Combined Arms Operations Series — patch notes and updates
Stored observation / content update:
Dated developer announcements recorded from Steam. Open the source for the complete update.
| Update | Date | Excerpt / source |
|---|---|---|
| Update 1.0.9.5 - Comprehensive Update Tiger | 2026-03-08 | Update 1.0.9.5 has finally arrived, and we nicknamed it Tiger because it started off big and just kept getting fatter. Tiger includes: a pair of overhauls, major system improvements to stacking and air combat, OB updates for the US, USSR, and Germany, new air squadrons across over half the OBs in the game, and much more! On the overhaul front, we have substantially revised Combat Engineering and totally restructured Attack Scenarios. This update also brings the first pillar of the general AI revision. Regarding general improvements, we have (among other things), completely revised how we calculate unit weights, refined air zone generation and |
| Update 1.0.8.9 - Combined Content and Polish Update (Experimental) | 2025-10-10 | Update 1.0.8.9 is out on the experimental branch with a pair of overhauls, several other crucial improvements, and plenty of new units for Germany and the USSR in 1943! On the overhaul front, we have substantially revised Combat Engineering and totally restructured Attack Scenarios. Regarding general improvements, we have (among other things), refined air zone generation and propagation, tweaked artillery fire tables - especially for counterbattery, and made numerous user interface improvements/clarifications. To access the Experimental branch: Right click CAOS in your steam library > Select Properties > Click on Betas > and Select Experiment |
| Update 1.0.8.7 The Grand Artillery Overhaul | 2025-08-07 | Update 1.0.8.7 has arrived! And it with it comes: a grand artillery overhaul, the German 9th Army (July 1942) OB, updates to the standard Germany 1942 OB, a brand new battlegroup naming system, and much more! Artillery Overhaul: The artillery overhaul is the crown jewel of Update 1.0.8.7, and its reach is felt across the entire game. The TL:DR is we reduced the effectiveness of fire support, increased long-range guns costs, increased artillery close combat, and added a ton of fine detail and variation to artillery in general. The Fire Support and Cost Challenges: Fire Support in CAOS has long been overtuned for the technology of World War 2. |
| Update 1.0.8.2 - Combined Content and Polish Update | 2025-05-13 | Update 1.0.8.2 is here with a host of improvements and content additions, big and small! On the UI/immersion side, we are very keen to hear your feedback on our first pass at turn resolution and C2 visualization improvements. On the content side, we have a ton of additions to German and Soviet forces in 1941, namely a the addition of 2 full new OBs: Heeresgruppe Nord, and its Soviet adversary the Northwestern Front, as well as an update to the "standard" German 1941 OB. All in all, lots of fun new explosive toys to throw around, and general interface improvements. Immersive Turn Resolution and Dynamic Command Hierarchies: Update 1.0.8.2 bring |
| Dev Blog 16: Northwestern Front OB Deep Dive | 2025-04-27 | Greetings! Today we bring you a peak into the Soviet Northwestern Front (NWF) as it stood in June/July 1941! The Northwestern Front (or Baltic Special Military District until June 24) is symbolic of the 1941 Red Army in general. It has great potential, on paper, but severely underperforms in actual combat. If properly employed, NWF can bring to bear an astonishing volume of barrage fire to hammer their opponents, negate their zones of control, and inflict terrible casualties However, the frontline protecting the Front’s heavy artillery is dreadfully prone to shattering. Likewise, the armored units responsible for breaching enemy lines or prov |
| Dev Blog 15: Heeresgruppe Nord OB Deep Dive | 2025-04-13 | Greetings! Let's take a deep-dive into one of the 2 new OBs coming in update 1.0.8.2: Heersgruppe Nord as it stood at the start of Operation Barbarossa! Heeresgruppe Nord (HGN) is a robust order of battle that lacks raw armored might, and suffers from inadequate air support, but enjoys deep reserves, great engineering potential, and strong artillery support. Next week we will explore their Soviet adversaries, but for now, let’s dive into one of the most unique German OBs yet included in CAOS! Heeresgruppe Nord: June 22, 1941: Type: Historical OB Preferred Playstyle: Attrition Warfare Basic Composition: HG Totals: # Inde. Units # Armies 3 Arty |
| Update 1.0.7.7 | 2025-03-08 | After an extended development period, Update 1.0.7.7. is finally here, with the Kharkov map, UI improvements, Soviet 1941 updates, a new air pricing formula, some sweet quality of life improvements and a crucial fix to one of the most insidious CAOS combat bugs we have ever uncovered. Kharkov Map: Welcome to the Eastern Front! Kharkov is our first historical USSR map and it is a wholly unique experience that differs dramatically from existing maps due to its sheer size. Kharkov combines the mobility of the Russian Steppe with the powerful defensive anchors of fierce urban combat, and the logistical threat of inadequate infrastructure. We have |
