Squad 5.1.1 hotfix is now deployed, here is the list of the fixes addressed in the update:

• Server performance improvements

Pacific Proving Grounds v2

• Fixed an issue that prevented grass foliage from appearing on all PPG v2 layers
  
• Fixed a bug that caused map markers placed on the deployment screen to show up in a place different than where the player clicked while placing them
  
• Players can no longer clip into rock meshes

• Addressed an issue where Server Performance was impacted due to replicating more often than it needed to. Replicating an actor would cause all replicated properties of that actor to replicate again, regardless if it needed to or not.
  
• Fixed an issue where server side animation ticks weren't being throttled as intended, causing the server to spend more time handling incoming move requests than intended.

Attention Squaddies,

Squad 5.1 can now be downloaded. You will find all the changes made by the update listed and detailed in our Release Notes: [[url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/393380/view/3665417864024597769]URL LINK[/url]]

Please share with us your thoughts on the update, and if you encounter any technical issues, you can report them in our dedicated Technical Issues Report thread directly in the forums: [[url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/393380/discussions/6/3805029995431846967/]URL LINK[/url]]

At ease,

We Updated our Pacific Proving Grounds map, added one new map layer, and introduced updates for several existing map layers:

Pacific Proving Grounds v2 is an expanded version of the Pacific Proving Grounds map with brand-new islands and gameplay areas to discover.



PPGv2 Map Layers

• Seed v1 - USMC vs PLANMC
  
• AAS v1 - USMC vs PLANMC
  
• AAS v2 - ADF vs PLA

Added one new map layer:

• Yehorivka Invasion v4 - VDV vs IMF (New)

Replaced RGF with VDV on the following map layers:

• Black Coast Seed v1 - USMC vs VDV (New flag layout)
  
• Mutaha Seed v1 - USMC vs VDV
  
• Tallil Outskirts Seed v2 - CAF vs VDV (New restriction zones)

Replaced RGF with PLANMC on the following map layer:

• Goose Bay Skirmish v1 - CAF vs PLANMC

Replaced PLANMC with PLAAGF on the following map layers:

• Gorodok RAAS v6 - USMC vs PLAAGF
  
• Harju RAAS v4 - CAF vs PLAAGF
  
• Manicouagan AAS v4 - USMC vs PLAAGF
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v13 - CAF vs PLAAGF
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v15 - USMC vs PLAAGF
  
• Skorpo RAAS v4 - USMC vs PLAAGF

• The BM21 Grad Rocket Artillery Truck projectiles will now deal 2 types of damage with the same warhead:
  
• Fragmentation Damage (1m-35m): Good for attacking infantry and light-skinned vehicles. Cannot go through walls.
  
• Explosive Damage: (1m-10m): Good for attacking vehicles and deployables. Can go through walls.
  
• Added an open-top PKM variant of the BTR-D APC for the VDV faction, this is currently limited to only a few map layers
  
• The ZTD05 now has woodland camo on PLAAGF map layers
  
• Vehicles with a QJY88 MMG will no longer overheat
  
• The commander PKT RWS on the VDV Sprut SDM1 MGS no longer overheats
  
• Reduced the respawn timer for the BAF FV510 and FV510 UA IFV from 15 to 10 minutes
  
• VDV LAT roles have been adjusted to match their intended kit setups:

VDV LAT 01:
AK12 + 1P87 Reflex Sight
RPG7v2 + Magnified Optic (2 HEAT rockets)
RPG7v2 + Magnified Optic (2 frag rockets)

VDV LAT 02:
AK12 + 1P78 Magnified Optic
RPG7 + Irons (1 HEAT rocket)
RPG7 + Irons (2 frag rockets)

• Players can now cancel looped emotes by pressing the emote key
  
• Full-body emotes will now be automatically cancelled when a player leaves the main base area
  
• Players must now be crouched or prone to use the Pushups emote
  
• Swapping deployables during the deployable placing animation no longer prevents players from using emotes
  
• Added SFX to the Star Jump / Jumping Jacks emote
  
• The keybinds mentioned in the text on the Customize screen will now change to match any custom keybinds that have been set
  
