Darkwater's first major update - INVASION - is available now!
This update focuses on improving many aspects of the gameplay loop, including new enemies, locations, system mechanics, and more.
Some highlights include:
Stealth system - players can now crouch, and a visual indicator has been added that denotes how sneaky you are being. Enemy AI has also been adjusted to react to sound, allowing you to avoid engagements.
New enemies - four new aquatic creatures will roam the vacant outposts, some more dangerous than others.
New Leviathan - The Kraken. This monolithic creature will capture your submarine with its tentacles that are capable of piercing the hull. Avoid at all costs.
New Submarine Equipment - Arm your sub with Depth Charges and Explosive Harpoons, craft supplies equipment from the medical bay crafting bench, and install the new Command Room ship module - now available from the shop.
Harpoon Gun - A new heavy duty rifle that can be found inside outposts that propels harpoons at terminal velocity.
New District to explore - Frontier
Biomes - Four new biomes to explore while navigating districts. This combined with 9 new variations of pirate submarines have been detected searching the depths adds a lot more variety (and danger) to naval combat.
And that is just scratching the surface. Check out the full patch notes below.
Patch Notes Version 0.4.18 - INVASION
General
Sneaking mechanic implemented. Players can now crouch and a a visual indicator is now visible on the HUD that shows how much attention you are drawing to yourself, making it easier to avoid encounters.
Game now refreshes upon entering a new district to improve overall game and network stability.
Can no longer consume items at full health. No more accidents!
Clients now see a locked screen in the lobby for the host settings.
New emails added to the terminals.
Hacking minigame has been made slightly more difficult on Easy. Path length increased: 4 -> 5
Stampers glow effect slightly reduced.
New items can now be displayed on the tool board: Wrench, Squeaky Hammer, Harpoon Gun.
Mice now scream upon falling into the abyss.
Mice no longer run out of stamina.
Submarine Systems
New submarine system: Command Room.
New crew damaging weapons (Explosive Harpoons, Depth Charges) now deal bonus damage against leviathans (+50%).
Medium Arsenal Double Shotgun count reduced: 2 -> 1
Medium Arsenal Shotgun Ammo count reduced: 16 -> 8
Player and enemy diver locations and health now display on combat screen.
9 new enemy submarines implemented.
Submarine Weapons
New weapon: Depth Charge Mk.1, Depth Charge Mk.2, Explosive Harpoon Mk.1, Explosive Harpoon Mk.2.
Certain weapons can now deal crew damage. Watch that friendly fire!
New leviathan weapon: Ink Blob, Tentacle, Barnacle
Submarine weapons that deal no water or system damage no longer disable lights in the targeted room.
New explosion effect for weapons that deal crew damage
Enemies
New alien enemy: Jumbo Crab
New alien enemy: Tentacle
New alien enemy: Stalker (Angler variant)
New alien enemy: Sanctum Crab (Yeti Crab variant)
Angler health increased: 150 -> 170
Enemy hearing mechanic implemented - Certain enemies will now react to sounds.
Yeti Crab renamed to Burrow Crab
Burrow Crab health reduced: 60 -> 35
Burrow Crab damage reduced: 10 -> 8
Burrow Crab death animation updated
Enemy submarine divers AI updated
Alien spawning improved. Difficult enemies won't appear early, and will appear more frequently the further players progress
Can no longer strike dead enemies
Enemy divers now drop items
Leviathans
New leviathan added: Kraken
New Kraken combat sound track added
Biomes
Biomes implemented
New Biomes: Geothermic Vent Field, Seismic Rift, Nesting Grounds
Items
Harpoon Gun implemented
Harpoon (ammo) implemented
Harpoon added to Industrial_Small spawning pool
Harpoon Gun added to Industrial_Large spawning pool
Districts
New district: Frontier
Abandoned, Quarantined, and Mining District descriptions updated
Abandoned District and Quarantined District now contain Leviathan encounters
Outposts
Mine Outposts now spawn lower than other outposts, with a longer ladder down
Max outpost size slightly decreased
Locked Room quests can now spawn in factories
Optimization
Game size reduced by nearly half: 10.2 GB -> 5.16 GB
Should see improved loading times, performance, and reduction in crashes
AI network positioning optimized
Settings/UI
Brightness slider added to menu
A notification now displays when there are insufficient credits to hire players back
Added a fade when restarting a match
Hitting back on settings menu now properly brings you to the previous screen, instead of always bringing you to the main screen
No longer displays confirmation warning when exiting tutorial
Region code for USA East updated: "US" -> "USE"
Soviet Colour Theme slightly changed
Bug Fixes
Fixed issue where some players saw the Breaker arcade game/hacking minigame broken
Fixed half-man half-rat abomination spawning when dying in a pneumatic launcher
Switching items while blocking will no longer cause players to block when equipping a new item
Can no longer retrieve a heavy item from a storage container while already holding another heavy item
Dead enemy's positions are no longer updated over the network
Fixed issue where leaks generated on walls would visually remove nearby water
Sticker cabinet now displays selected sticker
Inventory no longer displays in mouse mode when getting killed using a terminal
Fixed issue where players would be disconnected from terminals after another player died
Dying in a manned torpedo while returning to the submarine no longer gives the player massive arms
Fixed collider issue in Medbay room
Fixed floating decor in Medbay room
Decor in research rooms updated
Empty save files now include "(Empty)" on start
Buttons no longer highlight/play a hover sound when game is minimized/not in focus
Match now closes faster for clients when the host quits
Fixed bug where large player submarines weren't properly being sent over the network
Fixed collider issues in PublicBathroom_00(2x4)
Fixed issue with sending player submarine data to hot-joining players
Fixed issue with water in outposts not always displaying for clients
Fixed issue where bomb in Bomb Quest Room would sometimes not deal damage to nearby players
