Project Update : News on Experimental Builds resuming
Hey everyone,
We wanted to share an update on the Legacy System Cleanup. Your support and feedback mean the world to us, and we’re so grateful to have such a passionate community.
Our small but dedicated team has been working tirelessly: - Robert: Programmer and Studio Director - Derek: Programmer - Efrain: Level Designer/Modeler - Dimitry: Level Designer/Modeler - Michael : Character Modeler/Animator - Christopher : Game Designer/Writer
With just the six of us, we wear many hats, but we’re pushing forward with a ton of passion and commitment.
Ability System Finalization
Part of the Legacy System Cleanup involved rewriting the ability system from the ground up. Our previous system worked, but it was difficult to work with and limited how much control we had over individual abilities. The new system is inspired by Fortnite’s Gameplay Ability System, but we’ve simplified it to better fit our RTS gameplay.
The new system is now entirely dynamic and delegate based allowing us to quickly add new abilities to units and prototype within minutes. With the older system abilities could take hours-days per one to implement and was all manual. It was very crappy...
This rewrite has allowed us to refine directed abilities/Passives & Self Cast abilities like, ensuring they not only work more intuitively but also add depth and strategy to gameplay. With this improved system, abilities now look smoother, feel more responsive, and are more satisfying to use than ever before.
Fixing Longstanding Issues
One of the biggest challenges we’ve been tackling is fixing FPS drops and performance issues tied to how we handled assets in the past. While resolving hard references will fix an aspect it wont resolve all instances of performance issues.
Back in 2020, we relied heavily on hard references and dependencies, which caused problems like long load times, performance spikes, and a lot of development headaches. We weren’t alone in facing this—teams like the one working on the new Tomb Raider in Unreal Engine encountered similar challenges. Their SDK became so bloated with dependencies that they couldn’t even open it to work on the game we never got to that point. So its kind of a "growing" pain for when your project gets large enough since its not commonly discussed enough sadly and simpler games can get away with it.
Since learning about async asset loading in 2021-2022, we’ve gradually been overhauling our systems to remove “blocking loads.” This has been an ongoing process as we worked through legacy systems built during earlier stages of development. These “blocking loads” were a major contributor to FPS spikes on lower-spec machines, especially during events like creating new civilian factions, loading into the game for the first time or even interacting with certain Shops/markets ingame.
With this current cleanup, we’re addressing the last of these legacy issues. These spikes should finally become a thing of the past, leading to smoother and more consistent gameplay for everyone.
Building a Stronger Foundation
After finishing our cleanup, we'll also be strengthening the core of the game:
Vehicle AI System: We’re finalizing the Vehicle AI system, which will also let us convert evac buses to this system. This will make vehicles more dynamic and reliable.
Pathfinding Improvements: Infantry movement is getting a major overhaul with adjustments to how units navigate complex environments. These improvements aim to make movement smoother and more predictable.
Laying the Groundwork for Doctrines and More: The cleanup is paving the way for upcoming features like Doctrines, DNA Research, AI/LT Cards, Operators, and eventually co-op mode.
We are about to start the most extensive bug hunt in our history after experimental builds resume going into XMAS (Live bug Tracker)
We are still submitting the game to be localized and are looking into expanding the language support for even more going into December. More details on this in a few weeks!
What’s Cooking Behind the Scenes
While Robert and Derek focus on refining systems, Efrain, Dimitry, and Justin are creating a backlog of assets. This includes the final Doctrine units, buildings, and Airstrikes. We’ll be showcasing these assets in the coming weeks, and once the systems are polished, we’ll be ready to quickly implement them into the game.
The male Operator was finalized Outfit 1 Outfit 2 Justin now will work on the Infected Standard variants we are planning to expand the current selection by an extreme amount I.E different body types similar to how L4D handles their standard infected.
New Ammo Crate. We are adding a much larger one in the upcoming Doctrines update.
