Gray Zone Warfare News

[p]Hello, GZW community,

In the newest Community Briefing, we’re diving into all the latest development updates.

Learn about the upcoming Patch 0.3.5.0, the Unreal Engine update, and the launch of a brand-new community initiative: Operation Vanguard.
[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/p][h3]Video Contents:[/h3]

• [p]Update 0.4: Dark Revelations[/p]
  • [p]Update 0.4 is in active development, bringing major content and system upgrades to Gray Zone Warfare.[/p]
• [p]Patch 0.3.5.0[/p]
  • [p]Patch 0.3.5.0 is nearing the second round of public testing. The patch introduces the powerful Unreal Engine 5.5 upgrade, along with several long-requested gameplay improvements.[/p]
  • [p]You can expect a noticeable framerate boost, especially on lower-spec PCs and in demanding areas like Tiger Bay.[/p]
  • [p]The current downside is that the engine upgrade also introduced a 1% increase in crash rate, which we’re actively working to bring down before the final release.[/p]
  • [p]Alongside performance improvements, Patch 0.3.5.0 will also feature:[/p]
    • [p]A revamped AI aiming system to reduce frustrating one-taps[/p]
    • [p]A reworked weapon sway, so your character moves more like a trained PMC[/p]
    • [p]A complete recoil overhaul, making every shot feel more powerful[/p]
    • [p]Increased enemy vulnerability to headshots [/p]
  • [p]The third round of public testing for Patch 0.3.5.0 is open from October 10 to October 15. If everything goes smoothly, the patch will go live shortly after.[/p]
• [p]Introducing Operation Vanguard[/p]
  • [p]Operation Vanguard is our new community-driven testing campaign, launching alongside Patch 0.3.5.0. It’s your opportunity to join public tests, report bugs, suggest improvements, and help refine the game directly with our developers.[/p]
  • [p]By joining the initiative, you’ll gain access to a number of benefits:[/p]
    • [p]A unique Vanguard morale patch for your character once Update 0.4 releases[/p]
    • [p]Early access to preview builds of Update 0.4[/p]
    • [p]A special Discord role with access to private testing channels[/p]
  • [p]A dedicated Operation Vanguard website is coming soon — we’ll share the link on our social media as soon as it’s live.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Got thoughts or ideas? Drop them in the comments or join the GZW Community on Discord and be part of shaping the future of Gray Zone Warfare.

Thank you for your ongoing support.[/p][p]
Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team [/p]

[p][/p][p]Hey GZW Community,
[/p][p]We’ve been refining Patch 0.3.5.0 based on data and feedback from the earlier testing rounds, and it’s now ready for another run.
[/p][p]This Patch introduces significant improvements and addresses numerous issues reported by the community.[/p][p][/p][h3]Main improvements to test:[/h3]

• [p]Performance & Client Crashes after the UE 5.5 upgrade[/p]
• [p]Improved AI Aiming and Vulnerability[/p]
• [p]Weapon Sway and Recoil Tweaks[/p]
• [p]Improved Death Screen[/p]

[p]You can find the complete CHANGELOG below. (Please note: some details may still change before the patch goes live.)
[/p][h2]Public Testing Changelog \[Not Final][/h2][p][/p][h3]Key Changes and Focus Areas[/h3]

• [p]Focus on optimizing the movement animations in the first-person perspective in various ways:[/p]
  • [p]Reduced the impact of several animations on the first-person perspective to minimize excessive character movement and animation blending. For example, the top half of the character’s body was decoupled from first-person animations, and the breathing animation was disabled in the first-person perspective.[/p]
  • [p]The weapon sway was adjusted, making it more responsive when the player moves.[/p]
  • [p]Weapon recoil has been tweaked to make it more realistic.[/p]
• [p]Focus on improved performance and reduced crash rate[/p]
• [p]Focus on reducing hitching during gameplay[/p]
• [p]Added a new and improved death sequence from the first-person perspective. Upon death, the player’s view now turns toward the approximate direction of the incoming shot.[/p]
• [p]Rebalanced AI aiming. The new system simulates human-like aiming behavior that changes dynamically based on AI difficulty, combat situation, injuries, suppression, weather, distance to the target, and weapon type.[/p]
• [p]Reworked reconnections. Players can now choose whether they want to reconnect to their original server, if within a reconnection window, or to abandon it and join a new one[/p]
• [p]Updated Unreal Engine to version 5.5
  [/p]

