Hello everyone!

Today we released patch 0.2.1 for all players. Please update your game when you see that this update is available to receive the following fixes and changes:

• The chat log will now show your own messages in the lobby and in the game.
  
• Ants will no longer be able to steal items from containers out of reach from them.
  
• You can now overwrite saved games.
  
• Save Games are grouped by playthrough in the Save / Load menu.
  
• Fixed an issue where the camera would go inside the player while in the 3rd-person camera when near specific building structures.
  
• Grub audio has been adjusted.

• Better render performance when dealing with dynamic shadow culling.

• Added a message that will notify PC players when their system clock does not match the server clock. This issue prevented these players from hosting or joining games.
  
• Save Games now show an icon indicating if that save was made while playing single-player or multiplayer. Affects only new saves going forward.
  
• More accurate handling of cloud save upload/deletion for Xbox and Win 10 Store versions of the game.
  
• Save Game max storage on Xbox / Win 10 has been increased from 256 MB to 1GB (takes effect on reinstall).
  
• Fixed issue with saves triggered while having an unplaced building blueprint could cause the save not to be able to load.

• Included gas damage effect that was missing from the Fresh Defense mutation.
  
• Fixed items that are moving around with physics at the time of save not being saved into save games.
  
• Fixed clients not being able to see other players aim their bodies when they look up and down.
  
• Added Acorn Shovel+ recipe and Pebblet Foundation recipes that will become available at BurgL's Tech Chip Swap Shop when completing the Chipslueth Cold Blooded BURG.L quest by turning in the Stained BURG.L Chip.
  
• Enlarged mint container and resized the mints to make them slightly smaller so players can get into the Ice Cap container more easily.
  
• Collectible SCA.Bs properly disappear on clients when picked up.
  
• Included a fix for the missing leaves throughout the world.
  
• Slime Mold Stalk patches properly disappear on clients when the entire stalk is collected.

• Water Fleas no longer leave the water to fly around the backyard.

• Added a unique icon to the Simple Bed.
  
• Gas Arrows can now be picked up as regular arrows after being shot.
  
• Gas Arrows now deal twice as much damage.
  
• Gas Arrow recipe now produces 2 arrows instead of 1.
  
• Feather Arrow recipe now produces 2 arrows instead of 1.
  
• Fixed an issue where players would respawn inside the Simple Bed instead of next to it.
  
• Weapons now do the proper damage type when thrown.
  
• Fixed Tropicop juice box not spawning juice drops from the straw.

• Adjusted the interactable highlight to be less intrusive.
  
• Fixed a certain key item showing an audio log model instead of a sheet of paper model.
  
• Thank you for your reports and your continued support while we further develop the game! We are working to push out updates to enhance your gaming experience continually.

After the update, if you continue to experience any issues in the game, please first please visit our Grounded Community Trello Board to see if the issue you are encountering is listed and to find out the current status of the issue. You can also view our Known Issues List to see if your issue is known. If your issue is not listed on either the Trello board or in the Known Issues List, either email us directly at support@obsidian.net or fill out the Contact form located on our Support Site and include the following information:

1. Platform. (Xbox Console, PC Game Pass, PC Steam).
   
2. Multiplayer or Single Player Game. (If multiplayer, can you let us know how many players in total in the game, and their platforms if you know this)
   
3. Description of issue.
   
4. Last thing you did in the game before the issue occurred, if applicable.

Thank you again, and have fun out in the backyard!

Update 0.2.0 is live! Thank you so much for the incredible support, feedback, and all of the amazing creations you've shared with us and the community. This newest update was brought to you by the millions of players who have joined together to survive the backyard!



Included in the update are the following changes and fixes we've made to the game.

• Bird! - Includes new crafting materials and recipes from bird feathers.
  
• Perk system with 13 unique perks to discover!
  
• New BURG.L Quest types: Artificer (crafting quests) and Chipsleuth (quests asking you to locate BURG.L chips).
  
• Added Fence buildings (Sprig and Acorn).
  
• Added Table buildings (Grass and Clover).
  
• Added Water Flea ambient insect to flooded biome.

• Buffed damage on the Spider Fang Dagger so it's on the higher end of tier 2 weapons.
  
• Buffed damage on Spike Traps significantly.
  
• Spiders learned a new set of attacks to choose from instead of just their basic bite.
  
• Added a brief forced delay between block start events, preventing the player from perfect-blocking by mashing the block button.
  
• Slightly reduced the bonus damage given by the Eyepatch.
  
