(For the media rich version of this post, follow this link: http://joinsquad.com/readArticle?articleId=303 )

Hey Squaddies,

Callooh! Callay! O frabjous Recap day! It's time for another dose of what's been happening behind the scenes in Squad. From mechanics to user experience, the team has been full steam ahead as we make the push towards Alpha 12 -- let's grab a looking glass and see what they've been working on!


https://www.youtube.com/embed/viuyqLK6SOs

What are SquadChats? Glad you asked! They're a more casual opportunity to sit down with the developers behind Squad, learn about who they are, what they do, and how they do it. In this edition, we have our Drav, our Lead Producer, Fuzzhead, beloved game designer, and last, but not least, Merlin, CEO of Offworld Industries.

Over the course of an hour and a half, we talked about the current status of Squad, our plans to get to launch, and how we're going to support Squad into the future. Heck, they even worked in some answers to community questions. Worth a watch, eh? Don't forget to check out the rest of the SquadChat archive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP_EhxCqa0k&list=PLL7yuIe6OBXzCMljpeMjmiuXJ2y1LeGvF




https://streamable.com/s/fa4eb/rfmizh

The new user interface is continuing to receive a facelift as we work through each element, one at a time. The updated team screen allows you to get a feel for the map, read up on the game mode and lore, as well as seeing which factions are in play.


The Deploy screen allows you to see your squad, as well as the entire team, organize your squad into fireteams, select your role via a quick select panel, and, most importantly, set your spawn point options. The map here has been expanded slightly given the new dimensions.

The new Role Loadout screen is an optional page that allows you to access more information on what roles are available to you, as well as get in-depth information on what each weapon and piece of equipment does. Knowledge is power!


The Infantry Rearm System will be undergoing some significant changes. As per the June Recap, Squads will now have access to the Infantry-deployed Ammunition Bags carried by the Non-Scope Rifleman role. The following changes are working in conjunction with the Ammo Bags to create a more teamwork focused Rearm system.

We are implementing the concept of "Persistent Ammunition". It is designed to further place importance on logistics and to make ammunition scarcity a real consideration on the battlefield. Squad Leaders will need to factor in their Logistics and Ammo Sources when deciding where and when to assault.

Additionally, we're experimenting with the concept of having player spawns on Rally Points and FOBs spawn with the same amount of ammunition that they had when they died. Players will always spawn with a minimum of at least 2 magazines for their primary weapon and will always spawn with 2 field dressings.

Players changing roles after being killed will respawn with the minimum kit loadout (2 primary magazines and 2 field dressings) and will need to seek out resupply.

Deploying at the Main Base will always give a player a fully-loaded kit.


Another change to the Infantry Rearm System is adding a level of granularity to the way players rearm. Rather than a role costing a fixed ammo point value to rearm, each magazine and/or consumable inventory item will have its own associated ammunition cost. This provides a much more accurate representation of how much ammunition resources you are using when it comes to rearming and will make it easier to balance one weapon over another.

Ammunition point values will be tweaked to reflect these new changes, especially as testing and feedback continue to develop.



https://streamable.com/s/p7h03/kvymld

One upgrade that will be coming to all our APC, IFV, and (future) Tank drivers is the ability to deploy a smokescreen from the exhaust ports. The smoke generator is a continuously channeling effect that deploys an extremely large screen that can be used to cover a retreat, advancing infantry in an assault, or enjoy a break from the Tallil sunshine. In addition to the turret mounted smoke grenade launchers, vehicles will now have a multitude of screening options available to them.

https://streamable.com/s/8347b/dlzlpd


http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/repairtools.jpg

Over the course of battle, your vehicles will take damage to its components (for this first iteration it will primarily be your engine), so in order to get back to a minimum level of usability we've given all crewman roles a toolkit used to repair these components, as well as bring up hull health above a minimum threshold. We're still balancing this mechanic, but this should give another level to the meta gameplay of vehicle combat.

https://streamable.com/s/gwz8s/jejnzq


http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/rpg7v2.jpg

Coming soon to all Russian rocket launcher, the RPG-7V2 package adds the PGO-7 2.8x optic to the launcher. This allows Russian anti-tank gunners to better acquire targets and account for distance with the built-in projectile drop compensator reticle. This reticle accounts for all ammunition types.

http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/rpg7v2_2.jpg[


http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/kornet_1.jpg

The finishing touches on the 9M113 Kornet have been added and it's flying high in testing now. One advantage this system has over the TOW is the ability for the gunner to be behind cover and still have the ability to fire, making it a little more operator-friendly.

https://streamable.com/s/2zlhv/dmkhgr

http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/kornet_2.jpg




https://streamable.com/s/bz37j/jkbcbw

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_1.jpg

The whole team is working hard on finishing up Tallil Outskirts. Not only will the map be a new location to fight over but it will showcase some new mapping technology. The terrain will be the most realistic we've seen in Squad up to this point, and with the advent of new structures, foliage and visual effects, we hope to ramp up the immersiveness to a whole new level.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_2.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_3.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_4.jpg

As stated in last month's recap, Tallil Outskirts' predominant feature will be an airfield with a long history of conflict. From the Russian influence in the 1980s to the U.S. bombing of the Iraqi hangars at the start of the Gulf War, to its more recent use as a U.S. Air Force airbase and Army barracks, the history will be visible no matter what corner you're fighting over.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_5.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_6.jpg

And let's not forget about tanks! Tallil will be our first armor-focused map, so we're as excited as you are to see columns of tanks duking it out across the open desert!

