Test Build Update

Heads up, everyone: the Community Test (CT) for GROUND BRANCH V1035 is finally available!

To hop on and start testing, follow the instructions below:

1. From your Steam Library, right-click GROUND BRANCH and select “Properties…”
2. Click Betas on the left-hand menu
3. Enter code GB1035LimeGreen into the text box and click “Check Code”

Steam will begin downloading the latest build in the communitytest beta branch.

👉 For dedicated servers (DS), use code CommunityTestDS1035. The DS beta branch is called communitytest-ds.

💡 If you wish to return to the regular branch of the game, simply select "None" from the drop-down menu in the top-right. It's a pretty big download, so keep in mind that switching back and forth between the Community Test and regular branches can be time-consuming — especially on slower connections.

General notes

• Patch notes for new CT updates will be posted directly on Steam, so stay tuned — we may release new builds fairly regularly.
• You will not be able to play online with people using a different branch of the game (though most active players do tend to jump on the CT branch).
• Weapon mods will not work until they can be updated with the V1035 Mod Kit, which will be available as soon as possible. Patch and mission mods should still work, but custom missions might need a review.
• The Depot mission demo (Main Menu › Operations) and its friendly AI are meant as a “tech demo” or “vertical slice” of the core gameplay and not necessarily representative of final quality. Friendly AI are planned to become available in more game modes in the future.
• Rubberbanding is unfortunately still (for now) a common issue on dedicated servers (DS), though we’ll keep working to solve this. We recommend server owners to restart their servers periodically (every 3–4 hours) to mitigate this issue. Listen servers are currently the more stable option.
• Hostage Rescue is not available as it is still in the process of being converted to the new Gameplay Ability System (GAS).
• Bugs are very much expected, and this is the whole point of this test after all. A list of known bugs is provided below.

🪲 To report a bug, press Esc while in-game, click the "Report Bug" button in the top menu, and follow the instructions.

Known issues

These are issues we’re aware of, so please keep them in mind and avoid reporting them:

• DX12 and DLSS + overlays may cause a crash-to-desktop (CTD) during gameplay (this is on NVIDIA 40-series graphics cards — use DX11 if experiencing multiple crashes).
• Prone movement is currently limited to the “walk” crawl speed; fast crawling (default hold Shift) is currently not working.
• The Rangefinder and Binoculars have animation issues; the Rangefinder’s measuring function may not work as expected.
• The friendly AI and its control system are not fully iterated: AI teammates are known to not always react appropriately to their surroundings, get in the way of players, bunch up and so on.
• Characters may be sent flying when killed, seemingly at random. We could not figure out why yet, so let us know if you find a pattern!
• Dead characters may also replicate impact animations when living characters are hit.
• Enemy AI flashlight/laser detection is a work-in-progress (WIP) and may have some rough edges.
• Weapons will remain in the map between rounds (they may fall down or settle in the air).
• You cannot currently save full kits — the function of saving kits is not hooked up yet.
• The demo mission does not allow you to use a detonator with the M4 SLAM charge without a Breaching Charge equipped.
• Modded listen servers should now be joinable in-game without any issues (fixes big V1034 bug), but it does not seem to work yet when joining from outside the game (aka a “cold start”).
• Chemlights do not yet have the correct colors in PvP modes.
• Dynamic Take and Secure (DTAS) isn’t fully functional in that the flag model does not spawn in the flag carrier’s hand and can’t be manually placed; it should be fully functional otherwise.
• City map: there are known (considerable) audio/crash issues with this map at the moment. We recommend avoiding missions on it for now.
• The Tablet may fail to load when equipping it online and require multiple key presses. It will also not be “engaged” (framed on the screen) when selected via Equipment menu (4), requiring a right-click to view.
• When killed online, players may become “stuck” in the game world and unable to return to the Ready Room or use admin commands. You may need to reconnect to the server to clear this issue.
• Multiplayer bots are probably broken and will likely remain so while we switch focus to actual friendly AI.
• Weapons and items cannot currently be dropped (but they can still be picked up).
• Music will stop when the player enters the Admin Panel.
• As mentioned earlier: Hostage Rescue is not available as it is still in the process of being converted to the new Gameplay Ability System (GAS).
• As also mentioned: weapon mods will not work until they can be updated with the V1035 Mod Kit, which is not yet deployed. We hope to get this out shortly before the proper V1035 release.

