Fixed an UI bug where unnamed Weapon Prototypes were shown on the Acquisitions panel when completing a game in a non-Single Mission game mode. NOTE: as of now, only completing Single Missions (in the given timeframe) award you Weapon Prototypes.
USC:CF v0.30.1a, build 230904
This is a minor update containing fixes for some issues.
BALANCE CHANGES
Changed the number of possible enhancements on lower quality Prototype Weapons
FIXES
Fixed a bug in missions where Marines could be random-deployed inside holes in walls (esp. Operation "Escape the mines!", Mission #1)
Fixed a bug where single-width double doors could be operated while they were blocked, causing any unit (including Marines) to be crushed
Fixed a bug where you could close a blocked door from a console, causing any unit (including Marines) to be crushed. (Note: you can still spend APs to interact with the console, but any blocked door connected to it won't close.)
Fixed a bug where when deselecting a marine while the animation of killing an enemy via Detonate (Nuclear hand cannon) was still playing (did not affect playability)
Fixed a bug in the Tutorial where if you reloaded more than once with Fixy when fighting the Alpha Reaper, you ran out of APs, but couldn't end the turn to get more (now you can only reload once, as instructed)
Fixed a bug in the Tutorial where the Alpha Reaper moved erratically in very rare cases, blocking progression
Fixed a bug where DTB info overlays could stay visible when going into another game while an overlay was still active
Fixed a visual glitch where DTB info overlays could be briefly seen when loading a game in some cases
MISCELLANEOUS
The game will now properly detect and let you set 4:3 and 5:4 aspect screen resolutions. IMPORTANT NOTE: Players may have to configure their screen resolution settings again (then it will be saved)!
USC: Counterforce is on sale!
Hey Marines!
We're thrilled to announce that USC: Counterforce is on discount as we release our first major update Defend the Base!.
Update Highlights - Defend the Base!
Prepare for a new challenge with a new game mode! Build and defend your outpost against waves of aliens. With new tactical possibilities, upgraded weaponry, and new features, Defend the Base! will test your abilities and strategies!
25% Off - Limited discount during Steam Strategy Fest
To celebrate this milestone and show our appreciation for your unwavering support, we're offering an exclusive 25% discount on USC: Counterforce during the Steam Strategy Fest from today to September 4! This is the perfect opportunity to grab your copy of the game and experience the latest update and features.
Our first major update - Defend the Base! - is live now!
Get USC: Counterforce in Early Access on discount and play the new update on Steam!
Discover its new game mode Defend the Base!, weapons, items and features. The game is on a 25% discount to celebrate the occasion and Steam Strategy Fest! Establish your own base to defend against hordes of aliens, while you extract precious resources. Defend the Base! mode renews the way you will strategize your next moves. Build walls and turrets to repel the enemy threat and become the architect of the battleground.
The game is currently available in both English and Chinese.
In USC: Counterforce, you lead a squad of space commandos. Your mission is to investigate and eliminate an alien threat on the planet M-8322 menacing the fate of humanity. Assemble your squad, strategically select your abilities, and choose your weapons to optimize your firepower depending on the battlefield and enemies you face. Adapt your squad with our class-free system, assign skills and passive abilities to prepare your marines for the danger to come and build optimal synergies. Enlist a friend to join the battle through the game's local co-op options (Hot Seat or Remote Play Together).
We launched USC: Counterforce in Early Access in July and we received a lot of feedback that was considered and vital to the improvement of the game. With the addition of the Defend the Base mode, as well as some other new and exciting features, this new update adds even more content and challenges to improve the experience even more.
This whole new game mode is accompanied by additional content including:
A New Feature - Weapon Prototypes: Prototypes are weapons with enhanced base properties that cost both Squad Points and crafting materials. They can be further improved with weapon upgrades and are awarded in Single Mission mode.
New Items - Scanners that can reveal fog of war, enemy position and threat level.
Gameplay Changes, Balance Changes and Fixes.
Read the patch notes here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1574870/view/3659791444937742310
Each mission's outcome is greatly influenced by your tactics and capacity to hold your ground in battle.
You are on your own, soldiers. In space, no one can hear you scream.
Get USC: Counterforce in Early Access on discount and play the new update on Steam!
Defend the Base! Patch notes -- v0.30.0a (b230821)
The first major updateDefend the Base! adding new content to the game [v0.30.0a (b230821)] is now live with the following changes:
NEW
New game mode: Defend the Base!
New feature: Weapon Prototypes
Prototypes are weapons with enhanced base properties that cost both Squad Points and crafting materials. They can be further improved with weapon upgrades.
They are awarded in Single Mission mode for completing a mission within Turn limits, and are available from a separate tab in Squad Assembly.
The quality of a prototype depends on mission difficulty and Performance Score. This determines the amount, type, and value of the random improved properties it has.
