Unturned News

Added:

• Floors and pillars can be snapped to floating walls.
  
• Requires_Pillars option for custom walls.
  

Changed:

• Show name of item blocking housing placement.
  
• Clip.prefab is no longer necessary for barricades or vehicles.
  

Fixed:

• NPC does not look around while under arrest or surrendering.
  
• Line wrapping names in main menu character list.
  
• Protect against vehicle dropping scrap items multiple times.
  
• Vehicle bumper collisions ignore anything attached to vehicle.
  
• Climbing ladders angled into thin walls.
  
• Startup issues when IO permission to log file is blocked.
  
• Placement blocked by floating walls.
  
• Menu stuck when launching game through Join Friend button.
  

I am happy to celebrate another great year in the Unturned community! We first launched into Early Access on Steam in 2014: eight years ago today. Thank you to everyone for your longtime support and encouragement as the game continues to grow and (hopefully) improve! I consider myself incredibly fortunate and lucky to be able to focus on this project full-time for so long.



Added:

• Housing Planner tool for quickly placing structures. [ID 1764]
  
• Notification on main menu when an update is available.
  
• Server option to shutdown for auto-detected game updates. (Finally, eh?)
  
• Server option to shutdown for scheduled maintenance at a fixed time.
  
• Grow_SpawnTable (guid) option for crops.
  
• Copy to Clipboard button for error message.
  
• Option to make terrain holes visible for finding gaps.
  
• Terrain material icon in asset list.
  

Changed:

• Housing item placement is easier now that connections betweem then are tracked.
  
• Roof placement requires two pillars rather than a pillar at each corner.
  
• Shooting/attacking stops clientside if no inbound traffic has been received for 2 seconds.
  
• Updated barricade placement on vehicle to use netids rather than index.
  
• Temporarily buffed brick-material housing items from 800 to 1650 HP.
  

Fixed:

• Many exploits for stacking housing items in the same slot.
  
• Explosion damage respects zombie armor.
  
• Terrain editor per-"pixel" smoothing mode near edges.
  
• Whitespace-only player names with name filter disabled.
  
• Reverted post processing version to work around TAA transparent field of view bug.
  
• Some terrain hole gaps on Germany.
  
• Wrong material on circular table barricade LOD1.
  

The Housing Planner lets you quickly place housing items without waiting for animations, and pick them back up much faster. It can crafted from a GPS and Rangefinder, or found as an uncommon drop at construction sites.

There are a variety of housing-related rewrites in this update which are part of a first step towards better base building. Future work in this area will include building downward, claim flags automatically covering the entire connected house, replacing the crafting system, and more!



Two features have been added to the server Config.json file in this update to make server maintenance without plugins easier:

Scheduled Maintenance:

Restarting approximately once per 24 hours is recommended for the meantime because most of the older code still uses 32-bit floating point time. While this is gradually being improved an option to schedule shutdown has been added.

Enable_Scheduled_Shutdown: if true the server will shutdown at the specified time.

Scheduled_Shutdown_Time: local time the server will shutdown.

Scheduled_Shutdown_Warnings: list of times before the shutdown to notify players. For example 30:00 will broadcast in chat 30 minutes before the shutdown.

Checking for Updates:

Finally! The server can monitor for updates and restart when one is detected.

Enable_Update_Shutdown: if true the server will monitor for updates.

Update_Steam_Beta_Name: defaults to "public", but can be set to "preview" for servers running on the preview branch.

Update_Shutdown_Warnings: after an update is detected the server will wait for the longest of these durations to notify players before shutdown. For example if the longest time is 2:30 the server will broadcast in chat 2 minutes and 30 seconds before the shutdown.

Practical Application:

These options are most useful in conjunction with a script that updates and restarts the server in a loop. For example this Windows .bat script can be placed in the steamcmd folder to infinitely update and restart the server:

@echo off
rem @ suppresses echo command from being echoed, and then disables echoing in this script.

rem This is a label for use with "goto". The script will return to this label to update and restart the server.
:loop

rem %~dp0 expands to the path to this script's directory, allowing it to be called from a different working directory.
rem The "/wait" option pauses our script until steamcmd is finished.
rem Start steamcmd, download latest version of Unturned Dedicated Server, then close cleanly.
echo Updating...
start "" /wait "%~dp0steamcmd.exe" +login anonymous +app_update 1110390 +quit

echo Finished update! Launching server...
start "" /wait "%~dp0steamapps\common\U3DS\Unturned.exe" -batchmode -nographics +InternetServer/MyServer

echo Server has exited. Restarting after timeout...
echo:
echo Press CTRL+C and then Y during this timeout to cancel restart.
timeout 10

rem Return to the "loop" label to update and restart the server.
goto loop

This will be one of the last updates with 32-bit Windows support. According to the Steam hardware survey 32-bit Windows is approximately 0.22% of players. The final update with 32-bit Windows support will be sometime in early August, and will also remain permanently available on a Steam beta branch for anyone returning to the game on a 32-bit PC.

