Steam Community Items Now Available
Forsaken Frontiers now includes official Steam Community items, including Trading Cards, Badges, Profile Backgrounds, Emoticons, and Stickers.
Emoticon, Sticker, and Foil Badge artwork by Mikkaya - Concept & 2D Artist
New Location: THE HIGHRISE
Region: Manhattan Ruins
Description:
Corporate headquarters previously operated by BIG CORP, a global corporate conglomerate responsible for manufacturing and distributing nearly every category of consumer product.
Recovered records indicate the facility also housed advanced animatronic development under restricted oversight.
At the onset of the Endless Winter, executive personnel successfully evacuated the building. Remaining on-site personnel remained inside the structure when lockdown procedures were initiated.
Recovered documentation suggests the prototype unit was never intended for public deployment.
Internal security records indicate the animatronic became active shortly after lockdown procedures began. All communication from the building ceased within minutes.
NOTICE:
Rumors alleging cooperation between ECD and BIG CORP in the development of the animatronic system developed at this site are classified as misinformation. Personnel disseminating such claims will be subject to Nullification.
Unique Features:
Unique CEO office cell at the top floor of the Highrise
Ability to ascend deeper into the Highrise using the starting elevator, at the cost of the building's power
PLAYMARE-MK.3
BIG CORP Data Deck
NEW ENTITY ALERT
Designation: "PLAYMARE-MK.3"
Classification: ANOMALY
Threat Vector: Autonomous Animatronic Predator
CHARACTERISTICS
Animatronic endoskeleton constructed from reinforced industrial components
Entity demonstrates full-building situational awareness - personnel location appears known at all times
Entity enters a stalking state upon target acquisition and will maintain distance while continuing to monitor the selected individual
Direct visual contact from the target may cause the entity to halt movement temporarily
Upon escalation, the entity transitions into TERMINATE mode
In TERMINATE mode, movement behavior mirrors that of the selected target
Entity remains stationary while the target remains stationary
If the target moves, the entity moves
Locomotion speed exceeds standard personnel capability once movement begins
If the target successfully conceals themselves, the entity may disengage and relocate to acquire a new target
Tracking will resume immediately if the target leaves concealment
BEHAVIORAL PROFILE
Entity does not behave like standard entities that react to sound or sight
Once a target is selected, pursuit remains locked onto that individual
Distractions or noise will not break pursuit behavior
Stalking behavior should not be interpreted as passivity
Escalation into TERMINATE mode results in sustained pursuit pressure until personnel exit the structure or are neutralized
Temporary disengagement does not indicate loss of tracking capability
ENCOUNTER PROTOCOL
Direct escape is not viable once TERMINATE mode has begun - personnel cannot outrun the entity
The only confirmed disruption method is use of stunlight equipment directed at the entity's optical sensors
Flash exposure temporarily destabilizes the unit and forces a short reset cycle
This disruption window allows personnel to create distance and evade pursuit
CRITICAL ADVISORY
PLAYMARE-MK.3 demonstrates tracking capabilities not observed in standard entities. Personnel should assume the unit is aware of their location at all times while inside the structure. Temporary halting under direct observation does not indicate deactivation or compliance. Stalking-state behavior may escalate without additional warning. Remaining stationary may delay approach, but will not ensure survival. Temporary disengagement does not indicate safety.
WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT: SUNKEN
A new phase of environmental failure has been confirmed.
The Endless Winter, the entities, the spores - these were not the final escalation phase.
Water levels rise over time
Fire barrels and interior fireplaces are extinguished under flood conditions
Underwater traversal requires specialized breathing equipment
Visibility deteriorates with depth
Submersion severely limits rapid movement capability
NOTICE: Hydrological activity is occurring under sustained subzero conditions. Current models cannot account for this behavior. Environmental stability is no longer predictable. Projected survivability margins have narrowed.
"Let history record that in our darkest hour, humanity did not dim."
— ECD President David Caldwell
WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT: DISPLACED
A new temporal irregularity has been identified.
Operational day length may accelerate or slow
Outcome is determined upon arrival
NOTICE: Temporal irregularities are occurring unpredictably across deployments. Standard timekeeping should not be relied upon. Operational planning windows may vary.
WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT: ERROR
A classification failure has been identified.
