We have finished testing on the 0.5.5 beta build (published with this post), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.5 beta build are:

• added provisional AI enemy costume sets waves gang members for testing
  
• fixed an input issue that made character input(s) submitted when invoking the pause menu to span the menu (sending the same set of character inputs as the pause menu is exited)
  
• fixed an issue that stopped the audible playback of concussion SFX when characters are rendered unconscious
  
• fixed an issue with the server filters implementation that ignored Canada (Montreal) and UK (London) geographies when selecting / deselecting all geographies
  
• fixed an issue with calling the pause menu that could stall the game if the menu is invoked immediately before joining a server
  
• modified colliders on the chute stage to optimise and stabilise physics simulations
  
• modified colliders on the subways stage to optimise and stabilise physics simulations
  
• modified the attachment trigger volume for the UID 23 Hobo_woollyHat (HEAD) costume part
  
• modified the billboard panels on the billboard stage to make them removable
  
• modified the hat attachment implementation to limit the scope for rotation
  
• modified the server filters UI implementation to support the selection / deselection of the Canada (Montreal) and UK (London) filters with keyboard and controller input
  
• replaced the loading screen and interstitial screen system with placeholder hint content and rasterised compositions of stage geometry (to show the next stage loading)

Current issues identified with the 0.5.5 beta build are:

• 4th wall is still climbable on the subway and vents stages
  
• dynamic and static friction parameters need modifying for falling meat paste sacks (to modify and stabilise the velocity of falling meat)
  
• missing colliders on the open rucksack model (UID 173 costume_rucksack)
  
• missing section of building geometry at left of gondola and elevators stages
  
• the screens masking stage loading can fail to dismiss in some context
  
• enemy AI are persistently aggressive

Please note the 0.5.5 beta build replaces the 0.5.4p2 beta build for server compatibility (moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the same 0.5.5 beta build)

We have finished testing on the 0.5.5 beta build (published with this post), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.5 beta build are:

• added provisional AI enemy costume sets waves gang members for testing
  
• fixed an input issue that made character input(s) submitted when invoking the pause menu to span the menu (sending the same set of character inputs as the pause menu is exited)
  
• fixed an issue that stopped the audible playback of concussion SFX when characters are rendered unconscious
  
• fixed an issue with the server filters implementation that ignored Canada (Montreal) and UK (London) geographies when selecting / deselecting all geographies
  
• fixed an issue with calling the pause menu that could stall the game if the menu is invoked immediately before joining a server
  
• modified colliders on the chute stage to optimise and stabilise physics simulations
  
• modified colliders on the subways stage to optimise and stabilise physics simulations
  
• modified the attachment trigger volume for the UID 23 Hobo_woollyHat (HEAD) costume part
  
• modified the billboard panels on the billboard stage to make them removable
  
• modified the hat attachment implementation to limit the scope for rotation
  
• modified the server filters UI implementation to support the selection / deselection of the Canada (Montreal) and UK (London) filters with keyboard and controller input
  
• replaced the loading screen and interstitial screen system with placeholder hint content and rasterised compositions of stage geometry (to show the next stage loading)

Current issues identified with the 0.5.5 beta build are:

• 4th wall is still climbable on the subway and vents stages
  
• dynamic and static friction parameters need modifying for falling meat paste sacks (to modify and stabilise the velocity of falling meat)
  
• missing colliders on the open rucksack model (UID 173 costume_rucksack)
  
• missing section of building geometry at left of gondola and elevators stages
  
• the screens masking stage loading can fail to dismiss in some context
  
• enemy AI are persistently aggressive

Please note the 0.5.5 beta build replaces the 0.5.4p2 beta build for server compatibility (moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the same 0.5.5 beta build)

We have finished testing on the 0.5.4p2 build (published with this post), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.4p2 beta build are:

• added provisional hat re-attachment support to test attaching removed hats to character heads (when the base of a hat collides with the a non-hat wearing characters head from a congruous angle)
  
• added voice SFX for audio feedback on the character selection screen
  
• modified the burger hat costume part to support full detachment (to standardise hats and address the burger hat exploit)
  
• modified the water volume on the buoy stage to test inflicting accumulative harm to characters that are colliding with the water simulation (to limit the scope for exploiting character forces to move grabbed ice fragments to escape other characters)

Please note the 0.5.4p2 beta build has the full set of modifications and fixes listed in the Fixed 0.5.4p1 patch notes and has full support for two new server geographies in Canada (Montreal) and the UK (London).

