This week brings a lot of new content. There are a bunch of new grenades available to both security officers and syndicate agents. Atmos has been rebalanced in various areas, such as destroying pipes, turning gas into a liquid, and removing the plasma gas miner. New DNA additions have created additional ways to uncover a crime scene, and many more additions, fixes, and quality of life improvements.
Patch Notes
Additions
- Added Poppy the Safety Opposum! - Chemistry now has vials, similar to bottles but are much more durable. - Added brother of cak - bread dog! 5 cognizine, sausage bread, animal heart, cooked spaceshrooms and 15 second in microwave = bread dog. - A variety of chemicals can now be decomposed via electrolysis or centrifugal force. - Added 9 new cargo bounties! - Lawyers, librarians and reporters now spawn with a luxury pen in their PDA. - Scientists can now fabricate faux grass planet and ice tiles with a tier 2 civilian services research! They're just as good as the real thing, while being removable. - Added tear gas grenades to the SecTech and security belts, use them to control riots. - Added smoke grenades to the syndicate uplink for 1 TC, they create a large smoke cloud to provide cover for your heinous activities. - Smaller explosions now make a distinct sound compared to larger ones. - You will now hear a reverbed explosion sound effect for explosions that are far away from you. - Explosion visuals now last slightly longer - Added 2 new artifact effect: attraction and repulsion - Added hypodart into uplink. It is capable of piercing armor and injecting up to 7u reagents. - Added the electrolysis unit and the centrifuge. These will be used for chemistry in the future. - Chaplains can smack their bible on water to create holy water. - Added Charges information to action tooltips for actions with charges - Added commands to upgrade actions. - Added the Action Upgrade System - used to upgrade specific actions! - Crusher Glaives can be made with the Salvage Weapons technology. - Discord bot Changelog now includes hyperlinks to the PRs. - Extended emergency nitrogen tanks can now be found on the station. - Added gas condensers. These machines are available at the circuit imprinter and can convert gases into liquids. Tasty! - Incendiary grenades, Shrapnel grenades, Cluster grenades and the Slipocalypse ClusterSoap are now available in the syndicate uplink, clowns also get a Clusterbanana in their uplink. - Stinger grenades and ClusterBangs are now available in sectech. - A new type of grenade has been developed, these grenades release a spray of bullets instead of exploding: Shrapnel grenade, Stinger grenade and Incendiary grenade. - Added a new "uneven" hair style. - Ninjas and Nukies now get new sprites for their pinpointers. - RD now has a custom-made lab coat. - Added the ability to toggle on and off the Discord Rich Presence. - Added a General settings tab, and moved a bunch of options into it. - You can drag items out of the inventory window to drop them on the ground. - CentCom has begun unceremoniously plucking Mothroaches out of Maintenance and selling them to nearby Space Stations after the discovery that they make decent pets. - Added the artifact crusher to research! Crush things today! - Added info to botany guidebook entry. - Familiar Garbs may now appear as maintenance loot. - Added yellow tinted jensen glasses that may show up in maints from time to time. - Beer goggles can now scan solutions. - Added cosmetic sunglasses to the clothesmate. - Arrivals is now stationed on a planet. - Added 4 new HUD themes: Plasmafire, Slimecore, Clockwork, and Retro. - Hardsuit helmets added to chameleon menu - Added black gloves to the clothesmate - Added two eye scar markings for humans and dwarves.
