Monthly Recap

Aspius · Jun 1, 2018

http://joinsquad.com/readArticle?articleId=289

May 2018

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:
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!

Systems
Mode: Randomised AAS

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.

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
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
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.
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.

Art and Environment
FV432 APC

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

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.

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.

T72B3

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.

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.

9M133 Kornet ATGM

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

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.

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!
Offworld Out.
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Aspius · Jul 5, 2018

2018-jul-04

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.

Systems
Armor Components

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 playtesting and refining the new suppression system.

We have been playtesting 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.

Spawn System Overhaul
The player spawn system is being given an overhaul - this includes Firebases, Rally Points 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.

Rally Point 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 a lot longer than medic revives. Revived Players do not regenerate stamina until healed by a Medic with their Medic Bag.

A lot of other changes are planned for the Spawn system and we will give a full rundown 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.

User Interface
General 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.
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, this is 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.

Art and Environment
M1A2 Abrams, Tanks and Gunnery

We've put in a lot of work into the newest vehicle type to go into the game, and that type is Main Battle Tanks. The M1A2 Abrams while shown off last Recap in still shots is now finally moving around and properly dressed up for battle. The gunnery we have modeled 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.

The Abrams also has a vehicle commander and loader's seat, both with their own cupola machine guns. The vehicle commander has an M2A1 Browning .50cal heavy machine gun mounted on a remote weapons system allowing for full 360-degree traversal 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.

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.

Infantry-Deployed Ammunition Bags

Another oft-requested bit of kit we have in the works are ammunition bags that can be deployed by the Riflemen role. These bags are deployed in order to quickly resupply their other squad mates in the field. Capable of being restocked from Main Base, FOB or vehicle-based ammunition sources, these bags will have a limited capacity for ammunition.

RPG-29

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 RPG-7 counterpart (150m).

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Aspius · Jul 5, 2018

continuation

Mapping
Tallil Outskirts

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.

Yehorivka Update

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. The Storage Site area has been replaced it with smaller profile villages and hamlets instead.

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.

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.
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Aspius · Aug 30, 2018

2018-aug-27

Hey Squaddies,

Welcome to the August Recap! We've got some of the fresh cuts from the upcoming Alpha 12 to show off today! And heads-up, Offworld is off on a company holiday right now, but we'll be back fully recharged, team-built, and ready to take on the world again.

If you see some goons with Offworld Industries logos around Italy, don't be afraid to say hi! (Or run -- we're coming for your rally.)

SquadChat with Axton and Chance

We don't want you to miss us too much, so be sure to check out the latest SquadChat to hear the sweet, soothing tones of Axton and Chance. We chatted about mapping, getting into the industry, and took your questions.

Alpha 12 General Update
We're in a stage now which we call "hardening" where all major features going into the next version are locked down and we're searching and squishing bugs as they come. Internal playtests have also started in order to put these new features and gadgets through their paces. This process will take some time as there have been a lot of new additions to the game that will need to be properly tested and polished, but we believe that it'll be a major upgrade to the game that you the player should be accustomed to with each and every new alpha version of Squad.

T72B3

We've finally managed to get the Russian counterpart to the American Abrams into the game and in testing. The T72B3 will be the main battle tank for the Russian ground forces, has a 3-man crew (Driver, Gunner and Vehicle Commander) and features a stabilised 125mm smoothbore cannon fed by an auto-loader.

The cannon can fire a dizzying array of different ammunition types ranging from armor-piercing sabot rounds to high explosive anti-tank, anti-infantry fragmentation rounds and even the 9M119M Refleks anti-tank laser-guided missile. In addition to this large arsenal to its main gun, the gunner has the usual 7.62mm PKT coaxial machine gun and smoke grenade launchers.

In comparison to the Abrams, the T72B3 is a much lower profile tank, almost 2/3rds the height and weight. Its autoloader is slightly slower than a human loader, and also presents a vulnerability with the ammunition stored directly below the turret.
The Vehicle Commander has control over a 12.7mm Kord machine gun in the cupola and has access to the turret's smoke launchers if need be.

User Interface

The user interface has made even more strides since last time we showed this off, and we're going to show just how many new features we've added to the command experience.

Command Menu & New Map Features
We're introducing a new "Command UI" interface which is accessible by all players. This features a large widescreen map and filter buttons that allow you to do things such as toggle player icons to be their roles, toggle FOB radius circles, viewing the map icon legend and a few other quality of life features.

You have the ability to highlight any squad member or team member from the Squads list and they will be highlighted on the map. You can also highlight by Squad simply by selecting the squad's header from the Squads list too. In addition, selecting players on the map will also highlight them in the Squads list.

Command Grid Menu
We've designed a new right-click menu for any players in command positions, accessible in both the Deployment and Command menus. This menu has been expanded upon compared to the old hex menu in that it has a logic now to icon and marker placement and layout, as well as allowing us to add a few more team-wide request markers that should be useful for team-wide communication.

In addition, we're adding a "Waypoint" marker system that allows players to quickly drop at least 3 team-visible markers, which include a way to identify the squad that placed that particular waypoint marker.

Fireteam Organisation
Fireteams can be organised in the Squads list now by simply dragging the member you want to assign, and dropping them into the desired fireteam. You can also right click and assign them through the context menu that pops up.

OWI Company Holiday
Our CEO finally deployed the rally point and we're all deploying for a company trip roughly during the first week of September. For this time, most of Offworld Industries will be out of office, getting to know their international teammates and plotting for the rest of the year. When we get back the fresh assault on bug-smashing begins!

