Today we've got a little questions and answers session with the one and only MrTroodon!

As the man behind some of Primal Carnage: Extinction's most popular dinosaur mutations and our very own Ceratosaurus, we thought it would be interesting to shine a light on the creative process that goes into these designs and what MrTroodon might be cooking up next....


Hello there, it is a pleasure to be doing this Q&A! I'm MrTroodon, a dinosaur fan from Mexico, and I've been doing 3D work for about 3-4 years though only gone full-on with it the last two.



The history behind the "MrTroodon" name is a pretty simple one, I wanted something that represented me as a person but also recognizable with my work, and so far I think it works (ignoring the fact that Troodon is now an invalid genus, but, that adds in some comedy I´d say!) Plus I also thought a Troodon with a top hat and a monocle would be funny.

I always considered Primal Carnage a classic, nowadays you have all these "paleo games" coming out but, back in the day it was THE dinosaur game. I mean in part dinosaurs like Carnotaurus are as popular as they area thanks to the game. Although back then I wasn´t able to play the original game or Extinction at first, I followed the development for quite a while, still remember watching gameplays from when things like the Cryo and Tupa were brand new.




My experience at making digital models comes mainly from my background at creating mods. I always like the ability to create my own content in the games I like, what's better than being able to play with your own creations? This is what got me into modding in the first place and it lead me to improve my skills and be more confident getting into bigger projects.

At first I modded (or at least attempted to mod) games like Zoo Tycoon 2 and JPOG, more recently I got into modding Jurassic World Evolution which is what many of you may know me from.

As to what got me into creating content for Primal Carnage: Extinction, it was really just timing. Making the Ultimasaurus mod for Jurassic World Evolution gave me confidence enough to say, "Hey I can create nice things, why not see what else I can do in other games?"

So I looked at Extinction again, the fact that I finally had a laptop that could actually run the game made me investigate the kind of things I could create for it. I thought I can make a couple of nice skins to play as, but then there's this announcement- now there are these so-called Mutations that modify the in-game model of the dinosaurs. And I´m like... I´m in, hell yeah let´s get into this!



Later I redid the Stegosaurus NPC model (because why not?) and this would lead to me being hired to create the Ceratosaurus for Primal Carnage: Extinction.

Where does the inspiration for your items come from?

It depends on the item, I like to have a broad variety in my work yet also a style people can still recognize, "Hey these are things that the Troodon dude did."

This is one of the reasons as why I like to go with what I refer as "themes". Although i´d say what makes me go that route is I think that makes the item feel more special, kinda like if you were a child getting a figure of that new Jurassic movie, I really enjoy that, makes people happy. Brutalsaurus for example, was mostly inspired by what I would call "old school" paleo media, this would be depictions from the 90s and early 2000s, like the dinosaurs in Peter Jackson's King Kong.



For some of the items I plan to work on in the future I've found a general inspiration from action figures, things like Kenner toys or the G.I. Joe. Specially for having both dinosaur and human items within a same theme, meant to go with each other.




I really enjoyed working on the Ceratosaurus, as in the past I had done some small commissions but this was much bigger so it was thrilling to work on it, a really neat experience. Although I'd be lying if there wasn´t some pressure present there on the back of my mind, since this was like the first new subclass since Acro which was years ago!


The softwares I use for modeling are Blender to work on the mesh itself and Zbrush to do the sculpting, meanwhile at the moment for what would be the texturing I use Substance Painter mainly with something like Photoshop or Gimp after that for minor tweaks.



When making mutations I first ask myself, what do I want to achieve with the item/s in question? Based on that I look for references I would use for the project in question, both for the model and texture. This can be from movies, paleoart, games, even modern day fauna. As an example, for the Novus mutations (New Generations) I like to use skeletals in order to get more accurate proportions.


Oh there's no contest here, the Emu. The absolute absurdity of that made me fell like a mad scientist while creating it. I had LOTS of fun making this bird...





Hehe, there's a couple things...








With the release of the winter update later this month, almost all of the dinosaur classes will be receiving brand new high resolution base textures as part of a visual refresh to the game as a whole.

MrTroodon has done an excellent job bringing the classic Primal dinosaurs into the current decade and we can't wait for you to play with them! If you'd like to see more from MrTroodon, check the links below..

YouTube channel

Steam Workshop

https://twitter.com/Mr_Troodon

ArtStation

Considering that "Turkey Day" is almost upon us, we figured we'd put a spotlight on our feathered fauna!
Although we have to say, these things are more likely to eat YOU.


We're featuring Oviraptor this week, with a bunch of shiny new looks available for our favourite egg thief, including some brand new mutations (and one weird-looking bird)...



Of course, there's one more feathered beast debuting today, the Spinocheirus:



This new premium skin is a crazy combination of Spinosaurus and Deinocheirus, complete with thick feathery coat and hard duck-like bill instead of a toothy snout.

Alongside these, the Autumnal Novaraptor Bundle is back (on special offer!) and there are new skins for Oviraptor, Novaraptor and more...



Oh, and if you thought you had missed out on the Fall Feathered Dilophosaurus or Arctic Feathered Rex, they are here for one final week before migrating out of the store...



We do have a couple more store rotations remaining this year, so if you'd like to keep up with all the latest skins, mutations and more being added, be sure to find us on Twitter, Facebook and Discord!



Whether you're visiting family or cooped up at home, stay safe everyone!
(And slay some dinos while you're at it)

-The Primal Carnage Team


Join the conversation...




Primal Carnage: Extinction is 50% off as part of the Steam Autumn Sale...
That ALSO includes the PCE four-pack bundle! Tell your friends!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/321360/Primal_Carnage_Extinction/


ARRIVING LATE DECEMBER:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/321360/announcements/detail/2909850789386398477

Firstly, we'd like to give a warm welcome to all our new players from Extinction's free weekend event!
Whether you're here to kill or chill, we've got some exciting updates on the horizon!