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_7.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/tallil_8.jpg


https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/jensens_1.jpg

We've managed to give Jensens Range another big facelift, this time taking advantage of the desert biome work we've been doing on Tallil and bringing it into the training range, giving it a very distinct feel now.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/jensens_2.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/jensens_3.jpg

The most notable change is the addition of surrounding terrain as a backdrop, but also we've added a number of additional ranges to the map, including a MOUT training field with multi-story buildings, an indoor kill-house with a linear path to work those CQB skills, a new driving track and a 1.5km open range with elevation for vehicles.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/jensens_4.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/jensens_5.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/Aug/Recap/jensens_0.jpg


And there you have it! Some big changes coming up, so we'd like to remind you to shoot straight, conserve ammo, and never, ever cut a deal with a dra... ah, well, maybe just the first two. Thanks for joining us for another Recap! We'll see you next month.

(For the media-rich version of this post, please visit http://joinsquad.com/readArticle?articleId=301 )

Hi Squaddies,

Welcome to the June Edition of The Wrench! Just like most of the Northern hemisphere, this month's crop of mods is looking hot -- including one that aims to change the way Squad matches run!

Join us on the Community Modding Discord where you can join discussions and meet the modding community. It's a great place to share your ideas and passions with like-minded people that will happily help you create something awesome.



https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/swcmod1.png

First up, we have the SWCMod by salt. DevilsD and |F| Arkanoid. Originating with the Squad World Championship, they have been developing this mod to serve as a dynamic way of altering gameplay values, as well as significantly increasing the quality of spectating and streaming for competitive Squad matches.

"The SWCMod comes from an effort to rebalance Squad's meta for competitive play with additional features to help casters make their streams more dynamic, informative and enjoyable to watch."

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/swcmod2.png https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/swcmod3.png



https://www.youtube.com/embed/4CA-QpFQcto

Not satisfied with peeking corners, wargr has set out to create some more high tech ways of keeping an eye on a FOB. More important, it's done from an appropriate safe distance -- way the heck away. Their next steps will be continuing to work with it in the SDK to get it into a mod format. Could it make a nice addition to your mod? Let wargr know!

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/lras1.jpg https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/lras2.jpg



https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/squadbr1.PNG

The team working on the Squad BR mod has been kickin' it into high gear this last month, hitting some important milestones. They're happy to report that loot spawners now have their own area types, meaning you'll be more likely to find military hardware in military areas, more custom art assets have been added, and the gameplay loop is almost ready!

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/squadbr2.PNG https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/squadbr3.PNG

Before long, folks will be in the mod and wondering what those mysterious arrays are for...

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/TheWrench/squadbr4.PNG

Be sure to join their Discord server to keep up on the latest news, or find out how you can be part of the team!

Clearly there's a lot to look forward to in Squad modding! (Including the Modding 2.0 update, of course.) As always, we're amazed by the skill and creativity of the modding community. We can't wait to see what you folks have for us next month!

(For the media rich version of this post, please visit http://joinsquad.com/readArticle?articleId=299)

Hey Squaddies,

Welcome to the first official Recap of Summer! Up in the Northern hemisphere, things are more than a little toasty, so high command has issued the following advice: stay inside in the air conditioning and play video games, if you can! Otherwise, crank the logi fan to high and let’s settle in for the goods.


Armor Components

http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/vehicle_component1.jpg

Since the last Recap, we've been hard at work on the vehicle components system, finally integrating it into our armored vehicles This addition effectively gives them special target points that can potentially cripple a vehicle. The most common examples of internal components are ammunition storage and the engine compartment. If you achieve penetration of the armor on the outside and score a hit on the ammunition storage compartment, depending on how much damage you do to it, it could trigger the complete destruction of the vehicle. Hitting the engine will severely handicap the vehicle's ability to move, and so forth. We'll continue to expand on this system in future iterations.

Suppression

A system that is known to be controversial among FPS games is suppression. We do feel that Squad’s current suppression system is too lightweight and does not present a heavy enough penalty on players that are taking a large volume of fire, particularly from large caliber weapons. We want the new system to lower the ability for suppressed players to effectively engage targets, but also to not be overbearing or annoying and not easily exploitable. Over the past month we have been continuously play testing and refining the new suppression system.

https://streamable.com/s/wmw6x/kwpdv

We have been play testing and tweaking an aim-punch style mechanic that pushes your aim off target slightly when being fired upon, as well as a temporary increase in sway depending on how suppressed you are. Of course bear in mind that this system subject to a lot of tweaking and further play-testing.

User Interface

One area we’ve been hitting hard for the next release is a complete overhaul of the in-game deployment menu. We’ve streamlined the process to such a point where new players will be directed from one point to another (joining a team > joining a squad > selecting a role > selecting a spawn point) in a logical manner.

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/ui_1.jpg

We’ve also integrated a system that allows you to see what is in each individual role as well as get detailed descriptions of each of the weapons and items contained within. (and as a bonus, what your character will even look like!)

Fireteams

We’re also implementing the first iteration of Fireteams, basically a way for Squad Leaders to optionally subdivide their squad and assign Fireteam leaders, with their own order markers to facilitate on-screen communication (however no specific special role exists for FTLs).

Fireteams have been designed to be extremely flexible in their employment, so it ultimately will be down to the individual Squad Leader how they want to run their squad, and also to give players a chance to learn leadership positions just short of the big Squad Leader role.

Spawn System Overhaul

The player spawn system is being given an overhaul - this includes Firebases, Rallypoints and Revives. We will have a more detailed update with the changes coming, but here are some of the changes that we have been working on:

• Firebase Overrun Mechanic: when enemies are close to a HAB, players cannot spawn at the HAB until enemies are killed or leave - aiming to dramatically cut down on the “meat grinder style” gameplay that can be seen in V11.
  
• Rallypoint wave spawn: squad members will now much more likely spawn in together rather than one by one.
  
