Starship Troopers: Extermination News

Update 0.3.0: Mutated Sands introduces the Fuel Depot map location on Valaka, buildable Twin Machine Gun Emplacement, mission Mutators, and extensive weapon rebalancing! Along with these additions, we have quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes to issues shared by you, our Troopers, on Discord, Steam, and other social media channels. This Deployment drops at 10:00 AM PT (GMT-7) on Thursday, June 22.

Features

• New Map Location: Fuel Depot
  
  • The Fuel Depot in southern Valaka is a new industrial map location to build bases at and defend. Both the AAS and ARC modes may include this map location. Situated at the edge of a cliff and overlooking a valley along its north face, the Fuel Depot presents a logistical challenge. Players will need to make sure they don’t get backed into a corner when the Bugs arrive.
• New Base Construction: Twin Machine Gun Emplacement
  
  • A manned heavy machine gun base construction that can be mounted in bases or on other base constructions. Players will need to work together to keep it operational as it takes damage while being fired.
    
    • Developer Note: We're eager for feedback on how this new weapon feels, specifically its health and repair mechanic.
• New Gameplay: Mutators
  
  • Presenting a variety of buffs, debuffs, and global conditions, Mutators dramatically change the battlefield. Each AAS or ARC match above Recruit (Easy) difficulty will have up to three Mutators applied to it. These Mutator sets deliver a unique challenge and counter combo while others offer alternate stories and atmosphere - some may even provide a relief from the ruthless intensity of Valaka!
    
  • There are two types of Mutators. Certain Mutators affect XP gain depending on how much challenge they add.
    
    • Arachnid Mutators provide the Arachnids with an increase in one stat and most add a decrease in another or alter the frequency and composition of Arachnid encounters and events.
      
      • Arachnid Rush: Increased Arachnid movement speed, decreased Arachnid health.
        
      • Arachnid Resilience: Increased Arachnid health, decreased Arachnid movement speed.
        
      • Arachnid Fury: Increased Arachnid attack speed.
        
      • Elite Arachnids: Increased Arachnid damage, decreased Arachnid movement speed.
        
      • Arachnid Packs: Proximity-triggered Arachnid groups.
        
      • We Got Bugs!: An Arachnid infestation spawns at the start of the match.
        
      • Bugs Inbound!: An Arachnid infestation spawns in the middle of the match.
        
      • Ambushes: Sudden spawns of Arachnid groups near Troopers.
        
      • Increased Patrols: More Arachnid packs spawn.
        
      • Patrol Disruption: Fewer Arachnid packs spawn.
        
      • Double Threat!: All infestation level increases are doubled.
        
      • Threat Level Maximum!: Match starts at infestation level 5.
        
      • Threat Level Caution!: Match starts at infestation level 3.
    • Scenario Mutators affect the story of the match by altering Troopers, the environment, and the flow of missions.
      
      • Sandstorms: Mobile weather events that severely reduce visibility.
        
      • Low Gravity: Trooper jumps are higher and falling is slower.
        
      • Integrated Health Stims: Troopers regenerate some health every 2 seconds.
        
      • Reviving Disabled: Troopers are unable to revive (medical supply shortage).
        
      • Martyr: Troopers explode on being downed and can respawn immediately.
        
      • Scan Blade: Melee attacking an Arachnid scans it (scan grenade effect).
        
      • CM-48 Nightstar Field Test: Trooper knives replaced with tactical maces that sweep and stun Arachnids in an arc.
        
      • Explosive Mace: Trooper knives replaced with maces that explode Arachnids on attack.
        
      • Build Tool Malfunction: Reduces build tool speed.
        
      • Integrated Utility Fabricators: Slowly replenishes utilities.
• New Servers: APAC Region
  
  • Military Intelligence has heard the requests to improve the connection to Valaka for our Troopers stationed around the globe. We are pleased to share that new servers have been added for Asia East, Asia Southeast, and Australia Southeast and will be online when this update goes live!