Patch notes

Backend

In V1035, we made a big switch to GAS (Gameplay Ability System), which can provide better control over the complex interplay between characters, inventory, animation and game events. It has, however, required a rewrite of a lot of code and many other related changes. We may have quite a few gremlins to catch during testing relating to things that stopped working like they used to, so keep an eye out for them.

User interface (UI)

• A whole new area of UI has been created in the new Operations menu, for launching the new campaign missions via “hotspots”. In later versions of GROUND BRANCH, the map will be populated with more hotspots, and each hotspot will feature up to three sequential missions to complete in turn.
• The Customize Operator screens have had a big under-the-hood rework, tying in with a lot of the backend changes relating to GAS.
• The item customization, in particular, has had a very large overhaul: weapon and attachment categories are now selected via checkboxes, which now also allow filtering Headgear and Top types (more can be added to other slots as required!). Right-clicking the checkboxes allows multiple categories to be selected. If no categories are checked, all items will be displayed.
• The Modding menus (mod lists in particular) have had a UI pass and should be a little nicer to use.
• Spin boxes, where you can drag a slider or manually enter a value, have been updated so that arrows on either side now make sensible adjustments to the number. The slider has also been made less sensitive to small misclicks.
• Combo boxes (aka drop-down menus) will now close the menu when clicked a second time, as would be expected, without having to click off of them or selecting an option.
• Text chat (default T and Y) has received a small visual update for legibility, and will now only allow the character limit (128 characters) to be input. It also has a new little slide-in animation.
• Global text chat now includes a visual indicator for when the author of the message is a server admin or game host.
• The Roster screen (Esc) also now includes indicators for admins or hosts, as applicable.
• The Tablet has had a small visual update, particularly in the Roster section: callsigns and player names are now both shown simultaneously, and team elements are more cleanly organized.
• A lot of the pre-existing UI has had another design pass, as is customary: icons were added and updated, and various elements were tweaked for better contrast, alignments, legibility, flavor, and consistency across menus. This is an ongoing process.

Inventory and customization

New primary weapons

• LVAW (.300 BLK) – An AR-15-pattern carbine with an integrated suppressor firing subsonic .300 BLK rounds
• AUG A3 (5.56 NATO) – A modernized version of the classic bullpup assault rifle
• G36K Custom (5.56 NATO) – A modified G36K carbine with accessory rails and a custom stock
• AK-103 Alpha (7.62x39mm) – Essentially a modernized AKM with plenty of aftermarket accessory rails and furniture
• AS Val (9x39mm) – Integrally suppressed Soviet assault rifle firing subsonic rounds from 10- or 20-round magazines
• ASM Val (9x39mm) – Modernized version of the AS with accessory rails
• VSS Vintorez (9x39mm) – Integrally suppressed Soviet select-fire sniper rifle firing subsonic rounds from 10- or 20-round magazines
• VSSM Vintorez (9x39mm) – Modernized version of the VSS with accessory rails and a modular stock

New secondary weapon

• MK24 CAP (.45 ACP) – A compact .45 ACP pistol with both 10- and 12-round magazines available

New attachments and other kit

• The DBAL-PL provides a combined spotlight and laser beam for pistols, both visible and infrared (IR); in accordance with the design of the real-life device, the laser and light can only be toggled in unison
• The PSO-1M2-1 is a version of the PSO-1M2 available only for the AS/VSS series of weapons with a specifically designed reticle
• Added side-mounted versions of the OKP-7 and Kobra (EKP-8-02) red dot sights, available for various AK platforms
• Added raised version of the MRO red dot sight
• The MS2000 IR strobe makes a return (a new model for it is also on our list). Available in 3 pouch colors: Black, Tan and OD
• The M4 SLAM explosive charge makes its first appearance in v1035, but for now only as a set-piece in the campaign mission demo; it may eventually be made available as a motion-detecting vehicle mine or manually-detonated explosive