• Updated the loading screen
  
• Using foregrips on the AK12 Rifle now slightly reduces the weapon’s recoil
  
• Updated various images for Discord rich presence integration
  
• Implemented a debug command (DebugPrintCustomOptions) that can print all the server’s custom options to the console
  
• Implemented debug commands that allow admins to add/set/remove custom options: AdminSetCustomOption [key value] and AdminRemoveCustomOption [key value]
  
• The PLANMC and VDV factions are now commented out on the ExcludedFactions.cfg

• Fixed a client crash related to applying damage to players
  
• Fixed a client crash related to changing display settings
  
• Fixed a bug that prevented the Salute emote from working properly while playing as an INS soldier
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed players to place deployables in unintended locations, such as floating in the air
  
• Fixed the water shields on VDV and PLANMC amphibious vehicles to now deploy properly when they enter the water
  
• Fixed a bug that exposed the CAF Leopard 2A6 MBT’s engine, allowing it to be destroyed by small arms
  
• Fixed a bug with Commander airstrike SFX cutting out just before the strike occurs
  
• Fixed mismatched armor values that prevented the VDV Sprut SDM1 MSG, VDV BMD04 IFV, PLANMC Z8J Helicopter, and ZBD2000 vehicles from properly taking damage
  
• Fixed a bug with the PLANMC’s deployable HMG Bunker being able to rotate outside of the bounds of its opening
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the ASVAL, AK12, M16A1 and M16A2 rifles to roll continuously on the ground when dropped by a dead player
  
• Fixed a bug where a player who was switching teams while placing a deployable, would leave behind an invisible copy of the deployable they were placing
  
• Fixed the reticle on the BAF Woodland FV107 Scimitar to only display a circle (no range markings) when not zoomed in
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the IMF BM21 Grad Rocket Artillery Truck’s projectile radial damage to be inconsistent
  
• Fixed broken water splash effects on the VDV BMD-4M IFV
  
• Fixed the ZTD05 MGS vehicle card list to correctly show the ticket cost (10)
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the vehicle list to show the availability of single-use vehicles as “1” even when there was more than one available
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the desert variant of the VDV BTR-DG Kord to show woodland camo when wrecked
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the woodland camo variant of the PLANMC ZSD05 Amphibious Logi to show the blue digital camo when wrecked
  
• Fixed a visual issue that caused the nose of the all VDV BMD vehicles to be pointed at too high of an angle when in water
  
• Fixed a small visual issue with the splash image for the VDV faction
  
• Fixed a minor issue with players clipping into the gun barrels on the PLANMC ZBL08 IFV, ZBD05 IFV, ZBL08 HJ73C IFV, and ZBD05 HJ73C IFV by going prone while on top of them
  
• Fixed clipping player viewpoint when standing on the BMD-1M IFV's gun barrel
  
• Fixed a visual issue that could make some VDV vehicle tracks look strange up close
  
• Fixed a bug with the vehicle list that prevented the icon for the PLAAGF ZTD05 MGS from appearing correctly
  
• Fixed the item selection menu text and icon for the VDV AK12 GP25+1P78
  
• Fixed a bug that prevented the “Recently Played” badge text from appearing correctly in Simplified Chinese
  
• Fixed a bug that could prevent custom server options set via ServerConfig/CustomOptions.cfg from properly replicating to clients

General

• Added RGF team image and description to Skorpo RAAS v2 and Yehorivka RAAS v03
  
• The PLA helicopter on Goose Bay RAAS v2 and Manicouagan RAAS v14 has been changed to the intended Z8-G instead of the Z8-J
  
• PLANMC and PLAAGF unit symbols and faction descriptions should now match correctly on all layers that use them

Anvil

1. AAS v1 - Fixed a bug that could cause a PLA ZSD05 APC to spawn at an angle that rendered it unusable

Black Coast

• Players can no longer clip through the rooftop of a house near the train station
  
• Invasion v5 - PLANMC RHIBs can no longer have their engines started before the end of the staging phase on Invasion v5

Harju

• RAAS v1 - Updated the vehicle layout for both teams:

USMC:
1x Transport (6min initial delay)
1x M939 Logi
1x AAVC Logi
2x M1151 M2
2x AAVP
2x LAV25
2x UH1Y (10min initial delay)