• 4th wall geometry is climbable on multiple stages
  
• billboard panels don’t break on the billboard stage (panels will be made breakable in a coming build)
  
• stage masking UI plane is not rendered when playing online if local is played previously in the same session (quitting and restart the game if you have this issue until it is fixed in a coming build)
  
• concussion SFX and some other in-game SFX are muted or fail to play
  * dynamic and static friction parameters need modifying for falling meat paste sacks (to modify and stabilise the velocity of falling meat)
  
• invoking the pause menu immediately before joining a server can stall the game at the server joining screen
  
• missing colliders on the open rucksack model (UID 173 costume_rucksack)
  
• missing colliders on yellow pipes structures on chutes stage
  
• missing section of building geometry at left of gondola stage from a local game

We have identified an issue with the 0.5.4p1 distribution that made it inaccessible, we are working on a second patch build (0.5.4p2) with some additional fixes and improvements and currently expect to publish this build later this week.

We have pushed a patch release in the last hour to address issues identified with the 0.5.4 build (published yesterday), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.4p1 beta build are:

• fixed an issue with inaudible arm velocity SFX
  
• fixed an issue with inaudible concussion SFX
  
• fixed an issue with the meat paste falling on the chutes stage
  
• modified game audio to balance SFX and other audio
  
• modified the truck colliders a second time to address issues with specific colliders on the trucks stage

The Gang Beasts 0.5.4 beta build published with this post has a number of fixes, optimisations, and other modifications including improvements to the input mapping system, the gondola and trucks stages, the SFX and the orbit camera systems.

We are still working on other stability fixes and minimising in-game exploits and other annoyances and expect to have more examples of this work in coming builds.

Following the 0.5.4 build Coatsink will be pushing out support for two new server geographies in Canada (Montreal) and the UK (London) with full support coming from next week.

Please note the 0.5.4 beta build replaces the default 0.5.3 and ”unstable" 0.5.3 beta builds for server compatibilty (moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the same 0.5.4 beta build)

• added VOIP indicators for spectating players
  
• added a second speed to orbit cameras (two camera inputs in the same direction of travel accelerates the camera orbit, camera inputs in the opposite direction of travel slow or stop the current camera orbit)
  
• added per player support for resetting custom input bindings
  
• fixed an issue that made the game unresponsive if launched in the Steam Client offline mode
  
• fixed an issue that stopped playback of the warp SFX when music is muted
  
• fixed an issue with kigurumi tails clipping other geometry on the costume customisation screen
  
• fixed an issue with leg costume parts that made characters show irregular visual artefacts
  
• fixed an issue with the current truck colliders on the trucks stage
  
• fixed horn SFX on the trucks stage
  
• modified VOIP and name labels to lock them to the bounds of the screen (to indicate when an offscreen player is talking)
  
• modified the suspended platforms on the gondola stage with hinged side gates
  
• modified the horizontal and vertical building geometry in the gondola stage (to mask the scale of the building)
  
• modified the volume of menu and UI SFX
  
• optimised SFX performance

• concussion SFX is missing or not audible (should be fixed in 0.5.4p1)

We have finished testing on the 0.5.4p2 build (published with this post), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.4p2 beta build are:

• added provisional hat re-attachment support to test attaching removed hats to character heads (when the base of a hat collides with the a non-hat wearing characters head from a congruous angle)
  
• added voice SFX for audio feedback on the character selection screen
  
• modified the burger hat costume part to support full detachment (to standardise hats and address the burger hat exploit)
  
• modified the water volume on the buoy stage to test inflicting accumulative harm to characters that are colliding with the water simulation (to limit the scope for exploiting character forces to move grabbed ice fragments to escape other characters)

Please note the 0.5.4p2 beta build has the full set of modifications and fixes listed in the Fixed 0.5.4p1 patch notes and has full support for two new server geographies in Canada (Montreal) and the UK (London).