If you don’t want a prototype at all, you can sell it for an amount of crafting materials. This can’t be undone, although prototype weapons already in your inventory remain functional and unchanged (until sold).
New items with new mechanics: scanners!
The structure scanner can reveal Fog of War in a 90-degrees angle within a range of 7.
The biosign scanner reveals the position and threat level of aliens (whether they are visible or not) in a radius of 10, and scans visible ones for exact Health/Armor/AP values (and Health loss expected) within a range of 5 (this exact data is available until the next Turn).
Both are available to buy at a fairly high Squad Point cost, but can be also crafted!
GAMEPLAY CHANGES
Changes to the mission deadline (Turn limit) system:
In Single Mission mode, all deadlines are now only “soft”, meaning you can complete all types of missions outside the Turn limit, but that will incur a Score and rewards penalty. Item unlocks (when available) are granted either way. Weapon prototypes are only awarded if you can complete the mission within the Turn limit, though.
In Operations, deadlines remain mandatory (it’s about in 50% of all sub-missions), as they are much needed for the corresponding tactical situation and narrative to be interesting and engaging. However, Turn limits are now increased by a substantial amount (+50%, +35%, +25%) for Beginner, Standard, and Hard difficulties, respectively, allowing for more tactical choices (Ultimate remains unchanged.).
In the future Campaign mode, we don’t plan to have hard deadlines for any mission, but, of course, some situations will have a sense of urgency, enforced by other gameplay mechanics.
Increased base Score for “Data acquisition” and “Reach extraction point” missions by 25,000
Reworked some RMG rules for Mission #1 of the “Escape the mines!” Operation to be more consistent in terms of playability and challenge
The last selected path for a unit will now be removed (“forgotten”) when entering Defense mode
Insertion/Extraction zone markers are now always visible on corresponding grids (for example, the starting elevators in Single Missions)
Item crafting is now available from a separate, dedicated tab on the Squad Assembly panel, that also allows for filtering by type (there will be a lot more craftable items in the future!)
Equipment items in Squad Assembly now have a Gear and a Tech filter instead of “Gear & Tech”
BALANCE CHANGES
Adjusted main alien attributes per difficulty level; in general, they are weaker and slower (less APs) now on lower difficulty levels, while on the higher ones, the change is less noticeable (Ultimate remains unchanged)
Aliens will now do less physical damage on Beginner (0.7x), Easy (0.8x), and Standard (0.9x) difficulties (the others remain unchanged)
Marines will now take less elemental damage from direct sources on Beginner (0.5x), Easy (0.65x), Standard (0.8x), and Intense (0.9x) difficulties (the others remain unchanged)
Note: we want players who are new to the game or the genre to feel more confident, and have a more successful experience doing missions while they’re learning the game. Players who seek a greater challenge will find it unaltered on the higher difficulty settings.
Adjusted the Minigun (MG-10/MG-12 [turret variant]):
Ammo capacity increased to 375/750 (up from 100/250)
Critical damage factor increased to 2.50x (from 1.75x/2.00x)
Spread reduced by 3 (15 >> 12, 10 >> 7)
“Scatter” roll damage increased to 60/70 (up from 30/35)
“Focused fire” base damage increased to 55/60 (up from 45/50)
Please note that these changes will only take effect for newly started missions!
The 7.62mm Auto-Turret now comes with 750 FMJ rounds (up from 500)
Adjusted the Field Expertise skill:
AP cost reduction bonus per level increased to 12% (up from 10%)
Secondary specialization static cover bonus increased to 4 (~30%) from 2 (~15%)
Reduced the base AP cost of using the welding torch to 25 (from 30)
Reduced the Integrity and Armor of secondary objective item crates to 250/25 (from 500/100)
FIXES <*> Fixed an UI glitch where leaving a game while a turret was selected resulted in the turret shutdown button being stuck on the screen in Squad Assembly <*> Fixed an UI glitch in Squad Assembly where the “buy for unit” buttons were shown as interactable when the unit didn’t have any suitable free slots in their inventory (did not affect functionality) <*> Fixed a minor UI glitch where when starting a mission with a squad that doesn’t have a loadout yet for the selected mission configuration, the menu transition graphics would be frozen while the information dialog was being displayed <*> Fixed a bug in Squad Assembly where selling an upgraded weapon from the Stash wouldn’t refund the cost of the upgrades <*> Fixed an inventory bug where you couldn’t swap two non-stackable items of the same type <*> Fixed a minor bug where movement AP cost display could temporarily get stuck on the map if unit deselection happened in a very rapid succession (only achievable via hotkeys) to entering Defense mode <*> Fixed a sound issue where the “I can’t do that!” voice line could be “spammed” when repeatedly trying to perform an impossible action in rapid succession <*> Fixed minor rendering issues with some Tutorial markers (did not affect playability) <*> Fixed a few minor issues with Tutorial events/triggers (did not affect playability) <*> Fixed a graphical glitch where marines’ torchlights could pass through the sides of closed doors
MISCELLANEOUS
Added missing Chinese translation for weapon model names
Tutorial squads can no longer be loaded outside of the Tutorial; this is to ensure players don’t accidentally start playing with them and later lose progress for any reason
Optimized system resource usage in some underground mission types
First major update on August 28 and Steam Strategy Fest!
