Gunner, HEAT, PC! news & patch notes

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20260618. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

AI OVERHAUL

Seeing an update come out without a single vehicle or mission may seem unusual, but we have a very good reason for this. (Aside from the fact that the majority of the team's efforts are pouring into the remaining milestones on the game's roadmap, which are complex and deserve ample time to build and refine!)

"Content" can only get you so far; the underlying game systems are what carry the experience. For that reason, we decided this time around to put a strike team on one of the issues that's been on our plates for a while: improving the AI crew performance. This is both a longstanding internal goal for us and a popular player request (enough so that it made it into the Frequently Asked Questions page).

The idea of "improving the AI" is too multifaceted to properly get into here, and even the extensive changes we've made in this update are just scratching the surface of what we're working on, but it's a solid start in two main areas: simulated vision and simulated awareness. Both are worth explaining in more detail.

COMMUNICATION AND AWARENESS SYSTEMS

Enemies now use their radios

Perhaps the most basic issue with GHPC's previous AI system was often summed up as: "They lack object permanence." Even backing down a hill for a few seconds was enough to make the enemy gunners give up trying to hit you and resume scanning the horizon like nothing had happened. This very obviously needed to be remedied at some point.

Now, the AI crews have full access to the radio system - the one that's used to send enemy location pings to your tactical map. The exact same communication network simulation is running for the enemy team, too, and now they have the ability to respond to what they know! Platoons will assign a portion of their members to watch for nearby reports, anticipating the detected enemy making an appearance soon. They'll keep watch until enough time has passed that they feel their attention is needed in their original assigned sectors, at which point they'll return to standard mode. But if they hear about a new, closer threat, they'll orient on that one instead.

What this means is that if you are flanking a position and get spotted by the scouts (and if they survive long enough to send a report on the net), you can expect every enemy formation nearby to start watching for you once the information filters back to them. If you approach from the same angle you were reported at, you'll find that they have guns up and will not take long to spot and engage you. To keep the upper hand, you'll need to either reposition frequently or never get spotted long enough for the alert to go out!

Enemies are more coordinated within a platoon

If you engage a group of enemy vehicles and then decide to back off to reload, they'll no longer lose interest in you immediately. Instead, some of the members will watch your last position, waiting for you to re-appear. It should be quite a bit harder to play "peekaboo" with a defensive formation and expect easy kills. In fact, appearing in the same place will not only get you seen quickly but also cut down on their re-aim time! (More on that below.)

There's also been a system in the game for some time that allows platoons to react to one of their members getting hit. If a vehicle survives a shot, the crew guess at the location of the shooter, turn the gun toward it, and (if still alive long enough) alert the rest of the platoon to follow suit when they can. We've fixed some issues with this system, and it should nicely augment the other communication enhancements.

Friendlies report what they see

For some time, we've had a way to see reported enemy locations on the map, with a walkie talkie icon that popped up to let you know a new message had arrived. We found that this system was both vague and unintuitive, with many players asking what the icon means and never actually checking the map. We've now replaced the icon with a full text message, explaining who saw what. The map pings are still present, but you can get a sense of their urgency by simply reading the text message.

As a bonus, we've also patched Close Air Support (CAS) pilots in to this radio message system. Now, any active CAS flight will report its status to you, including what target it's decided to strike. We've seen some confusion about whether CAS planes do anything at all, despite their bomb runs being one of the most powerful "win buttons" in the game - so we hope this system will help clarify whether CAS found a target to bomb and provide a hint when it wasn't the one you expected.

VISION SYSTEMS

Once a crew is aware of a target, they still need to acquire it. Previously in GHPC, this process was heavily abstracted, amounting to a lightly randomized countdown timer that (in theory) responded to the target's distance and speed, the night vision systems, light conditions, and the tuning setup of the shooter's tank type. In practice, for various reasons, this did not work the way we intended. Not only was the system too basic to properly convey the subtleties of different tanks' performance beyond night vision effects; the actual timing of target spotting was generally homogenized and flat. We decided to do something about all of this.

Vehicle visibility score

With this update, units in GHPC are now rated on how visible they currently are, which heavily affects how much difficulty an observer will have in finding them. The list of things that affect vehicle visibility are currently:

(New)

• How large or obvious the vehicle is inherently

• Whether the vehicle is in partial defilade ("hull-down") from the observer's perspective

• Recent weapon fire by the vehicle

(Previously broken, now working)

• The vehicle's speed

• The vehicle's distance from the observer

(Existing)

• Whether the vehicle is casting an infrared light beam (only in cases where the observer is using near-IR night vision at night)

• Whether the vehicle is in an illuminated zone from a flare (only in cases where the observer is using non-thermal optics at night)

If a vehicle's visibility is being boosted by firing a weapon, the strength of the effect depends on what kind of weapon it is. The effect wears off with time, but you can also dodge it faster by leaving the area where you fired the weapon.

Spotter vision score

When a crew is scanning for targets, their success is now influenced not only by the visibility of the targets but also by the vision abilities of their own equipment. Previously, we only simulated the effects of night vision optic types on sight ranges at night or in rain. Now we also adjust spotting times based on:

• The magnification quality of the gunsights

• Whether there is a thermal sight available for observation

Much like the rest of the new vision features, this score is now standardized across all vehicles and emplacements in the game (i.e., if a Soviet vehicle is rated as having a high-zoom, non-thermal sight, it will have the same spotting speed as a West German vehicle with a high-zoom, non-thermal sight). This is much easier for us to set up and tune, and it also helps avoid accidentally favoring one vehicle unfairly.

Nearby target detection

A rather amusing quirk of GHPC's crew AI in the past was that they could only become aware of things in the driver or gunner's vision arcs. We have plans to properly expand this to include the commander, but in the meantime, it was possible to simply drive up behind the enemy - even touching their vehicle - and watch them remain oblivious. That is no longer the case.

Crews now have a simulation of basic point-blank target detection, due to doing things like looking around through periscopes, or hearing a nearby vehicle on the move. At extremely close ranges, they will detect you instantly, unless you keep proper concealment between yourself and the enemy.

AIM TIME SIMULATION

Once a target is spotted, the crew still need to line up a weapon and perform some steps before a shot goes out. In the past, this was heavily abstracted, to the point that many tanks were performing complex manual rangefinding and gun laying calculations at a pace that would barely be possible even for a trained crew. (Many people have asked things like, "How are these T-55s shooting at me so rapidly from 2400 meters?") Chasing down and adjusting these settings was unnecessarily clumsy, so we created a new standard, which is both easier to tune and more realistic.

Each vehicle is now tagged to indicate what kind of systems it uses for rangefinding, lead, and elevation adjustment. The process is carried out in sequence, with sensible delays for each step. For example, the crew of the T-72M must go through this sequence: (1) Perform laser rangefinding; (2) Allow the range wheel and reticle to move to the desired range setting; (3) Perform manual lead compensation with the reticle.

An understandable reaction to this information might be, "But wait! There are plenty of cases where you don't need to do all of those steps. What about shortcuts?" And I have great news: we thought of that too! There are a whole set of exceptions and scaling bonuses in this aim time system for things like being within battlesight range (skipping the range setting exercise), engaging a slow or stationary target (reducing or skipping the lead process), and even engaging a target that's at a similar range to the previous one (skipping rangefinding entirely). We've set the AI behavior up so that the crews will act as quickly or methodically as they need to under the circumstances.

The result of all this intricacy is that every vehicle's rate of fire is now indicative of its tech level and features, applied in a consistent way that matches what you as the player can do when operating the same tank.

AI IMPROVEMENT IS ONGOING

Reading all of this might bring to mind related ideas for how the AI crews could perform more convincingly, or other dimensions of "realistic AI" that a vision and comms update doesn't address. Rest assured, we've thought about the issue extensively and have a list of other features to explore. What you see in this update is just the set of adjustments that we feel are ready to debut right now.

We're also monitoring the way people's gameplay experience changes as a result of all these adjustments. If issues arise, we'll address them as they come. The feedback channel on our Discord server and the general board on Steam are great places to give constructive input on how this update affects the game.

GAME DIFFICULTY SETTINGS

With all of these changes in place, the average difficulty of fighting enemy AI tanks has gone up dramatically, especially if you're used to exploiting their lack of situational awareness to get easy kills without retribution. There are, of course, tactics you can use to adapt to this change, but we also recognize that some people are playing to have fun rather than to become the world's greatest tank commander. So for the first time, we've added difficulty settings. You can now tune the AI crews' performance in both speed and accuracy - from the default setting of 100%, down to 20%, or even up as far as 300%! This will allow both casuals and sickos to chase the experience they're looking for.

NEW FEATURE: TERRAIN IMPACTS

As a follow-up to our recent release of armor impact marks, we now have terrain impact marks as well. A wide variety of munitions will now leave visible evidence of their effects on the ground, cutting away small vegetation and scattering soil. We have gouges for darts, various craters for high-explosive rounds, and more!

After a pitched battle, the entire scene should more appropriately reflect what happened, with the earth itself showing scars and disturbances instead of looking pristine. This may be a purely cosmetic change, but we know many of you have been waiting for it for a long time, and so have we! Internally, we've always considered terrain impacts to be a goal, so we're glad to have added it.

