Hi everyone,

here is the next update for you. We have made some improvements regarding our sniper rifle for better handling. From now there is no cooldown anymore to reload. Instead the rifle now has a charge dealing more damage depending on the time passed between shots.



Furthermore we made some balancing tweaks and added a new tutorial wave to level 1. Also there have been some quality of live improvements. The labels in the shop got a rework to be more readable and easier to understand.
Also from now individual or all cutscenes can be turned off to progress faster in the game.

We hope you continue to have fun in defending the galaxy!

Patch 1.0.0.6 is now Live!

This is a small Patch/Hot-Fix with mainly some bug fixes and one critical bug fix. It was intended for a bigger Patch Release but gets pushed out early to fix an issue introduced in 1.0.0.5

• Fixed Bug Introduced In 1.0.0.5 Causing New Server Using Random Biome To Create Forever
  
• Fixed Bug In Options-Menu Hot Key Requiring Dual Key-Presses
  
• Added The Option To Leave Immediately When Dead Instead Of Reviving
  
• Store Items Can Now Be Sold/Purchased Directly By Double-Clicking

If you notice any issues or bugs related to the new Patch, please report to the Community Hub or directly to admin@borderstrain.com

For starters, can you provide a brief synopsis of who you are and what your role is with Killing Floor 2?

Yes, my name is Chris Goodwin and I am a Level Designer at Tripwire Interactive. My gamer/mapper handle is Swift_Brutal_Death. My primary project at TWI (Tripwire Interactive) is Killing Floor 2. The role of a LD (Level Designer) varies from employee to employee. My responsibilities include pitching map ideas, whiteboxing/blockout (early drafts without much detail), initial lighting passes, art passes, FX passes, bug testing, iteration, implementing final art, audio integration, performance improvements and maintenance post release. As a member of the design team I participate in discussions about improving existing content and talking about future ideas.

How long have you been employed at Tripwire?

I’ll be at three years this September. Let me say that time has really flown by. It still feels like it was just days ago that I was walking through the doors of TWI and meeting the owners and various staff. So, to almost be at the three mark is a very surreal experience.

Take us through a typical day of work at Tripwire for you, what is it like when you show up at the office?

I tend to get to work earlier in the day. The office is a bit calmer in the morning and I enjoy acclimating to the fervor of the workplace during that time. The day starts off with filling up a water bottle, greeting coworkers on my way to my desk, and turning on my computer. When the computers have all booted up, I begin checking emails and communication channels. Next is to look at my task list and bug list. Prioritizing where my time will be spent for the day. My day to day tasks varies considerably based on what level(s) I am working on and what part of development it is in. Generally, there are a handful of meetings throughout the day. I check various KF2 forums online to see how things are doing. Playtests I participate in usually fall towards the end of my workday so that's how I wrap up quite a few days.

How did you get started in the Games Industry?

In an official capacity, I got started in the industry at Tripwire Interactive. Like most developers, the spark to create and be involved in video games started early. I can best explain how I went from community mapper to working at a studio by walking through some of the games that impacted me. My roots in level design start with a game called ZZT. This ZZT game was made by Tim Sweeny (Tim Sweeny is the founder of Epic Games and well known for his work on the Unreal Engine) back in 1991 and included a level building engine and even basic object oriented programming for scripted character interactions and AI.

Wolfenstein followed by Doom are the next big titles for me. I feel like that’s pretty cliché, but it’s hard to argue with their legacies and the impact they had upon release. When Doom released it was just a whole new level of immersion and fun. Blasting humans/demons/monsters on various space bases with an impressive arsenal of impactful weapons while a barrage of metal music plays…with the best graphics available at the time. Nothing was the same after that. Then one day I popped in my PC Gamer demo disc and installed Starcraft. That was another huge moment. Everything about the game is nearly flawless to me. The replay value is insane, and the community was active and creative. That game also came with an editor and I spent many hours making custom maps and playing other people’s maps online. After many years of Starcraft being my go-to title, Half-Life released and I put my design focus back into FPS titles using its’ Valve Hammer Editor. I had spent several years with that engine growing to like level design more and more.

Then I saw a mapping contest for Killing Floor 1. I wasn’t familiar with the title, but I was super interested in trying my hand at competing with other level designers. I learned what I could with the Unreal Engine from the time I saw the contest announced. The contest had already been going for a while, so I had around two and a half months to learn the engine and submit a map. I submitted a map titled Multifarious. A mish mash of a map that didn’t place in the contest or receive an honorable mention. But what it did leave with me was an understanding of the Unreal engine and Killing Floor. So, I started working on another map, then another and so on. I spent a lot of time making content for the community and participating as a community member playing the game and testing other mapper's creations.

