Tactical Infantry CORE

Tactical Infantry Core (TIC)

Local combat improvements — no companion required

- Shorter machine-gun bursts for infantry and AI gunners, with less wasteful rifle suppression.
- Faster visual recognition and less crowded defensive cover selection.
- Reactions to incoming fire and nearby grenades, including visible grenade throws. Soldiers can run, seek cover or go prone when a grenade threatens them.
- Controlled use of smoke during healing, followed by a return to firearms.
- Opportunistic frag throws at recently seen enemies behind solid cover, with friendly-fire checks.
- Improved marksman positioning. Soldiers carrying DMRs, marksman rifles and other weapons with long-range scopes prefer longer engagements and more deliberate fire, rather than rapidly emptying their magazines except at close range.
- Vehicle reactions to anti-tank threats, missiles and incoming rockets.
- Armed vehicles move forward to support attached infantry squads instead of remaining too far behind.
- Units investigate reported target locations, seek cover or concealment and observe for threats before committing to an engagement. They can move to a safer position when needed.

Crew-served MG teams — integrated, undergoing testing

Game Master and custom scenarios now have three-person M60 and PKM teams: a gunner carrying the machine gun as his primary weapon, a rifleman carrying the matching tripod who becomes the loader, and a separate ammunition bearer. They assemble the carried weapon and tripod, use real, finite ammunition and native reloading, and keep the crew at the gun instead of leaving for routine errands. New orders and urgent threats can still release the crew. No LLM companion is required.

Place “TIC M60 Crew-Served Team (3)” or “TIC PKM Crew-Served Team (3)” and give it a nearby Defend waypoint facing a clear firing lane. Ordinary movement keeps the weapon carried. After 90 continuous quiet seconds, a healthy team can pack and recover its gun, tripod and ammunition. Once recovery finishes, give it a new Move order followed by Defend to carry and rebuild the weapon. New orders, player control, crew loss and urgent danger can interrupt the assignment.

Local M60/PKM combat, recovery, redeployment and cancellation checks passed. Native assembly or packing can consume one chambered round per conversion; belts and ammunition remain real and finite. Low tripods can still have obstructed views in vegetation. Casualty equipment recovery, automatic selection of the next firing position, multiplayer and join-in-progress validation remain pending.

Optional LLM Commander companion

The optional OpenAI-based companion adds reinforcement dispatch, coordinated assault and flanking orders, and automatic transport planning. The local combat improvements above work without the companion, an API key or an external AI service.

- Radio-equipped units can call for help after heavy casualties or when facing a stronger force indicated by their observations. Nearby responding units investigate and support troops under fire.
- The LLM Commander decides whether to send reinforcements, order a tactical retreat, move a squad to another position or have it hold until help arrives.
- Commander awareness of friendly squad locations depends on long-range radios or radio relay coverage. Losing a radio operator before a report is sent can prevent a squad from requesting help if no relay is available.
- Squads with radio access can recruit nearby squads to follow them as reinforcements, including squads without their own long-range radio.
- For reinforcement journeys longer than 500 metres, a squad searches within 150 metres for a suitable vehicle with enough room.
- Local information sharing between squads.

To be integrated

1. Confirmation of enemy casualties through observed state changes.
2. AI driving improvements.
3. Predictive searches based on the enemy's last observed movement. For example, one squad searches the last known position while another moves to intercept; if contact is not regained, they resume their previous tasks after searching.
4. Native “blueberry” recruitment: depleted squads can join another squad and reinforce it.
5. Reinforcement selection based on the reported enemy type. Armor reports would prompt the LLM Commander to seek available anti-armor support, alongside native AI searches for anti-tank weapons.
6. AI formation changes.
7. Custom AI ambush planning, including mines and bait vehicles; linear danger area crossings, bounding, tactical retreats, defense in depth and improved LLM understanding of military doctrine.
8. Integration with more factions.

Development assistance from GPT-6 Astra for Enfusion API research. Workshop image generated with AI.