This is a relatively small update, so we’ll simply list the main things to look out for, test and give us feedback on.
What’s new?
Engine changes to load additional DLLs required by Steam dedicated servers. This should make dedicated servers usable again, but we need broader testing to make sure, so let us know and be sure to hop on our Discord if you need help setting yours up.
Improved server/client loadout sync logic.
Refactored item skin handling to fix various 1030 issues and prepare for 1031 changes.
Updated pickup logic to handle no-dump-pouch situations better.
First pass on new Spectator Mode overlay.
Optimization pass on maps Tanker Ship, 747 and Creek.
More level design work on Creek.
Lots of lighting bugs fixed on City, 747, Small Town, Power Station and Tanker Ship.
MPX underbarrel attachments fixed.
Added controllable Time of Day to training maps. To change it, use the newly placed Ops Boards.
Various UI/HUD element updates, changes and improvements.
⚠️ NOTICE ⚠️
These release notes are for the 1030 testing build, not to be confused with the actual (and upcoming) 1030 release.
If you have been looking closely, you may have noticed a new app showing right underneath the regular GROUND BRANCH entry in your Steam Library:
GROUND BRANCH CTE (Community Test Environment) is a separate install for those who want to test updates before the actual, official release.
Test updates may be less stable versions of the game and will generally require further testing and feedback before they go out to a larger audience. They may also contain feature ideas and game modes that may or may not make it into a main update or the final game, so keep that in mind when playing!
If you own GROUND BRANCH, you automatically own the CTE and are free to install it at any moment.
The advantage of having a separate install of the game for testing purposes (instead of using a Beta branch) is that you can always switch between versions without having to re-download. CTE too buggy? Simply close it and launch the regular game. Don’t want to worry about possibly unstable/buggy updates? Then save some storage space and keep only the regular game install. Want to compare versions? You can do so much more quickly with separate installs.
Today, we are rolling out our first actual CTE release: a testing build for the upcoming 1030 release. Before we get into what this update entails, a little disclaimer: Because CTE Build Updates will be more common, they will also be more concise and stripped-down than our usual release notes. If you’re looking for pretty pictures and prose, stand by for the official 1030 release!
What’s new
Code
Encumbrance System (first pass)
Stamina and weapon control
Added weapon sway, which is affected by arm strength and overall stamina levels. Currently a basic “V” pattern, weapon sway can be reduced by crouching.
Sway will increase over time as players remain in the Ready and Engaged (ADS) positions, draining arm strength. Go to Low/High Ready to recover.
Heavier weapon builds should deplete arm strength faster than lighter ones, and thus cause sway to increase faster.
Heavier builds also cause increased weapon inertia effect when turning rapidly, making it harder to get it on target.
Overall stamina is depleted by actions such as running, sprinting, jumping and climbing.
Currently, low stamina levels will prevent jumping and climbing.
Inertia and acceleration
Player inertia will cause your character to take a few steps before coming to a full stop after a sprint or run. It can currently be countered by walking in the opposite direction (e.g. pressing default [S] after sprinting forward).
Added a brief acceleration period before getting into a full sprint.
User Interface (UI)
First pass on the new Customize Operator screen layout.
You can now edit items straight from the loadout overview screen by clicking the cog/gear ⚙️ icon in the bottom-right corner of each item slot.
Preset/kit saving: quickly save or load a Profile (Name + Appearance + Facial Hair), Weapons Kit (Primary + Secondary), Gear Kit (Headgear + Platform + Belt + Holster) and Outfit (Eyewear + Mask + Top + Pants + Gloves + Footwear) as individual groups of items. Weapon and gear builds can still be saved individually.
Listen servers
You should now be able to host you own game lobby without the need to setup a dedicated server. To do that:
In the main menu, click Host Game and setup your lobby as you prefer (make sure to set player limit to accommodate all the players you want to host!).
To invite friends into your lobby, press [Shift] + [Tab] to bring up the Steam Community Overlay.
Select a friend from your Friends list and select “Invite to Play/Game”. If they accept, they will be brought into your lobby.
To change maps or use any admin functionalities, open the Console (default [~] or [*] in the NumPad), type admin and press [Enter].
Maps
This is the area you are most likely to see an impact on performance. We’ll be optimizing levels as we have a larger pool of users to collect feedback from, so please be patient and let us know how things are running on your specs!
