Added

• Option to use the classic crosshair shape.
  
• "Manual Object Culling" volume type which replaces/improves old per-object-asset LOD area settings.
  
• Instantiated_Item_Name_Override and Instantiated_Attachment_Name_Override options to simplify workarounds for animation component.
  
• Exclude_From_Culling_Volumes [bool] option for objects.
  
• Exclude_From_Level_Batching [bool] option for objects and trees.
  
• "-DisableCullingVolumes" command-line flag. Not recommended.
  
• "-UseLevelBatching=true/false" command-line option.
  
• Valentine's day holiday condition for secret admirer note quest on Liberator.
  
• Per-location option to hide from map UI.

Changed

• Improved and re-enabled batching of level objects and trees.
  
• Assets with duplicate guid are now skipped during registration rather than assigning a new guid.
  
• Use same collision height (2 meters) for all zombie types.
  
• Slightly increase zombie vertical attack range by 0.1 meter.
  
• Slide while standing on zombie's/animal's head.
  
• Allow masks to work as underwater breathing apparatus with backpack.
  
• Semi-auto repairing melee items play an impact sound.
  
• Terrain tool weight target option can be used with auto foundation option.

Fixed

• Stereo not *playing* the tracks not installed on the server, rendering the change in the previous update pointless. [Thanks Timmy!]
  
• Teleport animals that fall out of the map to a valid spawnpoint. [Thanks Toothy Deerryte!]
  
• Pooled effects getting prematurely destroyed. [Thanks Gamingtoday093!]
  
• Transparent pixels in supersampled screenshots. [Thanks Tiway!]
  
• Some inconsistent skin/cosmetic emissive intensity values. [Thanks diddlyono!]
  
• Animal collider not getting disabled on server. [Thanks surv0013!]
  
• Misaligned UVs on player/zombie ragdoll neck. [Thanks Toothy Deerryte!]
  
• Extremely small network positions off by one. [Thanks Gamingtoday093!]
  
• Some inconsistencies when enabling/disabling crosshair. [Thanks KarmaWSYD!]
  
• Interior culling size of several objects.
  
• Loading screen not appearing between clicking exit and reaching the main menu.
  
• Legacy airdrop/location node conversion not assigning instance ID.

Fixed

• Holiday object collision not disabled on server. [Thanks AdamDN!]

This update should bring a noticeable performance increase on vanilla maps, and curated/modded maps too if/when the map creators opt-in. There was a similar update several years ago, but it had to be disabled because it used too much memory (RAM) for some players - actually reducing performance and/or crashing. According to the Steam hardware survey ~96% of players have 8+ GB of RAM now, so with some useful improvements it has been re-enabled. As a precaution it can be disabled by default on the backend if the update goes poorly, and you can disable it with this command-line option if necessary: -UseLevelBatching=false

For more information there are two new articles intended for map developers:

Level Batching
Manual Object Culling

Added

• Option to use custom sized crosshair rather than size calculated from spread.
  
• "-DisableLightLODs" command-line flag. Not recommended.
  
• Delete_After_Filling_Target [bool] option for fuel items.
  
• SalvageItem [guid] option for placeable items when picked up below 100% health.
  
• Min_Items_Dropped_On_Destroy, Max_Items_Dropped_On_Destroy, and Item_Dropped_On_Destroy options for placeable items.
  
• Terrain_Test_Height option for housing floors, defaults to 10. (max height above terrain)
  
• Destroy_Clothing_Colliders [bool] option for clothes, Destroy_Attachment_Colliders [bool] option for attachments, and Destroy_Item_Colliders [bool] option for items. Defaults to true. Previously only root colliders were destroyed, but in this update child colliders are destroyed as well following low performance reports of mods with complex colliders on item prefabs. These options exists for mods which relied on child colliders (not recommended).
  
• Scale_Aim_Animation_Speed [bool] option for guns. If true, Aim_Start and Aim_Stop animations are scaled according to aim duration. Defaults to true.
  
• Laser_Color option for tactical laser.
  
• Main menu links to support site and preview branch changelog.

Changed

• Zombies block player movement again. (finally!)
  
• Stereo tracks list allow songs not installed on the server.
  
• Holiday condition supports Not_Equal comparison.
  
• Adjusted wording of pause menu respawn button.
  
• Support multiple workshop file IDs in AssetBundleCustomData.
  
• Log state of player in queue during transport failure.
  
• Better logging for custom modules to aid troubleshooting.
  
• Updated missing object and tree kicks to newer asset integrity used by foliage.

Fixed

• Prevent viewmodel springs exploding at very low framerates.
  
• Case where logging exception could throw another exception.
  
