Squad is a tactical first-person shooter video game set in a current-day conflict involving US Army, Russian Ground Forces, Insurgents and Irregular Militia Forces (to be referred to as "Militia" later on for brevity), and draws inspiration from the Middle East, Southern Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a spiritual successor to the award-winning Project Reality modification for Battlefield 2. The goal of Squad is to create a "tactical first person shooter built around teamwork and cooperation". The development was announced in October 2014 and it is currently available exclusively on Steam (PC). It is still in development.
The following weapons appear in the video game Squad:
The SIG-Sauer P320 appears in game disguised as the newly adopted sidearm of the US Army, the "M17 Modular Handgun System". It is available to the Squad Leader kits, and holds 17 rounds in its magazine. It comes with one extra spare magazine. Note that the real M17 Modular Handgun System comes in Coyote Brown finish (slide included), has a manual safety, and also has 3 rail-slots in its accessory rail, similar to the compact P320 and M18 pistol fashioned after it. As such, this is really a full length P320 in two-tone Flat Dark Earth (FDE). As the game's variant does not have the manual safety, it is also noticeably the only sidearm in the game that is holstered and drawn without turning on or off the safety.
File:SIGP320.jpgSIG-Sauer P320 (full size) - 9x19mmFile:M17MHS.jpegSIG-Sauer M17(above) and M18(below) - 9x19mmError creating thumbnail: File missingHolding the SIG-Sauer P320 - The two-tone finish and lack of a manual safety ominously warns the player that the US Army may have accidentally messed up their Amazon orderError creating thumbnail: File missingAiming down the sights as the player coaxes a target into giving him lunch moneyError creating thumbnail: File missingHaving brutally killed said target and his two friends, he reloads his empty P320 - Note the tilted barrel, a nice touch that often goes unnoticed in many titles
Beretta M9A1
The Beretta M9A1 is the standard sidearm for the US Army. It is available to the Medic, Automatic Rifleman, Machine Gunner and Marksman kits as the "M9A1 Beretta" and holds 16 rounds in its magazine. Like the P320, it comes with a single spare magazine, with the Marksman kit getting two. A point to note is that the M9A1 is not adopted by the US Army, and is actually a pistol that is designed to be marketed to the US Marine Corps.
Trivia: Before animations were changed, the magazine markings read MAS CAL 9 PARA / FABRIQUE SOUS LICENSE BERETTA ("manufactured under a Beretta license"), making it a PAMAS G1 magazine (French copy of the Beretta 92FS).
The MP-443 is the standard sidearm for the Russian Ground Forces. It holds 18 rounds in its magazine and is available to the Russian Squad Leader, Medic, Automatic Rifleman, Machine Gunner and Marksman kits, with the Marksman getting an extra magazine like his American counterpart.
The Tokarev TT-33 appears in game as the "TT33 Tokarev" and is available to the Squad Leader, Medic and Marksman kits of the Insurgents and Militia. It holds 8 rounds in its magazine, and comes with 3 spare magazines, to make up for its smaller magazine capacity relative to the P320, M9A1 and MP-443, while the Marksman gets 5. It packs the biggest punch out of all the pistols in the game. It is textured to have painted grips on both sides.
The Makarov PM is the sidearm of choice for the Insurgents and Militia, and appears in game as the "PM Makarov", following OWI's tradition of naming pistols with their manufacturers' names at the back. It is available to the Rifleman, Scout, Automatic Rifleman, Machine Gunner and Raider kits, with the Raider kit being only available to the Insurgents. It holds 8 rounds in its magazine, and comes with 3 spare magazines.
The Glock 17 is in development for the game. It is designated the "L131A1 pistol", and is therefore most likely to be the main sidearm of the British Army faction.
The PPSh-41 is usable by the Insurgent Raider class and comes equipped with 35-round stick magazines, but the player has the option of switching to the 71-round drum.
