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Squad – Team-Based Military Themed FPS from Project Reality Devs – Gets Kickstarter Campaign

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Offworld Industries has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its Unreal Engine 4 powered tactical FPS, Squad. Squad is described as an online multiplayer first-person shooter that aims to capture combat realism through communication and team play.

The team aims to raise $184K in the next 31 days and will most probably achieve that goal with ease.

Squad will feature large open maps combined with strong squad cohesion mechanics, vehicles and player-constructed bases, organized tactical multi-squad planning, split second decision-making, and real world scale firefights with up to 50 players per side.

Here is a long list of the game’s features:

IMMERSIVE, REALISTIC COMBAT. With advice from former and current service personnel, we aim to deliver a completely immersive combat experience like no other. You’ll hear the buzz of rounds pass nearby and almost feel the intense gut churning reality of combat.

ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL. The base unit of Squad is not the individual, but the 9-man squad. Gameplay systems honed over years of experience with the Project Reality series draw the focus away from the lone-wolf player and much more on the cooperation with other members of your squad.

OPEN, EXPANSIVE LEVELS. Most of our maps will come directly or be heavily inspired from real world locations through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) satellite data, where authenticity and total tactical freedom to roam will always be part of the game.

MASSIVE 100 PLAYER SERVERS. 50 on 50, in countless squad combinations, all vying for control over an expansive battlefield.

SCALABILITY. Squad can be enjoyed on a much smaller scale with more concentrated fighting areas and tighter player counts, but still offers the freedom, tactical maneuverability and opportunities for team-play that are the hallmarks of the game.

KIT ROLE SYSTEM, be it a machine gunner, sniper, grenadier, APC-crewman, helicopter pilot, squad-leadership, construction engineer, medic, forward observer or even a plain old rifleman, every role has a part to play in the battle. This clear division of responsibilities greatly helps the experience as no one soldier can possibly do the job of an entire army. Personal progression is not measured by how shiny your weapon is, but how flexible you are in mastering all the different battlefield professions.

PLAYER-DRIVEN SPAWN-POINT AND BASE-BUILDING, which makes the front-lines of every match a unique experience. Players who prefer to construct rather than destruct have the capability to build fortifications and strong points for the team, and often play as important if not greater role than the ones doing the shooting.

LOGISTICS AND RESUPPLY SYSTEM, realised through your team’s network of player-placed Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and Rally Points (RPs) to support your front-lines. Whether its ensuring a clear path between your main base and your forward bases, or risking the gauntlet and delivering supplies by helicopter or truck, a supply system controls what weapons are available at your Forward Operating Bases, and even how much you can fortify your spawn points. Defending friendly and eliminating enemy Supply Lines, FOBs and RPs become just as important as putting troops into the Objective Zones on the map.

COMBINED ARMS WARFARE. Join a tank crew, be an unstoppable force in a CAS helicopter with your co-pilot or even run logistics and build fortifications, there are many ways to make your mark on the battlefield. From grunts to motorcycles to APCs to attack helicopters and everything in between, we offer gameplay systems that make multilayered teamwork enjoyable and rewarding without the need to join private communities.

REAL WORLD CURRENT TIME PERIOD FACTIONS, including regular and irregular forces. Meaning the inclusion of realistic tactics, weapons, accouterments, load-outs, vehicles, sounds and sights of war using highly accurate modelling accrued from our military advisors as well as years of experimentation and experience in the modding scene.

BALLISTICS AND SIGHTS. Server side, simulated Newtonian physics with our custom physics engine code. From small arms to grenade launchers, mounted machine guns to dumb-fire rockets, we aim to have working sights that significantly up the level of immersion when it comes to firing your weapon.

SIMULATED DAMAGE MODELS. Server side damage system where being shot means you’re not going to be sprinting until treated by a medic, and a direct shot to your wheels means you’re not going to be moving around until field repairs have been made.

INTEGRATED POSITIONAL VOIP COMMUNICATION, no need for third party programs, we’re using the most effective codecs in-game. Speaking to other squad leaders across the map, or even the man next to you couldn’t be easier.

ALL THE TOOLS NEEDED FOR INTRA-SQUAD AND INTER-SQUAD COMMUNICATION built into the game. In the last ten years, the industry has moved away from providing proper command and communication features available out of the box. Squad will fix this.

TRUE FIRST PERSON CHARACTERS. (aka ‘body awareness’) character models, there won’t be walking gunheads here. Your first person movements will be the exact same as seen by other players in third person. There are no rigged 1P arms for your on screen infantry character, the entire character body is modeled and viewable at all times.

A MEDICAL SYSTEM REFINED through 10 years of gameplay history. A revival system balanced to make medics and casualty evacuation an extremely critical part of the game, and with features like dragging coming to Squad, saving your buddy in the midst of battle is an experience like no other.

ASSAULT AND SECURE, an objective zone based game mode that promotes a defined ‘front-line’ style of combat. The objectives also are regenerated every round, so no two sessions will ever play the same. We plan to have many more game modes to come!

ADMINS SPECTATOR MODES AND OVERVIEW PANELS to allow administration teams the tools required to own, operate, and oversee their servers.

REFINED MACHINIMA/FILMING TOOLS designed by film enthusiasts for ease of use, to allow for high quality machinima or gameplay videos.

SUPPORT FOR MODDERS AND MISSION DESIGNERS FROM DAY ONE of retail release. The Squad developers are paying it forward and will provide reference and frameworks for hobbyist modders and mission creators, and paid commissions for qualified mod teams.

SUPPORT FOR TEAM TOURNAMENTS AND LADDERS. Both large scale 50v50 matches for public and clan ladders, and 5v5 and 8v8 on specifically designed smaller maps, allowing tournaments that can take full advantage of the Unreal Engine 4 framework, animations, weapons and ballistics systems to challenge the competitive FPS standard for the last several years.

Enjoy!