❓ How to join the [b]Community Test[/b] beta branch

• Right-click GROUND BRANCH in your Steam Library and select [b]Properties…[/b]
• Click 'BETAS' on the left-hand list menu
• Select '[b]communitytest - Community testing branch[/b]' from the drop-down menu [i]([u]no password required[/u])[/i]

???? [b]Where to report bugs[/b]

• The in-game [b]Bugs & Issues[/b] screen (press Esc once in-game and look along the top menu)
• The Steam forums: [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/16900/discussions/]steamcommunity.com/app/16900/discussions/[/url]
• The [b]#bug-reports[/b] channel on the official [url=https://discord.com/channels/152529936719151104/475872902206455809]GROUND BRANCH™ Discord[/url]

Known issues

• The Breaching Charge is currently deployed at a 90-degree angle
• Bullets may be being blocked in odd places by a certain type of volume — please report in with the map and location if you come across it!
• When connecting to servers, the loading screen displays the "Returning to Main Menu" text
• Enemy AI may be unresponsive/idle/stuck in various contexts — if you see it, please make note of whether it was online (dedicated server? Listen server?) or offline, which game mode was being played, as well as map and location etc.[quote]⚠️ Bots are particularly prone to getting stuck in doorways; we're actively working on fixing/improving this issue.[/quote]
• Weapon movement, poses and animations in general are still being put back together after the prone overhaul — please bear with us
• Walking or running with a primary weapon equipped causes the character's right foot to "hover" before it actually touches the ground
• The prone stance does not conform to terrain angle
• Character and weapon collision while prone is pretty finicky! Let us know how it all feels to you
• Various combinations of hairstyles and headgear items have visible clipping or overall jankiness
• AI bots are not functional in Deathmatch

Patch notes

Maps and missions

• Various culling, collision, navmesh and navlink fixes for [b]Depot[/b], [b]Tanker[/b], [b]City[/b], [b]Creek[/b], [b]Storage Facility[/b], [b]Rundown[/b], [b]Rig[/b] and [b]Power Station[/b]
• Made the roof windows in Depot enterable again
• Added a few navmesh blockers to Depot to stop AI from getting stuck
• Fixed bank stairwell door in City not closing properly
• Added window frames to open window holes in Creek buildings to stop people getting stuck when trying to mantle through them
• Fixed bug where players were getting stuck on containers in Storage Facility lower area after vaulting over railing
• Added small step to side areas of Storage Facility tunnel entrance (helps AI navigate space better and cleaner movement for player)
• Fix for one of the Compound outside doors hitting a mesh and not fully opening
• Fixed up some bugs in [b]DTAS[/b] game mode script
• Fixed bug in [b]Defuse[/b] where bomb stopped going off
• Amended error text in Lua guard macros, to cover the extra possibility that a [i]UObject[/i] became invalid and turned into a nil reference

Animation

• Fixed leaning with handgun and move forward and left or right causing hands to go all odd
• Fixed crouched handgun ADS being offset in certain situations (e.g. leaning)
• First pass hooking up prone poses for [b]Binoculars[/b], [b]Breaching Charge[/b] (and detonator), grenades and [b]Tablet[/b]
• Fixed and updated hand pose for holding grenades
• Hooked up Breaching Charge and detonator use animations[quote]⚠️ Known issue: the charge model is currently deployed at a 90-degree angle.[/quote]

Inventory and customization

• Fixed incorrect female belt variations being used with [b]Tactical Shirt[/b] items
• Fixed [b]Helmet (MICH)[/b] chin strap not working correctly for Male 06
• Fixed up issues with [b]Headset[/b] asset
• Created a version of the Headset mesh for use with [b]Fleece Beanie[/b]
• Adjusted Fleece Beanie to fit better with [b]Balaclava[/b]
• Fixed mesh splitting on female [b]Jeans[/b]
• Added female untucked short versions of belts
• Cleaned up various clipping issues with female clothing
• Fixed Male 03 helmet chin straps not set properly
• Fixed issue with rounds not showing in [b]Galil ARM[/b] magazines when mag-checking

UI

• Updated splash screen (Default Controls) with newer version of the controls scheme graphic
• Updated some dialog boxes with an optional "Dot not show again" checkbox
• Added option to reset opted-out dialogs in Settings › HUD
• Small visual update to [b]After Action Review[/b] (AAR) screen
• Swapped order of Combat Stats and Mission Summary tabs in AAR
• Visual pass on Server Browser: mod column (column icon and [MOD] tag) and expanded server info tab
• Server Browser now carried out mandatory mod sync when joining dedicated server
• Visual pass on bind overlays
• Cleaned up dialog box widget
• [i]NoTimer[/i] round stage (Training modes) no longer displays time text at top of screen (also does not show time remaining on Tablet)
• Updated [b]Invite Friends[/b] menu (is now styled similar to a dialog box)
• Fixed mission list duplicating when revisiting mission selection screen
• Added new icon (wrench) for Modding button in [b]Admin Panel[/b] menu
• Updated Credits screen

Customize Operator screen

• Added "loading" message before the character and assets are all loaded
• Fixed padding and did a small visual pass on skin icon selection
• Related work to reduce hitching and improve handling of default item builds
• Added yellow custom build display for item slots in overall screen (was previously limited to inside menus)
• Added [MOD] tag to item slots/selections
• Updated [b]MK25[/b] pistol icon to make grip panel area less dark
• Fixed hidden hair casting shadow on UI character view

Mission Editor

• Added Time of Day (TOD) widget
• Made double-click outline window use the standard focus (F) routine rather than a second custom bit of code
• Reworking to change pawn type and fix right-drag related error
• Made a few dialogs hidable (e.g. select script, load mission file, save mission file)

VFX

• Optimization pass on VFX for the bullet impacts
• Fixed the respawning particle issue
• Continuing pass over the bullet impact scalability settings and culling settings
• Fix for the smoke flickering when viewed through PIP scopes
• Making a pass on scalability settings for bullet impacts (lots to improve)
• Reparented emitters with missing parents to sync culling settings

AI

• Upgraded [b]Kythera AI[/b] middleware to new version (1.3.3) (may fix some bugs, but WIP)
• Fixed the AI aim bug, where enemy bots could not see the head of player characters — this caused situations such as leaning out of cover and not being spotted

Bug fixes and miscellaneous

• Added tentative fix for [i]IsValidLowLevel[/i] crash on game exit
• Lots of work on mods under the hood (especially with regard to dedicated servers)
• Reduction in log spam overall (and added some more for good luck)
• Reworked a lot of under-the-hood stuff, including inventory and asset handling, validators, overlays and more
• Tentative fix for stuttering and "Maximum number of [i]UObjects[/i] exceeded" crash on dedicated servers ????
• Rejigged base character class and item class in terms of how they handle inventory (in particular removed some limitations on skin inheritance, and streamlined asset loading)
• Fixed up occasional disconnects between TOD set in mission launch screens and TOD set in the [b]Ready Room[/b]
• Updated [b]Debug[/b] menu to add new commands
• Opting out with F4 now increases Deaths stat
• Updated HUD to support adding non-chat messages to center, upper and lower message managers (allowed changing Ready Room and Spectator messages from engine messages to far more visible center-screen, preventing the mistake of trying to hit F4 or F6 again)

[i]As always, thank you for testing and providing feedback![/i]