Squad-Servers.com Blog Feed en https://squad-servers.com/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 22:55 CEST Squad-Servers.com is a Squad servers list. Its goal is to provide an efficient way for players to find a server that suits their needs and also for servers owners to get more players on their servers. 60 SQUAD V6.0 Incoming September 27th https://squad-servers.com/blog/1287/squad-v60-incoming-september-27th/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1287/squad-v60-incoming-september-27th/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 22:55 CEST
The update brings the Infantry Combat Overhaul into Squad with multiple changes to Squads combat systems, including alterations to suppression, optics, weapon handling, and more. In addition, 6.0 will also include bug fixes and layer adjustments.

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

At ease,
]]> Revisiting the Infantry Combat Overhaul https://squad-servers.com/blog/1286/revisiting-the-infantry-combat-overhaul/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1286/revisiting-the-infantry-combat-overhaul/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 22:54 CEST “Asset request received. Dev blog incoming!”
With it now being three months since we announced our commitment to reworking the infantry combat systems with Squad “Infantry Combat Overhaul” (ICO), it has been an active effort to bring our title closer in line with its roots and inspiration. With a shift towards more coordinated teamwork, longer and more tactical firefights, and a desire to provide a more diverse player experience.

WHY THE DEV BLOG?

Throughout the development of the Infantry Combat Overhaul, we have had an immense interest from the community to share what Offworlds processes are when implementing a feature change this large looks like, and we agree that it's a great idea! As the overall playtesting experience has greatly influenced our development regarding the future of combat in Squad since our initial announcement.

So, with this dev blog, we wanted to provide more insight to the community on the development of the overhaul and our experience of working closely with the Squad community through public playtesting. As well as share the ideas that have emerged from our passionate community's feedback, highlighting what has been successful and what has not, and providing a bigger picture on how Offworld perceives the current state and the future of infantry combat.

RECAPPING THE CHANGE TO COME

With this “Infantry Combat Overhaul,” we are reworking how the Infantry role plays within Squad. We want to create the most fun and immersive infantry combat and gunplay systems you can get in a gaming experience. With this, we have revisited and adjusted several core features in Squad. While also introducing some exciting additions that will work together to provide the gameplay we wish for you to experience. We’d like to take the time to revisit some of the core changes.

OPTICS

We have implemented Picture-in-Picture optics to replace our current optics system. We sourced physical optics to help dial in this feature as part of the development process. Our observations of the optics in person allowed us to accurately represent the optics magnification, field of view, eyebox, and lens quality in-game. The Picture-in-Picture optics system is done by rendering the scene from a separate camera and projecting the rendered scene onto the optic. We hope the change enhances the feel of the firearm and introduces new gameplay variables by offering trade-offs you must weigh when you choose your weapon and respective optic.

SUPPRESSION

Suppression has received a complete rework in terms of its mechanics. We aim to bring suppression to the forefront as a useful tactical tool for attack and defense in any firefight.

Features
  • Complete rework of suppression VFX and mechanics.
  • Varying suppression power based on weapon and projectiles.
  • Friendly weapons do not cause suppression to players on their team (Except explosives).
GUNPLAY

We have extensively changed how guns and their mechanics play out in firefights. Our goal was to facilitate longer firefights, give players more time to think of, plan, and execute tactics, and highlight the unique roles of the various weapons in Squad, capturing the intense “fight or flight” emotional response in an encounter, all while ensuring that the overall gun handling remains satisfying.

Features
  • Weapon Aim Down Sight (ADS) speed, sway, and steady adjustments to provide an authentic combat experience.
  • Accurate bullet travel (Bullets will follow the direction the barrel is pointing. This means animations could affect bullet direction).
  • Overall tunings to gunplay visuals and feel.
  • Reworked hip-fire into point-shooting.
  • Implemented a more detailed recoil system.
CHARACTER MOVEMENT AND TRAVERSAL

Our aim with the Infantry Combat Overhaul was to slow down individual players and seek to promote more coordinated play, thoughtful positioning, and increased communication. Infantry will find their speed, stamina, and overall movement mechanics adjusted to reinforce a teamwork-oriented vision we had for gameplay.

Features
  • Fall damage adjustments.
  • Stamina system rework.
  • Left/Right-leaning adjustments.
  • Vaulting and climbing adjustments.
For those who wish to learn more about the changes to infantry combat coming soon, you should check out our initial announcement on the topic [[url=https://joinsquad.com/2023/06/08/infantry-combat-overhaul/]LINK[/url]].

COMMUNITY PLAYTESTING

With the Infantry Combat Overhaul, the Squad community has been instrumental in assisting us with playtests, playing a pivotal role in developing the Infantry Combat Overhaul by helping us assess our various playtest iterations. These playtests served as essential development milestones, enabling our team to gather a wealth of data and observations, which, in turn, have fueled more iterative testing and rapid refinement of the changes we've been working on.

We're extremely delighted to witness an extraordinary level of participation from the community, with a level of engagement shattering all previous records for public testing in Squad's history. What has truly been a pleasure for us to see is the remarkable passion and thoughtfulness displayed by participating testers. Their unwavering dedication to the future of Squad, coupled with the detailed and constructive feedback provided, has left us deeply humbled. Furthermore, the feedback we have received from playtesters was overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing our confidence in the direction we are taking Squad. The playtests proved invaluable, providing the design team with information quickly, allowing our team to continually fine-tune the changes we are implementing, and ensuring that our game reaches its full potential.

PLAYTESTING INSIGHTS

To shed some light on public playtesting, our observations, and the effect on gameplay. During our numerous tests, we noticed a notable shift in multiple areas. Regarding gameplay, in the RAAS and AAS game modes, we saw an increased back-and-forth capture and gunfight dynamic, resulting in more engaging and intense moments on the field of combat. The overhaul has introduced new dimensions of gameplay, not only affecting firefights but also map traversal and vehicle usage, offering fresh challenges and opportunities for players of all levels.

We have also learned more about how the overhaul plays into vehicular combat. Armored vehicles have now taken on more importance, their utility in resupplying friendly squads and supporting them with the enhanced suppression will encourage vehicle crews to coordinate with and stick close to friendly infantry. The updated gunplay tuning and value of heavy suppressive fire have made open-top vehicle turrets more survivable and viable compared to the current version of the game. Furthermore, while it was the design team’s intent to increase the effectiveness in vehicles as part of the overhaul, it has sparked discussions within our community and our development team as players raised valid concerns about a potential imbalance. Rest assured, our design team is carefully considering player feedback and contemplating adjustments to armored combat to ensure a fair and enjoyable gaming experience should the need arise in the future.

Among other insights, we also found our changes to the infantry role have a major benefit to new players. The overhaul finds these newer players no longer need advanced spotting skills to make a meaningful contribution to their team. Instead, they can actively cooperate and positively impact their Squad by providing suppressing fire where teammates direct. This level of approachability allows newcomers to dive into the action and feel like valuable squadmates from the get-go, making the new user experience much more welcoming.

With these playtesting efforts, we have gained useful information from our community and they have remained a guide through our ongoing efforts to refine and optimize the gameplay. As development progresses, we wish to continue our work with the community as we remain committed to maintaining a balanced and exciting environment where both veterans and newcomers can enjoy thrilling firefights and create their own unforgettable moments in Squad.

FEEDBACK AND CHANGES TO COMBAT

Work In Progress

For these past few months, and through our extensive playtesting sessions, we've generated, tested, implemented, and iterated on a myriad of concepts for gameplay systems, some of which were inspired by feedback we received throughout testing. We also encountered various failures, surprising outcomes, and interesting challenges while developing the overhaul, and we would like to share our thoughts on some of the more notable ones.

The "Clear Sights" system
  • This system will automatically and smoothly transition the in-game camera to provide a view over the iron sights during moments of significant weapon sway. The “Clear Sight” system ensures the player's line of sight remains unobstructed by weapons with large rear iron sight features, which take up large portions of the screen while also being frustrating or difficult to use when maintaining a proper sight picture. This feature was implemented from player feedback as testers let us know about their frustrations with high sway while using ironsight weapons.
Hurt State Stamina Rework
  • To strike a better balance between challenging gameplay without undue frustration, we recognized early on the need to rework stamina when players enter the post-revive state. We found the pre-existing mechanics were overly punishing when a player's stamina failed to regenerate after being revived. Players now regenerate a percentage of stamina at a reduced rate after being revived to keep gunplay satisfying while encouraging the player to seek aid from a medic.
Adjustable Scope Magnification
  • For the fans of long-distance engagements, this feature offers players greater versatility by allowing them to adjust the weapon optic’s magnification level as needed. This feature is limited to only a few weapons such as some marksman rifles, and Australia’s EF88 rifle.
Damage Falloff Adjustments
  • As we iterated on particular weapons, we observed the need to adjust the damage falloff curves for particular calibers and weapons. This ensures that different weapon types can remain authentic and unique while maintaining fairness in the gameplay.
Faction Adjustments
  • In the quest to achieve authenticity, and for players to experience a more unique identity while playing certain factions, we have implemented some alterations to role inventories. Such as the addition of more grenades for the Middle Eastern Alliance.
Suppression System
  • Surprisingly, the suppression system required minimal iteration and was finely tuned within the first three playtests. It effectively delivered the intended tactical benefits. When suppressed in real life, one's vision doesn’t become obscured like in Squad. But adding this effect encouraged our players to behave in what we believe is representative of a real-world combat experience.
Bullet Penetration Visual Effects
  • The new bullet penetration visual effects were a huge success. The bullet penetration effects allowed those getting fire upon to better understand their situation in a gunfight and how they were getting hurt in those engagement and we found players quickly grasped the tactical advantages of suppression and bullet penetration and began integrating the system into their combat engagements.
Tuning Weapon Handling
  • Achieving the right balance in weapon handling, particularly for weapons like G3 and bullpups, proved to be a more iterative process. We dedicated multiple development rounds regarding adjustments and refinements to ensure handling felt right and met player expectations. With this feature we will continue to make any adjustments or improvements as necessary after the overhaul is released.
Optic Clarity
  • We had various experiments with optic clarity involving techniques like TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing), and tint adjustments which underwent several rounds of refinement. A notable example during playtesting, we discovered environments and gameplay situations where tint was working against the player. Notably, some green-tinted scopes caused a loss of contrast on woodland maps, hindering target acquisition. A slight hue adjustment and trading saturation for a slightly dimmer picture proved to be the right compromise.
Optic Blur
  • We discovered through multiple playtests that the amount of optic blur we initially implemented was not well-received by many players. The feedback prompted us to investigate the specific discomforts players experienced and the physiological causes behind them. We actively sought player feedback to ensure these changes had the desired impact and pivoted our feedback collection to zero in on what was causing our players to experience these issues. Since then, we have adjusted the feature to retain some mechanical benefits while ensuring players do not experience any discomfort.
  • Sway-Based Alternate ADS Poses
  • Implementing sway-activated alternate ADS poses for the AK12 and AKM proved less successful than other features, as most players found it unpredictable and obstructive. However, we're open to revisiting this feature in the future, considering alternative implementations of this system to enhance gameplay.
As we have introduced all these new features that players were able to experience in the tests, we have seen people's concerns and comments regarding realism and how we represent combat in Squad. We’d like to restate that our goal in the overhaul is to provide the most fun, immersive, and authentic experience one can achieve in a tactical shooter while remaining approachable to a wider audience. To this end, we will make sacrifices where necessary as it relates to realism. For example, we cannot recreate the fear one experiences when being suppressed by gunfire in real life. But, we can use game mechanics to encourage players to react similarly by incentivizing them to stop returning fire, get down, and try to reposition away from the incoming fire. With this in mind, we aim to bridge the gap between “realism” and the “arcade” nature of tactical shooter videogames, and that comes together by focusing on the “authenticity” of the infantry combat experience.

FIREARM ARCHETYPES AND OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR COMBAT

Work In Progress

With all the recent changes, we anticipate a significant shift in how effective combat plays out in Squad. For attackers, strategic decision-making will become paramount. Gone are the days of launching reckless assaults; now, carefully picking your battles is crucial for success. The new ideal is to attack with overwhelming force and fire support, dissuading premature, uncoordinated assaults that can deplete valuable tickets.

