Level Zero: Extraction News

[h2]⚠️ INCOMING MESSAGE // WEEKEND EVENT ⚠️ [/h2]



Copy that, Merc. This is Taras. Do you need a job? I've received information that the Ghost left an important item in the "quiet room" at the Research Facility. I don't understand why it's called "quiet" — there was always loud music playing from there. Anyway, we can establish a good relationship if you bring this item to me. I can’t tell you what the item is over the phone — we might be bugged. But I’ll give you a lead. The main thing is to make it out alive, and I’ll buy it from you. I won’t skimp
on the payment, and in the future, I can provide you with better weapons.

To open the room, you’ll need a keycard. Once you get inside, you’ll figure it out — the item should be in plain sight. By the way, the room’s owner was very fond of cats. According to our information, the keycard was taken by a guard who was dispatched to the planet of Turion to deliver it to the owner. I doubt he survived, so you might want to search his corpse — the keycard might be on him. Also, check the tables in and around the research tents, metal capsules, and the warehouse, which requires access. In short, look on tables and in corpses — you’ll definitely find it there.

You need to find this item between 16.08.24 and 18.08.24.
If you don’t make it in time, I’ll find another Merc for the job. Don’t delay.

Here’s a list of locations, it might help (check your portable map):

• Nest Research Tent
  
• Cave Central
  
• Sector B Research Hall
  
• North West Cave Hall
  
• Warehouse
  
• North East Cave Hall
  
• Sector C Research Hall
  
• South Ravine
  

Have fun and stay safe

Thanks again for your support, and see you soon,
- the Doghowl Team


[hr][/hr]

As promised, we’re keeping you updated so that you’re aware of everything happening with the game's development. Today, let's talk about the current known issues we’re working on right now, which we consider the highest priority to resolve. We’ll strive to solve these issues as quickly as possible, but some of them will take more time, and we are diligently working on them.

This post is intended to help us all understand that the game will improve soon and to save us time studying feedback and identifying new issues.
[hr][/hr]Before we start, I want to thank you for your patience and love for the game. We see it, and it’s what motivates us the most. ❤️ [hr][/hr]
[h3]Okay, let’s start with the priority tasks that affect both playable classes.[/h3]

• Many players are complaining about lag during gameplay, which occurs due to high ping when matchmaking, after a long wait, places you in a distant region. We’re already working on region selection, which requires a matchmaking overhaul and will appear in the upcoming hotfix updates within two weeks.
  
• The cheater report system will expand with each patch. The first iteration will be released next week, and it will give us more power to ban cheaters. We’ll be able to automate this process even more. Just yesterday, there was a wave of bans, and I think you noticed that there were significantly fewer cheaters in the second half of the day. Each report of a suspicious player is looked at and we’re automating the process while we’re working on it. This will allow us to deal with cheaters more strictly.
  
• Experimental solo mode: This is a complex and large task as it will affect the game’s balance and might split the player base, impacting matchmaking. We’re working on it and figuring out how to implement it correctly. In this mode, there will be one alien against solo mercs. The number of mercs will be determined after testing.
  

[h3]Priority issues for Alien Monsters[/h3]

• The UV lamp and weapon flashlight not turning off with EMP is a bug that will be fixed in the patch next week. We have decided to temporarily remove them from the store until we implement the hotfix in the game, as they significantly impact Aliens' gameplay.
  
• The monster’s abilities are activating slowly, and sometimes activating the EMP light kills you when it should turn off. We’re looking for a solution to fix this, and we need more time to rework the technical aspects of the monster’s abilities.
  
• After fixing the damage registration from light on the Alien, it has started dying noticeably faster. We believe the Alien shouldn’t die quickly and should have the opportunity to react to external threats so as not to cause frustration. We’ve decided to seriously rework this aspect of the game so that Aliens don’t die quickly but also so that they need to retreat for a while to gather resources after an attack, giving the mercs a chance to catch their breath. This is a complex task requiring testing and balance adjustments. We’ll prototype and test the new alien gameplay within the team, as it’s a very important part of the game. Alien gameplay has never been secondary to us, and in the future, you’ll see many changes in this aspect. You will notice the reduced light damage in today's server-side hotfix.
  
• Slowing down the monster’s attacks is a mechanic designed to prevent the Alien from rushing into the light. This mechanic introduced a bug where the attack slowdown lingers throughout the entire game session. We’re investigating the cause of this bug and will try to fix it in the next patch.
  
• Alien attacks currently feel unpleasant. We want to test faster monster attacks to eliminate the delay between hits, reducing the damage but keeping the damage per second intact. If we see that it works well within the team, you’ll see it in the next patch.
  
