We’ll be hosting a public playtest for our upcoming Iwo Jima map starting Jan 29th 2025, 19:00 UTC, for 24 hours!

The playtest will be held on the “Squad 44 - Public Testing” app, which is different from the main game. If you cannot locate it in your library, go to the top of Steam, click on “View”, and then “Hidden Games”.





We hope to have several servers up during this time, but if servers are full, please still join the queues, as this helps us with server stress testing.

Cheers, folks! See you on Iwo Jima!

■ Regarding GPU Settings
On PCs with multiple GPUs (e.g., those with both an integrated GPU in the CPU and a discrete graphics card), the game may select a lower-performance GPU by default.
In such cases, please select the GPU to be used via "Graphics Settings" in the in-game options.
The settings will take effect after restarting the game.

■ Using the Switch Pro Controller
　1. Connect the Switch Pro Controller to your PC.
　2. Click "Steam" in the top-left corner of the Steam client and select "Settings" from the menu.
　3. Select "Controller" in the settings menu.
　4. Turn "Use Nintendo Button Layout" to OFF.

Action Log Prompts:
I will be adding more of these as the game progresses. For today, I added a prompt to search fallen enemies after you win a fight. For new players this should highlight the fact that their foes may carry gold or items to loot.



Nightgaunts are Special Now
Nightgaunts have always held a special place for me. They play a huge roll in the Dreamquest, and I wanted them to be special in this game. My initial thought was to just make them the most powerful enemy. But that did not feel right. A gug is bigger and stronger, and I wanted moon beasts to be really powerful too. I did not see nightgaunts as being physically stronger than these creatures, but I was at a loss with how to make them stand out.

So with the inclusion of sanity mechanics, I have chosen to make nightgaunts not physically stronger than the others, but psychically stronger. Instead of inflicting physical damage to your health like other creatures, they will now tickle you and damage your wits. Then they will carry you off and deposit you somewhere, just like they do in the story. Also, be very careful when fighting nightgaunts with your precious allies! They may just grab them and fly away into the darkness.

Fleeing in Overworld:
A problem occurred when fleeing in the overworld. If you had the boat, it was possible to flee to another land mass and be unable to access the boat again. This was not intentional. Now you should flee back to wherever you landed the ship, or wherever you last visited your camp, whichever was most recent.

Level Up Exploit:
A player reported being able to cancel out of the level up menu, while retaining the points they already applied. This allowed almost limitless stat increases, which was obviously not the intention. Sorry folks, the gravy train is over!

Nodens:
Anyone who encountered Nodens may have been surprised by his hostility. This was a mistake. He should now behave as a neutral NPC unless players have either brought his enemies into their party, or betrayed an alliance with the nightgaunts.

- Carissa in Hardborough gives basic quests to perform for the Duke.
- The starting sword in the player's chest has been down graded.

• Added 10 new achievements (2 of which hidden, good hunting!!)
  
• Fixed several cosmetic and 1 functional bug

Unit ownership is a key focus for our team, ensuring that hosts can maintain control of a session when needed. This allows for better delegation of duties during gameplay or to prevent abuse. To support this, we’re implementing two control modes:

• Open Mode: Free unit control for all players.
  
• Ownership Mode: A gifting system inspired by the Total War series.

Watch an early look at the gifting system in action:
https://youtu.be/Ba0MDc4TU2k

In addition, the Abort Move feature has been integrated with replication support! It served as a testing ground for scaling systems like Attack Move and Patrol, helping us establish a robust framework for future mechanics:
https://youtu.be/9tjB1u5wHRk


Progress continues on core mechanics for both TPS and RTS modes. Here's a sneak peek:
https://youtu.be/l020RBv4oOQ

We’ve also made strides in implementing live dismemberment, reloading, and basic combat functionalities. Check it out here:
https://youtu.be/1BvcEMpdcA0


Work is underway to finalize Operators and Chelsey. These Operators will act as "heroes" on the ground, complete with weapon customization, skins, and unique outfits. You'll play as them in both TPS and RTS modes, similar to the "Create a Hero" system from Battle for Middle-earth 2.

Operators will bring depth to your squad with unique abilities and a personal touch!

Here’s a look at our progress:

• Veronica
  
  
• Unnamed Male Operator
  
  
• Allen
  
  
• Chelsey
  
  
  
• Kira
  
  
  
  

Our efforts on doctrines are nearing completion. Dimitry has finalized all required models aside from the MOAB’s remaining VFX. Here's a look at what’s been added:

GBU-12 Paveway II:
A bunker-buster designed to target underground threats(Levi and his tunnels).


GBU-43/B MOAB - Features:

• Extremely large radius: 10,000 UU.
  
• Mass destruction: Destroys all in range, including people inside buildings.
  
• Civilian consequences: Significant reputation loss per civilian casualty and hostile responses from groups nearby.
  
• Cooldown: 12-14 minutes (subject to change).
  
• Cost: $150,000 per strike (subject to change).

Our base blockout of Alcatraz Island is almost complete, though progress has been delayed due to wildfires in Los Angeles. Here are some early screenshots of the map:

Alcatraz will serve as your "hub" world for mounting deployments into new/old Pandemic sessions, viewing how your last ones have left the surrounding city, Customizing Operators & for launching the campaign when we get to that point.







To stress-test gameplay mechanics, we’ve created a Coop Test Arena. This environment allows us to evaluate key features in layers before implementing them in larger-scale maps.

Stage 1 Focus:

• Structure building.
  
• Death mechanics and damage systems.
  
• Engineer reliability and formations.
  
• Gifting systems (units, money, DNA).
  
• Combat logic for infected and CERC infantry.
  
• Airstrikes and non vehicle related doctrine upgrades
  
• Core Combat Logic for Infected and CERC ground Infantry
  
• DNA Gathering

Stage 2 Focus:

• Abilities
  
• Helicopters and ground vehicles.
  
• Abilities and vehicle-related upgrades.
  
• Vehicle related Doctrine upgrades/unit unlocks

We’ll be sharing more details about these updates during our Podcast on January 11, 2025. Make sure to tune in via:

• YouTube Livestream
  
• Discord Server
  
• Steam Page

Stay Frosty,
The Cepheus Protocol Team

I am so excited to announce the release of the demo of Book Bound.

With this demo you can finally start decorating your own cozy bookshop and chat with Stefan!

• Decorate and run your bookshop
  
• Invite people in the area
  
• Help customers find books
  
• Keep your shop tidy
  
• Unlock more books in genres
  
• Sell books at least once to continue your genre progression

I wanted this demo to include as much possible but there are 2 limitations:

• No save
  
• Limited books and genres. Available genres are Romance and Fantasy (Scifi, Non fiction and Thriller are locked in the demo).

I am all ears for any feedback you may have.

• Added Level 4, try your luck on the Silver Seas
  
• Added alternate fire button (right mouse button or button North on gamepad) for firing broadsides
  
• Multiple multiplayer fixes
  
• Many bug fixes
  
• Many new bugs introduced

• Adjusted the ending scene after defeating the Dark Wizard.

* Fix controller icon display issues
* Fix steam leaderboard display
* Fix steam input issue
* Fix player hp not saving
* Fix alot of assorted ai bugs
+ Hitbox cheats show enemy ai info