Hey squaddies!

It’s time for another update on Modding 2.0! (You can find the last one here if you missed it.) If all goes well, the next update will be installed via Steam. Seeing as a lot of development has happened since our last post, let’s hear from Zak Strange, modding developer extraordinaire.


As you guys heard in the Next Phase article, Squad has been undergoing a massive engine upgrade upgrading 5 versions (Almost 2 years of engine revisions! Hello UE 4.21!). This effects modding massively, as a few major engines changes occurred requiring the changes to the way we download files from Steam.

PAK files, the basic format for modding files, had to be completely rewritten for the mod cooking process. Mods from engine version 4.16 were completely broken by the update and can not be used in 4.21. Because of that, we had to prepare an additional fix that stops old mods from being loaded anymore.

All of these issues, including some we’re not quite ready to reveal yet, turned this into a much larger project than we anticipated — there has been a TON of required tweaking and modifying a to the Modding 2.0 code to make it compliant with the updated engine.


Cooking is the process of taking your modification content in Editor and turning it into a format that we can load in the version of the game that you load on Steam. With 4.21 (and just because it needed to be) the cooking process for mods was completely redone. With the rewrite came a few things:

PAK files are all now HASH’d so you can’t join a server with a different version of the mod than the server is running. Because of the way mods are distributed, there can be issues Steam pushing patches, and running a different version of the mod than the server is running can easily cause crashes.

Not only that, but PAK files are also now all compressed! We turned this on for one version of the SDK, and it seemed to work well with no issues. (Besides the cooking process taking longer.) Testing shows that most mods are 40-60% smaller with compression implemented.

Another change is that mods don’t require versions depending on the platform configuration anymore. In layman’s terms, Windows and WindowsServer are the now the same thing from the mod’s perspective, so you will only have one set of PAK files instead of two. Unless…

Mods can now be cooked for Linux as well. Although there is some additional configuration required, this is very easy for modders to set up on their development PCs. Pre-Cook, we check if the Cross-Compile toolchain is installed and if it is we can cook for Linux as well.


Sometime in the middle of Modding 2.0 development, I realized that it would make much more sense if all of the modding operations happened alongside the game on another thread. So, I went about doing just that. With the threading came the (much needed) rewrite of the uploader and the downloader.

The Steam Uploader is way better now; no longer will you get an “Unknown error has occurred.” We have a new uploading process where we are able to get back much better debug info than before. The whole Editor also does not “hang” when you are uploading to the Steam Workshop anymore!

Additionally, the Downloader can now be invoked at any time during the game process with minimal impact on performance — all downloading work is done on this thread which then sends a notification back to the main thread once the mod is ready to use. The main thread will then do one small operation to refresh the map list for one frame.

All of this threading work was done to make Modding 2.0 integrate seamlessly into Squad with minimal impact on the player experience.


We’ve been listening to your feedback and we know that there are a few things you want exposed to make your modding lives easier. With the release of the Alpha 13 SDK, we have some things coming for you.

• SteamID exposure
• BanPlayer and KickPlayer function exposed
• Setup the SQProjectileSpawner with an automated weapon blueprint, interfaces, customizable collision volumes, and various settings to allow mortar fire, arcing pre-set animated turrets, seek and destroy turrets, ammo control and line of sight control.
• Exposed Healing function and Health
• SQCameraManager Boolean variable added for ignoring the map start camera
• Added IsReloading to WeaponAnimInstance for possible use in modding
• Added bIsWeaponFiring to weapon anim instance for possible use in modding

Special thanks to Renn and KaB for implementing these changes. They’ve been a huge help in getting Modding 2.0 built!


Thanks, Zak! Still looking for more information on Modding 2.0? Don’t forget to check out the Modding 2.0 Q&A we did a few months back. Until next time, we’ll see you on the custom server list.

