V1034 Community Test: Update #07 feat. Spring Sale (-30%)

We've just pushed a new Community Test update to update a few things and hopefully iron out the last few showstoppers before the official V1034 release.

Before we go over the changes, you might be happy to read that…

[h2]GROUND BRANCH is on the Steam Spring Sale[/h2]
Until March 21st @ 10am PST, you can grab a copy (and indeed as many copies as you want) of GROUND BRANCH with a sweet 30% discount. You know the drill: spread the word and maybe even get a few extra keys to get yourself and your gaming buds in on the action just in time for the new update and the inevitable uptick in player numbers.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/16900/GROUND_BRANCH/

Valve takes a 30% cut from sales on their store, so if you have a PayPal account and would love us to get the full cut from your purchase, head over to our official store and use code Spring2024 at the checkout to apply the same 30% discount! You'll get a key to redeem at the Steam Store and be ready to play in no time.

💵 Please note that our store operates in USD only, so this might not be a great deal if you're paying in a different currency as we use regional pricing on Steam.

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With that out of the way, patch notes start right after the beta instructions below:

Originally posted by instructions

[h3]❓ How to join the Community Test beta branch[/h3]

• Right-click GROUND BRANCH in your Steam Library and select Properties…
• Click 'BETAS' on the left-hand list menu
  
• Select 'communitytest - Community testing branch' from the drop-down menu
  (no password required)

Steam will begin downloading the files for the testing branch. Patching may take a while.

[h3]🐞 Where to report bugs[/h3]
You can report bugs and issues using any of these methods:

• The in-game Bugs & Issues screen (press Esc once in-game and look along the top menu)
  
• The Steam forums: steamcommunity.com/app/16900/discussions/
• The #bug-reports channel on the official GROUND BRANCH™ Discord

Your reports help us locate and fix issues faster, so keep them coming!

🚧 These issues are known to still be present:

• Hostage Rescue has a few new quirks with the hostage sack, hostage leading functionality and flex cuffs, which we are currently working to fix for the final release
  
• Enemy AI may be unresponsive/idle/stuck in various contexts — if you see it, please make note of whether it was online (dedicated server? Listen server?) or offline, which game mode was being played, as well as map and location etc.
  
• Weapon movement, poses and animations in general are still being put back together after the prone overhaul — please bear with us
  
• The prone stance does not conform to terrain angle
  
• AI bots are not fully functional in Deathmatch
  

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[h2]Maps[/h2]

• Fixed audio issues in City, Arena and Arena, Paintball and The Farm
  

[h3]747[/h3]

• Reworked the spiral staircases for better AI flow
  
• Various lighting and bug fixes
  
• Generator should now stop sound when shot out
  

[h3]Depot[/h3]

• Cleaned up a few missions with navigation/collision validator
  
• Fixed some navmesh issues
  

[h3]Docks[/h3]

• Smoothed out collision on a few staircases
  

[h3]City[/h3]

• Various lighting and bug fixes
  
• News helicopter respond to being shot again
  
• Fixed collision issues for crouching with some of the scaffolding
  

[h3]Compound[/h3]

• Fixed bulletproof curtains
  

[h3]The Farm[/h3]

• Painted out leaves coming through shooting range floor
  

[h3]Paintball[/h3]

• Cleaned up collision on mesh causing some issues
  
• Fixed up wrong minimap
  

[h3]Rig[/h3]

• Did a pass on all missions with collision/navmesh validator
  
• Fixed out-of-level exploit in Deck 3 missions (Deathmatch, Team Elimination)
  
• Changed material on vending machine so it looked better in dark areas
  

[h3]Run Down[/h3]

• Various collision, LOD and lighting bugs fixed
  

[h3]Small Town[/h3]

• Fixed stretched UVs on a rock
  
• Expanded nav bounds and cleaned up navmesh
  
• Fixed up various missions, hopefully clearing AI traffic jam on C building upper floor
  