• 4th wall geometry is climbable on multiple stages
  
• billboard panels don’t break on the billboard stage (panels will be made breakable in a coming build)
  
• stage masking UI plane is not rendered when playing online if local is played previously in the same session (quitting and restart the game if you have this issue until it is fixed in a coming build)
  
• concussion SFX and some other in-game SFX are muted or fail to play
  * dynamic and static friction parameters need modifying for falling meat paste sacks (to modify and stabilise the velocity of falling meat)
  
• invoking the pause menu immediately before joining a server can stall the game at the server joining screen
  
• missing colliders on the open rucksack model (UID 173 costume_rucksack)
  
• missing colliders on yellow pipes structures on chutes stage
  
• missing section of building geometry at left of gondola stage from a local game

We have identified an issue with the 0.5.4p1 distribution that made it inaccessible, we are working on a second patch build (0.5.4p2) with some additional fixes and improvements and currently expect to publish this build later this week.

We have pushed a patch release in the last hour to address issues identified with the 0.5.4 build (published yesterday), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.4p1 beta build are:

• fixed an issue with inaudible arm velocity SFX
  
• fixed an issue with inaudible concussion SFX
  
• fixed an issue with the meat paste falling on the chutes stage
  
• modified game audio to balance SFX and other audio
  
• modified the truck colliders a second time to address issues with specific colliders on the trucks stage

The Gang Beasts 0.5.4 beta build published with this post has a number of fixes, optimisations, and other modifications including improvements to the input mapping system, the gondola and trucks stages, the SFX and the orbit camera systems.

We are still working on other stability fixes and minimising in-game exploits and other annoyances and expect to have more examples of this work in coming builds.

Following the 0.5.4 build Coatsink will be pushing out support for two new server geographies in Canada (Montreal) and the UK (London) with full support coming from next week.

Please note the 0.5.4 beta build replaces the default 0.5.3 and ”unstable" 0.5.3 beta builds for server compatibilty (moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the same 0.5.4 beta build)

• added VOIP indicators for spectating players
  
• added a second speed to orbit cameras (two camera inputs in the same direction of travel accelerates the camera orbit, camera inputs in the opposite direction of travel slow or stop the current camera orbit)
  
• added per player support for resetting custom input bindings
  
• fixed an issue that made the game unresponsive if launched in the Steam Client offline mode
  
• fixed an issue that stopped playback of the warp SFX when music is muted
  
• fixed an issue with kigurumi tails clipping other geometry on the costume customisation screen
  
• fixed an issue with leg costume parts that made characters show irregular visual artefacts
  
• fixed an issue with the current truck colliders on the trucks stage
  
• fixed horn SFX on the trucks stage
  
• modified VOIP and name labels to lock them to the bounds of the screen (to indicate when an offscreen player is talking)
  
• modified the suspended platforms on the gondola stage with hinged side gates
  
• modified the horizontal and vertical building geometry in the gondola stage (to mask the scale of the building)
  
• modified the volume of menu and UI SFX
  
• optimised SFX performance

• concussion SFX is missing or not audible (should be fixed in 0.5.4p1)

We have pushed a patch release in the last hour to address issues identified with the 0.5.3 build (published yesterday), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.3p1 beta build are:

• patched an issue that stopped local games from ending on the vents stage if the game is set for more than 1 win
  
• fixed an issue that made the waves game inaccessible
  
• fixed an issue that stopped the forces on the vents stage from pushing or pulling characters when the fan blades are spinning

Since the 0.5.2 build was published last month we have been working with Coatsink to patch keys issues introduced in recent builds and recent versions of Unity and are publishing the first batch of optimisations, fixes, and other modifications in the 0.5.3 beta.