Tweaks
- Opossums have received some new sprites. Old sprites are still available to be spawned in by admins. - Everyone can toggle fire alarms now, not just atmos. - Resprited the Kammerer, Double-Barrel, and Enforcer shotguns using sprites courtesy of /tg/station. - Chefs get black pepper packets in their lockers. - Crayons boxes now hold a white crayon. - Chasms no longer spawn on lava expeditions. - Borgs can wear hats now. Time to get festive! - Cyborg jobs now start with a positronic brain. - Artistic toolboxes now have a filled variant that can be found in maintenance occasionally. - The flare gun now explodes, damages and stuns the player when used with wrong ammo - Open tanks will no longer make noise at very low release pressure. - Soap and rags can be used to clean evidence off of items, but leave evidence of their own.. - Melee weapons that deal blunt/slash/pierce damage transfer DNA - Implanters, syringes, hyposprays, medipens, and cigarettes transfer DNA. - Gibbed body parts contain their victim's DNA. - Reptilians no longer innately take 30% less heat damage. - Mercury poisoning now causes stuttering. - Acidifier now has a sprite effect. - Mothroach crates are now twice as expensive - Explosive banana peels are now more dangerous. - Plasma and tritium fires spread more slowly and are now more survivable. - Cybersun and centcom pens can now edit stamped paper. - Some jetpacks can be now worn in more slots. - Added fill visuals to Hot Chocolate - Pill canisters are slightly better than cig packs, go talk to the chemists. - Sec belt holds sidearms and sidearm ammo. - The syndie holster now holds the guns you always wanted it to. - Jar now fills. - Cig Cartons are slightly smaller. - Cigar cases can now hold Small items. - Pipes now have slightly bigger bowls! (30u) - Long guns are now actually long. - syndicate pens now come in suitably sized discarding boxes. - Mops are now larger! - Defibs are now larger! - Mayo Jar is bigger (50u) - Tritium and frezon can once again be sold for profit. - Removed Senior Researcher, Senior Engineer, Senior Physician, and Senior Officer. - Pumps, vents, scrubbers, and heaters now work faster. - Pacified players can no longer throw dangerous objects such as spears, bolas, and bottles. - Stations no longer produce limitless plasma. Plasma refills can now be ordered at cargo. - Removed the Handheld Electrical Propulsion technology and its associated item, tasers, from research. - Syndicate duffel bags heavily protect their items from explosions, and regular bags have minor protection. - Musician and Bartender now have cosmetic sunglasses. - The modernized HUD theme has been renamed to "Eris." - The default HUD theme is now Classic. The old default HUD theme still exists under the name - The kobold ear marking has received a new sprite. - Emergency light radius and energy is now much lower. - Emergency lights no longer make sound - Pipes now leak their contents when destroyed. Make sure to drain pipes before removing them.
Fixes
- Ejecting a tank from a canister will now try to put it in your hand first. - Fix map boundaries not pushing you back. - The guidebook now shows you if a chemical's recipe needs an alternative mixing method, such as a chaplain's blessing or electrolysis. - Fixed spray nozzle not getting ammo from the back pack tank. - A dying person's Last Words can no longer be sent to radio channels. - Fixed secret doors not requiring metal rods - Fix arrivals fog not actually blocking, no more free roaming. - Incapacitated mobs can no longer be shoved for a speed boost.
Today's blog post is going to cover the upcoming Christmas Update, as well as talk a bit about our progress towards online multiplayer, and what you can expect from the next couple of months!
Christmas Update
Before Christmas, we'll be launching the GeneRally 2 Christmas Update. This update will include a variety of small features and fixes, but also some themed additions to help you celebrate the holiday season in style.
Most notably, we'll be adding a new track, and a selection of new objects (including static cars, vans and trucks) and some winter-themed variants of existing objects.
Online Multiplayer
Work continues on the online multiplayer feature, which is coming along nicely and is beginning to have all the features and functionality we envisioned it having at its initial release.
At the moment it's possible to race with your friends (or complete strangers) in single races - or in championships - online. We still have some way to go and our focus at the moment is now particularly on the additional functionalities like synchronising tracks between players, and handling mid-race disconnections.
After this, we'll have some UI finalisation to do - and then we hope to conduct a couple of invite-only tests before launching multiplayer sometime after the New Year! Stay tuned here, and on Discord, to find out more about the invite-only tests đ§
What's Coming Next?
We're continuing to follow our roadmap and our plans for GeneRally 2's Early Access period - and we're on-track with where we expected to be at this point. It's our intention to launch out of Early Access within the first half of 2024 đ
Still outstanding on our pathway towards a Version 1.0 release are the online multiplayer, a couple of cars, improvements to the AI, and a variety of smaller bug fixes and features.
In the year leading up to the launch of Early Access (and for a couple of months afterwards), we were really lucky to be able to have such a large team working on GeneRally 2. Now, our team is much more modest in size (only three of us are working actively on the project) - a result of the basic realities of independent game development.