• Revive System: Bandage is the revive tool now, not the Medic Bag. Any Player can use one of their bandages to revive an incapacitated friendly player. Non-Medic bandage revives take alot longer than medic revives. Revived Players do not regenerate stamina until healed by medic with their medic bag.

Lots of other changes are planned for the Spawn system, and we will give a full run down of them in a few weeks time. The goal and intention of these changes is to allow for squads to collaborate in closer proximity more often, shifting the pacing of the combat.


M1A2 Abrams, Tanks and Gunnery

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/abrams_1.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/abrams_2.jpg

We’ve put in a lot of work into the newest vehicle type to go into the game, that is Main Battle Tanks. The M1A2 Abrams while shown off last recap in stills, is now finally moving around and properly dressed up for battle.

The gunnery we have modelled does not include modern fire control systems yet, so we’ve opted for the use of the gunner's auxiliary sights to allow for manual adjustments at range.

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/abrams_3.jpg

The Abrams also has a vehicle commander and loader’s seat, both with their own cupola machine guns. The vehicle commander has a M2A1 Browning .50cal heavy machine gun mounted on a remote weapons system, allowing for full 360 traverse and zoom capability. The loader’s seat (while not required to actually load the cannon) is an extra seat on the turret with its own M240 machine gun.

https://streamable.com/s/ninla/htaxsm

The Bradley has also undergone some changes, with the inclusion of a ballistic reticle for the gunner, as well as a seat for the commander, with access to a camera with powerful day optics.

https://streamable.com/s/powgy/tdesdt

https://streamable.com/s/rbyjk/gnurqr

Infantry deployed Ammobags

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/ammobags.jpg

Another item we have in the works is ammunition bags that can be deployed by the Riflemen role, in order to quickly resupply his other squad mates in the field.

These bags will have a limited supply of ammunition in them, and will need to be restocked from Main Base, FOB or vehicle-based ammunition sources.

https://streamable.com/s/cxwpy/ztprgk

RPG-29

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/rpg29_1.jpg

The giant RPG-29 will make an appearance as a handheld Insurgent Heavy Anti-Tank weapon, complimenting the lighter RPG-7 system. It fires a huge 105mm Tandem warhead projectile with more accuracy and out to further ranges (500m) than its RPG7 counterpart (150m).

https://streamable.com/s/ahh78/vjjroq


Tallil Outskirts

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/tallil_1.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/tallil_minimap.jpg

One exciting new map in development is called Tallil Outskirts. It is a 4x4km map based in southern Iraq and features a massive airbase with large enterable concrete bunkers and defensive positions.

Most of the terrain is open sandy desert, and while a few villages dot the region, the map will showcase vehicle-based combat. Infantry squads that work in conjunction with armored units will find success on the battlefields of Tallil.

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/tallil_2.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/tallil_3.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/tallil_4.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/tallil_5.jpg

Yehorivka Update

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/new_yeho_1.jpg

Yehorivka is undergoing a massive facelift, starting with expanding the playable area to 5x5 km, which will open up a lot of new possibilities for new layers and more variation in gameplay. We have also changed out the grass foliage to a new rendering method which will improve performance, as well as removed the Storage Site area and replaced it with smaller profile villages and hamlets instead.

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/new_yeho_2.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/new_yeho_3.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/new_yeho_4.jpg
media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/new_yeho_5.jpg

In addition to accommodating larger vehicles, we’re providing more cover for infantry with new points of interest and better forests and ditches. We’re also implementing a new water shader that should also vastly improve the look of our water.

media.joinsquad.com/2018/July/Recap/new_yeho_6.jpg

Sign Off

We don’t know about you, but the world always feels better with a few inches of Abrams armor around you. A big thank you to everyone that responded to the call for assistance from real world tankers -- you’ve all gone above and beyond!


Offworld Out.

Hey squaddies!

Welcome to the free weekend! It will be running until 6/24 at 2000 UTC. It’s always a crazy time, so we wanted to share some tips for enjoying Squad to the fullest.

First up, we wanted to direct you to community member SgtHerhi’s top notch work: Quick Start Guide for New Players. Once you’ve mastered basics, get your flippers on How Not to Suck at Squad. You’ll note that a sense of humor may be one of the essential tools you’ll want to bring along. ;)

Next up, we’d encourage you to join the Squad Community Discord server. There you’ll find lots of like-minded players that are ready to team up, answer questions, or just hang out and chat about Squad. There’s also a #support channel for assistance and you might run into a few developers as well.

Last, but not least, if you run into any technical difficulties, check out our support site. We’re still an Early Access title, so there may be some rough edges. The support site will help take care of the most common issues and get you back in-game in no time.

We hope you enjoy the weekend and we’re looking forward to fighting alongside all of you! See you out there!

Offworld Out.

Time to patch these pesky bandages!

• Fixed bandaging failing due to desync between client and server. Now there is a point in the animation after which it can't be canceled anymore to ensure the bandaging gets completed
  
• Fixed a crash when trying to equip a role from the wrong team
  
• Fixed a crash on updating the role availability
  
• Fixed a crash on staging zone end
  
• Fixed AntiAliasing being forced disabled when 'low' graphics preset is selected
  
• Fixed several vehicles seat configurations for driver and gunners on appropriate vehicles
  
• Removed turn limits on the Dshk tripod and Technical Dshk
  
• Fixed incorrect zeroing numbers on the Russian RPG7 Tandem
  
• Increased Invasion ticket flag gain from 50 to 60
  
• Updated starting tickets on the AAS layers of Belaya, Gorodok, Kohat and Yehorivka
  
