DORF Replaces Prone Infantry With a Suppression System

DORFteam plans to replace DORF’s prone-infantry mechanic with a suppression system inspired by the turn-based tactics game Menace. The system is designed to reduce infantry movement and accuracy without making squads too easy to destroy.

In the current build, infantry falls prone when attacked by certain weapons, following a mechanic used in classic Command & Conquer games. The developer described the system as providing defensive benefits, while machine guns and artillery can still quickly eliminate entire groups.

Under the planned system, weapons such as machine guns will fill a suppression meter when firing at infantry. Once the meter is full, the affected squad will move at crawling speed and suffer reduced accuracy. Suppressed units will receive greater protection from most weapons, and the effect will apply to the entire squad rather than individual soldiers.

DORFteam based the design on Menace, developed by Overhype Studios. Explosives and machine guns will still force infantry into a weaker state, giving friendly units time to advance and close the distance. The system is intended to keep machine guns effective against infantry without making them so powerful that infantry becomes ineffective.

The developer is also testing a reinforcement system for infantry squads. Recruit resources would replace lost squad members, while designated buildings would store recruits and automatically replenish nearby units. Early tests produced squads that could become nearly impossible to eliminate when enough recruits were available.

The team plans to limit the range of recruit buildings and reduce their storage capacity. It is also considering squad leaders and section leaders to control movement and stop squads from repeatedly moving backward. The design draws on documentation released by Relic Entertainment about squad organization in the Company of Heroes series.

The latest update included new unit concepts for DORF’s Empire faction. Rifle squads can receive a Machine Gunner who can fire while moving and becomes more accurate after deploying. An infantry academy annex can replace the Machine Gunner with a Mortar, which has greater range but cannot fire while undeployed or attack aircraft. Empire Grenadiers can receive a Chemical Gas Sprayer that damages light vehicles and releases toxic gas to help clear fortified positions.

The Empire’s Medium Tank will carry a 75mm cannon, a turret machine gun and a hull-mounted machine gun. Factory annexes can develop it into variants such as a Tank Destroyer or Assault Gun. The Halftrack can branch into a Cruise Missile Launcher or a chemical gas vehicle that suppresses infantry and applies debuffs to vehicles. Planned Heavy Tank variants include improved firepower, anti-air equipment and a chemical projector designed to damage buildings and vehicles at close range.

The Ironworm combines Empire and Warband technology. Players will need to control the Empire and capture a Warband vehicle factory to build it. The light tank is designed to ram enemy vehicles and carries flamethrowers and an autocannon.

DORFteam’s next development targets include expanded map-editor tools, an early skirmish mode and additional units. The game has no fixed release date. Its Kickstarter page lists 2028 as a cautious estimate, while the developer hopes to release DORF in 2027. The game is available to wishlist on Steam.