All maps now use dynamic lighting.
New WIP map: Creek.
PvP-oriented map, but has a basic Terrorist Hunt setup available too.
Updated Paintball map.
Small Town has new and more detailed walls.
Interactive lights:
Can now be shot out.
Power panels outside of buildings allow the power to be cut out (currently in Small Town and Depot only!).
Remember: AI can still see in the dark!
New Ready Room:
Smaller and cozier.
Shooting range now has a workbench for easier setup testing and editing.
Shooting range also has a dark lane (left side) to test night vision and lights setups.
Time of Day (TOD) setup: select the time of day for Terrorist Hunt and PvP game modes.
Select a TOD from the Ops Board (where you select an insertion point).
TOD uses the 24-hour military time format: 0000 is midnight, 1200 is noon, 1600 is 4pm etc.
Sound
Several maps now have a soundscape/environment sound. Nighttime soundscapes have not been hooked up to the TOD system yet, so maps currently use daytime soundscapes.
First pass on acoustic portals: sounds are occluded by walls, but still audible through openings such as windows and doors.
Overall improved sound occlusion.
Weapons
Added FAL (Custom) battle rifle. It currently uses existing animations.
Added AKM assault rifle.
Entirely new models for the MP5 series:
Include a RIS handguard for the standard MP5.
Rear sight drum is now of the open “V-notch” type (easier to use in-game than the peep variation).
New model for the M4A1 rifle:
Uses the standard M4 stock, 14.5″ barrel and KAC RAS handguard.
Known issues
Scopes and other magnified optics display a much brighter image than the regular map view. It may also have other visual artifacts.
Skin selection for Headgear items will not apply.
The Customize Operator UI may display the wrong skin texture, skin name and/or icon for some items.
In multiplayer, weapon and character attachments may become stuck/duplicated in the Customize Operator screen.
When playing nighttime, the game will take a few moments to load the proper lighting conditions and display the level as dark as intended.
The 747 livery appears to have gone black. Mysterious. Also, wink-wink. Issue appears fixed, RIP this joke.
Probably a lot of other issues we have not yet encountered or otherwise failed to list here. Remember that problems are expected and you are always encouraged to report them.
⚠️ REMINDER ⚠️
Keep in mind that all of the new features are a work in progress and subject to change. With that in mind, let's get that feedback going.
Change log
The changelist for this test build would be too massive to compile as it contains around 4 months worth of work. So we’re gonna have to skip it on this one and try to get one done for the next update.
We’ve fixed an issue introduced with patch 1029.3 that caused some Windows 7 users to not be able to launch GROUND BRANCH.
⚠️ Coming from a previous version of the game? Issues with controls, loadouts, assets or settings?
We strongly recommend players coming from an older version of the game to delete all files located in %LOCALAPPDATA%/GroundBranch/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor (paste file path onto your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter to go to folder).
For those who can afford it, we suggest a full reinstall: it may fix broken/missing features introduced in this version, as well as issues with controls, assets, settings and even performance. To ensure a clean reinstall, you need to manually delete all files located in …/steamapps/common/Ground Branch and %LOCALAPPDATA%/GroundBranch/%UserProfile%/Documents/GroundBranch/
⚠️ Update your dedicated server
All dedicated servers must be updated to work with the current version. Make sure yours is updated so players can enjoy the latest version of GROUND BRANCH!
Fixed Windows 7 compatibility
We found that after updating Wwise (the audio middleware we’re using) to work with UE4.24, it was trying to use xinput1_4.dll—part of a library that is not available on Windows 7. We’ve removed the references to those libraries, as they’re not required by the game.
Yep—that’s it!
This has been Build Update #024!
If you missed our last update, be sure to check it out here as it has some important news and some nice previews.
Don’t forget to keep in touch with us and the GROUND BRANCH community via Discord, the Steam® Community Hub, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook—hit us up and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. For those with a lot questions and not enough answers, we’ve also put out an official FAQ that’s well worth checking ou
Be safe, be well, and we’ll see you on the next one.
—The BlackFoot Studios Team
Version info & change log
Game version: 1029.4
Client
Steam Build ID: 4817136 Size: 33 MB
Dedicated server
Steam Build ID: 4817141 Size: 12 MB
CODE
* commented out references to XInput.lib & dinput8.lib in AkAudio_Windows.Build.cs
If you’re unable to launch GROUND BRANCH since updating, please download and install the latest version of Microsoft Visual Studio (x64: vc_redist.x64.exe) from here.
