A screenshot taken mid-game on a mountainous map in Squad.
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I have been playing this game since 2017, a game already 2 years in the making then, and would continue to be "in development" until late in the year 2020 as an early access game. Over that period, I had the opportunity to see a game get fleshed out over time, while being able to play and test it, getting excited each time they added a new feature, like Main Battle Tanks. Since then I have racked up close to 490 hours in the game (a number graciously provided by Steam next to the play button of each game).
Aside from the neat military equipment you get to operate as part of the game, there is a heavy emphasis on team play.
Something of a chain of command exists, ranging from the voluntarily Commander and Squad Leader to the maunally assigned Fire Team Leader and finally the default Squad Member. All of these roles are connected through a trio of voice over channels: Local/Proximity, where you talk to your immediately near teammates, Squad channel, where you speak exclusively to your squadmates over any distance, and the Command channel, where all Squad Leaders talk to eachother exclusively.
Among these teammates are specialized roles, notably the LAT (Light Anti Tank), HAT (Heavy Anti Tank), Rifleman, and Medic. The operation of specialized vehicles like Infantry Fighting Vehicles and helicopters requires the use of Crewman and Pilot. For example, 3 crewmen could gather to operate a tank, \ which requires a separate player for each role of driver, gunner, and a commander/spotter.
The game includes a small variety of game modes and a large roster of different maps that require different play styles for more or less each map. One of my personal favorites is Talil Outskirts, a large, open desert map.
A teaser image for the map Talil Outskirts from the OWI June 2018 devblog Recap.
Like with many other games, Squad has developed a strong social media presence, including various streamers and YouTube content creators, such as MoiDawg, who also contributes to the Potato Fields game community and server.
Recently, the devs have been whitelisting mods for servers. These mods are free to subscribe to, and can just add equipment, like Steel Division, or completely reskin the game, like Galactic Contention. These mods are especially well made, and do generally add to the game in general.
Recommended
Squad is an excellent game. if you can spare an hour or two at a time. I would compare it most to Battlefield (appropriate considering Squad's origins). It encourages team play, but uses relatively simple mechanics and features compared Arma 3, a game Squad is often equated to. The maps are fairly open, and always contain vehicles to help traverse the maps. With the recent addition of cool new mods, Squad's future looks bright in terms of longevity.
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