Squad News

Update Squad 4. 4 will be released on the 19th of April 2023! 

It will bring with it a few new map layers, new server tags, and will mainly focus on bug fixes, quality of life improvements,  and optimizations to the game.

Next week we will publish the complete Release Notes for you to check and learn all the latest additions that made it to the game in 4.4

Attention Squaddies,

Squad Hotfix 4.3.1 is now live! It focuses on fixing a few issues that could cause corrupted textures and removes the ability to stack IMG fortifications on top of one another.

Check out all the list of changes below:

[h2]General Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed an issue that could cause textures to appear corrupted
  
• Fixed an issue where the landscape could appear to have large spikes sticking out of it after a map change
  
• Fixed an issue that allowed players to stack some IMF fortifications like Hull Down and Dirt Crate Walls on top of one another
  
• Fixed a bug that caused country name abbreviations in server tags to be inappropriately localized
  
• Fixed localization on some multi-select menu items
  

Attention Squaddies,

Squad 4.3 is coming right now, ready to be downloaded! You will find all the changes made by the update listed and detailed in our Release Notes [URL LINK]

Please share with us your thoughts on the update, and if you encounter any technical issues, you can report them in our dedicated Technical Issues Report thread directly in the forums. [URL LINK]

At ease,

Added the “Manicouagan” map. This is a complete remake of our Manic-5 map.

Map Layers

• Manicouagan AAS v1 - CAF vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan AAS v2 - USMC vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan AAS v3 - USA vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan Invasion v1 - CAF vs RGF (RGF Attacker)
  
• Manicouagan Invasion v2 - CAF vs RGF (CAF Attacker)
  
• Manicouagan Invasion v3 - USA vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan Invasion v4 - USMC vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan Invasion v5 - USMC vs RGF (Flooded Map)
  
• Manicouagan Invasion v6 - CAF vs PLA
  
• Manicouagan Invasion v7 - CAF vs IMF
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v1 - CAF vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v2 - USMC vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v3 - USA vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v4 - CAF vs PLA
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v5 - USMC vs PLA
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v6 - USA vs PLA
  
• Manicouagan RAAS v7 - CAF vs IMF
  
• Manicouagan Seed v1 - CAF vs IMF
  
• Manicouagan Skirmish v1 - CAF vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan Skirmish v2 - USMC vs RGF
  
• Manicouagan Skirmish v3 - USA vs RGF
  

Note: This map replaces Manic-5, which will no longer be playable, nor available in the modding SDK

Added two new features, Find Match & Server Tagging.

Server Tagging
Server owners have the ability to tag their servers with the list of tags that we provide. These tags can be used to quickly find a server in the Server Browser. You can filter tags via the updated filter panel. Tags include:

• Language
  
• Game Modes
  
• Playstyle
  
  
  
  • Relaxed - Communicate, coordinate, play for fun
    
  • Focused - Play the objective, play to win
    
  • Milsim - Tactics and subordination
    
• Experience Preference
  
  
  
  • New Player Friendly - Explore the game and learn the ropes
    
  • Experience Preferred - You are expected to know game mechanics and common server rules
    
• Map Rotation type
  
  
  
  • Set Rotation
    
  • Map Voting - For servers using their own map voting system
    

Note: Untagged servers will be shown only when you have server browser filters on default (or unfiltered)

Server Browser
In addition to having tags, the server browser also has new tabs that will allow you to quickly hop back on a server that you liked:

• Favorites tab
  
• Recents tab
  
• Find Match
  

You can search for a server by pressing the Find Match button on the main menu screen. There is a Search Preferences menu that will allow you to narrow down the type of server you want to play.
In addition to tags and game modes, search preferences include:

Find Match type

• Multi-Choice (default) - Will show 3 servers to choose from
  
• Automatic - Connects to the first found server
  
• Maximum Ping
  
• Minimum Players
  
• Match Elapsed Time
  

Additional notes on how Find Match works:

• Only shows modded servers if you have these mods installed
  
• Doesn’t show full servers
  

Redesigned the Main Menu UI
We are excited to announce a new visual update to our main menu. We revamped the design to be more sleek and modern while making it easier to navigate. The new main menu features a cleaner layout with updated graphics and animations that enhance the user experience. We hope you enjoy our main menu's new look.