Hey squaddies! This month’s recap is a little different, as we wanted to bring you the latest from our new producer! Phil’s been with us for just a short time and hasn’t had a chance to introduce himself yet, but we’re absolutely thrilled to have him aboard. He’s got the experience we need to make Squad the best it can be. So, without further ado, let’s hear from the man himself:

Hey folks, I’m Phil, and I recently joined OWI as Producer on Squad. This is my introduction to you, the players.

I’ve joined OWI at an exciting time – I’ve done several tours of duty on military shooters, and in a crowded genre, I see Squad as something remarkable. Squad’s emphasis on team play, strategy and tactics leap right out at me as the core of what I love about online gaming. The heritage of the game’s development, growing from a popular BF2 mod into something with the potential to be genre-defining, as well as driving forward modding to be a platform for inspiring, and expressing your own ideas (and my own ideas!) to each other, to us, and to the world.

Here at OWI HQ, there’s a real buzz around what’s coming up, and I know you all are on the edge of your seats hoping for some big announcements.

For the most part, I’m going to leave those in the capable hands of our community and marketing folks. The most valuable insights I think you’ll be most interested in from me are related to why everything’s not ready RIGHT NOW DAMMIT, how we’re moving forward with development generally, and when to expect stuff.

Right now we have A-13 in heavy testing. Content-wise there’s a lot of work gone into this, a collaboration of everyone on the team’s best efforts, some of it since before A-12. It’s all waiting patiently in the departure lounge for boarding to begin. As an early access game, it’s within our remit to put out releases that have in-progress features, test content, and some fairly rough edges. As we took on some unexpectedly heavy lifting for A-13 (notably upgrading Unreal Engine from 4.16 to 4.21) it’s taking some time for the dust to settle after effectively pulling out the old rug and laying some much nicer carpet in its place. We’re just about done moving all the furniture back in and are trying to remember where we left our keys. Specifically, we’ve got this going on:

• The leap in Unreal Version number has given our creative minds more fancy tools to play with (which is good) but some of them required changes to a large number of our assets, scripts, and code (which is bad..).
• Server-side Performance – Some of the code we’d added previously to interface with Unreal’s network stack, whilst still working, is no longer optimal in its transport method, as stuff under the hood on Unreal’s end works differently now. This is manifesting as nasty server-side lag spikes during play and is not in line with our basic quality standards for an early access release. We’re working on several different angles of optimization here at the moment.
• Game Stability – Right now we’re about as stable as a one-legged elderly pirate, and as such a lot of time was spent making the game stable.
• VOIP – Our signature VOIP system has been hitting some hitches after the upgrade, with playtesters experiencing odd attenuation issues with local voice, voice lag and other such delights have been the toppings in our Unreal upgrade sandwich. It’s a lot to digest.

It’s all good though, we’re making excellent progress and learning a lot about Unreal’s innards in the process and preparing us for the future.

I’m putting in place a few new ways of working for our team. These processes have the intention to reduce and avoid this kind of release black-hole going forward, whilst allowing us to make more frequent, regular updates as we charge towards our exit from early access.

An important part of getting out of early access is QA. Our QA Squad is our front line, charging down bugs and taking names. Our more frequent community playtests are valuable to get a snapshot of how the game plays under real-world conditions, and often highlights issues we wouldn’t have found by regular means. Going forward QA are to be the gatekeepers of releases, making sure key criteria are met before we taxi to the runway. Those are a varied and changing list based on our current development context, and stability is a fundamental quality bar that will be pushed higher with each release.

OWI’s community and marketing operatives were deployed for an incursion at PAX East, which they executed with military precision. Our volunteer squad, recruited from your numbers, brought their A-game representing our work and introducing new players to Squad with a bespoke map designed for the event.

In terms of actual work, we’re very much committed to our primary goals of:

• A meaningful helicopter experience to add to the tactical and strategic level of play
• Optimization of the client and server to ensure immersive, visceral play
• Modding 2.0
• 100 player games, with supporting content.
• Commander role, and his good friends Mr. Airstrike, Ms. Artillery and Dr. UAV.