Medical Crate next to the standard ammo create
More variants of smoke launchers were added for the coming upgrade in the Doctrines update
In Retrospect
Looking back, there’s so much we wish we’d known when we started. Unreal Engine’s documentation has come a long way since we launched in 2020, and we’ve learned a lot—sometimes the hard way. Despite the bumps in the road, Cepheus Protocol is our baby, and we’re committed to delivering the experience you deserve.
We hope this passion shines through in the details—from the MLRS system in the current experimental build to small touches like shells ejecting from vehicles when they fire. These aren’t just features; they’re reflections of the love we’ve poured into this game.
What’s On Pause
Not everything is moving at full speed right now. For example:
World Partition: Due to a bug in Unreal Engine 5.5 affecting CPU usage for building AI paths and HLOD, this work is temporarily on hold. We’re monitoring updates from Epic and will revisit this as soon as it’s fixed.
Looking Ahead
We’re aiming to release what was discussed in "Building a Stronger Foundation" and Doctrines to the public(non experimental) by early Q1 of 2025. In the meantime, we’ll be resuming experimental builds within the next week so you can see the progress as it happens.
Thank you for sticking with us and being part of this journey. Your feedback drives us forward, and we’re excited to make 2025 a big year for Cepheus Protocol.
What's on the Docket coming up https://youtu.be/6zz49hElQa8
Here's last weeks blog post as well! https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/4474984836247847682
Cheers, The Cepheus Protocol Team
Legacy System Cleanup Progress Update
So… Let’s get right into it. In the interest of transparency:
On November 2nd we stated that we needed some time to do a vast project cleanup. https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/4483989494757851395
Development Workflow Update
Based on feedback and internal assessments, we've prioritized auditing our development tools and refining our workflow to maximize efficiency. Today, we'll provide an update on our progress, share what remains to be done, and highlight the efforts of other artists on the team.
Progress Update
While we've made significant strides, we estimate that this initiative will extend into next week. Our goal is to tackle as much as possible before returning to work on Doctrines and polishing the Driving AI. Several tasks remain, some of which will be completed by the end of this week, while others will follow after Doctrines are finalized and we transition into DNA Research.
New Ability System
One major achievement is the development of a brand-new ability system, inspired by Fortnite's Gameplay Ability System. We've created a streamlined, lightweight version designed specifically for an RTS game. This new system will enable rapid implementation of current and future abilities within the Doctrine tree, significantly improving development efficiency.
Current Focus
We are now polishing this ability system while addressing issues from the Unreal Engine 5.5 update and tackling ongoing code cleanup tasks. Our team is committed to ensuring everything is in excellent shape before moving forward.
Looking Ahead
We appreciate your patience during this time of refinement. While delays can be frustrating, we’re confident these changes will result in a more robust, efficient workflow and pave the way for exciting new features.
Unreal Engine 5.5 Integration
Unreal Engine 5.5 came out a few weeks ago and we've been implementing Nanite Skeletal meshes amongst a few other features. Basically would make rendering high detail characters very cheap so we can easily push triple A quality levels of characters in terms of mesh quality.
Nanite Skeletal meshes
Chaos Physics improvements (Driving/ General Physics)
Megalights
Niagara Improvements(Better Birds/VFX overall)
RHI/Render improvements
A brand new Day/Night system implemented at the Engine Level
Mutable Customizable Characters and Meshes
Overall Stability/Performance improvements
https://youtu.be/cfoh5FHS5RA
Pandemic Map Expansion
Over the past month, we've been prototyping and revamping data loading from a level design perspective while working on a new map, 'Bay Area,' to replace the current one. Progress has been slow as we await fixes from Epic Games for a few issues related to HLOD generation in Unreal Engine 5.5.
As part of our proposed rework to the Doctrines and addressing community feedback we're going to be finishing up the CERC Doctrines tree over the next week or so. Then move into Vehicle AI driving polish/general bug fixes going into the XMAS sale.