Gameplay

• Extraction Phase
  
  • Added entrance and exit notifications and communication graphics to the extraction area inside the dropship. (Community Sourced)
  • Added “Onboard X/16” to the interface during the extraction phase. (Community Sourced)
  • Players can no longer fall out of the dropship when it’s in flight by jumping near the ramp door. (Community Sourced)
  • Dropship turrets now correctly target Bugs.
    
  • Improved dropship visibility in night maps. (The pilot learned how to turn on the floodlights.)
• Reduced refinery cooldown to 4 seconds.
  
• When attacked, Bugs now move in the direction away from the damage source instead of staggering backwards from the direction they’re facing.
  
• Streamlined the tutorial by removing the second refinery.
  
• Added mission information to the after action report.
  
• Reduced Gunner Bug damage. (Community Sourced)
• Reduced XP gain from rearms, revives, and heals.
  
• Removed XP gain from self-support actions.
  
• Smoothed jittery movement when trying to fire while sprinting.
  
• Respawn camera now spectates selected spawn location by default.
  
• Added sound effects to dust and rockfall effects.
  
• Bugs should no longer spawn inside terrain or buildings.

Classes & Loadouts

• Hunter
  
  • Design Focus: Death From Above
    
  • Class Identity: Scout
    
    • Combines high agility and mobility using its jetpack, base movement speed, and perks with relatively low survivability: a glass cannon.
      
    • Prepares the battlefield for frontline assaults, allowing the team to push forward and secure locations.
      
    • Specializes in taking out priority targets (Tigers, Gunners, Grenadiers).
  • Loadout Purpose: High single-target damage.
    
    • Long Range Engagement
      
    • Scanning Equipment to Assist Team
      
    • Targeted Explosives
  • Unlocks Gained
    
    • Equipment: Scan Grenade
      
    • Perk: Extended Magazines
      
    • Perk: Hardened Ceramic Plates
      
    • Perk: Utility Satchel
  • Unlocks Removed
    
    • Equipment: Cluster Grenade
      
    • Equipment: Heal Beacon
      
    • Equipment: Napalm Grenade
      
    • Equipment: Proxy Mine
      
    • Perk: Improved Grenade Cooldown
      
    • Perk: Synthetic Under-armor
• Bastion
  
  • Design Focus: I AM THE WALL
    
  • Class Identity: Tank
    
    • Holds the line with a loadout designed for stagger and stun mechanics.
      
    • Capable of sustained suppressing fire, keeping the Bugs back.
      
    • Able to fortify a position by creating a defensive perimeter.
  • Loadout Purpose: Survivability through threat management.
    
    • Crowd Control
      
    • Mid Range Engagement
      
    • Defensive Deployables
  • Unlocks Gained
    
    • Equipment: Napalm Grenade
      
    • Perk: Utility Satchel
  • Unlocks Removed
    
    • Equipment: Chem Grenade
      
    • Equipment: Hi-EX Grenade
      
    • Equipment: Scan Beacon
      
    • Perk: Improved Grenade Cooldown
• Operator
  
  • Design Focus: Make Way for Revives!
    
  • Class Identity: Support
    
    • Keeps the team fighting with mid-fight healing and rearming.
      
    • Adds close-quarters combat effectiveness to a team with its exclusive grenade launcher.
      
    • Applies various status effects on the battlefield via deployables.
  • Loadout Purpose: Team support, AOE damage, and status effects.
    
    • Mission Survivability
      
    • Short Range Engagement
      
    • Status Effect Deployables
  • Unlocks Gained
    
    • Equipment: Nuclear Det Pack
      
    • Equipment: Shock Grenade
      
    • Perk: Bloodlust
      
    • Perk Synthetic Under-armor
  • Unlocks Removed
    
    • Weapon: TW-202-L Morita Hawkeye
      
    • Equipment: Scan Grenade
      
    • Equipment: Shock Beacon
      
    • Equipment: Thermo Charge
      
    • Perk: Extended Magazines
      
    • Perk: Powered-Up Build Tool
  • Balance
    
    • Ability now heals nearby Troopers upon activation.
      
