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Squad

Squad Update v2.16 Release Notes



Attention Squaddies,

Tomorrow we are releasing Squad v2.16. This continues a series of more frequent updates, some of which are smaller in scope, to allow us to continually improve the Squad experience for our players.

V2.16 will be the fourth update to Squad this year (not including Hotfixes).

While there are dozens of improvements, fixes, and other changes in v2.16, the most prominent are the addition of three new vehicles for the Canadian Armed Forces faction, a INS emplacement Hell Cannon for the Insurgent faction, and the new Seeding Mode that will help Server Owners better populate Squad servers.

We’ve made a whole lot of other gameplay changes which are listed below in the Changelog, as well as addressed numerous bugs.

Squad v2.16 will be released on Wednesday, May 18th at 18:00 UTC.

At ease,

- Offworld Industries


CHANGELOG




CANADIAN ARMED FORCES VEHICLES


  • M113A3 APC (3 variants) - This is an older vehicle which saw some service in Afghanistan. This fills the gap for CAF in terms of a tracked troop transport.
  • M113A3 C6 Open Turret
  • M113A3 M2 Open Turret
  • M113A3 TLAV Enclosed Turret
  • LUVW Light Jeep (4 variants): - This light jeep is outfitted with an armour kit, giving it slightly more protection against small arms than for example an un-armoured logistics truck, but less armour than for example a MAT-V.
  • LUVW Transport Jeep
  • LUVW Logistics Jeep
  • LUVW C6 Jeep
  • LUVW M2 Jeep
  • CH-178 Transport Helicopter - Mi-17V5s were acquired by Canada during the Afghanistan War, used as a stopgap medium-lift helicopter while the RCAF sourced alternatives. This historical oddity is featured on a handful of layers set in Afghanistan.


SEEDING MODE & HELL CANNON


  • Added a new INS emplacement – The Hell Cannon. This terrifying, home-made insurgent weapon launches an explosive-filled propane tank to devastate enemy positions.
  • Overhauled the Seed Game Mode.
  • Updated all Seed map layers to now have pre-placed forward FOBs and HABs. Pre-placed FOBs will have 10,000 ammo and 2000 construction points.
  • Removed weaponized emplacements for all seed map layers (exception for INS on Sumari Seed v2 and Tallil Seed v2 having access to the new Hell Cannon emplacement).
  • Updated the Seed Game Mode to start in a “Seeding Phase” ruleset and transition to a “Live Phase” ruleset when sufficient players have joined the server. See our blog post for more details on the new Seed Game Mode [LINK URL]



ADDITIONAL GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS


  • Updated FOB Radio to have an increased ticket loss penalty of 20 tickets (was 10). Design Intention: to increase the incentive to defend FOBs, and attempt to address FOB spam, which is currently the predominant tactic for winning games.
  • Adjusted the INS Tire Fire deployable to now have an additional movement impairment directly in the center of the deployable, which should prevent infantry being able to run all the way through the blockade. Design Intention: Increase the viability of this barrier to impede enemy traversal.
  • Adjusted the INS Sapper Kit Role’s main weapon from the Mosin Carbine Bolt Action Rifle to the PPSH41 submachine gun. Design Intention: to give the INS Sapper an effective close and medium range weapon while relying on team members for longer range engagements.
  • Updated all CAF Kit Roles with a new, more authentic L83A1 smoke grenade, which is the CAF equivalent to M18 smoke grenade.
  • Updated AUS & CAF 3rd-person character model to remove the pistol model from Kit Roles that aren’t equipped with them, and added the missing 3rd-person pistol model on the Engineer 2 and Crewman Kit Roles.
  • Updated all AK family rifle reload SFX, to now use correct bolt moving SFX and improved mag in / mag out SFX.
  • Updated the AUS EF88 / F88 Rifle reloads to now use unique SFX.
  • Adjusted the AUS Maximi to be slightly louder when fired in close proximity.
  • Reduced the max audible range of the AUS ASLAV IFV’s engine SFX.
  • Adjusted the layout and text of Game Mode descriptions to be clearer for new players.
  • Adjusted the AUS MRH90 Helicopter collision model to now include the middle seats section.
  • Adjusted the HUD name for all factions’ Combat Engineer E-tool/Spade to include “Engineer” or “Sapper”. Design Intention: To give a clear indication that this shovel has unique properties vs normal shovels (can build / dig down deployables faster).
  • Adjusted the text for AUS weapon descriptions.
  • Updated the loading box splash screen artwork.


