Scavengers News

Explorers,

We’re gearing up and getting ready to head to the frozen wasteland for another Dunk the Devs event! You can catch us in Cascade Springs as we attempt to defeat Outlanders, Scourge, bears…and YOU!

We’ll be out in force on Friday, November 19 from 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM PT (November 20 from 12:30 AM - 2:30 AM GMT).

You’ll be able to easily recognize if you have a dev in your match, based on their special Midwinter username. Join us on Twitter or Discord to find out the special tag before the event begins. Say hi, have fun and remember to dunk the devs!

Hi Explorers,

@JoshingtonState and @ModularMareBear here! It’s been a while since we’ve written one of these, so we just want to start by saying that we’re massively grateful to everyone in the community for your continued passion and excitement for everything the team here at Midwinter is working on. We all feel very heartened to have such a fantastic community behind us all the way.

Now, as we get closer to the end of the year, we wanted to give an update on a number of different things that we have going on here at Midwinter. We know that you’re all very eager for news on consoles, new features and the upcoming full release, so we wanted to address what the coming months looks like and where we’ll be focusing our efforts to the benefit of improving the Scavengers experience for everyone.

[h2]2022 IS THE NEW 2021[/h2]
The first thing - to get it out of the way - is that we are no longer targeting general availability for Scavengers on PC in 2021. That means that we will be remaining in Early Access through the rest of 2021 and into the new year.

There are a number of decisions behind the shift but it ultimately comes down to our commitment to quality. We’re a small development team, and it’s important to us that we do not compromise when it comes to the player experience. We’ve always stated that Early Access is (and continues to be) an extension of our previous testing cycles. As we reflect on the journey to date, we all feel that the transition to full release needs to be a meaningful advancement from where we are today. Which leads to the question...

[h2]WHAT’S NEXT?[/h2]
Over the coming months, we are going to do everything we can to raise the bar when it comes to Scavengers. To do that, we’ve had to be honest with ourselves with how we approach development and support the title as it stands today.

To be frank, there are going to be fewer updates as the team focuses on what we feel will be exciting and momentous updates to the game that will take shape in early 2022.

What does this look like?

• The future of Expedition mode: We’re making big changes to the core mode in Scavengers, and that’s why we need to focus our attention on getting it just right. What we can tell you right now is that we’re striving to make matches feel less repetitive, and give you a more dynamic experience every time you hit the snow. We’ll be revealing more details about this in the weeks ahead.
  
  
• At the end of the month, we will be turning off Horde Mode. We know that this will be disappointing for some players, and it is not a decision we take lightly (and it may return at some point in the future). However, we have seen a steady decline in player numbers for the mode over recent months, which made it less viable to support it going forward. This extra team bandwidth will be put towards enhancing the game's core experience.
  
  
• There will be fewer ScavLab events in the future. We have been working closely with Improbable’s London studio on ScavLab over the past several months. However, going forward, Midwinter will focus exclusively on Scavengers, while the London team takes full control of all ScavLab events. Stay tuned for news from them on future events.
  
  
• Console alpha testing will continue in the weeks ahead. We’ll also be releasing more keys as we look to increase the volume of user feedback and make improvements to the experience.
  
  
• We will be reducing the number of feature updates in the coming months, as all of our team focus their energies on this next phase of the game. The Winter’s Fury season will continue to play out, and there will be intermittent patches and hot fixes, but there will be a drop in frequency of new features.
  
  
• There’s still exciting things to look forward to though. In the coming months we will introduce our next Explorer, as well as welcoming the arrival of our new fearsome boss encounter, Bulwark, who’ll be out for blood when he hits the icy climes of Cascade Springs.
  

[h2]TALKING COMMUNITY[/h2]
This also impacts how we will be interacting with you - our players and our community. Don’t panic! We’re not going anywhere. Instead, we want to streamline our communication, make it more impactful and not be in a position where we’re over-promising or setting the wrong expectations.

We’re going to try some new ways for you to directly engage with us, which we feel will be more rewarding for both us as a studio and you as our community. There will be less focus on communications around the minutiae of our work. Instead, we’ll be rolling out activities and events that’ll give us more opportunities to come together in fun and interesting ways, including:

• More direct feedback and engagement through Game Nights (playing Scavengers with us), more ‘Dunk the Dev’ sessions, Discord Stage events (where you’ll get a chance to talk directly to us) and hopefully, future livestreams and AMAs. Keep an eye out for these in the coming weeks!
  
  
• We will be reducing the frequency of our Dev Focus updates, while we hunker down to focus on the core game. New posts will arrive when we’re able to provide you with more comprehensive and exciting updates on what the team have been working on and upcoming plans.
  
  
• Look forward to Seasonal Festivities! We’ve got a festive period coming up and we’d like to celebrate them with you. Keep an eye out for fun, seasonal activities and content soon.
  