Switching to the drum magazine (via the scroll wheel) will have the player remove the 35-round stick, and insert the drum. If the previous magazine had been emptied prior, and the bolt is locked forward, the player will pull it back after the switch, and the same applies to the converse. However, if you were to holster your PPSh-41 with stick magazines prior and drew it again by equipping the one with the drum magazine option, the character will already have done the switch magically beforehand.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingPPSh-41 with drum magazine - 7.62x25mm TokarevError creating thumbnail: File missingInserting a drum - As with the stick magazine, after the magazine insertion, the player will check that the magazine catch is secureError creating thumbnail: File missingHolstering the PPSh-41 - The player releases the charging handle so that the bolt goes foward; most weapons require their safeties engaged/disengaged when the player draws or holsters them
Assault Rifles and Battle Rifles
M4A1
The M4A1 is one of the available primary weapons for the US Army. It is available to the Squad Leader and Rifleman kits and holds 30 rounds in its magazine. The rifle comes equipped with a KAC railed handguard, and may come with either an Aimpoint CompM4 alone (goes by "M68" after the designation "M68 CCO"), with a carry handle and KAC foregrip, or with an Aimpoint CompM4 and KAC foregrip. The last configuration is only available to the Squad Leader kit, and like all Squad Leader primary weapons, it is loaded with tracer rounds.
A quick glance at the lower receiver of the M4A1 when reloading (while using free-look) reveals a three-round burst selector and the marking "M4 Carbine" on the magwell.
The M4 carbine is one of the primary weapons for the US Army and Militia. It is available to the Squad Leader, Rifleman, Medic, Grenadier and Light Anti-Tank kits for the US Army, and Squad Leader and Rifleman kits for the Irregular Militia Forces. Like the M4A1 above, it holds 30 rounds in its magazine. The M4 Carbine in the US Army comes equipped with a KAC railed handguard, and may come equipped with either a Trijicon TA31RCO (goes by M150 in game after the designation "M150 RCO"), Aimpoint CompM4 or M203 Under-barrel Grenade Launcher. It shares the same model as the US Army's M4A1. For now, the grenadier's M4 Carbine uses iron sights in lieu of the added ability to zero weapons such as the M203.
The M4 Carbine used by the Militia comes with a round handguard, and is only available in that configuration. Like every other Squad Leader primary weapon, the Militia Squad Leader's M4 Carbine is loaded with tracer rounds.
The AK-74 is one of the available primary weapons for the Insurgents and Militia. It is available to the Squad Leader, Rifleman and Grenadier kits for the Militia, and the Squad Leader and Rifleman kits for the Insurgents. This is to mimic the prevalence of 5.45x39mm weapons in the Eastern Europe theater over the Middle East and Asian theater. It holds 30 rounds in its magazine, and may be fitted with a GP-25 for use by the Grenadier kit, which also comes with a recoil pad. Like every other Squad Leader primary weapon, the Insurgent and Militia Squad Leader's AK-74 is loaded with tracers.
The AKS-74 is one of the primary weapons of the Militia, and is available to the Medic and Light Anti Tank kits. Like the AKMS, it was originally planned to be a random spawn for Riflemen using the AK-74, in order to increase aesthetic variety in the arsenal of the irregular forces.
The AKS-74N is available to both the Militia and Insurgents as alternate Rifleman kits, and comes mounted with a 1P78 Kashtan. While the dovetail rail for mounting night-vision optics is not visible from any angle, there would be no other way you would be able to mount such an optic, unless you were to use superglue. It goes by "AKS-74 + 1P78" in game.
The AK-74M is the standard primary weapon for the Russian Ground Forces. It is available to the Squad Leader, Medic, Rifleman, Grenadier, Light and Heavy Anti Tank kits and holds 30 rounds in its magazine. It may come as a stock rifle, with a 1P78 Kashtan mounted, or with a GP-25 and recoil pad for use by the Grenadier classes. Like every other Squad Leader primary weapon, the Squad Leader's AK-74M is loaded with tracers. Earlier, there had been a fictional AKS-74M variant for the Russian Medic, but this has since been removed in line with realism. For a while, the 1P63 Obzor, the standard Russian optic adopted in 2014, was considered, but it has since been rejected by the developers.
