Primal Carnage: Extinction News

The Meltdown Event rages on, with only a couple of weeks left before it's over. We're back today with a smaller update that features a bunch of extra tweaks and polishing of the new Ceratosaurus class.



There are several notable gameplay improvements made in response to community feedback, and we'll be continuing to re-balance and adjust the feel of the game over the next few months.

[h2]CERATOSAURUS CHANGES[/h2]

After seeing it in the wild, we felt that Ceratosaurus wasn't quite living up to its tanky brawler role...



To remedy this, we've gone in and added additional strong points to the beast, as well as giving Cerato the ability to attack during sprint while its roar is active.

Ceratosaurus can still be countered hard by nets, but only has to endure a few seconds before breaking free instead of the agonizing wait period it had previously. And to not make things too easy for the new guy, Pyro's flamethrower now ignores Cerato's armour and Cerato itself now deals slightly less charge headbutt damage than it did previously.

These and a whole helping of minor bugfixes and tweaks, from movement speed increases to better tail whip replication, will hopefully leave Ceratosaurus in a good place for the foreseeable future.

[h2]CERATOSAURUS RESOURCE PACK[/h2]

For all you artists out there, we are making available a community resource pack to create custom content for our new Ceratosaurus class.



Whether you're a budding skin designer who sees a fresh canvas to tear into, or an excited animator wanting to try their hand at taunts for this big bruiser, the resource pack should have all you need.

You can download the Ceratosaurus Resource Pack here. (Please read the enclosed help text files for important information).

We will also be releasing an update to the Primal Carnage: Extinction SDK and workshop upload tools soon, so you can actually view your hard work in-game. For now.. get creative!

[h2]DINO, RUN FREE![/h2]

Humans have been able to free pinned team mates from raptor pounces since the game began, but small dinosaurs were left without any such help from their own team when netted.



This has been something we've wanted to address for a long time now, and with this update we're happy to say that non-Tyrant dinos can now rescue other dinosaurs who have been downed by trapper nets (and even receive a points bonus for doing so!).

It takes two bites / slashes to tear the net off your teammate, but if you are Cryolophosaurus you can melt through it more quickly using your acid. We're considering extending the ability to Dilo in future as well.



[h2]FULL CHANGELOG:[/h2]

We have quite a selection of other small tweaks and changes with this update, see below for a complete list of all the balance adjustments, gameplay improvements, bugfixes and more...



[h3]VERSION 1.18.1[/h3]

• First quick pass of adding TDM support to the new Volcano map
  
• Fixed servers encountering slowdown whenever a Ceratosaurus roared
  
• Fixed spawn system not correctly checking for enemies when rating spawn points.
  
• Spawn system now prioritizes placing you closer to teammates.
  
  
• Ceratosaurus and Carnotaurus now correcly replicate their attack animation direction.
  
• Reduced netted time for Carno and Cerato
  
  
• While its roar is active, Ceratosaurus can use its primary attack when sprinting.
  
• Increased walking speed for Ceratosaurus
  
• Increased Cerato roar duration from 15 to 20 secs
  
• Increased strong point armour bonus from 30% to 40%
  
• Fixed a hole in Cerato's armour on its chest, added armour to lower arms
  
• Increased tail whip skill move damage bonus to 30%
  
• Adjusted tail whip skill move timing window
  
• Increased air turn speed for Ceratosaurus
  
• Made tail whip attack hits more reliable
  
• Fixed stamina leeching and whip cracks working on already dead enemies
  
• Moved Ceratosaurus head cam to first cosmetic slot
  
• Added new Ceratosaurus Snap Taunt as a rare drop
  
• Added names to the new Cerato challenges
  
  
• Reduced max range of stungun from 1800 to 1500
  
• Increased hit detection radius of Pyro's flamethrower
  
• Flamethrower flames now largely ignore armour strong points, dealing almost full damage.
  
• Updated pathfinder flare limit code so that no more than 3 flares can be placed too close together
  
  
• Non-tyrant dinosaurs can now free downed teammates from nets with two bites / slashes.
  