    • Decreased ability duration.
      
    • Increased ability cooldown.

Weapon Balance

• Morita MK1
  
  • Increased damage.
    
  • Decreased damage dropoff to optimize for mid-to-long range combat.
    
  • Reduced initial bullet spread.
    
  • Increased bullet spread gain while hipfiring.
    
  • Increased bullet spread recovery rate.
• Morita MK3 SAW
  
  • Decreased damage.
    
    • Developer Note: This change still results in an overall buff to the weapon from its other adjustments.
  • Decreased damage dropoff to optimize for short-to-mid range combat. (Community Sourced)
  • Increased rounds per mag to 200 (from 150). (Community Sourced)
  • Increased magazine carry capacity to 3 (from 2). (Community Sourced)
  • Updated ADS to use iron sights.
    
  • Greatly reduced horizontal recoil while hipfiring.
    
  • Reduced vertical recoil while hipfiring.
    
  • Reduced bullet spread while crouching or aiming down sight (ADS).
    
  • Increased bullet spread while moving or standing.
• TW-202-L Morita Hawkeye
  
  • Decreased damage.
    
  • Decreased rate of fire.
    
  • Increased bullet spread while moving or hipfiring.
    
  • Decreased spread and deviation while crouched or aiming down sight (ADS).
    
  • Increased bullet velocity for more accuracy at range.
    
  • Bullet trajectory now lines up with the reticle correctly.
• TW-109-E Emancipator
  
  • Increased rate of fire.
    
  • Increased bullet spread per shot and while moving.
    
  • Decreased initial bullet spread.
    
  • Decreased damage dropoff to optimize for mid-to-long range combat.
    
  • Increased recoil.
    
    • Developer Note: And we updated the firing animation to match!
• TW-101-S Peacemaker
  
  • Increased damage.
    
  • Slightly increased range.
    
  • Reduced stagger.
    
  • Reduced initial bullet spread.
    
    • Developer Note: Spread will increase with continuous firing.
• Morita MK1 Carbine
  
  • Reduced damage.
    
    • Developer Note: Still kills faster than Morita MK1 at close range.
  • Decreased damage falloff to optimize for short-to-mid range combat.
    
  • Increased initial bullet spread but rapidly reaches max bullet spread even while moving.
    
    • Developer Note: Now good for hipfiring and while on the move.
• C-32 Chi-Hong Grenade Launcher
  
  • Now applies stun effect to Bugs.
    
  • Increased crosshair utility and accuracy. (Community Sourced)
    • Developer Note: The crosshair should now by default be sighted for 20m range with each bar below counting for an additional 5m.
  • Increased projectile velocity. (Community Sourced)
  • Increased minimum spread while hipfiring.
• Thermo Charge
  
  • Increased deploy speed.
    
  • No longer floats above certain surfaces.
• Proximity Bug Mine
  
  • Now ignores Drone Bugs.
    
  • Increased damage radius.
• Cluster Grenade
  
  • Increased damage.
    
  • Increased projectile count.
    
  • Increased spread range.
• Shock Grenade
  
  • Increased damage radius.
• Hi-EX Grenade
  
  • Increased damage.
• Nuclear Det Pack
  
  • Increased damage.
    
  • Increased damage radius.

Base Building

• Added Twin Machine Gun Emplacement blueprint.
  
• Updated the build tool placing and repair interface.
  
  • Developer Note: Improved the build tool interface to increase usability and make switching between place and repair more intuitive.
• Updated the build grid to represent the snap size of the selected blueprint.
  
• Updated build tiles to highlight which tile you are building on.
  
• Increased build snap size to 1 tile (from ½ tile) for large blueprints.
  
