***Official Squad Thread***

[Xcept1]

Al Basrah/Narva 9.6 performance playtest incoming. If you are available to play in 30 minutes, 16UTC until 18UTC and are able to download the 2GB patch in time, then please be welcomed to join our open playtest!

Beta branch password: thisisnarvfefe (steam -> squad properties -> betas tab -> validate password -> select public testing branch -> OK -> restart steam)

 

[Xcept1]

Getting close to 9.6 now. Final few bug and issues being squished.

 

[Xcept1]

It's go time, gents!

Alpha v9.6

Hi Squaddies,
The time has come to hit the streets of Narva! Alpha 9.6 is upon us, and a new map isn't the only thing in store for you! Are you locked and loaded?
Aww, yeah, that's right: squad locking makes its debut in this patch. Not only can you fortify your squad, Riflemen are now capable of deploying sandbags. Everyone else is capable of destroying them... and maybe a few other deployables too. Dig in!
Version 9.6 is now available via Steam. Please always reset your appdata in the game settings on every new build!

Full Changelog
Gameplay

• Vehicle claiming can now be done with only 1 person around the vehicle, as long as there are enough people in the squad. This is especially relevant for remote claiming, as players no longer need to send back two people to grab that empty logistics truck that saves your team.
• Squad now get a vehicle claim unlock at 2/4/6/8 squad members. This combined with the above allows players to make more dedicated vehicle squads. Please make sure you remember to transport the rest of the team with all those APCs!
• Changed round start-up timers to 3 minutes of preparation time (previously 2 minutes) to help squads get formed and Squad Leaders coordinate before round start.
• Resupplying or requesting kits from an ammo crate now expends ammo resources from the FOB depending on the kit requested/resupplied. All kits cost 25 ammo points to request or resupply (regardless of missing equipment -- do not spam it unless you need it). Exceptions are as follows: UGL, Raider, and Scout cost 50 to resupply. Light Anti-Tank costs 75 to resupply, and Heavy Anti-Tank costs 100 to resupply.
• Deployables are now able to be damaged by weapons and thus destroyable. Boom!
  • Sandbags are able to be damaged by all explosives as well as 14.5mm and above.
  • HESCO based deployables are only currently destroyable by the IED. This includes US and RUS MG bunkers made out of HESCO.
  • Ammo boxes are quite fragile and vulnerable to most things besides small arms.
  • HABs from all factions are only currently damageable by IEDs as well as mortars, but only through heavy bombardment of mortars. Useful for disabling spawns from afar.
  • Radios are now damageable by a few select ranged weapons. No ranged weapon is able to quickly destroy the radio avatar of the FOB, but they can hurt it through prolonged fire, thus making it vulnerable if exposed. It is currently vulnerable to the weapons you would use against armored vehicles, HEAT rounds, HMGs, cannons, big explosions, and mortars. Taking down a FOB is still a team effort! Furthermore, Radios now have damage stages so you can keep track of destruction from ranged weapons. You can use your shovels to heal it back up again.
  • Emplaced weapons can also be damaged now. Similar to radios, this will require the type of weapons you normally employ against vehicles.
  • Vehicle repair stations are similarly vulnerable to anti-vehicle weaponry.
  • Razorwire is only destroyable by explosive weapons.
• Riflemen finally get something the other classes do not! The ability to deploy a single line of sandbags to lightly fortify temporary positions. Each Rifleman can only ever deploy one set of sandbags. (The old one will disappear, similar to IEDs.) Sandbags are still buildable in unlimited numbers by your SL at a FOB. This applies for all Riflemen classes with iron sights and red dot sights.
  
