SITREP // EA LAUNCH // THE INITIAL DEPLOYMENT [0030]

BACK THE CAMPAIGN // SITREP [0030] [DEV] [2026-08-04-0816] [KAOS // DV-98] [NAFOSEC // NCC-RIGA] [RE: EA LAUNCH // THE INITIAL DEPLOYMENT] Operators, This is a different kind of Sitrep. Instead of walking through one system, we're laying out everything that's actually in the build going into EA on August 18th, all at once. Call it the full manifest.

There's probably something in here I'll forget to mention. If that happens, expect a follow-up sitrep to fill the gap. It's the initial deployment, not a finished one, so read it as the current state of the line, not the objective secured. Next sitrep's the road ahead. [A quick heads-up: a couple of features originally slated for Day 1 (specifically CASEVAC and Off-Map Resupply), have been shifted to a post-EA launch update. They may still make in it by the initial launch date but will likely arrive shortly after 18 Aug. I've left them in the manifest below with notes so you can see the intended design.]

CASUALTY & MEDICAL SYSTEMS

1.1 Wounding / Injury System (early framework)

• Currently modeled purely around trauma-based blood loss.

• Wound severity determines immediate blood loss on injury, plus continued bleed until bandaged.

• Operator capability and post-injury actions affect whether a bandage holds or fails (reopening the wound, restarting bleed).

• Higher severity wounds have greater AP impact.

• Visual/state representation: severe wounds trigger a knockdown; operator gets back up into a visibly wounded/limping state, current stand-in for full wound-specific visuals.

• Triage: operators can currently triage a wound (defined as stopping a character from dying, not healing them).

• Not yet implemented: limb-specific incapacitation, expanded wound types beyond blood loss (fractures, poisoning, etc.), wound-specific animations beyond general limp/knockdown.

• Long-term: full wounding system tracking specific injury types, limb-specific effects, broader health impacts beyond bleeding alone.

1.2 Medical Skill / Assessment System (tied to Wounding)

• Currently: medical skill/pathways have limited direct impact on care quality (e.g., bandaging effectiveness), impact will grow over time.

• Not yet implemented: an assessment step required before treatment, player must assess a wound before addressing it. Anyone can attempt it regardless of skill, but accuracy will be tied to medical skill/pathway/specialization, lower skill means less reliable information about the actual wound state.

• Current triage: anyone can attempt it, not currently skill-gated, but will eventually carry real risk, low-skill attempts could fail or worsen the situation.

• Ties directly to CASEVAC: field triage can only do so much, CASEVAC exists for getting heavily wounded operators off-map in an attempt to save them. [Post EA launch update.]

1.3 CASEVAC System [Post EA launch update.]

• Triage available in-field to attempt to stop blood loss before evac is needed.

• Heavily wounded operators may need to be carried; AP cost scales with wound severity.

• AddedRequirements to callcomms up, and an available off-map vehicle (same base requirement pattern as reinforcement/resupply).

• Player makes the call as a command. Unlike reinforcement, CASEVAC does NOT open a management panel, it simply initiates the call.

• Notifications: in-route, then arrival.

• Player pops smoke at the desired pickup location, moves the wounded operator into that zone, operator is extracted back to the off-map base.

• Travel time applies both directions. Chance the operator dies en route or upon arrival, based on severity.

• Long-term recovery/care not fully built yet, currently simulated abstractly via an underlying equation: an evacuated operator may become available again after enough continued play/time, standing in for real recovery mechanics until that system exists.

• Limitations acknowledged: no full map theater yet, no base-building/FOB structure yet, no in-game vehicles yet, represented abstractly for now. This is a bridge version until vehicles and maps are fully built out.

OFF-MAP LOGISTICS (CALL-BASED SYSTEMS)

2.1 Reinforcement System (early layer)

• AddedRequirementscomms up, off-map vehicle available, treated as arriving from a separate off-map sector, not just "nearby."
• AddedMaking the call opens Field Rosterplayer drags/drops standby operators into current teams or creates new teams (via "+" panel option).

• Standby pool always visible (stats/info viewable), but not actionable, no drag/drop, unless there's an active successful call.

• In-transit operators show an icon + timer; hovering shows ETA.

• Notifications: dispatch (en route) and arrival.

• Player pops smoke at the desired arrival zone; operators arrive there.

2.2 Resupply System [Post EA launch update.]

• AddedSame base requirements expectedcomms up, vehicle available, off-map call.

• Implementation details (fixed drops vs. custom item selection) will be finalized post-launch.".

