Ready your marines, the 1.0 release is coming on July 18!
You've been waiting for it, and the Beta of the Campaign mode is coming on June 27!
Take a sneak peek at the Campaign mode before its full launch! You will be able to create your avatar, choose your affiliation, manage your marine roster, and go on the first missions of the Campaign, both on a global and small scale, with the strategic map!
The Campaign Beta previews its exclusive mechanics but lacks final narrative content and objective progression. Expect potential issues, and saved progress won’t carry over to v1.0. Full features will launch with the final update.
Want to know more about the Campaign before diving in? Read our Dev Diaries presenting its features!
We can’t wait to know what you think about the Campaign, feel free to share your feedback with us in the Steam discussions! Stay tuned for the full launch of the Campaign and the 1.0 release!
The USC: Counterforce team
Updated roadmap & Dev Diary #3—Campaign Squad Management Preview
Hey Marines!
Yesterday, we pushed the last major update before the 1.0 release. We know that some of you have questions regarding the Campaign. As a reminder, the Campaign is still scheduled and will be added with the 1.0 version. On our side, we are still making good progress on it, and we really are excited to know your thoughts when it launches, and we think it's time to share our new updated roadmap until the 1.0 release! As you can see, we plan to release the game in July 2024, so be ready for the Campaign coming soon!
Now, back to today Dev Diary about the general mechanics of the squad management!
General Campaign mechanics
Squad management
The Squad Assembly screen you know from the preparation phase of a mission in the other game modes will be familiar, but with many, many changes that befit the new and changed mechanics of the Campaign.
One of the most important differences is that you have a fixed starting roster of 30 marines, including your avatar, the returning crew of U.S.C. Wraith (15 marines), and 14 (randomized) marines from your fleet. All of them have preset skills and ranks, with some spare skill points left, so you can start training them in the direction you want to from the get-go. Unlike non-Campaign games, units will gain Experience Points (XP) for all kinds of actions they perform and, with that, achieve promotions that give them new skill points and other perks. “Demoting” or re-organizing their skills will not be an option, nor will resurrecting the dead (yes, we are talking about permadeath!). Sometimes you’ll have to wait until you can re-deploy a marine (if they are seriously injured or assigned to a somewhat longer task or mission, etc.), so you’ll have to make sure you don’t only have an “A-Team” of 6 killing machines but more reliable individuals to send on missions.
The other big difference is how global inventory is handled. In the Campaign, all items are “status persistent”, which in this case actually means that if they’re gone, they’re gone. There are no “loadout configurations” that are reset after a mission, as every bullet you fire or medikit you use is spent forever; your inventory can change swiftly, and you have to work with what you have, not with what you’d think is optimal. You will, however, start with a great assortment of weapons, ammo, and equipment, as well as a good pool of crafting materials; you’ll feel powerful and unstoppable… until you realize that reinforcements are weeks away and your supplies deplete quickly. The time will come to clear the dust from those good old, reliable .44 pistols! Of course, you will be able to craft anything if you have the resources. And don’t forget, “status persistence” for items also means that what you pick up and bring home is truly yours to keep (or to disassemble for materials…)!
With that, “squad configurations” are also gone. For each mission, you can decide freely who to deploy. You can configure up to 3 squads of 6–6 marines in many cases. Having good intel will help you decide how many marines to bring and what equipment they should carry for a specific mission.
Missed our previous dev diaries on the Campaign? You can read them here:
Stand by for more information about the Campaign and upcoming sneak peeks!
The USC: Counterforce team
Steam Endless Replayability Fest discount!
Hey marines,
Lock and load! We're excited to be part of the Steam Endless Replayability Fest! USC: Counterforce is discounted at 40% from May 13 to May 20. We just released our last major update before the 1.0 release, adding new feature, weapon, items, challenges, and balance changes!
Update Highlights - New weapon
Latest addition to your arsenal, the Laser Scorcher! Blast these aliens with this powerful and destructive weapon! This update also includes a crafting material converter, new gear for healing and building barriers, and new ammo!
Read more about the new update in these patch notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/4177728871881754998
40% Off - Limited discount during the Steam Endless Replayability Fest
Enjoy the new content? Then support us, get USC: Counterforce in Early Access on Steam if you haven't already, and leave us a review!
Happy "bug" hunting!
The USC: Counterforce team
Scorched Planet major update!
Hey Marines,
A new major update is live now! Time to unveil our last major update before the 1.0 release, packed with new feature, weapon, items, and challenges! We're thrilled to be part of the Steam Endless Replayability Fest, the game is discounted (40% off) from today to May 20!