Fixed issue with items dropped on catwalks hovering
Game now properly tracks when clients eat tubeworms
Players no longer hold phantom items for other players after dying
Hacking minigame for Locked Rooms now locks out clients after reaching 0
Fixed player storage issue not updating for clients in store
Fixed LOD item appearing in automatic pump room
Fixed issue with graphics setting not auto applying on start
Resetting Submarine in shop after using the crew hire lever now properly accounts for the crew hire fee
Fixed issue with many outpost room colliders/lighting breaking
Fixed issue where run stats weren't properly saved/loaded between runs
Fixed store player warning not fitting on screen properly for Russian language
Fixed issue with mouse scream not playing properly for clients
Fixed issue where explosives (fuel barrel, naval mine) wouldn't damage players after exploding when shot at
Reloading a save file will now load the correct seed for the district
Fixed broken searchable briefcases
Fixed lighting issues on lower graphics settings when docking with final outpost
Fixed store warning display issue
Fixed issue with submarine storage not updating in store after submarine reset
Fixed issue with many outpost room colliders/lighting breaking
Fixed collider issue in room Machinery(4x6)
Fixed collider issues in room FactoryHall_00(3x3)
Fixed issue where search animation could keep playing after dying
Mice no longer make footstep noises for other clients
Fixed colliders metal bars in the rooms: ResearchCell_00(2x3), ResearchCell_01(2x3), ResearchCell_02(2x3), PenalHall_00(5x4), PenalHall_01(5x4)
Fixed issue where key rebinding overlay would remain on the screen when trying to bind an action to the escape key
Final Laboratory light no longer makes player submarine water green
Final Laboratory light no longer clips through bottom of submarine
Wall behind ladder in OutpostEntrance_Factory(3x3) no longer generates wall decor (will no longer clip with neon sign)
Fixed weird item spawn in LockedRoom_00(3x4)
Fixed issue with Soviet Residential outposts not generating properly
Mice can no longer get stuck in metal bars in room HoldingCells(3x5)
Players can no longer clip through metal bars in room HoldingCells(3x5)
Fixed settings menu not displaying correct screen mode setting
Fixed issue where medium difficulty wasn't generating a longer hacking path (bomb hacking, locked storage door hacking)
Fixed item highlight effect now covering full item for storage/vending machine display
Player's can no longer cast a shadow on themselves with a lantern
Bomb rooms and locked rooms can no longer spawn together
Fixed player corpse hitbox. Helmet should clip through objects less often
Fixed issue with tutorial indicator not displaying Ammo Indicator and Torpedo Hatch correctly
Water no longer generates at the bottom of the ladder after beating game
Can no longer boost pressure in engine room of enemy submarines
FPS cap in settings no longer displays "MISSING" on first play
Neon exit signs should no longer clip with environment
Store warning message now displays correctly in all languages
Fixed issue where unfilled item stacks wouldn't update properly when picking up an item when player's inventory was full
Mice no longer make footstep sounds
Submarine inventory display now gets updated when submarine is reset
Fixed issue where sonar map quest marker wouldn't display sometimes
Can now shoot down the hatch into outposts
Stampers arcade score now displays values >= 1000 properly
Fixed long microphone names not displaying correctly in settings menu
Fixed issue where heavy item inventory locks would stop displaying after encountering an enemy submarine
Diver icons now properly display players who board enemy submarines
Bottom airlock rotation is no longer determined by the rotation of the piloting room, instead having a fixed rotation (should no longer clip into walls)
Docking at final laboratory no longer triggers players to respawn
Rooms with alarms in them that spawn in outposts (Lighting Room) now have a muffled effect
Fixed issue where damaged Lighting Room in outposts could display incorrect emergency light colour
Fixed locked room doors closing after moving too far away from them
Enemy divers now properly drop new items in diver item pool
Fixed issue with blood not despawning in store
Can no longer charge retreat bar in boss fight
Fixed issue of missing collider on store crew door after exiting and reentering store
Fixed issue with enemy submarine not generating on the GovernmentCheckpoint_00 event
Fixed issue where Locked Storage Room Quest doors would close if a player moved too far away from them
Fixed urchin heard bug when picking up items next to urchins
Fixed issues with crew damage weapons damaging leviathans
Fixed issue with divers not dying properly
Blood effects no longer persist through stores
Colliders fixed in ShaftT_00(3x3) and ShaftBend_00(3x3)
Fixed issue where enemies hitpoints were capped at 100. Some enemy hitpoints have been reduced as a result.
Fixed urchin spawning bug
Fixed weird enemy spawn location issues
Fixed blurry harpoon gun/ammo sprites
Fixed fuel container collider in Stirling Engine
Fixed issue where items could be picked up through certain colliders
Pump Shotguns sold in vending machines now contain full ammo
Grapple Harpoon Mk.1 should now appear in shops
Fixed issue where players could hear mice speak
Fixed AI pathfinding collision issues in VentilationRoom(3x2) and VentilationRoom(3x4)
Fixed issue with players teleporting to Pneumatic Launcher after dying inside of one and then docking at a store
INVASION builds on much of the framework we rolled out as part of the Community Updates we deployed earlier this year, and will continue to be expanded upon in future updates. If you haven't played since that launch, there is even more to explore than what this update offers, including new room tiles, player customization, bug fixes, and more.
As part of the update, Darkwater will be 20% off until August 19 @ 10AM PT, so assemble your crew and dive together.
Consider reporting any bugs encountered, joining the discussion on Discord, and leaving a review if you are enjoying the update.
- Playstack & Targon Studios