Feb 28, 2019

Insurgency: Sandstorm - chaton

Hello everyone!

We’re excited to announce that Insurgency: Sandstorm’s first major update is live!

It includes the massive addition of a new ‘arcade’ playlist with rotating game modes, alongside five new weapons, a new firing range for practicing your aim, performance improvements, and a wealth of smaller changes, additions, tweaks, and bug fixes. Learn more about what’s been changed in our First Content Update Trailer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4i4pfOPOoE
We’re also thrilled to announce that over 500,000 copies of Insurgency: Sandstorm have now been sold. In celebration, we invite those who haven’t yet picked up a copy to get involved with a first major discount of 20% off, available until March 5th.

The Arcade experience that ships with this new update lays the foundation for adding fresh, new, non-traditional game modes into Insurgency: Sandstorm. Things are beginning with a classic Team Deathmatch mode, which removes faction restrictions on weapons and upgrades, and gives more supply points to make your selections. Rules are simple: Build your ideal loadout, and kill enough of the enemy to win the match. New modes will be introduced to Arcade regularly with future updates.

To add some spice to this new kill-focused mode, five new weapons are also being added to Sandstorm in this update. Two new variations of the MP5, the MP5A2 and the MP5A5, are low caliber weapons with good recoil control, perfect for close quarters combat. There are also a pair of new machine guns, the M240B and MG3, offering high-caliber damage and an absurd rate of fire respectively. Finally a new Security handgun, the PF940, features 9mm rounds and a massive high capacity magazine upgrade of 31 rounds..

These new weapons join a rework of flash grenades to be more effective, alongside new cosmetic additions of eyewear, tattoos, a new camouflage pattern, and much more. Performance and quality of life improvements, plus bug fixes, are also a major part of the patch. Read all about them in the change log below.

We are delighted with the response and reception to Insurgency: Sandstorm so far. This update should be seen as a sign of things to come: major, regular, free updates with new content and big gameplay improvements. To join in, we invite you to grab the game at the 20% discount, available until March 5th.

Change log

*Please note: We have changed the way we post changelists, in an attempt to make them more readable and digestible we have decided to condense patch/update notes into only the core changes players may notice rather than including every code and art change.

New Features

Upgrade to Unreal Engine 4.21.
New Team Deathmatch game mode.
New Arcade playlist in Play section.
- Currently features Team Deathmatch at 24 players.
- The playlist will be updated with new Arcade modes in future updates, but all modes will be available through Community Servers found under Coop or Versus.
New Range level in Tutorials section
- Allows players to test all weapons, equipment, and upgrades in the game on both living and nonliving targets.
Ability to vote to kick players on community servers.
Competitive queue time penalty.
- Leaving a Competitive match early will prevent a player from queueing. The penalty increases with each instance.
Competitive tiebreaker.
- If a match ends in a tie, a team will need to get a two-point lead over the other team to win, with a faction switch every round.
Community Test Environment (CTE) now available in your Steam Library. The CTE is a version of the game that will be opened periodically throughout development to allow players to preview and test future updates before they are released.
Restricted areas added to tactical map.

New Content

Weapons:
- Security
  - PF940 pistol
  - MP5A5 submachine gun
  - M240B machine gun
- Insurgents
  - MP5A2 submachine gun
  - MG3 machine gun
- Cosmetics:
  - Security
    - Eyewear
      - Combat Goggles
    - Hands
      - Knuckles Fingerless
    - Camouflage
      - Tropentarn
    - Tattoos
      - Wolf
      - Graffiti
      - Blackout
      - Spartan
      - Polynesian
      - Wire
  - Insurgents
    - Eyewear
      - Aviator
    - Facewear
      - One Hole Skull
      - Two Hole Skull
    - Tattoos
      - Snake Bite
      - Dead Woods
      - Swirl
      - Skull Compass
      - Eagle
  - Renamed Insurgent Headgear slot to Facewear.
Added new truck for drive in sequence at the start of Security Checkpoint.
Added new shockwave reaction system, allowing various props to audibly resonate when an explosive detonates near them.
Added new Taglines:
- Most Defensive Kills
  - Get the most kills while defending an objective.
- Scavenger
  - Killed 10 enemies with a weapon that has been picked up.
- Resourceful
  - Killed 25 enemies with a weapon that has been picked up.
- Jacket
  - Killed 30 enemies with a weapon that has been picked up.
Added new gas canister props that can be detonated.

