Hello all,


Thanks for checking out our 14th devblog! We’ve released the initial 0.9 build to our default branch on Steam. We've had some feedback, issues found are being worked on. If you're testing 0.9 please share any issues you find on our tracker or come share on our Discord.


We're working on a load of great features, fixes and additions for .10+ feel free to check out our changelog. You'll be able to keep track of development and see all the features in the works for the next build. Below we'll go over a couple of features that are currently being worked on.



For some time now players have asked and the team has wanted a clean way to provide the player with general stat information. In 0.9 we introduced some UI changes in the way of a new notification and hint system, if you missed it there's more info on hints/notifications here. The notification and hint system is far more dynamic than our previous system. We'll also be introducing new player stat notifications and tabs. Currently the player has to open their inventory to get a clue as to how they're doing. Calories, overall health, ammo all of our stats have no on screen UI. We like it this way, we do however realize it's not at all ideal. We're now introducing a visual system however it will only be on screen when called by the player on a button press or when a stat is affected either positively or negatively. If the player takes damage  the health notification will display, if they're hungry the consuming icon etc. Overall we feel they don't take away from the clutter free GUI and at the same time provide the info that's needed. Let us know what you think. If the community sees it fit after testing our next builds perhaps we will make the UI and new hotkeys a toggleable option.



Player stats displayed on button press. If wanted we could make this toggleable in the future



New UI damage tab displayed as the player takes damage



Mental health stat icons being developed



The tab menu has had a revamp. It's cleaner and easier to read now, we've also introduced player gameplay statistics. In future updates we plan on adding both player and global gameplay stats to the games main menu.



New tab (player) menu now with player gameplay statistics




We're making some big improvements to window frames along with improvements to door fortifications. Next week we'll speak in depth about these new features. Thanks much for check in on our development of Survive the Nights and as always thank you for the continued support. The project has come a long way and we're excited for the coming months leading up to our public alpha release!

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net

Hello all,

We’re moving our experimental branch to default today. 0.8.21 will become 0.9.22 The update below will go over what we’ve been up to along with what has changed in 0.9. Our next devblog will focus on what to expect in 0.10.x.

This update focuses on many game improvements and quality of life improvements. We’ve put together a 0.9 showcase video and Jay will take you through the majority of our changes for this update.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_TQrFzbR4k

• Disabled Container spawned loot in favor of all physical loot.
  
• Fixed issue where other players would snap to different rotations when they were idling.
  
• Fixed scenario where the player could get stuck in 'Loading' state when connecting to another server while already in one.
  
• First join UI no longer plays while still loading into game.
  
• Melee headshot damage multiplier reduced.
  
• Added new bat melee weapon which can be crafting from wood.
  
• 'V' now works for activating flashlights. Also works with new headlamp.
  
• Lock highlights now move correctly with the doors when open.
  
• Max inventory weight is no longer reset after rejoining a server.
  
• Particles are now pre-loaded during initial game load to help performance.
  
• Flashlights now play put away animations. 
  
• Item dropping and picking up server side performance improvements.
  
• Items dropped from the inventory are now placed where the player is looking rather than a fixed drop point. This functions as a quick way of placing items and stops players dropping objects through walls.
  
• Improved proxy aim accuracy.
  
• Can no longer open the inventory while in placement mode.
  
• Altered physical loot system to allow more control of spawned items.
  
• Changed all battery variants to stackable.
  
• Updated descriptions for AA and D batteries to show their usage more clearly.
  
• 9V and C batteries disabled. Only D and AA batteries will be used for now.
  
• STN logo removed from game screen.
  
• Weapon avoidance is disabled while playing the grab affect.
  
• Added ability to slam doors open/closed by pressing Interact key on the door panel. (Handles still function as a way to open doors normally)
  
• Door handle interaction time is now quicker.
  
• Door handle colliders are now bigger to make interaction easier.
  
• Headlamps and low level battery powered items now use AA batteries.
  
• AA batteries are now harvestable from new battery stand.
  
• New AA battery stand can be searched for batteries.
  
• Sound sliders in menu now fully work!!! (sorry this took so long)
  
• Hatchet now break correctly when reaching 0% condition.
  
• Reaching and grab animation now plays when trying to harvest items.
  
• Weapons no longer always spawn with 0 condition.
  
• Flickering reflections on weapons reduced.
  
• Resolution drop downs now fixed so that players can always select an appropriate resolution.
  
• New headlamp drop added to the game.
  
• Zombies no longer climb out of windows during the day without reason.
  
• Second log of oak tree no longer breaks.
  
• Picking up an item now cancels the animation for consuming.
  
• Fixed issue where the player would fall through the ground when joining the server.
  
• Radiator fan box no longer appears really close to the player.

• New headlamp added as a starting item which which is designed to make night gameplay easier.

• Cooked pots and meat variants now have clearer textures to indicate when cooked.
  
• Cooking objects now transition to cooked state in the same position rather than just above.
  
• Placing objects on the cooking surface now start cooking quicker.
  
• Items can now be picked up from cooking surfaces.
  
• Added notifications to cooking which aid the player as they learn the system.
  
• Clearer cooking pot variants to indicate when a pot contains uncooked, cooked or burnt items.
  
• Cooking burnt meat no longer spams errors to the log.
  
• Grill now snaps into position over the fire when in placement mode so that it's easier to get it in position.