RGF:
1x Transport (6min initial delay)
1x Kamaz Logi
1x MTLB Logi
2x Tigr KORD
2x BTR82A
1x BMP2
2x Mi8 (10min initial delay)

• Players can no longer see and shoot through a rock near the Wheat Farm

Manicouagan

• Updated layer names for RAAS v01 to v09 with a zero to better support alphabetical name sorting
  
• Invasion v9 - USMC boats now spawn correctly
  
• RAAS v14 - Fixed the PLA ZTD05 MGS appearing with blue camo while all other vehicles are woodland

Narva

• Destruction v1 - Fixed a bug that caused various objective caches at the Quarry to spawn in the air
  
• Invasion v3 - The Shopping Center is no longer mislabeled as the Old Hospital
  
• RAAS v2 - Fixed an issue where one of the buildings in the Dog Park Apartments area had no lighting
  
• RAAS v7 - Updated the RGF vehicle layout to include two Tigr KORDs instead of a Tigr RWS and a BTR80

Skorpo

• RAAS v2 - Replaced USA with BAF

• Updated mod SDK to v5.1
  
• File names for Pacific Proving Grounds USMC vs RGF now use RGF instead of RUS
  
• Tallil Outskirts TC v1’s asset name has been updated to Tallil_TC_v1 to meet the standard of the rest of the Tallil layers

Squad 5.1 will be released on July 26th.  The update will introduce an updated Pacific Proving Grounds map with new map layers, as well as bug fixes and quality of life improvements!

We will publish the full Release Notes for you to check on the day before the launch.

Greetings, Squad community! We wanted to take a moment to update you on the progress of our anticipated new map, Sanxian Islands. Sanxian Islands was the “unannounced” map on the old Squad roadmap originally slated for release alongside the PLA faction. As game developers, we understand that the road to perfection is paved with unexpected obstacles, and the development of Sanxian Islands has been no exception. In this blog post, we'll delve into the challenges we've encountered, our efforts to overcome them, and the exciting alternatives we've introduced in the meantime.




Sanxian Islands presented an opportunity to push the boundaries of what Squad has offered thus far. However, as we aimed to surpass our previous accomplishments, the scope of the project naturally expanded. We recognized the need to balance innovation with the need for a polished and cohesive experience. Consequently, we meticulously assessed and refined our design choices to ensure that Sanxian Islands would captivate players while remaining true to the Squad's core gameplay principles.






Creating visually stunning environments is one of our core goals, but it must be balanced with optimal performance to ensure smooth gameplay for all players. Our commitment to delivering Squad in its best possible form meant that we had to address performance issues encountered during the development of Sanxian Islands to avoid issues we’ve had with some of our newer maps. This included optimizing assets, improving lighting, and fine-tuning various aspects to maintain the desired visual fidelity while keeping performance requirements within acceptable limits.

Recognizing the importance of efficient development processes, we decided to take a step back and reevaluate our level design and environment art workflow. While this decision has led to further delays, we firmly believe that it will yield substantial long-term benefits. By streamlining our workflow, we will be able to deliver not just Sanxian Islands, but future content more seamlessly, ensuring higher quality and more engaging experiences for our players.




We greatly appreciate the enthusiasm shown by our community in anticipating new Squad content. As we diligently continue to refine Sanxian Islands, we have taken an additional step to ensure you have an engaging experience in the meantime. With that in mind, we have made updates to the Pacific Proving Grounds training level, introducing additional islands and gameplay spaces to whet your appetite for the Asian biome.

We have added three new small-scale gameplay layers on one of the newly added islands in the Pacific Proving Grounds. This temporary solution aims to provide a glimpse into the Asian biome and offer players exciting new opportunities to create memorable moments on the battlefield. We wanted to provide a taste of what's to come, and these new gameplay spaces will serve as a stepping stone towards the full-fledged experience of Sanxian Islands.




Creating a game of Squad's magnitude requires dedication, perseverance, and a commitment to delivering an exceptional experience. While the development of the Sanxian Islands map has faced its fair share of challenges, we assure you that these obstacles have only strengthened our resolve to create an unforgettable gameplay environment.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work diligently to bring Sanxian Islands to life. Our reworked workflow will not only ensure the timely release of this map but will also establish a foundation for future content that exceeds expectations. We value your support and look forward to embarking on this new chapter together, as we explore the breathtaking landscapes and intense battles of Sanxian Islands within Squad.

