Scopey

Folks,

It’s been a busy year, but our Intel Reports are finally back for the big V1035 update cycle. Like last time, we’ll try to publish these reports monthly until community testing begins so you get an idea of how development is going, as well as a little taste of what’s to come.

💡 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.

Quick disclaimer before we get to it:

MicroProse Publisher Sale: Save 30% on GROUND BRANCH on Steam

Our publisher MicroProse is running a sale on Steam including all of its games — among which, of course, is GROUND BRANCH. This discount matches our Summer Sale offer, so if you missed that one, here’s your second chance!

The publisher sale runs until September 2nd.

🕹️ If you're a fan of simulators and real-time strategy — including classic 1990s gems — it's worth checking out MicroProse's Steam catalog for all the discounted titles. They have other genres too!

Miscellanews

Welcome, Travis!

Travis Rose, who you might know from our community moderation team as consecrated2718, has been working with us for a while in a Quality Assurance (QA) role, helping us keep the bug database in order and organizing testing sessions. He has since taken on more responsibilities within BlackFoot Studios, assisting the team in managing tasks, keeping the roadmap updated, and helping define the scope and scheduling of releases.

We are happy to announce Travis is now officially a Project Manager for GROUND BRANCH, which should no doubt be a relaxing and straightforward job. Welcome aboard, Travis!

Thank you, Callum!

In case you missed our last Build Update (for Patch V1034.5): Callum Coombes, one of our programmers, has moved on from GROUND BRANCH to pursue development of his own games full-time. We were lucky to have him as long as we did, as Callum has taken the GROUND BRANCH Mod Kit from a concept to a finished product, unphased by the near-total absence of documentation and official support from Epic Games.

Callum, we salute you! Good luck in your future projects.

🕹️ Are you into VR games? Then be sure to check out Callum's game Space Docker VR!

Speaking of Mod Kit

As explained earlier this month in Build Update #052, the official Mod Kit, though ready to release — at least as far as we were concerned — has found some snags in Epic’s approval process. The application had to be rebuilt in a different interface, and from that point on Epic engineers became more involved in assessing further requirements.

Long story short: we’re still working on checking all the boxes to get the approval for publishing, which should hopefully happen in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed!

💡 For more information on the current state of modding (including the Modding Wiki and several weapon mods you can download right now), see Build Update #052.

V1035 news

And now for what you’re really here for: V1035 previews.

Round Ranch

The Ranch map, first mentioned about a year ago, is one of the earliest pieces in V1035, having been taken on by environmental artists Elliot and Will. Though their part of the job — the art — has been done for a while, maps require a good amount of setup work from other members of the team whose plates were full with V1034 and subsequent patches. And while the setup is still underway, we’re happy to be able to give you a sneak peek — without spoiling too much:

As some of you have guessed, Ranch is set somewhere near the Mexico–US border and will have players go up against members of a drug cartel.

💡 Elliot has since moved on to an exciting new map (provisionally called "Checkpoint"), while Will has been busy with a massive overhaul of Power Station. Both maps will launch in V1036, expected to release sometime next year.

New character assets

GROUND BRANCH V1035 will be bringing a handful of new character assets to the inventory, including a new and updated field jacket, a softshell jacket, and four new balaclava styles. Let’s take a look.

New Field Jacket: remaking the ACU Coat

Our original ACU Coat was never a very popular item, having been modeled with its mandarin collar up and closed — a wearing style that is challenging to find in any reference photo from real-life deployments. The style frustrated some players looking for authenticity and those looking for a more BDU-style field shirt or jacket, which are almost exclusively worn with the collar folded down.

With that issue in mind (coupled with a few others we’ll detail in a bit), we decided to order an updated model from our trusty freelance artist Pau Peñalver. Here’s a comparison:

Another issue with the old model was that each variant — regular and rolled-sleeves — used its own texture set, which is sub-optimal in terms of performance as well as maintenance (for instance, when we want to tweak skins and materials on our end it’s twice as much work).

Lastly, the shoulder pockets had little pull tabs that prevented velcro patches from being applied to the appropriate area: the pocket’s flap. Due to the patches using a decal system, any patch applied will conform (and deform) according to the underlying geometry, meaning they need to be applied to more-or-less flat surfaces — which the pull tab did not allow. To illustrate:

While we were at it, we also asked Pau to include tucked-in variants. Here are all the versions we ended up with:

In order to reflect other clothing items using more generic names, the updated ACU Coat is being renamed Field Jacket. It will be available in the same colors and patterns as the old model.

💡 As a bonus, we've also set it up to use a system that more accurately simulates the seams of the garment by interrupting and/or changing the direction of camo patterns.

Softshell Jacket

Another asset we ordered from Pau is the Softshell Jacket, based on the second generation (aka Block I) of the “Level 5” softshell jacket that is part of the seven-layer Protective Combat Uniform (PCU) system. A breathable, stretchable, water-repellant and windproof garment, the Level 5 jacket is the most widely used and versatile PCU item.

