The Squadron 42 June Monthly Report highlighted updates and improvements across various teams, including AI, animation, gameplay story, graphics/VFX programming, narrative, technical animation, and VX. Notable progress was made in areas such as NPC interactions, character animations, combat reload animations, scene transitions, environment enhancements, and narrative content development.
The video is a monthly report for Squadron 42, focusing on various updates and improvements made in June. The AI features team worked on the usable system, which describes how NPCs interact with objects in the world. They also fixed bugs related to NPCs using elevators and improved functionality for usables transitioning between different zones. Additionally, improvements were made to point defense cannons and NPC formations, along with bug fixing for AI and usable systems.
The animation team worked on the look and feel of characters, including Zerg, and delivered final assets for several chapters. They also made progress on player interaction animations, clothing usage, cover hit reactions, and locomotion blending into usables. Motion capture was utilized to smooth out scenes and improve combat reload animations. Facial animation work continued, focusing on polishing final facial animations for various levels.
The gameplay story team maintained a high production rate, adding audio and facial data to scenes, polishing character movements, and delivering new scenes involving character interactions. Chapter 12 received substantial updates to improve scene transitions and navigation across environments. Graphics and VFX programming saw improvements in stability, performance, and memory usage of Vulcan, with work done on global illumination, gas cloud color processing, and visual enhancements for creatures.
The narrative team nearly completed the first pass of all galopa entries, focusing on triggers and player experience. They also worked on providing clear guidance for objectives and adjusting scripts to accommodate level changes. Collaboration with other teams continued to implement content captured last year, with adjustments made to dialogue as needed. The team also worked on adding more Ally and enemy voice packs for testing and validation.
The technical animation team made progress on put on takeoff animations and character customizer enhancements. They also collaborated with SST cinematics to ensure high-quality technical implementation of animations. The VX team supported cinematics by finalizing particles, explosions, background elements, and destruction simulations. They are working on improving environments, weapons, and vehicles to support the narrative and gameplay of Squadron 42.