• Old notification system removed as it could become cluttered and confusing.
  
• New unimportant notification systems added which is located in the top left of the screen. This handles repetative information that isn't always needed by the player.
  
• New Hint system added which handles important information the player needs. Located in the lower right corner of the screen.
  
• Added system which limits the amount of times any single hint can play.
  
• Removed old item hover info which we felt was too big and confusing.
  
• Added new hover system which includes icons that animate to show further information when looking directly at them.
  
• Improved notifications for missing parts when trying to place locks.
  
• Player now gets a hint showing the tool they are missing when trying to search for items.
  
• Added new frying sound.
  
• Updated cooking particles to make it more clear what cooking stage an item is in.
  
• Added new boiling sounds for items in pots.

• Added info string in the bottom of the inventory that displays the current inventory weight. Field dynamically adjusts to show button for placing when you hovering over the [drop] item button
  
• Removed the [Add] [Minus] buttons next to the item name in the crafting window.
  
• Added [Search] and [Recipe] buttons next to the item name in the crafting window.
  
• [Search] allows the player to 'search' for any recipes that include that item.
  
• [Recipe] show the recipe for that item.
  
• Updated the 'How to craft' section of the crafting page to make it easier to understand.
  
• Craftables that can't currently be crafted now show in the craftables list as grey.
  
• Craftables in the craftables list now hover red to show that they can be clicked on. Grey recipes also hover ready and can still be clicked on to show the player why they cannot craft the item at this time.
  
• Added a string in the crafting list view that explains what the search results reflect.
  
• Added label to craft-able screen that says 'Items produced' so that it's clear you're about to craft.
  
• Changed the functionality of the [clear] button in the crafting page to mean 'clear search' since recipes in the old way are no longer used.

• [Take] buttons now go grey when you can't take from the container.
  
• Top title on the items page now says the category name instead of just "Backpack" on all tabs.
  
• Added read out when hovering over consume buttons that display how consuming that item will affect your players stats.
  
• Inventory items now sort automatically on pickup rather than getting added to the bottom of the list of items.
  
• Stats button in the inventory now points to the correct page.
  
• Added support for placement mode right from the inventory. Activated by holding shift while in the inventory and pressing the [place] button.
  
• Added highlights to top category tabs in the inventory that indicate when you have new items per category.

• Zombie path finding iterations tweaked. AI should now be faster at calculating closest point to player when they are unreachable.
  
• Zombies can now get on sofas so that players cannot stand on them to get out of reach.
  
• Zombies can now get on dining tables so that players cannot stand on them to get out of reach.

• All house interiors redesigned to improve aesthetics and player/ai navigation.
  
• Redesigned Gas station interiors.
  
• Tweaked Gas station models to improve looks.
  
• Added AA battery harvest points in Gas Stations.

• Consumables that don't have animations now give the player a notification so that it's not as confusing.
  
• Weight change now displays in the inventory when taking items from containers.
  
• Players now receive a hint when logging off which explains the safe log off mechanic.
  
• Starting calories is no longer 0 and is 2000 so that the player doesn't start hungry.
  
• Removed collision with some small trash piles so that the player doesn't bump into them as they walk around the world.
  
• Overall health, Sickness and Mental health value now has an identifying word next to it so that it's easier to understand. Example, Sickness: -1 (Feeling unwell)
  
• Containers now have a 'Take all' button.
  
• Hand and flashlight base damaged increased.
  
• New headlamp feature added. Can be used in conjunction with weapons and is currently setup to be a starting item (replaces the wind up)
  
• Shortened nights create a better game loop balance.
  
• Pain killers have been changed to Antibiotics and now have a 100% chance of improving sickness.
  
• Light switches now have a colored label to show if they are on/off.

• Headlamp added.
  
• New AA battery stand added.
  
• Sleeping mat added.
  
• Melee pad added.
  
• Various hard case suitcases added.
  
• Campsite lean to added.
  
• Log benches added.
  
• Broken down cabins added.
  
• Camping chairs added.
  
• New large fixed campfire type added.
  
• Campsite trail signs added.
  
• Soft travel bags added.
  
• Airport trolley added.

• Teleport map now closes when the main menu closes so that it cannot overlap on opening other UI.
  
• Server config description for loot value updated.
  
• ./CleanUp command now works correctly again.

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net

Hello all,

Thanks for checking out our 13th devblog! We’ve released the initial 0.9 build to our experimental branch on Steam. There’s a lot of testing and breaking to do so go at it! Below you can find our patch notes.

We’ll be updating to default once experimental is tested and stable along with a devlog update video showcasing all the 0.9 feature improvements and additions. Please do your best to check against the list of changes below and report bugs here.

• Disabled Container spawned loot in favor of all physical loot.
  
• Fixed issue where other players would snap to different rotations when they were idling.
  
• Fixed scenario where the player could get stuck in 'Loading' state when connecting to another server while already in one.
  
• First join UI no longer plays while still loading into game.
  
• Melee headshot damage multiplier reduced.
  
• Added new bat melee weapon which can be crafting from wood.
  
• 'V' now works for activating flashlights. Also works with new headlamp.
  
• Lock highlights now move correctly with the doors when open.
  
• Max inventory weight is no longer reset after rejoining a server.
  
• Particles are now pre-loaded during initial game load to help performance.
  
• Flashlights now play put away animations. 
  
