The Outlast Trials News

Greetings Reagents,

What a year it has been for us all, and what a year we have coming! We were so honored to have been nominated in this category and are proud to say we made it as a finalist in the "Best Game on Steam Deck" category!

You have until January 2nd at 10am Pacific to vote for us: https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1304930/The_Outlast_Trials/

Greetings Reagents,
Winter has come to the Sinyala Facility! Our Courthouse Mk-Challenges are now available and New Weekly Programs will come in January. Read more to see what's included in our latest update...

[h2]Time Limited Event: Winter Kills[/h2]

• “Survivors of Winter Kills will reap the bounty of true suffering.”
• Participate in the deadly but rewarding limited-time program Winter Kills.
  
• The Sleep Room has received enhancements with vibrant festive decorations.
  
• All Trials of Winter Kills feature the new variators:
  
  
  • Cold Snap - The Trial environment is sporadically filled with piercing cold air. Hide to survive
  • Find the Gifts - Find all the gifts in the Trial to earn extra rewards.

• Earn Winter Tokens and exclusive cosmetics by completing Winter Kills Trials.
  
• Earn extra Winter Tokens and cosmetics by completing the secondary objective "Find all the Gifts".
  
• Acquire 2 Winter Kills exclusive Cell Decoration Bundles using Winter Tokens.
  
• Acquire 15+ Winter Kills exclusive character cosmetics and cell decorations using Winter Tokens.
  
• Complete the Winter Kills storyline by finding the evidence documents scattered inside the Trials.
  The event unlocks Tuesday, December 12th and will last until Tuesday, January 9th 10 AM EDT (GMT+5).
• NOTE: Acquired cosmetics and tokens will remain available after the Event ends to allow players to purchase their rewards with earned Winter Tokens. After the event ends, it will no longer be possible to earn additional Winter Tokens or acquire new Winter Kills cosmetics.
  

[h2]New Courthouse MK-Challenges[/h2]

• Revisit the Courthouse by completing 2 new MK-Challenges set in this environment.
  
• Escape the Courthouse: Don’t let the pain of our victims restrict your liberty. Kill the scapegoats; free them of their suffering and you of your bondage.
  
• Destroy the Evidence: If there is no evidence, there is no crime. Destroy the proof of our mistakes, and then we never did anything wrong.

[h2]Upcoming Events Calendar[/h2]

• Weekly Programs and Special Events starting and ending day will be moved from Fridays 10AM to Tuesdays 10 AM EDT (GMT+5).
  
• The next Event and Weekly Programs are:
  
  • Winter Kills - December 12th to January 9th
    
  • Weekly Program: No Meds - January 9th to January 16th
    
  • Weekly Program: Bad Trip - January 16th to January 23rd
    
  • Weekly Program: Hardcore - January 23rd to January 30th
    

[h2]Cell Decoration "Bundles"[/h2]
Introducing Cell Decoration Bundles.

• Bundles are deluxe sets built around one theme and can now be seen in your Cell Customization menu.

[h2]Controller Support[/h2]

• Added vibration support on controller.
  
• All the ‘hold’ actions are now toggle actions on controller.
  
• Controller: Added new controller layout ‘MODERN’.
  
• Controller: Added new controller layout ‘ADVANCED’.
  
• Controller: Added new controller layout ‘TACTICAL’.
  
• Controller: Added ‘Ping’ action on Right Stick Click in the layout ‘CLASSIC’.
  
• Controller and Mouse/Keyboard: Added analog peeking.
  
  • Mouse/Keyboard: Hold ‘ALT’ and peek around with WASD keys.
    
  • Controller: Use the ‘MODERN' preset. Hold Left Bumper to peek around.

[h2]Rigs Balancing[/h2]
[h3]Blind[/h3]

• Increased base deploy time to 6s (was 5s). With “DEPLOY TECHNIQUE” to 5s (was 4s).
  
• Smoke duration decreased to 10s (was 30s). With “EXTENDED DURATION” to 12s (was 20s).
  
• Cooldown increased to 180s (was 120s).
  
• The “DECREASED COOLDOWN” upgrade reduces the cooldown by 20% (was 25%).
  
