This episode dives deep into a massive weekly update, spotlighting the evolution of the Operator system and a brutal new horde mode overhaul. The team showcases Alcatraz hub progress, the growing arsenal of weapon attachments, and how Operator customization now ties directly into RTS and TPS gameplay. We hear firsthand feedback from playtesters on new abilities, squad loadouts, and the changing meta—including turrets, tower defense, and the increasing challenge of survival.

There's a strong focus on player roles, operator leveling, and long-term plans for integrating squad-based tactics and immersive UI improvements. The team also discusses how they're balancing Operator additions with core RTS gameplay and previews the next development phase, including vehicles, airstrikes, and UI streamlining.

Multiple co-op play sessions put new spawn rates and difficulty tuning to the test—resulting in some hilariously brutal failures. Finally, the devs take Q&A from the community and talk future priorities like clearer objective feedback, Operator ability polish, and whether the game’s genre identity is still intact. (Spoiler: It is.)

Key Topics:

• Operator ability system, progression, and customization

• Weapon attachment system & recoil tuning

• Alcatraz hub development and asset updates

• Horde mode rework with escalating difficulty

• Real-time balance adjustments based on player feedback

• UI overhaul plans and RTS accessibility improvements

• Co-op chaos: live testing with dev commentary

• Community Q&A on pacing, controls, and future updates

Listeners get an unfiltered look at the game’s evolving systems—and how feedback is shaping every phase.

This episode dives deep into the latest co-op build update following the public Steam release, highlighting player feedback and major development milestones. The team unveils a fully functioning server browser with admin tools, a kick/ban system, and password-protected lobbies. A revamped operator progression system lets players build custom heroes with distinct loadouts, level them up, and assign them specialized roles like SMG or long-range support. The crew showcases backend updates enabling multiple operator profiles, a UI overhaul in progress, and early work on future attribute and ability systems.

Also featured:

• A walkthrough of the new Half Moon Bay map, designed with strategic fallback zones and dynamic base clearing

• Planned operator specialization by weapon category

• The upcoming implementation of operator abilities, stat customization, and passive bonuses

• UI reworks to streamline on-screen information and improve RTS/TPS coordination

• Sneak peeks at incoming attachments, operator cosmetics, and the operator weapon roster

• Design insights into map verticality, zone control, and future airstrike mechanics

Finally, the Q&A covers player ideas on zone retaking, operator perks, and a long-term vision for modding support post-campaign.

Whether you're an RTS strategist or a ground-level operator fan, this episode gives a comprehensive look at the evolving systems and the roadmap ahead.

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The team goes deep on the rollout of the new co-op test build, highlighting the extensive customization coming to operators—including visual presets, weapon mods, XP-based progression, and squad management systems. They explain how these player-created commanders function as both third-person shooters (TPS) and RTS heroes, persistent across game modes. The episode also outlines next week's goals: polishing the operator system, finalizing weapon leveling, and improving the UI/UX across the board.Other major updates include the revamped server browser, squad tracking, and the current roadmap for map development—particularly Half Moon Bay as the flagship co-op map. Questions from the community touch on features like voice chat, unit formation control, cosmetic customization, and upcoming airstrike tools. The devs also hint at future content like standalone horde missions, event-driven XP bonuses, and more operator variants. This is a dense one packed with real-time progress and transparent discussion on the rebuild and what's coming in phases two and three.

This episode dives deep into the final push for Phase One as the team locks in core systems and prepares for public testing. Major progress has been made across the board, with a focus on fleshing out the Operator role—including revamped hipfire, parachuting, third-person camera, and a new melee combat system inspired by World War Z. The ability system now supports flashbangs, XP-boost passives, and damage-over-time effects with early balance work underway.

The team also addresses shotgun bugs, shotgun damage balancing, and gate responsiveness, while preparing a new UI overhaul and squad system to improve RTS–TPS coordination. On the map side, work continues on Monterey Bay’s layered wave-defense design, while pandemic-scale territory control maps are teased as the long-term goal.

Expect big improvements to co-op fluidity, more weapons and animations for Operators, and early integration of the RTS squad registry—all leading to a more seamless and strategic experience in both single-player and multiplayer.