Hey marines!
We are excited to announce that USC: Counterforce will be participating in the Steam Strategy Fest, a Steam event celebrating strategy games.
The first major update will be available on August 28! Discover new content and features like “Defend the Base” mode!
Here’s a reminder of what’s coming for this update!
Play USC: Counterforce in Early Access and discover the new content!
The USC: Counterforce Team
Lore and context
Hey marines! Let’s explore the lore that leads to the events of USC: Counterforce!
In the year 2308 AD, just a few days after the events of the first installment of the series, "Ultimate Space Commando," a new chapter of danger unfolds. The story picks up with the aftermath of the mission of the recon ship "Wraith", which had been dispatched to unravel the mystery surrounding the MC83-A joint mining and research colony on the planetary body M-8322. The colony had mysteriously gone silent, prompting the reconnaissance mission.
The plot revolves around the involvement of the United Space Command (USC), which is in charge of the recon mission and is an influential paramilitary organization backed by major nations and lobbyists. Tasked with overseeing all matters related to interplanetary travel, USC's armed division, the United Space Command Forces (USCF), is in charge of upholding peace across the Solar System and beyond. This includes combating piracy, resolving armed conflicts, and pioneering the exploration and colonization of interstellar systems.
M-8322, the center of attention, stands as a metal-rich planetary body coveted for the precious resource known as "deothonit". This crystal-like material, despite the planet's harsh and unbreathable environment, is a valuable treasure due to its rarity and utility for humanity. The relentless pursuit of its exploitation makes the defense of M-8322 a primary objective. Positioned in the LHS 1140 star system within the Draco constellation, the planet is approximately 319 light years distant from Earth. The colony's remote location and the inherent time delays of space travel, even with warp and relay station technology, impact the swiftness of reinforcements and assistance. The relay station for this system is 22 hours away from the planet, further emphasizing the isolation of the colony in case of a dire situation.
Upon reaching the planet, the journey of the recon ship "Wraith" was cut short by a ferocious storm, causing it to crash onto the planet's surface. Its crew was left to fend for themselves against the unforgiving environment and the menacing alien nests that surrounded them. A hard-fought battle ensued as the crew struggled to restore communication with Earth. Their perseverance paid off, enabling them to escape the clutches of the hostile environment while laying waste to the alien nests and the remains of the once-thriving colony.
It is now your role to take control of the new task fleet that has been deployed to rescue the beleaguered "Wraith" crew. Your mission extends beyond just a daring rescue operation; you're entrusted with collecting vital testimonies and evidence pertaining to the alien threat that plagued the doomed colony. But, as if the stakes weren't high enough, strange and unexplained phenomena continue to unfold. The detection of a mysterious moon-like entity named "Fenrir," revolving around M-8322, adds an eerie and looming layer to an already complex situation.
As the events continue to unfold, the blend of action, danger, and the story of the Campaign for the full release promises a thrilling experience for players who dare to face the threat of this unforgiving encounter.
The USC: Counterforce team
Map creation: randomization process
Hey Marines!
As you’ve been exploring the planetary body M-8322, you have noticed that the map changes with every deployment. USC: Counterforce features procedurally generated maps and missions. But what does this mean? What can you expect when playing the different game modes? In this article, we’re going to answer these questions, and also take a look at more nuanced technicalities for the acute soldiers who enjoy knowing how this all works.
First off, every single mission you play in the game is procedurally generated—at least the map you’re playing on. We use our homemade random map generator (RMG) algorithm tailored to fit the exact needs of the game to do this. But random doesn’t mean "uncontrolled". Specific map and mission parameters are fed to the RMG as invariables, as rules that need to be satisfied under all conditions. But whatever is not "fixed", will be randomized. So, for example, a Single Mission with the objective "Reach extraction point" will always have insertion and extraction zones far away from each other, but otherwise, the layout of the actual map will be random, including which corner of the map those zones are in. In missions during the various Operations, more rules are enforced: we can tell the RMG to "seal off" complete areas of the map by making impassable walls and narrow connections, or we can control where buildings should be on the surface, etc.