(Ends November 23rd, 17:00 UTC)

As the mutation madness winds down and we grow closer to the holidays, we thought we'd share what you can all look forward to this December...



Our veteran animator Maccollo, who created animations for the original Primal Carnage, has been hard at work crafting custom movesets (and more) for our favourite mercenaries.

Crab-walking everywhere is so last decade...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzJpOr5aA94

The video above showcases different movement styles for each character, and if you look closely you can see they're not stuck with a totally blank facial expression anymore (!)

In addition to remaking all of the human third person animations, we have a new attachment system in development. So, for example: if you are using dynamite or land mines, they will appear at your side. And if you swap from a primary weapon to a handgun, the rifle will be slung on your shoulder.

The animation overhaul is currently targeted for the winter update, so if all goes to plan you'll have this in your hands by the end of December!





Alongside the human animation update, the general feel and pace of the game is being fine-tuned. These adjustments range from more minor adjustments (like faster weapon swap as human, or making raptors tall enough so that they line up nicely for a headshot), to bigger changes such as tinkering with maximum speeds of various species.

We've observed that players on the human side often require lightning reflexes (or almost supernatural precognition) to actually take out the faster dinosaur classes. There are two factors behind this, one is spotty hit detection combined with network latency, the other is that these dinos are simply speedy killing machines in the first place, which by necessity makes them hard to deal with in close quarters.

Winter testing will focus a great deal on just how fast they really need to be. Creatures like the Tupa feel like fighter jets when you are attacking them, but don't really feel that way when playing as those classes. Our plan is to experiment with a combination of reduced velocity but greatly increased maneuverability, particularly things like better air turn speed while jumping as Novaraptor.

How far these changes will go are yet to be decided, but they have been a long time coming, and we will be closely monitoring their impact on gameplay by doing rigorous testing. However, there is the other side to this problem that we're attempting to address this winter...


Our intrepid programmers are tackling some rather large engineering tasks right now....



A whole new system for hit detection is currently being investigated. We know that latency between client and server causes many issues in the current version, but if the new setup works as we hope, both human and dinosaur attacks should benefit greatly and be much more reliable.

Reworking a core feature like this is a daunting technical challenge considering the age of the game's codebase and the complexity involved in network replication. However, we are cautiously optimistic this will be one of the nicer presents arriving with this year's winter update.

Another ongoing effort is upgrading the engine somewhat. The PC version actually runs on an old branch of Unreal forked specifically for PS4 support. Moving it from this branch to the latest stable release of Unreal Engine 3 is something that should resolve a number of issues, such as various crashes and graphical glitching that can sometimes occur.

As for the console version, work is progressing slowly but surely, analyzing platform-specific bugs and evaluating which changes are safe to merge in. Our primary focus in the new year will be improving the PS4 edition after the current round of PC engine fixes and overhauls are complete.

We've got some seriously talented programmers and our coding crew has grown from 1 to 3 people recently, but these things take time. We thank our players for your patience as we embark on these long and difficult engineering tasks.



The winter update will include a graphical refresh for Primal Carnage: Extinction, with improved texture resolution across the board, ranging from 2x to 4x quality boosts in some areas.


-Click here for a closer view-

More advanced shaders will give the game world a graphical boost, adding a new level of detail across many surfaces found around the maps, with improved specularity making them feel less flat. We will also be adding optimized interactive water in some areas, which you can see a quick test of below...


Other effects such as explosions, muzzle flashes and Tyrant footsteps are being enhanced as well, to give more impressive feedback when interacting with both enemies and the world.




While every map in the game will be receiving a new lick of paint and lighting updates, several will also receive more fundamental reworks this winter. This is due to certain locations in Team Deathmatch and Get to the Chopper being more than a little one-sided.

We're going to be re-designing large portions of these maps to support additional avenues of attack, with more escape routes for humans and small dinosaurs. Visibility on levels like ForestChasm will be improved so that humans aren't just lost in the wilderness. We will also be looking at the viability of Tyrants on a few maps, restricting their ability to access certain areas, but also opening others up so that they can enter previously safe strongholds.



The example above is one of many tweaks to GTTC levels, showing a work in progress of the new run up to Ruthless first objective, featuring three main lanes of attack that interlink. The hope is that these changes improve overall gameplay by offering extra choice in how you approach (or flee from) skirmishes. Testing will see which layout changes we ultimately keep.

Additionally, for Get to the Chopper mode we will be adjusting elements such as capture times and spawn positions. This will be done on a case by case basis, finding what works best for each part of every map.



We hope you're as excited as we are for the largest update in Primal Carnage Extinction's history!



We'll be sharing more with the community as we get closer to the winter update next month, and testing new features with the help of our dedicated players.

Join the Official Primal Carnage Discord server to stay up to date!

If you've never had the chance to chow down on someone as a Spinosaurus, blast a raptor's head off or hurl someone into the ocean as a Pteranodon, now is your time.

Primal Carnage: Extinction is having a FREE weekend!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/321360/Primal_Carnage_Extinction/

Jump into the prehistoric mayhem that is PVP human vs. dinosaur combat, with intense matches pitting claws and teeth against bullets and bombs!



Customize your creatures with a wide array of skins and mutations that can even make them look like other species! This week is a double drop event, with rare cosmetics returning to the fold. Don't miss out!


Hunt humans, slay dinosaurs.
This is Primal Carnage: Extinction.


Why not join us on Discord?

Be first to get all the latest info on what's coming to Extinction this winter!

Dust off the cobwebs, shake out the skeletons, Halloween is over and Dinovember is here.

We've got a new game update for Primal Carnage: Extinction today, bringing dozens of player requested tweaks and fixes alongside an avalanche of dinosaur mutation items! Check it out...


One of the main drives for this patch was to help players out a bit by adding more HUD information about what's happening while you're playing.

There are several new status indicators that appear in the bottom left for various gameplay events, these helpful timers let you know how long you'll be netted for, what type of Spitter blinded you, which Tyrant buffed you and more.

