The Battle of Half Moon Bay | Patch Notes 2025.10.13.6 - public-playtest

[h2]Current State of the Rebuild[/h2][p]A few times each week, our developers host public multiplayer sessions where we jump into the chaos ourselves—testing, refining, and showcasing the true state of the game. These sessions are open for everyone to join, chat, and experience the evolving sandbox that Cepheus Protocol Multiplayer and Singleplayer has become.[/p][h3]The Battle of Half Moon Bay[/h3][p]This particular session started with twelve players splitting into multiple fireteams, each setting up forward operating bases (FOBs) across the city. One team established their base in the center, another fortified the soccer field, while a third entrenched themselves near the construction site. Once Chelseys location was discovered, the teams coordinated to divide the map—back-capping the right side and containing her forces to the left.[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]The first major engagement came at the soccer field, where Chelseys infected army launched repeated assaults. Waves of brutes and juggernauts clashed against entrenched defenses while operators and RTS-controlled infantry fought street-to-street. When Chelsey shifted her focus toward the Bayfront Administration Center, the central fireteam held firm, repelling the push and stabilizing the front lines.[/p][p]Meanwhile, Moro’s team conducted daring hit-and-run strikes deep in infected territory—keeping Chelsey off balance and forcing her to defend on multiple fronts. A few close calls nearly broke our lines, but through coordinated air support and precision strikes, we turned the tide. Soon after, our combined forces launched a decisive counteroffensive that pushed her back to the import-export district.[/p][carousel][/carousel][h3]The Final Push[/h3][p]At the climax of the battle, Chelsey unleashed everything she had—massive infected hordes, explosive variants, and juggernauts charging the southern front. The push almost succeeded, but a quick call for reinforcements from Ford’s squad brought helicopters and operators roaring across the skyline. The ground units regrouped for a final unified assault, sweeping across the neighborhoods toward the lighthouse and satellite communications sectors.[/p][p]In a storm of gunfire, missiles, and chaos, we finally pushed Chelseys forces back into the sea—securing a hard-fought victory. The battle ended with every surviving player lined up across the pacified coastline for a well-earned group screenshot.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][h3]A Milestone Moment[/h3][p]This match marked one of our most successful multiplayer playtests yet—no crashes, minimal bugs, and over 90 minutes of pure, unscripted RTS/TPS mayhem. You can watch the full 1 hour and 28 minute playthrough below. Every week, sessions like this bring us closer to the vision of what Cepheus Protocol is meant to be: an RTS unlike anything else in the genre—alive, unpredictable, and built on the stories that emerge when real players face impossible odds together.[/p][p]Thank you for your continued support as we rebuild Cepheus Protocol from the ground up. Every match, every bug fix, and every chaotic moment helps shape the future of the game.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

Patch Notes:

[p]HMB map adjustments and South TI progress[/p]
[p]Fixed Infected structures blocking Infected movement + spawning [/p]
[p]Reworked some ConstructionComponent/BuildingConstructionComponent.cpp code to make it less likely to crash under strain[/p]
[p]Added some more debugging for FM attack waves to help resolve some player reported issues[/p]
[p]Resolved Assertion failed: SessionInfo->SessionType == ESteamSession::AdvertisedSessionHost || SessionInfo->SessionType crash + another construction crash [/p]
[p]Fixing spamming jump before a map load crashing the server[/p]
[p]Decreased Shawnee pop cost to 5 and base price to 120k[/p]
[p]Fixed Blowup guy not applying damage correctly to himself when he explodes[/p]
[p]Increased Attack waves on day 0, [/p]
[p]Increased health of blowups guy to 600[/p]
[p]Speculative fix for crashing the host if you jump before going into a new map[/p]
[p]Adjusted all Juggernaut AI logic to better transition between states[/p]
[p]Reduced allied damage by blow up explosions by 90%[/p]
[p]Adjusted Gas tower radius vis for a slightly cleaner and more consistent look.[/p]
[p]More progress on AI improvements to try to deal with 'tricky' player base setups (not perfect yet but decent compromise for now)[/p]
[p]Minor adjustment to AOEMarker material to make visuals more consistent at larger scales.[/p]
[p]Added new rotor blur setup to Charon and Skycrane.[/p]
[p]First pass on 'CanMeleeReachAt' to also use some async queries for storing path length, and updating DistanceThreat calculations in UnitComponent to use that path-length data to make smarter decisions. Doesn't fix all situations but does perform noticeably better in a specific test map which 'tempts' units to go a really long pathway, resulting in 'zig-zagging' infected[/p]
[p]Added some more safeties to minmap camera movement so you cant spam click it to "glitch out of the map"[/p]
[p]More updating to AI 'can melee reach at', this time to use some caching (haven't added path-length check yet, optimizing function first) Another method to improve infected targeting[/p]
[p]Buffed juggernaut damage towards CERC structures and walls[/p]
[p]Gave spitters the same range as m4's, [/p]
[p]Added a Air range to Spitters so they can properly match helicopters[/p]
[p]Fixed an issue where units that were unarmed wouldn't initialize their proper fog of war sight range[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug where you could clip out of the map by clicking over the water or carrier on the minimap. [/p][p][/p]

[h2]How to Opt In[/h2][p]Here’s how to opt into the Cepheus Protocol public playtest on Steam:[/p]

[p]Open Steam and go to your Library.[/p]
[p]Right-click Cepheus Protocol and select Properties.[/p]
[p]In the left panel, click on Betas.[/p]
[p]From the dropdown menu, choose public-playtest.[/p]
[p]Close the window. Steam will automatically begin downloading the playtest branch.[/p]

