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:

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:

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

Alright, everyone—we got some expectation management to do.

As laid out in Intel Update #005, we’ve been struggling to get the new character rig (the skeleton) worked out and ready for the new animations and character assets, which were the core of upcoming update 1030.

So, earlier this month, we brought on board experienced freelance animator Mike Munk (a former Tripwire developer with Red Orchestra, Rising Storm and the Killing Floor series under his belt) to have a look at the new rig and help us make sure things were being done correctly and as future-proof as possible. The diagnosis wasn’t great: upon inspection, it was determined that getting the skeleton in shape—so that it won’t be a source of headaches down the road—would take several weeks; possibly a couple months.

Well, 1030 has been in the works for a long time now, and we don’t want to leave you all without a new major update for that much longer.

The silver lining

So we made a difficult decision which, in retrospect, seems kinda like a no-brainer: let’s release everything else. If it’s not dependent on the new skeleton, why not put it out there and give everyone some new stuff to start trying out? Postponing the animation and character work sucks and we’re beyond frustrated about being forced to delay the main attraction in the update, but as the old adage goes… it is what it is. Might as well make the best out of the situation, so that’s what we’re gonna do.

If we cut the animation and character work from 1030, you get a smaller update, yes, but you get it a lot earlier and have something to play with while we get the rest of the package sorted out. It also means less potential for new bugs, as well as getting older bugs (such as the VOIP randomly not working) fixed ahead of time.

What will remain in 1030?

Although we’ve been forced to push the new animations and character assets back, update 1030 will be far from underwhelming. Here’s where it currently stands (for detailed descriptions and media, see Intel Update #005):

Remaining features

Everything we’ve announced for 1030 that is not related to the character and animation rework will still be in the update:

• [SCHEDULED] First pass on the Encumbrance System (weight and stamina).
• [SCHEDULED] Interactive lights (shootable/switchable) – will be present in all maps instead of the announced few (Depot and training maps).
• [SCHEDULED] 2 new multiplayer maps.
• [SCHEDULED] Map soundscapes and updated acoustics.
• [SCHEDULED] Tactical FAL and G3A3.

Delayed features

All character and animation-related work will be pushed back to a later update:

• [DELAYED] New and updated character assets. They were made for the new skeleton’s specs, and therefore will have to wait.
• [DELAYED] New and reworked animations.
• [DELAYED] M24 SWS, due to the bolt-action poses and animations.
• [DELAYED] Prone.
• [DELAYED] Hit feedback.

To-be-confirmed features

These may or may not make their way into 1030:

• [TBC] Visible gunshot wounds.
• [TBC] Wristwatch. Relies on the new clothes (with the cuffs pulled up) to show properly with long-sleeve tops, but we may be able to try a workaround.
• [TBC] Listen servers, a.k.a. hosting your own games without having to setup a dedicated server. (This was not a planned feature for 1030, but might be ready for it.)

We’ve also updated the Early Access roadmap to reflect these changes and other minor ones.

Some sneak peeks to make up for it (not in 1030!)

As previously shown, 3D artists Dan Conroy and Pau Peñalver have been working diligently on some new assets for GROUND BRANCH. Here is a little update on their progress:

M110K1

Mr. Conroy got the gas block, gas tube, dimpled barrel and flash hider/suppressor mount done for this upcoming battle rifle/DMR. It might not seem like a whole lot of progress, but that’s because he paused work on it for a while to work on the…

Rangefinder

More info on this later, but expect night vision and, well, rangefinding capabilities.

Belts

Pau has been working on more character assets. Here’s the new Battle Belt:

And here’s the upcoming Gun Belt (with the new, fully textured chest rigs in the back):

Magazine pouches

Lastly, here are some initial (high-poly) pouch renders:

Whelp, that’s all!

These weren’t easy news to break out, but we’re done.