• Aliens burn out after the blackout ends. We plan to add a notification about the end of the blackout so that Aliens have a chance to react to the light turning back on.
  
• The trap egg placement needs improvement. We’re working on reworking it. We’ve gathered feedback, and we have a solution, but it will take time.
  
• The drone currently slows down the Alien with its flashlight. We plan to remove this aspect in the next patch.
  

[h3]Priority issues for Mercs[/h3]

• Item switching currently feels very unresponsive and, as many say, clunky. We have a solution to this problem and are already working on reworking item switching. It’s a very complex task that, while it might seem simple, requires completely reworking part of the inventory logic from a technical standpoint. We plan to include this fix in the next major update but don’t expect it in hotfix patches. Rest assured, item switching will work at its best. We’ve already tested a prototype of this mechanic within the team, and it feels great. The rework has introduced many bugs, so we need time to fix them before adding this to the game. We’re thinking of making a video of this prototype to show you how it works.
  
• Merc animation improvements: Currently, there are many ugly, unpleasant visual moments in the character animations from both first-person and third-person perspectives, such as animation jerks, camera jerks during movement, freezes, and stuttering. All of these are being addressed and will be gradually included in hotfixes.
  
• Mercs can currently quickly swap flashlights to abuse EMP, switching to a non-affected flashlight in an instant. We want to have only one flashlight (or UV lamp) in quick slots. The solution for this is still being considered, but we’ll share more details on that later.
  
• We also want syringes to stack in inventory and quick slots to save space. We’re working on that, but you should expect that change later than all the aforementioned changes above. We will also change syringe healing from instant to HoT (healing over time) to avoid spam healing.
  

[hr][/hr]
We've deployed a server-side hotfix; there is no need to restart the client or download any updates. Enjoy the game!

[h3]Server-Side Hotfix[/h3]
The List of Changes

After we fixed an issue with the light damage appliance for aliens, we unexpectedly experienced increased light damage instead of reduced damage. We're now deploying a server-side fix to address that.

• Light damage of Flashlight, UV Lamp, and Flares is reduced by 20%;
  
• UV Lamp and Tactical Flashlight are temporarily unavailable to purchase while we're working on EMP hotfix.
  

[hr][/hr]
Last but not least, here's a teaser of one of the skins that will be available soon in the customization menu:



Thanks again for your support, and see you soon,
the Doghowl Team


[hr][/hr]

[h3]Lex here, the head of Doghowl studio.[/h3]

Just wanted to say a huge "Thank you" to all of you for your support during these first days. We know they are crucial—we are working very hard to address your feedback, and we really appreciate all of the ideas, kind words, and constructive criticism.

We are rolling out a big hotfix today; check out the full patch notes below. We are increasing the max stash size, improving merc movement, increasing stamina and sprint speeds, reducing hostile drones’ visibility range, nerfing AI mutants, and much more. Also, we’re issuing daily ban waves to battle cheaters. If you encounter any, don't hesitate to report them to us on this subforum.

[h3]🛠️ HOTFIX 2 🛠️[/h3]

Merc Changes

• Increased stash size provided by stash upgrades by 50% total;
  [Developer’s note: any upgrades you purchased previously (through upgrades or supporter pack) are retroactive and will increase your stash size right away]
• Doubled the stack size of all bullet types (e.g., 60 9mm ammo can now stack as 120);
  
• Reduced character’s inertia so movement feels a bit more predictable;
  
• Increased mercenary’s sprint speed by 10%;
  
• Increased mercenary’s stamina by an additional 15%;
  
• Reduced jump cost from 12.5 to 10 stamina;
  
• Reduced the landing sound volume;
  
• Reduced the stamina recovery cooldown from 3 seconds 1,5 seconds;
  [Developer’s note: once you’re out of stamina, it will start regenerating faster]

Alien Changes

• Reduced glowstick damage from 50 to 40;
  
• Reduced damage of flashlight, UV lamp, and flashlight in close range by 10%;
  
• Increased alien’s stamina by an additional 15%;
  
• Increased melee attack sound volume so it’s better heard by mercs during gunfights;
  
• Removed merc’s helmet flashlight damage;
  [Developer’s note: flashlight damage, even though it was small, triggered attack speed reduction for aliens—this should only happen from items and main lights now]

The Caves of Turion Map

• Reduced AI Hostile Drones’ visibility range from 25m to 15m;
  
• Increased sound radius of big gates and warehouse gates;
  
• Changes spawn points on Caves of Turion so Mercs spawn a bit further away from each other and can’t instantly see the lights in other mercs’ squad spawn;
  
• Reduced the number of mines per sector from 15 to 10;
  
• Increased the amount of AI Hostile Drones in the warehouse to 3;
  

Other Changes

• Reduced mutants HP from 100 to 80;
  
• Improved camera shake from mutant attacks and shots slightly for better feedback;
  
• Bug Fixes
• Fixed an issue where the player's mouse would suddenly twitch after shooting.
  