CERC Doctrines Flow chart:
New AJAX variant - it buffs Medics within its radius and provides passive healing in a small area while stationary. Smoke launchers on vehicles as a defensive item New Generators:
Small: Generates 75 power
Medium: Generates 150 power
Large: Generates 300 power
Character Modeling
Radioman Mesh Update
Operator Mesh updated
As the final character to revamp we updated the "base" Operator pending a total audit of the Operator system around the AI/LT cards with a finalized mesh. Michael is currently out for Thanksgiving visiting his family this week and when hes back he'll get started on doing the final Infected Standard meshes.
Operators will have 2-3 outfits per variant.
Outfit 1 Outfit 2
Live Bug Tracker
I've added a new tab to our Roadmap page on Notion, making it the best place to track known bugs and any additional information needed to address them. I'll be logging bug reports from the Steam forums and Discord as they come in, assigning report numbers to each for easy tracking
Preview it here. You'll start seeing it populated in the next few days!
Global Suggestion Feed
I'm considering adding a community suggestion tab where players can view suggestions made by others, see their status (approved, rejected, or pending), and track an ETA for implementation if approved. It would have a layout similar to the bug reporting section. What do you think of this idea?
Better Localization
We are working on redoing localization for the entire game as well for the next big update going into Experimental heres a first look at simplified Chinese. https://youtu.be/enBD4phe0mY
All of the supported languages will be revised by the XMAS sale.
Simplified Chinese
Korean
German
Japanese
Russian
Spanish - Spain
Portuguese - Portugal
French
Project Update: Legacy System Cleanup & Optimization
So… Let’s get right into it. In the interest of transparency:
We need to take the time to polish some legacy systems to properly take the next steps for Coop and roadmap items. This means the “foundation” has been neglected in some areas, and some older backend code needs to be updated/refactored.
To see whats currently on Experimental check out https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/4513262258492539032
What's Changing (Affects Programmers Only):
New Abilities: Implementing new abilities is a chore and very likely to cause bugs due to its complexity.
Minimap System: Needs optimization and conversion to a more efficient solution.
Legacy References: We still have references in our code to Capture Zones, medical tents, and Ammo tents from the 2020 release. (Check out old footage from that year!)
Command Bar: The bottom-right command bar needs a retooling to improve ability integration.
Systemic Merges: We’re consolidating some disjointed systems that were built separately over time, making bug tracking and fixes quicker and easier in the future.
Civilian/Enemy Group Spawning: Retooling how civilian groups and infected spawn, spacing them out over time instead of spawning in the same frame. This will prevent frame “hitches” and improve FPS significantly.
World Partition Simulation: Adjusting simulations to work more like Kenshi, with areas managed more efficiently outside of CERC influence. This will provide a major performance boost, especially when working with World Partition.
Aspects Not Affected by this Refactor (Level Design/Modeling/Animation):
Map Merges: The merge to San Fran North and replacement map development will continue as planned behind the scenes so we can introduce a new open world map that replaces the current with the new areas.
Character Models: New character models for our exit from EA will be shared on Discord and Steam, including the final CERC and Infected models. They will continue to be worked on and brought into the engine while we do cleanup.
What's in came in in the last few updates:
Visuals for LCAC Garrisoning New Spec Ops New Assault New Winters New Sniper New Engineer
Temporary Changes to Experimental Builds
Note: Builds on Experimental will slow down for 1-2 weeks while we clean up and modernize these systems.
We've been developing fast, creating prototypes based on user feedback and our roadmap, and we’re realizing it’s created systemic issues in our pipeline. I want to personally apologize for this oversight in design; as our first “live RTS,” we’re learning as we go and addressing scalability/performance issues that have emerged with the game’s growth and recent engine updates. Things that worked years ago just aren’t holding up with the game’s current scale.
In Conclusion
In conclusion, this 1-2 week focus on legacy system cleanup will provide a stronger, more scalable foundation essential for Coop and future roadmap features. Although Experimental builds will slow temporarily, this will ultimately enable faster, more reliable updates, improve FPS, and allow for better overall performance. This is also done in the goal of allowing easier UGS(Modding) for new maps to streamline the process.
