New patch just dropped for the V1033 Community Test beta branch!

❓How do I join the open testing?

Please see this post for details and instructions.

Here's what changed:

• Light over customization bench in The Farm now stays always on
  
• Fixes to stop bots appearing in non free-for-all (FFA) game modes
  
• Collision fixes in The Farm
  
• Tidied up distance fields in Run Down
  
• Fixed bad normals (shading) on AKS-74U
  
• Tweaked magazine placement on 5.45mm AK variants
  
• Rotated lens cap on Kashtan scope out of view
  
• Fixed collision on containers in Docks
  
• Fixed glowing glass on vehicles in Docks
  
• Tweaked cull distance settings on Tanker
  
• Fixed lights turning off but not changing material on The Farm and Compound
  
• Fixed up light switches on 747 and added missing switch to far side construction area
  
• Fixed missing geometry in stairwell in Storage Facility
  
• Carry Handle Rear Sight now only attachable to top sight rails and risers
  
• Another Ready Room audio bleed fix
  
• Setting callsign to --- now hides callsign patches
  
• Default AI settings changed so that Veteran AI now shout a bit
  
• Blockers added to Docks (East Docks) Deathmatch mission to fix out-of-map exploits
  
• Fixed up floating and badly placed laptops in Intel Retrieval missions in Tanker, 747, Small Town, Rundown, Compound, Storage Facility
  
• Fixed bad NW (Rocks) spawn in Creek for Terrorist Hunt and Intel Retrieval game modes
  
• Ladders fixed up so everyone can use them and should stop the "F slide"
  
• Fixed callsigns not updating until player respawns
  
• Fixed cyan-colored button on olive drab Ghillie Pants
  
• Added icon for bare Ghillie Hood
  
• Renamed Ghillie Hood Bare and Ghillie Hood to Ghillie Hood and Ghillie Hood (Cover), respectively, to be consistent with pants
  
• Default bullet impact tweaked
  
• Added chest patch slot: allows patches on front of MPC and JPC plate carriers and the Ballistic Vest
  
  • Pouches can still be attached to upper slots when a patch is displayed, so keeping the patch unobstructed is up to you for now
    
  • NOTE: Chest patch may disappear if top (shirt) skin is changed, but will still show in-game once loadout is applied. It will display again in the Customize Operator screen if the Platform skin is re-applied.
• Updated audio attenuation for player movement and other minor mix changes
  
• Tentative fix for skylight going missing when listen server host returns to Ready Room
  
• Lua-related crash fixes
  
• Should be possible to rejoin Deathmatch after returning to Ready Room now
  
• Fixed up invalid bot patches

Happy Monday, everyone!

One more smaller Community Test patch before the weekend officially starts. We are slowly but surely knocking down the bugs and getting the last few items in for 1033.

Community test updates CL#7540-7570:

• AI barks and Arena audio fixed
  
• IR Strobe plastic material tweaked to be less bright in harsh lighting
  
• Fixed ranger green Fleece Hoodie using olive drab palette
  
• Fixed FOV warning typo
  
• Further tweaks to Flecktarn swatch and assets
  
• Fixed ladders in 747, Docks, Creek and Power Station
  
• Added bare version of Ghillie Hood
  
• Cleaned up ghillie items; added OCP skins
  
• Docks: cleaned up bad model geometry, container collision and AI pathfinding
  
• Overly bright vehicle windows fixed in Run Down and other maps
  
• Another pass of attempted crash fixes on the light detector
  
• Fixed ghosting on AN/PEQ-15's IR Illuminator
  
• Improved Chest Rig (MCR) mesh collision
  
• Fixed overly glossy Male 05 skin (scalp and back of neck)
  
• Fixed subway (City) light portals
  
• SCAR magazine now shows more than 2 rounds when mag checking
  
• Added "Bakelite" magazine for 5.45mm AKs
  
• Tac Light flare adjusted to prevent blown out textures
  
• Ready Room audio bleed fixed
  
• SVD reload sounds fixed
  
• Adjustments to which AKs can use which suppressors (WIP)

❓How do I join the open testing?

Please see this post for details and instructions.

