From all of us here at SCS Software, we want to wish you all a very happy Easter!

For those who celebrate it, Easter is an important holiday observed by millions around the world. It is also a time when many come together with family and friends to spend quality time together. A popular Easter-themed activity that many take part in is an Easter Egg hunt. For those who are unfamiliar with this game, eggs which are usually painted colorfully are hidden around an area for those participating to find, each of which contains a sweet treat for the finder to enjoy!



This year, for a limited time, we are egg-cited to announce our very own Easter Egg hunt, with a twist! Instead of a sweet treat as a reward, these eggs will contain some clues regarding future content coming to Euro Truck Simulator 2.

So where can you find these eggs and how many will there be? To save you from driving for hours in ETS2 or ATS, we will specify that these eggs will be hidden around various SCS Software related websites & social media pages. We will leave the rest of the hunting to you!

We urge you to get hunting quickly, as they will only be around for a short time; We hope you have fun and good luck!

From all of us here at SCS Software, we want to wish you all a very happy Easter!

For those who celebrate it, Easter is an important holiday observed by millions around the world. It is also a time when many come together with family and friends to spend quality time together. A popular Easter-themed activity that many take part in is an Easter Egg hunt. For those who are unfamiliar with this game, eggs which are usually painted colorfully are hidden around an area for those participating to find, each of which contains a sweet treat for the finder to enjoy!



This year, for a limited time, we are egg-cited to announce our very own Easter Egg hunt, with a twist! Instead of a sweet treat as a reward, these eggs will contain some clues regarding future content coming to Euro Truck Simulator 2.

So where can you find these eggs and how many will there be? To save you from driving for hours in ETS2 or ATS, we will specify that these eggs will be hidden around various SCS Software related websites & social media pages. We will leave the rest of the hunting to you!

We urge you to get hunting quickly, as they will only be around for a short time; We hope you have fun and good luck!

Easter is near, so we are happy to share two really nice Easter presents with our loyal community: The Easter Skin Pack DLC as well as our Easter Interior Pack DLC for Bus Simulator 21 are now available for free!

The free Easter Skin Pack includes 10 brand-new Easter skins for your buses while the free Easter Interior Pack offers access to 4 festive interior designs for your bus fleet!
So, what are you waiting for? We hope you will enjoy them! :-)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911470/Bus_Simulator_21__Easter_Skin_Pack/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1911471/Bus_Simulator_21__Easter_Interior_Pack/

Happy Easter!
Your Bus Simulator team

Hello, RoboMusicians!

Last week, we went behind-the-scenes of FGRC21. This week we’re excited to share some early musical concepts for a RoboCo challenge that we are calling Silicon Sonata!

If you played RoboCo during our Closed Alpha testing in October 2020, you may recall that different groups received different challenges to test. Some of you received a challenge called Light Their Fire where you built a robot to light a candle for a couple’s romantic dinner.



After Closed Alpha, we concluded that this challenge was turning out too similar to the RoboCoffee challenge: both involved carrying an object (likely with a robot claw arm), filling / lighting the object, keeping it from spilling / snuffing out, and placing it on a table

So we thought back to our earliest prototype of the challenge, which included playing the cello as one of several ways in which you tried to make the dinner romantic. We decided to move the cello back into being the challenge’s main focus. (The candle is still around, if you know where to look.) We also decided to give your cello-playing robot a musical partner, allowing you to play a duet with another robot playing the violin.



This raised the question of what the duet would sound like. Our resident composer Josh Bartels put together some demo videos with three options to help us discover the right direction. We wanted to share these early concepts with you as a fun example of the kind of experimentation we do before we arrive at the version of the game you will play.

As these were internal demo videos, please excuse the placeholder human sound effects, the untextured violin bot, and other issues that will not be present in the final product.




There was a call and response option, where the violin would play a riff, gesture to you on the cello, and you would respond with the same riff. A robot with machine learning could be a good mimic, so we liked how this option justified how you learn what to play. This option’s legato style of playing also matched with the longer bow movements we expected.