New weapon
Introducing the Laser Scorcher, a powerful addition to your collection. This heavy arm packs a burning punch, using Energy Charge as ammunition. With devastating attacks like Disintegrate and Line Scorch, bypassing full target armor, it promises highly destructive firepower! Just make sure you bring enough ammo—this one eats up a lot!
Disintegrate: a single-target, free-pattern, high damage attack with additional fire damage.
Line Scorch: a very high damage, star-pattern attack that can damage ALL units in range in a single shot.
Advanced ammo
Upgrade your ammunition arsenal with advanced versions for dire situations! HCB MK III, Energy Charge (Condensed), SuperShell MK II, BioShell MK II, and Hydrazine (Inferno Mix), these offer increased power and efficiency for the most challenging encounters, but at a higher cost. Unlock them through Single missions on Hard difficulty minimum or with Gear Tokens.
New items
Need health restoration or extra defense? Look no further than the Regenerator and Force Field Emitter! The Regenerator restores health and mitigates bleeding by 25% on each turn, while the Force Field Emitter triggers an impassable, indestructible barrier on a single grid for time-limited strategic advantage during 5 turns. Keep them ready for any situation!
New feature
Ever found yourself just a few materials short of crafting that crucial piece of gear? We've now added the Crafting Material Converter! Now you can convert specific crafting materials into others, from the Squad Assembly screen, by clicking on the material icons in the top right corner. Conversions are loadout-locked, a new loadout won't have the converted materials, but all the default available materials. This feature will you help craft items, in exchange for high conversion rates, to avoid devaluing the diversity of materials.
New map and challenges
Prepare for new risky deployments in Single Mission mode with the introduction of the Desolate Canyon map type and the Quack! difficulty level. Test your skills in rugged environments and face even greater challenges for the ultimate test of your tactical prowess and resourcefulness with this new highest difficulty setting. Long live the Quackers!
Multi-squad missions
Take your commanding and coordination skills to the next level with 3-player mode in Single Mission games. Command three squads of four marines independently, bring and team up with another friend!
Overall balance changes
This update also brings a lot of balance changes to Defend the Base! mode, the Heavy arm skills, multiple weapons and items, as well as weapon upgrades and prototypes.
Get the game at a 40% discount from today to May 20! Make the best of the new tactical options you have, torch enemies with the Laser Scorcher, play up to 3 squads, and try out new challenges!
All clear for now! Stay alert for further updates on USC: Counterforce and the 1.0 release!
The USC: Counterforce team
Content update -- v0.80.0a (b240506)
USC:CF v0.80.0a, build 240506
NEW
New feature: Crafting Material Converter
You can now convert specific crafting materials into others
Available on the Squad Assembly screen by clicking on any of the material icons in the top right corner
Conversions are stored per Loadout (just like spending--a brand new Loadout would have 100% naturally available materials, and none converted)
Conversion rates are pretty steep; the purpose of the system is to help crafting when only a small amount of some materials are missing, not to devaluate the different kinds of materials
New weapon: Laser scorcher
Ranged heavy arm, uses Energy Charge as ammo (a lot!)
Disintegrate: a single-target, free-pattern, high damage attack with additional fire damage
Line scorch: a very high damage, star-pattern attack that can damage ALL units in range in a single shot
Both attacks bypass full target armor, allowing for unprecedented damage with this base damage range
Its main drawback is its operating cost--be sure to always bring enough ammo (at least 750-1000 EC recommended)!
New advanced versions of some ammo types:
HCB MK III -- uncharacteristically costly for HCB, but enables the Bulleteer and QuadSeeker to "brutalize" their targets
Energy Charge (Condensed) -- *really* costly, but dramatically increases the damage output, especially for attacks that use a lot of ammo
SuperShell MK II -- approx. doubles the power and damage of shots from the NHC (doesn't affect "Detonate")
BioShell MK II -- greatly increases healing and bio damage done by the BioRifle
Hydrazine (Inferno Mix) -- greatly increases the raw weapon damage and fire effect applied by "Line ignite" of the Flamethrower (pools created with Inferno Mix are the same as of normal hydrazine)
They all cost more, but give that much needed "extra" for the direst of situations
They can be unlocked by completing various Single Missions on (at least) Hard difficulty, or with Gear Tokens (of course)
New item: Regenerator
Restores Health (40% of missing amount) and heals 25% Bleeding at the start of every Turn; this is applied before any DoT/area damage
Just has to be kept in inventory
Available for a hefty amount of Squad Points or a substantial amount of Asura-49 and Deothonit (among other mats)
New item: Force field emitter
Creates an impassable, indestructible energy barrier on a grid for a max. of 5 turns
The barrier can be used to create covers, secure wall breaches, and even to "repair" a small hull breach on a spaceship
Can be easily toggled on/off, or disarmed and picked up for reusing later
New single mission map type: Desolate canyon
Fight near a ruined outpost nested in a canyon system on the planet surface
A perfect way to drill your marines for their upcoming Campaign! ;-)
New difficulty level in Single Mission mode: Quack!
