Hey, Death Bringers. In this new update players will see the following improvements to the game.

• New changes to side quests and other hidden in game events.
  
• Updated stagger values and new weapon trails to add more of an effect to your attacks.
  
• A new complex weather system that impacts enemy spawns and has a chance to spawn special enemies.
  
• New Dialogue paths and options.

And much more. To go even further into detail on these features I uploaded a new Devlog to showcase the games new changes as well as give you insight on the games current plans.


This video marks a big change in the upcoming content for the game as well as information regarding its future endeavors as we approach the next expansions release.


In this update majority of the old side quests have had improvements to dialogue fluidity and quest flow. This was done to make going from quest to quest a little more efficient and clear. This was also done in preparation for new voice actors coming in to fully voice these characters for their in game dialogues.


In order to improve the impact of combat, weapon trails have been added to each weapon to improve info for the player on where hitboxes are. This will lead to more meaningful choices when watching enemies motions and makes it easier to tell your weapons range. Additionally this helps me set elemental weapons apart from others by giving them unique weapon trails.

NEW WEATHER PATTERNS/WEATHER SPAWNS

Lastly, in this updates new enemies have been added in a few locations that only spawn during turbulent weather conditions. Overtime this will expand to weather conditions spawning in new enemy types that will create difficult challenges for the player while they try to traverse the wild. This will also help facilitate the future bounty quests where the player must find and defeat rare enemies for rewards from certain npcs.


Currently I project the new update should be out by the end of October which shall finalize some new voice lines and actors. All to prepare for the games upcoming kickstarter. I hope to see you all there and look forward to your feedback on this update. Get out there, Death Bringer.

Hello SnowRunners!

Today we have a map maker who's won the monthly mod awards on several occasions! He's created a long list of fantastic new environments for all of us to explore and get stuck in. Please give a warm welcome to DerEggen!

Born in the late 80's, my first contact with gaming probably was the GameBoy and Super Mario. The first game on PC I really played a lot was The Settlers 2 on Win 95. I learned to build my own PCs and stayed a PC kid ever since.

My name is André, I am from Germany and originally studied mechanical engineering before eventually ending up in the IT sector. I process data and information for a company that does land surveying - or to put it very simply, I also create maps in real life 😃

Cheating. My career as a modder began early when I started modifying games via the game console with cheats and later tampering with the game files - at that time, of course, these were only single-player games. Until I came across the Runner franchise, I only ever did it for my own amusement. My first published mod for the franchise was a map in 2014. The rest is history.



I usually start with an idea for the main mission or the main theme of the map. Then I think about which environment would fit best. The editor makes it possible to import real elevation data, so-called 'dem' or 'gdem' data, in form of a simple .png image file. So I get such data from parts of the earth that match my idea, import the data and start to fill this terrain with roads, houses, factories and vegetation - that's how Meteor and Lake Coap were created.

Sometimes, however, I find an interesting landscape, import it into the editor and only then start thinking about suitable missions - that's what happened in the case of Kodar Desert, for example.

Either way, the layouts of my maps are very much inspired by the terrain, the terrain tells me where there is a good place for a city, where roads can be placed or where rivers flow.



For very large maps with elevation data generated terrains, lots of details, custom structures, missions and localization for different languages, I had to invest hundreds of hours and it took months to build and test them.

But you don't always need that much time. The editor offers the possibility to use prefabricated 'references'. These are small parts of the original maps from the game that you can use on your own maps - e.g. the garages, factories, even whole settlements. If you have mastered the most important functions of the editor and make good use of the references, you can build a medium-sized, basic but good looking map with roads, paths, forests, a river, a few meadows, a settlement and a few factories in 50 hours or less.

In the end it's a matter of practise and how many details you want to add to your map.



You can be incredibly creative and bring a landscape to life piece by piece according to your own ideas - whether you want to build an American off-road park or a mini-desert in Siberia.

I really enjoy putting on my headphones, listening to music and getting lost in the world I'm just creating. You have to put in a lot of work and sometimes a lot of hassle, but when you get the feedback from the many players who enjoy your map, it's very motivating and satisfying.



Nope, I started publishing maps in MudRunner and am currently on Snowrunner.