There was a battling strings option, where each instrument played something impressive in a vaguely Dueling Banjos-esque standoff. With this option, we liked how the RoboCo theme showed up at the end for a heartwarming finale.




Then there was the robot’s first recital option, where we were honest about your robot’s expected level of cello-playing expertise. It also reflects the kind of sounds that would come out of a cello unless it is held up and played properly. With this option, we thought it was hilarious how everyone reacted as if your playing was perfectly acceptable. We figured we could build on this and have the humans applaud like proud parents at their child’s first cello recital.


In the end, we decided to combine elements of all three options into the final sequence. How did it turn out? You’ll have to play the challenge yourself to hear!



And that’s it for this week’s devblog! How do you plan on tackling this new RoboCo challenge? Let us know in the comments down below or in our Discord! Next week, we’re crowning a new Engineer of the Week, so make sure to tune in to learn more about one of our favorite Discord members.

For the latest news on RoboCo, follow us on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok! You can also connect with other community members and us by joining our official Discord and Reddit!

Don’t forget to add RoboCo to your Steam Wishlist!

Patch 0.4.8 is here! This update provides a plethora of bug fixes and quality of life improvements. Major updates are typically released every month, however, in light of the quantity of improvements available, this intermediate update is being released earlier than normal.

In addition to fixes, you will now have access to new distressed survivor events, where you can follow distant shouts of survivors in trouble to help them out. Additionally, new hunting and retrieval quests are available from friendly NPCs.

Try out the new quality of life camera improvements while aiming weapons in third-person. These adjustments are designed to make close up enemies much less awkward to engage when using long-range weapons.

Developer Comment:
It would be advisable to start a fresh game as some mechanics, craftables and items may be bugged or not be available if using out of date game save files.


• Fixed being able to harvest animals before they are dead.
• Fixed NPC weapons fading out when weapons on player's back fade out as the camera zooms in.
• Fixed campfire upgrades showing the inspect button, displaying a treasure map
• Fixed issue with killing NPCs updating the incorrect quest
• Fixed various issues causing body parts to disappear when moving from first to third person.
• Fixed Hazmat enemies being able to spam 'Go go go' find cover barks.
• Fixed Robert Neville dialogue not allowing to cancel rental agreement.
• Fixed Robert Neville dialogue having "Got any work" option that then breaks UI.
• Fixed trader wallets from being overwritten with incorrect reset due to save load check.


• Added new Distressed Survivors - listen out for shouts for help from survivors across the land and rescue them if you can.
• Added claimable unit at the Tree Felling Strip.
• Added storage, bed and bench to claimable building at Tree Felling location
• Add brass pots and cat statues as placeables
• Added decorative lights around centre of Backwater Beacon Safe Zone
• New Infected Antiviral can be crafted at chemistry bench or purchased from a medical trader.
• Methz (methylated spirit) can now be crafted at the Chemistry Bench.
• Added new JB’s "Whiskey" item.
• Added new Infected Antivirals item.
• Added new Antibiotics items.
• Added landscape marker for Crossbridge Farm.
• Added NPC quest cooldown system. This allows repeatable quests to have a timed cooldown before being available to the player again
• Added NPC personal quests for Liam Orling. Currently will give you repeatable quests.
• Leilani Wicks now offers quests to help increase reputation.
• Added map markers for scavenger hunt quests. Shows icons for all possible loot locations. A red cross will mark a location once visited.
• Enemies and animals now have their kill statistics tracked in the player's inventory.
• Added Camping Stove item. Stove only requires a propane canister and one bottle will last 5x a standard campfire or hobo stove.
• Cooking stoves added to locker and toolbox loot tables.
• Cooking stoves can now be purchased and sold by traders
• Anti-Infected spotlights can now be crafted at a workbench.
• Added dialogue which explains why the player is unable to open a container if they are seen trying to steal.
• George Paisley now offers hunting quests for money and reputation

