I am excited to deploy my latest major update focusing on Player Progression, Tactical Drones, Tactical Support Economy & Strikes, Weapon Workbench Attachment Unlocks, Artillery Trajectory Overhaul, Tactical AI Adjustments, and Engine Polish. Below are the detailed patch notes for today’s release.
🎖️ The 31-Rank Level Progression System
I have introduced the official 31-Rank Level Progression System. Players earn XP through combat operations, raid extractions, and objective completions. Each level directly unlocks new tactical capabilities, gear customization options, and close air support clearances.
📋 Full 31-Rank Roster
| Level | Rank Title | Tier | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruit | Enlisted | Entry-level operator state. |
| 2 | Private | Enlisted | Basic infantry clearance achieved. |
| 3 | Private Second Class | Enlisted | Proven field experience. |
| 4 | Private First Class | Enlisted | Unlocks baseline weapon attachments. |
| 5 | Specialist | Enlisted | Technical proficiency recognized. |
| 6 | Corporal | Junior NCO | Tactical squad leadership clearance. |
| 7 | Sergeant | Junior NCO | Field squad leader status. |
| 8 | Staff Sergeant | Junior NCO | Advanced tactical clearance. |
| 9 | Sergeant First Class | Senior NCO | Senior squad coordinator. |
| 10 | Master Sergeant | Senior NCO | Logistics and weapon specialist clearance. |
| 11 | First Sergeant | Senior NCO | Senior company-level leadership. |
| 12 | Sergeant Major | Senior NCO | Elite NCO rank. |
| 13 | Command Sergeant Major | Senior NCO | Battalion-level tactical command. |
| 14 | Sergeant Major of the Army | Senior NCO | Highest enlisted rank achievable. |
| 15 | Warrant Officer 1 | Warrant Officer | Technical and tactical specialist. |
| 16 | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | Warrant Officer | Advanced technical expert. |
| 17 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 | Warrant Officer | Senior technical consultant. |
| 18 | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | Warrant Officer | Master technical specialist. |
| 19 | Chief Warrant Officer 5 | Warrant Officer | Top-tier technical expert. |
| 20 | Second Lieutenant | Commissioned Officer | Commissioned officer clearance. |
| 21 | First Lieutenant | Commissioned Officer | Experienced field commander. |
| 22 | Captain | Commissioned Officer | Company commander status. |
| 23 | Major | Senior Officer | Field operations supervisor. |
| 24 | Lieutenant Colonel | Senior Officer | Battalion commander. |
| 25 | Colonel | Senior Officer | Regiment-level commander. |
| 26 | Brigadier General | General Officer | High-command general rank. |
| 27 | Major General | General Officer | Division commander. |
| 28 | Lieutenant General | General Officer | Corps commander. |
| 29 | General | General Officer | Theater command officer. |
| 30 | General of the Army | High Command | Supreme strategic oversight. |
| 31 | Supreme Commander | High Command | Peak rank cap. Unlocks top-tier attachments and cosmetic prestige. |
Introducing the Tactical Assault Drone System
I am introducing the brand-new Assault Drone system to Direct Contact—built from the ground up to align with our hardcore tactical roots as physical, high-risk, high-reward tactical assets.
- Battery Logistics System: Drones require physical battery management.
- Inventory Integration: After the drone's initial internal charge is spent, deploying the drone requires a physical Drone Battery item from your inventory grid.
- Persistent Charge: Safely recovering a drone saves its exact remaining battery percentage directly to the inventory item slot.
- Dead Drop Risk: Hitting 0% battery mid-flight cuts power to the motors instantly, causing the drone to freefall to the ground.
- Smart Return-To-Home (RTH) & Autonomous Flight:
- Automatic Recovery Flight: Closing your tablet puts hands back on your primary weapon while the drone autonomously flies back to your location from anywhere on the map.
- AI Obstacle Avoidance: Integrated onboard sensors allow the drone during RTH to sweep around buildings and climb over rooftops dynamically to reach you.
- Vulnerability: Returning drones remain physical targets in the world. Enemy small arms fire can shoot down the drone in transit, permanently destroying the asset and its loaded battery.
- Full FPV Controls & Kinematic Aerodynamics:
- Added full pitch input control (SendDroneInput), providing 3D quadcopter flight maneuvering via WASD, mouse pitch, and yaw.
- Integrated dynamic mesh pitching and rolling based on flight inputs to accurately reflect realistic quadcopter physics.
- Deployment Sync & Visual Polish:
- Added physical deployment animations—characters visibly toss the drone into the air, synchronized with tablet camera feed transitions.
- Configured dynamic static noise effects (M_DroneStaticNoise) with translucent blending so signal degradation and heavy static fade over the camera feed as the drone exceeds operational ranges (>200m).
- Kamikaze Mode & Live Telemetry:
- Detonation Lifespan Fix: Implemented a kamikaze dive mode ([G]) with a 3.0s lifespan buffer and world-spawned Niagara explosion systems so client explosion FX render smoothly.
