Scopey – Page 9 – GROUND BRANCH

BUILD UPDATE #028: V1031 now available! Be advised: price is going up soon!

🆔 GROUND BRANCH V1031
Build ID: 6338489 (Client) / 6338525 (Dedicated Server)
Download size: 3 GB (Client) / 447 MB (Dedicated Server)

🚨 CLEAR YO FILES
We strongly recommend everyone to delete all files located in %LOCALAPPDATA%\GroundBranch\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor (copy-paste this into your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter) to ensure that old files do not conflict with the latest changes and cause input and settings issues.

After about 20 days of testing on the GROUND BRANCH CTE app, Version 1031 is now stable enough for the main branch of the game, and our little community can reunite and enjoy all the latest content and updates together, at last.

A lot has happened since V1030—from programmer Kris being knocked out by meds to industry legend John Romero tweeting about us out of nowhere (holy sh*t, by the way)—and in this period GROUND BRANCH has become a better experience than it was in almost every way: it has better audio and visual effects, a nicer-looking and more user-friendly interface, improved controls and options, 2 new game modes, a new CQB map and a brand-new consolidated training area, and even a few updated assets.

Although V1031 isn’t without issues (such is the nature of Early Access, though we’ll be sure to patch those as soon as we can), we had to move on and transition the project over to V1032 so that Mike (Munk, animator, of Killing Floor and Rising Storm 2 fame) can transition from working on a separate environment to actually putting all those new animations into the game with Kris’ assistance. We’ll be mentioning all known left-over issues in this build in the release notes below.

💚 Before we get on with it, we'd like to thank all players who took time off their gaming to test V1031 on CTE, report the issues they found, and provide valuable feedback. We love you and we appreciate you.

Oh, and just one more thing:

Price is going up this Monday (March 8th) at 12pm EST!

As announced just a little over 4 months ago in Build Update #027, GROUND BRANCH was due a 10 USD price increase with the release of V1031. The game has come a long way since it was released on Steam® Early Access in August 2018, and with V1031 now live, we feel like it has earned the less modest price tag of 29.99 USD for all the reasons we are quoting here from the original announcement:

GROUND BRANCH has been in Early Access for over 2 years with no price change, and it is now a lot further along than it was in the beginning. With V1031, it will be even more so.

We genuinely feel that—despite the relatively slow development and current lack of polish—we are offering fans of the hardcore tactical shooter genre something unique that no other game out there is offering.

The game has been sitting at a “Very Positive” user score for both recent and all-time reviews, with an approval rating of around 85% . As such, we believe that all the improvements that are planned for the next main update will more than justify the new price.

The new price of 29.99 USD will go live this Monday, March 8th, at 12pm EST (5pm GMT), with regional pricing adjusted accordingly. If you still have friends on the fence, you have a couple days to pull them over to our side!

Build highlights

New user interface

The UI has received a considerable art, style and user experience pass. Some screens, prompts, dialogs and other smaller UI elements have yet to get a makeover, but we’ve gotten to most of them by now.

Here’s what’s new:

Main Menu

The first menu you’ll see doesn’t look a whole lot different, but you may notice a few minor style and formatting changes, along with the new stripped-down GROUND BRANCH logo, a version indicator, new tooltips and also these main changes:

Training will now take you to the new consolidated training compound (more on that in the Content section) instead of the old list of outdated training maps.
Lone Wolf replaces “Play Offline”. It just has a nicer ring to it and makes it immediately clear to players that it is a solo mode.

Lone Wolf

This screen has been cleaned up considerably and now only displays relevant game modes (Terrorist Hunt and Intel Retrieval—more on the latter later) and maps, as well as a map search box.

You may also notice the new map descriptions in the bottom-left (unless you’re pointing at City, ’cause we forgot to add a description to that one. Got a suggestion? Post it in the comments).

💡 Where did the AI settings go?
Short answer is they need to be put back somewhere. In the meantime, you can set them in the Ops Board in the Ready Room, and custom AI settings can be copied from DefaultAISettings.ini (…Steam\steamapps\common\Ground Branch\GroundBranch\Config) into AISettings.ini (%LOCALAPPDATA%\GroundBranch\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor) and edited. Simply copy and paste the [SkillLevel@Custom] section, change the values, and save.

Host Game

With a similar screen layout to Lone Wolf, the new Host Game UI should make self-hosting a lot more intuitive. Here are some of the changes:

Notices and prompts will outline listen server limitations and how to invite friends into your game.
Added an in-game inviting tool, accessible via the prompt upon launching the server, or via Esc menu (Invite Friends option in the top menu bar).
Self-hosted servers are now hard-limited to 8 players max. This is likely to be reduce further due to such servers being much more prone to poor performance than dedicated servers.

Server Browser

Not much change here from a functional standpoint, just a new layout and exposed filters at the bottom-left. We’ve also temporarily removed the server tabs that were out of order (they will be back when they work again), so we’re left with Internet and LAN only. The Game Mode column should also correctly display the game modes currently being played on servers.

💡 Dedicated server capacity
Dedicated servers are now limited to 16 players max, whether on PvP or co-op. Although that was already the planned player limit for PvP, co-op is being built with 8-player teams (max) in mind, for both game design and performance reasons. We do plan on having a hard limit later, while still allowing private servers to run higher capacities—but with certain conditions we have yet to discuss, such as a separate server tab and/or enforcing password protection.

Settings

Received a big UI/UX pass, which rearranged where each option is and what they are labeled for better consistency and intuitiveness. We’ve also added a lot of tooltips to clarify some of the less obvious options, and changed a lot of defaults to more familiar, intuitive and usable settings.

Controls screen

Added Clear Bind button to binding prompt.
New binds: Tac Light / IR Illuminator, Laser and Toggle Laser Mode (more on these further below).
Now lists previously hidden binds such as Admin Panel and Forfeit.
Now features a dedicated tab for Controller binds, which can now use button combos with Left Trigger (LT, L2), Left Shoulder Button (LB, L1) and Right Shoulder Button (RB, R1). It’s a first pass, so issues are expected.

🐞 Known issue: Controller binds have been reported as displaying in the Keyboard & Mouse tab as default binds. Simply changing them to your preferred Keyboard/Mouse keybinds should make them work normally.

Gameplay screen

Now features a Sight Priorities section, which allows the player to determine sight hierarchy when multiple types are equipped. This will make sure you know which optic you will default to at mission start, as well as which order it will cycle through when switching.

Video screen

Added drop-down menu for Screen Space Reflections (SSR) settings, under Settings > Video > Graphics (right below Anti-Aliasing Method). Keep in mind that SSR is a performance-light solution known to display odd reflections in some contexts. It may also display visual artifacts unless TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing) is used.

