Hey, squaddies!

The weekend is nigh! It’s your last chance to enjoy fighting with friends instead of the family if you’re into American Thanksgiving, so fortify that HAB and hope for the best!

We hope you’ll join us for the very first Offworld Industries Squad Championship Finals on Saturday, November 23! We’ve got some of the best teams in Squad facing off in two divisions to see who will take home the first official Squad titles!



Our pal and yours, JohnnyOmaha, will be broadcasting the finals live on our Twitch channel, so be sure to tune in!

To the events!

10:00 AM PT (1800 UTC)

[RIP] Rusty in Places vs. The World

9:30 AM PT (1730 UTC)

OISC: RaveN+ProG vs Blueberry Esports, Div 1 Finals

11:30 AM PT (1930 UTC)

Squad Ops: Operation Sentinel

12:30 PM PT (2030 UTC)

OISC: Sigma Tactica vs Some Random Guys

5:30 PM PT (0130 UTC, 17/11)

Squad Ops: Two Step Snake


What sorta squad are you lookin’ for this weekend? Zombie-slaying? Tank-busting? Or maybe the Call to Arms squad. =)


Would you like to see your event here? Let us know.

Hey squaddies!

We’re about to see who will rule all in the inaugural season of the Offworld Industries Squad Championship! We’ve pitted some of the best 36-person teams in Squad against each other in a season of intense action and now it’s finally time for our final four teams to face off against their respective foes.

Let’s give a huge congratulations ProG+RaveN and Blueberry Esports in Divison 1 as well as Sigma Tactical and Some Random Guys in Divison 2!

Divison 1



On November 23, at 1730 UTC, official partner JohnnyOmaha will broadcast the match between ProG+RaveN and Blueberry Esports on the JoinSquad Twitch channel.

Divison 2



On November 23, at 2030 UTC, official partner JohnnyOmaha will broadcast the match between Sigma Tactical and Some Random Guys on the JoinSquad Twitch channel.


 

Hey squaddies,

What a weekend, eh? Hopefully, you had a chance to join us for the StackUp Call to Arms 2019! If you didn’t, be sure to check out the SquadZ and Squad Ops segments to see what modding can really do. =) We’re also keeping the donation drive active for a while, should you find yourself with a little bit of spare dosh for the holidays. A big shout out to the modding community that helped make it happen!

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.




There’s certainly been a lot of stir lately about night maps and, rightfully so. Who DOESN’T want to see their favorite maps at night? Enter (silently): Ninja With Katana.



While the big news here may be Al Basrah at night, there’s no shortage of reasons to check out the mod package from the [SAM] Clan. They’ve got a training map in there as well!



Picking up the mod and familiarizing yourself with night time ops may help you get a leg up in their Al Basrah Ambush event.




As the nights grow long and cold, a true modder knows that you can ALWAYS make your CPU a little harder to fix both problems! The FDFMod Team is buckling down to make it through the winter by kicking out a brand new update.


 
This month, they’re showing off both new vehicle and character models. Some fresh new paint has been applied to the XA-185 and the Defender, with the Sisu “Eemeli” truck not far behind as it approaches the end of the high-poly modeling phase.



Last, but not least, their custom character models are steadily marching toward the finish line themselves.




Our monthly tour of the globe brings us back to another one of our favorite locations (and mod teams): Australia! While the Finnish team may be getting ready to hibernate through a long winter, we can see the Aussie Mod Team is still heating things up Downunder. As you can see from the latest screenshots, their character art is nearing completion. If you squint and get close enough to the monitor, you can almost see the individual strands of dingo hair. Wow!



A bunch of lads with such stunning good looks are going to need an equally stunning ride to match and, once more, Australian hospitality provides. Check out their latest ASLAV25 shot! Last, but not least, they’ve left us with a video of their map, Operation Anaconda.



If you’d like to help the Aussie Mod team, or just offer some feedback, be sure to join their Discord server for upcoming testing opportunities!




With eyes on the newly-released helicopters, Cripion101 turned their focus on to something that should be music to the ears of any PR veteran: The Road to Muttrah. The new version aims to expand on the notably solid base of the original PR map to bring it up to a full 8×8 km battlefield based on maps of Muscat.



The expansion allows more space for tanks by including surrounding deserts, mountains, and nearby towns. Squads should be prepared to shift gears from long-range combat to more intimate fighting as they near the core of Muttrah.