• Stuck if EffectSpawner component was triggered while loading level.
  
• Nodes editor unable to select empty named locations in IMGUI mode.
  
• Fishing rod collision detection error logged when bobber started floating.
  
• Clamp server Timeout_Queue_Seconds lower than client timeout.
  
• Not tracking kill counter progress when quitting rather than exiting to menu.
  
• Copy/pasting scale in volumes editor.
  
• Vanilla ban command IP ban was using old net transport code.
  
• Objects with visibility conditions using quest GUID.
  
• Disable vehicle exhaust when all particle systems are finished.
  
• Incorrectly smooth normals on edge of Hangar #1 roof.
  
• Discolored wall in Mechanic #2 back room.
  
• Holding salvage key not resetting on death.
  
• Disable anonymous WAN IP check when joining through LAN server list.
  
• Weapons applying bleed/bone/food/water/virus/hallucination damage in safezone.
  
• Prevent attaching roofs to top of ramparts.
  
• Match mannequin placement arrow direction to other barricades like signs.
  
• Mannequin pose button getting out of sync with actual pose when rate limited.
  
• Server ignores using vehicle horn if audio clip is missing, can override with Has_Horn true.
  
• Blowing yourself up no longer counts as a kill stat.
  
• Prevent bed placement inside kill volume.

Changed

• Only validate level objects asset integrity prior to legacy ID fallback.

Fixed

• Ban command fix was actually broken (sigh), used wrong player's IP. [Thanks Darkane!]

I consider myself fortunate to have such a helpful community where many players are willing to help others on Steam Discussions, Discord, the subreddit, the forum, etc. I've always offered direct email support, but I don't think I could have kept up if it weren't for all the questions being answered and issues being solved by members of the community. Many thanks and a big shoutout to everyone involved!

Over the past couple years I've noticed the volume of support emails rising, perhaps from the higher number of players. This has gradually increased the amount of time required, and reduced time for development. In order to both improve the support process and free up time for gamedev the New Support Website was my main focus earlier this month. There are some issues and questions that come up repeatedly, so my goal is to provide official articles and guides that go more in-depth than I could over email. My hope is these will be easier to find, more helpful, and serve as a resource for community helpers too! For anything not covered, there is a new user-friendly ticket form replacing the old email.

This update was primarily focused on catching up with some backlogged fixes and improvements. I'm not quite finished catching up yet, but wanted to get the ready-to-go stuff released considering it has been a while since the last update.

A medium+ sized map set in northern Eurasia featuring high location density, a wider progression system with less reliance on RNG, plenty of unique experiences via quests, over 600 items, and an awesome looking bridge (two, in fact). With its fast paced design (inspired by Elver & Washington) and informative item descriptions, it's easy for anyone to pick up, learn and enjoy.


Watch the A6 Polaris Trailer Here

To host a server running the map add its workshop file ID (2898548949) to the File_IDs list in WorkshopDownloadConfig.json, and set the map to "A6 Polaris" (without quotes) in Commands.dat.



For the next two weeks a variety of exclusive new free items will be dropping:



This project was created by danaby2, Renaxon and LVOmega. If you enjoy the map and would like to support them, consider checking out the box or bundle on the Stockpile:



A6 Polaris Map Mystery Box
A6 Polaris Map Bundle

Other links:

ID List & Crafting Guide
Troubleshooting & Modding Info
Bug Reports
YouTube Playlist
Credits


Fixed:

• Kill counters and ragdoll effects on detonator skin.

Changed:

• Minor engine patch from 2020.3.38f1 to 2020.3.43f1. Edit: rolled back with patch #3 because of some new crashes. This was the only change in the .3 patch.
  
• Adjust sorting and red warning on server list for listings with large ping discrepancy.

Fixed:

• Water volume sea level checkbox using wrong value.
  
• Server log entry about lod group additional data.
  
• Potential cause of rubble error while loading server.
  
• Loading screen stuck if loading asset bundles async and sync at the same time.

Watch the trailer for danaby2's upcoming curated map "A6 Polaris" releasing next Friday!




Added:

• Spread_Angle_Degrees gun option replacing Spread_Hip.
  
• Aim_In_Duration gun option. Old hardcoded default was 0.2 seconds. Vanilla guns have been tweaked +/- 50ms on average.
  
• Aim_Duration_Multiplier gun attachment option. Large vanilla magazines reduce aiming speed.
  
• Damage_Falloff_Max_Range option for falloff to finish closer than the total max range.
  
• Plugin option to hide center dot and disable reputation change notification.
  
• Separate messaging and auto-shutdown for update rollbacks.
  