  
  
  
  
• FOBs no longer passively generate ammo or construction points. Please keep your logistics trucks safe and be sure to give lots of love to the brave drivers! A freshly deployed FOB still starts with 100 ammo points and 200 construction points.
• All armored vehicles no longer take splash damage from Heat-Lance type weapons (RPG-7 HEAT, RPG-7 Tandem HEAT, SPG-9 HEAT, RKG-3, M72 LAW, 40mm HEDP). This means that you need to hit a direct hit on the vehicle to damage it. Up until now, hitting the ground next to a vehicle did a significant amount of damage to it - time to make those rockets count! Unarmored vehicles such as trucks and technicals still take splash shrapnel damage from these weapons, but significantly less than from a direct hit.
• Ammo crates now cost 200 construction points (was 300). TIP: This allows quick rearms in the field for a few soldiers in critical need of bandages or ammo. Left unsupplied, this FOB will not generate any new points, so think about taking the FOB again afterwards to blocking the team or giving away the FOB and associated tickets.
• The bare M2A1 Browning and NSV Tripods are now 250 construction points (was 350). Their bunker counterparts are now 450 points (was 500).
• The Dshk emplacement is now 200 points (was 350). TIP: This will enable you to deploy it off of a fresh FOB, but please be cognizant that left unsupplied ,it will only have a limited amount of ammo as well as attract enemies to its location. Remember to take down the FOB when you do these hit and run tactics.
• Unarmed HESCO bunker has been reduced by 50 construction points.
• Militia sandbag bunker reduced to 150 construction points (was 350).
• Ladders reduced to 100 construction points (was 200).
• Vehicle Repair Stations have been reduced to 1 per FOB.
• SPG-9 is now limited to 3 per FOB (was previously limited to 2).
• Added a HESCO equivalent fortification for Insurgents and Militia in the form of a line of empty oil barrels filled with dirt and gravel. Costs 200 construction points and limited to 6 per FOB.
• Added another magazine to the M110, also brought up the SVD to have the same number of total rounds as the M110.
• Slightly lowered the G3A3/G3A4's felt recoil.
• Lowered sway motion on all binocs.
• Added "mercy bleed" to last flags on AAS.
• Added additional logistic trucks on medium to large maps that only had one logistics truck.
• Additional motorbikes have been added to the expanded Al Basrah map. Additionally, some motorbikes are now permanent recurring spawns.

Effects

• When throwing a smoke grenade there is a tiny delay before it starts emitting smoke. This means that it no longer marks your exact location as a target when it should be obscuring it.

UI

• The wait is over! It is now possible to lock squads. We urge veteran players to not lock themselves away from the community at large, especially during times of influx.
• You can no longer join a locked squad, and trying to join a full or locked squad will now return you to the role select screen.
• New Spawn selection list next to the map, which lists all the possible spawns and allows players to easily identify where to spawn.
  
  
  
  
• New Player Stance and Vehicle Engine indicator icons, that show what stance your character is adopting (standing, crouching or prone, as well as which way you are leaning), and if you are in a vehicle the indicator would also show whether or not your engine is on.
  
  

Mapping

• Narva!
  • AAS v1, Invasion v1, and PAAS v1 have been added.
  • Experimental: Invasion v1 has been updated. Defenders can no longer capture flags taken by BLUFOR.
  • Experimental: Due to "mercy bleed" on last flags, additional "end match" flags have been added to the ends of the PAAS lattice.
    
    
    
    
    
    
• Al Basrah Update
  • All gameplay layers have been changed to new layouts.
  • Experimental: Invasion v1 has been updated. Defenders can no longer capture flags taken by BLUFOR.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  • Additional motorbikes have been added to the expanded Al Basrah map. Additionally, some motorbikes are now permanent recurring spawns.
• Added "mercy bleed" to last flags on AAS.
• Added additional logistic trucks on medium to large maps that only had one logistics truck.
• Removed cardinal directions from Yehorivka flag names.
• Attack and Defend markers have been removed on Invasion layers to reduce confusion on the Experimental Invasion layers for Al Basrah and Narva. If we decide to move forward with the new Invasion mechanic, additional work will need to be done to code in new attack/defend functionality specifically for Invasion layers.

Bug Fixes & Optimizations

• Fixed an issue where the shield on the Dshk machine guns didnt stop bullets. They now stop small arms again, and offer limited protection against heavy calibers.
• Fixed an issue where all unarmored vehicles were not behaving as intended. They now offer limited protection against small arms for the driver and any other occupants fully enclosed inside the vehicle. You can still shoot out the infantry in there but they will be a bit more resistant to small arms fire.
• Fixed an issue where the M939 truck was almost bullet proof to small arms fire.
• Fixed several lean issues on Gorodok Invasion v1.
• Fixed a lean issue on flag Papanov in Fools Road AAS v3.
• Fixed RCON bug with Listplayers command

Have fun storming the castle!
Offworld Out.
Join the Discussion >>

 

[Xcept1]

This is another good idea, and something I find too! Someone shouts "Enemy contact on my position!" then stops transmitting,, you glance down, the name has disappeared and you don't know who needs help or where they are Would be nice if the name faded out slowly rather just vanishing as soon as they stop transmitting.

