6:15pm EST - Just got done testing out the flyable CH47 on staging with Helk and Shadowfrax. Added some pictures and info below!

1:50pm EST- It is the first non-update Thursday of the month and the team is making progress on several exciting new features. Given all these things are still on separate branches, none of it can be tested on the staging server quite yet. This also means we can’t grab screenshots or videos at the moment. That said, I’ll update this post with more eye candy and information as I get it from the developers.

Chinook 47: Quick look video

Here's a quick look video of the new Chinook 47 on the staging branch.

Flyable Chinook

Helk has continued his work on the Chinook 47 event. As mentioned before, this will be a periodic server event where a transport helicopter delivers a locked crate similar to an airdrop to a specific radtown. Players will have to capture and hold this area for a period of time to gain access to the loot.

Today, he added the ability to pilot this new helicopter. Now before your head explodes, no, it is not expected to have players actually fly the Chinook when it's in game. Scientist NPC's will be piloting, but the functionality needed to be added regardless, so Helk gave the ability to players too. This will not only help with testing over the next couple weeks, it will open up some awesome new possibilities in the modding realm.

If you'd like to try this out - and you have moderatorID on a server - type 'spawn ch47.entity' in console then run up to the front of the Chinook and press 'e'. Flight controls are just like Battlefield.

View model clothing

Helk is also working on some improvements to first person views. The View model clothing branch aims at updating your first person view to include the clothing you are actively wearing. Given this requires updating and creating new models for each type of clothing, the project is no small undertaking. I’ll post some screenshots once I get them.

Monuments puzzles

Vince is working on placing traps and puzzles inside monuments, giving or blocking access to areas that contain high tier loot. The goal of this is to make monuments feel less like a run and require further preparation. He’s still getting the art to support these new things ready so no screenshots quite yet.

Projectile pooling

A longstanding complaint, performance is notoriously bad during gunfights. Thankfully, Andre has started on a body of work to optimize this. By adding projectile pooling, he aims at lowering overhead on the client end during the most critical moments of gameplay.

He’s also added a new cvar to the mix - pool.projectiles - which will allow clients to turn off this projectile pooling if they so choose (it’s on by default).

Hapis changes

Alistair is working on some improvements to our favorite non-procedural map, Hapis. Currently reworking the small monument in U22, he plans on making the areas players don’t go or build much more interesting over the coming weeks. Here's a quick before and after of one area he's working on (ignore the floating airfield).