Cripion101 hopes to add an emphasis on infantry, transport, and smaller vehicles which should require teams to make expert use of technical, MATVs, and, of course, those beautiful choppers to succeed.




The French Foreign Legion Mod team is back this month! We’re always happy to see them, especially when they come bearing screenshots. Above is Xander’s take on a France-based map. You’ll be treated to freshly harvested fields that have been littered with trenches. The French Foreign Legion is dug in and ready for combat.



No trench-ready unit would be complete without some heavy machine-gunning, so the FFL folks have also included a work-in-progress shot of their ANF1 by Drkoliche.



It will be part of the Heavy Machine Gunner role, as well as being found atop the VBL. It should be nice and deadly!




Recently the host of a Fused Legions fragfest event, Adawia Park is getting put through the paces and coming out all the better for it! We’re excited to hear what Johan Svundkist has to say about their wonderful creation:

Featuring a dense urban area inspired by a real Syrian Park, Adawia aims to bring a hint of verticality to an already dangerous battlefield. The added threat of danger from any angle should definitely keep squaddies on their toes and looking for trouble. Both Militia and Insurgent teams will need to make liberal use of rooftops and underground shelters to navigate their way to a win. Be sure to pick your path wisely and cover your squadmates: the enemy could be lurking anywhere.

The next steps include enlarging the map to include two new main bases outside the town, with an aim to reduce camping. A labyrinthine network of sewers has also been added to the city to allow flanking — assuming you can find your way to the objective!



One last change to be aware of: the rally point radius has been lowered from 50 meters to 14 meters, making sure you’ll have some up close and personal encounters.




And we’re back to Finland! But you’ll find no complaints from us, especially when it comes to updates from Wrench-favorite Hawken.



Although Gulf of Finland was recently released, Hawken wasn’t quite happy with how things had shaped up. Now we’re getting a complete rework of the terrain to add more detail and make everything a bigger. (And better, obviously.)



The update will bring over 2 kilometers of tunnels, more detail to every island, and improvements to both the visuals and gameplay. We’re definitely excited to see Gulf evolve as more and more people experience it!




Squad’s very own mad scientist, Bill Nye, is graciously opening up the lab to share some of those secret goodies. The Lab sets out to answer the question, “Much much does x do? Where do I find y? Can I taste it?” The last answer is always no, but bless your heart for trying. How does Chez Nye set itself apart?

The Lab will be similar to Jensen’s Range with much more information, more accessible than the SDK. There are also handy utilities like being able to clear vehicle wrecks to help alleviate logging into a field of burning wrecks, as well as more tutorials and gizmos to come.




SPECTR_Eternal’s diligent work on Iron Dawn continues apace, with previously teased points of interest becoming much more fleshed out. In the middle of town, a park stands frozen in mid-construction as war has ripped through the area. Further on, a battered city block is a testament to the brutality of recent artillery strikes.



Spread across the biggest towns of Iron Dawn, you’ll find monuments to the war heroes, built just before the outbreak of renewed conflict. Just be sure to tell your newbies not to call out the shiny boiz building a pond FOB.



He notes, in closing, that there are some fresh Easter Eggs scattered about for the sharp-eyed squaddie.






Originally a Project Reality map by OkitaMakato, Noxxid3 was overjoyed to learn he’d have a shot at remaking it for Squad. Always one of his favorite maps, he’s set to work on the city, which seems to be increasing more and more with each day.



New buildings, possibly new areas, Ramiel’s development is going well. (Though he hasn’t forgotten about Black Gold, of course.) Noxxid is also creating new soundtracks for each map. He’s also switched to Mutaha’s materials recently and finds it a most satisfactory experience. Can’t wait to see what’s next!




Sweet! We’ve got a progress update from the Bundeswehr team courtesy of[DSK] LieutenatK! Fulda Gap, their current mapping focus, is coming along very nicely. The team is currently adding a LOT of new Central-European style homes and props to the SDK, maybe of which are based directly on their real-life counterparts from the Fulda region.



The BW team is also proud to present their first freshly modeled vehicle: the Hans 5T GL Logi (complete with tarp) and open-top transport, featuring work-in-progress German camo. Looking great, folks!





If you’d like to learn more, or get involved, be sure to join their Discord server.


Always love a globe-trotting Wrench, whether it be the factions or the teams themselves! We dare say there’s some of the best this month! What do you think?

Would you like to see your mod featured in The Wrench? Let us know by submitting it here!

It's time for our yearly opportunity to give back to the veterans that not only inspire us, but help us build Squad!