• Cryolophosaurus can spit acid on nets to quickly dissolve them, freeing teammates faster.
  
• Added new Net Rescue assist points bonus for freeing teammates
  
• Trappers now receive 100 netted bonus points if another player kills a dino they netted.
  
  
• If a dinosaur has been damaged in the last last 3 seconds, they cannot heal at a corpse.
  
• If a Tyrant has been damaged in the last 5 seconds, they cannot heal at a corpse.
  
  
• Fixed a bug where players were stuck unable to spawn / change class if selected class was full.
  
• Fixed scoreboard locking up controls upon closing if a cursor appeared
  
  
• Possible fix for Soft Side achievement tracking
  
• Fixed incorrect requirements for Combo! achievement
  
• Updated the Leech Master achievement to be more difficult- now requires draining a human's stamina pool completely
  
  
• Updated the Spinosaurus secondary attack animation
  
• Disabled blood decals appearing (in large numbers!) when ragdolls get stuck in geometry
  
• Started overhauling character ragdoll physics
  
  
• Various optimizations both game-side and server-side

[h3]VERSION 1.18.2[/h3]
An additional hotfix has been released to address a handful of recent issues...

• Removed a problematic spawnpoint on Volcano
  
• Added extra safety checks to spawn system
  
• Fixed spawn system not correctly weighting spawns that were unsupported by current class
  
• Ragdolls now retain character momentum velocity after death
  
  

Happy Hunting!
-The Primal Carnage Team

[h3]Burning with fury, a new threat has been unleashed... [/h3]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9DLc9xDCFo

[h2]NEW BRUISER CLASS:
Ceratosaurus[/h2]

For years Carnotaurus has endured the loneliness of being the only class without a friend. Until today.
Enter the Ceratosaurus, a big, bulky brawler that's always spoiling for a fight...

Featuring heavy armour on its head and shoulders, Ceratosaurus takes reduced damage from any attacks aimed at its front. To effectively fight this beast, you need to approach things from a different angle.



Ceratosaurus may not be as fast as its lighter cousin, but makes up for it in sheer brawn.

Thick muscular arms slash out alongside its lethal jaws in a one-two punch of a primary attack. When in close quarters, it can use a devastating Tail Whip that deals severe damage and hurls enemies aside.

And if it feels a little tired after all that action? Roaring engages Cerato's rage mode, allowing it to steal stamina from enemies by biting them. This filthy leech can easily gain its energy back with a well-timed bellow and bite, allowing it to stay mobile despite its rather stout legs.

After several months of development, working hand-in-hand with modellers, texture artists and testers from the Primal Carnage community, we hope you are as thrilled as we are with this newest addition to the game!




[h2]NEW ACHIEVEMENTS[/h2]

This update also brings in a selection of new achievements to unlock. It's been a while since we added some of these, so we thought, what better time than with the addition of our new pal?



Hmm, there's a certain theme here..

In addition to these 6 achievements, there are also a handful of others to work towards while completing your weekly challenges (several of which miiiight just be Cerato-related now). We'll be adding more of both cheevos and challenges in future updates.


[h2]NEW MAP : Volcano[/h2]

From the inventive mind of ArchShiranui comes another hot new community-created level...



Volcano is a rocky, inhospitable lava field replete with deadly magma flows, dark forbodeing caves, and even hazardous steam vents!

In celebration of PC-Volcano being added, we now have a new map stamp available for purchase in-store. Support the creator and receive a special Nightfall Pteranodon skin as a reward for your generosity!



We are launching Volcano as a Freeroam-only map, but intend to add support for other modes such as Team Deathmatch in future updates. For now simply relax and bask in the warm glow of a 1000 degree volcanic eruption..



[h2]NEW MUTATIONS & GIFT[/h2]

Today's store update contains an avalanche of Ceratosaurus content, but does bring with it a handful of new Mutations, with some brilliant new takes on Pteranodon and a simply stupendous Suchus mutation for Tyrannosaurus...



The third and final gift of the Meltdown Event is also now available, with the Summer Twilight Gift added to the in-game store. A sample of the sizzling skins waiting inside can be seen below...