• Op Fight Light AAS - changed MIL to RU, tweaked flag zone sizes
  
• Fixed South Basrah flag on Basrah Invasion v2
  
• Fixed flag names on Narva Invasion v2
  
• Sumari INF v1 - fixed MIL Mainbase naming
  
• Fixed transparent fences on Yehorivka
  
• Increase HAB cost from 400 to 500
  
• Decrease Militia Hideout cost from 300 to 250
  
• Decrease INS Hideout cost from 250 to 100
  
• Increase Vehicle Repair Station cost (except insurgent) from 300 to 500
  
• Increase Mortar cost (except insurgent) from 250 to 300

(For the media rich version of this post, please visit http://www.joinsquad.com)

Hey Squaddies,

Welcome to June! With the Alpha 11 patch released, we're back in the trenches hard at work on the next batch of updates for you. We're not the only ones that have been hard at work, though: the Post Scriptum weekend playtests have begun and, by all reports, your participation was invaluable! Check out this footage captured by Khaos during the first weekend:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sj7C4cSixI4

Back in modern combat news, we've got some more details on game modes, systems, and some new weapons platforms for you. On with the Recap!


Mode: Randomised AAS

http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/raas_1.jpg

A massive improvement we're making to the AAS mode is the introduction of a randomised system for flag layouts. This will allow our designers to heavily consolidate the multitude of map layers we currently have in-game (which are difficult to manage and QA), while also giving variety in the capture chains depending on the map and designer's intent.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/raas_2.jpg

For example, a map could be tuned such that the first flags from the main base are always the same, but as the chain goes on, there is more variety to the second or third flags in the chain. Or it could all consolidate back into one middle flag. This will give our designers a more powerful tool in creating more variety per round for much less stress.

Vehicle Component Damage System

https://gfycat.com/ifr/InformalAllAmurminnow

Stage 2 of our improvements to our vehicle damage model is the ability to damage individual components on vehicles, both externally and internally. The final goal of this will be to greatly lessen the ability for weapons to outright destroy vehicles and focus more on disabling key components like movement (disabling the engine), mobility (taking out wheels or tracks), turret traverse functions, or weapons functions.

Critical hit locations can also be implemented. Examples include ammunition compartments, rewarding accurate gunnery. Our intent is also to help balance the currently extremely strong anti-tank weaponry by preventing them from delivering the killing blow every time.

Turret Stabilization

https://gfycat.com/ifr/PoorIllinformedFerret

One feature we're working on that features heavily for a lot of modern turrets is a stabilisation system that allows the user to focus on a particular direction for the main gun with a keypress, then the turret will attempt to stabilise the gun by counteracting the movements of the vehicle.

https://gfycat.com/ifr/ImpossibleBeautifulBeagle

This will help greatly in allowing such vehicles to fire on the move, improving the pace and style of vehicular combat and giving it a different flavour to the World War 2 style of, "stop, shoot, & move." This system is still in its early prototyping stage, but we find it a necessary component in preparation to introduce main battle tanks to the game.

Modding 2.0 - Mods for Linux Servers

Over the last few weeks, a lot of quality of life work has been done on Modding 2.0. First thing: mods are now WAY smaller than they used to be! "Operation Silver," a popular modded Squad map, went from 3.3gb down to 1.03gb when cooked against the Modding 2.0 framework. Another big thing that people have been asking for is also done - Mods for Linux! With Modding 2.0 mods will now just run on Linux servers; you will no longer need have a Windows Server to a run Modded server.


FV432 APC

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/fv432.jpg

Currently in the works, we have an addition to the British vehicle arsenal in the form of the FV432 Armored Personnel Carrier. Having undergone a series of upgrades on top of an older model, it will give the British a vehicle that is more than capable of ferrying more troops around the battlefield, but without the stand-off capabilities of the FV510 IFV.

M1A1 Abrams

http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/abrams1.jpg

We've teased you with this iconic beast of American military might for a while now, but we are entering a phase where the systems we are developing for vehicles will feed into how best we can represent the capabilities of main battle tanks. While we accidentally leek'ed an in-game version to you a little prematurely, let that be a sign that we're getting closer to making the tank dream a reality.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/abrams2.jpg

These vehicles come equipped with a 120mm smoothbore cannon firing anti-tank sabot rounds or high-explosive ammunition, making it the most formidable opponent on the battlefield when it comes to raw firepower.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/abrams3.jpg

T72B3

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/t72b3_1.jpg

Also in the works is the answer to the American Abrams: the Russian T72B3 series of main battle tanks. Packing a larger gun and considerably lighter than the Abrams, this tank is one of the more widely produced and exported tanks since the 1970s.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/t72b3_2.jpg

This particular asset has been in production for a fair while now, and is the first asset constructed from a 3D scan reference. There are still a number of missing components like the machine gun mount, but rest assured once it makes it in-game it will certainly make a huge impact.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/t72b3_3.jpg

http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/t72b3_4.jpg

9M133 Kornet ATGM

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/kornet.jpg

To compliment the BGM-71 TOW missile released in the previous alpha version, we have the Russian equivalent in the 9M133 "Kornet" in production. It is equivalent in power to the TOW in that it will be able to defeat heavy armor, however, it uses a laser beam to guide the missile while in flight.

Belaya Update

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/belaya1.jpg

Belaya has been undergoing a bit of an upgrade since it was released in Alpha 10 back in February. Some changes include lessening the snow coverage, more foliage adding more concealment when maneuvering between flags, and also roughening the terrain to give more opportunities for cover when crossing ground.

http://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/belaya_pass_minimap.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/belaya2.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/belaya3.jpg

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/June/MayRecap2018/belaya4.jpg

Sign Off

We can't wait to get Randomised AAS into the hands of testers, but we might be a little more excited about that Abrams hitting the field. So how about it, Squaddies, what are you most looking forward to in-game? Hit the discussion link below and let us know. Thanks for reading the Recap!