Optimization

Increased usage of mesh instancing throughout levels.
Greatly reduced memory usage across all maps.
Fixed hitch when opening the scoreboard.
Fixed hitch when opening or closing the escape menu or Loadout menu.
Fixed hitch caused by Lesson video streaming.
Decreased persistent actor components present in levels.
Improved screen size fading of smaller decals.
Optimized creation/destruction of cosmetic meshes.
Enable higher streaming budget outside of active gameplay.
Optimized frequency of bot line of sight checks.
Optimized UI logic.

Gameplay

Weapons
- Fixed issue where flashbangs would not consistently blind players.
- Flashbangs now slow player movement and mouse input during the blinding effect.
- Weapons will now pull back further from any obstruction first before going into an up or down state.
- Barrel length for weapons will now be extended by barrel weapon upgrades.
- Fixed some weapons pointing through obstructions in first and third person.
- Pistols are no longer dropped on death. This was done in an effort to further optimize the game.
Weapon Balance
- Increased spread of Flechette shotgun shells to be the same as standard shells.
- Reduced shotgun pellet velocity, reducing damage at long range.
- Increased time to Aim Down Sights for machine guns.
- Removed AP rounds from M249.
- Increased weight of FAL, G3A3, and Mk 14 EBR.
- Decreased recoil for M249 and PKM.
- Lowered supply cost of Uzi to 2 in Versus/Coop and 4 in Competitive.
- Increased supply cost of MP7’s Extended Magazine upgrade to 4 in Versus/Coop and 5 in Competitive.
- Combat Knife, Kukri, and weapon melee attack damage is no longer reduced by stamina.
- Combat Knife and Kukri damage have been increased.
- A Combat Knife or Kukri attack to the back of an enemy will kill them instantly.
Fire Support
- Set specific Fire Support call in amounts and availability by game mode and by Attackers and Defenders in Push.
- Added Fire Support call in specific cooldowns.
- Increased Fire Support personal cooldown.
- Increased Fire Support cooldowns at start of the round in Versus.
- Widened viewing radius of Support Helicopter so door gunners can shoot towards the helicopter’s rear.
- Reduced viewing radius of Gunship so it cannot shoot targets at its rear.
- Reduced pilot visibility angle for incoming rockets so helicopters are less likely to dodge.
- Improved Autocannon Strafe so projectiles will no longer be blocked by obstructions.
Improved connection between third person and first person head placement when leaning, reducing cases of head glitching.
Improved objective capture progress handling when both teams have players on a neutral objective. Previously, this was favoring whichever team entered the capture point first rather than the team with the most players. This caused capturing to be deadlocked at 0% in some circumstances.

User Experience

Competitive
- Improved matchmaking to find better matches with players closer to your skill level.
- Improved info screen to indicate order of rank tier progression.
Play menu first time experience
- When first clicking on Play menu buttons, players will be asked if they want to play the Tutorial Level.
Improved character interpolation smoothing to ensure character movement in third person and spectator is now smoother.
Improved third person spectator camera smoothness.
Improved accuracy of interacting with doors, vehicles, supply crates, and other objects, especially when picking up dropped weapons close to each other.
Improved Text Chat
- Added spam and flood protection.
- Removed blob background on chat panel.
- Chat panel now only shows recent messages when the chat panel is inactive.
- Made text more readable.
- Toggleable profanity filter.
Renamed “Browse Servers” to “Community Servers” in Play menu under Coop and Versus.
Added connectivity issue icons on the HUD including warnings for high ping and timing out.
Items you cannot afford to purchase with your current supply are now shown as faded in the Loadout menu.
Added info buttons for Supply Points and Weight in the Loadout menu, showing descriptions for both when hovered over.
The countdown clock during overtime round will now flash red on the HUD.
When reinforcement waves are lost or gained, the HUD will more clearly show the increase or decrease with an animation.
Loading screen hints will be shown based on your player level, with more gameplay related ones shown at lower levels.
All random hints are visible in the in-game menu.
Match Preferences in the Play menu will now show average match lengths and player counts for each game mode.
The magazine icon for your weapon’s current magazine will now flash white to indicate a reload is in progress, or red if the reload has been interrupted from switching weapons, sprinting, etc.
A magazine based weapon can now only be reloaded if you are not at your highest magazine.
Your own name will no longer be shown above the speaker icon when using VoIP.
Commanders who are suppressed or take damage during a Fire Support call in will now continue their lines in a suppressed state.
VoIP will now properly reverberate when speaking outdoors or inside of rooms.
VoIP will now be occluded if the player is speaking behind an obstruction.
VoIP proximity range for teammates has now been increased to 80 meters while enemy proximity range remains at 15 meters.
Vault hints can now be toggled separately from ‘use’ hints.
Commander/Observer Color can now be changed (default is white). It can also be set to your Buddy Color/Friend Color.
Loadouts can now be changed in between rounds.
Hovering over a weapon with a different caliber will show what caliber the new weapon is.
Hovering over a player icon on your team on the tactical map will now show their name.
Hovering over a player name on the scoreboard will now show you where they are on the tactical map.
Added a view limit to yaw when rigging a weapon cache.
You can no longer look around on a vehicle’s DShK turret and put on a gas mask at the same time unless Goro is selected in the Customize menu.
Teammate indicator now smooths the player icons.
Teammate indicators are now shown during the pre-game.
Spectator X-Ray can now be rebound in the key bindings menu.
Spectator vitals display no longer has flickering item icons.