When it comes to my personal favourites, it's the Unipog by Poghrim and the Mod Localization Tool by Allozorro. The tool is not a mod and very few people will know it, but without this program I would not be able to create a language selection for my maps. And the Unipog is a fantastically made expedition truck that I love to use for test drives on my maps.

But generally speaking, when someone takes the time to build a mod to the best of their ability and shares it, it's always worthy of a thumbs up and a thanks!

Always the latest. Even though I've been making maps for quite some time, I learn something new with every project and each new map is better than the previous ones.

Sometimes I would like to be able to get out of the vehicle, walk around the area and maybe even interact with the world in some ways.

The game is simply the best and, thanks to the many mods, the most versatile off-road simulation currently available.
And apart from the pure content, I like the community that has formed since the beginning and that has enriched the series ever since.



I can't judge that too well, as I have never built vehicles myself. But I think it's easier to build a nice little map with a few simple missions than a fully functional vehicle. If you want to build high-end vehicles or maps, you certainly have to practice and learn a lot in both cases.

However, the editor is already installed with the game and you really only need to know this one program if you want to build a map. You can read through the official guide chapter by chapter and build your first small map along it. There is also a second guide, written by a user in the official Snowrunner forum, which offers a quick guide for the first map. As the guide is written from a more user's point of view, I can really recommend it for beginners: https://forums.focus-entmt.com/topic/61859/the-big-book-of-snowrunner-map-making

It cannot be said often enough, start small and get in contact with other modders! Many who start modding have great ideas and throw themselves into the work with eagerness and enthusiasm. But unfortunately they take on too much and eventually give up in frustration because they underestimate the workload and don't get done what they had in mind.

If you want to start building maps, you should begin with a small map of no more than 1x1km². Then, with the help of the guide, get to know the various tools and functions of the editor and start designing your map.

The first successes will soon show but so will the first problems and questions. With both, you should go to the official Discord channel. There are many other modders who can help you. And you can show others your progress, which helps a lot to keep you motivated.

On YouTube there are also a few helpful videos from Remoh on the subject of map building for beginners.

Of course! I am currently working on a Russian region with three maps. Poghrim has also made some custom models and custom cargos for this map, so players can look forward to some unique and hopefully fun missions and locations. Unfortunately, the maps are still a long way from being finished.



I'm not a car nut, but the Mercedes Unimog has always fascinated me. For decades it has come in countless variants and conversions and the off-road capability of this truck is legendary.

In Snowrunner I would probably choose the Tayga. I've dug myself through many mud holes with it.

Obviously the world needs flying spiders, the Flyder - a very good reason to stay home and play videogames 😃




If you have questions you'd like to see added to these interviews, feel free to suggest them and we may add them! 🙂

Fixed a bug where a resource room may boot you.
Fixed a bug that prevent a boss from being finished accurately.

Tomorrow at 2PC CEST we'll be talking with Sven Schäfer about the newest gameplay mechanic that makes building a functioning lab more complex and also much more interesting!

If you're interested in Zombie Cure Lab and want to stay up to date feel free to join our Discord and join the discussion: https://discord.gg/Apk5ruKPKR

Hey, Alphas!

With our latest update, our work to improve the game’s quality, and add new content continues as we move toward our vision for Version 1. There are still some known issues that we need to fix, but we feel this update is a lot smoother and stable than previous versions. We’ve fleshed out the Hollows more by adding a lot more hazards, grinders, destroyable doors, and exploding barrels. That said, there is still a lot of work to do here to make them feel more threatening.

We’ve also started to flesh out the Home Island, adding the Boatyard, Brewery and Lighthouses. Soon, we’ll be adding the Academy, and a Bar and Stage to the Brewery. All these new features will feed into the island prestige and economy updates that we will be adding soon. They will also provide other benefits, such as the Brewery providing Libations to purchase. These will provide the player with buffs like Tonics.

The Academy will help train and upgrade your Kindred. We have improved the Kindred, giving them a jump ability, and they now should use the correct tools for the job, like carrying barrels or buckets back from the well, a scythe in the fields, or using a fishing rod whilst fishing.
There’s a lot of changes and improvements in this update that we hope you’ll enjoy, and there is still more to come! Again, we would like to thank everyone for their support. Please keep your feedback and suggestions coming.