The 0.5.3 build has numerous bug and stability fixes but we are still working to fix issues with the multiplayer camera, vents glitches, costume exploits and conflicts, inconsistencies with lift forces and concussion times and expect to push these fixes to Steam for testing in coming builds.

We have also started work on a full rebuild of the UI, localising for multiple languages, and a more standardised testing process (with additional resources working with us to identify and fix issues).

• added online support for the vents stage
  
• fixed a number of controller input issues on the pause menu

• optimised / modified the vents stage to stabilise fan animations and standardise timings
  
• fixed a server issue that erroneously shows the “you took too long to load” message
  
• fixed a server issue that made loading screens dismiss prematurely
  
• fixed a server issue that made the server connection process repeat if many players connect to an empty server concurrently
  
• fixed an issue with the localisation parser that would crash the client if a stage is won by a player with a less than (<) character before a greater than (>) character in their SteamID
  
• added a setting for finding the currently available microphone to the audio menu
  
• fixed an issue that shows the failed entitlement messaging in error

• fixed an issue that stops the scores from increment on the incinerator stage
  
• fixed some railing issues on vents
  
• modified the camera for the trucks stage (stop or cycle orbit direction with the inputs mapped to left and right camera input)

• modified the ordering scheme for selecting from saved costumes

• modified the saved costume implementation to not save non-customised characters (to stop duplicate copies of non-customised characters from saving)

• modified the game sound to fade out when the stage ends
  
• modified the character preview implementation on the costume customisation screen to stabilise character physics when replacement costume parts are cycled
  
• modified the coin screen animations to reduce the time it is shown on screen
  
• modified the default volume level for SFX
  
• modified the music and other audio for the containers, elevators, ring, towers, and wheel
  
• modified the quick join debug messaging to reduce the number of text strings on screen
  
• modified the server and client processes for monitoring scene loading (to avoid contexts that stall connecting clients at the stage loading screen)
  
• temporarily added an online timer to force rounds to end after 5 minutes have passed (the timer will be replaced with stage escalations at a later stage of development)

Please note the 0.5.3 beta build replaces the default 0.5.2 and ”unstable" 0.5.2 beta builds for server compatibilty (moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the same 0.5.3 beta build)

We have pushed a patch release in the last hour to address issues identified with the 0.5.3 build (published yesterday), the list of modifications and fixes made in the 0.5.3p1 beta build are:

• patched an issue that stopped local games from ending on the vents stage if the game is set for more than 1 win
  
• fixed an issue that made the waves game inaccessible
  
• fixed an issue that stopped the forces on the vents stage from pushing or pulling characters when the fan blades are spinning

Since the 0.5.2 build was published last month we have been working with Coatsink to patch keys issues introduced in recent builds and recent versions of Unity and are publishing the first batch of optimisations, fixes, and other modifications in the 0.5.3 beta.

The 0.5.3 build has numerous bug and stability fixes but we are still working to fix issues with the multiplayer camera, vents glitches, costume exploits and conflicts, inconsistencies with lift forces and concussion times and expect to push these fixes to Steam for testing in coming builds.

We have also started work on a full rebuild of the UI, localising for multiple languages, and a more standardised testing process (with additional resources working with us to identify and fix issues).

• added online support for the vents stage
  
• fixed a number of controller input issues on the pause menu

• optimised / modified the vents stage to stabilise fan animations and standardise timings
  
• fixed a server issue that erroneously shows the “you took too long to load” message
  
• fixed a server issue that made loading screens dismiss prematurely
  
• fixed a server issue that made the server connection process repeat if many players connect to an empty server concurrently
  
• fixed an issue with the localisation parser that would crash the client if a stage is won by a player with a less than (<) character before a greater than (>) character in their SteamID
  
• added a setting for finding the currently available microphone to the audio menu
  
• fixed an issue that shows the failed entitlement messaging in error

• fixed an issue that stops the scores from increment on the incinerator stage
  
• fixed some railing issues on vents
  
• modified the camera for the trucks stage (stop or cycle orbit direction with the inputs mapped to left and right camera input)