• Improved lighting in Compound main house
  
• Another attempt at fixing weapon light ghosting in night TOD
  
• All OpenXR plugins disabled (should fix some startup issues)
  
• Added Stubby Grip C (Zenitco® RK-0)
  
• Fixed skinning issues with M16A4 and HK416D variants
  
• Added light switch to The Farm indoor shooting range
  
• Fixed up light portal issues in City and Tanker
  
• Big pass on red dot and holo reticle brightness, making the brights brighter and the darks darker, and fixing sights that couldn't have reticle brightness adjusted
  
• Optimization and replacing of old assets on Docks
  
• Added AOR-1 akin to Plate Carrier (MPC), both belts and all pouches

[/b]

Added Ranger Green skin for Combat Pants and Combat Shirts

Added Light Blue skin to Jeans

Pass on Flecktarn skins (appearance, scale and secondary colors)

Pass on M81 skins (appearance, scale and secondary colors)

Added M81 to Plate Carrier (MPC); pouches coming soon

Added several missing skins for various assets (most need tweaking still) and tweaked a handful of others

Tweaked tan skin for Battle Belt (CB) to be more consistent with others

Fixed AK rear sight on most AK-based weapons being off-center

Adjusted forward position of SVD side mount to fix it being permanently in the player's eye

Big pass on skinned decals (patches on shirts)

Fixed red flashing light in Depot appearing as a dark blob when off

Fixed AK-105 not having rail attachment

Added 30-round PMAG (5.56 NATO) in FDE color

[/list]

Yet another patch released on the V1033 Community Test beta branch!

❓Not sure how to join the open testing?

See this post and start testing V1033 today!

Here's what's new:

• Muzzle flash size/colour/duration improved and tweaked
  
• AKs now eject empty casings rather than full rounds
  
• Bird flock concentration and spawn method tweaked
  
• Incorrect reload sounds and M24 reload sounds fixed, and corresponding audio mixed
  
• Missing shotgun reloads and missing M4 charge bolt sound fixed
  
• Suppressors can now be added to both AKS-74U variants
  
• Autoexposure (eye adaptation) settings adjusted in Ready Room to avoid runaway darkening when looking in dark spots
  
• NVG tweaked to make them more sensitive in the dark and more blown out in the light
  
• Shooting range in The Farm no longer does strange things to muzzle VFX
  
• Levitating grass in Small Town spawn area fixed
  
• White glowing beards fixed
  
• Tentative fix for ghosting reticles when using DLSS
  
• Volumetric fog adjustments (should reduce ghosting when moving weapon lights around at night)
  
• Fog settings tweaked on maps
  
• Lots more light detector system-related crashes fixed
  
• Zero length ProcessCommand() calls muted
  
• Some work done on doors but issues remain
  
• Fixed some lights not being tied to the right power box
  
• GPNVG-18 rejigged to add black skins (some loadouts might break due to changes of name)
  
• New default item build for NVG Head Mount
  
• Added inventory icons for SCAR Front and Rear Sights, Ballistic Vest and GPNVG-18 variants
  
• Fixed attachments not able to apply to right rail of FAL (Tactical) when AN/PEQ-15 equipped on top ra

Quick reminder that the Steam Winter Sale will be over on January 5th — so if you were looking to grab your first GB copy (or that extra copy to gift a friend), hurry up and get it before the 25% OFF tag is gone!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/16900/GROUND_BRANCH/

We just pushed another patch to the V1033 Community Test beta branch!

⚠️ Crash reports needed!

We have identified various random crashes that may or may not be related to changes specific to this patch. Your reports can help us zero in on the sources of the crashes to get them fixed ASAP — but we won't know how widespread or common they are without releasing the patch and getting more players testing.

So please be patient and report in your crashes (using the UE4 crash reporting tool that pops up immediately upon crashing to desktop) if you come across any. With all the data, a fix is likely to come very soon. Thank you!

Here's the changelog:

• Added missing Netherlands country patch
  
• Match defaults now set to continuous for all game mode types (no restarting after each round)
  
• Time of Day-related crashes tentatively fixed
  
• PKM updated: pose, recoil and animations
  
• MK46 recoil updated
  
• Light detector updated to take sunlight and skylight into account, so AI should see you in daylight again
  
• Skylight override volumes fixed up
  
• Saved loadout kit bug fixed (couldn't load presets)
  
• Tentative fix for players not being able to change their own team elements on servers
  
• SAVE button disabled when editing default builds/kits
  
• Items without attachments now get a proper save name
  
• Backup iron sights (BUIS) are listed only once in a save name (no more BUIS+BUIS)
  
• Patches of incorrect dimension are shown with "Bad Size" indicator in patch selector and cannot be selected
  
