Starship Troopers: Extermination News

Hey Troopers! Thanks for doing your part by taking the fight to the Bugs in our last update, Hives of Valaka 🫡 . Since its release, we've pushed a few minor updates out to address server crashes some of you have been experiencing. Our next regular update, Update 0.5.1, is available now!

This update brings a variety of bug and crash fixes, balance changes, and quality of life improvements to Starship Troopers: Extermination. Read the full list of fixes and improvements below ⬇️.

[h2]Notable Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed several crash issues
  
• Fixed rank requirement not showing on game mode selection
  
• Fixed several typos in weapon and item descriptions
  
• Fixed grenade launcher firing sound disappearing after reloading
  
• Fixed purple debug VFX found in some remote locations on Valaka
  
• Fixed the discarded empty magazines not appearing when reloading the XXX Sniper Rifle
  
• Fixed an issue with getting stuck in the Tutorial when placing a Wall before it was required
  
• Fixed small collision and navigation issues in the Hive Hunt maps
  
• Fixed a server crash on Nuke detonation
  
• Fixed mission timer warning voiceovers in Hive Hunt playing after the main objective was completed
  
• Fixed rare issue of camera being sideways after reviving
  
• Fixed not being able to shoot out of the dropship during extraction
  
• Reduced excessive cave reverb in Hive Hunt
  
• Reduced the memory usage of navigation meshes
  
• Adjustments to volume balance of various weapon sounds
  
• Fixed various voice-over timing issues
  
• Fixed an issue of some ambient sounds playing on top of the FedNet intro during Hive Hunt missions
  

[h2]Balance Changes[/h2]
[h3]Weapons[/h3]

• Auto shotgun (Bastion): Extended ideal range by 4 meters, increased stagger power 300%, reduced recoil and added three extra magazines.
  
• SP.L.I.T Shotgun (Slug) (Hunter): Extended ideal range by 7 meters
  

[h3]Perks and Utilities [/h3]

• Magazine Bandolier now works with Shotgun weapons
  
• Speed Stim effect can only be applied up to 3 times
  
• Speed Stim duration does not stack, only the effect on speed (all stacks run out at the same time)
  
• Reduced the Stim effect time by 50%
  

[h2]Notable Quality of Life Improvements[/h2]
[h3]Hive Hunt[/h3]

• Increased mission timer from 12 minutes to 15 minutes to ensure there is enough time for Troopers to explore every inch of the caves of Valaka.
  
• Increased Hive Hunt Egg XP from 1XP to 2XP per destroyed egg
  
• Reduced the number of Gunners spawned during Hive Hunt missions.
  

[h3]Main Game[/h3]

• Increased Warrior XP from 1XP per kill to 2 XP per kill
  

[h2]Known Issues[/h2]

• The Reinforced Repairs perk UI doesn’t show at long ranges, if combined with the Long Range Repairs perk
  
• We are continuing to investigate and address performance issues.
  

Hello Troopers! It's time for the October Community Q&A. Thanks again for all the great submissions, as always we decided to select questions from a range of topics to answer.

Rest assured if your question was not answered this month they may be answered in the future! We have one more Q&A scheduled for November and it is our goal for this community initiative to return again in the new year!

[h2]Questions[/h2]

Will there be a feature change to allow us to instantly bleed out if we so choose to?
This is a great question, we will be looking at ways to improve that experience as we all understand that Troopers want to get back into the fight as fast as possible. We also need to balance that with how players revive squadmates in the field as we don’t want to diminish that gameplay element.

Are there any plans to add more optics/dot sights for the guns?
A big YES to this, as we explore our class progression 2.0 we are looking at ways to add more distinctness to our weapons through the inclusion of different mods such as sights, etc.

Do you have plans to add floodlights to the Base especially during Pitch Black?
We have a few plans to add more lighting options to matches occurring during night time or when the Pitch Black Mutator is activated. We did introduce a new light beacon device with Hive Hunt and there are plans to bring that over to the other modes.

Although, we are careful not to adjust the lighting in Pitch Black too much as we want the mutator to continue to present a very ominous and scary experience to the players.

What kind of stuff will you guys implement into the game with UE5?
Now that we are using Unreal 5.0 we can look at some of the core features it brings to the game. From an art perspective we will be looking at how we can use features such as Lumen and Nanite to further enhance our existing environments and of course create brand new ones.

