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Fractured Veil News

Hotfix #1

Aloha Thrivers!

As previously announced, today we are publishing a quick hotfix to turn on some features and make some last-minute adjustments to the game before we open our doors to everyone on Steam.

Note:
- The servers have been wiped with the update. Another wipe will happen right before the game’s launch.


[h2]Major Changes[/h2]
  • Added Message of The Day to the Main Menu
  • Turned on our Official Servers in the US (West / East), EU and AU.



[h3]Other Changes and Fixes:[/h3]
  • Added some more Player Validation checks on Log-in.
  • Made adjustments to spawn logic for AI in Lahaina.
  • Fixed an issue with Dungeon Travel crashing/force closing the client.
  • Fixed an issue with Dungeons having fewer enemies than intended.
  • Fixed an issue with the AI of Stalkers not working properly.
  • Fixed some material issues with female clothing.
  • Fixed attachment issues with the M1A.


[h3]New issues:[/h3]
  • We identified an issue causing the rain and storm SFX not to play. It is being worked on and will be addressed in future updates.
  • Some items on the ground might be hard to pick up. We are working on this. As a workaround, switch in 1st person by pressing “B” and crouch or go prone to get closer to the item.
  • Sometimes, the camera will be stuck in “Free Cam” mode when doing an alt-tab out of the game. Please switch back to 1st person if this happens.


The issues above have been added to the known issues of our previous update. Please consider reading those before playing the game for the first time.

READ THE FULL PATCH NOTES AND KNOWN ISSUES HERE

Know Before You Buy

Aloha!

This document aims to offer more insights into the current state of Fractured Veil for those considering its Early Access purchase. We promised transparency and this is our way of showing our commitment to it.

Being in the Early Access phase, Fractured Veil is a game that is still undergoing significant development, therefore we have several tasks ahead of us before achieving a complete release. After careful consideration, we decided to welcome new players following the completion of our Unreal Engine 5 upgrade, enhancements in performance, and the attainment of a stage where the product is enjoyable.

Community feedback is at the core of the development process, and that’s why having an active player base sending suggestions and bug reports while playing the game is crucial during the Early Access phase.

We are aware that the broader Steam Community will play our game differently compared to the way our Kickstarter Backers did, resulting in very different feedback and data than before, with some new features getting reprioritized over others. More importantly, the influx of new players will make servers thrive, giving us a better idea of how the community engages with the game world when there is a lot going on.

[h2]What is included in the first release of Fractured Veil?[/h2]
As reported in our Steam Early Access notes:
  • In-depth base building and tiered crafting system
  • Land Claiming System (Totems) and PvE-Only Zones.
  • Mutant siege system with base destruction
  • Dungeons ranging from narrow to open spaces
  • Harvesting, Hunting, Scavenging to eat, drink and survive
  • Day/Night Cycle with Dynamic Weather
  • Hawaiian Weapons, Tools, Clothing, Armor and Items
  • RPG-inspired Player Progression with Talents, Abilities and Skills
  • Open world featuring 64 square kilometer map based on the topography of Maui
  • Complex yet intuitive Character Customization worthy of any role-player
  • Basic implementation of Fishing.
  • Our 24/7 Live-Streaming AI Drone.


[h2]So, what are the biggest pain points according to the devs and the testers?[/h2]