• Fixed an issue where mutants and environmental damage did not trigger visual attack feedback on mercs;
  
• Fixed an issue where players could see their eyes when they spawned;
  
• Fixed an issue that caused dead bodies to drop through the elevator’s floor;
  
• Fixed an issue that caused weapons that players dropped through the elevator’s floor;
  

[hr][/hr]
Here are some of the changes & additions we will introduce early next week with the next hotfix:

• One-click in-game cheater report system to speed up bans;
  
• Aliens will start getting additional credits for killing mercs - by getting a cut of their inventory value;
  
• New firearm: SKAR-7 Assault Rifle with 7.62x51mm caliber;
  
• UX Improvements that will highlight ammo/modules for selected guns in stash and trade;
  
• More cosmetic items available for in-game currency;
  
• More bug fixes and ongoing balancing.
  

If you want to support us right now, please leave a review on Steam—we read all of them, constructive feedback is invaluable for us, and every ‘Thumbs up’ on Steam helps the game more than you can imagine.

📝We’re also working on the following changes that are high on our priority list but will be coming a bit later in the upcoming weeks:

• Matchmaking region selection - so you’re never taken to a different region unwillingly;
  
• Experimental solo queue mode (for solo players only);
  
• Increasing rewards for solo players that queue into regular trio matches;
  
• Tackling ‘clunky’ feel: Animation improvements for merc;
  
• Tackling ‘clunky’ feel: Snappier quick slot item swapping with clearer feedback;
  
• Improvement of server response for alien skills usage, such as EMP, to remove a short lag between skill usage and an actual effect;
  
• Reworking alien egg trap placement. We’ll improve basic egg placement, and aliens will also be able to set egg traps near mercs - but those eggs will take a bit more time to activate, giving mercs time to react.
  

[hr][/hr]
📝Last but not least, we want to set the record straight regarding monetization.

There is a Supporter Pack, which is a great way for you to further support our studio. The items from that pack provide some temporary quality-of-life head start at the beginning of each wipe but do not provide any substantial advantage over other players. And it will stay that way. We believe in a fair playing field, and that is impossible when you can get high-level armor or weapons every time you swipe your credit card. Level Zero: Extraction will never have P2W mechanics, you will not be able to purchase in-game currency or gear with real money.

[hr][/hr]
Our Early Access journey has just begun, and we are determined to evolve LZE into one of the best extraction titles on Steam.

Kind regards,
Lex & the Doghowl Team


[hr][/hr]

We want to inform you about high-tier character unlocks for those who completed the Open Beta objectives back in June and those who supported the game by purchasing the Elite Task Force Outfit Pack.

[h3]Ghost[/h3]
This character is now available for players who achieved maximum reputation with Taras Zbroiv and Magnus Hjerne and participated in at least 10 matches as the Merc during the Open Beta in June. You can now apply Molecular Biologist, Insurgent, and Preservation skins to this character. Info on the skins here.


[h3]Reaper[/h3]
Unlocked for those who purchased the Elite Task Force Outfit Pack.

Q: What is a high-tier character? A: A high-tier character is a variation of the Merc that is obtained by completing in-game challenges such as reaching maximum reputation with the traders.
Q: How do I access these high-tier characters? A: Choose the Merс on the class selection screen, then go to Customization; choose your high-tier character in the Outfit box.

If you've left a negative review on Steam regarding the prior state of things with skins, please consider reconsidering it. I know it's a tautology, have no idea how to fix this.

[hr][/hr]

Good news for Alien Monster mains: We've added a new Breed of Alien Monster: Duskborn for the owners of the Elite Task Force Outfit Pack. It has been added to their Alien Monster customization menu. Two new Alien Monster skins will be added to the Elite Task Force Outfit Pack soon.

⚠️Important: Alien Breeds are temporarily called "Outfits" in-game. These are Alien Monster character types. Not to be confused with "skins" or "cosmetics."


Thank you for your continued support, all!

[h3]Hey, everybody.[/h3]

• We've implemented Anti-Cheat Software.
  

If you're having trouble finding matches, don't worry. Please exit the game and update it through Steam.

We also highly recommend restarting your Steam client.

Once that's done, you should be able to find matches without issues.