• modified the ordering scheme for selecting from saved costumes

• modified the saved costume implementation to not save non-customised characters (to stop duplicate copies of non-customised characters from saving)

• modified the game sound to fade out when the stage ends
  
• modified the character preview implementation on the costume customisation screen to stabilise character physics when replacement costume parts are cycled
  
• modified the coin screen animations to reduce the time it is shown on screen
  
• modified the default volume level for SFX
  
• modified the music and other audio for the containers, elevators, ring, towers, and wheel
  
• modified the quick join debug messaging to reduce the number of text strings on screen
  
• modified the server and client processes for monitoring scene loading (to avoid contexts that stall connecting clients at the stage loading screen)
  
• temporarily added an online timer to force rounds to end after 5 minutes have passed (the timer will be replaced with stage escalations at a later stage of development)

Please note the 0.5.3 beta build replaces the default 0.5.2 and ”unstable" 0.5.2 beta builds for server compatibilty (moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the same 0.5.3 beta build)

We have pushed a server fix for the glue hand issue and patched 0.5.2 build that addresses a keyboard mapping issue. Please tell us if you still have issue with the 0.5.2 build as we continue to identify and patch issues in preparation for the next build.


Since the 0.5.1 build was published on 30 December 2016 we have been working with Coatsink to standardise character movement, optimise and fix input issues, and to scale server capacity and stability as the Gang Beasts Early Access community has increased significantly since the 0.5.0 beta build was published (on the 23 December 2016).


The 0.5.2 beta build has had numerous modifications to improve the Quick Join implementation, specifically to optimise the management of server connections and make disconnections less frequent; if you have issues connecting to servers with Quick Join in the 0.5.2 beta build please test connecting to servers with low pings from the server browser.


We are working on making a number of guides to give more instructive information on using and customising the Gang Beasts Server Tool and will be adding a specific sub-forum for the server tool (the previous Server Tool forum was made inaccessible when the tool was associated with Gang Beasts on Steam).

• added support for clearing custom input mappings for a single player (previous implementation only supported the clearing of all custom mapping)
  
• fixed a an issue that truncated some server listings at the end of the server browser
  
• fixed an issue where failures to connect to the master server showed the string “MENU_ONLINE_CONNECT_ERROR” and not the associated error message for the issue
  
• fixed an issue with the default server filter settings that only populated the server browser with servers for the US West (N. California) and Asia Pacific (Sydney) geographies by default, the default filter now populates from “All” geographies to show all currently available servers
  
• fixed an issue with the punch implementation that made the character punch when exiting a grab state in some contexts
  
• fixed an issue with the quick join ping implementation
  
• fixed support for mapping custom mouse inputs (for reference mouse inputs can only be mapped to a single player)
  
• modified character lifting implementation (to make lifting objects and characters less erratic)
  
• modified damage parameters (to make concussions less immediate)
  
• modified drag parameters on characters to make character movement less erratic (this modification lowers the maximum potential length of throws *)
  
• modified maximum angular velocity parameters for characters (to make character movement less erratic)
  
• modified quick join implementation to make subsequent connection attempts if the current connection fails
  
• modified quick join implementation to prioritise low ping, part-populated servers
  
• modified the custom input mapping implementation to make input more stable
  
• modified the ping implementation for server browser stored listings
  
• modified the quick join implementation to give more instructive messaging

To download the ‘unstable’ branch on Steam right-click on the ‘Gang Beasts’ game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab and then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:’. To revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu.

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game forces the selected build to download to the Steam client (replacing the previously selected build).

Please note the 0.5.0 release replaced the previous default 0.3.4 and 0.4.4 "unstable" Steam Early Access builds, moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the 0.5.2 stable build until the “unstable” build is updated to 0.5.3

We have pushed a server fix for the glue hand issue and patched 0.5.2 build that addresses a keyboard mapping issue. Please tell us if you still have issue with the 0.5.2 build as we continue to identify and patch issues in preparation for the next build.