| Update 1.0.7.4 - UK 1945 Overhaul | 2024-11-09 | Welcome to the grand finale of the British army in Europe during World War 2! Britain is bruised and bloody, but it stands on the precipice of victory none the less. Standardization has become a myth, and adaptation is the watch word of the day. British organizations now vary wildly from under-gunned and under-strength infantry to the finest armoured divisions the Western Allies field during World War 2. The final six-months of the war in Europe witness great adaptation in British tactics and organization in response to the unsustainable attrition of 1944. Now, we bring these unique organizations to life in CAOS! Britain 1945 enjoys high-high |
| Update 1.0.7.2 - UK 1944 Overhaul | 2024-09-18 | 1944 Order of Battle Updates: At first glance, the British military seems to be at the zenith of its World War 2 power on the eve of the Normandy landings. British armoured brigades are powerful battering rams. British infantry divisions remain substantially larger than their allies and adversaries alike. Their anti-tank guns are among the finest in the world. Meanwhile, the RAF can challenge any opponent on equal or better terms in the skies above. Britain, and the Commonwealth generally, has come far since the dark days of 1940. Yet…a crisis brews beneath the surface. Years of total war from Malaysia to Tunisia have bled Britain dry. The It |
| Update 1.0.6.9/Dev Blog 15 - Amphibious Warfare Rework | 2024-06-08 | We’re back with a combined update/dev-blog featuring a series of new mechanics developed for Operation Sea Lion that greatly enhance broader CAOS amphibious combat gameplay, editor additions, and UK 1943 OB expansions. The first half of these update notes double as a CAOS Amphibious Warfare Overhaul dev blog. Fair warning, it gets table heavy and deeply nerdy. The second half tackles the more routine aspects of the update. Amphibious Combat Overhaul: The amphibious combat system has been totally overhauled to reflect the extreme difficulty of amphibious operations and differences in capability, doctrine, and naval fire at the national and equ |
| Update 1.0.6.4 - Scenario Editor Release | 2024-02-14 | Update 1.0.6.4 has reached full deployment! The scenario editor and the order of battle updates it brings with it are live. If you played the experimental branch, you already know what to expect; the transition from experimental to live build was remarkably smooth. These patch notes are very long so the short summary is: the scenario editor is here, the supply system was re-written, ultrawide support improved, and UK, USSR, and Germany all received major early war updates. Scenario Editor: With the arrival of the scenario editor you can make your own custom CAOS scenarios and upload them to the Steam workshop to share with friends and the com |
| Update 1.0.6.4 (Experimental) | 2024-01-26 | Greetings! We are back with a major experimental build introducing the scenario editor and a series of hefty order of battle updates. These patch notes are very long so the short summary is: the scenario editor is here, the supply system was re-written, and UK, USSR, and Germany all received major early war updates. See the picture below for information on how to opt-in to the Experimental build if you’re interested in playing new updates early. Scenario Editor: With the arrival of the scenario editor you can make your own custom CAOS scenarios and upload them to the Steam workshop to share with friends and the community. The editor tools can |
| Tutorial Hotfix | 2023-09-27 | A quick hotfix today to resolve a bug introduced with the 1.0.5.7 update that caused the tutorial to become stuck when attempting to assign fire support to the 6th Armored Infantry Regiment. Special thanks to Cush for bringing this to our attention. Work continues on the editor update as usual, we are currently writing the editor manual and assembling the two example scenarios that will deploy with the editor update. |
| Dev Blog 13 - Scenario Editor | 2023-08-30 | Greetings! We’re back with a detailed dev blog on the upcoming scenario editor. This will be a long one, so if you want the short version, the scenario editor is coming soon and the map editor a bit further down the road. Much of this blog will later become the foundation of a proper editor guide/manual, but now, let’s dive in! Scenario Editor Features: The scenario editor allows you to take any map and any OBs and make your own custom scenario. The editor uses a modified hotseat setup, so you can swap between the two sides and run the first turn as many times as you like without issue. Throughout your time in the scenario editor, the little |
| Update 1.0.5.7 | 2023-08-11 | Greetings! We have a routine update today focused on refinements to the Crusader scenario, several historical improvements to the UK 1939/1940 OBs, implementing the new Polish and Czech national color schemes, a new system to preview the exact impact of terrain on unit combat values, and other improvements. This update is not save game compatible with saves from 1.0.5.2. Operation Crusader Scenario Updated: Experience revealed our 1.0 Operation Crusader scenario biased too heavily in favor of the Axis because we provided them unrealistic flexibility. Due to incomplete intelligence and ongoing preparations for their planned assault on Tobruk, |