We hope to have a working test build for 1030 (along with more news) soon. Rest assured we’ll keep you all posted and, as always: thank you so much for all your support and patience.

Also, remember you can always join the community and reach out via Discord, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, Facebook and the Steam® Community Hub.

Hang in there, and we’ll see you on the next update!

—The BlackFoot Studios Team

Oh, hello! It’s been a while. We hope you’ve been well, safe, and at home as much as possible.

Let us maintain our usual transparency and address the elephant in the room straight away:

Yes, version 1030 is taking a lot longer than expected. The aim of this Intel Update is to explain why, and also get you up to speed on what we’ve been working on. That will of course involve some well deserved previews to reward your valued patience and continued support. So let’s get to it.

Why is it taking so long?

One of the biggest deals about upcoming update 1030 are the new animations that artist Toadie has been working on. Whether they’re improving on existing motions and poses or adding to in-game actions that currently use placeholders or even nothing at all, every animation is being done on an entirely new character rig, also known as a skeleton.

As is true for many aspects of game development, things like migrating to a new skeleton, re-targeting existing animations, and then integrating the new ones by Toadie are all multi-layered tasks with a lot of parts that can break and ultimately delay the entire process. As a very small team with a single programmer (Kris), that limits us further. That limitation is starting to go away, however, but more on that in a bit—keep reading!

Is there an ETA?

In late 2019, we hoped to have 1030 released some time between February and March, and that prediction eventually turned into “hopefully March or April”. Those, of course, were rough estimates, and much of that time ended up being spent fixing lingering issues with version 1029.

Currently, the main battle is getting the new skeleton and animations to the same level of stability that 1029 had, except prettier and smoother. Although the version of the game within our internal UE4 project already has some of the new and improved animations and poses in place, there are still some very obvious issues with bone orientation and janky limbs here and there that need cleaning up.

The only honest answer to “1030 when?” is still, unfortunately, “We don’t know.” We have yet to fully figure out just how much needs doin’ in the animation department, but we can say with certainty that, at the time of this post, we’re talking weeks rather than days. Could be a few weeks (🤞), but it could be a little longer too.

What will be in 1030, after all?

Contrary to what the hype (that’s on us) may suggest, version 1030 will not be an entirely new game, but it should add a considerable degree of polish and functionality to the game. Here’s what it will boil down to:

Animations

As laid out before, a completely new character rig is being implemented and serving as the basis for all the upcoming animations. Expect actual transitions between weapon postures, new character poses for stances, some reworked reloads and a generally more natural feeling character.

We are hoping to get out the new prone stance in this update, but this is the area that is subject to the most change. Thus, it is not yet clear what state—if any—it will be in at this time.

Here’s some of the WIP animation work that Toadie has shared over the months:

UGH, prone animations are a crawl. Still a work in progress. pic.twitter.com/A3oOIRM3L9

— Toadie (@toadie2k) October 30, 2019

pic.twitter.com/75GqRLjeq2

— Toadie (@toadie2k) January 15, 2020

Hey ,it's 11pm on a Saturday, you know what this means? that's right, Work Gif time. This week's been especially whackadoo.

Obviously, Work In Progress, not final quality, yada yada. pic.twitter.com/E2cYX3nrwo

— Toadie (@toadie2k) March 28, 2020

And here’s an exclusive look at the (also WIP) poses and transitions for the High/Ready/Low weapon positions when obstructed, i.e. too close to an obstacle:

Like everything else in the GROUND BRANCH Early Access, animation work will be an ongoing iterative process, and 1030 will be just an initial taste of what’s to come in that department. We’ll keep adding polish, new sequences and accompanying actions for both players as well as A.I. over the course of development.

Encumbrance system

1030 will include the first iteration of the encumbrance system. This initial pass will add stamina, which is affected by both loadout weight and movement—the more you carry and the faster you move, the less stamina you’ll have. The less stamina you have, the less you will be able to sprint and the more weapon sway you will experience when aiming.