    [h3]Audio / Music[/h3]
  • While we did an entire audio system long ago, this unfortunately broke during the engine upgrade. Environments will feel quieter than we want.
  • We have recently hired a dedicated Sound Designer who will do significant work to improve on this.
    [h3]Animations[/h3]
  • There is a lot to be done on the animation front. We will work on improving the current animations, however animating new assets like weapons, armor and items will have priority.
    [h3]Performance[/h3]
  • We did a big series of performance improvements since we upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.1, making the game run on a wide range of recent graphic cards, targeting a GTX 1070 as the absolute minimum specs for 1080p Low @ 30fps.
  • We still have some stutters in some areas, especially when loading new zones, these will be improved over time.
  • The game will soon be upgraded to Unreal Engine 5.3, which has a series of features that should help us significantly improve the current performance of the game.
    [h3] Lack of Base Defenses[/h3]
  • While we do have some spike/metal barricades that can make it harder for raiders to loot your base, we don’t really have systems to defend it while offline. We will partner with our community to find some solutions to base defenses and we’ll share more when the time comes. Until then, the best place to build a long-term base would be a PvE Area.
  • Expect a dedicated update about this in the future where we talk about our plans for base defense systems.
    [h3]Dungeons[/h3]
  • Our current iteration of Dungeons is more of a demo of what has to come, we have tons planned for them and still much to do. Some are playable from start to finish (Like Sewers and Caves) and others are just partially implemented (Mines).
  • Currently, Dungeons are shared worlds. Later we will work on instanced Dungeons.
    [h3]Lack of Social Features[/h3]
  • We unfortunately underdelivered on this aspect. At the beginning of Early Access we won’t have any Steam Friend List implementation and it won’t be possible to queue together.
  • If you and your friends are on the same Veil (server), you may invite each other to an in-game party, play together, give them permission to your base and Totem, and quest together.
  • To play together with your friends, make sure to select the same region and server in the main menu. If you are currently playing on a server different from your friends, you may change the server from the Veil Travel Station inside the Thorcon. More information is in the FAQs on our Discord.
    [h3]Lack of Story Quests[/h3]
  • While we have a lot of lore written for the game and are currently working on implementing docs and collectables, we don’t have a full story questline yet.
  • We will implement different quest types along the way, but most of those are planned for the final release of the game. As development continues, you will hear more about this.
  • If you want to read more about the game lore, visit our website.
    [h3] Kickstarter Rewards and DLC Skins[/h3]
  • We are still working on this. When we implement skins, it will be via Steam DLCs. We are not planning on having paid skins, but we will have some exclusive cosmetics as rewards.
  • Some Kickstarter Benefits like the Shrine of Missing and Pet Pictures are already in-game.
    [h3] PvP Balance[/h3]
  • PvP did not play a major factor in the game development before Early Access. We know it’s a big aspect of the game that many are excited about, so it is fair to say that changes will happen.
  • We will likely work with the most dedicated community members to make sure we get proper feedback on everything PvP including Balancing, raiding, hit registration, and so on.
    [h3]Frequency of Updates[/h3]
  • We know many would love us to do even more updates. Paddle Creek Games is a very small team, with a very limited amount of resources.
  • We hope to continue increasing the size of our team as the game grows, delivering bigger and better updates over time.
  • Our current plan is to deliver at least one update each month.
    [h3] Voice Chat[/h3]
  • For the longest time, our testers have had the option to use voice chat in-game. This wasn’t working the way we wanted and never reached a quality that was satisfactory to us, not to mention being heavy on performance.
  • We have decided to remove this feature for the time being.
    [h3] Overall Feel[/h3]
  • The game will have bugs, and we are going to list them in the patch notes. We can’t list every single bug in there and we encourage everyone to join our discord and use /report to share their findings with us.
  • The game will have some degree of quirks. From the character creator to some animations, hitboxes and overall feel. These are parts of the game we will constantly improve on as we keep developing Fractured Veil.


[h2]What is Paddle Creek Games doing to address all of the above?[/h2]

Game development is unpredictable and incredibly hard. We had our set of challenges but we have found that being transparent and keeping an open communication to our community has helped. We delayed Fractured Veil more times than we wanted, but with each delay, our community has only shown extreme respect and support. For that, we couldn’t be happier.

So, answering the question:

    [h3]
  1. Keep working on the features listed in our roadmap[/h3]
    - This is only the first public build of Fractured Veil and the team is hard at work to implement more features and fixes to the game
    - You can find our updated roadmap in its dedicated article here
    [h3]
  2. Keeping the transparency high[/h3]
    - No NDA Approach - Everyone is free to talk about everything.
    - Frequent Dev Blogs and updates.
    - Open conversations via Discord and Socials.
    [h3]
  3. Staying Humble[/h3]
    - We are really trying our best to show precisely what we are building.
    - Under-promise and (possibly) over-deliver.
    [h3]
  4. Growing our team[/h3]
    - We intend to make our team bigger.
    - Our resources are not infinite, we are indie, and the speed at which we grow will mainly depend on how Fractured Veil will perform over the first year.
    [h3]
  5. Partnering with our community[/h3]
    - Focus groups to gather feedback on specific topics.
    - Form more partnerships and collaborations with even more Content Creators.
    - Grow the number of Ambassadors and Community volunteers.
    - Frequent Feedback Surveys to gather insights on what’s important to our players.
    [h3]
  6. Setting the expectations right[/h3]
    - While we can’t guarantee much, we want the community to understand our broader vision for Fractured Veil.
    - We are committed to updating you on all the latest features coming to the game with regular communications and articles on the state of the development!
[h2]Closing words
[/h2]
We still have tons to do and we are just at the beginning of our journey together.
We sincerely hope this document has proven our commitment to transparency, cleared some doubts, and possibly contributed to making an informed decision when it comes to buying Fractured Veil in Early Access.

If you still have some other questions, please feel free to ask in our Discord Server.

See you in our Tropical Paradise!

- Paddle Creek Games

January Early Access Release - Patch Notes

It's finally here!

After so long, we are ready to share the first Early Access build. This update comes with the Drone's functionality being finally restored, Easy™ Anti-Cheat and our Dedicated Servers being finally implemented!

A special thank you to every single player who recently came back to help us for this final push! We wouldn't have done it without your support! 💖

Please Note:
  • Player Data will be wiped before launch!


[h2]Scope of the test[/h2]
  • Test the stability of our first Shipping Build.
  • Enjoy the game with the rest of the community starting on Jan 25.
  • Send us your feedback on Discord. Check #Logging-Bugs to know how.


[h2]Known Issues
[/h2]

[h3]Major[/h3]
Aka issues that are totally or partially disruptive of the player experience

  • Moving to another quadrant of the map or moving from Zone to Zone might cause some stutters.
  • Most of the game audio is missing. We are working on this, more news soon.
  • Some zones are still unoptimized and might have performance issues.
  • The Elevator in the communication tower might not have collision the first time it is used. We recommend calling the elevator and then taking it only after it comes down again.
  • Playing in ‘WindowedFullscreen’ won't change the resolution of the game after changing it to something else. As a workaround please play in FullScreen, Windowed or change the System Display Resolution.
  • Bow Weapons Do Not Have Reticle Dot making aiming in third person difficult. Switch to 1st person using "B".
  • We identified an issue causing the rain and storm SFX not to play. It is being worked on and will be addressed in future updates.
  • Some items on the ground might be hard to pick up. We are working on this. As a workaround, switch in 1st person by pressing “B” and crouch or go prone to get closer to the item.



[h3]Minor[/h3]
Aka issues that might impact the player experience but won’t result in anything disruptive
  • Equipped Clothing Does Not Always Appear on the Character Selection Screen
  • Some Enemy AIs like the boar, sometimes loop their death sound or other audio effects. Burn their body to fix the issue.
  • No Texture on female glasses/sunglasses
  • The Game still has some placeholder icons.
  • Glasses/Sunglasses Briefly Change Shape when the Character Blinks
  • Intermittently Missing Texture on Both Female Jacket Undershirts, Skirt Leggings and High Heels.
  • The shotgun loads an additional round during reload animation.
  • Players cannot see their own shadows in first-person view.
  • Some Glowing Torches in the world have either a flickering flame or no flame.
  • Death Crates maintain their vertical position (They Float). No matter if that’s from a player, a crate or a bench.
  • In the game world, sleeping bags and beds won’t display their new name until the server restarts. It works fine on the respawn menu.
  • The game has some minor LOD issues that might break immersion.
  • Items dropped from large heights will stop falling midair and float.
  • Some objects may be hard to interact with in 3rd person.
  • Entering a Dungeon while in party causes it to be disbanded.
  • Sometimes, the camera will be stuck in “Free Cam” mode when doing an alt-tab out of the game. Please switch back to 1st person if this happens.
  • Harvested driftwood will respawn into construction pieces.


[h2]New Features[/h2]



[h2]Major Changes[/h2]
  • Fixed foliage outline not showing properly when harvesting trees.
  • Voice chat has been disabled.
    • This feature wasn’t working the way we wanted and never reached a quality that was satisfactory to us, not to mention being heavy on performance.
    • We have decided to remove this feature for the time being.
  • Storms now last between 10 to 30 minutes. We reduced the overall frequency of storms and rain.


