Survivalist: Invisible Strain News

[p]Hey everyone it's patch day! This patch is mainly about trying to address the biggest problem I've heard about since the game launched - that it doesn't teach you enough about how to play, especially in Story Mode. Since launch I've watched a number of playthrough videos and read comments and I made a little list of things that went wrong or caused confusion, and this patch I've been going through the list and fixing all the things, and adding a bit more explanation of stuff people didn't know how to do. I was doing some of that in the previous patches too but this patch I've taken it a bit further and broken my rule about not adding new text to the game, and have added a number of new lines. (Normally I try to avoid that now because of the need for them to be translated, but I decided to make an exception).[/p][p][/p][p]The other thing I've done in this patch is taken the opportunity to try to better handle some situations I've seen where people make more rare, unexpected choices in Story Mode, like attacking or killing Carter Moreno, or not telling him about the infected meat in the cabin. I haven't added a huge amount here, but whereas previously the story just used to kind of trail off in those situations it will now react in some small ways, sometimes after a long period of time.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I think I'm about done with Story Mode and tutorials after this patch though, so don't expect any more changes of this kind (I reached the end of my list). It's always possible I'll see something in another Let's Play video and think "Oh that really needs fixing" but hopefully not. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I'm not intending to keep adding more features to this game now it's out of early access, I want to move to another project which may be a sequel or may be something else. More info is in the FAQ here.[/p][p][/p][p]Here's the full change list:[/p]

• [p]When first teaching the player to equip a weapon, aim and fire, show big button prompts for these so it's more visible[/p]
• [p]After selecting a quest on the Quests page you can click again to view it on the map (if it has a map marker)[/p]
• [p]Added hint messages to open the map screen, stay downwind when hunting, and that setting roles to Urgent worsens morale[/p]
• [p]Added some more tutorial quests to Story Mode explaining how to assign roles and build your base a bit more[/p]
• [p]Added an optional mini tutorial quest to Story Mode to surrender to FEMA if you chose to fight Carter at the beginning[/p]
• [p]Some more small tweaks to the start of Story Mode[/p]
• [p]A little extra dialog for some off-the-main-path choices Story Mode, such as if you kill Carter[/p]
• [p]Hired mercs stop fighting you if you surrender to the community that hired them[/p]
• [p]Made it possible to specify that you don't want particular types of liquid containers to be shared with other communities, e.g. don't give away large catering buckets[/p]
• [p]Added the ability for modders to specify multiple extra equipment outputs for recipes, since the mod that did that, SIS Extended: Crafting Framework is incompatible with latest code and can't be fixed without breaking other mods[/p]
• [p]When editing mods that don't have BaseStory as a dependency, just show the treeline in the menu backgrounds instead of semi-naked characters in weird poses[/p]
• [p]If people press the dodge button while speaking to someone, don't dodge (fix for people pressing A on gamepad to try to skip conversation and cancelling it instead)[/p]
• [p]Fix for not getting a dodge button prompt when armed with a ranged weapon or fists and facing an attacker[/p]
• [p]Fix for message saying you need to remove cooked food when you try to grill meat on a fire with an empty pot on it[/p]
• [p]Fix for script editor screen moving when you press up or down or + or - when editing speech text[/p]
• [p]Fix for corpses sometimes flying a long way when exiting buildings[/p]
• [p]Fix for a number sometimes shown on a new recipe notification in place of the recipe name[/p]
• [p]Fix for action menu sometimes showing on wrong side of screen when using gamepad and inventory is open[/p]
• [p]Fix for people interrupting each other during feuds, to start their own feuds[/p]
• [p]Fix for situation where it becomes impossible to talk to Kelly just after passing the Highway Patrol camp that has been overrun[/p]
• [p]Fix for terrain generation sometimes creating sharp bends where roads or rivers join, which tends to cause glitches[/p]
• [p]Fix for reload sounds continuing to play when you get grabbed by a zombie in the middle of reloading[/p]
• [p]Fix for character full body icon sometimes showing incorrect clothes if you change them fast while other icons are generating too[/p]
• [p]Fix for building name sometimes not displaying correctly on Storage Policy dialog[/p]
• [p]Fix for Lost Item quest not failing if you eat the item[/p]
• [p]Fix for crops sometimes being rendered lying on their sides[/p]
• [p]Fix for SIS Fuel Overhaul often crashing when starting a new game[/p]
• [p]Fixed some drinking game jank[/p]
• [p]Fix for situation where Kelly had a positive opinion of Carter for threatening you, even though Carter was really threatening her too, due to her having a low opinion of the player[/p]
• [p]Stop Kelly from leaving your community generally even if she has a low opinion of you, as it's often confusing for new players and doesn't fit with the story (she can still be kicked out though)[/p]
• [p]Removed decimal points from Fahrenheit display on thermometer[/p]
• [p]Possible fix for double outlines appearing around rabbits and deer[/p]
• [p]Updated Brazilian Portuguese, Indonesian and Japanese translations[/p]