The Softshell Jacket is coming in two versions: a regular one with the hood retracted into the collar, and another one with the hood out. It also features velcro on the shoulder pockets for patches, as well as four different skins: Gray, OCP, AOR-1 and AOR-2.

New balaclava styles

The new balaclavas created by Pau last year are also confirmed for V1035. Though we do not yet have them fully set up to mask out the correct areas of the head for each style, the four variants below will be available in the same colors as the old V1034 balaclava model:

New weapons

V1035 will feature a varied host of new weapons, from bullpup to specialized suppressed rifles. If you’re among those who find GROUND BRANCH’s arsenal too focused on AR-15 and AK platforms, V1035 should mitigate that a little. Here’s what is being added:

AUG A3

The AUG A3 is a bullpup assault rifle chambered in 5.56 mm NATO. It is a modernized variant of the AUG featuring a top Picatinny rail (instead of the built-in optical sight), as well as a small accessory rail mounted at a 45-degree angle on the right-hand side.

Mike has a few AUG reload animation previews right here.

💡 The AUG A1 is likely to be added in a later update.

💡 The AUG will also serve as a template to facilitate the modding of other bullpup weapons into GROUND BRANCH.

G36K Custom

Our first G36K will be a custom model featuring aftermarket parts including a low-profile top rail, a quad-rail handguard, and an adjustable stock.

For a preview of G36K reload animations straight from Mike, click here.

💡 A "factory" variant of the G36K (with the classic carry handle + optics combo) will be added in a future update.

LVAW

The LVAW (Low Visibility Assault Weapon) is a specialist variant of the MCX series of rifles adopted by JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command). It was developed as a rifle-caliber substitute for the MP5SD submachine gun, with superior ergonomics, range, accuracy and lethality while being just as quiet.

For that goal, the LVAW features a large thread-on suppressor (meant to be always on) and fires a subsonic load of .300 AAC Blackout (.300 BLK), an intermediate cartridge with the same overall dimensions as 5.56 mm NATO — meaning it can use the same magazines.

Reload previews right here.

AK-103 Alpha

Many of you have requested a modernized AK in 7.62×39 mm, and the AK-103 with Zenitco furniture will be arriving in V1035 to deliver it. Think of it as a tacticool AKM.

MK24 CAP

The MK24 CAP (Combat Assault Pistol) is a variant of the HK45CT compact pistol adopted by the US Navy. It fires .45 ACP rounds from a 10- or 12-round magazine.

Like most pistols in GROUND BRANCH, the MK24 features an under-barrel accessory rail and a threaded barrel for suppressors.

AI

We’re working on all relevant fronts to deliver a considerable upgrade to how AI looks, sounds and fights in V1035. While much of V1034 was spent porting the existing AI logic over to the new Kythera AI system — leaving little room for big changes — V1035 will begin more noticeably expanding and improving the feel of our AI.

And since no decent AI lives on code and logic alone, animator Mike and sound designer Zack are joining Chris’ efforts to add much-needed life to our bots, with a first pass on more natural poses and movements, as well as entirely new voice lines.

Animations

AI that moves robotically will feel robotic no matter how human-like it might be under the hood. Which is why we’re starting to add AI-specific animations in V1035: to better convey the different AI states, as well as visually set OPFOR factions apart from players. This will be an ongoing process, but Mike has already rendered a handful of WIP examples for us to check out:

Voice lines

As detailed in Intel Report #019, last year we recorded 18 voice actors in four different languages: US English, Russian, Spanish Mexican and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).

Zack has processed and mixed all of the Russian and Spanish Mexican lines, meaning we should have enough material to start shaping up both the Russian PMC and Mexican cartel factions. We’ll be sharing a preview in next month’s Intel Report.

Behaviors

The AI in V1035 isn’t getting updated on the outside only; existing behaviors are to be improved, and new behaviors added. Things like grenade-throwing (which didn’t make V1034), better self-preservation (including fleeing from grenades), being blinded/stunned by flashlights, and spotting not just the source of player lights but also the projected lights themselves… are all currently planned for the big release. Go Chris!

This has been Intel Report #021!

Thank you for taking the time to read our little dev blog. Any comments, questions or suggestions? Leave them below and get the discussion going.

As always: thank you for your support, and we’ll see you next time!

Hey, everyone!

We’re back with another Intel Report as the development of GROUND BRANCH V1034 continues diligently behind the scenes. Here’s the usual reminder:

⚠️ This report is not an exhaustive list of V1034 features!
For the most up-to-date list of expected V1034 and later features, see our roadmap. You may also want to check out our Intel Reports for June (#015), July (#016), August (#017), September (#018) and October (#019).