• • • • •
How’s everyone doing? Staying inside? Fingers off face? How long has it been since you washed your hands? A while? Then go wash ’em again. We’ll wait, it’s fine. You know Covid-19 is out there and it’s everywhere. And the initial belief that it is rarely dangerous to the young and healthy is appearing less and less reliable every day. We don’t need to remind you to be safe, stay inside and take it seriously, but we will anyway: Please be safe, stay inside and take it seriously.
• • • • •
Before we move on to this build’s contents, we’d like to give you all a little update on things.
A little update on things
As some of you might recall, we had originally planned for 1030 to hit sometime around February or March. But as no plan survives first contact, that simply proved impossible—our last patch, primarily intended to fix the “Requesting Rules” and other connectivity bugs, didn’t. After a lot of aggravation, Kris chased down some Steam/Steamworks plugin issues and migrated the engine and base code from 1030 (which was and remains in development) to retro-fix the 1029 problem. It seems to have eventually worked out, so that’s what we’re putting out here.
When is 1030 coming?
We know you’re probably very eager for 1030 and we truly share your frustration—we can’t wait to play it ourselves. But in addition to all the time and effort spent on the persistent 1029 bug, there’s also the issue that 1030 is set to be a massive update, which means a massive amount of work and a massive number of things that can break. With that in mind, there’s no real ETA on version 1030 of GROUND BRANCH at this time, as any forecast can be thwarted just as easily as it can be made.
Token of gratitude
Everyone’s patience and support has been greatly appreciated, and as a little “thank you” gift, we’ve compiled all the awesome upcoming apparel that the very talented Pau Peñalver has modelled so far for GROUND BRANCH right here, including a lot of process images for those interested in 3D and surface work. Pau has been working on these new assets for a while, and although we’ve shared some of these pics before, there are a few exclusives in the mix and the whole album may be fresh if you’re a newcomer.
Click image to go to gallery!
• • • • •
⚠️ Coming from a previous version of the game? Issues with controls, loadouts, assets or settings?
We strongly recommend players coming from an older version of the game to delete all files located in %LOCALAPPDATA%/GroundBranch/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor (paste file path onto your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter to go to folder).
For those who can afford it, we suggest a full reinstall: it may fix broken/missing features introduced in this version, as well as issues with controls, assets, settings and even performance. To ensure a clean reinstall, you need to manually delete all files located in …/steamapps/common/GroundBranch and %LOCALAPPDATA%/GroundBranch/%UserProfile%/Documents/GroundBranch/
⚠️ Update your dedicated server
All dedicated servers must be updated to work with the current version. Make sure yours is updated so players can enjoy the latest version of GROUND BRANCH!
• • • • •
Build highlights
Server connectivity
Connectivity issues should hopefully have been fixed for good this time around.
[WIP] Climbing
As a result of moving some base code from 1030 into 1029, the core functionality for climbing is now available to preview. It’s really just the core functionality—there are no animations yet and it looks unsurprisingly funky, but it does open up some interesting gameplay possibilities and it should be a fun ability to try out.
To climb, press Jump (default [Spacebar]) near an object and your character will climb—or rather sorta float—onto it. Climbing is currently limited to objects that are about chest-height. That height will be tested and revised as we go, and we’ll be sure to add sensible limits to what can or not be climbed along the way.
Because it’s only a core functionality with no animations, basic collision will keep players from vaulting through smaller windows and similar openings without sufficient room for a standing character, so keep that in mind when rounds start flying!
Jumping height decreased
Now that we can (very crudely) climb and vault, jumping is no longer needed to get players out of dead-ends and is now limited to a short leap. No animation for that either—we’re working on getting those in for 1030.
[WIP] Sound occlusion
We’re slowly migrating the sound occlusion from UE4’s built-in solution onto Wwise. It’s only a first pass, but you should notice a clearer distinction between sounds that happen outdoors while you’re indoors and vice versa, for example. There is currently no distinction for windows, doors and such openings yet, however, which means that when shooting out of a window you will hear gunshots as if they were on the other side of a wall. The same applies for, say, hearing close fire through an open doorway—sound occlusion will kick in despite there being no obstacle between yourself and the shooter.