Stay tuned for more updates, and we'll see you on the battlefield!

Squad 5.0.1 hotfix is now deployed, here is the list of the fixes addressed in the update:

• Fix attempt for frequent client crash that could happen upon startup, on map switches or, less commonly, mid-game.
  
• Fixed Skorpo RAAS v4 USMC helipad not repairing/rearming.
  
• Fixed an issue with players seeing underwater effects while they are on land on Manicouagan and Black Coast.
  
• Fixed issue where destroying the PLANMC Z-8J's main rotor first would cause the hull to not take collision damage
  
• Fix for PLANMC ZSD05 APC + ZSD Logistics ejecting the gunner from the open top position upon vehicle entering water
  
• Fix for VDV BTR-MDM APC (with PKT RWS) showing the gunner's soldier model squatting under the vehicle

Attention Squaddies,

Squad 5.0 is now live and can be downloaded. You will find all the changes made by the update listed and detailed in our Release Notes: [[url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/393380/view/6053448397304423353]URL LINK[/url]]

Please share with us your thoughts on the update, and if you encounter any technical issues, you can report them in our dedicated Technical Issues Report thread directly in the forums: [[url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/393380/discussions/6/3808404524156694678/]URL LINK[/url]]

At ease,

Added two new factions, the People’s Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps and the Russian Airborne Forces




The People’s Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps is a branch of the People’s Liberation Army focused on amphibious operations.

Soldiers

The PLANMC utilizes a unique digital blue-tinted naval camouflage pattern that identifies them as a naval invasion force. Some gameplay layers feature the PLA Amphibious Ground Forces which are very similar to PLANMC except using the standard woodland digital camouflage.

Vehicles

• ZSD05 Open-Top
  
• APCZSD05 Amphibious Logistics
  
• ZBD05 Amphibious Invasion
  
• IFVZTD05 Mobile Gun System
  
• Z-8J Helicopter

Retexture of existing vehicles with blue naval camouflage:

• CTM131 Logistics Truck
  
• CSK131 Armored Car
  
• ZBL08 Wheeled
  
• IFVZSL10 Wheeled APC

Kit Roles

• Rifleman (3 variants)
  
• Squad Leader (3 variants)
  
• Automatic Rifleman (2 variants)
  
• Marksman
  
• Light Anti-Tank (2 variants)
  
• Heavy Anti-Tank
  
• Machine Gunner
  
• Grenadier
  
• Combat Engineer
  
• Medic (2 variants)
  
• Crewman + SL Crewman
  
• Pilot + SL Pilot
  
• Recruit + Unarmed

PLANMC Map Layers

Anvil

• AAS v1 - PLAAGF vs ADF

Belaya

• RAAS v1 - PLANMC vs USA

Black Coast

• Invasion v5 - PLANMC vs USMC

Goose Bay

• RAAS v2 - PLANMC vs USA
  
• Invasion v3 - PLANMC vs USA

Gorodok

• RAAS v6 - PLANMC vs USMC

Harju

• RAAS v4 - PLANMC vs CAF
  
• Invasion v4 - PLANMC vs CAF

• Jensen’s Range
  
• PLANMC vs VDV

Manicouagan

• RAAS v13 - PLANMC vs CAF
  
• RAAS v14 - PLAAGF vs USA
  
• RAAS v15 - PLANMC vs USMC
  
• AAS v4 - PLANMC vs USMC
  
• Invasion v9 - PLANMC vs USMC

Pacific Proving Grounds

• PLANMC vs VDV

Skorpo

• RAAS v4 - PLANMC vs USMC

Yehorivka

• RAAS v1 - PLAAGF vs USMC
  
• RAAS v5 - PLAAGF vs USA

The Russian Airborne Forces is a fully mechanized Russian Armed Forces branch specializing in fast and hard-hitting amphibious assaults.