Deployment readings may return as ERROR
Standard forecasting systems are returning incomplete data
Location behavior must be assessed on-site
Operational conditions remain unknown until deployment.
NOTICE: Long-range environmental analysis systems are experiencing intermittent classification failures. Readings are being returned as ERROR despite confirmed activity at affected locations. Cause remains under investigation. Proceed with caution.
Resuscitation Device Authorization
Emergency defibrillation equipment approved for limited field deployment
Restores a deceased Workforce member to operational status
Single-use per deployment
Disabled when submerged
Disrupted by electromagnetic pulses
Operational headcount has declined beyond acceptable thresholds.
Restoration of viable personnel is recommended.
Escape Mode
Entity Spawning Overhaul
Escape Mode is now permanently set to Hollowed difficulty. Previously it ran at max difficulty with all entities spawning immediately
Entities now use a dedicated Escape Mode spawn system with a 5 minute spawn interval. A random entity type is selected and spawned immediately at the start, then the timer begins for the next wave
Entities spawn in batches and depending on the location (for example, 5x Forsaken on Hospital), and the type selected each wave is random (for example: Forsaken, Spider or Shamblers)
This creates a more balanced start, with difficulty increasing over time instead of overwhelming you immediately
QoL
Adrenaline Shots now fully cure "infection" in Escape Mode instead of temporarily suppressing it
Fallen teammates can now return to the run - Defibrillators can be found in containers
Fixes
Fixed a bug where the gas mask could go on sale despite being free in Escape Mode, causing it to cost money again and become unobtainable
General Changes
Added hidden finale
The overgrowth bloomed. Her colors followed.
A path marked in static and signal, like someone still trying to guide their people by fluorescent stars.
Long after they had forgotten which stars were real.
(This is a path that must be walked alone.)
Reworked Forsaken Frontiers theme - "Last Song" has become "Final Song"
"The air feels heavier now. Like the end is near."
Added new cosmetic patch - awarded for witnessing the hidden finale
Added support for Neutral Modifiers
Introduced FORSAKEN WATERS, our custom in-house water system built to be lightweight, optimized, and visually immersive
When captured by The Shepherd, items are now dropped instead of being consumed
Gas Mask and Rebreather are no longer dropped when captured by The Shepherd
Added a new Deck Tape log hidden somewhere in the Highrise
Shamblers can now be stunned
Shamblers can now be killed with the Pickaxe
Added death animations for all entities
The Gun is now available for purchase. Yes, really
Boltcutters now lose 1 durability after disarming 4 mines instead of each mine
Glowstick cost reduced from 40c → 30c
Reduced the cost of the Gas Mask 400c → 275c
The Supply Officer can now be heard faintly breathing behind the filtered mask
Added environmental reverb to main menu
Updated Environment Marker to use new spray can pickup sound
New cassette tape pickup sounds
Changed remote pickup sound to use cassette pickup sound, as the previous sound did not fit
Increased loot value in Tunnels
Increased loot value in Warehouse
Increased loot value in Pentagon
Slightly decreased loot value in Hospital due to high density of lootable containers, making it more rewarding than harder locations
Added Playmare to Pentagon, spawning only after noon
Removed Hollow Shambler from Pentagon (Pentagon is intended to contain every standard entity except Hollows)
Hollow Spider no longer spawns instantly on Mineshaft and now appears later depending on difficulty
The Shepherd no longer spawns in Mineshaft on Unbroken and now only spawns at 5PM on other difficulties
Reduced some loot value in Mineshaft to reflect reduced difficulty, increased ore values to reinforce mining as the primary loot source
Increased odds of elevator cells appearing in Mineshaft
Decreased Mineshaft max cells to reduce map size
Reduced the number of Carriers that can spawn
Reduced Spores loot bonus from 1.7x to 1.6x to better match reduced difficulty
Reduced Packrat fleeing speed to give players a chance to catch up
Increased minimum cell size for Tunnels
Ceilingmen no longer spawn until after the first cycle
Ceilingman spawn chances have been reduced:
Pentagon: 50% → 12% Mineshaft: 45% → 13% Warehouse: 60% → 35% Plantation: 25% → 6% Bunker: 35% → 6% Tunnels: 30% → 6% Hospital: 20% → 6% Hotel: 20% → 5% Metro: 10% → 0%
Reduced footstep noise travel distance (meters):
Metal: 8 → 6 Wood: 7 → 5 Rock: 7 → 4 Tile: 7 → 4 Carpet: 5 → 3
New Loot Items (Highrise)
Coffee Beans
Strange Coffee Mug
Stack of Sticky Notes
Plastic Food Tray
Snack Pack
Stapler
Pager
New Loot Items (General Loot Pool)
Coffee Cup
Matchbox
Spray Paint
Lost Metro Changes
Added new rare cell to Lost Metro - FOLLOW THE COLORS
Added new power room cell to Lost Metro - restore power to the building
EMP will no longer roll on Lost Metro - Time distortion is now inherent to this location
"Time Moves Differently Here..."
