Doctrine Preview on Experimental This Weekend (Dev Report Friday)

Alright everyone, quick report based off Friday in terms of what’s going on.

We’re releasing an early preview of some of the Doctrine changes on Experimental going into this weekend, and I highly recommend people jump in and try it out.

This is an early drop to let you guys test the mechanics early, find issues, and help us validate performance before the UI goes live.

Screenshot contest on Discord!

We are doing a screenshot contest for updating our loading screens submit your art here -> Rebuild only!

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🔥 What’s Included in This Experimental Preview

This build adds:

Engineer

• Turret pets are back and better then ever! (the little deployable turrets from legacy)

  • Can only be built by Engineers and self destruct when their ammo hits 0.

• Deposable and meant for a quick "shore" up while backup is on the way.

  

Radio Man Expansion / Airstrike System

Communications Tower lets you call in airstrikes remotely through your Radio Operator or Command Truck. Operators will gain access to this in the next few days via a new perk.

Relay Nodes are buildable field extenders made only by the Radioman, designed to be placed in forward positions to expand your strike network.

Airstrikes are now directly tied to your airstrike logistics units:

• Radio Operator is built from the Barracks

• Command Truck is built from the Motor Pool

These units are your logistics managers for strikes. They can call in airstrikes anywhere you have Influence, which is defined as the AOE coverage from your base network and any extenders you have deployed. Their call in range is more limited while they are moving.

To expand coverage into the field, you can place Relay Nodes as small, hideable forward structures. On top of that, you can build a Radar Tower at your base to enable remote support and airstrikes through your Radio Operators and Command Trucks. The goal is a connected, expanding network that behaves like mobile coverage, pushing your airstrike reach forward as you take ground.

• Thunderbolt Bombing + Gun run is in

• MOAB Bomb is in

• White phosphorus airstrike is in

• AC130 Dragon Gunship is in!

• Direct Strike is in

• Ammo Box drop & Large Ammo Box drop is in

• Gas airstrike coming Sunday / Monday

• Effective range you can call in airstrikes are reduced by half when moving!

Assault

• M203 ability

Spec Ops

• Demo Charge (throwable, very direct AoE blast)

Vehicles

• Bradley TOW

In Depth Patch Notes

Pandemic Economy + Resupply Balance

• Increased starting cash from 30k to 50k for Pandemic

• Adjusted cost of vehicle weapons

• Stray Ember is disabled for a week while we address really bad pathing issues in that map

• MLRS now costs 350 less to resupply

• Cerberus, Abrams, TOWs, and Mortars are 20% more expensive to resupply to account for recent buffs

• Increased money-on-kill for:

  • Police Infected

  • SWAT

  • Military Officer

  • Blowup Guy

FX + Visual Updates

• Updated MOAB FX

• Removed Christmas lights from Gas Tower

• Updated Gate preview meshes and UI icons

• Fixed various incorrect UI icons

• Added placeholder airstrike icons from legacy

• Added UI icons for Dragon Gunship weapons

• Updated Gunship AOE visualization

• Fixed Airstrikes visual stacking bug

• Fixed an issue where Airstrike visibility was getting culled only in gameplay maps

Resupply System Improvements

• Fixed Resupply logic that would block high cost weapons/bullets and only supply primary weapons

• Motor Pool now supplies helicopters fully

• Added [c]bSupplyTooLow[/c] to [c]ResupplyComponent[/c] to allow resupply attempts even when Supply has not hit zero, if a resupply attempt failed due to being too expensive (example: MLRS)

• Minor cleanup to supply math

Armory + Map Containment Fixes

• Made amendments to the Armoury so users could not jump out like people in abandoned parkour videos on YouTube

• Ammo box readded to Hub with new mesh

Gates + Fortifications

• Crash fix: gates being destroyed while closing could cause a crash

• Fixed infantry gate offset

• Adjusted razor wire collision

UI + Gameplay Presentation

• Added it so screen messages are hidden by default

• Fixed various incorrect UI icons

• Minor UI fixes

• Fix for Custom Unit Settings not saving latest changes if you hit Return to Game while customizing an enemy

Debug Cleanup

• Wrapped FormationActor debug sphere call behind a debug bool (should stop magenta spheres for helicopter stuff)

• Locked HelicopterMovement landing debug sphere behind a debug bool so it will not show up in regular gameplay

Vehicle Weapon + Damage Pass

• Fixed Abrams CROWS metadata so it attaches properly to the main cannon instead of the root body

• Improved damage for:

  • Abrams cannon

  • MLRS cannon/mortar

  • Cerberus cannon/mortar

• AJAX TOW damage increased to outpace the SMAW

• Increased smoothbore damage slightly

• Sabot round balance pass:

  • Reduced damage from 20k to 3k

• Increased sniper damages

• Increased vehicle ranges

• Increased Abrams cannon damage against Juggs slightly

• Increased sabot damage

• Cut back some damage to infected structures using the MLRS

• Fixed brute sliding

Targeting + AI Prep Work

• Standardized some Find Target code in prep for Derek finalizing targeting issues sometimes with Horde objectives(Fixes Melee failing for Horde objectives)