Audio screen

Channel now allows more options, including “Auro 11.1”: a great option for headphone users due to its extra “height” channels that allow players to discern sounds that are coming from above. We’ve added a nice tooltip to the ? icon so you know what to choose for your audio setup.

Other UI/UX changes

Getting to know your teammates has been made easier by a HUD element that displays player names. Like the VOIP HUD pop-up, they are only enabled in the Ready Room as a tool to get used to each other’s voice and appearance before the action phase, as well as to make admins’ lives easier.
The Session Roster screen (previously “Game Info”) has a new look, and will now correctly display players that are currently using VOIP.
The top menu bar (Esc menu) has been rearranged and now offers a Main Menu shortcut (via GB icon button), as well as contextual options such as “Session Roster” (display current players in the session), “Invite Friends” (for self-hosted games), and “Admin” for server admin options. Tooltips were also added.
Interaction prompts (“Use”, “Pick Up” etc.) have been updated with a new look and custom key icons.
First pass to improve pop-in hints.
Some map names were changed: Tanker Ship is now Tanker, Training Base (previously only previewable via console) is now The Farm, and the User Arena maps are now just called Arena and Arena 2.
The Bipod is now called Bipod (Non-Functional) to make players aware that they are not usable yet.
Changed display name convention for scopes: Name (Magnification), e.g. ACOG (4x), Specter DR (1x/4x) etc.
Added magnification value to the display name of Russian scopes 1P78 Kashtan (2.8x) and PSO-1M2 (4x).
Minor tweaks to text chat appearance.

Gameplay and controls

Attachments

Weapon lights can now be bound to your preferred key (default 5). They are still accessible via the Attachments Wheel and share the keybind with the new IR Illuminator, with NVG use determining which is active. This logic is bound to be changed to use the same one as the visible vs. IR laser (see below).
The new IR Illuminator function on the AN/PEQ-15 has two settings, LO (wide and dim) and HI (focused and bright). Switch between them with the Reticle Brightness keys (default Home and End).
The visible and IR lasers on the AN/PEQ-15 share a single toggle key (default 6), and another key to switch between them (default 7). The switch logic will be carried over to visible vs. IR lights.
Lasers and lights all have both a “momentary” (hold key) and a “toggle” (double-tap to turn on, tap once to turn off) activation mode.
The G33 Magnifier is now togglable via the same binds used for Scope Zoom In/Out (default Alt + Mouse Wheel). It is still accessible via the Attachments Wheel as well.
Variable magnification scopes now all default to the lowest magnification level.

🐞 Known issues:
• The weapon logic for the light vs. IR Illuminator switch may not always work, causing them to either not switch properly when NVG is toggled or be both on at the same time.
• When playing online, light and laser activation can be glitchy when using the toggle mode (double-tap).

Breaching Charge

The clacker/remote detonator is back: it will be equipped automatically after placing the Breaching Charge, which is no longer time-detonated. Simply press Fire to detonate the charge remotely.

Grenades

You can now throw grenades through windows once the glass has been shattered, and both glass panes and doors will now be blown up if within range of frag grenades.
Adjusted M67 Frag explosion radius: the max damage radius has been increased from 4 to 6 meters, with damage scaling down from there until the minimum damage radius (10 meters). (The simple radius damage implementation currently in place will be replaced with simulated shrapnel later.)

Doors

Will now open and close smoothly, even when gradually opened and closed. They’re much more responsive to walking/running into as well once partially open.
Gradually opening/closing doors once again uses an open/close logic rather than push/pull. Assuming default controls, you would now hold F + Mouse Wheel Up to gradually open and F + Mouse Wheel Down to close, regardless of which side of the door you’re on. (This was changed due to the inconsistency of the push/pull mechanic.)
When blown up, doors will no longer display a missing teal texture.

🐞 Known issue: Doors have been reported to occasionally prevent movement when playing online, as if the position did not sync up between server and client.

💡 A little note on doors
The current door implementation is fairly old and due a much needed overhaul. Please bear with the obvious issues until we get a better system in place, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Wristwatch

A default item equipped on your character’s left wrist, the Wristwatch is incredibly helpful, especially in multiplayer games. It currently displays in-game time and a compass that rotates in relation to the world, making call-outs, navigation and keeping track of time much easier.

Rangefinder

In addition to its NV mode (default N), the Rangefinder will now actually do rangefinding. Use Aim Down Sights (default RMB) to look through it and Fire (default LMB) to scan the distance to the target. Day mode has a fixed 8x magnification, displays a mil reticle and has a cutout at the bottom to assist HUD readability. Night mode is fixed at 5x and displays a simple reticle dot at the center of the view.

The item has also received a new circular overlay, better suited for a monocular device.

🐞 Known issue: The range reading might not always be correct, as we still have to make sure it is not colliding with invisible objects, reading past objects that it should not, or having other types of issues.

New game modes

Kris has spent a lot of time reworking the game mode logic completely. It is now based on Lua scripting and should allow for a lot more flexibility when creating and adjusting modes, making everyone’s lives a lot easier—from Kris’ to those of future modders.

In addition to rebuilding the existing game modes from the ground up in the new system, Kris has also rigged up a new objective-based PvE game mode, called Intel Retrieval, and revamped an existing PvP one (formerly Defend), now called Uplink. Let’s go over them:

Intel Retrieval (PvE)

Intel Retrieval is the first PvE objective-based game mode in GROUND BRANCH. It currently consists of successfully locating and extracting intel from the mission area.

The player selects one of the available insertion points on the Ops Board’s map (which also displays the assigned extraction point) and, upon deploying, must search the laptops in the mission area for the intel by holding Interact (default F) while keeping the laptop in view.

*Scoffs* These guys are still running Intel Search 7?!

If the intel is found, the laptop is taken (it currently attaches like a backpack) and the player must then successfully reach the extraction point, marked with green smoke. If the intel-carrying player is killed in a multiplayer session, the item will be dropped and can be picked up by a living member of the team.

Server admins can also choose to “Exfiltrate as a team” on the Ops Board, forcing all surviving players to be at the extraction point in order to finish the mission for extra teamwork points (currently imaginary).

Intel Retrieval can be played on Small Town, Depot, Storage Facility, Creek, Run Down, Tanker, Power Station, 747 and City.

Notes

We have yet to mark possible intel locations on the map. For a list of all possible locations per map, click here.
Up to 2 extraction points can be assigned randomly, and up to 3 are available per map.
Keep in mind that your weapon will be slung/holstered when searching the laptop. Upon finishing the search, your weapon must be manually re-equipped.
If by any chance the laptop decides to disappear off the face of the map, it should respawn at its original location.