For example, Lumen allows for more realistic lighting and shadows, as indirect lighting plays a significant role in creating a sense of realism in a 3D environment. In Unreal Engine 5, movable lights can also allow global illumination due to Lumen. This will naturally enhance the realism and look of our product.

Please tease us with a new weapon?
We can't say too much yet, but we definitely have our finger on the pulse of what weapons the community's been asking for.

Do you plan to improve/add more activities to existing ARC, AAS and HORDE game modes?
Yes, we are always looking at ways to improve the core game experiences for our 16 player modes. We have some good news to share, we will be rolling out our first small batch of new side missions and objectives for our December Update!

Is there likely to be a VR Version?
While we do enjoy VR games at the studio, there are no plans at this time for a VR version of the game

Will there be any re-balancing done to the ARC game mode itself, especially since Heroes of The Federation difficulty is no longer a part of the current roadmap?
Heroes of the Federation is still a part of the Roadmap and will be coming at a later time. As we continue through Early Access we are constantly looking for opportunities to balance our different modes. We will be doing a big balance pass across all modes for our Class progression 2.0 phase and then again closer to the official 1.0 launch.

I’m curious how ARC, AAS, and Horde fit into the final release. Will these modes still exist in the final release or are these placeholders to help you develop a more robust mode, like Galactic war?
As of right now all three will be a major part of the Galactic War experience. These modes will evolve based on community feedback also. We want to make sure each experience can stand on their own and help contribute to the overall experience we want the players to enjoy.

Will there ever be the option to have bots to fill out a team of 16?
The short answer is yes, but it is more complex than that as we are looking at interesting ways we can use a bot trooper system to add more complex gameplay moments to the game. We already have base Trooper bots working, but it is not something we would want to ship anytime soon. More to come in the future as we get closer to announcing something.

Will there be multiple loadouts for the classes?
As we design class progression 2.0, we are looking at how we incorporate more player choice into the feature. Multiple class playstyles are on the table, but nothing is set in stone yet.

Will personal flamethrowers/turrets be a thing?
We are big fans of flamethrowers here at Offworld. No promises, but I can say it is a good bet you will see some more fire in the future!

A plan for a mini-map for the top right of the screen-HUD?
A Tac Map redesign is on our roadmap and is something we really want to get to, as right now it is not as accessible as we want it to be.

How will the story of Valaka develop further down the road?
Without spoiling anything, we are going to step away from Valaka over the next little while and focus on other parts of the galaxy. Valaka will always be the first planet in the game and one we all hold very dear to our hearts. We do have some big plans to revisit different parts of Planet Valaka in the future and tell the story through new metagame activities.

Do you have plans to add Stuff to the Steam Points Shop?
Yes, we will look to do that post 1.0 Launch.

Any plan to expand on the Hive Hunt mode concept?
Yes, we will be continuing to add new maps and Bug challenges into the mode. With each new iteration we will look at what interesting gameplay elements we can add into them. For example, in our next set of Hive Hunt maps we will be introducing a new Bug menace.

What do you think about procedural generation for this game?
We are always looking at interesting ways to build out our maps and levels. Once we are comfortable with the tech we will look to where it best fits into our pipelines. As of right now we are in the early stages of exploring what this type of system could look like for our game. Will it ever be a part of our game? It is too early to tell.

Thanks again for supporting Starship Troopers: Extermination!

Attention, Troopers! We're thrilled to announce that Update 0.5.0 - Hives of Valaka has landed on Steam, bringing a barrage of new content and enhancements to Starship Troopers: Extermination!

[h2]Update Highlights[/h2]

• Hive Hunt game mode- Get ready to dive deep into the heart of Valaka with a dynamic 4-player tactical game mode that will test your squad's coordination, strategic prowess, and Bug-blasting skills like never before.
  
• Two new Weapons - We've brought more firepower to your arsenal, adding the highly requested Morita XXX Sniper Rifle and 3 variants of the TW-2 SPecial Light Infantry Tactical (SP.L.I.T) Shotgun that promise to amplify your extermination efforts.
  