And with that out of the way, we got just one more thing before we can take a look at what’s been cooking since our last dev blog:

🍂 Steam Autumn Sale: GROUND BRANCH is 25% OFF!

We weren’t planning on it, but Valve approached us with a nice exposure deal to participate in the Steam Autumn Sale, and so we accepted at the last minute.

If you have a PayPal account and are willing to pay the game’s USD price, consider buying your Steam key from our official store using code GBFALL23 at the checkout to apply the same 25% discount.

🚨 The Autumn Sale ends November 28 — don't miss it!

Alright, on to the report!

Preparing for (and fixing things around) prone

We’ve mentioned it a lot before, but just in case this is your first Intel Report: upcoming release V1034 will introduce the new prone stance into GROUND BRANCH.

And as much as we would’ve liked to be proven wrong, adding prone has been as massive an undertaking as we predicted, with entire systems being reworked to support it.

In addition to all of the things necessary for prone to be implemented on the character side alone, care is being taken to support it within maps (environment interaction) and to generally make sure it doesn’t break various areas of gameplay. For example: did you know that preventing the characters’ legs from clipping right through a wall if you crawl backwards towards it requires additional programming? Regular character collision used while standing or crouching doesn’t automatically apply to prone, so extra logic has to be created specifically for it.

The same is true for something as seemingly simple as making the character conform to sloped surfaces while prone (instead of disregarding the terrain and always looking like it’s lying on a perfectly flat surface) — all of that requires intricate logic to happen. Take a look:

Arm and weapon collision also had to be reworked for prone, as the short-stocking and other collision animations don’t just carry over for the stance. For the time being, obstacles will simply prevent players from turning their aim beyond a certain point (this may or may not change as prone develops and feedback is received).

Another factor we had to account for: what happens if you go prone in water? Which leads us to…

Underwater effects

Section by Matt “Fatmarrow” Farrow

One consequence of bringing prone into the game in V1034 is that it is now possible to go underwater in areas that were previously not accessible.

We are still not decided as to whether we want to let players go prone underwater; it is not something we intended as a core gameplay feature, and it is probably something we would like to prevent entirely (older players might remember 2001’s Ghost Recon line “Too deep” whenever you tried to lower your stance in waters that would submerge your character).

Nevertheless, as an interim solution in V1034, we have added some underwater effects for those players who want to leopard-crawl their way through the watery deep.

In our interim solution, you can hold your breath for a short while, but when you start seeing pulsing effects on screen, you will soon be out of breath. At that point, the game forces you out of prone to take a breath (and too bad if you are in front of an enemy). While underwater, you cannot shoot, use items, or aim down sights. It may turn out that this is a game mechanic we are happy to keep, but until then, have a go and see what you think. See below for a demonstration of the new underwater effects in Creek (as well as a demonstration of the new smooth time of day transitions).

💡 Even if we end up preventing players from going underwater, the effects will be useful for non-gameplay camera purposes such as Spectator Mode and screenshots.

—

Though prone is currently highly functional — in the sense that the foundation is there and it allows all essential actions (moving, shooting, aiming, reloading, switching items) — there’s still plenty to fix and refine, even if we’re not expecting to release a fully fleshed out iteration straight away.

AI development

New enemy AI systems continue to be developed, with existing features also having to be rebuilt within the new Kythera AI middleware. This month, we’ll be focusing on more sight detection.

Take a look at this first video:

In the video above, a character walks into the cone of vision of an AI bot, quickly raising its Alertness Level from “Idle” (Alertness = 0) to “Suspicious” (Alertness > 0). Once Alertness reaches 1.0, the bot goes into the full “Alert” state and is instructed to engage the enemy.

When the character is no longer visible, the AI goes into a “Cautious” mode and is instructed to start searching for the target after a short period of time. (This, of course, is just the basic behavior, which will be expanded over time.)

💡 Why are there 2 cones of vision?
› The wider cone (gray) is the actual visual perception cone for the AI: any enemy activity picked up within it will raise alertness.
› The smaller cone (red) is used for target selection: targets within this cone will be engaged according to priority — more on that in a future report.

But how does visibility work? Well, target visibility is determined by various factors such as:

• Distance: the closer to the target, the faster the AI will identify it
• Angle: targets that are in the primary cone of vision (red) will raise suspicion more quickly than targets in the secondary cone (gray)
• Time of day: broad daylight makes detection easier by increasing the range/length of the cone, while nighttime makes it shorter
• Light sources: proximity to artificial light sources can make targets more easily detectable

To illustrate the last two points (time of day and light sources), here are two quick demos:

In the demo above, the player character is outside of the AI’s cone of vision for nighttime. As time of day is changed to daytime, the cone expands and the player is now within the AI’s visual range.

But nighttime isn’t the only factor to consider:

Above, the player is initially invisible to the AI. As the character steps into the light, however, you will notice how the Alertness value quickly increases until the AI is alerted and starts engaging.