Eventually Killing Floor 2 came out and I jumped on that game and the editor right away to see what I could do. Eventually a mapping contest was announced for KF2. I took this as my opportunity for redemption after not doing well in the KF1 mapping contest. I put everything I had learned over the years into my contest entries. I was working part time morning shifts at my job, coming home, then spending anywhere from 6-12 hours working on the contest maps for many months. The contest ended, I submitted my entries and waited. Much to my surprise I won both phases of the mapping contest and shortly after was offered employment at TWI.


What accomplishment are you most proud of while working in the Games Industry?

I can look back and be proud of a lot of decisions to keep trying and work harder but I think more than proud I am thankful. Thankful for my wife that supported the dream and encouraged me. Thankful for friends and family that believed in me. I'm thankful to the Killing Floor community that has been so good to me over the years by hopping in playtests, hosting maps for me, sharing feedback and ideas. And I am thankful to Tripwire Interactive for giving me the opportunity to make a career out of something I enjoy.

What hobbies do you enjoy outside the workplace?

Some interests I’ve had over the years include tattooing, sculpting, drawing, keeping fish tanks, making wire wrapped jewelry, shooting, collecting rocks, oh, and actually playing video games too. I’ve played electric guitar for about 18 years, I dabble with music making software from time to time. As a tangent here, I enjoy most genres and music plays a crucial role for me while developing video game content. I’ll listen to something without lyrics while I’m in early development stages of a project. Maybe some Ambient, Electronic, Synthwave, Lofi or video game music. As a map starts to take form and I’m getting into set dressing tasks I’ll switch over to metal. I’ve burned through many metal artists discographies over the course of my Killing Floor mapping time.


Tripwire discovered your talents through a map you submitted for a KF2 map creation contest. What would you say is the biggest difference from being a mapper to officially becoming a level designer in the Game Industry?

That’s a good question. There are a lot of big differences as well as more subtle differences while the end goal remains the same. The end goal (in my opinion) is to make a level that is fun to play in, visually interesting, tells a story (or supports one) and performs well on all supported gaming systems. When you make something as a community mapper you have full creative control of every aspect of a project. As a result of being the only person responsible for a map that also means that you are limited by your skillsets, digital resources and time. There is a lot that goes into creating a map. When you are at a studio there are entire departments of people that have a role in making a map. There are 3D modelers, programmers, game designers, lighting artists, visual effects artists, audio engineers, quality assurance testers and then to manage all those departments there are producers and product leads. If you work independently that means you must be creative with the resources at hand and if you want anything custom and new you are making it yourself (which is a time-consuming process).

Once I started developing my first map at Tripwire Interactive, I had to learn about all these other departments and how they fit into the development process for a map. There are various stages in a maps development where lists get put together of what will be required of each department. As the map develops, various departments are submitting their content and that all must get put into the map at specific times. So, to sum it up, rather than one person responsible for the project and managing their own time as a solo mapper, the project gets spread out over many individuals and much more complex timelines when working in the industry. The end product is undeniably more polished and worth it.

What is your all-time favorite video game and why?

Oh jeez, the impossible question. I can’t say there is a favorite, so I'll touch on a few I really enjoy(ed) that weren't already mentioned in an earlier question. In no specific order:

Commander Keen, Scorched Earth, Raptor Call of the Shadows, Goldeneye, Duke Nukem 3D, Heretic, Quake, Subnautica, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Metro, Dead Space, Bioshock, Orcs Must Die, Trine, Nuclear Throne, The Binding of Isaac, Terraria, STALKER, Doom 2016, Everspace.

What KF2 map that you worked on are you most proud of? Is there something about this map that players should know about but perhaps don't?

Monsterball. This was a Halloween themed map that released 2018. You have to understand that this is a group effort. Although I spent the most time with the project, it went through many departments before being completed. I'm impressed by the combined hard work and talent involved. I'll recap a few of the things about the map that make it special to me. The overall theme was fun. Dracula’s castle as the hosting venue for a party of monsters. Half the level being more traditionally medieval based, while the other half has a splash of rave aesthetic. Our audio department did a fantastic job splitting the music that plays into different styles depending on where the player is located. One type of music for the rave side, one type for the rest of the map. This map passed through three different level designers during the initial blockout phase. This is when the map game flow is being developed without all the art and lighting incorporated. It went through some major overhauls before being finalized and released.

The traps were designed by another level designer and they are one of my favorite parts. This covers the part of the question asking if there's something about the map players should know but perhaps don't. Early in development, before the bell traps were bells, we had placeholder assets in their stead. What the other LD had put in was a large cake on a swinging arm. It was lovingly referred to as the Cake-o-tine for many months.