• New TMG and Sentry reload mechanic - The new Ammo Stockpile structure provides you with 15 ammo boxes to resupply your weaponized structures. This was designed to foster even greater teamwork among you and your fellow Troopers.
  
• Complete overhaul of our XP system - We’ve added new ways to earn XP during gameplay by performing a variety of actions. Now you can level up your Trooper in a way that matches your playstyle.
  
• New Utilities and Perks - Tailor your loadout to match your playstyle with 7 new Utilities and 8 new Perks split across each class.
  

[h2]More Information[/h2]
Read the full 0.5.0 Patch Notes here.

Learn more about our design intent and inspirations for the new Hive Hunt mode here.
Read up more on our new updates to XP and Class Progression here.

Lock and load, Troopers! We’ll see you beneath the surface of Valaka!

Attention all Troopers! Our biggest update yet, 0.5.0 - Hives of Valaka, launches tomorrow!

This update brings a brand new 4-player tactical game mode, a couple of highly requested weapons, new Perks and Utilities, a new teamwork-focused reload mechanic for our Twin MG, a complete refresh of our XP system and its in-game presentation, and a variety of quality of life updates and bug fixes.

Deployment drops at 10:00 AM PT (GMT-7) on Thursday, October 12.



[h2]Hive Hunt Game Mode[/h2]
Added a new game mode for 4 players, providing a close-quarters combat experience in Bug tunnels. The objective of Hive Hunt is for players to plant Nukes at Arachnid Hive Cores, and then extract before time runs out.

Players can use new portable Light Beacons to assist in navigating the darkness, and will sometimes discover more helpful items scattered throughout the Hives near the bodies of less fortunate Troopers.

For a deeper look into the design intent and inspirations for this mode, check out our recent Hive Hunt Dev Blog.

[h2]XP visualization and XP rebalancing[/h2]
Added a real time XP feed shown in the player’s HUD during gameplay. This feature will give players better feedback and visibility on what actions they are taking that add to their XP. We believe this will encourage players to play in a way that helps their team’s goal.

We’ve also assigned new XP rewards to many more actions in the game. We’ve outlined all these XP changes in the Tables below:

[h3]General Sources[/h3]


[h3]Class Loadouts[/h3]


[h2]New Gameplay[/h2]
[h3]Weapons:[/h3]

• Morita XXX Sniper Rifle: a powerful sniper rifle for Hunters
  
• TW-2 SPecial Light Infantry Tactical (SP.L.I.T) Shotgun with 3 variants:
  - Operator: Standard Pump-action Buckshot
  - Hunter: Pump-action Slug
  - Bastion: Full Auto Slug
  

[h3]Structures/Base Building:[/h3]

• Ammo Stockpile: Provides 15 deliverable ammo boxes for weaponized structures.
  
• Ammo boxes can be picked up from the Stockpile, and inserted into weaponized emplacements (Twin MG and Sentry) using the interaction key (default E).
• Ammo boxes can be thrown by holding down the attack button.

[h3]New Utilities:[/h3]

• Shock Field Device (Hunter): Deploys an electric field in a circular pattern that shocks arachnids
  
• Speed Stim Dispenser (Operator): Deployable station that Troopers can use to grab single use Speed Stim injectors
  
• Guardian UAV (Operator): Defensive flying robot with a machine gun that shoots at Arachnids near the user. Can be toggled between Guard/Follow modes, or be remote controlled
  
• Rally Beacon (Operator): A high power transmitter that creates a fixed beacon for Troopers to redeploy on
  
• Deployable Shield (Bastion): A small deployable shield called the Wartime Adversary Limiter (W.A.L) that can be deployed to provide quick low-level cover
  
• Overcharge Module (Bastion): Boosts effectiveness of offensive structures for 30s, at the cost of structural integrity over time
  
• Sentry Turret (Bastion): Placeable automated machine gun that automatically shoots at Arachnids from a fixed position. Best suited for point defense

[h3]New Perks:[/h3]

• Mobile Training (Hunter): Increases climbing speed, enemy melee attacks don’t stop your sprint
  
• Watkins Trigger (Hunter, Bastion): Make your sacrifice mean something! Your explosives trigger upon death
  
• Running Start (Hunter): Get some extra height when you sprint and jump at the same time
  
