Hey everyone, the new update is live today! Patch 0.3.5.0 titled quarantine zone comes with several requested features such as ammo types, ammo crafting, ammo salvaging, POI enhancements/reworks, new base parts and more.
As promised earlier in the year this update also focuses heavily on polish and has cleaned up many long standing bugs. This will be part of the plan all year ensuring each update is tested thoroughly so please continue to report any issues experienced so that I can make sure they are fixed in future patches.
With all that being said let's jump into some key points for the new update.
Ammo Crafting
One of the main new features of this update is the ability to now craft ammo as well as salvage ammo. New benches can be found in several locations around the world or you can craft them to add to your base. These benches come in 3 tiers, with each tier providing faster crafting/salvage times, different features such as salvaging and also better ammo types such as AP rounds (more ammo types coming very soon!).
To support this system the loot tables have been updated with a range of new items such as casings for each ammo type, gun powder, tungsten (for crafting AP rounds) and more. You can also acquire these materials by salvaging unwanted ammo at any tier 2 or higher ammo bench.
Ammo Types
As briefly mentioned above this update also introduces a new system for handling multiple ammo types. The introduction of this system comes with only standard and AP rounds for now however the entire ammo system in the background has been rebuilt to support any number of ammo types with unique traits going forward! FMJ and hollowpoint rounds will be coming in a minor update shortly after the release of patch 0.3.5.0.
As an added bonus this ammo rework also fixes a long standing bug of ammo counts being incorrect and some bolt action guns being reloadable infinitely!
Terrain texture refresh
Many of the ground textures in the game have received some added detail through the use of normal maps, texture size increases and refreshed color palettes to give the game a better overall tone. Snow in particular now gets a very nice depth effect during certain lighting conditions/times of day.
New location & mission
With each update I like to try and rework some existing locations that still feature heavy use of synty assets. With this update the quarantine zone has been reworked and also features a brand new mission to hunt down patient 0 and retrieve a sample. This mission can be obtained from Sal after completing the Ran Too Far mission.
Mission system rework
Following on from the above, while creating the new quarantine zone mission, I also fully rebuilt the mission system. As many have pointed out, not many new missions have been added to the game during its release in early access, this is because quite frankly the mission system was hard to extend in its old state. The new system is not only much easier to work with but also far more stable meaning you should have a much smoother experience when playing the current set of missions. New missions including the first chapter of the main story will also now be making their way into the game later this year.
Loose loot rework
One of the things often mentioned in terms of feedback is the lack of things to loot, with this update I have built a new loose loot system meaning a far greater number of things will spawn in random places to be picked up. This currently only affects newer areas such as the quarantine zone but I am already working to extend it to all existing locations too! In fact many locations in the mountain areas have received the new loot system already.
Beyond the key points this update features numerous fixes and tweaks to AI, performance issues, texture detail improvements and much much more! The full raw patch notes can be found below.
The next update will be focusing on some much larger AI overhauls as well as new content and I can't wait to share more with you all very soon!
As always, thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new content!
- Added a full rework of the quarantine zone.
- Introduced an underground section to the quarantine zone.
- Enhanced multiple POIs across the map with new elements and props.
- Added new vegetation in several areas.
- Introduced additional guard spawns at Camp Alpha.
- Implemented an ammo swapping system.
- Added armor-piercing rounds.
- Introduced an ammo crafting system.
- Added an ammo salvage system.
- Implemented ammo crafting benches (Tiers 1 - 3).
- Added a new quarantine zone quest.
- Added a new save migration system to better future proof saves between large patches.
- Reworked AI detection for better performance and reduced memory usage.
- Improved AI alert system for greater reliability and efficiency.
- Enhanced AI cover system to function more effectively.
- Optimised AI combat and firing mechanics.
- Completely reworked the quest system to be more stable and easily expandable for future content.
- Updated the Unknown Origins quest dialogue and description for better clarity on where to search.
- Fixed numerous instances of floating objects and geometry throughout the world.
- Reworked Haydes' dialogue in The Core mission.
- Added a new Liberty lore dialogue option for Haydes during The Core mission.
- Introduced AI footstep sounds.
- Adjusted steps in the Those Who Need quest to improve clarity.
- Fully revamped Scalper AI to be more consistent and engaging.
- Increased loot variety in UG Labs.
- Enhanced the overall atmosphere of UG Labs.
- Improved handling of stacked items.
- Smoothed out time-of-day calculations for shadows and lighting.
- Added new alternative dialogue options for NPC's allowing them to change dialogue based on certain quest states or current quest progression
- Added a greater amount of loose/random loot (I am adding new loot to areas each update, currently most of the improvements are in the mountains)
- Massive overhaul of the audio system, significantly improving performance, especially during large firefights and AI battles.
- Optimised various AI states for better overall performance.
- Improved terrain textures
- Improved blood splat textures
- Resolved the issue with Nadine's leg "break."
- Fixed base torch lacking collision.
- Ensured seasoning is now included in loot pools.
- Fixed floating shadows attached to Catcher 41.
- Resolved the white square shop bug.
- Fixed an issue where wandering AI would get stuck if the squad leader was killed.
- Corrected infected scientists' loot tables.
- Fixed a bug causing incorrect gear to be displayed in the main menu.
- Resolved an issue where AI could shoot through trees.
- Fixed a bug allowing players to walk through trees.
- Fixed a bug allowing AI to walk through trees.
- Addressed AI clumping together when moving to investigate.
- Fixed invisible collisions in the tunnel.
- Resolved an issue where AI could get stuck in a turn loop.
- Fixed occasional missing weapon audio.
- Ensured the default character model reverts properly when creating a new character.
- Several AMD FSR related bugs
- Fixed several gaps in terrain
- Fixed several base parts loading in as the incorrect part
- Fixed several causes of lost bases when loading in
- Fixed an issue with ammo counts not being accurate
- Fixed an issue allowing guns to sometimes be reloaded beyond max clip size
- Fixed an issue allowing quests to sometimes go beyond required progress and get stuck
- Fixed an issue with notepad by tree on Unknown origins quest not loading correctly
- Fixed several cases of AI going under water
- Fixed several cases of AI going under terrain
- Fixed waterfall and cave sounds at bandit HQ not being affected by audio levels
- Fixed military gear for player using old model and not the new one that AI use with pouches