[p][/p][p]EDIT - Uploaded a hotfix to fix a crash when using the Policy dialog for liquids that aren't edible or drinkable, v258.[/p][p][/p][p]The previous patch, v256, has gone to the main branch and XBox.[/p][p][/p][h3]What's this publicbeta thing?[/h3][p]v258 will be in the "publicbeta" branch on Steam for a while, before pushing it to the main game and to XBox. If you want to try the latest features as they come out (and help test them!) it's a good idea to start using this branch. But keep in mind:[/p]

• [p] Because it's the bleeding edge it could be less stable [/p]
• [p] If you want to be able to play online co-op with someone you'll need to be on the same version as them [/p]
• [p] If you go back from the "publicbeta" branch to the main branch you may not be able to load savegames created on "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]To use publicbeta, just right-click on Survivalist: Invisible Strain in your Steam library and go to Properties, then Betas and in the drop-down select "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]Yo, it's patch day! Mostly bug and exploit fixes again but one small new feature - you can use the Set Policy dialog for ranged weapons as well as their ammo. So if you want people to automatically collect bows or pistols from corpses, you can do that now :) I always kind of didn't want to do that because I was worried about having too many menu options, making the UI look cluttered and confusing for new players. But I found it was something people asked for a lot, and it's not a huge change, so I figured maybe I was just overthinking that a bit too much.[/p][p][/p][p]Also I've slowed down the rate at which crops die from frost. I think I actually should have done that a long time ago but I only recently realized quite how fast they do die. It was ramping up very quickly with each extra degree below zero. I don't think I originally intended that one night of mild frost would be enough to kill them but that was very often what happened. Hopefully AI communities will be more likely to survive winter with this tweak, and it's a bit more forgiving for players. I also made a frost "healthbar" visible when you highlight crops so you can see what's going on.[/p][p][/p][p]Here's the full change list:[/p]

• [p]Enabled Set Policy dialog for ranged weapons as well as their ammo[/p]
• [p]Under-construction buildings only become impassable when at least one resource item has been spent on building them, so it's less exploitable (e.g. to build walls of under-construction barns)[/p]
• [p]Made crops die of frost more slowly and people get warmer faster when near to fires. Show frost bar when highlighting crops, if they have been affected.[/p]
• [p]If a building has enemies inside it you can't scavenge items from it[/p]
• [p]Some small tweaks to when a few people's and communities' names are discovered in Story Mode[/p]
• [p]Campfires created by NPCs disappear after not being used for a week, so the map doesn't fill up with them[/p]
• [p]Added a checkbox in the debug menu F8/Graphics Debug/Show HUD to disable the minimap and healthbar HUD (e.g. for taking screenshots). Does nothing if sidebar layout is enabled.[/p]
• [p]Added adjustable deadzone for triggers on gamepads[/p]
• [p]Fix for AI building graves on top of farm zones with no current crops[/p]
• [p]Fix for AI treating areas as enclosed if they have under-construction fences around them[/p]
• [p]Fix for bunny and deer animation freezing if you target them in the PiP when they run away from you[/p]
• [p]Fix for Charlie Gant staying rooted to his spot in the prison if you kill all the Survivalists and he surrenders to you and joins you[/p]
• [p]Fix for infected icon not being shown on foods in action menu when feeding someone unconscious[/p]
• [p]Fix for NPCs attacking you if you carry a friend to them and they say 'Hey, drop him/her right now!' and you drop them while they are saying that[/p]
• [p]Fix for NPCs attacking you if they bump into your vehicle when it's moving too slowly to actually cause them damage[/p]
• [p]Fix for roads and rivers sometimes looping over themselves in terrain generation[/p]
• [p]Fix for people sometimes being able to pick up bodies through walls[/p]
• [p]Fix for exploit where you can hide from enemies in roads leading out of play area in Story Mode, by driving vehicles over the rocks into them[/p]
• [p]Fix for being able to break some Story Mode quests by molotoving the stranger at the start[/p]
• [p]Fix for exploit where you can encumber NPCs by giving them items for free[/p]
• [p]Fix for error message telling you you can't sell a backpack to an NPC because you'll be encumbered even if in the same trade you were selling them the heavy items that encumbered you[/p]
• [p]Fix for AI settlements sometimes having crops on roads[/p]
• [p]Possible mod crash fix[/p]
• [p]Updated Brazilian Portuguese, German, Japanese and Lithuanian translations[/p]

[p]I've also promoted v254 to the main branch and XBox.[/p][p][/p][h3]What's this publicbeta thing?[/h3][p]v256 will be in the "publicbeta" branch on Steam for a while, before pushing it to the main game and to XBox. If you want to try the latest features as they come out (and help test them!) it's a good idea to start using this branch. But keep in mind:[/p]