If you have any questions on the above then make sure to jump into our Discord where we’ll answer them as best we can.

We understand that there may be some disappointment in response to today’s update. These are some big changes, but we strongly believe that they are changes for the better. Once again, everyone here at Midwinter appreciates your dedication, support and patience as we continue this journey, and we look forward to sharing more information with you in the coming weeks and months. Until then...

Keep warm,
Josh, Mary & the Midwinter Team

Explorers,

We’ll be performing an update on Thursday, October 21st, around 8 AM PT / 4 PM BST. There will be downtime during this update, which is expected to last 2 hours.

Here’s what to expect in this update:
[h2]General[/h2]

• Kill feed is now visible when spectating other players
  
• You can select from controller presets
  
  • Default: Current controller layout
    
  • Classic: Swaps crouch/slide and dodge keys
    
  • Bumper Jumper: Puts Jump on the left shoulder button, puts item usage on dpad, and the emote wheel on the right stick press
    
  • Commando: Replaces ping on the right shoulder button with the Throwable. Opening your inventory moves to dpad right and ping moves to dpad up
    
  • Expressive: Puts emotes on the left shoulder button and quick items on dpad down

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed: Dialogue lines can sometimes be repeated
  
• Fixed: Active Resurrection Kit sometimes doesn’t disappear after the team is eliminated
  
• Fixed: Sound effect when the Resurrection Kit disappears sometimes doesn’t end
  
• Fixed: Resurrection Timer sometimes shows as a number greater than 9999 when the player has been killed and cannot respawn
  
• Fixed: Explosive damage was not reduced by crouching or dodging
  
• Fixed: After completing the Tutorial, other game modes unlock earlier than expected
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, players were sometimes unable to ping chests with Scrap while using a controller
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, the onscreen instructions are still visible when the Settings menu is opened
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, the ‘Shift’ icon has a low resolution
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, the Scrap cache icons can be incorrect on the mini-map
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, the Scrap cache icon can persist after it’s opened
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, a dead body sometimes acts erratically when scavenged
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, all sources of fire are lacking animation
  
• Fixed: Horn continues to honk after the vehicle is destroyed
  
• Fixed: Players can incorrectly bind the Windows key
  
• Fixed: AI didn’t always protect the Data Crystal in Orphanage
  
• Fixed: EXP Boost percent did not show correctly
  
• Fixed: RavageBear can sometimes get stuck on objects
  
• Fixed: HUD items were missing after respawning
  
• Fixed: Retch goop is too large
  
• Fixed: Wildcard Title description shows temporary text
  
• Fixed: Rin’s Time Bomb execution does not kill a downed enemy player
  
• Fixed: On PlayStation, forming a party could sometimes cause the game to crash
  
• Fixed: See No Evil Halden is missing the See No Evil logo in the customization screen
  
• Fixed: Sometimes aiming a bow at an enemy cause cause the camera to shake
  
• Fixed: Several incorrect collision models
  
• Fixed: Several instances where the snow disappeared as the camera got closer
  
• Fixed: Several instances where texture or objects were missing in the environment
  
• Fixed: Several instances where items clipped into the floor and were unable to be picked up
  
• Fixed: Several instances where AI enemies clipped through stairs and the floor
  
• Fixed: Several instances where items float
  
• Fixed: The symbol on the Mongrel cage may overlap with the Explorer’s model when standing next to it
  
• Fixed: The Experience Points bar sometimes disappears
  
• Fixed: Spacing issues for localized text on the Post Match Summary
  
• Fixed: Strange artifacts in some localized boost percent text in the Post Match Summary
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, Mother isn’t always localized
  
• Fixed: Localized text is sometimes duplicated and displayed on the left side of the screen
  
• Fixed: The Items collected and Objective description sometimes overlap for some localizations
  
• Fixed: Warlord execution didn’t kill the player
  
• Fixed: Warsong stopped shooting after 3 or 4 shots were fired
  
• Fixed: In Horde Mode, unmarked Scourge will sometimes spawn with the last wave of marked enemies
  
• Fixed: In Horde Mode, the camera can sometimes move through the R.A.S.P if close enough
  
• Fixed: In Horde Mode, Mother’s voice lines indicate that uploading Data will call the R.A.S.P
  
• Climbing the satellite dish of the Data Uplink causes the player to slip with choppy animation
  
• Fixed: The sliding sound effect sometimes doesn’t immediately stop when the player finishes sliding
  
• Fixed: A burning vehicle doesn’t provide warmth
  
• Fixed: Challenge progress still counts when a player leaves the match early
  
• Fixed: The Challenge widget breaks after playing the First Mission
  
• Fixed: Explorer continues to use voice lines for warming up even after the heat source has been extinguished by a border storm
  
