Update 1.10 Operation: Exodus is Here!

Operation: Exodus

Check out the full changelist and see what’s new in Operation: Exodus.

New Map: Citadel

Are you ready for an assault on the Citadel? Battle through a museum-turned-warzone, traversing muddy trenches, navigating sprawling tunnels, and fighting across an ancient amphitheater. Citadel is an expansive map and was built with our new game mode Survival in mind, requiring players to adapt to different combat styles as they travel the battlefield. Close-quarters can swiftly transition into open terrain before descending into narrow tunnels. Citadel has the support for the following game modes:

• Versus
  • Push Security
  • Push Insurgents
  • Firefight
  • Domination

• Co-op
  • Checkpoint Security
  • Checkpoint Insurgents
  • Hardcore Checkpoint Security
  • Hardcore Checkpoint Insurgents
  • Outpost
  • Survival

New Weapons: MR 73 and Desert Eagle

There are two new secondary weapons available for all classes: The MR 73 for Security at 4 supply points, and the Desert Eagle for Insurgents at 5 supply points. Both weapons support Optic, Barrel, and other upgrades, including a speed-loader for the MR 73. These new firearms will have you ditching your primary for some hand-held stopping power.

Desert Eagle

MR 73

New Feature: Pistol Optics

Pistol optics are here, adding precision and accuracy to your secondary weapons: the 1x Mini Green Dot for the Insurgents and the 1x Mini Red Dot for Security. Pistol optics are available for all secondary weapons.

New Game Mode: Survival

We’ve added a new co-op mode called Survival. Hunt for a safe extraction zone as you’re overrun and under fire by wave after wave of relentless enemy forces. Cut off from your allies and supply lines, you’ll have to scavenge for weapons and ammo, using our new Weapon Crates to acquire randomized primary weapons and upgrades.

Survival mode is available on the maps below in both day and night scenarios. We hope to expand the mode to more maps in future updates:

• Citadel
• Outskirts
• Hillside
• Hideout
• Summit
• Farmhouse
• Precinct
• Powerplant

Your first successful extraction in this game mode will grant you both of the new unlockable cosmetic sets: Dissident and Battleworn. Details on the cosmetics can be found below.

New Cosmetics: Unlockable

Operation: Exodus features a spectrum of characters from regular to irregular forces. Insurgents include rebel citizens who’ve donned masks to fight for their homes. Meanwhile, Security is cut off without supply, and their gear shows the wear and tear of battle.

Note: These cosmetics are exclusively unlocked by winning your first round of Survival Mode.

Dissident - A fighter going to battle with nothing but the clothes on his back.

• Marked (Facewear slot)
  • Red
  • Blue
  • Yellow

• T-shirt Frayed (Torso slot)
  • Black
  • Blue
  • Dark Grey
  • Light Grey

• Sirwal (Legs slot)
  • Black
  • Light Grey
  • Peach

• Loafers (Feet slot)
  • Black
  • Brown
  • Yellow
  • Light Grey

Battleworn - A soldier who has been isolated and stuck out in the field while struggling to survive.

• Damaged PASGT (Headgear slot)
  • Brown
  • Dark Brown
  • Dark Green
  • Foliage Green
  • Olive Drab
  • Ranger Green
  • Sand
  • Tan
  • Uniform Camo

• Blouse Dirty (Torso slot)
  • Uniform Camo

• Trouser Dirty (Legs slot)
  • Uniform Camo

• Worn Out (Feet slot)
  • Black
  • Brown
  • Dark Brown

New Cosmetics: DLC

We are adding new DLC cosmetics with this update that will give your characters and weapons a unique look. The cosmetic items they contain can be combined with other cosmetic items already in-game. Purchasing these is a great way to support Sandstorm’s continued post-release development. See the different sets below, along with what items they contain and apply to:

Insurgent “Upriser” Gear Set

• Upriser Mask
• Upriser Top
• Upriser Tattoo (Left)
• Upriser Tattoo (Right)
• Upriser Bottom

Insurgent “Bear Claw” Weapon Skin Set

• Desert Eagle
• AKM
• SKS
• Sterling
• TOZ-194
• Mosin-Nagant

Security “Bad Day” Gear Set

• Bad Day Wrap
• Bad Day Top
• Bad Day Bottom
• Bad Day Hands

Security “True Grit” Weapon Skin Set

• MR 73
• G36K
• L85A3
• Grease Gun
• M870
• M24

If you want to get all four Operation: Exodus DLC sets at a reduced price, check out the link here.

