Hello everyone,
Game director here. First and foremost, on behalf of the entire development team, we want to congratulate everyone on the launch and extend a heartfelt "Thank you!" to all players enjoying the game and sharing their feedback.
We are very happy to read and watch your feedback about our work. Please keep it coming as they're precious to the team to shape the future of the game.
We recognize that the launch hasn't been smooth for everyone, and we're currently working hard to implement fixes for the issues players are encountering.
This post outlines our immediate plans for the near future.
First: The comprehensive roadmap for future content is being finalized and will be available shortly. We have many exciting features planned, so stay tuned!
Second: The first patch (1.5) with hotfixes is already in development and will go live sometime next week. Keep an eye out for updates with the exact release date and full patch notes.
Now, let's address some of the key topics we're currently working on:
Controls
We've received numerous comments about crane controls negatively impacting the experience for some players. Please note that multiple control schemes are available for mobile cranes based on feedback from the demo. There's a "legacy" control scheme that replicates the controls from SnowRunner, and it's available right now in the settings. If you prefer the SnowRunner crane controls, please give it a try.
We acknowledge that this option isn't clearly indicated, so we're highlighting it here and will work on adding this information to the game's tutorial.
Additionally, if you're having trouble getting your controller to work with the game, try disabling Steam Controller Input so the game can detect your controller directly.
We're not stopping there, of course. We'll continue improving the experience by adding more control schemes as needed and will definitely be working on controller remapping features.
Stability
In the upcoming patch, we're addressing multiple client crashes and general stability issues, including the "giant grass" issue, shadow flickering, reflection problems, object popping, rendering distance in Eagle Mode, and overall shadow quality on Ultra settings.
We've also implemented changes to improve performance across different platforms, including Steam Deck, and fixed several crashes.
Overall stability should be significantly improved with this first patch, and we'll continue monitoring live feedback and gathering information for future updates.
Multiplayer and Data Collection
We've noticed that many players have concerns about data collection for multiplayer services. Please be assured that we do not collect any non-obfuscated personal player data and are in full compliance with GDPR and other personal data protection laws. What we collect is gameplay stats and technical data that is generalized afterward. This is necessary for two main reasons:
- This information helps us identify various game issues such as crashes or critical FPS drops much faster
- It's needed for multiplayer services in order to provide backend connectivity. Without this data we cannot provide crossplay functionality at all - basic matchmaking requires high-level obfuscated data to operate.
We're redesigning the interface message so you won't need to go into settings to re-enable multiplayer functions. For more details, please see our EULA (https://saber.games/eula/) and Privacy Policy (https://saber.games/privacy-policy/), available in multiple languages.
If you choose not to share any technical data, we understand, but unfortunately, providing multiplayer functionality becomes technically impossible in that case.
General Gameplay Issues
Asphalt Paver
We've identified a bug that makes driving the paver onto the transporter extremely difficult (the transporter vehicle ramps somehow lose their traction stats, making it like trying to drive the paver on glass uphill).
Beyond fixing this issue, we've made changes to the paver's overall performance, so while it’s still would not be your first choice for off-road adventures, it drives a lot better.
We'll continue monitoring its performance. To be honest, it's somewhat designed to be challenging (especially the rusty version). This isn't because we dislike players—it's just that it performs poorly on anything except very flat, smooth terrain due to its geometry. However, we believe there are ways to improve it beyond what we've already tweaked, so please bear with us on this one.
Automated Convoys
We've made several changes to their traction and physics, so they should be less problematic once you've completed a route for the first time. Any subsequent convoy runs should be smoother.
We'll definitely continue working on their behavior in upcoming patches. We're already exploring ways to make them less unpredictable and provide players with better tools to predict their behavior at different points along their routes. Stay tuned for more updates—they might even be featured in a future dev blog.
Glimpse of Future Content
In Patch 2 (coming as soon as possible—we promise), we'll introduce several new vehicle variants, including this little beauty:
These vehicles will be dedicated to recovery operations, will perform well (and possibly even better) off-road, and can provide you with winch assistance when you or your teammate need it most.
Stay tuned for more information about Patch 2. We'll share details as soon as we have bandwidth beyond the current patch.
Thanks again for playing, and see you in one of our beautiful swamps!