It has been three weeks since Alpha 11 entered public testing. Because we didn't get around to fixing many of the bugs you reported right away, we decided to release A11 as it was and push more bugfixes in this minor patch. Some of the changes are intended to help with the balance of the game after closely observing gameplay these past weeks.

• Reworked bandage / medic bag code for better responsiveness
  
• Fixed mods not loading if a clean installation of Squad was performed
  
• Fixed vehicles desyncing between client and server
  
• Increased speed of nametags fading in
  
• Fixed a vehicle seat state that exposed soldiers
  
• Fixed emplacement scope overlays not disappearing when the emplacement gets destroyed
  
• Fixed scopes on heavy weapons automatically unzooming and other bugs with these scopes
  
• Fixed being able to freelook while ADSing on scoped emplaced weapons
  
• Improved INS player models
  
• Updated AG 36 texture
  
• Fixed LOD meshes on the M240 and M249
  
• Several improvements on weapon animations
  
• Fixed wheel dirt effects on US truck
  
• Fixed a rare server crash that happened when a soldier was hit directly by a mortar smoke round
  
• Fixed squad-members not being able to force others out of vehicle their squad owned by entering the vehicle from the outside
  
• Fixed driving collisions on BTRs and the British truck
  
• Fixed desert BTRs having green woodland periscope meshes
  
• Fixed mines sometimes not triggering for some trucks
  
• Updated Insurgent deployable razor wire to be double stack
  
• Fixed collisions on a bush
  
• Updated localization
  
• Removed tracers from Militia and INS infantry weapons
  
• Changed INS HAT to SKS as primary weapon
  
• Adjusted cost of several deployables. TOWs are now 600 construction points
  
• TOW rearm cost increased to 500 points
  
• Changed ticket cost of vehicles:
  IFVs (FV510, M2) - 25
  Heavy APCs (30mm RUS APCs) - 20
  Medium APCs (M1126, 14.5mm RUS APCs) - 15
  Light APCs, MRAPs, AA vehicles, SPG Techi - 10
  Trucks, Technicals - 5
  Motorbikes - 1
  
• Changed Kamdesh AAS v1 to Invasion v3 and added a new AAS v1 layer
  
• On Chora Conquest v1 - replaced the INS faction with the Russian faction for balance
  
• Added Kamdesh INS v2, Narva Invasion v2
  
• Added Firing Range v2 with US/RU factions
  
• Fixes on the following map layers:
  Albasrah Invasion v1, v2, PAAS v1, v2
  Belaya AAS v1, v2, v3, Invasion v1, v2, PAAS v1
  Chora AAS v1, v2, PAAS v1, v2, Invasion v1, CQ v1
  Fool's Road AAS v1, v2, v3, v4, Skirmish
  Gorodok AAS v1, v2, v3, v4, Invasion V1, v2
  Kamdesh AAS v1, Inf, INS v1, Invasion v1, v2, v3
  Kohat AAS v1, v2, Invasion v1
  Kokan AAS v1, v2, PAAS v1
  Logar AAS v1, PAAS v1
  Mestia AAS v1, v2, Invasion v1, v2, PAAS v1
  Narva AAS v1, v2, v3, Invasion v1, v2, PAAS v1, v2
  OPFL AAS v1
  Sumari AAS v1, v2, v3, Inf
  Yehorivka AAS v3, Invasion v1, v2

Released a small hotfix to make healing work reliably under bad network conditions

Hey Squaddies!

(For the media-rich version of this post, please visit http://www.joinsquad.com.)

It's time for a quick Modding 2.0 development update! Progress has been going well since the initial modding release, so we figured it was time to show off some of what's coming up next.

First off, the Modding SDK UI has been completely redone (by an actual designer this time!). With their help and a fresh copy of the PSD of the new SDK UI, we went straight into implementing the update. It turned out like this!

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/May/moddingupdate/modupdate1.png

As you can tell, the tabs on the left the UI for the Modding SDK have all been moved to one window. No more multiple tabs on the top bar!

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/May/moddingupdate/modupdate2.png

Every action you need for modding is now in one convenient window.


We've scratched the old Steam Uploader and wrote a whole new one from scratch. (This one gives more errors than "Something went wrong."). We've also removed the need to have to pick an "Output Directory" when you are cooking your mod. By default, the system will now pick a valid path for you!

We've also removed the need to have to click both the "Package" and "Upload" button. If you just click upload now it will perform the "Package" too. The "Package" button now is exclusively for people who don't want to upload their mod to the Steam Workshop.

https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/May/moddingupdate/modupdate3.png


https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/May/moddingupdate/modupdate4.png

You are now able to edit your mod's information through the UI after creation. No more having to go through your modinfo info file and change all of the information and hoping you don't break anything!

This new UI is probably 90% done. All the work that is left to do is small but important: fixing button sizes, handling really long strings, handling edge cases, etc. This should definitely come out with Modding 2.0, or maybe even earlier!




Modinfo.smi files have been destroyed and replaced with your <YourModName>.mi files. No need to worry though, as soon as you load your mod in the Modding 2.0 SDK, your mod's SMI file will be upgraded to the new format.

The main reason for switching file formats is Modding 2.0 doesn't require nearly as much data to be stored locally as the previous method.


Your mod's Steam Workshop preview image now lives inside of your mod's project folder. This was changed to prevent this reference being lost and then not knowing why you can not upload to the Steam Workshop.


As mentioned above, you no longer need to pick a package location. The Modding 2.0 cooking system will by default pick a good path for you. The first place it tries is your mod's project folder. Sometimes this doesn't work due to various issues (No space available, The pathname is too long, etc...), so cooking will continue to walk up the Squad folder structure until it finds a valid path. If it can't find a valid path (which is unlikely), you can still specify a cooking directory.
https://media.joinsquad.com/2018/May/moddingupdate/modupdate5.png


Finally! This what you've all been waiting for, right? We're happy to report that progress is going well on getting in-game downloads working. This is proving to be a much larger task than originally thought, but steady progress is happening!