However, as we saw the possibility of this from afar, we set our Early Access goals conservatively, to ensure we could reach them even with a smaller day-to-day team.
What this means is that prioritisation becomes the most important factor for us in delivering content and feature updates. Right now, our focus is on delivering the online multiplayer, and then we'll be able to turn our attention to the other items on the list!
Of course, this also makes now a great time for us to say thank you to the team members who have helped us along the route, but are no longer working with us on a daily basis: we are so grateful to you guys for your contributions to GeneRally 2 over the past couple of years đ
Fixed a bug that was breaking some gamepad-related controls
It seems like some people are experiencing issues with skill usage using mouse. If you have that, let me know what kind of peripherals are connected to the PC and how the issue looks like (can you click on cards, are they marked as proper targets, does the character say something, etc).
Welcome to our next instalment of the Return to World community blog! In this weekâs post weâre going to be delving into a number of firsts new hunters in Monster Hunter: World will experience - your first hunting location, making your first armour set and weapon, then of course, facing your first Large Monster!
Before we get into that though, just a quick reminder that Steamâs The Game Awards sale ends on December 21st, meaning you only have a couple of days from the time of this post to get World at its lowest ever price on Steam!
Now with that out of the way, itâs time to set out into the Ancient ForestâŠ
Hunting Locations â The Ancient Forest
Welcome to the Ancient Forest, a lush, greenery filled area thatâs as dense as it is tall and brimming with life â from endemic creatures and small monsters, like the Jagras, to a variety of powerful large monsters that lurk in the undergrowth and treetop canopies under the watchful gaze of the King of the SkiesâŠ
Heading out from camp!
Stepping out from your camp, youâll emerge onto the Ancient Forestâs shoreline, giving you the options to travel further along down the coast, head into the surrounding forest or even start your approach to the huge tree that dwarfs the surrounding area.
Talking of exploring and gathering items, itâs definitely worth grabbing anything you come by, but keep a special lookout for:
Herbs â To craft Potions that heal you!
Honey â Combine with Potions to make Mega Potions, offering much greater healing!
Bone Piles â To aid in crafting and upgrading your gear!
Mining Outcrops â To also aid in crafting and upgrading your gear!
Of course, thereâs even more for you to forage and find out there, and if you find your bag full, you can always return to camp to deposit your items for later use.
Talking of your camp, youâre not limited to just the one! The Ancient Forest has four total camps you can make use of, including your starting one.
In order to use the other three, first youâll need to find the suitable spaces and then rebuild them. Thatâs where your exploration comes in! The verticality of this region hides many secrets, both above and below you â look out for hidden pathways to crawl through on the ground, as well as potential hideaways up in the branches!
Once youâve found one of these spaces, youâll get a notification that a camp can be built. Then youâll want to head back to Astera and select âComplete Deliveriesâ at the Resource Center, giving you the option to trade materials for a new, permanent camp to be built. (Which requires resources from the area, so if youâve been stocking up as youâve been exploring youâll probably be able to complete the request immediately!)
Once built, youâll have a new spawn location you can use when starting a quest in the Ancient Forest, or fast travel to when youâre already there, helping you quickly move through the area!
Youâll be visiting and returning to the Ancient Forest frequently during your questing through the New World, so investing some time unlocking these camps will pay off in the long run, but thereâs no pressure, discover them at your own pace!
Your First Large Monster â Great Jagras
Youâve been gathering materials, taking down small monsters and settling into the Ancient Forest, but now the time has come for your first major test as a hunter, to hunt Great Jagras!
Now returning and more experienced hunters will be very familiar with Great Jagras and its pack already, so feel free to share your tips for new hunters in the comments section!
For those of you that are new to Monster Hunter, or still tackling this Urgent Quest, hereâs a few suggestions of our own too help you slay your target!
Hunt Preparation
Equipment
Your starting leather armour may fit nicely, but it wonât provide much protection from damage! Visit Asteraâs Smithy and consider forging yourself some Bone Armor, and possibly even upgrade your weapon, for example, upgrading the Hunterâs Knife Sword and Shield to level two only takes two iron ores! Increasing your defensive and offensive stats will make a big difference, and if youâve been seeking out both Mining Outcrops and Bone Piles in the Ancient Forest, you should have enough materials to cover your needs here!
