GENERAL

When can we expect a full release? Is there a roadmap?

We don’t have a final release date, but the game is currently expected to remain in Early Access for a timeframe of 18 to 24 months. A general outline of planned features can be found at http://bit.ly/gb-features.

How can I support GROUND BRANCH?

In addition to purchasing the game and spreading the word, you can help by finding and reporting new bugs (via the in-game bug report system), as well as by providing us constructive feedback. If you want to make a donation, you can do that by buying a Steam game key directly from our website’s store (http://bit.ly/gb-store) and adding the amount you would like to donate to the base price.

Will there be a demo? What can we expect to be in it?

We would like to get some sort of demo out at some point. No ETA or predicted content at this time.

If I buy GROUND BRANCH now, does that give me the full game with all future updates?

Yes—with the exception of possible DLC/expansions.

Will the full release cost more than the Early Access?

Yes. We have not determined a final price yet, but it will likely be in the 40 USD range, depending on how much content ends up in v1.0.

Early Access price is currently 29.99 USD, with adjusted regional prices. See your local price in our Steam® Store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/16900/GROUND_BRANCH/

For how long can we expect GROUND BRANCH to receive updates and support?

We would like to support and keep adding to GROUND BRANCH for a long time. GROUND BRANCH is being developed as a strong and flexible core with plenty of potential for expansion—from content to mechanics, both official and community-made.

Are Linux servers planned?

Yes.

Are new sounds/animations/models/UI on the way?

Of course! GROUND BRANCH is still on Early Access, which means a fair amount of its elements and are placeholder or otherwise not final. In addition to John, Kris and Scopey tackling various aspects from under-the-hood engine work all the way to marketing and support, we currently have Mikson handling the game’s audio in a dedicated capacity and Zee assisting with 3D art. Animator toadie2k (from the ARMA 3 modding scene) has also just been brought on board, and a number of character assets are being outsourced to freelance artist Pau Peñalver.

GAMEPLAY AND FEATURES

Will GROUND BRANCH be tight CQB-oriented like Rainbow Six, or more focused on open areas like Ghost Recon?

It will depend on the map/mission. Some will offer tighter close-quarters combat while others will have more of a focus on outdoor areas. We’re trying to get a good mix of both in the game.

In what way is GROUND BRANCH different from other tactical or (semi-)realistic military-themed shooters?

GROUND BRANCH is a realistic infantry-based tactical shooter. That means smaller maps and a much smaller scope than offered by an open-world military sandbox like Arma, but also a more focused game, with action similar to the aforementioned original Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon. Also, saving lives isn’t necessarily a priority for a paramilitary organization like Ground Branch is, making it different from police-themed tactical shoot9ers like SWAT and Ready or Not.

How deep is customization?

Currently, players can select their character’s head and facial hair, as well as their entire outfit and loadout: headgear, facewear, eyewear, top, pants, footwear, gloves, platform vest, primary weapon and sidearm. Headgear, vests and weapons allow for attachments, with vest pouches determining what you carry into the mission, and weapons allowing accessories to be placed exactly where you want them on the rails, with few restrictions.

Will we be able to control a squad of friendly A.I.?

Yes. The single-player experience will allow players to control a small team of SAC/SOG Ground Branch personnel or other attached special operation forces (SOF) units.

Will you be able to go prone?

Yes. The reason we don’t have prone yet is that we want to do it right, and that requires a solid underlying system and animations. Both will be getting worked on soon.

Is there going to be a way to do mag/ammo checks?

Yes. You will be able to do a mag check and other ammo-related actions in the future by holding Reload.

Is melee combat a planned feature?

Yes. Although we haven’t decided how exactly melee will be handled (beyond allowing a muzzle jab action), we know we want to stray clear from the instant-kill mechanic present in a lot of games.

Are there plans for a medical system?

While no in-depth medical system is planned, you will be able to administer first aid to teammates to prevent them from bleeding out and possibly even retain some of their combat effectiveness after less serious injuries.

Can we expect playable female characters?

Yes, playable female characters are planned.

Will GROUND BRANCH have blood and gore?

Blood effects like hit impact “puffs”, wound decals, surface splatter and pooling blood under dead bodies are planned. Detailed and more extreme gore like dismemberment on the other hand are not.

What is the Ready Room?

Think of the Ready Room as a “physical” multiplayer lobby where you can kit up, see what your teammates are carrying, test weapon configurations in a firing range, plan your approach and jointly select insertion points.