[h3]Most Important Community-Reported and Requested Changes and Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed a bug that caused the key drop frequency in Fort Narith to be incorrectly low[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the sonic crack sound could play after the actual gunshot[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the foliage might flicker and disappear under specific circumstances[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing Twitch Drops rewards for players who were unable to claim them until now[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue causing very dark nights with the global illumination set to medium or higher[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where FSR frame generation was disabled on RX 580 graphics cards[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where lasers were not working correctly in specific locations, such as YBL-1 and parts of Midnight Sapphire[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused audio to cut out in the Tiger Bay Mall[/p]
• [p]Improved scope visibility under specific weather conditions where the image appeared overly dark[/p]
• [p]Improved the behavior of AI NPCs when they perform a hit animation to reduce the feeling of "sponginess"[/p]

[h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where players always died if they got into a coma while in a helicopter[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where using the splint did not prioritize the most damaged bone[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare issue where blood regeneration would stop after healing all wounds[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the player's weapon can become invisible after examining another player with a grenade in hand[/p]
• [p]Fixed the RIS II 12 Handguard setup to correctly prevent its use with shorter barrels[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare issue where the suppression blur effect would persist on the player's screen after death[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that allowed players to remove a scope from the SVD while loading the magazine into the weapon[/p]
• [p]Fixed a minor animation glitch when starting to run with a knife while in dynamic crouch[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where AI NPCs sometimes did not turn on their flashlights at night[/p]
• [p]Added the missing FDE AK Handguard to the military firearms box loot table[/p]
• [p]Added the missing HP Bunker key to the Hunter's Paradise Boss loot table[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the XP rewards of Squad Strike Missions located in lower-difficulty areas[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the extraction range for the Squad Strike mission ‘Fragile Goods’ from 2.5 m to 25 m [/p]

[h3]World[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the rooftop of the Crusader COP was not recognized as part of the COP area[/p]
• [p]Fixed a missing collision on a wall near the Tiger Bay Central Southeast entrance[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect collision around fountains in Midnight Sapphire that caused grenades to bounce off[/p]
• [p]Fixed several locations where players could get stuck: [/p]
  • [p]Tiger Bay Wrecking Yard at 195, 130[/p]
  • [p]Fanny Paradise - between a house and some pallets at 189, 121[/p]
  • [p]In rocks near Sabai Lake Restaurant at 204, 152[/p]
  • [p]In rocks near Inthavong Farm at 159, 133[/p]
  • [p]Near Sawmill, between logs and a container at 138, 143[/p]
  • [p]Outside the Nomad COP at 189, 157[/p]
• [p]Fixed a visual discrepancy between the sky and the environment during specific weather conditions on low settings.[/p]
• [p]Fixed the position of the interaction box for the laptop in the Shepherd COP[/p]
• [p]Fixed a visual discrepancy between the sky and the environment during specific weather conditions on low settings[/p]
• [p]Disabled lights that were unintentionally active during the daytime[/p]
• [p]Adjusted terrain and objects in the Spielberk COP to prevent players from climbing onto the roof[/p]
• [p]Removed an unused interaction option from a light switch in YBL-1
  [/p]

[h3]UI[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an incorrect ‘joined squad’ notification when a player was promoted to squad leader[/p]
• [p]Fixed a missing notification that the squad had been disbanded after the squad leader, who created the squad, left[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where a messenger channel would get stuck in the pinned section after unpinning[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the messenger window would fail to display when sending a message through the player interaction panel[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect text wrapping in the feedback form text window[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect DLC message wrapping in Czech[/p]
• [p]Fixed the conflict zone details in the Spanish localization[/p]
• [p]Fixed the conflict zone detail text not updating when changing the game language[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect size of the maintenance notification widget in the main menu[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the character level was displayed as zero instead of one after a wipe[/p]
• [p]Fixed a missing icon in the hair selection section of the character creation screen[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue causing the weather forecast in the main menu to be out of sync with the in-game one[/p]
• [p]Removed the option to invite offline friends to a squad from the friends list[/p]
• [p]When reporting a player for a faction kill, the reason is now pre-selected in the report window [/p]

[h3]Custom Servers[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the player count was not greyed out when a custom server was running[/p]
• [p]Fixed an incorrect text label in the player list on custom servers[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players who joined a custom server for the first time had ‘Nickname’ displayed instead of their username[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the player's rank was not set correctly on custom servers when using the ‘Everything Unlocked’ preset[/p]
• [p]Fixed a crash on custom servers when the invisible free-cam character was shot[/p]
• [p]Implemented support for gamepad control for the free cam on custom servers [/p]