OPTIMIZATIONS

It bears repeating every time that optimizing GHPC is an ongoing effort, something we spend time on both when first writing a feature and when we find time to return to it later on. Lately, we've had a solid streak of optimization work coming to fruition, and this update is no exception. A wide variety of game systems have been altered to make them run more efficiently and free up precious CPU and GPU resources. As a result, your game will likely run more smoothly. How smoothly? The answer is different for everyone's individual PC hardware and software setup, but we hope it's a good result for you.

EXPERIMENTAL FIRE GATING CHANGES

Some players by now have noticed a flaw in GHPC's gun stabilization system: it can struggle to keep up with rapid pitching of the tank's hull, leading to shots dumped into the earth or flung through the sky far from any target. This problem is solved in real life by a feature called "fire gating": an interrupt of the firing circuit until the stabilizers get back to the alignment they're seeking. Fire gating kicks in when the vehicle's motion is unsteady enough to outrun the stabilizers, as well as in more mundane cases, such as the gunner attempting to aim the gunsight down further than the gun can tilt.

GHPC has a form of fire gating, too, but due to technical reasons relating to the physics engine, we've traditionally given it far looser tolerances than a real tank would have. This keeps the gun from getting stuck in a fire gated (interrupted) mode while you drive around, at the cost of allowing more aim error overall. Over time, we've become dissatisfied with this solution. There are several potential ways to address this, including a deep overhaul of stabilizer code, but for now we want to try a simpler fix.

We've made some experimental changes to the Abrams in GHPC. The extra error in the fire gating tolerance has been reduced by over 90%, and we've achieved sub-mil accuracy (close to, but not quite at, the real tank's tolerances). This means that in many more cases than before, the tank will help prevent your shot from going where you weren't aiming. The reason it's "experimental" is that there's a downside: occasionally you may have to hold the trigger down for a beat until the stabilizer catches up and the gun can fire.

If you use cruise control and avoid exceeding reasonable combat speeds, this change should bring the M1's on-the-move performance into a noticeably better state than before. Some of the results will depend on your hardware and your gameplay habits, though. Let us know how it works out for you!

CHANGE LOG

What a mouthful! Of course, we still need to wrap things up with the full change log.

NEW CONTENT

• Game settings now include a way to adjust the difficulty by tuning the speed and accuracy of AI gunners, from 20% up to 300%

• Ground impacts now make gouges and craters depending on the munition type

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• AI units now react to radio reports by assigning a portion of the platoon to watch for the enemy

• AI units now remember recent contacts and continue to watch for them for a while

• Firing a weapon now makes a unit extremely visible for a short time period or until the shooter leaves the area, with the severity of the effect depending on the weapon type

• Hull-down units now receive a concealment bonus against enemy spotters

• AI units' spotting proficiency is now based on the actual optical systems in their vehicle

• AI units' aiming delay is now based on the actual gunnery procedures for their vehicle's optics and fire control system

• AI units will now auto-detect enemies approaching at extremely close range

• The visibility of all targets is now influenced by what kind and size of target they are

• Due to the cumulative effect of the awareness and spotting changes, AI units are much quicker to respond and engage threats on average, while the ability to be deliberately stealthy has also increased

• Radio reports from friendly units are now written and include target details, replacing the walkie talkie icon pop-up

• CAS planes now send messages indicating their status and what target they are attacking

• Fire gating for the Abrams has been significantly improved

• AI sight distances in rainy weather have been adjusted to better match subjective visibility

• Rain is no longer allowed in the single-vehicle practice range missions

• Optimized AI vision systems

• Optimized AI navigation systems

• Optimized infantry collision modeling

• Optimized chassis physics systems

• Optimized some model details

• Optimized several smaller systems throughout the game's codebase

FIXES

• Fixed artillery impacts being invisible in campaign mode

• Fixed an issue with unlocking the display of multi-part missions in the mission list

• Fixed a rare bug where Steam cloud saves could corrupt and blank out the mission list

• Fixed an issue that prevented target distance and movement from affecting AI spotting speeds

• Fixed multiple issues that caused AI spotting to always take a similar amount of time

• Fixed player's crew calling "He's looking at us!" and assessing a dangerous threat when the enemy was simply turning the turret and not actually looking at them

• Fixed the "reaction to being shot" system sometimes making platoon members search for the enemy in nonsensical directions

• Fixed CAS planes and helicopters being able to see into thick forest under certain conditions

• Fixed some ammunition having the wrong impact marks

• Fixed an issue where impact marks could hover away from searchlights

• Fixed some ATGM guidance flares appearing incorrectly in thermal optics

• Fixed some ATGM guidance flares being visible through solid objects at distance

• Fixed tracer clipping out the front of the Malyutka model

• Fixed an armor skip in M60A1/A3 headlamp area

• Fixed M60A1/A3 losing turret and gun drives when fire control computer was damaged

• Fixed scaling issues with the mission planning screen on ultrawide monitors

• Fixed rain becoming doubled in AAR X-ray view

• Fixed grass blowing over after camera moved quickly over a long distance

• Fixed a flickering issue with ready-to-fire indicator lamps

• Fixed various visual effects issues

• Fixed various mission layout issues

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20260507.1. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed some impact decals not respecting scene lighting

• Fixed visual issues with PERI R12 commander's sight unit on Leopard 1A4

• Revised Leopard 1A1 family names to reduce confusion*

* Some names in mission titles and briefings are not updated yet

Thanks for playing!

As part of our work for the latest game update, we set up the necessary in-game infrastructure to synchronize the game's save data between PCs using Steam cloud sync. That feature is now available and should activate itself on your next run of the game! (You may also need to restart the Steam client first.)

We didn't include this in the initial change log, as we wanted to test it behind the scenes to make sure it was working, but now we're satisfied that it's working and we've flipped the switch.

At the moment, the cloud sync will preserve your Instant Action mission completion stats, so you don't lose your progress and your access to customizer usage when you switch PCs or reinstall your OS. Campaign is not included in this sync yet, as we're in the middle of an extensive overhaul that will completely change how the campaign works and how its saves are structured (see roadmap phase 8). When that's ready, we'll adjust the system to accommodate it.

Happy tanking!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20260507. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

NEW FEATURE: IMPACT MARKS

Another item from GHPC roadmap phase 7 arrives today: visible impacts from projectiles on armor. Most projectiles will now leave a mark where they hit, with the appearance based on the projectile type, incident angle, and whether it penetrated or failed to penetrate.

This feature combines well with one of the game's previously added systems: the flammable item simulation and compartment setups in the vehicles. In GHPC's fire system, penetrated compartments will leak smoke and sometimes flames through the entry holes, depending on the pressure involved and what other outlets (such as opened hatches) exist. Until now, the entry holes were invisible, despite being fully simulated and emitting smoke or sucking in oxygen. With the current update, you will now see the actual holes, and the effect is complete!

It's worth mentioning that this initial release of the impact marks system is bound to have a few teething issues. There are some cases where the marks can fail to appear or look odd when they do. If you run across examples of this, especially consistently reproducible ones, please let us know in the dedicated bug reporting forums: our github issues page or the #feedback board on our Discord server.

LEOPARD 1A4

It may look mostly like a Leopard 1A3 at first glance, but this last iteration of the Leopard 1 family in GHPC brings in a new feature: manual lead compensation! Much like many of the more advanced tanks in the game, the Leopard 1A4 can adjust its sight picture to help you hit a moving target. But unlike any tank in the game so far, it also waits for you to manually engage the lead feature with a separate control. It does not activate on rangefinding like the Abrams and M60A3, nor is it always-on like the T-64B and T-80B. You will need to use the new manual lead controls to pick exactly when to engage and dump the offset.

To use lead compensation in the Leopard 1A4 you will need to perform these steps:

International Workers' Day is May 1st. To celebrate, Gunner, HEAT, PC! is 35% off on Steam! Thank you for your continued support so we can keep making our dream tank game a reality!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20260319.1. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed an issue with turret traverse audio when the "invert palm switch" option was enabled

• Fixed lack of randomization on BMP-2 camo nets

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20260319. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

NEW FEATURE: TREE DESTRUCTION

Often, in an early-access game under active development, features that to some seem obvious or even mandatory end up being placed lower on the priority list. Until now, tree destruction has been in that situation: a readily apparent "need" for the tank driving experience, but not a high priority for implementation while more important work was being done. We indicated that this would eventually become a feature by including it in GHPC roadmap phase 7.

As we work our way down the roadmap, we have finally reached the point in the development timeline where this feature's moment arrives. With this update, you will be able to push trees down, provided that your vehicle is powerful enough - having enough mass to overpower the trunk and enough torque to get it moving. Practically speaking, this means that tanks and IFVs can usually take out trees, while trucks will have a difficult time with the task and may only be able to run through smaller obstacles like bushes.

TURRET AUDIO OVERHAUL

Our audio designer has completed a revision pass on most of the turret traverse audio in the game. There are new motor and brake sounds, plus other audio cues for the various mechanical processes related to turret movement.

The sounds used in this overhaul were partially based on recordings of real tanks captured by our team. We enjoy the opportunity to occasionally touch grass and get direct experience with the machines we're depicting, so this feature was fun to research! In addition, we would like to thank the tankers and armor mechanics in our community for their expert advice, contributions, and detailed feedback during the development of the feature.

NEW MISSION

While most of the team is still focused solely on long-term goals such as the campaign mode and crew stations overhaul, our mission designers did find time to add a new Instant Action scenario for this update. This one is a large night assault by Soviet forces against a prepared NATO defense. You can find "The Regiment's Way" in the Point Alpha mission list.