We'll be kicking off a day of giving and gaming at 11 AM PST featuring Squad, Post Scriptum, some of your favorite Squad streamers, interviews, free games, and more!

Visit our website for all the details, or tune in on Steam, Youtube, or Twitch!

Join the effort or donate: http://owi.gg/donate
Learn more about StackUp, an amazing charity that gives back to heroes!

Hey squaddies!

We've just pushed some updates to the Squad - Public Testing client. Here's a quick list of the changes:

• Tweaked cooldowns. (e.g., 10 min handheld drone battery life.)
  
• Attempted fix to a server crash.
  
• UI tweaks.
  
• UAV health and collision damage tweaks.
  
• Commander squads are no longer automatically locked.
  
• Added information that the Commander's life is worth 5 tickets on ticket legend
  
• Fixed negative scores for team 2.
  
• Markers menu blocking the input when placing markers on minimap.
  
• Layer fixes.
  
• Added more markers to FTL.
  
• Fixed missing 30mm HE impact effects.
  
• Fixed smoke disappearing effects, more fixes to dust blending.
  
• Tweaked message for tail rotor collision

And don't forget to tune in for the StackUp Call to Arms 2019 tomorrow at 11 AM PST!

Enjoy your weekend!

Offworld out.

Hey, squaddies!

We’ve got a big weekend for you! Starting on Saturday at 11 AM PST, we’ll be broadcasting live on Twitch to support the StackUp.org Call to Arms 2019! Some of your favorite Squad streamers will be broadcasting live from OWI HQ to bring you some hard-hitting action, developer interviews, and, of course, FREE games.

We’ve got goodies from our partners at Periscope Games, Paradox, and from our pals at EA Vancouver. Be sure to hit the blog for the full schedule of events, subscribe to our Twitch channel, or join forces with us on DonorDrive!

Oh, and be sure to bring your pals: we’ll be hosting a free weekend and sale as well. =) Just point ’em to Steam!



We know waiting is the hardest part, so might we recommend testing out the new Commander patch? Close air support operators are standing by.

To the events!

10:00 AM PT (1800 UTC)

[RIP] Rusty in Places vs. The World

10:00 AM PT (1800 UTC)

Squad Charity League: SRG vs -IW-

11:00 AM PT (1900 UTC)

Official Event: StackUp Call to Arms 2019 Live Stream

12:30 PM PT (2030 UTC)

Squad Ops: Operation Scarlet Storm Rising (MARS)

5:30 PM PT (0130 UTC, 17/11)

Squad Ops: Operation Grit

6:00 PM PT (0200 UTC, 17/11)

SCL: UC vs USF

11:00 AM PT (1900 UTC)

SCL: Doctor’s Office vs NAC+CHEFS
11:00 AM PT (1900 UTC)

SCL: Blueberry Esports vs FGB

11:00 AM PT (1900 UTC)

SCL: DLC vs Royal Regularines
11:00 AM PT (1900 UTC)

SCL: Misfit Platoon vs ULL

11:00 AM PT (1900 UTC)

SCL: WeHeartSquad vs FRA


Even if you’re not calling down the heat, it’s sure going to be fun as hell to watch! We hope you’ll join us on Saturday and maybe, if you can, give a little back. =)

Would you like to see your event here? Let us know.


(Header image courtesy of official partner Squiders. Thanks, buddy!)

Hey, squaddies!
Those that have been with us for a while know that veterans are near and dear to our heart, being the very backbone of Squad. Ranging from the service members on the team to the ones kicking ass every day in-game, we literally could not be where we are today without them.

We’re partnering with http://StackUp.org again this year to celebrate veterans starting on November 16, 2019 at 11 AM PST with a day of giving and gaming! You might even say it’s a Call to Arms:



We’re joining forces with the Squad community, Periscope Games, some friends at EA Vancouver and Paradox, as well as some of our favorite streamers to bring you giveaways, developer interviews, and, of course, no shortage of kick-ass action. If you can’t make it, don’t worry: we’ll keep the donation link active throughout the year.

Get Involved Now

Be sure to tune in to our Twitch Channel for a day of awesome gaming, interviews, and free games!
All times are PST. (Click here to find your time zone. Times are approximate — tech happens!)

We’ve got some special partners helping out with the donation drive! A special shout out to:

Barton
GeeksEh?
Genesis0109
JohnnyOmaha
Karmakut
MoiDawg
OperatorDrewski
Ranger Dave
Rakunvar
Smed and the SquadZ Folks
The Squad Ops Community

Hey squaddies!