• Item dropping and picking up server side performance improvements.
  
• Items dropped from the inventory are now placed where the player is looking rather than a fixed drop point. This functions as a quick way of placing items and stops players dropping objects through walls.
  
• Improved proxy aim accuracy.
  
• Can no longer open the inventory while in placement mode.
  
• Altered physical loot system to allow more control of spawned items.
  
• Changed all battery variants to stackable.
  
• Updated descriptions for AA and D batteries to show their usage more clearly.
  
• 9V and C batteries disabled. Only D and AA batteries will be used for now.
  
• STN logo removed from game screen.
  
• Weapon avoidance is disabled while playing the grab affect.
  
• Added ability to slam doors open/closed by pressing Interact key on the door panel. (Handles still function as a way to open doors normally)
  
• Door handle interaction time is now quicker.
  
• Door handle colliders are now bigger to make interaction easier.
  
• Headlamps and low level battery powered items now use AA batteries.
  
• AA batteries are now harvestable from new battery stand.
  
• New AA battery stand can be searched for batteries.
  
• Sound sliders in menu now fully work!!! (sorry this took so long)
  
• Hatchet now break correctly when reaching 0% condition.
  
• Reaching and grab animation now plays when trying to harvest items.
  
• Weapons no longer always spawn with 0 condition.
  
• Flickering reflections on weapons reduced.
  
• Resolution drop downs now fixed so that players can always select an appropriate resolution.
  
• New headlamp drop added to the game.
  
• Zombies no longer climb out of windows during the day without reason.
  
• Second log of oak tree no longer breaks.
  
• Picking up an item now cancels the animation for consuming.
  
• Fixed issue where the player would fall through the ground when joining the server.
  
• Radiator fan box no longer appears really close to the player.

• New headlamp added as a starting item which which is designed to make night gameplay easier.

• Cooked pots and meat variants now have clearer textures to indicate when cooked.
  
• Cooking objects now transition to cooked state in the same position rather than just above.
  
• Placing objects on the cooking surface now start cooking quicker.
  
• Items can now be picked up from cooking surfaces.
  
• Added notifications to cooking which aid the player as they learn the system.
  
• Clearer cooking pot variants to indicate when a pot contains uncooked, cooked or burnt items.
  
• Cooking burnt meat no longer spams errors to the log.
  
• Grill now snaps into position over the fire when in placement mode so that it's easier to get it in position.

• Old notification system removed as it could become cluttered and confusing.
  
• New unimportant notification systems added which is located in the top left of the screen. This handles repetative information that isn't always needed by the player.
  
• New Hint system added which handles important information the player needs. Located in the lower right corner of the screen.
  
• Added system which limits the amount of times any single hint can play.
  
• Removed old item hover info which we felt was too big and confusing.
  
• Added new hover system which includes icons that animate to show further information when looking directly at them.
  
• Improved notifications for missing parts when trying to place locks.
  
• Player now gets a hint showing the tool they are missing when trying to search for items.
  
• Added new frying sound.
  
• Updated cooking particles to make it more clear what cooking stage an item is in.
  
• Added new boiling sounds for items in pots.

• Added info string in the bottom of the inventory that displays the current inventory weight. Field dynamically adjusts to show button for placing when you hovering over the [drop] item button
  
• Removed the [Add] [Minus] buttons next to the item name in the crafting window.
  
• Added [Search] and [Recipe] buttons next to the item name in the crafting window.
  
• [Search] allows the player to 'search' for any recipes that include that item.
  
• [Recipe] show the recipe for that item.
  
• Updated the 'How to craft' section of the crafting page to make it easier to understand.
  
• Craftables that can't currently be crafted now show in the craftables list as grey.
  
• Craftables in the craftables list now hover red to show that they can be clicked on. Grey recipes also hover ready and can still be clicked on to show the player why they cannot craft the item at this time.
  
• Added a string in the crafting list view that explains what the search results reflect.
  
• Added label to craft-able screen that says 'Items produced' so that it's clear you're about to craft.
  
• Changed the functionality of the [clear] button in the crafting page to mean 'clear search' since recipes in the old way are no longer used.

• [Take] buttons now go grey when you can't take from the container.
  
• Top title on the items page now says the category name instead of just "Backpack" on all tabs.
  
• Added read out when hovering over consume buttons that display how consuming that item will affect your players stats.
  
• Inventory items now sort automatically on pickup rather than getting added to the bottom of the list of items.
  
• Stats button in the inventory now points to the correct page.
  
• Added support for placement mode right from the inventory. Activated by holding shift while in the inventory and pressing the [place] button.
  
• Added highlights to top category tabs in the inventory that indicate when you have new items per category.

• Zombie path finding iterations tweaked. AI should now be faster at calculating closest point to player when they are unreachable.
  
• Zombies can now get on sofas so that players cannot stand on them to get out of reach.
  
• Zombies can now get on dining tables so that players cannot stand on them to get out of reach.

• All house interiors redesigned to improve aesthetics and player/ai navigation.
  
• Redesigned Gas station interiors.
  
• Tweaked Gas station models to improve looks.
  
• Added AA battery harvest points in Gas Stations.

• Consumables that don't have animations now give the player a notification so that it's not as confusing.
  
• Weight change now displays in the inventory when taking items from containers.
  
• Players now receive a hint when logging off which explains the safe log off mechanic.
  
