USC: Counterforce News

Hey marines,

A new update is live now! And as the Summer has just begun, it is time to start your mission and the long-awaited Campaign mode Beta! It's an open Beta, you can try this new mode and let us know your thoughts! The Steam Summer Sale is starting, and USC: Counterforce is 40% off until July 11!



Explore what the Campaign mode has in store for you and experiment with its exclusive mechanics and features! You will be able to create your avatar, choose your affiliation, manage your marine roster, and go on the first missions of the Campaign, both on a global and small scale, with the strategic map!

Here are some important elements to know before you dive in:

• The translation in Simplified Chinese for the Campaign is still ongoing. This means that the Campaign Beta is currently only partially localized in Simplified Chinese and will default to English for currently untranslated terms.
  
• The Campaign Beta previews its exclusive mechanics but lacks final narrative content and objective progression. Expect potential issues, and saved progress won’t carry over to v1.0. Full features will launch with the final update.
  

[h3]Player Avatar Creation and Affiliation System[/h3]

Customize your Campaign and make impactful choices that influence your tactical opportunities while offering diverse pathways and outcomes, making each journey distinct and impactful.

Avatar creation: In the new update adding the beta version of Campaign mode, you can now enjoy the feature of creating your own avatar and customizing it to reflect your unique style and preferences.
Affiliation system: Additionally, you will be able to choose your affiliation. You can buy different upgrades, prototypes, and even nukes through each unique affiliation and make use of the black market for acquiring critical resources.



[h3]Strategic Map and Persistent Mechanics[/h3]

The Campaign mode introduces the strategic map with global dynamic events but also small-scale sector-based missions. Your progression in the Campaign mode is persistent, this includes your inventory and marines.

Sector-based missions: Each sector presents its own challenges, and you must strategically build and defend your bases against the ever-moving hordes of aliens! These missions will let you engage against alien hordes with a task force, explore derelict sites, and eradicate nests on-site.
Strategic map layer: The map also features a dynamic weather and day-night system that affects outdoor missions, adapt your plan to the events of the map. Take direct control of any sector by landing squads and establishing an outpost, and also manage on a global scale by monitoring any activity on the planet, including alien hordes and weather events. Gather information and organize your course of action by scanning the sectors and nuking dangerous areas.
Persistent progression: What you obtain, lose, and consume is persistent throughout the whole Campaign. This works for both units and inventory, which means that a death is permanent. All your marines are unique and have their own XP bar and leveling systems, along with a status system tracking their availability, injuries, and condition, adding depth to the roster management and making each of your decisions critical for your long-term success or demise.
New environment: Step into the crystal caves, available in nest missions!



[h3]Upcoming Features[/h3]

The Campaign mode Beta already brings a big part of what you will find in the full version on July 18. However, while the beta version showcases many new features, several key elements are still under development and will be available in the full release. These include the general campaign progression, the story and narrative with special missions and multiple outcomes, and your personalized avatar mechanics, including the game over and personal stake. Other content like corporation-given missions tied to the affiliation system, cutscenes, the Campaign tutorial, and the in-game help system are not yet implemented. It's also important to note that save files from the Beta will not be compatible with the final release!

[h3]Read the full patch notes here.[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/4259923998300724432


During the making of the Campaign mode, we've published Dev Diaries introducing in details its content and mechanics, read them here to learn more!

• Dev Diary #3—Campaign Squad Management Preview
• Dev Diary #2—Campaign Mechanics Preview
• Dev Diary #1—Campaign Feature Preview

Get the game at a 40% discount from today to July 11! Experiment with the Campaign modes and its new and unique features!

We can’t wait to know what you think about the Campaign, feel free to share your feedback with us in the Steam discussions! Stay tuned for the full launch of the Campaign and the 1.0 release!

The USC: Counterforce team

Hey marines,

Ready your marines, the 1.0 release is coming on July 18!

You've been waiting for it, and the Beta of the Campaign mode is coming on June 27!



Take a sneak peek at the Campaign mode before its full launch! You will be able to create your avatar, choose your affiliation, manage your marine roster, and go on the first missions of the Campaign, both on a global and small scale, with the strategic map!



The Campaign Beta previews its exclusive mechanics but lacks final narrative content and objective progression. Expect potential issues, and saved progress won’t carry over to v1.0. Full features will launch with the final update.



Want to know more about the Campaign before diving in? Read our Dev Diaries presenting its features!

• Dev Diary #3—Campaign Squad Management Preview
• Dev Diary #2—Campaign Mechanics Preview
• Dev Diary #1—Campaign Feature Preview

We can’t wait to know what you think about the Campaign, feel free to share your feedback with us in the Steam discussions! Stay tuned for the full launch of the Campaign and the 1.0 release!


That's not all! USC: Counterforce will be featured during TactiCon as well from July 18 to July 22!



The USC: Counterforce team

Hey Marines!

Yesterday, we pushed the last major update before the 1.0 release. We know that some of you have questions regarding the Campaign. As a reminder, the Campaign is still scheduled and will be added with the 1.0 version. On our side, we are still making good progress on it, and we really are excited to know your thoughts when it launches, and we think it's time to share our new updated roadmap until the 1.0 release! As you can see, we plan to release the game in July 2024, so be ready for the Campaign coming soon!



Now, back to today Dev Diary about the general mechanics of the squad management!

[h3]General Campaign mechanics[/h3]

[h3]Squad management[/h3]



The Squad Assembly screen you know from the preparation phase of a mission in the other game modes will be familiar, but with many, many changes that befit the new and changed mechanics of the Campaign.