OPTIMIZATIONS

After our previous update, we determined that there were still some issues in the rendering systems that were not solved by the previous optimization round. In addition, we found more ways to streamline several game systems to make them more efficient.

Taking all of these findings into account, we've done a significant second pass, which should improve performance across the board for most players. This should be especially noticeable in AAR mode or when the game is rendering large forest or crop field areas during low intensity sections of gameplay.

As usual, work on optimization continues, regardless of the long list of previous improvements. We will likely continue to focus on this goal all the way until the game's full 1.0 release.

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• New mission: The Regiment's Way (Point Alpha)

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Added ability for sufficiently powerful vehicles to push trees down

• Overhauled turret audio for most vehicles

• Added loading progress bar when entering mission

• Implemented several performance optimizations

• Improved grass pop-in at edge of LOD distance

FIXES

• Fixed performance issues in AAR mode

• Fixed performance issues with vegetation

• Fixed an issue where the AI crew could ignore a new threat when engaging a non-threat

• Fixed an issue where the player vehicle's AI commander wouldn't change targets if a closer one appeared

• Fixed issues with incorrect trees spawning in some locations

• Fixed particle shadows not working

• Fixed some vehicles having 100% camo net spawn rate

• Fixed various mission layout bugs

NOTE: The build was updated several hours after release to add bugfixes that were inadvertently left out of the initial release.

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20260210.1. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed command mode bugs that could degrade performance

• Fixed an issue that prevented tree removal at dug-in positions

• Fixed anti-aliasing settings not functioning in missions

• Fixed several mission bugs

• Fixed a bug that made AI IFV crews hesitant to switch to using their ATGM launcher

• Fixed an issue where AI crews would continue using a sub-optimal weapon when target distance changed

• Fixed a bug that disrupted rendering when switching from aux sight to PZB in Leopard 1A3

• Fixed a physics issue that made the map edge driving barriers non-functional

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20260210. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

NEW VEHICLE: MARDER 1A2

The latest arrival in the ongoing development of the West German equipment is the Marder 1A2 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). In most respects, this vehicle is identical to the existing Marder A1- and Marder A1+ IFVs previously added to the game, but there is one very important difference: the addition of a standard forward-looking infrared (FLIR) thermal sight for the gunner.

If you've learned how to use the M1 or the M60A3 TTS in GHPC, this new sight will feel very familiar. It has a green tint, a very 1980s image resolution, and two zoom levels with different reticles. Due to the optic's sensitivity to heat signatures, it can be useful not only for night fighting but also for daytime target acquisition.

Thermal sights like this one would gradually replace the standard night vision and "thermal pointer" sights in the Marder fleet. In GHPC's setting, however, the 1A2 package is still brand-new, so the earlier variants remain in play and provide plenty of variety.

Aside from the significant optics upgrade, the Marder 1A2 is still a Marder, with all of its quirks - including the unstabilized gun and 20mm caliber. Even with the ability to see the enemy much more easily, you'll still need to be careful not to overextend in combat.

MISSION UPDATES

Our mission team has finished converting the vast majority of the existing Instant Action missions to support the command mode. With only a few exceptions like legacy missions or special formats, all friendly team movements in GHPC will now be editable by the player, should you wish to adjust or replace the default plan. And if you prefer to simply jump in and drive, that's fine too - the default plan is usually plenty good enough.

Meanwhile, another brand-new mission is ready to debut. "Forest Incursion" can be found in the Point Alpha mission list. This one is built for the Marder 1A2 and Leopard 1A3, but as with any Instant Action mission, you can swap in any vehicles you like using the customize button after winning at least once.

BINOCULARS

We've been doing lots of background work regarding crew models and crew station control as we build toward the "detailed crew" milestone from our roadmap. One small piece of that work was the creation of new animated binoculars to be used in first-person view. We've decided to add these to the game without waiting for the other crew changes to arrive, as they still work fine on their own.

While in the commander's first-person "head view", you will now see a physical pair of binoculars raised up into view when you use the zoom-in control. They'll lower again when you zoom out, then get stowed after not being used for a bit.

As you look through the binoculars, you'll also notice new reticles in your viewfinder, with different patterns for NATO and Warsaw Pact. These markings are intended for use in optical rangefinding - at least, if you know how to convert mil measurements to target distance!

COSMETIC UPDATES

Some of the details in the game don't have a material impact on the performance of the vehicles, but they're still interesting in their own right. While the programming team continues to focus on long-term work toward our remaining roadmap features, our art lead has cooked up some new stuff.

First up, we have a large expansion of the list of vehicles that can receive camouflage netting as a decoration. This was previously exclusive to the Abrams and T-80B, but now several other tanks and IFVs can appear with this enhancement.

Alongside the netting, the "luggage" models available on various vehicles have been updated. There's a new 1980s-era MRE box, as well as a classic Soviet TVN-12 thermos container.

And last but not least, the thermal signatures of vehicles have been reduced a bit, to make them less intensely "glowy".

OPTIMIZATION

As we work on new features for the game, we also constantly seek out ways to improve the underlying systems. In keeping with that strategy, today's update features a series of optimizations designed to speed up the rendering of terrain, particularly trees and grass. The workload should be spread more evenly across CPU threads, and as a bonus, trees will retain visual detail out to a slightly longer distance. The results will depend on each individual player's system specs, but we think on average this will provide a small bump in frame rates.

Now that we've covered the key points, here's the full change list:

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added Marder 1A2 IFV

• Added mission Forest Incursion in Point Alpha mission list

• Converted nearly all existing missions to command mode, which will be the new standard going forward

• Added first-person binocular models and animations when using commander head view

• Added reticles to binocular views

• Added randomized camouflage netting decorations to a large number of vehicles

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Improved optimization of tree systems

• Improved optimization of terrain detail systems

• Reduced intensity of vehicle heat signatures

• Improved heat signatures of tank tracks

• Updated decoration items on vehicles with new US MRE box and Soviet TVN-12 thermos container

• Revised Abrams Alley to make the layout and pacing easier to understand

FIXES

• Fixed multiple mission flow bugs

• Fixed issues with "wait for node" modifier in command mode

• Fixed multiple issues with infantry control in command mode

• Fixed a bug that could occur when using infantry with a platoon of mixed vehicle types

• Fixed an issue that could prevent some vehicle decoration layouts from appearing

• Fixed improper terrain checks that could lead to various bugs

Edit: The build was updated at 17:30 EST to correct a rendering issue with tank tracks.

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20251218.1. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed incorrect behavior when assigning "wait for node" modifiers in Command Mode

• Fixed a texture issue on the Marder A1- and A1+

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20251218. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

NEW VEHICLE: LEOPARD 1A3

As part of our ongoing task of implementing the full suite of West German vehicles in GHPC, we are introducing the Leopard 1A3 family of tanks. This design was a development of the Leopard 1A1, intended to be manufactured at factories that were better equipped to make welded turrets rather than cast. The tank has a similar level of protection to its predecessor.

Much like the Leopard 1A1, the Leopard 1A3 is equipped with a 105mm main gun, an optical stereoscopic rangefinder, and either an early-generation active night vision sight or a passive "low-light television" sight (depending on the variant).

In all aspects other than its armor construction, the Leopard 1A3 is equivalent to the Leopard 1A1. Players should find the rangefinder and gunsights familiar, and the same movement and gunnery techniques will apply to both tanks.

Of course, we have a new variant chart to cover the 1A3 family - this chart will also appear in the Leopard 1A3 gunnery guide when it's published.

(Items marked with an asterisk are not strictly tied to the vehicle variants in real life but were being introduced to the fleet around the same time those variants arrived, so we've chosen to depict them as associated with these vehicles.)

As a side note: many players have previously believed the Leopard 1A3 was already in the game. This is a misconception, likely due to the naming system used for the Leopard 1 tank family. The Leopard 1A1A3 (or just Leopard A1A3) is not the same as the Leopard 1A3!

NEW AND UPDATED MISSIONS

With Command Mode performing up to our expectations, we've been working on the process of converting most of the existing missions to be compatible with this system. That process is complete for a large chunk of the Instant Action selection, and we've included the ones that are ready so far in this update.

As usual, the Command Mode missions are distinguished by being placed under a separate header label in the mission lists for each map. Once the vast majority of missions are using Command Mode, this label may be removed, to reflect the status of Command Mode as the new standard.

INFANTRY COMMAND

Some of the latest batch of Command Mode missions feature infantry deploying from friendly vehicles. With our latest round of improvements to this mode, you can now control the actions of these infantry squads! Order them to mount and dismount from their carrier, send them into prepared entrenchments, or just have them move along a specific route like any other unit.

If you're driving a troop carrier with infantry assigned to it, you can also deploy and recall the squad at will from the Q menu.

POINT ALPHA REVISION

As one of the oldest maps in the game, Point Alpha was in need of some revisions, both technically and layout-wise. We elected to keep the established mission area, so as not to disrupt any fan favorite missions unnecessarily. However, we've also made some edits to the terrain, including opening up a new chunk of playable area on the east side. You can see the new changes up close in the new mission "Flat Face"!

OPTIMIZATION

As we build the game, we are constantly looking for ways to make it run more smoothly. Recently, we made some significant advancements in this area, reducing the game's RAM and CPU quotas while speeding up mission load and unload times. If you haven't played since before the most recent minor update in early December, you may find the game running a bit nicer!

CHANGE LOG

With all of that covered, here's the full list of changes. Happy holidays, and see you in 2026!