• Is_Music bool option for effect asset used in ambiance volumes.
  
• Support for warning if there is a large discrepancy between server listing and actual in-game ping.

Changed:

• Crosshair follows recoil similar to laser and better represents actual spread.
  
• Prevent joining servers without GSLT over the internet. LAN servers are unaffected.
  
• Trees can override their appearance on the 2D chart similar to objects.
  
• Item condition supports comparison other than >=.
  
• Improved how viewmodel camera is automatically aligned with gun sights.
  
• Pressing enter in IP field shows loopback/LAN info, and with a ":port" moves port to the port field.

Fixed:

• Gun spread is finally circular rather than square.
  
• Clear volume selection when changing tool.
  
• Selecting quests in quest list when a quest asset was missing.
  
• Foliage tool performance while not painting with large brush.
  
• Potential nodes editor bug with IMGUI mode.
  
• Volume solid visualization visible in satellite capture.
  
• Collision at rear of destroyed ural object.
  
• Alignment of volumes tab and objects list.
  
• Not timing out when server did not respond to join request.

Fixed:

• Crosshair not fading out when opening menus.
  
• Animator component used by mods/plugins re-enabled.
  
• Main menu stuck when resolving invalid hostname.

Edit: this first change has been disabled following feedback. If you would like to find non-P2W servers the best option is to use the "None" or "Non-Gameplay" Monetization filters in the server list.
Refreshing the Internet server list without a name filter will only show non-monetized and non-gameplay-monetization servers now. As a reminder: servers selling gameplay advantages should not categorize themselves as non-monetized / non-gameplay-monetization. Examples of gameplay advantages include weapons, vehicles, experience, admin commands, progression skips, etc. The goal is to help promote discoverability of non-pay-to-win (P2W) servers for new players.

Last year setting a Game Server Login Token (GSLT) became a requirement for listing on the Internet server list. This has now become a requirement for direct connection as well. The goal is to help with moderation of servers re-uploading other creators' workshop files without permission.

Added:

• All effect, dialogue, quest, and vendor references support guids.
  
• Asphyxiating status icon while in non-breathable area.
  
• Max Boss Zombies per-navmesh option.
  
• Per-dialogue-message option to change NPC face.

Changed:

• Removed devkit editor and its related unused systems.
  
• Moved decal visibility into regular editor visibility tab.
  
• Partially upgraded Nodes editor similar to Volumes and re-categorized devkit spawnpoint as node.
  
• Moved devkit object material overrides into Objects editor.
  
• Item Equip sound is redirectable with EquipAudioClip option.
  
• Server logs when client requests graceful disconnect.
  
• Slightly improved "spy" capture performance.

Fixed:

• Several exploits to remove grass and terrain materials.
  
• Twised start of road mesh with "ignore terrain" enabled.
  
• Another bug with planar reflections with multiple water volumes.
  
• Leaking foliage cuts when floors were destroyed.
  
• Pressing rotate item while not dragging item still playing audio.
  
• Lockpicks, tires, and batteries being removed if another player enters vehicle while using.
  
• Round scale to -1 or +1 if nearly equal to help reduce slight misalignments between objects.
  
• Round rotation angles if nearly axis aligned to help reduce slight misalignments between objects. For example 89.99 rounds to 90.
  
• Adjustments to Kuwait letterman shoes, bubble pipe, and mask. [Thanks Animatic!]

Most effect and NPC features did not yet support guids, instead relying on the old 16-bit ids. Now anywhere that a 16-bit effect or NPC asset id is used can also support guid instead. New and future content should use guids where possible to avoid asset id conflicts. Going through all of the related code was a rather large change, so there might be some unexpected side effects that need fixing in a patch.

Merging the last few features from the devkit into the regular editor is a big step toward improving the experience for mappers. The focus of editor updates can finally shift from fixing the "devkit vs legacy" mess to new tools, features, QoL, etc.

Added:

• Oxygen volumes for deep caves or special underwater plants.
  
• Accepted Demon of Greed, Pirate Captain, and Demon Hunter outfits from the Curated Workshop.

Changed:

• Raised minimum Grass quality from Off to Low.
  
• Grass is now streamed from a worker thread which reduces the CPU performance impact.
  
• Improved performance of screenshot capture with supersampling enabled.
  
• Improved logging of kicks for transport failure.

Fixed:

• Sentry gun shooting while paused.
  
• Lobby screen breaking if plugin set description to invalid base64 string.