• Long-term goal: player selects specific items/resources wanted, rather than a generic predetermined drop.

ONBOARDING & EA BRIDGE FLOW

3.1 Onboarding / EA Bridge Flow (temporary, pre-SPARQ / pre-character-creation)

• Current EA flow: player starts the map with two operators already placed, functioning like an advance scout/recon element. Full onboarding system (character creation/customization, hiring operators, loadout building, immersive tutorial flow) is coming, this is a bridge to that.

• Player has immediate access to reinforcement from the start: Field Roster pops up, operators pulled in from standby, teams created via "+" panel option, same mechanics as standard reinforcement.

• Operators arrive equipped with standard gear, but players also receive supply crates allowing them to sort through and swap weapons/equipment if desired.

• Long-term: once onboarding is built out further in EA, this will be replaced by actual character creation (main/player character), hiring operators, full loadout customization, presented as an immersive tutorial/onboarding experience.

3.2 Mechanic Reference / Tutorial Clips System (EA bridge, pre-full-tutorial)

• Accessible both from the main menu and from within the game itself.

• Organized, categorized collection of short (5-10 second) clips, each illustrating a specific game mechanic.

• Similar in spirit/format to Door Kickers 2's approach to mechanic breakdowns.

• Serves as the primary tutorial and reference source for Early Access launch, and will remain a permanent in-game reference library alongside the full tutorial sequence when built out later in EA.

COMMAND & CONTROL

4.1 Command Wheel & Multiple Input Paths (core control philosophy)

• Core design principle: most actions have more than one way to reach them, RCW is not the only path for everything.

• RCW is an organized, categorized collection of commands and toggles: some are persistent-state toggles, others initiate a related UI/action.

• Example (movement): player can go through RCW, hover the movement category, click "move," then click a destination on the map. Alternatively, with a character selected, the player can just click directly on the map to move them there, no RCW required.

• Confirmed as verified/working: dual-path movement (RCW vs. direct map click).

4.2 Command Wheel — Ring Structure & Toggles (early version, expected to evolve)

• Structure: inner ring holds toggles (persistent-state), middle ring holds command categories, hovering a category reveals outer-ring commands within it.

• Toggles are persistent-state: fire select, stance, movement speed (tactical/walk/run, etc.). May or may not carry a cost.

• Toggles affect how outer-ring commands execute. Example: stance toggled to prone means clicking a map destination results in crawling there (unless overridden).

• Design intent: avoid forcing the player to leave an active engagement just to change a persistent state elsewhere on the map.

• Key binds/shortcuts exist for most commands; coverage extensive but not guaranteed complete.

• This version of RCW is explicitly early and likely to change, may even be stripped down to toggles-only in a future iteration.

4.3 Squad Selection & Formation Movement (some details unconfirmed, need verification)

• Multiple operators can be selected together (squad-level selection), not just individually.

• Once selected as a group, squad-level movement and squad command wheel options apply.

• Formation behavior (preserve current formation vs. move in predefined formation).

UI LAYOUT

5.1 Left Panel — Team & Operator Status Display

• Top: team badges representing each team present on the current map.

• Below badges: name of the currently selected/highlighted team.

• Below that: roster list of operators belonging to that team.

• Each operator entry has status icons on both sides:

  • Left side (emergency/warning): scar indicator (psychological trauma marker), other emergency flags if applicable.

  • Right side (health/highlight status): wound/health status, AP remaining, armor protection, magazine count for equipped weapon, encumbrance indicator (currently a placeholder, not yet functionally tied to anything).

• Below each operator profile: call sign and role ID (primary role).

5.2 Bottom Panel — Selected Operator Detail View

• Shows deeper detail for the currently selected/focused operator, same status icons as left panel.

• Layout, left to right:

  • SPARQ system link (placeholder, reachable but not built out yet)

  • Game time/date (running in-game date and time)

  • Selected operator profile with status icons

  • Current stance

  • Chambered round for equipped weapon (planned expansion: will also show fire-select state, semi/burst/auto/etc.)

  • Inventory link

  • Armor protection breakdown by piece (helmet, plate carrier, etc.) Protection not yet implemented.

  • Turn Order widget (far right): appears when combat shifts from real-time to turn-based mode

TURN-BASED COMBAT

6.1 Combat Phase System (current: 3 phases, planned: merge to 2)

Current phases: TIC (Troops In Combat), MOV, and MVR. Planned future update merges MOV and MVR into a single combined MVR phase.

TIC (Troops In Combat):

• Movement/action order determined by individual operator initiative.

• Not yet implemented: ambush/breaching-type initiative advantages.