Only intended for players who feel that Ultimate is too easy. Believe us, it can happen! ;)
Single Mission games can now be played with 3 Squads of 4-4 Marines, with separate turns ("3 player mode")
CHANGES
The camera will now also center on marines at the start of their turn if they only receive damage from Shadow buildup
UI: Upgrades you can actually afford will now be at the top of the Weapon upgrade list, just after the currently active upgrades
Various sound effects have been remixed
BALANCE CHANGES
DtB: updated respective supply packs to contain some of the new weapons, ammo, and items, such as the Bio-rifle and its ammo, the Energy rifle, the Laser scorcher, the new ammo subtypes (see above), as well as the Force field emitter
The philosophy here remains that you can always order *almost* anything you need, but not *everything*. The following items are NOT available as DtB supply:
Armor upgrade MKII, Advanced combat helmet, AW boots
Energy blade, Energy shield, Stun baton
Regenerator (you can build a medipad instead if you really need it--or just bring some)
Hacking devices, save the Chimeira (you'll probably never want the others in DtB; the Chimeira can be useful for its range and ability to disarm/toggle Force field emitters and mines)
Structure scanner (absolutely useless in DtB)
Heavy Arms skill, primary specialization:
Guaranteed minimum armor decay caused is now 5 (was 2)
Additional bleeding applied is now 15 (up from 3--and wasn't always working correctly; this is now fixed)
This specialization was underperforming really badly for a long time--now it's a viable option, especially with heavy arms that can fire more times per turn (Minigun, NHC, Laser scorcher, CryoBlaster)
Stun baton:
Critical Hit Chance increased to 20% (up from 5%)
Physical damage of all 3 attacks increased to 40-100 (up from 20-50)
All 3 attack modes now have a chance to refund Action Points:
Bash: 25% chance, up to 2 APs
Low-energy stun: 50% chance, up to 3 APs (that's a 100% chance on crit!)
Knockout: 75% chance, up to 5 APs
Tranq. damage increased by 33%
Katana:
Reduced price to 10,000 Squad Points (down from 12,000)
Sniper rifle:
Maximum damage of both attack modes increased by 10
This weapon is still performing well (and is very cost effective), but it needed some love to remain in league with some recently added high-end weapons, and close-up CQW attacks
Nuclear hand cannon:
Detonate base damage increased to 100 (up from 70)
Detonate now has a radial damage factor of 0.8 (up from 0.5), causing much more damage to target-adjacent units than previously
CryoBlaster:
Deep chill:
Base Action Point cost reduced to 8 (down from 10)
Base Cryo damage increased to 75 (up from 50)
Freezing vapor:
Base Action Point cost reduced to 16 (down from 20)
Base Cryo damage increased to 100 (up from 50)
Bio-rifle:
Increased ammo capacity to 10 (up from 5)
Reduced reloading base AP cost to 10 (down from 15)
Inject:
AP cost reduced to 10 (down from 12)
Tranquilization increased to 10 (up from 5)
Poison damage (and heal amount) increased to 50 (up from 35)
Debilitation chance increased to 75% (up from 50%)
Bleeding (and bleeding reduction) increased to 15 (up from 5)
Cloud spray:
Area of damage increased to large (5x5) (was 3x3)
Minimum attack range increased to 3, effective range increased to 7 (up from 2/5)
Tranquilization increased to 10 (up from 5)
Poison damage increased to 125 (up from 75)
Bio-splats (placed by Cloud spray):
Tranquilization increased to 20 (up from 10)
Poison damage increased to 125 (up from 75)
Now have a 50% chance to NOT be removed when an alien steps on them
Are no longer removed by cryo effects
For a cost of 17,500 and an average ammo cost of 18,000-21,000 (25 or 30 shells), this state-of-the-art weapon is now finally a viable choice on higher difficulties as well
Structure scanner:
Scan range increased to 15 (up from 7)
Base usage AP cost reduced to 12 (down from 15)
Field repair kit:
Base usage AP cost reduced to 25 (down from 40)
Welding torch:
Base usage AP cost reduced to 20 (down from 25)
Cloaking device (PEFG):
Base usage AP cost reduced to 10 (down from 20)
Base cloaking amount increased to 100% (up from 80%)
Cost reduced to 8,000 SqP (down from 10,000)
It is now also a craftable item, with a hefty insulator/Asura-49/Deothonit cost
New mechanic: even when the cloaking "fails", and the wielder is attacked, they receive +[active cloaking]/20 Ranged, and +[active cloaking]/10 Melee Defense Value (flat bonus)
Being hit while cloaking is on will now actively deplete the active cloaking amount by 5% per hit
Increased the damage of the "built-in" melee attack of ranged weapons to 30-60 (from 15-30); this still won't make it useful :), but maybe you can better scrape off that last 1% HP of an enemy if you absolutely need to!