• Adjusting larva blade poison proc so it's consistent.
  
• Reducing the stun ratings of two-handed weapons.
  
• Slightly reducing amount of damage the mint mallet deals so it's in line with tier progression.
  
• Tier 2 insects now have a cooldown after being stunned before they can be stunned again.
  
• Perfect Blocking no longer reduces armor durability.

• Updated Raw Science UI icons to be more consistent across the game.
  
• Adding shortcut for dropping items in the inventory screen (Drop Stack is in the context menu).
  
• Adding "Deposit/Receive Stack" button on storage UIs.
  
• Shift+clicking item stacks in the storage UIs will transfer the full stack clicked.
  
• Dragging an item stack onto the paper doll in the inventory screen will drop the item stack in the world.
  
• Crafting an item with a full inventory will now notify that the item was dropped in the world.
  
• Storage and Flag marker icons have been revised, regrouped, and their colors have shifted (Requires a one-time tour of the yard to set everything back / new trail markers will be blank by default).
  
• Slight revisions to a few SCA.B flavor schemes.
  
• Canteen slurps available are displayed in the equipped item HUD element
  
• Additional icon art
  
• Added a highlight effect that appears on interactable objects when the player looks at them. This feature is controlled by the "Highlight Objects" Accessibility setting.

• Revised clover cave layout and lighting, and moved entrance slightly.
  
• Revised flooded area layout in southeast corner of yard.
  
• Updated house electrical socket with final, non-blockout art
  
• Items left in the world (not in a container, etc.) for 48-72 in-game hours will eventually despawn once out of range of all players. Items loaded from a saved game from version 0.1.x, will have all item timers start at zero to give players a chance to react to this change.
  
• Players and critters now create ripples in the water while moving.
  
• Kids are starting to throw Archer Cookies over the fence, along with their Billy Hogs and Apples.
  
• Added a few footprints throughout the yard.

• Base buildings will now be more reliably anchored when built on top of objects such as the Baseball
  
• Palisades will no longer immediately collapse when an attached building is removed.
  
• Water Containers can collect falling droplets.
  
• The player can now drink from Water Containers while holding weapons.
  
• Stairs may now be embedded in the ground like scaffolds and ramps.
  
• Walls that are sandwiched above by two floors will have their crenellations suppressed.
  
• The camera will slide to the correct position when interacting with a Weapon Wall Mount.
  
• Tweaked the placed position of the Weapon Wall Mount to be more centered.

• Better Windowed-Fullscreen performance in Windows versions of the game.
  
• Better UI/Inventory GPU performance.
  
• Significant load game time improvement for games with large bases.
  
• Better GPU performance during nighttime.

• The Voice Chat Activation setting is now properly reapplied when entering a game.
  
• SCA.B flavor scheme collectibles now have a pulsing light and are slightly bigger to make them more noticeable.
  
• Hedge Berries now float in water.
  
• Prevented very large numbers of ants from being assigned the same task, such as killing a weevil.
  
• Reduced the camera near clip plane fixing the camera clipping into the player when using high a high field of view.
  
• Polished up spear movement and aiming animations for 1st person.
  
• You should now see grass extend to the furthest reaches of the yard.
  
• Ants now find and store lost Ice Caps.
  
• Soldier ants can now properly drop ant heads as loot.
  
• Tall woody weeds are now displayed as "Husky Weed." Dandelions and husky weed both still supply weed stems. Husky weed now respawns.
  
• Ants will not be happy if you take their eggs.
  
• The Resource Analyzer now animates when analyzing.
  
• A couple of new smoothies can be whipped up at the smoothie station.

• Incapacitated players are now saved instead of ignored when a save game is made or they exit the game. With this, players that reload an incapacitated character will have their backpack spawned where they died instead of them just spawning without their inventory in the world. NOT RETROACTIVE
  
• Items and insects will spawn under the world less. Cleaning up items/insects that have fallen through the level upon load. (This should help with insect population/egg spawning)
  
• Insects should no longer spawn inside of the large Pond rocks. Any insect currently in the rocks upon load should be snapped out. (This should help with insect population/egg spawning)
  
• Grass planks will no longer fall through the ground.
  
• Fixed Hedge Berries appearing in incorrect positions for clients, making them very difficult to harvest.
  
• Fixed torch sound effects.
  
• Insects should no longer "walk through walls" when not looking at them or when they are at your far away base.
  
• Fixed giant arrows sometimes spawning when shot into a large insect.