Visual

Normal scope quality has been refactored to create a much more consistent and visual superior experience during all weapon motions.
Animations
- Added third person cache arming animation.
- Updated third person lean.
- Updated third person slide.
- Better hit detection for groin plate armor when wearing Heavy Armor.
Cosmetics
- Improved Anchor facial hair.
- Changed colors of Insurgent carrier, armor, and other gear slightly.
- Reduced size of Security Heavy Carrier backpack.
- Increased size of knife on the Security chest carrier.
Adjusted speed of ejected shells.
Made ejected shells inherit player velocity.
HLODs will now not fade in to view when the camera moves rapidly from one point on the map to another. This alleviates an issue where props and geometry would slowly fade from one level to another.
Mitigated texture streaming “pop in” when transitioning to and from the Loadout menu.

Coop

Enemies now use all weapons, ammo carriers, armor, and explosives available to their class rather than a fixed loadout.
LGMS (Laser Guided Molotov System™) removed from Molotovs. Enemies are now less accurate the further they are from their target when using all thrown explosives.
Fixed enemies not ignoring targets in spawn zones correctly.
Added a new music track for the final counter-attack.

Bug Fixes

Reduced instances of an issue where the players hands might become invisible during gameplay. Please let us know if you experience this issue.
Fixed an issue where muted players would randomly be unmuted.
Fixed an issue where muted players would not carry over into new rounds.
Fixed an issue where characters could be seen floating or partially sunken into the ground.
Fixed an issue where the Extended Magazine upgrades would sometimes clip with hands during reloads.
Fixed an issue where the game would freeze on the loading screen on a community server after changing the map.
Fixed an issue where the loading screen could become stuck at 95% or 100% upon the server changing level.
Fixed an issue where transitioning to the same map would cause players to disconnect on community servers.
Fixed an issue where players might respawn in the stance in which they died.
Fixed an issue where the framerate limiter setting would be reset on game restart.
Fixed various localization text overflow issues.
Fixed an issue where the teammate indicator could become offset when using Picture-in-picture scopes.
Fixed an issue where the XP gain bar would disappear too quickly in the post-match screen.
Fixed an issue where third person customization items would be occluded behind various props when going from prone to crouch.
Fixed an issue where players shadows could be seen from below through the ceiling of buildings.
Fixed an issue where the player’s level from the main menu and the in-game scoreboard menu would be different.
Fixed an issue where the player’s appearance credit amount was not displayed in the post-match screen.
Fixed a rare bug where characters could pop into view regardless of distance.
Fixed an issue where ragdoll corpses would spawn under and in the center of vehicles when destroyed.
Fixed staged reloads with open bolt weapons (Uzi, LMGs)
Fixed an issue where long key bind names were not fully displayed in the UI.
Fixed an issue where Taglines were not being recorded on the backend or displayed in the stats screen.
Fixed an issue where objective and kill event stats were not being collected properly.
Fixed an issue with the accuracy of the display of the capture time stat.
Fixed a localization issue where reflected damage was not being localized in the kill- feed.
Fixed issue where player hands would clip through DShK when equipping a gas mask. Now the gas mask will be equipped without playing the first person animation.
Fixed issue where you could fire the DShK while putting on a gas mask.
Fixed an issue where some Use icons were incorrect in the Tutorial Mission.
Fixed an issue where the player’s primary weapon did not appear on screen when an explosive grenade launcher was attached to it.
Fixed issue where a player could spam the rocket firing sound without actually firing a rocket.
Fixed an issue when running the game in native resolution. Setting the display mode to “Windowed” would not switch to actual windowed mode.
Fixed an issue where if player had “Fullscreen” selected in the Video settings, the next time the game launched it would start in “Windowed (Borderless)” mode instead.
Fixed an issue where sometimes after dying and then spectating a player, ammo information was still visible on the HUD at the bottom right.
Fixed an issue where “Scavenge Magazine“ was not properly localized.
Fixed a couple of issues where text might overflow in some UI elements.
Fixed an issue where vaulting while putting on a gas mask wouldn't cancel putting the gas mask on properly.
Fixed an audio glitch which could occur when entering or leaving the escape menu or Loadout menu due to the doppler effect.
Fixed an issue where the increase in weight from extended magazines, drums, and bullets would not show in the Loadout menu's Weight bar.

