Patch #3.5: Hotfixes

Hey everyone,

We decided to release a hotfix update to resolve some unexpected issues introduced in our recent Beta patch #3. We also included other miscellaneous work that’s been done in the meantime. Here’s the rundown:

Fixed broken Leadership Commands
Fixed issue with excess medical charges not stacking with existing bandages
Added exit tiles to History Museum map
Added exit tiles to Hospital map
Fixed an issue where adding a Stat point to a Stat currently reduced by equipment caused character to lose a Stat point instead
Fixed issue with broken usable items and related crash
Sized down combat status icons above characters
Fixed an issue where you could “throw” bullets infinitely
Fixed an item destruction bug related to unloading
Added more random encounters
Fixed issue where healing used two charges from the medical satchel instead of one
Fixed a combat crash related to an item database error
Fixed a few dialogue issues
Performed more combat/loot/doors/blocking work on a few levels

Thanks for your patience and for drawing our attention to some of these issues!

Patch #3.5: Hotfixes

Hey everyone,

We decided to release a hotfix update to resolve some unexpected issues introduced in our recent Beta patch #3. We also included other miscellaneous work that’s been done in the meantime. Here’s the rundown:

Fixed broken Leadership Commands
Fixed issue with excess medical charges not stacking with existing bandages
Added exit tiles to History Museum map
Added exit tiles to Hospital map
Fixed an issue where adding a Stat point to a Stat currently reduced by equipment caused character to lose a Stat point instead
Fixed issue with broken usable items and related crash
Sized down combat status icons above characters
Fixed an issue where you could “throw” bullets infinitely
Fixed an item destruction bug related to unloading
Added more random encounters
Fixed issue where healing used two charges from the medical satchel instead of one
Fixed a combat crash related to an item database error
Fixed a few dialogue issues
Performed more combat/loot/doors/blocking work on a few levels

Thanks for your patience and for drawing our attention to some of these issues!

The third patch to the Dead State Early Access Beta is now live! This update features substantial improvements to the combat system and introduces a new 'wounded' mechanic to healing, as well as fixes for several long-standing bugs and exploits, a bunch of new random encounters, fixes and improvements to AI, functionality for the adrenaline shot and other one-use items, and many other things.

Animals need some more work before they are ready, so they're not included in this patch.


Added twenty-five new random encounters
Added functionality to adrenaline shot, Stuporax, Soothinum, and Flashback
Reworked healing system and wounded status
Improved AI: fixed the endless combat round issue
Improved AI: fixed undead ‘sleeping’ during combat
Adjusted Leadership Commands: all players now start game with the “Go!” Leadership command
Fixed numerous blocking and loot issues in levels
Added an ally
Added additional crisis events
Added additional trait and perk icons
Fixed the issue where party slots still counted as full after an ally died
Added hotkey “P” to pull up Leadership Commands
Fixed issues with repeating dialogues
Fixed identical ammo not stacking with itself
Fixed an issue with the “Backstab” perk
Fixed an exploit for duplicating items using maximum stack size
Fixed an exploit for duplicating medical items by overloading the Medical Satchel
Adjusted balance on all weapons and special attacks

Combat is more dangerous now, and it will be harder to patch up your top allies after a rough fight. You'll have to leave them to recover over time at the Shelter and take your B-listers out to scavenge in the meantime. Let us know what you think, and how this update affects your combat strategies!

Enjoy!

The third patch to the Dead State Early Access Beta is now live! This update features substantial improvements to the combat system and introduces a new 'wounded' mechanic to healing, as well as fixes for several long-standing bugs and exploits, a bunch of new random encounters, fixes and improvements to AI, functionality for the adrenaline shot and other one-use items, and many other things.

Animals need some more work before they are ready, so they're not included in this patch.


Added twenty-five new random encounters
Added functionality to adrenaline shot, Stuporax, Soothinum, and Flashback
Reworked healing system and wounded status
Improved AI: fixed the endless combat round issue
Improved AI: fixed undead ‘sleeping’ during combat
Adjusted Leadership Commands: all players now start game with the “Go!” Leadership command
Fixed numerous blocking and loot issues in levels
Added an ally
Added additional crisis events
Added additional trait and perk icons
Fixed the issue where party slots still counted as full after an ally died
Added hotkey “P” to pull up Leadership Commands
Fixed issues with repeating dialogues
Fixed identical ammo not stacking with itself
Fixed an issue with the “Backstab” perk
Fixed an exploit for duplicating items using maximum stack size
Fixed an exploit for duplicating medical items by overloading the Medical Satchel
Adjusted balance on all weapons and special attacks

Combat is more dangerous now, and it will be harder to patch up your top allies after a rough fight. You'll have to leave them to recover over time at the Shelter and take your B-listers out to scavenge in the meantime. Let us know what you think, and how this update affects your combat strategies!

Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

The second patch to the Dead State Early Access Beta is now live! This week comes with a lot of content-side work - new levels, new allies added to the world, more dialogues, new crisis events, and more loot, among other things.

For our next patch, we plan to include major AI improvements, healing system changes, horses and cats, and a boatload of new content, among other things. I hope you're excited!

We know we've been quiet on the forums and Steam lately; everyone's working around the clock trying to push out more frequent patches with more features, content, and fixes, so the time flies by before we even realize it. We really appreciate that everyone's continuing to report their issues on Steam and on the Dead State forums. Though we may not always comment, we're still reading your feedback and using it to guide our priorities for each patch. Thanks for all your help!

Hi everyone,

The second patch to the Dead State Early Access Beta is now live! This week comes with a lot of content-side work - new levels, new allies added to the world, more dialogues, new crisis events, and more loot, among other things.

For our next patch, we plan to include major AI improvements, healing system changes, horses and cats, and a boatload of new content, among other things. I hope you're excited!

We know we've been quiet on the forums and Steam lately; everyone's working around the clock trying to push out more frequent patches with more features, content, and fixes, so the time flies by before we even realize it. We really appreciate that everyone's continuing to report their issues on Steam and on the Dead State forums. Though we may not always comment, we're still reading your feedback and using it to guide our priorities for each patch. Thanks for all your help!

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve been enjoying playing the Beta. We’re super grateful for all the feedback and bug reports that have been pouring in - you guys are totally awesome! You also did a fantastic job working together to identify potential causes of a couple major bugs, which helped us track them down and resolve them a lot quicker.

This first update addresses the biggest issues you guys reported, fixes various miscellaneous issues, tweaks balance, and extends a couple of features.

Here’s what’s new and/or improved in this build:

• Fixed save corruption issue - this was related to save data for AI behaviors being doubled with each save. This should also fix some reported character combat lag.
  
• Fixed return to shelter crash - thanks to the community, we discovered this was time zone-related and the game now uses its own internal clock independent of PC clock.
  
• Adjusted lootlists for balance.
  
• Added additional Leadership commands.
  
• Added new AI behaviors and AI behavior fixes.
  
• Memorial Wall can now be unlocked (but it only shows placeholder entries right now).
  
• Suggestion Box can now be unlocked (but it only shows placeholder entries right now).
  
• Added AC bonus from Vigor stat.
  
• Fixed various dialogue issues.
  
• Added various new dialogues.
  
• Fixed blocking issues and exits for several levels.
  
• Performed loot passes on motel levels.
  
• Fixed various misc. art issues.
  
• Implemented perk selection GUI art.
  
• Implemented various shelter-related GUI art, including art for the shelter return summary and time passage on job board.
  
• Fixed issue where players couldn’t max out weight through group trade interface.
  
• Fixed a bug where damage resistance reported negative numbers.
  
• Fixed a bug where the GO! command removed characters from the combat queue.
  
• Added chainsaw sounds.
  
• Added a few new levels and a couple new allies.
  
• Finished the Allies portion of the Goals screen so you can now get more information - some data is not fully implemented yet, however.
  
• Added pepper spray miss sound.
  
• Fixed and “softened” level borders so that camera is less likely to get stuck behind them.
  
• Added undead mobbing functionality - you’ll find the undead are scarier in groups now.
  
• Added fishing pole item and fixed fishing bug - now you can catch all the fish your heart desires!
  
• Added location unlocks from listening to the radio - I hope you’re tuning in every day...
  
• Fixed an issue with the undead continuing to feast after a character stood up.
  
• Fixed some issues with wall line-of-sight and wall positioning.
  
• Tall fences now block LOS and attacks.
  
• Fixed issues with dialogue overlap in crisis events.
  
• Fixed some issues with existing perks and perk functionality.

As we move forward, we’ll continue to address game-breaking issues as top priorities, as well as add some new features, address problems with existing systems, add more critical path content, and continue loot passes, combat passes, and scripting on existing levels. Let us know what you’d most like to see in an upcoming patch and we’ll see what we can do!

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve been enjoying playing the Beta. We’re super grateful for all the feedback and bug reports that have been pouring in - you guys are totally awesome! You also did a fantastic job working together to identify potential causes of a couple major bugs, which helped us track them down and resolve them a lot quicker.