This week’s update dives into sweeping changes across development, from network optimization to major environment redesigns. Robert and Efron walk us through progress on the Alcatraz hub—intended as the game’s central mission launch zone—and an ambitious new Monterey Bay map built to replace the current horde layout. Efron details his intricate work on city blocks, enemy spawn zones, and environmental detail, while Robert outlines a new infection-control gameplay loop that shifts the frontlines dynamically based on player success.The team also breaks down crucial bug fixes, improved operator abilities, better healing logic, revamped UI plans, and an upcoming overhaul of the entire operator progression system. With performance tuning underway and the ability system almost complete, the team is gearing up for a deeper, more tactical co-op experience. Add in evolving network stress test data, player feedback on session control, and discussions about long-term goals like mod support and infected PvP, and you’ve got an episode packed with granular insight and future-shaping decisions.Listeners will also hear from playtest regulars about the changing feel of combat, AI responsiveness, and the ever-growing possibilities for emergent co-op strategy.

In this densely packed developer podcast, the team walks through a sweeping set of updates aimed at transforming co-op and horde gameplay into a dynamic, scalable experience. Efrain reveals his shift from polishing Alcatraz to leading development on a new horde map set in a reimagined Half Moon Bay—designed for verticality, multiple infiltration paths, and high replay value. He outlines design decisions behind the map’s objective points, terrain flow, and defensive challenges that avoid static play.Meanwhile, Robert deep-dives into system-level changes: persistent leveling for operators and units, revamped class abilities, combat balance tuning, and significant AI and UX upgrades. Expect improved spawn logic, smarter pathfinding, and fixes for legacy pain points like targeting quirks and gate behavior. The episode also includes a real-time co-op demo showcasing snipers, heavies, flamethrowers, new UI improvements, and gate mechanics—revealing how it all plays out under stress.The Q&A tackles questions on drone design, campaign plans, vehicle and helicopter timelines, multiplayer matchmaking, emblem customization, and long-term content like future DLCs or a potential dinosaur game. This episode marks a significant milestone in pushing towards the Phase One rebuild and sets the stage for the robust gameplay foundation of Phase Two and beyond.

This developer podcast dives into the latest playtest of the revamped horde mode map and systems. Efron kicks things off with an update on Alcatraz, highlighting UV mapping progress, set dressing, and a versatile new procedural stairway tool in Blender. As the map nears completion, attention shifts to a major breakthrough: a reimagined gate system designed to finally fix long-standing pathfinding and unit navigation issues.Michael shares animation polish work and new operator features, including terrain-aware leg IK and an overhauled Glock model. Gameplay balance gets a brutal makeover: enemies are deadlier, damage types are in full effect, and the days of cheesing spitters with sandbags and barbed wire are over. Blowup enemies now deal serious structural damage, forcing players to rethink defensive strategies.The core of the episode is a live co-op playtest stress-testing these changes. The infected’s new verticality—climbing walls and ambushing from rooftops—introduces chaos, as players scramble to defend choke points and adapt to smarter AI. Developers analyze player behavior and discuss AI roles: spitters as snipers, blowup guys as siege units, and the concept of fallback defenses.The session is packed with emergent moments, exploit discoveries, and bug fixes in real-time. New features like color-coded operator lights and upcoming systems like grenade throwing and an ability system are teased. The Q&A wraps with community questions on single-player balancing, dynamic difficulty, night vision, and player-requested features like automated flare towers and synchronized music via in-game speakers.This episode shows a project in flux—refining, breaking, and rebuilding its systems in front of a live audience. It's messy, insightful, and a testament to iterative design under fire.

In this milestone-packed dev update, the team hits a major co-op breakthrough: players can now independently host and play sessions without developer hand-holding. With a new Discord channel guiding structured feedback and an engaged Patreon community stress-testing the builds, development enters a new phase of collaborative iteration.The episode dives deep into recent technical accomplishments, including the implementation of seamless level transitions, custom color assignments for player roles, a strobe ID system for improved team awareness, and new full-screen tactical maps. Developers walk through fixes and features in real-time—from horde AI replication and operator possession systems to the newly reworked gate mechanics and turret behavior.This week also marks one of the most stable, fun, and feature-rich playtests yet, highlighted by intense matches with multiple operators and RTS players coordinating live. Despite bugs like jittery spawns and overpowered blow-up units, the excitement is palpable as the team edges closer to completing Phase One.Future goals include finalizing the operator ability system, expanding playable classes, refining visual UI, and eventually rolling into Phase Two with airstrikes, doctrines, and vehicle systems. The team opens the floor to community Q&A, addressing everything from bounty systems and localization to long-term expansion plans like major city map packs.This episode is a celebration of community-powered development, real-time debugging, and the chaotic joy of losing—together.