Several updates ago in 3.22.14.0 support for 32-bit Windows officially ended. This was not well communicated in game however because unless the archived 32-bit compatibility branch was installed it was combining the older build with the most recent shared/common files. In order to make this smoother for the meantime the 32-bit Windows version will stay up-to-date, but can only play singleplayer (not multiplayer), and shows an explanation on the main menu. Opting-in to the archived 32-bit compatibility branch allows hosting and playing multiplayer on the older version.

Added:

• Accepted Backpack Turtle, Companion Penguin, Companion Crab, and Cultist outfit from the Curated Workshop.

Changed:

• Reduced intensity of camera flinch from damage by 50%.
  
• Increased explosion camera shake recovery speed by around 20%.
  
• Reduced radius of explosion camera shake for most effects by around 50%.
  
• Reduced screenshot player tagging distance to 64 meters.
  
• Improved logging of kicks for bad connection.
  
• Third-person-only servers have the third-person recoil and spread penalty disabled.

Fixed:

• Foliage manager is added to level if missing when bake is clicked.
  
• Startup stuck if preferences file is read-only.
  
• Unable to join servers in third-person-only mode.
  
• Hockey mask not equipable in hands.
  
• Catch localization string format exceptions.
  
• Disabled cultist outfit textures CPU read/write.
  
• Outline glow appearing over laser dot.
  
• Housing item mouse wheel input not blocked by UI.
  
• Not saving options/graphics/controls in level editor.
  
• Manually installed Maps missing from per-server asset list.
  
• Accumulating error when copy/pasting transform.

Added:

• Directional flinch when damaged.
  
• Camera shake from nearby explosions.
  
• Command-line "-FallbackGizmos" option to use 3D line renderers instead.
  
• InventoryAudio option for drag/drop item sounds.
  
• Procedurally_Animate_Inertia bool option for equipable items.
  
• Zoom_Using_Eyes bool option for gun sights.
  
• Equipable_Movement_Speed_Multiplier option for equipable items and gun attachments.
  
• Aiming_Movement_Speed_Multiplier and Aiming_Recoil_Multiplier options for guns and gun attachments.
  
• Attack_Interval option for animals (measured in seconds).
  
• Support for server plugin setting item hotkeys.
  
• Support for server plugin enabling voice chat while dead.
  
• Command-line "-FrameRateLimit" option which overrides the menu option.
  
• Command-line "-FarClipDistance" option for players who want to try reducing max draw distance below minimum.

Changed:

• Recoil and spread are doubled while using third-person perspective.
  
• Improved tactical laser visibility through scopes.
  
• Increased default text field length from 16 to 100.
  
• Reduced bullet casing bounce volume.
  
• Separated water surface visibility in editor from volume visibility option.
  
• Animal damage considers player armor.
  
• Include workshop file name in asset mismatch kick message if different.

Fixed:

• Server description corruption with line break inside multi-byte codepoint.
  
• Precision loss when repeatedly dragging transform back and forth.
  
• Crafted guns with state transfer will use default firemode.
  
• White surface when water volume loads with planar reflection disabled.
  
• Using fertilizer on fully-grown crops.
  
• Washington note showing empty line of text.

The skill ceiling of first-person aiming has been raised by adding secondary recoil away from the center of the screen. Holographic sights and tactical lasers are the best indicator for this because they always point exactly where the shot will go. i.e., if the gun has zero spread and the laser has recoiled above the crosshair then the bullet will hit exactly where the laser marks. Third-person recoil and spread have been doubled to encourage the use of first-person aiming.

Added:

• Ability to slightly raise/lower floor placement using mouse scroll wheel.
  
• Cartography editor volume to mark chart/GPS area for non-square maps.
  
• Sphere shape option for most editor volume types.
  
• Newer volume editor equivalents for older volume-style editor nodes.
  
• Support for multiple teleporter exits per entrance in which case a random exit is chosen.
  
• Visibility button to volume type buttons in volumes editor.
  
• WearAudio option for clothing items.
  
• PlacementPreviewPrefab option for barricades and structures.
  
• Is_Visible_In_Vendor_Menu option for currency items to hide them from vendor currency list.
  
• InspectAudioDef, ImpactAudioDef, and WearAudio can now also reference AudioClip, not just OneShotAudioDefinition assets.

Changed:

• Client adjusts ID-to-asset lookup per-server to reduce multiplayer asset conflict issues.
  
• Pillars can be rotated in 30 degree increments, and hold shift to rotate counter-clockwise.
  
• Only screenshots without HUD visible are used on the loading screen.
  
• Pick axe and jackhammer can damage regular objects and trees.
  
• Minor engine patch update from 36f1 to 38f1.

Fixed:

• Loading screen music not playing while in server queue.
  
• Do not use screenshots greater than 10 MB on the loading screen.
  