• Fix for garrisoned units in Guard Towers failing to rotate to certain angles to shoot targets

Call In System + Airstrikes Revamp

• Revamped loading for Call In system

• Damage and radius pass on call in airstrikes

• Mule radius decreased to 750 from 1000

• Ammo crate call in prices adjusted and supply amounts adjusted

• MOAB balance changes with added DT

• Added Ammo and Large Ammo crate supply call ins

• Fixed support callins not working on clients

• Added vehicle support to airstrike extension

• Fixed crash: [c]CepheusProtocol!AStrikeInstance::BeginFireBurst()[/c] [c]StrikeInstance.cpp:375[/c]

Radioman + Radio Network Expansion

• Added ability for the Radioman to build the Radio Relay

• Added support for only allowing strikes around his radius or the structures radius

• Added Radio Tower and further polish to the shops for:

  • Radio Truck

  • Radio Operator

• Added Radio Truck as buildable under the Light category

Turret + Rotation Overhaul (Initial Pass)

• Initial commit on turret update: “wait to face target before shooting”

• AI and turret rotation updated to use an internal value in the Weapon instead of relying on the Turret Anim Instance as the authority (except coaxials)

• Coaxial guns given zero rotation speed so they rely on parent weapon rotation

• Turret rotation speed/limits moved into Weapon_Base instead of deprecated values in Turret Anim Instance

• Added initial turret customization and angle-of-fire customization for vehicles to improve turret behavior and visuals

Doctrine XP + Progression Fixes

• Setup initial XP gains from killing infected types and structures

• Fixed a bug where airstrikes would not grant Doctrine XP

• Doctrine XP markers are no longer created in cinematic mode

• Fixed bug report: Engineers getting distracted by repair tasks

Engineer Repair Mode + Operator Support

• Initial pass on [c]EngineerRepairMode[/c] ability (functions, needs move target update)

• Abilities now support [c]AdditionalAbilitiesForOperator[/c], allowing abilities to define extra abilities Operators receive if they pick up that ability from customization

  • Used to give Vehicle Repair to Operators who have Engineer Construction lv1

• More tweaks to Engineer Repair Mode to make it easier to use in Operator mode

• Improved Operator mode “cursor over unit shows healthbar” logic to be more reliable

• Additional fixes to healthbar visibility checks

Engineer built pet Sentries + Ammo Behavior

• Fixed M2 and Mk19 sentry so they work in gameplay setup UI icons

• Added support so weapons can destroy themselves when they run out of ammo

Abilities + Combat Features

• Added Demo Charge ability to Spec Ops

• Added support for grenades to have a time display

• Added widget replication support as needed

• Added Tilt support to ADS

• Added backblast Niagara effect support to the AimedAbility bullet ability payload setup

Helicopter Movement Fixes

• Logic fix for helicopter movement “not flying high enough before flying forward”

  • Should resolve most or all remaining cases of flying forward too early when something is in the way

Weapon Unlock System (Initial Pass)

• Initial pass on Weapon Unlock system for the FactionManager

• Recruit Popup updated to read this info

  • Replicates properly so clients see options in Recruit Popup

Spitter Behavior Adjustment

• Spitter change:

  • Minimum spit range is now 3000uu

  • Max spit range is 4250uu

  • Should force them to come in closer before spitting

Operator XP Weekend Event Time Fix

• Removed TimeAPI checks for operator XP weekend events due to unreliability

• Switched to newer Steam API for getting UTC time from Valve

• Will need a better solution for EOS

Audio

• Added missing VO barks to all vehicles

🧪 Why This Is On Experimental First

We also added some XP gains tied to the Doctrine system.

We put it in as an early incubator because right now we’re watching to see how expensive it is to run that on the network.

So this is more of a test on Experimental.

Important note: Right now, you can’t do anything with Doctrine points yet.

The entire goal this weekend is to run some sessions and see what the actual network cost looks like in real gameplay scenarios as we are spawning them!

🖥️ Doctrines UI Timing

Going into Monday / Tuesday, we’ll get you guys the UI for Doctrines.

We’re aiming for Tuesday as the target. If we get lucky, it might be sooner, but that’s roughly what we’re aiming for.

📌 What’s In the Doctrine System (2 to 3 Dozen Items)

There’s about two to three dozen items in the Doctrines page, including:

Passives / Economy / Efficiency

• Increasing ammo reserves

• Increasing XP gained from kills

• Decreasing structure cost by type

Ammo Reserves By Unit Type

Ammo reserve increases are based off type:

• Infantry

• Vehicles

• Helicopters

Gas Efficiency

Improving the efficiency of gas, or rather, how much gas units can hold by type.

Unlocks and Progression

• Unlocking weapons

• Unlocking abilities

• Unlocking classes

• Unlocking airstrikes

The idea is that everything is being wrapped up in this system, and the entire game is being rebalanced and reorganized around this Doctrine tree.

So you can’t just rush to the Abrams or the Bradley or the MLRS or the striker mortar in the first 5 to 10 minutes of the game.

🏗️ New Structure: Logistics Requisition Center (Passive Doctrine XP)

We’re adding a structure into the game Logistics Requisition Center.

