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  3. 2026.3.7 Vehicle Pathing Improvements & Helicopter tweaks

2026.3.7 Vehicle Pathing Improvements & Helicopter tweaks

[carousel]CERC Command Dispatch[/carousel][p]The virus is loose across the Bay Area. Flashpoints are erupting across the peninsula as entire districts fall into chaos and infected swarms push deeper into civilian zones.[/p][p]CERC forces are already in the field.[/p][p]Embedded military reporters and frontline operators are transmitting battlefield coverage directly from active operations. The images you are about to see were captured during recent combat deployments across the region.[/p][p]These transmissions come directly from the front.[/p][p]The battle for the Bay Area has begun.[/p][carousel][/carousel]
Developer Update This Week
[hr][/hr][h3]This week was focused on stability, balance, and finishing key systems before the next big push.[/h3][p]Last week we laid the foundation with client side prediction for projectiles. This week we finished the remaining save system work tied to that update and continued pushing through bugs, reports, and gameplay concerns raised by the community.[/p][h3]Save System Completed[/h3][p]The save and load system now properly supports the major abilities and effects that were still being finalized.[/p][p]This includes the MOAB, gas attack, dragon gunship, napalm, and other related systems. These now save and load correctly, which was an important step in making the current build more stable and complete.[/p][h2]Balance Changes and Power Cost Revisions[/h2][p]A large part of this week was spent working directly with feedback from players on Steam and Discord.[/p][p]We took longer than expected to push this build because we used the week to review balance concerns in detail, especially around power costs and the overall pacing of expansion and control. We have been lowering values, adjusting them, and testing different directions throughout the entire week to get things closer to a state that feels right.[/p][p]The current direction slows the game down a bit and adds more thought to building, expanding, and securing zones. That extra layer of planning is intentional, but we are still actively reviewing it and we want to hear how it feels once more players get time with it this weekend.[/p][h2]Releasing to the Public This Weekend[/h2][p]We still believe releasing this build to the public this weekend will give us the final push needed to solidify the current balance pass.[/p][p]Please jump in, test it, and let us know what feels good and what still needs work. The feedback we get going into this weekend and into next week will directly influence the next round of changes.[/p][p]Michael and Leon will both be reviewing what players are saying and using that feedback to decide what should be adjusted further.[/p][h3]Also expect 2 more guns into the weekend for the Operator as shadow patches[/h3][p][/p][h2]Community Feedback Threads[/h2][p]To help keep balance discussions organized, Leon will be setting up a master feedback thread on Steam, along with a matching thread on Discord.[/p][p]The goal is to create a clear place for players to post concerns, thoughts, and suggestions about the game’s balance as a whole. Cepheus Protocol is a complicated game and it is only getting more involved, so having a focused place for feedback will help us respond more effectively.[/p][h2]Bug Fixes and Stability Work[/h2][p]Outside of balance, we spent a lot of time this week working through bug reports and community feedback.[/p][p]Right now our short term focus is on the last vehicle pathfinding bugs, helicopter pathfinding issues, freezes, desyncs, and remaining performance concerns. The goal is to get these final issues under control as we continue stabilizing the build.[/p][h2]Network Optimization Progress[/h2][p]At this point, we believe the current round of network optimization is largely complete.[/p][p]There may still be edge cases here and there, but compared to the previous week, we were able to reduce network traffic by roughly 80 percent across the board. That improvement came largely from working closely with the community and collecting logs from active testing.[/p][p]We expect to revisit networking again later as new mechanics come online, but for now things are in a much stronger place.[/p][h2]CERC HQ Time Change[/h2][p]CERC HQ now has a new start time.[/p][p]The weekly podcast and Q and A will now begin at 7 PM Eastern Standard Time instead of 3 PM Eastern Standard Time.[/p][h2]Closing[/h2][p]Thank you again to everyone testing, reporting issues, and sharing feedback on Steam and Discord.