This first update addresses the biggest issues you guys reported, fixes various miscellaneous issues, tweaks balance, and extends a couple of features.

Here’s what’s new and/or improved in this build:

• Fixed save corruption issue - this was related to save data for AI behaviors being doubled with each save. This should also fix some reported character combat lag.
  
• Fixed return to shelter crash - thanks to the community, we discovered this was time zone-related and the game now uses its own internal clock independent of PC clock.
  
• Adjusted lootlists for balance.
  
• Added additional Leadership commands.
  
• Added new AI behaviors and AI behavior fixes.
  
• Memorial Wall can now be unlocked (but it only shows placeholder entries right now).
  
• Suggestion Box can now be unlocked (but it only shows placeholder entries right now).
  
• Added AC bonus from Vigor stat.
  
• Fixed various dialogue issues.
  
• Added various new dialogues.
  
• Fixed blocking issues and exits for several levels.
  
• Performed loot passes on motel levels.
  
• Fixed various misc. art issues.
  
• Implemented perk selection GUI art.
  
• Implemented various shelter-related GUI art, including art for the shelter return summary and time passage on job board.
  
• Fixed issue where players couldn’t max out weight through group trade interface.
  
• Fixed a bug where damage resistance reported negative numbers.
  
• Fixed a bug where the GO! command removed characters from the combat queue.
  
• Added chainsaw sounds.
  
• Added a few new levels and a couple new allies.
  
• Finished the Allies portion of the Goals screen so you can now get more information - some data is not fully implemented yet, however.
  
• Added pepper spray miss sound.
  
• Fixed and “softened” level borders so that camera is less likely to get stuck behind them.
  
• Added undead mobbing functionality - you’ll find the undead are scarier in groups now.
  
• Added fishing pole item and fixed fishing bug - now you can catch all the fish your heart desires!
  
• Added location unlocks from listening to the radio - I hope you’re tuning in every day...
  
• Fixed an issue with the undead continuing to feast after a character stood up.
  
• Fixed some issues with wall line-of-sight and wall positioning.
  
• Tall fences now block LOS and attacks.
  
• Fixed issues with dialogue overlap in crisis events.
  
• Fixed some issues with existing perks and perk functionality.

As we move forward, we’ll continue to address game-breaking issues as top priorities, as well as add some new features, address problems with existing systems, add more critical path content, and continue loot passes, combat passes, and scripting on existing levels. Let us know what you’d most like to see in an upcoming patch and we’ll see what we can do!

The Dead State Beta is here! Since I don’t want to keep you in suspense, I’ll kick off this announcement with our impressive changelog:

• 75+ new locations
  
• 30+ new allies
  
• 500+ new dialogues
  
• 30+ days of new content (no time limit)
  
• Crisis events
  
• New enemy types & factions
  
• Vehicle travel
  
• Skill perks
  
• Ally traits
  
• Thrown weapons
  
• Data system (basic)
  
• Dog allies and enemies
  
• Special weapons
  
• Neutral encounters
  
• Tutorial elements
  
• Pause menu
  
• New save & load screens
  
• New goals
  
• Allies tracker on Goals screen
  
• Fence attacks
  ​
• New jobs
  
• Shelter upgrades

… And a whole lot more cool stuff!

Don’t skip off gleefully to launch the game just yet, though - read on to learn more about what you should expect when you fire up the Beta.

First, we want to remind everyone that the Beta is not the full game. While the Beta includes tons of new content and features, there are also content and features still missing, and most of those that are in the Beta still need balancing and optimization. There are also still going to be a host of bugs and technical issues that we’re still actively fixing behind the scenes. Similar to other prominent recent betas on Steam (Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity, Divinity), Dead State’s Beta doesn’t include all the final story, dialogues, or levels, but it’s sure got enough to keep you busy for quite some time! The idea behind the open beta is to expose as much content to you as we possibly can and get your feedback on both design and technical issues before we move on to the final release.

Speaking of your feedback - we need it! The community is full of passionate, motivated, and clever people and we humbly ask you to use your powers to help us improve Dead State. On the design side, we especially need feedback about combat, supplies, loot, and dialogue. On the technical side, we especially need to know about crashes, soft locks, exploits, and any progress-blocking bugs. Of course, all other game feedback is welcome too :)

To provide bug reports and feedback, please use the subforum located here: Early Access Beta. Don’t mind the old posts - we had a very small number of people helping us do internal testing of the beta, and we’ve converted the forum we used to communicate with them into the full Beta bug-reporting/feedback forum. You can also use our “Bug Reporting and Feedback” board on Steam to report issues if you’d prefer. Please make sure to read the “Known Issues” thread first and review other people’s posts before reporting your issue; that makes it easier for the devs and mods to keep track of everything!