💡 As a first pass on the mode, we are still trying things out and are curious about how it plays. Should there be only one laptop you must locate instead of several you need to locate and then search? Do we want the laptop to be carried in one hand with a handgun in the other, instead of on the player's back, or should it go inside a backpack? Let your thoughts and ideas be known in the comments.

Uplink (PvP)

Previously known as Defend, Uplink is almost a PvP version of Intel Retrieval.

Teams take turn as either attackers or defenders:

Attackers must locate the laptop (a single one on the map) and uplink valuable intel through it.

Defenders will deploy near the laptop must prevent that from happening by either eliminating the attacking team, or running out the round time (default 10 minutes; can be set to 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 min by admins).

Uplink can be played on Small Town, Power Station, Storage Facility, Creek, Run Down, 747 and City.

Notes

Admins can also determine Defender Setup Time on the Ops Board. This value determines how much time (in seconds) defenders have before attackers can move.
There is a spawn protection area around the attacker’s insertion area to prevent defenders from spawn-killing them while they are stuck in the defenders’ setup period.

💡 A very basic mission editor is in place and can be opened using the editmission console command. It lacks documentation and usability features, but those who wish to try it out as-is for whatever reason, can do so.

Visual effects (VFX)

Visuals have received a considerable overhaul, as previewed in our video from a couple months ago:

Be on the lookout for these:

As noted earlier, Screen Space Reflections (SSR) have been enabled again. Although not without issues, SSR can vastly improve the look of some maps and bring materials to life.
New NVG depth-of-field (DOF) effect and updated overlay mask.
Fixed the color of nearby objects “seeping through” when wearing NVG, as well as glare appearing white.
New grenade explosion particle effects (M67 Frag and MK13 Flashbang).
New flashbang stun effect: “burned image” effect and ear ringing (very WIP—does not consider distance or direction players are facing).
New laser effects: Visible Laser dot and IR Laser beam and dot.
Updated holo and red dot reticles to appear luminous again: will be harder to see against certain backgrounds, but look much better and realistic.
- Aimpoint® sights have a slightly brighter reticle than others.
- Added tint to holo and red dot sight glass to improve reticle visibility (and in the case of red dots, for authenticity as well).
- Glow has been re-added to illuminated scope reticles as well.
Tweaked the Marker Strobe effect to look a little strobier and less prone to clipping the character.
Muzzle effects now originate a couple inches away from the muzzle rather than inside them.
Lasers no longer go right through characters.
The light on top of power switches will now turn off once the box is damaged.

Known visual issues

Although sleeves and gloves were slightly adjusted, some combinations will still look funky here and there. Gotta wait for that V1032.
Laser dots may “dip” into walls when moving certain ways in relation to surfaces.
The new red dot/holo lens tint appears to allow players to see through smoke. We’ll be patching that as soon as possible, even if it means removing the tint until we figure out how to fix it properly.

Audio

All those new visuals above would not mean much without the audio to go with them. Mikson has greatly improved how GB sounds since our last major update with soundscapes for every map (no more dead silent missions!), new voice lines for AI enemies and Comms Wheel (default G) and new SFX to both replace old ones and add to previously quiet actions. Here’s the full list:

Sound effects (SFX)

New placeholder AI voice lines: donated by voice actor Daeln Murphy (thanks, Daeln!), these are only meant as a temporary upgrade, as we intend to use native voice lines for the final game rather than accented English.
Added grenade bounce sounds. (Still missing certain surface types.)
New explosive (M67 Frag, MK13 Flashbang, Breaching Charge) SFX, with indoor and outdoor versions.
New spent shell casing sounds, with different sounds for different calibers.
New door opening/closing sounds.
Improved footstep sounds.
New gear movement sounds dependent on weight of current loadout.
New item drop sounds.
Weapon transition sound effects: rustling fabric, mechanical clicks and other sounds from moving a gun around while in gear.
Door explosion debris SFX.

Soundscapes/ambiences

Power Station and 747 now have environment sounds.
The new maps (Run Down and The Farm) do too, so no more dead silent maps.

Other audio changes

Fixed the lack of occlusion in the Ready Room testing range.
Improved various sound effects, as well as acoustic portals and sound occlusion.
Increased audio stun effect radius from breaching charges when on the opposite side of the door.
Reduced the probability of AI callouts/bark to mitigate repetitiveness and keep tangos from giving themselves away so often.

Content

Maps and performance

A lot of work has gone into map optimization, and players are likely to have better performance overall—particularly on map Depot. Playtesters have also reported lower FPS drops when using PiP scopes, though your mileage may vary. How is the game running for you now? Let us know and help us optimize further!

New map: Run Down

To draw from the new map descriptions: This decrepit abandoned building standing in an Eastern European industrial district appears to have hosted a school turned field hospital.

Run Down is a very atmospheric map with no shortage of very tight CQB ranges and nerve-wracking moments even when playing at daytime hours. It features a 3-level building with a courtyard in the center, a small surrounding area and a small garage building at the annexed parking lot.

New map: The Farm

The real-life Camp Peary is a military reservation in Virginia (USA) that hosts a CIA training facility known as The Farm, where clandestine officers and other personnel are trained.

In GROUND BRANCH, The Farm (built by former Hell Let Loose environment artist Will Bullen) replaces all the previous training maps with one single hub containing an indoor shoothouse, an indoor and an outdoor shooting range, and an aircraft-based shoothouse.

Aircraft shoothouse training scenario at The Farm (credits: truck.shepard [NPA])

💡 There's a lot of room for ideas and expansion in The Farm, which we hope to be able to try in the future. One of them is making the new shoothouse (whose layout was suggested by our active SOF advisor) randomized to some extent, possibly adding multiple entry points as well to keep things fresh.

Other map updates

Maps are a continuous effort to refine as we move forward, both aesthetically and functionally. In addition to general cleanup, some maps have received more substantial updates.

Much of the superstructure section of Tanker was reworked and upgraded, with other sections of the ship being built upon considerably as well. Make sure you also keep an eye out for all the power switches that were added to control the lighting of different parts of the vessel.

City‘s street level has seen major updates as well, especially noticeable inside the central square buildings:

Power Station‘s substation area is now a lot more interesting, offering much better cover. You may notice other smaller changes elsewhere in the map.

🐞 Known issues: Performance may be sluggish on maps Tanker and Run Down when playing Lone Wolf or self-hosting co-op games. This is likely due to high CPU usage by AI and navmesh optimization issues.