• Greatly reduced build tool unbuild speed. (Community Sourced)
• Players will no longer see they’re in a Build Zone when they are not in a Build Zone.
  
• Building multiples of the same blueprint at the same time no longer exceeds its maximum capacity.
  
• Generators now are highlighted like other repairable structures.
  
• Weapon crates are no longer highlighted when they are not interactable.

Quality of Life Improvements & Bug Fixes

• Added setting to reduce and disable screen shake.
  
• Reduced game client size by 500MB.
  
• Disabled warrior Bug sneak ability (they now have audible footsteps).
  
• Eradicated the Bug that would sometimes hiss at players prior to the start of a match.
  
• Trooper models are now better lit in Loadout screens.
  
• Fixed an issue where weapon audio could loop infinitely. (Community Sourced)
• Fixed an issue where automated turrets would sometimes fire into the air instead of at the Bugs.
  
• Fixed an issue where the AAS refinery mission voiceover would ignore volume settings.
  
• Fixed an issue where players could respawn underneath the map. (Community Sourced)
• Fixed an issue where the audio of distant downed Troopers played as if next to the player.
  
• Fixed an issue where unreleased weapons could be viewed (not equipped) in the Loadout screen. Military Intelligence is always watching…
  
• Fixed an issue where client connections could timeout on the matchmaking screen, causing error messages and the Trooper model to assume an “A” pose.
  
• Fixed an issue where audio stuttering could occur during a match.
  
• Fixed an issue where players could lose the ability to jump and melee attack after respawn.
  
• Fixed an issue where Bugs could float after spawning. (Community Sourced)
• Fixed an issue where Trooper necks would grow to giraffe length on death.
  
• Fixed an issue where smoke generated by grenadier Bug projectile impacts could appear cube-shaped.
  
• Fixed an issue where rocks and vegetation could crop into the dropship.
  
• Fixed an issue where dying during the extraction phase in the tutorial would redirect players to the main menu.
  
• Fixed an issue where automatic weapons wouldn’t play their first gunshot sound effect.
  
• Fixed an issue where Bastions could hear extra footsteps after they stopped moving.
  
• Fixed a game client crash that could occur on respawn.
  
• Fixed several collision issues on the map (too many to individually list).
  
• Fixed several instances of floating assets on the map. (Community Sourced)
• Implemented a variety of general performance improvements and optimization.

Deep Space Vanguard, atten-TION! Latest orders are in from Terran Command so knock off the grab-ass and– well look at that: subject line reads “MUTATED SANDS - GET SOME, TROOPERS”. Seems the brass think you apes are gonna like what’s coming.

First up, you are all to be commended for your ongoing successful captures and extractions in our initial theater of combat on Valaka. So successful, in fact, Military Intelligence has seen fit to expand it some: our southern Fuel Depot is in need of rescue and reinforcement. Been too many revolutions since last contact from them, let alone since HQ has received their resource output. The industrial complex is situated cliffside, north face overlooking a deep valley. Should make it a cinch to fortify against the Bugs, but you all know those Arachnids are nothing if not clever. Anticipate being sent that way for your upcoming AAS and ARC missions starting middle of next week - check upcoming deployment for details. And Troopers, try to keep your weapons pointed AWAY from the Fuel Depot. FUEL Depot, yeah? Okay, moving on…


…what the hell are Mutators? Apparently, the Bugs AND the planet itself are about to make combat even more interesting, folks. The geeks at Military Intelligence report we should expect changes - Mutators - with each mission moving forward (well, except for the easy ones). We will be seeing Bug and Trooper damage variability, frequent ambushes, and global conditions endemic to the Valakan surface: sandstorms, near-zero visibility, even gravity can’t be trusted. Huh, live-fire field tests of experimental weapons - don’t worry your pretty faces, we’ll follow up with Command about that one. Expect up to three unique Mutators in the mission selection phase soon, copy? Hmm, note at the bottom says next page will help even out the odds.