• Cleaned up collision on cinderblock piles
  
• Fixed virtual texture rock blending
  
• Rebuilt navmesh
  

[h3]Tanker[/h3]

• Various collision, LOD and lighting bugs fixed
  

[h3]Creek[/h3]

• Removed problematic ladder outside of green barn
  

[h2]AI[/h2]

• Reduced AI agent height for nav mesh generation to 185 cm (opens up more places to navmesh)
  
• Reworked dead body callouts: now a dead body will only ever trigger one call out in total
  
• Subsequent discoveries by other AI will not trigger additional callouts (they will still go investigate and go into combat ready mode, e.g. draw their weapon)
  
• Fixed up bugs with AI failing to reload
  
• Team handling fixed up in new Kythera AI systems
  
• Rejigged AI character/controller setup
  
• Changes to how AI processes multiple audio signals to avoid prioritizing far away gunshots over close-up footsteps
  
• Fixed DebugFreeze not working for AI
  

[h2]Animation[/h2]

• Fixed hover foot (one leg lifted off ground)
  
• Added generic item lean animations
  
• Added prone grenade unequip animation
  
• Rejig of animation instance systems (to make it easier to layer animations)
  
• New equipment locomotion
  
• Adding a generic Item move set and with aims
  
• Fixed M110 fire selector animations
  
• Updated PMM-related (pistol) animations to be additive and bring them in line with the rest of the handgun animations
  
• Updated PMM compressed to match the base handgun
  
• Added sprint check to SDASS and M24 to prevent working the action if fired while sprinting
  
• Updated rig to prevent aiming-through-hand issue
  
• Hooked up lean poses (updated a number of animations designed to be used in this layer to be based on generic item base pose instead of rifle base pose)
  
• Updated rig to prevent sights being offset when prone (especially an issue with handgun)
  
• Switched base reload prone animations for AR-15 and handguns to use non-prone versions
  
• Breaching Charge attachment fixed (was at 90 degrees to door)
  
• Fix to allow montage originating from server to be forced to owning client (should make detonator and breaching charge animations play properly in multiplayer)
  
• A lot of big under-the-hood changes to correctly support animations for all items in all stances
  

[h2]Gameplay and systems[/h2]

• Big pass on collision to simplify and debug
  
• Updated various vehicles to ensure sections that are shown or hidden use block-all or no-collision collision profiles instead of just enabling/disabling collision
  
• Stopped names appearing for enemies in Deathmatch
  
• A lot of under-the-hood game mode script fixes
  
• Added further restrictions to interacting while prone (should now be impossible for all actors)
  
• Bug fixes to laptop blueprint
  
• Added anti-spam checks to leaning, running and sprinting to remove some speed hacks
  
• Sprint blending times and effects changed
  
• Fixed server roster player list lag
  
• Fixed up DTAS, Hostage Rescue, Team Elimination and Uplink game modes to improve handling of AI kills and killers
  
• Internal tweaks and fixes relating to arm changes and gender identification of assets
  
• Disabled warning about missing eyebrows if none were defined so that they can be used with AI without causing log spam
  
• Character updated to change handling of head types/genders
  
• Cleared all meshes using character physics asset that do not need to — which is most of them
  
• Changed bomb explosion (Defuse) to fade to black after explosion
  
• Improved logging for failed kit loads
  
• Updated handling of failed kits to allow replacing child items and skins
  
• Disabled Ray Tracing in config to fix crash on exiting in DX12 mode
  
• Updated Tablet to use alternate new method to fill screen (instead of FOV and POV change, it will shift the tablet up to fill the screen — doesn't care if prone, crouched, standing or leaning) (WIP — hands may be visible, especially in prone etc.)
  
