OUTBRK News

[p]Hello, Chasers! This month we’re sharing what our programmers are working on, our important presence at the National Storm Chaser Summit, the progress on the new tornadoes, and the progress on the TIV2 modeling.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Vivox, our text and voice chat system, has faced several stability issues and limitations since launch. This month, we are dedicating time to addressing every problem documented by our testers and reported by the community in order to provide a solid, reliable foundation for all social features.[/p][p]One of the most common issues players have encountered is the “Social features disabled” message that appears when the Vivox service experiences a connection problem.[/p][p][/p][p]This development stint will take care of this along with a wide range of stability improvements, including fixes for car radio communication, social settings in menus, and player muting functionality.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]OUTBRK is heading to Denver, Colorado![/p][p]Join us at the National Storm Chaser Summit, taking place February 5-7, 2026.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Marc and members of the OUTBRK team will be there in person to meet the community and, together with storm chaser Edgar O’Neal, will host an official OUTBRK tournament with awesome prizes up for grabs![/p][p]
[/p][p]The tournament is free for all summit attendees, so grab your ticket and come experience OUTBRK alongside some of the best storm chasers and severe weather enthusiasts in the world. Secure your ticket at [/p][p]chasersummit.org[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]
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[/p][p]On the Catalyst side, the new tornado system has seen great progress. Most of its volumetric foundation is now complete. Tornadoes will no longer just be cloud-filled volumes, but true columns of rotating wind. The next steps are to bring their rendering up to the same fidelity as our cloud systems, replacing the current development preview you see in the screenshot. Once that’s complete, we’ll move on to validating the rotational behavior. After that, the focus will shift to implementing the multi-vortex structure, which has been accounted for in the system’s core architecture since the beginning of this rework.[/p][p][/p][p]
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[/p][p]The TIV2 is one of the most anticipated vehicles in the OUTBRK community, and we’re giving it the attention it deserves. Our team is working closely with the TIV2 crew and our modeler to capture every detail with precision. The interior modeling is currently underway, and the results are already looking incredible.[/p][p]Here’s a first look at some work-in-progress shots:[/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]That's all for this development update ! Thanks for all your support, consider leaving a review on the steam store to reach more potential future chasers ! [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p]Till next time,[/p][p]-The OUTBRK Team[/p][p]
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• [p]Fixed an issue where the blur effect was missing on AMD GPUs, introduced with the WindShield VFX update.[/p]

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• [p]Updated to the latest 2021 Unity Engine version to patch critical security vulnerability on previous Unity versions. [/p]

[p][/p][p]Please reference the official statement below by Unity for more information on this incident[/p][p]Unity Security Vulnerability: Developer Remediation Guide[/p][p][/p]

[p]Hello, Chasers! This month we’re sharing exciting progress on bug fixes, vegetation updates, rain effects on vehicle windows, our upgraded weather model, and more. Also, OUTBRK is 20% off during the Steam Autumn Sale, making it the perfect time to join the chase or bring a friend along![/p][p]
[/p][p]We’re kicking things off with great news: OUTBRK is 20% off during the Steam Autumn Sale! A perfect chance to grab the game or get a friend chasing storms with you.[/p][p]On the development side, we’ve been tackling technical improvements and bug fixes. One major fix is with daily contracts. Previously, if you skipped a few days, you only had one new contract waiting. Now, if you miss three days, you’ll find three contracts ready when you return.[/p][p]We’re also working hard on connection and stability issues with our in-game text and voice chat. Expect these improvements in an upcoming update.[/p][p]

[/p][p]The world of OUTBRK keeps evolving. A lot of progress has been made on vegetation across the map, and we’re excited to share some fresh previews here:[/p][p][/p][p]

[/p][p]We rebuilt the entire rain-on-glass system from the ground up. The goal: turn core-punching (driving through the precipitation core of a storm) from a visual effect into a genuine gameplay constraint.

What’s new:[/p]

• [p]Fully remade VFX pipeline: New material setup and simulation logic. Visibility now degrades under realistic conditions; wipers are no longer cosmetic.[/p]
• [p]Wind-aware occlusion: Window obstruction scales with ambient wind, vehicle speed, and vehicle yaw vs. wind direction, matching real-world behavior.[/p]
• [p]New 3D audio details have been added.[/p]

[p]The feature is now complete and headed into its second round of QA testing.[/p][p][/p][p]

[/p][p]We closed the loop on our higher-resolution model workflow: from generating new runs to converting fields into a game-readable format.

As expected, cloud structures now resolve far more detail, especially in the lower parts of storms: what used to be a flat base now shows horseshoe shapes with RFD wrapping, clear slots, inflow bands, and wall clouds. This also improves perceived motion in the clouds.

We’re finishing the last touch-ups to enable fast model runs with real-time output previewing so we can adjust simulations more quickly. We’re also working on adding new products for the map’s advanced section, as well as soundings.

Once this is ready, we’ll share more details on how we’ll deploy this new generation of scenarios. This tech also unlocks OUTBRK Forecaster: model runs of imminent real-world weather events that we generate ahead of time and surface in-game before they occur, making it essentially the prototype of a new way to check live weather models.[/p][p] [/p][p]Captured in editor, not final lighting.[/p][p]

[/p][p]We’ve been designing an improved party system that makes it easier to chase together. Players will soon be able to:[/p]

• [p]Stay grouped between games[/p]
• [p]Customize social settings for the exact level of interaction they want[/p]

[p]For example, if a party enables restricted interactions (party only), members will only see their party’s player icons and storm reports on the map, read their party’s text chat, and hear voice chat from their own group.[/p][p]In this mockup you’ll notice enhanced player cards featuring titles and levels. These are purely exploratory visuals, we’re not actively designing how they work yet, just planning ahead and exploring possibilities.[/p][p]
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[/p][p]OUTBRK has officially joined GeForce NOW. Players without high-end PCs can now subscribe to the service and stream OUTBRK on powerful cloud hardware.[/p][p]
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[/p][p]That's all for this development update ! Thanks for all your support, consider leaving a review on the steam store to reach more potential future chasers ! [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p]Till next time,[/p][p]-The OUTBRK Team[/p][p]

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