Squad News

[h2]“Communications inbound. Ready to receive!”[/h2]

Thanks Squaddies for taking part in the latest Squad Q&A, where you, the players, get to ask the developers who made Squad all about the game! We were extremely excited with the number of responses to our call for questions. We have taken the time to select fourteen (14) questions to answer.

Aiding in answering the questions are four members of our development team

• CANNON - Senior Producer - Squad
  
• SgtRoss - Director of Community
  
• BaronVonBoyce - Lead Game Designer - Squad
  
• OWI_Patrick - Lead Programmer - Squad

If your question was not answered this time around please feel free to ask it again next time.

[h3]"Hang on. We have additional comms incoming!"[/h3]

In addition to this Q&A Offworld is seeking fellow Squaddies to help shape Squads future. We would appreciate any and all to take the time to fill out our Questionnaire form! [LINK]

With that we want to thank all of our Squaddies for their participation. To not delay any further let's get into these questions!



Question: Can we expect a new updated roadmap? - Klav

Answer: We've been diligently developing Squad according to our internal roadmap and working on delivering the promises made with the old roadmap over the past two years. However, as our development priorities evolve, we want to avoid the risk of running into issues with a new public roadmap and the expectations it sets and disappointing our community. Our goal is to ensure that the community feels engaged and involved. To achieve this, we're actively exploring alternatives to a public roadmap, which may include emphasizing other aspects like dev blogs, public testing or behind-the-scenes sneak peeks. - CANNON

-

Question: Will we get more communication with the dev team? Potentially reintroducing dev streams? It was a great way to stay connected with the community. - Mr.Phileo

Answer: We have recently changed our community leadership and want to take a more active role. Increasing transparency and communication is our goal as a community team. We want to continue growing inclusive communities that share our experiences together. Dev streams, Q&As, and more public play-testing at an earlier stage of development are some ways we plan to do that. - SgtRoss

-

Question: Is there a reason why each Infantry Combat Overhaul playtest only lasts half a week and is not left up until the next playtest session drops? - Peanut 01^5

Answer: With playtesting, we found it crucial to conduct playtests in a structured manner, allowing us to create an iteration loop essential to our development cycle. By temporarily taking down playtests, we close the loop of receiving feedback and grant our design team the time to consume and process the community feedback meticulously. Allowing us to make well-informed adjustments before launching the next round of playtests. Additionally, the approach provides safeguards in preventing player burnout, ensuring we can achieve consistent attendance for subsequent playtests. Having a dedicated player base for each test ensures we continue to receive valuable and stable feedback during different testing phases. Enhancing the overall quality and refinement of the overhaul and our game. - BaronVonBoyce

-

Question: In regards to mods and mod makers. Does the team have any plans for increased communication, support, and integration of Squad mods/makers into the base game. Or is the team satisfied with the current state of modding with a few minor tweaks in mind? - Jaster

Answer: Yes, modding is still very important to our studio and Squad, and we are always trying to find ways to improve not just the modding experience but our own design team's experience. Creating mods uses a similar workflow to when we design new maps or features, but we just have direct access to the source code and the programming team behind it. While we are not currently ready to publicly share details of our plans regarding modding, we can definitely say we are not satisfied with the current state of the Mod SDK, the difficulty using our tools, and the high bar of entry when it comes to modding our game and are actively looking to improve it. - OWI_Patrick

Development

Question: Besides the Infantry Combat Overhaul, what else is Offworld looking to do to make the game more immersive? For example, is there an interest in an armor/helmet protection system or interactive doors and props on the maps? - Pedro B

Answer: We would love to add more environmental interaction, such as destruction. The main issue Squad currently runs is the need for performant tooling to do this in a live environment, which currently restricts us to prefabricated destruction setups in our environments. The need to replicate the destruction to all players would also add stress to servers affecting performance. - OWI_Patrick

-

Question: How would you balance the Infantry vs. Vehicle combat when implementing the Infantry Combat Overhaul? Will suppression be adjusted as well as will the damage of Light and Heavy Anti-tank weapons look to be changed? - Vector.Kamarov