NEW CONTENT

• Added Leopard 1A3 family of tanks

• Added new missions "Flat Face" (Point Alpha) and "Stavok's Assault" (Eastern Road)

• Converted a large number of existing missions to Command Mode (more to come!)

• Added infantry controls to Command Mode

• Reworked the Point Alpha map to provide more playable area

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Adjusted Malyutka launch angle on BMP-1 for better visibility

• Adjusted gunner's sight on BMP-1 for better visibility

• Increased volley size for Mi-24 rockets

• Removed outdated non-Command mission duplicates

FIXES

• Fixed several issues in missions

• Fixed issues with vehicle smoke grenades

• Fixed aircraft engines not being muffled in interior views

• Fixed issues with Command Mode when unusual platoon or plan layouts are used

• Fixed map legend not being expandable during mission planning phase

• Fixed an issue with infantry trench extra ammo supplies

• Fixed several potential causes for the physics corruption bug

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20251030.2. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Added a map symbol legend

• Reduced the game's memory usage significantly

• Massively reduced mission unload times

• Reduced mission load times on some systems

• Optimized vehicle driving physics further

• Optimized some visual effects for explosive impacts

• Improved NSVT audio

• Optimized or stabilized a large number of audio effects, including machine guns and ambience

• Fixed rain layering when AAR X-ray is enabled

• Improved or bugfixed a variety of visual effects

• Fixed missing T-64R "gill" armor panel models

• Fixed two-piece 115mm ammunition being partially inert in the damage model

• Fixed 9M111 fins not animating during launch

• Fixed 9M112 and 9M112M impact fuze location being too far forward

• Bombs and artillery shells are no longer able to ricochet

Thanks for playing!

Edit: The build was updated December 11 at 12:30 EST to hotfix an issue with the BMP-1P missile launcher optic.

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20251030.1. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed orange targets in Grafenwoehr Range being invisible

• Changed the orange targets to a more typical NATO triple-heavy configuration

• Fixed an issue where the out-of-bounds warning could appear in AAR mode

• Fixed some issues with visual effects

• Improved physics stability of M60 series tanks during turret throws

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20251030. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

A NOTE ON PRIORITIES

The bulk of the team's efforts are now dedicated to finishing the remaining roadmap phases. These are longer-running tasks that don't fit cleanly into the typical update cadence we've established. Despite this, we're still able to bring smaller batches of regular improvements to the game, and we look forward to launching the more anticipated features when they're ready.

For more information, check out our recent developer stream.

NEW MISSION

This update introduces one additional Command Mode mission: "Support Strike", located in the Eastern Hills list in the Instant Action section. You'll be in charge of a T-72 force, tasked with overrunning a vulnerable NATO position and then holding it against any counterattacks.

As usual, the mission customization feature allows you to swap out vehicles and ammo at will once you've completed a mission at least once, so if you want to try this scenario with a different equipment matchup, the sky's the limit.

NEW AMMO: 3BM9

In the early days of the 125mm main gun on Soviet tanks, subcaliber ammunition wasn't quite as advanced as it became in the mid to late 1980s. The first main service round to hit the inventory was the 3BM9 APFSDS, a hardened steel dart designed to defeat the M60 series tanks of its day.

This round will appear on the Pact side of the campaign mode, should the logistics situation become truly dire. It's also quite useful for pairing with the early T-64 and T-72 models to create 1970s-style scenarios using the mission customizer.

BMP-1 IMPROVEMENTS

In the midst of the many larger tasks on the board, we've finally found a moment to touch up the equipment on the BMP-1. The gunsight now features its complete ballistic markings for high explosive (HE) rounds and a more useful vertical position for the reticle, which should help aim shots at longer ranges, should the need arise.

We've also added the PG-15VS ammunition, an improved 73mm HEAT round that iterates on the original PG-15V. Soviet BMP-1s and the East German BMP-1P now have this revised round in their default ammunition load. You can select any 73mm HEAT round for use by BMP-1s in the mission customizer.

NEW AUDIO FEATURES

Our audio engineer continues to plug away at improving immersion through new sound effects. In this update we introduce impact sounds - the clangs and crunches that happen when you run your vehicle into things. We've also added some impact sounds for turrets landing on the ground after an unscheduled flight.

The NSVT machine gun has also had its audio updated to convey its correct fire rate. You can use this gun on the T-64 series tanks as a remote-controlled weapon system.

PODBOI CLADDING

Soviet tanks during the Cold War era were often fitted with a special polymer lining to counteract neutron radiation, keeping the crew safer in the event of a battle unfolding against the backdrop of nuclear war. This material was a specially crafted blend similar to modern polymer body armor (UHMWPE), but infused with boron and other substances to enhance anti-radiation properties. A layer of this "podboi" cladding covered most interior surfaces of some tanks, starting with the T-55A.

It turns out, this dense material also served as a fairly effective spall liner. We were able to locate documentation of the anti-spall effects, which can be summarized broadly as a reduced spall cone angle and slightly reduced spall lethality. It will not remove all spall, stop primary penetrators, or anything of the sort - but in some very specific cases it could make the difference between surviving a hit and taking mission kill level damage.

We've now added podboi cladding, with the proper effectiveness, to the T-55A in GHPC. We'll see how the feature turns out on this vehicle and then consider what to do about the others in this era that were outfitted with similar linings.

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added new command mission "Support Strike" in the Eastern Hills instant action list

• Added 125mm 3BM9 APFSDS round to the customizer and campaign system

• Added 73mm PG-15VS HEAT round as standard on BMP-1P and Soviet BMP-1

• Added 73mm HEAT options to the customizer

• Added impact sounds when vehicle hulls collide with solid objects

• Added impact sounds when falling turrets strike the ground

• Added "podboi" lining to T-55A crew compartment (this functions as a spall liner)

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Panning the map view can now be done with left-click drag again due to confusion over the previous control change (center-click still works as well)

• Updated rain rendering for more consistent visuals and much lower performance impact

• Updated BMP-1 gunsight reticle with more ballistic markings and a more usable center point

• Increased BMP-1 Malyutka missile count

• Updated NSVT machine gun audio

• Changed Pact Partnership mission name (note that this will reset completion status if it was already completed)

• Improved rendering of mission boundary zones on the in-game map screen

• Optimized some systems in the game code

FIXES

• Fixed an issue that caused the friendly fire prevention checks to not function

• Fixed an issue that could lead to platoon members not remaining halted when waiting for go code

• Fixed an issue that could lead to a strange red glow in reflection highlights

• Fixed some issues with rocket trails and other VFX

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20250930.1. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed engine level vulnerability disclosed by Unity on October 3

• Fixed in-game tooltips showing Ctrl instead of Alt for map panning

• Fixed an issue where map icons for platoons would not show an up-to-date vehicle count

• Fixed modifier icon backgrounds sometimes disappearing

• Fixed a severe stutter during smoke grenade bursts

• Fixed an unnecessary delay during level loading

• Removed outdated "Briefing" entry from F1 controls quick reference

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20250930. As always, you can get additional info on this and future updates by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

COMMAND MODE

What is Command Mode?

Ever since the RTS mode that was temporarily in the game for April Fools 2025, many players have asked for the feature to return. There were lots of questions about why we would do all that work only to remove it. Well, like most things we do for April Fools events, that feature had a second purpose, which was to serve as a testbed for our actual goal: a standard game feature that allows players to adjust the battle plan for friendly forces! The first iteration of that feature is now here. We call it Command Mode.

In a mission with Command Mode enabled, the routes and commands for friendly vehicles are visible on the map immediately at the start of the mission. You have unlimited time to adjust or rewrite these as desired, until you come up with a plan that you are confident in.

Want to send the tanks ahead to make sure it's clear before the APCs move up? Want to move two platoons around opposite sides of a position for a pincer attack? Want to have one group wait until another group reaches a position before proceeding? Now you can do all of that and more.

If things are starting to go sideways during the mission, you have full control of the plan and can adjust it at will. Drag nodes around, add and remove modifiers, or just right-click on a platoon leader and set new orders instantly. The friendly forces will do their best to adapt on the fly.

Command Mode is optional

Some people will undoubtedly prefer to just play the game the standard way, without worrying about plans or having their head in the map. That's fine too! All Command Mode missions have been provided with a default plan, so you can just click the start button and play the game. All the fine-tuning is fully optional.

This is the first iteration

As we see how players are adjusting to Command Mode, we intend to refine it and use it for most or all new missions moving forward. It will become another standard tool to change how the scenarios play out, especially when there's a need to adapt to a changing situation.

It's possible that there will be some quirks with this feature, as with anything new in an early access game. If you encounter issues, please use the bug reporting links in the "Help" section of the game's main menu to let us know! All links are also available on the website: https://gunnerheatpc.com/

NEW MISSIONS

With the launch of Command Mode, we're debuting ten missions compatible with the new system. Two of these are brand new and found in the Fulda Outskirts list, while the other eight are revisions of existing missions under Eastern Hills.

All of these missions have been designed to work with the flexibility of the Command Mode features, meaning you are free to approach them as tactical puzzles in whatever way you see fit. This should be especially noticeable in cases such as the mission Obscene Odyssey, where even being able to make your tank force wait for airstrikes or do stationary gunnery against enemy positions can improve the survival rate significantly!

NEW VEHICLE: T-64B1

Our vehicle team had to make some revisions to the T-64B model to support the NSVT machine gun being usable, so while they were at it, they went ahead and added some additional minor variants, particularly the T-64B1.