| Update 1.0.5.5 (Experimental) | 2023-07-22 | Greetings! We have a routine experimental branch update today focused on refinements to the Crusader scenario, several historical improvements to the UK 1939/1940 OBs, implementing the new Polish and Czech national color schemes, and a new system to preview the exact impact of terrain on unit combat values. This update is not save game compatible with saves from 1.0.5.2. Operation Crusader Scenario Updated: Experience revealed our 1.0 Operation Crusader scenario biased too heavily in favor of the Axis because we provided them unrealistic flexibility. Due to incomplete intelligence, heavy rains grounding recon aircraft, and the pressing matter |
| Update 1.0.5.2 | 2023-06-29 | Greetings! We have a brief update today focused on key improvements to the new automated replacement system and a few multiplayer stability fixes. We have an Operation Crusader focused update planned next week, but we want to get the replacement and stability improvements out now. Centralized Replacement Management: Opening Replacement Management: Left-clicking anywhere on the replacement pool at the top of the user interface now opens up the replacement management screen. What it does: The new replacement management screen centralizes everything you need to know about the flow of replacements in your army in one place. The screen lists: Your |
| Update 1.0.5.1: Combat Overhaul 1 | 2023-06-17 | Greetings! We are ready to release Combat Overhaul 1! If you have been playing the experimental branch this release is fairly similar to what you've been playing with for the last 2 weeks with a couple major changes. Notably the addition of the revised Gazala scenario and reversion of changes to combat movement cost. If you haven't played the experimental branch then get ready to enjoy automated replacement and some fun changes to combat that open up new tactical opportunities. System Improvements: Automated Replacement Units now automatically draw replacements from the global pool while connected to the supply network. Percent of total stren |
| Update 1.0.4.9 (Experimental) | 2023-05-27 | Greetings! We are excited to roll out the experimental branch for the Combat Overhaul 1 update. We are particularly interested in feedback on the main combat and replacement changes. Feel free to let us know your thoughts either in the Update 1.0.4.9 discussion thread on the forums, or on discord. See the picture below for information on how to opt-in to the Experimental build if you’re interested in playing new updates early. System Improvements: Automated Replacement Units now automatically draw replacements from the global pool while connected to the supply network. Percent of total strength drawn per turn varies according to the following |
| Roadmap to the Future | 2023-04-07 | The completion of the Gazala to Husky release cycle lends us a perfect opportunity to tackle game system and interface additions or improvements, as well as making the scenario editor ready for public release. This Combat Overhaul release cycle will bridge the gap between Husky and our first, as yet unannounced paid expansion, intended for release later this year. The objectives outlined in this roadmap are naturally subject to change, and they are not exhaustive. For instance, there are plenty of in-development AI improvements that don't appear on the roadmap. This roadmap serves as a general guide to the direction of development leading up |
| Operation Husky Release (v. 1.0.4.7) | 2023-03-28 | Operation Husky's full release, update 1.0.4.7, is here! Husky features several new scenarios, a tutorial, and numerous gameplay, AI, or interface improvements, and much faster turn resolution speeds. Dive into the largest update to CAOS since launch! New Scenarios: Operation Husky and Variants: Recreate the first decisive blow against fortress Europe in Operation Husky and explore two hypothetical variants of the scenario for increased replayability! Operation Husky (Historical) The straight historical scenario with turn-1 Allied invasion beaches and paradrop landing zones pre-selected and units adhere to their historical arrival dates. Oper |
| Update 1.0.4.5 (Experimental) | 2023-03-08 | Greetings! Update 1.0.4.5. brings the Operation Brimstone scenarios and paradrops in all attack/invasion scenarios to the experimental branch. This is our last planned major experimental build before Operation Husky update full release. See the picture below for information on how to opt-in to the Experimental build if you’re interested in playing new updates early. New Scenarios: Operation Brimstone July/September Variants: Operation Brimstone was a series of proposed Allied invasions of Sardinia between May and September, 1943. Historically, Operation Brimstone was never enacted and planning for the invasion was abandoned following the succ |