• Enemies entering the smoke after detonation won't be stunned anymore (but their visibility is still affected by the smoke).

Dev comment: The Blind Rig remains a highly favored choice. Our aim for this rig is to transform it into a situational tool that demands planning, rather than being an instantly available lifesaver. This change will also increase the value of the Stun Rig as an instant control/offensive tool.

[h3]Heal[/h3]

• Heal rig (Poison upgrade): Enemies slowdown decreased to 5s (was 7s).
  
• Heal rig (Poison upgrade): Enemies entering the healing radius after detonation won't be stunned anymore.
  

Dev comment: The Healing Rig serves as a supportive tool crucial for rescuing the team during intense moments. However, the Poison upgrade has inadvertently amplified its effectiveness against enemies, blurring its intended supportive role and steering it towards functioning more like an offensive rig.

[h3]X-Ray[/h3]

• Cooldown reduced to 30s (was 120s).
  
• Duration reduced to 8s (was 15s). With “EXTENDED DURATION” to 12s (was 30s).
  
• Range decreased to 10m (was 15m).

Dev comment: The X-Ray tool holds significant power for players in the role of providing crucial intelligence to the team. Yet, its extended cooldown restricted the frequency of the X-Ray effect's use, prompting players to exercise caution and reserve it for essential moments. To address this, we have adjusted the cooldown to enhance its frequency. As a result, players can now utilize the Rig more frequently, enabling them to uncover intel and quickly share information with the team.

[h2]Additions/Improvements/Balancing[/h2]

• Bricks: Revamped the item behavior.
  
  • Unlimited uses when thrown in the environment.
    
  • Will instantly break when hitting an enemy or trap.
• Performance Bonus now also gives Murkoff Dollars.
  
• Completing the Secondary Objective now gives XP and Murkoff Dollars.
  
• Vaulting over obstacles now consumes more stamina.
  
• Prescription “ADVANCED REGENERATION”: Delay before health regeneration begins increased to 12s (was 7s).
  
• Amp names added underneath icons in the pause menu.
  
• Tutorial flow will now be skipped for players with existing profiles after a game reinstall.
  
• New audio feedback when a player is revived.
  
• Program structure has been updated.
  
  • Added one more MK-Challenge per Program (except Program 4).
    
  • Removed one iteration of the main Trial per Program.
• Added HDR support:
  
  • To play in HDR, you must make sure that your setup fully supports HDR.
    
  • Please note that not all screens are fully compatible with HDR.
    
  • Ensure that you have activated HDR settings both in Windows and on the screen you are using to play the game.

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed a rare issue where a player could remain stuck in the decontamination shower area of the evaluation corridor.
  
• Fixed an issue where players could fall off world by using the SAS door.
  
• Fixed some navigation issues in all Trials.
  

AI

• Updated Coyle and Grunts reactiveness (reworked some animations). Those enemies should now feel more reactive and harder to deal with in some situations.
  
• Many other various updates, bug fixes, and improvements to the AI.
  

If you encounter any issues in-game feel free to join our 18+ Discord Server and create a ticket to speak with our support team.

[h3]Dear Reagents,[/h3]
As we look ahead to what’s coming to The Outlast Trials, we wanted to connect with you all and discuss what's on the horizon.

[h2]Consoles[/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We're thrilled to share that our team made significant headway on the console versions and are set to launch March 5th, 2024! We've heard the anticipation from console players eager to dive into The Outlast Trials experience ever since Early Access started. Remember, Outlast Trials will offer full cross-play functionality across PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox X/S, and Xbox One, without cross-progression however. We truly appreciate everyone’s patience, and can’t wait for the lobby to be filled with new Reagents!
Pre-order on PlayStation Pre-order on Xbox

[h2]Winter Event[/h2]


Brace yourselves for a new limited-time winter event coming to The Outlast Trials next week! More info to come.

[h2]Return of All Events[/h2]
For those actively engaged in Outlast Trials, you may have participated in our special events such as Program Omega, Program Geister, and the Weekly Programs as well. These events during our Early Access phase serve as a means for us to refine our tools and set the course for the future of The Outlast Trials. It is through these limited events that we can gather feedback and fine-tune the game before exiting Early Access.
Rest assured, ALL events occurring during Early Access will return in the future, ensuring both our existing players and our new players can relish in these experiences.