Answer: In terms of infantry versus vehicle balance, we anticipate that vehicles will gain increased potency, especially with the introduction of an effective suppression mechanic. It's important to clarify that our intention is not to replicate the dynamics observed in the live version of the game, as we found that particular balance to be unsatisfactory. With the upcoming Infantry Combat Overhaul update, we don't have any plans to make fundamental alterations to infantry versus vehicle combat, except for potential adjustments to some faction's roles and load-outs. While we do have conceptual ideas for the future of vehicle combat in Squad, we'll take a prudent approach by reassessing the situation after the ICO release, we want to ensure that vehicles don't become excessively powerful, and we'll make any necessary adjustments to maintain the desired balance as we move forward. - BaronVonBoyce

-

Question: With the new combat overhaul and changes to suppression mechanics, are there any plans to change gun sounds to more closely reflect their real-life counterparts? Machine guns specifically seem to lack power compared to other weapons. - Acepalm

Answer: Other than regular iterations on particular sound effects. There are no plans at the current time to make any mass changes to the weapon sounds. Part of this is due to the limitations we have with the custom sound system that Squad has used for many years. However, we are working on shifting to a different audio system that will let us bypass these limitations and deliver more impactful audio. - OWI_Patrick and BaronVonBoyce

-

Question: In the Infantry Combat Overhaul dev blog announcement, Offworld stated that they have strayed from Squad’s original vision. Are there more aspects of the game that need to be overhauled to return the game to its original vision? - Josefig

Answer: Yes, in the Infantry Combat Overhaul dev blog announcement, we acknowledged that more aspects of the game need to be overhauled to return Squad to its original vision. Apart from the combat systems, several key areas are being addressed to enhance the gaming experience. First and foremost, there will be a reworking of the first-time user experience to ensure that new players can seamlessly dive into the game and understand its mechanics. Additionally, there are plans to implement an in-game system to reward good sportsmanship, effective communicators, and experienced mentors, fostering a positive and cooperative community, as well as recognition for veteran players. Beyond that, the development team intends to rework anti-tank guided missiles to improve their functionality and balance, ensuring a more immersive combat experience. Helicopters are also slated for a revamp to enhance their gameplay dynamics and performance. Finally, certain game modes will undergo changes to align them with the game's original vision, providing players with a more cohesive and engaging gameplay experience. These comprehensive efforts demonstrate our commitment to restoring Squad to its intended vision by addressing multiple facets of the game. - BaronVonBoyce

-

Question: Are there any plans to work on the game’s optimization in the near future? - MistahGG

Answer: There are! We have spent a few months looking at Virtual RAM (VRAM) usage and asset Level of Detail (LODs). Configuring both of them properly for every asset and texture in the game. This will be released with the November update. While it’s tough to say what performance gains we will get from these changes, it will certainly help overall performance across the board.

Additionally, this year, we upgraded to Unreal Engine 4.27, which came with some tangential improvements to performance, but at a detriment to other areas. We’ve spent time this year optimizing things a bit behind the scenes, such as patching times and some low-hanging fruit in terms of performance. The primary focus this year was addressing server performance to get it to pre-engine upgrade levels. This proved quite difficult as there aren’t a lot of tools available for testing server performance, especially at Squad’s scale. To solve that particular problem, we had to develop a scale testing infrastructure in which we could diagnose the problem in the first place. Thankfully, we were able to find a solution and have observed that server performance is on par to what it was in the previous engine version and more stable across the board.

Beyond addressing server performance, we've made significant strides in enhancing the gaming experience on lower-end systems. We've successfully integrated AMD Fidelity Super Resolution 2 (FSR) to provide a quick performance boost. Furthermore, we're actively working on integrating DLSS and XeSS to offer even more performance options to our players.

As mentioned earlier, we are also diligently tackling VRAM-related issues, particularly concerning texture streaming and optimizing our textures for better performance. In addition, we've undertaken various optimizations to reduce overall memory usage. We've devoted considerable effort to untangling complex memory reference chains that had accumulated over the years. For instance, we identified a case where loading a faction triggered the simultaneous loading of all vehicles and weapons associated with that faction. This resulted in excessive memory utilization, which was largely unnecessary and has since been rectified.