• Spotter Training (Hunter): Automatically scans bugs when they are pinged
  
• On Your Feet (Operator): The ability to revive troopers at a distance
  
• Refined (Operator): Repairing a running refinery while it’s at maximum health speeds up the ore extraction process
  
• Long Range Repairs (Bastion): Increases repair range
  
• Reinforced Repairs (Bastion): Structures can be repaired past 100% to give them extra durability

[h3]Balancing/gameplay changes[/h3]

• Full audit of our XP sources, outlined in above tables
  
• Morita Mk1: Increased damage output slightly
  
• Morita Carbine: Increased damage output slightly
  
• Chi-Hong Grenade Launcher: Blast radius decreased by 50%
  
• Recruit (Easy) difficulty: Reduced the extra health given to Troopers
  
• Recruit (Easy) difficulty: Reduce health regeneration by roughly 20%
  
• Recruit (Easy) difficulty: Magazine size is no longer increased on Recruit
  
• ARC mode: ‘Gather Ore’ objective now has to be completed before the ‘Gather Gas’ objective
  
• Increased the damage output of the Sentry MG structure, to compensate for it needing Ammo
  
• Increased the health of the Sentry MG structure
  
• Twin MG and automated Sentry MG now require ammunition
  
• Twin MG no longer degrades while firing

[h3]Accessibility[/h3]

• Added Accessibility section under Settings
  
• Added Color Blindness options under Accessibility
  
• Added Brightness setting under Accessibility
  
• Moved Screen Shake options under Accessibility

[h3]Miscellaneous changes[/h3]

• Class selection now shows what other players have picked
  
• New unlocks are now highlighted in the Loadout menu with exclamation marks
  
• Improved matchmaking times by 10 seconds on average
  
• Quick Play Button removed - Quick Play is being redesigned as a part of our transition to the Galactic War in the new year.
  
• Hero of the Federation difficulty tier “coming soon” tease was removed, as it will still be coming to the game around the 1.0 launch window with a top secret experience codenamed "Regimented Assassinate Insect Deployment"

[h3]Engine Upgrade[/h3]

• Updated to Unreal Engine 5.2.1, from the previous engine 4.27.
  
  We will be taking advantage of the new features in UE5 over time, where possible. Please be aware that tentpole UE5 features like Lumen and Nanite are not a part of this release. As we get more comfortable with the engine we will look to explore these and other UE5 features in the future.
  
  
• New Trooper Models: We’ve updated our engine to Unreal Engine 5.2.1. With this, each of the three classes have been updated with a new Trooper model with significantly more detail

[h3]Notable bug fixes[/h3]

• Matchmaking: Fixed a rare issue where a player could end up in a different game mode than they selected
  
• Settings: Fixed an issue where changing a setting would cause other settings to be re-applied
  
• Settings: Fixed a crash when changing video settings
  
• Weapons: Improved Field of View handling with scoped weapons
  
• Audio: Fixed several crashes related to weapon audio, by upgrading to UE5’s metasounds system
  
• Crashes: Fixed a rare crash when a player was incapacitated

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

• A major engine upgrade may always cause unforeseen issues with various hardware combinations. We will be monitoring for crashes and fixing issues in future patches.
  
• The Watkins Trigger Perk is currently unusable in Horde and Hive Hunt game modes, since players do not have a bleed out timer. This will be fixed in a post-update patch
  
• Some UI graphics still need to be updated with the new Trooper model
  
• Rendering: The Hive Hunt maps may appear somewhat darker on Low/Medium Effects quality setting, as this setting affects lighting and fog rendering

Attention Troopers!

It’s time to take the fight to the Bugs and start delving deep into the caves of Valaka. Now that we have the intel and Hive locations, start preparing to dive beneath the planet’s surface brave Troopers of the Vanguard!


Before we send you on your way, we’ve got some more intel from the top brass to share with you about your next mission.

[h3]What is Hive Hunt?[/h3]
Hive Hunt is a 4-player, timed game mode that drops a squad deep into the heart of the vast planetary cave systems found throughout the Starship Troopers Universe. Players need to navigate the caves of Valaka to seek out each Bug Hive location, and deliver a nuclear payload to eliminate the threat. It is shipping with 3 maps, with more to come before the end of the year.