The "B1" designation indicates that this is a T-64B which lacks the equipment to guide gun-launched anti-tank guided missiles (GLATGMs). As such, the loadout for this variant has had its Kobra missiles replaced with standard ammunition, and there is no missile guidance unit on the turret roof.

We've also added a couple of "obr.1981" variations without the weld-on armor plate on the hull's upper glacis plate. These can be used to represent vehicles that have not yet undergone the retrofit process that added the extra high-hardness steel plate. The frontal hull armor resistance of these tanks, especially against APFSDS darts, is slightly lower.

All of the T-64B variants are available in the customizer or randomly in the USSR forces in campaign mode (when logistics scores allow).

To remove ambiguity, here's a chart showing the differences between T-64B versions in GHPC:

Tank

GLATGM system

Hull add-on armor

T-64B obr.1984

✅Yes

✅Yes

T-64B obr.1981

✅Yes

No

T-64B1 obr.1984

No

✅Yes

T-64B1 obr.1981

No

No

MAP ICONS

With the Command Mode release, all of the icons for vehicles and infantry on the map have been updated. They now use NATO-style symbology to indicate their type. There are also informational labels when you hover the mouse on a friendly icon in Command Mode, which can be useful if you're trying to learn what the symbols mean.

OPTICS ADJUSTMENTS

Alongside the more major changes, we've made a few adjustments to various optics-related items.

For starters, the PZU-5 gunsight for the T-64's NSVT machine gun has received some bug fixes, and the powered traverse for the gun mount itself is now much faster as it was in real life. T-64A and T-64B players should benefit from a much quicker aim time when engaging unarmored targets with the heavy machine gun. (The weapon is now usable on the T-64B, just like it was for the T-64A in the previous minor update!)

Next up, the PZB-200 night sight on some of the Leopard 1 variants has been revised. The Leopard 1A1A2 and 1A1A4 now have an updated reticle, with a combination of fixed and dynamic markings.

The dot reticle slides vertically to indicate the actual aim point for the current ammunition and range settings as calculated by the fire control system, while the other marks serve as a backup reference. The T-shaped arrangement at the top is the zero mark.

And last but certainly not least, it is no longer possible to shoot while using the commander's binoculars as a makeshift scope. This should make unstabilized weapon platforms feel more authentically limited, rather than being turned into unreasonably effective systems by "videogame logic".

There are of course other changes arriving in this update, and you can check out the full list below to read about them all.

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added Command Mode, allowing direct viewing and control of friendly forces' battle plans in compatible missions

• Added two new Command Mode missions in Fulda Outskirts

• Added eight Command Mode revisions of existing missions in Eastern Hills

• Added T-64B1 tank (T-64B without gun-launched anti-tank guided missile systems)

• Added 1981 variants of T-64B and T-64B1 (lacking weld-on reinforcement plate on upper glacis)

• Added right-click menu for friendly platoons on map in Command Mode, allowing instant changes to their behavior

• Added info panel when hovering the mouse over a friendly unit on the map

• Added out-of-bounds zones in some missions, where incursions are met with aggressive enemy strikes

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Panning the map view is now done with middle-click or Alt-click

• Updated PZB-200 night sight on Leopard 1A1A2 and 1A1A4 to more accurately depict the real optic

• Map markers for friendly and enemy units now display symbols to indicate what kind of vehicle or emplacement they are

• Map markers for friendly platoons now merge into a shared icon when the map is zoomed out enough

• Existing T-64B has been renamed to T-64B obr.1984

• Updated powered traverse speed of T-64's NSVT machine gun

• T-64B now has a usable NSVT machine gun

• Aiming and firing are no longer available while looking through commander's binoculars

FIXES

• Fixed some physics issues that could lead to the entire game breaking

• Fixed an issue that caused vehicle hulls to slowly drift forever after firing

• Fixed multiple mission bugs

• Fixed several issues with AI navigation

• Fixed reticle illumination in PZU-5 sight for NSVT

• Fixed some audio issues

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20250902.1.

This is a minor update, introducing new adjustments and bug fixes. We've got plenty more in the works for GHPC! As always, you can get additional info by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed vehicles flying into the air in a specific location during the final wave of Echelon Engagement

• Fixed armor issues on the Abrams hull

• Added controllable NSVT machine gun on T-64A

• Adjusted Abrams damage model

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20250902. This is a regular update, introducing new features, adjustments, and bug fixes. We've got plenty more in the works for GHPC! As always, you can get additional info by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

ABRAMS OVERHAUL

As some of the flagship tanks in GHPC, the M1 and M1IP Abrams get an outsized portion of the attention and play time. In light of this, the art team felt that it was time to revisit the vehicle's internal and external modeling, in order to take care of some improvements we've had on the to-do list for a while. Their parallel work on the Abrams overhaul is now ready to release in this update.

The most obvious change is the new commander's weapon station, featuring a corrected and more intricately detailed .50 caliber machine gun with all of its mounting hardware. This weapon, much like the M85 machine gun on the M60A1 and M60A3, can be operated from inside the tank and has its own gunsight. (Note: the commander's machine gun reticle cannot be illuminated - this is a recreation of its real-life abilities and is not a bug!)

This weapon is useful for engaging helicopters and light APCs at close range, as well as suppressing troops outside of coaxial machine gun range, and all without exposing the tank commander to bullets and shrapnel from outside of the tank. It may struggle frontally against Warsaw Pact light armor, as most of the Soviet troop carriers were designed with this threat in mind.

More impactful than the .50 cal is a much more subtle change: the completely overhauled damage model of the Abrams fighting compartment. Careful inspection in X-ray mode during AAR will reveal the extent of the changes: a transformation of the formerly empty interior into a cluttered space full of vital equipment and support structures. Penetrating hits on the center of the tank will now find plenty of things to interact with, including several flammable components like hydraulic reservoirs and ammunition boxes.

The main effect of this change is that the Abrams will much less frequently be a "pin cushion" happily soaking up dart after dart and continuing to fight like nothing happened. In many cases, the consequences of such a tactical failure will now be a burning tank and a crew bailout, just like with every other tank in the game.

Of course, there's plenty of other detail that can be included in a tank model, and our art lead has painstakingly recreated several new items that were not present in the previous iteration of GHPC's Abrams. The full list of details is perhaps best left as a trivia challenge for enthusiasts, but you may notice things like expanded skirt and sprocket configurations, an engine grille guard, new spare road wheel mount points, and the quirky clear plastic roadwheel hubs that allow crews to check their lubrication levels. We've also given the base model M1 its early gunsight reticles in the Gunner's Auxiliary Sight (GAS) and Thermal Imaging System (TIS), which were noticeably different from the later iterations.

(As an aside - with the addition of the remote-controlled .50 cal on the Abrams, an obvious question is whether we'll be adding other controllable heavy machine guns, such as the remote-controlled commander's weapon system on the T-64. The answer for this is the same as it was for the Abrams until this update: we are indeed working on these and will add more of them when they are ready.)

VEHICLE AUDIO IMMERSION OVERHAUL

While the programmers pour most of their hours into the upcoming Command Mode feature, our audio engineer has been plugging away at a series of improvements to the soundscape. With this update, the soundscape for moving vehicles has been totally changed, replacing the simple track noise loop and basic suspension "clunk" sounds with a lively and dynamic audio environment. The noises you hear while driving around will now respond to exactly what the vehicle is doing, including tire noise, track pin strain, torsion bar flex, and the various rattles and resonances created in a 40-ton hulk careening through the countryside.

Meanwhile, for the moments when you're not racing around but instead sitting in defilade lining up shots on targets, there are now a series of switch click sounds for optical controls. These are designed to resemble the actual sounds of the knobs and throw levers found in the real-life vehicles, from the polarity switch on the Abrams to the clicks of the zoom wheel on the Soviet 1G42 gunsight found in the T-64B and T-80B.

There have also been various other improvements to the stability and coherence of the soundscape, including fixing an issue in the recent updates that led to distant explosions being inaudible.

OPTIMIZATIONS

A look at the full change log will reveal a significant number of optimization-related entries. It's very typical for us to try to optimize the game in small ways as we work, especially if we're adding new features that will demand more of the performance budget. Sometimes, though, we manage to get multiple optimizations in at the same time and make a larger impact. This update is one of those times.

While the exact impact will depend on each user's specific hardware and the nature of its performance bottlenecks when running GHPC, we think a significant portion of the player base will notice the game running more smoothly with this update. (And if not, don't worry - there are still plenty of performance improvements being worked on for the future.)

If your system is struggling with CPU load when running GHPC, don't miss the new option to disable vegetation interaction in the graphics settings. This should help ease the processing load slightly and buy you a few more frames.

NEW MISSION

Most of the mission team's effort has been devoted to preparing a nice set of missions for Command Mode, but they did find time to add a new standard mission in this update. You can find "Echelon Engagement" in the Fulda Outskirts mission list.