One of the most important differences is that you have a fixed starting roster of 30 marines, including your avatar, the returning crew of U.S.C. Wraith (15 marines), and 14 (randomized) marines from your fleet. All of them have preset skills and ranks, with some spare skill points left, so you can start training them in the direction you want to from the get-go. Unlike non-Campaign games, units will gain Experience Points (XP) for all kinds of actions they perform and, with that, achieve promotions that give them new skill points and other perks. “Demoting” or re-organizing their skills will not be an option, nor will resurrecting the dead (yes, we are talking about permadeath!). Sometimes you’ll have to wait until you can re-deploy a marine (if they are seriously injured or assigned to a somewhat longer task or mission, etc.), so you’ll have to make sure you don’t only have an “A-Team” of 6 killing machines but more reliable individuals to send on missions.



The other big difference is how global inventory is handled. In the Campaign, all items are “status persistent”, which in this case actually means that if they’re gone, they’re gone. There are no “loadout configurations” that are reset after a mission, as every bullet you fire or medikit you use is spent forever; your inventory can change swiftly, and you have to work with what you have, not with what you’d think is optimal. You will, however, start with a great assortment of weapons, ammo, and equipment, as well as a good pool of crafting materials; you’ll feel powerful and unstoppable… until you realize that reinforcements are weeks away and your supplies deplete quickly. The time will come to clear the dust from those good old, reliable .44 pistols! Of course, you will be able to craft anything if you have the resources. And don’t forget, “status persistence” for items also means that what you pick up and bring home is truly yours to keep (or to disassemble for materials…)!

With that, “squad configurations” are also gone. For each mission, you can decide freely who to deploy. You can configure up to 3 squads of 6–6 marines in many cases. Having good intel will help you decide how many marines to bring and what equipment they should carry for a specific mission.

[h3]Missed our previous dev diaries on the Campaign? You can read them here:[/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/3883854408804767159
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/4211502692132648548

Stand by for more information about the Campaign and upcoming sneak peeks!

The USC: Counterforce team

Hey marines,

Lock and load! We're excited to be part of the Steam Endless Replayability Fest! USC: Counterforce is discounted at 40% from May 13 to May 20. We just released our last major update before the 1.0 release, adding new feature, weapon, items, challenges, and balance changes!

[h3]Update Highlights - New weapon[/h3]
Latest addition to your arsenal, the Laser Scorcher! Blast these aliens with this powerful and destructive weapon! This update also includes a crafting material converter, new gear for healing and building barriers, and new ammo!

Read more about the new update in these patch notes:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/4177728871881754998


[h3]40% Off - Limited discount during the Steam Endless Replayability Fest[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1574870/USC_Counterforce/


Discount on our bundle with Shardpunk!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/40877/Shardpunk_x_USC_Counterforce/

[h3]Enjoy the new content? Then support us, get USC: Counterforce in Early Access on Steam if you haven't already, and leave us a review![/h3]

Happy "bug" hunting!

The USC: Counterforce team

Hey Marines,

A new major update is live now! Time to unveil our last major update before the 1.0 release, packed with new feature, weapon, items, and challenges! We're thrilled to be part of the Steam Endless Replayability Fest, the game is discounted (40% off) from today to May 20!




[h2]New weapon[/h2]

Introducing the Laser Scorcher, a powerful addition to your collection. This heavy arm packs a burning punch, using Energy Charge as ammunition. With devastating attacks like Disintegrate and Line Scorch, bypassing full target armor, it promises highly destructive firepower! Just make sure you bring enough ammo—this one eats up a lot!

• Disintegrate: a single-target, free-pattern, high damage attack with additional fire damage.
  
• Line Scorch: a very high damage, star-pattern attack that can damage ALL units in range in a single shot.

[h2]Advanced ammo[/h2]

Upgrade your ammunition arsenal with advanced versions for dire situations! HCB MK III, Energy Charge (Condensed), SuperShell MK II, BioShell MK II, and Hydrazine (Inferno Mix), these offer increased power and efficiency for the most challenging encounters, but at a higher cost. Unlock them through Single missions on Hard difficulty minimum or with Gear Tokens.


[h2]New items[/h2]

Need health restoration or extra defense? Look no further than the Regenerator and Force Field Emitter! The Regenerator restores health and mitigates bleeding by 25% on each turn, while the Force Field Emitter triggers an impassable, indestructible barrier on a single grid for time-limited strategic advantage during 5 turns. Keep them ready for any situation!


[h2]New feature[/h2]

Ever found yourself just a few materials short of crafting that crucial piece of gear? We've now added the Crafting Material Converter! Now you can convert specific crafting materials into others, from the Squad Assembly screen, by clicking on the material icons in the top right corner. Conversions are loadout-locked, a new loadout won't have the converted materials, but all the default available materials. This feature will you help craft items, in exchange for high conversion rates, to avoid devaluing the diversity of materials.




[h2]New map and challenges[/h2]

Prepare for new risky deployments in Single Mission mode with the introduction of the Desolate Canyon map type and the Quack! difficulty level. Test your skills in rugged environments and face even greater challenges for the ultimate test of your tactical prowess and resourcefulness with this new highest difficulty setting. Long live the Quackers!




[h2]Multi-squad missions[/h2]

Take your commanding and coordination skills to the next level with 3-player mode in Single Mission games. Command three squads of four marines independently, bring and team up with another friend!


[h2]Overall balance changes[/h2]

This update also brings a lot of balance changes to Defend the Base! mode, the Heavy arm skills, multiple weapons and items, as well as weapon upgrades and prototypes.

[h3]Read the full patch notes here.[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/4177728871881754998


Get the game at a 40% discount from today to May 20! Make the best of the new tactical options you have, torch enemies with the Laser Scorcher, play up to 3 squads, and try out new challenges!

All clear for now! Stay alert for further updates on USC: Counterforce and the 1.0 release!

The USC: Counterforce team