We have also added many new UI sound effects that trigger based on various conditions, these range from minor notification beeps when hints and EXP is displayed, to more intense flesh impacts that let you know when you landed a melee hit as dinosaur.

We're going to be continuing to improve things like tutorializing in future as we strive to polish the core gameplay over the next couple of months.

There are many other changes in this update, but we thought this was one important to highlight.
See the full patch notes below for the whole list of gameplay changes, visual updates and more...


We're putting a spotlight on model mutations this week, that's right - it's Mutation Madness!



This update introduces over half a dozen new model mutations, plus another 14 classic mutations will be cycling back in from previous rotations! These retrosaurs also come with a special discount!

A handful of free mutations from the summer scavenger hunt have also found their way back to the game. Complete weekly challenges for a chance at acquiring items such as the Gigas Acro mutation.

Mutation Madness is for this week only, so get 'em while they're hot!


As the days grow ever-colder, the dinosaurs have started feeling a bit of a chill. It seems some have developed an extra layer of feathers as a response to the cold! Because of that we now have a few new feathered premium skins - the Fall Feathered Dilophosaurus and Arctic Feathered Tyrannosaurus.



Don't let that fluff fool you, they're still deadly predators.



Premium skins feature custom models that have extra detail modelling not possible with mutations, because of this they are limited to a specific look.

Two final store arrivals include the Mudtiger and Violet forms of Majungatholus - premium looks for Carnotaurus that have it sporting the most intimidating unibrow in existence...



As developers, we have to say we're continually impressed by the quality of content posted to Extinction's Steam Workshop. Over 700 community items have been brought into the game so far and we can't wait to see what wild and wonderful creations people come up with next!

If you'd like to get involved in making custom content for the game yourself but don't know where to start, consider joining the official discord server where other artists will be able to help you.

This update sees a new batch of Ultimate centigrade skins released into the wild, adding more magmatic monsters infused with fury to the game.



These ultra-rare items can be obtained through crafting Legendary skins together, or if you're really lucky - as an elusive drop reward while playing. There are 4 new Ultimates added today:

• Centigrade Acrocanthosaurus
  
• Centigrade Dilophosaurus
  
• Centigrade Pteranodon
  
• Centigrade Tupandactylus

We're always listening to feedback from the community, and this update includes a bunch of tweaks and improvements suggested (and tested) by our dedicated players. Check out the full list of changes, new features and fixes included with version 1.19.1...

• Ended the Halloween Horrors event
  
  
• Upgraded official dedicated server hardware
  
• Updated game's core engine code to mitigate dedicated server crashes when under heavy load
  
• Fixed being unable to create a Team Deathmatch session from the Host Game menu
  
• Updated server browser default sorting method
  
  
• Made it possible to use RoundTimeLimit variable for GTTC
  
• GTTC: Fixed some issues with Overtime on second round
  
• GTTC: Overtime now occurs for any contested control point, not just the final objective
  
• Fixed the Character Selection screen automatically appearing above end round scenes / scoreboard
  
  
• Re-balanced assist types, reduced assist point amounts in general
  
• You now receive +10 EXP for making a Critical Hit kill
  
• Added assist points for Tyrant roars (15 EXP)
  
  
• Fixed "Hold the Fort" ceratosaurus challenge

• Increased human stamina regeneration rate
  
• Sped up cooldown time before human stamina regeneration starts
  
• Reduced left/right strafing speed for humans while sprinting
  
• Minor reduction to human eye height
  
  
• Reduced human quick-melee damage from 75 to 60
  
• Fixed the Trapper's instant kill melee ability being unreliable (nets / stungun combo)
  
• Fixed reloads instantly completing when switching weapons
  
• Removed auto-reload from grenade launcher and stungun
  
  
• Reduced duration and scan radius of sensor mines
  
• Accuracy boost for snipe rifle now only applies once scoped animation has completed
  
  
• Minor reduction to flamethrower recoil
  
• Increased flamethrower fuel tank supply from 100 to 200
  
• Reduced afterburn time from 8 seconds to 5 for flamethrower
  
• Increased burn damage over time amount from 5 to 8 /sec
  
  
• Reduced "health" of Cryo acid pools, now have a quicker conversion time to fire
  
• Updated acid firepool challenge to now unlock by simply converting acid puddles
  
  
• Increased travel speed of flaregun shots
  
• Reduced flaregun instant hit damage from 100 to 90
  
  
• Faster, smaller hot bullet tracer effects
  
• Fixed missing smoke trails on weapon tracer fire
  
• Updated beam tracer effect for stungun

• Reduced Tupa charge cooldown time from 1.4 secs to 1 second
  
• Reduced range of Ptera marking roar
  
  
• Added a cooldown between sprinting and using special attacks for Bruisers
  
• Prevented the Bruiser classes from being able to use special attacks in midair
  
• Reduced netted time duration of Cerato from 6 to 4 secs
  
• Reduced netted time duration of Carnotaurus from 9 to 7 secs
  
• Reduced Carnotaurus secondary attack damage from 75 to 65
  
  
• Reduced Cerato tailwhip stamina cost
  
• Increased Cerato tailwhip base damage from 70 to 75
  
• Increased Cerato tailwhip crit damage from 1.3x to 1.5x when performing a skill move
  
• Increased Cerato acceleration speed slightly
  
• Increased Cerato bite damage from 60 to 65
  
  
• Fixed dilophosaurus spit sometimes dealing double damage on impact
  
• Tupa can no longer apply knockback to teammates under certain conditions
  
  
• Fixed the Acro buffed overlay not showing on dinosaurs (it's green)
  
• Tyrant roar buff UI indicator now shows which Tyrant species you received it from
  
• Cerato and Carno now have timer indicators for how long their roar abilities last

• Added UI status timers for being netted, stunned, marked and spat on
  
  
• Added more UI sound feedback for gameplay events such as:
  - Hitting enemies as dinosaur
  - Being shot as a dinosaur
  - Critical hit kills
  - Receiving drops (both dino and human)
  - Class hint popups
  -Dying in Survival or Hunt mode
  - Buff / debuff status effect timer popups
  - Zap sound for when hit with electricity
  
  
• Added hint message if player spawns when Overtime is active on Get to the Chopper mode
  
• Added new icon on loadout screen for when a skin does not support mutations
  
• Fixed misaligned challenge rewards UI on end round screen, made background transparent

• Content optimizations for the Pandoria map
  
• Pandoria is no longer part of the default TDM rotation
  
• Fixed some server log spam
  
  
• Updated controller functionality - hold specific button to taunt, tap to spray (default R3).
  