New Mutators

Six new mutators are now available. The details on each new mutator can be found below:

• Budget Antiquing: This mutator only allows only old, cheap weapons along with normal equipment and explosives
• No Drops: Weapons, explosives, and equipment are not dropped by dead players or enemy AI
• Makarovs Only: Makarov pistols only
• Poor: Players start with only 2 supply points
• Fully Loaded: All weapons, equipment, and explosives in the game are available in the Loadout Menu
• Gunslingers: Players are equipped with the MR 73 revolver, normal equipment, and explosives

Outpost Mode

We’ve added Outpost to some new maps, and improved some of the existing layouts with better objective placement and enemy AI spawn areas.

New Outpost Maps

• Citadel
• Summit
• Precinct
• Refinery

Frontline Mode

We’ve made some adjustments to improve player experience in Frontline matches.

• Decreased starting wave count from 20 to 15
• Decreased round timer from 20 seconds to 15 seconds
• One vehicle spawns after the weapon cache is exposed for each team
• Updated the appearance of the wave increment and decrement icons

Frontline Improvements

Previously, when the final weapon cache objective was exposed to the enemy team, your team would lose all remaining waves. We found that this was too punishing and could potentially end a round very quickly. To combat this, a new wave drain mechanic was added to allow the losing team a chance to fight back. Once the weapon cache is vulnerable, the waves will begin to drain at a rate of one wave per 20 seconds.

Firing Range

New weapons have been added to the Firing Range:

• Honey Badger
• AS Val
• Sterling
• Grease Gun
• Welrod
• M110 SASS
• M1 Garand
• QBZ-97
• QTS-11
• MR 73
• Desert Eagle

We’ve also updated all the existing weapons on the Firing Range to ensure proper seating and placement.

Gameplay

• Reduced the range to detect enemy proximity voice indicators
• The color of character materials have been adjusted to subtly increase the overall brightness of characters
• NVGs no longer automatically equip onto the player’s face after interacting with a supply crate
• Bipod deploy and retract animations now blend with sprint animation
• Improved the animation when holding a primed explosive while moving in 1P

User Experience

• The teammate indicator has been made more visible by increasing thickness and opacity
• The ammo carrier icons have been updated to indicate how many additional magazines and explosives are added
• Adjusted the font size, table height and spacing in the Settings Menu
• The row color changes and is highlighted when it is focused in the Settings Menu
• Added a tooltip for server browser icons
• Updated the style and location of the scroll bar in the Customization > Inventory Menu
• Scroll boxes have been improved in the Loadout Menu and Inventory Menu
• Changed the icon of the matchmaking regions to a globe icon
• Created a new icon for language selection
• Moved the placement of the Client Version element to the right-hand side to avoid overlapping other elements

Enemy AI

The shooting accuracy of AI is based on time. As time passes, the more accurate the shots become. This gives players time to react when they are attacked. We found there were three issues with this system that caused the increased snap shooting behavior.

Here are three situations, what should happen, what has been happening, and how we’ve fixed the problems:

The fixes are outlined below:

