Tank Squad Tactical WW II Realtime.

[Asid]

Update 1.3.5
Fri, August 21, 2026



New sound designer + initial overhaul of various sounds, optimization of CPU and RAM

Dear Tankers and Mechanics!

In this patch we are releasing new fixes, optimization and sound overhaul of the game.

Optimization

Another big news is that we're bringing in a sizable optimization for used memory (the game should consume around 400-600 MB less than it did).

More FPS in battles - around 5-10 more when there are many static tanks. This is because we've added a system that switches the physics of static tanks totally off - which saves a lot of performance. (shout out to @Marco from EasyRed2 for this idea )

In the next month or two we're going to include the same approach to moving tanks that are very far away from the player or outside the view of the camera - to further reduce the CPU usage.

This is also the case for infantry - we want to also alter their animation cycle and just don't use it at all if the player does not see it or that infantryman is very very far away - but that's in September - October.

Sound rework

Our new sound designer - nicknamed Yellow King - has started proper rework of how the game handles the sounds.

Read on...

[Asid]

Tank Squad is on SALE -30%


To celebrate the release of Patch 1.3.5 and our trip to Gamescom, we're launching a 30% off sale on our game. The promotion starts today 21 August and runs till September 4 (2 weeks). The sale starts at 7:00 pm / 19:00 CEST GMT+2 Polish time/central european summer time.

[Asid]

Development Status #95
Fri, September 11, 2026




Ponyri DLC, CPU Usage optimization, Game improvements, New tower

Dear Tankers!
Welcome to our 95th Development Status. We have some news from development of Ponyri but not only. We hope you will enjoy reading this dev status

Status report
We have continued our work on the game, now spending a few weeks pushing bigger fixes (mostly - optimization of vehicle physics and infantry animators - less CPU usage) + progressing the development of the Ponyri DLC (more about it below).


Ponyri - Sector 1 - Taginski

CPU Usage optimization
Our biggest CPU drain was and still is - vehicle physics. The more tanks are spawned on the scene and move, the more CPU they use + all that physics is being calculated on single core of the processor.
Now after having a small talk with our friend Marco, the main dev of Easy Red 2, we want to try and implement a physics LOD (level of detail) system. If a vehicle is far away from us (or static but closer) then it's physics will be turned off and switched to much more simple movement style.


Ponyri - Sector 1 - Taginski

The player must not notice this change but the effect can be most visible on maps with big battles and active tanks at once.

Read on....

[Asid]

Update 1.3.8
Fri, September 18, 2026



Better CPU usage on infantry and vehicles physics & UI/UX improvements

Dear Tankers and Mechanics!
today we're releasing another patch with fixes and a few new features.



Better performance
We continued investigating the causes of crashes and added some safeguards—things should be better now. In addition, we've made a number of physics optimization changes for infantry and tanks. These changes free up CPU resources. When infantry aren't visible on screen, we disable their animations, which improves the game's performance. The same goes for tanks. At long range, we disable their physics (regarding movement and driving - don't worry) this is a little trick that should improve performance, especially in larger battles.











UI changes

Battle Minimap
A few cosmetic and other changes to the UI. We've added a "Battle Minimap" panel, accessible by default with the "M" key which, of course, can be remapped. When you hold down the key, the map panel opens, you'll see markers there, and you can also place markers using the mouse. It's a quick version of the battle map designed for navigation and future interactions, such as issuing orders, calling for support, etc.



We've standardized the names of game modes during loading—whether for the host or the client—as they weren't always consistent. Now, when playing a skirmish, it's labeled "Skirmish," and when playing a procedural campaign, the same label is displayed for everyone. Similarly, in the Session Browser, we've corrected the names and added information about which faction you're playing as in a given session.

Vehicle weapon panel





The panel at the bottom of the screen where you select projectiles has been slightly updated. Though not completely yet, since we're still testing a realistic look for the projectiles in the UI. With this update changes are not "huge", modification is fairly subtle.
Loading screen
We've added carousels to the loading screen panel. In addition to the controls panel, this section will also feature information about the game's mechanics and other important details; for now, we've posted some promotional (propaganda) material about Ponyri over there.



Force pool creator
UI/UX has been improved here. Every squad has a proper emblem, same goes to an unit inside / part of a squad.



There are more and more minor UI/UX improvements, so expect things like these presented below. For example on a Battle Map, last unit in a squad doesn't have a shadow as a overlay on top of it or during wrecks selection every unit and a squad should have a proper emblem or avatars in-game have a proper color applied Lets make game less junky again!