Map Balance & Fixes

Hideout
- Replaced numerous merged actors with instances to reduce memory footprint.
- Updated dynamic props.
- Reorganized various HLOD clusters to improve performance.
- Fixed various exploits that harmed map balance.
- Fixed various minor issues.
Farmhouse
- Added extra entrance for objective A on Firefight West.
- Adjusted objective A on Push Insurgents to make the front entrance less of a bottleneck.
- Fixed issue where a player could capture objective A outside the wall on Firefight West.
- Reorganized various HLOD clusters to improve performance.
- Fixed various exploits that harmed map balance.
- Addressed spawn camp issue at Security spawn on Skirmish.
- Addressed spawn camp issue at Security spawn for objective A on Push Security.
- Moved final weapon cache objective to second floor on Push Insurgents.
- Fixed various minor issues.
Refinery
- Replaced numerous merged actors with instances to reduce memory footprint.
- Reorganized various HLOD clusters to improve performance.
- Reduced landscape layer usage to improve performance.
- Optimized the center area of the map to address draw call peaks.
- Reduced long line of sight behind objective C on Push Security.
- Made minor light tweaks to improve readability.
- Fixed various exploits that harmed map balance.
Precinct
- Replaced numerous merged actors with instances to reduce memory footprint.
- Reorganized various HLOD clusters to improve performance.
- Optimized material usage to reduce draw calls.
- Addressed spawn camp issue for Insurgent objective A spawn on Push Security.
- Added more protection around spawn exit areas on Push Security.
- Fixed various exploits that harmed map balance.
- Fixed various minor issues.
Summit
- Replaced numerous merged actors with instances to reduce memory footprint.
- Reorganized various HLOD clusters to improve performance.
- Reduced landscape layer usage to improve performance.
- Moved Security spawn slightly back to balance run-up times on Firefight West.
- Fixed various exploits that harmed map balance.
- Fixed various minor issues.
Crossing
- Made minor optimization pass on rocks and foliage placement.
- Added a new less exposed route for Insurgents on Firefight West.
- Closed several windows on the large building near the river facing Security objective A spawn on Push Security.
- Fixed various exploit locations where players could hide inside rocks.
- Moved objective B Push Security spawn to create more of a safe passage to objective B.
- Added more protection for Security objective D on Push Security to make it less easy to destroy from a further distance.
- Fixed various minor issues.

Feb 22, 2019

Community Test Environment is live!

Insurgency: Sandstorm - chaton

Hi everyone, today we’ve just rolled out a new Community Testing Environment or CTE, all Insurgency: Sandstorm owners should now see a new app called the “Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Testing Environment” showing up in their Steam libraries - you only need to download this if you want to be part of our testing.

What is the CTE?

The CTE is where we test bug fixes, upcoming content, and new features. Please be aware that this is a developer test build of the game and you may encounter unexpected bugs or issues. Content shown in the CTE is not final and may or may not be implemented into the public version.