Project Director
Covering the latest Experimental on Twitch
Live on Twitch at 5 PM EST!
Come join me as I stream the game, showcasing all the new units. I'll be answering questions throughout the stream.
:tv: https://www.twitch.tv/dark583
New Stuff Gallery:
Summary: We will be discussing the new units and progress we've had on the new CERC redesigns.
Assault Final
Sniper Final
Winters Final
Early Access Dev Report October
Join Us Live for Our Vehicle Update AMA!
We’re excited to announce a live AMA where we’ll dive deep into the latest progress on vehicles and other exciting changes coming to Cepheus Protocol. Whether you're interested in the new mechanics or want to hear about all the updates, this is your chance to get involved and ask questions.
YouTube Livestream – Watch the live stream and get insights on the latest updates.
What We’ll Cover:
New vehicle mechanics and updates
Additional gameplay changes
A sneak peek at development of the next few months going into the New Year
Cepheus Protocol Escalation feature list & Community AmA this Friday
Development Rollup resume on Discord
Mark your calendars! In 4 days, we’ll be holding a Development Rollup to catch everyone up on progress. We’ll be answering questions from the community and reviewing overall development since last time we met. The session will be live-streamed on YouTube and will also be available as a VOD for those who can’t make it live.
After years of feedback we've caved and decided to pivot our design of CERC ground units. We are designing a new base "look" and getting rid of the "GI Joe" look. Our goal is for Michael to have the first pass out by Halloween there might be some bleed over. But its his primary goal and he'll be sharing progress on the Discord every few days starting after today in our announcements chat.
We currently are pursuing a more polished "final" look for our EA release next year based on the following ideas.
Mood board images for all classes redesigns
After this is done if there is still a demand we will consider "camo" reskins for different nations as support packs. Let us know if this is still desired in the comments below
Abrams/Bradley and basic physics on Experimental
More physics and destruction is coming! https://youtu.be/pCcOG3nEFlg
Cepheus Protocol Escalation feature list
Only the Bradley/Abrams and basic destruction is live now
The current update we are polishing on Experimental is code named "Escalation". We will not push it to public till the following line items are implemented and ready for general play. But you can jump in and test our progress and leave your feedback at any time by installing experimental. We prefer Discord for feedback so we can jump in voice calls easily but Steam is monitored as well.
We will be discussing the Abrams and Bradley and the MRLS which will be released within the next few days and the remaining challenges and goals going into the Halloween sale and beyond to wrap up the year.
What's coming in "Escalation"
Localization for all Languages updated
Doctrines shifted/reorganized for longevity (Armored Core, Infantry Core, Airborne Core and Utility)
Sparrow Weapons added
Blackhawk Weapons added
VTOL + Weapons added
New Doctrines implementation that is geared towards longer play taking reference from games like Total War and Sins of a Solar empire.
Mortar weapon Infantry
Passive upgrades and ability tweaks across the board
Abilities polish pass for Infantry to finalize them I.E the Sniper gains a claymore or heavy gains an actually "deployment" system that he setups up a basic defensive fortification.
New Vehicle AI/ Driving still needs some polish
Helicopter AI is reworked
Some performance tweaks
Vehicle Formations /Infantry spots next to vehicles
Infantry/Units moving at the pace of the slowest unit in move order
MLRS implementation with abilities
Bus evacuation(Delayed) Will be coming at the end waiting for a more finalized driving AI
Destruction (Delayed) Working out some technical issues with save/loading. We might have to forgo full saving as it works right now fully in terms of the destruction aspect. More details on this during the discussion this Friday
Mine Deploying Atlas (Delayed) Low priority but coming
Armor kits for the Abrams, Bradley & Striker with defensive items (Active denial for civilian RPG hunter teams)
New and revamped Airstrikes
More to be announced
Patch - 1.3.2.7.6 - Bug fixes
Special Note
This patch is highly volatile we know there are issues with the driving AI/Pathfinding and Physics. This is simply an experimental to open up testing for those that would like to test them out and provide feedback. Do not play "serious" sessions.