The AKS-74U is one of the primary weapons of the Militia and Insurgents, and is available to their Heavy Anti-Tank kits. It holds 30 rounds in its magazine, and has the highest rate of fire among the AK rifles in the game.
The AKM is one of the primary weapons of the Insurgents and Militia, and is available to the Insurgent Rifleman and Grenadier, and the Militia Rifleman kits. It holds 30 rounds in its magazine and like the other 7.62mm AK rifles, is capable of knocking out a target at close range with 2 shots to the chest.
The AKMS is available only to the Insurgent Light Anti-Tank kit, just as the AKS-74 is to the Militia counterpart. It holds 30 rounds, and like the AKS-74, was originally planned to be a random spawn for Riflemen using the AKM in order to increase the aesthetic variety in the arsenal of the irregular forces.
The G3A4 is one of the primary weapons available to the Insurgent Squad Leader kit, and comes with wide handguards. Like all other Squad Leader primary weapons, it comes loaded with tracer rounds.
The SKS is usable by the Insurgent and Militia's Scout class and comes in a single, bare, configuration. Its folding bayonet is currently unusable. It is fed by 10 round stripper clips, and bizarrely, can be reloaded mid-clip by pulling the bolt back first to lock it and partially loading the rounds into the magazine.
Note that while it is possible to reload an SKS mid-clip, one needs to manually hold as the bolt only locks back on an empty magazine. The other alternative would be to flip open the magazine floor by engaging a latch so as to drop all loose rounds, then pull the bolt back to lock it. However, this is deemed too time consuming, and is a reason for the weapon's falling popularity among irregular forces. The way it works in game was a deliberate decision allegedly for balance purposes. Additionally, a point worth noting is that the SKS in game can hold an extra round in the chamber when reloading mid-clip, despite a single round having been ejected when the bolt is first pulled back.
Finally, while it looks like the player is topping off the partially-filled magazine with a clip, in game, it is programmed to be switching of magazines rather than topping off. Topping off a SKS with 5 rounds in its magazine with a stripper clip holding 5 rounds will only leave you with a rifle with 5 rounds in the magazine again.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSimonov Type 45 - 7.62x39mmError creating thumbnail: File missingTurning off the safety as the player prepares to exert dominance over a group of targetsError creating thumbnail: File missingLeaning to the right to get a sight picture on a pair of metal delinquents that need punishingError creating thumbnail: File missingFearing that having only 8 rounds in a 10-round magazine might get him killed, the player whips out a clip with his right hand and uses it to lock the bolt open with the power of prayers and enchantmentError creating thumbnail: File missingSatisfied, he stuffs some rounds into the magazine - On an empty reload, the player doesn't need to open the bolt beforehandError creating thumbnail: File missingRemoving a half-used stripper clip that somehow has lost 2 more rounds - No matter how many rounds you fire beforehand, the player will always load 4 rounds into the magazine. The half-used clip will be retained, and will always come back later on as a fully loaded clip, but will still hold the same number of rounds as earlier left off
Machine Guns
M240B
The M240B is available for use with the US Army's Machine Gunner class. It is fed using 50-round cloth ammo bags that erroneously hold 75 rounds, although that could possibly be another balance consideration. Most M240Bs are usually carried without ammo bags, and are usually fed from loose belts.
The M249 is one of the two light machine guns of choice for the Militia Automatic Rifleman, with the other being the RPK-74. It comes equipped with a full length barrel, heat shield and synthetic stock, and feeds from 200-round ammo boxes. Like every other machine gun in the game, it is loaded with tracers.
The M249 Paratrooper is the light machine gun of choice for the US Army, usable by the Automatic Rifleman. It comes with the distinct short barrel of the Paratrooper variant, and contains parts from the Product Improvement Package (PIP) kit, including a upgraded heat shield, RIS handguard and telescoping buttstock. It can either be equipped with an Aimpoint CompM4 or Elcan M145 MGO, and feeds from 100-round cloth ammo bags.