BUG FIXES


  • Fix attempt for the crash that gives an error regarding ASQTeamState.
  • Fix attempt for the crash related to the muted players cache.
  • Fix attempt for the issue where some players would see thick fog after swapping layers.
  • Fixed an issue with missing destruction SFX for light vehicle engines.
  • Updated the deployable camo netting to add a fallback colour, which should fix issues with the Landscape Renderer breaking camo netting under certain circumstances, like with the Fools Road black camo nets.
  • Fixed a legacy issue with infantry bipods, where deploying your bipod while simultaneously crouching could get you stuck in a permanent bipod state.
  • Fixed a visual issue with ADS peripheral blur, which was not getting removed when a player entered a vehicle or emplacement while in ADS.
  • Fixed a visual issue with some vehicle windows (ie. M-ATV) not showing RPG impact effects.
  • Fixed an issue with the AUS Observation Tower deployable’s camo netting collision unintentionally blocking projectiles.
  • Fixed a collision issue with the AUS PMV Armored Car, where the rear hatches passed damage to the hull – impacts to those hatches no longer pass damage to the hull, in line with other similar vehicle hatches.
  • Fixed AUS Squad Leaders missing Incendiary Grenades necessary for destroying Caches in the Insurgency Game Mode.
  • Fixed an issue with the AUS pistol costing 10 ammo points to rearm; it now costs 1 ammo point per mag, in line with other pistols.
  • Fixed an audio issue with the AUS MRH90 Helicopter’s exterior rotor SFX after exiting the pilot seat.
  • Fixed an issue with the AUS M1A1 MBT’s ammo not being removed when the ammo rack component was destroyed.
  • Fixed an audio issue with the AUS EF88 SL40 Rifle Smoke rounds having incorrect impact SFX.
  • Fixed a legacy UI issue with SPG-9 emplacements not having a map icon when unmanned.
  • Fixed a legacy visual issue where the arms visually broke when dry reloading the M240H Helicopter Door Gun.
  • Fixed a legacy visual issue with low texture quality on character models in the Role Loadout menu.
  • Fixed a visual issue with the GB SA330 Helicopter’s instrument panel flickering.
  • Fixed a visual issue with the AUS MRH90 Helicopter’s cockpit display not updating correctly on ultra-wide monitors.
  • Fixed a visual issue with AUS ASLAV APC’s wheel collision meshes when destroyed.
  • Fixed a visual issue with the AUS EF88 SL40 Rifle (Grenadier Kit Role) having rounds visible in the magazine during a “dry” reload animation.
  • Fixed an audio issue with MG shell casing SFX not being affected by the volume slider.
  • Fixed an issue for some special weapon skins icons (Veteran RPG7, Veteran RPG7v2, and Desert M4) so they now show the correct variants.
  • Fixed an issue with Kickstarter uniform patches not displaying correctly on 3p models of AUS and specific Woodland CAF soldiers.
  • Fixed a visual issue where some MEA and RU fortifications (HASCO blocks / walls) were filled with brown dirt instead of sand for desert biome assets.
  • Fixed a UI issue where the AUS PMV M2 RWS Armored Car used the incorrect map icon (“light jeep”). it now uses the correct map icon (“heavy jeep”).
  • Fixed a UI issue for the AUS EF88 Rifle’s description; it no longer lists the stats twice, and also shows the correct zeroing distance for the Spectre optic.
  • Fixed a typo with RUS and MEA artillery strike title and tooltip text so it correctly refers to it as being a 152mm caliber strike.
  • Fixed an issue with Discord rich presence not supporting CAF assets correctly, this affected Goose Bay, Manic-5 and the CAF faction flag.
  • Fixed an issue with Discord rich presence, where AUS & RUS factions were displayed as US.
  • Fixed an issue with Discord rich presence, so the Anvil map will now display correctly.
  • Fixed an issue where the Anisotropic Filtering level was being misreported in the log file.


MAP UPDATES & BUG FIXES



  • Updated all CAF map layers naming convention to be unified with all other factions map layers. Check the sheet for the full list of changes:
  • v2.16 CAF Layers [LINK URL]
  • Updated all CAF map layers to include new vehicle distribution.
  • Added new map layer – Kohat RAAS v9.
  • Added new map layer – Goose Bay RAAS v2.
  • Updated Fallujah Seed v1 layout to now have 3 capture points.
  • Updated Tallil Seed v2 – Team 2 is now INS (was RUS), and CAF now gets LUVW jeeps (transport + logistics).
  • Updated Sumari Seed v2 – Team 2 is now INS (was RUS).
  • Updated all INS map layers to now include the Tire Fire deployable – each INS FOB can deploy up to 2 Tire Fire deployables.
  • Updated several INS map layers to include INS Ural 375 Transport Truck variant.
  • Al Basrah Seed v1 – Fixed MEA main base no-deploy zone being offset by around 80m to the south.
  • Al Basrah AAS v3 – Fixed Helicopters not being able to resupply at the AUS main base.
  • Fallujah Seed v1 & Tallil Seed v2 – Fixed map layer name not showing up correctly on the deploy screen / server browser.
  • Jensen’s Range v4 (CAF vs RUS) – Fixed RUS not having a MI8 Helicopter spawn and fixed RUS using INS HAB mesh.
  • Kohat RAAS v8 – Fix attempt for the AUS MRH90 helicopter exploding on the helipad.


SDK UPDATES


  • Added a configurable variable to vehicle turrets, to set the health level required for stabilizer to function. Default value is 0.5.
  • Added a system for Level Design to allow for ambient Jetovers on maps. JetFlyBy will spawn ambient planes that fly overhead of the geo map.
  • Made initial ammo & construction values on FOBs editable on instances, to allow customizing the amount of resources on pre-placed FOBs without additional components.
  • Adjusted the AUS PMV Mag58 Armored Car to include a LowCaliber tag.
  • Moved CAF faction setups to single use folder and updated them with standard delays & counts, deleted old legacy faction tables, counts & delays for these layers.
  • Added bRulesetEnabled flag and setters/getters for it into SQGameRuleset to allow for rulesets logic to be notified to enable or disable itself.
  • Added implementable events BPRulesetEnabled & BPRulesetDisabled to SQGameRuleSet, to allow blueprint child classes to react on being enabled or disabled in event-based fashion.
  • Modified GraphTicketComponent and GraphNodeBasedBleedComponent, allowing their logic to be turned on/off.
  • Modified Ruleset_Vehicle, to allow the ticket subtraction logic to be enabled/disabled using new ruleset enable/disable functionality.
  • Events OnPlayerJoined and OnPlayerRemoved on SQGameState exposed to blueprints
  • Added a TryGetDefaultObjectFor() helper function to SQBlueprintLibrary to get the default object for a certain class, with dynamic output type, to save some casting in blueprints.
  • Added TryGetRulesetsOfClass() helper function to SQGameMode, to get an array of currently active rulesets of a specified class, with dynamic output type to save some casting in blueprints.
  • Exposed RuleSets array in SQGameMode to blueprints as a read-only property
  • Made GetCustomServerSetting() helper function in SQBlueprintLibrary compatible with In-Editor server settings, accessible in Editor Preferences -> Play Squad -> Custom Options.
  • Added server-side helper functions to SQBlueprintLibrary to expand the ability to work with CustomOptions.cfg contents in blueprints:
  • GetCustomServerSettingAsInt()
  • GetCustomServerSettingAsFloat()
  • GetCustomServerSettingAsBool()
  • DoesCustomServerSettingExist()
  • Added new INS Ural 375 Transport Truck variant.
  • Reminder: Make sure your vehicles, turrets, vehicle weapons, and emplacements are using the new SQArmourMesh Component added in v2.15, or they may not receive damage properly.