Gear

Modest updates in this department, but still pretty tight:

Added Eye Pro glasses, selectable for the EYEWEAR slot. They’re missing a dedicated icon.
Added extended magazines for MK25, M9A3 and M17 pistols.
Added proper NVG mount and tweaked flipped-up angle to be less obstructive. Needs work.
Replaced the MP7A1 and MP7A2 with a higher-quality MP7A1 model. No extra skins yet, but we’ll get there.
Replaced the MP7 Suppressor with a new model.

The MP7 Suppressor was ordered to the very talented 3D artist **Bakr Asaad** (aka zraider), also author of the amazing M110 and M110K1 suppressors. Check out his portfolio here.

Replaced the old PMII 5–25x scope with a newer model. Scale has been fixed too.
Replaced old generic Tac Light attachment with SureFire® M600V model, named Tac Light (M600V) in-game.
Replaced the old Holster with a new model—the first of many Pau Peñalver models to make it into the game. Currently offers 4 skins to choose from.
Replaced the old Rail Cover attachment with a much higher-fidelity model, now called Rail Panel (Long). Also added a shorter version: Rail Panel (Short).
Attachment slots for the Plate Carrier were adjusted for a more authentic look. The top row has also lost a slot.

Known issues (general)

The SVD no longer accepts a suppressor (it was never meant to), but still lists the Suppressor in the Attachments menu.
This is not a new issue, but it might be more noticeable now in some contexts: scope sight pictures can appear either darker or brighter than the world outside of it.
The old bugs that break weapon poses when switching items and sights are still out there, despite Kris’ numerous attempts to fix them. If you get them, please make an in-game report if possible.
Some players reported seeing up-and-down weapon shake. We’re still looking into it.

This has been BUILD UPDATE #028!
Thank you for your continued support, for all the amazing response to this little passion project of ours, and for allowing us to keep pursuing it to its end. We're not going anywhere as long as you guys are out there and on board. Keep safe, enjoy this build, and we'll see you on the next update.

CTE UPDATE #006: V1031 Testing 3

CTE Update

🆔 GROUND BRANCH CTE
Build ID: 6330185 (Client) / 6330198 (Dedicated Server)
Download size: 78 MB (Client) / 37 MB (Dedicated Server)

⚠️ NOTICE
These release notes are for the V1031 testing build currently available in the GROUND BRANCH CTE Steam app, not to be confused with the actual (and upcoming) V1031 release for the main GROUND BRANCH app.

🚨 CLEAR YO FILES
We strongly recommend everyone to delete all files located in %LOCALAPPDATA%\GroundBranch\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor (copy-paste this into your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter) to ensure your old saved files do not conflict with the latest changes and cause input and settings issues.

Another Community Test Environment update is now live on the GROUND BRANCH CTE app with the latest V1031 testing build. This is the third—and hopefully final—V1031 CTE update. If nothing major pops up, we’ll be moving on to the official V1031 release on the main GROUND BRANCH app.

If you’re just now getting into CTE, make sure to check out the previous CTE release notes (#004 and #005) to get the full picture.

Game modes and gameplay

Terrorist Hunt should now end as expected once the last tango is killed.
Player/team stats in the AAR screen should display again for dead players.
Increased the size of the Extraction Point collision component to make extracting multiple players easier (Intel Retrieval).
Added more checks to important items (laptop) so they hopefully don’t fall through floor/ground anymore.
Max player count is now enforced on map/mode change from PvP to PvE. It was causing the new player limit to break.
Added a few AI spawn and guard points to Depot (Intel Retrieval and Terrorist Hunt).
Created new, less emissive material for Ops Board and toned down the noise on the minimap for better clarity.
Hopefully fixed the weapon vertical shake some players were reporting.

Input and settings

Fixed default Keyboard & Mouse keybinds for Reticle Brightness Up and Reticle Brightness Down resetting to LAlt + D-Pad Left/Right.
Fixed default Lean Type being “Toggle” instead of “Hold” in Settings > Controls (when controls are reset via Reset Default button).
Fixed Screen Space Reflections settings being overwritten when Effects Quality is changed.
The solution for a universal console key didn’t work out, so we’ve added alternate console keys back to DefaultInput.ini for players who do not use a US keyboard or EN-US input language in Windows. In addition to the Tilde key, these should also bring up the console:
- Multiply * (aka the asterisk key on the NumPad)
- Caret ^ and Section § (both commonly found where the US Tilde key is on some layouts)
- Grave ` (ditto above)
- Backslash \ (for those with tenkeyless/80% keyboards)

If these do not work for you, here's how you can set up your own custom console keys:

1️⃣ Open DefaultInput.ini (%LOCALAPPDATA%\GroundBranch\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor).
2️⃣ Add +ConsoleKeys=YourKeyHere to the bottom of the file, replacing the underlined part with the key you want to use. For example, to make F5 open the console, add +ConsoleKeys=F5. 3️⃣ Save the file, and it should just work next time you launch the game. Conversely, if you want to remove any of the existing console binds, simply remove the line from the file and save.

Content

Changed display name convention for scopes: Name (Magnification), e.g. ACOG (4x), Specter DR (1x/4x) etc.
Added magnification value to the display name of Russian scopes 1P78 Kashtan (2.8x) and PSO-1M2 (4x).
Fixed the display name for Tac Light (M600V) (had an extra zero in it).
Improved magnified sights clipping camera when mounted too far back on the MPX.
Reduced effect of volumetric lights on flashlights to minimize ghosting effect when moving in heavy volumetric areas of maps, mostly visible in nighttime gameplay.

UI

Art/UX pass on the Server Browser:

Hid tabs that are temporarily out of order (only Internet and LAN still show up).
Cleaned up server list: alignments, font sizes, icon proportions and general formatting.
Fixed Game Mode column not displaying the proper game mode.

Known and possible issues

Bots may be caught with exaggerated weapon shake.
Footsteps may sound duplicated. If you come across this bug, please file a report mentioning the map and location of the issue!

This has been CTE UPDATE #006!
Thanks for playing the CTE and helping us get this update in order — we really appreciate it. Stay safe and let us know of any game-breakers you come across!

CTE UPDATE #005: V1031 Testing 2

CTE Update

🆔 GROUND BRANCH CTE
Build ID: 6311218 (Client) / 6311231 (Dedicated Server)
Download size: 366 MB (Client) / 83 MB (Dedicated Server)

⚠️ NOTICE
These release notes are for the V1031 testing build currently available in the GROUND BRANCH CTE Steam app, not to be confused with the actual (and upcoming) V1031 release for the main GROUND BRANCH app.