The game mode is inspired by the tension and claustrophobia of the Arachnid tunnel scenes from the series. Troopers are moving into the Bugs' home turf in this mode, where a Warrior can be around any tight corner or just out of sight at any time. Hive Hunt plays off that feeling and challenge of being deep into enemy territory where you need to be careful and quick on the trigger, before you're face to face with the Arachnids on their terms.

[h3]Why is Hive Hunt only for 4 players? [/h3]
Our game was built around the fact that 16 players is the core experience for ST:E, to which we remain committed. However, it is important for us to explore new modes for different group sizes. We want players of any type to be able to come into the game and find an experience that matches their game style.

Also, we want to have experiences that offer different time commitments for our player base. When we looked at the design for our Hives feature, we knew right away that the deep tunnels and caves of a planet would be the perfect fit for the majority of these hunts.

[h3]What Inspired the Hive Hunt maps in regards to Level Design?[/h3]
Hi, my name is Tiemo, and I am a Senior Level Designer on Starship Troopers: Extermination and responsible for the first batch of Hive Hunt levels.

My main goal of the level design was to create smaller, denser and more action-packed scenarios for the new game mode while keeping the same gameplay that's familiar from the surface of Valaka. With this big change from 16 to 4 players, we explored different sized caves to see how gameplay would evolve. The initial idea was to have clear "arenas" for combat, with smaller sections of exploration leading up to it.

As we started to create the first block outs, the cave sections were all similar in size and didn't feel quite right. Even the bigger areas just weren't as impressive or daunting as we hoped. By adding smaller sized zones we were able to create a certain build-up and contrast, where big areas really felt more grand and smaller areas felt slightly horrifying when all of a sudden a Tiger would storm your way.

Navigation within any cave system is always a tough task to tackle, especially where players are easily turned around and lose sense of direction amid hordes of enemies. Journeying through these caves efficiently as a player without any landmarks that can be seen from afar proved to be difficult.

The general rule of the layouts would be to have objectives appear in a more linear pathway while keeping side pathways and detours optional. This main pathway in addition is dressed with gore and crystals to lead the player more naturally from objective to objective instead of having a simple marker that pops up at every corner. Nonetheless, players who stray from the main path to explore are rewarded with pickups in the form of weapon crates that feature various equipment from simple shock beacons to rocket launchers.

Below you can see what the map design iteration looks like:



[h3]What inspired the Art Direction for Hive Hunts?[/h3]
Hello, my name is Shawn, and I am the Art Director on Starship Troopers Extermination.

As we explore new areas of Valaka, we started to ask ourselves what do the Arachnid hives look like? So far all we do is NUKE Bug holes, and in very few cases in the past have we delved into them. We also wanted to explore something almost as preposterous as a Bug that thinks…Bugs that think together!

Once we had our layout and first pass of cavern-like structures, I started to think about and look at the mood or feel of the hive. Again, this is at the front lines so I created a concept (pictured below) to look at what the hives’ upper layer could be. I wanted to show a battle worn section. Hive goo or Bug gore as we called it, appears all over the walls and torn up from combat. Dead trooper bodies lay limp throughout the caverns, possibly from previous hive battles or trophies/dinner of the Bugs.

Below is the concept artwork for Hive Hunt:


In the concept, I also gave it a bit of a "fake" dark lighting feel you see in most games or movies. Eerie glows of orange from the thick atmosphere and gasses of the planet are present. In early play tests, though, I felt the lighting was a bit too bright. Players were able to see everything clearly in a "dark" cave without the need of a flashlight. So I made a slight change and pushed the cave into more of a dark, thick atmosphere – almost horror in nature. This change allows the players to make full use of their flashlights. And it also allows us to use the thicker atmosphere as a way to show depth and punch out silhouettes of objects in the caverns a bit better.

From there, I wanted something to help direct players a bit so we introduced the idea of the Ore that the Federation mines to be present in the caverns. Crystals reflecting the flashlight almost light the way through the caves. After all, isn't this why the Federation is here: Ore crystals, precious gasses in the thick atmosphere of the caves…? Well I'm not the Sky Marshal and do not have the proper clearance to say anything more.

-

We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into our newest game mode, Hive Hunt. Thank you all for continuing to support our game! We’ll see you beneath the surface.

- Starship Troopers: Extermination Development Team