New clothing/gear options

• New Top: Softshell Jacket (available in Gray, OCP, AOR-1 and AOR-2)
• New Mask options: Balaclava A (regular eyes-out), Balaclava B (nose out), Balaclava C (“face hole”) and Balaclava D (three-hole)
• Individual pouches and helmet attachments can have an independent skin from the base platform (WIP)

Updated assets

• New model for Field Jacket (formerly ACU Coat)
• New model for UMP45
• Upgraded MK17 CQC/DMR textures
• New AN/PVS-31A model to replace the old dual-tube NVG
• New model for OKP-7 — now named OKP-7 (Rail) to distinguish it from the standard OKP-7 (which is an AK side-mounted optic)
• New model for 1P78 Kashtan
• New model for EKP-18-1
• New model for MRO

New skins

• Various attachments have received a new FDE skin
• Vertical Grip B also has a new Olive Drab skin
• The T-Shirt has a new Ground Branch logo skin

Maps and environment art

• Ranch makes its debut in v1035. The map is situated near the US border in Mexico, and is home to a notorious cartel leader. The expansive estate includes a garage, stables and various other outbuildings in addition to a sprawling house complex.
• Power Station has had a big visual and structural overhaul in v1035. The layout is fairly similar, although it may take a little while for old hands to figure out how. The map is now set in the Libyan desert, with a ferocious civil war taking place in the distance. There are new outbuildings, lots more cover around the place, and a whole new cafeteria complex to explore and get sniped from.
• Depot has had some changes in lots of places to make it fit in better with the narrative and gameplay of the new campaign mission, and also just to look nicer.
• Small Town has had a minor face lift, to add a little more character and diversity to the buildings. Otherwise it should play the same.

Technical environmental changes

• The “time span” system has had an update, whereby dawn and dusk extend much longer into the day, providing more satisfactory transitions into and out of night.
• Fog in-scattering color and other properties have been added to the palette of environmental customizations for our level designers to use, leading to more characterful lighting. Depot, for example, has had a big lighting tweak.
• Lots of assets and foliage have been updated with new models and materials.
• New use of HLOD (hierarchical level of detail) optimizations in various maps to improve graphical performance.
• Grass blades have been upgraded with more natural wind movement on Depot, Storage Facility, Ranch, Small Town and The Farm.

Missions / game modes

• The new “vertical slice” mission demo Silent Reach on the Depot map represents a first pass on campaign missions, and can be selected from the new Operations menu available from the main menu. A lot of accompanying flavor and lore, and our first custom friendly AI characters have been added with it.
• Campaign missions can only be launched from the Operations menu, and can be played either with 3 friendly AI teammates, or up to 3 Steam friends. The mission normally acts like a Host Game mission, and the Invite menu can be used. If a human player enters a round with you, no friendly AI characters will be spawned. From that point onwards, even if all other players leave, your game will be considered a co-op game for the purpose of ‘scoring’ and no AI characters will ever spawn. Each type of game has separate completion statistics that are tracked.
• GROUND BRANCH now has some cutscenes appearing at the end of the campaign mission demo. These are skippable in single player and (only) by the host of an online game.
• An entirely new mission objective system has been worked up for the campaign mission(s). It may be that this will at some point be back-ported to “regular” game modes.
• The campaign mission features several new kinds of objectives, including: kill HVT (high-value target); destroy asset (anti-air vehicles); scout location; search for intel; and exfil.
• Enemy AI spawn points now have optional day and night states, so some missions will have different distributions of enemy AI depending on the time of day.
• A number of single player missions (including Compound, Depot and others) have been updated to incorporate these new day and night spawns. In Compound, for example, you are much less likely to see enemy AI patrolling fields during the night, and more likely to see idle enemy AI in houses. (There is a new “Sleep AI” state available, but it is not currently implemented. In the future, we envisage having AI sleeping in beds. At least until you start making some noise…)
• Some existing factions (e.g. Russian PMC) have been adjusted and expanded, and whole new factions have been added, including Western PMC, Insurgent and Cartel. Some original factions (such as Riot) have been retained and tweaked for now, but may in due course be retired or replaced.
• The Deathmatch (Docks) mission for Storage Facility has been updated to move the edge of the playable area to the tunnel side of the waterway.
• The Power Station missions have been entirely redone for the updated map. Some new variants have been created.
• A whole new set of missions has been created for the new Ranch map. PvP missions covering the whole map are tailored more towards full server loads (8v8). The map is a good fit for DTAS, since spawns should be relatively random, and most areas are well covered from most other areas of the map.
• A number of mission bugs and exploits have been fixed up, including a couple on Docks.

