Objectives & Intent
Welcome to the Company of Heroes 3 Multiplayer Tech Test! This is our last big development push before launch and we’re extremely excited to finally get it into your hands.
Your participation will allow us to prepare for launch by testing our infrastructure on a larger scale. The test also helps us identify new bugs and issues that cannot be caught without having thousands of people playing the game at the same time.
Your feedback during this test is critical. Though the game is essentially ready for launch, your feedback on your experience - everything from faction balance to units to systems and more - will help inform fixes and patches in the first few weeks and months of the game’s life. This will also help us iterate on quality-of-life improvements, feature priorities, future iterations of gameplay elements and content.
Test Objectives
Server load and stability
- Match performance - server calls during matches
- Logins - server is capable of handling large numbers of player logins
- Matchmaking - server can match players quickly and efficiently based on our parameters
Queue testing
We will be changing access to certain game modes during the Multiplayer Tech Test to monitor how the queues work individually. This will vary with the number of players testing at any given point in time and will be communicated in Community Spaces (forums, Discord) and social media.
Client stability & compatibility testing
A large group of players testing the game with different PC set-ups will give us the chance to test a lot more hardware and software configurations than we would ever be able to do with our team. We will be focusing on learning about:
Hardware issues
Software configuration issues
Crashes - We will be monitoring crash reports to ensure CoH3 is optimized for as many configurations as possible. Help us by filling in the Bugsplat report should you get one! Our team reads every single one of these and the more information we get, the better we can understand the issue.
Bug Reporting
With a large group of players, we are going to be able to discover new bugs and issues that we never had the chance to encounter during internal testing. This will help us squash as many critical issues in the launch window as possible. You can report a bug by going to this link. Be sure to select “Report Feedback or Bug” under “Nature of Enquiry.”
Client and server maintenance & patching
As we plan to support CoH3 for a long time, we are using this test to make sure we are ready to deliver updates and perform maintenance without a hitch. We will be testing this both on the client side (when you need to download a patch through Steam) and on the server side (when the update is deployed via our servers and downloaded in-game).
Available Features
- Mission Zero – First time launch tutorial (skippable). Note that there are many tutorials and first-time-user tooltips that will not be present in this test, but you will be able to experience them at launch.
- As this test is Multiplayer focused, Tactical Pause will not be available. However, at launch, Tactical Pause will be available in the singleplayer Dynamic Campaign Map in Italy, in the North African Operation, and in singleplayer Skirmish.
- Multiplayer Modes & Skirmish vs AI: 1v1 2v2 3v3 4v4
- All 4 Launch Factions US Forces Wehrmacht British Forces Deutsches Afrikakorps
- All 12 Launch Battlegroups US Forces: Airborne, Armored and Special Operations Battlegroups Wehrmacht: Luftwaffe, Mechanized and Breakthrough Battlegroups British Forces: Indian Artillery, Armored Support and Air & Sea Battlegroups Deutsches Afrikakorps: Armored Support, Italian Combined Arms and Italian Infantry Battlegroups
- Maps (Note: We will have more multiplayer maps included for launch!)
- 1v1 Road to Tunis Twin Beaches
- 2v2 Pachino Farmlands Torrente
- 3v3 Gazala Landing Ground L'Aquila
- 4v4 Mignano Gap Winter Line
- Automatch & Custom Games Victory Point Mode Annihilation (see note below)
Schedule
Registration
January 4th – January 13th
Playtest registration can be found on the CoH3 Steam store page here.
Multiplayer Tech Test
Wednesday, Jan 11th @ 10am PT to Monday, Jan 16th @ 10am PT
Planned Downtime
January 12th from 1pm PT to 3pm PT
Dependent on player numbers
Backup Downtime
January 13th – 10am PT to 12pm PT
We will only use this downtime if we did not conduct maintenance on January 12th
Dependent on player numbers
Once the planned downtime is complete, we will be providing access to the Annihilation victory condition.
Player Feedback
For those that have been with us since we first revealed Company of Heroes 3, you know we want to hear your feedback and you know we take it seriously. Please share your thoughts and concerns, as that’s how we continue to improve CoH3 in the days ahead.
As a reminder, we won’t be able to make any major design, feature, or gameplay changes before our official launch on February 23rd. However, your feedback will inform future iterations, balance changes and patches in the weeks and months ahead. Our team’s focus for launch will be to squash any newly discovered critical bugs and crashes – anything that’s a showstopper. For example, if your game consistently fails to launch, that is something we need to know about so we can fix it before launch.