[h2]Rework of the Militia faction[/h2]

Role Configurations Highlights:

Command & Support Roles Squad Leader 01
- AKS-74U + Iron Sight + 45-round magazines
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Squad Leader 02
- M4 + M68 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Squad Leader 03 (Unlocked at Squad Size 2)
- AKS-74 + 1P29 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Squad Leader 04 (Unlocked at Squad Size 3)
- AK74 + GP25 + 1P63 Optic
- 2x 40mm HE Grenades
- 1x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade
Squad Leader 05 (Unlocked at Squad Size 6)
- AK74 + GP25 + 1P78 Optic
- 2x 40mm HE Grenades
Medic 01
- AKS-74U
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Medic 02
- AKS-74 + 1P29 Optic
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenade

Direct Combat Roles Rifleman 01
- FAL
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 02
- M4
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 03
- AKS-74 + 1P63 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 04
- M4 + M68 Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 05
- AKS-74 + 1P78 Optic
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Rifleman 06
- SKS + PU Optic
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
Ambusher 01
- FAL
- 5x Fragmentation Rifle Grenades
- 1x Personal Camouflage Net
Ambusher 02
- M4
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
- 2x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade
- 1x Personal Camouflage Net
Automatic Rifleman 01
- Minimi + No Tracers
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenade

Fire Support Roles Infiltrator 01
- AKS-74U + 45-round magazines
- Vz 61 Skorpion
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
- 4x RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenade
Automatic Rifleman 02
- RPK-74 + 1P78 Optic + No Tracers
Grenadier 01
- M4
- 2x RGD-5 Frag Grenades
- 5x RPG-7 Fragmentation
Grenadier 02
- AK74 + GP25
- 10x 40mm HE Grenades
LAT 01
- FAL
- 5x HEAT Rifle Grenades
LAT 02
- AKS-74 + 1P29 Optic
- 2x RPG-7 HEAT
- 2x RPG-7 Fragmentation
Marksman 01
- SVD
- 1x RGD-5 Frag Grenade

Specialist Roles Machine Gunner 01
- PKM + 1P29 Optic + No Tracers
HAT 01
- AKS-74U
- 2x RPG-7 Tandem HEAT
- 2x RPG-7 Fragmentation
HAT 02
- FAL
- 2x RPG29 Tandem HEAT
Saboteur 01
- AKS-74U
- 3x Timed Explosives
- 3x TM62 Anti-Tank Mines
- No IED

[h3]New & Updated Weapons[/h3]

FAL Rifle Grenades
The militia can now make use of rifle grenades for their FAL rifles. There are fragmentation & HEAT rifle grenades available depending on which role is used. Due to a limited effective range, these warheads will pack a slightly bigger punch than the underslung grenade launcher rounds from other factions.

RKG-3 Anti-Tank Grenades
A blast from the past, the RKG-3 anti-tank grenades have returned to the game. After being thrown into the air, the RKG-3 will deploy a parachute to orient itself downwards to damage vehicles it makes contact with (it will not do splash damage to vehicles). The grenade will have limited effectiveness against infantry and is currently unable to damage vehicle components (ex: engine, tracks, ammo rack - this is a known issue).

AK Series Reload Animations
Militia has received a new set of reload animations for their AK series (AK-74, AKM, etc) weapon which will give them a slight decrease to the reload speed of these weapons. A tactical reload (still ammunition in the current magazine) will see the current magazine quickly swapped out with a new one that’s already in-hand, while the dry reload (no ammunition in the current magazine) will depict what’s colloquially known as an ‘Iraqi reload’. These new animations will also apply to the Insurgent faction but conventional factions using AK series weapons will continue to use the original reload animations.

AK Series Iron Sight Picture
In addition to the new reload animations, we’ve also adjusted the sight picture on the AK74, AKM, SKS, AKS74U, Mosin, PKM, PKP and PPSH using iron sights to prevent the weapon from being skewed. This also moves the iron sight’s sight picture closer to being more authentic although we feel we’ve struck the right balance between looking realistic (which when done so with 100% realism, many players find difficult to use) and usable.

[h3]New & Updated Vehicles[/h3]

BM-21 “Grad” Rocket Artillery Truck
The BM-21 “Grad” is the first MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) to be added to the game, and arguably the first true self-propelled artillery vehicle that we have added. It fires powerful 122mm rockets with a minimum arming distance of 100 meters, has a minimum firing distance of 900 meters, a maximum firing distance of 1500 meters on even ground, and will only be present on larger maps within the game.