@Xcept1 - is there a suggestions forum or similar for Squad? I might post these there if you don't mind.
Also, excellent news on the update - now I have to spend the rest of the afternoon at work itching to get home

There certainly is - http://forums.joinsquad.com/forum/16-feedback-suggestions/

 

[Xcept1]

I've not really played since before they added any vehicles. Ive seen some transport trucks but this looks nifty now. If I read about a UE4 update, does that filter into squad or its not that simple

Yep or possibly a grid marked on the map

https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/squad-development-kit-now-available-on-launcher

We're currently getting Squad onto UE4 v4.16 and probably going to stay there.

Any UE4 updates that come in the future that we think are worthwhile can then be taken and integrated.

 

[Xcept1]

Patch notes and Modding Recap

Alpha 9.7 Hotfix Release

Hi Squaddies,

we are releasing a small hotfix today to address a few of the issues introduced in 9.6 that you brought to our attention. Here are the changes:

• Fixed collisions on several buildings on Narva and Basrah to prevent glitching
  
• Fixed "Gamma" flag zone collision and time to cap on Narva Invasion v1
  
• Reduced bleed on "Alpha" and "Bravo" flags on Narva Invasion v1
  
• Temporary Militia logistics truck spawn on Narva Invasion v1 moved back
  
• Added temporary spawn for Insurgents on Al Basrah AAS v1
  
• Fixed Sumari missing/displaced static meshes
  
• Fixed incorrect mortar damage issue on HABs
  
• Fixed destruction effects on INS and Militia HABs
  
• Fixed SL hex menu not being centered on mouse position
  
• Flipped stance indicators horizontally

The Wrench June

Hi Squaddies,
Welcome to the June Edition of The Wrench! In this edition, we are sharing (and showing off!) some fresh projects and progress with the community that modders have been hard at work creating. Additionally, we have a special Q&A session with a fellow mapper from the community, offering a deeper insight into what the people creating mods are spending their time on.
Join us on the Community Modding Discord where you can join discussions and meet the modding community. It's a great place to share your ideas and passion with like-minded people that will be happy to help you along the way. Let's go!

Q&A with Xander
Xander has been hard at work for the past couple of months working on his map that started as a test for village placement and lighting. This map features an awesome landscape with lots of foliage variation and clever asset placement to give the environment an authentic look and feel. Below you can see a video and some images of the map as well as a brief Question and Answers session to provide a little more insight into the process.
Q: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us! Could you give us a brief introduction of yourself and your previous experience in modding if you have any?I am a hobby modder that started with landscape design almost 3 years ago. I first started using CryEngine, but quickly got a hold of Unreal after getting tired of paying for the CE SDK. I have not modded much before, only done some landscapes and stuff for my own use.



Q: How did you get started with modding in the Squad SDK? This is a common question amongst new starters and there is a lot to choose from. Did you start with reading documentation, watching tutorials or did you take a hands-on approach and just dive in?I started using Unreal Engine 4 before the Squad SDK, so I had some experience before. I still had to watch many YouTube tutorials and read some documentation to get started importing heightmaps, and setting up the materials... But more or less I just dove into it.
Q: You have posted quite a few images and videos of your Squad map! Do you have a name for it yet and what is your overall direction with this map? Do you aim to change the gameplay style through different map design or are you aiming to push the visuals in Squad?It was more or less a small test to get an idea for village layouts, and lighting setup. And also some foliage testing. But I will probably do more with this one when there is time for it. For now I am happy with the progression and will look into gameplay setup when the modding implementation is complete. Maybe there will be a small player based gameplay release at one point near the Steam Workshop release, with some capture zones.
Q: Do you use references when creating your maps, from images to videos and even real life? How do you manage to get such a "grounded" and realistic feeling in your map?To be honest what I do mostly comes straight out of my head. When doing trees I have looked a lot into how treelines form in real forest locations based on Google Earth images. But also from playing other games I have compared the density of foliage in different games, and then just gone with the flow to suit Squad more.
Q: Can you give us a brief overview of your workflow for creating a map? Where do you start, do you lay down your roads first? After you have a terrain?I start off with a heightmap and basically work from there. I try to use the flat areas and draw some roads, then I just place assets from there.
Q: Optimisation is a big one for mappers. Maps can be beautiful, but they also need to run well. How do you handle this aspect?The optimisation for my level is actually okay. I work with draw distances for trees to make them draw less triangles from a decent distance. Also having some open areas that don't have too much foliage helps on framerates.


