Starship Troopers: Extermination News

We have the 0.6.0 Patch coming at 10:00 AM PT (GMT-7) on December 7th, 2023

This patch will add a completely new Planet and new missions, new enemies, new career rank unlocks and new accessibility features!



[h2]New Planet: Agni Prime[/h2]

• New 3 zone map set on the volcanic planet of Agni Prime, supporting AAS, ARC and Horde game modes
  
• Added 12 new AAS missions
  
• Added 4 new ARC missions
  
• Added 3 new Horde missions
  
• Added 3 new Hive Hunt maps located deep within Agni Prime
  

[h2]New Enemies[/h2]

• Inferno Bug: a bug that fires flaming projectiles
  
• Fire Warrior: a fire-resistant Warrior mutation appearing on Agni Prime
  
• Royal Guard: a large and more dangerous evolution of the Tiger. This bug guards Hive Core locations
  

[h2]Player Career Rank cap raised to 100[/h2]

• Added second utility slot which unlocks at career rank 90
  
• Added a third perk slot which unlocks at career rank 30
  
• Added free visual customization items unlocking throughout the new ranks
  
• Ten alternate uniform colors
  
• Ten alternate helmet visor colors
  
• Ten helmet decals
  

[h2]Shoot to Kick[/h2]

• Teamkill mitigation feature: players who exceed a number of team kills are highlighted as Traitors, they are no longer able to cause team damage, and other players can shoot them to kick the Traitor out of the game. Please check out the Developer diary for all the details
  
• If you Team kill 2 players in a match you get a warning, if you kill 3 you are now a traitor and will be available to be executed by Loyal Troopers. Once you are killed you will be removed from the match, lose all match progression and are banned from that server.
  
• Also if you do up to 180 in friendly Trooper(s) HP damage you get a warning, if you do 360 HP damage to a Trooper(s) you are now a traitor and will be available to be executed by Loyal Troopers. Once you are killed you will be removed from the match, lose all match progression and are banned from that server.
  

[h2]New side objectives[/h2]

• New Hive Core objective appearing in the caves on Valaka during ARC missions
  
• Recovering supplies from a crashed Dropship during ARC missions
  

[h2]New accessibility and communication features[/h2]

• Added Text Chat feature (default hotkey: Enter)
  
• Added Text to Speech: turning it on will read out text chat messages you receive in a synthetic voice
  
• Added Speech to Text: Activating will turn incoming voice messages into text chat messages
  

• Bastion: Reduced Siege Mode cooldown from 30 to 10 seconds
  
• Operator: Reduced Medical Drone cooldown from 240 to 180 seconds
  
• Reduced the friendly fire damage of the Shotguns and the XXX Sniper Rifle
  
• Increased turret ammo box ammo to 100
  
• Increased Twin MG and Sentry MG ammo capacity to 300
  
• Reduced Interaction time with ammo boxes from 0.5 seconds to 0.2
  
• Reduced Hive Hunt Bug XP from 10xp to 5xp
  
• Hive Hunt is now unlocked with career rank 5 (previously 10)
  
• Hive Cores can only be destroyed by the provided Nukes
  

• Trooper and Veteran Modes will now offer bonus XP for successful completion
  
• The amount of XP earned is displayed in the post-mission summary - round performance tab
  

• AAS: parts of the bunker were appearing before the dropship carrying it was appearing
  
• When using the Reinforced Repairs perk, the crosshair was sometimes wrongly showing ‘Cannot repair’
  

• Reduced game installation size: Using advanced compression techniques in UE5 the game is a couple of gigabytes smaller, even with all of the added content in this release
  

[h2]What inspired the Art Direction for Agni Prime[/h2]

Agni Prime was initially conceived as a dark, fire-blasted landscape, very different in tone and feel to the sands of Valaka. Over time we moved more towards a more lush, tropical volcano-look. This allows us to play with a lot of previously unseen combinations, such as how the bugs would look against a jungle backdrop. Thematically the tone shifted from an apocalyptic wasteland towards a prehistoric Earth vibe, which we thought was far more interesting and gave us more room for visual exploration.

At this juncture, our decision was to imbue Agni with a distinct ambiance, diverging from the aesthetic approach employed in Valaka. My intent was to explore the notion of allowing players to traverse two or three markedly different environments within the same planetary setting. One of these regions presents an arid, infernal landscape, characterized by the violent expulsion of lava from the ground and rocks, creating an otherworldly scene. The second region, in stark contrast, boasts a vibrant and lush jungle-like setting, adorned with colossal crystal formations piercing through the rocks, evoking a sense of saturation and vitality. The final area is a subtle amalgamation of elements, with lava coexisting with flourishing vegetation, enveloping the remnants of a previous Federation expedition.
As the Art Director for Agni, my primary objective was to evoke a profound sense of grandeur. The cliffs and mountains dominate the skyline, not mere rock walls but colossal megaliths that render even the most seasoned Federation trooper feeling diminutive. Despite the expansive and level terrain of our play area, players should experience a palpable sense of scale, immersing them in a vast and imposing world

Early Lighting and Mood concept images.