[h2]Server[/h2]
  • Implemented server Regions and Dedicated Servers


[h2]UI/UX[/h2]
  • Added an error message when attempting to research weapons with attachments.
  • Fixed Various Issues with the progress bar appearing when it shouldn’t.
  • Fixed an issue where RMB click on an equipped clothing item had no unequip option.
  • Added proper player counts to realm UI lists and veil travel screens.
  • Fixed an auto quest tracking issue when accepting more than 4 quests.
  • Added a basic chat filter.
  • Fixed interaction progress bars on liquid containers.


[h2]Gameplay[/h2]
  • Fixed an interaction bug that was preventing travel to and from Dungeons when spamming “F” on the Dungeon Travel button.
  • Fixed a bug that was allowing the research of loaded weapons, causing loss of attachments.
  • Improved interactions with objects on the ground while in 3rd person.
  • Fixed skill experience being granted to incorrect players.
  • Fixed an issue where mouse movement would get stuck when opening the construction or upgrade menu in 3rd person.
  • Updated the character creator randomization for female characters.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing Double Click and Unequip to not work properly.
  • Disabled earning experience for stealth while in a safe zone.
  • Disabled using items and switching items while ziplining.
  • Fixed an issue that allowed people to move while ziplining.
  • Becoming winded will now reset toggle sprint.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing players to lose interaction functionality if they unequipped their Construction Tool while in placement mode.
  • Fixed a bug that was causing the weather to be set to “Rain” or “Storm” multiple times, consecutively.
  • Fixed Fishing rod and Bait not losing durability.
  • Fixed an issue where items would spawn below ground if multiple are dropped in quick succession.
  • Fixed removed status effects being reapplied to players who log out and back in.
  • Fixed flare gun ammo not being interactable.
  • Removed beard stubble from female hair randomization.
  • Fixed the first-person weapon staying visible during free look camera transitions.
  • Fixed a few issues with flares being interactable and showing up in the loot area widget.
  • Fixed issues with the client not loading on large bases.
  • Fixed being able to use items while in free-look mode.
  • Fixed an issue with thrown objects sometimes falling through landscape/floor.
  • Fixed clothing items not updating their interact widgets properly.
  • Some improvements to Double Click to Equip, making it more reliable.
  • Fixed various game-crashing scenarios.

Roadmap Update

Aloha Thrivers!

Earlier in 2023, we shared our roadmap alongside a deep dive to explain what was coming. Since then things have changed a bit, so in an effort to keep our transparency as high as we can, now it's time to share an update!

Without further ado, here's the updated 2024 Roadmap!

(Click the image for a higher resolution version!)

So, like we did before, let's see what each bit of the roadmap means!


[h2]Winter[/h2]

One priority for us was to bring back the Drone online. The team made some great progress here and we believe we might have some surprises by Early Access Launch.

The second priority was Fishing. This was one of the most requested features. We are happy to report that we have made some good progress on the core mechanic of the game, but we are currently working on a more interesting minigame to make fishing more exciting!

NPC Settlements are something we will talk more about when the time comes. It’s a feature that will make the game world more interesting and a bit more alive. We will share more in future updates.

With fishing, we already introduced a lot of new food and consumables, but those open the opportunity to introduce even more recipes and consumables. New weapons, ammo, and armor are being worked on and will start seeing the light of day this winter.

Between all of these, the team will also constantly work on performance improvements, quests and balance updates.

[h2]Spring[/h2]

During Spring of 2024, our main focus will be on expanding the game’s social features and adding new areas to explore. We are aware that we need to keep things fresh and interesting with such a big game map , and that’s what we intend to do.

AI Camps are a great example of that, with the mutants starting to take control of some pieces of land and creating proper camps. Clearing those will reward the players who dare get close and embrace the challenge with some loot.

This season will also have many interesting new dynamics, like a resting system and different crafting qualities for the tools crafted by the most experienced players.

UI/UX will see some improvements that will also allow us to support a full trading system.

