We’re happy to announce that First Assault now features Steam Trading Cards!

Experienced Steam users will already be aware of the benefits these cards bring, but if First Assault is your first game featuring collectible card trading, read on below for more information.


There are a couple of ways to earn First Assault Steam Trading Cards, which represent nine iconic characters from the game including the Major, Batou, Togusa and more.

You earn cards by simply playing the game as you normally do. The more time you play, you will be working towards earning another random free First Assault Steam Trading Card as a bonus. Typically you will only earn about half the number of in-game cards through playing which is where trading comes in! Operatives can barter with their friends to complete their sets or head over to the Steam Marketplace to trade with other players.

Steam Marketplace: http://steamcommunity.com/market/



There are special Foil versions of each card that are extra rare. If you collect all 9 Foil Cards, you can get the exclusive foil badge.


With all 9 First Assault Trading Cards collected, you will be able to craft a First Assault Steam badge to proudly display on your profile! These badges come with some Steam-specific perks, such as raising your profile level, unlocking backgrounds, and of course, the highly coveted chat emotes featuring each Section 9 Operative’s personal Cyberskill.



Every time you craft a First Assault badge from 9 cards, you’ll level up your badge.



Your operative training on Steam Trading Cards is now complete. Now dive into the action and augment your Steam experience!

We will be performing a scheduled maintenance on February 4, 2016 at 7:00 AM Pacific (10:00 AM Eastern, 4:00 PM CET). We anticipate the maintenance to last approximately 3 hours, concluding around 10:00 AM Pacific (1:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM CET).

Please note that the estimated length of time for each maintenance is subject to change without notification.

TIME:
Thursday, February 4, 2016

Pacific: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Eastern: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
CET: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Changes and Updates:

- Fixed an issue where an S25-R weapon attachment was available when it shouldn’t have.
- Shader graphic optimizations.

Thank you for your patience during the update.

-The First Assault Team-

Greetings Operatives,

We will take the game service offline today from 4 PM - 6 PM Pacific (7 PM - 9 PM Eastern, 1 AM - 3 AM CET) to address server crashing issues.

Sincerely,
-The First Assault Team-

Greetings, Operatives! Thanks for providing your feedback during the Early Access phase of First Assault. In this patch update, we are implementing improvements to the game based off of popular requests we have received from the community. Please continue to leave suggestions on our forums for further improvements. 

Also, dive in-game and receive +30% GP after every match from JAN 28th to FEB 4th! Keep sharpening those skills and level up, Operatives!


BUG FIXES

Adjusted Enemy Hit Boxes –

• Differentiated hitboxes between all enemies.
• Size of the collision volume has been readjusted.
• Head and other parts were expanded to be bigger than before.
• Re-adjusted areas between real modeling and collision volumes.
• Two more areas, of hands and feet, were added.

As you can see from this image, the biggest adjustments to the hitboxes have been made to the head, hands and feet. The head, specifically, is an area where we received a lot of community feedback and we’ve made efforts to enlarge the size to better support player expectations when aiming down the sights. We’d love to hear continued feedback on these changes as we strive to make improvements throughout the game.

• Party system re-enabled
• Added user ping display on in-game scoreboard (TAB)  
• Added server and version display
• Adjusted respawn parameters and locations for most maps
• Fixed issue of being able to plant bombs in-between crevices
• Changed conditions for room searches
• Adjusted Dive Match starting conditions
• UI had been added that shows if an EXP or GP bonus is active
• Adjusted popup text for recruitment
• Corrected UI popups when equipping a character skin
• Added curse filter option to chat*
• Added keyboard location of keys in settings (i.e. L-Ctrl, L-Shift)
• Added description of Room Number search function
• Adjusted notifications when obtaining an Operative License
• Included an ending message for tutorials
• Added weapon manufacturer mark in the armory and customization screen

*Important: With the addition of the chat filter option, users' options (Option.ini) will be force changed to Default.