• Multiplayer clients will no longer crash when despawning droplets containing items.

• Optimized building collapsing so the game will no longer lock up when collapsing huge structures.
  
• The game will no longer crash when collapsing very long structures.
  
• Fixed issues where walls could get built in-between a wall snap spot messing up your wall grid
  
• Gnats will now need a little more delta-V than a Bounce Web can provide if they want to go to space.
  
• Fixed a problem where insects would not become appropriately hungry and sleepy after the players slept.

• Standalone buildings that are attached to walls and floors will collapse as well if the floor or wall they are on collapses.
  
• Large Rake Rock now has proper collision.
  
• Soda pop can now be dumped from a canteen.
  
• Fixed water droplets near sprinkler and oak tree that respawned immediately when you approached.
  
• Fixed gas arrows not being one-time use.
  
• Rotten Bee Armor can no longer be repaired for free.
  
• Workbench light will no longer be disabled after loading a save.

• Fixed wall crenellations appearing inconsistently on clients and the host.
  
• Fixed wall crenellations appearing incorrectly after loading a saved game.
  
• Fixed fingers moving on weapon hand during one handed movement animations.
  
• Restructured 3rd person body aiming for unarmed punching.
  
• Unfinished buildings no longer block the third person camera.
  
• Swapping armor after having collected Raw Science no longer displays the material of the previously equipped armor.
  
• Fixed issue with seeing fogless voids in the world after having emerged from a large body of water.
  
• Puddle drinking animation and camera improved to address clipping issues.

• Fixed SCA.B Bugged scheme not appearing in list correctly.
  
• The resting UI updates properly upon bedtime.
  
• SCA.B won't flash thirst and hunger danger if levels are good.
  
• Defrag button in Inventory can now be navigated using the Gamepad.
  
• Less explosive results when using the Drop Stack action.
  
• Fixed Clover Hood and Poncho description being the same as the Leggings.

• Fixed issues with 4k fullscreen resolution failing to work properly.
  
• Fixed issues with Alt-Tab crashing the game.

• Reduced screen edge artifacts / flashing.

[REDACTED]

Thank you all for the continued reports, suggestion and feedback sharing, and support while we continue to develop Grounded. They are all appreciated as we read everything that comes in to help enhance your time in the backyard.

If you continue to encounter any of these issues after updating the game or stumble across a new issue, please first check our Known Issues List to see if your issue is known. If your issue is not listed, then either email us directly at support@obsidian.net or fill out the Contact form located on our Support Site and include the following information:

1. Platform. (Xbox Console, PC Game Pass, PC Steam).
   
2. Multiplayer or Single Player Game. (If multiplayer, can you let us know how many players in total in the game, and their platforms if you know this)
   
3. Description of issue.
   
4. Last thing you did in the game before the issue occurred, if applicable.

Thank you again, and have fun out in the backyard!

Changes/fixes that you will see made to the game:

• Better handling of dismissing profile selection at the Main Menu on Xbox One and Windows 10 Store versions which will help prevent saved games from going missing for players on the Xbox console and Windows 10 store.
  
• Fixed an issue where if you had the "Kill Mosquito" quest prior to the patch 0.1.1 release where it wasn't removed properly and would crash if you killed a creature while that quest was active.
  
• Fixed crash with approaching a base with traps that have an insect being damaged by one when the player arrives.
  
• Resolved an issue that would cause random crashes with juice drop combining when approaching them.

• We cleared out excess larva from games that still had large numbers of larva in their game from the infinite larva respawn issue prior to patch 0.1.1.
  
• Fixed the "Drop All" function not properly splitting items.

• Resolved an issue with Mushroom Gardens, Dew Collectors, Acorns, and other resources not respawning after their initial spawns.
  
• Reverting the change, for now, to lock containers to one player at a time since it was causing containers to stay permanently locked occasionally
  

• Removed "Customize Marker" from the Loot Backpack UI that was causing crashes if used (was not supposed to be available on that screen)
  
• Fixed an issue with Slime Mold Sconces not turning back on after loading back into a game.

We want to thank everyone for sharing their feedback and reporting issues as you come across them, as they are extremely helpful while we continue to develop this game. We also want to remind you that the team is constantly working to try to push out updates to enhance your gaming experience continually.

If you continue to encounter any of these issues after updating the game or stumble across a new issue, please first check our Known Issues List to see if your issue is known. If your issue is not listed, then either email us directly at support@obsidian.net or fill out the form located on our Support Site and include the following information:

Platform (Xbox Console, PC Game Pass, PC Steam).