CLEAR CACHE TO RESOLVE RESIDUAL ISSUES

If you are experiencing issues, be sure to go to Settings -> “CLEAR CACHE” after updating.

Squad v2.15 is Live Now

[previewyoutube="cRDpDXMUrBo;full"]

Attention Squaddies,

Squad’s v2.15 update is now live for players to download.

For details on what’s in this latest update visit our Release Notes which we posted yesterday (LINK URL).

To report any technical issues you might experience after updating to v2.15 please share them on our forums (LINK URL).

The Australian Faction was originally developed by the modding organization Midnight Interactive Pty Ltd. Offworld purchased the mod and has spent many months fine-tuning the artwork and mechanics.

Thank you for your attention.

At ease,

– Offworld Industries

SQUAD UPDATE V2.15 RELEASE NOTES



Attention Squaddies,

Squad v2.15 continues Squad’s new release cadence, with our team working to provide more frequent updates as we move forward. It is the third update of the year (not counting Hotfixes).

The most obvious part of the v2.15 Update is the much anticipated release of the Australian Army. This light infantry focused faction has a Bullpup primary, and a unique Combat Engineer split to offer players expanded options on the field. Also a feature in v2.15 is improvements to FOB Deployables including new additions such as camouflage netting that will help conceal soldiers who are using the FOB for cover. The team has also updated and replaced most particle VFX with improved visual fidelity and major performance optimizations.

We’ve made a host of other gameplay changes which are listed below in the Changelog, as well as addressed numerous bugs.

Squad v2.15 will be released on Wednesday, April 13th at 19:00 UTC.

CHANGELOG



AUSSIE FACTION



  • New Faction – Australia
  • Squad welcomes the folks from down under to the fight
  • Light infantry focused
  • Bullpup primary
  • Unique Combat Engineer split

Infantry




  • Camouflage Pattern: AMCU (new)
  • Pistol: Hi power pistol MK3 (new)
  • Main Rifle (Non Magnified Optic): EF88 + Eotech 552 (new)
  • Main Rifle (Magnified Optic): EF88 + Elcan Specter 4x (new)
  • Grenadier: EF88 + SL40 UGL (new)
  • Designated Marksman (DMR): HK417 (new)
  • Light Machine Gun (LMG): F89 Minimi (new)
  • General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG): Maximi (new)
  • Hand Grenade: Australian F1 Frag (new)
  • Smoke Grenade: M18 (Same as USA/GB/CAF)
  • Timed Explosive: CompB Explosive (new)
  • Light Anti-Tank (LAT): M72 LAW (Same as USA/GB/CAF)
  • Heavy Anti-Tank (HAT): Carl Gustaf (Same as USA/CAF)
  • Crewman & Pilot: EF88C (new)
  • Knife: SOCP (new)
  • Binoculars: AUS Binoculars (new)

Vehicles




  • Logistics Vehicle: HX60 (Retextured GB asset)
  • Unarmed Transport Vehicle: HX60 (Retextured GB asset)
  • Armoured Car:
  • PMV Open Top Mag58 (new)
  • PMV Open Top 3x Mag58 (new)
  • PMV RWS M2 (new)
  • Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV): ASLAV-25 (new)
  • Main Battle Tank (MBT): M1A1 Abrams (Modified USA asset)
  • Transport Helicopter:
  • MRH90 (new)
  • AUS UH60 (Retextured USA asset)

Emplacements




  • HMG: M2 Emplacement (Same as USA/GB/CAF)
  • ATGM: BG71 TOW Emplacement (Same as USA/GB/CAF)
  • Mortar: 81mm F2 Emplacement (Same as USA/GB/CAF)

Commander Assets




  • Commander CAS: F/A-18 Rocket Strike
  • Commander Artillery
  • 12 Cannon Salvo Circle (Same as USA/GB/CAF)
  • 12 Cannon Salvo Line (Same as USA/GB/CAF)
  • Commander UAV: MQ-9 Reaper (Same as USA/GB/CAF)

Map Layers for AUS



  1. Anvil AAS v1
  2. Anvil AAS v2
  3. Anvil Invasion v1
  4. Anvil Invasion v2
  5. Anvil RAAS v3
  6. Anvil RAAS v4
  7. Anvil Skirmish v1
  8. Anvil TC v1
  9. Al Basrah Invasion v3
  10. Al Basrah AAS v3
  11. Chora AAS v4
  12. Chora RAAS v3 – features old school F88 Rifles. 2 pre-captured flag, INS start with extra 40 tickets
  13. Fallujah Invasion v4
  14. Fallujah RAAS v4
  15. Fool’s Road RAAS v4
  16. Gorodok RAAS v7
  17. Gorodok RAAS v8 – INS/MIL begins with 2 flags pre-captured and starts with an extra 40 tickets
  18. Jensen’s Range v6
  19. Kamdesh AAS v1
  20. Kamdesh Insurgency v1
  21. Kamdesh Invasion v4
  22. Kamdesh Invasion v5
  23. Kamdesh Invasion v6
  24. Kamdesh RAAS v5
  25. Kamdesh RAAS v6 – new layout with 1 pre-captured flag.
  26. Kamdesh Skirmish v1
  27. Kamdesh TC v3
  28. Kohat AAS v3
  29. Kohat RAAS v8
  30. Kokan AAS v3
  31. Kokan RAAS v3
  32. Lashkar AAS v3
  33. Lashkar AAS v4
  34. Lashkar Invasion v2
  35. Lashkar RAAS v2
  36. Lashkar RAAS v3
  37. Lashkar Skirmish v1
  38. Lashkar TC v4
  39. Logar AAS v3
  40. Mutaha AAS v3
  41. Mutaha Invasion v3
  42. Mutaha RAAS v2
  43. Mutaha RAAS v3
  44. Sumari AAS v3
  45. Sumari Seed v2
  46. Tallil RAAS v5
  47. Tallil Invasion v4
  48. Yehorivka AAS v3
  49. Yehorivka RAAS v8

FOB DEPLOYABLES IMPROVEMENTS



Upgrade package for defensive deployables
  • Added camouflage nets to many deployables: Pillbox sandbags, HMG bunkers, HASCO bunkers, Indirect Fire Shelters, HABs. 
Design Intention: This is intended to make it harder to spot soldiers using deployables for cover. One side of the camo netting appears semi-transparent up close, while the side facing the enemy is fully opaque. This is intended to make using these deployables more effective for defence, as well as offsetting the impact of the new muzzle flashes.
  • Added a new deployable - fortified HASCO Observation Tower for all conventional factions.