Reworked Lost Metro loot - now primarily uses standard loot with uncommon high value "Anomaly" items
Reduced the amount of Hollow Shamblers spawning on Lost Metro
The Abandoned One no longer spawns in Lost Metro
Removed Hollow Spider and The Shepherd from UNBROKEN on Lost Metro and delayed their spawns on higher difficulties
Lost Metro Fixes
Fixed several Lost Metro cells where snow and spore details would not appear
Fixed excessive door generation on Lost Metro
Fixed an incorrect floor material in the Lost Metro elevator cell
Fixed Lost Metro nature soundscape not playing until leaving the train station
Data Deck Changes
Updated the Data Deck interface to render within the game's post-processing pipeline, now properly affected by PSX/CRT effects and screen distortion
Added an Accessibility option to switch the Data Deck screen back to the Legacy renderer if needed
Data Deck skins now replace the bottom-right government label with a skin-specific message
Reworked Data Deck time glitch effect
Data Deck tapes are no longer chance-based and now always spawn
New Data Deck Skins
CorpDeck - Corporate executive edition - "Where productivity was monitored from the top"
EntityDeck - Devotee's data deck - "Where the overgrowth bloomed and one voice found God in the static"
New Data Deck Music Tapes
Added new Data Deck music tape "Hollow Song" by t4t0 - Found in the Pentagon
Added new Data Deck music tape from community member Uncle Larry - found in Highrise
Fixes
Fixed Data Deck screen not fully covering the mesh screen bounds
Fixed a bug where the Shepherd's terror radius would persist after death if it died near the player
Fixed an issue where dying to falling in a hole would cause your bag to spawn near the train instead of at your death location
Reworked how footstep audio is played and synchronized across the network so clients can now hear AI and other player footsteps
Fixed AI idle voice lines continuing into chase, now immediately cut off when aggression begins - should resolve enemies quietly entering chase before attacking
Fixed Stunlight not always stunning enemies
Fixed entities not playing their stunned animation if stunned while kicking a door
Fixed entities not always playing death animation when killed while stunned
Fixed an issue where players already in the shop were not exited when the brake was pulled
Fixed an issue where AI could continue playing vocals after death
Fixed EMP Data Deck time reverting to normal when downed
Fixed a bug where the player could remain in a nervous state after a nearby enemy died
Fixed a bug where kicked doors would progressively open wider
Fixed a bug where elevator doors could reopen after the elevator departed
Fixed Backrooms elevator doors not always closing after use
Fixed a bug where the Backrooms elevator invisible wall could sometimes remain stuck after use, preventing players from entering when it arrived
Fixed an issue where items could spawn slightly too low inside pentagon desk drawers
Fixed loot inside big filing cabinet drawers spawning too low and clipping
Fixed snow covering a trap door in one of the Plantation cells
Fixed floating props in the Hotel
Fixed Plantation bedroom dresser drawer being accessible through the dresser frame
Fixed Warehouse train station entrance doorway using incorrect metro wall texture
Fixed the green light coming from the Metro ticket machines so it is now properly turned off during power outages
Removed the recently added scaffolding from a Metro cell due to client desync issues and AI being able to see through it
Fixed null reference error triggered by Lost Metro easter egg in Bunker
Fixed power generator playing incorrect animation when already off on arrival
Fixed power generator lever animation only playing locally, now properly syncs for all players
Fixed item generator issue causing inconsistent item scaling across loot containers Stretchy loot bug in the hospital tall cabinet still persists though :(
Fixed entities not properly respecting SPORES vision reduction
Fixed entity hearing radius compounding across actors when transmitting noise, causing some entities to hear from further than intended
Fixed duplicate tape pickups of the same type remaining after one is collected
Fixed a bug where tapes would despawn for all players when collected by one player
Fixed metal detectors retriggering after being activated
Elevators now reset when leaving a location - fixes a rare issue where the Train Station elevators could become stuck and unusable
Fixed certain equipment not being pickable while carrying equipment that prevents picking up the same item
"I used to work nights cleaning the offices on the 37th floor. Nobody ever notices the janitor. Which meant I heard things most people weren’t meant to hear. Executives arguing behind glass walls, strangers coming in late at night with equipment nobody explained, crates being wheeled into the robotics labs long after everyone else had gone home.