But there’s more to it than the layout of the map. Objects, items, and even aliens are placed randomly. Of course, the placement algorithms for these elements also follow rules. The total number of aliens (per species) is controlled by the difficulty level and other parameters, but the exact composition of the horde (Alphas, Betas) is randomized, as are their starting locations on the map. The items you can find in crates during a mission are also random, but we use "loot tables" for different room types to determine what kind of equipment you can find in a crate you open there.
Now let’s see how this works a little bit closer, so you can get an idea of the depth of randomness and control we can use already, and in the future in new game modes. The map generator works in multiple passes, and we can exert constraints or randomization separately in all of these.
Pass 1: Layout descriptor
This is a lot of data that describes various properties of the mission and the map, including objectives, environment, etc. At this point, we can already use randomization for almost all parameters (size, time of day, number of nests, position of starting zone, etc.), or specify the ones we want, selectively. This means we can use the system either to make a very specific mission or a completely random mission with a few selected fixed properties.
Pass 2: Layout generator (RLG)
Based on the rules and settings in a layout descriptor, the RLG creates a logical map layout that adheres to all specified rules, and other invariants (like all parts of the map should be accessible via a door, etc.). Mind you, this is not yet a map! It contains data about nodes that have connections with each other, join into bigger rooms, or are excluded from the effective map area. At this point, we can check and ensure the general properties of a map without dealing with, say, 1024 or more grids directly.
Pass 3: "Inflation"
The layout is converted into an actual map made of grids based on specific map parameters. At this point, we can use the very same layout to create a map with small rooms and narrow corridors, or one with bigger rooms and wider corridors, while logically it is still very similar to the first one. In the picture below, you can see the same layout resulting in different maps due to a different "room size" inflation setting:
Or we can instruct the generator to make all walls single-width, which not only results in another kind of layout, but also greatly differs gameplay-wise (aliens can break through much sooner, etc.). In the picture below, you see a map with this sort of layout. You can also see that the extraction zone is placed in the opposite corner from the insertion point—all other elements are randomized.
Connections are also converted into doors that have many randomizable properties (single or double, locked, hardwired, etc.). Specific environments (for example, mines and caves) have other special rules that modify how the actual "rooms" are processed—for example, protruding wall segments can be placed in addition. In the picture below, you can see some of these extra features.
Pass 4: Population
This process has many sub-passes to ensure everything is put where it needs to be. Floor hazards, static and usable objects, generators, nests, service tunnel hatches, and finally, aliens and marines. Placement rules for each type of thing can be overridden or extended (for example, a few extra item crates with specific items are placed in a specific region of the map, etc.).
Balance in a game like USC: Counterforce is one of the most important things, and one crucial factor in creating it is the very map you play on. We think randomness brings a lot of uncertainty, tension, and replayability to the game, but it’s also important to "control the chaos" to some extent. We’re constantly iterating on these aspects of the game during development and continuously adding new elements, so you can expect even more interesting scenarios and death traps!
Now that you know the behind-the-scenes details of the maps you've been exploring, this will help you come up with new tactics to assess the battlefield!
The USC: Counterforce
Hotfix -- v0.20.3c (b230804)
A new hotfix [v0.20.3c (b230804)] is now live with the following changes:
Fixed an extremely rare bug where in some cases the game would lock up when multiple walls were being destroyed in an explosion
Revealing our Early Access roadmap!
Hey Marines!
USC: Counterforce has been out for a week, and we appreciate all of the positive feedback from both players and the press! We would also like to thank everyone for the detailed feedback we've received while we work on expanding the game.
Roadmap
With the missions following one another and the bodies of aliens and marines piling up since launch, it's time to share the objectives for the next few months! We keep developing new features for you to try out. Find out all we have planned for the first phase of Early Access in this much anticipated roadmap!
The roadmap promises a number of major features, including a new game mode and new environments. With each update, you will also notice overall improvements, including the introduction of smaller features, Quality of Life changes and bug fixes.
We encourage and value community feedback, feel free to share your honest thoughts on the game. Because we are currently in Early Access and unforeseen events may affect the game's development, the features on the roadmap may be subject to change.
The new game mode and spaceship environment are now at the top of the list, as they are scheduled for this Summer. Following that, numerous major additions, including new environments, enemies, and weapons, as well as a new Operations mission, are planned for the Fall. We want to work with our community to develop and improve the game, so we welcome community suggestions!
Thank you for joining us on this journey once more. We can't wait to show you all the other things we have planned for you.
Bug reports & feedback
As a reminder, please share any bug reports and your feedback, ideas and suggestions in the Steam Discussions or via our Discord.
The USC: Counterforce team
Hotfix -- v0.20.3b (b230801)
A new hotfix [v0.20.3b (b230801)] is now live with the following changes:
Fixed a bug in the Briefing screen between Operation phases where pressing Escape would cause a black screen and lock game progression