🚨 CLEAR YO FILES
We strongly recommend everyone to delete all files located in %LOCALAPPDATA%\GroundBranch\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor (copy-paste this into your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter) to ensure your old saved files do not conflict with the latest changes and cause input and settings issues.

A new Community Test Environment build is now available on GROUND BRANCH CTE. If you’re just now getting into CTE, make sure to check out the release notes for the last update (February 13th) so you get the full story.

What’s new

Performance

The last CTE has introduced an issue with larger numbers of bots (typically above 30) causing massive CPU usage, resulting in slowdowns particularly offline and when hosting listen servers. Kris is still debugging the problem, but as a result of his findings, we have:

Cleaned up and optimized navmeshes.
Stopped the skylight actor from moving through the sky “live” to make sure it was not impacting performance.
Not directly related to the overall performance issue outlined above, but we’ve also added r.GraphicsAdapter=-1 to DefaultEngine.ini to try to get the engine to favor dedicated GPUs. This is a possible fix for laptops defaulting to the integrated graphics adapter instead of the preferred Nvidia/AMD card.

Multiplayer

Player limits are now hardcoded to the numbers we have designed the game around. This was done for both performance and gameplay reasons:

Self-hosted listen servers (Host Game option) can host up to 8 players, including the hosting player. This number may be reduced depending on performance.
Dedicated servers can host up to 8 players on co-op (PvE) and 16 players on adversarial (PvP) game modes.

Game modes

Intel Retrieval

The new objective-based PvE mode has been added to the following maps: Storage Facility, Creek, Run Down, Tanker, Power Station, 747 and City.
Up to 2 extraction points can be assigned randomly, and up to 3 are available per map.
The assigned extraction point will be marked with green smoke in the mission area.
The laptop with the intel will now be attached to the character’s back (like a backpack) instead of being carried by hand. This allows players to defend themselves when playing solo. (Once the animation overhaul has happened, we’ll try the idea of carrying the laptop on one hand and a handgun on the other.)
If the laptop happens to fall through the map (as has been reported to happen sometimes when dropped), its position will be reset on the map rather than be lost forever.

⚠️ AI spawn and guard points will get several passes still — we're always open to feedback on those.

⚠️ We have yet to mark possible objective locations on the Ops Board map so players have an idea of where to look. For now, look around main buildings and map landmarks, or check out the possible locations below:

Depot
Buildings inside the central compound

Small Town
Inside buildings

Power Station
• Top floor, Server Room area
• Ground floor, northwestern block
• Maintenance tunnel, ladder/hatch section

Storage Facility
• All 3 are in deeper tunnels area

Creek
• Central camp, in one of the barns
• Cave/tunnel
• Next to one of the barns in the South

Run Down
• Basement
• Courtyard
• Top floor

Tanker
• Bridge (top level of the superstructure)
• Console room (level 5 of the superstructure)
• "Valley" section in the middle of the deck

747
• Cockpit
• Luggage hold
• Hangar

City
• Subway, northern area of the platform
• Travel agency, upstairs
• Cafe/pub

Uplink

Now also playable on Storage Facility, Creek, Run Down, 747 and City.
Teams should now switch sides each round.
Time limit is now set to 10 minutes per round. The wristwatch should display a countdown timer accordingly.
For attackers to win, the objective needs to be located and successfully taken within the time limit: simply killing off the opposition will not end the round.
First pass warning! This game mode, like all others to come, will require a lot of testing and fine-tuning.

⚠️ How does Uplink play on all of these maps? How can it improve? Let us know!

❌ KNOWN GAME MODE ISSUE
The AAR (After-Action Results) screen is apparently not displaying player data on mission failure. We'll fix this for the next release.

Input and controls

Fixed several keybinds not having proper defaults set, resulting in them resetting to outdated keybinds (or no keybinds at all) when players clicked the “Reset Default” button.
The console should now be universally accessible via the Tilde ~ key, or whatever key your keyboard layout has to the left of 1. As such, we have removed the secondary console key that used to be on NumPad *.
Moved the default Forfeit keybind to F10 to avoid accidental deaths when dropping items or using other binds in that area of the keyboard.
Gradually opening/closing doors once again uses an open/close logic rather than push/pull. Assuming default controls, you would now hold F + Mouse Wheel Up to gradually open and F + Mouse Wheel Down to close, regardless of which side of the door you’re on.
By popular demand (3 players), the Magnifier can be toggled via Attachments Wheel again. The newer Scope Zoom In/Out method is still available, of course.

Controller/gamepad support

We’ve added further support for controller input. All a work in progress, but it should make the life of controller users a little easier:

The Keybinds list (Settings > Controls) now displays a separate tab for controller binds.
Left Trigger (LT, L2), Left Shoulder Button (LB, L1) and Right Shoulder Button (RB, R1) can all be used as modifiers for button combos (similarly to LCtrl, LAlt and LShift on the keyboard).

Gameplay

You can now throw grenades through windows once the glass has been shattered!
Glass now explodes if within range of frag grenades.
Adjusted M67 Frag explosion radius: the max damage radius has been increased from 4 to 6 meters, with damage scaling down from there until the minimum damage radius (10 meters). (The simple radius damage implementation currently in place will be replaced with simulated shrapnel later.)
Frags will now also blow up doors.
Running against partially open doors should no longer stop or slow down running/sprinting players, but instead barge open in accordance to movement speed.
Doors now also open up faster when using the regular Swing Door command.
The Specter DR 1x/4x scope no longer has a super bright sight picture.

Audio

Added weapon transition sound effects: rustling fabric, mechanical clicks and other sounds from moving a gun around while in gear.
Added door explosion debris SFX.
Increased audio stun effect radius from breaching charges when in the opposite side of door.
Footstep attenuation has been tweaked to not be as audible at a distance.
Reduced the probability of AI callouts/bark to mitigate repetitiveness and keep tangos from giving themselves away so often.

UI

The Main Menu now displays the main build version and whether or not it’s the CTE right under the GROUND BRANCH logo.
Made the Extraction Point on the Ops Board more visible and readable.
Fixed the Customize/Re-Supply prompt not reappearing once the Customize Operator screen was closed unless players stepped away and then back.
Added drop-down menu for Screen Space Reflections (SSR) settings, under Settings > Video > Graphics (right below Anti-Aliasing Method).
Slightly tweaked the top-bar menu (Esc) and made sure the central buttons remained centered on ultrawide setups.
More tooltips added for various buttons and options.

Content

Fixed Tac Light (M300C) model missing its mount.
Bots in Run Down can now use doors.
General map cleanup: gaps, bad materials, collision, LOD/culling etc.