Specific attacks of some weapons can no longer GRAZE the target--they will now do NORMAL damage instead (like it was a proper hit):
QuadSeeker: Seeker bolts
Energy rifle: Controlled impuse & Discharge
MG-10 and MG-12 (turret) Minigun: Focused fire
Flame thrower: Line ignite
Laser scorcher: Disintegrate & Line scorch
CryoBlaster: Deep chill
Bio-rifle: Inject
This change also means these attack modes have about 20% more chance to hit--this IS reflected in the targeting popup!
FYI: a ranged attack is a graze when the internal attack roll (1d20 + modifiers) misses (i.e. is lower than) the Ranged Defense Value by 1-4
Attack AP cost reduction on Mark IX prototypes can now roll between -1 and -3 (was -2), allowing for a much better chance to get a weapon with -2
Attack AP cost reduction and Reload AP cost reduction prototype effects are now doubled for heavy arms
The "A.T.A.C. Neural Feedback Assist" (attack AP cost reduction) upgrade (small & heavy ranged arms) is now applied after the AP cost reduction from skill, resulting in a better bonus in many cases
FIXES
Fixed a minor issue where shadow buildup from shadow flames was still displayed on turrets (had no actual effect)
Fixed an UI issue where crafting material costs & other UI elements for various items on specific panels were not always properly updating their color & status after buying/selling an item or a weapon upgrade
Fixed a minor UI issue where you couldn't buy a prototype weapon directly to Stash if you didn't have enough space in the selected marine's inventory
Fixed an issue where the game didn't always remember the last used language if you changed it
Additional minor UI fixes
Hotfix -- v0.71.0b (b240409)
USC:CF v0.71.0b, build 240409
FIXES
Fixed an issue in the third part of the Tutorial where the scorpion could die from your attack, and lock further progression due to an error. Many thanks to everyone who reported the bug and helped identifying the exact cause.
Dev Diary #2—Campaign Mechanics Preview
Hey Marines!
The Campaign is progressing nicely, and we're still burning the midnight oil on it. As we explained in our previous Dev Diary, it includes a grand strategic layer on a planet map. And it's high time to talk about the planet map and how it works. Let's dig into the general mechanics and strategic map layer in today's dev diary!
General Campaign mechanics
The Campaign progress in USC: Counterforce will be completely separate from the other game modes. This means you don’t need to unlock items or gather resources before you can attempt a playthrough, as all content will be available to you from the start—though some items or options will be tied to other Campaign-specific conditions. The Campaign will feature a partly narrative-driven, open-ended story that plays out on a planetwide strategic map, allowing for a great deal of tactical and diplomatic choices along the way, as well as for managing your inventory and units on a persistent basis. Your marines will gain XP and ranks, your items and ammo will deplete and need to be restocked by looting during missions and crafting, and the dead will stay dead (but, of course, you’ll be able to reload a previous save unless you play on “Hardcore”).
The strategic layer
There will be a lot happening on the strategic map. Time in the Campaign is divided into Mission Time Phases (MP for short), each taking up 3 Earth hours, adding up to a total of 15 hours per day on M-8322, consisting of 5 distinct daylight phases. An MP is like a Turn during a mission, but on a global scale: when you’ve performed every action you wanted, you pass it, and the next MP begins—and between the two, of course, the aliens and the environment also get their “turns.” Alien hordes will move, join together, or disappear into subterranean caves, nests will grow, evolve, and expand to neighboring sectors; sandstorms and electromagnetic storms will pass through the desolate wastes of the planet. In your turn, you can scan the surface to discover ruins and nests, or pinpoint the movement of hordes. You can utilize your nuclear arsenal from orbit to obliterate the surface of any sector—but be warned! Not only do you have a limited supply of nuclear warheads, but bombing left and right has other, long-term consequences, both trivial and latent.
