Hello everyone, Happy New Year, and welcome to 2026.
Testing of the A.S.S. system has officially concluded as of yesterday, and it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride for Nivrak and I. Ultimately, the results were positive and very well received after some initial growing pains, but we got through it and made changes where necessary. So, long story short, it’ll be back soon once the PR goes through the review process (thankfully, sufficient testing expedites this).
Now, I’m sure there’s a burning question on everyone’s mind; "What comes next?”. Of course, we don’t plan to leave the system half-A.S.S’ed. It will continue to grow and evolve over time as more individuals chip into the project. Things like the mess hall expansion were found to be an excellent periphery vehicle for roleplay and served to benefit the squad system, and I have plans to expand that kind of interactivity to other areas (gym, dorms, showers, etc.), but the important thing is that the framework is in place, and now there is something that can easily be improved without fully derailing the original intent.
Apart from this, what’s next for me and Nivrak, and the maintainers in regards to behemoth projects; VTOL, new dropships, and some other funny business. Expect that stuff fairly soon.
Now, long term, the A.S.S system is all about leaning into the natural order of the game. Eventually I expect the new squads (or squads with now altered mechanical structure) to take a different archetypal shape and settle into, maybe not consistent roles, but generalized behavior, and I’m working on some things to facilitate those behaviors. So I’d like to propose a trade offer.
What you get:
Some new toys for unique squad gear specializations, and in return maybe we might have to do with clawing back some of the currently widely available gear. Something to think about as this project goes into full-deployment.
Anyways, that’s my update, and we’re going to keep working on this into the future because, like the legacy system, everything can be improved. 
Feel free to share your favorite moments from the test campaign if you’ve gottem.
Thanks and have a CM day!
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