• Starting calories is no longer 0 and is 2000 so that the player doesn't start hungry.
  
• Removed collision with some small trash piles so that the player doesn't bump into them as they walk around the world.
  
• Overall health, Sickness and Mental health value now has an identifying word next to it so that it's easier to understand. Example, Sickness: -1 (Feeling unwell)
  
• Containers now have a 'Take all' button.
  
• Hand and flashlight base damaged increased.
  
• New headlamp feature added. Can be used in conjunction with weapons and is currently setup to be a starting item (replaces the wind up)
  
• Shortened nights create a better game loop balance.
  
• Pain killers have been changed to Antibiotics and now have a 100% chance of improving sickness.
  
• Light switches now have a colored label to show if they are on/off.

• Headlamp added.
  
• New AA battery stand added.
  
• Sleeping mat added.
  
• Melee pad added.
  
• Various hard case suitcases added.
  
• Campsite lean to added.
  
• Log benches added.
  
• Broken down cabins added.
  
• Camping chairs added.
  
• New large fixed campfire type added.
  
• Campsite trail signs added.
  
• Soft travel bags added.
  
• Airport trolley added.

• Teleport map now closes when the main menu closes so that it cannot overlap on opening other UI.
  
• Server config description for loot value updated.
  
• ./CleanUp command now works correctly again.

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net

Hello all,


Thanks for checking out our 12th devblog! We’re making good progress on 0.9 but we’ve run into a few blockers after yesterday and this morning's team test phase. We’ll be working on it over the weekend and should be good to go next week. We’ll keep this devblog short and get right back to finding issues and getting them sorted.


0.9 introduces a lot of game improving features. This includes new hover UI’s to replace our old small GUI system, separate hint/general notifications, audio fixes, tons of bug fixes, improvements to crafting, the introduction of a headlamp as starting loot among many other improvements/features. You can have a look at all of them on our changelog.

The 0.9 build also features many improvements to our workflow, backend assets and automation, many of which you’ll never get to see as players. Our build pipeline is now fully automated. This is a big step for streamlining builds and workflow. The last devblog showcased Clinton's improvements to our automated lobby and it has been running and working great since!



Practical weapon attachments have always been a goal and we’re happy to showcase some of Rik's progress on weapon attachments. You’ll also notice the improved ARG that you’ll be seeing in an upcoming build.


Our Original Concept



ARG and some attachments (scopes and suppressors) .12 will also feature light attachments.






The FRKS with attachments (yeah that’s a suppressor on a shotgun. So, what? Big whoop).


As you can see some of our original concepts are already in or already in the works such as the oil filter and flash light attachments we showed way back from the start. We have some great suggestions for attachments as well but nothing too fresh. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share them here. We’ll get them in game if they’re practical and effective.



Rik has also had done a quick rework to some of our models in preparation for attachments. Some models are original concept and needed a bit of updating. Below you can see some simple changes to flashlight textures and models a quick job adding some new textures and nice touched to old models.


Updated Flashlights

We’ll soon introduce a sleeping roll, allowing for players to place safe log off positions anywhere in the world. The player will not have to worry about tampering. All the mechanics are handled via the inventory. You’ll simply bring the bedroll up in your inventory and choose the option to logout. Bedrolls will be found at starting camps and will also be craftable items.


Player set safe log off points

Thanks for checking out the blog. We’ll be working and doing our best to get experimental and default builds sorted next week. We’ll continue to provide you with updates as often as we can. Check back on previous updates and devblogs here. As always, thanks much for the continued support!

Hello all,

Thanks for checking out our 11th devblog! Happy New Year to everyone. We’ve been away for an update or two. The team took some personal time for the first time in a long time over the holidays. Jos went back home see family along with our interns Rik and Marko for the holiday and school obligations. They’ve already finished their first block which is hard to believe!

Last week everyone returned, focused and refreshed! We’re continuing on 0.9 and making great progress. Our new workflow is paying off quite well. We’re far more organized and able to work on the project as a team, where as before, things could at times feel very segmented. Below we’ve included a few snippets of what we’ve been up to. Now that the holidays are out of the way and we’re back on the grind, we’ll provide weekly updates once again.

We’ve been joined this week by a new intern from ROC Friese Poort in Sneek in the Netherlands. Ids Wijnja (Widge) joins the team as an intern in media design. The team is excited to have a dedicated media team member. We currently have little time to dedicate to video capture or UI art.

We’ll now have the ability to provide a feature showcase video alongside default updates. We’ve begun to lay out a video plan for our 0.9 showcase. Ids will start working on that this coming week and we’ll have more info in the next Devblog.

Weapon attachments will be introduced shortly. Rik has been working on quite a few. If you remember our concept videos then you might remember the oil filter suppressor. That will be introduced alongside a commercially available suppressor of better quality.


Commercial Suppressor



Oil Filter Suppressor



Attached to a shotgun (probably not a great idea) 



We’re also working on scope attachments and additional weapons. The ACOG is something many of you have asked for and pretty much everyone on the team wanted.



We’ll also be introducing more scopes and flashlight attachments. If you have any suggestions or attachment ideas please share them on our suggestion page. If possible, we will include any viable ideas!