• Negative scaling not rotating objects when necessary.
  
• Sprint toggle input affecting steady aim input.
  
• Steam Networking debug output crash. [Thanks DiFFoZ!]
  
• Object and vehicle overrides fallback to client prefab if server prefab does not exist.
  
• Clouds not visible with OpenGL.

In multiplayer the client now rebuilds the list of known assets according to the workshop file order specified by the server. This fixes a variety of issues like crafting recipes from mods not available on the server showing as crafting options, and ensures that mods which override each other are applied in the same order for all players.

Added:

• Walls and pillars can be snapped above and below existing walls.
  
• "The Bridge Where It Rains" music by staswalle on Washington loading screen.
  
• Screenshot resolution multiplier and supersampling option. For example supersampling with a 4x multiplier at 1920x1080 will produce a 15360x8640 screenshot downsampled to 7680x4320.*
  
• New editor for "devkit" volumes in the regular level editor.
  
• Box move (double-press Q) and box resize (double-press R) transform tool modes.
  
• Level editor option to disable underwater effects.
  
• Customizable acceleration, deceleration and max walk speed for physics materials.
  
• Enable_Participant_Scaling option for horde beacon per-item. Defaults to true.
  
• InspectAudioDef option for equippable items.
  
• OnGameUpdateDetected event for plugins.
  
• Is_Full_Moon NPC condition.

Changed:

• Roofs no longer require pillars for placement.
  
• Improved precision of triangle floor overlap test by approximating with six boxes rather than three. This helps reduce false "blocked by" warnings.
  
• Hide item action if quest conditions are not met.
  
• Clip.prefab is no longer necessary for trees and objects.
  
• Barrels can override muzzle flash position with "Muzzle" transform.
  
• Destructible objects can use tree blade ID.
  
• Tweaked the placement of blue trash bags at the Seattle construction site dumpster to reduce clipping and make them easier to safely land on.
  
• Adjusted chart colors of all vanilla maps, as well as how PEI boulders, Washington boulders, and Russia quest lasers appear on charts.
  
• Updated icons, preview images, loading screens, charts, and satellite views of all vanilla maps.
  
• Unified barricade/structure editor, regular objects editor, and volumes editor transform handles.
  
• Game now handles Steam overlay screenshot requests.
  
• Screenshots no longer overwrite each other and can appear on the startup loading screen.

Fixed:

• Vanilla pre-placed blood decals are not loaded if blood splatters are disabled.
  
• Human animation template leg roll.
  
• Potential problem with per-level version kick, log when unable to parse version.
  
• Housing ramp blocking pillar and wall placement two floors below.
  
• Holiday items visible in stylized chart capture.
  
• Effect spawn position when forageable bushes are destroyed.
  
• Roads that should have been curved on Germany.
  
• Spot where the road was partially covered by the terrain on Germany.
  
• All of the road guardrails on the Germany map to face inwards rather than outwards.
  
• Removed some boulders that were located under the map terrain on Russia.
  
• Incorrect materials being used out-of-bounds on Russia.
  
• Typo for the ragdroll removal tool where the item name was misspelled.
  
• Icon dimensions of many cosmetics to improve the quality of their high-res icons.

Houses can finally be extended downward! This is especially useful for bridging gaps like roads and rivers, or repairing foundations after a raid.




All of the "devkit" volumes have been moved into the regular editor, and are easier to shape with the new box move and box resize tools. Subsequent updates will convert older volume types like safezones to this tool, and add other shapes like spheres.


Washington is the second map to receive theme music by staswalle! You can hear it on the loading screen, boombox item, or his YouTube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dahxcuufnn8
YouTube Video Link


Special thanks to Tyler "MoltonMontro" for the map and icon tweaks and fixes!

Playtime item drops have been disabled, but may return for special events like map releases. It was not very exciting to receive the older items, and I want to eliminate any item drop farming if it exists.

This will be the final version with 32-bit Windows support. According to the Steam hardware survey 32-bit Windows is approximately 0.22% of players.

*Current supersampling implementation is a mediocre placeholder until I add supersampling as an in-game anti-aliasing option. It will be faster once that is taken care of.


Fixed:

• All weapons being treated as having bladeID 0.
  
• Preserve old scale pivot snapping behavior.
  
• Kill volumes not killing.

Added:

• Option to disable custom screenshots on loading screen.

Fixed:

• Kuwait achievement names in item descriptions.
  
• Fists able to damage objects with blade restriction.
  
• Volumes editor using incorrect snapping values.
  
• Decimal number fields getting reset when manually typing decimal point.
  
• Animated objects without Clip.prefab not animating on server. (Always Animate culling type)