Support for DirectX12 has also been added, which has delivered a substantial performance boost on graphics cards that are compatible with it. However, we acknowledge that it doesn't offer significant benefits for those using graphics cards that do not support it. Our commitment to optimization remains steadfast, and we will continuously work on improving performance in future updates. Our goal is to incorporate at least some minor level of optimization in each update. - OWI_Patrick and CANNON

-

Question: Will you keep updating the game for the next 2 years? - ThaDucks

Answer: No plans on stopping. Offworld still believes in Squad and it’s future, so we plan on continuing to develop and improve Squad. We might change our development cadence as we determine what works for the team. We’ve learned a lot about cadence over the course of 2023, and we want to put that into effect going forward in 2024 and the future. - CANNON

-

Question: Are there any plans to add new factions? - HardentSergent

Answer: Yes! Factions are still in development, so stay tuned into the radio feeds Squaddies. We don’t have anything major we can share at the moment. But we want to let the community know that we have seen a lot of faction requests, and it is good to know we share similar ideas with the community. Although we cannot reveal the faction, we’d like to provide a very small sneak peek into what will be coming to Squad in the future. - CANNON

Gameplay

Question: What are the studios thoughts on adding team-balance mechanics to Squad? - Derf

Answer: Implementing a team-balancing system in Squad presents unique challenges due to the sandbox nature of the game, where player contributions to victory often go beyond what's tracked in a traditional scoring system. This complexity makes it challenging to assess and balance teams solely based on in-game metrics. Additionally, we're aware that it's already a bit challenging for players to coordinate and play on the same team as their friends in Squad.

To address this issue, we have plans to introduce a 'friends list' feature in the near future, making it easier for players to join their friends. Therefore, introducing team-scrambling mechanics could potentially undermine this effort.

It's worth noting that community servers have devised their own team-scrambling solutions when necessary, and we want to respect their discretion in managing team balance within their communities. - BaronVonBoyce

-

Question: Are there any plans to bring back the gritty nature of Squad via map atmosphere? In 2017 Squad had a lot more variety in terms of lighting. - ZackTactical34

Answer: Our current focus in level design revolves around optimizing our workflow to streamline development. While we're excited about introducing more evocative and atmospheric lighting scenarios into our levels, our primary goal is to enhance efficiency. We aim to delve into an investigative phase to thoroughly study and standardize lighting scenarios, ensuring perfect alignment with gameplay requirements, optimization considerations, and aesthetic goals for any given level design project in Squad. This approach will allow us to seamlessly incorporate atmospheric lighting setups in the future, enhancing the overall player experience without compromising performance and aesthetics. - BaronVonBoyce

-

Question: Are you planning to revise or rework the tutorial anytime soon? If so, how and why? - Tank20k

Answer: We're currently in the brainstorming phase for a new tutorial aimed at enhancing the initial player experience. Although it's not on our immediate internal roadmap, we have a clear intention to implement a tutorial system in Squad tailored to help players understand the specific roles within the game, like LAT/HAT tutorials. Our goal is to provide players with the essential information they need before diving into their first match. While we can't make any promises at this point, we are considering offering a small reward as an incentive for players who invest their time in learning the game. - CANNON

______

That's all the questions we have for this Q&A session! Thanks again to all the Squaddies that participated even if we did not get around to your question. Your interest in Squad and its development we greatly appreciate. If you missed your chance to ask a question this time around, Keep a close watch on our Twitter and Facebook, where we always announce our latest rounds of Q&A.

[h2]Offworld Out.[/h2]

Squad 6.0 will be released on the 27th of September, 2023! 

The update brings the Infantry Combat Overhaul into Squad with multiple changes to Squads combat systems, including alterations to suppression, optics, weapon handling, and more. In addition, 6.0 will also include bug fixes and layer adjustments.

We will publish the full Release Notes for you to check out the day before the launch.

