Universe Unknown — Update 0.0.10.6

This update focuses heavily on multiplayer lobby stability, squad management, deployment flow, and player inventory reliability. The lobby and deployment systems have received a substantial multiplayer pass in preparation for the next stage of development.

Travel Terminal & Deployment

• Added the new Travel Terminal deployment system.
• Added data-driven destination and activity selection.
• Added support for locked and unlocked deployment destinations.
• Added destination information including Objectives, Rewards, and Requirements.
• Added Squad Leader-only deployment launching.
• Launch requests are now validated by the server.
• Added a synchronized 10-second deployment countdown for the squad.
• Squad Leaders can cancel an active deployment countdown.
• Opening the Travel Terminal correctly handles countdown visibility.
• Improved multiplayer travel between the M.F.A.S. Station and deployment areas.
• Successfully validated deployment with both host and remote players.
• Player identity and character data now persist correctly through deployment travel.
• AAC Frame, equipment/loadout, squad position, and Squad Leader state correctly carry into deployment.
• Updated lobby destination terminology to M.F.A.S. Stations.

Multiplayer Lobby & Squad Improvements

• Squad leadership can now be transferred to another squad member.
• The promoted player immediately receives Squad Leader status.
• Promoted Squad Leaders automatically become Ready.
• The previous Squad Leader correctly returns to Not Ready after transferring leadership.
• Ready/Not Ready displays now synchronize correctly between squad members.
• Fixed several cases where the lobby could display outdated Ready information after leadership changes.
• Launch controls now correctly respond to the squad's current leadership and Ready states.
• Improved synchronization of Squad Leader information across host and connected clients.

Kick & Squad Management

• Squad Leaders can now directly KICK eligible squad members.
• Fixed cases where the lobby could incorrectly continue displaying VOTE instead of KICK after leadership changed.
• The listen-server host is protected from being disconnected from their own hosted session when Squad Leadership is transferred.
• Improved separation between network host authority and Squad Leader privileges.
• Improved compatibility with dedicated-server sessions where no player is considered the network host.
• Fixed squad-slot ordering after a player is kicked.
• Remaining squad members now compact into the correct squad positions.
• Fixed an issue where the current Squad Leader could lose leadership after another player was removed.
• Fixed Ready-state synchronization after kicking a player and subsequently transferring Squad Leadership again.

Player Inventory

• Repaired the multiplayer 42-slot player inventory system.
• Host and remote players now initialize their own inventories correctly.
• Fixed cases where players could receive or display the wrong inventory data.
• Player inventories are now properly isolated from one another.
• Fixed profile-specific inventory save identification.
• Improved multiplayer inventory initialization during player startup.
• Removed duplicate runtime inventory-component creation.
• Saved inventory contents now reload correctly after leaving and returning.
• Validated inventory persistence independently for host and remote players.

Multiplayer Stability & Networking

• Improved server-authoritative handling of lobby actions.
• Improved multiplayer state synchronization during lobby changes.
• Improved handling of leadership changes without relying on the network host also being the Squad Leader.
• Improved listen-server and dedicated-server compatibility.
• Fixed several multiplayer state-ordering issues that could cause UI information to become temporarily out of sync with the server.
• Completed multiplayer regression testing across leadership transfer, Ready states, player removal, Travel Terminal launch, countdown, deployment, player identity, inventory, AAC Frame data, and squad state.

Still in Development

The next multiplayer milestone is the post-extraction return system.

Currently, extraction can return players from a deployment, but the system is being upgraded so an extracted squad can be reassigned and returned together to the appropriate M.F.A.S. Station server/session. This work is not included in 0.0.10.6 and will begin after this build.

Additional game modes, including deployments with player counts different from the standard 4-player deployment squad, will be handled as their respective PvP and raid systems are developed.