• Backers can now claim packs on the website that they are eligible for.
• NPCs will now prioritise hostile targets in their close vicinity.
• NPCs will no longer attempt to attack while getting up after being knocked down.
• Cantaloupes will no longer stack.
• Streetlights now turn off at 6.30am and come on at 7.30pm
• Starting time for new games is 7.30am.
• Decoupled character's on fire effects from body temperature. Being on fire is no longer the result of being set to instantly hyperthermic.
• Updated layout of eatery in Backwater Beacon Safe Zone
• Updated Jess’ animations and position in Backwater Beacon Safe Zone
• Find cover barks (e.g. “Go go go”) now have limitation cooldowns
• NPCs will now only focus on close proximity targets if they have line of sight to the enemy (so NPCs do not auto target through walls)
• Regular NPCs will no longer spawn in the vicinity of player built structures.
• Melee weapons will now lose their condition on impact.
• P90 and UMP can now use optical attachments.
• Destroy item button is no longer available in the item details panel.
• Quest vehicles and GoKarts can no longer be owned by the player so are unable to be sold, repaired or refilled via NPC dialogue.
• Improved third person camera positions while aiming weapons.
• Weapons and backpacks on character's back now fade out when the camera is too close. Useful for keeping new third-person camera positions clear.
• Wash Stations can now have upgrades removed and can be put back in the inventory.
• Sleep menu keyboard inputs now run when keys are pressed, instead of released, which makes interacting with the menu a smoother experience.

• Fixed issues with dialogue where the game would not remember if the player had met the NPC before after loading a saved game.
• Fixed NPC reputation statistics not saving.
• Fixed NPCs being able to shoot while also reloading.
• Fixed circumstances allowing NPCs to try and climb on each other.
• Fixed human NPCs often not identifying Infected as threats.
• Fixed issues where landscape would clip into house basements.
• Fixed icons in workbenches and containers disappearing after respawning.
• Fixed issue with Infected climbing up walls in abandoned beach hut.
• Fixed issues causing body parts/equipment to disappear erroneously (i.e. changing perspective while swinging an axe causes the axe to disappear in third-person).
• Fixed camera movement from melee attacks while attacking while swimming.
• Fixed being able to punch while in dialog, using a noticeboard, lockpicking and showering.
• Fixed FootBrawler outfit for Sophia Riggs using incorrect mesh
• Fixed NPCs getting stuck on a previous combat target when reentering combat.
• Fixed fishing rod not animating
• Tentative fix for NPCs climbing through player built walls.
• Fixed doors disappearing after loading a saved game if loading after having closed the game.
• Fixed some dynamic NPCs spawns not spawning NPCs after saving and loading (e.g. Infected spawning at Sen's house)
• Fixed player’s character being fireproof.
• Fixed barrier in Hanouten missing collision
• Fixed cantaloupes having infinite uses
• Fixed doors on claimable building at Tree Felling location
• Fixed character being stuck in First-person during Third-person dialogue
• Fixed The Rogue and FootBrawler outfit clipping with camera in FP while crouched.
• Fixed horses being purchasable multiple times.
• Fixed trader wallets getting reset after reloading.
• Fixed issues preventing NPCs dynamically spawning at supply drops.
• Fixed exiting a vehicle while handbraking causing the sound and physics to get stuck on.
• Fixed vehicle SFX still running after exiting the vehicle.
• Fixed issue where character's body in FP could sometimes cause clipping issues with the camera when opening the inventory.
• Fixed wash station item descriptions
• Fixed machete not being repairable.
• Fixed wash station / campfire / campfire upgrades inspect button opening a map.
• Fixed axe being repaired for free.
• Fixed trader's wallets resetting incorrectly.
• Fixed stealth takedowns being available even when NPCs are in combat.
• Fixed takedown icon getting stuck on screen after death
• Fixed NPCs not breaking police tape.
• Fixed UI disappearing after viewing horses in stables.
• Fixed NPCs getting stuck in statue poses if playing a dying animation and de-spawning at the same time.
• Fixed issues where dead NPC collisions could block interactions.
• Fixed quest vehicles and GoKarts saving.
• Fixed NPC Quest Cool Down system not recording NPC quests correctly.
• Fixed DLC recipes causing sawing SFX when launching the game.
• Fixed issue where god-mode does not unset correctly after rejoining the game.
• Fixed camera motion issues when rapidly moving between characters on the character selection screen.
• Fixed trace for interactable objects over the left shoulder often not working after picking up a weapon.
• Fixed sleeping multiple times causing multiple drop helicopters arriving at the same location.
• Fixed position of meat and utensils on the camping stove grill
• Fixed VFX on infected nests not disappearing after nest is burned out
• Fixed being able to shoot while the ammo selection menu is open.
• Fixed asking the stable merchant if he has any work or if he can help your horse locking the character in a dialog screen
• Fixed issues where the sleep menu could lose input focus, meaning that key-inputs did not affect the menu.

