This is the first update since launch a month ago that brings larger gameplay changes rather than mainly fixes and improvements.
Vehicle transport had been in my plans for a while, but player feedback pushed it to the top of my gameplay priorities. Bugs and the worst pathfinding problems still came first, but this became the main new system I wanted to get into the game.
Vehicle Transport
Infantry squads can now mount friendly vehicles and use them for transport.
With an infantry squad selected, target a friendly vehicle to give a mount command. The squad will move toward it and mount once close enough. If the vehicle moves while they are approaching, the squad will continue following it.
Once mounted, the squad travels with the vehicle until ordered to dismount or until the vehicle is destroyed.
This should make infantry considerably easier to reposition, especially on larger maps. Instead of slowly walking between objectives, squads can now travel with APCs, IFVs, or other friendly vehicles and dismount where they are needed.
This does not solve every problem infantry currently has. Their combat effectiveness and survivability still need more work, but vehicle transport removes one of their bigger limitations.
Squad Commands
The vehicle transport system also required new squad commands. I ended up adding four: mount, dismount, capture objective, and destroy objective.
The objective commands are more than just different labels for move orders. Capture commands keep squad members inside the capture zone until the objective is completed. Destroy commands make squads look for a position with line of sight to the target and prioritize attacking it.
This also makes command queueing more useful. A queued capture or destroy command now remains active until that objective is completed, instead of ending as soon as the squad reaches its destination.
Commands are selected contextually based on where you aim. Aim at a destroy objective to give a destroy command, inside a capture zone to give a capture command, or at a friendly vehicle to mount it. If the selected squad is already mounted, targeting the ground gives a dismount command.
Command HUD
With more contextual commands, it also became more important to show what a click is actually going to do.
The center command icon now changes depending on what you are aiming at and which squad is selected. It can show movement, mounting, dismounting, capture and destroy commands, along with a blocked state when the selected squad cannot move to the targeted area.
What's Next
There is still quite a lot I want to improve on the ground-combat side of Drone Sector.
Vehicle transport helps with getting infantry around the battlefield, but infantry effectiveness still needs work. I want to improve the visibility and accuracy systems, especially situations where vehicles spot troops through trees too quickly and land accurate shots almost immediately.
I also want infantry to make better use of cover, making stationary or well-positioned squads harder to spot and hit while improving their effectiveness in return.
- Ingmar
Full Patch Notes
Added
Vehicle mounting. Infantry squads can now mount friendly vehicles for transport. Target a vehicle with an infantry squad selected to issue a mount command. The squad will move to the vehicle and update its destination if the vehicle moves. Mounted squads remain inside until ordered to dismount or the vehicle is destroyed.
Dismount command. Mounted infantry squads can be ordered to dismount by targeting the ground. The squad exits the vehicle and spreads out nearby.
Capture commands. Targeting a capture zone now issues a dedicated capture command. Infantry squads will remain inside the zone until the objective is captured. Capture commands can also be queued.
Destroy commands. Targeting a destroy objective now issues a dedicated destroy command. Squads will move into a position with line of sight and engage the objective until it is destroyed. Destroy commands can also be queued.
Command HUD hints. The center HUD icon now shows which command will be issued at the current aim point, including when movement or another action is unavailable.
Rain effects on Quarry and Airfield. Rain can be disabled in the settings.
Changed
Landmines now only damage friendly troops when air-to-ground friendly fire is enabled.
Fixed
Improved navigation data generation, reducing cases where squads take unnecessarily long or oddly shaped paths.
The language selection screen should no longer appear again after a language has already been selected.
Known Issues
Vehicle avoidance can still cause vehicles to swerve off bridges.
Vehicles can sometimes get stuck moving back and forth near trees.
Queueing many squad orders can cause a performance drop.