Response times from us may be a little slower during this time, so hang in there! We will get back to you. We appreciate your understanding!

We'll be back next month with more! Alpha 12 is going to be a pretty big one, so we're looking forward to getting into playtesting with you all!

Ciao, belli,
Offworld Out.
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Aspius · Nov 4, 2018

Here is a link to the october recap. It covers all the upcoming changes for V12 and there are alot of them.

https://joinsquad.com/readArticle?articleId=317

Aspius · Feb 8, 2019

Hey soldiers!
We’re back with a recap in a brand new year! Hopefully, you’re off burning those holiday feasts at the gym, but if your New Year’s resolution is running out of construction points, maybe we can distract you with some Squad news! Let’s hit the recap:

4.21 Engine Update

Engine upgrades bring long-awaited improvements to the development of Squad. We’ve jumped a number of versions this time around, from 4.16 to 4.21 to be exact. A detailed list of the changes and updates in UE4.21 can be found here. Engine upgrades are always a tricky task, but the rewards far outweigh the cons and the team is making swift progress. Once we are upgraded, the entire development team can benefit from the new tools and bug fixes, which leads to improved quality of Squad overall.

In fact, the Alpha 13 test last week was the first version we played in the new 4.21 Unreal Engine version, a test designed to identify all the bugs associated with the migration. Keep an eye out for more testing!

Ammunition Rearm Improvement

Having seen the light of day in the Alpha 13 test last week, we can confirm this is a welcome improvement to the Ammunition resupply mechanic. The update will give you the ability to pick which item in your inventory you wish to rearm.

In the Alpha 12 implementation, if your ammunition requirements exceed that of the supply source, you’re unable to rearm, in addition to using ammo points greater than necessary. This should help free up “extra” ammo points for other players in need. You’ll have the ability to rearm exactly what you need when you need it. How well you use it is still up to you, of course.

Track and Wheel Damage

As described in an earlier development update, we’re also putting into testing the last major upgrade to the vehicle component damage model: destroying the wheels and tracks. This allows the attacking side to better score a mobility kill by giving another potential target as the tracks and wheels are usually more exposed and less armored than the engine.

Ambush weapons like mines now have an additional, slightly different purpose by targeting the tracks/wheels, scoring mobility kills, allowing for some degree of counterplay on the part of the victims. We’ll be keeping an eye on how effectively the new components are used, so keep your feedback coming!

New Armor

We have in the works a ton (pun unintended (Editor: I don’t believe that for a minute.)) of new ground vehicles, including the higher tier Russian APC in the form of the BMP series of infantry fighting vehicles, the British Challenger 2 main battle tank and the Soviet-era T-62 main battle tank for Militia and Insurgent forces. The Challenger 2 and BMPs are still very heavy work in progress at the moment, but they’re definitely coming together!

An extensive redesign of the Challenger 1 main battle tank, the Challenger 2 should provide a considerable upgrade to firepower and protection for the British forces in Squad. Though it looks similar to its predecessor, less than 5% of the parts are interchangeable, and it is 100% meaner.

A Soviet workhorse that rolled onto the field in 1961, the T-62 became the standard tank in their arsenal. It’s staying power has left it a capable vehicle with thousands in use around the world today.

We will be introducing a number of vehicles from the venerable BMP series, in order to give Russia and the unconventional factions a boost in firepower. We will initially be rolling the BMP-1 as well as the BMP-2 across a number of factions and layers.

Later on the plan is to upgrade the Russian faction to use the BMP-2M variant instead of the dated original version that will continue to be used by the irregular forces. The BMPs should offer a little better protection than the BTR based vehicles. The BMP-1 has a rather interesting main armament in its 73mm recoilless gun. This is essentially an SPG-9 as its main armament.

In contrast, the BMP-2’s main armament is the 30mm 2A42 which has an even more ridiculous fire rate than the 2A72 found on the BTR-82A. If that wasn’t enough, both of them will have the option of equipping ATGMs if it is appropriate for the layer and faction.

US Forces UAV

We’re also working on the aerial UAV feature that is accessible by the Commander. With the ability to zoom right into the action from above, this should give an unparalleled level of observation and scouting power to the top. We’re also working on functions like target tracking and marker interactions via the UAV camera, further streamlining the experience.

Fallujah

We’re aiming to make Fallujah the densest map we’ve created yet. The most difficult part in making such complex environment is balancing many different gameplay paths, areas, and scenarios.

To achieve that we’ve implemented a new system using gameplay markers, allowing us to focus on bigger picture and leave the detailing to a later stage of production. This way we can effectively iterate in designing each flag; speeding up and streamlining the creation process. Stay tuned for more as we move into testing. We’re going to need the grizzled veterans and newbies alike to test out a renewed favorite.

Skorpo

Progress is also being made on Skorpo, an upcoming new map based on a tranquil village on the western coast of Norway. Since the playtest last year in mid-December, work has been done to incorporate those findings into a more streamlined gameplay flow.

Changes incorporated after the playtest include adding more alternative routes, making roads more traversable, and reworking the flag layout, among other gameplay considerations. A big challenge with this map has also been optimizations and, luckily, the 4.21 upgrade brings new tools for larger environments. It should help to bring a smoother experience for the players.

Sign Off

Hot damn did the team come up with some cool stuff for this Recap! Until next time, keep your friends close, and your air support closer.

Offworld out.
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