• Fixed: Damage numbers sometimes do not display correctly while in a vehicle
  
• Fixed: Sometimes displays 0 Datapoints dropped when an Explorer dies
  
• Fixed: Adjusted the terminology when talking about Wildcard Weapon skins to be consistent with other cosmetic items
  
• Fixed: No audio played when pinging a R.A.S.P
  
• Fixed: On PlayStation, the screen could dim when leaving early from the Tutorial
  
• Fixed: On Xbox, several button icons were missing from the Research tab UI
  
• Fixed: Melee kills will instantly regenerate Jae’s shields even after his Overshield ability has ended
  
• Fixed: The controller provides haptic feedback and vibrates when swinging a melee weapon rather than when the weapon hits an enemy
  
• Fixed: Some game hitches when walking or running
  

Explorers,

We’ll be performing an update today, Wednesday, October 6th, around 8 AM PT / 4 PM BST. There will be downtime during this update, which is expected to last 1 hour and 30 mins.

Here’s what to expect in this update:

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed: Red WiFi ping indicator flickering
  
• Fixed: No sound effects are heard when hitting AI with a vehicle
  
• Fixed: HUD disappears after changing the Resolution while in a match
  
• Fixed: The Curtain Call icon appears larger than other icons on the Emote Wheel
  
• Fixed: Incorrect sound effects were heard when shooting some metallic camp assets
  
• Fixed: Players on Recent Players list sometimes incorrectly show as ‘Sent you a friend request’ instead of ‘In party’
  
• Fixed: Kali sometimes still visible when using Active Camo in Rin’s Smoke Bomb or while in a Storm
  
• Fixed: When assigning the ‘Fancy Feet’ emote to Kali’s Emote Wheel, the ‘Fancy Feet’ icon isn’t visible
  
• Fixed: The Keeper is sometimes very bright when viewed at a distance
  
• Fixed: Letty’s Classic Backpack will sometimes not adhere to her, making it appear to float
  
• Fixed: First text message sent is not visible
  
• Fixed: Jae’s Survival Instinct skin will sometimes have cloth clipping with his Maverick
  
• Fixed: Loot can sometimes drop in inaccessible places
  
• Fixed: Map shows icons outside the Storm boundary
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, the mini-map icons are always oriented towards the north
  
• Fixed: Fog of War should be disabled in the Tutorial and Horde Mode
  
• In PvE Expedition Mode, players can reset the Dropship timer by entering and exiting a vehicle
  
• In PvE Expedition Mode, the team objective marker is different from the Scrap marker on the chest
  
• Fixed: The mini-map animation when some camp chests are looted is occasionally incorrect
  
• Fixed: Adjusted sound effects for Bloatbiles when inside buildings
  
• Fixed: Adjusted timing for Mother voice line and Level update music when they overlapped
  
• Fixed: Multiple Berry Bushes cannot be harvested
  
• Fixed: Music from some Emotes still persists after switching to a different tab while the Emote animation is active
  
• Fixed: Outlander Shryke cape animations don’t work correctly
  
• Fixed: Players are unable to use the Explorer Ability while an Emote is active
  
• Fixed: Clouds sometimes look pixelated
  
• Fixed: Sometimes there is no collision when the Dropship lands on a player, and the player is able to move around underneath the Dropship
  
• Fixed: Red WiFi icon is visible post-match, even when it wasn’t visible during the match
  
• Fixed: Storm cloud texture was sometimes incorrect
  
• Fixed: Rin’s Title Wildcard did not display correctly
  
• Fixed: AI enemies sometimes spawn underneath the floor
  
• Fixed: Sliding into a corner sometimes causes the Explorer to flicker when standing
  
• Fixed: Sluka’s pustules sometimes don’t take damage from Explosive rounds
  
• Fixed: Sniper glint sometimes doesn’t show up correctly or move with the sniper rifle
  
• Fixed: Spectator Mode camera sometimes set too low to the ground
  
• Fixed: Splash damage sometimes doesn’t work correctly
  
• Fixed: Sometimes unable to navigate tabs and menus with the keyboard or gamepad
  
• Fixed: Stun Trap sometimes too visible to the enemy team
  
• Fixed the ‘Wiggle Room’ Emote causes some Explorer skins to behave unnaturally
  
• Fixed: The pulley systems on the upper deck of encampments have incorrect collision damage, forcing players to jump over them
  
• Fixed: Players get stuck after driving a vehicle under the Dropship
  
• Fixed: Players sometimes fall through the map after respawning
  
• Fixed: Valora’s Devastator didn’t properly track damage for the Deal 2,000 Damage with Shotgun Challenge
  
• Fixed: Challenges with large SP awards don’t fit in the Challenge box
  
• Fixed: Career Challenges will sometimes disappear and the player will need to click on the Daily Challenges to get them to reappear
  
