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.