Since the 0.5.1 build was published on 30 December 2016 we have been working with Coatsink to standardise character movement, optimise and fix input issues, and to scale server capacity and stability as the Gang Beasts Early Access community has increased significantly since the 0.5.0 beta build was published (on the 23 December 2016).


The 0.5.2 beta build has had numerous modifications to improve the Quick Join implementation, specifically to optimise the management of server connections and make disconnections less frequent; if you have issues connecting to servers with Quick Join in the 0.5.2 beta build please test connecting to servers with low pings from the server browser.


We are working on making a number of guides to give more instructive information on using and customising the Gang Beasts Server Tool and will be adding a specific sub-forum for the server tool (the previous Server Tool forum was made inaccessible when the tool was associated with Gang Beasts on Steam).

• added support for clearing custom input mappings for a single player (previous implementation only supported the clearing of all custom mapping)
  
• fixed a an issue that truncated some server listings at the end of the server browser
  
• fixed an issue where failures to connect to the master server showed the string “MENU_ONLINE_CONNECT_ERROR” and not the associated error message for the issue
  
• fixed an issue with the default server filter settings that only populated the server browser with servers for the US West (N. California) and Asia Pacific (Sydney) geographies by default, the default filter now populates from “All” geographies to show all currently available servers
  
• fixed an issue with the punch implementation that made the character punch when exiting a grab state in some contexts
  
• fixed an issue with the quick join ping implementation
  
• fixed support for mapping custom mouse inputs (for reference mouse inputs can only be mapped to a single player)
  
• modified character lifting implementation (to make lifting objects and characters less erratic)
  
• modified damage parameters (to make concussions less immediate)
  
• modified drag parameters on characters to make character movement less erratic (this modification lowers the maximum potential length of throws *)
  
• modified maximum angular velocity parameters for characters (to make character movement less erratic)
  
• modified quick join implementation to make subsequent connection attempts if the current connection fails
  
• modified quick join implementation to prioritise low ping, part-populated servers
  
• modified the custom input mapping implementation to make input more stable
  
• modified the ping implementation for server browser stored listings
  
• modified the quick join implementation to give more instructive messaging

To download the ‘unstable’ branch on Steam right-click on the ‘Gang Beasts’ game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab and then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:’. To revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu.

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game forces the selected build to download to the Steam client (replacing the previously selected build).

Please note the 0.5.0 release replaced the previous default 0.3.4 and 0.4.4 "unstable" Steam Early Access builds, moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the 0.5.2 stable build until the “unstable” build is updated to 0.5.3

A number of issues have impacted online multiplayer gameplay since the 0.5.0 beta release on 21 December some of which were patched in a recent server update, the key issues were that have compromised online and physics stability are:


There servers had a significant escalation in the volume of concurrent players (peaking at ~160% or 2.6 times more players than the previous record high), to address this we have added additional server capacity and will continue to monitor contention for servers and scale capacity if the number of online players continues to escalate.




A high number of player hosted servers registered (or attempted to register) with the master server in the days immediately following the release of the Gang Beasts server tool (on 23 December 2016), this negatively impacted on the performance of the Master Server. A significant percentage of player hosted servers that successfully registered with the master server (player hosted servers that were shown in the server browser list) did not have port forwarding configured or were otherwise inaccessible stopping other players from joining them.

To address these issues we have temporarily stopped player hosted servers from registering as public servers until the implementation can be modified (remote players can still connect to player hosted servers with the Direct Connection option in the online menu).



For discussion and support for the Gang Beasts Server Tool please use the forum at http://steamcommunity.com/app/497110/discussions/


We have been testing to identify the source of the physics inconsistencies introduced in the 0.5.0 builds and have identified the issue is with frame rate independence (making the game physics fluctuate significantly when running on different hardware specifications). We have been testing a potential fix for this issue and are publishing this as the 0.5.1 beta build concurrently with this post.

The modifications to the characters physics (which are listed in the change log in the 0.5.0 posts are not the source of the issues with physics inconsistencies), the issue is with the game physics not calculating independently of frame rate which manifests as lower (weak) forces for systems with lower frame rates and compromises character stability for systems with exceptionally high frame rates.