1. Each target the AI is aware of has an associated threat level, due to a number of factors. The AI is told to shoot at the target which has the highest threat. Here is a theoretical situation:
   • Here is a theoretical situation: The AI is targeting it’s highest threat target, shooting, and it’s accuracy is increasing. A new target comes into view for the AI, and this target is physically closer. This new target has a higher associated threat level due to its proximity.
   • What should happen now: The AI swaps it’s target, the accuracy is reset, accuracy increases, new target kills the AI or the AI kills the new target.
   • What has been happening: The AI swaps targets while still firing at the initial target, the accuracy system is bypassed, and the initial target is immediately shot (and usually killed).
   • The fix: When the primary target changes, the AI’s ‘focus target’ also changes at the exact same time, the accuracy system is not bypassed, and the initial target is not murdered in cold blood.
2. The AI is sometimes aware of players but not in a ‘combat’ state for various reasons, i.e. the target is outside the AI’s maximum firing range or the AI can hear but not see the player. At this stage, the accuracy system is irrelevant as the AI is not in combat yet.
   • Here is a theoretical situation: The AI has seen a player, but that player is outside of the AI’s maximum firing range. This target then moves within the AI’s firing range.
   • What should happen now: The accuracy system tells the AI where it should aim near the player (a near miss to alert the player). The AI checks if they are aiming where they are supposed to be aiming before pulling the trigger. If not it, waits until it has switched it's aim from directly looking at the player, to the desired ‘near miss’ point.
   • What has been happening: This check is happening, however, a check using only an angle was being used. If you’re far enough away, the angle check would not be sufficient - the distance between 2 points at a certain angle when you’re 10 feet away is significantly larger than the distance between 2 points at that same angle when you’re 50 feet away. So, although it’s been checking to see if the angle was sufficient to not snapshot, when the distance reached a certain threshold that angle was actually not enough.
   • The fix: An extra check has been added that includes the distance in the calculation between where the AI is looking and the location of the targets body - with this extra check, the AI will properly hesitate before firing at a target.
3. The AI ramps up its accuracy the longer it is in combat with a target.
   • Here is a theoretical situation: A bot enters combat with a player target and begins to fire.
   • What should happen now: The bot fires once, missing the target by a distance of x. The bot then fires again, missing again, but this shot is closer to the target. This continues with the miss distance decreasing until the target is hit.
   • What has been happening: The bot is correctly identifying two points around the target where it will miss, with the second shot being closer than the first. The issue is that those points are occasionally on each side of the player, i.e., the first shot going over the target’s right shoulder, and the second going over the left shoulder. While the AI is moving it’s aim to the second point - and still firing - the player happens to exist in the space in the middle of these two points, causing indiscriminate death.
   • The fix: Any time the first missed shot on a player is to the left of the player, all subsequent misses will also be on the left side of the player. Same goes for if the first missed shot is to the right of the player; all subsequent misses will be on the right side of the player

Our team also improved the spatial awareness of the Enemy AI with the introduction of the new Survival Mode. The built-out spatial awareness infrastructure which is currently used only on Survival will enable future improvements to all game modes in the future.

Modding

• The new Mod Editor is updated with the 1.10 content
• A new Survival Mode Setup guide will be coming soon on mod.io
• The checkbox to toggle “Allow Derived Game Modes” has been removed. Instead, the setting is set to enabled in all scenarios

Level Design

Bab

• Fixed an issue where the fire and explosion visual effects were not visible when a vehicle caught on fire or exploded
• Fixed an issue where players could capture Objective B without being inside the building
• Fixed an issue with the sandbags being too difficult to climb
• Fixed an issue where players could get stuck in a staircase when attempting to vault
• Fixed an issue where there was an invisible collision that was partially blocking a pathway near Objective B
• Fixed an issue where props would appear or disappear at a certain distance

Crossing

• Fixed an issue where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed an issue where the fire and explosion visual effects were not visible when a vehicle caught on fire or exploded
• Fixed an issue where a staircase was exposing a gap between walls
• Fixed an issue where the restricted area was incorrectly displayed in Push Security
• Fixed an issue where props would appear or disappear at a certain distance

Farmhouse

• Fixed an issue where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed an issue where props were clipping through each other
• Fixed multiple issues on the map where objects or props would flicker
• Fixed a lighting issue that caused props to appear black
• Fixed an issue where an invisible collision was partly blocking a pathway
• Fixed issues where seams could be seen on walls at multiple locations
• Added a new bridge to the map

Hideout

• Fixed an issue where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed an issue where a seam on the floor could be seen