Killing shards are a brand new feature for the game, and we’ll share more when the time comes.

[h2]Summer[/h2]

As Summer of 2024 starts, our fractured paradise will start to change, with New Biomes making their appearance and the game’s society developing further. New NPCs will populate the Maui landscape, and everything will feel more like a living and thriving world.

To celebrate the start of the summer season, we’ll have more Hawaiian clothing options and we’ll keep you busy with more quests.

We’ll keep delivering performance improvements, and we have a good chunk of them that should be ready by the end of the Summer alongside more UI/UX improvements and more complex AI behavior.

Last but not least, we’ll have an interesting new NPC for all your shooty needs, and an interesting new way to get loot throughout Loot and World Keys.

[h2]Closing Words[/h2]

We sincerely hope this updated Roadmap shed some light on the future and our vision for Fractured Veil. We are just at the beginning of our Journey and we couldn't be more excited for what's to come.
Once again, we are ecstatic for your support and we can't wait to welcome everyone on Jan 18!

- Paddle Creek Games

January Update - Known Issues and Patch Notes

Aloha Thrivers!

This is the first of two planned updates before we release Fractured Veil to the public. Today we introduce the first iteration of fishing, tons of bugfixes, some UI improvements, and some behind the scenes tweaks to make the game ready for when we'll open our doors to everyone!

This is an exciting month for us, and there is still tons to do before the launch!
Expect more communications from us in the next few days, including an updated roadmap and more information about the first Early Access launch build!

[h2]Scope of the test[/h2]
  • Test and provide feedback on the initial implementation of Fishing.
  • Server Stability.
  • Performance.
  • Identify any major issue that might disrupt the player experience.


[h2]Known Issues[/h2]
[h3]Major[/h3]
    Aka issues that are totally or partially disruptive of the player experience
  • Moving to another quadrant of the map or moving from Zone to Zone might cause some stutters.
  • Most of the game audio is missing.
  • The Elevator in the communication tower might not have collision the first time it is used. We recommend calling the elevator and then taking it only after it comes down again.
  • Playing in ‘WindowedFullscreen’ won't change the resolution of the game after changing it to something else. As a workaround please play in FullScreen, Windowed or change the System Display Resolution.
  • Some zones are still unoptimized and might have performance issues.
  • Bow Weapons Do Not Have Reticle Dot making aiming in third person difficult.
  • When using the buttons to enter/get out of dungeons, pressing “F” Multiple times will stop the process. As a workaround, only press the button ONCE and stay still. If nothing is happening walk away and try again, making sure to press only once.
  • The THORCON DUNGEON is currently enabled. This is not ready and has severe performance and visual issues. It will be deleted on the next build. Please refrain from travelling to it.


[h3]Minor[/h3]
Aka issues that might impact the player experience but won’t result in anything disruptive
  • On the Character Creation Screen, vegetation might cover some of the characters.
  • The outline around trees, highlighting the best point to hit for more resources, is not visible.
  • Equipped Clothing Does Not Always Appear on the Character Selection Screen.
  • Some Enemy AIs like the boar, sometimes loop their death sound or other audio effects.
  • No Texture on female glasses/sunglasses.
  • Glasses/Sunglasses Briefly Change Shape when Character Blinks.
  • Intermittently Missing Texture on Both Female Jacket Undershirts, Skirt Leggings and High Heels.
  • Missing Textures on Sandals for Both Genders.
  • The Player list doesn’t refresh automatically. Players need to click the refresh button to trigger a manual refresh.
  • The shotgun loads an additional round during reload animation.
  • Players cannot see their own shadow in first person view.
  • Some Glowing Torches in the world have either a flickering flame or no flame.
  • Death Crates maintain their vertical position (They Float). No matter if that’s from a player, a crate or a bench.
  • Fishing Rod does not lose durability when catching fish.
  • In the game world, sleeping bags and beds won’t display their new name until the server restarts. It works fine on the respawn menu.


[h2]Patch Notes[/h2]
[h3]New Features[/h3]
Fishing:
  • Players can now buy/craft a fishing rod to start fishing and level up their fishing skill.
  • Players can craft the Fishing Rod in their inventory or in a crafting bench.
  • Fishing bait (Worm) is required to cast the fishing rod, it must be dragged into the attachment slot. These can be found in the underwater crates along the shore or purchased from the Fishing Supplies Vendor marked on the map.