As you can see in the GIF, mods can now be downloaded while the game in running with no problems. This test case is performed during the game is booting up, since we are doing a lot of CPU heavy stuff then:

https://streamable.com/s/qlmb3/sygner


Currently, work is focused on getting the mods that are being downloaded while the game is running to be recognized by the game. This is quite a bit of work and will be taking up most of my time for the rest of the month, as the engine is not set up to accept PAK files mounted in the middle of the game.

Hey soldiers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IctFOaEsRE8

Alpha 11 has arrived! We can think of no better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. With Alpha 11, we are continuing to increase the depth of vehicle gameplay, as well as expanding content for infantry. No doubt some expert squads will take advantage of combined arms tactics. Do read up on the changelog while you download!

Alpha Version 11 is now available via Steam. Please always clear your game cache in the game settings on every new build!

• British Armed Forces have been added. They are a high-tech Blue Force faction with a unique bullpup-style primary weapon, and heavily reliant on armored transport to move around the
  battlefield. Expect to see them make an appearance on a few of the classic maps and also the newly released Kamdesh.
  
• Dramatically reduced the ticket bleed on the middle flags and increased the ticket win/loss when an actual flag area is captured or lost. Neutral flag include a ticket gain for your team. There
  will still continue to be a "mercy" ticket bleed on the end flags.
  
• Tweaked stamina costs for jumping, vaulting, and climbing.
  
• Settle sway time has been reduced by half on all weapons.
  
• Recoil animation for semi-auto fire has been slightly reduced for greater target tracking.
  
• LMG and MMG camera shake has been slightly reduced.
  
• Horizontal recoil patterns on several weapons have been reduced (tightened).
  
• Additional weapon recoil and sway values have been tweaked.
  
• Time to ADS on all weapons have been adjusted. Generally, iron sights are faster than all other forms of sighting systems.
  
• Non-ADS fire animation timing while the weapon is lowered or in a low ready position (such as MGs) has been increased in 3p to provide better visual feedback.
  
• Prone to crouch and standing animation speed has been increased by approximately 30%.
  
• Freelook recentering speed has been increased to be more fluid.
  

• Unregistered soldier and weapon based components when unused reducing the physics and rendering costs for these components.
  
• Reduced the amount of network ticking needed on weapons, soldiers, and vehicles.
  
• Reduced a number of unneeded processes when updating animation on the soldiers.
  
• Improved accuracy on detecting when to update the soldier movement component.
  
• Soldier bodies now despawn from the game world when the owning player respawns, greatly cleaning up the number of expensive dead bodies on the field. (Main bases now require a 30 second spawn time
  to ensure that the killer has a chance to verify the kill)
  
• Rewrote the burning system for performance and simplicity. Vehicle burning now starts burning at a preset threshold instead of relying on temperature calculations. This means that a vehicle will
  catch fire if the vehicle is really close to destruction; and will shortly burn out and explode.
  
• Rewrote how vehicle flipping is calculated.
  
• Ragdoll overlap calculations are now cheaper.
  
• Updated the map widget for cheaper visibility calculations.
  
• Optimized spiky and expensive UI widgets, and reduced the amount of processing needed for a number of UI widgets.
  
• Distance Field Shadows - Shadows and Lighting will look much much better now with distance field shadows enabled, as a graphics option in the settings menu.
  
• Added Filtered Sharpening to the post-processing graphics pass. This should help with the issues relating to blurry visuals at range.
  
• Vehicle Armor Locational Damage
  
  • All vehicles now have more defined armor values IE: an APC will have more armor on its front, less on its sides, and very vulnerable in the back. This first take
    will loosely reflect more closely real-world characteristics, as well as create more depth to the AT role.
    
• All bullets will now have a chance to visually and audibly ricochet depending on angle fired, and weapons with tracer rounds will visibly show the ricochets trajectory path. Projectiles that do
  ricochet don't actually deal damage but instead are a visual indicator that the projectile did not penetrate the surface or armor.
  
• Vehicle ground effects (eg. dust being blown around as you drive) have been re-enabled and visually upgraded since its previous implementation.
  

• Insurgent Soldier models have been completely redone. A large variety of civilian and paramilitary styles have been added to make the faction look a little more versatile visually.
  
• New Role: Crewman. This role is necessary for crewing APCs and IFVs in the driver and gunner seats. This role is equipped lightly for the express purpose of self-defense. A Squad Leader Crewman Kit has been added, also.
  
• New Weapon: L85A2 Rifle. This is the mainstay British Army service rifle, a 5.56mm bullpup configuration rifle capable of semi and automatic fire. Depending on the role, the rifle is equipped with
  either iron sights, 4x SUSAT sight (zeroing out to 600m) or 4x ACOG (built in BDC reticle). Some roles also have a folding foregrip/bipod combination attached as well.
  
• New Weapon: L86A2 LSW Rifle. This weapon is a unique cross between a designated marksman rifle and a light machine gun. While it doesn't have the same level of stopping power as a 7.62mm DMR, its
  ability to put down accurate automatic fire makes up for its shortcomings. This is run on the squad-level Marksman role.
  
• New Weapon: L129A1 Sharpshooter Rifle. A 7.62mm Designated Marksman Rifle, equipped with a 6x ACOG with an excellent field of view. This is available as the team-wide Marksman role for the British.
  
• New Weapon: AG36 Grenade Launcher. A 40mm Grenade Launcher attached to the L85A2 rifle, available on the British Grenadier role. Its side-mounted ladder sight goes up to 350m, and its spring loaded
  barrel allows for faster loading.
  