  
• Fixed FPS lag caused by Skull Cap and Witch Hat cosmetics
  
• Fixed stretching on certain raptor animations
  
• Fixed the Parasaur NPCs having only one eyeball
  
• Fixed the Oxpecker Tupa skin being unusable
  
• Fixed the Echinate Nova not using custom quill set
  
• Fixed missing Steam icons for a couple of skins

Don't forget we've got also got a Mapping Contest running right now...


Stay in the loop! Get all the latest Primal info on the Official Discord server!

Winter is coming, and we'll be back soon to share some info about our major December update.
Thanks for playing!

HALLOWEEN HORRORS has returned to Primal Carnage: Extinction!



We've got a scream of an event in-store for you starting this weekend, with Halloween in full swing and dozens upon dozens of fixes, improvements and feature additions to the game. You can see the full list of changes at the bottom of this post.

First though, let's gaze upon highlights of what horrors await you.
Gamer beware, you're in for a scare...

OTHERWORLDLY NEW MAP!

Halloween Horrors adds a new community level to the game, the strange and beautiful Pandoria...



Created by community member ArchShiranui, this map is filled with spooky easter eggs, luscious visuals and even has lower than Earth-standard gravity.

Available for a limited time in regular deathmatch rotation!




As a special halloween present, we've transformed every default skin into a living fossil! This curse will last for the duration of the halloween event, only lifted with the breaking of the unholy storm that is currently ravaging the island. Enjoy.



Working together with creators in the community we have brought you over 100 shocking new looks in this update. Some of these are sure to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies!

You can browse through all of the new store items, gift items and free drops that have been added on the Special Event Trello board here!

There will also be a brand new Halloween 2020 Gift added to the store this weekend!
Watch this space.




This update introduces a new rarity tier for items, ULTIMATE.

Ultimate skins feature animated emissive effects on their skins that reveal intricate details beneath the surface. These are ultra rare items that we have specially commissioned from the community. More will be added periodically as we get into winter, with new flavours being introduced.



Right now these items are available as a very rare drop during the Halloween Horrors event.

We are still in the process of making them craftable- you may see a Legendary option when you open the crafting menu. When this is enabled you can use 25 Legendary items to create an Ultimate tier skin. Watch for an announcement on the official discord server for when this new feature is live!

The other spooky new cosmetic we've added this halloween is the ability to Energize items using special crafting tools. The first of these is the Strange Combustible Crafting Tool.



Use the tool when crafting an item to apply special fiery effects to a dinosaur's eyes and add flaming hot trails to their feet! You can acquire these tools as random item drops while playing the game, and there is also a low chance you may receive one as a rankup or challenge reward.




We've gone through intense rounds of testing to bring you a massive suite of game changes that should make your Halloween unforgettable! Feast your eyes...

• Fixed crashing when switching teams / joining spectator
  
• Fixed a crash that could occur when server changes maps
  
  
• New algorithm for spawn system, tuned to place tyrants further away from humans and find player starts that are away from large skirmishes.
  
  
• Players are now auto-spawned into the game if they stay on class selection too long
  
• Sensor mines are now destroyed when their owner dies, the same as land mines.
  
  
• Fixed GTTC victories not being tracked correctly
  
• Fixed GTTC Overtime having strange end conditions
  
• Players can now respawn during Overtime
  
• Fixed defending points bonuses not being awarded in GTTC mode

• Cryo acid pools can now be transformed into fire pools by Pyro's flamethrower
  
• Dilophosaurus venom spray can now extinguish dinosaurs who are on fire
  
• Dilophosaurus puddles now drain stamina of humans that stand in them
  
• Dilophosaurus can now extinguish fire pools by spitting on them
  
• Small dinosaurs on fire can be put out by Dilophosaurus spit
  
  
• Pyro receives bonus points for transforming acid pools into fire pools
  
• Dilo receives bonus points for putting out fires
  
  
• Added alternate hit sounds when bullets impact dinosaur Strong Points

• Fixed hit marker sounds not playing in multiplayer
  
  
• Ammo kits (thrown by teammates) no longer resupply throwable weapons.
  
• Can now only replenish throwables by using pickups already placed in the world.
  
• Removed crit damage bonus from quick melee attack
  
• Increased stamina drain from sprinting as human
  
• Fixed hatchets and flares colliding with teammates
  
  
• Increased fire rate of regular shotgun by 25%
  
• Reduced shotgun damage from 360 to 300
  
• Max Spaz12 shotgun damage is now 200
  
• Reduced max range of double barrel shotgun
  
  
• Increased fire rate of Desert Eagle pistol by 15%
  
• Reduced damage of Desert Eagle from 105 to 80
  
• Reduced reload time of Desert Eagle
  
• Reduced spread of standard pistol
  
• Reduced headshot damage of standard pistol
  
• Increased clip size of standard pistol from 9 to 12
  
• Increased effective range of standard pistol
  
  
• Increased travel speed of assault rifle rocket
  
• Reduced max number of rocket bounces from 4 to 3
  
• Increased base damage of assault rifle bullets from 25 to 32
  
• Increased assault rifle ammo per clip from 40 to 60 bullets
  
• Reduced max effective range of assault rifle
  
• Reduced damage at max range for assault rifle
  
• Increased damage at max range for M4 carbine
  
• Reduced spread pattern of M4 carbine rifle
  
• Increased headshot crit damage for M4 carbine to 1.5x
  
  
• Prevented scientist & commando from being able to interrupt rifle reloads by pressing fire
  