💡 Please note that these videos and visualizations are merely for demonstration purposes and don't necessarily represent final AI detection behaviors or values.

💡 For earlier AI-related news and demos including grenade usage, shooting out of windows, cover system and world interactions, make sure you've checked out Intel Reports #017, #018 and #019.

Although we have basic light detection in the game currently (in V1033), these systems had to be rebuilt with the move to the new AI middleware. They should hopefully be more consistent and efficient than the current implementation, as well as better integrated with other AI behaviors.

Time of Day alarm system

Section by Matt “Fatmarrow” Farrow

We have now implemented what we call a time of day alarm system in order to implement an appropriately timed call to prayer in the Compound map.

Islamic prayers are not synchronized with hours of the day, but are aligned relative to astronomical phenomena like sunrise, midday and sunset. Luckily, we have already established an internal system which maps a “standard day” to an actual day of the year, where hour 6 is designated sunrise and hour 18 is designated sunset (this system is what already allows you to use shorthand like “sunrise” instead of a specific time of day). Of course, the times of sunrise and sunset depend on the date and latitude, but this is also taken into account in the system.

For example, the Fajr prayer (the first of the day) takes place at the first light of dawn. Through trial and error, we determined that a “standard” hour of 5.5 or so (a little bit before the standard sunrise at 6:00am) reasonably satisfies this criterion. In the Compound level itself, a blueprint plays a call to prayer sound effect on receiving an alarm event from the time of day system.

💡 The system can also be rigged to work with "normal" or "actual" hours, for example to have a bell sound every hour.

One reason for this deep dive is to point out one of many features that modders will soon be able to use to help them bring their own maps and props to life (though map mods will not be available just yet, as we are focusing on weapon mods in V1034). There is an eclectic but relatively extensive library of features that will be available to player-authored blueprints. In due course, we will provide documentation to assist with this.

Other developments

Female voices coming to the Comms Menu and other audio updates

With the introduction of playable female characters, V1034 needs basic call-outs for the Comms Menu (default G). Here’s a quick look:

🔊 Audio reverb is also being updated. Whereas in V1033 the reverb is essentially binary, accounting only for whether you're "outdoors", in a "large room" or in a "small room" — with no in-betweens — in V1034 reverb should dynamically adapt to the size and layout of rooms.

Making sure you retrieve that intel

Section by Matt “Fatmarrow” Farrow

You know how it goes. You play Intel Retrieval for the first time. Excitedly, you search the laptop and then you hot-foot it to extraction. But why is the round not ending? The laptop, of course, is where you left it, and not with you at extraction. It is a GROUND BRANCH rite of passage, but it isn’t all that fun.

So in V1034, we’ll try having players pick up the laptop automatically after searching it. There was some concern about players being “locked” into the pickup animation, but in practice it is not really a great inconvenience or vulnerability. You can say a fond goodbye to the “did I remember to pick up the laptop?” meta game.

Patching out certain patches

It turns out that making country flag patches was a bit of a minefield.

Rather than be forced to make what might be construed as political decisions regarding which country flags/patches to include (or not), we have decided to limit the official selection of flag patches only to those that represent the countries of our development team.

The good news is that the process of making and sharing modded patches will soon be streamlined via Steam Workshop, so we anticipate that the community will step in to fill the gap if there is demand.

Bugfix corner

In this month’s bugfix corner, we have a few doozies that will be in V1034:

• Fixed reticle not updating when scope magnification levels are changed by the player while not in ADS (aim down sight) mode.
• Fixed lights being blown out when shooting poles and other parts of light fixtures rather than the bulbs or light strips themselves (a particular issue on Small Town and Depot, for example), and some new VFX has been added for lights shot out while off, and also to add some visual feedback when multiple shots are required to take out a light (for example the large floodlights in Depot).
• Tweaked various outfit and gear skins to:
  • No longer mismatch with other items of the same skin (especially camos)
  • Have better consistency in camo pattern scaling
  • Tone down excessive brightness (most noticeable in desert patterns/colors)
• Breaching Charges can no longer be placed or detonated while the player is “frozen” (e.g. at round start).

So when is V1034 coming out?

Though we wanted to have a full V1034 release before the end of the year, difficulties with the implementation of prone have thrown the proverbial wrench into those plans, as is probably clear at this point. So we’re settling for releasing the public testing version of the update by then.

As much as we don’t like giving out ETAs: we’ll be aiming to start the public testing on December 19 — about three and a half weeks from today.

So hang in there and pray to the gaming gods that we get as much as possible in order by that date.

And this is it for this month’s Intel Report!

We have a testing branch to put out, so next time you hear from us, it should be a Build Update rather than another Intel Report.

Enjoy the weekend, and as always: thank you for your continued support of this project. We’ll see you next time!