ATTENTION

After a year and a half, we are back with another Dev Report.

We know it has been quite a while, and while we have continued to share updates through changelogs, live streams, and social media, Dev Reports have definitely fallen to the wayside. We would like to start bringing them back more regularly, as they remain one of the best ways for us to talk through recent changes, explain what we are working on, and provide more context around the ongoing development of Arma Reforger.

With the recent release of the 1.7 Major Update, there is plenty to cover. And it's a perfect time to cover some of the major topics raised by the community, what is still being worked on, and where our attention is going next.

INTELLIGENCE

Like every major update, the 1.7 Partisan release brought a lot of changes to the game. Alongside new game mode changes and systems, there were also under-the-hood changes and improvements intended to support the game's future. Since the release, we have also delivered two minor updates to address issues and improve stability. Recently, we held a livestream Q&A to answer community questions and talk through some of the decisions behind the release. If you missed it, you can watch the full VOD on our YouTube channel.

We also know there were many topics we did not fully cover during the Q&A. Since the update, we have continued to collect reports, review feedback, analyze crash data, and track issues across all platforms. To give a sense of scale, we are currently tracking roughly 6,000 internal items, with bugs alone making up about ~30% of that total. The rest is spread across crash-related reports, feedback entries, tasks, and other internal development matters. Not all of these are exclusive to 1.7, but they show the amount of information the team is reviewing and prioritizing.

Stability and Performance

Crashes remain one of our highest priorities. We gather crash statistics from all five platforms, covering both client and server crashes. These reports are grouped by code signature, allowing us to identify the most common crashes, when they begin appearing, and how frequently they occur. This helps us prioritize the most impactful issues first. One example was the PS5 binocular crash, which quickly became our top crash priority and has since been fixed in 1.7.0.49.

Freezes are another area we have been investigating for some time. Work on this began during 1.6, where we identified memory limits as one of the major causes. Over the past few months, we have been optimizing memory usage and have brought it below the 1.4 update level. We also identified and fixed several specific cases where freezes could occur, including issues related to HTTP connections, Workbench operations, and task system behavior. Thanks to some of your very precise community feedback, we were also able to identify an audio-related issue connected to how data is loaded. That improvement is still being worked on.

We have also addressed server-side memory issues related to AI soldier activation. This issue was identified internally while analyzing stress-test server data, with similar reports later coming from server admins regarding memory leaks or excessive memory consumption. We implemented a fix for a rare case where all players being on the respawn screen could cause excessive AI activation and memory usage. This fix was delivered in 1.7.0.54.

Vehicles, Rendering, and Mod Compatibility

Vehicle simulation has been one of the most discussed changes in 1.7. The rework was necessary because some long-standing issues could not be properly solved with the previous system, including the lack of Ackermann steering. Mass calculations were also inaccurate before, and in many cases, only worked because vehicle setup values had been built around those inaccuracies. This is something we wanted to correct properly. That said, we know some vehicle behavior still needs more tuning, especially when it comes to heavy vehicles climbing hills, handling, and overall feel.

There were also rendering regressions after 1.7. These were related to a lighting change involving how probes are rendered. This was the result of a functional improvement at the engine level, not an intentional visual data change specifically for Reforger. Because the functionality could not simply be removed or turned off, we had to adjust Reforger’s data and logic to bring the result closer to the 1.6 visuals (which have been fixed). It is not a perfect one-to-one return to 1.6, as the technology has moved forward and a full revert was not technically possible in the short term, but it is as close as we could get it within that timeframe.

Mod compatibility was another important area. Despite what some say, we do test the game with mods, and during 1.7 Experimental, we even had a special RHS version prepared, which helped us find and solve multiple issues. We also held an experimental playtest with W.C.S. servers to better understand mod-related issues in a live environment. What we did not fully account for was the scale and complexity of mod combinations used on some community servers. In particular, multiple mods overriding catalog data, such as lists of vehicles and items available in arsenals, caused server and client issues due to the depth of the hierarchies and the code that manages them. The engine team has already implemented a new stack object to better handle these cases.

(Comparison image showing the rendering regression before and after adjustments.)

Gameplay and Usability Fixes

Several Conflict-related issues have been addressed or are actively being worked on. Both HQC and Legacy Conflict now use randomized faction starting positions. HQ Commander had already been updated to prevent unfair MOB placement that could put factions too close together, and after community feedback, that same change was also applied to Legacy Conflict.