• Increased flamethrower range and damage slightly
  
• Removed spread from chainsaw
  
  
• Added more intense first person camera motion from weapon recoil
  
• Fixed some weapons returning to their exact starting position after having recoil
  
• Fixed cases where camera shake was not being applied when near an explosion
  (this was only being applied to impact grenades previously)
  
  
• Increased rate of fire for sniper rifle
  
• Increased sniper rifle damage from 160 to 170
  
• Increased fire rate of dartgun
  
• Reduced spread of dartgun
  
• Reduced stamina drain & tranq amount per dart for dartgun

• Increased tranquillizer tolerance for Bruiser classes
  
• Slight reduction to netted time and stunned time durations for Tyrants
  
• Increased Tyrant step height
  
  
• Reduced Dilophosaurus spit overlay time to 4 seconds
  
• Doubled stamina regen rate for Dilophosaurus
  
• Increased Dilo venom instant hit damage slightly
  
• Increased stamina cost of Dilo venom spray
  
  
• Reduced stamina cost of Cryolophosaurus acid spray
  
• Increased cooldown of Cryo roar ability from 30 to 35 seconds

• Added new map: PC-Pandoria (danger: low gravity!)
  
  
• Fixed out of bounds Flyer spawns on Volcano map
  
• Collision fixes on Volcano map
  
  
  Visual Changes
  
  
• Updated dino eye shading with simple reflection effect
  
• Fixed the Bobcat Novaraptor skin having incorrect feathers
  
• Fixed the Regalis Dilo model mutation having a gap in the mesh
  
• Updated tomahawk material

Added 3 new challenges:
• GOLD: Kill 10 dinosaurs with flame-charged acid pools
  
• SILVER: Kill 15 humans using the Ceratosaurus secondary attack
  
• GOLD : Extinguish 10 dinosaurs using Dilophosaurus venom spray
  
  
• Added bonus points for sensor mines marking enemies
  
• Added assist points for scientist when marked dinos are killed
  
• Reduced assist points for marked enemy kills from 25 to 15
  
  
• Possible fix for certain items not obeying togglehud (kill feed)
  
• Updated hint texts to have TIP! at the start of each one
  
• Added hint popups for Cryo, Dilo and Pyro regarding new abilities
  
• Fixed thrown ammo kits displaying +0 AMMO restored when already full.

Happy Halloween

-The Primal Carnage Team!

The Meltdown Event has now concluded!
[/url]Two new maps, a whole new playable dino class, and oodles of new cosmetics. It's been wild!



We hope you all enjoyed the past 3+ months of hot new content, there's a lot more planned in future!
Halloween is just around the corner, with some spooky surprises coming up at the end of October. Beyond that, the major winter update will bring overhauls to many parts of the game this December.

Just as a reminder:
If you're feeling creative, we have our first PCE mapping contest running right now!


We have worked with the original creator of the Sandstorm Valley community map to improve the game flow of its Team Deathmatch version. There is now a lot a more cover to hide behind, or weave your way through to lose your pursuers. The map also had some collision optimizations and lighting tweaks.

We hope you enjoy this new and improved version of Sandstorm Valley!





Today's patch introduces a number of gameplay adjustments and fixes. There will continue to be further tweaks and re-balancing over the next few months. Here are some of the highlights...


A bug was recently introduced as a side effect from changes to how impact momentum works...



Certain weapons accidentally applied forces to live characters, which resulted in guns like the M4 carbine being able to slow down dinosaurs every time a bullet hit them. Patch 1.18.3 fixes this issue, and allows Bruisers to get some payback with newly updated ragdoll knockback on their attacks.

Over the past few weeks the momentum system has actually been completely reworked, using more efficient code that has better network replication for attacks. This is part of an ongoing effort to optimize and improve our netcode, with larger renovations planned over the next few months.


This update changes how respawning works. You are no longer able to respawn right away as the same class, instead you are now returned to the class select menu after the timer has expired. This means the game now frees up the previously occupied class slot instantly for other players.



There are many reasons for this change, which is a long time coming. For one, it can be problematic when the same person keeps respawning as the same class over and over again for a whole match. In the case of something like a Tyrant, this can lead to a human team being utterly dominated, and other dino players not getting the chance to try the class out.

Forcing a return to class selection addresses this, and mitigates several serious bugs that can arise from changing classes or loadouts while dead (we're sure you've seen some nightmarish monstrosities here and there as a result of this very thing). When these errors occur, it places a major strain on the server hosting the match, which can lead to both clients and the server itself crashing completely.


One of the biggest new changes is a reworking of the Tyrant classes to be somewhat less invincible...



Tyrant health has been reduced globally. It felt like the time was right, considering recent improvements to their attacks and the fact that devouring enemies gives more health than it used to. There are some changes to offset this though, including an increase to walking speed and the addition of armor.

Tyrants now have strong points at various spots on their body. This means that although their overall health has been reduced, certain parts take less damage than others when shot. Although their head is still their weakest area, the diagrams below should give you a good idea of where (not) to shoot when fighting these behemoths..



Tyrants and Bruisers now have strong points in their tails, so you're less likely to be killed while dashing round a corner because your tail was still peeking out slightly. Moving forward, the strong point system is something that will continue to be extended and refined in future updates.

We hope these changes spice things up! Playing and fighting Tyrants should now take a bit more skill.
Info on other balance adjustments included in this update can be found in the full changelog below.

As always, we'll be closely watching how these tweaks unfold now they're out in the wild.



We are currently modifying the weekly challenge system to reward you with a multi-item bundle once a set of challenges is completed. This change will come into effect in time for the next challenge rotation on Tuesday.