Q: If you could do one thing differently when you started making a map in the Squad SDK with the knowledge you have now, what would it be?I think I would start off setting up my folders and that stuff first... Then maybe get a Google Maps/Earth satellite image to use as reference. Then I use that as a base layer to paint the roads and areas on. That way you could do real locations and get the roads and tree lines accurate and to scale.
Q: Finally, have you got any advice for players that might be interested in modding, and tips for current modders?Get some nice textures, and even a landscape material. That helps a lot! Then just spend some time outdoors gathering some inspiration for your maps. I have a lot of farm and wood areas around me, so I guess that's why I mostly do these types of maps.

British Prop Asset Pack by Baby_James
The British are coming! We may not know when exactly, but we have seen enough glimpses of their development over the last few months that we know they are underway! Baby_James is preparing for the inevitable by working on some environmental props, with more to come. Looking great, now just get some tea and biscuits ready!

Samland Peninsula by Legion_X
While the Samland Peninsula isn't entirely sure if it's a peninsula or an island, it is no stranger to conflict. The Russian territory borders the Baltic Sea and is otherwise surrounded by lagoons. The historic battleground, reaching back to the Teutonic Knights, through the Soviet offensive during World War 2, is now being updated by Legion_X for a more modern take on warfare. Will history repeat itself? There's no tellin', but it's going to be beautiful way to find out!

French Foreign Legion Mod: OPEX SERVAL by SquadFrance.fr
The French-speaking community is coming together to build something special. SquadFrance.fr is working toward getting the French Foreign Legion into Squad, including vehicles, uniforms, and even fixed weapons! Picking an active, modern theater of operations, they are fortunate enough to have a combat veteran that served in Mali to ensure accuracy. At its core, the strength of Opex Serval is that all the developers are Squad players first and foremost!

Their team is just getting started, so now's the perfect time to provide your feedback. If you'd like to know more about Opex Serval, head over to the Squad Mod Francais site, complete with development blogs. Bon travail!

And that brings us to the end of another Wrench. There's no shortage of amazing projects happening right now, and no shortage of modders to help out. If you would like to be featured in The Wrench, don't forget to drop by Discord!
Squad Modding Hub Management Team Out.

 

[Xcept1]

It's been a while!

Modding Recap
The Wrench July
16-Aug-2017

Hi Squaddies,
In the summer time, not only the weather is fine, but also the modding community is striving. Maybe it's simply too hot out there (We're sorry everyone in the Southern Hemisphere.), but there was a lot of great work done in July, and we're happy to show you the projects and progress of our great community.
Join us on the Community Modding Discord where you can join discussions and meet the modding community. It's a great place to share your ideas and passion with like-minded people that will be happy to help you along the way. Let's roll!

WASP carrier and LCAC by Legochiel

Legochiel picked quite a project. He is getting a jumpstart on naval assets with a WASP-class carrier vessel and already has made great progress on the mesh. We're looking forward to seeing more of it, especially when it gets some paint applied to its hull. It seems like he likes to stick to a theme though with his recent work on the LCAC (fancy military name for a hovercraft), which also already looks very promising.

Substance Painter Reskin Mask Sets by Stom
Stom is working on giving the community a quick and easy way to do reskins of player models without the tedious work of masking parts of the texture and applying the camo in the right places. He is setting up Substance Painter files where everyone can load the right texture in and it gets applied automatically!

Bocage by bestpony

Set in a fictional location, bestpony tries to capture the style of terrain mostly known from Normandy in France. Known from World War 2 as "Hedgerow Hell," fierce fighting between US and Russian forces will surely take place in farms, towns, winding roads and impenetrable hedgerows.