At ease,

[h3]Offworld Out.[/h3]

[h2]“Asset request received. Dev blog incoming!”[/h2]

With it now being three months since we announced our commitment to reworking the infantry combat systems with Squad “Infantry Combat Overhaul” (ICO), it has been an active effort to bring our title closer in line with its roots and inspiration. With a shift towards more coordinated teamwork, longer and more tactical firefights, and a desire to provide a more diverse player experience.



Throughout the development of the Infantry Combat Overhaul, we have had an immense interest from the community to share what Offworlds processes are when implementing a feature change this large looks like, and we agree that it's a great idea! As the overall playtesting experience has greatly influenced our development regarding the future of combat in Squad since our initial announcement.

So, with this dev blog, we wanted to provide more insight to the community on the development of the overhaul and our experience of working closely with the Squad community through public playtesting. As well as share the ideas that have emerged from our passionate community's feedback, highlighting what has been successful and what has not, and providing a bigger picture on how Offworld perceives the current state and the future of infantry combat.

[h2]RECAPPING THE CHANGE TO COME[/h2]

With this “Infantry Combat Overhaul,” we are reworking how the Infantry role plays within Squad. We want to create the most fun and immersive infantry combat and gunplay systems you can get in a gaming experience. With this, we have revisited and adjusted several core features in Squad. While also introducing some exciting additions that will work together to provide the gameplay we wish for you to experience. We’d like to take the time to revisit some of the core changes.

[h3]OPTICS[/h3]

We have implemented Picture-in-Picture optics to replace our current optics system. We sourced physical optics to help dial in this feature as part of the development process. Our observations of the optics in person allowed us to accurately represent the optics magnification, field of view, eyebox, and lens quality in-game. The Picture-in-Picture optics system is done by rendering the scene from a separate camera and projecting the rendered scene onto the optic. We hope the change enhances the feel of the firearm and introduces new gameplay variables by offering trade-offs you must weigh when you choose your weapon and respective optic.

[h3]SUPPRESSION[/h3]

Suppression has received a complete rework in terms of its mechanics. We aim to bring suppression to the forefront as a useful tactical tool for attack and defense in any firefight.

Features

• Complete rework of suppression VFX and mechanics.
  
• Varying suppression power based on weapon and projectiles.
  
• Friendly weapons do not cause suppression to players on their team (Except explosives).
  

[h3]GUNPLAY[/h3]

We have extensively changed how guns and their mechanics play out in firefights. Our goal was to facilitate longer firefights, give players more time to think of, plan, and execute tactics, and highlight the unique roles of the various weapons in Squad, capturing the intense “fight or flight” emotional response in an encounter, all while ensuring that the overall gun handling remains satisfying.

Features

• Weapon Aim Down Sight (ADS) speed, sway, and steady adjustments to provide an authentic combat experience.
  
• Accurate bullet travel (Bullets will follow the direction the barrel is pointing. This means animations could affect bullet direction).
  
• Overall tunings to gunplay visuals and feel.
  
• Reworked hip-fire into point-shooting.
  
• Implemented a more detailed recoil system.
  

[h3]CHARACTER MOVEMENT AND TRAVERSAL[/h3]

Our aim with the Infantry Combat Overhaul was to slow down individual players and seek to promote more coordinated play, thoughtful positioning, and increased communication. Infantry will find their speed, stamina, and overall movement mechanics adjusted to reinforce a teamwork-oriented vision we had for gameplay.

Features

• Fall damage adjustments.
  
• Stamina system rework.
  
• Left/Right-leaning adjustments.
  
• Vaulting and climbing adjustments.
  

For those who wish to learn more about the changes to infantry combat coming soon, you should check out our initial announcement on the topic [LINK].

[h2]COMMUNITY PLAYTESTING[/h2]

With the Infantry Combat Overhaul, the Squad community has been instrumental in assisting us with playtests, playing a pivotal role in developing the Infantry Combat Overhaul by helping us assess our various playtest iterations. These playtests served as essential development milestones, enabling our team to gather a wealth of data and observations, which, in turn, have fueled more iterative testing and rapid refinement of the changes we've been working on.