Once this change has gone live, you'll receive an unlock bundle when all three challenges are finished. These unlocks will include:

• 2 items of either Common or Uncommon quality
  
• 1 Rare item that is from a more curated list than the regular drop pool
  
• 1 item that can be Common, Uncommon or a crafting tool

We wanted to provide another potential method of obtaining precious crafting tools such as Dino DNA Strands and Human Requisition Orders, so there's a chance to receive one as part of a reward bundle. Something to keep in mind as we will be introducing new crafting tools in future updates.

(Challenges also still reward tiered EXP for completing each one)



We're adding a bunch of fresh new items to the in-game store today, see details on some of the striking new looks available below! Alas, aside from a select few featured items in store, the Meltdown Event has now departed and its item codes have been deactivated.




This rotation features the Tarakona Skin Pack, which includes 5 new brilliant dino skin designs in one great bundle. Created by community artist Ruby Talon, these skins have incredibly intricate stripes and one vivid colour palette. The bundle includes Tarakona Ptera, T.Rex, Spinosaurus, Dilophosaurus and yes- Ceratosaurus!


As announced previously, we now regularly rotate in new Gift Giver Rewards for the currently active gifts. See below for a guide to what you will receive for your generosity if you open one of these gifts today...



Summer is just about over, so they won't be around much longer. All three of the Meltdown gifts will be leaving the store towards the end of October, so grab them while they're hot.


If you look in-store, you'll see for the time being we're putting a spotlight on our new friend Ceratosaurus. So if you weren't around during the Meltdown Event, don't worry! All the Cerato items introduced last month will remain in stock for the next couple of rotations. And we'll be adding a selection of fresh new skins for the big brawler every rotation as well.


New looks available today: Swamp Ceratosaurus, Archipelago Ceratosaurus & Muerta Ceratosaurus.

A new set of Cerato skins arrives to replace these with the next rotation, so snap 'em up while you can!

Elsewhere, we are also bringing back a bunch of classic skins this rotation. Check the Specials tab of the store for a couple dozen blasts from the past at a tasty discount!

Finally, outside of the store- there are three new free drops added with todays update:



Above: Beach Cerato skin, Target Tupa skin, and PRAVUS Dilo (mutation)

We also have the first Ceratosaurus mutation for everyone to enjoy. Falcatus is a default mutation for Cerato, featuring sharp headcrests curving towards the front of the skull. Find it in your inventory today!




Below are all of the changes from today's update.

Please be aware there is an issue with using spectator mode currently, we advise you avoid using it as there's a chance it may crash the game.

• End of Meltdown Event
  
• Updated version of Sandstorm Valley with more cover and collision fixes
  
  
• Changed game flow for respawning.
  
• Prevented access to customization when respawn process has begun to mitigate model glitches.
  
• If a player changes class while alive and was recently damaged, their attacker is awarded a kill.
  
  
• Completely reworked how impact momentum is handled
  
• Fixed bullet damage applying momentum to live pawns
  
• Fixed momentum not being applied to ragdolls in some cases
  
  
• Reduced cooldown period between sprinting and crouching
  
• Increased dinosaur corpse healing speed
  
• Increased Tyrant walking speed
  
  
• Halved special attack stamina cost for T-Rex
  
• Reduced health of Tyrannosaurus from 4000 to 2800
  
• Reduced health of Spinosaurus from 4400 to 3100
  
• Reduced health of Acrocanthosaurus from 3600 to 2600
  
• Made it easier for T.Rex and Spino to trample humans
  
  
• Explosives now ignore armour strong points
  
• Added armour strong points to various parts of the Tyrant classes
  
• Tyrant and Bruiser tails now take reduced damage from weapons
  
  
• Increased damage of Trapper dual pistols from 50 to 60
  
• Increased max ammo of Trapper dual pistols to 100
  
• Dual pistols are now more damaging at maximum range
  
• Reduced damage at long range for shotguns
  
• Reduced maximum range for shotguns
  
  
• Adjusted timing windows of all dino melee attacks to be more responsive
  
• Updated the Spino and T-Rex swipe attacks to use better directional logic.
  
• Increased T-Rex swipe animation speed to 1.3x
  
  
• Added better loadout verification, optimized server traffic for loadouts
  
• Fixed errors while in the main menu when certain keys are pressed.
  
  
• Updated specular lighting shader for dinosaurs
  
• Updated electrocution visuals

That's all for now!

We'll be back near Halloween with another frightfully delightful update, see you then!
-The Primal Carnage Team

Today we're launching our first ever mapping contest for Primal Carnage: Extinction...



There's another community created level already lined up for this Halloween, but we really want to get more people involved in the PCE mapping scene!

Fire up the SDK and start building levels to have a chance at winning a selection of sweet rewards, from the skin of your dreams to a five hundred dollar grand-prize!




You can find the Primal Carnage: Extinction- SDK in your Steam library under Software.
If you're just getting started, click here for help using the development tools.

Post your progress, get critiques and advice in the Extinction Editor channel of the official discord chat.

And now, for the contest itself...






In this category, you must work using either brushes or basic geometry shapes. Put all of your energies into level design, creating the best map layouts possible using the fundamentals of mapping. Your world may be made out of blocks, but look beyond that and focus on how the map *feels* to play.

Don't get hung up on the visuals, use your imagination to make spaces that have good game flow.

A cylinder can be a fallen tree log, a cube could be a building. A staircase could be... well, a staircase.
Use the tools at your disposal to create the most inventive and fun levels you can!




Those who are more comfortable with the editor or just have more time on their hands, can enter into this category. These maps will be judged on the best mixture of visual and structural elements, how well the gameplay is complemented by the art, and the overall level of polish in all aspects.



There are guidelines below, (please stick to them) but we don't have a hard theme for this contest.
We just want people to make something great!

• The contest begins NOW and ends November 29th, midnight (UTC)
  
  
• Your map must be compatible with at least one ranked game mode
  (TDM, GTTC, CTE, Hunt)
  
  
• Entries must be submitted to Steam Workshop
  
  
• Winner is chosen in a secret backroom meeting by the development team.