After careful consideration, we opted to pursue the visual direction outlined in 1b and 2a. While the nighttime atmospheres of 1a and 3a presented a striking and dramatic aesthetic, the challenges of lighting saturated reds in a 3D environment, particularly in 3D modeling, led us to veer away from those options. Regarding the morning ambiance, I was particularly drawn to the image of the sun just beginning to crest over the volcano. This not only enhances the visual impact but also effectively accentuates the volcanic lava as it becomes backlit.

In refining the chosen direction, I conducted some swift adjustments in a paintover for 1b, introducing heightened contrast and specular highlights. Although the result is still high in value range especially in the shadows. It serves as a promising initial iteration, laying the foundation for further enhancements.




[h2]In Game Images[/h2]

From those beginnings and many months of work we bring you Agni Prime:









Thank you all for supporting our game!

Starship Troopers: Extermination Development Team

Fire Warrior Bug: The Fire warrior evolved from the Warrior on the volcanic world of Agni Prime. The Fire Warrior is more than meets the eye; even though it has the same abilities as the Warrior, they are resilient to the lava pools and all Federation fire-based weaponry. There is no safe place to hide from these Bugs on Agni Prime!




Royal Guard Bug: The Royal Guard has one primary role in the Hive: to protect the Hive core and the eggs. The Royal Guard is heavily evolved from the Tiger, as it is bigger, stronger and more resilient to the Federation weaponry. The Royal Guard has a blood-curdling screech and will enter a frenzied state when fighting for its survival. If there is a Hive nearby, you can bet a Royal Guard is on patrol.





Inferno Bug: The Inferno Bug is an Arachnid evolution that bears resemblance to scorpions, acclimatized to the extreme heat. Its fire-resistant carapace not only repels most fire-borne attacks but also conventional small-arms. Glands near the rear of the Bug produce a highly viscous flammable liquid, similar in consistency to napalm, which then feeds into an organ that ignites and launches it.

Our game has friendly fire, which is a core concept of the game and the IP. Having friendly fire in a game comes with an added bit of realism and adds tension into the world but it also comes with consequences. That main drawback being when bad actors come into the game and decide to grief their fellow teammates by killing them over and over again. This is not a fun experience for anyone, and while we’ll continue to address these players through the reporting system, we also wanted to put the power back into the hands of our loyal Deep Space Vanguard!

What Inspired our Design Team? “The idea came from the community earlier on after early access launch, when people were labeling team killers as those under influence of control Bugs. This concept is incredible and true to the lore so the question was how do we lean into this while still accomplishing the goal to address aberrant behavior.

The thoughts were that the Federation would not tolerate traitors and would execute them. Whether they have been insidiously corrupted by Control Bugs at some point or have willfully turned their backs on their fellow citizens, these Traitors are high-priority targets that risk the safety and security of humanity if they were ever able to make it off planet. It's your job to execute them for the good of the Federation.”



[h2]Traitor Impacts[/h2]

• Players who kill any number of teammates or deal a certain amount of team damage during a game will be marked as a traitor to the Federation. (Server tunable)
  
• They will no longer be able to deal friendly fire damage
  
• They will lose the ability to use their build tool
  
• They will have a mark above their head visible to all other players marking them as a traitor
  
• A marked player will take full friendly fire damage
  
• Will no longer be able to receive healing from players
  
• Players will be marked as a traitor until the end of the match or until they are kicked from the current match by a loyal Federation Trooper shooting them!
  
• Traitors cannot rejoin the same match they were kicked from
  

[h2]Loyal Troopers Role[/h2]

• Hunt down the traitors and kill them with extreme prejudice
  
• Marked players can be killed freely by other players without any negative consequences.
  

Troopers, brace yourselves for an update of galactic proportions! It's time to lock and load, as we proudly unveil the latest and greatest coming in Update 0.6.0 - Battle of Agni Prime as it releases on Thursday, December 7th.

Stay on high alert, troopers! More intel will be transmitted in the coming week. Until then, we'll share the brief we received from command on what you can expect in the upcoming update.



New Planet - Explore the untamed world of Agni Prime. This is no ordinary planet, that is for sure. A fire-lit land where survival is an art, and only the most battle-hardened troopers can endure the scorching heat that awaits.

New Bugs - Agni Prime has fallen under the Arachnid horde, and one should be prepared as these Bugs have adapted to the smoldering lands and boast a new set of traits adapted to cause havoc. Stay frosty, trooper.

New Customization - Your battle-worn outfit is about to get a splash of style. Your Federation-issued uniform isn't just for protection; it's a statement, a symbol of your unyielding dedication to the Mobile Infantry and its cause. We’ve added new colors, decals and more to the Federation armory.

More Progression - For the most dedicated of troopers, elevate yourself to new heights as we increase the Career Rank Progression to 100, featuring new milestones rewards to obtain.

Communication Enhancements - Troopers can now communicate beyond the radio as we introduce Text Chat as well as Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text options to ensure your comms cut through the chaos of battle.

But that’s not all! We've listened to your feedback and made a slew of other tweaks and improvements as well as a Federation-approved alternative to deal with the traitors you have come across in this Arachnid war.

This battle will test the mettle of every trooper, but remember, in the face of overwhelming odds, the Mobile Infantry perseveres. Onward, soldiers, reclaim this fiery planet from the clutches of the Bug menace in the Battle for Agni Prime.