Tank Squad News

[p][/p][h2]Dear Tankers![/h2][p]Welcome to our 82th Development Status.

[/p][h3]German captured KV-1B 756(r) work in progress[/h3][p]
Hull is done for captured version

We have completed one of the stages of production of this tank, or rather a variant of it, as the changes are cosmetic, but they do add a slightly different character. The main differences between the standard KV-1 hull in the game are a different engine cover with hatches, and a modified rear hull shape – it has been remodelled. New side skirts and on top of that some additional tank crew equipments.

As we mentioned in the previous Dev Status #81, we are preparing three new vehicles for the game.

As a reminder:

• KV-1 with cast turret (ZiS-5 gun)
  
  • new turret
    
  
  
• KV-1B 755(r) (ZiS-5 gun)
  
  • new hull
    
  • new turret with a ZiS-5 gun
    
• PzKpfw KV-1B 756(r) (7.5 cm KwK 40 gun)
  
  • new hull
    
  • new turret with new
    

Where is turret?

We are currently working on a new turret. We have some great references, especially thanks to RideR2 and murkz, who are both members of our community.

More work-in-progress shots to come. We will showcase how the new turret fits on a hull in further development status.

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[/p][h3]Game content, new vehicles & how we will handle new interiors
[/h3][p]
We want to add new vehicles to the game, extend the base vehicle pool with Ferdinand, SU-152 and Brummbar for the upcoming campaign, Ponyri.

As you know the Ponyri campaign will be based on new game mechanics with operational gameplay, with procedural battles added besides the standard scenario missions.

The problem we have is with new tank models interiors. We simply do not have the funds to implement the interiors at this stage. To manage this situation temporarily, we want to add simple interiors for these tanks or add a temporary system that will allow us to use the viewers only without seeing what is inside.

With more funds we can either contract new artists to create the interiors or do it ourselves when the financial situation is stable. Our current models, that are already in the game, come from our previous game, Tank Mechanic Simulator (not all, KV-1 and T-34 interiors were made for Tank Squad in mind) where the interiors were implemented long time ago and we just had to optimize them and modify them to our current needs. The situation is different now and we must react to it.

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[/p][h2]AI repairing their vehicle[/h2][p]This feature will be added in the upcoming patch. For a few months we’ve received requests or we saw it ourselves, that immobile tanks that could be repaired were just stationary until the mission finished.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
The game has a system (that is faulty sometimes) that checks if the vehicle is still combat ready after receiving a hit, can it move, shoot etc. and what to do next after receiving a penetration.[/p][p]

What was missing was an ability for AI crewmen to do the same as the player can - jump out the tank and repair their tracks or wheels in combat. Now they can and will do that, when:

[/p]

• [p] no enemy in sight for X time
  [/p]
• [p] tank is not under artillery fire
  [/p]
• [p] repairing the tank will make it mobile again (no point risking their lives if gearbox or engine is broken - it’s unfixable until the repair section)
  [/p]

[p]
This should make leading our tanks more flexible as no longer a single HE shell immobile them forever and the only thing to do for the player was to order an evacuation. Now they should fix the tank and return to their duty.[/p][p][/p][p]----------------------------------------------------------

[/p][h2]When we can expect new patch 1.1.6?[/h2][p]
The patch will release on 10.11.2025 with 20% discount, lasting 7 days.

Notable changes:
[/p]

• [p] changed infantry weapons shooting, shrapnels, explosions and fire spread (Molotov’s and vehicle modules burning) to multithreaded code
  [/p]
• [p] added FSR4 and DLSS4 support, but with some errors still unsolved (more when patch is out)
  [/p]
• [p] visual rework of VFX for Molotov’s and modules, making them more optimized
  [/p]
• [p] AI repairing their own tank when it is immobile
  [/p]

[p]What’s still missing but we wanted to have it on patch:
[/p]

• [p] battle save system
  [/p]
• [p] although we’ve made some progress with it, still this is one of biggest tasks to add and we see your suggestions and requests here
  [/p]
• [p] new command giving system when unbuttoned
  [/p]

[p]Both points are moved to the next patch, we’re very sorry for this :(

[/p][h2]Our friends game worth checking out![/h2][p]We also want to highlight a game from our friend, Marco Amadei, Easy Red 2.