• Adjusted: Extract on Dropship Challenge changed to Extract from the planet, to reflect that players can extract via Dropship or R.A.S.P
  
• Fixed: A seam between wooden boards that shouldn’t be visible
  
• Fixed: Added missing audio for Warlord execution
  
• Fixed: When aiming a weapon, Jae’s arm strap sometimes appears to float in mid-air
  
• Fixed: For console, in-network friends should appear higher on the list than friends from other platforms
  
• Fixed: Players do not receive the Friend Request notification if the request was sent while they were in a match
  
• Fixed: Party Full message sometimes overlaps with other text in the Invites tab of the Social menu
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, some marker icons do not match the chest icon
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, the marker remains on the chest during the Crafting tutorial even if the player has enough Scrap and begins Crafting the weapon
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, sometimes the Outlanders don’t defend the Crystal
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, missing the tooltip to stow the weapon
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, not all Outlanders spawn at the beginning
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, sometimes objective markers don’t appear
  
• Fixed: In the Tutorial, an incorrect number of Outlanders spawn during the Storm
  
• Fixed: Sometimes unable to repair a vehicle when attempting to interact with the back of the vehicle
  
• Fixed: Invisible collision in the Sandstone Graces encounter
  
• Fixed: The bags attached to the Explorer’s leg will sometimes float during some Emotes
  
• Fixed: The bottom text is sometimes cut off in the Challenge box
  
• Fixed: Cruz appears to levitate when viewed in the Play tab
  
• Fixed: Damage Indicator sometimes briefly appears in an incorrect position
  
• Fixed: Mongrels do not spawn from the kennels
  
• Fixed: Downed player message sometimes does not appear
  
• Fixed: Dropship light pillar sometimes appears inside the Dropship
  
• Fixed: Emote voice lines can sometimes stack on top of each other
  
• Fixed: Player is removed from the Salvage tab after being idle for too long
  
• Fixed: After deconstructing Salvage, the UI sometimes disappears
  
• Fixed: Glass in Dropship door sometimes has the incorrect texture
  
• Fixed: After a player leaves the match, their ping remains on the map
  
• Fixed: PlayStation UI doesn’t show the Challenge UI when the game is first started
  
• Fixed: Pinging a Data Uplink, Growth, or R.A.S.P says ‘Pinged a Keeper Interactable’ in the message feed
  
• Fixed: R.A.S.P icon sometimes greyed out on the map
  
• Fixed: The UI did not always update after a weapon was reloaded, showing 0 ammo
  
• Fixed: Sometimes unable to move the Explorer after spawning
  
• Fixed: Vision circle of teammates sometimes remains after the teammate leaves the match
  
• Fixed: Several instances of floating assets such as trees and rocks
  
• Fixed: Several instances of assets clipping into the ground or walls, such as chests, lootable items, trees
  
• Fixed: Neck appears broken when a player is eliminated
  
• Fixed: Vehicle UI sometimes does not display players
  
• Fixed: Player unable to cross the road without jumping in certain locations
  
• Fixed: Some buildings in the world do not show up on the map
  
• Fixed: Several instances where objects float in the air
  
• Fixed: Instances where a player cannot walk under a building because the clearing is too short
  
• Fixed: In several locations, the map image doesn’t match the in-game structure
  
• Fixed: Rin’s voice line does not match the in-game subtitle
  
• Fixed: When being attacked by a bear, Halden says ‘I’m being shot at’
  
• Fixed: Various crashes
  

Keep Warm,
Midwinter

Explorers,

Check out our latest Developer Focus blog!

Here, we’ll talk about some of the top topics that the team is working on this week. This isn’t their only focus - we’ll be highlighting only the main topics they’re focused on:

• Weapon Tuning: We’re investigating balancing some weapons, based on your feedback. This includes our long-distance snipers such as the Whisker and Predator.
  
• Console Issues and Crashes: Thank you to everyone participating in our Console Closed Alpha. It’s been an exciting couple of weeks and we appreciate you reporting any issues and crashes that you’ve encountered. We’ll be fixing these issues as a high priority, to ensure that you have an enjoyable experience while playing Scavengers.
  
• Mid-Week Update: We’re rolling out an update this week, focused on addressing several bugs and issues.
  
• New Weapons: We recently introduced the wildcard shotgun Grimalkin, but that’s not the only new weapon we have planned! We’re designing additional weapons, to be introduced at a later date. What types of weapons are you excited to see in the future?
  
• Seasonal Cosmetic Items: We’re designing some spooky Halloween cosmetics that will roll out in October! We hope you enjoy these haunted variants as much as we do.
  

[h3]Events[/h3]

Our recurring Mutator GunFu and Mutator Arsenal events will be taking place on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. These events are a great opportunity to test out different weapons.

This weekend, get ready to quickly grind through some levels with a 72-hr Double EXP event!

Keep Warm,

Midwinter