We’re calling you in for some fire support on this one! The commander update is now being deployed to your Squad – Public Testing client. That role comes with some cool new tools and, perhaps more importantly, a big bit of BOOM. While we’re still working on the file set of patch notes, we did want to include a partial list of changes to help you test. Be sure to let us know what you think!

Video Patch Notes
Commander Role added

We’re introducing a new leadership role that is focused on planning and keeping the team on task. The intent for this role is to keep intel flowing between the various Squads, and in ideal circumstances, Commanders can create a dynamic plan for the entire team to follow. We envision that this role can be played in a variety of styles.

• Commander role is voluntary and requires a vote to elect.
• Commander abilities are on timers. These may vary for release, so please send us your feedback!
• Conventional Faction Commanders have access to a UAV that can be used for remote reconnaissance.
• Conventional Faction Commanders have access to 155mm Artillery barrage, in a creeping pattern or a static pattern focused on one location. Conventional Artillery fires two “ranging” shots before the main barrage.
• Conventional Commanders have access to an aircraft based Gun or Rocket strike.
• Unconventional MIL & INS Commanders have access to a Handheld Drone, a more versatile UAV.
• Unconventional Commanders have access to a static Heavy Mortar barrage. Heavy Mortars are less accurate, have less splash damage, and less penetrating power, but do not have any “ranging” shots required by conventional artillery.
• Commander abilities have cooldown timers. (Timers reset if a new commander is selected.) Note: Note: Timers are subject to change during testing.
• Conventional Factions Commanders must be within the radius of a fully built HAB use their abilities.
• Unconventional Factions Commanders must be within the radius of a HAB or near any friendly vehicle to use their abilities.

• Added a stamina penalty for leaning, with stamina loss over time when moving as well as using it in bursts. Note: Further improvements to the leaning system and ways to prevent its abuse are in development for a future update.
• Added stance based stamina regeneration. Stamina will now regenerate faster while crouched and stationary; fastest while prone and stationary.
• Updated leaning to have different movement speeds. (Crouched movement speed is halved while leaning).
• Improved the prone lean trace blocking to help decrease the chances that a player can see through the world on steep hills. Further work is in progress.

• Added vehicle velocity inheritance to players ejecting from vehicles in motion. If a player ejects past a certain velocity, the player will ragdoll and take damage upon impacting the ground.
• Updated all vehicles to use a new and improved Speed Dependent Gearbox system . Instead of shifting gears at engine RPM ratios gear shifting now happens based on vehicle speed. This will make sure vehicles are always in the best gear driving uphill.
• Updated Helicopters to have a subtle camera shake during active flight. Camera shake intensity is based on RPMs of the engine.
• Updated Helicopters so that they can now be steered for a short while after disabling the engine.
• Adjusted Helicopter collective sensitivity.

• Added the ability to join another server via the server browser while currently in a server or in the local training range.
• Added the ability to queue up to another server while currently in a server or in local training range – HUD will show a small queue widget to let the player know their current queue status.

• Updated Insurgent HAB static to be larger with a new interior layout, to help eliminate players spawning on top. Spawning on top is still an occasional issue and will be fixed in a future update.
• Fixed collisions on the ZU23 and Mortars to now collide properly with vehicles and vehicle physics bodies.

• Added a toggle on the command screen to collapse the squad list, so the map can now be displayed in fullscreen glory – especially useful for Commanders.
• Added a toggle to deployment and command screen (chat bubble toggle) to turn on/off text chat (also accessible in UI options).
• Removed [GAMENOTIFICATION] showing up in server messages.