Animation

Various animations have been updated and some new ones have been hooked up. Main changes include:

Updated animations

• MP7
• MP5
• G3A3
• UMP45
• M110 / M110K1
• PMM
• AR-15-pattern rifles (M16, M4, MK18, HK416 etc.)

New weapon and item animations

• AUG A3
• G36K
• LVAW
• AS/VSS family
• M4 SLAM
• Chemlight

Miscellaneous animation

• New mo-cap and other animations done — and some existing animations cleaned up — for enemy AI
• Mag-check-into-reload animations for all magazine-fed weapons
• Completed and/or polished ragdoll death animations for stand, crouch and prone
• Added missing shotgun animations

Gameplay

• Mag checks have been completely overhauled. Hold the Reload key to keep the mag out as long as desired. While holding the Reload key, you can tap it once for a retention reload or double-tap to dump the old magazine.
• Chemlights can now be deployed (via the Equipments menu, default 4). The color of your chemlights will be selected based on your team element (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie or Delta) in PvE, or your PvP team (Blue or Red), as applicable — though see Known Issues regarding the latter. A separate hotkey may be added for quick-deploying chemlights.
• Enemy counts can now be randomized “a little” or “a lot” in the main single player game modes (Terrorist Hunt, Defuse and Intel Retrieval) using a new mission setting. Higher enemy counts will be randomized more than smaller counts, hence the non-numerically specific options. The 50 AI limit won’t be exceeded.
• Day vs. night spawns for the enemy AI should create further gameplay variation depending on the time of day.
• Ladders now require an interaction press (default F) to exit the ladder. This prevents accidentally presenting yourself as a target at the top by triggering the climbing animation before you’re ready.
• Ladders can now be interacted with from farther away.
• Water volumes now impact player movement depending on how deep you are in the water.
• Ballistics have had an overhaul. While most of it was under-the-hood, you should notice a bigger difference in bullet drop and travel time between different rounds at medium/long ranges. Damage was also slightly modified in the process (please note this is not our health and damage update yet).
• Interactions with laptops (for Intel Retrieval and Uplink) have been improved, and a “magic hands” animation was added.

AI

Friendly AI

• Friendly AI makes a first appearance in the game. For now, they will join you by default in campaign missions launched via the new Operations menu.
• Press your mouse thumb button (if you have it) to select actions for friendly AI to take during the mission. If you don’t have one, or otherwise, you may want to bind this to K. More control options and more refined control schemes are envisaged, but this should get you started in the 1035 preview campaign mission. The control can be rebound in the normal way. It is under “Other” key binds.

Enemy AI

Hostile AI (and in relevant respects, also friendly AI) have had a number of tune-ups and other improvements and changes:

• AI will now throw frag grenades at players in some cases.
• AI that feel under pressure may throw a smoke grenade to cover a retreat.
• AI will now see and investigate flashlight beams and laser pointers (WIP).
• AI can be blinded temporarily by flashlights pointed at their faces at close range (WIP).
• AI have new idle animations, which can be explicitly selected for idle AI by a mission designer if desired. It is intended to expand the range of idle animations over time.
• AI movement overall has had various tweaks and changes.
• A widespread AI rout/flee will be initiated by certain game events, like covering fire from a helicopter during the campaign mission exfil sequence.
• The AI patrol route system has had an overhaul, so patrolling AI should be more unpredictable and cover their routes more thoroughly.

Audio

There has been some backend work on the audio, for example to upgrade to a version of the Wwise middleware that no longer requires the manual pre-loading of sound banks. Otherwise more significant changes include:

• New enemy faction voice lines have been brought into the game. Currently we have a whole new set of lines for the new Cartel faction, and a new set of lines for the Russian PMC faction. These are in Mexican Spanish and in Russian, respectively, adding a little more authenticity and flavor to the game. (Other factions will receive their new voice lines in V1036.)
• The new Ranch map has had a lot of work put in to set up environmental sound effects. This level of attention to detail will be rolled out across other maps in due course.
• Depot has had an environmental sound overhaul, and new sound effects for the new cutscenes.