1. Multiplayer or Single Player Game (if multiplayer, can you let us know how many players in total in the game, and their platforms if you know this)
   
2. Description of issue
   
3. Last thing you did in the game before the issue occurred, if applicable

Thank you again, and have fun out in the backyard!

Changes/fixes that you will see made to the game:

• Made changes to make finding, joining, and hosting games with friends more reliable.
  
• We adjusted the handling of joining game failure (the game is full, the game no longer exists, etc.).
  
• Added a way to allow players to resolve the issue of the game logging the player into the wrong Xbox Live account on PC.
  
• Fixed issues with Windows 7 and Windows 8 users crashing when attempting to login. Those users should be able to load into the game after updating.
  
• Fixed crash when saving or loading and the "Autosave Count" number in the options is set to 0.
  
• We have implemented a fix for players who were getting stuck on the welcome popup screen and unable to move past it.
  
• Fixed characters not being saved occasionally in save games. NOT RETROACTIVE: Unfortunately we are not able to bring back lost items, but hopefully this fix will prevent this from occurring in the future. If you still experience this after the update, please contact us directly at support@obsidian.net so we can gather information to continue our investigation.

• Players will no longer be permanently stuck in spider webs after destroying them.
  
• Fixed BURG.L disappearing in some games if you attacked him and saved and loaded. RETROACTIVE: BURG.L will appear in the games he disappeared from, allowing players to interact with him again.
  
• Restoring save games that have lost progression state (ex. Oak Tree Lab doors no longer opening for players, Mysterious Machine not allowing players to hit buttons to finish the quest, time being frozen, etc.) RETROACTIVE: After updating the game, players should be able to load into their game and continue to progress. Should this issue happen again, logging out of the save and then loading back in should resolve the issue and allow you to continue playing.
  
• Fixed an issue with endless larva spawning over time. Larva were also spawning each time a spike trap was built. This update will not remove the larva that has already spawned into games, but the larva respawn rate has been fixed.
  
• Fixed issue where all item durability in your inventory incorrectly shows "full" when loading back into a game as a client.
  
• We implemented a fix for an issue where games that were saved before Raw Science started spawning prevented Raw Science from appearing later. It also included an update for a problem with Raw Science spawning after analyzing and having additional players collecting it on join. Due to this, players may notice that the starting Raw Science they previously collected has respawned.
  
• Fixed crashes when loading a saved game dealing with ant colonies.
  
• Removed kill Mosquito Burg.L quest NOT RETROACTIVE: Players will need to speak with BURG.L to abandon this quest. Then, during the next in-game day, you will be able to talk to BURG.L again to accept a new quest.
  
• Found the cause behind the issue where attempting to cook/dry an item slot with no item in it would crash the game.
  
• Found a fix for the occasional crash caused by dew drops that have items stuck in them. It also included a fix for dew drops exploding and causing a major FPS drops on clients.
  
• Fixed issue where clients dragging items from one slot in a storage basket to another would not reflect on the host causing item desync.
  
• Disabled storage baskets and smoothie stations from being able to be interacted with by multiple players at the same time until other desync issues we are working on are resolved.
  
• Block Tutorial now only plays once.
  
• Tuned Wolf Spider hearing and investigation AI to creep on the player less frequently.

• UI changes made to the SCA.B OS screen.
  
• Fixed trail markers not showing up on the map, and an additional fix added to prevent the game crashing if you tried to navigate them in the legend.
  
• Reduced screen edge shimmer on Xbox One and Xbox One S under load.

Thank you for your reports and your continued support while we further develop the game! We are working to push out updates to enhance your gaming experience continually.

If you continue to encounter any of these issues after updating the game or stumble across a new issue, please reach out to us directly at support@obsidian.net. When you contact us, please include the following:

1. Platform (Xbox Console, PC Game Pass, PC Steam).
   
2. Multiplayer or Single Player Game (if multiplayer, can you let us know how many players in total in the game, and their platforms if you know this).
   
3. Description of issue.
   
4. Last thing you did in the game before the issue occurred, if applicable.

Thank you again, and have fun out in the backyard!

The moment you have been waiting for has arrived: Grounded's Early Access is live and you can now explore the backyard!

In Grounded, you find that you have been shrunken down to the size of an ant, and the backyard has turned into a place where the mundane has become fantastical! You will need to gather, craft, explore, build, fight, and survive the backyard either solo or with up to three friends!