Hillside

• Fixed an issue where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed an issue where the fire and explosion visual effects were not visible when a vehicle caught on fire or exploded
• Fixed multiple issues on the map where objects or props would flicker
• Added new props to the map

Ministry

• Fixed an issue where the fire and explosion visual effects were not visible when a vehicle caught on fire or exploded
• Fixed an issue where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed an issue where players could easily get stuck while walking around in the underground parkade around the concrete blocks

Outskirts

• Fixed several issues where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed a visual issue where a prop had an incorrect reflective material
• Fixed a visual issue on the wall found inside a building next to Objective A, B, and D on Checkpoint Insurgents

Precinct

• Firefight spawns were moved to disallow a spawn killing lane
• Fixed several issues where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed an issue where the fire and explosion visual effects were not visible when a vehicle caught on fire or exploded
• Fixed an issue where low poly assets in the environment could be seen from the playable area
• Fixed an issue where assets were clipping through the floor and could be seen from underneath
• Fixed an issue where players could see into the second floor unintentionally
• Fixed shadow issues on miscellaneous terrain parts
• Fixed multiple issues on the map where objects or props would flicker
• Fixed issues where seams could be seen on walls at multiple locations

Powerplant

• Fixed multiple lighting issues that would cause textures to lighten when located near a wall

Refinery

• Fixed multiple issues on the map where objects or props would flicker

Summit

• Fixed an issue where players were able to access the unintended areas
• Fixed a lighting issue where the piping around the map appeared very dark

Tell

• Fixed several issues where players were able to access unintended areas
• Fixed an issue on Domination where players would be able to enter an unintended room
• Fixed multiple issues on the map where objects or props would flicker
• Fixed multiple lighting issues would cause textures to lighten when located near a wall
• Fixed an issue where a seam was visible in the walls
• Fixed lighting issues at multiple locations on the map
• Fixed an issue where the material of a pillar was stretched
• Fixed an issue where a bush prop could be seen through another object

Tideway

• Fixed an issue where lighting could be seen behind around the edges of a basement
• Fixed an issue where AI was spawning inside the floor of a second story building
• Fixed multiple issues on the map where objects or props would flicker

Resolved Issues

• Fixed an issue where loadouts were not being stored and saved
• Greatly reduced occurrences of snap shooting by AI (see Enemy AI section above)
• Fixed an issue where AI would not retreat when they depleted all their ammo for their primary weapon
• Fixed an issue where the silhouettes of players would show if they were surrounded by smoke effects from two different sources
• Fixed an issue where the interaction hint on the HUD did not always appear depending on what the player was holding
• Fixed an issue where players were able to see the enemy team’s proximity UI icons appear on the HUD
• Fixed an issue where the overtime element remained on the screen even after the round had ended
• Fixed an issue where the spectator overlays would not appear when the player did not select a class and pressed ESC after a map change
• Fixed an issue in the Customization > Appearance Menu where the Preview Amor and Preview Ammo Carrier buttons were not centered on the screen
• Fixed an issue where classes appeared block when the player slots were not full on the Class Selection screen
• Fixed an issue where the menus would not appear in the Loadout screen
• Fixed an issue where the extended magazine appeared too long on the QTS-11
• Fixed an issue where the 6x-3x Red Ring Scope appeared tan instead of black
• Fixed an issue where the bipod was misaligned in 3P on the ACE52
• Fixed an issue where optics would jitter in the Loadout screen in the Firing Range
• Fixed an issue where the character was not centered in the scene in the Loadout screen
• Fixed an issue where the menu button would not open and close the menu during a match when using a gamepad
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to vault using a gamepad
• Fixed an issue where the loading icon persisted after clicking Next and Previous consecutively in the Mods Menu
• Fixed an issue where the page number in the Mods Menu appeared as zero
• Fixed an issue where the page number was not locked to an upper or lower limit
• Fixed an issue where the poncho was clipping into the armor vest
• Fixed an issue where reporting a player did not work on the CTE
• Fixed an issue where players were able to vault into and through objects
• Fixed an issue where planting a C4 or IED and moving your camera would cause the player’s arms to disappear and cause the player to stop planting
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to interact or pick up dropped objects while holding an explosive or knife
• Fixed an issue where the M1 Garand 2.5x M1C scope was set to a higher magnification
• Fixed an issue where the weapon that is equipped with the 2x-1x Holographic would disappear while ADSing
• Fixed an issue where the tanker trucks had larger collision volumes than what was visible to the player
• Fixed an issue where the Menu button was not opening the Menu on the controller
• Fixed an issue where the controller layout in the Settings Menu had the “Speed Reload (Double Tap)” button showing as “Quick Reload (Double Tap)”
• Fixed an issue where UI elements in the Loadout Menu would not always appear
• Fixed an issue in the Settings Menu where the sensitivity values were not capped to the same decimal place
• Fixed an issue where the SlowMovement mutator was not being carried over through map changes
• Fixed an issue where the password widget appeared to be out of focus when attempting to connect to a password-protected server
• Fixed an issue where the binds in the leaning hint #108 were showing as UNBOUND
• Fixed an issue where the Wet Feet achievement was not obtainable after completing Basic Training under Tutorials
• Fixed an issue where there were two interaction prompts on the computer at the Range
• Fixed an issue where the toilet props appeared as if it was low resolution