Weapons

AK-12 Rifle with 9 variants

• Iron Sights
  
• Iron Sights + Foregrip
  
• Iron Sights + Foregrip + GP25
  
• New 1P87 Red Dot Optic
  
• New 1P87 Red Dot Optic + Foregrip
  
• New 1P87 Red Dot Optic + Foregrip + GP25
  
• 1P78 Optic
  
• 1P78 Optic + GP25
  
• 1P78 Optic + Foregrip + GP25

AS VAL Suppressed Rifle

• Only available with the new “OKP-7” non-magnified red dot optic on the ‘Scout’ kit role

SV-98M Bolt Action Sniper Rifle

• Only available on the ‘Sniper’ kit role
  
• Comes with a new 1P69 magnified sniper scope optic

Vehicles

• BTR-D Transport
  
• BTR-DG Amphibious Logistics
  
• BTR-D Kord APCBTR-ZD Anti Air
  
• BTR-MDM APC with PKT RWS
  
• BMD-1M IFV
  
• BMD-4M IFV
  
• Sprut SDM-1 MGS
  
• Mi-8 Helicopter VDV variant with gray markings
  
• Access to RGF vehicles: T72-B3 MBT, Kamaz Logistics Trucks, BRDM-2

Kit Roles

• Rifleman (3 variants)
  
• Senior Rifleman SL (3 variants)
  
• Automatic Rifleman (2 variants)
  
• Sniper
  
• Scout
  
• Light Anti-Tank (2 variants)
  
• Heavy Anti-Tank (2 variants)
  
• Machine Gunner
  
• Grenadier
  
• Combat Engineer
  
• Medic (2 variants)
  
• Crewman + SL Crewman
  
• Pilot + SL Pilot
  
• Recruit + Unarmed

VDV Map Layers
Anvil

• RAAS v4 - VDV vs ADF

Black Coast

• RAAS v1 - VDV vs USMC
  
• RAAS v5 - VDV vs IMF
  
• RAAS v1 - VDV vs USMC

Fools Road

• AAS v2 - VDV vs USA
  
• Goose Bay
  
• RAASv1 - VDV vs CAF
  
• AAS v2 - VDV vs CAF
  
• Invasion v4 - VDV vs USMC

Gorodok

• RAAS v3 - VDV vs USA
  
• AAS v3 - VDV vs CAF
  
• AAS v4 - VDV vs USMC
  
• Invasion v2 - VDV vs IMF

Harju

• AAS v1 - VDV vs USMC
  
• Seed v1 - VDV vs USMC

Jensen’s Range

• PLANMC - VDV vs VDV

Logar Valley

• Seed v1 - VDV vs USMC

Manicouagan

• RAAS v10 - VDV vs CAF
  
• RAAS v11 - VDV vs USA
  
• RAAS v12 - VDV vs USMC
  
• AAS v5 - VDV vs USA
  
• Invasion v8 - VDV vs USA

Mutaha

• RAAS v4 - VDV vs CAF

Narva

• RAAS v2 - VDV vs USMC
  
• Invasion v1 - VDV vs USA
  
• Pacific Proving Grounds
  
• PLANMC vs VDV

Skorpo

• RAAS v5 - VDV vs CAF
  
• Invasion v2 - VDV vs IMF

Yehorivka

• RAAS v2 - VDV vs USA
  
• RAAS v10 - VDV vs BAF
  
• RAAS v11 - VDV vs CAF

Added two new emote packs:

• Peace / Victory
  
• Eyes on You
  
• Pinched Fingers

• Star Jump / Jumping Jacks
  
• Pushups

• Added a privacy policy notice
  
• Adjusted the Russian Army Desert, US Army Desert, and US Army Woodland uniform patterns to bring them more in line with the appearance of the other factions
  
• The training menu has been updated to include two additional buttons that allow you to access the PLANMC and VDV factions on both Pacific Proving Grounds and Jensen’s Range.
  
• A scroll bar was added to accommodate all of the Jensens range variations and is a temporary solution until this menu is redesigned.
  