Suppression will now take on a central role in the offensive strategy. It levels the playing field, especially against stationary defenders, and empowers smaller units to overcome superior numbers. The significance of suppression extends to coordinated fire and maneuver tactics, where elements like machine guns, grenade launchers, and vehicles play critical roles in locking enemies down to allow attacking elements to move forward more safely.

"Bounding Overwatch," a tactic where one squad covers the advance of another, will become key, especially for unsupported and smaller groups. Additionally, using armored vehicles to cross open terrain introduces an element of surprise, provided they can dismount and cover the remaining ground with fire support before defenders can effectively react. This new approach to combat intends to be dynamic and strategic, transforming how attackers and defenders operate on the battlefield. With this in mind, we’d like to take the time to share some of the general characteristics behind our newly defined weapon archetypes.

Short Rifles and Carbines (M4, AK74)
  • Short rifles and carbines serve as a baseline for weapon behavior and performance. They offer the least suppression but are versatile, easy to point fire with, and effective at all ranges. Prioritizing snappy handling over recoil control and range, several riflemen equipped with these weapons can deal enough suppression to keep an enemy squad pinned down. However, with limited ammo capacity, rifles cannot sustain fire as long without resupply compared to weapons designed to output suppressive fire.
Full-length Rifles (M16, C7)
  • These rifles have better stopping power at range, with less recoil and sway when firing from supported positions (crouch and prone), and more recoil and sway when unsupported (standing). You’ll find more inertia when looking around and point-firing with these weapons making them less ideal in CQB. With this in mind, these guns lend well to holding angles and having a “stop and pop” mentality.
Bullpups (L85A2, QBZ95-1)
  • Bullpups boast excellent CQB handling and maintain stopping power at range, though less than full-length rifles. These firearms suffer slightly increased muzzle climb due to a focused center of gravity directed toward the rifle's rear.
Battle Rifles (G3, FAL)
  • With more stopping power comes greater recoil. Battle rifles will deal high suppression, and the ability to penetrate through thicker walls. These heavier rifles also mean that target acquisition will be more challenging, especially when in an unsupported stance (standing). Masters of these weapons will move more deliberately and take a supported position before firing, as with a lower ammo capacity, every bullet matters.
Automatic Rifles (RPK-74M, M27 IAR, QJB95-1)
  • Automatic rifles provide a good mix of suppression and maintaining versatility in combat. The rounds from these rifles do more suppression than a standard rifle. However, your rounds will lack stopping power, range, and penetration compared to dedicated machine guns.
Light Machine Guns (M249, RPD)
  • A hybrid between automatic rifles and medium machine guns. These belt-fed weapons are perfect for long bursts to suppress a larger area. For more accurate fire, ensure you use it in short bursts. Though you better have the patience to reload. What it lacks in penetration and suppression compared to medium machine guns, LMGs make up for this by being relatively more usable in CQB, though mind the sway and recoil, as it's still a machine gun.
Medium Machine Guns (M240, PKP, Maximi)
  • Precision firing at longer ranges is much more difficult for medium machine guns. These weapons excel in area suppression and can more easily penetrate thick walls. Ensure you’re locked in using a bipod or prone, as recoil will not be easy to handle. As a noticeable, loud stationary target, ensure a Squaddie is nearby to watch your flanks and cover you during your long reloads.
Heavy Machine Guns (M2, DShK)
  • The heavy machine gun will shred through buildings and light armored vehicles while dealing high suppression from long distances. It is more accurate than medium machine guns but suffers from being more static, more noticeable, and longer reloads than their lighter counterparts.
Grenades and Grenade Launchers (M203, GP25)
  • Use grenade launchers to displace, suppress, and destroy enemies behind fortifications, windows, and other cover or quickly. Alternatively, use smoke grenades to lay a smokescreen for an advance, mark targets or landing zones, and obscure enemy shooting positions. Use hand grenades to precede an assault or clear a room. Remember, grenades have no allegiance regarding suppression, so keep friendlies in mind.
Designated Marksman Rifles (HK417, SVD, M110)
  • Most marksman rifles will fire full-power cartridges, making them a top-tier choice for accurate fire and suppressing a key enemy shooting position. Work with your team to deter the opponents from peeking corners or taking out entrenched gunners. These weapons struggle in CQB and close range, so it is ideal to stick with your squad.
Sniper Rifles (C14, SV98M)
  • Fire powerful projectiles that maintain their stopping power to an extreme range. These weapons suffer from a low rate of fire, and you are virtually defenseless in close quarters. Always have a spotter to confirm your hits and misses and watch your back.
Pistols (M17, TT33)
  • Your backup if all else fails. The pistol has the lowest stopping power of all firearm archetypes in Squad, but landing a hit will always cause bleeding. You won't outrange a marksman, but your pistol can mean the difference between life and death in a close-quarter engagement.
We also have many more peculiar weapons not fully covered here, which will be present in the game that you may find blur the lines in what they do. We leave it for you to play the game and determine their quirks and how best to utilize their strengths and accommodate their weaknesses.

OUR THOUGHTS NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE

The state of the Infantry Combat Overhaul in Squad is now one of great satisfaction, following an exhaustive and lengthy process of testing and refinement. We look forward to the release and are eager to let players immerse themselves in-game. After the release, we will remain ever vigilant to iterating as evolving needs arise.

As we move forward, our approach involves adding some final finishing touches post-launch while maintaining an open mindset to experimentation and innovation on this feature. At the same time, we want to maintain a commitment to trying new ideas and continuously enriching the overall gaming experience for players of Squad.

It's important to note that improving the core minute-to-minute gameplay is not an isolated goal. Instead, it serves as a crucial stepping stone toward enhancing various other aspects of the game. By prioritizing and refining the core combat experience, we set the stage for a comprehensive and engaging game that continues to evolve and captivate our playerbase.

As we continue our development efforts, we look to a bright future for Squad as we refine and revisit topics discussed in this dev blog. We’d like to once again thank the community for their enthusiasm and support with the overhaul. With the turnout for playtesting and feedback provided, we cannot describe how instrumental the community was in helping iterate our designs. Regardless, we hope this dev blog answers some common community questions and gives an interesting glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of developing the overhaul at Offworld. We hope the community stays tuned in for updates as we aim to deliver an even more immersive and enjoyable experience in Squad.

Offworld Out.
]]> Server Licensing Portal Change https://squad-servers.com/blog/1285/server-licensing-portal-change/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1285/server-licensing-portal-change/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 22:03 CEST Server Licensing Portal Change
Offworld Industries is implementing a new Server License Portal. This change to a new portal will affect all Server Owners who currently host servers on the Server Browser for our games (Squad and Beyond the Wire). With the new portal we will be taking the time to help shift all Server Owners over to the new portal with a pre-application period that will span from August 14th, 2023 to September 14th, 2023.

Current owners may already begin to pre-apply using our new Server License Portal at https://license.offworldindustries.com/. Please note, Squad and Beyond the Wire will recognize the new license IDs and keys from the new Server License Portal you are advised to change your licenses over before September 14th, 2023 to not run into any issues with the old Server Portal closing. The new Server Portal can also be used to apply for licenses in the event of hardware or ownership changes. Please open a ticket if possible via the Hosting Discord if you wish to make changes related to the above events.

We are also introducing a revised set of Server Administration and Licensing Policies, available on our forums (https://forums.joinsquad.com/discussion/1474/server-licensing-administration-policies#latest). Please note these policies affect all owners and are effective immediately. Please take the time to review these policies before pre-applying for your server license using the new Server License Portal. There is new information in these policies regarding hardware, banning, and more. You must apply once for each server license you hold. For the Owners pre-applying please include your current server license ID in the comments when pre-applying.

We will not be accepting any new servers from August 14th, 2023 to September 14th, 2023 while we are transferring owners over to the new portal. We understand that this may be an inconvenience for those wanting to host their own server and apologize. This decision was made to help minimize disruptions and confusion during our Server License Portal transition.

]]> SQUAD HOTFIX 5.1.1 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1284/squad-hotfix-511-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1284/squad-hotfix-511-release-notes/ Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:46 CEST
General Bug Fixes
  • Server performance improvements

Map Updates & Bug Fixes

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

Server Performance
  • 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.
]]> Squad 5.1 Live https://squad-servers.com/blog/1283/squad-51-live/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1283/squad-51-live/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 20:02 CEST
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,]]> SQUAD UPDATE V5.1 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1282/squad-update-v51-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1282/squad-update-v51-release-notes/ Tue, 25 Jul 2023 20:00 CEST
Features

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

Pacific Proving Grounds v2
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

New & Updated Map Layers

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

System & Gameplay Updates

  • 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

General Bug Fixes

  • 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

Map Updates & Bug Fixes

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
SDK Updates & Bug Fixes

  • 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 V5.1 lands on July 26th https://squad-servers.com/blog/1281/squad-v51-lands-on-july-26th/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1281/squad-v51-lands-on-july-26th/ Wed, 19 Jul 2023 20:00 CEST
We will publish the full Release Notes for you to check on the day before the launch.]]> Sanxian Island and Pacific Proving Grounds https://squad-servers.com/blog/1280/sanxian-island-and-pacific-proving-grounds/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1280/sanxian-island-and-pacific-proving-grounds/ Wed, 12 Jul 2023 20:01 CEST Sanxian Island Development & Updated Pacific Proving Grounds

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.

Redesigns



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.

Performance Optimization





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.

Introducing the Pacific Proving Grounds Update



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.



Conclusion

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 HOTFIX 5.0.1 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1279/squad-hotfix-501-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1279/squad-hotfix-501-release-notes/ Wed, 28 Jun 2023 20:00 CEST
Bug Fixes

  • 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
]]> Squad 5.0 Live https://squad-servers.com/blog/1278/squad-50-live/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1278/squad-50-live/ Thu, 22 Jun 2023 02:02 CEST
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,]]> SQUAD UPDATE V5.0 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1277/squad-update-v50-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1277/squad-update-v50-release-notes/ Tue, 20 Jun 2023 19:59 CEST Features
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 (PLANMC)



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 (VDV)



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 roleSV-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

Cosmetics

Added two new emote packs:

Attitude Pack ($2.99 USD)



  • Peace / Victory
  • Eyes on You
  • Pinched Fingers

Free PT Pack (Free)



  • Star Jump / Jumping Jacks
  • Pushups

System & Gameplay Updates

  • 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

General Bug Fixes

  • 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

Map Updates & Bug Fixes

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

SDK Updates & Bug Fixes

  • 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
]]> 1st Infantry Combat Overhaul Playtest https://squad-servers.com/blog/1276/1st-infantry-combat-overhaul-playtest/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1276/1st-infantry-combat-overhaul-playtest/ Thu, 15 Jun 2023 01:21 CEST (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.
]]> Squad V5.0 Arriving on June 21st https://squad-servers.com/blog/1275/squad-v50-arriving-on-june-21st/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1275/squad-v50-arriving-on-june-21st/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 20:01 CEST
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.]]> Infantry Combat Overhaul https://squad-servers.com/blog/1274/infantry-combat-overhaul/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1274/infantry-combat-overhaul/ Fri, 09 Jun 2023 01:24 CEST Infantry Combat Overhaul
The Past, Present, and Future of Combat in Squad

Where we are coming from.

Squad traces its roots back to the esteemed Project Reality mod for Battlefield 2. The mod's immersive and realistic combat mechanics garnered immense praise and a dedicated following, laying the foundation for Squad's creation. Its emphasis on teamwork, communication, and coordination as essential ingredients to triumph became the driving force behind our vision for Squad.

From the outset, our aim was to build upon the success of Project Reality, propelling the gameplay experience to unprecedented heights. We understood that the mod's quality stemmed from its demand for collaborative teamwork, where victory hinged on players relying on one another to achieve shared objectives.

Yet, during Squad's development, we faced the inevitable temptation to stray from this original vision. Influenced by prevailing shooter trends and the desire for broader appeal, we found ourselves at times prioritizing individual skill and instant gratification over the core principles that made Project Reality exceptional. The evolving gaming industry, with its emphasis on fast-paced action and solo play, gradually seeped into Squad's design choices, leading to mechanics and features that favored a more independent playstyle and somewhat diluted the importance of teamwork and coordination.