Marco was working on Tank Squad some time ago and he and his team are preparing a big patch that is going to be released at 11.11. Make sure to check out their announcement on Steam - especially the new trailer, new roadmap.

You can find Easy Red on Steam here:
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Some cool Tank Squad screenshots worth to mention![/h2][p]
From: cipe.miao Click here to open gallery

From: EG14_Flame Click here to open gallery

Thank you and have a good weekend!
DeGenerals

[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Dear Tankers and Mechanics![/h2][p]
[/p][h3]Sitrep[/h3][p]We are back with another patch. This time, small update

[/p][h3]Situation report[/h3][p]We wanted to release a quicker patch to deal with some critical stuff that we've discovered. Biggest was AI not spotting certain static weapons and angled-armor ballistics fixes.[/p][p][/p][p]Next patch is planned for 10.11.2025 where the game will be on sale for 7 days. We want to deliver another set of fixes and promised suggestions for that date, especially the battle save system and more optimizations for CPU + new gunner command control.[/p][p][/p][p]We've discovered big issues with ballistics and coop gameplay, especially client shots are not always registered on host side and we need to deal with this as soon as possible.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Changelog 1.1.5[/h3][p]Below is the full list of changes being made:[/p][p]

Added:
[/p]

• [p]Notification when player converts tanks through squad manager about where the converted tanks were moved[/p]
• [p]New filter for captured tanks in squad manager menu[/p]
• [p]Evacuate now works for repair scenes[/p]
• [p]Soviet VO for cannot shoot[/p]
• [p]VO for our gunner when he cant make the shot as well as a purple line will be shown towards the object that blocks the view[/p]
• [p]Repair contract, repair vehicles and recycle vehicles - Repair Station tasks will highlight the spawned tank that is part of the task[/p]
• [p]Search bar for keybindings menu[/p]

[p]
Fixed:[/p]

• [p]Units weird behaviour while leaving trenches[/p]
• [p]Game won't show different tank details on repair section when you approach another tank[/p]
• [p]Error that caused AI units to not spot static weapons[/p]
• [p]Ballistics error for ricochets, that caused ricochettes to occur more when they should be rare[/p]
• [p]Issue where the game did not update vehicle status panel on repair section when player rearmed or refueled the tank[/p]
• [p]Game should now handle friendly fire better (voice overs)[/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
Modified:
[/p]

• [p]Drasticly increased the ability to penetrate angled armor for every weapon [/p]
• [p]Change to impostor view distance for crucial objects v2[/p]
• [p]Changed the way how the game calculates combat readiness based on fuel in tank. It was based on individual fuel state in each fuel tank, now it's summary of every fuel tank state. [/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]
Thank you for your support, we are working. See you next time!
DeGenerals

[/p]

[h2]Dear Tankers and Mechanics![/h2]

[h3]Sitrep[/h3]
We are back with another patch. This time, we were forced to release it early. Initially, we had planned to release a major update on 11 November. However, issues with the tutorials (the AI gunner was not shooting, thus blocking multi crew) and Unity informing us of critical security issues meant that we had to prepare an earlier patch.



To read more about our latest development progresses make sure to checkout last DEVELOPMENT STATUS #81



[h3]What's in Patch 1.1.4[/h3]

• Graphics overhaul, blurry graphics fix, better sky, shadows and terrain quality
  
• Lot’s of fixes for AI pathfinding, both for vehicles and infantry
  
• Issues with ballistics ricochet, the game should be more stable here
  

[h3]Changelog 1.1.4[/h3]
Below is the full list of changes being made:

Added:

• Keybinding for multi crew toggle and mg reload options
  
• New voiceovers for Using smoke grenades / extinguishers, no more smoke grenades/extinghuishers, no more ammo or ammo incorrect (played when player hits enemy tank with HE shell without effect)
  
• Reloading mg with R key (by default)
  
• Disabling roof mg visibility when player is in commander cupola camera mode (not peeking out)
  
• Loading progress % of Waiting for all units to be spawned
  

Fixed:

• KV-1S now correctly applies camouflage and other customizations on turret that has been replaced
  
• Entering customizer menu disables outline/highlight that was caused by hook of crane
  
• Entering customizer menu enables vehicle hull visibility (it could be disabled by hook previously)
  
• AI infantry now uses correctly their weapon as their aiming point origin instead of center of mass
  