Clinton has worked on a nice solution for an issue that we’ve faced for some time which is the stability of our lobby. Often running for days and sometimes requiring a restart or crashing, the lobby has needed some attention. Clinton has had a go at a nice panel for us. It does its job and looks fantastic. We have an accurate way to track performance on the fly now and the lobby will automatically restart should it run into issue and no one is around!





Ids has captured some new loading screens to freshen things up as part of the 0.9 update. Our tips have also all been updated to reflect features coming into the project. Below you’ll see the new control scheme (customizable inputs coming soon!) overlay that Ids created, something new players are always asking about. Hopefully this makes it a bit easier until then and even after we get custom inputs in.








Controls clearly marked and visible during load and in control window via menu tips and shortly loading backgrounds will be update specific.



Curing sickness has been an issue for a while. We'll introduce an antibiotic drop in 0.9 and as you can see there's a 100% chance of cure with these. You'll find them in medical cabinets and pharmacies.



Antibiotics introduced for 0.9!


The team would like to wish everyone a Happy New year once again!  You can check our next set of goals and 0.9 progress whenever you'd like via the changelog. Thanks for checking in and the continued support!

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net

Hello all,

Thanks for checking out our 10th devblog! Happy holidays to all :) We may not have a weekly blog up next Friday so a quick heads up there. The team has been busy cracking away on 0.9. You can follow the progress if you'd like right on our changelog. Below we'll discuss a few of the features you can expect to see in 0.9.

After a good deal of community feedback and some solid testing by the team, we came to the conclusion that the crafting system needed some work. The system as it stands in 0.8 is over complicated and cumbersome. It's just not clear how to find recipes, how to use tools and when you can or can't craft something. Jayty has spent some time tweaking our current systems and reworking how the search and recipe system is laid out.

Once the player opens the inventory and reaches the create tab, they're presented with 3 methods to begin the crafting process. These methods include searching using the search bar located at the top of the inventory page. This is ideal for locating a recipe or item you may not already have in your inventory. The player is also able to press the [Search] button next to any item in their inventory. Doing this will show them any recipe that includes the item. The last method allows the player to press the [Recipe] button next to any item in their inventory. Doing this will show the player a recipe for the item should there be one. Below are examples of all three methods.


Method 1: Search for craftable items using the search field.


Method 2: Press the [Search] button next to the item's name in the inventory to search for recipes that include that item.


Method 3: Press the [Recipe] button next to the item's name in the inventory to see the recipe for that item.

Our current notification system is easily missed and often ignored. All notifications are jammed into the center of the screen out of the line of sight and often become very repetitive. The general notification system is currently displayed alongside the hint system. This means a common notification like the player dropping loot is displayed in the same area where a helpful hint is. The current system is largely ignored even by us so an update was needed. The new system is way more dynamic and most importantly, it's designer friendly. This allows designers to set up triggers and easily place notification systems in any way they see fit. You'll see them mainly as hints for now. There are some concepts below currently awaiting pull request approval.









As some of you may be well aware, getting chased by a zombie and trying to open a door can at times be infuriating and terrifyingly unfair. While playing a few weeks back, the team came the conclusion that door interactions needed to be worked on. The initial step to bettering the system was to create a panel wide collider. This system allows the player to tap the interact key anywhere on the door panel to slam the door open or closed. This is done at a cost. The door slamming will make a good deal of noise attracting nearby dead. The player still has the ability to open the door normally by interacting with the door handle (same as the current system). Below you can see the system in action...bit of lag in the gif but the animations are nice and smooth in game.


Door interactions, slam and normal open mechanic.

The current consuming system isn't very clear. There's no quick and easy way for a player to see exactly how what they're about to consume is going to affect their stats. We've implemented a system that makes the stat changes from consuming clear and obvious. Green is good and red is bad. Each item will display the nutrition it provides along with other things like the chance of sickness upon consuming. Below you can see the system in action.


Stat change preview mechanic.

Dropping and placement have had a big overhaul for 0.9. The current system makes our placement feature rather difficult to enjoy. The player must first drop an item from their inventory and then hold the interact key to place it. In 0.9, the player will be able to hold shift while hovering on the [Drop] button changing the button into a [Place] button. The current system also doesn't have a system to allow the player to drop items where they or the crosshair is looking. In 0.9, the player will be able to drop directly where they are looking making things a bit more fluid. Remember to hold shift and [Place] items if you don't want the server to clean them up!


Dropping items where the player is looking

Today marks 1 year since we launched our unlisted pre-alpha Steam build. The team has made a good deal of progress with the project in the last 12 months. We've also learned a great deal more about development and running a company. We'd like to thank the community support and mods for all the help over the last year. Below you'll see the Survive the Nights changelog for the year of 2018. You guys have done a fantastic job at finding and reporting issues. We'll continue to push forward and introduce alpha mechanics, building towards a super enjoyable alpha game! :)

Click here and scroll down to the spoiler tab if you'd like to view our full changelog for all of 2018. You can check our next set of goals and 0.9 progress whenever you'd like via the changelog. Thanks for checking in and the continued support! :)

The team would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! If we don't speak again, Happy New Year!

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net

Hello all,

Thanks for checking out our 9th devblog! We’ve released the 0.8.21 build to our default branch on Steam. The build introduces the beginnings of our fortification mechanic among other quality of life improvements and bug fixes.