Vehicle Ramming/Pushback
Introduced a new 'pushback' mechanic: while the Humvee may need to reconsider pushing through a mass of infected, the Cerberus can handle smaller groups with confidence.
https://youtu.be/5MW0lDnH92E
Patch Notes
[expand type=details]
Bug Fixes & Improvements:
Adjusted Minigun spin-up/down logic to ensure it can fire again (pending further design revisions)
Fixed an issue with Helipad logic where right-clicking to land a helicopter would sometimes lock the command, interrupting actions like fast-roping
Improved 'CanTarget' logic for better integration with HWUnitInterface
Resolved an issue where the garrison cursor wouldn’t appear when hovering over a vehicle with space available, while having garrisonable units selected
Updated the Springbok's default name (from JLTV to Springbok) and its developer name to CERC_SPRINGBOK
Fixed an issue where pilots in the Springbok were taking damage when the vehicle was hit
Prevented Chaos Vehicles from driving without a pilot
Added logic to stop Chaos Vehicle units from firing weapons when unpiloted
Improved the 'distance to end of move order' calculation for Chaos Vehicle Pathfollowing to better account for Proxy pathfinding. This prevents vehicles from slowing down prematurely when approaching a proxy move position
Fixed issues that could prevent vehicles from driving even when piloted. Simplified the 'can drive' checks in the Pathfollow component
Please note: Restart your game/Steam to ensure the update is applied.
We now have a new system for our community to follow along on development. This website will break down all the major systems that are coming each patch. It will not include hotfixes/bug fixes. Sections inside TBD can be included randomly if we are ahead of schedule. View the Roadmap
Ways to Support Our Development
[expand type=details] Your support helps us grow the team and create a better game for everyone!
Show your love for Cepheus Protocol with our official merchandise! Every purchase directly supports the development of the game.
Cepheus Protocol Anthology
Immerse yourself in the gripping narrative of the Pangu Virus outbreak through multiple perspectives. Follow the dedicated heroes of the Center for Epidemic Research and Control as they battle to contain a devastating alien virus that transforms innocents into terrifying creatures of unimaginable power.
Piece by piece: obstacle detection and turning got a few more improvements today. Also tried to help out some 'thin corridor turning' logic, but wasn't successful yet. Hopefully can refine that idea further though, as I can think of two problem spots in the Open World where vehicles can struggle a bit.
Special Note
This patch is highly volatile we know there are issues with the driving AI/Pathfinding and Physics. This is simply an experimental to open up testing for those that would like to test them out and provide feedback. Do not play "serious" sessions.
Vehicle Ramming/Pushback
Introduced a new 'pushback' mechanic: while the Humvee may need to reconsider pushing through a mass of infected, the Cerberus can handle smaller groups with confidence.
https://youtu.be/5MW0lDnH92E
Patch Notes
[expand type=details]
Bug Fixes & Improvements:
Added logic to account for CalculateBrakingTimeToTargetSpeed's 'brake dampening' in CalculateBrakingDistanceToTargetSpeed. Result: Braking to turn and to stop seems to be generally improved!
Set up logic for calculating 'distance to front of vehicle' for improved obstacle detection
Fixed up Ajax's physics overlap box not reaching low enough to the ground
Fixed up some more landscape objects
Some prep work for the release of the Abrams/Bradley Set up 'FrontBumper' sockets on each wheeled vehicle mesh (and Bradley+Abrams) towards this end, to precalculate these values in the pathfollowing component for optimizations sake
Please note: Restart your game/Steam to ensure the update is applied.
We now have a new system for our community to follow along on development. This website will break down all the major systems that are coming each patch. It will not include hotfixes/bug fixes. Sections inside TBD can be included randomly if we are ahead of schedule. View the Roadmap
Ways to Support Our Development
[expand type=details] Your support helps us grow the team and create a better game for everyone!
Show your love for Cepheus Protocol with our official merchandise! Every purchase directly supports the development of the game.
Cepheus Protocol Anthology
Immerse yourself in the gripping narrative of the Pangu Virus outbreak through multiple perspectives. Follow the dedicated heroes of the Center for Epidemic Research and Control as they battle to contain a devastating alien virus that transforms innocents into terrifying creatures of unimaginable power.
Watch the First 40 Minutes of Cepheus Protocol Anthology Season 1
Get a sneak peek at the intense and dramatic opening of Season 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eWbDibGMrU
If you're experiencing crashes/instability, please try a Steam Verify/Display Drivers update before contacting us.
Patch - 1.3.2.7.4 - A step forward
A step forward
This patch represents a significant step forward in vehicle performance. While we've made great strides, there are still a few remaining adjustments:
Brake tuning - In some cases, vehicles can over-accelerate or decelerate too late, causing them to "bump" into objects randomly. These collisions are no longer fatal, as vehicles recover quickly, but it's still an issue we're addressing.
Reverse logic fine-tuning - We're improving the vehicles' ability to recognize when reversing is the most efficient option in complex situations.
Turning behavior tweaks - Closely connected to brake tuning, turning behavior still needs refinement to work more cohesively with the braking system. This is a lot of physics and math that we’re investigating, and we’re working on determining the best way forward to make turning 100% reliable.
Our vehicles now consistently reach their targets, though they occasionally struggle with navigating the complexities of the world, particularly when it comes to the complicated math and physics involved in turns and braking calculations. Think of it as training AI to "drive" in real-time—it’s an ongoing process, but we aim to finalize these improvements by the end of the month, including updates for the Abrams and other vehicles. However, if we don’t meet this goal, the Abrams and co may bleed into the first part of next month. The moment we’re happy, and you folks are happy with the driving, we’ll convert the Evac buses and immediately move to the Abrams and co. Stay tuned!
Special Note
This patch is highly volatile we know there are issues with the driving AI/Pathfinding and Physics. This is simply an experimental to open up testing for those that would like to test them out and provide feedback. Do not play "serious" sessions.
Vehicle Ramming/Pushback
Introduced a new 'pushback' mechanic: while the Humvee may need to reconsider pushing through a mass of infected, the Cerberus can handle smaller groups with confidence.
https://youtu.be/5MW0lDnH92E
Patch Notes
[expand type=details]
Bug Fixes & Improvements:
Basic framework for 'ramming slowdown' added
Set up to respect vehicular mass so more massive vehicles can push through more obstacles
Fixed a UnitInterface issue where OrderFireMode in several places didn't have the right syntax (likely resulted in unintended behavior in some situations) from the new interface system
Fixed collision settings for 'performant capsule' collision presets (such as those used by characters at higher LODs), to prevent vehicles from getting 'bounced around' by low-detail infected running into them
Rotate-in-place logic for Chaos Vehicle Units. Units get zero'd out linear+angular velocities while rotating, preventing them from 'rotating out of control'. Used this to boost rotation speed (Cerberus and Springbok Tweaked so far, need to do the others)
Added an 'overlapped actors' tracker for ram collisions for Chaos Vehicle Units, so overlapped enemies don't continue accumulating 'ram mass' by staying close to vehicle(s)
Adjusted arcade torque control for 'rotate in place' logic for non-treaded vehicles
Improved 'near to target' turning, speed, and reversing for Chaos Vehicle Units (should help with Ajax and Radio Truck 'turning around move target but never reaching it' issue)
Fixed Cerberus not having a garrison
Fixed vehicle units being able to drive without a pilot
Updated 'movement disablement' for Chaos Vehicles
Responds to delegates related to Out Of Gas, DeployMode, and Not Fully Piloted
More performant than previous commit (delegate-based rather than checking every path update, which happens every tick)
Fixed Ajax's camo not functioning properly
Fixed the Transport Atlas's garrison not functioning properly