Changelog 1.3.8

Below is the list of changes being made:

Added:

• Added a potential fix for a game freeze.
• Added performance improvements for movable units and multithreaded pathfinding.
• Added an option to disable artillery smoke indicators in the difficulty and simulation settings.
• Added options to disable the reload circle and automatic weapon UI display when changing ammunition.
• Added the Battle Minimap, accessible with the M key.
• Added a background to the penetration feed on the death screen.
• Added an animated carousel to the loading screen.
• Added placeholder vehicle icons for single-unit squads.
• Added a distinct default tank icon for vehicle squads.
• Added faction filters to the Spectator UI.
• Added faction names to entries in the Session Browser.
• Added new internal and external engine sounds.
• Added new vehicle collision sounds for impacts with metal objects.
• Added revised internal and external sounds for the KV-1.

Modified:

• Improved machine-gun sound balance over distance.
• Improved footstep synchronization by reducing the distance required to trigger walking sounds.
• Adjusted the force applied to trees when they are rammed, based on the size of the vehicle.
• Improved Session Browser and session information panel presentation.
• Improved the Vehicle and Inventory item UI.
• Improved Spectator UI performance by optimizing faction image loading.
• Improved the Force Pool Creator interface interaction, every input matter.
• Improved image presentation in the Force Pool Creator.
• Improved the Session Browser layout.
• Improved the Battle Map squad and unit deployment layout.
• Updated the T-70 sound events and slightly increased the KV-1 volume.
• Improved cannon, impact, ricochet, shell-ejection, and environmental reverb mixing.
• Reorganized audio mixer routing to improve compression management and prioritize important combat sounds.
• Moved the JU 87 audio to the appropriate effects group.
• Adjusted the stereo positioning of internal MG 34 and DT machine-gun sounds.
• Adjusted the Panzer III external engine start sound to prevent it from sounding abruptly cut off.
• Improved character interaction input handling and corrected crew-slot positioning.
• Improved the character movement and AI-controlled movement systems.

Fixed:

• Fixed a major issue that could block procedural campaigns containing more than ten missions when reaching a previously completed mission.
• Fixed an impossible procedural campaign task that asked the player to purchase a Maus squad during the 1943 campaign.
• Fixed player-controlled squads losing their command assignment after loading a battle save.
• Fixed the AI Commander not calling artillery strikes on objectives during procedural missions.
• Fixed a StuG III aiming issue that occurred when switching from third-person view to the gunner sight while changing to HE ammunition.
• Fixed objective timers not appearing when entering an active defensive capture zone.
• Fixed incorrect NavMesh data in the Psel Bridgehead procedural mission.
• Fixed missing defensive objective configurations in some procedural missions.
• Fixed losing control after converting a unit in the notepad.
• Fixed manual interaction being available during Battle Map initialization.
• Fixed voice-over text overlapping vehicle status information.
• Fixed opening the radial menu or pressing R while driving causing the vehicle to stop.
• Fixed visible gaps in the StuG floor that exposed the terrain underneath.
• Fixed Molotov effects not despawning.
• Fixed unnecessary vehicle parts being detached despite not being detachable.
• Fixed input loss after pressing F5 and interacting with UI buttons.
• Fixed incorrect wreck squad emblems.
• Fixed Visual Effect Spawn Position Buffer errors on Morton and other missions.
• Fixed the Manual displaying incorrect UI elements when opened with F5 during gameplay.
• Fixed player avatars displaying incorrect colors.
• Fixed the Battle Map displaying graphics for the wrong game mode.
• Fixed incorrect game-mode names in the Session Browser.
• Fixed the loading screen not appearing when restarting a battle.
• Fixed squad and unit icons being incorrectly used as default UI backgrounds.
• Fixed incorrect squad icons being assigned to vehicles spawned in procedural missions.
• Fixed objective indicators remaining visible for unselected Destroy and Protect objectives.
• Fixed unusual camera angles and trajectories in artillery kill cameras.
• Fixed soldiers failing to reach their destinations.

Thank you for your support, we are working. See you next time!

DeGenerals

[Asid]

Development Status #96
Fri, September 25, 2026



Shukhov Water Tower, Objective Zones, Ferdiand

Dear Tankers!
Welcome to our 96th Development Status.

Status report
This week, more updates from the front lines of the Ponyri project. We're continuing to develop various aspects, including new objects for the map, and we're working with Ferdinand.

Ponyri DLC



The Ponyri operational campaign is entering the testing phase. We're running internal playthroughs to catch most obvious bugs and implement first suggestions and tweaks.
Having such big maps (for example 3x6 km) brings us the problem of distances and waiting time in combat. Example is this:



A platoon of SU-152 and T-34 spawns in on an entry point, located 3-4 km away from the DEFEND objective. The problem is that we need to wait for them like 7 minutes before any contact is reported - and this is not fun.