[h2]Special Halloween Event[/h2]
Program Geister marked our inaugural limited-time event with unique gameplay elements and rewards. We've gathered invaluable feedback and insights from all participating players. Thanks to your contributions, we have incorporated some suggestions for the next limited-time event coming soon. The upcoming limited-time event will be:

• Less time consuming
  
• More generous with rewards
  
• Provide an extended period to claim rewards beyond the event duration

[h2]Weekly Programs[/h2]
Designed as experimental therapies by Murkoff, Weekly Programs aim to test Reagents in unconventional situations that diverge from normal Trial rules. They are intended to be inclusive for everyone—be it new or seasoned players—rather than strictly challenging. Murkoff has prepared numerous therapies to be introduced in the weeks and months ahead, some will focus on co-op play while others will bring more of a challenge to both solo and multiplayer experiences. Your feedback as test subjects is crucial, and we welcome your ideas for future Weekly Programs!
We're closely observing how these Programs are played and will make adjustments upon their return in the Weekly Program rotation based on your feedback.

[h2]Difficulty[/h2]
We understand that some seasoned players may be looking for more challenging Trials. Our primary focus is on welcoming new players after our official departure from Early Access as console releases happen. Simultaneously, however, we're exploring ways to offer veterans an ultimate challenge to spice things up for them. We’ve seen how many of our players loved harder game modes, and have become reborn, so with this in mind, we want to introduce a more daunting threat from Murkoff for these Reagents. We appreciate your patience as we work on this!

[h2]Road to V1[/h2]
Our goal is to exit Early Access in sync with the console release set for March 5th, 2024 accompanied by a new Trial in Toy Factory, new MK challenges, additional cosmetics, and amps, among other surprises. The progression level cap will also be raised. This marks just the beginning of an extensive journey for all Reagents and Reborns once the full release occurs.

[h2]Future Plans[/h2]
We know you’ve all been asking, and we're meticulously crafting a roadmap for post-release content. Alongside the release of new Trials, MK-Challenges, Events, Enemies, Amps, and Rigs, we're keen on experimenting with unique twists and game modes, as well as new reward systems. The Outlast Trials is a live game and we are molding its future live-ops and features with our players at heart.

Stay tuned for more updates!

[h3]The Red Barrels Team[/h3]

[h2]Nominate The Outlast Trials for 'Better with Friends' [/h2]
Reagents!

We have spent this year getting better together since The Outlast Trials launched in Early Access, and we are asking you to nominate us for the "Better With Friends" Category in the 2023 Steam Awards!

We love seeing how the Outlast fandom and people who are discovering the game for the first time, have gotten together to face the Trials alongside other members of the community! As developers, it has been great to get the game in people's hands to show how Outlast, a game that was traditionally always a single-player narrative experience, can be turned into a fun exhilarating horror multiplayer to jump into with fellow thrill seekers!

[h2] Making of The Outlast Trials Documentary[/h2]
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of the journey of crafting our inaugural multiplayer horror game The Outlast Trials! Dive into the heart of our creative process and the hurdles we faced in this full making-of documentary.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Thank you to all our fans and players, we wouldn't be here without you, and we appreciate all the support and love you've shown our team throughout this daunting but exciting development process!

[h3]Cheers to you, and to us getting nominated and hopefully winning the "Better with Friends" Steam Award of 2023! [/h3]

Greetings Reagents,

We are back with a few more fixes to issues our team has identified! This patch will include the following fixes:

• Fixed the issue where the Policeman Shirt cosmetic did not equip properly. You can be a cop now!
  
• Fixed an issue where players that experienced long load times would later get kicked out of their group when returning from a Trial.
  
• Fixed issue where some players would get stuck in the evaluation corridor exit when returning from a trial.
  
• Fixed jump-over action that sometimes made players get stuck in the "RELEASE THE PRISONERS" Trial.

If you experience any in-game issues feel free to join our 18+ Discord Server and create a ticket to speak with our support team. Thanks to everyone who has been reaching out to us and playing The Outlast Trials, our team really appreciates the engagement and feedback!