Will there be a planning phase?

Although the Ready Room will allow planning with other players online, there won’t be a dedicated planning phase with waypoints and go-codes for your A.I. team like in the old Rainbow Six games. Instead, expect something like the command map in the original 2001 Ghost Recon, used for on-the-fly orders.

Will the game support mods?

Absolutely. GROUND BRANCH is being developed with full mod support in mind.

Will there be a map editor?

Maps can be built using the freely distributed Unreal Engine 4. Once GROUND BRANCH’s development is further along, we plan to release some kind of package (likely a version of the Unreal Editor) to make map creation and integration into the game easier.

Will GB have TrackIR support? How about VR?

Basic support for head-tracking and VR head-mounted displays (HMD) is planned, although not a priority. However, do not expect VR support to entail a full-fledged VR experience in the vein of Onward—that is not our goal with GROUND BRANCH!

Why is night vision blurry? How am I supposed to aim with NVG on?

Night vision devices, also known as NODs (night observation devices), have fixed focal ranges, meaning they can’t keep all ranges in focus simultaneously. Since maintaining the immediate surroundings in focus would blur out everything beyond a couple meters, operators typically set the focus on their NODs to mid- to distant ranges. This blurs out nearby objects, but allows effectiveness in most common combat ranges. To work around that effect, you should:

• Make sure you have an AN/PEQ-15 equipped and use the IR (infrared) laser for aiming. Infrared beams are only visible through NODs.

• Use red dot or holographic sights, as they maintain reticle focus even through night vision.

• If you need a magnified optic, mount the AN/PVS-22 UNS (Universal Night Sight) directly in front of your desired scope to essentially turn it into a night vision scope.

Why is the night vision FOV so restricted? It looks like I’m wearing a single-tube setup rather than a dual-tube one.

Our technical advisor BTH has taken the time to illustrate the real-life basis of GROUND BRANCH’s NVG view: https://youtu.be/WSc-SucyOEQ

Why are my shots hitting “low” (i.e. below my aiming point)?

Unlike many shooters, bullets in GROUND BRANCH originate from the muzzle of the weapon rather than the center of the screen, meaning that the spot you’re aiming at doesn’t necessarily correspond to where your shots will hit. Players have to account for their weapon’s mechanical offset—the distance between the barrel axis and the line of sight—as well as the zero distance—the range at which the sights of a given weapon are calibrated to coincide with the bullet’s trajectory. Typically, rifle shots will hit low at very close ranges (below 20–25 m) due to mechanical offset and also at ranges beyond the zero due to bullet drop. Each weapon and sight combination has its own mechanical offset and default zero; GROUND BRANCH is setup to allow for custom zeros in the future.

CONTENT

How much content is in the game?

GROUND BRANCH currently features the following:

• 7 main maps (6 with both Day and Night versions), 3 training maps (all with Day and Night versions) and 2 arena-like maps.

• 5 game modes: Terrorist Hunt, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Team Elimination and Defend.

• Over 30 weapons with around 50 unique attachments.

• 4 different character heads.

• Customizable headgear, eyewear, facewear, top, pants, footwear, gloves, vest, primary weapon and sidearm—with more categories to come.

• Countless combinations of outfits and gear.

This is in no way a final list and more content is continually being added to the game.

Will we be able to use custom arm patches?

Yes, but they might be moderated in some way to avoid offensive or other policy-infringing artwork.

Will there be less/non-lethal weapons?

Some less-lethal weaponry such as flashbangs are already in the game and we may include more. Due to the nature of the unit portrayed in the game, however, we are unlikely to go deep into typical police/hostage rescue/crowd control equipment like ballistic shields, rubber bullets, tear gas etc.

Is the game going to feature the GPNVG-18 “quad-NODs”?

We’re looking into it. Contrary to how most games and mods portray them, quad-NODs don’t simply widen the FOV (field of view). Instead, they allow users to look through the peripheral tubes by moving their eyes to the sides, so they provide additional imagery rather than a continuous extension of the central binocular image. While that functionality is impossible to emulate using a traditional screen setup, we might try a reasonable approximation.

Can we have [insert weapon or gear suggestion]?

Please keep in mind that we are a small team of developers with limited resources, so choices have to be made. We are open to suggestions, but can not simply include everyone’s favorite weapon. You would have to convince us with some good reasoning while keeping the game’s scope, setting and functionality in mind.