• [p] Because it's the bleeding edge it could be less stable [/p]
• [p] If you want to be able to play online co-op with someone you'll need to be on the same version as them [/p]
• [p] If you go back from the "publicbeta" branch to the main branch you may not be able to load savegames created on "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]To use publicbeta, just right-click on Survivalist: Invisible Strain in your Steam library and go to Properties, then Betas and in the drop-down select "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]Hello, it's patch day! I've added a message to game if you don't see any mods, explaining that you need to allow "Nudity" in your Store Preferences, due to Valve's recent policy change:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]For the rest, it's mostly just bug fixes. Here's the full list:[/p]

• [p]Added a message explaining what people need to do to see mods if their Steam Store Preferences don't allow it[/p]
• [p]Small tweaks to exactly when Quest, Map and Log screen become available in Story Mode[/p]
• [p]Fix for allies declaring war on you if you execute someone in their community after accusing them of having invisible strain via melee fight to the death[/p]
• [p]Fix for melee fight to execute someone with invisible strain not ending if you knock them unconscious and walk away[/p]
• [p]Fixes for some incorrect memories being triggered if you execute someone with invisible strain[/p]
• [p]Fix for not being able to parry if you use a gun to execute someone with invisible strain and they turn and immediately bite you[/p]
• [p]Fix for people saying I'm getting something (without specifying what) when getting urine from an outhouse[/p]
• [p]Fix for Turf War quest being completable by burning down any living quarters, not just those from the specified community[/p]
• [p]Fix for situation where a member of an extortion squad got separated and frozen due to going back home to cook stuff[/p]
• [p]Fix for situation where someone got stuck trying to have a conversation and a snowball fight at the same time[/p]
• [p]Fix for situation where Let's hang out here for a bit? dialog line appears twice in options[/p]
• [p]Fix for your character saying I need some supplies to build this, when trying to build a snowman, but not saying what supplies are needed[/p]
• [p]Fix for crash in Flamethrower mod[/p]
• [p]Fix for crafters set to use multiple nitraries or kilns sometimes getting into a loop pausing and resuming their role[/p]
• [p]Possible fix for Christopher Scott not having a toolbox when the quest tells you he will, perhaps because another of his community members borrowed it[/p]
• [p]Updated Brazilian Portuguese, Indonesian, Lithuanian and Russian translations[/p]

[p][/p][p]The previous patch, v253, is now on the main branch and XBox :)[/p][p][/p][h3]What's this publicbeta thing?[/h3][p]v254 will be in the "publicbeta" branch on Steam for a while, before pushing it to the main game and to XBox. If you want to try the latest features as they come out (and help test them!) it's a good idea to start using this branch. But keep in mind:[/p]

• [p] Because it's the bleeding edge it could be less stable [/p]
• [p] If you want to be able to play online co-op with someone you'll need to be on the same version as them [/p]
• [p] If you go back from the "publicbeta" branch to the main branch you may not be able to load savegames created on "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]To use publicbeta, just right-click on Survivalist: Invisible Strain in your Steam library and go to Properties, then Betas and in the drop-down select "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]Hello, it's patch day! The completed Brazilian Portuguese translation is now live on the main branch! Thanks once again to Arthur Nunes for that translation! ːJoeWheelerApprovesː[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That was v252, which was in publicbeta for the last week. I've released a new patch with some more fixes in publicbeta (v253):[/p]

• [p]When driving a vehicle show the name of the fuel (gasoline or vegetable oil) on the fuel bar (instead of always showing 'gas')[/p]
• [p]Fix for Liam Franks getting stuck at critical moment[/p]
• [p]Fix for not being able to infect Carbon Arrows[/p]
• [p]Fix for rare crash when getting a body out of a building[/p]
• [p]Fix for lighting on props from asset bundles in mods being inconsistent with props from the base game using the same material settings (a little darker)[/p]
• [p]Fix for steel lockbox not having build animation[/p]
• [p]Fix for not being able to change sort order and type with gamepad on Storage Policy dialog[/p]
• [p]Fix for Kelly saying a speech introducing you to Highway Patrol after you've already gone past them (e.g. if she was knocked out and carried past them)[/p]
• [p]Fix for camera sometimes moving in Command Mode when a notification is up when you're using a gamepad but have a mouse connected[/p]
• [p]Fix for mouse-look sensitivity varying based on framerate or monitor refresh rate[/p]
• [p]Fix for Persian characters being shown in isolated instead of contextual form[/p]
• [p]Possible crash fixes[/p]
• [p]Updated Brazilian Portuguese, Indonesian, Japanese and Russian translations[/p]