• Tentative crash fix for light detector component EndPlay()
  
• Floating glass mesh removed from Compound
  
• Crash fixes relating to player state
  
• Tentative fix for no player numbers shown in Server Browser
  
• 16-character limit for player names now properly enforced; file system characters are also removed now
  
• Resupplying from locker/workbench while wearing NVG no longer leaves NVG overlay around regular vision
  
• Fixed collision on tunnel walls in Storage Facility
  
• Added ability to equip side rail mount for AK-74M and Wz.88
  
• Wz.88 and all AKs should be able to use suppressors now

Thanks for all the feedback and be sure to keep the reports coming!

Happy 2023!

❓Not sure how to join the open testing?

See this post and start testing V1033 today!

This patch should cover a few major bugs and crashes, as well as take care of some smaller issues that were easy enough to tackle:

• Various audio bugs fixed
  
• M24 sniper rifle: implemented reload sounds and updated suppressed and unsuppressed sounds
  
• Screen-Space Global Illumination (SSGI) turned off for "Low" and "Medium" post-process settings
  
• Loadout apocalypse: all loadouts kit version numbers increased, so all old loadouts will no longer be visible or loadable in V1033. This will hopefully fix some kit-related crashes and issues with cloud saves; more fixing to come!
  
• Full Beard applied after Balaclava is equipped will no longer keep displaying beard in Customize Operator screen
  
• NVG Head Mount can now be customized properly (can attach GPNVG-18, Headset etc.)
  
• German localization will no longer be displayed (was just a test thing that stuck around)
  
• Callsigns can now include hyphens (-)
  
• Callsign swear filter updated a little
  
• Updated patch categories/folders to Country, Blood Type, Role and Morale
  
• Patch selection dialog no longer displays duplicate category names for modded patches
  
• Overly bright plant in Compound map fixed
  
• Incorrect display name for PMM pistol magazine changed (already had 12 rounds, but said 8)

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

Not doing so will cause various asset and input issues in your game.

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!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/16900/GROUND_BRANCH/

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.


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.

• Right-click GROUND BRANCH in your Steam Library and select Properties…
  
• Click BETAS on the left-hand list
  
• 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 on your DS install.

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.


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

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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

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!

Using the in-game Bugs & Issues report 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!


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! 🥂

Heads up, everyone:

GROUND BRANCH is 25% OFF on the Steam Winter Sale until January 5th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/16900/GROUND_BRANCH/

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.

Remember to spread the word and get your friends on board!

We are close to finishing up our V1033 update, and we are planning to open it up to public testing by the end of the year. Stay tuned!

Since August, we have posted monthly Intel Reports to keep you updated on what's coming for V1033 and beyond, with plenty of sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes info.

Check them out if you haven't yet:

• Intel Report #010 (June)
  
• Intel Report #011 (August)
  
• Intel Report #012 (September)
  
• Intel Report #013 (October)
  
• Intel Report #014 (November)

Another month, another Intel Report!

Have you been keeping up with our monthly Intel Reports, by the way? Make sure to check out the news and previews for the last few months:

• Intel Report #011 (August)
  
• Intel Report #012 (September)
  
• Intel Report #013 (October)

🚀 We're quickly approaching our release target for V1033 — the end of the year. As a result, this Intel Report (#014) will be the last one until the release, so that we can fully focus on the update itself.

Before we lock into release mode, let’s get on with the dev news and showcases for this month.

Yet another programmer has just been welcomed on board the GROUND BRANCH team: Callum Coombes, who has previously worked on Rising Storm 2: Vietnam alongside environmental artist Will Bullen, is now among the ranks of BlackFoot Studios.

That doubles the amount of code guys from what we had just a couple months ago to a total of four, which should allow us to tackle more areas of development more efficiently.

Happy to have you, Cal!

We’re sad to announce that long-time contributor Mikson is leaving our team this November, after a 4-year tenure. But his departure has a silver lining, as he’s leaving BlackFoot Studios to join none other than major studio Infinity Ward — a massive career move for Mikson, who became an intern for GROUND BRANCH while still in university.

In these 4 years, Mikson has personally recorded and processed dozens of firearm and folley sound effects, mixed countless library recordings, created and implemented soundscapes and ambient effects for all maps, directed voice acting, composed our main menu theme, and had an active voice in various areas of development. Hell, he even put together the V1032 launch trailer!