Our concept artist provided super cool environmental art to build from. Our environment team did a great job building all the 3d models for the map and helping with set decorating. Incorporating the raining blood event as the map progressed took quite a bit of extra work but we felt it was worth it in the long run. This meant we needed a new system coded to allow our persistent blood system to be active on all surfaces outside as the blood rain kicked in (thank you programmers). There are also some fun Easter eggs in the map. It was really a joy to work on overall.

Could you give us a glimpse of what you’re currently working on now in Killing Floor 2?

The gears of level design are always grinding at Tripwire Interactive. We have several KF2 tasks in development for future releases. This includes more objective related content and a few other treats too. You know the drill, stay tuned....


Do you have any personal tips n’ tricks when you play KF2 that you’d like to share with the community?

Most of my knowledge matches what has been shared already in the community, but I'll go through some of it. This advice is for a multiplayer setting. If you want to win matches and stay alive it is important to understand what your role is and what other people's roles are. If you are supposed to be killing smaller zeds, kill smaller zeds and don't engage large zeds that you cannot kill. If you are meant to deal with large zeds, pay attention to the large zeds and let your teammates deal with the trash.

Teamwork is important. If a teammate dies, give them back their weapon. If someone needs dosh and you have extra, share it. If a teammate is hurt and you have a couple spare seconds, heal them. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Any last parting words of wisdom?

If you are interested in a career with video games start doing stuff now. There are many fantastic game engines FOR FREE that you can download right now and start making content with. You can have large goals, just make sure to start with small, easier to achieve goals. Start with tasks you can complete in one sitting. Those small victories add up to big accomplishments. It's a very challenging and rewarding field. It continues to evolve and grow, as such, it will require new people to help innovate and create within it. Thanks for the opportunity to share some of my journey in the gaming industry. Until next time, see you on the Killing Floor.

Hi quick message to say the latest version just went live this adds the first tutorial for quick bonus coins+ teach basic gather/craft and talking
(just a quick basic gather herbs and make a potion and food) + rough directions

It also fixed some minor bugs such as real time attack not working and tposing on horse etc
(i messed up the code slightly so it was looking for combat skill in "skills" not "survival" tab so it auto missed the attack meaning went to 0 but should be fixed now)

As far as i know this should have fixed most major bugs that are known and now it will be minor ones and upgrading the tutorial,story and item list but until i can afford staff probally alot of items wont be properly rigged/visable eg bronze item will look same as iron only stats diff on player/icon but ill be fixing this asap

If this update has no major bugs the next one will hopefully be in a week or two and will probally be in a couple of weeks and link with a steam promo (shows on front page) new updated trailer and big sale to try give the game a good boost (hopefully all main races will be added in the next few months with hidden races later such as shark people,elementals etc)

The summer shop is coming next Tuesday, which means this is your last chance to get the 2019 Dage and May the 4th items, and the rare titles and badges that come with them before their shops go poof!

The shops are officially leaving next Tuesday, June 4th. Some seasonal items return the following year, but this is not guaranteed.


Improved quest system for bigger world-spanning quests! The team is putting it up for testing on the PTR (Testing Server) later today. Here is what to expect...
https://aq3d.com/news/newquestsystem/


Dage send me some of the things he has been working on. I don't even know what they're for! Let's take a look...
https://aq3d.com/news/water_you_doing/



You know, you guys here on Steam never get super early sneak peaks... I thought you deserved one. Here is a concept image from an upcoming release that has not been posted ANYWHERE else yet. <3 you Steam friends. (Also, don't tell Dage I posted this for you. He will literally kill me. Also Cysero. Just... just don't tell anyone.) - Artix

The summer shop is coming next Tuesday, which means this is your last chance to get the 2019 Dage and May the 4th items, and the rare titles and badges that come with them before their shops go poof!

The shops are officially leaving next Tuesday, June 4th. Some seasonal items return the following year, but this is not guaranteed.


Improved quest system for bigger world-spanning quests! The team is putting it up for testing on the PTR (Testing Server) later today. Here is what to expect...
https://aq3d.com/news/newquestsystem/


Dage send me some of the things he has been working on. I don't even know what they're for! Let's take a look...
https://aq3d.com/news/water_you_doing/



You know, you guys here on Steam never get super early sneak peaks... I thought you deserved one. Here is a concept image from an upcoming release that has not been posted ANYWHERE else yet. <3 you Steam friends. (Also, don't tell Dage I posted this for you. He will literally kill me. Also Cysero. Just... just don't tell anyone.) - Artix

May 31, 2019 Sword Mans version 1.3.2

The biggest change in this update was an upgrade to Unity 2019. There were a number of bugs that came with the upgrade, but I think I got them all ironed out. However if you find any new bugs, let me know. You can email bypassgamestudios@gmail.com or make a post on the user forums about it.