We're extremely delighted to witness an extraordinary level of participation from the community, with a level of engagement shattering all previous records for public testing in Squad's history. What has truly been a pleasure for us to see is the remarkable passion and thoughtfulness displayed by participating testers. Their unwavering dedication to the future of Squad, coupled with the detailed and constructive feedback provided, has left us deeply humbled. Furthermore, the feedback we have received from playtesters was overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing our confidence in the direction we are taking Squad. The playtests proved invaluable, providing the design team with information quickly, allowing our team to continually fine-tune the changes we are implementing, and ensuring that our game reaches its full potential.

[h2]PLAYTESTING INSIGHTS[/h2]

To shed some light on public playtesting, our observations, and the effect on gameplay. During our numerous tests, we noticed a notable shift in multiple areas. Regarding gameplay, in the RAAS and AAS game modes, we saw an increased back-and-forth capture and gunfight dynamic, resulting in more engaging and intense moments on the field of combat. The overhaul has introduced new dimensions of gameplay, not only affecting firefights but also map traversal and vehicle usage, offering fresh challenges and opportunities for players of all levels.

We have also learned more about how the overhaul plays into vehicular combat. Armored vehicles have now taken on more importance, their utility in resupplying friendly squads and supporting them with the enhanced suppression will encourage vehicle crews to coordinate with and stick close to friendly infantry. The updated gunplay tuning and value of heavy suppressive fire have made open-top vehicle turrets more survivable and viable compared to the current version of the game. Furthermore, while it was the design team’s intent to increase the effectiveness in vehicles as part of the overhaul, it has sparked discussions within our community and our development team as players raised valid concerns about a potential imbalance. Rest assured, our design team is carefully considering player feedback and contemplating adjustments to armored combat to ensure a fair and enjoyable gaming experience should the need arise in the future.

Among other insights, we also found our changes to the infantry role have a major benefit to new players. The overhaul finds these newer players no longer need advanced spotting skills to make a meaningful contribution to their team. Instead, they can actively cooperate and positively impact their Squad by providing suppressing fire where teammates direct. This level of approachability allows newcomers to dive into the action and feel like valuable squadmates from the get-go, making the new user experience much more welcoming.

With these playtesting efforts, we have gained useful information from our community and they have remained a guide through our ongoing efforts to refine and optimize the gameplay. As development progresses, we wish to continue our work with the community as we remain committed to maintaining a balanced and exciting environment where both veterans and newcomers can enjoy thrilling firefights and create their own unforgettable moments in Squad.

[h3]FEEDBACK AND CHANGES TO COMBAT[/h3]
Work In Progress

For these past few months, and through our extensive playtesting sessions, we've generated, tested, implemented, and iterated on a myriad of concepts for gameplay systems, some of which were inspired by feedback we received throughout testing. We also encountered various failures, surprising outcomes, and interesting challenges while developing the overhaul, and we would like to share our thoughts on some of the more notable ones.

The "Clear Sights" system

• This system will automatically and smoothly transition the in-game camera to provide a view over the iron sights during moments of significant weapon sway. The “Clear Sight” system ensures the player's line of sight remains unobstructed by weapons with large rear iron sight features, which take up large portions of the screen while also being frustrating or difficult to use when maintaining a proper sight picture. This feature was implemented from player feedback as testers let us know about their frustrations with high sway while using ironsight weapons.
  

Hurt State Stamina Rework

• To strike a better balance between challenging gameplay without undue frustration, we recognized early on the need to rework stamina when players enter the post-revive state. We found the pre-existing mechanics were overly punishing when a player's stamina failed to regenerate after being revived. Players now regenerate a percentage of stamina at a reduced rate after being revived to keep gunplay satisfying while encouraging the player to seek aid from a medic.
  

Adjustable Scope Magnification

• For the fans of long-distance engagements, this feature offers players greater versatility by allowing them to adjust the weapon optic’s magnification level as needed. This feature is limited to only a few weapons such as some marksman rifles, and Australia’s EF88 rifle.
  

Damage Falloff Adjustments

• As we iterated on particular weapons, we observed the need to adjust the damage falloff curves for particular calibers and weapons. This ensures that different weapon types can remain authentic and unique while maintaining fairness in the gameplay.
  