[h3]Other changes[/h3]

• [p]Improved the visuals of glass reflections in scopes[/p]
• [p]Fixed a visual movement glitch that caused a sudden bump after stopping while in dynamic crouch[/p]

[h3]Technical and performance fixes[/h3]

• [p]Various performance, RAM, and VRAM optimizations[/p]
• [p]Numerous crash fixes[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that could cause the game to freeze when closed with ALT+F4[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused the Load Friends Failed error if a player accumulated over 100 friends[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Steam friends data failed to load after 60 minutes in the main menu[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players were unable to join the server as a squad leader under specific circumstances[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare issue that caused players to connect to a full server, resulting in a connection error message [/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue causing black borders on the bottom half of the screen when using NVGs[/p]
• [p]Added a recommended driver version pop-up that appears when starting the game after an update if outdated graphics drivers are detected[/p]
• [p]Improved the suggested default settings based on the player’s hardware[/p]
• [p]Optimized the VFX for barrel fire, campfire, explosive grenades, flashbang grenades, and mortar explosions to improve performance[/p]
• [p]Reduced flickering of various smoke effects in shadows [/p]

[h3]Technical Updates[/h3]

• [p]Updated Oodle to 2.9.14 to prevent crashes related to specific Intel CPUs[/p]
• [p]Updated the NVIDIA DLSS plugin to version 8.1.0[/p]
• [p]Upgraded Wwise to version 2024.1.8[/p]

[p] [/p][h2]Instructions & Feedback Form:[/h2][p]We have a new feedback form. Please read the instructions carefully and complete the form once you finish your playtest: https://forms.gle/PdgMhbyMff2NetPP8[/p][p][/p][h2]Known Issues:[/h2][p]We are actively working on fixing the following bugs, and you do not need to report them: [/p]

• [p]Suppression sometimes causes collimator reticles to disappear while using NVGs.,[/p]
• [p]AI can sometimes shoot at the player before being fully rotated visually.,[/p]
• [p]Clouds in the sky can sometimes pick up unrealistic speed or alternatively become extremely slow and pixelated.,[/p]
• [p]Lasers and flashlights can appear a bit too precise during movement.,[/p]
• [p]IR flashlight and a laser are visible in reflections of glass surfaces.,[/p]
• [p]Flashlights have a black circle artifact around the center of the light cone.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Available servers:[/h3]

• [p]EU West[/p]
• [p]US East[/p]
• [p]US West[/p]

[h3]Modes:[/h3]

• [p]Warfare (PvEvP)[/p]
• [p]Joint Ops (PvE)[/p]

[p][/p][p]In this public test, you will have adjusted progression, but your live progression will not be affected.
[/p][h2]How to join?[/h2]

1. [p] Go offline and online in Steam (via the Steam tab in the upper left corner). [/p]
2. [p] Right-click on Gray Zone Warfare and select "Properties." [/p]
3. [p] In the "Betas" tab, click on "none" ("Beta Participation" section) and select "public-experimental." server [/p]
4. [p] Update the game. [/p]

[p]Feel free to discuss in the public-test-chat channel on our Discord. Playtest will last until Wednesday, October 15.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports, they’re vital to making Gray Zone Warfare better with every update.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team[/p]

[p]Hey, GZW Community,

Hotfix 0.3.4.5 has just been deployed to the live servers and is available to download now. If the 'Update' option does not appear, please restart Steam.[/p][p][/p][h2]Changelog[/h2]

• [p]\[UPDATED] Epic Online Services SDK[/p]
• [p]\[FIXED] Additional fixes for an issue preventing players from connecting to a server[/p]

[p]If you’re wondering about the jump from version 0.3.4.1 to 0.3.4.5, we implemented several server-side-only fixes lately, which were labeled internally as 0.3.4.2, 0.3.4.3, and 0.3.4.4. With this hotfix, the internal and public version numbers are now synced.[/p][p][/p][h2]Patch 0.3.5.0 In Progress[/h2][p]We are also working hard to improve Patch 0.3.5.0, based on feedback from the first rounds of Public Testing. Once we are satisfied with the results, we will launch another round. We will keep you updated! [/p][p]If you encounter any issues while playing Gray Zone Warfare, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly.

Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support!
[/p][p]Every Move Matters, [/p][p]MADFINGER Games Team

[/p][p][/p]

[p]Hey, GZW Community,[/p][p][/p][p]A server fix has just gone live.[/p][p][/p][h2]Changelog[/h2]

• [p]\[FIXED] Additional fixes for an issue preventing players from connecting to a server[/p][p][/p]

[p]This fix was implemented server-side only, meaning you don’t need to download an update.[/p][p][/p][p]If you run into any further issues, please report them to our support team so we can look into them properly. [/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for your continuous feedback. We are deeply grateful for your support![/p][p][/p][p]Every Move Matters,[/p][p]MADFINGER Games Team[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p]Hey, GZW Community,

Thanks everyone for testing Patch 0.3.5.0 and providing us with your valuable feedback. We’ve updated the build on the public-test branch, and the Patch is now live again for continued testing.

This patch brings significant changes to the game, along with fixes for numerous community-reported issues. [/p][p][/p][h3]Main improvements to test:[/h3]

• [p]Performance & Client Crashes after the UE 5.5 upgrade[/p]
• [p]Improved AI Aiming[/p]
• [p]Weapon Sway Tweaks[/p]

[p]You can find the complete CHANGELOG below. (Please note: some details may still change before the patch goes live.)
[/p][h2]Public Testing Changelog \[Not Final][/h2][p][/p][h3]Key Enhancements and Changes[/h3]

• [p]Focus on optimizing the movement animations in the 1st person perspective in various ways:[/p]
  • [p]Reduced several animations affecting the 1st person perspective, reducing excessive character movement and animation blending. For example, the top half of the character’s body was decoupled from the 1st perspective animations, and the breath animation was disabled in the 1st person perspective.[/p]
  • [p]The weapon sway was adjusted, making it more responsive when the player moves[/p]
  • [p]Pistol recoil has been tweaked to make it more realistic[/p]
• [p]New and improved death sequence from the 1st person perspective. The player’s vision turns to the approximate direction from which the player was shot.[/p]
• [p]AI aiming rebalancing: The new system simulates human-like aiming behavior that varies based on AI difficulty level, combat situation, injuries, suppression, weather conditions, distance to the target, and weapon type.[/p]
• [p]Updated Unreal Engine to version 5.5
  [/p]

[h3]Most important changes and fixes reported by and requested by the community[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where lasers were not working correctly in specific locations, such as YBL-1 and parts of Midnight Sapphire[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug that caused the key drop frequency in Fort Narith to be incorrectly low[/p]
• [p]Fixed the gunshot sounds where the sonic crack can be heard before the gunshot[/p]
• [p]Fixed missing Twitch drops rewards for players who were unable to claim them until now[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue causing very dark nights with the global illumination set to medium or higher[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players would get stuck under the ground or would fall through the map after getting revived[/p]
• [p]Fixed the disabled FSR frame generation on RX580 graphics cards
  [/p]

[h3]Gameplay[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where players always died if they got into a coma while in a helicopter[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where using the splint didn't prioritize the most damaged bone[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the extraction range for the squad strike Fragile Goods from 2,5m to 25m to allow for easier completion of the task[/p]
• [p]Fixed a rare issue where blood stops regenerating after healing all wounds[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the player's weapon can become invisible after examining another player with a grenade in hand[/p]
• [p]Fixed the RIS II 12 Handguard compatibility with shorter barrels[/p]
• [p]Added the missing FDE AK Handguard to the military firearms box loot table[/p]
• [p]Added the missing HP Bunker key to the Hunter's Paradise Boss loot table
  [/p]

[h3]World[/h3]

• [p]Adjusted the ground assets in the Spielberk COP to prevent climbing on top of the roof[/p]
• [p]Fixed the area on top of the Crusader COP, which was previously not recognized as a part of the COP area[/p]
• [p]Fixed a missing collision on a wall near the Tiger Bay Central South East entrance[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the clouds were sometimes moving too fast[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect collision around fountains in the Midnight Sapphire that caused grenades to bounce off[/p]
• [p]Fixed several locations where players could get stuck: [/p]
  • [p]Tiger Bay Wrecking Yard at 195, 130[/p]
  • [p]Fanny Paradise - between a house and some pallets at 189, 121[/p]
  • [p]In rocks near Sabai Lake Restaurant at 204, 152[/p]
  • [p]In rocks near Inthavong Farm at 159, 133[/p]
  • [p]Near Sawmill, between logs and a container at 138, 143[/p]
  • [p]Outside of the Nomad COP at 189, 157[/p]
  • [p]Disabled lights that were unintentionally on during the daytime[/p]
  • [p]Fixed an obsolete interaction option on a light switch in YBL-1
    [/p]