Arm fatigue is also tracked independently, so even if your stamina is at maximum levels, your aim will still become less stable over time from holding your weapon at the Ready (muzzle forward) and Engaged (ADS) positions. Heavier weapons also mean more arm fatigue, so you might want to think twice before taking an LMG or mounting a dozen attachments to your AR.

Inertia and effects on ready times are also coming, but we’ll save the details for the Build Update.

Soundscapes

Small Town, Depot, Storage Facility and all training maps are set to have day and night soundscapes, also known as environment or ambient sounds. Our intrepid sound engineer Mikson hopes to be able to get even more maps done in time for 1030. Hell, he says he might even be able to get them all done by then. Rookie mistake, Mik, but we’re rooting for ya.

Anyway, here’s a little demo we released a few days ago:

One cool detail he’s snuck into these soundscapes are the crickets: they’ll go quiet once the player is close enough to their location, which is not only clever but also has the interesting prospect of alerting other players of one’s presence nearby. We’re cool with all of this as long as he keeps them away from our faces.

New character assets

As we have previously shown in this album right here, there’s a load of new character assets making their way into GROUND BRANCH. Most of the existing apparel (as well as arms and hands) is being replaced with new, shiny models, and a few additional items will be added as well. What we have not shown yet are these bad boys:

New PvP maps

John has put together a couple maps for PvP: one is an upgraded version of the test Paintball map…

And the other one branched out from the concept of the old Nature Area benchmark map:

Shootable/interactive lights

John has also rigged up a basic implementation of interactive lights, demonstrated in the video below:

 

As shown, the system will allow lights to be shot out and also switched off. Although the video uses a basic light switch for the demonstration, the switch can be anything the player interacts with to turn a given light (or a set of lights) off: a regular light switch, a lever, a distribution board…

The aim for 1030 is to have the system in place for Depot and the training maps so we can get the initial experimentation going.

New weapons

We have a few shooters coming to 1030:

• A tac’d out FAL with accessory rails and the G3A3 are two additions to the battle rifle department, with the later mostly serving as an OPFOR weapon.
• Now that we finally have a bolt-action animation, the M24 SWS is making its return to GROUND BRANCH as the one true sniper rifle in the armory.

Cool, so that sums up 1030. What else is going on?

We’re glad you asked. Here is some intel on things to look forward to later in development, i.e. at some point after 1030:

Dev Team expansion

As we hinted at earlier, our core BlackFoot Studios staff consisting of John, Kris, Scopey and Mikson has received some reinforcements. Toadie (aka toadie2k), as you already know, has been handling animations for the past several months.

But we have yet to officially introduce Daniel Conroy, our newest collaborator. Dan is a hard surface artist now in charge of weapon and general equipment models, having previously worked on VR shooter Onward. You can check out some of his work and background here, and you can get a load of what he’s been working on below:

There are a couple additional members joining our ranks soon, but more on that at another time.

Art overhaul

A lot of what we’ve shown so far reflects the art overhaul process that will be happening over many months to come. We’ve been working hard on the details of apparel, gear and weapons we’d like the game to have, and we want them to not only have variety and authenticity but polish and art consistency as well.

An art overhaul wouldn’t be complete without a new UI, which we have yours truly working on. Here’s a little mock-up concept of where it’s currently headed—but keep in mind that it’s merely a (very WIP) concept and does not necessarily reflect final features, items or visuals:

Other news

Roadmap

You guys have been asking for a proper roadmap for a while now, and we finally managed to put some time aside to work on one. We’ll be making it public very soon.

HUGE news incoming

We have some seriously exciting news coming out very soon and the future of GROUND BRANCH is looking very, very good indeed. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is all.

• • • • •

While 1030 doesn’t drop, you can keep in touch with us and the GROUND BRANCH community via Discord, the Steam® Community Hub, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. If you have lot questions and not enough answers, our official FAQ is always here for you.