| Update 1.0.4.4 Hotfix | 2023-02-15 | Fixed a bug that allowed the AI to re-deploy units from their historical landing zones in Operation Husky. Fixed a bug that prevented interdiction missions from working in historical scenarios. Fixed a bug that caused the message notifying the player mods are out of date to become unclosable. Fixed a bug that caused some reinforcement units to forget their parents/detachments in historical scenarios (will not affect in-progress games). |
| Update 1.0.4.4 (Experimental) | 2023-02-11 | Greetings! We are excited to share the experimental build for the largest content update we have ever done in CAOS. Update 1.0.4.4. focuses on Operation Husky, but also brings with it a series of hypothetical scenarios or variants and paradrop gameplay improvements. See the picture below for information on how to opt-in to the Experimental build if you’re interested in playing new updates early. New Scenarios: To play the new historical or hypothetical scenarios, check out the "Premade" section under scenario type when starting a new game. Operation Husky and Variants: Recreate the first decisive blow against fortress Europe in Operation Husk |
| Install Error Hotfix | 2022-12-27 | We have fixed an install script error that caused CAOS to hang on load for some users. If you experienced the error, follow the quick steps below to make sure you get a fresh install to fix the problem: 1) Right click CAOS in your steam library >> Manage >> Uninstall. 2) Reinstall the game 3) Everything should work. Have a happy New Year and a special thanks to the players who brought this error to our attention and helped us troubleshoot it. |
| Update 1.0.4.1 and Merry Christmas! | 2022-12-22 | Greetings! We have a brief update just before Christmas focusing on a couple key combat changes and interface improvements. Gameplay Improvements: Update 1.0.4.1 brings a pair of crucial combat changes developed from experience in the historical Crusader/Gazala scenarios. Overruns have been removed from skirmishes to make the battlefield less inhospitable to small units, particularly recon battalions. The effectiveness of artillery fire support in offensive March and Skirmish combats has also been reduced to reflect the difficulty of coordinating fire support in fluid combat environments using the communication equipment and doctrines of the |
| Update 1.0.3.8 Full Release | 2022-11-22 | Greetings! We’re back with the full public release of the Operation Crusader update! General Gameplay Additions and Changes: Added Operation Crusader historical scenario. Recreate 8th Army’s bold offensive to break the siege of Tobruk in November 1941 to January 1942! Added Random button added to unit pool, when pressed it automatically purchases units for you. This feature is still in development and tends to scatter units all over the deployment box. Interface Improvements: Added daily situation report. New and improved Air Command screen displays more information, more clearly. Holding Left Shift while buying replacements buys 10 at a time |
| Update 1.0.3.8 (Experimental) | 2022-11-16 | We have a new update out on the experimental build, it resolves most of the outstanding, non-AI related issues with the Crusader update, discovered up by players and in internal testing. See the picture below for information on how to opt-in to the Experimental build if you’re interested in playing new updates early. Bug Fixes: Fixed a bug that allowed supply extenders to become infinite supply sources. Fixed a bug that caused mobile depots to fail to refill their supply when in range of a supply source and a supply extender was stacked on top of them. Fixed a bug that caused attackers and defenders to receive the same number of replacements |
| Update 1.0.3.6 (Experimental) | 2022-10-26 | Greetings! We’re launching an Experimental branch for CAOS, Experimental builds include content from upcoming updates, but will be less stable than the standard live build. See the picture below for information on how to opt-in to the Experimental build if you’re interested in playing new updates early. General Gameplay Additions and Changes: Added Operation Crusader historical scenario. Recreate 8th Army’s bold offensive to break the siege of Tobruk in November 1941 to January 1942! Added Random button added to unit pool, when pressed it automatically purchases units for you. This feature is still in development and tends to scatter units al |
| Dev Blog 12: Give me the SitRep | 2022-10-21 | Greetings! We’re back with a quick dev blog on some of the core interface improvements coming in the Crusader update. Air Command Improvements: The Air Command has been substantially graphically and functionally improved in the Crusader update. Regarding new functions the Air Command now displays air group names, withdrawal dates, and lists twice as many air units (20 as opposed to the old 10). Graphically, the new Air Command cleanly divides information into categories and visually divides statistics into columns to break up the walls of text when you’re running a large air roster. Daily Situation Report: The Intel report has been completely |