That's why we're thinking about some additional mission types or different objective types, for example meeting engagement or just some simple mass tank battle in the middle of the map, where both sides start 1,5 km away from that center and meet there in some death match (Commander, enemy tank company sighted! Destroy them before they overrun our positions at: XXX. Good luck!). Destroying a few waves of attackers or mounting up kills up to like 40-50 tanks will force the enemy battalion to retreat.

Panzerjäger Tiger (P) Ferdinand - work in progress



For the past two weeks, I've been continuing my work on Ferdinand. Since the high-poly work is complete, I've started preparing the low-poly version and creating UV meshes for texture mapping.



I began with my standard workflow, starting from the back end—the suspension, then the wheels, and finally the "turret."

Next, I tackled the hull and the entire superstructure. I spent the most time on the details - there are quite a few here. I want the vehicle to feel substantial. The next steps are preparing the model for texture baking and painting. In the next Dev Status update, we'll likely show Ferdinand driving in the game.



Do you have any suggestions for what the default paint job should look like?

Environment Assets - Shukhov Water Tower - Work in progress



Using fragmentary references and information contained in official photographs, we have managed to reconstruct the original Shukhov water tower at Ponyri railway station.

Read on.....

[Asid]

Ponyri DLC - Steam Store launch
Mon, September 28, 2026



✚ Dear Tankers & Dear Mechanics! ⭐️

As most of you probably already know, we're working on an expansion for the game that adds an operational campaign set near Ponyri.

Today we're publishing the store page on Steam. We'll be sharing more news about the release date soon.



Tank Squad - Ponyri DLC
expands the game with a non-linear operational campaign spanning 20 varied sectors. Begin operations from the base at Senkovo, choose your direction of attack, and respond to enemy movements across a changing frontline.



Fight dynamic battles with procedurally generated primary and secondary objectives across open terrain. The enemy AI Commander deploys armored units and mechanized infantry to prevail at both the tactical and operational levels. Make use of armored personnel carriers and mobile logistical support. Engage the enemy across the open spaces of Ponyri and command the powerful Ferdinand or SU-152.



Non-linear operational campaign
Ponyri 1943 moves beyond the linear mission structure of Tank Squad's original campaigns, introducing an open, non-linear operational framework. Operations begin at the base in the Senkovo sector, with Aleksandrovka as the first objective. From there, choose your direction of attack, respond to enemy movements, and shape the further course of the campaign.

20 sectors & a frontline in motion
The campaign spans a 24x24 km operational area a total of 576 km² divided into 20 sectors. The individual areas vary in terrain and architecture, featuring new settlements, rural buildings, and distinctive landmarks of the Ponyri region. The campaign is defined by expansive open spaces and long-range armored combat.

Procedural and dynamic battles
Following the designed opening scenario, subsequent battles feature procedurally generated primary and secondary objectives. The course of each operation is influenced by the frontline situation, direction of attack, available forces, and enemy actions. As a result, returning to fight for the same sector can produce a different battle and present new challenges.

AI commander & combined arms warfare
AI Commanders on both sides assess the situation, allocate available units, organize attacks and defenses, and coordinate support for ongoing operations. Motorized infantry units use trucks, while mechanized infantry units rely on armored personnel carriers to cover greater distances more effectively. Logistics also plays an important role, including mobile repair stations and ammunition and fuel resupply.

New heavy vehicles
Two powerful new armored vehicles enter the battlefields of Ponyri: the German Ferdinand and the Soviet SU-152. The Ferdinand combines thick frontal armor with an accurate 88 mm gun designed to engage enemies at long range. The SU-152 harnesses the devastating power of its 152 mm gun to break through fortified positions and eliminate heavily armored targets. Master the strengths of both vehicles and put them to use in the campaign's expansive battles.

• A non-linear operational campaign fought across a dynamically changing frontline.

Campaign battles playable in single-player or cooperative mode.

• A vast 24 × 24 km operational map—covering 576 km²—divided into 20 sectors of varying sizes and shapes.
• Decisions made on the operational map influence the direction of future operations.
• Dynamic battles featuring procedurally generated primary and secondary objectives.
• Varied battle conditions, including different times of day and weather.
• Expansive open terrain designed for long-range engagements.
• AI commanders managing the forces of both sides and organizing attacks, defenses, and support.
• Motorized and mechanized infantry using trucks and armored personnel carriers to travel longer distances.
• Mobile support points for repairing vehicles and replenishing ammunition and fuel.
• 2 new vehicles:

SU-152 — a Soviet heavy self-propelled gun.
Ferdinand (Sd.Kfz. 184) — a German heavy tank destroyer.