Also, have you checked out the official GROUND BRANCH FAQ yet? It’s got a comprehensive insight into what’s coming and what isn’t, and should answer most questions newcomers have.
We’ll leave you with a quick reminder to stay at home, keep your hands clean and hang in there.
—The BlackFoot Studios Team
Version info & change log
Game version: 1029.3
Client
Steam Build ID: 4794648 Size: 2.1 GB
Dedicated server
Steam Build ID: 4794655 Size: 214 MB
GENERAL
* updated engine 4.23 to 4.24
* changed base game code
* jumping is now done via tap and height is much lower
* basic climbing (no animation) is possible by pressing and holding Jump near objects
* replaced usage of third-party Steam/Steamworks plugin to in-house implementation
* updated all affect C++ and Blueprints
* rebuilt lighting on all maps due to engine update
AUDIO
* increased occlusion on spatial audio volumes via Wwise
Build Update #022 is here with version 1029.2, a hotfix patch that should take care of the connectivity issues that have been keeping multiplayer rather broken, as well as a few other miscellaneous fixes.
› This is a crucial update for online play!
If you’re a server admin, be sure to update your dedicated server. In other news…
🔥 SALE: Save 25% on GROUND BRANCH 🔥
This year’s Steam® Lunar New Year Sale will run from January 23rd (1pm EST / 6pm GMT) to January 27th, during which time GROUND BRANCH will be 25% OFF.
Spread the word, maybe even gift a copy, and let’s get that player count up!
⚠️ Coming from a previous version of the game? Issues with controls, loadouts, assets or settings?
We strongly recommend players coming from an older version of the game to delete all files located in %LOCALAPPDATA%/GroundBranch/Saved/Config/WindowsNoEditor (paste file path onto your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter to go to folder).
For those who can afford it, we suggest a full reinstall: it may fix broken/missing features introduced in this version, as well as issues with controls, assets, settings and even performance. To ensure a clean reinstall, you need to manually delete all files located in …/steamapps/common/Ground Branch and %LOCALAPPDATA%/GroundBranch/%UserProfile%/Documents/GroundBranch/
⚠️ Update your dedicated server
All dedicated servers must be updated to work with the current version. Make sure yours is updated so players can enjoy the latest version of GROUND BRANCH!
Fixes and changes
Server connectivity
Being stuck while requesting rules, servers requiring frequent restarts and other related connectivity issues have been fixed. As always, thanks for all the reports that helped Kris zero in on the problem and purge it.
A.I.
A bug in the enemy A.I. perception has been mitigated to make it more reactive, particularly at close quarters. Their detection at range may have been compromised in the process, but we haven’t been able to determine for sure. (We opted to not hold the connectivity fix back any longer, so we’ll be fixin and tweakin’ this bit of the A.I. as we go.)
Miscellaneous
Hitting Cancel when requesting rules now stops the request and removes the overlay instead of kicking you back to the Main Menu.
[Online] Sidearm holsters are once again visible.
General cleanup on Depot map—mainly collision and things that defied gravity.
Bushes have been optimized for better collision and overdraw.
Tweaked placement of the suppressor on the M17 pistol to line up properly.
[Online] Magazines make a sound again when dropped, and only become interactive (i.e. able to picked up) after they collide with something.
FIxed SDASS Custom not cycling the action when firing mid-reload.
Updated old Breaching Charge blueprints to ensure the correct number of charges is carried.
What’s next?
Big update 1030 is still under development and we’re estimating to have it ready within the next few months. Version 1030 is set to bring in all-new character assets (arms, apparel, camos…), new animations by seasoned Arma 3 community modeller and animator Toadie—as well as the accompanying actions/functions for them—and other sweet stuff like new gear, ambient map sounds, and more.
We’ll get an Intel Update or two out in the meantime to keep everyone posted and provide some sneak peeks. Stay tuned!
This has been Build Update #024!
If you missed our last update, be sure to check it out here as it has some important news and some nice previews.
Don’t forget to keep in touch with us and the GROUND BRANCH community via Discord, the Steam® Community Hub, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook—hit us up and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. For those with a lot questions and not enough answers, we’ve also put out an official FAQ that’s well worth checking ou
Be safe, be well, and we’ll see you on the next one.