We couldn’t be happier about his work in GROUND BRANCH — some of you may remember the pre-Mikson days and how much his sounds added to the game — and we’re very proud to have had some kind of role in giving him a little exposure boost into the triple-A industry.

Thank you for all the passion and talent you put into the project, Mik. We wish you the best of luck out there!

👥 Audio goes on: Zack Regan, introduced in Intel Report #011, is taking up Mik's sound designer/engineer mantle.

Particles and other visual effects continue to get improved by Charles, with assistance from our programmers and the audio team.

A small but cool detail is the seagull/bird flock, which will add some more life to certain maps:


It’s a simple yet robust system that allows us to create bird flocks of various sizes and have them react to gunfire.

Speaking of gunfire, muzzle effects are also getting a lot of love. In this video, Charles showcases his system for muzzle flash to display different sets of sprites depending on the camera angle. Take a look:


What does that mean? Well, for those who don’t know: particle effects are typically composed of 2D textures — like flat pictures painted on a cardboard cutout — that are always facing the camera. By always facing the camera, you never get to see these flat textures from a different angle — which would give away the fact that they have no actual depth.

With the system showcased in the video, the side-facing muzzle flashes (that look longer) automatically transition to front-facing muzzle flashes (that look rounder) based on the camera angle to give the illusion of a real-world tridimensional effect.

💥 The muzzle flash effects are being created in various sizes and shapes to both offer visual diversity and fit the various weapons in the game.

Charles has also setup an initial implementation for muzzle blast effects — more specifically, the dust raised from certain surfaces when hit by the shockwave created by the proximity with a shooting gun:


Lastly for today’s VFX showcase, the old, funky-looking door chunks created after a door breach are being replaced with an updated particle-based effect. This effect is likely transitional — as in, it will make way for a better one later on — but quite a bit nicer than the silly door chunks currently in V1032:



We have already shown you some quality-of-life improvements on the server/online side (see Intel Report #013), but we’re eager to streamline and improve the player experience in other areas too.

🥒 This section is largely brought to you by the same guy making all of this cool stuff: Matt "Fatmarrow" Farrow.

The handling of custom item builds in the Customize Operator screen has been given some love. We know you like your custom builds, but browsing them can quickly become quite unwieldy. So we made a change whereby when you open the item browser, custom builds are initially “stacked” under the default item. Click on the stack, and it will expand to display all your custom builds:


How big will your build stacks get?

We are also aware of the number of times you get pop-up dialogs and are asked to fill in item build names when editing your loadout. We don’t want this to get in the way of your Tactical Barbie™ activities, so we put in a new feature using the new mutators system: your item builds are now given default names based on what you have put together.

So your new MK17 CQC with a suppressor and a Specter DR scope is now given a default build name of, say, “MK17CQC SD SpctrDR” (see some examples of automatic build names in the gif above). If you change the build enough that it gets a new name, it gets saved with that new name. If you don’t change the build that much, it just silently overwrites the old build when you click SAVE.

If you want to use your own name, you can still do that, and you can use the new SAVE AS NEW… button if you want to pick a name. If you want to have more granular item build definitions, you can choose one from a drop-down menu. There are currently 5 options for default build naming, all subject to change:

• Disabled — Does not provide a default save name for your build (requires manual text input from the player).
  
• Just item name — Suggests only the base item as build name.
  
• Item name + key features — For weapons, this includes the name of the base item, sights, and whether it has a suppressor. For vest platforms, it lists all pouch types.
  
• More verbose — For weapons, this lists all of the above + lights and lasers. For vest platforms, this specifies the amount of each pouch carried (e.g. “JPC 3xPri 2xFrag”).
  
• Unique build name for all changes — Adds a unique build designator at the end of the “more verbose” suggestion in case you prefer every change to be saved as its own build.

Okay, there’s quite a lot of stuff to unpack there, but overall this should streamline the process of putting together a loadout, as well as give the lazier of us a better set of custom build names to work with.

🔣 Don't like the build names or abbreviations the game gives you? Write your own mutator to provide your own naming scheme!

If you want your quality of life to be arguably reduced, then we also have that covered for you.

Congratulations to the person who asked for this: you spoke, and we listened. Now you can have your two-hour mission timer (up from the previous maximum of one hour). No, we will not raise that higher, because you are already about as hardcore a GROUND BRANCH player as we can frankly handle.