General bug/issue fixes

Fixed some sights and sight combinations displaying no sight picture.
Fixed misalignment between G33 Magnifier and some sights.
Fixed poses and items breaking when equipment is switched. (Not terribly confident about this one, but time will tell.)
Fixed attachments showing up in inappropriate places. (Ditto above.)

This has been CTE UPDATE #005!
Keep those bug reports and feedback coming! As always, thank you so much for your continued support, and please stay safe out there.

CTE UPDATE #004: V1031 Testing

CTE Update

⚠️ NOTICE ⚠️
These release notes are for the V1031 testing build currently available in the GROUND BRANCH CTE Steam app, not to be confused with the actual (and upcoming) V1031 release for the main GROUND BRANCH app.

GROUND BRANCH CTE
Build ID: 6236486 (Client) / 6236494 (Dedicated Server)
Download size: 2.8 GB (Client) / 446.2 MB (Dedicated Server)

Greetings, hardcore tactical realism friend.

If you like GROUND BRANCH and testing unfinished game features, your time has come again: GROUND BRANCH CTE (Community Test Environment) is once again open, now with a testing version of upcoming release V1031.

So those of you who got excited by this teaser from late December…

…as well as by our last Intel Update, should rejoice and get downloading that CTE app, ’cause you can now try out those new effects and a lot more.

As with our previous CTE release notes, this will be pretty stripped down in comparison to our usual Dev Blog posts, but that is all in the name of brevity and self-preservation as we’ve been working overtime (well, more overtime than usual) to get this update out—so please bear with a rather tired Scopey here.

What’s new

💭 T is for Testing
Always keep in mind that issues are expected (and sometimes known), and our goal with the Community Test Environment is to gather valuable data and feedback from a larger group of players. Needless to say, everything is a work in progress!

User interface & user experience (UI/UX)

The user interface is undergoing a much-needed art, style and usability overhaul, and this is the first area where you will notice changes when you launch GROUND BRANCH CTE. In addition to the obvious cosmetic update, here are the major changes:

Ultrawide-friendly implementation

The main container for most menu screens will now maintain a 16:9 aspect ratio regardless of how wide your viewport is.

We haven’t gotten to all of them yet, so if you catch any menu content stretching out all the way to the side margins of your ultrawide setup, let us know. They’re out there.

Main Menu

“Training” will now take you to the new consolidated training compound (more on that in the Content section).
“Lone Wolf” (formerly “Play Offline”) now only displays relevant game modes (Terrorist Hunt and Intel Retrieval) and maps, as well as a map search box.
New GROUND BRANCH logo and minor style tweaks.

Host Game

Shares a similar screen layout with Lone Wolf, and should make self-hosting a lot more intuitive.
Added notices and prompts that highlight the difference between listen and dedicated servers, and how to invite friends into your game.
Added an in-game invite tool, accessible via the prompt or the Esc menu (Invite Friends option in the top menu bar).

Server Browser

New layout, but functionally the same—including the issues we have yet to fix.

Settings

Received a big UI/UX pass, which rearranged where each option is and what they are labeled for better consistency and intuitiveness.
Added a lot of tooltips to clarify some of the less obvious options.
Controls screen:
- Added “Clear Bind” button to binding prompt.
- New binds: “Tac Light / IR Illuminator”, “Laser” and “Toggle Laser Mode” (more on these in the Gameplay section).
- Now lists previously hidden binds such as “Admin Panel”.
Gameplay screen:
- Now has a Sight Priorities section, which allows the player to determine sight hierarchy when multiple types are equipped.
Audio screen:
- Channel now allows more options, including “Auro 11.1″—a great option for headphone users.

Other UI/UX changes

Getting to know your teammates has been made easier by a HUD element that displays player names. Like the VOIP HUD elements, they are only enabled in the Ready Room as a tool to get used to each other’s voice and appearance before the action phase (as well as make admins’ lives easier).
The Session Roster screen (previously “Game Info”) has a new look, and will now correctly display players that are currently using VOIP.
The top menu bar (Esc menu) has been rearranged and now offers a Main Menu shortcut (via GB icon button), as well as contextual options such as “Session Roster” (display current players in the session), “Invite Friends” (for self-hosted games), and “Admin” for server admin options. Tooltips were also added.
Interaction prompts (“Use”, “Pick Up” etc.) have been updated with a new look and custom key icons.
First pass to improve pop-in hints.
Some map names were changed: Tanker Ship is now Tanker, Training Base (previously only previewable via console) is now The Farm, and the User Arena maps are now just called Arena and Arena 2.
The Bipod is now called Bipod (Non-Functional) to make players aware that they are not usable yet.
Minor tweaks to text chat appearance.

We have yet to get to several smaller and less visible UI elements, but substantial progress was made.

Performance optimization

Maps, most extensively Depot, have received various optimization passes to improve performance. We are far from done, so FPS drops are still expected. Please let us know when and where you perceive any performance improvements or deterioration—in addition to your PC specs and video settings— compared to previous versions so we can try and pinpoint what works and what doesn’t.

⚠️ KNOWN PERFORMANCE ISSUES
Due to navmesh and CPU load issues, Tanker and Run Down have bad performance offline and on self-hosted (listen) servers with more than a few AI enemies. While playing on a dedicated server, however, the server will absorb the AI CPU strain and not impact performance.

Game modes

Game modes now use Lua scripting, which will make creating and modifying them much easier and faster. Kris rigged up a quick new single player/co-op game mode, and updated an existing PvP mode that was under-utilized:

Intel Retrieval (currently playable on Small Town and Depot) is an objective-based game mode against AI. Players must locate the laptop that contains valuable intel in the map, and then exfiltrate. Currently, the laptop carrier is unable to use other items unless they drop it. The intel can be in any of the several laptops in the map. Admins can also set the option “Exfiltrate as a team” to “Yes”, in which case all remaining team members must be at the extraction point to finish the mission.
Uplink (formerly “Defend”, currently playable on Small Town, Power Station and Run Down) is an objetive-based PvP game mode. One team must defend the objective—a laptop—while the other team must locate it and use it to uplink valuable intel.

General multiplayer changes

PvP teams are now called Red and Blue, with matching default kits.

Content

Maps

New training map: The Farm, as the CIA/SOF training site in Camp Peary, Virginia (USA) is known as. This larger single map replaces the multiple training maps from before and has a workbenches (for loadout customization) and Ops Boards (for time of day changes) on every training station. You can travel to it via the Training option in Main Menu.
New CQB map: Run Down, playable on Terrorist Hunt and most PvP game modes.
Tanker has received several updates all around, most noticeably in the accommodation/superstructure section of the ship. A power switch has also been added.
Cleaned up a lot of materials, floating meshes, missing and oversized collision volumes, spots where players could get stuck and more on all maps.