• Whitebox Warriors- limit of three entries, per person
  
  
• Mapping Maniacs- limit of one entry, per person
  
  
• In the interest of fairness, you cannot enter a map started before the contest was announced.
  
  
• Entry must only contain original work- do not steal another person's hard efforts.
  
  
• You may collaborate / work in teams, but only on a single submission.
  
  
• Do not use any 3D assets other than those already found inside the SDK (custom textures are okay)
  
  
• Edits of official maps are not allowed. Try to be more creative than that!
  
  
• Your entry must not contain anything offensive or inappropriate.
  
  
• Be respectful to all other members of the community and their entries.
  
  
• All entries must be made with passion!

• Submit your map to the Steam Workshop, with the word (CONTEST) added to the name.
  
  
• Add the "Mapping Maniacs #1" tag or Whitebox Warrirors #1 tag to your submission.
  
  
• Your entry must be submitted before 11:59PM UTC on November 29th 2020.

Note: the workshop tool will be getting updated with the new tags in the next couple of days.

If you're super eager and already have a submission to upload before then, simply include the words #MappingManiacs or #WhiteboxWarriors in your Workshop description.





We have a range of rewards for the lucky winners to receive, even if your map doesn't make it into the game. Here are the prizes up for grabs in the various categories....

Whitebox Warriors award winner:

• Receives any 5 in-game items of their choosing.
  
• $30 Steam Gift Card

• Receives any 5 in-game items of their choosing
  
• Collaborate with us on a custom-designed skin, just for you
  
• $60 Steam Gift Card

• Receives any 5 in-game items of their choosing
  
• Collaborate with us on a custom-designed skin, just for you
  
• A selection of exclusive Primal Carnage merchandise
  
• Winning map officially added to the game in a future update
  
• Grand Prize award of $500 USD!

(*cash prizes will be divided between team members of collaborations)



We'll be showcasing all of the maps that were made for the contest once it has concluded, as well as spotlighting honorable mentions for:

• Concepts,
  
• Attention to Detail,
  
• Layout Inventiveness,
  
• Kismet Wizardy!

You have two months to show us what you can do.

The Meltdown Event rages on, with only a couple of weeks left before it's over. We're back today with a smaller update that features a bunch of extra tweaks and polishing of the new Ceratosaurus class.



There are several notable gameplay improvements made in response to community feedback, and we'll be continuing to re-balance and adjust the feel of the game over the next few months.


After seeing it in the wild, we felt that Ceratosaurus wasn't quite living up to its tanky brawler role...



To remedy this, we've gone in and added additional strong points to the beast, as well as giving Cerato the ability to attack during sprint while its roar is active.

Ceratosaurus can still be countered hard by nets, but only has to endure a few seconds before breaking free instead of the agonizing wait period it had previously. And to not make things too easy for the new guy, Pyro's flamethrower now ignores Cerato's armour and Cerato itself now deals slightly less charge headbutt damage than it did previously.

These and a whole helping of minor bugfixes and tweaks, from movement speed increases to better tail whip replication, will hopefully leave Ceratosaurus in a good place for the foreseeable future.


For all you artists out there, we are making available a community resource pack to create custom content for our new Ceratosaurus class.



Whether you're a budding skin designer who sees a fresh canvas to tear into, or an excited animator wanting to try their hand at taunts for this big bruiser, the resource pack should have all you need.

{LINK REMOVED}You can download the Ceratosaurus Resource Pack here.
(Please read the enclosed help text files for important information).

We will also be releasing an update to the Primal Carnage: Extinction SDK and workshop upload tools soon, so you can actually view your hard work in-game. For now.. get creative!


Humans have been able to free pinned team mates from raptor pounces since the game began, but small dinosaurs were left without any such help from their own team when netted.



This has been something we've wanted to address for a long time now, and with this update we're happy to say that non-Tyrant dinos can now rescue other dinosaurs who have been downed by trapper nets (and even receive a points bonus for doing so!).

It takes two bites / slashes to tear the net off your teammate, but if you are Cryolophosaurus you can melt through it more quickly using your acid. We're considering extending the ability to Dilo in future as well.




We have quite a selection of other small tweaks and changes with this update, see below for a complete list of all the balance adjustments, gameplay improvements, bugfixes and more...

• First quick pass of adding TDM support to the new Volcano map
  
• Fixed servers encountering slowdown whenever a Ceratosaurus roared
  
• Fixed spawn system not correctly checking for enemies when rating spawn points.
  
• Spawn system now prioritizes placing you closer to teammates.
  
  
• Ceratosaurus and Carnotaurus now correcly replicate their attack animation direction.
  
• Reduced netted time for Carno and Cerato
  
  
• While its roar is active, Ceratosaurus can use its primary attack when sprinting.
  
• Increased walking speed for Ceratosaurus
  
• Increased Cerato roar duration from 15 to 20 secs
  
• Increased strong point armour bonus from 30% to 40%
  
• Fixed a hole in Cerato's armour on its chest, added armour to lower arms
  
• Increased tail whip skill move damage bonus to 30%
  
• Adjusted tail whip skill move timing window
  
• Increased air turn speed for Ceratosaurus
  
• Made tail whip attack hits more reliable
  
• Fixed stamina leeching and whip cracks working on already dead enemies
  
• Moved Ceratosaurus head cam to first cosmetic slot
  
• Added new Ceratosaurus Snap Taunt as a rare drop
  
• Added names to the new Cerato challenges
  
  
• Reduced max range of stungun from 1800 to 1500
  
• Increased hit detection radius of Pyro's flamethrower
  
• Flamethrower flames now largely ignore armour strong points, dealing almost full damage.
  
• Updated pathfinder flare limit code so that no more than 3 flares can be placed too close together
  
  
• Non-tyrant dinosaurs can now free downed teammates from nets with two bites / slashes.
  