This work is going to be delivered iteratively over the coming months, and improvements should be expected as progressive gains with each update. Our focus will shift to the most important areas where necessary, so some of your wishes may take a couple of releases to grant, but our goal is to update regularly with a predictable cadence, and not push out dates seemingly indefinitely. As with any change, we might not get it quite right the first time when A-14 comes along, but we’ll get into the swing of it.

I was originally planning to do an April Fools Joke here, but that work is about 3 weeks away. Until then, see you on the scoreboard.

Love and kisses,

Phil

Hey soldiers!

Anybody else still recovering from PAX? What a weekend! Speaking of, we’ve got a whole ‘nother one looming on the horizon. Let’s see what’s going on!




12:30 PM PT (1930 UTC)
Blood Bound Troopers Mod Night


11:30 AM PT (1830 UTC)
Squad Ops: Operation Jinx

2:30 PM PT (2130 UTC)
Squad Ops: SOTT Basic

5:30 PM PT (0030 UTC, 7/4)
Squad Ops: Operation Sidestep


Bonus Fact: The Japanese Battleship Yamato was sunk on this date in 1945.

6:00 PM PT (0100 UTC, 8/4)
Squad Ops: SOTT Leadership Practical


Sneaking in on the other side of the weekend, the Squad Community Cup will kick off on April 9th! Join their Discord or check our calendar for more information.

There should also be a couple of Squad World Championship matches that are as yet unscheduled. Hit their page for the latest.

Rebound Gaming should have an announcement in just a few days as well.




High Command has issued a notice for all potential citizens: There is now an official Troopers Mod server! You can find it in the Custom Server tab, right after installing the Troopers Mod from Steam Workshop.

Hey soldiers!

We’re back with another Weekend Roundup! The big news is, of course, PAX EAST! The Offworld Industries team is showing off Squad and Post Scriptum in Booth 10126 all weekend! Be sure to drop by and say, “Howdy!” if you’re in Boston this weekend. Make sure you send us your pictures!

For those of us not lucky enough to be PAXing all weekend, there’s plenty of Squad to go around, including a new Troopers Mod server.

Let’s roll!


11:30 AM PT (1830 UTC)
Squad Ops: Operation Lawless Range

2:30 PM PT (2130 UTC)
Squad Ops: SOTT Basic

5:30 PM PT (0030 UTC, 31/3)
Squad Ops: Operation Nitro (Night Op)


11:30 AM PT (1830 UTC)
Squad Ops: SOTT Basic


All Day
Suffer no fools gladly!


All Day
Squad Charity League Signups Close
(Benefitting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)


The Swiss Stage of the Squad World Championship has come to a close! Congratulations to ProG for coming 1st and to SQD and uC. for coming 2nd and 3rd respectively. Only FAOB and GRSW will have a match next week, giving the other teams time to prepare for what will surely be an epic battle!

Be sure to join the SWC Discord to keep track of the action.


New server alert! You can now play Troopers Mod on the Avalon Troopers server. Enlist now and do your part!

Hey soldiers!

Looking forward to the weekend? There’s good reason to: plenty of Squad! Let’s check out what’s going on this weekend:


11:00 AM PT (1800 UTC)
SWC: Productive Game vs. Source of Quality Directives

11:30 AM PT (1830 UTC)
Squad Ops: Operation Knockdown

2:00 PM PT (2100 UTC)
SWC: Firestorm vs. TLRGaming

5:30 PM PT (0030 UTC. 24/3)
Squad Ops: Operation Trident’s Tip

6:00 PM PT (0100 UTC, 24/3)
SWC: Unity+OC vs. Speaking in Tongues

7:00 PM PT (0200 UTC, 24/3)
SWC: Bella’s Babes vs North American Comp


2:00 AM PT (0900 UTC)
SWC: salt. vs. Project Phoenix+Indies

12:00 PM PT (1900 UTC)
SWC: GRSW vs FAOB

6:30 AM PT (1330 UTC)
Squad Ops: SOTT Basic


6:00 PM PT (0100 UTC, 19/3)
Conscripted Combat: West (56th) vs. Sevtar (2FJG)




PAX East 2019 is just a week away and Offworld Industries will be showing off Squad and Post Scriptum in Booth 10126! If you’re going to be at the show, be sure to drop by and check out what we’ve prepared for the show. We hope to see you there!