VFX

The various new items of kit mentioned above have all had relevant bits of VFX made and attached. In other developments:

• The NVG system has had another tweak, and now IR lasers are finally visible through the AN/PVS-22 UNS night vision scope. IR floodlights are a work in progress — unfortunately they can’t be realized with the same method.
• There are new effects for grenade explosions and smoke grenade activations underwater.
• The new campaign mission cutscenes also feature a variety of new special effects.
• The Power Station overhaul includes a lot of new VFX assets for the distance effects.

Modding

• There are no new modding “types” planned per se for V1035, as we will need to focus on getting the existing systems back up and running as they should. However, some groundwork has been laid in V1035 for more flexible systems for modding weapons and kit, and so on.
• V1034 weapon mods will not work in V1035. We are working to get the mod kit updated for V1035 so modders can fix things up before the release of v1035 proper. Documentation will also follow on what you need to know to fix up your stuff.
• It is not intended that campaign missions will be moddable — not just yet, anyway. However, you can explore some of the new tools in the Mission Editor for campaigns. Click the Campaign tab at the top-right after starting the editor to view. The new mission objective system is relatively open-ended, and new objective types can be added using a single Lua script (and any in-game assets that may be needed).
• New controls have been added to the server mod list menu to facilitate bulk operations such as adding all active local mods to the server list, and clearing a whole list. A new gameplay setting (in Modding) allows the local mod list to be used automatically as the server mod list in a listen server (the Host Game option).
• The selection of AI loadouts and mission meshes have been overhauled with quicker picker dialogs. The range of mission meshes has been increased.
• Modding menus have had a quality-of-life pass. There is, for example, a new gameplay setting to use local mod lists for listen servers, instead of having to make a separate server list (although that process is also streamlined).

General bug fixes and other new things

• The mod sync bug in listen servers should now be fixed — for in-game joins at least. Previously, any more than 46 or so mods would cause failed connections. The limit on numbers of mods active on listen servers is now around 670. Please regard this number as a harder limit.
• Navblocks are working again (as mission actors in their own right, and also as components of other mission actors). AI should be able to navigate properly around mission meshes, laptops, bombs, and so on, as they once did.
• The City helicopter should now behave correctly in multiplayer games (replication method changed).
• There is a new limited bad word filter for player names and text chat. Certain bad words (of the prejudicial variety) are conservatively filtered out so as to minimize the chance of false positives. Bad player names are replaced by generic “OperatorXYZ” names, and censored chat is reported as such to the local player and not forwarded to anyone else on the server.
• Swearing in general (including the c- and f-words) is not affected. We can’t possibly catch all permutations of prejudicial words, but we can at least stop the most egregious bad words. This feature can, if desired, be extended via a mutator mod — perhaps server owners who want to extend the filter can band together and reach out to Matt (Fatmarrow) for help?
• There are new server settings to set a number of bad words and a timeout for counting them, after which a player will get kicked from the server. By default this is not enabled.

Thank you for helping us test V1035!

Take your time to mess around with the new features, but please remember to report bugs and provide feedback so we can get this release ready! To recap:

• You can report bugs by pressing Esc while in-game and clicking the Report Bug button in the top menu. Be as descriptive as you can!
• Please do submit any crash reports you get while playing the community test build (or indeed the main build). These reports are forwarded to us directly and provide additional information on crashes to help us zero in on issues. Reporting issues multiple times is also fine, as this gives us an idea of the biggest problems to solve.
• Although we have a #bug-report channel in our Discord, it is most efficient for us if you can use the in-game bug reporter mentioned above — not least because this helps us jump right to the spot where the bug happened (if it is in a particular place in a map, for example).
• General feedback (i.e. for things that aren’t necessarily bugs) is best shared in our Discord and the Steam forums, but please feel free to send it our way however you can.

You can now opt in to the Community Test “Beta” branch of your GROUND BRANCH install and preview upcoming release GROUND BRANCH V1033 as it develops.

