Squad Kicks off Pre-Alpha Launch July 24 for Kickstarter Backers

Though not directly tied to QuakeCon, there's a bit of news that revolve around LAN gaming's favorite genre: shooters. Squad, the Project Reality Battlefield 2 mod-turned-full-game, is now ready to launch into its Closed Pre-Alpha phase beginning tomorrow, July 24, at 3 PM GMT/11 AM EST/8 AM PST.

Birthed from Project Reality, Squad is prepared to show how grown-up it's become by confidently boasting realistic elements that are lost in other shooters. A year and a half into development and having succeeded with its Kickstarter on June 27, Squad is finally being placed in the hands of over 3000 Kickstarter backers. Offworld Industries, of course, isn't just allowing backers to access the Closed Pre-Alpha, but they're also rewarding these backers with Closed Pre-Alpha levels. Alongside these additional levels are significant updates and feature improvements, such as the following:

• Added Night layers and Dawn layers to all maps
• Added multiple flag layout layers to each map
• Rebuilt the Forest map
• Added the Light Anti-Tank Kit to the US Army and the M72A7 LAW
• Added gravity, bullet drop and damage models to all projectiles
• Added dozens of small statics and filled out the world
• Added a third type of player movement to test, added stamina system to all movement tests
• Tested a conventional Russian Forces infantry faction

The developers will be running these servers for 72 hours a weekend for six to eight weeks, constantly adding and testing features that will eventually lead up to the Closed Alpha, which is set for September soon after Pax Prime. If you're still interested in purchasing a Squad tier package, you can do so at this pre-purchase gateway. You will have the option to purchase from these two tiers:
 
Tier 1: Rifleman - Backer Level ($30 USD)

• Steam Early Access (regular retail $35)
• One standard game key
• Backer tag in forums and game

Tier 2: Squad Leader - Founder Level ($70 USD)

• Closed Alpha access
• Steam Early Access
• One standard game key
• Founder patch in game
• Founder tag in forums
• Alternate primary weapon skins for AK and M4
• Digital copy of the "Squad" soundtrack
• In game name in Credits

You can also upgrade from the Rifleman Tier package to the Squad Leader Tier package for $40 more. If you haven't done so and are in need of convincing, you can always check out the gameplay video of Squad below: