About the Game
An Open World RTS Military Survival Game. Command CERC (Center for Epidemic Research and Control) to stop a pandemic-level event from consuming the Bay Area. The Pangu Virus threatens humanity as it spreads, turning native inhabitants into infected, relentless swarms. Can you adapt, survive, and reclaim control?
Hardcore RTS Military Combat Meets Survival Horror
Aircraft Carrier Operations
Your mobile base of operations in Pandemic Mode. If it’s destroyed, you lose. Defend it at all costs and utilize Winters, now a rebuildable hero, to lead your forces.A New Threat Rises
Battle infected hordes that can infect and turn your own units. Command land, sea, and air forces to hold the line in this unforgiving world.
Dynamic Gameplay Systems
Command the Operator
Control the battlefield in Third-Person Shooter mode or use the Operator as a hero unit in RTS mode. Adapt your strategies to survive.Doctrine Tree Progression
Unlock new support options, powerful weapons, and unique units by leveling up through the Doctrine tree.Customize Pandemic Mode
Create your perfect challenge. Turn off infected types, adjust gameplay options, and create custom scenarios to tailor the experience.Character Progression
Improve your characters’ health and targeting efficiency as they gain experience through combat.
Innovative Mechanics and Features
Line of Sight and Hearing AI
Experience cutting-edge AI that hunts your units based on what they can see and hear. Stay stealthy, or face overwhelming swarms.Massive, Detailed Maps
Explore sprawling urban environments filled with varied locales. Plan every attack, defense, and civilian evacuation carefully to ensure survival.Dynamic Civilian Diplomacy
Interact with rogue civilian groups. Recruit them to your cause, negotiate alliances, or defend yourself from hostile factions.Civilian Evacuation
Manage who lives and dies with an intricate Civilian Administration Structure. Customize your intake system or use preset templates to make critical decisions.
Destroy the Infection
Research the Pangu Virus
Delve into the secrets of the alien pathogen and find a way to kill Patient 0 before it’s too late.Hunt Patient 0 and Their Lieutenants
Stop the infection from spreading by targeting its leaders. Destroy their expanding hordes before they consume every province.Dynamic Provincial Events
Encounter unexpected challenges as rogue civilian combatants and infected groups form dynamically across the map. Your reputation and decisions will shape the world around you.
Planned Features
Enhanced Operator Customization
Tailor weapons, abilities, and appearance. Drive vehicles, gain progression perks, and refine your playstyle for maximum impact.DNA Research System
Develop a proper progression tree to counter the virus, protect your units, and evolve your strategies.Improved AI Logic
Refine the behavior of infected Lieutenants and AI to challenge extreme turtle strategies.Co-Op Multiplayer
Share control of CERC operations with up to four players. Pool resources, coordinate tactics, and fight as a team against the infection.Canon Campaign Mode
Experience the official Cepheus Protocol story, inspired by the novel and side storie
Screenshots
30 images
Version Information
Steam Patch Notes
Official update history
The virus is loose across the Bay Area. Flashpoints are erupting across the peninsula as entire districts fall into chaos and infected swarms push deeper into civilian zones.
CERC forces are already in the field.
Embedded military reporters and frontline operators are transmitting battlefield coverage directly from active operations. The images you are about to see were captured during recent combat deployments across the region.
These transmissions come directly from the front.
The battle for the Bay Area has begun.
2026.5.30.6.2 Hotfix Change list:
Fixed Infection Count going negative during live gameplay
Fixed a Save/Load issue where Infected Count could reset to 0
Improved Infection counter to count active and inactive infection including Chelsey into the base count.
The last major update
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/979640/view/712276809750677214"]
The Next 60 Days of Cepheus Protocol...
Civilian Evacuation is now playable from start to finish, and today’s update is focused on hotfixes, cleanup, and what comes next for the Rebuild.
If you missed yesterday’s post covering one of the biggest updates to ever touch the Cepheus Protocol Rebuild, you can read it here:
[dynamiclink href="https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/525374254465680188"]CERC HQ EP 91 Summary:
The evacuation system just hit a major milestone. For the first time, players can now play through the entire civilian rescue loop from beginning to end. This includes fully functional intake processing, evacuation buses, infection scanning upgrades, doctrine progression, and direct civilian movement into evacuation zones.
New doctrine upgrades now let you streamline processing, skip holding cells, and massively improve evacuation efficiency as your operation grows.
The infected are also getting a major overhaul. Infection spread has been rebalanced, structure construction is now visible before activation, and the late game is being tuned to reduce the frustrating “whack-a-mole” pressure players were running into. Endless Horde Mode is now available as a custom option for players who want the infection to spread forever.
Vehicle pathfinding, helicopters, gates, airstrikes, radio systems, and multiplayer syncing all received major fixes this week. The team also reworked a large number of save/load issues, improved performance for large sessions, and added better RTS management tools for handling evacuation zones and civilian flow.
Next up is a full push on formation AI, infected intelligence, new infected variants, infected lieutenants(Her Operators), Infected Leviathan (Late game super unit), Operator improvements, and the massive San Francisco North map expansion.
The goal over the next 60 days is to push every major gameplay system far beyond what existed ever before.
You can catch up on the latest CERC HQ below if you want to see the full breakdown for yourself:
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/NC6z4-1UEB0"]
The Next 60 Days
Over the next 30 to 60 days, the focus is pushing every major gameplay system forward beyond what existed before in the original build.
Civilian Evacuation polish and bug fixing
Formation AI improvements
Infected intelligence improvements
New infected variants
Lieutenants and late-game infected progression
Leviathan progression
Operator improvements
San Francisco North expansion work
RTS control improvements
Save/load and multiplayer stability improvements
Civilian Evacuation Progress
The evacuation system has reached a major gameplay milestone.
Players can now complete the full civilian rescue loop from intake to evacuation, with supporting systems now coming online around it.
Functional intake processing
Evacuation buses
Infection scanning upgrades
Doctrine progression
Direct civilian movement into evacuation zones
Upgrades to streamline civilian processing
Options to skip holding cells
Improved evacuation efficiency as your operation grows
Infected Rework
The infected are also receiving a major pass as part of this phase of development.
Infection spread has been rebalanced, infected structure construction is now visible before activation, and late-game pressure is being tuned to reduce the frustrating “whack-a-mole” feeling players were running into.
Endless Horde Mode is also available as a custom option for players who want the infection to keep spreading forever.
What Comes Next
The next major push is about taking the systems now coming online and making them stronger, smarter, and more stable.
Expect continued work on formation AI, infected behavior, new infected threats, Operator improvements, San Francisco North, evacuation polish, and the broader late-game progression loop.
As always, Experimental builds may contain rough edges, bugs, and unfinished content. Player reports are extremely helpful as these systems continue moving toward the default branch.
🎙️ Next CERC HQ – Livestream Details
🕔 When: Weekly Saturdays – 7 PM EST (New Time!)
💬 What is CERC HQ:
Welcome to Cepheus Protocol HQ, your ultimate weekly briefing on all things Cepheus Protocol! Join the Halcyon Winds team as we explore the latest updates, reveal behind-the-scenes development stories, and answer community questions about the game. From exciting new features to design challenges, this is your all-access pass to the evolving world of Cepheus Protocol. Tune in every week and stay ahead of the outbreak!
Co-op Progress
Total Revamp based on Community Feedback
Level Design Updates
📺 Where to Watch:
🎤 Don’t miss our Live Q&A! We’ll be answering questions from the community during the stream.
📺 Missed a Stream? No Worries!
Spotify Podcast Archive (VODs may take 24 hours to appear)
The rebuild is now the default version of Cepheus Protocol, and the first 48 hours gave us exactly what we needed: a real stress test at scale.
Discord playtests help, internal testing helps, but nothing compares to thousands of players stress testing the game in every possible way. That’s how you find the edge cases you never see in controlled sessions.
The good news is we’ve already reproduced and fixed several of the biggest issues being reported, and we’re pushing those changes live right now.
What We Learned (First 48 Hours)
The rebuild foundation is holding up well, but community play testing immediately exposed edge cases, mainly around vehicles, navigation, and some UI flow.
A lot of confusion is still coming from missing systems (Civilian Evac, dynamic civilians, etc)
See the FAQ below!
UI overlapping issues were resolved
Patch Notes:
Fixed an issue with the server browser where there were so many people playing the scroll bar stopped working for hosted servers
What We’re Still Hunting
These are the kinds of issues that don’t always appear during internal testing, but show up immediately once the community gets hands-on.
If you run into anything weird with:
Vehicles doing something dumb
Units ignoring obvious navigation
UI menus acting strange
A short clip or a quick Discord screenshare helps us reproduce and eliminate it fast. Feel free to hop on discord and we can jump into a voice call. Anything helps! As we are seeking to knock out the remaining pathing issues pronto!
In Progress
We’re also actively working on several high-impact systems that affect moment-to-moment gameplay:
Engineer repair behavior for vehicles
Engineer Auto-repair for structures and vehicles
Next Big Goal: Doctrines + Airstrikes (Targeting Week of 11th)
We’re shifting back to the next major pillar of the rebuild.
Our goal is to get Doctrines back in and bring Airstrikes back with the full set of related systems and support options by next week.
That’s the next big step toward restoring long-term progression and replayability in the rebuild.
Balance Passes (Ongoing)
Balance is still being tuned every day as more players jump in and we get real data.
Michael is actively monitoring feedback and adjusting:
Weapons
Turrets
Vehicles
This is an ongoing process and we will keep tightening it as the rebuild stabilizes.
If You’re Confused, Read These First (Pinned)
Haven’t Played in a While? Start Here
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/979640/view/518607443608996338"][dynamiclink href="https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/537736957039477253"][dynamiclink href="https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/537735054151909378"]
What Still Needs To Be Finished
Here is the consolidated list, in one place, so there is no confusion.
Missing Or In Progress Systems
January Goals
Remaining Vehicle Abilities And Behaviors
Bradley TOW
Doctrines
Save System for Pandemic
BUGS, BUGS and Bugs! We still are hunting down desyncs and bugs as they are reported!
Game Balance - Is still ongoing and being tweaked. Michael is monitoring Steam/Discord for feedback
February Goals
Any Remaining Bugs/Performance Tweaks/QOL Adjustments based on community feedback
Remaining Enemy Roster Needed For Angel to be unlocked
Leviathan
Birds
Additional Pandemic Regions Locked Until The Above Is Complete
Angel Island
San Francisco North
TBD
We are committed to not rushing to the "end" to ensure everything prior is working correctly. These are the ones currently in limbo that we will be tackling once the above list is "completely" done.
LHA6 & LCAC
Civilian Evacuation & Dynamic Civilian Groups
We made two pinned threads so we can centralize answers and stop misinformation:
Rebuild vs Legacy: which version you’re on, what’s missing, what to play (link)
Civilian Evac 2.0 + Dynamic Civilians plan: why it’s delayed and what’s changing (link)
If you’re asking: “where is evac” “where are civilians” “what build am I on” Start there.
That is the remaining gap we are closing through Q1. Anything else will be discussed only after the current list above is done.
Q1 2026 Target
Our target through Q1 2026 is to bring back the remaining missing pillars and have the rebuilt version fully represent the complete Cepheus Protocol experience again, but better.
That means:
More stability and performance
Larger scale gameplay
More and better maps
Complete Pandemic mode pillars
Operators expanding toward Doctrines
Public Campaigns
A few times each week, our developers host public multiplayer sessions where we jump into the chaos ourselves—testing, refining, and showcasing the true state of the game. These sessions are open for everyone to join, chat, and experience the evolving sandbox that Cepheus Protocol Multiplayer and Single player has become.
Our Last Dev Campaigns:
📖 Operation: Island Sweep – Treasure Island Playtest Recap
In one of our first large-scale playtests for Treasure Island, CERC forces deployed from the carrier deck and immediately split into two coordinated fireteams. One team moved quickly to secure the bridge linking Yerba Buena Island to the main landmass, establishing a forward barricade to stem any early infected movement. Meanwhile, the second team advanced on the military base, fortifying it as a staging area for deeper incursions into the city.
Operators were dispatched on foot for reconnaissance, sweeping through nearby districts to identify infected activity and relay positions back to RTS players. These early scouts faced brutal resistance—several near-wipeouts forced emergency retreats to fallback outposts, where teams regrouped before launching counteroffensives.
As intel solidified, CERC forces began a methodical push toward the carnival grounds, establishing forward operating bases (FOBs) block by block. Each zone cleared became a new resupply and logistics hub, allowing the team to maintain pressure and steadily expand their perimeter. The fighting intensified near the construction site and hospital district, where infected forces attempted multiple breakouts—but each was repelled by quick RTS responses and layered defenses.
Key tactical strikes were launched against newly emerged gas towers, which the infected had built to irradiate CERC positions and force retreats. These were neutralized in time, allowing squads to resume their advance. The operation culminated in a coordinated sweep through the hospital zone, ending with the elimination of Chelsey after a protracted urban engagement.
In a final act of desperation, the infected launched a last-ditch assault to retake the military base. It was shut down by a precision Blackhawk strafing run—securing victory and leaving only isolated remnants, which were tracked down and eliminated by roaming patrols and air support.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/14ba08ea1ad526dd075f3270124e1dcf89f98c5f.png"]
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/d61c110b02d1a5f9dbfbea7967ecffed6176e6ad.png"]
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/xEvcprpgEi4"][dynamiclink href="https://steamcommunity.com/games/979640/announcements/detail/567017334005301886"]
📜 Patch Notes
Fixed a fatal crash related to the bridges being destroyed
Fixed a cache issue that caused localizations to fail to switch
All localizations updated. German, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, French and Portuguese Brazil
How to Opt In
Here’s how to opt into the Cepheus Protocol public playtest on Steam:
Open Steam and go to your Library.
Right-click Cepheus Protocol and select Properties.
In the left panel, click on Betas.
From the dropdown menu, choose public-playtest.
Close the window. Steam will automatically begin downloading the playtest branch.
Once the download is finished, you’ll be running the public playtest version.
Recap for those late to the party
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/1429b3c3c0709036e353974598d8548482b013e6.gif"]
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/979640/view/537736957039477252"][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/979640/view/537735054151909377"]
What’s Coming Next
Immediate priorities are:
Balancing the new
Builder Droneand Juggernaut AIWrapping helicopter polish (directed landings, pads, operator features, desync fixes)
Fixing AI issues with enemy prioritization and tactical decisions
Frequent bug fixes as we get reports
Chelsey’s AI
Juggernauts are undergoing testing at the moment
Population Meter re-implemented at the bottom-left of the UI for tracking infection strength
Once helicopters and AI stability are locked in, focus will shift to Custom Game Options so players can tune pacing and difficulty. Vehicle driving AI and pathfinding are next in line, but we may hold off depending on the volume and severity of bug reports.
October Goals
We are aiming to flip the rebuild into the default experience by the Halloween Sale, with older versions still available as an opt-in. The exact timing will be based on stability, bug reports, and community feedback — our goal is to get as many people as possible playing on the rebuild once it’s ready.
October priorities include:
Implement the AJAX(HUMVEE) as a test bed for vehicle driving. Work with the community to establish a good "core" vehicle driving. After its "done" we start porting over all the wheeled vehicles and follow up with the Abrams and co.
Extensive Bug hunts / Performance tweaks
A save/load system for Pandemic
Bay Area map updates: Treasure Island and Angel Island are under renovation, with rollout expected around Halloween. Stay tuned! We will aim to release this map in segments going into XMAS. Starting in stages
Treasure Island->
Angel & Alcatraz Island ->
San Francisco North
On top of these big-ticket items, there are many smaller details and fine-tuning tasks underway — some not listed here but discussed in recent CERC HQ broadcasts. October will be a mix of large features and constant iteration as we refine the fundamentals.
🎧 Last Time on CERC HQ…
Cepheus Protocol | CERC HQ | #69
This week’s update is a no-holds-barred breakdown of Pandemic mode’s evolution, centered around the rebuild of Treasure Island and a total systems overhaul. Robert walks through the new layered rollout strategy for map expansion, beginning with a playable slice of Treasure Island set to launch around Halloween. With Unreal Engine 5’s precision fixes, the team can finally realize their original vision for a scalable, destructible, and immersive RTS battlefield.
Level design gets serious upgrades, including foliage placement, bridge logic, and terrain verticality—while the devs debate whether to support multi-tiered underpasses for gameplay. On the AI side, huge strides are made in how infected evaluate targets, spread, and adapt to player fortifications. Pathfinding gets tighter, blowup enemies are rebalanced, and new debug systems give devs visibility into AI logic mid-match.
Operators get more integration with RTS elements—riding helicopters, building structures, and coordinating in full co-op squads. Helicopter physics and weapon balance receive a full pass, alongside early work on ground vehicle deployment starting with the Ajax. Meanwhile, discussions begin on evolving infected variants and bringing dynamic civilian factions back with better AI direction systems.
Chelsea’s overhaul is still coming. Juggernaut and Builder units continue to be tested. And yes, feedback from Discord and Steam is actively shaping next steps.
🔥 Highlights
Treasure Island rebuild set for Halloween rollout with layered map expansion
Fully revamped AI threat logic, pathfinding, and zone targeting
Debate over under-bridge traversal and visibility in RTS gameplay
Helicopter balancing complete: physics, flight feel, and weapon tuning
Operators now ride, build, and interact deeply with RTS mechanics
Juggernaut and Builder infected updated with smarter behaviors
Upcoming work on vehicle AI, bridge destruction, and custom doctrines
New debug tools help devs analyze AI decisions during play
Feedback-driven dev cycle with live balance adjustments
Community Q&A covers everything from faction AI to turtling tactics
🛠️ Patch Preview
Expect nerfs to blowup units, tweaks to helicopter refueling, and tighter threat evaluation logic. The Ajax vehicle rollout begins soon, and feedback is requested for bridge logic, underpass use, and unit camera control. It’s shaping up fast—get ready to test hard and break things.
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/_vPNXsx32RQ"]
🎙️ Next CERC HQ – Livestream Details
🕔 When: Weekly Saturdays – 3 PM EST (New Time!)
📺 Where to Watch:
💬 Topics We'll Cover:
Co-op Progress
Total Revamp based on Community Feedback
Level Design Updates
🎤 Don’t miss our Live Q&A! We’ll be answering questions from the community during the stream.
📺 Missed a Stream? No Worries!
Spotify Podcast Archive (VODs may take 24 hours to appear)
How to Opt In
Here’s how to opt into the Cepheus Protocol public playtest on Steam:
Open Steam and go to your Library.
Right-click Cepheus Protocol and select Properties.
In the left panel, click on Betas.
From the dropdown menu, choose public-playtest.
Close the window. Steam will automatically begin downloading the playtest branch.
Once the download is finished, you’ll be running the public playtest version.
[carousel autoadvance="true"][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/cae41230301fdbb524bffd3082443717f26cf0eb.jpg"][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/e5d49b85ab379e878006a640e110542fdae9dcac.jpg"]Recap for those late to the party
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/1429b3c3c0709036e353974598d8548482b013e6.gif"]
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/979640/view/537736957039477252"][dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/979640/view/537735054151909377"]
Patch Notes:
Fixed Attack prioritization sometimes failing under certain base layouts
Fixed CERC units failing to target/focus enemies sometimes after leaving a helicopter garrison. It would force units to oddly stare at weird directions and overall break combat
Fixed a client crash when swapping maps
What’s Coming Next
Immediate priorities are:
Balancing the new
Builder Droneand Juggernaut AIWrapping helicopter polish (directed landings, pads, operator features, desync fixes)
Fixing AI issues with enemy prioritization and tactical decisions
Frequent bug fixes as we get reports
Chelsey’s AI
Juggernauts are undergoing testing at the moment
Population Meter re-implemented at the bottom-left of the UI for tracking infection strength
Once helicopters and AI stability are locked in, focus will shift to Custom Game Options so players can tune pacing and difficulty. Vehicle driving AI and pathfinding are next in line, but we may hold off depending on the volume and severity of bug reports.
October Goals
We are aiming to flip the rebuild into the default experience by the Halloween Sale, with older versions still available as an opt-in. The exact timing will be based on stability, bug reports, and community feedback — our goal is to get as many people as possible playing on the rebuild once it’s ready.
October priorities include:
Implement the AJAX(HUMVEE) as a test bed for vehicle driving. Work with the community to establish a good "core" vehicle driving. After its "done" we start porting over all the wheeled vehicles and follow up with the Abrams and co.
Extensive Bug hunts / Performance tweaks
A save/load system for Pandemic
Bay Area map updates: Treasure Island and Angel Island are under renovation, with rollout expected around Halloween. Stay tuned! We will aim to release this map in segments going into XMAS. Starting in stages
Treasure Island->
Angel & Alcatraz Island ->
San Francisco North
[img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images//33900595/15f13d07ae91869b3046e19612a06c0772114b7a.png"]
[img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images//33900595/533f563ba7b0e8b9e03cf32d30542501af4a8d91.jpg"]
[img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images//33900595/8cdec0d9983e690201acf07ca24f714a13d9d1c9.jpg"]
On top of these big-ticket items, there are many smaller details and fine-tuning tasks underway — some not listed here but discussed in recent CERC HQ broadcasts. October will be a mix of large features and constant iteration as we refine the fundamentals.
Community
We had a great nine-player session on Discord right after the latest podcast, with everyone yelling, planning, and strategizing together. These sessions highlight how fun the rebuild already is — but they also expose glaring issues that we’re working hard to fix. We’re confident we’ll keep tackling them throughout October.
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/zKWbgPamjZQ"]
🎧 Last Time on CERC HQ…
🎙️ Episode Summary: This week’s deep dive delivers a massive progress update on the overhaul of the Pandemic mode, featuring an all-out push to bring full replayability back online. Robert and Michael walk through newly added helicopters—including the Apache, Merlin, and Osprey—complete with functional weapons, revised helipad mechanics, and incoming fixes to air-to-ground UI and landing validation. The team shows off early AI behaviors, pathfinding improvements, and newly implemented features like the activity and build logs to combat co-op chaos and resource confusion.
Combat takes center stage with the first public test of the revamped Juggernaut, now capable of throwing cars and pulling off AOE slams with increasing aggression. A new “Builder” infected enemy joins the battlefield, adding strategic depth as it constructs pods and gas towers. The episode also teases Chelsea’s major rework, aiming to elevate her from a static boss into a dynamic, phase-based threat with self-preservation instincts and map-traversing AI.
Footstep systems are back, voice barks are live for better immersion, and the team is fine-tuning threat evaluation and helicopter pathfinding. Michael breaks down evolving unit balance, while the devs give a brutally honest look at the game’s current difficulty and why this weekend’s builds are not for the faint of heart.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/709c1db535ac5047245a3f282ae1c231f2a7e1e3.jpg"][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/5962c43820a589fdf6c6b588001c4dc1e2259e9f.jpg"][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/33900595/7baf70eaabbd941fe146fc6c7d1c1ae1ba5c0539.png"]As the team gears up for adding ground vehicles and save/load systems, they're clear: bugs are expected in the build they released today, feedback is welcome, and no, this is not final balance—yet. Its all a work in progress as we work to build all the systems back in.