Design Intention: This gives defending players the opportunity to deploy an elevated, protected position, which they can use as an observation and firing platform. Players could also use this as a corner-piece to connect with a larger network of defensive deployables like the HASCO walls, sandbags, HMG bunkers, etc. The primary purpose is to provide a camouflaged observation position with which a defensive player can monitor enemy movements without being seen, as well as a firing platform should they choose to engage.
  • Pros: Large amount of hit points and good viewing angles, with a protected entry way
  • Cons: Large Construction cost & build time, very exposed / prominent position which is easy to target with area effect weapons.



  • Added a new deployable – rickety wooden watchtower with camo nets for Militia.
  • Pros: Relatively small footprint with superior viewing angles for observation and fire support.
  • Cons: Very exposed / prominent position which is easy to target with area effect weapons.



  • Added a new experimental Tire Fire deployable for Insurgents.
  • Initial Limits: Limited to 2 per FOB. This experimental deployable is initially available on a limited selection of map layers:
  • Al Basrah AAS v2
  • Al Basrah Insurgency v1
  • Al Basrah Invasion v1
  • Al Basrah Invasion v2
  • Al Basrah RAAS v1
  • Al Basrah Skirmish v2
  • Anvil Invasion v1
  • Anvil Invasion v2
  • Sumari Invasion v1
  • CAF Al Basrah Invasion v1
  • CAF Al Basrah Invasion v3
  • CAF Mutaha Invasion v1

Design Intention: This unique Insurgent deployable is intended to slow vehicles, cut off enemy routes, conceal travel routes, block sight lines, and create fear and chaos among the enemy.



  • Updated HABs, Sandbags, HASCOs and several other deployables to use biome-specific camouflage. Each faction’s deployables will have a different colour scheme depending on which biome the map belongs to: Forest, Desert, or Snow.
  • Unique Biome variations exist for:
  • NATO (USA, GB, CAF)
  • AUS
  • RUS
  • MEA

Design Intention: This is intended to make deployables blend into the environment better, making them slightly harder to spot, especially from longer ranges and from the air.

  • Adjusted Deployables’ damage resistance against explosives, fragmentation, and HEAT. This is intended to make deployable fortifications more resilient.
  • Affects:
  • Sandbag walls
  • HESCO walls
  • HESCO blocks
  • HESCO bunkers
  • HMG Bunkers
  • HABs
  • Razor Wire

Design Intention: This change is meant to make large fortified FOBs more viable in the face of mortars and Commander call-ins. While the ultimate solution will include changes to those offensive assets, buffing deployables should lead to more enjoyable defensive gameplay in the meantime.

  • Updated the HAB ghost placement mesh to include exit point indicators. Exit Indicators will change colour from green to red to indicate when an obstacle obstructs the arrow’s position, which is an indication that the doorway may be partially or completely blocked to players.

SYSTEM & GAMEPLAY UPDATES



  • Updated and replaced most particle VFX with improved visual fidelity and major performance optimizations.
  • Updated and optimised deployable sandbag destruction FX.
  • Added a new Capture Rate Indicator to the HUD Flag Status widget (in the top right of the screen). Arrows will appear on the Capture Progress Bar to indicate how quickly the point is being captured or lost. Capture Speed Scaling was added in v2.14.

Design Intention: Encourage squads to capture together, and make players aware of the benefits of having more people together on the point.

  • Updated flag capture rate scaling values. Capturing generally takes longer and the neutral flag capture rate variability is more obvious with 3 or fewer soldiers in the capture zone. Create Infographic with the information below:



Design Intention: Encourage teamwork within and between squads by incentivizing capturing points en masse, and give squads a reason to stick together when back-capping on initial rollout. It should also improve pacing by encouraging more deliberate movement from flag to flag, and provide more strategic options on rollout. Overall this change should discourage rushing flags by increasing the chances of encountering a full squad on the point, rather than a lone enemy on back-cap duty.

  • Added a Depth of Field (DoF) effect. This draws focus to the action and enhances the look of visual effects.
  • Most noticeable when aiming down weapon sights, bipoded, using emplacements, or looking through a vehicle viewport.
  • The quality and performance cost of this effect are controlled by Post Process Quality. Setting it to Low will disable the effect altogether.
  • Overhauled the vehicle armour mesh system to now use a new simplified process for assigning VFX and SFX.
  • Updated the MIL/INS AK74 with 1P29 to once again have adjustable range zeroing from 100m out to 400m, in increments of 100m.
  • Updated all GB SUSAT-equipped infantry weapons to have adjustable range zeroing from 100m out to 600m, in increments of 100m.
  • Updated the vehicle explosion impact interior sound sets, adding 2 new sounds. This should alleviate the issue of a vehicle crew not being able to determine the severity of an impact (i.e. a UGL impact getting perceived the same as a Tandem rocket).
  • All UGL / Frags now use a new light impact sound.
  • All armor piercing projectiles use another set of piercing more destructive sounds. (APFSDS rounds etc.)
  • All tank rounds are using the existing sounds that you’ve heard.
  • Updated CAF Commander CAS to now use CF-18 rocket strike.
  • Updated the Standard Lighting so FX emissive bloom can be adjusted by material instance brightness where needed.
  • Updated the game mode legend descriptions and server browser tooltip text to be more rapidly digestible and easy to understand.
  • Adjusted Combat Engineer Kit Role inventory razorwire to have the half built state with a single row of knee-high wire (Same as FOB razorwire).
  • Adjusted deployable Razor Wire (FOB+Infantry) to no longer have any player or vehicle collision on the stakes at any build state..
  • Adjusted the rotation speed of open turrets and emplacements using keyboard and mouse input.
  • Added WASD input zoom sensitivity scaling to open top vehicle turrets and emplacements.
  • Adjusted the MEA BRDM-2, MEA BMP-2, MEA BMP-1, MEA Ural-4320 & RUS Woodland BMP-2 hull textures to improve the resolution on small details like the lamp, turret cloth and track wheels.
  • Adjusted the Mi8/Mi17 Helicopter’s default ammo/construction cargo split from 750/750 to 900 ammo / 600 construction.
  • Adjusted all AR/MG Kit role minimum magazine count. No kit will have more than 100 rounds if they respawn with an empty kit. The only exceptions are the MIL AR kit with FN Minimi and CAF AR kit with C9, which uses 200-round belts. Most AR/MG kits should now have only 1 magazine/belt when spawning with an empty kit. Exception is RUS AR kits with RPK-74, which should spawn with 2x 45 round magazines (90 rounds in total).
  • Adjusted the CAF Arid and Woodland team selection images to reflect the most up to date character and weapon models.