In addition, I have a few minor improvements. Here's the patch notes.

• Upgraded to Unity 2019, a much needed upgrade. There aren't many noticeable changes, but there are many back end changes that were needed.

• Added some improvements to the campaign UI.
  
• When a chapter is completed, you now have the option to continue to the next chapter or go back to the main menu (previously you were forced back to the menu).
  
• Added chapter titles to the beginning and end of each chapter.

• Fixed a bug where the AI players would not aggro at the appropriate distance when using the crossbow.
  
• Fixed a bug where the shop menu would sometimes cover up items in certain resolutions.

As always, have fun and keep your eyes peeled for the next update!

- new ad types and placements (in-game ad space pricing and conditions now available)
- bullet impacts now splat paint and laser particles onto walls and nearby objects and shoot puffs of smoke and debris for military guns
- new large background set pieces randomly generate with every map change, making distanced shots easier to gauge while greatly expanding the feel of environments
- new cash drop mechanic, for every kill the player drops cash you can collect to show everyone you're no camper

Plus so many other adjustments, changes, and improvements that we need to take a whole new set of screenshots for the Steam store!

Server owners please update your servers!

Players & Skills

• Added skill activation sound cues, thanks to Boss Negro. These sounds will play when you for example activate Magazine Refill, Blazing Ammo, Life Leech, Bleed, Coldsnap and Empowered Bullets! You can enable/disable this through Options->Other.
  
• Fixed the skill talent reset command, bb2_reset_skills will now work properly.
  
• Fixed a rare bug which could force your FOV to be permanently zoomed in, when zooming with a weapon.
  
• Removed ammo resupply punishment in Deathmatch and Elimination mode.
  
• Ammo resupply punishment will punish ammo spammers for max 30 sec, this penalty can be reduced to minimum 15 sec if you use the resourceful skill.
  
• Boosted flashlight lenght, width and radius.
  
• Added bb2_vote_required_percentage_kickban in an effort to prevent kick and ban vote abusing. This is now used for the ban and kick votes, so that maps can use a lower percentage. (maps will use the old, bb2_vote_required_percentage)

HUD & VGUI

• Tweaked text positioning in the tooltip HUD.
  
• Added music shuffle option to Options->Other.

• Improved akimbo firing logic, it should register the mouse clicks properly when you are spamming fast. Holding down both mouse buttons will trigger slow + harmonic auto-fire.
  
• Added new textures for the Benelli M4, credits to Boss Negro.
  
• Fixed bad shading on the Famas textures, credits to Boss Negro.
  
• Guns in Deathmatch and Elimination may now have unique bullet spread values.

Mecklenburg

• Clipped multiple areas to prevent excessive exploiting.
  
• Nerfed zombie spawns in the alley area and in the apartment corridors.
  
• Improved the rescue quest, the two npcs in question will now move to the military NPCs rather than hanging around in the police station.

Laststand

• Fixed zombie spawns, zombies should spawn more frequently now.
  
• Increased max zombie limit from 35 to 40.
  
• Clipped some specific area which would get players stuck while fetching fuel.

Swamp Trouble

• Added navmesh, should improve the AI.

• Benelli M4 dropoff has been changed from 275 to 245.
  
• Remington 870 dropoff has been changed from 400 to 420.
  
• HK MP5 dropoff has been changed from 850 to 600.
  
• Changed MP7 Pistol Mastery damage increase from 4% to 2.45% per point.
  
• Changed MP5 Pistol Mastery damage increase from 1.65% to 2% per point.
  
• Decreased MP5 damage by 4-5 points in Deathmatch mode.
  
• Decreased Micro Uzi damage by 5-6 points in Deathmatch mode.
  
• Increased Sawed Off pellet damage by 1 point in Deathmatch mode.
  
• Decreased MP7 damage by 3-5 points in Deathmatch mode.
  
• Applied tighter spread to the Sawed Off, akimbo Sawed Off and Remington 870 in Deathmatch mode.
  
• Reduced akimbo Glock-17 and akimbo Beretta damage with roughly 20% in Deathmatch mode.

https://discord.gg/0TitkvlFlYoBak0V

We are right in the middle of updating W.A.R to new engine framework that is available, which should greatly improve graphics and networking capability.

These changes effect almost everything to do in the game are we have been working non stop to try to have a working update for today.

Sadly that just isn't the case and we will be postponing this weeks update to give us time to properly prepare.

For more detailed information. Please join us on discord @ : http://discord.gg/69naDNh