Change log

• Refactor of save system, moving it from registry to fix potential crash bugs and game not starting.
• Continued memory optimizations, fixes to memory usage.
• Improved Kindred behaviors on Home Island.
• Fixed issue with Gods not spawning until all island zones were at level three.
• Added upgradable Lighthouses to Home Island.
• Added Boatyard to Home Island, further functionality to follow.
• Added Brewery to Home Island, further functionality to follow.
• Added Enlil Hollows.
• Added Grinders, Drills and destroyable Doors to Hollows, impact damage still placeholder.
• Added exploding Barrels to Hollows.
• Lore unlocked UI pop up added to Knowledge Quest collection.
• Optimization and design improvements to Garm Island.
• Optimization and design improvements to Asena Island.
• Optimization and design improvements to Cavall Island.
• Optimization and design improvements to Enki Island.
• Optimization and design improvements to Enlil Island.
• Optimization and design improvements to Anu Island.
• Optimization and improvements to Home Island.
• Stopped players being able to remove and salvage gear from loadouts that are necessary for quests.
• Default loadouts now unlock for editing at correct quest completion.
• Punch trails now visually better reflect the powerstone being used, rather than just being a color.
• Fixed sync issues with Feral.
• Fixed DeathBySea Wyrm breaking game camera.
• Maps updated to reflect island changes.
• Fixed Hex stone AOE damage area.
• Stopped tapping 'Quick Eat' slowing player down as menu opened.
• Added ability to assign Steam friends to trade routes.
• Fix for weather transitions.
• Fix for Feral occasionally not standing back up or fading away.
• Fix for Raid Storm Guardian causing a frame rate drop.
• Fixed enemy gloop attack not returning player to correct material
• Fixed Razorwing Hatchling behavior.
• Stopped Home Island Guard Towers targeting player when Heroic Call Amulet activated.
• Fixed 'Bomb' spells breaking carriable Kindred.
• Fixed Morning Star not streaming creator, which led to several sync issues such as broken raids.
• Fixed Storm Guardian debris not despawning.
• Fix several streaming problems with AI causing sync issues.
• Fixed Raid Guardians frame drop when shot during a Raid.
• Fixed Razorwing Hatchlings behavior, including grab attack.
• Fixed SenseMode breaking the UI when a target does not have weakness/resistance.
• Stopped Guard Towers on Home Island targeting players who activate Heroic Call amulet.
• Exploding Doors in hollows can now drop collectable loot.
• Added tooltip warning to resolutions not recommended during Early Access.
• Fixed Overlord gem punch error.
• Fixed Bastion beam errors.
• Fixed Void Amulet spell from breaking some enemies.
• Fix for god blinding cloud attack bug causing gods to fly really high.
• Fixed Tooltip not closing when the UI element that created it becomes null.
• Removed "Network Connection Error" popup when analytics fail to send.
• Fixed Status icons not showing correct colors.
• Fixed player Health not removing sigil change listener between scenes.
• Fixed carrying Kindred issue, which was causing LODs to change appearance or hide them.
• Fixed Kindred being destroyed twice on death that caused network issues.
• Fix sending RPC to toggle Lost visible in same frame as they are destroyed.
• Adjusted Void Amulet/flying Ai interaction, fixed the ones it didn’t affect.
• Fix for character status stream.
• Fixed several Photon related issues that will improve sync issues.
• Fix for null references in potential Target nodes where an AI dies in the same frame is it is being considered.

* Added a function to delete saved data.
# You can choose to reset the current number of coins and jackpot coins, or delete all saved data.

* Some problems with the menu display have been fixed.

# The game will not match players with different versions.

Hey everyone, Hel (Jason) here covering the update for this week!

As the title says, after a few hours of listening to 176 submissions and a tiebreaker between 3 participants, the team has decided to cast Patrick Kenneth Langner for Rutherford's voice! ːrutherfordwː



Now that the main characters have their respective voice actors, that's one less thing to worry about! ːclaineohohoː Thanks to the voice actors who auditioned for the role, rest assured we'll have more in the near future!

