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……..
As expected, there are some issues cropping up with this initial build that we are working to get fixed. Some may have difficulty connecting to servers or may have an issue with item selections in the Operator menu saving. We knew that opening things up to a larger audience would expose problems we didn’t anticipate so please be patient as we get these problems fixed and an update out in the next day or two. We want to make sure we don’t break more than we fix. 🙂
A quick note to let you know that tomorrow (03/25), we will start to send out Steam license keys for those that have supported our crowd funding with buying Pre-Orders. They will go out by email so keep an eye on your spam folders just in case. It will be mentioned a few more times, but be aware that we are not to Early Access yet and the builds are still missing some key features that will be present in the Early Access release. Think of the current state being Early Access Alpha. 🙂
Also, at some point in the next 24-48 hours we will be switching the Pre-Order process over to a new storefront provider that will allows license keys to be distributed at time of purchase (in an email) as well as hopefully provide a smoother buying experience for those that have had issues completing transactions with the current provider.
I’m sure there will be bumps along the way, but bare with us and hopefully things will go relatively smooth.
Hey everyone, welcome to a new year! Lots going on with us here, especially with Ground Branch. We’ll get to that but first I would like to draw your attention to something we have partnered on with FragOut Studios named Sniper Tactical.
As some of you may know we partnered with FragOut Studios to help with the Weapons and Animation work for Ground Branch. Through that relationship we decided to lend them a hand in bringing some smaller less hard-core titles to market. The first of those titles is Sniper Tactical, a lemmings type puzzle game with sniper shooting mechanics mixed in. The gameplay revolves around bringing hostages to safe-zones which in turn is done by shooting enemies in correct order. Your job is to clear the path for your allies on the ground by taking out targets, bearing your own safety in mind. As enemies display various behavior types, it is up to you to learn how they will react and find a solution to each level. Hostages will move after you fire a shot so delivering accurate hits on the bad guys is not optional. Act quickly or slowly – depending on the situation.
Sniper Tactical is available as a Steam Early Access title on January 8th, 2016. While the experience isn’t the same as Ground Branch, the price is right for an enjoyable experience that is easy to pick up and play, but still takes skill and patience to master. Give it a try and let the developers know what you think.
Now for some Ground Branch news…… Things have been moving along quite well recently. We have closed out sales of the Operator Edition and are getting some great testing, feedback and collaboration from those who decided to make the purchase. Multiplayer connectivity is finally getting to the point where matches can be played and even in its very rough state people are enjoying the experience. Tremendous work has gone into the UI and the work needed to make our unique customization systems work as needed in both a single player and multiplayer environment.
Gameplay is still very rough and there are lots of bugs and graphics glitches, but here are a couple videos of some Operator Edition owners giving the latest build a go. Please remember you are watching a VERY early development build with LOTS of known issues and unfinished stuff. 😉
This one is played on a small developer test map that is used for various systems development/testing so the graphics are pretty basic. Its not a pretty map, but the video actually does a good job of showing off some of the fun gunplay you can have in small spaces. The players in the video seemed to have fun at least!
The latest video shows the current progress on the Ground Branch AI, specifically the basics for movement, cover and engagement. Lots to do still, but its good to finally get things to a point where they are actually working in the Ground Branch main branch. Hopefully we will be able to get a first pass of our Terrorist Hunt style mode out to the Operator Edition users soon.
So hopefully everyone has a great 2016 and we hope to see you playing Ground Branch soon!
Things are moving along slowly but surely. We have been working hard to resolve some networking bugs that have been a thorn in our side for a while, and are very close to having everything resolved in that area. That should allow for much smoother online play and hopefully more public showings of actual gameplay.
We have a new contributor to the project that has been working on some UI concepts (He actually did the main GB logo as well 🙂 ). His name is Costa and goes by ‘Scopey’ (Used to be SAF_Night Scope) on the forum and has been doing a wonderful job coming up with the direction of the Ground Branch UI. The next release of the Operator Edition will include the start of moving to this new design.
Here are a few concept images showing the new direction
Since we are getting a lot closer to an Early Access release we have decided to stop selling the Ground Branch Operator Edition on November 15th. We have 45 Steam keys left in our initial run so lets get them all sold in the next week or so!
The reason we are cutting off sales is to make sure those that purchase the Operator Edition get their money worth. We want them to have time before the Early Access release to provide valuable feedback and to feel as though they have been an important part of the early development.
So lets get these last few Operator Editions sold!
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