Intel Report #023: Road to V1035 (October 2024)

Folks,

As October comes to a close, it is once again time for another Intel Report, when we take a little time off development to fill you in on the latest news and previews for our major upcoming release GROUND BRANCH V1035. Keep reading for your monthly dose of sneak peeks and tactical hype.

💡 If you missed last month's Intel Report #022, be sure to give that a look as well!

💡 Keep in mind this report is not an exhaustive list of V1035 features. For an overview of expected changes and additions, refer to our roadmap.

So, about that demo mission

Matt (aka Fatmarrow) is still very much in the trenches in order to get all the systems required for the demo mission up and running. Last month, most of the work went into the user interface, as showcased in the Operations Map. This month, Matt’s attention shifted to the actual mission objectives, as he built up systems for scouting locations, searching for intel, and planting explosive charges. Let’s take a look at his work so far:

Although the mechanics and visuals in the videos are all subject to change — and your feedback is most welcome, especially once public testing begins — this work represents an important step in implementing more complex objectives and mechanics into GROUND BRANCH.

AI, but friendly

Last month, we also mentioned that we were hoping to support AI teammates for the V1035 demo mission, which would bring our single player experience a lot closer to what it was always meant to be. This month, we’re excited to confirm that V1035 will indeed feature a first pass on AI teammates!

As with the demo mission objectives, the exact mechanics and interface are all subject to change, but Chris has an initial implementation in place which you can see here:

In addition to basic commands for “Move and Clear”, “Fall In”, “Hold” and “Take Cover” (all shown in the video), your AI teammates are able to use two modes of combat: “active” and “passive”.

In active mode (which we’re likely to label “Assault”) they will fire upon contact, whereas in passive mode (to be labeled “Recon”) they will hold fire until either they’re fired upon, or the player fires a shot — in which case they will currently be allowed to open fire for 4 seconds, and then hold fire again.

💡 AI teammates will be limited to 3 operators in V1035 for a 4-man team total, but the final maximum team size is likely to be between 6 and 8 operators.

It’s all very much a work in progress and still rough around the edges, but also nice to finally see it start to take shape.

Bringing the Power Station remake forward

We mentioned in Intel Report #021 (August) that Will was working on a big overhaul of the old Power Station map, to be released in V1036. That is no longer the case, as we’re happy to report that the new and improved Power Station is actually coming earlier than that — in V1035.

This overhaul is arguably even more extensive than the latest Depot upgrade, as the map’s size has been expanded (especially in the open surrounding areas) and new buildings and routes were added, though the overall layout should still be recognizable to players familiar with the original map. Let’s take a look:

And without spoiling too much, that’s another map overhaul we can cross off the list, ladies and gentlemen. Hats off to Will!

💡 Alongside Ranch (also previewed in our August report) that's essentially two new maps in V1035.

A new mocap session for our new animation needs

Though Mike unfortunately didn’t have the time to process and render any previews, we thought you’d like to know that he recorded a new motion capture (mocap) session a few weeks ago in order to produce another batch of animations for both player and AI characters. They include (but are far from limited to) vaulting, mantling, investigating suspicious signatures, surprised reactions, fleeing and new stunned animations — which we’re hoping will all be in the update. Fingers crossed!

Mag check update

As you know, mag checks (when you hold the Reload key) in V1034 can be very frustrating if you decide it’s time to reload, as you’re now forced to wait until your character fully reinserts an empty or almost empty magazine before you can swap it out for a new one. That can waste a few precious seconds, which is no good when a split second can mean the difference between having a great gaming time and wanting to quietly put your headset down and walk away from the PC in barely contained rage.

Fortunately, in V1035 the mag check is finally being updated to allow a reload of your choice to immediately follow the inspection:

As the video shows, the magazine will be held out as long as the Reload key is pressed. From there, you can: (a) release Reload to reinsert the magazine, (b) press Reload to do a retention reload (keep the old magazine), or (c) double-tap Reload to do a non-retention reload (throw the old magazine away). (Or, you know, the other way around if you use double-tap for retention reloads.)

💡 The video also shows Mike's updated reloads for the AR-15-type weapons. They're cleaner and do without the mag flip.

This has been Intel Report #023!

That’s it for this month’s dev blog. We’ll be seeing you next month with more news and previews. Stay tuned!