One of those crates had a plain white label on it.
Just three black letters.
ECD.
I didn’t know what it meant back then.
I do now.
They told everyone the robot they were building was just a mascot. Something for kids. But I saw the crate they brought in. Nothing meant for children should weigh that much.
When the Endless Winter began, the executives left first.
The helicopter was real.
I saw it through the glass while I was cleaning the executive offices.
Not long after that, the lights went out.
Then the thing they built started moving.
Everyone ran for the ground floor exits, but the doors wouldn’t open. The building had gone into a security lockdown. BIG CORP sealed the whole place when they evacuated. Hundreds of people were trapped inside, pounding on glass that was never meant to break.
That’s when the screaming started.
Somewhere in the chaos a man named Kevin started shouting that there was a helicopter on the roof. People said it was a rumor. Said he was panicking. But Kevin had seen the same thing I did.
The problem was that the helicopter he saw had already left. The rumor spread through the building anyway. People started heading upstairs, thinking that was the way out.
Getting up there turned into its own kind of nightmare. People were fighting in the stairwells. Someone even blew out part of the stairs trying to slow the thing down. After that, whole sections of the building were cut off.
Eventually the only way to reach the CEO floor was a private elevator. People gathered there, trying to get it working.
When someone finally managed to get it running, they reached the CEO floor and found the office sealed shut.
Reinforced door.
No roof access.
The rumor changed after that.
Out of desperation, people convinced themselves the roof access had to be beyond the office.
That the way out was past that door.
For hours, people argued, pounded on it, tried anything they could.
They never got inside.
Later on I heard people yelling Kevin's name in the halls,
blaming him for the rumor.
I never saw Kevin come back down.
I stayed on the lower floors. A couple of the engineers started working on the lockdown controls. I don't know what they did. It took them a long time, but eventually the doors released.
By then most of the building was already dead.
A few of us managed to get out. Me, two engineers, and a guy from maintenance.
We started walking north.
For weeks we walked through ruined towns and empty highways. Everywhere we went we kept hearing the same rumor from people hiding in basements and broken storefronts.
Go to Boston.
ECD says the government and the military collapsed in the first day.
That’s not true.
Boston is still standing.
People are still holding on there.
The military is still there.
They're the reason it held together.
They've built walls out of the ruins. A place where people don't answer to the ECD.
If you’re reading this on one of their trains, listen to me.
They want you to believe there’s nothing else out here.
That the trains are the only way to survive.
They’re lying to you.
There’s a better life beyond their tracks."
— Tom
The guy who cleaned the floors
MEMORY ACCESS VIOLATION
1988
2147
21472
I've said "this will be the final update" before, only to return with something new later. This time, v2000 is meant to be the final major update for Forsaken Frontiers.
The past few years I've spent working on Forsaken Frontiers have meant more to me than I expected. I've never worked on a project that I've loved the way I have this one. What started small slowly grew into something far larger than I ever planned.
I believed in what I was building from the beginning. As development went on, the universe expanded beyond what I first imagined. Somewhere along the way, I realized how much this world meant to me.
That feeling hasn't gone away.
Watching players explore the locations, discover secrets, and speculate about the world behind it has meant a lot to me. Seeing people experience this universe in their own way has been one of the most rewarding parts of working on this game.
Forsaken Frontiers may be reaching the end of its development, but the universe it exists in is far larger than this one story.
Thanks for stepping into the frozen unknown with me.
— Mayleen