We look forward to hearing your feedback while you explore the backyard. You can send us feedback anytime while playing the game by accessing the "Feedback" option in the main menu. You are also welcome to join our Discord community so you can share your suggestions and feedback in order to help shape the development of the game!

Hello!

Just a day away until Grounded's Early Access launch! We're set to go live across all platforms on July 28, 2020 at 10:00 PDT (UTC-7). To help those of you playing from other regions, below you will find a list of when the game will approximately be available tomorrow!

• July 28, 2020 - 10:00 PDT
  
• July 28, 2020 - 13:00 EDT
  
• July 28, 2020 - 14:00 BRT
  
• July 28, 2020 - 18:00 BST
  
• July 28, 2020 - 19:00 CEST
  
• July 28, 2020 - 19:00 SAST
  
• July 28, 2020 - 20:00 MSK
  
• July 29, 2020 - 01:00 SGT
  
• July 29, 2020 - 03:00 AEST
  
• July 29, 2020 - 05:00 NZST

If you do not see your time zone listed, you can use any one of the free time zone converter clocks available to convert July 28, 2020, 10:00 PDT, to your time zone so you will be prepared!

Grounded will launch in Early Access for $29.99.

We are excited to see everyone enter the backyard again (or for the first time) in a few days! See you all soon!

Grounded is excited to include a variety of accessibility features for our players to provide the best backyard experience possible.


A slider scale can be located in the game's Options Menu that allows players to change the look and sounds of the spiders. Gameplay and difficulty remain unchanged.

Options:

1. No changes to spider visuals.
   
2. Reduces number of spider legs to four.
   
3. Removes all spider legs.
   
4. Removes all spider legs. Removes spider fangs.
   
5. Removes all spider legs. Changes spider mesh to simple shapes.
   
6. Removes all spider legs. Changes spider mesh to simple shapes. Changes spider materials to simple colors with shiny textures.

THIS MODE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

Certain game elements will be altered to be more legible for one of three types of colorblindness. Currently, this mode shifts to a set of distinct colors that remain the same regardless of SCA.B flavor or color deficiency selected.

Options: None, Deuteranopia, Protanopia, and Tritanopia

When this is enabled, some UI screens will use larger text size for better readability.

When this is enabled, the game will narrate aloud the text content of on-screen elements.


Changes what sounds and voices display subtitles.

Options: Dialogue Only, All, and None

Adjusts the size of the game's subtitle text/

Options: Small, Medium, and Large

When this is enabled, subtitles will have a dark background.


When this is enabled, incoming text chat will also be read aloud by the narrator.

When this is enabled, incoming voice chat will also be displayed as chat messages.

Turns on the background for the chat log.


Toggles the controller vibration function in the game. Vibration is typically used as a physical cue for something hidden or hard to see.

When this is enabled, the horizontal axis of camera control is flipped. Right becomes left, left becomes right.

When this is enabled, the vertical axis of camera control is flipped. Up becomes down, down becomes up.

When this is enabled, crouching becomes a toggle rather than a button hold.

When this is enabled, sprinting becomes a toggle rather than a button hold.

-------------------------------------------

These features and more can be found in the Options Menu which can be accessed from both the loading screen and while in the game. Changing any of these features while in the game will automatically be applied to prevent further interruptions while you are exploring.

If you would like to see a feature included to the game in the future, please contact us with your suggestion so we can share it with the team. We appreciate your feedback and hope you enjoy your time in the backyard!

Today we are excited to announce the voice actors who will be bringing to life your new favorite characters, along with announcing the talented Michael Chu (Overwatch) who has joined the team to help develop the narrative experience!

The cast includes:

• Ozioma Akagha (“Runaways,” “Teen Titans Go!”) as Willow
  
• Josh Brenner (“Silicon Valley,” “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”) as BURG.L
  
• Charlet Takahashi Chung (Overwatch, “Carmen Sandiego”) as Hoops
  
• Zachary Levi (“Shazam!,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) as Wendell
  
• Max Mittelman (Spider-Man, Final Fantasy VII Remake) as Pete
  
• Luke Youngblood (“Community,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”) as Max

You will be able to hear all of their work in just three days! Check out our developer blog on https://grounded.obsidian.net/ for the latest up-to-date information!

We are proud to reveal an all-new trailer for Grounded! The backyard is waiting and ready for you to explore in just four days! Check back to see more news and insights we have for you leading up to launch!

On July 28th, go big or never go home.

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