When will the CTE be available?

The CTE is now live! You can now download it and test the new content.

The CTE will close at the end of the testing phase, for this initial test we will take down the matchmaking servers on Monday morning European time, however, the CTE will be used for testing all future patches/updates, please see our blog or social media closer to time time for details of future tests.

Can I record / stream / discuss the CTE?

There are no restrictions on recording, streaming, or discussing the CTE, however, it’s important to disclose that any footage or feedback is from the testing environment. We will set up dedicated sections of the official forums and Steam discussions at the opening of the CTE.

What is new on the CTE?

When the CTE opens you will be able to preview many of the features of the upcoming February update, some of the highlights can be found below.

General
- Upgrade to Unreal Engine 4.21
- Fixed jittering of character movement
- Improved normal scopes to reduce issues with parts of the weapon disappearing
- Various performance improvements
Content
- New “Arcade” mode: Team Deathmatch
  - Arcade modes will be cycled out regularly for new modes, but all will always be available on community servers.
- New Weapons
  - MP5A5
  - MP5A2
  - M240B
  - MG3
  - PF940
- New “Range” map under Tutorials from the Main Menu where you can test all weapons, upgrades, and equipment in-game against targets or live enemies.
Characters
- Reduced size of Security Heavy Carrier backpack
- New Cosmetics
  - Security
    - Knuckles Fingerless Hands
    - Combat Goggles Eyewear
    - Tropentarn Camouflage
    - Various tattoos
  - Insurgents
    - Aviator Eyewear
    - One Hole Skull Mask Facewear
    - Two Hole Skull Mask Facewear
    - Various tattoos
Gameplay
- Improved flashbangs to slow down player movement and look speed of those affected
- Weapons will “pull back” further when obstructed instead of pointing down when close to an object
- Weapon balance changes including:
  - Increased weight of FAL, G3A3, and Mk 14 EBR
  - Lowered Uzi’s supply cost to 2 in Versus/Coop
  - Lowered Uzi’s supply cost to 4 in Competitive
  - Increased MP7’s Extended Magazine supply cost to 4 in Versus/Coop
  - Increased MP7’s Extended Magazine supply cost to 5 in Competitive
  - Decreased recoil on M249 and PKM
  - Removed AP rounds from M249
  - Increased time to Aim Down Sights for machine guns
  - Reduced shotgun pellet velocity, reducing damage at long range
  - Increased spread of Flechette shotgun shells to be the same as standard shells
- Fire Support changes including:
  - Set specific Fire Support call in amounts and availability by game mode or “role” (ie Attackers, Defenders)
  - Added Fire Support call in specific cooldowns
  - Increased Fire Support personal cooldown
  - Increased Fire Support cooldowns at start of the round in Versus
  - Removed Gunship from Versus
  - Widened viewing radius of Support Helicopter so door gunners can shoot to the helicopter’s rear
  - Reduced viewing radius of Gunship so it cannot shoot targets at its rear
  - Reduced pilot visibility angle for incoming rockets so helicopters are less likely to dodge
Coop
- Bots now use all weapons, ammo carriers, armor, and explosives available to their class rather than a set Loadout.
- LGMS (Laser Guided Molotov System™) removed from Molotovs. Bots are now less accurate the further they are from their target when using all thrown explosives.
- Fixed bots not ignoring targets in spawn zones correctly.
Competitive
- Tiebreaker
  - If a match ends in a tie, a team will need to get a two-point lead over the other team with a faction switch every round.
- Leaver penalty which prevents players who leave Competitive matches early from immediately requeueing
  - This is not active in the CTE, but will be in the upcoming update.
- Improved matchmaking to find better matches with players closer to your skill level
- Added Security optics to Insurgent classes and vice versa
User Experience
- Added connectivity issue icon on HUD
- Made Tactical map show restricted areas
- Faded out items which can’t be purchased with Supply Points
- Added info buttons for Supply Points and Weight
- Added clearer indication of when a team’s reinforcement wave counter increases or decreases
- Added clearer indication of when a round goes into overtime
- Added clearer indication of when reloading or a magazine is missing from the weapon
- Hid player’s own name when using VOIP
- Added average match length and player count of each game mode in Match Preferences
- Added vote kick for community servers
Known Issues
- Arms may still occasionally go missing
- Some minor issues still remain on normal quality scopes under certain circumstances
- Lessons are currently not working
- Leaver penalty not currently working

Feb 21, 2019

Community Test Environment Announcement

Insurgency: Sandstorm - Jonny-Higgins

Hi everyone, ahead of the upcoming update we will be rolling out a new Community Testing Environment or CTE. All Insurgency: Sandstorm owners will see a new app called the “Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Testing Environment” showing up in their Steam libraries in the next few hours, however, you only need to download this if you want to be part of our testing.