Due to its limited effectiveness at shorter ranges, getting the most bang for your buck out of this weapon system will involve closely communicating and coordinating with spotters to ensure that you are hitting an area populated with relevant targets, and that your rockets are landing on target. It will be used most effectively against mass concentrations of infantry in the open, enemy FOBs, or static light to medium vehicles

Armored Ural & Technical
The militia will be receiving several variants of an improvised, up-armored Ural 375, as well as modern pickup trucks. The idea behind these vehicles was to offer a bit more protection to the light vehicles of militia since their overall vehicle line-up is lacking compared to more conventional factions. Hastily-welded steel sheets will protect some of the vehicle’s occupants from small-arms fire although larger caliber ammunition will still pass through.

The up-armored vehicles will provide limited survivability to occupants when inadvertently running into enemy infantry. The up-armored technicals will still be served best by ambushing enemies or used in defensive positions that offer maximum protection. The armored Urals will provide slightly more reliable transport and logistical support for the militia, as they will rely on supplies for their defensive specialization, and doubly-so as they continue to lack helicopter support.

• Armored Ural 375 Transport
  
• Armored Ural 375 Logi
  
• Armored Technical Transport
  
• Armored Technical Logi
  
• Armored Technical M2
  
• Armored Technical SPG-9
  
• Armored Technical DSHK
  

BMP-1 & SPG-9 Update
With 4.3 we’ve adjusted the minimum arming distance and recoil impulse of the BMP-1’s 2A28 “Grom” main cannon and the SPG-9 recoilless rifle. The arming distance has been reduced from 35 meters to 6 meters and recoil impulse has been lessened, these changes should make these weapons more effective in combat in addition to bringing their values more in line with authenticity.

New Flag & Voicelines
Militia will now have a new flag and updated character voice lines.

New Vehicle Camouflage
Militia vehicles have received a new coat of paint as we’ve updated their camouflage pattern to be something a bit more realistic looking!

[h3]New Emplacement[/h3]

ZIS-3 Field Gun
The ZIS-3 field gun is the first of its kind to be added to the game. It is a weapon emplacement, with up to two being able to be constructed within Irregular Militia Forces FOBs. It will have fragmentation, HEAT, and smoke ammunition types available so will be effective against both infantry and vehicles at long range but be cautious as prolonged use will sap a FOB of ammunition supply.

The ZIS-3 will best be employed in ambush positions, covering choke points or used in positions with long lines of sight where the threat of return fire will reduce the likelihood of quickly incapacitating the operator. This weapon is a relic of world war 2 and as such its HEAT ammunition lacks the armor penetration capabilities of modern weapons (only 120mm of armor penetration) but will still need to be taken advantage of in order to offset the Irregular Militia Forces’ lack of conventional heavy vehicles.

[h3]New Fortifications[/h3]

Dirt-Filled Ammo Boxes
Militia will receive a lineup of new defensive fortifications crafted out of dirt-filled ammo boxes in the new update. These will be their basic building blocks for defensive positions. In addition to these, militia will still have access to log walls and sandbags.

Tank Traps (Hedgehogs)
Tank Traps are cheap and quick-to-build fortifications that can be used to block off roads, bridges, or choke points in order to set up an ambush on vehicles. Vehicle occupants will have to dismount and deal with tank traps in order to clear the path so it will be ideal to lay these in locations where militia can ambush the vehicle or its dismounts otherwise these will only be a marginal nuisance.

Hull-down Position
The hull-down position is a fortification whose primary intent is to offer additional frontal and side armor protection for armored vehicles such as the BMP-1 or T-62 on even ground. Up to two can be built per FOB and will allow the militia’s older-generation armored vehicles to contend against their better conventional counterparts.

Camouflage Netting
As part of the update, the Irregular Militia Forces will get access to several new camouflage net fortifications. The lean-to, wall, and canopy will provide multiple opportunities for concealing not only infantry fighting positions but the canopy in particular is large enough to conceal vehicles, HABs, hull-down positions, or can just be used as a decoy position to confuse enemy UAVs.

The camouflage netting fortifications will help the militia both set up ambush positions at critical choke points or simply enhance a larger defensive position.

[h2]System & Gameplay Updates[/h2]

• Made further visual improvements to the US Army soldiers
  
• Configured multiple vehicles to eject players from open seats when in deep water
  
• Retextured medium and large ammo crates
  
• Rebalanced machine gun mag counts to overall increase the amount of ammo carried by AR / MG kit roles
  
• Removed Ticket Bleed from RAAS layers on all flags except when all flags have been captured (which still has -60 tickets per minute mercy bleed) This is intended to incentivize more dynamic movement along flag lattice, affording teams that have been pushed off a middle flag more time to stabilize, reconstitute and strategically plan a counterattack.
  