Faction Adjustments

• In the quest to achieve authenticity, and for players to experience a more unique identity while playing certain factions, we have implemented some alterations to role inventories. Such as the addition of more grenades for the Middle Eastern Alliance.
  

Suppression System

• Surprisingly, the suppression system required minimal iteration and was finely tuned within the first three playtests. It effectively delivered the intended tactical benefits. When suppressed in real life, one's vision doesn’t become obscured like in Squad. But adding this effect encouraged our players to behave in what we believe is representative of a real-world combat experience.
  

Bullet Penetration Visual Effects

• The new bullet penetration visual effects were a huge success. The bullet penetration effects allowed those getting fire upon to better understand their situation in a gunfight and how they were getting hurt in those engagement and we found players quickly grasped the tactical advantages of suppression and bullet penetration and began integrating the system into their combat engagements.
  

Tuning Weapon Handling

• Achieving the right balance in weapon handling, particularly for weapons like G3 and bullpups, proved to be a more iterative process. We dedicated multiple development rounds regarding adjustments and refinements to ensure handling felt right and met player expectations. With this feature we will continue to make any adjustments or improvements as necessary after the overhaul is released.
  

Optic Clarity

• We had various experiments with optic clarity involving techniques like TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing), and tint adjustments which underwent several rounds of refinement. A notable example during playtesting, we discovered environments and gameplay situations where tint was working against the player. Notably, some green-tinted scopes caused a loss of contrast on woodland maps, hindering target acquisition. A slight hue adjustment and trading saturation for a slightly dimmer picture proved to be the right compromise.
  

Optic Blur

• We discovered through multiple playtests that the amount of optic blur we initially implemented was not well-received by many players. The feedback prompted us to investigate the specific discomforts players experienced and the physiological causes behind them. We actively sought player feedback to ensure these changes had the desired impact and pivoted our feedback collection to zero in on what was causing our players to experience these issues. Since then, we have adjusted the feature to retain some mechanical benefits while ensuring players do not experience any discomfort.
  
• Sway-Based Alternate ADS Poses
  
• Implementing sway-activated alternate ADS poses for the AK12 and AKM proved less successful than other features, as most players found it unpredictable and obstructive. However, we're open to revisiting this feature in the future, considering alternative implementations of this system to enhance gameplay.
  

As we have introduced all these new features that players were able to experience in the tests, we have seen people's concerns and comments regarding realism and how we represent combat in Squad. We’d like to restate that our goal in the overhaul is to provide the most fun, immersive, and authentic experience one can achieve in a tactical shooter while remaining approachable to a wider audience. To this end, we will make sacrifices where necessary as it relates to realism. For example, we cannot recreate the fear one experiences when being suppressed by gunfire in real life. But, we can use game mechanics to encourage players to react similarly by incentivizing them to stop returning fire, get down, and try to reposition away from the incoming fire. With this in mind, we aim to bridge the gap between “realism” and the “arcade” nature of tactical shooter videogames, and that comes together by focusing on the “authenticity” of the infantry combat experience.

[h3]FIREARM ARCHETYPES AND OUR EXPECTATIONS FOR COMBAT[/h3]

Work In Progress

With all the recent changes, we anticipate a significant shift in how effective combat plays out in Squad. For attackers, strategic decision-making will become paramount. Gone are the days of launching reckless assaults; now, carefully picking your battles is crucial for success. The new ideal is to attack with overwhelming force and fire support, dissuading premature, uncoordinated assaults that can deplete valuable tickets.

Suppression will now take on a central role in the offensive strategy. It levels the playing field, especially against stationary defenders, and empowers smaller units to overcome superior numbers. The significance of suppression extends to coordinated fire and maneuver tactics, where elements like machine guns, grenade launchers, and vehicles play critical roles in locking enemies down to allow attacking elements to move forward more safely.

"Bounding Overwatch," a tactic where one squad covers the advance of another, will become key, especially for unsupported and smaller groups. Additionally, using armored vehicles to cross open terrain introduces an element of surprise, provided they can dismount and cover the remaining ground with fire support before defenders can effectively react. This new approach to combat intends to be dynamic and strategic, transforming how attackers and defenders operate on the battlefield. With this in mind, we’d like to take the time to share some of the general characteristics behind our newly defined weapon archetypes.