What is the CTE?

When will the CTE be available?

The CTE app should show up in your Steam library in the coming hours, however, you will only be able to access the build once the CTE opens at 4pm CET tomorrow, trying to access the CTE before this time will result in the following error.

The CTE will close at the end of the testing phase, for this initial test we will take down the matchmaking servers on Monday morning European time, however, the CTE will be used for testing all future patches/updates, please see our blog or social media closer to time time for details of future tests.

Can I record / stream / discuss the CTE?

What is new on the CTE?

When the CTE opens at 4pm CET tomorrow you will be able to preview many of the features of the upcoming February update, some of the highlights can be found below.

General

Upgrade to Unreal Engine 4.21
Fixed jittering of character movement
Improved normal scopes to reduce issues with parts of the weapon disappearing
Various performance improvements

Content

New “Arcade” mode: Team Deathmatch - Arcade modes will be cycled out regularly for new modes, but all will always be available on community servers.
New Weapon: MP5A5
New Weapon: MP5A2
New Weapon: M240B
New Weapon: MG3
New Weapon: PF940
New “Range” map under Tutorials from the Main Menu where you can test all weapons, upgrades, and equipment in-game against targets or live enemies.

Characters

Reduced size of Security Heavy Carrier backpack
New Cosmetic: Knuckles Fingerless Hands
New Cosmetic: Combat Goggles Eyewear
New Cosmetic: Tropentarn Camouflage
New Cosmetic: Aviator Eyewear
New Cosmetic: One Hole Skull Mask Facewear
New Cosmetic: Two Hole Skull Mask Facewear
Various new tattoos

Gameplay

Improved flashbangs to slow down player movement and look speed of those affected
Weapons will “pull back” further when obstructed instead of pointing down when close to an object
Reduced shotgun pellet velocity, reducing damage at long range
Increased spread of Flechette shotgun shells to be the same as standard shells
Increased weight of FAL, G3A3, and Mk 14 EBR
Lowered Uzi’s supply cost to 2 in Versus/Coop
Lowered Uzi’s supply cost to 4 in Competitive
Increased MP7’s Extended Magazine supply cost to 4 in Versus/Coop
Increased MP7’s Extended Magazine supply cost to 5 in Competitive
Decreased recoil on M249 and PKM
Removed AP rounds from M249
Increased time to Aim Down Sights for machine guns
Set specific Fire Support call in amounts and availability by game mode or “role” (ie Attackers, Defenders)
Added Fire Support call in specific cooldowns
Increased Fire Support personal cooldown
Increased Fire Support cooldowns at start of the round in Versus
Removed Gunship from Versus
Widened viewing radius of Support Helicopter so door gunners can shoot to the helicopter’s rear
Reduced viewing radius of Gunship so it cannot shoot targets at its rear
Reduced pilot visibility angle for incoming rockets so helicopters are less likely to dodge

Coop

Bots now use all weapons, ammo carriers, armor, and explosives available to their class rather than a set Loadout.
LGMS (Laser Guided Molotov System™) removed from Molotovs. Bots are now less accurate the further they are from their target when using all thrown explosives.
Fixed bots not ignoring targets in spawn zones correctly.

Competitive

New Tiebreaker -If a match ends in a tie, a team will need to get a two point lead over the other team with a faction switch every round.
Leaver penalty which prevents players who leave Competitive matches early from immediately requeueing. This is not active in the CTE, but will be in the upcoming update.
Improved matchmaking to find better matches with players closer to your skill level
Added Security optics to Insurgent classes and vice versa

User Experience

Added connectivity issue icon on HUD
Made Tactical map show restricted areas
Faded out items which can’t be purchased with Supply Points
Added info buttons for Supply Points and Weight
Added clearer indication of when a team’s reinforcement wave counter increases or decreases
Added clearer indication of when a round goes into overtime
Added clearer indication of when reloading or a magazine is missing from the weapon
When you are using VOIP, your name will no longer appear above the VOIP icon
Added average match length and player count of each game mode in Match Preferences
Added vote kick for community servers

All features in the CTE are non-final and subject to change. Not all changes are listed above.