Can larger maps be expected?

Much like with our current maps, sizes will vary but are expected to be no larger than 800 x 800 meters.

CONTROLS

How do I go prone?

The prone stance is not yet in the game, but is fully planned and under development.

How do I deploy the bipod? Can I steady my aim?

The bipod isn’t functional yet, as it relies on the upcoming support system and prone stance. You cannot currently steady your aim, but that function will be included as part of the stamina system at some point.

How do you switch between different sights?

To alternate sights, simply scroll up/down on your Mouse Wheel while aiming down the sights (default Right Mouse Button).

Why can’t I see my weapon?

Check if one of the following is happening:

• Your weapon is slung or holstered. Press 1 to equip your slung primary weapon or 2 to unholster your sidearm.
• Your primary weapon is at the Low Ready position. Scroll up with the Mouse Wheel to bring it to the Ready position (and again if you want to bring it to High Ready).
• Your sidearm is at Compressed Ready. The sidearm’s equivalent to the Ready position is the Compressed Ready, in which the pistol is held close to the character’s chest. To bring it forward, aim down the sights (default Right Mouse Button).

What do you use the unique weapon positions for?

GB’s unique off-target weapon positions (Low/High Ready) can be useful in several ways:

• Stamina control: Keeping your weapon pointed forward will increase weapon sway over time. The off-target positions prevent arm strength from being drained, while also recovering any arm strength that has been depleted.
• As a safety measure: They prevent “flagging” friendlies and reducing the chances of negligent discharges.
• Visual communication: They convey to other players that you’re not engaging enemies—possibly due to your sector being clear—and may also signal that you’re on their team if you suddenly meet during combat.
• Movement speed: High Ready and Low Ready allow for slightly faster movement when compared to Ready and Engaged (Aiming Down Sights).
• Silhouette awareness: Pointing your weapon up or down may reduce your silhouette and the chances of being detected in certain situations.
• Environment collision: Currently, your weapon is automatically raised when it collides with the environment, but that is going to change (or become optional) at some point in the future in favor of manual collision. Hence, off-target positions will prevent accidental collision.
• Good old roleplaying/simulation: Gameplay aspects aside, the more dedicated role-players and mil-sim enthusiasts can simply enjoy the extra weapon positions at their disposal for that extra tacticool factor.

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS & COMMON ISSUES

How do I host a server?

Currently, the game only supports dedicated servers. To setup your own, follow one of these guides: [1] [2] If you prefer, you may also rent a professional hosting solution: https://www.groundbranch.com/index.php/rent-a-server/

› My game won’t start.
› My loadouts won’t save.

If you have any of the above issues, make sure your antivirus or firewall software isn’t blocking the game. If you find that it is, add the GroundBranch.exe launcher to your security software’s whitelist.

I can’t get past the “Press Any Key to Continue” screen.

Make sure you don’t have any additional input devices (such as game pads) interfering with the game. If that does not apply or the issue persists, refer to the previous answer and make sure GROUND BRANCH is whitelisted in your security software.

I’m having issues with controls/loadouts/assets/settings after an update.

We strongly recommend players coming from an older version of the game to delete all files located in %LOCALAPPDATA%\GroundBranch\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor (copy and paste the underlined path into your File Explorer address bar and hit Enter to go to folder). For those who can afford it, a full reinstall isn’t a bad idea either: it may fix broken/missing features introduced in the latest version, as well as issues with controls, loadouts, assets and settings.

Why do I keep lagging/rubberbanding even on low-ping servers?

Make sure your max frame rate (Settings › Video) is set to an appropriate value: do not leave the field empty or too high. Try a value in the 90–120 range depending on your monitor’s refresh rate.

I have found a bug or issue. What should I do?

Please submit a bug report via the in-game bug report system (Esc menu › Bugs & Issues on the top-right. Be as accurate and thorough as possible to make our job of correcting the issue easier!

How do I access DevTest builds?

DevTest builds are versions of the game that require internal testing before being released publicly. They are prone to issues and often unstable. At this time, we only provide DevTest access to a small group of testers.

I have a question or issue that was not answered or resolved with this FAQ. Please help!

We got you. Get on our Discord (http://bit.ly/gb-discord) and ask away in the #troubleshooting-game or #troubleshooting-server channels, or start a new thread in the Steam® forums (General Discussion · Troubleshooting/Tech Support). We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.