BUG FIXES



  • Fixed an issue where players occasionally would have very thick fog after switching to a new map layer.
  • Fixed a common Server crash related to SQMapMarkerManager.
  • Fixed a long-standing issue with RAAS fog of war, which was unintentionally hiding lost and “double neutral” flags. Now on RAAS map layers, all flags should stay visible for members of a team at all times after they were discovered by that team. A “lock” icon will appear over a capture zone when a team cannot currently affect the flag state anymore (in a double-neutral situation). The capture progress bar will also be hidden to indicate the flag is no longer valid to capture.
  • Fixed a long-standing UI issue with the diamond-shaped flag state indicator on the map, where the indicator was incorrectly blinking even when neither team was capturing the flag, giving players an incorrect impression about the current capture situation.
  • Fixed several issues with the peripheral vision ADS Blur for infantry weapons:
  • Fixed ADS blur harsh cut transitions when toggling between ADS and hipfire. The effect now smoothly fades in and out.
  • Optimization: Blur shader no longer costs performance when not in ADS.
  • Applied subtle ADS peripheral vision blur to some remaining weapons which did not yet have it.
  • Increased intensity of peripheral vision blur when using zoom optics.
  • Fixed an issue with the minimap on all maps which support helicopters (using soft map boundary), the minimap appeared more dim/darker than intended.
  • Fixed an issue with dithered temporal AA glass shaders.
  • Fixed a visual issue with the vehicle HUD, where a vehicle’s destroyed turret component indicator would incorrectly display that the turret stabilisation was still active, even though the turret was disabled and therefore stabilisation was disabled.
  • Fixed an issue with Graphic settings to ensure contact shadows are always on for low and medium shadow quality.
  • Fixed a gameplay issue with pilots getting excessively harsh team kill penalties in relation to crashing helicopters with multiple passengers. Corrected the helicopter pilot’s penalty to now only be counted as a single suicide penalty when crashing a helicopter, regardless of the amount of passengers involved.
  • Fixed an audio issue where double hit sounds would play for soldiers.
  • Fixed an issue with the vehicle driver smoke generator, where the smoke was invisible to the driver.
  • Fixed an issue with the RUS/MEA Kord HMG emplacement’s stadiametric rangefinder not having accurate markings.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with the GB FV107 Tracked Recon wreck mesh LOD.
  • Fixed a minor issue with the RUS Kamaz 5350 Truck where infantry were unable to fire while prone in the truck bed.
  • Fixed a minor issue with the Destruction game mode legend’s text not fitting on 16:9 aspect ratio without scrolling. Adjusted the text to be scrollable along with images for aspect ratios which require scrolling. Clarified the requirement for Combat Engineer explosives.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue of character’s backpacks getting awkwardly crunched down in 3p by adjusting soldier prone pitch up and pitch down 3p poses.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with the USA HAT MAAWS having a slight gap in the reticle.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with proportions on the CAF and MEA static flags.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with the viewport texture on the RUS woodland BMP-2.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with the Militia Heavy Machine gunner having a broken lip that stretched out the back of his neck.
  • Fixed a minor visual issue with the M240 Helicopter Door Gun’s muzzle flash not moving with the gun.

MAP UPDATES & BUG FIXES



  • Added new map layer: Goose Bay Invasion v3 – USA vs RUS, dim twilight lighting scenario with very large capture zones.
  • Added new map layer: Narva Invasion v3 – USA vs RUS, using a unique flag lattice with under-utilised Points of Interest.
  • Added a new map layer: Sumari Seed v2 – AUS vs RUS, clone of Sumari Seed v1.
  • Belaya – Updated Belaya to use a new landscape renderer.
  • Fallujah RAAS v1 – Adjusted vehicle layout, removing MEA Simir Kornet, replaced with BMP2 IFV.
  • Fallujah – Fixed a few locations in sewers that still allowed deployables to be placed – intention is to disallow all deployables in the sewers.
  • Fallujah – Updated the sewer entrances with blocking volumes for vehicles only, to prevent motor bikes from glitching into sewers.
  • Fallujah – Fixed a detached wall segment at grid G5-3-2.
  • Fallujah – Fixed an issue with train cars in the north-west of Fallujah having several issues with their LODs, allowing players to see through parts of the assets.
  • Goose Bay – Fixed various floating grass.
  • Goose Bay – Adjusted minimap brightness.
  • Gorodok – Fixed various floating grass: grids F6-1-2, H4-1-4, F7-7-8, C12-8-3.
  • Infantry Tutorial – Updated to include the AUS faction on the soldier and vehicle identification board.
  • Kamdesh RAAS v4 – Fixed respawn time of an MEA MTLB 6MA (was incorrectly 10 seconds, now 6 minutes).
  • Kokan – Adjusted all Kokan map layers to remove the ability to become Commander.
  • Narva – Adjusted Narva mid day lighting.This lighting should now have more balanced colour temperature and wider contrast.
  • Narva Destruction v1 – Fixed USA not having enough vehicle spawners for all vehicles to spawn at start.
  • Narva Destruction v1 – Fixed an issue where USA is not team1, which could result in the same team playing the same faction 2 maps in a row.

