devs answered many of the community's questions regarding future content possibilities.