EVENTS

•          Added reward for Maven Welcome Event

We will be performing a scheduled maintenance on January 28, 2016 at 7:00 AM Pacific (10:00 AM Eastern, 4:00 PM CET). We anticipate the maintenance to last approximately 3 hours, concluding around 10:00 AM Pacific (1:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM CET).

Please note that the estimated length of time for each maintenance is subject to change without notification.

TIME:
Thursday, January 28, 2016

Pacific: 7:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Eastern: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
CET: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Thank you for your patience during the update.

-The First Assault Team-

Whether you are snowed in or not...

Accept your free gift before it expires on Monday the 25th!
Stay inside this weekend and enjoy 6 free EXP Bonus items.

Attention Operatives,

Our Maven Welcome Event has officially concluded! For those of you who unlocked Maven during the event, be on the lookout for a special in-game delivery: a Durable Shielding 200 Minute Chipset. This chipset is a new addition to First Assault and will allow for some exciting Maven gameplay by increasing her Therm-Optic Barrier health by 100%. Expect the prize to be delivered with our next game patch planned for next week.

Greetings, Operatives! Recently we launched and celebrated the arrival of Section 9's newest Operative.

In the week's Q&A we're opening the floor on questions regarding:
ANYTHING ABOUT MAVEN



Perhaps you are more curious about how she was designed or created.... her background. Or you would like to know more about her gameplay mechanics and abilities!

Ask away, Operatives.

We'll post our reply by FEB 5th!

We will be performing a scheduled maintenance on January 21, 2016 at 8:00 AM Pacific (11:00 AM Eastern, 5:00 PM CET). We anticipate the maintenance to last approximately 2 hours, concluding around 10:00 AM Pacific (1:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM CET).

Please note that the estimated length of time for each maintenance is subject to change without notification.

TIME:
Thursday, January 21, 2016

Pacific: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Eastern: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
CET: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Changes and Updates:

Fixed a packet loss bug with grenades
Fixed a UI crash that occurred when joining a game mid-match
Fixed an issue where player names were duplicated after team shuffle
Thank you for your patience during the update.

-The First Assault Team

How often does a new Operative join the ranks of Section 9? Welcome Maven, the newest member of the elite counter cyber terrorism group, created for First Assault in coordination with Production IG and Kodansha. In addition to Maven, we are releasing a new map and new skins for further customization on weapons and Operatives.

For those who do not yet have access, you’re in luck! Operatives are able to purchase Early Access Packs at up to 40% OFF.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/369200

Dive in below on all the details for this anticipated update for SA: Maven's Incursion - GUERILLA WARFARE!

CHARACTERS

Maven – New Operative
The newest Section 9 operative, Maven, is an expert in guerilla warfare and topography, stemming from her time in the South American military. Maven first came to Chief Aramaki’s attention during an operation in which she single-handedly held off an insurgent attack after her entire squad was killed. Afterward, she joined Section 9, where she has proven to be both resourceful and deadly. However, her troubled past is never far away; she has vowed to destroy the rebel group that ravaged her country and killed her family.

Maven’s cyberskill is a therm-optic barrier capable of obscuring sight. At Tier 2 of this ability, the size of the barrier increases. However, barriers can be destroyed by enemies.

MAP

Port – Team Deathmatch
A shipment of black-market cyberbodies has drawn the attention of Section 9, but the terrorists aren't going to give them up without a fight. It's going to be an all-out battle to the death across this narrow port where any wrong turn could mean a quick end.

Port is a smaller map and will keep the action fast-paced and tight. We’ve heard the community’s desire for larger maps and we are actively looking to prioritize these and get them into early access as soon as possible. In the meantime, please enjoy the Port map!

WEAPONS

SMG: SEO MPX. This weapon's high rate of fire makes up for its low damage.



AR: S25-R. The bullpup construction of this rifle gives it a very stable firing position.



PIS: 93-SE. A burst-firing pistol. If you can handle the recoil, this firearm is deadly at close range.