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added usable commander's weapon station to Abrams tanks

• Overhauled M1 and M1IP Abrams exterior models to include new details and improved resolution in key areas

• Overhauled Abrams interior component models to include more complete set of equipment in the fighting compartment (including several flammable hydraulic components and ammunition stores)

• Overhauled vehicle chassis soundscape to make it more immersive, lively, and reactive to the way the vehicle is moving

• Added audio for kinetic projectile impacts on terrain

• Added audio for switching optics magnification or vision mode

• Added new mission "Echelon Engagement" in Fulda Outskirts

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Early model M1 Abrams now has early style reticles for auxiliary sight and Thermal Imaging System sight (TIS)

• Vegetation interaction can now be disabled in the game's graphics settings to boost performance

• Tracers are more prominent in thermal scopes

• Switching optical magnification now includes a visual effect

• Improved muzzle blast dust effects

• Improved ricochet visuals for directional consistency

• Improved falloff and muffling of some vehicle sounds

• Optimized rendering of decoration objects and fences

• Optimized rendering of some particle effects

• Optimized memory usage of visual effects

• Optimized and stabilized vehicle audio effects

• Optimized some aspects of the physics system

• Optimized the thermal rendering system

• Optimized the vegetation interaction system

FIXES

• Fixed certain objects being able to fall through the map forever and cause game instability

• Fixed AI vehicles driving too fast or too slow when following a route

• Fixed platoon members stopping permanently for no reason

• Fixed platoon members driving away in a specific direction for no reason

• Fixed various sound effects being overly quiet at distance

• Fixed Malyutka aim being vertically inverted if the hull was facing in certain directions

• Fixed Marder A1+ night sight flipping upside down when X-ray mode was on

• Fixed overactive steering on Bradley, Marder, and M113

• Fixed an issue that could lead to a vehicle getting frozen while pivot turning

• Fixed animation issues with infantry weapons

• Fixed reticles being white instead of green in some thermal sights

• Fixed some Abrams hatches not animating

• Fixed camo nets not fluttering when the vehicle is in motion

• Fixed many cases of floating or misaligned grass

• Fixed visual issues at map edges

• Fixed missing terrain details in some locations

• Fixed some events in missions

• Fixed certain visual effects appearing black in thermal vision

• Fixed controls list not including a night vision mode entry

• Fixed rendering issues in map view while game is paused

• Fixed timed mission triggers not properly syncing with mission time

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20250630.2.

This is a minor update, introducing new adjustments and bug fixes. We've got plenty more in the works for GHPC! As always, you can get additional info by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed the M60A3 (non-TTS) having no usable night vision mode

• Fixed an issue that would vertically invert the entire gunsight view in the Marder night sight on certain graphics API setups

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20250630.1.

This is a minor update, introducing new adjustments and bug fixes. We've got plenty more in the works for GHPC! As always, you can get additional info by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

CHANGE LOG

• Fixed an issue that could cause vehicles, especially wheeled ones, to be physically unstable and flip over or fly away (thank you to the players who submitted detailed reports with repro steps so we could track this down quickly!)

• Fixed BMP-2 searchlight not being destroyable

• Reduced armor resistance of cockpit glass on Hind

Thanks for playing!

GHPC Early Access has been updated to version 20250630. This is a regular update, introducing new features, adjustments, and bug fixes. We've got plenty more in the works for GHPC! As always, you can get additional info by visiting our Discord server and YouTube channel. Links are on the GHPC website.

NEW VEHICLE: MARDER A1+ IFV

The existence of a Marder A1 minus in GHPC implies the existence of a Marder A1 plus, and sure enough, that variant arrives today. In the late 1970s to early 1980s, the Marder 1 was upgraded to the A1 standard, but not all of the upgrade vehicles could receive a thermal pointer sight. To distinguish the two sub-variants, a plus and minus sign were used. The A1+ version is the full upgrade, while the A1- version lacks the thermal optic. The plus variant was far more common in West German service with almost 700 examples, roughly double the number of the minus variant.

To reflect the commonness of the Marder A1+, it has been made the default vehicle in the existing Marder missions.

The night vision change is the only meaningful difference between the two Marder A1 variants. However, depicting this system is anything but simple.

THE MYSTERY OF THE THERMAL POINTER SIGHT

In articles on the history of the Marder IFV, the thermal device on the Marder A1+ usually receives nothing more than a brief mention in passing. The original name is "wärmeortungsempfänger" (WOE), and articles tend to refer to it using phrases like "thermal sight", "thermal imager", "heat detector", or "heat locator". Some Canadian crews called this kind of vision device the "thermal pointer", which is the name our team ended up favoring.

It would be understandable to simply conclude that this is a standard forward-looking infrared (FLIR) optic like the one on the Abrams or M60A3 TTS, copy that device onto the Marder 1A1, and call it a day. But we didn't want to assume anything, and there were intriguing discrepancies in the summaries, such as implying that there were both thermal and basic IR night vision optics present. We needed to find something more concrete. What did the thermal sight on the Marder A1+ actually look like?

The first problem we faced is that the device, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists. It was eventually supplanted by a standard thermal sight (WBG) in the Marder 1A2, and examples of the earlier sight were stripped out and discarded as the fleet was upgraded. In the modern era, the Marder in German service holds no clues regarding its progenitor, and even if we were to find crew members eager to explain and document their tools, none of it would help reach our goal. There are also some examples of the old PERI Z59 WOE sight unit in private collections, but they don't seem to be hooked up and operational, let alone well documented.

Making matters worse, access to the Bundeswehr archives is currently locked down due to security policies related to geopolitical events. Getting permission to search for 40-year-old technical manuals is less achievable today than it was for game developers a decade ago, especially as foreigners. Our efforts in this area have been met with a firm dead end, for all West German vehicle platforms. This forces us to find more creative ways to access information.

There are plenty of military veterans in the world who, in their youth, crewed a vehicle with this type of thermal pointer system. We have been able to find firsthand accounts from some of them. But memory is a tricky thing, and beside that, each person may interpret things uniquely depending on what details stand out to them. Those interpretations included, paraphrased:

"It's red dots."

"The gold sparkles show where the targets are."

"It's like Tetris blocks."

"They dance around and blink on and off."

What a mess! It's abundantly clear even from these strained recollections that we're not dealing with a regular thermal sight here. But even if we trust all of these statements, there's not enough here to confidently recreate the device in GHPC. We needed to find more.

UNEARTHING HISTORY

The breakthrough came when our vehicle lead painstakingly tracked down and acquired a trove of documentation: physical user manuals, technical drawings, and manufacturer specifications. (It turns out, tamping down on information security doesn't delete paper copies that were already out in the world.) This revealed everything one could want to know about the Marder A1+ and the WOE. But in the usual style of Cold War era manuals, the only documentation of the sight picture was a black-and-white line drawing, an artist's impression. It showed a standard crosshair with some dots in part of the scope, arranged in a grid pattern. Clearly, the real knowledge would have to be found in text.

As we reviewed the documents, we built a prototype of the thermal sensor. Each time we found a new piece of information, we altered the in-game version to match. By carefully searching and cross-referencing the paper documents, we were able to put together a list of reliable facts:

• The thermal sensor's output is superimposed on a standard green intensifier night vision sight

• The sensor's field of view is non-square, 6x2 or 7x2 degrees, leaving part of the sight not covered

• The heat signature is displayed as flashing red dots

• The dots are arranged on a fixed "checkerboard" pattern rather than smoothly following the target image

• The resolution of the sensor is 60x20

• The refresh rate is 2 Hz (twice per second)

• The "momentary field of view" (single scan line) is 1.9 milliradian

• The phosphor compound is "P27"

Finding the phosphor compound sent us into a small rabbit hole of research papers on phosphor excitation, where we were able to further discover:

• The phopshor appears in the reddish-orange color range, but its color is influenced by the amount of excitation

• The excitation decays 90% in 27 milliseconds, meaning the dots disappear quickly

Now we just needed to know the actual behavior of the scanning and refreshing process, and the technical drawings of the sensor unit's internals proved vital for this. We discovered the way the prism and cam wheel are set up, which with a bit of inference revealed:

• The system makes rapid horizontal sweeps, causing each row of dots to appear nearly (but not quite) all at once

• The active area is swept with a unidirectional top-to-bottom vertical pass twice per second, with an instant reset

The result of all this detective work was that we took this system, which doesn't exist anymore and whose details are stubbornly guarded, and implemented it in full fidelity in GHPC:

As far as we know, this is the only existing depiction of the Marder A1+ thermal pointer system in a video game. It's a fascinating piece of transitional tech, and we hope our efforts to simulate it will help people appreciate the intricacies of that single footnote in West German armored vehicle history.

USING THE THERMAL POINTER

The heat detection sensor is useful for detecting hot spots up to around 2 km away in the night vision sight view, or at least the letterboxed rectangular portion covered by the thermal pointer. (The very top and bottom of the sight will not respond to heat signatures, as there are no sensor dots overlaid there.) We've tuned the default contrast and threshold settings of the thermal pointer to reliably highlight enemies and ignore terrain.

You can toggle the display of the thermal pointer output on and off using the new night sight mode control, which is LCtrl plus your night sight key (default: LCtrl + T). When the thermal dots are disabled, the sight is still fully functional as a passive intensifier optic.

Despite the improved night vision system, you still have the option to use your Marder's infrared searchlight to improve the brightness and vision range. Like all other active illuminator systems in GHPC, the tradeoff is making yourself instantly visible to peer adversaries with their own night vision, who perceive your searchlight as a beacon leading directly to you.

THERMAL VISION OVERHAUL

As part of our work in actually implementing the thermal pointer sight, we made several improvements to the thermal vision rendering in the game. These mostly keep the current visual signatures, aside from small fixes like making sure troops consistently show up as warm, but they also set the stage for additional thermal rendering features we're considering for the future.

