GROUND BRANCH V1.0 Hotfix 2: AI awareness, armor changes, and more

Build Update #066 is out now for GROUND BRANCH, bringing another round of fixes for the V1.0 release. The hotfix lands today, July 30, and includes a mix of AI behavior changes, attachment fixes, and crash cleanup.

The team also notes that verifying your game files has improved performance for some players, particularly when using PiP scopes. If you need a refresher, here are the Steam instructions.

• AI can now hear each other's gunfire. They'll alert when other AI open fire, and can learn of the player's presence via proximity to each other.
• Fixed AI Turn Rate being overridden at the behavior tree level, so per-difficulty settings now apply as intended.
• Soft armor (Body Armor and combos) now allows penetration by rifle rounds on first strike.
• The target zone for door handle breaching is more generous, making it easier to shoot the handle out.

• Light and laser attachments now remain ON when swapping to another inventory item, and can be turned off afterwards.
• Fixed the Docter II red dot reticle sitting too high in the glass.
• Added a new Dialogue volume slider (Settings › Audio) for radio calls from NPCs like Hawk and Forge.
• Updated how the server web banner renders the banner image.
• First pass on the VOIP crash when using in-game voice in online matches.
• Fixed numerous Kythera AI-related crashes.

• Updated navmesh on Arena's stairs to help AI stop getting stuck.
• Cleaned up navmesh near the cave and streams on Creek.
• Hospital rooms that weren't playing the correct gunshot tails have been updated.
• Removed an unreachable bomb from Rig in Defuse mode.
• Fixed Team Elimination counting teamkills towards the overall score.

The developers say the next hotfix is already in the works, with tweaks to AI behaviors and settings for a more rounded experience across the four main difficulties.