[p][/p][p]Also for anyone who uses mods please note: it looks like Steam has changed some policy or code recently which means you can't see any of the mods for this game unless you have allowed "Some Nudity or Sexual Content" for Community items in your Store Preferences. To change this, click on your profile name in the top right corner of Steam, go to Store Preferences and tick the box in the Community column for the Some Nudity or Sexual Content.[/p][p]I'm not sure if this was a deliberate change by Valve - I've sent them a support request but haven't heard back so far. It has a certain logic because I marked the game itself as having "Some Nudity or Sexual Content" due to occasional innuendo or references to sex in the dialog. The problem is none of these mods actually add anything sexual (at least as far as I'm aware - and there's a system for mod authors to specify content descriptors for their mod if they do). So it's kind of weird and confusing not to see them when you can see the game. I looked to see if this was happening to other games and noticed the same thing seems to be happening to FrostPunk 2. Anyway, I'm looking into it - and you can use the above workaround for now.[/p][p][/p][h3]What's this publicbeta thing?[/h3][p]v253 will be in the "publicbeta" branch on Steam for a while, before pushing it to the main game and to XBox. If you want to try the latest features as they come out (and help test them!) it's a good idea to start using this branch. But keep in mind:[/p]

• [p] Because it's the bleeding edge it could be less stable [/p]
• [p] If you want to be able to play online co-op with someone you'll need to be on the same version as them [/p]
• [p] If you go back from the "publicbeta" branch to the main branch you may not be able to load savegames created on "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]To use publicbeta, just right-click on Survivalist: Invisible Strain in your Steam library and go to Properties, then Betas and in the drop-down select "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]Hello, it's patch time! Mostly bug fixes again but the big news is the Brazilian Portuguese translation has now been marked as Complete! Many thanks to Arthur 'Loki' Nunes (who also did the one for Survivalist) for finishing that and working very hard fine tuning all the formulas for gender agreements in inserted text, and suchlike.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Here's the full change list:[/p]

• [p]Marked Brazilian Portuguese translation as Complete![/p]
• [p]Allow player to use the dialog options to assassinate or kick someone they accuse of having invisible strain if they are a member of an allied community as well as their own[/p]
• [p]Slightly reduced how much alcohol Ava has to drink to reveal information[/p]
• [p]Fix for allies having a memory that one of them who had invisible strain secretly killed someone in your community[/p]
• [p]Fix for being able to recruit FEMA helicopter team in Sandbox Mode (but you can still do it if you defeat them and destroy the chopper)[/p]
• [p]Fix for neutral characters having a memory of you annoying them if you threw something at them from stealth[/p]
• [p]Fix for characters having a higher priority for watching NPC snowball fights than satisfying needs such as getting water when their thirst is critical[/p]
• [p]Fix for stew crafters who were set to have a Carry Amount for water getting into a loop collecting water and depositing it[/p]
• [p]Fix for equipment sometimes getting deleted from a character's inventory if they leave then rejoin the player's community[/p]
• [p]Fix for love triangle gossip-spreading dialog options being available when the people referred to have died[/p]
• [p]Fix for cooks with other crafting roles sometimes de-prioritizing them incorrectly[/p]
• [p]Fix for unconscious people with Invisible Strain remaining knocked out if you kill them and they turn[/p]
• [p]Fix for situation where builder got stuck in a loop vaulting a fence which was adjacent to the building they were working on[/p]
• [p]Fix for character with policies for carrying stew and auto-depositing sealed containers getting into a loop taking and removing sealed containers from a chest[/p]
• [p]Fix for NPC community with all members recruited or otherwise left (not killed) being renamed something arbitrary like Bob's Command[/p]
• [p]Fix for medics reverting to lower priority roles after bandaging someone even if there are more wounds that need bandaging[/p]
• [p]Fix for rare crash in menus[/p]
• [p]Updated Brazilian Portuguese, Czech and Indonesian translations[/p]
• [p]Support for Brazilian Portuguese translation[/p]

[p][/p][p]The previous patch, v251, has already been on the main branch for a while and I've now applied it on XBox as well.[/p][p][/p][h3]What's this publicbeta thing?[/h3][p]v252 will be in the "publicbeta" branch on Steam for a while, before pushing it to the main game and to XBox. If you want to try the latest features as they come out (and help test them!) it's a good idea to start using this branch. But keep in mind:[/p]

• [p] Because it's the bleeding edge it could be less stable [/p]
• [p] If you want to be able to play online co-op with someone you'll need to be on the same version as them [/p]
• [p] If you go back from the "publicbeta" branch to the main branch you may not be able to load savegames created on "publicbeta".[/p]

[p]To use publicbeta, just right-click on Survivalist: Invisible Strain in your Steam library and go to Properties, then Betas and in the drop-down select "publicbeta".[/p]