BUILD UPDATE #026: Patch 1030.1

GROUND BRANCH Version 1030.1
Build ID: 5556979 (client) / 5556987 (dedicated server)
Download size: 99.5 MB (client) / 57.1 MB (dedicated server)

This Build Update details the first patch for GROUND BRANCH V1030, now live under your regular (non-CTE) game install.

ℹ️ What about CTE?
In case you are wondering: GROUND BRANCH CTE will not be used for a while, so if you need to free up some disk space, go ahead and uninstall it.

Patch 1030.1 is primarily a server/networking fix, but has many other smaller fixes and improvements. There are known/reported issues we have yet to get to, so expect another patch in a few weeks’ time and keep the reports coming.

We’re adding the full changelist at the end of the post for those curious about all the inner workings and under-the-hood changes. Here are the highlights:

Code and networking

Automatic server shutdown

In order to fix an issue with dedicated servers behaving erratically after being constantly on for some time, they will now shut down automatically after a set period:

• If empty, servers will shut down at 6+ hours. Otherwise, they will shut down at 8 hours—but will wait between rounds/time limits.
• Added a server message to display when the time limit is up or the server is about to be restarted.

🔄 RESTART
Most hosting companies will take care of monitoring and restarting the server automatically once it has shut down. If your hosting server does not provide that capability or you are hosting a server on your own hardware, we include a simple script (DedicatedServer.bat) that does the same. It is located in the root directory of your dedicated server installation.

Log spam

Fixed log spam for various blueprints, mainly relating to acoustic portals being opened/closed (details in the Changelist section).

Maps

General cleanup

• Fixed various instances of collision volumes either missing or being where they shouldn’t be, as well as portions of the map where players were getting stuck. Maps that got a collision cleanup were Creek, 747, Power Station and City.
• A section of the hills on Storage Facility was going dark when players walked past it. That was caused by a trigger volume (used to dim the skylight inside the tunnel) extending past its intended area. It’s now fixed.

🐞 Map cleanup is very reliant on user feedback. Thanks for all the reports!

Lighting

• Lights have received a minor optimization pass. Performance gains may be slightly noticeable on lower-end specs in some conditions.
• Creek at nighttime has been brightened up a little.

Shadows (Medium)

When using the “Medium” setting, shadows would be rendered out of view way too close to the player; that should now be fixed.

Gear

• The extended PMAG magazine is back in business with 35 rounds for you to go to town with. Look for PMAG 5.56 NATO (Ext) (30) in the magazines/ammunition attachment tabs.
• Cleaned up materials and textures for the PM II 5–25x scope.
• Replaced the suppressor for non-SD MP5s with the 9 mm pistol model. Temporary fix just to get rid of the AR suppressor that it was using.
• Fixed off-center alignment for the suppressor on the M17 pistol.
• Reduced how far back you can mount scopes on the M416, M416 CQB, FAL Tactical, M110 and M110K1 rifles to avoid clipping through the camera.

Miscellaneous

• You can now use the Radio (default B) to masterfully sh*t-talk taunt your opponents in free-for-all game modes like Deathmatch.
• Added a game mode option (UseTeamRestrictions) to enable/disable kit restrictions defined in each team profile (…\GroundBranch\Content\GroundBranch\TeamProfiles\<teamname>.mlp).

Changelist

* Added extended PMAG back in
* Fixed issue in Storage Facility where skylight gate volume extended out into outside play area and was turning skylight intensity down outside
* Fixed various "getting stuck" bugs on 747 and Creek maps
* Fixed missing collision on interior Power Station wall
* Fixed shadows popping out too early on Medium shadow setting
* Brightened up night a bit on Creek
* Fixed collision issues with trees on Creek
   * May still be some instances as they are hard to track down
* Fixed minor collision issues in 747 and Power Station
* Small optimization in lights
   * Saves roughly 0.4 ms on Tanker ship on mid-range system
   * Might see slightly bigger gains on low-end machines
* fixed getting stuck with death overlay on-screen if teamkilled
* updated BP_SkyLightGate, BP_SimpleAmbience_Wwise, BP_SplineEmitter_Wwise & BP_SpineOcclusion_Wwise
   * changed bDebug variable transient to make sure it didn't cause log spam if accidentally left enabled.
* updated BP_DestructibleWindowPane_Master
   * removed log spam about acoustic portal usage.
* updated BP_WindowCover
   * fixed acoustic portal usage
   * simplified replication, hopefully without breaking it.
   * removed log spam about acoustic portal usage.
* updated BP_BoxCar
   * prevented usage of open/close acoustic portals on server
   * removed log spam about acoustic portal usage.
* updated BP_Door_Swinging
   * removed log spam about acoustic portal usage.
* updated BP_Door_Rollup
   * will instantly match target alpha at start of round/game instead of animating
   * removed log spam about acoustic portal usage.
* updated GBGameInstance & GBGameMode to add support for a scheduled server shutdown
   * if empty at 6+ hours, will shut down early.
   * otherwise, will shut down at 8 hours between rounds/time limits.
* created WBP_EndGameMessage to display when time limit is up or server is about to shutdown.
* added game mode option UseTeamRestrictions to enabled/disable team restrictions defined in team profile.
* updated BP_Trigger_CustomiseOperator to reset HUD visibility properly (oops – fingers crossed thats all it was).
* added MuteAll, UnMuteAll & MuteTalking functions to GBPlayerController.
* updated GBVOIPManager to allow Radio in non-team games (e.g. deathmatch) for shits and giggles.
* Fixed ladder collision issue in Creek barn
* Tweaked MinSightRelativeX value to lessen scope clipping while crouched for M416, FAL Tac, M110 and M110K1
* Cleaned up some geometry and material stuff for PMII_5-25x scope to make it look better
* Fixed off-center M17 suppressor
* Changed MP5 suppressor
* Cleaned up some floating meshes on Creek
* Cleaned up some collision on City
* removed numbers from Storm1 & Storm2 in ST_MissionNameNouns
* removed game modes from primary asset list to stop it warning about them
* updated WBP_GameModeList and related to correct excluded game modes

This has been BUILD UPDATE #026!
Thanks for taking the time to read the release notes for Patch 1030.1. We'll keep tackling bugs and issues in version 1030 for a couple more patches still, so we'll see you on the next update!