You can fill out this survey after you have played the Multiplayer Tech Test to help us continue our work on CoH3! https://bit.ly/3weK3vD
You can leave your feedback on the community forums here.
Or on our official Discord: https://discord.gg/companyofheroes
Where to Report Bugs
You can report a bug by going to this link. Be sure to select “Report Feedback or Bug” under “Nature of Enquiry.”
Should your game crash and you receive a Bugsplat screen, please add as many details as possible in the comment box and click “Send Error Report.” Like we said, our team reads every single Bugsplat report we receive, so please submit them as they help us track and resolve issues!
Known Issues & Bugs
- To replay the tutorial mission, you will need to delete your save file under Documents > My Games > Company of Heroes 3 - Playtest
- If a user begins a game in a Custom lobby and a player tries to join after that lobby is no longer available, they may encounter a crash.
- Twin Beaches has the incorrect territory point income and Victory point count.
- Battlegroups may show as pink placeholder boxes after finishing an automatch game.
- If a player leaves while a match is loading, there may be an error loading match stats afterwards.
- There is a slight chance that if the host of a lobby searches for an automatch game, then fails the search and leaves the party, once they try to rejoin they will not see themselves in the lobby.
- If a lobby host selects “Start Match” as a player is changing their Faction selection, they may load into the game with Battlegroups that do not function.
- The Smoke Launcher ability on the Panzer III cannot be used more than once.
- When certain units pick up a team weapon from a different faction, they may use that unit’s voice lines.
- White Phosphorus tracer rounds have the wrong color.
- The 251 Medium Carrier is missing a voiceline to indicate when Auto-Reinforce is enabled or disabled.
- Stuka Anti-Tank Loiter ability is not functioning as intended.
- All Loiter abilities are targeting units in a larger area of effect than intended.
- Constructing and repairing may cause certain units to t-pose.
- Text chat box may get wider than intended when typing long messages.
- Wehrmacht Sniper is missing Veterancy descriptions.
FAQ
How do I sign up for the Multiplayer Tech Test?
Visit the official Company of Heroes 3 Steam store page here and scroll down to this prompt.
Click “Request Access” - if it is before the test has begun on January 11th, you will be notified that you have been registered. Once the test begins, we will be providing access to all players. The test will not be restricted or limited in any way to anyone that has registered. After the test is live on January 11th, if you have clicked “Request Access,” you should now have a prompt to download the test.
I've requested access but I can't seem to play or can't find the game?
If you've followed the steps above, the game should be in your Steam library. Open your library and search for Company of Heroes 3 - Multiplayer Tech Test.
Do I need to pre-order Company of Heroes 3 to access the Multiplayer Tech Test?
No. The Multiplayer Tech Test will be available for free to any Steam user that wishes to have access. Request access and download the test using the steps above.
Are you limiting access to the Multiplayer Tech Test?
No. You don’t need to “stand in line” or wait your turn to get access. All players who have requested access will be granted it once the test begins on January 11th. We may be limiting modes as we test our servers (outlined above under Queue Testing), but we will not limit player access.
How long is the Multiplayer Tech Test running for?
The Multiplayer Tech Test will begin on Wednesday, January 11th at 10am PT and will close on Monday, January 16th at 10am PT.
How do I report a bug?
You can report a bug by going to this link. Be sure to select “Report Feedback or Bug” under “Nature of Enquiry.”
Where can I leave feedback?
You can leave us feedback on our official forums here.
You can also join the discussion or look for teammates on our official Discord server here: https://discord.gg/companyofheroes
How can I get help with a technical issue?
You can view our knowledge portal here.
You can also submit a ticket to SEGA Support directly here.
Will the Multiplayer Tech Test support WASD camera control or customizable keys?
Yes, full WASD camera controls will be available, along with the ability to customize keys.
Will the Multiplayer Tech Test support localization in other languages?
No, but all localization will be available for launch on February 23rd. You can find the list of all supported languages on our Steam page.
What are the minimum and recommended hardware specifications for CoH3?
Minimum:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Intel i5 6th-gen or AMD Ryzen desktop processor with 4 cores @3GHz, or equivalent performance
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950, AMD Radeon R9 370, or equivalent performance
Storage: 40 GB available space
Recommended:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel i7 8th-gen or AMD Ryzen desktop processor with 8 cores @ 3GHz or equivalent performance
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, AMD Radeon RX 5600, or equivalent performance
Storage: 40 GB available space
If you're still reading this, we thank you for being a dedicated Company of Heroes player and helping us to make the best game possible! See you on January 11th!
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