The current state of infantry combat in Squad presents a mixed picture with both positive and negative aspects. On the positive side, teamwork can still yield rewarding experiences. When players effectively coordinate their actions, execute well-planned strategies, and communicate seamlessly, they can achieve remarkable feats on the battlefield. These moments of collective triumph are the core strength of Squad and create lasting memories, highlighting the importance of collaboration.

However, there are several notable concerns regarding the combat systems in Squad. One significant hurdle is the tendency towards individualistic gameplay under their current iteration. Instances occur where a lone wolf flanker can single-handedly decimate an entire squad, undermining the emphasis on teamwork and coordination. This individualistic nature detracts from the intended immersive and cooperative experience.

Recognizing this drift from our roots, we have decided to take a decisive step towards rectification and realignment. Our upcoming changes to the infantry combat systems signify a renewed focus on fostering an environment that thrives on teamwork, communication, and coordination. By acknowledging and addressing these past deviations, we recommit ourselves to delivering an authentic and immersive experience reminiscent of the vision we set out with for Squad.

Where we are going.

Moving forward, our primary goal is to steer Squad's combat systems towards a greater emphasis on teamwork and cooperation. We have learned valuable lessons from our previous work and player feedback, which have highlighted the need to enhance the gameplay experience by fostering a stronger sense of camaraderie and strategic decision-making.

To achieve these goals, we are approaching the changes we want to implement in a deliberate and comprehensive manner. We have conducted extensive research, analyzed player behavior patterns, and engaged in internal testing to fine-tune our approach. By adopting the "see-think-speak-do" philosophy, we aim to create a combat system that encourages players to observe the battlefield, analyze the situation, communicate effectively with their squadmates, and take purposeful actions.

One of the key changes we are implementing is to create longer firefights and provide more opportunities for tactical choices as a squad. By adjusting the pacing and dynamics of combat, we aim to extend the duration of engagements, allowing players to make informed decisions and employ various tactics to overcome the situation. This will not only deepen the tactical aspect of Squad but also generate more memorable war story moments that players can share and reminisce about.

In addition, we are striving to make combat more approachable for players of all skill levels. We understand the importance of creating an inclusive environment where new players can feel useful and contribute to the overall success of the squad. By providing opportunities for newcomers to engage in suppressive fire or support roles, while experienced players execute flanking maneuvers and decisive pushes, we aim to strike a balance that promotes both learning and effective teamwork.

During our internal testing, we have already witnessed significant shifts in player behavior. The changes we have implemented have prompted players to rely more on their squadmates, communicate more frequently and effectively, and strategize collaboratively. We have observed increased coordination in movements, better utilization of cover and suppressive fire, and a greater focus on overall squad objectives. These changes have led to a more immersive and rewarding gameplay experience, with players actively contributing to the success of their teams.

In conclusion, our vision for Squad's combat system entails a shift towards enhanced teamwork and cooperation, longer and more strategic firefights, and a more approachable experience for players. We anticipate that these changes will fundamentally change the way Squad is played. The benefits will be far-reaching, fostering stronger player engagement, more dynamic and memorable moments, and ultimately solidifying Squad's position as a premier multiplayer, first-person shooter game that thrives on teamwork and strategic thinking.

Specific Changes

Suppression 


Work in Progress

Goals

Our goals for suppression were to make it a core part of the combat puzzle, give greater purpose to MGs, and make it useful to shoot at the general location of the enemy without necessarily having a clear view of them. We seek to reward the fireteam which spends two minutes shooting at a bush. When the fight kicks off and the suppression kicks in, it should enhance the feeling of being in a chaotic firefight.

Features

Complete rework of suppression VFX

  • Suppression blurs the distance but keeps the foreground navigable, so you can seek cover, return fire, or escape.
  • By depriving the suppressed player of some of their perception, suppression becomes a meaningful debuff and instant retaliation is inhibited. Being suppressed will require you to behave as you might in real life, despite not being in real danger. The enemy will use it to cause trouble for you, but remember that you can do the same to them!
  • There are multiple levels of suppression, with new VFX kicking in as it becomes more severe. The higher your suppression level, the longer it takes to fade out. 
  • Various kinds of feedback and effects have also been implemented to make being suppressed feel not just oppressive, but exhilarating. 

Suppression aim hindrances

  • Player behavior modification under-fire (sway and flinch penalty).
  • This makes counter-suppression more about dumping rounds at the shooter, rather than lining up pinpoint snap shots. 
  • Suppression is now applied in a more systematic way, so it should only occur in situations where one would realistically expect to be suppressed.

Per-weapon suppression power

  • Machine guns don’t just suppress you more, they do so faster and the suppression will persist for longer. The heavier the weapon, the more severely it can suppress you. 
  • This also applies to vehicle-mounted HMGs and autocannons, which makes even light vehicles able to terrorize entrenched or hidden infantry. 
  • Explosions now also cause suppression in an area of effect (examples: grenades, mortars, artillery, autocannon HE-Frag).
  • Players in protected turrets and emplacements are less susceptible to suppression - suppression resistance. 
  • Improved bullet penetration exit VFX so you understand when lead is coming through the walls and have a better readability of the situation. Don’t forget your eye protection!

Gunplay

Goals

To facilitate longer shootouts, we need to reduce the odds of them ending in one or two shots. From there a sudden encounter can grow into a full-on firefight as the rest of the squad joins in, suppressing fire is laid down, maneuvers are planned and executed, and reinforcements are called up. Overall, you should have the time you need to call out contact with the enemy, analyze the situation, coordinate with your squad, and execute a plan together.

Every weapon is being reworked to have a defined role, with strengths and weaknesses which need to be covered and complimented by your squadmates.

We aim to add depth while making it easier for new players to be useful and live longer. We also want to make guns feel more satisfying to shoot, even if they’re not always as unconditionally accurate as before. It should be fun to shoot a gun in an empty room.

Features

Reworked traditional Hip-Fire into Point Shooting

  • The weapon now moves with your camera in a cone of motion as you look around. This emulates the experience of using hand-eye coordination to aim without looking down the sights.
  • This is primarily meant to increase non-ADS reaction time without resorting to traditional bullet spread mechanics.
  • But perhaps most importantly, we just think it looks and feels really cool.

Recoil has been modified and made more sophisticated

  • Recoil has been tuned to make full-auto more situational, and to create realistic tradeoffs when using different kinds of weapons. It is still possible to be very accurate, but you need to be smart about it and remember what kind of weapon you’re using, learn your guns!
  • Added Recoil Misalignment: Recoil now causes the weapon to rotate in more axes, and can be thought of as an additional dimension of recoil. This misaligns the sights and creates a natural “cone of fire” shot pattern. It has a particularly significant impact on machine guns, emulating the “beaten zone” and the real machine gun theory necessary for them to be employed in Squad as they are in real life. Generally speaking, muzzle climb is controllable, but recoil misalignment is not. Even the most skilled shooter can only counter recoil to a certain point. This also affects the accuracy of follow up shots, so there is a situational tradeoff between slow, accurate fire and less accurate high-volume fire. 

Sway has been reworked from the ground up

  • Increases initial target acquisition time, particularly when running and gunning, but fades out quickly enough that you can still post up and make accurate long-range shots.
  • Added new dimensions to sway: a second layer of sway now rotates the weapon to misalign the sights, similar to Recoil Misalignment. Sway now also offsets the weapon laterally and vertically. Together, when used conservatively, these changes help the sway feel much more like the product of a soldier holding a weapon in two hands, and help us achieve our goals for accuracy mitigation without making any one component feel excessive.
  • As before, the amount of sway is driven by Stamina, Movement, and Stance. 
  • To help you better understand the sway mechanics, a small indicator was added to the compass, taking inspiration from Project Reality.

Steadying your aim no longer applies instantly

  • The accuracy benefits of holding your breath now fade in over a couple of seconds. 
  • You must be more patient when lining up shots on targets of opportunity - or you could fire a burst immediately, in hopes of fixing them in place with suppression until your teammates can get involved!

Per-stance ADS time

  • Your character will line up the sights faster when crouched, and fastest when prone or bipoded. 

Bullets now go exactly where your gun is pointing under all circumstances

  • This has allowed us to embrace a fully animation-driven sway and recoil system. 
  • The effects are particularly noticeable during animation transitions, such as when shooting after sprinting. Watch your muzzle discipline!
  • The bullet impact point is also more accurately represented in optics when animations are affecting the point of aim.

Look And Feel

  • Improved muzzle gas VFX
  • Improved screen shake when firing
  • Improved recoil and settling motions
  • More realistic movement of weapon in sway and recoil (see above), inspired by helmet cam footage and the experiences of our developers, many being active or  former service members.
  • More natural-looking movement of weapons on bipods. This makes bipoded weapons feel and play less like turrets.
  • Added more animations and wobbles from various gameplay events such as changing stance, leaning, and going ADS. 
  • Adjusted the camera position when ADS in a way which better shows off the weapon firing VFX and animations

Scopes


Work in Progress

Goals

We aim to add tradeoffs to magnified optics so there are benefits to having a mix of different weapon configurations in your squad, and to set the standard for video game representations of scopes in the 2020s. It should feel like you are looking through an optic, not a camera.

Features

Picture-In-Picture scopes.

  • These render the scene from a separate camera and project it onto the lens. Besides looking far better, this approach allows us to accurately emulate the advantages and tradeoffs of using magnified optics. We have aspired to achieve nothing less than the best implementation of scopes ever put in a video game.
  • The behaviour of these optics is a 1 to 1 emulation of how real optics work. They are affected correctly by every movement of the gun and camera. Many visual details have been added to make it feel like you’re looking through a lens, including scratches, scuffs, refraction, and colour shifting.
  • Reworked mouse sensitivity when using magnified optics for much easier fine adjustments, and added more granular control options for players to customize. See Soldier Sensitivity Scaling in the Game Options.
  • Thanks to advancements in technology, and a few sacrifices to the Sphere, the reworked scopes run as smoothly as the old scopes. The new scopes also solve a host of bugs and issues associated with the legacy implementation.

Thanks to how PIP scopes emulate the real challenges of using magnified optics, there are some tradeoffs for the user: 

  • The new scopes generally have more zoom than the old scopes, but more of your field of view is occluded by the scope, so while your peripheral vision is expanded, the target area is harder to scan. This is just like looking for a specific object in the distance through a pair of binoculars. The scope is therefore a pinhole view peering into a further engagement range.
  • Peripheral vision is blurred while looking through scopes.
  • Scopes are not affected by suppression blur, but sway is a bigger problem.
  • Scopes will suffer much more in close quarters. Rely on Point Firing, or ideally, move with a buddy who has CQB-oriented sights! 
  • Scopes take longer to ADS and are more severely affected by eye relief issues when aiming with heavy sway.

Tradeoffs between the different optics options: 

  • Scopes have an advantage at range but suffer at close quarters. 
  • Reflector Sights and Holographic Sights excel at CQB and have the shortest ADS times, but cannot be adjusted for range. 
  • Ironsights are the middle-ground option. They are effective in close quarters and the sights can be adjusted for engaging distant targets.

Character Movement

Goals

It is necessary to slow down engagements and the overall pace of the game. This will give players time to See → Think → Speak → Do, encourage the use of vehicle transportation, and create counter-play to rush tactics. While speed and aggression have a place in Squad, as they do in real life, they should not be more effective than communication and coordination. 

Chokepoints and barriers should be meaningful obstacles which require adapting your defensive and offensive tactics. Assaulting a high-walled Afghan compound, for example, will soon be a completely different experience.

Features

Pacing and Stamina adjustments

  • Character movement speed has been reduced. The faster movement introduced late in Squad’s early access period was intended to help players get into combat faster. In hindsight, we concluded that it actually made the game more unforgiving and contributed to even more running around, by encouraging a Spawn-Run-Die-Repeat cycle. Slightly slower movement creates more time to react and coordinate in combat. Taking regular stamina breaks is now advisable, especially with the weapon sway changes. This creates opportunities to regroup and get oriented. In internal testing, we have found the movement speed changes make it easier to keep squads together, lead to more interesting fights, and significantly reduce the cognitive load on the Squad Leader. 
  • Stamina regen rate was slowed down slightly. Stamina costs for various actions were rebalanced.