[p]Once the download is finished, you’ll be running the public playtest version.[/p][p][/p][p]Recap for those late to the party[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

What’s Coming Next

[p]Immediate priorities are:[/p]

[p]Balancing the new Builder Drone and Juggernaut AI[/p]
[p]Wrapping helicopter polish (directed landings, pads, operator features, desync fixes)[/p]
[p]Fixing AI issues with enemy prioritization and tactical decisions[/p]
[p]Frequent bug fixes as we get reports[/p]
[p]Chelsey’s AI[/p]
[p]Juggernauts are undergoing testing at the moment[/p]
[p]Population Meter re-implemented at the bottom-left of the UI for tracking infection strength[/p]

[p]Once helicopters and AI stability are locked in, focus will shift to Custom Game Options so players can tune pacing and difficulty. Vehicle driving AI and pathfinding are next in line, but we may hold off depending on the volume and severity of bug reports.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]October Goals[/h3][p]We are aiming to flip the rebuild into the default experience by the Halloween Sale, with older versions still available as an opt-in. The exact timing will be based on stability, bug reports, and community feedback — our goal is to get as many people as possible playing on the rebuild once it’s ready.[/p][p]October priorities include:[/p]

[p]Implement the AJAX(HUMVEE) as a test bed for vehicle driving. Work with the community to establish a good "core" vehicle driving. After its "done" we start porting over all the wheeled vehicles and follow up with the Abrams and co.[/p]
[p]Extensive Bug hunts / Performance tweaks[/p]
[p]A save/load system for Pandemic[/p]
[p]Bay Area map updates: Treasure Island and Angel Island are under renovation, with rollout expected around Halloween. Stay tuned! We will aim to release this map in segments going into XMAS. Starting in stages[/p]
1. [p]Treasure Island->[/p]
2. [p]Angel & Alcatraz Island ->[/p]
3. [p]San Francisco North[/p]
[p][/p][carousel][/carousel]

[p]On top of these big-ticket items, there are many smaller details and fine-tuning tasks underway — some not listed here but discussed in recent CERC HQ broadcasts. October will be a mix of large features and constant iteration as we refine the fundamentals.[/p][hr][/hr]

🎧 Last Time on CERC HQ…

[p]Cepheus Protocol | CERC HQ | #69[/p][p]This week’s update is a no-holds-barred breakdown of Pandemic mode’s evolution, centered around the rebuild of Treasure Island and a total systems overhaul. Robert walks through the new layered rollout strategy for map expansion, beginning with a playable slice of Treasure Island set to launch around Halloween. With Unreal Engine 5’s precision fixes, the team can finally realize their original vision for a scalable, destructible, and immersive RTS battlefield.[/p][p]Level design gets serious upgrades, including foliage placement, bridge logic, and terrain verticality—while the devs debate whether to support multi-tiered underpasses for gameplay. On the AI side, huge strides are made in how infected evaluate targets, spread, and adapt to player fortifications. Pathfinding gets tighter, blowup enemies are rebalanced, and new debug systems give devs visibility into AI logic mid-match.[/p][p]Operators get more integration with RTS elements—riding helicopters, building structures, and coordinating in full co-op squads. Helicopter physics and weapon balance receive a full pass, alongside early work on ground vehicle deployment starting with the Ajax. Meanwhile, discussions begin on evolving infected variants and bringing dynamic civilian factions back with better AI direction systems.[/p][p]Chelsea’s overhaul is still coming. Juggernaut and Builder units continue to be tested. And yes, feedback from Discord and Steam is actively shaping next steps.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]🔥 Highlights[/h2]

[p]Treasure Island rebuild set for Halloween rollout with layered map expansion[/p]
[p]Fully revamped AI threat logic, pathfinding, and zone targeting[/p]
[p]Debate over under-bridge traversal and visibility in RTS gameplay[/p]
[p]Helicopter balancing complete: physics, flight feel, and weapon tuning[/p]
[p]Operators now ride, build, and interact deeply with RTS mechanics[/p]
[p]Juggernaut and Builder infected updated with smarter behaviors[/p]
[p]Upcoming work on vehicle AI, bridge destruction, and custom doctrines[/p]
[p]New debug tools help devs analyze AI decisions during play[/p]
[p]Feedback-driven dev cycle with live balance adjustments[/p]
[p]Community Q&A covers everything from faction AI to turtling tactics[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]🛠️ Patch Preview[/h2][p]Expect nerfs to blowup units, tweaks to helicopter refueling, and tighter threat evaluation logic. The Ajax vehicle rollout begins soon, and feedback is requested for bridge logic, underpass use, and unit camera control. It’s shaping up fast—get ready to test hard and break things.[/p][hr][/hr][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

🎙️ Next CERC HQ – Livestream Details

[p]🕔 When: Weekly Saturdays – 3 PM EST (New Time!)[/p][p]📺 Where to Watch:[/p]

[h3]💬 Topics We'll Cover:[/h3]

[p]Co-op Progress[/p]
[p]Total Revamp based on Community Feedback[/p]
[p]Level Design Updates[/p]

[p]🎤 Don’t miss our Live Q&A! We’ll be answering questions from the community during the stream.[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]📺 Missed a Stream? No Worries![/h2]

[p]YouTube VOD Playlist[/p]
[p]Spotify Podcast Archive (VODs may take 24 hours to appear)[/p]