It has been a little over 3 months since our last default update and a lot of that time has been spent improving our workflow. In the last few weeks we've adapted a completely new workflow and have begun using Jira. We're using it to streamline our time, allowing us to prioritize the 'bigger picture' by breaking the work into bite sized pieces. As most of you know, this is our first project and learning nearly everything has been a big part of it. The addition of Jira and the Scrum workflow to the team has already done wonders. We're really making headway on 0.9 as a team and for the first time we're not working with our backs against a wall. Our past workflows, most through trial and error, have been overwhelming and at most times the team felt as though there was a constant mountain to climb. The new workflow allows us to attack the mountain step by step and provides great structure while doing so.

Originally our plan for 0.9 was to add passive AI and hunting. Mid development on 0.8 we produced a build and for the first time in a long time spent a good few days playing the game. Not testing or developing just playing as a player would. We've realized there were issues that needed to be addressed so we took a step back from our planned roadmap as introducing animals does not solve current issues. 0.9 will focus on a nice game loop and much needed gameplay improvements. Below we'll showcase some of what we have planned for the next default update. You can keep an eye on the changelog to follow our progress.

Our current crafting system can sometimes be confusing. The search bar is rarely used and how the tools are used is confusing as is the recipe layout. Jayty is reworking the current system creating what we hope is a system that's a bit more straightforward. Once the player reaches the 'Create' tab, their inventory displays the player's loot with either a [Search] or [Recipe] option. This makes it much easier to see what you can create with an item or what recipes contain the item. We'll showcase the crafting mechanic in next weeks devblog.

Right now it's beyond difficult to survive most nights and not always enjoyable. While testing, most of us found it far too dark or dangerous to even move out of a structure at night and if the power wasn't running it was just as hard to do anything inside. We've taken steps to improve this such as shortening nights across the board covering all seasons. Along with the shorter nights and longer days we'll be introducing a headlamp as part of your starting loot. The batteries won't last forever and it's not the brightest but it should make surviving your first night a bit easier.


The headlamp can be enabled with V or via the inventory

In addition to shortened nights, longer days and headlamps, another feature we're focusing on for 0.9 is the 'starting camp'. New players will be guided to these camps via signs along the roads and in the wild. Commonly known as blazes these signs will guide new players and returning players alike to small camps. These camps may consist of a ruined cabin or tent that will eventually provide the player with a sleeping mat. This will allow them to save and log off safely anywhere in the world. They'll also include a hatchet, a harvestable wood/tinder source, harvestable bushes and some might also introduce the water cleaning mechanic with dirty water sources. All camps will have static campfires and grills as shown below (not an actual camp just the new fire). These camps should help new players survive their first few nights as they'll be bright with a fire burning. Camps will be safer than the general wilderness and much safer than any town. They should provide the player with a decent start.


New static campfire will also include a cooking surface (camps not designed here)

We've started to redesign all of our structure interiors including some texture improvements. Many of you have commented and suggested that we went a bit too far with how dirty structures were. Seeing as how they're a major part of your survival and with the introduction of fortifications, structures needed to be looked back into. The rework includes updating some textures, cleaning and removing debris and just a general rework to include more shelving and space for loot. With the coming introduction of player dropped loot and placeable containers, grow lamps and traps houses needed a bit more space in them. Below are a few shots of cleaner design and the start to our structure update.






We've started to update our UI to make it a bit clearer as to exactly what's interactable. The player will now see small icons at a set range when they're able to interact with a game object in the world. We've also replaced our small GUI that would pop up over items with a cleaner looking mechanic that's easier to read and doesn't impede the players view as much. We'll dig deeper into the new hint and tip notifications in coming devblogs.


The current small GUI that pops up on interactable game objects.


The new system and the new hover icons showing lock and door interaction positions. The player can now slam the door open by hitting e anywhere on the panel.


The new player hint notification informing a player here that they have just picked up a compass and should search for a map. The system will be dynamic and you'll see these hints on many items in the world. 

Something many of you have asked about is placement directly from inventory. This feature will be introduced in 0.9 making placement much easier. As placement stands now, a player must first drop an item then hold e to pick it up and enter placement mode. With the next update, players will be able to hold shift while in inventory and use the place button to enter this mode directly. This will come in handy with the introduction of more traps, shelving and placeable containers! 


Placement from Inventory

We're working on quite a bit more for 0.9. These improvements and new features should greatly improve the player's initial experience. There's a ton of developing to do. We have a new workflow and we're excited for the future. We'll include more of what's to come in 0.9 in next Friday's devblog!

As always, thanks much for the continued support! If you're testing out 0.8 and the initial fortification mechanic, please report any bugs found to our tracker.

As a reminder before we go, we'll be getting these devblogs out weekly. You can check our next set of goals and 0.8 progress whenever you'd like via the changelog. Thanks for checking in and the continued support!

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net

Hello all,


We’re moving our experimental branch to default today. 0.7.21 will become 0.8.21 :) The update below will go over what we’ve been up to along with what has changed in 0.8. This coming Friday we'll post a devblog on what to expect in 0.9.x. You can check out a little of what to expect via the changelog to see what the team has done so far. 


This update (0.8.21) focuses on the implementation stages of our fortification mechanic among other things. This is just the initial introduction to the mechanic and it will be expanded on with upcoming builds. As of now, the player is able to plank windows, fell trees and craft strong planks or harvest weak planks from wood objects (like fences) in the world. Jayty did a video blog a few weeks back shortly before the branch was introduced to our experimental build on Steam. If you've not checked it out have a quick look, it goes over the mechanic pretty well. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfo5W6Mxvhc

• Fixed scenario where zombies could get warped back to previous object that was climbed over.
  