Traversal

  • You can no longer climb or vault while in mid-air. This significantly affects which rooftops and ledges are accessible, making it much easier to think tactically about locking down lanes and access points, since there are fewer possible approaches, especially in urban combat. This also encourages the use of the teamwork-oriented buddy-boost ability. 
  • Prevents lone wolves from negating environmental obstacles to get easy flanks or overcome FOB fortifications. Removes ninja moves from the list of options to win a fight.
  • Vault and climb heights were adjusted. 
  • Reworked fall damage to be more punishing, but also more consistent and predictable. Fall damage is now applied as a percentage of remaining health based on the height of the fall, down to a minimum value. The effect is that you can no longer survive multi-story drops when at full health, but you should always be able to predict whether a fall could kill you before you risk the drop. 
  • Reworked Leaning to create less gamey-feeling close-quarters encounters and solve the lean-spam exploit. Additionally, leaning is inhibited when using some heavy weapons. 
  • Various small tweaks to make the game feel both simultaneously more fluid and more grounded in reality.

Experience the Infantry Combat Rework in our Upcoming Playtest

Revamping Squad's infantry combat systems is the first step in our broader initiative to align all gameplay systems with the goals of our original vision for the game. We understand that achieving a truly immersive and cooperative experience requires a holistic approach, addressing various aspects of the game. While focusing on the revamp of infantry combat is crucial, we are committed to thoroughly improving and refining other gameplay systems to ensure they complement the realignment of the game’s direction.

We recognize the importance of not rushing the release of these changes and our top priority is to provide the best possible experience for our community. That's why we are dedicated to conducting extensive public testing and actively gathering feedback from players. This approach allows us to fine-tune the revamped infantry combat systems based on real-world gameplay experiences and ensures that we have the buy-in and support of our community.

This commitment to comprehensive testing and community involvement guarantees that the changes we implement to the infantry combat systems will resonate with players and align with their expectations. Our goal is to deliver a polished and refined experience that not only meets our goals but also exceeds the expectations of our community.

We will be running a series of playtests to thoroughly test the changes and actively involve the community in the process, we can make well-informed decisions about the overall realignment of Squad's gameplay. We highly value the input of our dedicated player base and want to ensure that their voices are heard throughout the development process. Stay tuned for the announcement date of our first playtest very soon!]]> Squad 4.5 Live https://squad-servers.com/blog/1273/squad-45-live/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1273/squad-45-live/ Wed, 24 May 2023 20:01 CEST
Squad 4.5 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://joinsquad.com/2023/05/23/squad-update-v4-5-release-notes/]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/6/3836549485405191388/]URL LINK[/url]]

At ease,]]> SQUAD UPDATE V4.5 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1272/squad-update-v45-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1272/squad-update-v45-release-notes/ Tue, 23 May 2023 19:56 CEST Features
  • M16A2 Rifle
  • BMP-2 (no ATGM)
  • UB-32 Rocket Artillery Emplacement

System & Gameplay Updates

  • Switching to or reloading a coaxial vehicle weapon no longer causes the main gun to unload
  • Commander artillery map markers have been updated to make the danger and corresponding radius of the artillery clearer to players. The actual radius and density of artillery strikes has not changed.

Map markers for artillery now appear in red color instead of yellow
An inner radius will display where artillery rounds have a chance of impacting
An outer radius will display how far away the artillery rounds’ damage radius can extend to




  • AAVP, FV432 RWS, M113 TLAV, and MTLB 6MA APCs no longer require players to equip a crew role in order to use the driver and gunner seats
  • Reduced the respawn timer for the T-62 MBT from 20 minutes to 15 minutes
  • Increased the downward aiming angle of the ZiS3
  • Reduced construction point cost for several fortifications and emplacements:

Conventional Forces

  • HASCO Wall - from 300 to 150
  • HASCO Single - from 100 to 50
  • HASCO Bunker - from 250 to 150
  • HASCO HMG Bunker - from 350 to 200
  • HMG Emplacement - from 200 to 150
  • Indirect Fire Shelter - from 350 to 300
  • Razorwire - from 20 to 15
  • Sandbag Wall - from  40 to 25
  • Sandbag Wall + Firing Ports - from 40 to 25
[/i]
[/list]

Irregular Forces

  • Irregular Wall - from 100 to 60
  • Irregular Sandbag Wall - from 20 to 10
  • Irregular Sandbag Wall + Firing Ports - from 20 to 10

Made adjustments to the inventories of the CAF and BAF engineer roles:

CAF Engineer

  • Changed C7A2 + C79A2 (4 mags) to C8A3 + C79A2 (5 mags)
  • Increased smoke grenades from 2 to 4
  • Increased razor wire from 1 to 2
  • Increased sandbags from 1 to 2

BAF Engineer

  • Changed L85A2 + SUSAT (4 mags) to L85A2 + Elcan (6 mags)
  • Increased smoke grenades from 2 to 4
  • Increased razor wire from 1 to 2
  • Increased sandbags from 1 to 2

  • When you’re part of a fireteam, your Fireteam leader will now have a marker that appears above them (similar to the existing Squad Leader markers)



  • Added a splash screen with server rules that appears when joining a server and added a rules tab to the deployment screen (Enter key by default) that allows players to review rules during a match more easily.
  • The end of the match screen now has Add To Favorite button, so you can add a server as a favorite without leaving the game.



  • Added a “Recently Played” badge to Find Match results and the server browser
  • Added a “Max Ping” filter to the server browser
  • Server cards layout has been updated



  • Added info tooltips for Playstyle and Experience tags in the server browser
  • Empty servers no longer appear when using the Find Match feature
  • Added a visual indication (checkmark) of whether a player has customized their server browser filters or not
  • Added HUD markers to the compass in the tutorial
  • Added sound effects for soldier ragdoll impacts and scraping based on physical surface
  • Added a setting to hide the “player connected” and “player disconnected” messages on the HUDPlayers can now select and copy the game version displayed on the main menu to allow for easier bug reporting

General Bug Fixes

  • Improved the post-processing effect on the main menu
  • Interact widgets now appear as intended even when soldiers are in front of or ragdolled near the item
  • Fixed a bug that awarded teams 80 points for destroying an objective in Insurgency instead of the intended 50
  • Fixed a bug that prevented players inside of vehicles from being killed or ejected from their vehicle while inside a restriction zone
  • Fixed a bug that could cause exploitable visual and gameplay issues when a player entered a vehicle in a certain way
  • Operating the ZiS3 field gun emplacement without aiming down sights no longer causes camera issues
  • Fixed a bug that caused the reload animation for emplacements to break if a user exited an emplacement midway through a reload
  • Fixed an issue that caused smoke launchers to fire more canisters than intended
  • Fixed several visual issues with the US Army soldier uniforms
  • Weapons on the BMP-1 now have the correct switch and reload sounds
  • Using the UAV camera no longer causes soldiers to appear to stutter while moving
  • When joining a faction, the Objective mode pop up will no longer cover up the deployment tutorial
  • Fixed several bugs related to the server browser UI
  • The mute and unmute buttons on the Music Player now behave as intended
  • Added missing Simplified Chinese translations
  • Fixed a bug that prevented icons like the red exclamation mark from appearing alongside relevant notifications
  • Fixed a visual issue FV510 IFV and FV520 CTAS40 IFV left track disappears at a certain range
  • The BAF ammo box visuals now show the NLAW instead of the AT4Fixed gunshot sounds to USMC M16A4 Rifle

Map Updates & Bug Fixes

General
  • Fixed minor visual issues on Al Basrah, Anvil, Black Coast, Harju, Manicouagan, Mutaha, and Narva
Belaya
  • Fixed an issue that allowed players to walk through walls in a certain location
  • Adjusted the sheds at F3-6-4 so that players no longer have to crouch to enter them
Goose Bay
  • Increased the restriction zone size for both teams on Seed v1Gorodok
  • Players can no longer vault through windows with bars on them in certain locations
Manicouagan
  • Players can no longer see and shoot through the floor in a certain spot at the Dam Outlet
Mutaha
  • Increased the restriction zone size for both teams on Seed v1
  • Improved the minimap on Seed v1RGF main base trucks can now resupply as intended on Seed v1
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the T72S from spawning in the MEA main rearm zone on Tanks v1
Yehorivka
  • Fixed a bug that prevented players from falling through the barn roof properly

SDK Updates & Bug Fixes

  • Updated mod SDK to v4.5
]]> Squad V4.5 Arriving on May 24th https://squad-servers.com/blog/1271/squad-v45-arriving-on-may-24th/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1271/squad-v45-arriving-on-may-24th/ Wed, 17 May 2023 20:00 CEST
The update will come with a few noticeable changes on the gameplay side (changes to the loadout of the CAF/BAF combat engineer kits and reduce the building cost of many fortification emplacements), and new filters and features for the Server Browser. In addition, the update will also include bug fixes and quality of life improvements.

Per usual we will publish the full Release Notes for you to check on the day before the launch.

At ease,]]> SQUAD HOTFIX 4.4.1 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1270/squad-hotfix-441-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1270/squad-hotfix-441-release-notes/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 20:00 CEST Bug Fixes
  • Fixed a crash relating to dragging soldiers
  • Fixed a performance issue that caused large FPS drops after opening a pack from the store during a match
  • Fixed a bug that caused the camera to zoom in and out when aiming down sights with the PLA HAT kit (PF98 tandem or high explosive)
  • Fixed a bug that caused the camera to zoom in and out while raising your hands with an Unarmed kit
  • Fixed an issue that caused the driver camera to behave strangely when driving in vehicles with viewports
  • Fixed an issue with the driver’s camera position being misaligned on the following vehicles:
    • BAF LPPV Armored Car
    • CAF TAPV Armored Car
    • CAF LUVA1 Utility Vehicle
  • Fixed an issue where interactions with ammo bags, ammo crates and vehicles were blocked if there were other soldiers next to it

Known Issues

  • When a soldier moves in front of an item with an interact widget (e.g., an ammo crate or a vehicle), the interact widget may disappear and not re-appear until you look away. It is still possible, however, to interact with the item without the interact widget being visible. Players may also encounter issues interacting with items near ragdolled players. We’ll be doing our best to provide a fix to these issues in the next update.
  • When switching weapons on a tank, a reload sound plays although there is no actual reload happening. Make sure to press R to reload. This will be fixed in a future update.