With the launch of Meltdown Part 3 we will be rotating in a selection of new reward items for gift givers (this will occur every major update for the foreseeable future).

To see what you'll receive for opening a gift and get a closer look at all of the new items added in Meltdown Part 3, (including several free drops) simply visit the special event Trello board here.


[h2]VERSION 1.18 FULL CHANGELOG[/h2]

• Added NEW Ceratosaurus class!
  
• Added NEW Volcano map!
  
  
• Added support for StrongPoints (armor) on characters
  
• Added armor to Ceratosaurus head and neck - 30% incoming damage reduction
  
  
• Increased health restored from dinosaur bite kills from 10% to 25%
  
• Increased raptor frenzy duration and reduced its stamina drain speed
  
• Fixed attack cooldowns for Pteranodon not working
  
• Reduced Ceratosaurus bite attack damage to 47
  
• Increased flamethrower instant hit damage from 2.92 to 2.98
  
  
• Increased crouch turning speed for Bruisers
  
• Fixed bruisers being able to crouch while in sprint
  
• Bruisers can no longer sprint while stunned
  
• Tyrants & Bruisers can no longer bite while stunned
  
  
• Reduced stungun ammo from 17 to 12
  
• Reduced stunned time for Tyrants from 5 to 3.5 seconds
  
• Reduced stunned time for Carno from 5 to 2.5 seconds
  
  
• Increase netgun spread width
  
• Reduced netgun reserve ammo from 5 to 3
  
• Increased netgun reload time from 3 secs to 3.75 secs
  
• Fixed reload cheat time of netgun being overly short
  
  
• Dinosaurs that are not intended to be able to sprint while netted now stop sprinting if they become netted during sprint.
  
  Known Issues:
  
• The achievements "Combo!" and "Get on Their Soft Side" may not track correctly.
  
• Tail whip animations are not replicated exactly to other players
  
• Carno stats assert dominance on the class selection screen when first hovering over Cerato
  

[h2]SUMMER'S END[/h2]

The Summer of Carnage multi-month event draws to a close with Meltdown Part 3 as its grand finale.



All event items added in Meltdown Parts 1 & 2 are still available until the end of the event, alongside the brand new items from Part 3. The free item codes obtained through the Summer Scavenger Hunt are also still active until Meltdown concludes at the end of September.

We hope you've enjoyed this epic three act extravaganza!

If you want to know what's coming next to Primal Carnage Extinction,
check out the official Discord here!


Until next time...

A new patch for Primal Carnage: Extinction has just been released!
This patch includes numerous minor bug fixes and several small but meaningful gameplay improvements.

The Meltdown Event is still ongoing, with more sizzling hot content on the way later this summer. We're still hard at work on a certain new Bruiser class coming soon, but until then check out the latest changes and tweaks made hand in hand with our community testers....

[h2]Patch Notes:[/h2]

• Dinosaurs can now continuously attack by holding down primary fire
  
• Humans are now highlighted to teammates when grabbed by Pteranodon
  
• Trapper knife's damage bonus now also applies to Stunned enemies
  
• Hatchets that get stuck in surfaces (not players) can now be retrieved
  
  
• Explosives now correctly deal 50% damage to their owners
  
• Fixed cases where explosives could do double damage to enemies
  
• Updated bouncing logic and lifetime management of rockets
  
• Reduced spread of grenade launcher rocket when not crouched
  
• Reduced rocket launcher grenade arming time from 1.1 to 0.8 secs
  
• Reduced rocket max time before exploding from 4 secs to 3 secs
  
• Fixed rockets exploding when hitting teammates
  
  
• Increased sensitivty of sniper scope from 0.15 to 0.25
  
• Fixed molotov bottle vanishing when thrown
  
• Added new in-air particle effect for molotovs
  
• Reworked acid pool damage falloff to work better
  
• Increased interval between acid pool damage ticks from 0.8 to 0.85 secs
  
  
• Your killer's current rank and Evolution level are now shown on the death screen
  
• Added unique nameplate background to the death screen for Evolved players
  
• Added the player's Evolution level to the main menu's name card
  
  
• Fixed an issue that could cause Sprays to be set incorrectly for the current class
  
• Fixed the Pyro not having the option to select None in the Spray loadout
  
• Fixed incorrect progress tracking on Cryo acid kills challenge
  
• Default items should now be usable when not connected to the economy
  
• Various fixes to skins, taunts and mutation models
  
• Switched to a new more reliable release build process
  

We hope you enjoy these adjustments and look forward to hearing your feedback!
Remember you can always catch up with us on the official discord channel, we don't bite (usually!).