SERVER ADMIN UPDATES



  • Fixed an issue with the crash reporter not running for server builds, therefore not reporting crashes or ensures. This will now be enabled by default on all server platforms and will aid in gathering information to address the critical Linux crash issues.

SDK UPDATES



  • Added a BP tool that allows media creation by loading a weapon mesh with all the attachments associated – BP_Weapons_Marketing
  • Updated mod major version from 2 to 3.
  • Overhauled the vehicle armour mesh system to now use a new simplified process for assigning VFX and SFX.

CLEAR CACHE TO RESOLVE RESIDUAL ISSUES



  • If you are experiencing issues, be sure to go to Settings -> “CLEAR CACHE” after updating.


The Australian Faction was originally developed by the modding organization Midnight Interactive Pty Ltd. Offworld purchased the mod and has spent many months fine-tuning the artwork and mechanics.

At ease,

- Offworld Industries

SQUAD V2.14 Live Now



Greetings Squaddies,

With the v2.14 Update we wanted to focus on returning Squad to a more regular update cadence, with smaller updates. While we still have larger content updates on the horizon, we want to keep a steady stream of improvements and refinements coming to Squad.

A notable change in v2.14 is adjustments to the construction point cost of some deployable fortifications. The main focus however is on bug fixes both to the game and to specific maps. The Squad team is continuing to look for ways to improve the game’s performance, but that was not a focus for v2.14 and no specific performance updates are included in the release.

Changelog



System & Gameplay Updates



  • Added a BTR80 APC variant for the INS faction with Insurgent desert camo scheme. This vehicle for now has been added to one map layer: CAF Al Basrah Invasion v3.
  • Updated Razor Wire to now prevent vaulting over the posts without taking damage. Also added a lower roll of razor wire to the half built state. This allows for razor wire to be hidden in tall grass to help slow down/damage/funnel advancing enemy infantry. Note: Combat Engineer Kit Role inventory placed razor wire does not yet reflect this change.
  • Adjusted the construction point cost of several deployable fortifications:
    <*> Razor wire: 25 to 20
    <*> Sandbag Wall: 50 to 40
    <*> Sandbag Wall with Murderhole: 50 to 40
    <*> Sandbag Crescent Wall: 50 to 40
    <*> HASCO Wall: 400 to 300
    <*> HASCO Bunker: 300 to 250
    <*> HASCO HMG Bunker: 450 to 350



Bug Fixes



  • Fixed a Client Crash that occurred upon launching Squad, this was related to MaterialQuality, caused by uniform layout mismatch.
  • Fixed an issue with Low Textures graphic settings causing excessively blurred iron sight weapons (due to mips).
  • Fixed an issue with ADS blur not working on the outside of the optic on all scoped infantry weapons. Further adjustments to this blur are pending.
  • Fixed an issue with the new Restriction Zones used on 2 seed layers: Tallil Seed v2 and Al Basrah Seed v1. Vehicles had an unintended infinite invulnerability buff upon entering the Restriction Zone.
  • Fixed an issue with deployable Indirect Fire Shelters having no “per FOB” limit - they’re now limited to 3 IFS per FOB.
  • Fixed an issue with deployable Hesco Bunkers counting towards the limit of Indirect Fire Shelters per FOB.
  • Fixed an issue with the CAF C8A3 Iron Sights alignment being ever so slightly misaligned.
  • Fixed an issue with Invasion game mode, where no capture notification would appear.


Map Updates & Bug Fixes



  • CAF Al Basrah Invasion v3 – Adjusted vehicle/emplacement availability for both teams to lean more in favor of attackers.
  • CAF Adjustments
    <*> Removed CAF ability to place TOW emplacements.
    <*> Removed 1x CAF LAV6 IFV.
    <*> Increased delay for CAF Leo2 MBT.

  • INS Adjustments
    <*> Added x2 BTR80 APCs.
    <*> Reduced number of special Technicals.
    <*> Reduced number of BMP1.
    <*> Replaced two Technical Logi’s with Ural Logi’s.

  • Jensen’s Range – Fixed an issue with the killhouse completed event getting triggered at inappropriate times due to the trigger collision clipping into part of the killhouse course.
  • CAF Manic-5 RAAS v2 – Adjusted MIL to have extra tickets, set one flag as pre-capped at round start for MIL, added BTR80 & Ural ZU23 to MIL, added delay for CAF MBT.
  • Mutaha RAAS v1 – fixed an issue with multiple CPs preventing leaning due to incorrect collision preset.
  • Skorpo – Adjusted the colour of the reed foliage. Reeds appeared to glow due to materials with excessive subsurface brightness.


Gorodok



  • Fixed floating rocks at grids B9-6-7 and H10-6-2.
  • Fixed a floating road at grid K4-5-6.
  • Fixed an issue with FOB's and Rally Points that could be glitched inside a barn roof at grid J2-1-3.
  • Fixed an issue with a staircase with an inverted collision at grid G2-1-4.
  • Fixed a bridge that was elevated above the road at grid J2-3-1
  • Fixed floating grass at grids F7-7-8 and E7-2-6
  • Fixed rocks with no back face at grids B12-8-8 and B9-5-9


Tallil



  • Tallil - Fixed an issue with the concrete walls surrounding the Soviet Airfield POI culling too early. They should now cull at 1km with more optimized LODs.
  • Tallil - Fixed an issue with a water puddle near the Al Khidir water tower having no water footstep SFX.
  • Tallil - Fixed an issue with Z flickering on multiple hangar door number decals at the Destroyed Hangar objective.