  • To fish, equip the Fishing Rod with bait attached and click RMB when aiming at a water source. When a fish bites the fishing bobble and the fishing line will move, pressing LMB or RMB will reel in the fish and it will be added into your inventory.

  • Saltwater Fish - Ocean:
    African Pompano, Amberjack, Barracuda, Bigfin Squid, Black Cod, Black Jack, Brown Octopus, Butterfly Fish, Mahi-Mahi, Filefish, Flounder, Giant Grouper, Goatfish, Hawksbill Turtle, Hogfish, Humpback Whale, Longtail Red Snapper, Manta Ray, Milkfish, Moonfish, Moray Eel, Paimalau, Parrot Fish, Peacock Grouper, Pink Snapper, StingRay, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Sea Otter, Green Sea Turtle, Tiger Shark, Sperm Whale, Spinner Dolphin, Spiny Lobster, Spotted Eagle Ray, Striped Marlin, Swordfish, Sea Urchin, Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna

  • Freshwater Fish - Rivers & Lakes:
    Cave Goby, Crab, Conger Eel, Flagtail Goby, Gray Snapper, Peacock, Bass, Pond Turtle, Red Shrimp, Sleeper Goby, Striped Mullet

  • Note: This is the first iteration of fishing. Fish assets are being re-used, new ones will be brought in. Additionally, eating and cooking fish is currently being worked on, and we are working on a minigame to make it more engaging and fun.


[h3]Major Changes[/h3]
  • Added Fishing and fishing items, including Fishing Rods, Bait and… Fish!
  • Added Fishing Quests and Fishing Quest Giver!
  • Holding “ALT” while in 1st person will now allow you to temporarily switch to 3rd person. (Aka: Free Camera) perfect for having a quick look at your character’s drip!
  • Major Networking Improvements.
  • Object Persistence Improvements.
  • Fixed various LOD issues.


[h3]Server[/h3]
  • Fixed an issue where dying in a safe zone would make the server crash
  • Server Stability Improvements.


[h3]UI/UX[/h3]
  • Added a Pop-up and a sound for leveling up a Player Trait.
  • Added a Pop-up and a sound for unlocking a Skill Tree point!
  • Added time of day on the map.
  • Decreased the size of Compass Icons.
  • Added a new Quest indicator to the quest journal.
  • Added Height Indicators Relative to the Player Position to Map Icons
  • Fixed logging back in after dying in a dungeon not displaying the respawn screen properly.
  • Fixed widget scaling issues with vendors and dialogue.
  • Fixed selected item not resetting on the inventory screen close/open.
  • Various minor text and UI changes.


[h3]Gameplay[/h3]
  • Increased the Lumber generated in the Crafting Bench to address balancing concerns.
  • Fixed Combat Medic not working properly.
  • Fixed headshots not working on hounds.
  • Fixed close-range bow attacks not working.
  • Improved Enemy AI.
  • Fixed the camera while climbing a ladder and crouching or being prone.
  • Fixed an issue where Thrown Weapons were too small.
  • Thrown Weapons now stick to enemies
  • Death crates now all have a 1-hour life span and will no longer block construction placement.
  • Fixed an issue where Toggle Sprint was not correctly Toggling Off.
  • Fixed an issue with resetting values to default in the settings not working correctly.
  • Added a “Category Defaults Settings” button.
  • Fixed a crash caused by a specific Stalker’s Behaviour.
  • Fixed a bug where projectiles would attach to the Capsule (Hitbox) and not on the models of players/enemies.
  • Fixed a Bug that would allow players
  • Fixed Various Crashing scenarios.


Questions? Join our Discord Server!

[h3]Coming Soon To A Fracture Near You[/h3]
[VNN DRONE ///////// ALBERT SYSTEM REBOOTING]
[ENGINES ONLINE]
[NAVIGATION SYSTEM OPERATIONAL]
[THERMAL CAMERA ACTIVATED]
Establishing connection to broadcast...
Begin sweep...