NOTE: We are not updating the mod SDK with this update, although we do still recommend that all v4.3 mods update to SDK v4.4 as v4.3 mods may encounter issues

]]> Squad 4.4 Live https://squad-servers.com/blog/1269/squad-44-live/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1269/squad-44-live/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 20:00 CEST
Squad 4.4 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://joinsquad.com/2023/04/18/squad-update-v4-4-release-notes/]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/6/7155699299712769885/]URL LINK[/url]]

At ease,]]> SQUAD UPDATE V4.4 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1268/squad-update-v44-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1268/squad-update-v44-release-notes/ Tue, 18 Apr 2023 20:02 CEST
We have added four new map layers and updated one existing map layer:

  • Black Coast RAAS v2 - USMC vs IMF (Update)
  • Goose Bay Seed v1 — USMC vs PLA 
  • Manicouagan RAAS v8 — USA vs IMF
  • Manicouagan RAAS v9 — RGF vs IMF
  • Mutaha Tanks v1 — MEA vs PLA

System & Gameplay Updates

  • Full servers with queues will no longer appear while using the quick play feature
  • Added the RKG-3 Anti Tank Grenade to the INS Raider kit role inventory
  • Removed landmines from the BAF and CAF Engineer kit roles
  • Reduced the number of frag grenades in the LAT 02 kit role inventory from two to one for the ADF, BAF, CAF, MEA, RGF, USA, and USMC factions
  • Added a deployable camouflage net to the INS marksman kit role inventory
  • Reduced recoil energy on the PLA ZBD04A IFV main cannon
  • Increased the firing rate of the BM21 Grad Rocket Artillery Truck from 0.5 to 0.25 and the air burst from 1m to 2m
  • Increased FOB bleed out time to 75 seconds and decreased the health required for a FOB to stop bleeding to 50 hp
  • Configured both sides of the IMF Camo Net Wall to be semi-transparent when in very close proximity
  • Swapped the ACOG M2 Tripod/Bunker with a new Iron Sight M2 Tripod/Bunker Emplacement on all CAF and ADF map layers
  • Players no longer suffer a speed penalty when dragging a body
  • The M1937 mortar emplacement is now easier to enter
  • Added an AutoScroll feature to the main menu UI
  • The emote keybind can now be set separately from the zeroing keybind
  • Players can now activate their most recently played emote or gesture by pressing the emote key (vs. holding it to open up the radial menu)
- Increased the max range for HAB disable - HAB spawn disable range has been increased to 90 meters. When players enter the proximity of an enemy HAB, its spawnpoint will become disabled based on the scale of players and range to the enemy HAB:
2 players at 20 meters
3 players at 30 meters
4 players at 40 meters
5 players at 50 meters
6 players at 60 meters
7 players at 70 meters
8 players at 80 meters
9 players at 90 meters
- Standardized faction naming conventions
AUS -> ADF
GB -> BAF
MIL -> IMF
RUS -> RGF
This update will cause any mods that rely on these faction templates to fail until the mod is recooked with the new updates
- Added the Significance Manager* to Squad
*See the bottom of the patch notes for more information
- Made adjustments to Militia kit role inventories
IMF Marksman 01 - Added 1x deployable Infantry Camo Netting
IMF Saboteur 01 - Switched primary weapon to AKS47U with 45rnd banana mag
- Server Tagging - Servers can now be tagged with “Rule Tags”
Rule tags appear on the server preview card and allow server owners to describe the rules that apply to playing on that server. Server owners can learn more about this feature: URL LINK[squad.fandom.com]
- Server Tagging - Added automatic language detection
The game will automatically detect your language based on your Steam settings and apply that to the quick play feature. If you have already changed your language setting in Squad, this will not impact you

General Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a client crash
  • Made several improvements to the performance of the main menu
  • Fixed a bug that could prevent players from reconnecting after being disconnected from a queue
  • Fixed an issue that could cause server tags to appear smaller than intended in the Server Details panel
  • IMF Dirt Crates can no longer be stacked on top of one another
  • Players can no longer build on top of the IMF Observation Tower
  • The IMF Hull Down Fortification can no longer be stacked on top of itself
  • Fixed a bug that caused the IMF Infantry kit role to be able to place 4 camouflage nettings instead of the intended 3
  • Fixed an issue that caused country codes to be translated incorrectly
  • The MT-LB PKT APC is now correctly labelled on layers where it is present
  • Emplacements can no longer be placed inside rocks
  • Fixed an issue that caused the plastic shell of the IED detonator phone to disappear at certain angles
  • Fixed a bug that caused the IMF Modern Technical to appear white instead of camouflaged when wrecked
  • 30-40mm HE rounds now have their intended impact sound effects instead of sounding like grenades
  • The IMF Saboteur kit role description has been corrected to reflect that the role is not equipped with IEDs
  • Fixed a bug that could cause some helicopters to be instantly destroyed upon spawning
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the rearm icon on the driver HUD of the BM21 Grad Rocket Artillery
  • Truck to flash sporadically and not display correctly when rearming
  • Fixed a consistency error relating to tags in the server.cfg
  • The wreck of the Ural ZU23 Anti-Air Truck now appears as intended
  • Fixed a bug that caused the defending team in a match of Insurgency to lose 11 tickets when an objective is destroyed
  • Players on a defending team will now hear the intended voiceover when a point is neutralized
  • Quick play filter settings now save when closing the settings menu with any input
  • The quick play feature will no longer show the server a player is currently connected to
  • Fixed a color distortion that appeared when operating the IMF ZiS3 Field Gun
  • The PLA HAT launcher’s 3rd person equip animation now appears as intended
  • Fixed an issue where the wrapped sleeves on a US Army soldier’s uniform would clip into their arms during certain weapon-holding animations
  • Fixed an issue where the arms of US Army Soldiers would look strange during weapon switch animations 
  • Fixed an issue where textures in the UI could appear corrupted when changing servers
  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to switch teams directly upon starting a server
  • The "Press F to drag soldier" prompt should now always reliably appear when dragging a body is an option

Map Updates & Bug Fixes

General
- Reduced the Mortar limit to 1 per FOB on Chora, Kokan, Logar, and Sumari
- Players now take appropriate fall damage when jumping into the water on flooded map layers
Anvil
- Players can no longer go outside of the drawn map boundary on AAS v2
Belaya
- Fixed an issue that caused players to see an unending loading screen after switching to AAS v2
Fallujah
- Fixed an issue that caused vehicles to explode when driving into a certain area
Goose Bay
- Adjusted the name of a few gameplay layers for consistency
Manicouagan
- Removed the IMF faction’s ability to place the ZIS3 Emplacement on Seed v1
- Made several improvements to the minimap
Mutaha
- The Seed v1 map location has been moved so that the entire match now takes place on the central island with no river crossings in play. This will provide a more streamlined experience for more relaxed play during seeding.
- The ticket legend on Seed v1 has been updated with the correct information regarding seed mode
- Fixed an issue that caused the ground on Sunny lighting layers to appear white in places
Skorpo
- Fixed an issue that caused HAB camo netting to sometimes display the incorrect landscape color for users that disconnect and reconnect to a server
Tallil Outskirts
- Made several optimization improvements
- Updated minimap to show tunnel entrances but not the tunnels themselves
- Fixed an issue where metal beams at the hangar had no projectile collisions and played no VFX when weapons hit by a weapon
- Closed a gap in a wall at I4-7-2

SDK Updates & Bug Fixes

  • Updated mod SDK to v4.4Updated mod versioning to v4.4.
  • This should not cause any incompatibility issues.
  • Fixed an issue where pak files were not being generated properly resulting in all data being chunked into one file

* The Significance Manager provides a framework for us to determine if an object is significant to you. It does this by comparing objects inside of your field of view and ranking them based on criteria we define (such as distance to you). The engine then determines the significance of the objects based on those rules and updates the tick rate of each of those objects. Previously, objects like players or vehicles that were behind you would continue to tick even if you could not see them. Objects that are not in your field of view or have been ranked to have no significance will no longer tick. We’ve already noticed some performance improvements from our current integration and we’ll continue to iterate on this system in future updates. If you want to learn more, you can read Epic’s documentation on the feature here[docs.unrealengine.com].
]]> Squad V4.4 Arriving on April 19th https://squad-servers.com/blog/1267/squad-v44-arriving-on-april-19th/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1267/squad-v44-arriving-on-april-19th/ Wed, 12 Apr 2023 20:11 CEST
It will bring with it a few new map layers, new server tags, and will mainly focus on bug fixes, quality of life improvements,  and optimizations to the game.

Next week we will publish the complete Release Notes for you to check and learn all the latest additions that made it to the game in 4.4]]> SQUAD HOTFIX 4.3.1 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1266/squad-hotfix-431-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1266/squad-hotfix-431-release-notes/ Wed, 29 Mar 2023 20:01 CEST
Squad Hotfix 4.3.1 is now live! It focuses on fixing a few issues that could cause corrupted textures and removes the ability to stack IMG fortifications on top of one another.

Check out all the list of changes below:

General Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue that could cause textures to appear corrupted
  • Fixed an issue where the landscape could appear to have large spikes sticking out of it after a map change
  • Fixed an issue that allowed players to stack some IMF fortifications like Hull Down and Dirt Crate Walls on top of one another
  • Fixed a bug that caused country name abbreviations in server tags to be inappropriately localized
  • Fixed localization on some multi-select menu items
]]> Squad 4.3 Live https://squad-servers.com/blog/1265/squad-43-live/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1265/squad-43-live/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 19:27 CET
Squad 4.3 is coming right now, ready to 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/3654146727506379558]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/6/3818528745006556519/]URL LINK[/url]]

At ease,]]> SQUAD UPDATE V4.3 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1264/squad-update-v43-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1264/squad-update-v43-release-notes/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 19:01 CET Features
Added the “Manicouagan” map. This is a complete remake of our Manic-5 map.

Map Layers
  • Manicouagan AAS v1 - CAF vs RGF
  • Manicouagan AAS v2 - USMC vs RGF
  • Manicouagan AAS v3 - USA vs RGF
  • Manicouagan Invasion v1 - CAF vs RGF (RGF Attacker)
  • Manicouagan Invasion v2 - CAF vs RGF (CAF Attacker)
  • Manicouagan Invasion v3 - USA vs RGF
  • Manicouagan Invasion v4 - USMC vs RGF
  • Manicouagan Invasion v5 - USMC vs RGF (Flooded Map)
  • Manicouagan Invasion v6 - CAF vs PLA
  • Manicouagan Invasion v7 - CAF vs IMF
  • Manicouagan RAAS v1 - CAF vs RGF
  • Manicouagan RAAS v2 - USMC vs RGF
  • Manicouagan RAAS v3 - USA vs RGF
  • Manicouagan RAAS v4 - CAF vs PLA
  • Manicouagan RAAS v5 - USMC vs PLA
  • Manicouagan RAAS v6 - USA vs PLA
  • Manicouagan RAAS v7 - CAF vs IMF
  • Manicouagan Seed v1 - CAF vs IMF
  • Manicouagan Skirmish v1 - CAF vs RGF
  • Manicouagan Skirmish v2 - USMC vs RGF
  • Manicouagan Skirmish v3 - USA vs RGF
Note: This map replaces Manic-5, which will no longer be playable, nor available in the modding SDK

Added two new features, Find Match & Server Tagging.

Server Tagging
Server owners have the ability to tag their servers with the list of tags that we provide. These tags can be used to quickly find a server in the Server Browser. You can filter tags via the updated filter panel. Tags include:
  • Language
  • Game Modes
  • Playstyle
    • Relaxed - Communicate, coordinate, play for fun
    • Focused - Play to objective, play to win
    • Milsim - Tactics and subordination
  • Experience Preference
    • New Player Friendly - Explore the game and learn the ropes
    • Experience Preferred - You are expected to know game mechanics and common server rules
  • Map Rotation type
    • Set Rotation
    • Map Voting - For servers using their own map voting system
Note: Untagged servers will be shown only when you have server browser filters on default (or unfiltered)

Server Browser
In addition to having tags, the server browser also has new tabs that will allow you to quickly hop back on a server that you liked:
  • Favorites tab
  • Recents tab
  • Find Match
You can search for a server by pressing the Find Match button on the main menu screen. There is a Search Preferences menu that will allow you to narrow down the type of server you want to play.
In addition to tags and game modes, search preferences include:

Find Match type
  • Multi-Choice (default) - Will show 3 servers to choose from
  • Automatic - Connects to the first found server
  • Maximum Ping
  • Minimum Players
  • Match Elapsed Time
Additional notes on how Find Match works:
  • Only shows modded servers if you have these mods installed
  • Doesn’t show full servers

Redesigned the Main Menu UI
We are excited to announce a new visual update to our main menu. We revamped the design to be more sleek and modern while making it easier to navigate. The new main menu features a cleaner layout with updated graphics and animations that enhance the user experience. We hope you enjoy our main menu's new look.