• Picnic benches worn plank and nails harvest now working.
  
• House 3 double interior now fixed.
  
• Cabin 6 interior now has collision.

• Fixed dupe glitch with containers when taking a stack of items!
  
• Free placed shotgun trap added which takes 12 gauge ammunition.
  
• Free placed propane fire wall trap added which can also be exploded on being shot
  
• Free placed bear trap added which damages players and AI and locks them in position
  
• Wooden fences can now be searched for worn planks
  
• Fixed issue which was causing the database to become corrupt
  
• Added global sounds system which has the ability to sync sounds between clients (current client side only sounds will slowly be migrated to new system)
  
• New variant of the placement mode system added for bigger (Traps/Generator/Campfire etc.), the system aligns items to the terrain/ground and makes sure the player can’t place items on steep surfaces.
  
• Crouching altered so players can access buildings through windows
  
• Placement mode collision with buildings fixed, this prevents players from placing things inside of walls.
  
• Fixed issue with the in game terminal which was causing the game to lag.
  
• Hammer attack/swing sound improved.
  
• Hammer attack animation improved.
  
• Fixed issue with world initialisation which was causing the server to lag when new players joined.
  
• Fixed scenario which would allow the weapon to slip into inspecting when searching area for items.
  
• Zombie screaming mechanic fixed.
  
• Weapon avoidance now works again on buildings.
  
• Changed the guide page of the player inventory to "Coming soon" to save confusion.
  
• Fixed glitch where zombies would snap on to roofs when walking through door ways.
  
• Items dropped from a stack in the inventory no longer have the same identifying ID which was causing issues where things would sync to the wrong items.
  
• Added rubber hose drop.
  
• Added improved hammer model.
  
• Added crafting recipes for shotgun, fire and bear traps.
  
• Mouse invert option now works again.
  new worn and fresh plank drops added.
  
• Bear trap model tweaked to make contact with ground better.
  
• New tweaked bear trap animations added.
  
• Window frame positions and centres updated for Zombie traversing.
  
• Updated all command input help info accessed via /help

• Free placed shotgun trap added which takes 12 gauge ammunition.
  
• Free placed propane fire wall trap added which can also be exploded on being shot
  
• Free placed bear trap added which damages players and AI and locks them in position
  
• Wooden fences can now be searched for worn planks
  
• Fixed issue which was causing the database to become corrupt
  
• Added global sounds system which has the ability to sync sounds between clients (current client side only sounds will slowly be migrated to new system)
  
• New variant of the placement mode system added for bigger (Traps/Generator/Campfire etc.), the system aligns items to the terrain/ground and makes sure the player can’t place items on steep surfaces.
  
• Crouching altered so players can access buildings through windows
  
• Placement mode collision with buildings fixed, this prevents players from placing things inside of walls.
  
• Improved 'Killed by' UI notification.
  
• Centered small hover GUI.
  
• Added new screen centered hover GUI which can be used for meshes where the pivot is far from the player. (fences)

• Zombies no longer glitch on top of roofs when passing through doorways.
  
• Players and AI will now catch on fire and take damage when walking into a propane fire wall trap or a campfire.
  
• Impact force added to player and zombie ragdolls when receiving gun or explosion damage.
  
• Zombie scales now tweaked for traversing through window frames.
  
• New hammer attack animation added.
  
• Improved player ragdolls.
  
• Tweaked physics default solver iterations to improve ragdoll stability/jitter.
  
• Zombies character rig and animation overhaul to allow for more precise animations and rag dolls.
  
• Improved rag dolls for zombie AI.
  
• Water bottle drinking proxy animations improved.
  
• Zombie climbing through window animations added.

• Bear trap interaction time reduced to 1 second
  
• Reduced amount of time it takes to search area for items when holding F.
  
• Improved the notifications when searching for items.
  
• Fixed issue where player vitals weren't always being written to the database on log off which would result in out of date stats on login back in.
  
• Fixed AllwaysSafeLogOff perm so that it now always store up to date log of position.
  
• Wilderness cabins now contain more storage containers.
  
• Added design around new player spawn locations to help direct new players.
  
• Fires now start with a few items in them.
  
• Added tips to loading screen!
  
• Updated generator GUI so that quantity no longer shows 1/1 and now displays the fuel amount.
  
• Reduced time it takes to start generator.
  
• Added [Interact] button to fires to match other machines.
  
• Updated fuel display on fires to simplify it and match with generators.

• Fixed radiator that was sticking through wall in strip mall variant 3.

If you're interested in helping us bug test, please check against the changelog above. You can fill out bug reports on our public tracker here. Thanks much for the continued support, we'll see you Friday with a devblog and a sneak peak at what's to come!

Hello all,

Thanks for checking out our 8th devblog! We’ve released the initial 0.8 build to our experimental branch on Steam. Feel free to please check that out, we need some feedback. There’s a lot of testing and breaking to do so go at it! Below you can find our patch notes, We’ll be doing a full fledged branch update once exp is tested and stable. Please do your best to check against the list of changes below!