Yehorivka



  • Fixed floating grass at grid N14-3-9.
  • Fixed an issue with a tunnel which allowed players to see under the map at grid I14-4-9.
  • Fixed floating rock at grid L15-6-9.
  • Fixed weird looking angular terrain at grid J12-7-3.
  • Fixed a section of barbed wire fence missing the end post at grid L17-5-7.
  • Fixed an issue with river grasses and cattails appearing to have a very low quality mesh.
  • Yehorivka RAAS v5 - Fixed CP’s being offset from their actual locations for some players .
  • Fixed CAF Yeho RAAS v4 RU helipads tilted.
  • CAF Yehorivka RAAS v2 - Fixed RUS main base protection zone not working correctly.
  • CAF GooseBay RAAS v1 - Fixed RUS tank spawners clipping with each other, causing issues with tank spawns.


Clear Cache to resolve residual issues


If you are experiencing issues, be sure to go to Settings -> “CLEAR CACHE” after updating.

Squad v2.13 Hotfix



Dear Squaddies,

Today we are releasing Squad Hotfix v2.13, which specifically aims to address some of the performance drops that players have reported following the v2.12 Update. 

Shortly after the release of last week’s Update (Link URL) we began seeing reports of players experiencing a decrease in performance and frames-per-second. Seeing these reports appearing across various community channels, we began an investigation of which you can learn more here (LINK URL).

Thanks in large part to help from players who worked with us and shared their experiences with us, we were able to get a number of potential fixes into a test branch of Squad and provide that to select members of our community who had volunteered to assist. Testers saw improvements in performance, and we continued work over the weekend.

At this point we believe that we have a Hotfix that should improve performance for some of the players experiencing problems. We want to issue a heart-felt thank you to those that were willing to provide us with detailed technical feedback surrounding their experiences with 2.12. We realize that it can be very frustrating when a release degrades your playing experience, and this kind of detailed feedback helps us to investigate issues and resolve them at a faster or more successful rate. Again, thank you! 

We will continue to monitor and investigate player reports, and have set up a new Google Form (LINK URL) for players to share with us their performance after playing a few matches on v2.13, either good or bad. The team will continue to look into ways to improve Squad's overall performance, and based on player feedback and the results of our investigation we will look at potential further fixes.

We realize that this has been a frustrating experience for many of our players, particularly those that have found Squad unplayable since Wednesday’s Update. We appreciate your continued support, and your patience shown as we worked to solve these issues.

- Offworld Industries


Release Notes



Changelog




  • Improved performance by optimizing the Shadows System, especially on Low and Medium settings. Adjusted low and medium shadow scalability to lean more heavily on cheaper contact shadows to increase performance.
  • Fixed an issue on Fallujah which caused poor performance due to shadow render distance being in excess of what was intended.
  • Fixed an issue with specific foliage assets on Gorodok, Mestia & Yehorivka causing excessive performance loss, especially in sunset/sunrise lighting.
  • Fixed an issue with Ambient Occlusion not working properly, this fix will be most apparent in interior spaces.


Known Issues / Troubleshooting



  • If you are still experiencing performance issues after updating to v2.13, be sure to go to Settings -> “CLEAR CACHE”.
  • If after the v2.13 Hotfix you still have performance issues, try experimenting with the Graphics settings menu. Settings which have the biggest performance impact will be Shadow Quality and Tessellation. We believe that the Medium preset is the best compromise between visual quality and performance for most players. 
  • If you are playing on Low Preset and are bothered by excessive flickering/dithering on shadows, foliage, and road shoulders, try setting Anti-Aliasing quality to Medium or above, and increase sample size to 8 or more. This can decrease the issue with minimal performance impact compared to the Low preset. 
  • On Anvil, Chora, and Mutaha a specific tree type will show a line into the sky at certain ranges.
  • After playing a few games on v2.13 we would appreciate it if you reported your performance via our Google Form to let us know what your  experience has been with this Hotfix (LINK URL).

Squad v2.12 Framerate Investigation

Hello Squaddies,

With this week's release of v2.12 yesterday, we’ve seen some players report concerns surrounding performance. We’d like to take a moment to thank everyone that has submitted their feedback via this form (LINK URL), and encourage you to continue to do so. This drop in performance is leading either to a poorer experience in the game, or in many cases with players finding Squad unplayable.

We understand the frustration any player experiencing a drop in performance is facing, and wanted to ensure you all know our team is actively investigating this matter.

At this point we are continuing to delve into the underlying problems that may be causing this. The information that we have received from a large number of players who have taken the time to share their system specifications and performance experience with us has gone a long way to giving us a starting point for the work ahead, and we are thankful for their support and patience.

On that note, as we continue to dig into the technical underpinnings of this downgraded performance, additional information from the community would be appreciated. The best way players can help us is to continue to use the reporting form above. For those with more technical know-how and the time to assist even further, we’ve got an additional ask:

Please continue to leave your feedback on our forums and as well as continuing to share your v2.12 performance via our this form (Link URL).

Thank you for your continued support,

- Offworld Industries

Squad v2.12 Is Live Now

Attention Squaddies,

Squad's v2.12 update is now live for players to download.

For details on what's in this latest update visit our Release Notes which we posted yesterday (LINK URL).

For more information about the intentions and goals of v2.12 take a look at our Release Blog (Link URL).

To report any technical issues you might experience after updating to v2.12 please share them on our forums (LINK URL).

Thank you for your attention.

At ease,

- Offworld Industries

Squad v2.12 Release Blog

Hello Squaddies,

Tomorrow we will be launching Squad’s newest update - v2.12. You can read the Release Notes here (LINK URL) to get a preview of the hundreds of changes, improvements, bug fixes, and gameplay features that will soon refine your Squad experience.

This release has been Squad’s most thoroughly tested release, with initial playtests starting in August of 2021, and culminating in a two week playtest over the holidays at the end of the year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person who participated in these playtests, as your feedback, experiences, and participation helped us identify issues with the release, improve the final update and make Squad an all-around better game. Throughout the process player feedback and participation has been vital.