• Cryolophosaurus can spit acid on nets to quickly dissolve them, freeing teammates faster.
  
• Added new Net Rescue assist points bonus for freeing teammates
  
• Trappers now receive 100 netted bonus points if another player kills a dino they netted.
  
  
• If a dinosaur has been damaged in the last last 3 seconds, they cannot heal at a corpse.
  
• If a Tyrant has been damaged in the last 5 seconds, they cannot heal at a corpse.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where players were stuck unable to spawn / change class if selected class was full.
  
• Fixed scoreboard locking up controls upon closing if a cursor appeared
  
  
• Possible fix for Soft Side achievement tracking
  
• Fixed incorrect requirements for Combo! achievement
  
• Updated the Leech Master achievement to be more difficult- now requires draining a human's stamina pool completely
  
  
• Updated the Spinosaurus secondary attack animation
  
• Disabled blood decals appearing (in large numbers!) when ragdolls get stuck in geometry
  
• Started overhauling character ragdoll physics
  
  
• Various optimizations both game-side and server-side

An additional hotfix has been released to address a handful of recent issues...

• Removed a problematic spawnpoint on Volcano
  
• Added extra safety checks to spawn system
  
• Fixed spawn system not correctly weighting spawns that were unsupported by current class
  
• Ragdolls now retain character momentum velocity after death

Happy Hunting!
-The Primal Carnage Team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9DLc9xDCFo


For years Carnotaurus has endured the loneliness of being the only class without a friend. Until today.
Enter the Ceratosaurus, a big, bulky brawler that's always spoiling for a fight...

Featuring heavy armour on its head and shoulders, Ceratosaurus takes reduced damage from any attacks aimed at its front. To effectively fight this beast, you need to approach things from a different angle.



Ceratosaurus may not be as fast as its lighter cousin, but makes up for it in sheer brawn.

Thick muscular arms slash out alongside its lethal jaws in a one-two punch of a primary attack. When in close quarters, it can use a devastating Tail Whip that deals severe damage and hurls enemies aside.

And if it feels a little tired after all that action? Roaring engages Cerato's rage mode, allowing it to steal stamina from enemies by biting them. This filthy leech can easily gain its energy back with a well-timed bellow and bite, allowing it to stay mobile despite its rather stout legs.

After several months of development, working hand-in-hand with modellers, texture artists and testers from the Primal Carnage community, we hope you are as thrilled as we are with this newest addition to the game!





This update also brings in a selection of new achievements to unlock. It's been a while since we added some of these, so we thought, what better time than with the addition of our new pal?



Hmm, there's a certain theme here..

In addition to these 6 achievements, there are also a handful of others to work towards while completing your weekly challenges (several of which miiiight just be Cerato-related now). We'll be adding more of both cheevos and challenges in future updates.



From the inventive mind of ArchShiranui comes another hot new community-created level...



Volcano is a rocky, inhospitable lava field replete with deadly magma flows, dark forbodeing caves, and even hazardous steam vents!

In celebration of PC-Volcano being added, we now have a new map stamp available for purchase in-store. Support the creator and receive a special Nightfall Pteranodon skin as a reward for your generosity!



We are launching Volcano as a Freeroam-only map, but intend to add support for other modes such as Team Deathmatch in future updates. For now simply relax and bask in the warm glow of a 1000 degree volcanic eruption..




Today's store update contains an avalanche of Ceratosaurus content, but does bring with it a handful of new Mutations, with some brilliant new takes on Pteranodon and a simply stupendous Suchus mutation for Tyrannosaurus...



The third and final gift of the Meltdown Event is also now available, with the Summer Twilight Gift added to the in-game store. A sample of the sizzling skins waiting inside can be seen below...


With the launch of Meltdown Part 3 we will be rotating in a selection of new reward items for gift givers (this will occur every major update for the foreseeable future).

To see what you'll receive for opening a gift and get a closer look at all of the new items added in Meltdown Part 3, (including several free drops) simply visit the special event Trello board here.

• Added NEW Ceratosaurus class!
  
• Added NEW Volcano map!
  
  
• Added support for StrongPoints (armor) on characters
  
• Added armor to Ceratosaurus head and neck - 30% incoming damage reduction
  
  
• Increased health restored from dinosaur bite kills from 10% to 25%
  
• Increased raptor frenzy duration and reduced its stamina drain speed
  
• Fixed attack cooldowns for Pteranodon not working
  
• Reduced Ceratosaurus bite attack damage to 47
  
• Increased flamethrower instant hit damage from 2.92 to 2.98
  
  
• Increased crouch turning speed for Bruisers
  
• Fixed bruisers being able to crouch while in sprint
  
• Bruisers can no longer sprint while stunned
  
• Tyrants & Bruisers can no longer bite while stunned
  
  
• Reduced stungun ammo from 17 to 12
  
• Reduced stunned time for Tyrants from 5 to 3.5 seconds
  
• Reduced stunned time for Carno from 5 to 2.5 seconds
  
  
• Increase netgun spread width
  
• Reduced netgun reserve ammo from 5 to 3
  
• Increased netgun reload time from 3 secs to 3.75 secs
  
• Fixed reload cheat time of netgun being overly short
  
  
• Dinosaurs that are not intended to be able to sprint while netted now stop sprinting if they become netted during sprint.
  
  Known Issues:
  
• The achievements "Combo!" and "Get on Their Soft Side" may not track correctly.
  
• Tail whip animations are not replicated exactly to other players
  
• Carno stats assert dominance on the class selection screen when first hovering over Cerato

The Summer of Carnage multi-month event draws to a close with Meltdown Part 3 as its grand finale.



All event items added in Meltdown Parts 1 & 2 are still available until the end of the event, alongside the brand new items from Part 3. The free item codes obtained through the Summer Scavenger Hunt are also still active until Meltdown concludes at the end of September.

We hope you've enjoyed this epic three act extravaganza!

If you want to know what's coming next to Primal Carnage Extinction,
check out the official Discord here!


Until next time...