• Fixed navigation dynamically building in places where it was not necessary.
• Improved optimisation for lights in the Backwater Beacon Safe Zone
• Optimised various mesh assets in the Backwater Beacon Safe Zone
• Improved CPU cost of sleep UI menu.

Added anonymous, basic analytics for game session stop/start and player death. Will build on this over the next few days to get some insights into level designs: which ones are too easy/hard, where/how are players dying and/or getting stuck, etc.

Happy Easter! This update brings a new stripper!

The easter rabbit has nothing on this cotton-tailed bombshell: Paige is a new dancer who loves to dress in a classic sexy bunny outfit for all her performances. Paige is available through Legendary Gacha Briefcases and she unlocks a brand new scene featuring her indulging in her favorite activity! (Wink wink! It's what rabbits are known for doing!) Update, grab some tokens and get her now!

We've also heard your complaints about sound, music and the DJ:
Check out the Setting page in "MENU" where you now have volume sliders for music, sound effects and a toggle for the DJ!

Go on, hop to it!

Change Log

• Fixed recursion depth error
  
• Fixed bug testing overlay appearing on saves
  
• Fixed advanced options turning to a black screen
  
• Fixed Kiwii name reverting to "Alex"
  
• Linux build uploaded correctly
  
• Fixed "Please select an approach" staying on screen

Hurray 🎉- It's been a year now!

Exactly a year ago on 04/15/2021 Tactical Troops: Anthracite Shift came to Steam and to your computers. We would like to thank all of those who have been with us this year and invite all those who are still hesitatant to come to Anthracite. In May we will add an update that will change things up a little bit when it comes to PvP and PvE games in Domination and Devastator modes - the largely requested Field of View functionality will finally enter the multiplayer matches!

Since actions speak louder than words, there's also an anniversary discount - the game is now 70% off. This will not happen again soon, so go hunt down this opportunity. The discount will be active until Monday, April 18th 2022, until 8:00 p.m. CEST.

Thanks again for being with us and we'll see you on Anthracite.

Welcome Travelers to the second poll of the Community Designed Unique Event!

We hope you’re enjoying some of the new Uniques introduced in 0.8.5d (I know I have a few… ‘off meta’ ideas for myself). Last week’s poll had some amazing interaction and we’re very excited that so many members from the community are so interested in this event. Thank you all for being such a great community to be a part of.

From last week’s poll, it looks like Mage is going to be the target class for the new unique, very exciting! And we are shocked, simply shocked that a Two-Handed weapon was selected. We had no way to foresee this outcome. Ok, maybe we’re not that shocked. So keeping in mind that we’re looking at a Mage as the focus for a two handed weapon, join us on our forums and cast your vote for what the weapon type should be. Mages are capable of wielding all but bows, so what will it be: A Spellblade Spear? A Sorcerer Axe? You decide!

https://forum.lastepoch.com/t/community-designed-unique-item-type/48587