• New Weapon: L110A1 Minimi. The British adaptation of the FN Minimi platform, much like the M249 SAW. It comes with a collapsible skeleton stock and can be equipped with a 4x SUSAT optic.
  
• New Weapon: L7A2 GPMG. The British adaptation of the FN MAG platform, very similar to the M240B weapon system used by the Americans.
  
• New Weapon: L131a1 Glock Service Pistol. This recently adopted pistol is a high capacity 9mm handgun that is a reliable sidearm for British officers and support roles.
  
• New Weapon: AT4. The AT4 is an 84-mm unguided, portable, single-shot recoilless smoothbore weapon. This weapon does a modest (33%) more damage than the M72A7 LAW, and is available on all US and
  British Heavy Anti-Tank roles, as an interim weapon while we work on much heavier anti-tank options.
  
• New Weapon: PKP. The Russian Forces PKP is the modernized cousin of the PKM. Complete with a mount for optics, this Russian weapon will make their machine gunners even more fearsome. Russian
  Machine Gunners have their PKPs equipped with a 1p78 optic.
  
• New Weapon Variant: AK74M 1p63 "Obzor" Collimator Sight. The Russian Forces have a collimator sight option now on their rifleman and supplementary combat roles, allowing for quicker target
  acquisition in CQB.
  
• New Weapon Variant: AK74 1p29 Optic Sight. The Militia and Insurgent Forces have a slightly older sight option replacing the modern 1p78 sight. It is the older style trilux sight with an upside
  down obelisk reticle, zeroing capability out to 400m and also a built-in stadiametric rangefinder.
  
• The US Army Machine Gunner's M240B is now equipped with an M145 optic.
  
• All factions have now been given knife training and knives, for those times when you may need a stealth kill option.
  
• IED and AT Mine changes, Insurgents and Militia are now able to place up to 3 IEDs in the world at a time, and 6 AT mines in the world at a time. They can still only carry 1 of each of
  these items at a time, so they will need to rearm to place more.
  
• Light AT roles now only have 1 shot available for their anti-tank weapons. A full 9-man squad will still have access to 2 of these roles.
  
• Heavy AT roles have been added to the British, US Army and Russian factions to aid in destroying vehicles. 2 Kits available per team. 1 per squad. 4 squad members needed to access the kit. US and
  GB have the new AT4 weapon system as a placeholder for HAT for the time being. RU has a placeholder RPG-7 Tandem warhead.
  
• Resupply costs have been updated to the following: 25 Ammo Points: Medic, Rifleman, Crewman, Medic, Officer; 50 Ammo Points: Grenadier, AR, MG, Marksman; 100 Ammo Points: LAT, Sapper, US/GB
  HAT; 150 Ammo Points: Rus/Mil/Ins HAT
  
• Tweaked first person weapon origin positions for all weapons.
  
• Tweaked weapon fire sounds for the AK74, AKM, M4, G3 series, and ZU-23 AA Gun
  
• Improved the look of the M68 Aimpoint's dot, raising its co-witness to 1/3rd. (Putting the dot above the front sight post.)
  
• Widened rear sight apertures on the AK74, AKM and RPK series, making it easier to acquire a target when sighting with these weapons.
  
• Tweaked the look of the lowered pose when crouched.
  
• Tweaked reticle on the M145 ACOG sight, making the chevron much smaller, and adding a small red dot under the chevron to indicate where a shot would land at 200m.

• All APCs and IFVs now require you to procure a Crewman Role in order to operate the driver and gunner seats. These roles can be sourced from ammo crates, or are spawnable as such.
  
• Most vehicles now have the capability to carry spare ammunition to which ground infantry can resupply their ammunition from. These ammunition points can be sourced from Main Base and FOBs, much
  like ammo points on Logistics vehicles. To that end, these vehicles can now be used to ferry ammunition to and from FOBs if need be.
  
• Insurgents will now have access to some technicals with Improvised Armor. These vehicles generally sacrifice speed, driver visibility and handling for much greater resistance to shrapnel and small
  arms fire, up to 7.62mm NATO.
  
• A new British logistics and transport truck. This modern left-hand drive vehicle is similar in carrying capacity to its Russian and American counterparts. It is on a 3-minute respawn timer,
  and is worth 6 tickets. The passenger transport variant holds 18 soldiers, while the logistics variant holds 4 passengers and 2000 combined supplies.
  
• FV510, a new British Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The FV510 is a heavily armored IFV that can carry up to 9 passengers, as well as having a driver/gunner crew. It sports a 30mm autocannon, a slow
  firing clip-fed cannon that fires high-velocity 30mm rounds in armor-piercing sabot and high explosive. In addition, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and smoke launchers. It is on a 10-minute spawn
  timer and is worth 28 tickets.
  
• M2A3 IFV, a new Infantry Fighting Vehicle for the US Army. Bridging the gap between Armored Personnel Carrier and Main Battle Tank, IFVs can transport a small group of infantry while also providing
  considerable fire support against both infantry and enemy armor. It holds 7 passengers, along with a driver and gunner. The M2A3 is the most heavily armed vehicle in the game, with a 25mm chaingun,
  firing armor-piercing sabot and high explosive rounds, as well as a turret-mounted TOW launcher with 2 TOW wire-guided missiles ready to fire. In addition, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and smoke
  launchers for creating smokescreens. It is on a 15-minute spawn timer and is worth 37 tickets.
  
• Dramatically reduced the effectiveness of radial damage from rockets to medium to heavy armor vehicles.
  
• Completely overhauled the look of the CROWS weapon system on the MATV and M1126. To this, we added an ammunition tracker, rangefinder, turret orientation indicator and 3 levels of zoom.
  