• The game won't block TPP camera on tutorial scenes (it caused error with task that expected player to change camera to TPP)
  
• Allied tanks when get on fire will say correct voice over
  
• Mounting and dismounting the turret and then despawning the tank will no longer desync client save state on repair section
  
• Game will no longer play automatic weapon loop if player playing as character lost control (due to battle ending)
  
• T-34 tracks should now no longer clip into wheels
  
• Added quicker reaction to ricochets for voice over and hitcam, the game won't wait 10-15 seconds untill the bullet gets destroyed after flying into the void to say about shot effect
  
• PTRD now can ricochet
  
• Added Ricochet voice over as ballistic shot result
  
• T70 vehicle interior collider was misplaced, sometimes reaching outside the exterior armor
  
• Added colliders for vehicles for first trench on C1M9 (near first spawn)
  
• Infantry keep attacking after finishing 3rd objective on C1M9
  
• Filters now work in Vehicle spawners next to graveyard npc
  
• Vehicles spawning on repair station should now no longer spawn in air
  
• A crash of the game that occured on soviet repair section
  
• Veterans of the War achievement should now work - it wasnt even connected at all
  
• Error when our AI Gunner in Multicrew mode did not shoot at selected target
  
• Error when AI infantry sometimes threw grenades or molotovs at significant distances
  
• PTRD now work
  

Modified:

• Game version changed from 1.1.3 to 1.1.4
  
• Graphics overhaul, better shadows, sky and terrain
  
• Increased price of conversion of all tanks by 3x
  
• Decreased size of AI vision blocker colliders on few vegetation objects
  
• Overmatch ballistics mechanic has been disabled as we see it only caused issues. Ricochets should now be better calculated
  
• Giving orders to our own vehicle will result in specifing which crew role needs to do what
  
• Added darker background for Info Menu
  
• Added compressor effect for all VO to be leveled equally
  
• Added detaching of mudguards/non essentials based on HP and added modifier for penetration of incoming projectile to armor thickness in decision if that armor detaches
  
• Increased chance to hit crouched/proned units for infantry
  
• When target moves the shooter will loose his zero-in
  

[h3]What next?[/h3]
The next patch will bring in gunner direct control when the player is peeked out, battle save system, radial menu for easier control over our units and tank.

Thank you for your support, we are working. See you next time!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers![/h2]
Welcome to our 81th Development Status.

[h3]German captured KV-1B 756(r) work in progress[/h3]


Work has begun on adding the German-captured KV-1 tank to the game. First, we gathered references and familiarised ourselves with documentation on the different versions of the KV-1 tank. First and foremost, we would like to thank the members of our community, including players RideR2 and murkz, for their help in obtaining materials and sharing their knowledge.

German modifications
The Germans based their conversions on captured tanks that were manufactured in 1942. These tanks featured additional reinforcements on the front armour plate. The German changes were minimal. Most captured KV-1s retained the original Soviet radios and equipment. However, German radios and tool sets were occasionally issued.

So, what we are doing
As the KV-1 with the ZiS-5 turret and gun was also accepted into service, it will be labelled as PzKpfw KV-1B 755(r) in the game. For this purpose, we are creating a modified hull with additional accessories and tools, to visually distinguish it from the standard KV-1 version available to the Soviets in the game.

Additionally, we will create a new cast turret. We have not yet made a decision on this. This is because the Germans introduced certain 'cosmetic modifications' to these turrets and also they replaced the main armament with a 7.5 cm KwK 40 gun. This version of the tank will be marked in the game as PzKpfw KV-1B 756(r). We have not yet decided whether the original cast turret will also appear in the game and be available to the Soviets. Time will tell, but if we manage to create it, it will probably be included so in the game we could have:

• KV-1 (ZiS-5 gun)
  
• KV-1 with cast turret (ZiS-5 gun)
  
• PzKpfw KV-1B 755(r) (ZiS-5 gun)
  
• PzKpfw KV-1B 756(r) (7.5 cm KwK 40 gun)
  

Currently, additional elements and accessories for the German version of the hull are being refined. The turret is next in line to be created. More info coming soon.