And if you liked the new Terrorist Hunt “bum rush” feature, you will love the new Intel Retrieval “extraction mayhem” feature (final name TBD). Mindful that the extraction phase of Intel Retrieval missions can sometimes be an anti-climax (usually due to eradicating all traces of tangos in your path), you will now have to be careful what you wished for.

Upon successfully hacking the laptop, you will trigger a security alert that will send the enemy AI to either hunt you down, or to boost the presence at the extraction. We may have to tweak this a bit to be more sane, but in the meantime: prepare for EXTRACTION MAYHEM.

As part of our server quality-of-life update, we have now implemented a match system, where specific criteria can be defined for the end of a match, such as “Best of 3” for PvP, or “Play until win 2 rounds” for PvE. This can be set on servers in the usual sort of way, and also selected in the Host Game menu for your listen server.



When the match criteria are met, the server will automatically advance to the next map in the map list. Match type and round/time limits can be specified in map lists per mission, so you can have custom match setups for different missions in the map list. Otherwise, servers have predefined settings for PvE/Co-Op modes, PvP modes, and the new game mode type of PvP FFA (free-for-all), which now includes the Deathmatch mode.

But there’s more! The match details can be viewed in the Ready Room on a new screen, along with an interface for all players to vote on what the next map is going to be. Here’s a prototype:



Voting takes place during the round, whenever you want, so there’s no delay at the end of a round to hold a vote. The runner-up map will be offered one more time in the next vote. If no one votes, the maps just advanced one by one as before.

Will’s overhaul of Depot is nearly done, with interiors being now almost complete.







Audio and game modes continue to be tweaked for the new structures, and we’re very excited about getting this one out there for you all to playtest.

As mentioned a few reports ago, AI is being hooked up with a new light detection system that should make night operations a lot more satisfying.

Things were not far along to showcase back then, but they are now — so here’s a short clip to demo some level of sneaking in the dark (with the new white phosphor GPNVG-18 on, as well as the AN/PEQ-15’s IR Illuminator), and then quickly flashing a visible white light at the patrolling AI to showcase the light detection:


And while we’re talking AI, here’s a quick little door breach test that our new programmer Chris put together:


To make it perfectly clear: the video above is not V1033 material, nor is any of it necessarily representative of final features. We just want to show that friendly AI is indeed being actively prototyped and worked on.

🧭 Kris has also been at work with V1033 AI to improve door and ladder navigation, to prevent (or at least reduce) instances of bots grouping up and getting stuck in them.

In parallel with the more technical and player experience-oriented improvements, older 3D assets continue to be updated to conform to newer models. One such example is the MPX, which is receiving a full remake and currently sits at the low-poly stage, right before texturing:





As always, thanks for staying in touch with development for GROUND BRANCH!

Don’t forget this is the last Intel Report before release V1033 — so don’t expect more dev blogs until we get the update out of the door.

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you soon!

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What's going on, everybody?

We got another Intel Update for you, and this month we have news and showcases for both V1033 — our next major update — as well as a little preview of something that will be coming later on (V1034 or later). Don't forget you can always get an overview of what's on the way via our Roadmap.

As announced in late September, GROUND BRANCH is now available on NVIDIA's cloud gaming service GeForce NOW (GFN).

Earlier this month, we also fixed an issue with GFN players losing keybinds, game/video options and listen server configurations upon ending a play session. These settings were all set to save to the Steam Cloud, so everything is now kept safe.

Here's what we have this month for our upcoming major release V1033.

V1033 will finally allow you to mount a mini red dot sight (such as the RMR) to pistols that are fit for it. At this time, that includes both G19 models, the MK25 and the M17.


MK25 equipped with the RMR mini red dot sight, as teased on our Twitter

We have also added a new mini red dot sight, the Docter II, commissioned to Cody Cudmore:



As mentioned in the last report, we have also ordered an A2-style AR carry handle, as well as a brand-new M16A4 model that better matches up with the other AR-15 models both in quality and scale. The Bipod Grip is also receiving a new model. Here's a screenie with all of that stuff put together:



While we're talking popular demand, we've made the SMG/PDW pouches into doubles so you can carry as much ammo for them as you can for rifles:



Running the shoothouse (sometimes killhouse) on The Farm is always fun, but it can get stale with the fixed floorplan/layout.