GHOST SCREEN

Ever wonder how many shots you fired with your favorite weapon? Today we’ve released our first look at Ghost Screen. This feature provides some quick, detailed information on your player profile and your in-game play patterns. Discover your most played map, weapon, and operative and learn about how you stack up against other players in your level group. This is just an early ‘beta’ phase for this feature and we’re excited about where we’ll be taking this in the future. Be sure to leave your feedback and let us know what you would like to see in future Ghost Screen updates!



Ghost Screen includes:
- Stats Summary
- Favorite Primary Weapon Info
- Favorite Primary Kill/Play Time Ratio
- Favorite Primary Headshot Ratio
- Favorite Map Info
- Favorite Map KDR
- Favorite Map Win Ratio
- Favorite Operative Info
- Favorite Character KDR
- Favorite Character Skill Tier Usage

USER INTERFACE

We’ll be looking to improve the UI throughout the Early Access so keep the feedback coming in! In the meantime here are some minor changes

- Map Vote Layout Improvement
- Map Vote candidates are deactivated when Map Vote is concluded in

Quick Match
- Clarified remaining time for Map Vote in Quick Match.
- Added text informing that Map Vote has ended in Quick Match
- Added number of players needed on the bottom of the user slot screen
- Applied weapons skins now visible in the Armory
- Ready status is deactivated for all players when the host changes room settings in Custom Match
- Added popup for when a player is made room host in Custom Match
- Improved clarity for available items

MARKET EXPANDED - NEW PURCHASE ITEMS AND PAYMENT METHODS AVAILABLE

We’ve been listening to the community and we’re determined to create a fun, fair and balanced game for Ghost in the Shell and FPS fans alike. After lots of discussions surrounding the game’s economy, weapon purchasing and the importance of vanity items...we’ve decided to drop our first iteration of items purchasable with NX. These items include the Operative License (in case you don’t want to use that GP to check out Maven) as well as cosmetic skins! We will not be allowing players to purchase weapons and attachments with NX, these will require GP to unlock. This ensures a competitive balance for all players! While, there is always a small chance of weapons for NX as part of a skin bundle or perhaps as a reward for future events – this will be the exception and not the rule. This fairness is important to both us and our community alike so let us know what you think; we’re always gathering feedback and striving to improve the Section 9 experience.

If you want to change the look of some of the game’s most popular operatives or weapons check these out!

New Operative Skins

Batou turns up the heat in the “FireTeam” skin while Saito stays stealthy in the “Stalker” skin.



New Weapon Skins

MP5-V5A: SWAMP. A modern camo skin created to reduce weapon visibility.



M4A1: VETERAN. A weathered look for a classic assault rifle.



L118A-S1B: WHITE COBRA. A striking white skin designed for maximum impact.

MISC

We’ve been listening to your feedback and would like to announce that The Dive system will be getting an upgrade!

We have updated the auto-balancing so that each match played in Dive mode will automatically have teams balanced before the new match starts.
However, during the test period of this auto-balance feature, we will be disabling the Party Dive functionality in order to better focus on the new balance mechanics. We plan to re-enable Party Dive once we are comfortable with the progress of the auto-balance system.

We appreciate your patience during this phase of testing, and ask you to please report to the Steam and Nexon forums to let us know about your experience with the auto-balance feature. What works well about it? What still needs some work? Did we miss something? We need your help in making sure we provide the best environment to play.

Early access is all about shaping the game and your input is invaluable. We look forward to hearing from you!

BUG FIXES

- Fixed a bug in the win ratio calculation
- Corrected an issue with thrown grenades not displaying correctly
- Fixed chip warning text that said they couldn’t be discarded.
- Correct spelling of "Fall Dempener" to "Fall Dampener"
- Fixed a bug with tab categories displaying incorrectly
- Fixed a bug where Operative Licenses were not being properly rewarded

IN-GAME EVENTS

In addition to the new content update, you can dive into these events we are running in celebration of Maven’s arrival.

Find details on events here:
http://firstassault.nexon.net/en/news/5874/guerilla-warfare-in-game-events