Items and customization

Added the Wristwatch: a default item equipped on your character’s left wrist. Displays current time and a compass that rotates in relation to the world.
The Rangefinder is now functional. Use default RMB to look through it and LMB to scan the distance to the target. Day mode is 8x and night mode (default N) is 5x.
Added Eye Pro glasses, selectable for the EYEWEAR slot. They’re missing a dedicated icon.
Added extended magazines for MK25, M9A3 and M17 pistols.
Added proper NVG mount and tweaked flipped-up angle to be less obstrusive. Needs work.
Replaced the MP7A1 and MP7A2 with a higher-quality MP7A1 model. No extra skins yet, but we’ll get there.
Replaced the MP7 Suppressor with a new model.
Replaced the old PMII 5–25x scope with a newer model. Scale has been fixed too.
Replaced old generic Tac Light attachment with SureFire® M600V model, named Tac Light (M600) in-game.
Replaced the old Holster with a new model—the first of many Pau Peñalver models to make it into the game. Currently has 4 skins to choose from.
Replaced the old Rail Cover attachment with a much higher-fidelity model, now called Rail Panel (Long). Also added a shorter version: Rail Panel (Short).
Attachment slots for the Plate Carrier were adjusted for a more realistic look, and the top row has lost a slot.

Known content issues

Tac Light (M300C) appears to be missing its mount. Strange.
Removing a sight that has another sight “piggybacking” on top may leave the piggybacked sight floating in the air.
The skybox on some maps may be faulty for certain time-of-day values. Let us know if you spot any daytime-looking nights and vice versa!

Gameplay

Attachments

Weapon lights can now be bound to your preferred key (default 5). They are still accessible via the Attachments Wheel and share the keybind with the new IR Illuminator (NVG use determines which is active—bound to change).
The new IR Illuminator function on the AN/PEQ-15 has two settings, HI (wide and dim) and LO (focused and bright). Switch between them with the Reticle Brightness keys (default Home and End).
The visible and IR lasers on the AN/PEQ-15 share a single toggle key (default 6), and another key to switch between them (default 7). The switch logic will be carried over to visible vs. IR lights.
Lasers and lights all have both a “momentary” (hold key) and a “toggle” (double-tap to turn on, tap once to turn off) activation mode.
The G33 Magnifier is now togglable via the same binds used for Scope Zoom In/Out (default Alt + Mouse Wheel).
Variable magnification scopes now all default to the lowest magnification level.

Breaching Charge

The clacker/remote detonator is back and will be equipped automatically after setting the charge.

Known gameplay issues

When playing online, light and laser activation can be glitchy when using the toggle mode.
Switching items too fast has been found to sometimes cause issues, from becoming unable to equip or use items to characters using incorrect item poses (e.g. holding a rifle like a pistol).

Visual effects (VFX)

Visuals and effects have received a considerable overhaul. Be on the lookout for these:

Screen Space Reflections (SSR) have been enabled again. They may not play nice with FXAA on, and are prone to a glitchy appearance at times. A checkbox will be added for them later.
New NVG depth-of-field (DOF) effect and updated overlay mask.
Fixed the color of nearby objects “seeping through” when wearing NVG, as well as glare appearing white.
New grenade explosion particle effects (M67 Frag and MK13 Flashbang).
New flashbang stun effect: “burned image” effect and ear ringing (very WIP—does not consider distance or direction players are facing).
New laser effects: Visible Laser dot and IR Laser beam and dot.
Updated holo and red dot reticles to appear luminous again: will be harder to see against certain backgrounds, but look much better and realistic.
- Aimpoint® sights have a slightly brighter reticle.
- Added tint to holo and red dot sight glass to improve reticle visibility (and in the case of red dots, for authenticity as well).
- Glow has been re-added to illuminated scope reticles as well.
Tweaked the Marker Strobe effect to look a little strobier and less prone to clipping the character.
Doors now open and close smoothly, even when swung gradually.
Muzzle effects now originate a couple inches away from the muzzle rather than inside them.
Lasers no longer go right through characters (had you even noticed that? smh).
The light on top of power switches will now turn off once the box is damaged.
Fixed breached wooden doors having no texture.

Known visual issues

Although sleeves and gloves were slightly adjusted, some combinations will still look funky here and there. Gotta wait for that V1032.
Similarly, the new Wristwatch item won’t sit nicely on the character’s wrist most of the time—no biggies as it’s all due to replacement.
Laser dots may “dip” into walls when walking backwards.

Audio

Sound effects (SFX)

New placeholder AI voice lines: donated by voice actor Daeln Murphy (thanks, Daeln!), these are only meant as a temporary upgrade, as we intend to use native voice lines for the final game rather than accented English.
Added grenade bounce sounds.
New explosive (M67 Frag, MK13 Flashbang, Breaching Charge) SFX, with indoor and outdoor versions.
New spent shell casing sounds.
New door opening/closing sounds.
Improved footstep sounds.
New gear movement sounds dependent on weight of current loadout.
New item drop sounds.

Soundscapes/ambiences

Power Station and 747 now have environment sounds.
The new maps (Run Down and The Farm) do too, so no more dead silent maps.

Other audio changes

Fixed the lack of occlusion in the Ready Room testing range.
Improved various sound effects, as well as acoustic portals and sound occlusion.

This has been CTE UPDATE #004!
We're sure there's plenty we forgot to add here, so if you have any questions or would like to point out any glaring omissions, leave us a comment or reach out via social media – links below.
As always, thank you for your continued support and we hope you enjoy this test build!

INTEL UPDATE #007: Road to 1031

1 Comment / Intel Report

As this year comes to an end—and what a bastard of a year this has been—comes also the time for our final report of 2020. Intel Update #007 brings you all the major development details and behind-the-scenes of the last couple of months as we move towards GROUND BRANCH V1031.

So what’s been going on in BlackFoot Studios country?

Development has had its ups and downs since our last release, but we’re hanging in here and doing our best, as always. Here are some recent highlights:

Kris was out of action for a while

Having the only programmer and UE4 wizard in your team mostly out of commission for about three weeks as engine- and logic-related tasks pile up on the checklist is never fun. Kris was on meds that left him drowzy and unable to focus (he’s feeling better now and no, not Covid-related!), but since going off of them around a week ago, he has been catching up and pumping out fixes and under-the-hood work.

