Since we launched SOS into Early Access, we’ve been reviewing feedback and poring over data to continuously improve the game based on your input. We’ve got a whole lot planned for the future of SOS, but it all starts with Content Update 1, hitting throughout this week. This first update includes some big additions to the way you play SOS, as well as some new tools to help you secure your extraction.
La Cuna After Dark
The full moon rises over La Cuna, illuminating the island in its hazy glow. Hupia have ventured out of their temples and surround bonfires performing arcane rituals to some ineffable force. In the moonlit skies above, the helicopter casts a massive searchlight as it scans the island for any surviving Contestants.
Night Mode is an alternate game mode that forces players to change up their tactics and turns the hunt for extraction into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. When you arrive on La Cuna at night, you’ll find a Flashlight waiting on the beach, and you’ll learn to cherish and respect the use of this tool in all-new ways. While it is invaluable in lighting your way and scouring the ruins of La Cuna for a means of extraction, it also serves as a beacon, alerting other Contestants of your location.
What new dangers do the shadows hold when night time falls on La Cuna? Grab a Flashlight and venture into the darkness to find out.
Custom Matches
Custom Matches have long been something we’ve experimented with in SOS, but now we are diving in head first. Custom Matches are an all-new feature that allows players to fully tailor the game parameters to their liking. With this first version of Custom Matches, we have introduced five new custom gameplay modes for Contestants to select: Last Contestant Standing, No Relics, Tracker, Helicopter Only, and First to Relic.
Each of these new gameplay modes puts a brand new spin on the classic SOS formula, but that’s only scratching the surface of what Custom Matches allows Contestants to fully modify to make La Cuna their own. We’ve included a full battery of settings including ones for loadouts, damage, Hupia, Item drops, speed, gravity, and a whole lot more.
Custom Matches allow for Contestants to make each match their own. Call some friends and get them to join you on La Cuna to see what customizable insanity you can come up with. We’ll be monitoring some of the favorite gameplay settings players use to inform future direction for the game, so don’t be shy about trying something new.
New Tools
How A-lure-ing
The Lure is the first new piece of your arsenal to land in Content Update 1. The Lure is a grenade-like canister that when activated deploys pheromones to attract nearby Hupia. Lures can be found throughout the island, and are also available as supply drops.
When brandished, the Lure can either be placed or thrown. A Lure can be placed on a target and stuck there while inactive. If it’s then struck (by any kind of damage), it will activate and deliver its scented payload.
If thrown, it will stick to any surface it hits and release its pheromones. If a Contestant is the unlucky recipient of this gift, it can only be removed by another Contestant. If you find yourself without a friendly face to help you out, your only option may be to start running and not stop until the canister eventually depletes.
Defibrillator
The second of the new tools due to land on La Cuna in this update is the defibrillator. If you are lucky enough to get ahold of one of these, you will find that you literally hold life and death in your hands.
The Defibrillator releases a powerful electric charge that can be used to either revive a dead character or one-hit-kill a living one. Yes, you heard that right: one. hit. kill. Revived Contestants return with reduced health, but in this case, being half-alive is better than being all-dead. The Defibrillator has a long charge up time that is visible to your competitors, so be careful and strategic if using it offensively.
New Found Objects
As you make your return to La Cuna Island, you may discover some new objects across the island. Don’t hold off on grabbing what’s available and using it to defend yourself from whatever dangers you encounter.
Coconut
Conch Shell
New Hupia Models
Hupia seem to have developed both a sense of modesty and a drive for fashion. You’ll find that The Hupia now are adorned in ceremonial garb denoting their stature and threat level. Does this mean that Hupia were previously cutting Contestants to ribbons in their birthday suits? We’ll leave that one up to the cultural anthropologists to uncover.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a number of spots where Contestants could get stuck.
- Resolved issues with Duo invite and join failures.
- Fixed camera bug where it would clip through helicopter on extraction.
- Made improvements to reduce crashes and network disconnects.
- Players can no longer sprint while charging strong attack with Unarmed.
Whew, that brings us to the end of everything new that’s making its way into SOS for Content Update 1. There’s so much more that we are working on for the future of SOS, but our first goal was to empower you, the Contestants, to play the game the way that you want. Get lost in the dark on the island without a flashlight, lower the forces of gravity and jump your way straight to The Cradle, turn off weapon drops and start a good ol’ fashioned game of fisticuffs. We hope you all experiment with what these new features have to offer and as always keep giving us your feedback so we can continue to improve SOS!