Kuwait's final update is here! The monuments on Boubyan Island have finally charged up to power the main obelisk. Play today to discover (and promptly escape) the outlands.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Watch the Kuwait Escaping Outlands Trailer Here

Read the Full Kuwait Changelog Here

To host a server running the map add its workshop file ID (2483365750) to the File_IDs list in WorkshopDownloadConfig.json, and set the map to Kuwait in Commands.dat.

Two challenging new achievements with free rare items have been added in a final questline:



For the next two weeks a variety of exclusive new free items will be dropping:



This project was created by Animatic and NSTM. If you enjoy the map and would like to support them, consider checking out their Kuwait-themed bundles on the Stockpile:



Private Eye Bundle Mythical Palm Nights Bundle Assorted Accessories Bundle

Watch the Escaping Outlands Cosmetics Trailer Here

These bundles from the initial launch of Kuwait are also still available:
Assorted Hats Bundle Divine Duneman Bundle Letterman Bundle

Watch the Original Kuwait Trailer Here

We have collaborated with Makeship to bring the Biohazard Zombie to life in the form of a limited-edition collectible plush toy!



Edit: the campaign has concluded after being successfully funded! Thank you to everyone for your interest and support, we are looking forward to sending them out in September!



Added:

• "Projection Ratio Coefficient" option for "Focal Length" sensitivity scaling.
  
• Terrain editor hotkeys to switch active tab.
  

Changed:

• Updated Unity from 2019.4.38f1 to 2020.3.34f1.
  
• Always load english text as fallback.
  
• Vanilla ban command also bans player HWID.
  

Fixed:

• Replaced placeholder equipment rate limit fix by converting item hash to the newer asset integrity system.
  
• Boombox volume slider triggering rate limit kick.
  
• Explain kick when server per-platform assetbundle hash is out of date.
  
• Vertical alignment of font color setting.
  
• Text field character limit in IMGUI mode.
  

We have gotten reports that many players are experiencing BattlEye issues on Mac. Unfortunately the cause is still a mystery because I have not been able to reproduce it on my test Mac, and there still seem to be lots of Mac players online BattlEye protected servers. We are working with BattlEye to narrow down and patch as soon as possible.

This patch only fixes a few mistakes in the vanilla HWID ban support.



New version of BattlEye macOS and Linux clients, and speculative fix for the failed to load BattlEye kick on macOS.

Added:

• Alt hotkey to remove baked foliage with paint brush.
  
• "Disable" option for sensitivity scaling mode.
  
• Terrain material editor filter for only in-use materials.
  
• Terrain material and foliage editor name filters.
  
• Kick threshold for significantly exceeding per-RPC rate limits.
  

Changed:

• Separated terrain editor brush strength value for each tool.
  
• Assetbundle hash is included in asset integrity check.
  

Fixed:

• Warn if vendor vehicle spawnpoint is unset.
  
• Missing vendor and reward spawnpoint for vehicle uses player position as fallback.
  
• Picking up items while climbing.
  
• Invalid item conditions on tracked quest breaking UI.
  
• Fists use melee damage multiplier.
  
• Terrain undo/redo interfering with other undo/redos.
  

Sorry to say that there were two embarrasing mistakes made in the initial release of this update:

• Firstly, the 2020 LTS beta was accidentally set live rather than the actual update. The reason this happened is that my automatic release process was using the newest upload rather than the upload from the preview branch. In order to ensure this never happens again the automatic release will now specifically use the preview branch version rather than the newest version, and a confirmation dialog to double-check.
  
• Secondly, players were getting kicked for exceeding rate limits when equipping a kit. This highlighted a flaw in the equipment system from back when integrity checks were first added to equipped items. For the meantime I have increased the equipment rate limits significantly as a temporary workaround, but for the next major update I will properly resolve this flaw. If you experience other incorrect rate limit kicks please let me know and I will get them fixed, and as a temporary measure it is also possible to raise the Rate_Limit_Kick_Threshold in Config.json.
  

Client-invokable RPCs already have rate limits intended to prevent wasting server processing time. There was no penalty for repeatedly hitting these rate limits however, so time could still be wasted ignoring requests. There is now a Rate_Limit_Kick_Threshold option: if the same rate limit is hit this many times within the cooldown window the client will be kicked. For example a value of 5 means the client will be kicked the 5th time it is called within the same cooldown window. The default is 10.