Added some Chaos Vehicle debug tools for move endpoints
Fixed group move orders for Chaos Units often displaying 'move endpoints' incorrectly
Improved obstacle detection. Skips dodging moving obstacles if 'time to impact' is high
Additional obstacle avoidance checks now ignore allied units
Fixed minor collision issue in Presidio
Crash fix for InstantEnterGarrison using old syntax
Added load game fixes to stop 'component must be set to movable' warnings for buildings/pods
Fixed SMAW rockets sending vehicles flying (updated collision profile of Rockets to ignore vehicles)
Speculative crash fix from here: https://discord.com/channels/469412014427602944/1285238221718032496/1285238221718032496
Updated Mortar Autofire to respect Fire Mode (usable on regular non-Cerberus mortars, too)
Fixed Automatic Gates not reacting to Chaos Vehicle Units
Fixed Heavies and Snipers failing to exit DeployGun mode (syntax issue with EndDeployGun after UnitInterface update)
Cleaned up Obstacle Detection logic in Chaos Vehicle Pathfollowing Component for easier maintenance and updates
Chaos Vehicle obstacle detection improvements
Added distance check when determining the best direction to go if an obstacle is detected, trying to get to the 'closest point on the desired travel line'
Physics-destroyed landscape actors now ignored by obstacle detection
Added angle-check when checking velocity of moving actors, making units more 'tolerant' of allies moving in mostly the same direction ahead of them
Fixed issue with OnSeePawn failing to properly detect enemy structures in certain scenarios
Fixed Chaos Vehicle Unit's OnSeePawn failing to properly detect enemy structures in some cases
Created new Collision Presets for Infected Structure Box Collision and Infected Structure Meshes, allowing infected walls and pods to react to vehicular obstacle traces
Improved reverse logic (including 'reverse to end movepoint' if behind the vehicle)
Updated several reverse-related systems to use improved logic
Obstacle avoidance now uses a 'temp ignore list' for moving objects, ensuring actual obstacles aren't 'missed' by traces being absorbed by moving vehicles
Slightly reduced Chaos Cerberus 'sharp turn' speed for better handling
Increased path recheck frequency for more optimized and reliable pathfinding, especially for long distances
Fixed an issue where units 'forgot' their move target on loading if performing a long move when saved
Added 'correct steer output based on current velocity' logic, so Chaos Vehicles correct their turn based on actual forward/reverse velocity instead of desired velocity (fixes vehicles turning wheels too quickly when reversing and lining up for turns)
Improved targeting logic in Base_Character, ChaosVehicleUnit, AIController_Base, and Projectile classes, ensuring Chaos Vehicle Units are properly targeted
Fixed Interaction Widget (overhead health bar for player units) failing to play 'damaged animation' when a unit takes damage
Added 'PhysicalProjectile' object type and updated collision profiles accordingly. Chaos Vehicle wheel traces now ignore this type, preventing projectiles from 'bouncing' vehicles upward on wheel contact
Updated additional landscape objects to be physics-interactable
Fixed small physics-interactable objects (e.g., benches) to ensure they can interact with landscape (or were landscapeable if not already)
In Treasure Island South, updated overturned fences to no longer block navigation
Adjusted physics overlap boxes for landscape physics interaction with Chaos Vehicle units (MUTT + MULE especially required adjustments)
Please note: Restart your game/Steam to ensure the update is applied.
We now have a new system for our community to follow along on development. This website will break down all the major systems that are coming each patch. It will not include hotfixes/bug fixes. Sections inside TBD can be included randomly if we are ahead of schedule. View the Roadmap
Ways to Support Our Development
[expand type=details] Your support helps us grow the team and create a better game for everyone!
Show your love for Cepheus Protocol with our official merchandise! Every purchase directly supports the development of the game.
Cepheus Protocol Anthology
Immerse yourself in the gripping narrative of the Pangu Virus outbreak through multiple perspectives. Follow the dedicated heroes of the Center for Epidemic Research and Control as they battle to contain a devastating alien virus that transforms innocents into terrifying creatures of unimaginable power.