With over fourteen different weapon types to choose from, donât be shy on trying out a range of different weapons! You never know when youâll find your new favourite!
Items
Despite how nimble you feel, thereâs a good chance that youâll be taking some knocks from Great Jagras, so stocking up on healing items will be a big help! If youâve been collecting honey, youâll be able to craft some Mega Potions, allowing you to bring both a stack of 10 Potions and 10 Mega Potions in your item pouch. Donât be afraid to use your Mega Potions, youâll be able to make plenty more!
Eat a meal
Before heading out into the hunt, make sure your belly is full! Head over to the canteen and pay the Meowscular Chef a visit to cook yourself up some tasty buffs, including increased HP, Stamina and other useful effects.
Know Your Monster
Great Jagras is a bright yellow monster that commands a pack of smaller Jagras, even summoning them mid-battle at times!
It primarily attacks by biting, charging and swiping at hunters and prey alike, so prepare to evade to the side or block at a momentâs notice. Luckily for us, the Great Jagras isnât the quickest of monsters, so look out for tells itâs about to strike so you can move to safety.
This monster may be glutenous, but it will absolutely punish a hunterâs greed!
Check out your Hunter Notes to get key information on any Large Monsters you face!
When fighting Great Jagras, it may be safer to fight it from the side and the rear, but youâll deal a lot more damage by aiming for its weak spots, which consist of its head, stomach and front claws, so try to position yourself in such a way that you can hit those areas, without leaving yourself too vulnerable to attack!
And remember, donât be disheartened if you donât succeed first time. Taking on Large Monsters is a learning experience, with carting being part of that journey - weâve all been there! Besides, it makes your victory all the sweeter!
If youâre feeling like youâd like a little extra help to get you across the line, you can also try using the free and optional âGuardian Armorâ, which will give you a solid defence along with useful skills and a Guild approved look!
Once youâve triumphed over Great Jagras youâll be able to start crafting Great Jagras armour and weapons at the Smithy! Make sure to check it out to see if thereâs any skills or defensive / offensive gains that catch your gaze!
If you find youâre missing a few materials, you can simply repeat the quest and take on Great Jagras again! Itâs great practice for what lays ahead, plus youâll end up being able to make yourself plenty of gear.
Return to World Livestream
The Community Team also took on Great Jagras in their first âReturn to Worldâ livestream, so if youâd like to see them in action, you can do so here:
Our next community livestream is on Thursday, 21st December at 9am PT / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET, so whether you want to watch, chat or play with us, you can find us on our official channels below:
-The large chest has joined us. You can now store 24 different items in a single chest. -Hunger, oxygen and thirst bars have been redrawn and are now better!
Bugs:
-Unfortunately, in previous versions, you couldn't get the achievement you got when completed all the upgrades. Now you can get it.
Weâve updated the Animaze âNext-Versionâ branch with several key improvements; some of them will allow us to catch infrequent issues faster, and help with troubleshooting.
Desktop Changelog:
Added new idles, to make it easier to use holdable props for folks who don't use any form of hand tracking (though they are really fun when you *do* use hand tracking): microphone and coffee mug holdables for those morning coffee moments and Karaoke streams.
Added UI warnings about typical experience âdebuffsâ: Bad framerate during streaming or issues with internet connectivity on start are sure to throw a wrench in your streaming experience. Low fps warnings, low average fps during broadcast warnings, and network connectivity warnings will pop up in the UI, letting you know there are problems, and that there are settings that might need adjustment (in and out of Animaze) to improve the output. Depending on feedback, more debuff detectors will be added in the future, for instance, below-ideal input camera FPS or jittery tracking input that can (and should) be addressed by dialing up the smoothing sliders.
Fixed a bug where reset keys in the Control panel are not properly displayed.
Fixed a bug where unbound keys are not saved
Fixed a non-start issue, where there was no detectable network adapter.
Fixed a bug with changing the model for ChatPal in the OpenAI settings panel
As always, we love hearing your thoughts about the new content and Animaze! Let us know what youâd like to see added to Animaze on our Discord server, email us at support[@]animaze[.]us, or message us on Twitter! Thank you for supporting indie avatar engine initiatives.