See you soon...

A new update is now available for Primal Carnage: Extinction!

Meltdown Part 2 is the second phase of our epic summer of carnage, a special multi-month event.
Things are really starting to heat up now!

Check out the highlights of today's major update (and a tease of what's next) below...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=velvya10kdY

[h2]A NEW THREAT[/h2]

The eagle-eyed among you may have already seen a hint at what's coming later this summer.
Yes, it's true. Carnotaurus is getting a friend.



It's been quite a road to get here, but we're excited to officially announce that a second Bruiser class is in development for Primal Carnage Extinction!

Something always felt wrong to us with Carnotaurus being all by its lonesome, and those greedy Tyrants hogging the spotlight with not two but three(!) subclasses... Well, it's time to put things right.

Created in collaboration with artists in the community, Ceratosaurus is a heavy-hitting brute that we can't wait to share more about! This thrilling new addition to the dinosaur team will be coming your way soon, so keep an eye out for more info in the coming weeks...

[h2]PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT[/h2]



For a long time there have been issues relating to class limits in Primal Carnage: Extinction, let's face it - they just never worked 100%, mysteriously failing to kick in on the second round of a match, or just straight up ignoring certain values. Unfortunately, we simply never had the time or manpower to address these issues in the past.

However- the community is ever-resourceful.

Many thanks to the efforts of PCE server hoster Rothir, a dedicated player who spent weeks sifting through server code to find the root of the problems here. Due to their efforts and the recent hiring of a second programmer, we were able to undertake a complete rewrite of the class limit system. It is now more robust and much less prone to error. We're confident that the issues it was afflicted with previously are now a thing of the past.

We hope this comes as a welcome relief to server operators, and must again thank our community for their dedication and hard work in keeping PCE alive and kicking!


[h3]A note on Proportional Class Limits:[/h3]

These can and should be used in conjunction with hard limits for each class. The equation for this gets into the decimal points usually depending on what you set. A couple of quick examples:

Proportional Limit = 0.1 (needs 10 players in the server before a second class of this type can spawn)
Proportional Limit - 0.05 (needs 20 players in the server before a second class of this type can spawn)

[h2]THE GIFT OF GIVING[/h2]

We heard you, generosity is overrated. You should of course get something in return for giving others a gift, selflessness is so last century. Messaged received!

This update introduces new Gift Giver Rewards for players magnanimous enough to open gift boxes in-game. Upon doing so, the person that opened the gift will receive a guaranteed item. These items use a new system that enables them to rotate on a regular basis, similar to how the store rotates assets in and out. Each gift has its own reward item that will swap out every week or two for a new one.

A new Summer Sunset Gift has been added to the store alongside the Summer Meltdown and classic Summer 2016 gifts, you can find info about the items included in each here.


[h2]SIZZLING NEW SKINS[/h2]

Today's update brings a selection of new default items unlocked by the intrepid codebreakers who took part in the Summer Scavenger Hunt! Every class in the game now has at least one free starter mutation.



Of course there's also a new in-game store rotation today as well, including NINE hot new mutations,
FIVE new dinosaur taunts, and a bumper beachwear pack for humans!




In addition to this, all of the content from Meltdown Part 1 is still available, and will remain purchasable until the end of the event when the leaves start to fall this autumn.

The same goes for free item codes unlocked through the scavenger hunt. You can find them here.
Simply use the Redeem Key option on the in-game store to claim your copy of each.


[h2]HEATING UP GAMEPLAY [/h2]

There are some significant changes to gameplay with this update, aimed at improving player control.
For starters, we have implemented aiming for dinosaur swipe attacks across the board.