We are also addressing several exploits and disruptive behaviors in Conflict. Dragging supplies out of enemy storages was always technically possible, but became more visible after the addition of playable FIA. We have created a solution that prevents those pesky rebels and enemy factions from dragging supplies from storage. We are also working through multiple reported Conflict exploits, especially those related to transporting supplies, and several of these fixes are planned for an upcoming minor update.

Other gameplay issues are in progress. The smoke grenade bug, where players could become unable to switch away from a smoke grenade until throwing it, has been fixed internally and is planned for the next minor update. The FIA Renegade issue, where players could be unable to rank back up, was caused by a conflict between the renegade system and the faction recognition system. A fix has been developed internally and is also scheduled for the next minor patch.

Server browser usability has been another recurring point of feedback. We have received many reports about empty server rows, difficulty selecting servers, and console players struggling to scroll through long server lists. This was lower priority for a long time because it primarily affected players before joining a server, but we recently raised its priority and implemented improvements for handling long, paged data tables with a controller. These improvements should arrive in a future update as well.

Finally, we are continuing to make smaller but meaningful fixes across the game. The missing stars issue was found early during 1.7 Experimental and was related to the resource system and how it loads the star charts database. Because it affected a smaller group of players (mostly those navigating by stars) and had a limited gameplay impact, it was lower priority, but it has since been fixed... but some didn't even notice them gone.

We are also adjusting base contesting behavior. With the addition of FIA, the new contesting system became necessary, but we are increasing the minimum number of players needed to contest certain bases to three. This should make it harder for a single player to prevent spawning on bases that cannot otherwise be captured due to radio or faction conditions. This change will be delivered to the main application after more internal testing.

OPERATIONS

As for what we hope to work on next, there is still plenty to clean up following the 1.7 update, and we will continue patching issues reported by the community and identified internally. However, that does not mean progress in other areas has stopped.

A couple of areas we are actively working on are Far Hiding and AI grass obstruction. Put simply, Far Hiding helps players and objects blend more naturally into terrain at longer distances, even when grass is no longer being rendered. This means you should not suddenly stand out just because the grass around you is no longer visible from far away. It is similar in purpose to the fake layer used in Arma 3, but implemented differently and with improved visuals. AI grass obstruction is focused on how AI perceives players through certain materials and vegetation. With this improvement, AI should have a harder time spotting you when you are lying in grass or positioned behind camouflage nets, as these materials will better obstruct their line of sight. Together, these features are intended to make stealth and positioning feel more natural and rewarding. We know this is something players care about, especially in larger-scale scenarios, and we want to make sure these improvements support both current gameplay and future content.

Another major focus is vehicle simulation and handling. As we already mentioned, the community has raised a lot of feedback around vehicle behavior since 1.7, and we are continuing to review, tune, and improve this area. The vehicle simulation changes were made to solve deeper technical limitations, but we know that the end result still needs further balancing and polish. This is not just about making vehicles feel better right now, but also about building a stronger foundation for future vehicle-related improvements and additions... such as for tracked vehicles.

We'll have more details to share in a future update, but for now, know that our attention is focused on addressing as much as we can while continuing to polish and improve current systems. Some of this work will arrive through minor patches, while other areas may take more time depending on complexity, testing, and impact on the wider game.

We understand that it can be frustrating when issues are not resolved as quickly as you would like, but please know that we genuinely want things to succeed and truly appreciate the patience and support you continue to show us.

LOGISTICS

We also recently released the RHS Modder Supporter Pack, available now on our Steam store page. This is part of our ongoing effort to support well-known and long-standing community modders who have contributed to Arma Reforger and the wider Arma community. This pack allows players to directly support featured Arma modders. The majority of net receipts from each purchase goes directly to the modders, with the remaining share going to Bohemia Interactive to support the ongoing operation of the program. We know the first release raised a lot of questions and concerns, and we want to improve how this process is handled moving forward. Our goal is to continue expanding this program and include more community creators over time, while making the process clearer for everyone.

While not directly Reforger-related, we also recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of Operation Flashpoint, the landmark title that started the road toward Arma and helped define the gameplay legacy Reforger continues to build on today. Given Reforger’s Cold War setting and its connection to that original tactical military sandbox experience, this anniversary was an important moment for us and the community. To mark the occasion, we also released a small selection of exclusive anniversary merch on the BI Store that you can pre-order today.

As always, stay tuned to our official channels for the latest updates, sneak peeks, and news as we continue to develop and improve Arma Reforger.

Until next time... We’ll see you on the battlefield!