2025.2.7 Update: Pandemic Saves, Rehostable Co-op, Rebuild Proof

[h2]Developer Update This Week[/h2][p]This week was about momentum and payoff.[/p][p]Coming straight off the Doctrines release, we were able to get a workable first pass of Pandemic saves running within about a week. That speed is a direct result of the rebuild work done throughout 2025. The foundation now allows us to ship meaningful systems quickly, efficiently, and without destabilizing the game.[/p][p]Pandemic saves are built around a unified authoritative world state. That is what allows:[/p]

[p]Starting a run solo and continuing it later with friends[/p]
[p]Starting a run with friends and continuing it solo[/p]

[p]The system is currently exposed through a console command while we finalize the UI and finish expanding save coverage. Over the next several days we will be focused on:[/p]

[p]Finalizing transient object save support[/p]
[p]Hunting down any remaining edge cases[/p]
[p]Polishing the user facing flow before making this fully accessible[/p]

[p]We want you to push it. Try weird scenarios. Start solo, bring friends in later. Start co-op, finish it solo. That feedback is exactly what helps us lock this in properly.[/p][p]Thanks again for the collaboration we have had with our community. You guys are the best, and we cannot wait to show you what else we have planned going into mid-February through the end of February for Civilian Evacuation. [/p][p]We will be hosting a live stream and announcing it one week out, so keep an eye on Steam and our Discord for the latest.[/p][h3]Operator Weapons[/h3][p]More weapons will be dropping for the RTS/TPS operators at 1-2 a week for February as we work to fill out his toolset! There are currently 20 weapons planned for the base release.[/p][p]Next up is the P90 which you'll get next week![/p][p]This patch added a new LMG weapon for Operators called the HCAR.[/p][p]New Operator Skin for Honzo Lee called Urban[/p][h2]Patch Notes[/h2]

[p]Added an initial console command based Pandemic save and load system[/p]
- [p]This is a functional first pass so you can start saving runs immediately. A full UI based save system, similar to Legacy, is in progress and will replace this over the next few days going into early next week.[/p]
- [p]Commands (single word): [c]savegame[/c] and [c]loadgame[/c][/p]
  - [p]Examples:[/p]
    - [p]Save: [c]savegame Test1[/c][/p]
    - [p]Load: [c]loadgame Test1[/c][/p]
- [p]Host only rules:[/p]
  - [p]Only the host can save. Clients cannot save.[/p]
  - [p]Only the host can load. Clients cannot load.[/p]
- [p]Where loading works:[/p]
  - [p]Co-op: the host must return to the hub first, then run [c]loadgame[/c] from the hub. If you try to load while still in a map with other players connected, nothing will happen. This is not a bug.[/p]
  - [p]Offline: you can load a save at any time from any map.[/p]
- [p]The save system also makes it easier to resume sessions and rehost lobbies later, including kicking players, changing passwords, and maintaining more control over your sessions.[/p]

[h3]Known Limitations with save system [/h3][p]Most combat in Cepheus Protocol is hitscan, so the majority of gameplay is unaffected by saving mid-action. A small number of transient objects still require additional handling if you save at the exact wrong moment.[/p][p]Current priority list:[/p]

[p]Mortars: rounds in flight and pending impacts[/p]
[p]Airstrikes: active strike projectiles and queued strike events[/p]
[p]Grenades: thrown explosives mid air or mid fuse[/p]
[p]Flares: active flares and deployed effects[/p]

[p]These cases are actively being worked on, with fixes targeted for early next week.[/p]

[p]Material fix for generic glass translucent one sided and two sided instances on the hub[/p]
[p]Fixed TOW missile overshoot. If it loses target or overshoots, it now steers into the ground and explodes.[/p]
[p]TI Road navigation adjustments in the police station so they are less likely to use it for cross level transits [/p]
[p]Reduced intensity of AOE markers in Nightvision so its not as blinding[/p]
[p]HCAR LMG added to the Operator[/p]
[p]Clamped Gunsmith viewer input to reduce rotation flipping with fast mouse movement.[/p]
[p]HCAR added for the Operator. Tuned weapon XP for all live weapons.[/p]
[p]Shawnee nerf and Sparrow nerf, but buffed rocket pod damage.[/p]
[p]A10 gun run blast radius tweaked to better match AOE.[/p]
[p]Set RAM damage type so it barely damages Chelsey[/p]
[p]Nerfed C4 damage against CERC buildings.[/p]
[p]Updated TI marsh and park water to a static mesh setup instead of water components. to resolve the issue where it disappears sometimes[/p]
[p]Updated main menu to do and news ticker to latest to do's[/p]
[p]Changed networking settings to use Steam Sockets backend instead of the legacy method.[/p]
[p]Fixed achievements not working in the rebuild[/p]
[p]Lowered the gas tower growth rate by 1/3[/p]
[p]Fixed LOD issues on Honzo [/p]
[p]Moved pilot mesh glowstick location on Operator skin[/p]
[p]Reduced money on kill for certain infected types[/p]
[p]Added Patrol and Attack Move support to vehicles.[/p]
[p]Fixed a bug where units sometimes did not stop properly in Patrol or Attack Move when they saw an enemy.[/p]
[p]Fixed a case where BaseFilter GetCopy could crash on certain formation orders.[/p]
[p]Fixed Guard tower and per zone limits breaking on low quality internet connections or after you crashed and tried to reconnect[/p]
[p]Fixed up some issues with gates reporting the wrong state color when built in zones with no power.[/p]
[p]Fixed a client bug where sometimes you could buy items for free[/p]
[p]Fixed a client bug where you couldn't open the doctrines window[/p]
[p]Network traffic optimizations for all units[/p]
[p]Ironed out camera zooming to be more graceful and less janky.[/p]
[p]Made zooming in at high camera heights faster.[/p]
[p]Added in a major change to how vehicle AI operate for medium to long move orders where they no longer destroy objects and are only allowed to use roads/dirt. If they knock something over its completely on accident now. Example[/p]
[p]Fixed units fixating on units in vision range but not weapon range. This caused sometimes units to malfunction and stop shooting[/p]
[p]Construction sites on HMB and TI have been revamped to improve pathing so infected can reach them and vice versa.[/p]
[p]Half Moon bay horde rush now properly blocks helicopters from going out of bounds[/p]
[p]Fixed HMB issue where units sometimes caused multiple fences to go flying[/p]
[p]Fixed crash on Base Character UpdateThreatLevel.[/p]
[p]Fixed achievement bug for cache failing to resolve to Steam backend.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]February Roadmap and Short-Term Priorities[/h2][p]As we move through February, the focus is on getting everything caught up to where the rebuild is intended to be, while continuing to stabilize and improve the core experience.[/p][p]Immediate priority going into next week[/p]

[p]Finalizing remaining Pandemic save support, specifically transient gameplay objects[/p]
[p]Cleaning up any remaining edge cases surfaced by live usage[/p]
[p]Locking down save stability so it becomes a dependable baseline going forward[/p]

[p]Following that addressing feedback from this poll[/p]

[p]Pathfinding improvements and fixes[/p]
[p]Bug fixing across Pandemic and core systems[/p]
[p]Small quality of life changes that improve flow and usability[/p]

[p]Once those pieces are in a good place, we will shift focus toward Civilian Evacuation, targeted for mid-February. This work is already underway, and the goal is to address the feedback and discussion outlined in the existing Steam thread below.[/p][p]We will be sharing more details soon, including a live stream announcement about a week in advance. Keep an eye on Steam and our Discord for updates as we move through February.[/p][p]Link to Civilian Evacuation Steam thread[/p][hr][/hr]

🎙️ 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]