As earlier mentioned, the alternate Automatic Rifleman kit for the US Army has a M249 Paratrooper, but with an Elcan M145 MGO instead of the Aimpoint CompM4.
The PKM is the medium machine gun of choice for the Insurgents, Militia and Russian Ground Forces, and is available to the Machine Gunner kit. The PKM in game seems to be built from a mix of both polymer and wooden furniture. It fires from non-disintegrating belts and feeds from a 100-round ammo box. Like all other machine guns in game, it is loaded with tracer rounds. Note that the PKM in the Russian Ground Forces arsenal is just a placeholder, and will be replaced by the PKP Pecheneg in a later build.
The RPK is the weapon of choice for the Insurgent's Automatic Rifleman, and may either feed from 40-round box magazines or 75-round drum magazines. Like all other machine guns in game, it is loaded with tracer rounds.
The RPK with a 75-round drum magazine is available as an alternate loadout for the Insurgent Automatic Rifleman, similar to how the US Army Automatic Rifleman may choose between the M249 Paratrooper variants.
The RPK-74 is one of the two light machine guns of choice for the Militia Automatic Rifleman, the other being the M249 SAW. It has 45 rounds in its bakelite magazine and like all other machine guns in game, is loaded with tracer rounds.
The RPK-74M is available for use by the Russian Ground Forces Automatic Rifleman. It has 45 rounds in its polymer magazine and may be equipped with a 1P78 Kashtan.
Similar to the M249 Paratrooper options for the US Army Automatic Rifleman and RPK options for the Insurgent Automatic Rifleman, the Russian Automatic Rifleman may choose between either iron sights or a mounted 1P78 Kashtan.
The M110 SASS is the designated marksman rifle of choice for the US Army, and is available to the Marksman kit. It has 20 rounds in its magazine, and comes equipped with a Leupold Mk 4 scope.
The SVD Dragunov is the designated marksman rifle of choice for the Russian Ground Forces, Insurgents and Militia, and is available to their respective Marksman kits. It has 10 rounds in its magazine, and has a PSO-1 mounted on it, with their backup iron sights being unusable. It comes with 4 more spare magazines than the M110 SASS to compensate for the smaller magazine capacity.
The Russian Ground Forces Marksman uses a SVD kitted out with what seems to be wood furniture that has been painted black to be disguised as polymer, and does not use the correct stock, receiver and handguard model. It goes by "SVDM" in game, even though it does not look remotely like its namesake.
The GP-25 is the standard grenade launcher for the Russian Ground Forces, Insurgents and Militia. It is seen mounted on the AK-74 and AK-74M, and is able to fire high explosives and a variety of smoke grenades.
The M203 grenade launcher is the standard grenade launcher for the US Army. It is seen mounted on the M4A1 Carbine, and is able to fire high explosives and a variety of smoke grenades.
The RPG-7 is the rocket launcher available to the Russian Ground Forces, Insurgents and Militia, and is available to the Russian Heavy Anti-Tank, as well as Insurgent and Militia Light and Heavy Anti-Tank kits. The Heavy Anti-Tank kits are armed with 2 PG-7VM HEAT warheads, and a PG-7VR tandem HEAT warhead. The Insurgent and Militia Light Anti-Tank kits on the other hand are equipped with 2 OG-7V frag warheads and a PG-7VM warhead. When switching between rockets, the player removes the existing warhead and loads the warhead of choice.
The Browning M2A1 is usable by the US Army, either mounted on tripods or HMMWVs. The Humvee-mounted M2 comes in the standard version, and as part of the CROWS remote weapon system.
The UB-32 rocket pod, usually seen on Soviet jets and helicopters, is here mounted on pickup trucks as improvised mobile artillery platforms for the Insurgents. This is a fairly common modification that has been observed on recently built technicals, primarily in Syria.
The M18 is the standard smoke grenade for the US Army, it comes in three smoke colors : blue, white and red. It can be used for masking and signaling purposes.