As for the game itself - we're still in the process of improving visuals and special effects. This time Tobby (aka gtdcarthage, our background artist) will personally oversee the process from ship artwork to weapon particle effects, so expect screenshots/gifs in the coming updates! ːashtonglareː

To make the process straightforward, we'll have a test stage which will serve as the foundation of arcade mode (basically it cycles between development screen and stage battles, then autosaving progress), so hopefully that hits two birds with one stone! ːjeanthinkː

Fun fact for people new to Sierra Ops, we originally had side-view ship visuals. That kinda spiraled out of control due to our inexperience in programming at the time, as we knew little about optimization so the game became slower and slower. We even switched to 3d to not make the models look too flat, but that limited the number of ships displayed on-screen further. Eventually, we decided to knife it and just simplify to top-down view which honestly gave us lots of room for customizations. ːtiredadmiralː

Last but not the least, as for episode 3 progress - we're working on an animated sequence for one of episode 3's important scenes. It's gonna take a bit to complete but here's a WIP so far:



Youko will finish writing the intro for the second game within the week, this will help me and Tobby decide which CGs and mechs to be produced. The new artworks will also be shown in the coming updates, please look forward to it!

Thank you for supporting the game as always.ːaiheartː

Dear Community,

We understand that Hijacker Jack had terrible controls, we read all your feedback, thank you for that.
So, we decided to change the concept and redesign the controls to make it the simplest possible and create the first real-time arcade live-action FMV game!

Oh, and a huge price drop is happening too! Hope you will like it! :)

Don't forget to give us a review about the new version and check out our new game - DELUDED!
Add it to your wishlist, now! Thanks!!

Cheers,
New IDEA Games

We hope you're all having a great time playing Bus Simulator 21, especially over the last weekend - nothing better than chilling and vibing through Angel Shores.

Some of you have informed us about completely unexpected performance problems. Great hardware, low FPS - while others with similar hardware combinations don't have any problems at all.

On a special Steam branch, we are introducing a performance feedback tool that collects details about how the game runs on your PC. Should you experience these aforementioned problems, we'd ask you for your participation to help us fix them!


The performance feedback functionality in Bus Simulator 21 is actually just a hidden key
combination to trigger Unreal’s CSV profiler running with the default settings. Currently, this
feature is limited to special builds on a beta branch, so it does not work in the public version of the
game.

The data collection is running for 600 frames after pressing the key combination and creates a CSV
file with timing and memory usage data for those frames. The timing information allows to
determine which unit of the game (GPU, game logic, rendering) is limiting performance on your
PC, and also gives a very rough overview of what part of the game’s logic is using how much CPU
time.

The file is written to your PC user’s save data folder, so you can review it before sending it to us by
mail. The option to review the data is also why the data has to be sent manually. In addition to writing an output file, the keybinding also enables an on-screen timing display – namely Unreal’s stat unit output, so you can create screenshots for feedback purposes with a quick hint of how long each unit takes per frame.


The feature is currently disabled. We will inform you very soon should it be back, thanks for the patience!

Once you select the beta version, Steam will start downloading it. The download should not be too
large, given that only the EXE file is different.

First step: Backup and reset your keybindings

Getting the performance feedback keybinding working will require a reset of your keybindings to
default values. Therefore you might want to make a backup of them before continuing.
The keybindings of Bus Simulator 21 are stored in this file:

%localappdata%\BusSimulator21\Saved\Config\WindowsNoEditor\Input.ini



The easiest way to both reset your keybindings to defaults and to make a backup of them is to
simply move this file to another folder. Once you are done with the performance feedback data
gathering, you can simply put that file back to its original location. In case you do not want to make a backup, you can also reset the keybindings in-game, in the settings menu, under Controls.

How to trigger data reporting and enable the stat unit HUD

Once you have reset your keybindings, you can now simply press CTRL+ALT+P to record 600
frames in a CSV file, and to enable the stat unit overlay. You can immediately see if the command worked, as the stat unit overlay is a rather prominent debug text drawn on the right side of the game window.

Where to find the recorded data

Every time you press CTRL+ALT+P a file with 600 frames of timing data gets written to:
%localappdata%\BusSimulator21\Saved\Profiling\CSV


To gather performance feedback, we have a dedicated mail address at
bs21csv@stillalive-studios.com.

As the gathered data does not contain any details about your
computer beyond the game’s timings, we’d be grateful if you included your system specifications
when sending CSV-Profiles and/or screenshots with stats enabled.

Please note that this mail address is only for gathering performance feedback using the CSV
profiling feature described above. We will not reply to any emails sent there.

Thank you so much for your help! Together, we'll iron out these nasty problems.
Your Bus Simulator Team