Rework of the Militia faction

Role Configurations Highlights:

Command & Support Roles
Squad Leader 01
- AKS-74U + Iron Sight + 45-round magazines
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Squad Leader 02
- M4 + M68 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Squad Leader 03 (Unlocked at Squad Size 2)
- AKS-74 + 1P29 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Squad Leader 04 (Unlocked at Squad Size 3)
- AK74 + GP25 + 1P63 Optic
- 2x 40mm HE Grenades
- 1x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade
Squad Leader 05 (Unlocked at Squad Size 6)
- AK74 + GP25 + 1P78 Optic
- 2x 40mm HE Grenades
Medic 01
- AKS-74U
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Medic 02
- AKS-74 + 1P29 Optic
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenade

Direct Combat Roles
Rifleman 01
- FAL
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 02
- M4
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 03
- AKS-74 + 1P63 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 04
- M4 + M68 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 05
- AKS-74 + 1P78 Optic
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 06
- SKS + PU Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Ambusher 01
- FAL
- 5x Fragmentation Rifle Grenades
- 1x Personal Camouflage Net
Ambusher 02
- M4
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
- 2x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade
- 1x Personal Camouflage Net
Automatic Rifleman 01
- Minimi + No Tracers
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenade

Fire Support Roles
Infiltrator 01
- AKS-74U + 45-round magazines
- Vz 61 Skorpion
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
- 4x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade
Automatic Rifleman 02
- RPK-74 + 1P78 Optic + No Tracers
Grenadier 01
- M4
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
- 5x RPG-7 Fragmentation
Grenadier 02
- AK74 + GP25
- 10x 40mm HE Grenades
LAT 01
- FAL
- 5x HEAT Rifle Grenades
LAT 02
- AKS-74 + 1P29 Optic
- 2x RPG-7 HEAT
- 2x RPG-7 Fragmentation
Marksman 01
- SVD
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenade

Specialist Roles
Machine Gunner 01
- PKM + 1P29 Optic + No Tracers
HAT 01
- AKS-74U
- 2x RPG-7 Tandem HEAT
- 2x RPG-7 Fragmentation
HAT 02
- FAL
- 2x RPG29 Tandem HEAT
Saboteur 01
- AKS-74U
- 3x Timed Explosives
- 3x TM62 Anti-Tank Mines
- No IED

New & Updated Weapons

FAL Rifle Grenades
The militia can now make use of rifle grenades for their FAL rifles. There are fragmentation & HEAT rifle grenades available depending on which role is used. Due to a limited effective range, these warheads will pack a slightly bigger punch than the underslung grenade launcher rounds from other factions.

RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenades
A blast from the past, the RKG-3 anti-tank grenades have returned to the game. After being thrown into the air, the RKG-3 will deploy a parachute to orient itself downwards to damage vehicles it makes contact with (it will not do splash damage to vehicles). The grenade will have limited effectiveness against infantry and is currently unable to damage vehicle components (ex: engine, tracks, ammo rack - this is a known issue).

AK Series Reload Animations
Militia has received a new set of reload animations for their AK series (AK-74, AKM, etc) weapon which will give them a slight decrease to the reload speed of these weapons. A tactical reload (still ammunition in the current magazine) will see the current magazine quickly swapped out with a new one that’s already in-hand, while the dry reload (no ammunition in the current magazine) will depict what’s colloquially known as an ‘Iraqi reload’. These new animations will also apply to the Insurgent faction but conventional factions using AK series weapons will continue to use the original reload animations.

AK Series Iron Sight Picture
In addition to the new reload animations, we’ve also adjusted the sight picture on the AK74, AKM, SKS, AKS74U, Mosin, PKM, PKP and PPSH using iron sights to prevent the weapon from being skewed. This also moves the iron sight’s sight picture closer to being more authentic although we feel we’ve struck the right balance between looking realistic (which when done so with 100% realism, many players find difficult to use) and usable.

New & Updated Vehicles

BM-21 “Grad” Rocket Artillery Truck
The BM-21 “Grad” is the first MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) to be added to the game, and arguably the first true self-propelled artillery vehicle that we have added. It fires powerful 122mm rockets with a minimum arming distance of 100 meters, has a minimum firing distance of 900 meters, a maximum firing distance of 1500 meters on even ground, and will only be present on larger maps within the game.

Due to its limited effectiveness at shorter ranges, getting the most bang for your buck out of this weapon system will involve closely communicating and coordinating with spotters to ensure that you are hitting an area populated with relevant targets, and that your rockets are landing on target. It will be used most effectively against mass concentrations of infantry in the open, enemy FOBs, or static light to medium vehicles

Armored Ural & Technical
The militia will be receiving several variants of an improvised, up-armored Ural 375, as well as modern pickup trucks. The idea behind these vehicles was to offer a bit more protection to the light vehicles of militia since their overall vehicle line-up is lacking compared to more conventional factions. Hastily-welded steel sheets will protect some of the vehicle’s occupants from small-arms fire although larger caliber ammunition will still pass through.

The up-armored vehicles will provide limited survivability to occupants when inadvertently running into enemy infantry. The up-armored technicals will still be served best by ambushing enemies or used in defensive positions that offer maximum protection. The armored Urals will provide slightly more reliable transport and logistical support for the militia, as they will rely on supplies for their defensive specialization, and doubly-so as they continue to lack helicopter support.

  • Armored Ural 375 Transport
  • Armored Ural 375 Logi
  • Armored Technical Transport
  • Armored Technical Logi
  • Armored Technical M2
  • Armored Technical SPG-9
  • Armored Technical DSHK

BMP-1 & SPG-9 Update
With 4.3 we’ve adjusted the minimum arming distance and recoil impulse of the BMP-1’s 2A28 “Grom” main cannon and the SPG-9 recoilless rifle. The arming distance has been reduced from 35 meters to 6 meters and recoil impulse has been lessened, these changes should make these weapons more effective in combat in addition to bringing their values more in line with authenticity.

New Flag & Voicelines
Militia will now have a new flag and updated character voice lines.

New Vehicle Camouflage
Militia vehicles have received a new coat of paint as we’ve updated their camouflage pattern to be something a bit more realistic looking!

New Emplacement

ZIS-3 Field Gun
The ZIS-3 field gun is the first of its kind to be added to the game. It is a weapon emplacement, with up to two being able to be constructed within Irregular Militia Forces FOBs. It will have fragmentation, HEAT, and smoke ammunition types available so will be effective against both infantry and vehicles at long range but be cautious as prolonged use will sap a FOB of ammunition supply.

The ZIS-3 will best be employed in ambush positions, covering choke points or used in positions with long lines of sight where the threat of return fire will reduce the likelihood of quickly incapacitating the operator. This weapon is a relic of world war 2 and as such its HEAT ammunition lacks the armor penetration capabilities of modern weapons (only 120mm of armor penetration) but will still need to be taken advantage of in order to offset the Irregular Militia Forces’ lack of conventional heavy vehicles.

New Fortifications

Dirt-Filled Ammo Boxes
Militia will receive a lineup of new defensive fortifications crafted out of dirt-filled ammo boxes in the new update. These will be their basic building blocks for defensive positions. In addition to these, militia will still have access to log walls and sandbags.

Tank Traps (Hedgehogs)
Tank Traps are cheap and quick-to-build fortifications that can be used to block off roads, bridges, or choke points in order to set up an ambush on vehicles. Vehicle occupants will have to dismount and deal with tank traps in order to clear the path so it will be ideal to lay these in locations where militia can ambush the vehicle or its dismounts otherwise these will only be a marginal nuisance.

Hull-down Position
The hull-down position is a fortification whose primary intent is to offer additional frontal and side armor protection for armored vehicles such as the BMP-1 or T-62 on even ground. Up to two can be built per FOB and will allow the militia’s older-generation armored vehicles to contend against their better conventional counterparts.

Camouflage Netting
As part of the update, the Irregular Militia Forces will get access to several new camouflage net fortifications. The lean-to, wall, and canopy will provide multiple opportunities for concealing not only infantry fighting positions but the canopy in particular is large enough to conceal vehicles, HABs, hull-down positions, or can just be used as a decoy position to confuse enemy UAVs.

The camouflage netting fortifications will help the militia both set up ambush positions at critical choke points or simply enhance a larger defensive position.

System & Gameplay Updates

  • Made further visual improvements to the US Army soldiers
  • Configured multiple vehicles to eject players from open seats when in deep water
  • Retextured medium and large ammo crates
  • Rebalanced machine gun mag counts to overall increase the amount of ammo carried by AR / MG kit roles
  • Removed Ticket Bleed from RAAS layers on all flags except when all flags have been captured (which still has -60 tickets per minute mercy bleed)
  • SQ-17206 - Removed -10 ticket loss when a flag is lost for the AAS, RAAS and Skirmish game modes
  • In Seed mode, flags now only require 1 player to capture
  • Made improvements to two-handed gesture animations
  • Added idle animations for the Preview and Customize screen soldier
  • Made improvements to the camera animation on the PLA ZSL10 Wheeled APC open-top turret
  • Added desert camo for the QJZ89 Remote Weapon Station

General Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a client crash related to SQVehicleWeaponTOW
  • Fixed a client crash related to USQEmotePlayer::OnEmoteEnded
  • Fixed a client crash related to ScriptCore.cpp
  • Fixed a client ensure issue related to RetractBipod
  • Fixed several visual issues with the shop and customize screens
  • Fixed multiple minor visual issues related to clipping while emoting or gesturing
  • Fixed an issue that could cause 2-handed gestures not to work correctly on certain layers
  • Fixed an issue that could allow players to use squad leader specific gestures while dragging bodies
  • Fixed an issue where a player could find themselves unable to lean and ADS if a third person emote is triggered during the transition from prone to standing
  • Fixed an issue where players could appear to hold items like their weapons while using the facepalm emote
  • Fixed an issue where users could not use the applause gesture with the decoy rock item equipped
  • Fixed an alignment issue with rocket launcher animations
  • Fixed an issue that caused the ASLAV APC to have no engine sound at max revs
  • Fixed several landscape performance issues including landscape breathing
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the icon for the SPG-9 emplacement from appearing after it had been built
  • Fixed an issue where players could become invincible if entering the admin camera while within the main base
  • Fixed an issue that caused the barrel of the C7A2 M203A1 to disappear in third person when switching to any grenade ammunition type
  • Fixed an issue that caused the barrels of the C9A2 LMGs to be invisible in third person
  • Corrected incorrect Chinese text on the PF98 HAT Launcher’s laser rangefinder
  • Fixed an issue that caused bullet tracers to spawn from a soldier's chest instead of their weapon barrel
  • Fixed a collision issue with the LAV2 Coyote
  • Fixed an issue that could cause water splash SFX to be inconsistent across multiple players
  • Fixed several issues related to the graphics settings display
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the icon for ammo crates from appearing when another player is too close to it
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with the BRDM-2 Spandrel
  • Fixed an issue that caused the M38 DMR’s optic to be invisible in third person
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the turret for the M2A3 IFV woodland variant to swap to a desert texture when the vehicle is destroyed
  • Fixed an issue that caused the ironsights of the AUS EF88 Rifle to be invisible in third person
  • Fixed an issue where spawn screen layer names could block interaction with spawn points in rare circumstances
  • Fixed an issue that caused a character model to appear shiny and warped
  • Fixed an issue with the voiceover for objectives becoming neutral
  • Fixed minor visual inconsistencies between first and third person sleeves for certain US Army kit roles
  • Fixed an issue that caused the first person weapon reloading animation to become desynced when using freelook
  • Updated the weapon selection order of the ZTZ99A MBT to the standard set used by other vehicles
  • Fixed several incorrect tooltips for open-top turret weapons
  • Fixed an issue that caused the FV520 CTAS40 IFV vehicle to be incorrectly labeled as “FV520 WCSP IFV” on the interact popup
Map Updates & Bug Fixes

Al Basrah
- Fixed a pair of minor visual issues
Anvil
- Fixed a lighting issue on AAS v2
Black Coast
- Fixed several minor visual issues
- Fixed an issue that could cause the UH60 to explode upon spawning on the Essex
- Fixed several visual issues with the Subpen
- Fixed an issue where players could fall through invisible holes under the sub launch bays in the Subpen
- Fixed an issue that caused Client Log spam when the radial menu was opened and closed
Chora
- Fixed a visual issue that could cause gaps in the wall to form
Fallujah
- Fixed multiple minor visual issues
Goose Bay
- Fixed a landscape issue that could cause players and vehicles to become stuck in a lake on the Western side of the map
- Fixed several minor visual issues
- Fixed an issue that allowed a radio to be placed in an unreachable spot at the Refinery
- Fixed an issue that could allow players to shoot below fences
Gorodok
- Fixed an issue that caused some PLA vehicles to not appear inside the main base rearm zone on RAAS v12
Harju
- Fixed a minor visual issue relating to roads
- Fixed an issue that caused some RGF vehicles to not appear inside the main base rearm zone on RAAS v5
Pacific Proving Grounds
- Fixed an issue on v2 where USMC had four LAV25 ARVs instead of the listed two
Yehorivka
- Moved an incorrectly placed ammo crate on RAAS v10
- Fixed an issue that could cause players to spawn on the roof when having the RUS main spawn selected on TC v3

SDK Updates & Bug Fixes
  • Updated mod SDK to v4.3
  • Updated mod versioning to v4.3. This requires mods to be re-cooked with the v4.3 SDK—any mods using the v4.2 SDK will be incompatible with v4.3.
  • Fixed an issue where players could become invincible if entering the admin camera while within the main base
]]> Manicouagan Map Spotlight https://squad-servers.com/blog/1263/manicouagan-map-spotlight/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1263/manicouagan-map-spotlight/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 00:09 CET
Lore: After making a successful amphibious landing at Goose Bay in Labrador, Canada, opposition forces have pushed south along the 389 Highway into Quebec and seized the Daniel-Johnson hydroelectric dam and the surrounding area. This has crippled the power infrastructure of the northeastern United States and prompted counter-attacks from US and Canadian forces. After a lull in the fighting, US and Canadian forces are making a final attempt to retake the dam.