[h3]UI[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an incorrect "joined squad" notification when a player was promoted to the squad leader[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where a messenger channel would get stuck in the pinned section after unpinning[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the messenger window would fail to display when sending a message through the player interaction panel[/p]
• [p]Removed the option to invite to a squad from offline friends in the friend list[/p]
• [p]Faction kill is now pre-selected as the reason in the reporting window when reporting a player for a faction kill[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect text wrapping in the feedback form text window[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect DLC message wrapping in Czech[/p]
• [p]Fixed the conflict zone details in the Spanish localization[/p]
• [p]Fixed the conflict zone detail text not updating when changing the game language[/p]
• [p]Fixed the incorrect size of the maintenance notification widget in the main menu[/p]
• [p]Unified the position of the maintenance window on various resolutions/screen sizes[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the character level was displayed as zero instead of 1 after a wipe[/p]
• [p]Fixed an empty icon in the hair section of the character creation screen[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue causing the weather forecast in the main menu to be out of sync with the in-game one
  [/p]

[h3]Custom Servers[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where the player count was not greyed out when a custom server was running[/p]
• [p]Fixed wrong wording on the player list on custom servers[/p]
• [p]Implemented support for gamepad control for the free cam on custom servers[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players who join a custom server for the first time have "Nickname" displayed instead of their username[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the player's rank was not set correctly on custom servers despite using the Everything Unlocked preset
  [/p]

[h3]Technical and performance fixes[/h3]

• [p]Various performance, RAM, and VRAM optimizations[/p]
• [p]Numerous crash fixes[/p]
• [p]Improved the suggested default settings based on the player’s hardware[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where closing the game by pressing ALT+F4 might lead to the game freezing[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue that caused the Load Friends Failed error if a player accumulated over 100 friends[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where Steam friends data was not loaded after 60 minutes in the main menu[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where players were unable to join the server as a squad leader under specific circumstances
  [/p]

[h3]Technical Updates[/h3]

• [p]Updated Oodle to 2.9.14 to workaround crashes related to specific Intel CPUs[/p]
• [p]Updated DLSS to 8.1.0[/p]

[p]Updated Epic Online Services SDK to version 1.17.1.3

Compared to Patch 0.3.5.0 Testing #1, we improved the analytics data we’re gathering on performance and crashes and applied a few additional fixes. [/p][p][/p][h3]Additional Changelog compared to Patch 0.3.5.0 Testing #1:[/h3]

• [p]\[Fixed] Incomplete weapon shadow on the ground[/p]
• [p]\[Fixed] Black artifacts sometimes appearing when using NVGs with the XeSS upscaling method[/p]
• [p]\[Fixed] Choppy sprinting animation transition when repeatedly pressing the Shift key[/p]
• [p]\[Fixed] Splints not healing damaged bones under certain circumstances[/p]
• [p]\[Fixed] Noticeable bump after stopping in the dynamic crouch animation[/p]
• [p]\[Fixed] Weapon becoming invisible in 1PV after being revived from a coma while holding a grenade[/p]

[p] We will continue working on fixes based on your feedback.

[/p][h2]Instructions & Feedback Form[/h2][p]We have a new feedback form. Please read the instructions carefully and complete the form once you finish your playtest: https://forms.gle/PXfF32Xpak6xHrg56[/p][p] [/p][h3]Available servers:[/h3]

• [p]EU West[/p]
• [p]US East[/p]
• [p]US West[/p]

[h3]Modes:[/h3]

• [p]Warfare (PvEvP)[/p]
• [p]Joint Ops (PvE)[/p]

[p][/p][p]In this public test, you will have adjusted progression, but your live progression will not be affected.
[/p][h2]How to join?[/h2]

1. [p] Go offline and online in Steam (via the Steam tab in the upper left corner). [/p]
2. [p] Right-click on Gray Zone Warfare and select "Properties." [/p]
3. [p] In the "Betas" tab, click on "none" ("Beta Participation" section) and select "public-experimental." server [/p]
4. [p] Update the game. [/p]

[p]Feel free to discuss in the public-test-chat channel on our Discord. Playtest will last for a few days. [/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for your continued feedback and bug reports, they’re vital to making Gray Zone Warfare better with every update.

Every Move Matters,
MADFINGER Games Team[/p]