—The BlackFoot Studios Team
Version info & change log
Game version: 1029.2
Client
Steam Build ID: — Size: — MB
Dedicated server
Steam Build ID: — Size: — MB
FIXES
* FIXED Depot issues
* Possible to get into river at boat spawn
* Large rocks around river area do not extend into ground
* Various trees not properly grounded and sticking above terrain
* Hovering wall section above ground
* Barrels hovering above ground
* Electrical box hovering above ground
* Various places getting stuck on collision along river edge
* Various large rocks no properly grounded with terrain
* FIXED M17 suppressor not lined up properly
* FIXED missing polygons in end of Depot bridge (remade section)
* FIXED wall clipping issues on User Arena 2 map
* FIXED map list generator using "GameMode" instead of the "Game" to specify which game mode class a map should use
* FIXED Admin UI not displaying message overlay when executing a command or filling a request
* For whatever reason, the existing version would not be visible on screen no matter what you did (replacing it with a copy of the pre-connect overlay used by the server browser fixed the problem)
* FIXED encoding/decoding GBHolster in relation to replication
* FIXED Server Browser filtering by game mode
* FIXED being able to place the EBR Extended Rail on another EBR Extended Rail
* FIXED WBP_UseItemMenu overriding mouse left/right, causing mag dumps if used while firing
* FIXED dropped magazines not being interactive or making noise on client due to previous changes to GBDroppedItem class
CONTENT
* Optimized polygons on bush models for better line check collision and reduced overdraw
CODE
* added info to RelativePriority >= EBTNodeRelativePriority::Same error in UBehaviorTreeComponent::RequestExecution()
* cleaned up and named all Blackboard Based Condition decorators in attempt to locate buggy bEnemyLOS one
* removed duplicate Has bEnemyLOS? decorator – hope it doesn't break the BT
* updated FSightGroup::AddSight() to add IsValidLowLevel() check to each GroupdSightComponent, as they keep getting GC'd or something while be added
* updated GBFirearm
* added IsLowLevelCheck() checks to GroupedSightComponents usage
* added FMath::Max() check to prevent possible divide by zero in FSightGroup::AddSight().
* added additional logging to AGBGameSession::ApproveLogin() to help track connection issue
* modified AGBGameMode::PreLogin()
* now call Supe::PreLogin() before call GBGameSession->ApproveLogin(), if error message is empty
* added additional logging to help track connection issue
* updated WBP_ServerBrowser
* added timeout when getting rules to auto-fail after 10–15 seconds
* hitting cancel when requesting rules now stops the requests and removes the overlay instead of kicking you back to the Main Menu
* added hack to UZKMapList::Init() to replace usage of "GameMode" with "Game" in existing map list entries
* added bGameModeParamRequired member variable to UZKSettings class
* Makes sure that "Game=<game mode class>" is always included in any command related to changing the map
Defaults to true. Made optional so that if the plugin is used with a game that only has one game mode etc., it'll skip the check
* updated UZKCommands::HandleChangeMap( ) to check if "Game" option exists before allowing command to execute if bGameModeParamRequired is true
* updated UZKMapList::GetNextMapListEntry() to check if "Game" option exists in an entry before considering it as valid if bGameModeParamRequired is true
* updated UZKMapList::StartMapList() to use the first valid map entry instead of the first entry
* updated UZKAdmin::FileRequest() to return true if the request is valid, but there are no lines to return
* updated GBPouch encode/decode implementation based on recent changes to GBHolster
* updated BP_BreachingCharge & BP_Pouch_BreachingCharge
* cleaned up or removed old logic
* moved handling of detonator to pouch
* made sure detonator exists when pouch is decoded or refilled
* moved AGBItem::OnBeingDropped() call to GBDroppedItem class so that it is called on both the server and client
* updated GBFriearm
* created OnBeingDropped() so that client has a chance to force audio loops to end when firearm is dropped (in case OnBeingUnequipped() fails)
* updated OnRemovedFromCharacter() to ensure that SetRecoilCount() is call on the OldParentCharacter
* updated AM_Reload_PumpAction to try and improve pump action reload syncing
* updated BP_SDASS_Martial
* added timer when fired without hand on foregrip that will loop back to pump when hand has been placed back on the foregrip.
* forced reload to always use ChamberSingleRound due to the ChamberRound section always failing to sync properly :(
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