Hi everyone! In Survarium 0.61 we introduced new Duga Radar Station location which is the biggest one in the history of the game. However, creating huge things like that takes a lot of time, so in the upcoming update 0.62 we decided to concentrate on solving long-standing issues and introducing lesser improvements and fixes into the game.
So, in the upcoming Survarium update you can expect to see a new weapon camouflage system, flashbang grenade, rework of anomalous skill tree, several changes to improve user experience in unbalanced matches, and St. Patrick's Day game event.
Weapon Camouflage System
One of the biggest problems when introducing weapons with new camos was that you had to modify it from scratch. We partially fixed that by unlocking all module slots by default, but you still had to waste time and resources to roll modifiers and install modules you wanted to have. Hopefully, the new feature to interchange camos among the same weapon models will fix the problem once and for all.
So how does it work exactly? If you have several identical weapons but with different camos, you can interchange camos between those weapons for free. This allows you to apply a new camo to a weapon you already had equipped with the modules and modifiers. By the way, you can now also swap modules between the same weapon models for free.
Please keep in mind that premium weapon bonuses (such as +25% to silver) are linked to the camo, not the weapon. Thus, by applying a premium camo to a common weapon, you will keep modules and modifiers you had on the weapon, but also receive the camo and bonuses of the premium weapon.
Changing the camos on the event weapons works in the same way. For instance, when you get FN P90 "St. Patrick Day 2020" in the upcoming game event, you can apply this camo to any FN P90 that you already have and keep all the modules and modifiers you already installed on the weapon.
However, changing camos between different weapons (say, AKMSU and AK-74) is not allowed. Moreover, at the moment we do not plan to sell camouflages separately: every camo can only be received with one of the weapons.
Improving Equipment and Camouflages
When the new renderer was released more than a year ago, we reworked only a part of in-game textures to support physically based rendering, so some items looked worse than they could given the new technology. By now our artists have finished updating the models, so every piece of equipment in Survarium 0.62 should look better than ever before. Naturally, the higher the visual settings are, the more noticeable is the difference in comparison to the older game versions.
We have also introduced camos for the premium weapons that didn't have those: PP-91 "Kedr", Franchi SPAS-12, RPD, Fort-401, PKP "Pecheneg", Remington 870. Additionally, a new camo has been introduced for H&K MP7A1 "Legend II". These new camos are automatically applied to the corresponding weapons when Survarium 0.62 goes live.
Flashbang Grenade
The idea of adding a flashbang to Survarium isn't new, but we finally decided to not put it on hold any longer. There's nothing to talk about, really, since it's better for you to see with your own eyes. The grenade is available on the first equipment tier of the Scavengers faction, and blinds and deafens characters that are close to the grenade when it explodes. Effect intensity depends on the distance to the grenade. We plan to tune the grenade further based on your feedback, as we definitely don't want this new item to either worthless or overpowered.
Updated Anomaly Skills Tree
Among all 5 skill trees the anomaly ones are the least popular, so we decided to completely rework part of the talents. We have introduced new skills improving the effects of the artifacts, and also talents that allow you to make some extra silver by simply collecting artifacts in matches. One of the new skills also allows you to pick up and use artifacts without equipping a container, but in this case artifacts are destroyed 30 seconds after they were picked up.
We will publish the full list of changes before Survarium 0.62 release, and for now please take a look at the new skills available on the fifth tier of the talent tree. Hopefully, this will make anomalous talents stronger and more popular in general.
- Spring II. In passive mode the Spring also increases speed of reloading and swapping weapons.
- Sponge II. Adds another charge for throwing (the Sponge can be used twice).
- Onyx II. When activated, the Onyx also protects your character from increased head-shot damage.
- Larkspur II. When activated, the Larkspur instantly restores 50 HP and energy.
Improving Balance in Matches
We are constantly working to improve the matchmaking system to keep the battles balanced and interesting. Alas, situations when one of the teams is much stronger are still possible. The reasons for that can be different: sometimes players disconnect or leave matches, sometimes their ranking doesn't reflect their skill correctly (especially for the newer players).
To lessen the amount of pain and suffering in that kind of matches, we'll be finishing matches in TDM and Slaughter modes automatically when one of the teams is much stronger than another. The match will end prematurely, and all players will receive rewards (taking shorter match duration into account).
Additionally, in TDM and Research mode we introduced a zone protecting teams' spawn points. When you get too close to the opponents' base, you will start taking damage and will see a warning recommending leaving the zone.
We are closely monitoring the quality of matches and will keep making improvements to the matchmaking algorithms based on how the aforementioned changes affect the game.
St. Patrick's Day Event
Play Survarium during the game event, get special currency and exchange it for the unique decal and weapons with three random modifiers: FN P90 and Benelli M4. We plan to start the event in the middle of March, and it will last for about 10 days.
Release Date and Other Changes
These are only the most noticeable of the upcoming changes and improvements. We will post the full Survarium 0.62 change log before the update is released, which happens in the first half of March. So very soon you will be able to see the new weapon camouflage system, flashbang grenade, updated anomaly talents tree and other changes first hand.