The Release Notes talk more about the design intention of v2.12, and how we felt that updating the game’s Lightning and Shadows would not only provide significant visual improvements to how Squad looks, but also would provide new dimensions for how it plays offering a more real world experience. We’ve also focused on adding gameplay features that we feel will allow players to expand their tactical options, and play Squad with new strategies in mind.

As we’ve previously indicated we understand that our community has high expectations for Squad, and that your love of the game makes it so you’re anxious for more updates, more content, and more communication.

We are excited to finally be releasing 2.12 and know that you’ve been waiting for it awhile now. Since the Lighting and Shadows overhaul touched on so many core parts of Squad, testing, and finaling this update took longer than we had expected. Further there were performance concerns raised with systems that are below Squad’s minimum specifications, and while we develop to ensure that the game is workable at the min spec we understand that many players are in fact playing on systems below this. 

All of this meant that we needed to take some extra time with this update, hoping to minimize issues created. 

It is still possible that we will need to do further updates to address issues that are discovered post release, and we already have a list of Known Issues that are included in the Release Notes. No update is ever perfect, and having our large and active community all playing the update live will reveal things that no amount of playtesting or QA will have been able to catch. However thanks to your assistance in our playtests, we hope that we have minimized any potential issues.

As always please provide your feedback after playing Squad’s 2.12 Update on our forums (Link URL). If you experience any issues with the latest update please post on our forums (LINK URL) or contact our Support Team (Link URL).Everyone on the Squad team would like to thank our players for their continued support. We can’t wait to share more details on what else we’re working on in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

- Offworld Industries

Squad Update v2.12 Release Notes



Greetings Squaddies,

Squad’s v2.12 Update has been in development for a considerable amount of time here at Offworld Industries and the entire development team is excited for you to get your hands on it and finally experience it in the live game! For more on the development and challenges we faced with this update see our pre-launch blog post (LINK URL). As was noted earlier today we have discovered an exploit in Squad and while we believe we have it fixed in v2.12 there is a small chance that it might slightly delay the update's release. We will keep you informed if this happens.

An Overhaul of Squad’s Visuals



V2.12’s primary focus was on bringing improvements to Squad’s visuals, making for an all around better looking game, as well as adding new gameplay and tactical opportunities for our players based only on the higher quality visuals alone. We have completely reworked the game’s handling of dynamic shadows. Standard and Far Shadows have been replaced with more optimized Cascade Shadow Maps. We have managed to make the new system up to ten times more efficient than the old Far Shadows system. This work can have a significant effect on gameplay as Tallil shadows now render out to 1km at all graphics settings which ensures that Low settings no longer give a significant competitive advantage for spotting targets.

The update also brings an overhaul of how the game handles lighting. The development team focused on creating more physically accurate parameters for outdoor lighting, achieving brighter highlights, deeper shadows, greater contrast, and providing more accurate colour.

With improved shadows and lighting also comes updates to the Graphics Settings Menu. We have overhauled the graphics scalability settings for Shadows and Ambient Occlusion. Please note that the associated quality and performance tradeoffs have similarly changed. Players may want to try adjusting their Shadows and Ambient Occlusion Graphics settings for this update. We also added a “Shaders” Graphics Settings section which currently will primarily affect the complexity of the Landscape allowing lower-end hardware more performance options.

The final graphical update to pay particular attention to in v2.12 is that the team has worked to improve the visibility of muzzle flashes which will help make spotting enemies less difficult. We felt that this was necessary to offset the lighting and foliage changes, which can make spotting enemies more difficult. Our design intent is to allow for camouflage and cautious movement to be effective, but without excessively inhibiting other players' situational awareness once a firefight begins.

Gameplay Improvements



Squad’s v2.12 update also brings a host of additions, improvements, and changes to the game’s gameplay experience. We have updated the capture speed to scale with the number of players. Capture speed will be shortened if one team has significantly more players in the point than the other team. Here the intention is to encourage more strategic options, especially during the early stages in a round and during "Double Neutral'' scenarios.

Also updated is the "Buddy Boost" feature, with a focus on making it easier to use. Allowing a soldier to climb on top of another soldier to boost over a wall, we removed the force which previously prevented players from standing on each other's heads. The system is limited to only one player being able to stand on another at a time, to prevent giant towers of players The Squad team's focus here was to reward players who move and work together to overcome obstacles, encouraging and rewarding players who move in closer proximity and work as a squad rather than as individuals. 

Another gameplay change to note is that soldier stamina will no longer regenerate while vaulting and climbing, with stamina regeneration paused during these activities.

Map Overhauls



V2.12 also features extensive overhauls to some existing maps with Yehorivka and Gorodok getting significant updates including lighting updates and new geographic features.

The full Release Notes for v2.12 are below, and we encourage that you take the time to look for them, to get the full scope of what the Squad development team has been working on.

As always please provide your feedback after playing Squad’s v2.12 Update on our forums (Link URL). If you experience any issues with the latest update please contact our Support Team (Link URL).


Changelog



For the complete Changelog for Squad v2.12 please visit our blog [LINK URL].

Squad Soundtrack FLAC Files Restored

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Attention Squaddies!

Recently it was brought to our attention that the lossless FLAC files for the Squad Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 & 2 had been removed from the Steam Store [URL Link]. This was preventing owners of the soundtrack from downloading the highest quality version of their music. These files have now been restored!

We would like to thank ‘Smugsie’ on the Squad Community Discord [URL Link] for bringing this to our attention.

For those not familiar with the game’s soundtrack it was composed by Scott Tobin and has received a lot of acclaim from our player base – we definitely suggest you check it out! At the time of the soundtrack’s initial release [URL Link] Scott spoke a bit about his inspiration for the music:

“I knew from the beginning that Squad was going to be something very special. The team’s philosophy on creating Squad’s gameplay is very unique and specific from any other games in its field. This soundtrack is very much inspired by my love for ambient music, video game soundtracks, and modern film soundtracks. This was a personal choice but also a creative choice in order to capture the emotion and feeling behind Squad.”

If you’ve already purchased the Squad Soundtrack you can download the lossless FLAC version now. If you haven’t picked it up yet it’s on Steam [URL Link].