🔥 Highlights:
New helicopters fully integrated with weapons, sounds, and visuals
Juggernaut overhaul: car throws, ground slams, and rage phases
Activity & build logs help curb co-op trolling
First glimpse at the infected “Builder” unit
Early talk on Chelsea’s rework: roaming, evolving boss AI
Helicopter landing logic, visual bugs, and upcoming UI fixes
Operator camera work, 2D/3D ability barks, and immersion tweaks
Honest dev commentary on crunch, bugs, and upcoming patches
Teased features: doctrines, save/load system, custom game rules
🛠️ Patch Preview:
Expect increased helicopter counters, juggernaut fixes, and additional tuning in the next 48 hours. Playtesters: watch for bugs, share feedback, and prepare for a fight—Pandemic just got meaner.
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/j9p7-7UwCAY"]
🎙️ Next CERC HQ – Livestream Details
🕔 When: Weekly Saturdays – 3 PM EST (New Time!)
📺 Where to Watch:
💬 Topics We'll Cover:
Co-op Progress
Total Revamp based on Community Feedback
Level Design Updates
🎤 Don’t miss our Live Q&A! We’ll be answering questions from the community during the stream.
📺 Missed a Stream? No Worries!
Spotify Podcast Archive (VODs may take 24 hours to appear)
Cepheus Protocol HQ - #63
Episode Summary:
This week’s update covers major progress across three core fronts: Legacy triage, the ongoing Rebuild, and the fast-approaching launch of Pandemic mode.
Legacy Triage:
Work is wrapping up on the legacy version, which remains on the default branch for now. The devs focused on fixing a final batch of high-impact bugs, including issues with civilian evacuation, vehicle behavior, group reliability (especially in larger units like the Atlas), and turret visuals. Dynamic civilian groups have also been tweaked to avoid awkward or game-breaking spawn locations. Legacy triage is expected to conclude within days, at which point attention fully shifts to the rebuild.
Rebuild Progress:
On the rebuild side, major strides have been made with helicopter AI. Pathfinding has been overhauled to better navigate 3D space—helicopters now intelligently maintain elevation, avoid obstacles, and handle formation movement more reliably. Velocity and deceleration issues from previous builds have also been addressed, laying the groundwork for improved transport and combat behavior. These changes also establish a foundation for future ground vehicle AI.
Localization has been added to the rebuild, with full language support now available for Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The team is actively seeking community feedback to fine-tune these translations. Additionally, a long-standing bug with power calculation—surfaced by the community—was corrected.
A major UI update also landed: the entire main menu has been reskinned for clarity and polish, with quick access to keybinds, graphics settings, language selection, and RTS operator customization.
Pandemic Mode Development:
Pandemic mode is entering a focused sprint aimed at delivering a playable version in early September. This first iteration will include baseline features: Chelsey, infected spawning, infection spread, pods, gas towers, and a working custom game settings system. The devs emphasize player freedom, allowing users to enable or disable specific infected archetypes and tweak gameplay parameters like spread speed and melee damage.
A new brute infected archetype is also now live—designed to add more variation to moment-to-moment gameplay. Additional variants like the juggernaut, leviathan, and spitter will roll out in future waves, especially impacting Pandemic difficulty scaling.
New Pandemic Loss Conditions:
One of the major changes going into the rebuild is the introduction of an “and/or” loss condition for Pandemic mode. Previously, players could only lose if the carrier was destroyed—something rare unless the Leviathan or birds were enabled. Since custom game settings now allow those threats to be turned off, many players could reach a state where they couldn’t lose at all.To fix this, the upcoming system will trigger a game over if either the carrier or the CERC HQ is destroyed. This forces players to commit to their positioning and defend critical infrastructure at all times, adding real risk to every decision.
CERC HQ Relocation and Defense Mechanics:
Players will be able to pay a fee to relocate the CERC HQ if the current position becomes untenable. Once initiated, a sky crane will arrive after a pickup timer, hook up the HQ, and fly it to the chosen location. During both pickup and transit, the HQ must be defended, introducing a high-risk, high-reward dynamic to repositioning. This system is designed to raise the tactical ceiling and deepen the tension in Pandemic gameplay.
Map & Hub Overhaul: Finally, the devs shared progress on porting the full-scale Bay Area open world into Unreal 5, using new double-precision support to eliminate previous limitations. Treasure Island is being restructured for accuracy, and Alcatraz is being rebuilt as both a campaign hub and RTS-friendly map. The goal is to have this hub polished and ready by the Halloween sale window.
The update closes with a look at the evolving format for these dev briefings—future HQs will be shorter, more focused, and feature pre-recorded developer highlights followed by live Q&A.
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/aACiMUL3bkY"]
🔧 Rebranded Beta Branches Now Live
We've cleaned up and renamed our Steam beta branches to better reflect their purpose and make it easier for players to opt into the version that fits their needs. Here's a quick rundown of what each one is for:
live-test (Limited Lifetime)
A staging branch for isolated patch testing before changes are pushed to the main game. If you're curious about upcoming fixes or want to help catch bugs before they go live, this is the place to be.
public-playtest
This is the home of the rebuild and co-op support. Weekly CERC HQ updates are deployed here first, and it’s the best way to get hands-on with in-progress systems and help shape the next phase of development.legacy-premerge
A preserved build from before the experimental branch was merged into the live version. Useful for comparing behavior, checking regressions, or just seeing how far the game has come.
You can access these branches by right-clicking the game in your Steam Library → Properties → Betas, and selecting from the dropdown. No password needed for public branches.