French Foreign Legion Mod by squadfrance.fr

Already an instant community favourite, the French Foreign Legion Mod team is regularly swamped with question and requests for information about their mod on our Discord server. With a now really impressive team size, work is progressing well and we can see new assets and screenshots being released regularly. They will soon be sharing progress on their website. People who can understand French (or are very nifty with Google Translate) can already track their recent progress via their blogposts.

Squad Faction Tutorial by r0tzbua
If you saw r0tzbua's Photoshop Template to quickly give the US models a new look by changing the camo on the texture, you may have the itch to experiment with a faction inside the Squad SDK. In his new 35 minute tutorial he tries to share what he has found out about setting up factions and will make it easy for you to understand the inner workings of them and their roles inside Squad, at least once you get over his Austrian accent.

Khe Sanh Combat Base by Socrates

Socrates has become involved with some Vietnam War modders and started to work on a map featuring the Khe Sanh Combat Base, a U.S. Marines outpost south of the Vietnamese DMZ throughout the war. He began a few days ago and fellow modders are already working on assets for it. It is planned to be a 4x4km map ultimately focused on helicopter and ground vehicle warfare.

CACTF (Combined Arms Collective Training Facility) by wunda

CACTF may sound like a very fancy tea, but it's actually just another military acronym that you will have to try to remember. Nevertheless, wunda is working on a 6x6km AAS map that tries to capture a fictitious training simulation between US and Russian forces in a large US based training facility. It already features 18 new buildings built out of concrete or re-purposed shipping containers and simulates a Middle-Eastern environment.

Skorpo by Zeno

After first being showcased in the April edition of The Wrench, Skorpo has undergone a big expansion, with most of the playable mainland area being sketched out and worked upon (6x6km). Focused on bringing an authentic Norwegian environment to life, Zeno has put careful attention to layout realism and together with new true-to-life buildings in the works, the only thing missing for the player will be the smell of seawater and the cold breeze of the Atlantic ocean.

How Did This Get Here I am Not Good At Computer by fresh leeks

Squad Modding Hub Management Team Out.

Oh, I dug this up too

 

[Xcept1]

Couple of little teasers showing what is coming

 

[Xcept1]

Had the mammoth task of first upgrading Squad to UE v4.16 which is nearly complete. Looks like we're going to lock it down on that version and then just pick and choose new features that come out with newer engine upgrades.

 

[Xcept1]

Hi Squaddies,


How about a little patch for the weekend? Alpha 9.8 has been released! While it's not a big one, we're laying the groundwork for more good things to come. Here are the changes comin' atcha:

• Updated to UE 4.16
• Replaced Strykers with MAT-V CROWS on Sumari AAS v2 & v3, added one M939 transport truck to each layer
• Added one BTR-80 to Militia on Goro AAS v2 and fixed the flag bleed
• Moved temporary INS spawn point on Al Basrah slightly to prevent overlap with Mosque flag
• Fixed flag ticket gain/loss bug on Goro AAS v1
• Added mercy bleed to Kokan AAS v1 & v2 and Yeho AAS v1 & v2
• Fixed flag bleed rate on Chora AAS v1
• Fixed flag bleed on Refinery on Al Basrah AAS v1
• Fixed flag bleed on Echo flag on Narva AAS v1
• Tweaked LODs on several trees
• Improved animation lodding settings
• Fixed vehicles catching fire too quickly when flipped
• Fixed vehicles burning for a very long time after being flipped
• Changed restitution values on vehicle bodies
• Fixed weapon skins not working
• Fixed players glitching through landscape
• Fixed most cases of revives in mid-air or below ground

 

[Xcept1]

August 2017
01-Sep-2017


Hi Squaddies,
August was a bit of a quiet month, as OWI was exposed to sunlight as a group outside of Vancouver. Fully rested and recharged, we're back at it -- you may have noticed the Unreal Engine 4.16 update in the 9.8 patch. We've been building on that groundwork and have some cool stuff to show off from August. Are you ready to see how the new animation system is shaping up? Dig in!

Systems

Animation System Update - Almost there!

Our new Animation and Weapon Handling system is approaching the final stretch! Our game designers are getting their hands on it, taking it apart, and rebuilding the way weapons handle. Our Programming team is also hard at work optimising this new system, as its features are now being locked for the next release. The features coming with the new system include Climbing, Vaulting, Deployable Bipods, UGL/Rocket Launcher Adjustable Sights, Crouch-Sprinting, Free-Look, and seamless Weapon Transitions. (Switching between UGL/Rifle, Ammo Types, etc.)


The capture data from our motion capture session we did last month with Animatrik is also being implemented into the new system, breathing new life into our characters as they traverse the battlefield. Please be aware that some of the MOCAP data still needs refinement by our animators and speeds adjusted by game designers.

Deployable Bipods
Bipods are a feature coming first to Light Machine Guns, enabling players to set up on any flat surface ranging from window ledges, walls, tables, and more. Players will enjoy a dramatic increase in stability and accuracy to their weapon. Also, reloading while deployed is faster as the weapon is supported allowing swifter manipulation of the controls.

Climbing and Vaulting
Seen previously in earlier recaps, this system will be coming in with the new Animation System, and it will allow players to traverse obstacles up to chest height unaided. Depending on the thickness of the obstacle, you will either vault right over it or, if there is room to stand, climb on top of the obstacle. In this first iteration, it will be bound to the standard jump button.

Adjustable Sights
Featured in the last recap, Adjustable Sights are to be added to all Grenade Launchers and Anti-Tank rocket launchers. These allow gunners to more effectively hit targets out at further distances (as the sight wouldn't be obstructing your view), as well as offering some unexpected uses, like turning the Russian GP-25 Grenade Launcher into a pseudo-mortar.

Crouch-Sprinting
Players will have the ability to sprint while crouched, effectively being able to move while under cover. This action though typically consumes more stamina than normal sprinting and isn't as swift as sprinting normally. Quacking while moving is optional.

Free-Look
Also featured in one of our first peeks at the new Animation System, Free Look will allow players to decouple their view from their weapon and look around without penalty. This is particularly useful when operating deployed light machine guns, where it will enable you to check your flanks while still keeping your weapon readily pointed downrange, as well as admire your newly deployed bipod. Typically a feature found in more mil-sim style games, we decided to include it as we felt it was in line with the tactical nature and pace of the game.

Weapon Transitions
One significant change we've done to our weapon system was to allow for the seamless transitioning from part of one weapon to another part, such as with a rifle and its under-barrel grenade launcher. Another useful appearance is found while switching ammunition types, where the player can now seamlessly switch from one type to another.

Art

New Insurgent Soldiers


Our original take on the Insurgent faction is finally taking shape! Donning a variety of civilian and surplus military apparel, this faction should look a lot more rag-tag in the field than our current set, as well as look a lot more high-fidelity. These still have a little ways to go, but expect them to come in a future version.

M240 GPMG
A staple of infantry since the '70s, the M240 is one of the first GPMGs coming to Squad, featuring the deployable bipods. They'll be made more fearsome by Suppression overhauls in coming patches. Look forward to each faction getting their own GPMG!

BGM-71 TOW Missile


With more vehicle options coming in the future, more anti-vehicle options are coming alongside them. Enter the BGM-71 TOW Missile, a familiar sight on the battlefield.

ZU-23 Anti-Aircraft Gun


A revisit on an asset we showed off in May, the twin-barreled 23mm Anti-Aircraft Gun has been completed art-wise and is soon to be ready for implementation once the other parts of our plan for more diverse vehicle assets are done. More barrels are better.

All in all, not a bad month! We truly can't wait to get the new animation system into your hands, especially to see what sort of mayhem you folks muster up with those grenade launchers. Stay safe out there!
Offworld Out.
Join the Discussion >>

 

[Xcept1]

Hey Squaddies,



Everybody loves a little bump in the quality of life and we're happy to provide that for you fine folks. Alpha 9.9 brings fixes for some nagging issues, and some performance improvements too. Be sure to let us know how they feel!

• Implemented several performance improvements on player updates, movement, animation and inventory.
• Fixed Narva Invasion V1 Militia having Russian Logi trucks.
• Fixed the invisible player bug.
• Fixed player offset after revive.
• Fixed the "Press enter to open spawn menu" issue on the Stryker and BRDM.
• Fixed damage effects getting reapplied on players when the player who caused the damage reentered replication distance.

