A new build of Ground Branch is here and it is gigantic! Partly due to the move to engine version 4.11 and partly due to us just being stubborn and wanting to get things working right before releasing, we went way to long in between builds as well as the first go at a Terrorist Hunt mode with A.I.! The result is this one is packed with a ton of changes and its hard to do this news post without it being a wall of text. So here is the condensed version, with all the fine details at the end……..
We have been doing a lot of work on networking and AI lately and that stuff is kind of hard to show off until its done. Though Phil has been doing a good job of posting AI progress in the forums. 🙂
So why not show off some weapon work we have been doing!
The sniper rifle that will be in the Early Access is the M14 EBR and here is the current progress on the high poly version:
And for the Light Machine Gun in the Early Access we will be including a Mk46 MOD 1. Here is the in game asset rendered in engine:
The Mk46 will also make its debut in the official 1009 Operator Edition build coming soon. Thanks for all the support we have received to this point… it is GREATLY appreciated!
We are happy to announce that our official Tech Preview is available for free download right now. Yes, an actual playable version of Ground Branch! We also have our store open where you can financially support development of Ground Branch moving forward. In addition to the free Tech Preview we also have an Early Access pre-order, a T-Shirt and the Operator Edition….Which includes immediate access via Steam to our development builds leading up to the official Steam Early Access release. For more information check out the store:
Major credit cards and PayPal accepted
By purchasing the Operator Edition you not only help us financially, but you also have the opportunity to continuously provide feedback from playing development builds. We will use this feedback to help shape not only the Early Access release, but Ground Branch itself. We are committed to releasing development builds bi-weekly and will provide hot fixes as needed. We may also do more frequent updates if the need arises.
This is our current crowd funding to get to a successful Early Access, so if you are able please give a little extra at the store. When making a purchase, or even just getting the free Tech Preview, just enter an amount above what the set price is… easy as that. 🙂 So please support development of Ground Branch by making a purchase, giving a little extra or just by spreading the word!
The Plan
The plan for the funding we raise from the store is to put together a solid and engaging Early Access build for Steam. This will include everything currently in the Operator Edition with the addition of more content along with examples of PvP and Coop gameplay all wrapped up in a polished presentation.
The Tech Preview will be updated as needed to continue its use as a great testing platform for compatibility and performance issues. However, we will not be keeping feature parity with Operator Edition builds for much longer as it is not a game demo. Once the Early Access is available on Steam we will release a proper Ground Branch demo.
So please, spread the word and join in the Ground Branch fun!
What others are saying
Here are just a few excellent video first looks of the Tech Preview and Operator Edition by those that have already joined in:
Things are moving along pretty nicely lately, though everything is still taking longer than we would like. Kris is working really hard on making sure one of the cornerstones of Ground Branch, the character and weapon customization, has a rock solid foundation to build on. This has proven more challenging than originally anticipated, but we think its finally working to our standards. It isn’t currently pretty…. but she’s got it where it counts! 😉
As I mentioned before, we will be releasing what we are calling the Ground Branch Tech Preview soon. This will be a small slice of Ground Branch to give people a general idea of where we are going with the project, though there is no gameplay specifically. The purpose is to give people a small taste of what to expect from the project as well as give us a platform to gather valuable feedback on crashes, system specs, performance and general stability of the project. The Tech Preview will not cost anything and we encourage people to pass it around, share, do videos, post screenshot and whatever else they want to to help promote the project.
The next step after that is to move to Early Access on Steam. We want to make sure that the game is as rock solid and polished as can be at that time. To do so, we have decided to make some things available for purchase to help fund our drive to Early Access and beyond.
Ground Branch Operator Edition
The Ground BranchOPERATOR EDITION is a way for people to help financially support our efforts very early on as well as provide valuable feedback through testing and using weekly development builds.
What you get:
» Immediate access to Pre Early Access development builds to help us design the game around your valuable early feedback
» A private forum area to discuss the game and ideas with other OPERATOR EDITION users and the game’s developers
» An Early Access Steam key when available
» Forum badge showing that you are a Ground Branch OPERATOR EDITION supporter
» The initial full release of Ground Branch on steam when available
» A Ground Branch T-Shirt
» Plus a special in game aesthetic upgrade item!
Ground Branch T-Shirt
For those that just want to look good, we will be selling the official Ground Branch T-Shirt:
We really do hope to have all this available very soon and will most certainly make announcements when it is. We are working very hard to make this happen. Not much longer now……
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