Hey squaddies,

While the time changes are afoot, there’s only one thing we can be certain of: it’s time for The Wrench! We’re back for March and all of your great submissions.

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.




Reiterating upon a classic Project Reality map of the same name, Spriggan is hard at work to bring this great experience to Squad, as well incorporating design elements of his very own PR map Route E-106. Designed with infantry combat at its core, this map will put you in a 4×4 km terrain with a focus on a tactical, fun experience.








West’s love for Sumari made him think about how great it would work for a hillside eastern European map. In this well-made Sumari conversion, he’s putting Russians or Brits against Militia. West also plans include to add a little bit more detail to the northern side, spreading capture points a bit out more.






An instant community favourite is Troopers. And Loki isn’t one to rest on his success, the team and he are hard at work adding more features and enemies to their mod. There are also some great vehicles that are currently a work-in-progress, so we’re looking forward to future updates. Be sure to check out the current great version on the Steam Workshop and play it! Also join up on their Discord server] and do your part!




Zombies seem to catch the attention of modders again and again. Now we have a new Zombie mod that is being worked on with xDJRy’s Squad Infection. This mod is bringing back the old-school game mode “Zombie Infection."



Built from the ground up, the infection game mode contains polished gameplay mechanics and satisfying user features which are sure to keep the community returning for more. Custom Maps, Zombie Models, Player Abilities, Loadouts, and Soundtracks are just some of the many elements they have included in this mod to give it the ambiance it needs to make a lasting impression. Everything is heavily work in progress right now, but we can’t wait to see where this leads to.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0kuvJDzk55o




https://www.youtube.com/embed/miAgj5JheLk

The Helicopter mod, another community favorite, keeps getting updated with new features! This time they added the MH-6 Little Bird in multiple variants: Regular transport, and “night ops” recon equipped with search light and thermal imaging. Squad Ops also has been picking up on it and featured the mod in one of their One Life events.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/8Mj0OnN_9J8




The Aussie Mod Team is back creating some thunder from down under, showing early work in progress images of their Australian Bushmaster PMV and one of their standalone maps, Operation: Anaconda. If you want to help out, or simply keep updated, check out their Discord.








https://www.youtube.com/embed/ub1Wbr14Iqo

With so many great ideas popping up, SquadZ has already established itself already in the community, boasting multiple servers. So, congratulations to smed and the team!

The zombies have superhuman abilities including jumping to building height or seeing their next victim through walls. If you have wondered how a military force could be bested by zombies, this is the mod for you. You can check out the mod on the Steam Workshop, and start playing right away, or join up their Discord.




For his South African Border War Mod, Springbok_ZA is currently working on two very important vehicles of the South African Defense Force: the Casspir and the Buffel. Due to their ease of maintenance in the field and their mobility over the African bushveld, they were used to great effect during the Border War alongside the Ratel as the SADF preferred wheeled vehicles over tracked.


Factions, maps, zombies and sci-fi pest control. What more can you want for a nice Wrench? If you already know you’ll be in for the April edition, simply start your submission here. Until next month!

Visit this post on JoinSquad.com for more media.


Please note: Offworld Industries is not responsible for mod content. Please contact the creator for assistance.

Hey soldiers!

The weekend is nearly upon us once more and with it comes a solid batch of Squad events! Squad World Cup is still in full swing, so there’s sure to be some fantastic face-offs there. And is that a night operation going on over at Squad Ops? You bet it is.