If you're experiencing crashes/instability, please try a Steam Verify/Display Drivers update before contacting us.
Patch - 1.3.2.7.1
Development Update
Hey everyone,
We wanted to update you on some unexpected issues that hit us over the last 72 hours, pulling us away from finalizing the vehicle interface:
Unreal Engine 5.4 Crash
We encountered a critical crash that would occur after a heavy civilian evac playthrough and saving the game. It also happened during longer in-game sessions. After an intensive 24-hour work session, where each programmer picked up where the last one left off, we believe we've resolved the issue.
SteamCMD Tool Issue
We also faced a problem with the SteamCMD tool incorrectly updating the game on upload. We've spent significant time troubleshooting this and are still in contact with Valve to ensure it doesn’t happen again. To mitigate this, we’ve reorganized the game into multiple .pak files. This change aligns with newer engine standards and should improve load times and reduce patch sizes, though we initially planned to implement it closer to the 1.0 release. In the future, we intend to adopt a newer packaging format to better conform with Unreal Engine 5 loading standards, but that will come later as a result of our research into this issue.
This might also be a growing pain with Steam’s interaction with Unreal Engine 5.4.2, which, as many of you know, comes with bugs/issues when using the latest versions of software. Rest assured, we will continue to sort these out and work tirelessly until any remaining issues are eradicated.
As of now, the first issue should be resolved, and we've mitigated the Steam download bug by adjusting how we package the game. We're still awaiting a definitive answer from Valve, but we’ve made the necessary changes to keep things moving forward.
Unfortunately, these setbacks caused us to lose 1-2 days, so our estimate for the vehicle interface release has been pushed to early next week—assuming no further stability issues arise.
Bonus Update
One of our technical artists added a new "line" highlight system to make it easier to tweak settings. Take a look here! Live now
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
— The Halcyon Winds Dev Team
Patch Notes
[expand type=details]
Bug Fixes & Improvements:
Late Load Crash:
Implemented a speculative fix for a crash related to a Discord forums post reported by a user during late load.
Added additional safeties for loading crashes, including `LateLoadUnit` midway checks in case a unit is destroyed during load.
Goldencrest
Placed move proxies around the area. While this doesn't fully resolve backtracking issues, it helps mitigate some ignored move orders. Fully fixing this will require further work after we finish the interface work in a few days.
Edited cranes in the construction site for better alignment.
Helipads:
Updated Helipads with a larger vertical 'clear landscape object' presence. This change should prevent evac choppers from getting stuck under cranes in the construction zone.
Character Handling:
Added `IsActorBeingDestroyed` checks to `LoadCharactersDelayFinish`, `GetTargetGarrisonTag` in `Base_Character`, and `HasTagWithSubstring` in `CPFunctionLibrary`.
Memory Management:
Cleaned up `memcopy` issues.
Shaders:
Speculative fix for a water shader recompile issue that would occur on first load of the game where the water would be invisible for up to 10-20 seconds while it "compiled" live
Save-Load System:
Committed a fix for `UPROPERTY()` that addresses save-load issues.
User Interface:
Added a mouse-over highlight to settings in the options menu.
Introduced a speculative fix for the next patch to resolve the 'jittering on load menu when paused' problem.
Please note the following going forward: Restart your game/steam to get the update if needed
We now have a new system for our community to follow along on development. This website will break down all the major systems that are coming each patch. It will not include hotfixes/bug fixes. Sections inside TBD can be included randomly if we are ahead of schedule. View the Roadmap
Ways to Support Our Development
[expand type=details] Your support helps us grow the team and create a better game for everyone!
Show your love for Cepheus Protocol with our official merchandise! Every purchase directly supports the development of the game.
Cepheus Protocol Anthology
Immerse yourself in the gripping narrative of the Pangu Virus outbreak through multiple perspectives. Follow the dedicated heroes of the Center for Epidemic Research and Control as they battle to contain a devastating alien virus that transforms innocents into terrifying creatures of unimaginable power.