Offworld Out.

Lots of people seeing some good performance increases

 

[Xcept1]

Yup. After finalising the migration to EU4 4.16 we were able to knuckle down on some perf issues.

 

[Xcept1]

AA doesn't work too well. Using supersampling, 1440p (or above) or ReShade are your only real options at the minute.

 

[Xcept1]

What shaders are you using? You only need a couple running to clean up the image clarity.

 

[Xcept1]

Awesome! This update really helped a lot of people.

 

[Xcept1]

We do have a lot more numbers before 10

The performance update was needed though. I pretty sure every system so far has reported improvements ranging from an increase of 5 to 60+ fps on top of their old numbers believe it or not.

 

[Xcept1]

good update. will give this a go tonight

Let me know your system specs and any improvements in FPS

 

[Xcept1]

Squad SDK just updated to latest version. Already dabbling!

 

[Xcept1]

Good on you for giving it a go! Normally if a SL leaves it's a bit of a merry go round until someone either steps up or the squad disbands!

In other news...

The Road to Modding

Hi Squaddies,

Over the last month, OWI's own StrangeZak (Zak Strange) has been working hard on adding official mod support to Squad. Although we still have a long way to go and everything could still change, our Modding SDK is starting to take shape.

The first thing that was tackled was extending the UE4 Editor. With us wanting to be able to do everything from creating and uploading mods from within the editor, we had to add some custom features. The first thing we added were 3 buttons to help manage mods: "Create Mod," "Load Mod," and "Share Mod."


While not fashionably Mod, definitely more practical.

When "Create Mod" is clicked, a dialog box will pop up asking you for information about the mod you would like to create. Once this form is filled and the "Create Mod" button is clicked, we generate a new folder for your mod in the Plugins/Mods folder, then switch your content browsers view to your mod's Content folder. Inside of your mod's folder is where all content and information about your mod will be stored. This information will later be used when pushing to the Steam Workshop. Edit twice, post once!


The Slightly Cool prototyping went better than expected.

The "Load Mod" button is a simple interface for loading up your mod's "modinfo.smi" (Squad Mod Info) file. When you successfully select your mod's "modinfo.smi" file, it will load it up, and then switch the Content Browser view to the mod's Content folder:



We are still in early stages of the work on sharing mods, but we already have the base ability to be able to share your mod to the Steam Workshop while in editor. When the "Share Mod" button is clicked, you will first be prompted to enter a changelog. This could be something as simple as, "Initial push to the Steam Workshop," or something as detailed as the itemized list of everything you changed in the version you are about to push to Steam. Once you submit your changelog, everything will start being pushed to the Steam Workshop. A progress bar will update you on the progress and stage that the upload is currently on. Now's a good time to join the Squad Modding Discord.

Once your upload has finished, you should see it up on the Steam Workshop within a few minutes. At that point, anyone can subscribe to your mod within the Steam Workshop and have it in game. Congratulations, you've made it!


The artist really evokes a sense of curves.

With all of the Editor Extensions and Steam Workshop interfacing done, the next area I moved on to was getting mods playable in game. Firstly, I had to get the mod's content packed into a .PAK file format. This required me to learn about and use Unreal Engine 4's new DLC system. With all the correct flags figured out, they to pass to the cooker to cook a mod and we eventually got a PAK file with only the contents of the mod. With that done, it's time to get them loaded.
For the most part, it seemed as if getting a mod loaded into the game was easy, since the engine seemed to do most of the work. This step proved to be more of a challenge than I had thought it would be. There were quite a few engine changes that had to be done to get everything working. I also did have to add modded maps to Squad's map list at runtime.



After the merging of the mod map list and Squads map list, I was finally able to switch to maps in a mod in a release (private branch) copy of Squad.


Studio 54 started from less.

With all of this work done, modding finally has a solid base and is starting to take shape. There is still some work to be done before we can get it into your hands: Disabling and enabling mods from in-game, downloading mods you are missing when connecting to a modded server, LOTS of cleanup, and many other things. Can't wait to see what you guys will make with these tools!
Offworld Out.