11:30 AM PT (1930 UTC)
Squad Ops: Operation Arrowhead

5:30 PM PT (0030 UTC, 17/3)
Squad Ops: Operation Black Ice (Night Operation)

7:00 PM PT (2000 UTC, 17/3)
SWC: Source of Quality Directives vs. Speaking in Tongues


2:00 AM PT (0900 UTC)
SWC: Unity+OC vs. TLRGaming

2:00 AM PT (0900 UTC)
SWC: salt. vs FAOB

7:00 AM PT (1400 UTC)
Squad Ops: SOTT Basic

9:00 AM PT (1600 UTC)
SWC: Productive Game vs GRSW

There are still a few unscheduled SWC matches at the time of posting, so be sure to check their page for last minute updates.

6:00 PM PT (0100 UTC, 19/3)
Conscripted Combat: Voo vs. King Snipz

Okay, maybe Monday isn't *technically* the weekend, but that's no reason to miss out on some Conscripted Combat!




Those brain-lovin’ squaddies over at Squad Z Mod have released the Lurker update! Hit the link below to see what’s new and download the mod.

Download
Discord

Fresh from the hands of the video team, we’ve got a brand new cut of the What is Squad? video just in time for PAX East! We’ve come a long way since 2015 and it was high time to show off some of the advancements that have come to the battlefield in that time.

Click here to see the trailer on Youtube!

So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments!

Hey soldiers!

Looking for a little bit of Squad action this weekend? You’re in luck: there’s plenty going on! Squad World Championship is back in full swing with a full complement of matches, which are sure to make for some exciting streams! Speaking of, be sure to join us on Twitch for tomorrow’s SquadChat with Fuzzhead at 10 AM Pacific Time (1800 UTC).

Not only that, we’ve seen a few more mod servers pop up this week, just in case you’re looking to slay some bugs or zombies. Here’s the scoop:

10:00 AM PT (1800 UTC)
SquadChat with Fuzzhead (Game Designer)

12:00 PM PT (2000 UTC)
SWC: 1ST and I|I versus Bella’s Babes

10:00 AM PT (1800 UTC)
SWC: Productive Game versus FAOB

11:30 AM PT (1930 UTC)
Squad Ops: Operation Vulture (Basic Required)

1:00 AM PT (2100 UTC)
SWC: Speaking in Tongues versus Project Phoenix and Indies

1:00 AM PT (UTC 0900)
SWC: Unity and OC versus GRSW

11:00 AM PT (UTC 1930)
Squad Ops: SOTT Basic

6:00 PM PT (UTC 0200)
SWC: Firestorm versus North American Comp

6:30 PM PT (UTC 0230)
SWC: Source of Quality Directives versus salt.




DOWNLOAD

Fiore Gaming Troopers Mod
The Playground Modded server

Enjoy your weekend, squaddies!

OFFWORLD OUT.

Be sure to drop by and check out what's going on in the world of Squad and Post Scriptum; we think you'll like what you see. There might even be some other fun stuff in the booth with us, not counting our developers and community volunteers, of course!

You'll find us in the bottom left corner of the Expo Hall Map, Booth 10126:




We've selected and notified our chosen volunteers. Which means that if you haven't received an email from us, you weren't selected... this time. The response to our call was overwhelming and the amount of love each application showed for Squad and Post Scriptum was amazing! Alas, we could only choose a few of you, but we know where to look for the next show. Thank you all for the outpouring of support and being part of our community! =)

We're looking forward to seeing everyone at PAX East 2019!


PAX is an exciting event and you'll want to do as much as possible! You'll enjoy it more if you prepare a little. Consider a water bottle, personal hygiene kit, and small quality of life items like moleskin bandages for hot spots and blisters. Remember that you can't see and do everything, so be sure to pick your priorities.

In other words, always secure your logistics, squaddie.