Whether you're playing a Tyrant or a Carno, you can now aim the direction of your secondary attack by looking. Turn the camera in the direction you want the attack to go and it will follow.

This allows for a greater level of precision when using swipe attacks and we hope it helps some of you complete a couple of the trickier challenges out there.



Carnotaurus now has a reworked secondary attack that it can use on the move. This is a throwback to a design tried out early in Extinction's life cycle, and better fits its role as the fast Bruiser. It no longer locks you in place and the attack has controllable direction, as mentioned above.

On the human side, we have addressed various exploits that could lead to teamkilling and reduced the chances of being able to suicide via explosives. Critical hits (headshots) now do 30% bonus damage, rewarding skilled aim. Damage falloff distances and other aspects for various weapons have been adjusted as well with feedback from our Open Testing players, you can read the details in the full changelog below.


[h2]UPDATE 1.17 CHANGELOG[/h2]

Complete change notes for Primal Carnage: Extinction version 1.17:

• Rewritten class limit system, should no longer have issues on second round.
  
  
• Rex and Spino can now aim their swipe attacks by looking left or right
  
• Added momentum to humans hit by Tyrannosaurus tail swipe attack
  
• Added new two-handed slash attack for Spinosaurus, both hands do damage now in one sweep.
  
  
• Carno now has a mobile secondary attack, direct your lunges left or right based on the camera.
  
• Reduced damage of Carno secondary attack from 90 to 75
  
• Increased time while falling before sprinting is cancelled as Carno
  
• Reduced base corpse healing speed slightly, so that it is less likely to outpace fire damage.
  
• Increased corpse use range for Tyrants
  
  
• Increased distance that Tyrant footstep camera shake is felt
  
• Removed fullscreen flash from stungun screen fx
  
• Updated look of dilo spit screen fx, is now much more opaque.
  
  
• Increased base headshot damage bonus from 20% to 30%
  
• Sniper rifle headshots now do double damage
  
• Reduced sniper rifle zoom level from 3x to 2x
  
• Increased max effective range of sniper rifle
  
• Reduced accuracy when hip firing with sniper rifle
  
  
• Added ricochet behaviour to assault rifle grenade launcher
  
• Assault rifle grenades willnow bounce if you fire too close to yourself.
  
• Fixed arming time for AR grenade, will not explode for 1.1 seconds after firing.
  
  
• Increased damage and radius of thrown grenades
  
• Explosives now deal quarter damage to their owner
  
• Timed frag grenades now do significantly more damage than impact grenades
  
• Explosive Grenegg is now based on the impact grenade
  
• Fixed missing class select info text for the Explosive Grenegg
  
  
• Removed crit multiplier on AR grenade and hatchets
  
• Fixed certain cases where friendly fire was possible after death
  
  
• Reduced fire rate for default shotgun
  
• Reduced effective damage distance of default shotgun
  
• Spaz12 shotgun reload timing is now closer to default shotgun
  
  
• Added new Stegosaurus corpse variant
  
• Added Stego corpse to a handful of maps
  
• Static lighting improvements to Borealis, ForestChasm, Snowbound, Docks
  
• Collision fixes on Snowbound and Borealis
  
  
• Possible fix for flare sounds stuttering / repeating
  
  
• Changed stungun crosshair
  
• Expanded hint text for a few challenges, added class names to all challenges
  
• Added gift item contents to their inventory descriptions
  
• Fixed awkward controller navigation on loadout screen
  
• Consistency pass on human and dino loadout screens
  
• Added soft gradient behind item icon text
  
  
• Added new default mutation unlocks from Summer Scavenger Hunt
  
• Additional model fixes and cosmetic updates
  
• Disabled certain console commands used for exploiting
  
• Various unrealscript optimizations
  
  [h3]Known Issues:[/h3]
  
  
• Setting a spray in the Scientist loadout will override sprays equipped on other classes
  
• Velocity applied to swipe victims is sometimes inconsistent
  
• Body textures on alpha spiked carno skins may appear blurry
  
  

[h2]JUST WARMING UP [/h2]



Our third and final conflagration of carnage is planned for next month, with Meltdown Part 3 arriving in August. We're hoping a certain Ceratosaurus will be joining us, and that you will too. See you then!