The server checks both individual asset integrity and Unity assetbundle integrity to prevent cheaters from modifying their files to gain an advantage. Previously it was possible to bypass this by loading a different assetbundle on a per-asset basis, for example by adding a legacy ".unity3d" assetbundle to a vanilla vehicle. Individual asset integrity checks now include the assetbundle hash as well which prevents this exploit as long as the multi-platform ".hash" file is available for the server.



Unturned is currently using Unity 2019 LTS. Upgrading to 2020 LTS seems to be stable now and fully backwards compatible with existing content. If you would like to give it a try it is on the "unity-2020" beta branch, though there are still some known issues to fix next week. Assuming there are no unexpected surprises *fingers crossed* it should be in the next update.

Added:

• "Haven Across" music by staswalle on PEI loading screen.
  
• "Focal length sensitivity scaling" to adjust sensitivity according to scope/optic projection ratio.
  
• Controls option to use "Legacy" sensitivity scaling from prior to the 3.22.8.0 update.
  
• Hole mask brush for cutting holes into terrain.
  
• Gun option Requires_NonZero_Attachment_Caliber to disable vanilla attachments.
  
• Vehicle and turret passenger Unity events.
  
• Modulo NPC math operation and B_Value option as alternative / default for B_ID.
  
• Cost_Multiplier option in level asset skill rules.
  
• Per-navmesh "infinite agro range" zombie option.
  
• Browse Files button in editor maps list.
  

Changed:

• Flashbang briefly flashes a light component upon detonation.
  
• Merged "devkit" terrain tools into regular editor.
  
• Updated Germany, Hawaii, and Greece hole volumes to new hole masks.
  
• Improved foliage responsiveness by spiraling outwards.
  
• Updated Freezing mythical to the newer snowflake particles.
  
• Separated Melee_Repair_Multiplier from Melee_Damage_Multiplier.
  
• Replaced Germany grass materials with greener variants.
  

Fixed:

• Map preview image wrong size in singleplayer, editor, and server detail screens.
  
• Scope focus foliage option leaking memory with dual render scopes disabled.
  
• Prevent skycrane from picking up destroyed vehicles.
  
• Black water mask on main menu if logging out while underwater.
  
• Props with quest condition not updating when quest is abandoned.
  
• Decals are considered "small" in objects list filter.
  
• Locked brakes with vehicle physics profile braking model override.
  
• Placeholder workaround for carepackage landing misprediction.
  
• Re-enable oil on sand material.
  

• Fixed dedicated server was not loading out-of-bounds terrain for automatic conversion.
  
• Added hint labels for obscure terrain editor hotkeys.
  

PEI is the first map to receive loading screen music by staswalle!



You can listen on his YouTube channel here as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxki2vxbAEA



Back in 2016 the Unity engine did not have built-in support for cutting the terrain. "Hole volumes" were hacked together as a solution for Unturned, and basically acted as a portal which disabled collision against the terrain. There were a lot of drawbacks to this approach however: for example bullets had to check whether they would pass through a hole before doing collision tests, and each pixel of the terrain shader tested whether its 3D position was inside a hole for transparency (which is why there was a limit on the max number of holes). Nowadays Unity DOES have built-in support for an unlimited number of holes fully integrated with physics, so the custom workarounds can be removed!



Unturned will automatically convert hole volumes on existing maps to the painted hole mask, but there might be some gaps until the level creator manually reviews the changes. Alongside this upgrade any maps using the old terrain tools are automatically converted to the new terrain tools, which have also finally been merged into the regular editor. In order to "dogfood" these changes I manually upgraded Germany, Hawaii, and Greece (which was using the old terrain system), so hopefully that shows I really believe this is an important improvement for the game even if there are some wonky effects on older maps that need manual revision. (Sorry!) If you are working on a map and run into any problems with this conversion please feel free to email me [email protected].



Following feedback on the scope zoom and sensitivity fixes in the previous update: we should now have the best of both worlds! A new "Sensitivity Scaling Mode" option has been added to the Controls menu. The default "Focal Length" option is new, and should perfectly adjust the sensitivity according to the perceived size of enemies on screen. I would recommend at least giving it a try, but if you want both the zoom levels and sensitivity to be reverted to how they were before the previous update you can choose the "Legacy" option. Alternatively the "Zoom Level" choice is available which preserves the behaviour of the previous update.

Grass loading (especially with "scope focus foliage" enabled) often felt unresponsive because it started in a grid pattern North-West of the camera. Loading now instead follows a spiral pattern outward from the camera, so the closest foliage is loaded first.

In sadder news I am sorry to say that Unturned II (4.0) development has been paused. This post summarizes some relevant factors from my personal life, and how Unturned (3.0) will be affected going forward:

Read "Unturned II Development Paused" Blog Post