DEVLOG: 16. August 2024

Welcome back to our next DEVLOG in a series of diaries covering our most anticipated feature—Fireteam AI. We’re excited to offer this short preview of one of the many, many ways players can command their fireteam.

Please remember all assets shown are currently a work-in-progress.

Let’s start with the fundamentals of a four-man fireteam. It’s become far too common in the genre to refer to four-person units as “squads” instead of fireteams, and we’re here to correct this today. Fireteams consist of four Marines or Soldiers, each with a specific set of responsibilities and weapons that contribute to the team’s overall success. These are Team Lead, Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, and Assistant Gunner. Our first-hand witnesses of the battle recount just how efficient these fireteams can be as long as each member fulfills their role while also filling in the gaps members of their team cannot fulfill themselves.

Consistent with Marine doctrine, in Six Days in Fallujah, solo players commanding Fireteam AI operate in “buddy pairs.” While the fireteam often operates as a unit, there are many opportunities in which splitting the team will determine the outcome of the mission. As the Team Lead, it is your responsibility to determine when and where these opportunities present themselves. And, it is critical to execute these orders with efficiency and precision.

Literally speaking, this means the Team Lead pairs with the Rifleman while the Automatic Rifleman pairs with the Assistant Gunner. Upon issuing an “Advance” command, the Automatic Rifleman and Assistant Gunner will advance to the position you’ve designated, while the Rifleman provides security for you, the Team Lead. With Buddy Pairs, each fireteam role can rely on the other half of their pairing for cover and security. It’s a perfectly balanced scale that ensures the survival of each member of the fireteam, and it works well.

Speaking of the “Advance” command, here’s a quick demonstration video. The Team Lead has the authority to issue a GO! Command just about anywhere, and the Fire and Ready roles will execute this “Advance” command. With their heads on a swivel, these two AI Marines will advance through terrain, over obstacles, and down alleyways and then find the best cover within the target area and hold this position marked by the command. It’s then your decision to follow or re-route for a flanking opportunity with the Rifleman role accompanying you.

Below, you’ll also see a “Watch” Go! Command. While your team always provides 360-degree security as best they can, there are times when you’ll want to direct their attention to a particular vulnerability—like a door, window, balcony, or hallway, for example. The “Watch” command will cause your Automatic Rifleman and Assistant Gunner to move to the position where you gave this command, and then watch the target area until you direct them to do something else. This allows you to then move or look in a different direction knowing your teammates will stay put, watch this vulnerability, and eliminate any threats that try to come through it.

These are just two of the GO! Commands available in Six Days, and we’re anxious to show the community more. With that being said, we want to remind everyone that there are no complex radial menus or dropdowns in Six Days. Combat happens in the blink of an eye, and command and control requires more innovative solutions that haven’t been offered by other shooters over the last 20 years. We’re here to change that as real-world combat requires faster decision-making than ever before.

As a reminder, we’re planning a roadmap re-factor after we’ve released our Fireteam AI feature. Feedback from one of our most anticipated features will inform our next steps, alongside our much larger development and content plans.