In V1033, players will be able to choose between a number of different layouts (5 at the time of counting) — including the old layout last seen in V1030’s “Killhouse” training level — via the Target App display, right next to the shoothouse’s entrance:


Prototype of the upgraded Target App display: now has a dropdown menu to select different layouts, which are previewed on the right


Main room for one of the new shoothouse layouts

💡 We'll continue to expand on shoothouse layouts and functionality as we progress.

In case you're wondering, the existing layout (currently in V1032) remains as the first option.

One of our tasks this update is server quality of life. This mostly means a lot of little fixes and features to try and make server admins' lives easier, but there are also some improvements to the online experience for regular players.

Let's look at a first example, the Kit Restrictions menu in the Admin Panel:



This is being wrapped up now, and should allow server admins more easily to set up restrictions for the skins that different teams can use on their kit, for ease of friendly vs. enemy identification.

Another feature that has long been requested is the favorite servers feature. The UI has been there for a while, but finally it has been rigged up:



This feature is tied into Steam directly, so you can view and manage your favorite servers offline within Steam as well:



Another change that has been made is to allow server admins to specify a "message of the day" text that can be displayed as usual with the admin motd console command, while simultaneously displaying an image on the server info board (via the new <text> tag). Changes made by admins to the message of the day or server name will also propagate immediately to all users. It's the little things.

As mentioned last month, V1033 will be bringing callsigns: short IDs by which players may be more easily identified.

Callsigns are displayed as their own arm patches (though only on tops that have a velcro patch) and are limited to three alphanumeric characters (A–Z and 0–9) which can be entirely custom — within limits — or use an automatically assigned Team Element-based value (e.g. "A-01" if you're first man on element Alpha); the latter can be forced for all players by server admins.


Grayscale US flag and callsign patches applied on compatible top (Fleece Hoodie). Notice that the active checkbox overrides the player-defined callsign ("SCO") with an automatically assigned callsign ("B-05" or Bravo Five) based on the player's current Team Element.

Various UI elements have now been updated to include the new callsign system, and as part of the server quality-of-life upgrade, server admins can do whatever player name and callsign validation they wish via a new server management mutator packaged into a mod.

The specific format of these callsigns can also be chosen by the server owner.


All game modes are now made for the new Docks map, including the most complex Intel Retrieval setup so far. Some more limited Deathmatch areas have been created, and DTAS (Dynamic Take and Secure) should be a very interesting tactical proposition on this map.



Uplink should be a challenge for defenders and attackers alike, and both Terrorist Hunt and Team Elimination will of course also be present.

The Depot overhaul continues, and as the teasers below show, it's proving to be a pretty massive one. Can you tell which areas of the V1032 version these angles correspond to?





The updated Depot will also require a game modes and acoustics update in order to account for the design changes.

Though not directly related to level design, we have also made some updates aimed at new players, with revamped hints in more prominent places, as well as "in-world" Ready Room hints to make things as clear as possible about where to go and what to do to start your first GROUND BRANCH game.



All hints are temporary and disappear after the first few sessions, though they can be reset under Settings › Gameplay to start appearing like at first launch.

Hostage Rescue (PvP) and Terrorist Hunt improvements
While we are working on a PvP Hostage Rescue game mode, we are not ignoring the PvE modes.

Besides the AI improvements discussed in Intel Report #011, the Terrorist Hunt mode is being refined with two new features that we're currently testing:

• On some larger maps, a new "AI hotspot" feature will be available where certain areas of the map spawn a larger-than-usual number of enemies, providing more of a focus and a challenge
  
• The return of the "bum rush" feature, in which the last few enemies on a map just can't take it any more, and attempt to charge down the remaining players — hopefully reducing the incidence of "where's that last damn bot?"

As the long process of audio optimization continues, Mikson has put a little time aside to record a short preview of the new gunshot tails for large interior spaces, which you can check out below:



Some features are an ongoing development that might see their beginnings well before they're ready for the public.

Such is the case of friendly AI, whose first steps were teased last month even though it's at least a couple of updates away from an initial playable iteration. Gotta let you all know it's being worked on, right?

So this month we're showcasing some of the upcoming female characters and related assets that we've been working with Pau Peñalver to have ready for V1034 (tentatively!). Let's take a look:





As ever, keep in mind that although these renders are made with "game-ready" geometry and textures (as opposed to high-poly and super resolutions), they do not reflect the final in-game look due to the lighting.

Thanks for keeping up with GROUND BRANCH's development, and have an awesome rest of the week.

See you on the next one!