[/p][p]A lot of the progress this week came directly from that back and forth with the community, and it is helping us tighten up both the game’s technical foundation and its overall balance.[/p][h2]March Roadmap and Short Term Priorities[/h2][p]March is about locking the rebuild foundation and finishing the remaining carryover items. Some February work is continuing into early March by design. We are prioritizing long term stability over rushed deadlines. To be direct, we rushed major systems in Legacy and it created instability, and we are not repeating that mistake. It is fair to be excited for Civilian Evacuation, but we need the next week or so to iron out what is already in place. We appreciate the continued patience while we work through the remaining items below.[/p][p]First up: Player Concerns feedback from this poll[/p]
  • [p]Pathfinding improvements and formation system fixes[/p]
  • [p]Bug fixing across Pandemic and core systems[/p]
  • [p]Small quality of life changes that improve flow and usability[/p]
[p]Runner up: Remaining Roadmap Elements Before Civilian Evac[/p]
  • [p]Infected Birds to improve mid and late game Infected counters so sessions do not overly rely on Juggernauts[/p]
  • [p]AJAX Avenger[/p]
  • [p]SAM Site Turret[/p]
[h3]Civilian Evacuation Roadmap[/h3][p]Once the above stability work and Infected Birds are complete, we will shift fully into Civilian Evac.[/p]
  • [p]Each player to manage their own evacuation camps[/p]
  • [p]Full multiplayer compatibility[/p]
  • [p]Single player parity[/p]
[p]Link to Civilian Evacuation Steam thread[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Patch Notes[/h2]
  • [p]Ground Vehicle AI Pathing improvements.[/p]
    • [p]When Vehicles were given move orders off the navigation I.E on top of rooftops/on top of CERC structures their pathing would break down. Used this filtering to let ChaosVehicleAI try to 'cut out' any move orders to the top of skyscrapers/etc to avoid this when needed.[/p]
    • [p]Also set up ChaosVehicleAI to Halt if given a move command request that completely fails (so if the vehicle was moving, it won't 'stop pathfinding' while still holding throttle/turn at current values, which is really bad) caused them to phase into objects etc[/p]
  • [p]Helicopter Vehicle AI Pathing improvements.[/p]
    • [p]Fixed a fast rope pathing bug where if you were nested between 2 buildings and gave a fast rope order sometimes you could get them to slam into the structure instead of going around or over it. [/p]
    • [p]Fixed an issue with helicopter nav where units would not understand they needed to "gain" altitude when given a move order on a rooftop for a building they are next to[/p]
  • [p]Fixed a bug where Mortar class weapons could incorrectly ignore Attack ground orders and instead auto target units live in the map based on proximity. [/p]
  • [p]Fixed a bug where the Central point of your base could be incorrectly calculated in highly complex layouts confusing Attack parties. [/p]
  • [p]Vision Grid/Line of Sight bug fixed related to all units sometimes seeing objects they have no business seeing allowing them to "lock" on to targets outside their range effectively causing them to freeze up or stop responding to stimuli[/p]
    • [p]Ex: Guard Towers are tall. If you set a Guard Tower behind an in-world wall, then build something short in between that Guard Tower and the wall, units outside the wall will see whatever's between them and the Guard Tower even though a wall is blocking the short object. Juggernauts and other units were seeing sandbags/etc. that were 'in front' of the Guard Tower but 'behind' the concrete wall[/p]
      • [p]Result: Units are far less likely to see things they ought not and malfunction.[/p]
    [h3]We are not done yet and pathing fixes will continue into Monday-Tuesday![/h3]
[hr][/hr][h2]🎙️ Next CERC HQ – Livestream Details[/h2][p]🕔 When: Weekly Saturdays – 7 PM EST (New Time!)[/p][p]💬 What is CERC HQ:[/p][p]Welcome to Cepheus Protocol HQ, your ultimate weekly briefing on all things Cepheus Protocol! Join the Halcyon Winds team as we explore the latest updates, reveal behind-the-scenes development stories, and answer community questions about the game. From exciting new features to design challenges, this is your all-access pass to the evolving world of Cepheus Protocol. Tune in every week and stay ahead of the outbreak![/p]
  • [p]Co-op Progress[/p]
  • [p]Total Revamp based on Community Feedback[/p]
  • [p]Level Design Updates[/p]
[p]📺 Where to Watch:[/p][p]🎤 Don’t miss our Live Q&A! We’ll be answering questions from the community during the stream.[/p][h2]📺 Missed a Stream? No Worries![/h2]