You can also take direct control of any sector by landing squads and establishing an outpost. You can use these to set up defenses in anticipation of a horde passing through, or, what is even more important, to start mining Deothonit, the single most valuable material in the known universe (also the most valuable crafting material in the game, that can be converted into anything except Asura-49, which comes from alien specimens). Base building mechanics are based on the Defend the Base! game mode, but instead of having to defend a base wave after wave, you can pop in and out to manage it, and an actual “defense phase” will only take place when it is attacked. Building bases and mining is a good way to gather crafting materials, but it’s not mandatory. There are other ways to get enough supplies if base management is not your cup of tea, or you just prefer another approach in a playthrough.
Sending squads to the location of known nests or hordes to attack them directly is also an option. Nest-busting missions are multi-phase operations where you have to infiltrate an underground cave system. From time to time, other mission options will also pop up: you can be contacted by USCF Command or one of the mega-concerns to help their bases or perform some other assignment on their behalf. These are good opportunities to gain their favor and special support—but never mandatory to do if you have other plans!
The progress of your campaign is measured by 3 global gauges: Intelligence, Control, and Threat. None of them are “victory/defeat conditions” on their own, but they play a great role in shaping your story. A high Intelligence means you know a lot about the planet, enemy behavior, and other important topics; this can open up additional avenues to what you think victory means for you. Similarly, Control measures your effective power over the planet: the sectors you actually control, have cleansed, or rebuilt. The Threat gauge is also complex: of course, it will go down if you continually eradicate aliens, but they also have their agenda and “victory conditions”, and some other actions you take—or fail to take in time—will advance it. But whatever happens, the Campaign is not about filling a gauge. These are just data that help you comprehend the situation. The fate of the planet (and maybe Humankind) is always determined by actual, tactical gameplay scenarios.
Missed our previous dev diary on the Campaign? You can read it here:
Stay tuned for more extra details about the Campaign. We're not done giving you sneak peaks into what we've been focusing on and what awaits you!
The USC: Counterforce team
TurnBased Thursday Fest discount!
Hey marines,
We're thrilled to be featured in the TurnBased Thursday Fest! USC: Counterforce is discounted at 40% from April 3 to April 13. We've also just pushed a new update adding the Energy Blade and a few improvements!
Update Highlights - New weapon
You voted for the Energy Blade on Discord and Twitter! Now, time to play with it and slice some aliens! Additionally, we've been adding a few improvements and fixes with this update.
Read more about the new update in these patch notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/4211502692128402199
40% Off - Limited discount during the TurnBased Thursday Fest
Enjoy the new content? Then support us, get USC: Counterforce in Early Access on Steam if you haven't already, and leave us a review!
Happy "bug" hunting!
The USC: Counterforce team
Content update -- v0.71.0a (b240328)
USC:CF v0.71.0a, build 240328
NEW
New weapon: Energy blade
A very expensive high-end melee weapon, available without unlocking (for now)
Uses Energy Charge as ammo
Has two low-cost melee attacks with various amounts of damage, tranq. and bleeding
One special short-range AoE attack
All attacks have a chance to refund Action Points, based on the number of enemies hit, and some luck
Added a lot of debris variety for different destructible objects
BALANCE CHANGES
The "supply pipe" object in Hydroponics is now destructible, but also blocks line of sight
FIXES
Fixed an extremely rare critical bug when using area of effect attacks near the very edge of a map (affected DtB AI in particular) (reported by Ciecieji)
Fixed a bug where the projected HP loss info for units was sometimes calculated incorrectly and was showing a smaller value than actual
Fixed a bug in the Tutorial where the scorpion could die from the initial attack, blocking further progression
Fixed a graphical glitch where Energy rifle attack effects were sometimes visible on the loading screen
Fixed a graphical glitch where the burning effect (in the rare case there was any) was not removed from a shattered enemy
Fixed an UI issue where you could open the Squad overview panel while not in a mission
Fixed a minor UI issue where the seasonal reward assault rifle was counted into the number of normally unlockable weapons
Limited-time event & biggest discount 40% off!
Hey marines,
The Steam Remote Play Together Festival has started, and we have set up our biggest discount yet!
Get the game now to enjoy the latest content that we brought in January, including a new alien and an environment with new game mechanics.
Since the release of the game in Early Access, we’ve worked tirelessly to bring you:
Defend the Base! mode
New enemies: Organ Shepherd, Reaper Mother, Greater Shadow Envoy, and Acidya
New environments: Spaceship and Hydroponics Labs
New weapons: Flamethrower, Bio-rifle
Many new items and visual improvements
Round of polishing and balancing
Limited-time event!
Crafting materials and Profile XP are doubled if the mission is successfully completed. So if you need resources to craft and improve your gear, now is the time to stack them! This event will last until February 26, 5 PM CET.