- UI Initialization Retry Timer: Built TryInitializeDroneWidget (polling every 0.1s up to 10 attempts) to guarantee camera and telemetry feeds cleanly bind to tablet UIs despite network latency.
Tactical Support Economy & Strike Clearance
Calling in off-grid artillery, airstrikes, and close air support now features full server-authoritative level and currency gating. Tactical strikes require both a minimum Rank Level and available Operation Cash upon call-in via the tablet interface.
📊 Strike Level & Cost Clearance Matrix
| Tactical Support Call-In | Required Rank Level | Call-In Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Airstrike | Level 3 | $2,500 |
| Artillery Barrage | Level 1 | $2,500 |
| Cluster Bomb (CBU-87) | Level 4 | $3,700 |
| Apache Attack Helicopter | Level 5 | $5,000 |
| A-10 Warthog Strafe | Level 6 | $2,350 |
| AC-130 Spectre Gunship | Level 8 | $8,500 |
- Server Enforcement & Currency Deduction: Strike requests are validated server-side. Successful call-ins automatically deduct funds, update player cash HUDs immediately, and save character state to disk.
- Real-Time HUD Denial Feedback: If level or cash requirements are not met, a dedicated HUD notification alerts the operator with specific reasons (e.g. "Locked! Level 5 required" or "Insufficient cash!") while maintaining UI cursor focus cleanly.
Artillery & CAS Ballistics System Overhaul
- Physically Accurate Parabolic Arc Trajectory: Completely overhauled artillery shell flight mechanics. High-angle arcs now calculate rise and fall times independently based on peak altitude. Shells scale horizontal velocity accurately to land **dead center on laser designator targets** regardless of arc height bonus settings.
- Global Artillery Battery Audio: Replaced 3D localized gun battery sounds with map-wide 2D audio cues. All operators across the theater now hear the distant outgoing thunder of fired battery shells.
- Airstrike Missile Collision Profiles: Created a dedicated collision channel (AirstrikeMissile) preventing incoming ordnance from prematurely detonating on tree foliage, landscape collision bounds, or AI visibility traces.
- Replicated Missile Mesh Variants: Glide bombs, standard ordnance, and cluster munitions now replicate mesh states reliably across all connected clients on spawn.
Weapon Customization & Rank-Based Attachment Unlocks
Your Rank Level directly influences what weapon attachments you can purchase and equip at the Safehouse Workbench:
- Rank-Gated Attachments: High-tier optics, suppressors, specialized muzzles, grips, and rail accessories require specific minimum rank levels before becoming available.
- ArmadaCoins Currency Integration: Unlocked attachments are purchased using earned ArmadaCoins.
- Workbench Stat Deltas & Conflict Management: Real-time stat comparisons (Ergonomics, Recoil Control, Velocity, Sway) display when hovering over attachments, alongside sight exclusion logic and slidable rail offsets.
Audio, Visual FX & Combat Polish
- Apache Helicopter Audio Suite: Added persistent engine and rotor loop audio components, accompanied by dedicated radio call-in, chain gun burst, and rocket salvo audio effects.
- Niagara Cluster Explosion Effects: Upgraded CBU bomblet detonations with high-fidelity Niagara particle explosion systems deployed at ground impact locations on all clients.
- Fixed AI Continuous Full-Auto Firing: Resolved an issue where enemy AI combatants would lock into full-auto fire modes regardless of engagement distance.
- AI Trigger Discipline & Burst Pacing: Enemy bots now dynamically switch between semi-automatic single shots, controlled 2-to-3 round bursts, and suppressive fire based on target range and visibility.
Main Menu Rank & Level Display
- Integrated persistent player rank indicators directly into the Main Menu UI:
- Displays current Player Level and Rank Title (e.g. Level 14 — Sergeant Major of the Army).
- Displays Rank Badge / Insignia Icon.
- Displays real-time XP Progress Bar and current total XP earned.
- Progression states read securely from disk before joining or hosting any session, keeping stats updated seamlessly between Main Menu, Safehouse, and Combat Raids.
Environment, Trench & Workbench Fixes
- Fixed Trench Navigation Blockers: Fixed collision and mesh alignment bugs along procedural trench splines that caused players to snag or become unable to walk through certain passages. Smooth movement, crouching, and vaulting are fully restored.
- Workbench Sniper Orientation Fix: Resolved a visual transform issue where sniper rifles faced backward (180-degree rotation offset) on the Safehouse Workbench display stand. Precision rifles face forward correctly toward the camera.
- C++ Engine Stability Passes: Resolved build include references, CAS asset request execution chains, and RPC notification duplicates across the core framework.
Thank you all for the ongoing support and feedback! If you want to follow along with active development and see what I am working on next, check out the live Operations Board at directcontact.no/operations.
Work in Progress Notice: The 31-Rank Progression System is still actively being developed! This initial release establishes the core foundation, and I will be continually adding more weapon attachments, tactical gear, and gameplay systems to the rank progression tree as development moves forward.
— ED (Mountain 81)