📜 Patch Notes
Patch Notes Patch Notes 1.3.4.14 Legacy
Fixed a crash you could get when ordering groups of more than 20 units to move
Fixed a Crash when you would get meleed while using a riot shield from a certain angle
Fixed a virtualization crash that would occur in the mid-late game
Speculative Fix for Ammo Tents + Mortars having a rare bug where it can steal all your money when you switch it to Auto reload
Fixed a crash that would occur when you had a turret that died
Fixed Vehicles getting stuck on Single & Double barbed Wire
This concludes triage and i will be focusing all my efforts on the rebuild with Derek to get Pandemic and the helicopters remaining aspects starting today.
Rebuild Progress
We are currently in phase 2 of the rebuild and will be showing off progress on the helicopter Our goal this week is to finish helicopters/garrison and weapons and show them at the next CERC-HQ this Saturday at 3 PM EST.
If we can we'll push to show off some early Pandemic work!
Cepheus Protocol Roadmap
We’re thrilled to share our vision for the future of Cepheus Protocol! With your continued support, we’re working tirelessly to refine the game and introduce exciting new features that elevate the experience.
🚧 What’s in Active Development for September?
Helicopter AI + Little Bird + Blackhawk + Chinook + VTOL +Scout Drone & Apache
Pandemic Custom Game Options
Pandemic Chelsey AI
Pandemic Juggernaut AI
Pandemic base Infected AI/Spreading Logic
Pandemic Save System
Tracking down Desyncs, bugs & crashes!
🧠 What's Coming Next?
Launch Phase 2: Civilian Evac + Dynamic Civilian groups
Prepare Phase 3: Vehicles + Doctrines
💬 Want to See the Full Timeline?
Check our stickied Roadmap post on the Steam forums
💡How You Can Help
Play the CERC-HQ-Public build under the beta opt-in tab
Report bugs, give feedback
Join our Discord to engage with the team and community
Thank you for continuing to support the game — this is just the beginning. 🛠️
Join the Discussion!
Head over to our Discord Server or Steam Discussions to connect with other players and the development team. Together, we’re building something truly special. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!
Here's the last playthrough we did with our community — check it out here:
[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpSo50DeUo&t=3215s"]
Cepheus Protocol HQ - #63
Episode Summary:
This week’s update covers major progress across three core fronts: Legacy triage, the ongoing Rebuild, and the fast-approaching launch of Pandemic mode.
Legacy Triage:
Work is wrapping up on the legacy version, which remains on the default branch for now. The devs focused on fixing a final batch of high-impact bugs, including issues with civilian evacuation, vehicle behavior, group reliability (especially in larger units like the Atlas), and turret visuals. Dynamic civilian groups have also been tweaked to avoid awkward or game-breaking spawn locations. Legacy triage is expected to conclude within days, at which point attention fully shifts to the rebuild.
Rebuild Progress:
On the rebuild side, major strides have been made with helicopter AI. Pathfinding has been overhauled to better navigate 3D space—helicopters now intelligently maintain elevation, avoid obstacles, and handle formation movement more reliably. Velocity and deceleration issues from previous builds have also been addressed, laying the groundwork for improved transport and combat behavior. These changes also establish a foundation for future ground vehicle AI.
Localization has been added to the rebuild, with full language support now available for Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The team is actively seeking community feedback to fine-tune these translations. Additionally, a long-standing bug with power calculation—surfaced by the community—was corrected.
A major UI update also landed: the entire main menu has been reskinned for clarity and polish, with quick access to keybinds, graphics settings, language selection, and RTS operator customization.
Pandemic Mode Development:
Pandemic mode is entering a focused sprint aimed at delivering a playable version in early September. This first iteration will include baseline features: Chelsey, infected spawning, infection spread, pods, gas towers, and a working custom game settings system. The devs emphasize player freedom, allowing users to enable or disable specific infected archetypes and tweak gameplay parameters like spread speed and melee damage.
A new brute infected archetype is also now live—designed to add more variation to moment-to-moment gameplay. Additional variants like the juggernaut, leviathan, and spitter will roll out in future waves, especially impacting Pandemic difficulty scaling.
New Pandemic Loss Conditions:
One of the major changes going into the rebuild is the introduction of an “and/or” loss condition for Pandemic mode. Previously, players could only lose if the carrier was destroyed—something rare unless the Leviathan or birds were enabled. Since custom game settings now allow those threats to be turned off, many players could reach a state where they couldn’t lose at all.To fix this, the upcoming system will trigger a game over if either the carrier or the CERC HQ is destroyed. This forces players to commit to their positioning and defend critical infrastructure at all times, adding real risk to every decision.
CERC HQ Relocation and Defense Mechanics:
Players will be able to pay a fee to relocate the CERC HQ if the current position becomes untenable. Once initiated, a sky crane will arrive after a pickup timer, hook up the HQ, and fly it to the chosen location. During both pickup and transit, the HQ must be defended, introducing a high-risk, high-reward dynamic to repositioning. This system is designed to raise the tactical ceiling and deepen the tension in Pandemic gameplay.
Map & Hub Overhaul: Finally, the devs shared progress on porting the full-scale Bay Area open world into Unreal 5, using new double-precision support to eliminate previous limitations. Treasure Island is being restructured for accuracy, and Alcatraz is being rebuilt as both a campaign hub and RTS-friendly map. The goal is to have this hub polished and ready by the Halloween sale window.
The update closes with a look at the evolving format for these dev briefings—future HQs will be shorter, more focused, and feature pre-recorded developer highlights followed by live Q&A.
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/aACiMUL3bkY"]
🔧 Rebranded Beta Branches Now Live
We've cleaned up and renamed our Steam beta branches to better reflect their purpose and make it easier for players to opt into the version that fits their needs. Here's a quick rundown of what each one is for:
live-test (Limited Lifetime)
A staging branch for isolated patch testing before changes are pushed to the main game. If you're curious about upcoming fixes or want to help catch bugs before they go live, this is the place to be.
public-playtest
This is the home of the rebuild and co-op support. Weekly CERC HQ updates are deployed here first, and it’s the best way to get hands-on with in-progress systems and help shape the next phase of development.legacy-premerge
A preserved build from before the experimental branch was merged into the live version. Useful for comparing behavior, checking regressions, or just seeing how far the game has come.
You can access these branches by right-clicking the game in your Steam Library → Properties → Betas, and selecting from the dropdown. No password needed for public branches.
📜 Patch Notes
Patch Notes Patch Notes 1.3.4.13 Legacy
Screen Space Resolution: This option has been removed and all settings have been reset to a default value of 1.0. The feature was overly technical for most players, created unnecessary confusion, and provided little practical benefit.
3D Resolution
The default value for 3D Resolution has been reset to 1.0.This resolves a long-standing issue where the game could appear blurry.
On fresh installs, 3D Resolution would sometimes incorrectly default to 0.90 or even as low as 0.25, causing severe blur.
The Auto Configure option was also too aggressive, lowering the value unnecessarily.
Going forward, 3D Resolution will only be changed manually by the user, and the automatic adjustments have been disabled.
👉 We recommend running Auto Configure once with the new values as a starting point, then manually fine-tuning your settings for the best experience in the Legacy build.
Rebuild Progress
We are currently in phase 2 of the rebuild and will be showing off progress on the helicopter Our goal this week is to finish helicopters/garrison and weapons and show them at the next CERC-HQ this Saturday at 3 PM EST.
If we can we'll push to show off some early Pandemic work!
Cepheus Protocol Roadmap
We’re thrilled to share our vision for the future of Cepheus Protocol! With your continued support, we’re working tirelessly to refine the game and introduce exciting new features that elevate the experience.
🚧 What’s in Active Development for September?
Helicopter AI + Little Bird + Blackhawk + Chinook + VTOL +Scout Drone & Apache
Pandemic Custom Game Options
Pandemic Chelsey AI
Pandemic Juggernaut AI
Pandemic base Infected AI/Spreading Logic
Pandemic Save System
Tracking down Desyncs, bugs & crashes!
🧠 What's Coming Next?
Launch Phase 2: Civilian Evac + Dynamic Civilian groups
Prepare Phase 3: Vehicles + Doctrines
💬 Want to See the Full Timeline?
Check our stickied Roadmap post on the Steam forums
💡How You Can Help
Play the CERC-HQ-Public build under the beta opt-in tab
Report bugs, give feedback
Join our Discord to engage with the team and community
Thank you for continuing to support the game — this is just the beginning. 🛠️
Join the Discussion!
Head over to our Discord Server or Steam Discussions to connect with other players and the development team. Together, we’re building something truly special. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!
Here's the last playthrough we did with our community — check it out here:
[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpSo50DeUo&t=3215s"]
Cepheus Protocol HQ - #62 [dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/lNcaOMyr4Z0"]
📜 Patch Notes
Patch Notes 1.3.4.11 Legacy
Vehicle turret reloading no longer visually bugs out its mesh
Fixed a bug where the barracks and CERC tent rally point wouldn't work
Fixed a bug where landing units would favor one side of the structure or just land all inside of each other
Triage work continues and i have about 6-7 more bugs to hunt down and solve before legacy halts on all updates so i can go back to helping on the rebuild!
Rebuild Progress
We are currently in phase 2 of the rebuild and will be showing off progress on the helicopter AI/Garrisoning and if we hit it by then Weapons at the next CERC-HQ this Saturday at 3 PM EST.
Cepheus Protocol Roadmap
We’re thrilled to share our vision for the future of Cepheus Protocol! With your continued support, we’re working tirelessly to refine the game and introduce exciting new features that elevate the experience.
🚧 What’s in Active Development?
Experimental SP/Co-op Horde Mode — Now live via the cerc-hq-public branch (up to 16 players in hybrid RTS/TPS).
Main Menu/Options Screens to conclude Phase 1.
Tracking down Desyncs, bugs & crashes!
🧠 What's Coming Next?
Finalize and polish Phase 1 We are currently a few days out from this
Launch Phase 2: Pandemic + Custom Game Options
Prepare Phase 3: Vehicles + Doctrines
💬 Want to See the Full Timeline?
Check our stickied Roadmap post on the Steam forums
💡How You Can Help
Play the CERC-HQ-Public build under the beta opt-in tab
Report bugs, give feedback
Join our Discord to engage with the team and community
Thank you for continuing to support the game — this is just the beginning. 🛠️
Join the Discussion!
Head over to our Discord Server or Steam Discussions to connect with other players and the development team. Together, we’re building something truly special. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!
Here's the last playthrough we did with our community — check it out here:
[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpSo50DeUo&t=3215s"]
Cepheus Protocol HQ - August 9th #61
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/CJyyJAf6n3k"]📜 Patch Notes
Patch Notes 1.3.4.9 Legacy
Fixed a critical bug with Dynamic Civilian groups where you or they could declare war and your units would shoot at them but your units couldn't hurt them
Fixed a Vehicle Loading Bug where units would teleport/move oddly after saving/loading. Got slightly better after the sidewalk bug that was resolved last patch but this should fix it completely
Going into Friday i will be investigating and triaging the Civilian Evocation system and looking at Bus movement. As always lmk if you run into anything crazy as im trying to move back to the rebuild to start helicopters with Derek when we start phase 2 Monday.
What Remains to conclude Phase 1:
Controls + Key binding (Very close as of this patch it was disabled so we could ship this patch but expect this to come in tonight)
Main Menu + Game Selection system (Targeted for Thursday night)
Max Corpses need some improvements in online environments (Targeted for Thursday night)
Gameplay option to hide other drones in the worldInverting the mouse when playing as the OperatorMouse sensitivity when playing as the Operator
Cepheus Protocol Roadmap
We’re thrilled to share our vision for the future of Cepheus Protocol! With your continued support, we’re working tirelessly to refine the game and introduce exciting new features that elevate the experience.