Jan 17, 2019

Community Update - 17th of January 2019

Insurgency: Sandstorm - Jonny-Higgins

Hi everyone, Jon Higgins here from New World Interactive.

After the successful launch of Insurgency: Sandstorm last month and a busy period over the holiday season, our team would like to give you a brief update on where we are with the game's development and what fans can expect over the coming months.

After the last update on December 21st we gave our team a week off over Christmas and New Year’s to recover and spend some much needed time with family and friends. During this period, however, our community and design teams were spending a huge amount of time reading through hundreds of reviews and comments across Steam, Reddit, YouTube, news sites and more, gathering feedback and prioritising our year ahead.

After reviewing launch and reading your feedback it was clear that our first update needed to focus heavily on quality of life and community features, but also deliver additional content.

We hinted at some future plans in our The Insurgency Legacy Continues blog post back in December, and while we are not yet ready to discuss the full line up of changes for the February update, you can view some confirmed content and features below.

Five new weapons including the MP5A5 and MP5A2, which will be available for Security and Insurgent Breacher classes respectively.
A new Community Testing Environment right in your Steam Library for easier and more open testing of upcoming updates.
Competitive improvements including tiebreaker rounds, leaver penalties, and more.
Vote Kick for community servers and additional anti-harassment / griefing measures.
Clearer indications around restricted areas, game rules and spawn waves.
New cosmetics including Tropentarn camouflage, new gloves, and new eyewear.
Some other surprises you might not expect.

In addition to the above, performance and optimisation will continue to be a top priority for us. Players systems and setups vary greatly and it's important we gather as much information as possible. We encourage anybody who is having issues to submit information to our team via the performance discussion and support section of the forums to help us identify and resolve any issues.

We also received a lot of feedback about the in-game community and player behaviour. Our team will be working on various design changes, bug fixes, and other game-based solutions to address or mitigate these issues. However, some of these will require time for us to concept, implement and iterate upon. In the meantime, it is vital that the community aid us and our partners in finding and addressing issues.

As such we have published a new guide detailing the steps you should take if you encounter someone cheating, using game exploits, harassing/abusing players or otherwise griefing, as well as additional documentation regarding Easy Anti-Cheat.

Read more: Community Guidelines - Cheating, Exploits and Harassment.
Read more: Community Guidelines - Easy Anit-Cheat

Two recurring topics regarding in-game player behaviour were vote-kick and in-game reporting options. Our team take player behaviour very seriously and are committed to improving player experience. Some of the changes in the February update should take steps towards this, however, we would like to take this time to clarify our current stance on the above.

In our previous titles, votekicking itself was abused by some players as a means to harass, grief, and troll, so we’ve had some hesitation about adding it to Sandstorm. However, we’ve heard your feedback and we understand that when used responsibly this can be an effective tool in dealing with disruptive players. As such we’ve decided to add it as an option for community servers. We’ll continue to monitor community feedback on this and other systems and make changes accordingly.

We’ve also seen some requests to include an in-game reporting system to deal with these kinds of players. This is something we have discussed, however, creating and managing such a system with investigations and reviews of every reported player would put a great strain on our development and community management resources. Frankly, we’re unable to effectively monitor every single player’s behavior and support such a system. We would rather focus on creating good community tools and automated systems to deal with these kinds of issues and put our resources toward creating content and improving gameplay. That being said, an in-game reporting system is something we might explore in the future, targeted at the most disruptive players. For now, we ask that players follow Community Guidelines - Cheating, Exploits and Harassment.

As we’ve said before, launch is just the beginning for us. We have a huge amount of post-release content planned for Insurgency: Sandstorm, and are excited to bring the game to consoles this year and to explore additional platforms in the future. We will be sharing a lot more news over the coming weeks, so be sure to subscribe to the NWI newsletter, bookmark our blog and follow @InsurgencyGame across social media to stay up to date with all our announcements.

New World Interactive