The idea is that this structure built from the Engineer allows you to farm XP passively for doctrines.

So not only can you get doctrine points by going out and killing, but you can also invest in these structures and build doctrine XP through infrastructure.

Key details:

• Costs a lot of energy

• Costs a lot of money to build initially

• You can build up to 10 globally

You’ll get a bigger picture on how everything works and how it operates going into Tuesday when we drop the UI.

❤️ Community Update (Seriously, Thank You)

It’s been great seeing thousands of people flood into Cepheus Protocol over the last week or so since we merged Rebuild.

We’ve seen a huge outpouring of love, caring, and trust in what we’re doing, and we genuinely appreciate all the people willing to contribute their time to:

• Find bugs

• Find issues

• Help us fix the game in different ways

It’s been completely overwhelming in the best way.

We’ve had to make hard decisions over the last year to prioritize long-term gains over short-term, and it’s been incredible seeing you guys understand the vision and support it.

🚁 Pathfinding Progress (Rebuild Results)

With the rebuild foundation in place:

• Vehicle pathfinding is better

• Helicopter pathfinding is better

• And we’ve pushed it even further on Experimental

I’m not saying it’s bugless. I’m not saying it’s perfect.

There are still:

• Issues to hunt down

• Performance issues to improve

• AI bugs to resolve

But we’re getting there day by day, minute by minute, working in collaboration with the community.

Our devs are actively engaging with you guys on Steam forums and Discord to address tension points and concerns directly.

🎯 What We Want You To Do This Weekend

Jump into Experimental this weekend and try everything.

Please test:

• Airstrikes

• Radio Operators

• Radio Trucks

• Radio Command Trucks

• Relay setups in the field

• Combat pacing with the new additions

And tell us what you think:

• How does it feel?

• How do things play?

• Do you have suggestions for doctrine passives or upgrades we should look into long-term?

What we have right now is pretty much baked in, but feedback is still massive for tuning and future direction.

📈 Progression Philosophy (What’s Changing)

I mentioned last week the rebuild was basically the restart, centering the field, resetting the board.

This upcoming week is taking everything you know about the game and throwing it out the window in terms of:

• Progression loop

• Game balance

• Shared progression and long-term scaling

We want the player experience to feel like you and your friends are contributing toward a common goal.

Doctrine Points are shared

Doctrine points are shared amongst all players in the match.

Three-stage doctrine progression

At any time, you can jump to the next stage.

There’s no prerequisite to go to Stage 2 or Stage 3 besides paying and going linearly from:

• Stage 1 → Stage 2 → Stage 3

You can take upgrades from any stage, but some upgrades are chained.

Examples:

• XP rates in Stage 1 → chained into Stage 2 → chained into Stage 3

• Ammo upgrades and gas efficiency upgrades can start in Stage 1 and reach full potential in Stage 3

The goal is small stacked modifiers that let you upgrade with intentionality, and build your forces in a way that feels strategic over hours of play.

🔓 Weapon/Class Unlock Restructure

There are some new weapons, abilities, and classes being added.

But there are also weapons that were basically free for everyone already that should have been locked previously.

We intentionally had them unlocked in previous builds so you could:

• Play them

• Experience them

• See how they felt

Now that we have doctrines inside the rebuild, we can reset the tempo and properly structure progression again.

Now we can answer: What do you actually have to work toward to get an Abrams, an MRS, a Bradley, etc.

⚙️ Custom Game Options (Coming Next Week)

We’ll still add custom game options so people can customize the experience or cheese progression if they want to.

We’re aiming to add a couple additional custom game options next week before we start the save system, to address pressure points like:

• “I want to start with all doctrine points”

• “I want to increase the rate I gain doctrine XP”

Simple options that we’ll expose alongside the Doctrine UI.

🗓️ Next Week Timeline (Current Target)

Here’s the current plan:

This Weekend

• Experimental doctrine preview testing

• Airstrikes, relay systems, new abilities, and network-cost testing for XP

Monday / Tuesday

• Doctrine UI goes live

• Full list of doctrine items revealed

Tuesday / Wednesday

• Start work on the save system

Goal: Next Friday

• Deliver a functional save system

After that:

• Last week of January is bugs, quality of life, and cleanup

• Operator polish

• Civilian Evac

If You’re Confused, Read These First (Pinned)

Haven’t Played in a While? Start Here

view View on Steam

View on Steam 📢 Civilian Evacuation Livestream + Master FAQ Thread

We’re planning on doing a Saturday livestream to address and go over everything planned for Civilian Evacuation. (TBD)

I’m going to link a Steam thread that will act as a Master FAQ.

Please post on it and give us the full TLDR:

• What you loved about Civilian Evacuation

• What you hated

• What you want to see improved

I’ve got a lot of ideas, but I want to see what the community has to add too, so we can build this into something truly remarkable.

✅ Final Note

Thank you again for the insane amount of support lately.

It’s been overwhelming, and we’re going to keep hauling ass to meet our timeline and keep improving the game with you guys alongside us.

Together, we’re going to build a truly remarkable experience in Cepheus Protocol that is unparalleled.