🚧 What’s in Active Development?
Experimental SP/Co-op Horde Mode — Now live via the cerc-hq-public branch (up to 16 players in hybrid RTS/TPS).
Main Menu/Options Screens to conclude Phase 1.
Tracking down Desyncs, bugs & crashes!
🧠 What's Coming Next?
Finalize and polish Phase 1 We are currently a few days out from this
Launch Phase 2: Pandemic + Custom Game Options
Prepare Phase 3: Vehicles + Doctrines
💬 Want to See the Full Timeline?
Check our stickied Roadmap post on the Steam forums
💡How You Can Help
Play the CERC-HQ-Public build under the beta opt-in tab
Report bugs, give feedback
Join our Discord to engage with the team and community
Thank you for continuing to support the game — this is just the beginning. 🛠️
Join the Discussion!
Head over to our Discord Server or Steam Discussions to connect with other players and the development team. Together, we’re building something truly special. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!
Here's the last playthrough we did with our community — check it out here:
[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpSo50DeUo&t=3215s"]
Cepheus Protocol HQ - August 9th #61
[dynamiclink href="https://youtu.be/CJyyJAf6n3k"]📜 Patch Notes
Patch Notes 1.3.4.7 Legacy
Updated Attack Points and Construction Point Generation System
In Legacy, construction and attack points were generated in a very rigid way. Each structure only had about 9 points, which meant that if those points were blocked by another structure/object, engineers would fail their move orders. This heavily punished players who built dense, highly populated bases, often leaving them with no way to repair or expand.
With the rebuild, we experimented with offline dynamically generated points, arranged in patterns like diamonds and boxes around said structures. This created far more redundancy and packing, giving structures 30–40 usable build points.
For this update, we’ve taken the best lessons from the rebuild and downconverted the system into a refined compromise. The result is:
Easier base construction and repairs: Engineers should now consistently find accessible points unless the player completely blocks every possible route.
Improved turret, sandbag, wall, and structure placement: Building in tight clusters is much more forgiving.
Better infected attack behavior: Enemies can now identify and target structures more reliably, creating more consistent combat pressure.
From our testing, this system should eliminate engineer move order failures unless it’s truly a fail condition (player blocking all access). This marks a significant quality-of-life improvement for base builders while maintaining gameplay balance.
We need your feedback on this system. Please test it thoroughly and let us know how it feels—especially in dense bases and high-pressure situations.
Mary Poppins issue should now be "resolved" where normal RTS units and Operators could fly away if they somehow entered a "falling" state only after parachuting and landing.
Extra Validation added to Jumping actions for the Operator to resolve some discord reported bugs where you could "Fly" away.
Projectile impulse settings adjusted to speculatively fix an issue where a NPC could be hit so hard they fly away. This could affect a majority of CERC Vehicle/Turrets when they impacted/caused explosions in the an AOE.
Today i will be looking into Evacuation/Dynamic Civilian group bugs to conclude the triage of "legacy". Should you encounter any issues please reach out so we can address and investigate as needed.
CERC-HQ Public Branch 2025.08.21
Income Gained Sound Added to Gameplay Tab
RTS Camera Speed Added
RTS Camera Zoom Speed Added
Operator Semi Auto accessibility readded
Operator Toggle Crouch
Boasted Horde Rush dialogue volume from .75 to 2 for when a zone collapses and falls
Operator Invert X,Y added
Operator Toggle Sprint Added
Show Player drones added
Resolution now locks when you choose Windowed Fullscreen like expected
Auto Configure Graphics "visual design" tweaked to make it more obvious its a button
3D Resolution is no longer auto tweaked via Auto Configure which caused the blurriness issues users would report in legacy. It also defaults to 1.0 like it should stock. Only lower this if you want to reduce the strain on your CPU/GPU and are ok with some blurriness.
What Remains to conclude Phase 1:
Controls + Key binding (Very close as of this patch it was disabled so we could ship this patch but expect this to come in tonight)
Main Menu + Game Selection system (Targeted for Thursday night)
Max Corpses need some improvements in online environments (Targeted for Thursday night)
Gameplay option to hide other drones in the worldInverting the mouse when playing as the OperatorMouse sensitivity when playing as the Operator
Cepheus Protocol Roadmap
We’re thrilled to share our vision for the future of Cepheus Protocol! With your continued support, we’re working tirelessly to refine the game and introduce exciting new features that elevate the experience.
🚧 What’s in Active Development?
Experimental SP/Co-op Horde Mode — Now live via the cerc-hq-public branch (up to 16 players in hybrid RTS/TPS).
Main Menu/Options Screens to conclude Phase 1.
Tracking down Desyncs, bugs & crashes!
🧠 What's Coming Next?
Finalize and polish Phase 1 We are currently a few days out from this
Launch Phase 2: Pandemic + Custom Game Options
Prepare Phase 3: Vehicles + Doctrines
💬 Want to See the Full Timeline?
Check our stickied Roadmap post on the Steam forums
💡How You Can Help
Play the CERC-HQ-Public build under the beta opt-in tab
Report bugs, give feedback
Join our Discord to engage with the team and community
Thank you for continuing to support the game — this is just the beginning. 🛠️
Join the Discussion!
Head over to our Discord Server or Steam Discussions to connect with other players and the development team. Together, we’re building something truly special. Thank you for being part of this journey with us!
Here's the last playthrough we did with our community — check it out here:
[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpSo50DeUo&t=3215s"]
Current Release
Not available
System Requirements
How to Install
CepheusProtocol.exe to play
Troubleshooting tips
• Run Redist/_CommonRedist installers if game won't start
• Add folder to Windows Defender exclusions
• Run as administrator
Download
Direct link available
3.4 GB
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View AllDownload Cepheus Protocol for PC with a direct link or via torrent. Get the full version of Cepheus Protocol for free. Cepheus Protocol is a Action released by Halcyon Winds.