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Beta, both positive and negative - just please keep your feedback polite, constructive, and on-topic. Providing constructive criticism and behaving respectfully towards others is awesome and appreciated. On the other hand, attacks and arguments detract from the effectiveness of the beta feedback process and ultimately harm the whole Dead State community. If we all keep in mind that the goal of the beta is to make Dead State the best game it can possibly be, then that’s exactly what will happen!

Remember how I said there were a few bits missing and some kinks still being worked out? Right here, I’ll tell you about some of the big’uns we’re aware of. For the longer version of the Known Issues list, go here.

AI is still pretty basic right now. We’re already working on vast improvements to the AI system that you’ll see in the first patch. Eventually, enemies will exhibit more advanced tactics and behaviors that vary among different enemy types.

Dialogue and scripting are one of our highest priorities and are constantly being added to and improved.
- There are still a few missing dialogues for specific characters, and more dialogue may very well be added in polish stage.
- A number of world events are not scripted yet so if it seems like something more should be happening in a scene, chances are you’re right ;)
- Scripting is also missing or minimal in numerous ally encounters, so sometimes dialogue may not match up with what actually happens when you meet a new ally out in the world.
- There are a few neutral encounters already in the game, but more are planned for the future.

- There are still a few weird behaviors being exhibited during pathfinding, such as jittering, sliding, occupying the same space, and meandering. There’s also some lag that comes up occasionally while pathfinding. Pathfinding optimization will happen closer to final release.
- There’s currently an issue where allies do not follow the active character up or down stairs. This is a very high priority issue for us to fix in an upcoming patch.

Weapons, armor, medical items, combat skills, special attacks, and combat encounters are still being balanced and tweaked. Roof behavior is still not ideal and we have plans to make sure the roof stays invisible when any ally is inside of it, among other things.

Crashes and locks are one of our absolute highest priorities, so rest assured that we’re working on solutions for these even as you read these words. Right now, these are the known crashes that occur in the game:
- Changing resolution while on a level may crash the game when returning to the area map. This is an issue with the map GUI and we’re working on a solution.
- Occasionally a crash occurs when returning to the shelter. This may be related to something in the code looking for an ally that isn’t there. We’re looking into it.
- There is a rare crash that occurs when players begin to load into a location from the area map and then click somewhere else on the map before the location loads up.
- Rarely, the game soft locks after an ally panics - the player character’s turn starts and s/he has zero AP and the game is stuck on the player’s turn.
- A crash occurs when a character with no weapons equipped attempts to stand up from knockdown.
- A crash occurs when player wakes up their PC after it’s entered sleep mode with the game open.

The biggest issue with saves right now is that some save files are getting corrupted after players explore a large quantity of locations. This is a critical priority for us, so hang in there! Again, please save your game in multiple files to lower the risk of losing your game progress until we get this fixed.


While many levels are fully playable, there are also a few levels at various stages of completion. Some levels may be missing loot, enemies, or even props, and there are certainly plenty that still require additional scripting too.

- Leadership commands are not all functional yet. "Go!" and "Aim for the Head" are the only two available for the time being.

All of us at DoubleBear are really excited to share this beta with you and show off everything we’ve been working on over the past year. Your ongoing support and enthusiasm for Dead State kept us going and reminded us that there are a lot of people out there just as passionate about Dead State as we are. So thank you for keeping us company on this journey - we can’t wait to see it through to the end with you!

The Dead State Beta is here! Since I don’t want to keep you in suspense, I’ll kick off this announcement with our impressive changelog:

• 75+ new locations
  
• 30+ new allies
  
• 500+ new dialogues
  
• 30+ days of new content (no time limit)
  
• Crisis events
  
• New enemy types & factions
  
• Vehicle travel
  
• Skill perks
  
• Ally traits
  
• Thrown weapons
  
• Data system (basic)
  
• Dog allies and enemies
  
• Special weapons
  
• Neutral encounters
  
• Tutorial elements
  
• Pause menu
  
• New save & load screens
  
• New goals
  
• Allies tracker on Goals screen
  
• Fence attacks
  ​
• New jobs
  
• Shelter upgrades

… And a whole lot more cool stuff!

Don’t skip off gleefully to launch the game just yet, though - read on to learn more about what you should expect when you fire up the Beta.