• Helicopter Tail Rotor component currently can only take damage from collisions with ground, statics and other vehicles. Projectile damage to tail rotors will come in a future update.
• Helicopters have various handling tweaks, damage values and small bugs that will be addressed in a future update.
• Clients frequently crash at the end of a round, upon map switch due to a UE4 Particle Crash bug upon seamless map travel. Actively pursuing a fix for this crash.
• When clients get a crash to desktop and the Crash Reporter appears, pressing “Send and Restart Squad” will restart Squad without EAC, which will prevent players from joining most public servers. The workaround, for the time being, is to press “Send and Close”. A proper fix for this issue is under investigation.
• Occasional client crashes in various circumstances. Detailed crash reports help us fix things faster and we truly appreciate those that have filled out and sent crash reports.
• Players will occasionally spawn without full ammo on their first spawn on a server. This occurs if a player was in the match during the map switch but did not spawn in during the staging phase. Actively investigating a fix for this bug.
• Occasionally a player will not spawn at a Rally Point, this often happens when numerous players are spawning in at the exact same time. Actively investigating a fix for this bug.
• Server performance may periodically dip when a server has a high population and high load. We are continuously working to improve server performance and optimization.
• Occasionally Self-bandaging fails. Actively investigating a fix for this issue.
• The CP Icon (Capture Point / Flag) will sometimes not show up on a client’s HUD in the RAAS game mode. This is likely related to RAAS “Lanes”. Investigating a fix for this issue.
• Insurgent HAB still has a spawning issue where there’s a chance the player will spawn on top of the model instead of inside it. Actively investigating a fix for this bug.
• ATGM projectiles desync for other players that are not the gunner, however, what the gunner sees should be the true synced projectile. This is an inherent problem, and the solution will be in the long term.
• Vehicles parking brake will get stuck “On” if a player exits the vehicle while holding the parking brake (Default Spacebar). When encountering a vehicle that appears healthy but is not able to move, try hitting Spacebar to turn the parking brake “Off’. Investigating a fix for this issue.
• “Alt-tabbing” out of Squad during a loading screen will freeze the client. The recommended solution, for now, is to run in “Borderless” mode.
• Ammo rack component (on IFVs and Tanks) takes a very long time to repair.
• Audio module for Squad is initialized at the game start. If a player does not have a microphone plugged in at launch, or accidentally unplug their microphone and then plug it back in, Squad will need to be restarted to get the microphone to work again.
• SFX bug while Firing in full auto.If the player presses the fire button for a short period of time, the sound effect gives the impression that you fired more rounds then you actually did.
• Localization for most language translations is currently out of date. Our plan is to push a full localization pass when we are much closer to full release and are locking down all the text that will need to be translated for the game.
• Local/Offline Bug with Vehicles: When playing offline on Jensen’s Range, Tracks, Wheels, and other components are not destructible while on the Jensen’s Range in Local play.
• Local/Offline Bug with Weapon damages: When playing offline on Jensen’s Range, Weapon damages with both Infantry and Vehicle weapons are not accurately replicated.
• Local/Offline Bug with Scoped Emplacements: When playing offline on Jensen’s Range,if a player exits an Emplacement while looking through the scope, the Scope will remain on the Player’s HUD until they get back in the Emplacement and then Scope out.

There are, of course, bound to be some more bugs being a test release… which is precisely where you come in! Be sure to let us know what you think in the forums, or drop by Discord to give us some feedback!

Hey, squaddies!

We’re glad to see so many of you survived the zombie onslaught last weekend! Unless… you aren’t, uh, undead, are you? Fortunately for us, squaddies like to use their brains, not eat ’em.

By the way, don’t forget you can still play both SquadZ and Space Crew in your custom browser right now. It’ll give you something to tide you over while waiting for this weekend’s events:
11:00 AM PT (1800 UTC)

[RIP] Rusty in Places vs. The World

5:30 PM PT (0130 UTC, 10/11)

Squad Ops: Operation Mustard Stain

On this date in 1942, Operation Torch saw Allied troops opening a “second front” with the battle for Northern Africa.
Remembrance Day celebrated throughout the Commonwealth.

Veterans Day celebrated in the USA.

We thank all the heroes around the world for their service!
Speaking of thanking people for their service, keep your eyes peeled for a little something on the StackUp front in the near future.

Would you like to see your event here? Let us know.

Hey Squaddies

The Semi-Finalists of the Offworld Industries Squad Championship threw down this weekend striving to make it through to the Grand Finals. Chora, Gorodok and Al Basrah were the venues for this round and the teams delivered on the action as always with plenty of highlights provided. Once again we have the results and highlights right here!

Division 1
Blueberry eSports WIN vs LOSS Mumblerines
RaveN + ProG WIN vs LOSS Source Of Quality Directives

Division 2
Sigma Tactical WIN vs LOSS We Love Squad
Some Random Guys WIN vs LOSS Misfit Platoon






Four teams but there can only be two winners! With only the final games remaining teams now have time to prepare for their last game hoping to claim the win in the championship matchups. Who will take the victory?

Division 1
Saturday, November 23
RaveN + ProG vs Blueberry eSports

Division 2
Sunday, November 24
Sigma Tactical vs Some Random Guys


For all of the information on the tournament, including rule-set and results, visit the OISC toornament page.