This has definitely set things back considerably, but on the flip side…

Reinforcements have arrived

As some might be aware, we were recently looking for an assistant UE4 developer/programmer to share Kris’ significant workload—and are happy to announce that we now have that person on board! Ethan Wade (aka WaderTheGamer) is a long-time GROUND BRANCH supporter and solo UE4 indie developer for his personal project. As a guy with UE4 skills and many years of closely following the game, Wader has been able to quickly tackle a lot of minor and not-so-minor tasks (which we’ll cover in a bit), and has been immensely helpful in implementing quality-of-life improvements as well as helping the rest of the team get their work into the game.

Mikson made a blanket hut to record foley

[RECORDING FOLEY]

AAA devs: *tens of thousands of dollars on studio time, engineers and overblown 4-minute promo video on sound design alone*

Indie devs: pic.twitter.com/OVGt9SxH6B

— GROUND BRANCH (@GroundBranch) November 26, 2020

Yes, our sound designer Mikson has been very busy, as we will also show in a bit. In the above pictures, you can see the legend’s setup for recording crunchy, clean magazine drop sounds. More on his work after the fold…

How’s 1031 coming along?

Normally, we’d fill this section up with written details and screenshots, but since it’s the holidays and the update isn’t here yet, we thought we’d make it up to you with something a little nicer:

That’s right—animations and character assets may have been delayed to V1032, but we’re still making GROUND BRANCH look (and sound) a little better in V1031 with a lot of new visual effects and audio improvements, from entirely new sounds all the way to directional audio.

Attachments

As shown, attachment controls are getting a much needed upgrade: you will soon be able to bind lights and lasers to your preferred keys, and those will offer both a “hold” and a “toggle” functionality: hold the key to keep it on for as long as it’s pressed, or double-tap to leave it on (until you double-tap it again to turn it off).

In making attachment usage easier, we have also moved the Magnifier from the Attachments Wheel to the same keybinds used for zooming in and out with a variable power scope; the result is a much more intuitive and accessible control scheme.

Lastly, we are adding the IR Illuminator function to the AN/PEQ-15—a useful tool for nighttime ops, especially in low-contrast areas where the invisible light can help outline targets. The illuminator will offer two settings, accessible via the Reticle Brightness Up/Down commands: LOW outputs a broader-angle, dimmer IR light; whereas HIGH produces a more focused and brighter one.

Wristwatch

The wristwatch is a standard piece of gear which displays the current time and a compass ring that rotates according to the direction the player is facing.

It should greatly improve teamwork and navigation, as players will be able to quickly figure out which way they are going, which wall is the “north wall” one of your teammates just mentioned, at which direction enemies have been spotted, and so on. We plan on adding more functionalities to the watch app in the future, such as a heartbeat counter to help estimate player stamina status and maybe more.

Audio

New movement sounds that vary according to how much gear is being carried have also been implemented, and although we were not able to record previews at this time, this genuine graph makes it all look very official:

In addition to all the new audio we have already mentioned, Mikson has been working on the pending map soundscapes for 747 and Power Station. And speaking of map soundscapes, he is currently getting some done for these…

Upcoming maps

We don’t want to give too much away, but John has been creating a pure CQB level and we got ahold of a couple of sneak peek shots for you here:

Anyone who says GB won’t spawn some mean horror mods is a damn fool

Promising, right? It’s a nice change of mood from the current map selection, and it’s sure to captivate the old R6 crowd. Needless to say, it’s all a work in progress.

The new training complex is also scheduled to hit with V1031 and replace all the old training areas with a single big map. If you haven’t checked it out yet, here are some previews:

As mentioned a while ago, you can run around this map by typing travel training_base into the console (~ or Num *) and hitting Enter↵.

Menu work

We’ve also been updating the UI to be more intuitive, consistent and nicer-looking. Here’s how the Settings screens and key icons are coming along:

So these are some of the things that are on their way for our next main release.

In addition to the stuff we have just gone over, you can definitely expect a couple of updated models here and there, a new functionality or two, and general quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes all around. For one thing, game modes are having their foundation worked on by Kris, though we don’t have a lot to showcase from that department just yet.

V1032 work continues in the background

In case you missed Build Update #027, animation and character work had to be pushed to V1032.

We haven’t shared progress on those fronts in a while, so let’s take the time to do so in this post, shall we?

Character assets

Some of you may recall that entirely new character assets by freelance artist Pau Peñalver are just waiting for the new character rig and animations to be fully setup and working in the game.

Although we have posted a lot of previews of these new assets before, Pau has since uploaded a handful of albums showcasing his GROUND BRANCH models in an even better light, so be sure to check out the eye candy right here. Here are some teasers:

Pau has a few other GB albums up that you scroll through in his ArtStation page: artstation.com/pawered

Animations

🚧 WORK IN PROGRESS
Keep in mind that animations are all WIP and will likely receive multiple passes before their final iterations.

These previews are captured straight from the editor and therefore use simplified lighting, texturing and overall rendering. Camera placement and rigging are also subject to change.

Reloads

Having up to four types of reload per weapon means a lot of work for Mike.

For communication and clarity purposes, we are categorizing them internally as proactive vs. reactive (whether you are reloading as precaution between engagements or because your weapon has run out of rounds, respectively) and retention vs. no retention (whether you keep the used ammo container or not). See if you can figure out which of these are which:

Prone

Not much to talk about here, other than prone is seeing some work again. Due to all of the possible issues that may arise with such a big feature (considering all the very complex implementations we have in GROUND BRANCH), we cannot 100% confirm prone will be ready for V1032—but we sure as hell will try our best.

Below are some previews for crawling in various directions. Again, all WIP:

Prone/Crawl (Forward)

Prone/Crawl (Backward)

Prone/Crawl (Left)

Prone/Crawl (Right)

Oil Rig

Level artist Will continues to build Oil Rig—one behemoth of a map—for V1032. Take a look at these:

If you ever wanted to get shot from all possible directions simultaneously, this is your map

And that is all we have for you right now.

Thanks for sticking with us through another year!

We’re incredibly grateful for all the faith, loyalty and support that GROUND BRANCH keeps getting from so many of you in the community, in spite of what can be, at times, a frustratingly slow and difficult development.

This year may have been tough, and it certainly was for a whole lot of people all over the world. We can’t complain much ourselves: significant development strides were made, word of the game keeps spreading, people are playing and looking for sessions, new players keep arriving in our Discord and broader community every day, and the list goes on.

We hope that you’ve had as good a year—and holidays—as the circumstances allowed, and that you’re able to end it in as a positive a note as we were so fortunate to.

Please stay safe, and we’ll see you on the next cycle of increasingly tactical invention.

Here’s to a much better 2021,

—The BlackFoot Studios Team