• Removed -10 ticket loss when a flag is lost for the AAS, RAAS and Skirmish game modes. Currently, teams that lose a flag are already at a large detriment due to - having lost ground/key strategic land areas; likely having lost one or more FOBs in the area (each FOB is -20 tickets); likely have lost several infantry tickets (give ups); losses of any additional vehicles/logis (costing tickets) or disabled vehicles at the lost flag (which now cannot resupply or quickly rebuild FOBs). This change is intended to make losing flags less of a blow to the overall battle.
  
• In Seed mode, flags now only require 1 player to capture
  
• Made improvements to two-handed gesture animations
  
• Added idle animations for the Preview and Customize screen soldier
  
• Made improvements to the camera animation on the PLA ZSL10 Wheeled APC open-top turret
  
• Added desert camo for the QJZ89 Remote Weapon Station
  

[h2]General Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed a client crash related to SQVehicleWeaponTOW
  
• Fixed a client crash related to USQEmotePlayer::OnEmoteEnded
  
• Fixed a client crash related to ScriptCore.cpp
  
• Fixed a client ensure issue related to RetractBipod
  
• Fixed several visual issues with the shop and customize screens
  
• Fixed multiple minor visual issues related to clipping while emoting or gesturing
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause 2-handed gestures not to work correctly on certain layers
  
• Fixed an issue that could allow players to use squad leader specific gestures while dragging bodies
  
• Fixed an issue where a player could find themselves unable to lean and ADS if a third person emote is triggered during the transition from prone to standing
  
• Fixed an issue where players could appear to hold items like their weapons while using the facepalm emote
  
• Fixed an issue where users could not use the applause gesture with the decoy rock item equipped
  
• Fixed an alignment issue with rocket launcher animations
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the ASLAV APC to have no engine sound at max revs
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented the icon for the SPG-9 emplacement from appearing after it had been built
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the barrel of the C7A2 M203A1 to disappear in third person when switching to any grenade ammunition type
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the barrels of the C9A2 LMGs to be invisible in third person
  
• Corrected incorrect Chinese text on the PF98 HAT Launcher’s laser rangefinder
  
• Fixed an issue that caused bullet tracers to spawn from a soldier's chest instead of their weapon barrel
  
• Fixed a collision issue with the LAV2 Coyote
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause water splash SFX to be inconsistent across multiple players
  
• Fixed several issues related to the graphics settings display
  
• Fixed an issue that prevented the icon for ammo crates from appearing when another player is too close to it
  
• Fixed a minor visual issue with the BRDM-2 Spandrel
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the M38 DMR’s optic to be invisible in third person
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause the turret for the M2A3 IFV woodland variant to swap to a desert texture when the vehicle is destroyed
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the ironsights of the AUS EF88 Rifle to be invisible in third person
  
• Fixed an issue where spawn screen layer names could block interaction with spawn points in rare circumstances
  
• Fixed an issue that caused a character model to appear shiny and warped
  
• Fixed an issue with the voiceover for objectives becoming neutral
  
• Fixed minor visual inconsistencies between first and third person sleeves for certain US Army kit roles
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the first person weapon reloading animation to become desynced when using freelook
  
• Updated the weapon selection order of the ZTZ99A MBT to the standard set used by other vehicles
  
• Fixed several incorrect tooltips for open-top turret weapons
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the FV520 CTAS40 IFV vehicle to be incorrectly labeled as “FV520 WCSP IFV” on the interact popup
  
• 
  

[h2]Map Updates & Bug Fixes[/h2]

Al Basrah
- Fixed a pair of minor visual issues
Anvil
- Fixed a lighting issue on AAS v2
Black Coast
- Fixed several minor visual issues
- Fixed an issue that could cause the UH60 to explode upon spawning on the Essex
- Fixed several visual issues with the Subpen
- Fixed an issue where players could fall through invisible holes under the sub launch bays in the Subpen
- Fixed an issue that caused Client Log spam when the radial menu was opened and closed
Chora
- Fixed a visual issue that could cause gaps in the wall to form
Fallujah
- Fixed multiple minor visual issues
Goose Bay
- Fixed a landscape issue that could cause players and vehicles to become stuck in a lake on the Western side of the map
- Fixed several minor visual issues
- Fixed an issue that allowed a radio to be placed in an unreachable spot at the Refinery
- Fixed an issue that could allow players to shoot below fences
Gorodok
- Fixed an issue that caused some PLA vehicles to not appear inside the main base rearm zone on RAAS v12
Harju
- Fixed a minor visual issue relating to roads
- Fixed an issue that caused some RGF vehicles to not appear inside the main base rearm zone on RAAS v5
Pacific Proving Grounds
- Fixed an issue on v2 where USMC had four LAV25 ARVs instead of the listed two
Yehorivka
- Moved an incorrectly placed ammo crate on RAAS v10
- Fixed an issue that could cause players to spawn on the roof when having the RUS main spawn selected on TC v3

[h2]SDK Updates & Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Updated mod SDK to v4.3
  
• Updated mod versioning to v4.3. This requires mods to be re-cooked with the v4.3 SDK—any mods using the v4.2 SDK will be incompatible with v4.3.
  