• Not yet implemented: team-level initiative stacking.

• Only one TIC exists at a time regardless of how many separate engagement zones are active, but each engagement is handled as its own layer.

• Turn order widget under TIC shows both player and enemy team badges, ordered by initiative, per engagement.

MOV / MVR (current, pre-merge):

• Teams accumulate initiative and get ranked as whole units, player and enemy teams interleaved by team-level initiative rather than individual actors.

• MOV: teams not currently engaged in combat move around the map freely.

• Player MOV resolves, then moves to enemy MOV equivalent.

Planned merge (MOV + MVR → single MVR phase):

• Goal: extend initiative concept from individual-level (TIC) to team-level.

• Intent: avoid faction-movement-style jankiness, move closer to realistic whole-team movement.

• Target: implement by EA launch if possible, otherwise shortly after.

6.2 Area Fire (covers Suppression and Overwatch)

Currently, both Suppression and Overwatch use simplified, genre-standard implementations, familiar to how other games in this space typically handle them. Post-EA launch, both will be reworked into a doctrinal system tied to pathways and specializations, reflecting real NATO vs. Soviet/Russian differences in how suppression and overwatch are actually applied.

• Suppression: early implementation, functional baseline

• Overwatch: early implementation, functional baseline

CHARACTER INVENTORY & GEAR

7.1 Character Inventory / Character Panel Screen

• Opened via inventory access, shows a dedicated character screen.

• Top section: character details, role ID, call sign, other biographical data (languages spoken, etc.), core attributes, SCARS they've acquired, Pathways/Specializations, and (to-be-implemented) status effects (hunger, wounded, bleeding).

• Below that: inventory slots plus clothing/gear slots (jacket, pants, boots, plate carrier, etc.).

• Currently: each clothing/gear slot only supports one item/state at a time, e.g., one torso layer only, not stacked with anything underneath the plate carrier.

• Planned future update: slots will support layering (multiple stacked states, e.g., jacket + t-shirt), setting up for weather effects and related systems later.

7.2 Plate Carrier & Rig System

• Plate carrier has two inherent slot types: the plate insert slot, and a rig slot.

• Rig system: rather than attaching/detaching individual pouches one at a time, operators equip a preconfigured rig (holster, knife, magazine pouches, etc. bundled together), swapped as a unit. Reflects how real operators configure gear, may be reconsidered later but is the current design intent.

• Attaching a rig opens up its associated pouches on the plate carrier.

• Pouches are intended to be constrained by weight and volume (not fully enforced yet). Each pouch type shows an icon indicating intended size/use, meant as a sizing guide, not a hard restriction.

• Long-term: more quality-of-life clarity planned around what fits where, based on weight, volume, and stacking.

• Front-loaded magazines (plate carrier) cost less AP to reload from than backpack-stored magazines, reflecting realistic speed advantage.

7.3 Backpack System

• Functions similarly to plate carrier: capacity defined by weight and volume.

• Some backpacks support MOLLE rigging attachments for additional pouches, same conceptual system as plate carrier rigs.

• Current status: weight/volume structure exists in the backend but isn't enforced yet, no hard restriction currently on contents.

• Long-term: full weight and volume enforcement, restricted by physical fit, not just weight.

CHARACTER STATS

8.1 Core Attributes, Pathways, and Specializations

Operator development in Burned Horizons doesn't work like a classical skill tree, it's organic, shaped by what actually happens to an operator in the field rather than points spent on a menu.

• Core Attributes: six stats per operator, Tactical Aptitude, Combat Proficiency, Medical Skill, Engineering/Ordnance, Cohesion/Leadership, Wound Resilience. Evolve based on field experience, not XP.

• Pathways: broad operational disciplines (e.g., Reconnaissance, Combat Medicine), developed through what an operator actually does.

• Specializations: focused subroles within a pathway (e.g., Long-Range Marksman, Trauma Stabilization), earned the same way.

Scars: psychological/physical marks tied to an operator's history, same organic development logic.

CAMERA & MAP SCALE

9.1 Camera Control & Perspective Options

• Full free camera control: unrestricted panning (up, down, left, right) across the area of operations.

• Perspective options: toggle between top-down, isometric, and third-person views on the fly to inspect angles and terrain.

9.2 Map Scale & Environment Size

• Current map scale is built to support real maneuvering, long-range fire lanes, recon positioning, and transit times.

• Current EA launch map serves as a large-scale baseline placeholder while custom, dedicated environment maps are built out during Early Access.

//----

Always Forward. // KAOS

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