⚠️ ROUGH RELEASE AHEAD!
Please keep in mind this release is unfinished and prone to issues. We'll list known bugs further down this post.

⛔ IMPORTANT: CLEAR YOUR OLD FILES
Please make sure to delete all contents in the following locations (copy-paste the path into your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter to be taken there):

1️⃣ %LOCALAPPDATA%\GroundBranch\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor
2️⃣ Documents\GroundBranch

Additionally, if you use Steam Cloud (on by default), you may need to disable it
Not doing so will cause various asset and input issues in your game.

Reminder: Steam Winter Sale!

Before we show you how to opt in to the test branch, a reminder: GROUND BRANCH is 25% OFF on the Steam Winter Sale until January 5th!

If you have a PayPal account, the same discount also applies in our official GB Store using code GBWINTER22 at the checkout — a cool option if you’d like us to keep the full cut from the sale, or want to add a donation.

V1033 Community Test branch

Although we were hoping to release a stable V1033 before the end of the year, various performance issues made that ETA impossible to fulfill.

As a result, we have decided to open up the testing branch “early” (in its current buggy state), so players can start trying out new features and provide feedback on issues and performance on a wider range of PC specs.

How to opt in

1. Right-click GROUND BRANCH in your Steam Library and select Properties…
2. Click BETAS on the left-hand list
3. Select communitytest – Community testing branch from the drop-down menu

Steam will download the files for the new testing branch.

💡 DEDICATED SERVER OWNERS:
To migrate your dedicated server to the Community Test branch, follow the same steps with the DS install.

How to opt out

You can go back to the stable V1032 branch at any time by simply choosing “None” in the drop-down menu. Steam will re-download the files for the stable branch.

Release notes: V1033 Community Test branch

Below is a fairly comprehensive list of additions, changes and known issues to look out for.

Main features

New weapons

• MK17 CQC
• MK17 DMR
• AK-105
• Wz.88
• M24
• PKM
• PMM

Updated/replaced weapon models

• AK-74M
• AKS-74U
• AK-105 Alpha (replaced AK-74 MI)
• AKS-74U Alpha (replaced AK-74 MI CQB)
• M16A4
• SVD
• M1911A1

New weapon attachments

• Carry Handle Rear Sight
• ATACR 1–8x (currently using Vudu reticle as placeholder)
• MK8 CQBSS 1.1–8x (currently using AccuPower reticle as placeholder)
• Docter II (Flat, Low and High mounts)
• MK46 Suppressor (AAC® MG-SD)
• Handstop Grip
• Reverse Grip
• Stubby Grip B
• Tan variants for all foregrips

Updated/replaced weapon attachment models

• AccuPower 1–8x
• Vudu 1–6x
• ACOG 4x
• M68 CCO
• PRO
• Micro T-2
• RMR
• PSO-1M2 4x
• AN/PEQ-15
• Bipod Grip
• Angled Grip
• LPVO scope mount

Character customization

• New character: Male 05
• New customization option: Callsign
• New customization option: Facial Hair (Full Beard)
• New customization option: Patches for headgear (right, left and center) and shoulders (left and right). Patches can use full-color, grayscale, tan or green versions
• New night vision goggles: GPNVG-18
• New night vision filter option: White Phosphor; to use, select AN/PVS-15 (White) or GPNVG-18 (White) from the helmet attachments
• Tucked-in shirts and unzipped Combat Shirts
• Various tweaks and additions to skins for Gear and Outfit items
• A few changes in item display names

🚧 Skins are a work in progress (and so is everything else)
For V1033, we'll be prioritizing making the existing skins consistent, but we'll still be adding a few new ones here and there for the actual release. Needless to say, we'll keep adding and tweaking them throughout development.