• Fixed an issue where players could become invincible if entering the admin camera while within a main base, while in editor.
  

With the release of the 4.3 update, we will be saying goodbye to the Manic-5 map. Since joining the Squad map roster with the release of the Canadian Armed Forces faction, Manic-5 was liked by some but overall was recognized by our community as one of the least popular and weakest maps for a variety of reasons. Well we’ve heard you and undertook a mission to rework the map and raise the quality, with that we’d like to introduce you to Manicouagan.

Lore: After making a successful amphibious landing at Goose Bay in Labrador, Canada, opposition forces have pushed south along the 389 Highway into Quebec and seized the Daniel-Johnson hydroelectric dam and the surrounding area. This has crippled the power infrastructure of the northeastern United States and prompted counter-attacks from US and Canadian forces. After a lull in the fighting, US and Canadian forces are making a final attempt to retake the dam.

Manic-5 was originally an experimental map that played around the ideas of creating more linear flow within the game space, as well as experimenting with drastic changes in elevation. And although the most positive element of the map was probably the novelty at how the map felt different from other maps in the game, Manic-5 suffered from numerous design problems such as:

• Poorly flowing paths between points of interest (POIs)
  
• Linear pathing didn’t feel as good as having the freedom to choose an approach to an objective
  
• The drastic changes in elevations tied up potential gameplay area, made traversal tedious and time consuming, as well as created overly powerful overwatch positions which could control large areas of the map
  

[h2]Rework Goals[/h2]

When beginning the rework of the map, the two priorities were to retain elements of the original map and to bring the design more in line with the most enjoyed Squad maps (such as Yehorivka and Gorodok), in particular the concept of allowing players to have freedom when it comes to choosing how to approach an objective or POI.

The first major step in the rework was to clamp how drastic the changes in elevations were. Overall the elevation changes on Manicouagan are roughly 60% of what they were in the original map. This step enabled resculpting of the terrain to allow much better flow between adjacent POIs, open up more area of the map for gameplay, and limit how powerful elevated overwatch positions could be. In order to preserve some of the original spirit of the map, there are still relatively significant changes in elevations, but care has been taken to craft these more carefully to avoid or mitigate the issues we saw in the original. The Daniel-Johnson dam remains on the map but it too was shrunk to about 70% of its original size, and efforts have been made to mitigate it from being used as an overwatch position over the valley below.

Dam - Manic-5

Dam - Manicouagan

After the elevation was reduced, the density and distribution of POIs was pre-planned to improve the balance between having a good variety when random POIs are selected on a game mode like Random Advance and Secure (RAAS), while keeping the distances between points roughly fair and usable for more symmetrical game modes like Advance and Secure or Skirmish. And although lots of new POIs have been created for Manicouagan, many of the originals still exist in some form, although their position or composition may have changed. In general, most of the POIs on Manicouagan will have multiple numbers and types of approaches, these generally fall into three categories:

• Open approach - suited for vehicles or high-risk & high-reward tactics
  
• Covered approach - suited for infantry leap-frogging from cover to cover
  
• Concealed approach -  suited for a disciplined squad to have a chance at sneaking onto the objective before being noticed
  

Another large part of the Manicouagan rework was to integrate amphibious water systems into the map. The reservoir behind the dam and the rivers that cut through the map have been updated with deeper water. These will provide opportunities for amphibious-capable factions to flank and approach enemy positions from unsuspected directions. Factions that lack amphibious capabilities (such as the US Army or  Canadian Armed Forces) will be limited to making use of the bridges and shallows that form crossing points for their ground assets. In order to prevent factions without amphibious capability from being too punished or bottlenecked at crossing points, the main rivers on the map will be shallower towards the edges of the map to ensure they still retain freedom to access most parts of the map and the coloration of the water on the minimap will reflect this.

Thanks for reading, we’re excited for you to experience the new version of the map and here are a few extra shots of the before and after rework!

Antenna - Manic-5

Antenna - Manicouagan

Firebase Mississauga - Manic-5

Firebase Borris - Manicouagan