For this update, there are more direct changes to the GHPC thermal optics:

• All thermal sights have been updated to feature their real fidelity/resolution settings (no more getting a better thermal sight picture with a larger PC monitor)

• It is now possible to change polarity between white-hot and black-hot using the new night sight mode feature (press left Ctrl plus the night sight key)

• The visual effects for the thermal sights have been made to resemble the screens they were historically displayed on more closely

• The Bradley now properly displays yellow reticles in the thermal sight

• The M60A3 TTS sight now displays the "BLK HOT" label when in black-hot mode

• Color settings and contrast have been adjusted

MANUAL RELOADING

In real tank crews, the procedure for reloading the main gun can vary greatly from country to country. Depending on what style of loading system they use and what doctrine they favor, they may instantly reload the current ammunition type as soon as a shot is fired, or they might prefer to wait for a new target to choose the next round. In the past, GHPC has exclusively used the American reloading style: loading the queued round as fast as possible after the gun fires. Beginning with this update, that is no longer the case.

We now have each vehicle set up to use a reloading method that suits its country and weapon systems. The American and West German tanks will continue to use instant reloads. The Soviet-designed tanks will wait for a reload command, which you can issue using the new Reload keybind (default: R) or by selecting a new ammo type number. Among other things, this should be a big help for beleaguered T-55 gunners trying to watch their shots fly before the reload forces the scope off target!

You may prefer the old system, where every reload is automatic. Or maybe you want to make them all manual. In these cases, just head to the game's settings page and use the new reload option to select between always-auto, always-manual, or the default vehicle-aware setting of "doctrinal".

AUDIO IMPROVEMENTS

While the visual team were hard at work on the thermal pointer and thermal rendering changes, our audio engineer completed a series of improvements to the game's soundscape. These included making the Marder's engine sound more like it does in reality. The loudness and audible range of various weapon systems has also been adjusted, making things more consistent and preventing cases where a specific weapon would be incredibly loud compared to similar types. And once again, there were additional changes under the hood that will make it easier for us to make future improvements.

As always, there's plenty more cooking for the future. We're hard at work on the next gameplay features for GHPC and hope to introduce them soon. For now, we hope you enjoy the update and the unique deep dive into Cold War AFV history that made it possible. Be sure to check out the full change log below!

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added Marder A1+ IFV with unique "thermal pointer" night sight

• Added ability to switch night sight mode or polarity (default: LCtrl + T)

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Added manual reloading feature (default behavior can be changed in game settings)

• Overhauled thermal sight rendering to use more realistic resolutions and image effects

• Improved Marder engine sound

• Improved MG3 exterior sound

• Improved consistency of audible distance and falloff effects for various gun and explosion sounds

• Made Marder A1+ the standard variant in missions

• Optimized several aspects of vehicle driving physics for performance

• Optimized infantry ragdoll physics for performance

• Auto-sorted loose vehicles in swap menu

FIXES

• Fixed incorrect gearing on Marder

• Fixed armor issues on Marder hull that made it extra vulnerable to small caliber threats

• Fixed an issue that could result in troops not posing in AAR mode

• Fixed Bradley reticles showing as red instead of yellow in thermal sight

• Fixed incorrect infantry and helicopter crew casualty counts in mission results

• Fixed dismounted infantry showing up as cold in thermal views

• Fixed a squealing audio artifact on certain cannon blast sounds

• Fixed an issue that caused 3BM8 ammo in racks to not respond to impacts

• Fixed various issues that could lead to audio cutting out

• Fixed some audio effects being noticeably too loud at distance

Note: The game was patched several hours after the initial release in order to make the black-hot mode color balance on green FLIR optics less harshly bright.

MARDER A1- IFV

• The main gun turret is unstabilized. You will need to halt the vehicle in order to aim precisely.
• The MILAN missile launcher has no night sight. Illumination flares and environmental light sources will be your only way to acquire armored targets in the dark.
• The gunner's primary optic has a ballistic compensation mechanism, which simply rotates the aim point up or down. You will need to manually adjust your reticle whenever you dial in a new range or switch ammunition types.
• There is an anti-aircraft "web" included in the day sight's wide field of view (WFOV) reticle. The narrow field of view (NFOV) setting removes this and only leaves the normal aiming marks.
• The rear deck has a gun pod containing a separate MG3 machine gun. This would be available for operation by the troops in the rear compartment. At the present time, this is not operable in GHPC.
• Unlike the M2 Bradley, the Marder's main weapon is open-bolt and does not chamber a round before firing. This means when you change ammo selection, the next round fired is already the intended new type. There is no "dump round" left over to fire off.

MARDER CUSTOMIZATIONS

NEW MISSIONS

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added Marder A1- IFV for West Germany
• Added alternative "no ATGM" variant of Marder A1- with MILAN launcher removed
• Added new missions "Don't Wither" parts 1-2 in Fulda Outskirts
• Added new mission "Road Not Taken" in Eastern Road
• Added new mission "Highway Patrol" in Eastern Road
• Added Marder training mission in Grafenwoehr Tank Range

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Improved VFX for autocannon impacts
• Improved some terrain details
• Blast shockwaves are now visible in the grass

FIXES

• Tanks are no longer able to fire before gun barrel returns from reload position
• Bradley steering is less dramatic now
• Helicopter crashes now properly register the crew as casualties
• Removed tripod legs from 9P135M launcher unit on BMP-1P
• Weapons that require a full halt to fire will no longer operate while the vehicle is reversing
• Troops now wait until the vehicle is properly stopped to disembark
• Added missing colors to T-62 X-ray model
• Corrected several infantry animation issues
• Eliminated several script errors
• Fixed several mission setup issues

APRIL FOOLS EVENT CONCLUDED

ELEVATION LOCKING DURING RELOADS

CHANGE LOG

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Added gun elevation lock during reload cycles on Soviet tanks
• Improved optimization of some particle effects
• Removed April Fools RTS mode

FIXES

• Fixed non-TTS M60A3 having overly dark tint in night vision sight
• Fixed an issue that led to incorrect armor performance for non-composite T-72 turrets
• Fixed some UI elements not disappearing during free cam mode
• Fixed infantry gore being able to create nearly unlimited gibs
• Fixed some unused files being included in the build

Note: This is a quick update to deliver some fixes to the game, and the April Fools content has NOT been removed. It will still be removed in a near future update, as previously planned and announced.

CHANGE LOG

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Reduced the willingness of the AI to engage a target behind obstructions
• Improved the optimization of some particle effects
• Increased the effectiveness of HE frag across the board

FIXES

• Fixed an issue that contributed to frame rate drops and micro freezes, especially when creating particle effects
• Fixed an issue that led to AI gunners frequently missing partially obstructed BMPs by shooting over them
• Fixed rocket launches being too loud at distance
• Fixed smoke grenade sound effects being too loud at distance
• Fixed exterior vehicle sounds not being muffled from interior view
• Fixed helicopters making noise while deactivated
• Fixed some raindrop effects appearing in clear weather
• Fixed cinematic camera position being broken in the secret main menu scene

RTS MODE

ENVIRONMENT OVERHAUL

PBR TERRAIN

RAIN IMPROVEMENTS

LIGHTING AND COLOR BALANCE ADJUSTMENTS

TANK TRACK MARKS

AUDIO AMBIENCE

GAME ENGINE UPGRADE

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added temporary RTS mode missions
• Added new vegetation models
• Added new PBR terrain materials
• Added track ruts behind moving vehicles
• Rebalanced terrain and sky colors
• Added improved rain visuals
• Added new separate autoloader audio for AZ carousel (T-72) and MZ carousel (T-64/T-80)
• Added rain audio
• Added ambient wind and creature audio for forested areas
• Added new huge explosion effect for large amounts of ammunition detonating at once
• Added reload audio to some weapons
• Added MiG-27

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Upgraded to new core game engine version
• Smoke is no longer black in thermal vision
• Added custom thermal signatures for particle effects
• Updated multiple visual effects
• Improved accuracy of AI gunners in tanks with advanced fire control systems
• Added intentional variation to AI gunner aim with machine guns for better effect on targets
• IFV gunners now use HE rounds against infantry
• Drivers can now help spot targets in front of the vehicle at close range
• Adjusted drag modeling on some ammunition to better match real-world firing tables
• Updated MG3 audio
• Improved the way some audio effects respond to camera perspective changes
• Reduced volume on some autocannon audio
• Reduced harshness of shadowing on low angled vehicle surfaces
• Increased chance of rainy weather in missions
• Gain in thermal optics is now adjusted for best contrast based on time of day
• Optimized performance of several systems
• Switched to an improved ambient occlusion method
• Number decals on fixed wing aircraft now randomize properly
• Increased turret throw force limit on some tanks
• Updated game credits

FIXES

• Fixed excessive parallax offset in Leopard 1A1Ax primary gunsight
• Fixed Leopard 1A1Ax drivetrain components being unresponsive to damage
• Fixed an issue that prevented AI drivers from detecting vehicles and obstacles ahead of them
• Fixed multiple issues in AI driving behavior
• Fixed an issue where AI couldn't hit small targets due to optic parallax
• Fixed an issue that could lead AI gunners to fixate on strange scanning directions
• Fixed invisible tree trunk colliders existing in certain missions
• Fixed decals on Mi-8
• Fixed some artifacts in T-64 engine audio
• Fixed unwanted roll correction behavior on some optics