Manic-5 was originally an experimental map that played around the ideas of creating more linear flow within the game space, as well as experimenting with drastic changes in elevation. And although the most positive element of the map was probably the novelty at how the map felt different from other maps in the game, Manic-5 suffered from numerous design problems such as:

  • Poorly flowing paths between points of interest (POIs)
  • Linear pathing didn’t feel as good as having the freedom to choose an approach to an objective
  • The drastic changes in elevations tied up potential gameplay area, made traversal tedious and time consuming, as well as created overly powerful overwatch positions which could control large areas of the map

Rework Goals

When beginning the rework of the map, the two priorities were to retain elements of the original map and to bring the design more in line with the most enjoyed Squad maps (such as Yehorivka and Gorodok), in particular the concept of allowing players to have freedom when it comes to choosing how to approach an objective or POI.

The first major step in the rework was to clamp how drastic the changes in elevations were. Overall the elevation changes on Manicouagan are roughly 60% of what they were in the original map. This step enabled resculpting of the terrain to allow much better flow between adjacent POIs, open up more area of the map for gameplay, and limit how powerful elevated overwatch positions could be. In order to preserve some of the original spirit of the map, there are still relatively significant changes in elevations, but care has been taken to craft these more carefully to avoid or mitigate the issues we saw in the original. The Daniel-Johnson dam remains on the map but it too was shrunk to about 70% of its original size, and efforts have been made to mitigate it from being used as an overwatch position over the valley below.

Dam - Manic-5


Dam - Manicouagan


After the elevation was reduced, the density and distribution of POIs was pre-planned to improve the balance between having a good variety when random POIs are selected on a game mode like Random Advance and Secure (RAAS), while keeping the distances between points roughly fair and usable for more symmetrical game modes like Advance and Secure or Skirmish. And although lots of new POIs have been created for Manicouagan, many of the originals still exist in some form, although their position or composition may have changed. In general, most of the POIs on Manicouagan will have multiple numbers and types of approaches, these generally fall into three categories:

  • Open approach - suited for vehicles or high-risk & high-reward tactics
  • Covered approach - suited for infantry leap-frogging from cover to cover
  • Concealed approach -  suited for a disciplined squad to have a chance at sneaking onto the objective before being noticed

Another large part of the Manicouagan rework was to integrate amphibious water systems into the map. The reservoir behind the dam and the rivers that cut through the map have been updated with deeper water. These will provide opportunities for amphibious-capable factions to flank and approach enemy positions from unsuspected directions. Factions that lack amphibious capabilities (such as the US Army or  Canadian Armed Forces) will be limited to making use of the bridges and shallows that form crossing points for their ground assets. In order to prevent factions without amphibious capability from being too punished or bottlenecked at crossing points, the main rivers on the map will be shallower towards the edges of the map to ensure they still retain freedom to access most parts of the map and the coloration of the water on the minimap will reflect this.

Thanks for reading, we’re excited for you to experience the new version of the map and here are a few extra shots of the before and after rework!

Antenna - Manic-5


Antenna - Manicouagan


Firebase Mississauga - Manic-5


Firebase Borris - Manicouagan
]]> Irregular Militia Forces Spotlight https://squad-servers.com/blog/1262/irregular-militia-forces-spotlight/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1262/irregular-militia-forces-spotlight/ Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:58 CET This is not an exhaustive list and we will communicate all the changes in the Release Notes!

The Irregular Militia Forces faction is getting an overhaul to bring them more up to par with the other factions in the game. We’ve long felt that the militia were the weakest faction compared to the rest and have been looking forward to bringing them on par with our latest factions. We’ve updated them in a way that also leans into the concept of creating more unique-feeling factions.

Eventually we want each faction to have a unique feel, strengths, and weaknesses, leaning into asymmetrical design. For militia our changes have focused around making them more ambush and entrenchment/defensive focused, as well as improving the quality of their infantry since their vehicle line-up still leaves a lot to be desired when compared to conventional factions.

Faction strengths: The faction will excel at rapid mobility, ambushing, entrenchment (ie. defensive positions), and mobile artillery. These strengths will be emphasized by teams who use higher degrees of coordination and communication.

Faction weaknesses: The faction suffers from a weaker line-up of vehicles, especially having no helicopters and older-generation infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks. In addition to this they also have weaker command strike abilities compared to conventional factions.

NEW ROLES

Ambusher



The ambusher is a special role that only the irregular militia forces will have access to. As their name implies, they are expected to lay ambush positions enabling their squad to launch surprise attacks on passing enemy infantry or vehicles, or to provide concealed camouflage positions as part of a larger defensive effort. Having only weapons with iron sights and limited ammunition will mean that they will need to rely on the rest of their squad to help them clean up targets that aren’t taken out in the initial ambush.

You will find them in the ‘direct combat’ roles category. They will make use of a deployable personal camouflage net that will conceal one soldier lying prone on even ground. You will have access to two loadout variants available, one with fragmentation rifle grenades, and one with short-range anti-vehicle hand grenades. These weapons are more difficult to use than their conventional equivalents.

  • Ambusher 01
    • FAL
    • 5x Fragmentation Rifle Grenades
    • 1x Personal Camouflage Net
  • Ambusher 02
    • M4
    • 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
    • 2x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade
    • 1x Personal Camouflage Net

Infiltrator



The infiltrator is a close-quarters focused role versatile against infantry and vehicle that will best serve their squad by being present during the opening moments of a close-range ambush or by maneuvering under cover fire to enemies hunkered down in hardpoint positions such as buildings or bunkers, letting their grenades loose and being on point for clearing them out.

They are available in the ‘fire support’ role category and will be of limited use at long range. Similar to the ‘raider’ role of the insurgents faction, they make use of a high-capacity, short-range primary weapon (AKS-74U with 45-round magazines) and fragmentation grenades. In addition to this they also carry a machine pistol as a secondary weapon, and RKG-3 anti-tank grenades.

  • Infiltrator
    • AKS-74U + 45-round magazines
    • Vz 61 Skorpion
    • 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
    • 4x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade

NEW VEHICLES

BM-21 “Grad” Rocket Artillery Truck



The BM-21 “Grad” is the first MLRS (multiple launcher rocket system) to be added to the game, and arguably the first true self-propelled artillery vehicle that we have added. It fires powerful 122mm rockets with a minimum arming distance of 100 meters, has a minimum firing distance of 900 meters, a maximum firing distance of 1500 meters on even ground, and will only be present on larger maps within the game.

Due to its limited effectiveness at shorter ranges, getting the most bang for your buck out of this weapon system will involve closely communicating and coordinating with spotters to ensure that you are hitting an area populated with relevant targets, and that your rockets are landing on target. It will be used most effectively against mass concentrations of infantry in the open, enemy FOBs, or static light to medium vehicles.

Armored Ural & Technical 



The militia will be receiving several variants of an improvised, up-armored Ural 375, as well as the modern pickup truck. The idea behind these vehicles was to offer a bit more protection to the light vehicles of militia since their overall vehicle line-up is lacking compared to more conventional factions. Hastily-welded steel sheets will protect some of the vehicle’s occupants from small-arms fire although larger caliber ammunition will still pass through.

The up-armored vehicles will provide limited survivability to occupants when inadvertently running into enemy infantry. The up-armored technicals will still be served best by ambushing enemies or used in defensive positions that offer maximum protection. The armored Urals will provide slightly more reliable transport and logistical support for the militia, as they will rely on supplies for their defensive specialization, and doubly-so as they continue to lack helicopter support

NEW EMPLACEMENT

ZIS-3 Field Gun



The ZIS-3 field gun is the first of its kind to be added to the game. It is a weapon emplacement, with up to two being able to be constructed within Irregular Militia Forces FOBs. It will have fragmentation, HEAT, and smoke ammunition types available so will be effective against both infantry and vehicles at long range but be cautious as prolonged use will sap a FOB of ammunition supply.

The ZIS-3 will best be employed in ambush positions, covering choke points or used in positions with long lines of sight where the threat of return fire will reduce the likelihood of quickly incapacitating the operator. This weapon is a relic of world war 2 and as such its HEAT ammunition lacks the armor penetration capabilities of modern weapons but will still need to be taken advantage of in order to offset the Irregular Militia Forces’ lack of conventional heavy vehicles.

NEW FORTIFICATIONS

Camouflage Netting



As part of the update, the Irregular Militia Forces will get access to several new camouflage net fortifications. The lean-to, wall, and canopy will provide multiple opportunities for concealing not only infantry fighting positions but the canopy in particular is large enough to conceal vehicles, HABs, hull-down positions, or can just be used as a decoy position to confuse enemy UAVs.

The camouflage netting fortifications will help the militia both set up ambush positions at critical choke points or simply enhance a larger defensive position.

Hull-down Position

The hull-down position is a fortification whose primary intent is to offer additional frontal and side armor protection for armored vehicles such as the BMP-1 or T-62 on even ground. Up to two can be built per FOB and will allow the militia’s older-generation armored vehicles to contend against their better conventional counterparts.]]> Squad 4.3 arrives on the 15th of March! https://squad-servers.com/blog/1261/squad-43-arrives-on-the-15th-of-march/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1261/squad-43-arrives-on-the-15th-of-march/ Wed, 08 Mar 2023 22:14 CET
Update Squad 4.3 will be here soon on the 15th of March!

It will bring with it a massive rework for the Irregular Militia Forces, the Manicouagan new map (a complete remake of Manic-5), a new Quick Play feature and many more bug fixes, improvements, and optimizations to the game. Keep an eye out for more details coming soon!

Next week we will publish the complete Release Notes for you to check and learn all the latest additions that made it to the game in 4.3.

At ease,
]]> Squad 4.2 is live https://squad-servers.com/blog/1260/squad-42-is-live/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1260/squad-42-is-live/ Wed, 08 Feb 2023 20:01 CET
Squad 4.2 is now live and ready to be downloaded! For all the details about the new content and fixes, head to our Release Notes[joinsquad.com].

We would love to hear your thoughts on the update and get feedback on any new issues you might encounter, so please share with us directly in our Technical Issues Report thread in the forums. 

At ease,]]> Unreal Engine Upgrade 4.27 https://squad-servers.com/blog/1259/unreal-engine-upgrade-427/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1259/unreal-engine-upgrade-427/ Tue, 07 Feb 2023 23:01 CET
In addition to bug fixes and cool new content that will be part of this week’s release, update 4.2 also includes an Engine Upgrade. This update is a technical back-end improvement that may not add flashy content to the in-game experience, but is an integral part of us continuing to upgrade Squad and ensure that it has a lot of longevity to come. It will also help to better support us in all of the exciting content plans we have for 2023. 

We’ll be keeping a close eye on how this engine upgrade impacts performance, and thank you all in advance for any bug reports you send our way. We will add a dedicated forum thread for reporting issues directly related to the engine upgrade.

For those of you that are interested in all of the technical nitty-gritty, we’ve got a great breakdown of the engine upgrade below! For those of you that are less inclined to keep reading, just be on the lookout for anything you wish to report - performance edge cases or new bugs, we want to be aware of all of it. Thank you for partnering with us in the continued quest to make Squad better!