[h3]Ballistics improvements, ricochets, performance[/h3]
We have discovered that PTRD rifleman did not shoot at all and after fixing that issue we have also improved behaviour for his Target seeking procedure. He prefers shooting at vehicle visors (and later we’ll add shooting at tank tracks or wheels or lower side armor if visible). His shot will also degrade the side skirts if hit multiple times - until they detach.


With ballistics we have found more issues, especially with the 0 mm UI information about penetration and ricochets incorrect calculations. All of this led to misunderstandings and incorrect shot results.

We have disabled also the overmatch math which was causing no-ricochets in some situations that should cause it. For example a zis-5 cannon shot on the roof of a PzKpfw VI H turret at 87 angle resulted in penetration instead of ricochet.

Another issue we found was that enemy AI (and especially on map arty) did not lose their zero-in modifier when they lost sight of enemy or the enemy moved to a new position. This caused increasing difficulty during battle that resulted in great losses on missions like C1M2 (Luchki Airfield) or C1M5 (Steppes) where arty, once we were spotted, kept pounding us until we’re dead - no matter if anybody saw us or not.

In new campaign this is going to change, but more on that in future

What awaits with ballistics:

• HE rework - the 150/152 mm howitzer shots or air bombs need to be more deadly when directly hitting tanks.
  
• Moving infantry weapon ballistics to multi-threaded code that we can schedule to later calculations and receive the results later, not in the same frame. This would save lot of performance when big battle starts and the infantry starts to shoot SMGs or MGs
  
• Moving explosion collision detection to multi-threaded code, again to schedule and get results later, not in the same frame. When multiple big explosions happen due to artillery this causes lag that can be lowered (or non existent, who knows)
  

[h3]Ponyri campaign progress[/h3]
We have started to playtest the Ponyri campaign, for now on scenario missions (old style, as previous campaigns) and not yet the procedural mission that we plan to add. At this point, we already have several test missions along with a blockout version of the village of Ponyri.

The biggest change is the distance of engagements. On such distances our TPP camera or Commander camera just doesn't really work versus our current AI. AI spots us immediately and even after our fixes to their dispersion/AI they hit us after 3-4 shots from 1.5-2 km.


Such distances also really make the Command tanks a golden unit. Ability to spawn closer to the enemy (remember, Command tanks allow you to select them as spawner location) just saves lots of time.

Using binoculars becomes essential here, and destroying targets at such long distances also requires some skill. We want to provide a lot of new mechanics so that players don't get bored driving for several kilometers – we plan to increase the number of command tanks, enable battle stations to move, and manage level design infantry in a simple way during the scenario.

We also have an idea to allow players to be able to convert any tank to Command tank in a repair station - for resources.

Another concept is to allow for some teleportation if the current objective is won and we’re very far from it - example is that we’re in a tank 1.5km from some conquer objective, driving towards it after getting killed while our friends had survived and are capturing that point already.


As you can see we already implemented a simplified version of SU-152 (place holder) that will be taking an important role during missions. Ballistics are working correctly on these distances, so the main issue is AI spotting. This just has to be improved for the new campaign.

[h3]AI improvements[/h3]
We have finally started working on AI, at this moment focusing on their pathfinding and behaviour in formations.

• the tanks, especially allied, should no longer just ram each other while trying to reach an objective - on our old maps this is hard to achieve as the distances and spacing is very small (in new campaign this must be addressed, later on that in future dev status)
  
• infantry and tanks moving out of our way
  
• AI will do YMCA dance
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


[h3]Terrain quality improvements[/h3]
We started a big task that required us to break the game apart to replace some of the textures/materials we used for new ones - this is connected to your feedback about blurry graphics and here we are:


[h3]Known issues[/h3]
Critical bug during soviet campaign
There is a critical bug that occurs on soviet repair scenes and may cause many issues during gameplay.

It is recommended to be on the scene as fast as possible and swiftly start the next mission. We're already preparing a patch that will fix it. We're sorry for all the problems that you may encounter because of it.

Thank you and have a good weekend!
DeGenerals

[h2]Dear Tankers and Mechanics![/h2]

[h3]Sitrep[/h3]
It's been two weeks since our last update, 1.1.2. Since then, we've added support for creating lobbies in-game and inviting friends directly in-game. For more information, check out our friday Development Status #80, where we describe the concept in more detail and what we're cooking up for the game.