We are working on the Quick Join implementation to improve the management of contention for server slots with less frequent disconnections; if you have frequent issues connecting to servers with Quick Join please connect with the Server List with geographical filters (to index servers in proximate geographies) until improvements to the Quick Join implementation are published.

• fixed an issue with the character system to make the character physics work independently of frame rate
  
• fixed missing collider on subway
  
• modified amplitude of RingDing SFX to lower volume by approx. half
  
• modified amplitude of warp SFX sample to lower volume by approx. half
  
• modified the master server to manage higher CCUs (Concurrent Users)
  
• modified the master server to make the server list populate faster

To download the ‘unstable’ branch on Steam right-click on the ‘Gang Beasts’ game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab and then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:’. To revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu.

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game forces the selected build to download to the Steam client (replacing the previously selected build).

Please note the 0.5.0 release replaced the previous default 0.3.4 and 0.4.4 "unstable" Steam Early Access builds, moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the 0.5.1 stable build until the “unstable” build is updated to 0.5.2

A number of issues have impacted online multiplayer gameplay since the 0.5.0 beta release on 21 December some of which were patched in a recent server update, the key issues were that have compromised online and physics stability are:


There servers had a significant escalation in the volume of concurrent players (peaking at ~160% or 2.6 times more players than the previous record high), to address this we have added additional server capacity and will continue to monitor contention for servers and scale capacity if the number of online players continues to escalate.




A high number of player hosted servers registered (or attempted to register) with the master server in the days immediately following the release of the Gang Beasts server tool (on 23 December 2016), this negatively impacted on the performance of the Master Server. A significant percentage of player hosted servers that successfully registered with the master server (player hosted servers that were shown in the server browser list) did not have port forwarding configured or were otherwise inaccessible stopping other players from joining them.

To address these issues we have temporarily stopped player hosted servers from registering as public servers until the implementation can be modified (remote players can still connect to player hosted servers with the Direct Connection option in the online menu).



For discussion and support for the Gang Beasts Server Tool please use the forum at http://steamcommunity.com/app/497110/discussions/


We have been testing to identify the source of the physics inconsistencies introduced in the 0.5.0 builds and have identified the issue is with frame rate independence (making the game physics fluctuate significantly when running on different hardware specifications). We have been testing a potential fix for this issue and are publishing this as the 0.5.1 beta build concurrently with this post.

The modifications to the characters physics (which are listed in the change log in the 0.5.0 posts are not the source of the issues with physics inconsistencies), the issue is with the game physics not calculating independently of frame rate which manifests as lower (weak) forces for systems with lower frame rates and compromises character stability for systems with exceptionally high frame rates.


We are working on the Quick Join implementation to improve the management of contention for server slots with less frequent disconnections; if you have frequent issues connecting to servers with Quick Join please connect with the Server List with geographical filters (to index servers in proximate geographies) until improvements to the Quick Join implementation are published.

• fixed an issue with the character system to make the character physics work independently of frame rate
  
• fixed missing collider on subway
  
• modified amplitude of RingDing SFX to lower volume by approx. half
  
• modified amplitude of warp SFX sample to lower volume by approx. half
  
• modified the master server to manage higher CCUs (Concurrent Users)
  
• modified the master server to make the server list populate faster

To download the ‘unstable’ branch on Steam right-click on the ‘Gang Beasts’ game name on the Steam library page and select 'Properties' from the window that opens, from this window select the 'BETAS' tab and then the 'unstable' option from the dropdown menu (the menu labelled 'Select the beta you would like to opt into:’. To revert back to the last 'stable' branch select 'NONE- Opt out of all beta programs' from the same menu.

For reference switching between 'unstable' and 'stable' branches of the game forces the selected build to download to the Steam client (replacing the previously selected build).

Please note the 0.5.0 release replaced the previous default 0.3.4 and 0.4.4 "unstable" Steam Early Access builds, moving between the default and “unstable” builds on Steam will download the 0.5.1 stable build until the “unstable” build is updated to 0.5.2