Short Rifles and Carbines (M4, AK74)

• Short rifles and carbines serve as a baseline for weapon behavior and performance. They offer the least suppression but are versatile, easy to point fire with, and effective at all ranges. Prioritizing snappy handling over recoil control and range, several riflemen equipped with these weapons can deal enough suppression to keep an enemy squad pinned down. However, with limited ammo capacity, rifles cannot sustain fire as long without resupply compared to weapons designed to output suppressive fire.
  

Full-length Rifles (M16, C7)

• These rifles have better stopping power at range, with less recoil and sway when firing from supported positions (crouch and prone), and more recoil and sway when unsupported (standing). You’ll find more inertia when looking around and point-firing with these weapons making them less ideal in CQB. With this in mind, these guns lend well to holding angles and having a “stop and pop” mentality.
  

Bullpups (L85A2, QBZ95-1)

• Bullpups boast excellent CQB handling and maintain stopping power at range, though less than full-length rifles. These firearms suffer slightly increased muzzle climb due to a focused center of gravity directed toward the rifle's rear.
  

Battle Rifles (G3, FAL)

• With more stopping power comes greater recoil. Battle rifles will deal high suppression, and the ability to penetrate through thicker walls. These heavier rifles also mean that target acquisition will be more challenging, especially when in an unsupported stance (standing). Masters of these weapons will move more deliberately and take a supported position before firing, as with a lower ammo capacity, every bullet matters.
  

Automatic Rifles (RPK-74M, M27 IAR, QJB95-1)

• Automatic rifles provide a good mix of suppression and maintaining versatility in combat. The rounds from these rifles do more suppression than a standard rifle. However, your rounds will lack stopping power, range, and penetration compared to dedicated machine guns.
  

Light Machine Guns (M249, RPD)

• A hybrid between automatic rifles and medium machine guns. These belt-fed weapons are perfect for long bursts to suppress a larger area. For more accurate fire, ensure you use it in short bursts. Though you better have the patience to reload. What it lacks in penetration and suppression compared to medium machine guns, LMGs make up for this by being relatively more usable in CQB, though mind the sway and recoil, as it's still a machine gun.
  

Medium Machine Guns (M240, PKP, Maximi)

• Precision firing at longer ranges is much more difficult for medium machine guns. These weapons excel in area suppression and can more easily penetrate thick walls. Ensure you’re locked in using a bipod or prone, as recoil will not be easy to handle. As a noticeable, loud stationary target, ensure a Squaddie is nearby to watch your flanks and cover you during your long reloads.
  

Heavy Machine Guns (M2, DShK)

• The heavy machine gun will shred through buildings and light armored vehicles while dealing high suppression from long distances. It is more accurate than medium machine guns but suffers from being more static, more noticeable, and longer reloads than their lighter counterparts.
  

Grenades and Grenade Launchers (M203, GP25)

• Use grenade launchers to displace, suppress, and destroy enemies behind fortifications, windows, and other cover or quickly. Alternatively, use smoke grenades to lay a smokescreen for an advance, mark targets or landing zones, and obscure enemy shooting positions. Use hand grenades to precede an assault or clear a room. Remember, grenades have no allegiance regarding suppression, so keep friendlies in mind.
  

Designated Marksman Rifles (HK417, SVD, M110)

• Most marksman rifles will fire full-power cartridges, making them a top-tier choice for accurate fire and suppressing a key enemy shooting position. Work with your team to deter the opponents from peeking corners or taking out entrenched gunners. These weapons struggle in CQB and close range, so it is ideal to stick with your squad.
  

Sniper Rifles (C14, SV98M)

• Fire powerful projectiles that maintain their stopping power to an extreme range. These weapons suffer from a low rate of fire, and you are virtually defenseless in close quarters. Always have a spotter to confirm your hits and misses and watch your back.
  