First, we want to remind everyone that the Beta is not the full game. While the Beta includes tons of new content and features, there are also content and features still missing, and most of those that are in the Beta still need balancing and optimization. There are also still going to be a host of bugs and technical issues that we’re still actively fixing behind the scenes. Similar to other prominent recent betas on Steam (Wasteland 2, Pillars of Eternity, Divinity), Dead State’s Beta doesn’t include all the final story, dialogues, or levels, but it’s sure got enough to keep you busy for quite some time! The idea behind the open beta is to expose as much content to you as we possibly can and get your feedback on both design and technical issues before we move on to the final release.

Speaking of your feedback - we need it! The community is full of passionate, motivated, and clever people and we humbly ask you to use your powers to help us improve Dead State. On the design side, we especially need feedback about combat, supplies, loot, and dialogue. On the technical side, we especially need to know about crashes, soft locks, exploits, and any progress-blocking bugs. Of course, all other game feedback is welcome too :)

To provide bug reports and feedback, please use the subforum located here: Early Access Beta. Don’t mind the old posts - we had a very small number of people helping us do internal testing of the beta, and we’ve converted the forum we used to communicate with them into the full Beta bug-reporting/feedback forum. You can also use our “Bug Reporting and Feedback” board on Steam to report issues if you’d prefer. Please make sure to read the “Known Issues” thread first and review other people’s posts before reporting your issue; that makes it easier for the devs and mods to keep track of everything!

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Beta, both positive and negative - just please keep your feedback polite, constructive, and on-topic. Providing constructive criticism and behaving respectfully towards others is awesome and appreciated. On the other hand, attacks and arguments detract from the effectiveness of the beta feedback process and ultimately harm the whole Dead State community. If we all keep in mind that the goal of the beta is to make Dead State the best game it can possibly be, then that’s exactly what will happen!

Remember how I said there were a few bits missing and some kinks still being worked out? Right here, I’ll tell you about some of the big’uns we’re aware of. For the longer version of the Known Issues list, go here.

AI is still pretty basic right now. We’re already working on vast improvements to the AI system that you’ll see in the first patch. Eventually, enemies will exhibit more advanced tactics and behaviors that vary among different enemy types.

Dialogue and scripting are one of our highest priorities and are constantly being added to and improved.
- There are still a few missing dialogues for specific characters, and more dialogue may very well be added in polish stage.
- A number of world events are not scripted yet so if it seems like something more should be happening in a scene, chances are you’re right ;)
- Scripting is also missing or minimal in numerous ally encounters, so sometimes dialogue may not match up with what actually happens when you meet a new ally out in the world.
- There are a few neutral encounters already in the game, but more are planned for the future.

- There are still a few weird behaviors being exhibited during pathfinding, such as jittering, sliding, occupying the same space, and meandering. There’s also some lag that comes up occasionally while pathfinding. Pathfinding optimization will happen closer to final release.
- There’s currently an issue where allies do not follow the active character up or down stairs. This is a very high priority issue for us to fix in an upcoming patch.

Weapons, armor, medical items, combat skills, special attacks, and combat encounters are still being balanced and tweaked. Roof behavior is still not ideal and we have plans to make sure the roof stays invisible when any ally is inside of it, among other things.

Crashes and locks are one of our absolute highest priorities, so rest assured that we’re working on solutions for these even as you read these words. Right now, these are the known crashes that occur in the game:
- Changing resolution while on a level may crash the game when returning to the area map. This is an issue with the map GUI and we’re working on a solution.
- Occasionally a crash occurs when returning to the shelter. This may be related to something in the code looking for an ally that isn’t there. We’re looking into it.
- There is a rare crash that occurs when players begin to load into a location from the area map and then click somewhere else on the map before the location loads up.
- Rarely, the game soft locks after an ally panics - the player character’s turn starts and s/he has zero AP and the game is stuck on the player’s turn.
- A crash occurs when a character with no weapons equipped attempts to stand up from knockdown.
- A crash occurs when player wakes up their PC after it’s entered sleep mode with the game open.

The biggest issue with saves right now is that some save files are getting corrupted after players explore a large quantity of locations. This is a critical priority for us, so hang in there! Again, please save your game in multiple files to lower the risk of losing your game progress until we get this fixed.


While many levels are fully playable, there are also a few levels at various stages of completion. Some levels may be missing loot, enemies, or even props, and there are certainly plenty that still require additional scripting too.

- Leadership commands are not all functional yet. "Go!" and "Aim for the Head" are the only two available for the time being.

All of us at DoubleBear are really excited to share this beta with you and show off everything we’ve been working on over the past year. Your ongoing support and enthusiasm for Dead State kept us going and reminded us that there are a lot of people out there just as passionate about Dead State as we are. So thank you for keeping us company on this journey - we can’t wait to see it through to the end with you!