• 2 new static guns:

10.5 cm leFH 18 — a German light field howitzer.
122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) — a Soviet field howitzer.

• New settlements, rural buildings, and distinctive landmarks from the Ponyri region.

For updates on the progress of the expansion and more, please follow our "Development Status" series—link below:





Thank you for your support, we are still working. See you next time! DeGenerals

[Asid]

Update 1.3.9
Fri, October 2, 2026



Fixes and optimization for AI, more sound rework, projector for objective capture zone

Dear Tankers and Mechanics!
today we're releasing another patch with fixes and a few new features.



Situation report
We're part of the Steam Autumn Sale, but the game will be on sale for longer than the Steam event – until 22/10/2026. Our finances are in a very bad state, and this move could save us before the Ponyri DLC is released.

This week, we're releasing an update and continuing the series of patches every two weeks, interspersed with development status updates. Work on Ponyri is ongoing. We've also added optimisation improvements for AI and further sound rework.

We have also added what we wrote in the last development status, i.e. a projector for the zones to be taken over and defended, which is visible on the minimap/battle map and during the game. You can turn it on and off in the game options.













Steam Autumn Sale
We're part of the Steam Autumn Sale, but the game will be on sale for longer than the Steam event. We'll be on sale until 22/10/2026. Our finances are in a very bad state, and this move could save us before the Ponyri DLC is released. Feel free to grab game on -35% sale now.



Ponyri DLC
We have launched store page for our upcoming DLC this week.



From other news work on Ferdinand is in very advanced state as we will implement it next week to the game, so more in-game progress we will most likely show in upcoming Development Status.







Changelog 1.3.9

Below is the list of changes being made:

Added:
Visible conquer and defend zones on a BattleMap and BattleMinimap
New option in game settings to hide interaction label for viewfinders while inside the vehicle
Objective Conquer / Defend zone (projector - can be enabled/disabled in game settings)

Sound Design:

• Adjusted and optimized offsite rocket sounds for less clipping.
• Added a subtle filter for all impact sounds for a smoother fade into subsequent distance layers
• Other small clipping preventative adjustments
• Turret zoom click
• Soviet IL2
• Weather Ambience
• Increase T70 volume ext
• Adjustment to explosion mix
• Internal Cannon range adjust
• Adjust Mg34 internal sound distance
• Various Mixing adjustments - increase concurrency
• Increase player sounds priority - less skipping

Modified:

• Objective capture/defend timer won't reset upon attacker side losing the upper hand but rather the timer will slowly go up again (to original starting time)
• Binocular texture

Fixed:

• Il-2 now correctly spawns soviet fab 250 sv bomb
• Issue with internal engine loop being inactive
• Issue with unit markers being disabled in game settings but still appeared in various places
• Issue with decals visible when player was inside the tank
• [UI] White circle textures visible on Battle Minimap are now not visible
• Issue with player tank physics freaking out when player was peeking out the hatch or in multicrew not as driver, and the tank shot
• Issue with explosion or exhaust vfx being stolen (disabled) when multiple instances were needed at once

Thank you for your support, we are working. See you next time!
DeGenerals

[Asid]

Development Status #97
Fri, October 9, 2026



Ferdinand is finally in game! UI/UX improvements

Dear Tankers!
Welcome to our 97th Development Status.

Status report
This week, we have another update on our work on the game, Ferdinand, and the Ponyri. We also had our fair share of struggles with the Unity engine. We'd like to remind you that our game is currently on sale. We're participating in Steam's Fall Sale with a 35% discount. Below is what we've prepared for you - enjoy the read

Last week was spent wrestling with the project and the editor so we could even create a build. We're also adding the game to the GOG platform, and that required some work to get a handle on everything related to the game's functionality.

By Wednesday of this week, we had almost finished work on Ferdinand. The model is now ready for implementation, it's been split into parts and pre-painted which we already showed you a week ago with the 1.3.9 patch - more in the link below



Ponyri DLC



We're continuing the development of the Ponyri DLC, focus now is overall testing but also balancing the game. We've decided to remove Panthers and Tigers from the historical campaign and just leave the Ferdinands as the main punch force for Germans in their campaign on Ponyri.



The ballistics values of Pak43 that the Ferdinand is equipped with also allows us to finally find a few last issues with our ballistics simulation, as it should have no problem at all penetrating any tank in the campaign at any distance.

The same can be said about SU-152 HE shells and our explosion ballistics, but that's a topic for future statuses.



Read on...