Pistols (M17, TT33)

• Your backup if all else fails. The pistol has the lowest stopping power of all firearm archetypes in Squad, but landing a hit will always cause bleeding. You won't outrange a marksman, but your pistol can mean the difference between life and death in a close-quarter engagement.
  

We also have many more peculiar weapons not fully covered here, which will be present in the game that you may find blur the lines in what they do. We leave it for you to play the game and determine their quirks and how best to utilize their strengths and accommodate their weaknesses.

[h2]OUR THOUGHTS NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE[/h2]

The state of the Infantry Combat Overhaul in Squad is now one of great satisfaction, following an exhaustive and lengthy process of testing and refinement. We look forward to the release and are eager to let players immerse themselves in-game. After the release, we will remain ever vigilant to iterating as evolving needs arise.

As we move forward, our approach involves adding some final finishing touches post-launch while maintaining an open mindset to experimentation and innovation on this feature. At the same time, we want to maintain a commitment to trying new ideas and continuously enriching the overall gaming experience for players of Squad.

It's important to note that improving the core minute-to-minute gameplay is not an isolated goal. Instead, it serves as a crucial stepping stone toward enhancing various other aspects of the game. By prioritizing and refining the core combat experience, we set the stage for a comprehensive and engaging game that continues to evolve and captivate our playerbase.

As we continue our development efforts, we look to a bright future for Squad as we refine and revisit topics discussed in this dev blog. We’d like to once again thank the community for their enthusiasm and support with the overhaul. With the turnout for playtesting and feedback provided, we cannot describe how instrumental the community was in helping iterate our designs. Regardless, we hope this dev blog answers some common community questions and gives an interesting glimpse into the behind-the-scenes of developing the overhaul at Offworld. We hope the community stays tuned in for updates as we aim to deliver an even more immersive and enjoyable experience in Squad.

[h3]Offworld Out.[/h3]

[h2]Server Licensing Portal Change[/h2]

Offworld Industries is implementing a new Server License Portal. This change to a new portal will affect all Server Owners who currently host servers on the Server Browser for our games (Squad and Beyond the Wire). With the new portal we will be taking the time to help shift all Server Owners over to the new portal with a pre-application period that will span from August 14th, 2023 to September 14th, 2023.

Current owners may already begin to pre-apply using our new Server License Portal at https://license.offworldindustries.com/. Please note, Squad and Beyond the Wire will recognize the new license IDs and keys from the new Server License Portal you are advised to change your licenses over before September 14th, 2023 to not run into any issues with the old Server Portal closing. The new Server Portal can also be used to apply for licenses in the event of hardware or ownership changes. Please open a ticket if possible via the Hosting Discord if you wish to make changes related to the above events.

We are also introducing a revised set of Server Administration and Licensing Policies, available on our forums (https://forums.joinsquad.com/discussion/1474/server-licensing-administration-policies#latest). Please note these policies affect all owners and are effective immediately. Please take the time to review these policies before pre-applying for your server license using the new Server License Portal. There is new information in these policies regarding hardware, banning, and more. You must apply once for each server license you hold. For the Owners pre-applying please include your current server license ID in the comments when pre-applying.

We will not be accepting any new servers from August 14th, 2023 to September 14th, 2023 while we are transferring owners over to the new portal. We understand that this may be an inconvenience for those wanting to host their own server and apologize. This decision was made to help minimize disruptions and confusion during our Server License Portal transition.

Squad 5.1.1 hotfix is now deployed, here is the list of the fixes addressed in the update:

[h2]General Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Server performance improvements
  

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

Pacific Proving Grounds v2

• Fixed an issue that prevented grass foliage from appearing on all PPG v2 layers
  
• Fixed a bug that caused map markers placed on the deployment screen to show up in a place different than where the player clicked while placing them
  
• Players can no longer clip into rock meshes
  

[h2]Server Performance[/h2]

• Addressed an issue where Server Performance was impacted due to replicating more often than it needed to. Replicating an actor would cause all replicated properties of that actor to replicate again, regardless if it needed to or not.
  
• Fixed an issue where server side animation ticks weren't being throttled as intended, causing the server to spend more time handling incoming move requests than intended.