Known Issues

• In-game localization will be coming later this week in a hotfix
• There may be an issue where the objective icons are missing on the HUD and tactical map when playing on community servers when restarting the same scenario
• There is an issue where a flashlight is not available to be equipped with the Desert Eagle
• There is an issue where the Replays button does not work on the Main Menu. To access Replays, go into the Stats Menu instead.
• There may be an issue where the camera switches to a view inside the helicopter during the end of round screen
• There is an issue where the 2x configuration will automatically activate when switching to the underbarrel upgrade when using a 2x-1x toggleable optic
• There is an issue where the bipod deploy animation will not play when using a MG3 or M240B
• There is an issue when using the AUG A3 equipped with a 6x-3x Red Ring Scope will cause a portion of the weapon to disappear
• There is an issue where the bipod is displayed incorrectly in 3rd person during the bolting animation with the Mosin-Nagant equipped
• There is an issue where the Desert Hex weapon skin does not apply to the correct attachments
• There is an issue where the Urban Digital and Whiteout weapon skins do not apply to the Recoil Grip attachment on the AK-74
• There is an issue where the weapon details do not update when selected in the Loadout Menu
• There is an issue where the Submit a Bug or Feedback form with new lines will fail
• There is an issue where the reload animation will cause the player’s hand to warp when the Loading Grip attachment is equipped onto the primary weapon
• There is an issue where the Objective indicator opacity is inconsistent
• There is an issue where some of the UI elements overlap in Spectator mode
• There is an error on the controller layout in the Setting Menus, where the Left Bumper should be “Comms Menu (Hold)” instead of “Weapon Select Menu (Hold)” in the Settings Menu
• There are instances where the weapon and optic will jitter during ADS
• There is an issue when the SVD with the Aiming Grip and 7x Sniper Scope is equipped causing the player’s thumb to obstruct the sight picture
• There is an issue when using switching to a weapon with an Underbarrel attachment combined with a 2x-1x toggleable optic will cause the scope to appear to be toggled to 2x instead of 1x
• There are multiple issues that are known regarding the gamepad:
  • Players are unable to interact with the Overview Screen during a match
  • The refresh button does not work in the Community Servers Menu

• There is an issue when viewing a replay with a controller; the playback control buttons are too small to read
  
• The left arm is bending unnaturally when aiming down the sights on the AS VAL with the Aiming Grip upgrade and NVG Point Shooting mode
  
• The Mosin-Nagant Stripper Clip weapon upgrade does not push in properly when reloading in third person
  
• AI vehicles can get stuck in the Range level under Tutorials
  
• Switching to or from the Smoke Launcher upgrade with no ammo plays the incorrect animation when using the M1 Garand
  
• There is an issue with weapon and knife hitboxes which may block players that jump into the weapon being held by other players