***This is only the initial introduction of the fortification mechanic. There's still a lot of developing to do here and expansion. Once the core is tested we'll slowly start introducing other materials and traps.***

If you didn't catch the vlog by Jayty a week or so ago have a watch. It's a good example, albeit exaggerated. We spent a night hunkered down in a home while zeds were spawned to test the fortification mechanic. Jayty shares a good deal of info and it might be a good idea to check it out before testing. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfo5W6Mxvhc

• Fixed dupe glitch with containers when taking a stack of items!
  
• Free placed shotgun trap added which takes 12 gauge ammunition.
  
• Free placed propane fire wall trap added which can also be exploded on being shot
  
• Free placed bear trap added which damages players and AI and locks them in position
  
• Wooden fences can now be searched for worn planks
  
• Fixed issue which was causing the database to become corrupt
  
• Added global sounds system which has the ability to sync sounds between clients (current client side only sounds will slowly be migrated to new system)
  
• New variant of the placement mode system added for bigger (Traps/Generator/Campfire etc.), the system aligns items to the terrain/ground and makes sure the player can’t place items on steep surfaces.
  
• Crouching altered so players can access buildings through windows
  
• Placement mode collision with buildings fixed, this prevents players from placing things inside of walls.
  
• Fixed issue with the in game terminal which was causing the game to lag.
  
• Hammer attack/swing sound improved.
  
• Hammer attack animation improved.
  
• Fixed issue with world initialization which was causing the server to lag when new players joined.
  
• Fixed scenario which would allow the weapon to slip into inspecting when searching area for items.
  
• Zombie screaming mechanic fixed.
  
• Weapon avoidance now works again on buildings.
  
• Changed the guide page of the player inventory to "Coming soon" to save confusion.
  
• Fixed glitch where zombies would snap on to roofs when walking through door ways.
  
• Items dropped from a stack in the inventory no longer have the same identifying ID which was causing issues where things would sync to the wrong items.
  
• Added rubber hose drop.
  
• Added improved hammer model.
  
• Added crafting recipes for shotgun, fire and bear traps.
  
• Mouse invert option now works again.
  
• New worn and fresh plank drops added.
  
• Bear trap model tweaked to make contact with ground better.
  
• New tweaked bear trap animations added.
  
• Window frame positions and centers updated for Zombie traversing.
  
• Updated all command input help info accessed via /help

• Free placed shotgun trap added which takes 12 gauge ammunition.
  
• Free placed propane fire wall trap added which can also be exploded on being shot
  
• Free placed bear trap added which damages players and AI and locks them in position
  
• Wooden fences can now be searched for worn planks
  
• Improved 'Killed by' UI notification.
  
• Centered small hover GUI.
  
• Added new screen centered hover GUI which can be used for meshes where the pivot is far from the player. (fences)

• Zombies no longer glitch on top of roofs when passing through doorways.
  
• Players and AI will now catch on fire and take damage when walking into a propane fire wall trap or a campfire.
  
• Impact force added to player and zombie rag dolls when receiving gun or explosion damage.
  
• Zombie scales now tweaked for traversing through window frames.
  
• New hammer attack animation added.
  
• Improved player rag dolls.
  
• Tweaked physics default solver iterations to improve rag doll stability/jitter.
  
• Zombies character rig and animation overhaul to allow for more precise animations and rag dolls.
  
• Improved rag dolls for zombie AI.
  
• Water bottle drinking proxy animations improved.
  
• Zombie climbing through window animations added.

• Bear trap interaction time reduced to 1 second
  
• Reduced amount of time it takes to search area for items when holding F.
  
• Improved the notifications when searching for items.
  
• Fixed issue where player vitals weren't always being written to the database on log off which would result in out of date stats on login back in.
  
• Fixed AllwaysSafeLogOff perm so that it now always store up to date log of position.
  
• Wilderness cabins now contain more storage containers.
  
• Added design around new player spawn locations to help direct new players.
  
• Fires now start with a few items in them.
  
• Added tips to loading screen!
  
• Updated generator GUI so that quantity no longer shows 1/1 and now displays the fuel amount.
  
• Reduced time it takes to start generator.
  
• Added [Interact] button to fires to match other machines.
  
• Updated fuel display on fires to simplify it and match with generators.

• Fixed radiator that was sticking through wall in strip mall variant 3.

The default update will include some big news from the team. We've spent quite a few days deep in gameplay testing. We have some game news to share and look forward to bringing everyone up to date. If all goes well with our experimental build you should see something this coming Friday!

We're looking for help! If you are or know any programmers/unity developers looking for work in the UK please let us know. We're looking for like minded devs, the project is near and dear to us. The team is very small and being a team player is very important to us. If you'd like to send a CV to support@survivethenights.net please do so :)

As a reminder before we go, we'll be getting these devblogs out weekly. You can check our next set of goals and 0.8 progress whenever you'd like via the changelog. Thanks for checking in and the continued support! :)

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfo5W6Mxvhc


In this video, Jayty takes us through what to expect in the upcoming 0.8 pre-alpha update. The project is moving along quite nicely now. We're introducing all of our initial alpha features. The team is shooting for alpha sometime towards the end of the year. You can follow along with our development progress on the changelog.

Please consider joining us on our Discord server and official forums. We love interacting with the community. Come share your ideas, we are listening.

https://community.survivethenights.net/threads/pre-alpha-devlog-fortifications-0-8-update-showcase.10499/

Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net