CLICK HERE TO READ DEVELOPMENT STATUS #80

[h3]What's in Patch 1.1.3[/h3]
As for the new features in the update, we have added portable stairs and voice overs for repairs, as well as the ability to create a lobby in the main menu. In addition, we have added destroyed models for the Pak 40 and Flak 36 static guns – this will definitely be noticeable when playing the Soviet campaign.

• Steam lobby/invite party in-game
  
• movable stairs on repair scene
  
• unit spotting process has been redesigned to be multi-threaded
  
• Pak40 and 8,8 cm Flak 36 have destroyed models variants
  
• UI bug fixes, over layered text and icons over some panels
  
• Soviet (AI enemy) tanks now shoot while driving (new feature)
  
• Germany and Soviet infantry indicators when spotted will be visible only below 100m in distance
  
• Infantry compass indicators doesn’t show distance label (turning this off increased game performance)
  
• Subtitles to repair scene voice overs
  
• Added correct soldier covers and colliders for trenches on Pokrovka map
  
• Fixed switching between artillery and direct shooting on static guns
  
• Optimization for AI spotting mechanic (more fps on big battles)
  

[h3]Changelog 1.1.3[/h3]
Below is the full list of changes being made:

Added:

• [UI] Battl Map - visible selection frame when offmap is selected
  
• [UI] Steam invite overlay to main menu
  
• Overview UI Manager and prefab
  
• Pak40 now have destroyed mesh variant
  
• Subtitles to repair voice overs
  
• Overview UI Manager and prefab
  
• Status for player (in tab menu) when he's watching intro or outro
  

Fixed:

• [UI] Incorrect labels position on steam deck
  
• Avatars should now be correctly displayed (steam)
  
• When player leaves or enters, the tab menu will update automaticly if it's opened
  
• Tutorial hints UI panel won't be hidden even if you have the game option Hide Hints on
  
• Fixed some situations when player could interact with hatch when using vehicle visor
  
• [UI] Player Team Status GUI Item
  
• [UI] Interaction icon is visible before pause menu
  
• Depth of trenches on C2M3 and C2M5 maps (infantry were too high and not covered at all)
  
• Vehicle passangers rotation toward target
  
• Inside collider of STUG fix
  
• Skirmishes should no longer be saved as campaigns
  
• Abandoned vehicles or static guns now correctly start battle event triggers that check Destroy or Protect objectives state
  
• Switching between artillery and direct shooting on static guns
  
• Infantry body rotation toward targets
  
• [UI] Vehicle Customizer buttons label margins
  
• [UI] Graveyard Manager bottom buttons size of labels
  
• Highlighting GUI after playing tutorial should be now correctly cleared
  
• Finishing multi crew tutorial won't show campaign summary
  

Modified:

• Game version changed from 1.1.2 to 1.1.3
  
• [UI] Main Menu buttons state when disabled
  
• [UI] Battle Map offmap gui items
  
• Interaction collider with hull or roof mg is not more aligned to the mesh of the weapon and is no longer annoying us when we're in commander mode
  
• [UI] Further working on Steam party lobby
  
• [UI] Overview mockup
  
• [UI] Further working on Steam party lobby
  
• Germany infantry indicators when spotted will be visible only below 100m in distance
  
• Soviet infantry indicators when spotted will be visible only below 100m in distance betwenn player and enemy AI
  
• Added correct soldier covers and colliders for trenches on Pokrovka map
  
• Added distance to playing the repairs vo (max 30m)
  
• Replaced player avatars panel on multiple UI screens
  
• [UI] Steam Friends invite
  

[h2]Known issues:[/h2]

• We have likely found the reason for the blurry screen. It turned out that the Rendering Scale setting was not working in the game. It is possible that, for some players, this setting was set very low, causing the game to appear at a low resolution.
  

[h3]When next update?[/h3]
We will now focus on implementing systems for managing and issuing orders to units, including, for example, changes in formation or aggressiveness towards the enemy. In general, we will tackle AI issues and push forward with their behaviour.

In addition, we will cover the latest topics from the roadmap, including the addition of the captured version of the KV-1, i.e. the KW-I with a 75 KwK 40 L/48 gun. Finally, we will cover topics related to the implementation of the Steam workshop, so that you can start making and uploading your first modifications to the game. Once we have completed the current roadmap, we will start working on the next one.

Thank you for your support, we are working. See you next time!
DeGenerals