Are these… blueprints? Oh, hot damn! Vanguard, allow me to introduce you to your new best friend for base building: the Twin Machine Gun Emplacement. …those who yelled “TOWER LET’S GO” just now, the enthusiasm is appreciated but the lapse in protocol isn’t - ten laps around the barracks, listen in on comms and hop to. That said, this prime piece of heavy firepower can be installed just about anywhere in a viable base location: built on the ground, placed along walls, and yes, mounted in towers. However, it demands two Troopers to operate, one to fire and the other to keep the weapon repaired - the eggheads who designed it didn’t have durability in mind, the thing damages itself as it’s fired. One Trooper could feasibly jump between firing it and repairing it but suffice to say it is not advised.

Looks like that’s about it, just this verbatim command on the last page: “Troopers are to submit the following weapons to the armory for retooling: Morita MK1, Morita MK1 Carbine, Morita MK3 SAW, TW-202-L Morita Hawkeye, TW-109-E Emancipator, TW-101-S Peacemaker, C-32 Chi-Hong Grenade Launcher”. You heard the word, Vanguard - master of arms wants to field-strip and tune those primaries and secondaries. Calm down, you apes, you’ll get them back before Mutated Sands kicks off. Now double-time it to the armory, drops to the Fuel Depot begin in 48 hours, 1000 local Valaka time. Dismissed!

Pyre out.

Update 0.3.0: Mutated Sands, Starship Troopers: Extermination's first medium Deployment, will go live on Thursday, June 22 at 10:00 AM PT (GMT-7)! The game servers will be briefly unavailable during this medium Deployment and players will need to update the game client.

Headquarters seeks to reinforce a new location on Valaka: the Fuel Depot. To help Troopers in this mission, the Twin Machine Gun Emplacement will now be constructible in bases. However, Valaka and the Bugs are about to get even more challenging: Mutators will add conditions to AAS and ARC matches above Recruit (Easy) difficulty. Also, the armory will be tuning and rebalancing all primary and secondary weapons in the arsenal thanks to R&D’s efforts in the field.

Military Intelligence will share details on these features and more closer to Mutated Sands’ release.

Pyre out.

Popping into early access on May 17, Starship Troopers: Extermination is a bit of a unicorn: a 16-player co-op FPS with strategy base building elements from the makers of Squad. Giant bugs who view you as a wandering happy meal with an inconvenient ceramic armor wrapper. As a long-time lover of the strange genre blend of strategy, multiplayer, and FPS—dating all the way back through the Natural Selection games, Empires mod, and co-op fare like Deep Rock Galactic and Payday—I had to see what Extermination was all about. Turns out it's a promising foundation for future fort building and bug gut splattering...
Read more.

Troopers! By now you have spent time on Valaka and have some idea what we are up against. You’ve stood toe to claw with the Arachnids. You have eaten pain and spit out glory. You have seen your fellow Citizens fall yet you kept up the fight.

Here’s the skinny: Military Intelligence suggests we haven’t seen the worst the Bugs have to offer down there. Seems they’re gonna come in stronger and greater numbers. Securing Valaka from the Bugs is shaping up to be a brutal challenge and we will likely pay dearly for every inch of dirt. Speaking of which, this rock soon won’t be our only battleground - we’ll fight this scourge wherever it dares show its mandibles!

Ready for the good news? Review the dossier issued below. It represents our latest intel on what’s coming, where it’ll be, and how we’re gonna dropkick their Bug asses into the nearest black hole!

Please note, this roadmap is subject to change based on player feedback and development shifts.



You will not lose heart. You will not quit. We are the Deep Space Vanguard - the elite! The Federation expects the best and we provide the best. We’re going to make sure you’re ready to meet whatever the Bugs throw at us head on. As we speak, R&D is hard at work developing these new armaments, greater specialization tools, and battle-ready vehicles so that our Troopers can rise to the challenge wherever it leads. For now: commit the above intel to memory, survive the fight, and look forward to your new toys!

Pyre actual out.