---------------------------------------

What is an engine upgrade?

Squad is built using Epic’s Unreal Engine. In this blog we’ll use the term Unreal Engine or UE here to refer to both UE4 and UE5. UE5 is an evolution of the development line of UE4, not a separate development started from scratch.

Squad’s origins are closely tied to UE4. Squad started development on one of the first versions in 2014, and released on Steam with version 4.10 in 2015.

Since then Epic has released 20 major updates to the Engine, and Squad has been following. Often multiple engine releases were combined in one update, leading to a total of 6 engine upgrades since launch. Engine upgrades are often a major effort, especially for a large game like Squad, since existing game functionality will need to be adapted to changed engine functionality.

Why upgrade the engine?

It is possible to get engine improvements into the game without updating the engine. We can bring individual fixes from new engine versions into an older version (merging), which we frequently do for crash fixes for example, or we can even start developing the engine independently from Epic. The former becomes harder the further behind we are in engine versions, as changes pile up on top of each other. The latter would prevent us from benefiting from the work all the talented people at Epic do.

We decide, whether to update the engine, based on a number of factors

  • How meaningful the improvements of the new engine version are for Squad
  • The time we have to invest into upgrading the engine
  • How much complexity we remove by reducing the number changes we have back-ported from newer engine versions
  • What benefits are we getting from 3rd party plugins, which are only available for the latest engine versions

Improvements in the engine could be better performance, better visuals, supporting new features, as well as new tools and workflows to support the development.

Does it give better performance?

In the early days of the engine, there weren’t any large-scale multiplayer games like Squad on UE, and the requirements of this type of game weren’t well supported. Squad launched with a maximum player count of 40 per server. Successive updates to the engine, especially during the “Fortnite period”, enabled a much larger scale for the game, but in turn usually required us to remove some of our own optimizations, in favor of using the engine’s way of making the game run better. That’s why an initial release of Squad on a new engine version often didn’t significantly increase performance, but the following updates did, as we were able to gather more information on shifting bottlenecks and used the new tools to their full potential. Engine upgrades enable us to make the game run better, or to maintain performance while we’re increasing the scale and features available.

DirectX 12

From a technical perspective the most impactful change we made in this update is in the graphics API. While UE4 has supported Direct3D 12 (the graphics API part of DirectX 12) for years, in the past the disadvantages outweigh the benefits of using the low level API in Squad. With UE 4.27 we found that DirectX 12 is now ready for Squad and enabled it as the default graphics API. Direct3D 12 brings huge gains in rendering scenes with lots of objects, as it allows the necessary CPU work to be better distributed. This has the potential to create new bottlenecks, with buffers getting flooded with the sheer amount of data available and the frame rate potentially being less stable.

In the past months we spent a lot of time on overcoming issues like this. We expect that DirectX 12 will be the best choice for almost all Squad players, but since there are countless possible system configurations we can’t know for sure and included the option to switch back to DirectX11 in the main menu. If you experience issues, please give it a try and send us feedback. DirectX 12 also allows support for advanced temporal upsampling algorithms.

AMD FSR 2

We have integrated AMD FSR version 2.1.2, which is the latest version available for Unreal Engine. FSR 2 is an open-source temporal upsampler. Based on information in the current and previous frame, as well as information passed in from the game, like how the camera is moving, it can calculate more detail into images than has been rendered. This allows to render games in a lower resolution than the native monitor resolution and then upsample the image to the native resolution, without a significant loss in image quality.

This upsampling process takes far less time and memory on the GPU, then rendering the image natively at that resolution would take. In short, using FSR gives better performance in scenarios where you are GPU-bottlenecked. There are also temporal upsampling solutions from Nvidia and Intel, which we’re evaluating. For this release we decided to ship with FSR 2 only, as it is supported on all GPUs and as an open-source solution was easy to integrate.

What else can we expect from UE 4.27?

The focus of the engine upgrade has been performance. Depending on your individual system, it is possible to get double the frame rate, or more, in some scenes compared to previous versions. The gains will be more limited or non-existing when there are lots of moving objects, like other players, vehicles and projectiles around you. That is because all the necessary updates your client computes and you receive from the server will start taking up more time than the rendering of the scene. Squad is making heavy use of distance and visibility based optimizations, to reduce how many times objects are updated. The engine comes with advanced methods to help determine what information is most relevant to you at any given time and focus on updating what really matters to you. We are now working on transitioning some of our optimizations to these advanced methods, to unlock better performance in situations, which are full of action.

A difference that will be immediately visible is the new water, which was possible to create thanks to better support by the engine for the features required to render it. The new engine version also comes with many bug and crash fixes, as well as tools and workflow improvements. Over time these will enable us to rework existing features and content in Squad for better performance or visuals. In total there are tens of thousands of engine changes between UE 4.23 and 4.27. Some of these changes will bring new bugs, many of which we have found and fixed, but there will be others which we haven’t. As always, please report any new bugs you encounter in discord.

Why not upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 instead?

Unreal Engine 4.27 is generally considered a very stable and mature release, as many of the more ambitious and experimental changes to the engine were developed for UE5. Taking this intermediate step allows us to gather information on the state of the game with this version, making it easier to pinpoint the root cause of any issues we may face in a future engine upgrade. If an issue doesn’t appear on UE4.27, but it does on UE5, we can look at the changes between those versions. If we try to jump a lot of engine versions at the same time, this becomes much harder due to the accumulation and stacking of changes.]]> SQUAD UPDATE V4.2 RELEASE NOTES https://squad-servers.com/blog/1258/squad-update-v42-release-notes/ https://squad-servers.com/blog/1258/squad-update-v42-release-notes/ Tue, 07 Feb 2023 20:01 CET
Update Squad 4.2 will include and focus on the upgrade of the game engine to Unreal v4.27, improvements to the visuals of the US Army faction (new uniforms & character models), a new map layer (Mutaha Seed v1, USMC vs RUS), new emotes introduced to the game and many more bug fixes, improvements, and optimizations to the game.

Check out the full detailed list of new features and changes down bellow.

System & Gameplay Updates

  • Upgraded game engine to Unreal v4.27
    • Added DX12 as the default graphics API
    • You can still opt to use DX11 by selecting it in the Settings menu
    • Added support for FSR2 upscaling
  • Reimplemented and updated the Graphics Benchmark tool
    • Clicking the "Defaults" button on the Graphics Settings Menu will run a benchmark test on both your CPU and GPU and automatically apply recommended graphics settings once complete. As there have been some changes and optimizations to the graphics settings as part of the engine upgrade, we strongly recommend running this benchmark once you have updated Squad.
  • Increased HAB spawn activation delay from 20 to 30 seconds
  • Added a new map layer, Mutaha Seed v1 (USMC vs RUS)
  • Increased PLA ZSL10 APC cupola gunner mags from two to ten
  • Made improvements to the visuals of the US Army faction, including:
    • New and improved uniforms, including a new forest camo variant
    • New and improved character models
    • A complete remodel of the M17 MHS Pistol
    • Updated ammo boxes and equipment

Features

  • Added a new feature, Emotes
    • Access the emotes radial menu in-game by holding the “X” key (Learn more about emotes: LINK[joinsquad.com])

General Bug Fixes

  • Fixed a server crash that could occur in EOSServerSubsystem when kicking players - This fix addresses the main issue with modded layers and those should now work
  • Fixed a rare issue that could cause a user to disconnect from a server while pushing a helicopter from the rear
  • Fixed an issue that could cause servers to hitch on ensures, causing player disconnects
  • Fixed a long-standing issue where enemy zones could become impossible to capture after placing a friendly HAB inside of the area in Territory Control
  • Fixed an issue that caused modern technical vehicles to accelerate extremely fast after backing up into the water
  • Fixed an issue that caused the engine sounds for several vehicles to be quieter and harder to hear from afar than intended
  • Fixed an issue that caused the aim down sights animation for rocket launchers and binoculars to not appear to other players Removed unnecessary notifications in the tutorial
  • Fixed a bug that caused frag grenades not to play SFX or VFX on concrete
  • Fixed an issue where the GB FV432 APC’s engine could not be destroyed with weapons
  • Fixed a minor visual issue that could occur while aiming down sights in the AUS Mag58 Jeep
  • Fixed a minor visual bug with the PLA ZBD04A’s turret
  • Made several improvements to the appearance of the PLA ZTZ99A MBT
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the rangefinder of the PLA PF98 launcher from displaying properly in local training mode
  • Fixed an issue that caused the PLA QJY88 RHIB to cost five tickets instead of one
  • Fixed an issue that caused the PLA QLG10 grenade launcher to cost ten ammo instead of seven
  • Adjusted several PLA weapon and vehicle names for accuracy
  • Corrected the item description for the PLA QBU88 marksman rifle
  • Fixed a bug that caused the PLA LAT kit role to display rifles incorrectly
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the wrecks of PLA ZSL10, ZBL08, and ZBD04A vehicles from sinking
  • Fixed an issue that prevented environmental effects (sand, snow, mud) from appearing on PLA soldier uniforms
  • Fixed a bug that allowed the driver of the PLA ZBL08 IFV and ZSL10 APC to be killed by explosive rounds hitting the vehicle’s front side
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the front water shield of PLA ZBL08, ZSL10, and ZBD04A vehicles from successfully deploying in the water
  • Adjusted the PLA ZBD04A IFV’s weapon loadout to follow the standards set by other vehicles in the game
  • Adjusted the order of the BTR80 Woodland APC’s gunner weapon selection
  • Fixed a missing ammo rack component on the PLA ZBL08 HJ73C desert variant
  • Improved animations on the PLA ZSL10 APC when interacting with the open-top turret
  • Fixed a visual issue with the turret of the PLA ZTZ99A MBT vehicle
  • Fixed an issue with the reticle on the T72B3 MBT’s turret
  • Fixed several issues relating to vehicle icons appearing incorrectly
  • Fixed several visual issues with Insurgent soldier models
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the medic role to appear as available when there are already two medics in the squad

Map Updates & Bug Fixes

  • Black Coast
    • Minor visual fixes
  • Chora
    • Minor visual fixes
  • Fallujah
    • Fixed an issue where a weapon cache would spawn floating in the air on Insurgency v1
    • Fixed an issue that caused water splash VFX to display inappropriately while shooting inside tunnels
  • Gorodok
    • Added obstruction to an exploitable spot for radio placement
    • Minor visual fixes
  • Harju
    • Fixed an issue where defender and attack staging zone text was incorrect on Invasion v5
    • Added new loading screen music
  • Kohat
    • Updated the minimap
    • Fixed an issue where PLA players were mistakenly able to build the HJ8 ATGM
  • Lashkar
    • Fixed a bug that allowed PLA SLs to use the buddy rally feature and the commander to use CO abilities near vehicles on Invasion v4
  • Narva
    • Fixed an issue where PLA had four logis and no transport truck on RAAS v6
  • Pacific Proving Grounds
    • Fixed an issue that caused the vehicle list on v2 (PLA vs USMC) not to appear
  • Skorpo
    • Fixed an issue where helicopters crashed into the water would not respawn
    • Fixed an issue with the minimap on RAAS v2 and v3
    • Fixed an issue that caused a player to hit an unintended obstacle while running in the trench at M8-2-7
    • Minor visual fixes
  • Sumari
    • Fixed an issue that could cause the map to appear washed out, negatively impacting performance


SDK Updates & Bug Fixes


  • Updated mod SDK to v4.2
  • Updated mod versioning to v4.2. This requires mods to be re-cooked with the v4.2 SDK — any mods using the v4.0 SDK will be incompatible with v4.2


Known Issues


  • Depending on the specific hardware setup, some players may experience frame rate stutters during gameplay - most notably while aiming down sights. If this happens to you, please switch to DX11 in the Graphics Settings Menu, restart the game, and try again.


NOTE: With this update, we have forced a cache clear (reset of game options) due to changes and optimizations to the graphics settings as part of the engine upgrade. There are new options to explore, so go check them out! Additionally, remember that you can use the "saved keybind preset" feature to load your old keybinds if you’d like.
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