• Fixed volunteer function in Hostage Rescue
  
• Fixed flag placement issues in DTAS
  
• Tentative fixes for Hostage Rescue issues: should stop leading hostage when leader goes prone, and now clears BeingLeadAsHostage gameplay tag when cuffs are unequipped (should stop movement getting blocked in various ways) or when leading is otherwise stopped
  
• New restriction added so you can't use objects if underwater (may be a redundant check)
  
• Added new ServerExecute command, usable by superadmins only (to run console commands remotely on the server)
  
• Fixed picking up item in left hand attempting to keep it equipped in left hand instead of putting it away
  

[h2]Character and inventory[/h2]

• Added entries for backup skin substitutions
  
• Cleaned up a few hairstyles that were still showing the scalp with Ball Cap and Beanie
  
• Updated dump pouch and radio assets to properly set their skin
  
• Changed skins for main menu guys
  
• SA58 OSW now supports suppressor
  
• Back-end changes to improve handling of restricted skins and kit validation
  
• Added LODs and adjusted existing LODs for player heads, beards, hair and a few weapons and weapon attachments
  
• Converted eyelashes to static meshes for efficiency
  
• Big change under the hood to change internal kit handling to be always monolithic: keeps kit data consistent no matter what is parsing it, and removes issues caused by presets or item builds being deleted
  
• Added dialogs for handling kit validation issues and converting all user kits
  
• Removed unneeded failed kit validation widgets
  
• Cleared physics assets from all hairstyles
  
• General inventory tweaks/fixes
  
• Fixed goggles being too bright compared to other character assets
  
• Added new arm meshes in place of masking system
  
• Cleared simple collision from MP5 stocks that were in wrong orientation
  
• Removed physics from all balaclava versions of heads
  
• Cleaned up new head/balaclava meshes
  
• Fixed arm mesh poking through with male rolled sleeves and gloves
  
• Cleaned up some weighting on the male heads that make them poke through some shirts
  
• Changed arms to remove reliance on mesh updating to choose skin
  
• Cleaned up more issues with heads intersecting various shirts
  

[h2]Audio[/h2]

• City Bank audio fix (slight reverb adjustment)
  
• Rundown tail fix
  
• Small reverb change, small bug fixes
  
• Fixed portals and occlusion issues
  
• Fixed missing ADS sound effects
  
• Fixed drop audio not playing for weapons
  
• Fixed missing Galil ARM third-person sounds
  
• Added missing voice lines in female character Comms Menu (G key)
  

[h2]VFX[/h2]

• Big pass on checking emitters are parented to existing emitter assets.
  
• Distance culling set to 50 m for distant impacts
  
• Created 10 new blood spatter decals
  
• VFX emitter cleanup
  

[h2]UI[/h2]

• Tweaks to Customize Operator screen colors
  
• A few text changes to Customize Operator screen messages
  
• Visual update to "Game Paused" overlay
  
• Dialog boxes now have a fade-in and fade-out animation
  
• Updated loading screen hints: cleaned up appearance, edited existing hints for clarity and formatting, and added a new hint
  
• Updated visuals for color picker pop-up in Settings > HUD (is now limited to color wheel, e.g. hue selection)
  
• Fixed color picker buttons being slightly rectangular rather than perfect squares
  
• Minor copy edit and rearranging of Settings > HUD
  
• Fixed inconsistent padding between columns in Setting > Gameplay
  
• Updated wording and formatting for F4/F6 dialog prompts
  
• Updated mag check HUD: repositioned red cross and changed icon color (to red) for "no ammo"
  
• Minor update to hover effects in Keybinds column (Settings > Controls)
  
• Increased width of all setting selections: drop-downs, sliders, spinboxes etc. to allow for longer text strings, finer control in sliders, and close the gap between selections and their descriptions
  
• Added a few more settings tooltips
  
• Slightly more descriptive text in Sight Priority options
  
• Updated credits
  
• Made highlight for various tabs/buttons more evident
  
• Updated icon/swatch for Brown and Olive Drab skin selections
  
• Updated DLSS tooltips to hopefully display correctly for RTX 40-series when in DX12 mode and minor changes to copy as well
  
• Updated DLSS setting text and tooltips
  
• Various minor style, copy and formatting tweaks
  

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[h3]As always, thank you for testing and providing feedback![/h3]
See you next time!

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