• The TOW missile is a wire-guided missile that follows the target commands via a very long wire attached to the launcher. The player can effectively steer the missile while in flight onto target,
  and it is extremely effective against stationary or slow-moving targets.
  
• Optics have been added onto the emplaced Russian NSV, British and American M2 Brownings and both emplaced and mobile versions of the SPG-9 Kopye. Both the M2 Browning and SPG9 have completely
  functional reticles that allow for precise shooting at range. We recommend having some trigger time on the range with these to understand how the reticles are used.
  
• Emplacements are now damageable by calibers greater than and including 12.7mm/.50cal. The intent is that they will cease to function after sustaining a light to moderate amount of damage, requiring
  repairs to it in order to bring it back to a working state.
  
• Razor wire has been made more damaging by slowing down the player much more when caught in it, as well as making it completely impassable. Razor wire that is shorter and lower to the ground can
  still be jumped over though with a big enough run-up.
  

• New Map: Kamdesh Highlands: A new Afghan themed map has been added to the game. This map is set in the far east part of Afghanistan, sparsely populated and mountainous, the area has a number of
  roads crisscrossed, connecting small hamlets.
  
• Kohat Toi Expansion: Kohat has been expanded to increase gameplay variability and increase Gameplay layer options. In addition to opening up the playable zones, a lot of surrounding dressing has
  been added to the map edges to make you really impart the sense of a large world around you. Finally, the lighting has been completely redone from scratch to give a greater sense of distance when
  looking off into the edges of the map.
  
• Gorodok visual improvements: foliage should be thicker, draw farther and look better, all while being more optimized. Rock demons have been largely eliminated.
  
• Fixed a number of terrain and static glitching bugs relating to the Train Depot area on Narva
  

We also have added a lot of new layers to existing maps with radically different flag layouts, the addition of the British and expanding the implementation of the Invasion-style game mode

• Al Basrah Invasion_v1 (Overhauled)
  
• Al Basrah Invasion_v2 S (New)
  
• Belaya: Relevant layers with Train Tunnel flags are now able to be capped from outdoor areas.
  
• Belaya AAS_v2 (New)
  
• Belaya AAS_v3 (New)
  
• Fools Road AAS_v1: Ammo Hill is a requirement in the lattice.
  
• Fools Road AAS_v4 (Overhauled)
  
• Gorodok AAS_v1 (Overhauled)
  
• Gorodok AAS_v2 (Overhauled)
  
• Gorodok AAS_v3 GB vs RU (New)
  
• Gorodok AAS_v4 US vs RU (New)
  
• Gorodok Invasion_v2 (New)
  
• Kohat AAS_v1 (Overhauled)
  
• Kohat AAS_v2 (Overhauled)
  
• Kohat Invasion_v1 (Overhauled)
  
• Yehorivka_AAS_v3 (New)
  

• Name Tag UI updated. Name Tags have been updated both on the 3D HUD and on the map, giving you more intel on friendly locations while also being more contextual. You can see what roles they have
  now via the name tags.
  
• The Squad Leader's position is always visible on the 3D HUD.
  
• Players who are incapacitated now appear in grey on the 3D HUD.
  
• When seeing a vehicle, only the driver is now shown, clearing a lot of the clutter.
  
• Added squad numbers to the vehicle icons on the map, showing which squads currently have a claim on that vehicle.
  
• Improved Speedometer. Added a new and improved Speedometer for all drivers. It now shows the amount of torque, what gear you are in, your land speed, your maximum possible top speed and also how
  much your vehicle is tilted in either direction.
  
• Added a search bar to the server browser.
  
• Added a 'Screenshot Mode' which hides the main in-game UI. This is accessible through the main menu in the bottom right.
  
• Added a back-button to the main menu, which backs you out to the main screen.
  
• Added separate mouse sensitivity sliders for soldiers and vehicles. (Further iteration will be done on this system.)
  
• Fixed map icon clipping when the icon is close to the map border.
  

• Added inside/outside sound mixes for vehicles. For example, being inside an armored vehicle, you will no longer hear outside ambient sounds and the loud sounds are being muffled. Also, impact sounds to vehicles sounds different when sitting inside with a much more pronounced type of sound.
  
• Added new and adjusted volumes of weapon firing distant sounds.
  
• Added bolt and trigger sounds for handheld and HMG weapons.
  
• Added vehicle FX sounds for tyres and tank threads on various surfaces including rolling and sliding.
  
• Beefed up attenuation for engine sounds on various vehicles. You will be able to hear the engines further away.
  
• Added ADS sounds for handheld weapons.

• Fixed a clipping bug on the spawn menu where it was cutting off the bottom of the role list.
  
• Adjusted the PKM's first-person view so the handle doesn't block your view.
  
• Optimised a large amount of bullet hit and vehicle-based effects.
  
• Third person jogging animations have been cleaned up and tweaked.
  
• Fixed sound cutting out on the M4 when firing in Three Round Burst.
  
• Fixed being able to change stances while deployed in bipod.
  
• Fixed sprinting while low stamina looking awkward in third-person.
  
• Optimised the blur effect on ADS.
  
• Fixed feet sliding while moving in crouch in third-person.
  
• Remove menu when pressing Tilde ~ for console or when pressing Shift-P for admin camera. This will stop you getting stuck in the main menu and unintentionally being able to move.
  
• Fixed third person sprinting animations for some weapons causing their left wrist to break.
  
• Fixed an unintentional value for settle sway on the M4 platform.
  
• Several bug fixes related gameplay layers.
  

• Localisation for the following languages has been updated and added: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese,
  Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish and Ukrainian.
  
• Added a server option for whether or not APCs and IFVs require a crewman.
  

And that's it! What are you waiting for, soldier? Get out there and kick some butt!