Visuals & graphics

• Screen Space Global Illumination (SSGI) and Dynamic Field Ambient Occlusion (DFAO) both provide an upgrade to lighting, with toggle and performance options located in Settings › Video (some in the Advanced tab)
• GeForce RTX graphics cards can now use NVIDIA DLSS and NVIDIA Reflex to boost performance
• NVG effects (including IR lasers) have been overhauled. The overlay has also been reworked to adapt the FOV to take up as much vertical screen space as desired by the player (this can be adjusted in Settings › Gameplay)
• Clothing materials were updated to be less dark and difficult to tell apart in the shadows — which, in turn, should also be less harsh

VFX

• Particles were remade for virtually every effect in the game
• Added muzzle blast effect (on nearby surfaces)
• A first pass of the bird flocks was added to several maps

Optimization

• As detailed in Intel Reports #011 and #012, audio has been optimized to reduce CPU usage considerably
• Lighting has also been optimized in various maps

Maps

• New map: Docks (feedback especially appreciated on overall layout for this one!)
• Overhauled map: Depot
• Overhauled map: Storage Facility
• Tweaked maps Creek and Small Town for flow/playability
• Too many minor tweaks to list

Animation

• First pass on these item interaction motions (may not match up with certain weapons, positions and poses):
  • Switching Night Vision Goggles up/down
  • Flipping the G33 Magnifier on/off
  • Throwing the magnification switch lever on the Specter DR 1–4x
• Enemy AI will now play a “stunned” animation when under the effect of flashbangs

UI/UX

• Added new elements and menus to support new features (most are heavily WIP)
• New loadout saving system:
  • Automatically suggests build name based on attached items (verbose level can be changed)
  • Fewer prompts
• New build display options:
  • Menu now allows stacking builds (i.e. group all builds of a similar base item) to reduce clutter
  • Players can also choose to display only their custom builds
  • Custom (player-created) builds are now better highlighted
• New sky/weather system
  • Time of Day (TOD) is now set using presets (e.g. “Midnight”, Early Afternoon” etc.) due to the sun position matching real-world locations
  • Time can be further tweaked for season/time of the year (weather is currently disabled due to performance issues)
• Upgraded Target App (The Farm’s shoothouse)
  • Now allows changing the shoothouse layout
  • Updated the screen UI style
• Updated several smaller elements for style and readability

Game modes and multiplayer

• Updated Intel Retrieval:
  • Enemies will now search players once the intel (laptop) is retrieved
  • They will also attempt to intercept players at the extraction point
• Updated Terrorist Hunt:
  • Players can now enable “hot spots” — an area of the map where enemy concentration will be highest
  • Enemies will now (well, again) rush players once down to their last few individuals
• Added in-game kit restriction system (via Admin panel)
• Rounds can now be 120 minutes (2 hours) long
• Added match system (PvP): can set win condition to best-of-X-rounds, first-to-X-rounds, a certain time limit etc.
• Added voting for next map

AI

• Enemy AI now has a basic light detection system to prevent them from spotting players if hidden in the shadows, improving nighttime gameplay substantially
• Enemy AI should now be able to mount ladders and bunch up at doors less frequently

Known issues and further notices

As a general rule, the new systems have not received extensive testing — so please report in what you find!

Some other major things to look out for:

• Doors may not reset between rounds when played online, and may become stuck once a new round is started
• Some weapon sounds are missing (e.g. M24 reloads)
• Due to the audio performance overhaul, mixing may require tuning in several areas (things being too quiet or too loud)
• Enemy AI produces no “barks” (voice callouts, groans etc.)
• Enemy AI may display poor sound detection
• Some of the new/updated weapons are not properly setup to receive attachments, even if they may display a customization menu
• New weapons may also not be properly setup in terms of rate of fire, recoil and animations
• Icons are missing for the SCAR Front Sight and Ballistic Vest
• Patches applied to arms/shoulders appear brighter and flatter than ones applied to headgear; this is due to them not displaying normal maps correctly
• Reminder that a lot of the new UI is placeholder/WIP!

Where should I report bugs, crashes and other issues?

Using the in-game Bugs & Issues reporting screen (along the top menu when you press Esc), or sounding off in the #bug-reports channel of our Discord community.

We highly appreciate the reports and all feedback!

Happy New Year from BlackFoot Studios!

The year is almost over, so we might as well take this opportunity to wish all of our player base — as well as our partners, contractors and friends in the GROUND BRANCH community — a fantastic new year. Thanks for sticking with us through another one, and we’ll see you in 2023. Cheers! 🥂