Soldiers!

We often receive requests to rework the key mechanics related to the character's movement while shooting. Surely you have found yourself in a situation when the enemy actively uses the “crouch” and “prone” positions; as a result, the animation of the model is fully played even if the action is performed partially. In one of the next updates, we will rework the logic and mechanics of these positions.

What's the matter?

Every time the player repeatedly and briefly uses the “crouch” command (spamming the Ctrl button) while holding the key, the camera in the first person view lowers slightly and remains almost at the same level, which allows to conduct shooting like in the standing position without additional adjustments (for example, recoil control or fire trajectory calculation taking into account the changed position).

However, in the third person view, the character model rapidly changes the position and becomes a rather difficult target for the opponent.

Similar issues can be observed when exploiting the "prone/stand up" commands. In this case, the change in the model position occurs almost instantly bearly affecting shooting (for example, resulting in no additional sight shake), but makes it more difficult for the rival to hit the target. The opponent observes a broken movement animation and rapid position changes.

Examples

Some fighters use this mechanic to gain an advantage in the game. One of the striking examples is a face to face encounter with an adversary rapidly changing from "crouch" to "stand up" positions. A player who faces such a fighter will observe a rapid change in the model positions - this distorts the character's silhouette and leads to displacement of his key vulnerable zones. Such an enemy is especially difficult to eliminate.

Another typical situation: using the "prone/stand up" commands together with a jump or strafe. In this case, the shooter observes illogical animation behavior and a very rapid change in the player's position (you fire a shot, and the enemy turns out to be standing up instead of being prone and vice versa).

Solution

In the next update, the "crouch/stand up" and "prone/stand up" mechanics will be reworked.

"Crouch/stand up"

The character position will depend on one of the chosen mechanics of using the command - "to hold a key" or "to press a key". Two main points will be revamped: the synchronization of animations in the first and the third person views, and the effectiveness of the “crouch” command and its fading upon repeated activation.

1. If the player presses the key, the character model will crouch completely, and if the button is held, it will perform the action depending on the time the key is being pressed. If it is a short-term action, the crouch animation will be partial and the character will soon return to its standing position. Upon a fleeting holding of the key, the enemy silhouette will practically not change in size - it is not easy to notice a change in the enemy height by a couple of centimeters.
2. Each subsequent short-term key holding will be less effective, and at a certain point it will stop working altogether - the character will not take the "crouch" position. The ability to use the command will be restored after a few seconds of inaction.

If we consider the situation described in the example, when a player encounters an opponent in close combat and tries to use multiple short-term "crouch/stand up" commands by holding the key, in the third person view, there will be a slight change in the character's position that will depend on the duration of holding the Ctrl button. This will allow both sides to fight on par.

"Prone/stand up"

[UPD] Now the "prone" position has an intermediate "crouch" animation stage. Some players can abuse this mechanic and deliberately skip the mentioned movement in the "prone/stand up" commands. In this case, the character animation looks jerky and abrupt. Now it will be impossible to skip the intermediate "crouch" stage. This will also apply to those situations when the player performs various movements alongside the action; for example, uses an instant exit from the "prone" position through a jump.

Slides

As part of the changes, the logic of the sounds played during the slide will be improved. Now, if the player performs an action and collides with an obstacle (a wall), the sliding sound continues to be played and does not stop; some players deliberately exploit this in combat. Now, the sound will be synced to the active action. If the slide gets interrupted ahead of time, the sliding sound will also stop playing.

We hope that the updated mechanics will allow you to master new gameplay tactics and make battles even more exciting. Use your character's abilities wisely and victory will be yours!

Please note that the functions indicated are preliminary and can be subject to change per general testing results.

See you in game!