WEST GERMANY ARRIVES

NEW VEHICLE: LEOPARD 1A1 FAMILY

Stereoscopic rangefinder

Ammunition loadouts

HESH ammunition

Night sights

Auxiliary sight

Variant differences

NEW VEHICLE: M113A1G

"NEW" VEHICLE: M2 BRADLEY WITH ALTERNATIVE LOADOUT

NEW MAP: EASTERN ROAD

INFANTRY IN MORE MISSIONS

• Casual Cleanup
• Keen Kestrel
• Lethargic Liberty
• Slow Raid
• Fog of War
• Steel Wedge

SOVIET TROOPS

WEST GERMAN TROOPS

INFANTRY WEAPON ANIMATIONS

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added West German Leopard 1A1 tank in a total of four sub-variants
• Added West German M113A1G APC
• Added West German troops armed with G3A3
• Added Soviet troops armed with AK-74
• Added a new map, "Eastern Road"
• Added two new missions, Table Salt parts 1 and 2, set in Eastern Road
• Added new tank defense template mission in North Fields map
• Added Leopard 1A1 training mission
• Added reload animations to most infantry weapons
• Added stereoscopic rangefinder system for Leopard 1A1
• Added HESH ammunition with armor scab mechanics
• Added improved models for 9P135M launcher and 9M111 missile
• Added improved models TOW and I-TOW missiles
• Added improved tracer visuals
• Reworked several older missions to add infantry: Casual Cleanup, Keen Kestrel, Lethargic Liberty, Slow Raid, Fog of War, Steel Wedge
• Added new M2 Bradley "alt" variant with AP-focused loadout

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Reduced CPU load of several systems, leading to improved optimization for some players
• Alert messages will no longer conflict with restocking or other weapon messages
• Fullscreen windowed mode no longer minimizes the game when it is out of focus
• AI gunners will resist engaging past the effective range of a weapon (this especially affects the cannon on the BMP-1)
• AI gunners will resist engaging targets they have no way to damage (e.g. the M113A1G will not fight tanks)
• Improved some fire, smoke, and dust effects
• Visible RPG warheads will now resemble the specific ammo type loaded
• PG-7VL rounds are now only used by the Soviet troops, with East German anti-tank troops carrying less effective rounds
• RPG troops now carry the launcher unloaded at first
• Troops will now attempt to account for vehicle speed when throwing anti-tank grenades
• Most CAS planes can now engage afterburners during egress
• Memory usage of some subsystems has been reduced
• American M113 has been renamed to M113A2
• Any existing camera blur is now canceled when entering free cam mode

FIXES

• Fixed an issue that would cause campaign file saving to fail (note: any campaign file last saved before September 2024 will fail to load)
• Fixed audio continuing to play during game paused state
• Fixed a UI bug that would de-highlight the current mission in the list if something else was clicked
• Fixed M113 gunners in Eastern Scramble refusing to visibly die or bail out when the vehicle was lost
• Fixed an issue that could lead to fragments flying backward at incredible speeds and nailing the shooter
• Fixed an issue where fragments could ignore the shooter's armor and damage internal components
• Fixed an issue that could lead to fragments having incorrect penetration ratings
• Fixed West German F-104 in Prying Eyes firing Soviet rockets (added FFAR)
• Reduced tendency of US troops to become fully red when wounded
• Fixed M1 sponson not having enough turret ring armor behind it
• Fixed portion of M113 armor model being slightly shifted in position
• Fixed seat positions in M113 being misplaced
• Fixed some issues with infantry models

NEW MISSIONS

New missions in this build:

• Bounding Overwatch
• Eastern Scramble
• Gunnery Duel
• Prying Eyes

ANTI-TANK GRENADES

INFANTRY BEHAVIOR CHANGES

INFANTRY INJURY VISUALS

DON'T BE A HERO

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added four new Instant Action missions to Eastern Hills section: Bounding Overwatch, Eastern Scramble, Gunnery Duel, and Prying Eyes
• Added infantry to the mission customizer
• Added anti-tank grenades to Pact infantry loadouts
• Added close air support and smoke shell fire missions to campaign mode
• Added more detailed visible injuries to infantry
• Added armor to infantry helmets

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Troops in cover will now try to stay hidden if they see a target they can't engage
• Troops using anti-tank weapons will now resist suppression while preparing to fire
• Reduced synchronization of infantry behaviors such as changing posture
• Tank crews now have a chance of bailing out due to compartment penetrations, like APC crews already did, once they start losing members
• Made small optimizations to visual effects
• Infantry injuries are now recorded and restored properly in AAR mode
• Wounded crew members left in burning vehicles will now die after a short time

FIXES

• Fixed an issue that caused some troops in foxholes to shoot their buddies in the face
• Fixed an issue that led to vehicles shooting through objects blocking their line of sight
• Fixed an issue that caused tanks to see through walls and terrain if their gun barrels were clipping through
• Fixed a ghosting issue seen when looking at skylined objects with an optical coincidence rangefinder active

INFANTRY PART ONE

Missions with infantry in this build:

• (NEW) Valley of Infantry (Eastern Hills)
• (NEW) Dancing Devils (Fulda Outskirts)
• Obscene Odyssey (Eastern Hills)
• Native Narrative (Eastern Hills)

NEW VEHICLE: M151 Utility Truck

QUALITY-OF-LIFE CHANGES

Tutorials shortcut

AI ammo switching

APC crew bailout changes

Friendly fire isn't

Skill issues

Performance

NAVIGATION CODE OVERHAULS

CHANGE LOG

NEW CONTENT

• Added first version of infantry, featuring US Army and NVA troops armed with rifles, light anti-tank weapons, and grenades
• Added infantry-based mission "Valley of Infantry" in Eastern Hills
• Added infantry-based mission "Dancing Devils" in Fulda Outskirts
• Added mission "BMP Barricade" in Fulda Outskirts
• Added infantry to existing mission "Native Narrative"
• Added infantry to existing mission "Obscene Odyssey"
• Added M151 "MUTT" to customizer in Transport category
• Added M151 "MUTT" TOW variant to customizer in Scout category
• Added 125mm APFSDS 3BM26 to customizer and campaign logistics system

FEATURES AND ADJUSTMENTS

• Added "Tutorials" button in main menu to provide easy access to firing range missions
• Completely overhauled pathfinding system to pave the way for future feature needs
• AI vehicle crews can now choose which ammo to queue up based on what kind of target they're engaging
• Added visible wires to all wire-guided ATGMs
• APC crews are now far less resistant to bailout and will abandon a combat ineffective vehicle unless carrying troops
• Reduced fuzziness of all vehicle commander night vision goggles
• Improved gain on Pact night vision goggles
• Adjusted sky light colors and moon brightness
• Slightly reduced KE resistance of glass textolite material to better match real-world live fire tests
• Pact Partnership mission now features horror/night battle track "Broken Arrow" from Longer Road mission
• Instant Action mission lists have been rearranged to place some more difficult scenarios later in the lists
• Clicking campaign mode for the first time now causes a disclaimer to appear
• Added a graphics toggle option for grass reaction to vehicles driving through it
• Reduced RAM usage of certain terrains
• Overhauled AI vision routine for reduced CPU load
• Improved some visual effects
• Updated in-flight visual model for Malyutka ATGM to show more accurate details and propulsion jets
• Moved coaxial machine gun to weapon slot 2 in M60 tanks
• Missiles that somehow punch through a surface without fuzing now get their guidance destroyed and fall to the ground
• AI gunners are more resistant to firing when a friendly is in the way
• Updated credits to include newer team members

FIXES

• Fixed a micro-freeze when changing camera views
• Fixed an issue that allowed vehicles to shoot their own gun barrels or launch rockets into their own fuselages
• Fixed a bug that caused every KPV-armed vehicle (BRDM-2, BTRs) to shoot above the target
• Fixed a bug preventing vehicle crews from using the correct low-light perception distances for their equipment sets
• Fixed an issue that caused CAS pilots to dive into the ground if they couldn't find a target
• Fixed HEAT warheads causing blast damage and forming a jet even if they impacted before arming
• Fixed BMPs having non-functional smoke screens
• Fixed T-72 LEM mod missing smoke grenade feature
• Fixed helicopter pilots not taking action to avoid controlled flight into terrain
• Fixed helicopter pilots continuing to fire at neutralized targets
• Fixed elevation limits of 9P135M missile launcher, both standalone version and mounted on BMP-1P
• Fixed 3BM8 ammunition not burning correctly when ignited in storage racks
• Fixed an issue that could cause some sub-objects such as missile tubes to rotate the wrong way in AAR posing
• Fixed some armor setup issues on T-64 variants
• Fixed people not glowing in thermal optics
• Fixed M113 getting bottomed out on terrain too easily when reversing
• Fixed some vehicles not switching to coaxial machine gun to engage soft targets
• Fixed an issue that could lead to platoon member vehicles flipping at mission start due to terrain clipping
• Fixed mission "Gregarious Gorge" being nearly un-winnable due to an enemy vehicle hiding far from the battle
• T-72 variants with early hull (80-20 array) no longer use the improved armor values of the later hull (60-50 array)
• M1 ammo rack door can no longer lag out of the vehicle at low FPS
• Fixed name of M60A3 main gun
• Fixed issues with M901 ITV flammable items
• Fixed mesh gratings on vehicles not scorching in fire
• Fixed a collider issue on the SPG-9 emplacement
• Fixed a model clipping issue on T-72 Ural rangefinder
• Fixed rare bugs that could produce error log spam
• Multiple small fixes for mission layouts