• Added a vehicle icon representing MGS (Mobile Gun System) vehicles to the UI
  
• Updated the description for the M16A2 and its variants

• Fixed a bug that could cause a loud clicking noise to be heard immediately after switching maps
  
• Fixed a client crash related to weapon sounds overwhelming the audio system
  
• Fixed a bug that caused the Commander creeping barrage area attack width indicator on the minimap to appear more narrow than the attack actually was
  
• Fixed a UI issue when placing director lines around other markers on the minimap,  which then prevented the markers from being able to be deleted
  
• Fixed a UI issue in the server browser to no longer include the game version number in the the “Mode” column when you are running the same version of the game that the server is being played on
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed deployables to be placed on top of vehicles, which would then stay in place even after the vehicle had moved away
  
• Fixed a UI bug that could prevent the server browser mod details pop-up from appearing when joining a modded server that included a mod which players did not have installed
  
• Fixed a visual issue with the right-side tracks on the PLA ZTZ99A MBT
  
• Fixed an issue that force lowered soldier weapons when walking through certain camo netting
  
• Fixed a UI bug that could cause the role request button to overlap with the vehicle claim request button on the radial menu after interacting with an ammo crate
  
• Fixed an issue with the iron sights alignment for the IMF M16A2 rifle, they should now be properly lined up
  
• Fixed a minor UI issue with the PLA ZBD04A IFV’s turret indicator appearing incorrect for the commander seat
  
• Fixed a minor visual issue that caused the antenna on the back of the USA M1126 M2 APC to load incorrectly and look more like a plant than an antenna
  
• Fixed a bug that allowed IMF infantry to place unlimited sandbags instead of the intended limit of 10 per player

Anvil

• Fixed an issue where getting ragdolled (run over by a vehicle) while in water caused a permanent ragdoll state

Belaya

• Updated RAAS v5 so the first flag for IMF is no longer pre-captured

Lashkar Valley

• Fixed an issue where players fell/teleported below the landscape while using a bipod

Manicouagan

• Fixed a visual issue that caused the water inlet wall at the Power Station to appear darker than intended

Narva

• Updated the taller apartment buildings to include a rooftop access stairwell
  
• Various POI’s have been updated to improve game flow
  
• Added Narva RAAS v7 (with Helicopters!) - USA vs RGF

Pacific Proving Grounds

• Fixed an issue that caused character preview models to look extremely glossy

• Updated mod SDK to v5.0
  
• Updated mod versioning to v5.0. This requires mods to be re-cooked with the v5.0 SDK—any mods using the v4.5 SDK will be incompatible with v5.0

As we have recently announced in our Infantry Combat Overhaul blog (https://joinsquad.com/2023/06/08/infantry-combat-overhaul/) we will be running a series of playtests through the month of June and possibly further.

• We will be running the first playtest on Saturday, June 17, 2023 11:00 AM to Monday, June 19, 2023 11:00 AM (PST Timezone)
  
• You can join into the game at the indicated time on the Squad - Public Testing game that's right under Squad in your Steam Library listing (default branch).
  
• Please make sure to clear your cache to avoid bugs / unintended behavior / performance issues.
  
• The content that you will see is a work in progress and subject to changes.
  
• Once you have gotten familiar with the changes we’d like to invite you to fill out the feedback form on the main menu to let us know how you feel about the experience. Your impressions and comments will be of great help for us to finetune the overhaul.

A few things to keep in mind during the playtest:

• Weapon tuning is subject to change, pending feedback.
  
• Current performance is not representative of the final product.
  
• Harsh transitions when entering / exiting ADS are being addressed / work-in-progress.
  
• FSR is temporarily disabled due to bugs related to several visual aspects of the Combat Overhaul.
  
• To avoid bugs, please do not modify your anti-aliasing settings while in ADS with a PiP scope.
  
• When your FOV is set higher than 90, switching to a weapon with a PiP scope can break the apparent size of the weapon on your screen. When this happens, this behavior will carry over to other inventory items, such as your pistol. To address this, enter ADS at least once with a weapon with a PiP scope.
  
• The RPG-28 has not been configured yet. All other weapons for the US and RGF factions have been configured, and are valid to give feedback on.
  
• Our fix for the 4.5 issue where a reload animation would be played while sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle and where a soldier would appear in front of helicopter pilots while flying did not make into the build. Please be aware of it.

Squad 5.0 will be released on June 21st. 

The update will introduce the new PLANMC faction with brand new vehicles and weapons, a few new free and paid emotes, and will go alongside our usual bug fixes!

We will publish the full Release Notes for you to check on the day before the launch.