A new patch is available for Primal Carnage: Extinction, addressing a few issues that were identified after the Meltdown update recently went live. We also have some news about future changes to the human characters.

[h2]Version 1.16.1 Change Notes[/h2]

• Fixed dino health restoration from bite kills not working correctly at times
  
• Fixed several challenges not tracking properly
  
• Updated hint text for challenges and evolutions
  
• Fixed some missing text characters from end game screen
  
• Health bar is now a brighter, more consistent red colour
  
• Fixed missing descriptions / names in a few areas
  
• Added PhantomCave map image to Host Game
  
• Adjusted attachment offsets for a couple of mutations
  
• Fixed certain gift items not dropping
  
• Various skin fixes
  

[h2]Version 1.16.2 Change Notes[/h2]

• Added new default mutation: Serratus Rex (spiked "alpha" rex model)
  
• The majority of Spiked Rex skins are now compatible with mutations
  
• Fixed projection and spawning issues with Cryo acid pools
  
• Fixed texture opacity masking on a couple of skins
  
• Physics optimizations to some cosmetic items
  
• Disabled some client-side error logging that may have been causing slowdowns
  
• Fixed an incorrect scavenger hunt skin reward
  
• Challenge tracking fix for headshots
  
• Challenge tracking fix for grenade launcher
  
• Challenge tracking fix for Carno charges
  
• Challenge tracking fix for tranquilizer kills
  
• Fixed a bug with challenges being replaced
  
• Preparations for unified challenge reset time (upcoming)
  

[h2]Human Character PSA[/h2]

We're happy to say we've brought an old friend back to work on updating the human animation system.

Maccollo was one of the main animators on the original Primal Carnage game. He's an extremely talented artist and we're glad to say he is going to be replacing the existing human animation rig completely, with customized movesets for every character.

click for high fps...

This process will take a fair bit of time, so it will likely be a couple of months before these changes are in your hands. We wanted to share this exciting news early, and give a heads up to any community creators who might be working on human taunts or custom human meshes for the current skeleton.

We will be endeavoring to port much of the user-created content for humans to the new rig ourselves, but may need the help of the original creators in this regard. If you are working on new human content, it might be worth holding off engaging in more ambitious efforts such as making full character models for now (hats, backpacks etc. are fine though, being separate objects).

[h2]Future Changes to Challenges[/h2]

We're putting things in place to allow to improvements to challenge synchronization with the economy server and make them more consistent. These are still in testing, so we hope you understand and be patient with these changes, as we believe they will be for the better.

Currently in development:

• A consistent Challenge and Drop reset time for all players. Previously this used to be relative to when you first logged in. The new system will reset challenges and drop limits at the same time each week.
  
• The ability for us to enable/disable/replace Challenges "on the fly". As you may have experienced with the recent update, sometimes challenges can be broken. We're investigating how to fix and replace challenges remotely.
  
• Methods for us to adjust Challenge targets without needing to patch, if a challenge is seen as "too easy" or "too hard" for its given tier.
  
• The ability for us to issue the same Challenges to all players during a reset cycle. While we're not sure how this one will go, it could be interesting to have 1 or more challenges to be the same for all players- so you can work together to complete common goals.
  
• Continued improvements to Challenge rewards, with different item drops (or multiple items!) being rewarded for completing challenge tiers.
  

As we roll these changes out, it may result in some shorter "challenge weeks" - i.e. you may not have the full 7 days that you normally would to complete challenges. We hope you agree that the overall improvements and new bonuses coming in the near future for challenge completion will make it worthwhile. The first major change will be the synchronization of everyone's challenge reset timer early next week. We will announce on the official discord when this change is live for everybody.

[h2]Meltdown Part 2[/h2]



The Meltdown Event is underway and we're hard at work on the second part of this sizzling summer shindig. Keep an eye out towards the end of July for more news on what's coming in Part 2!

And if you haven't already, you might want to check out the Summer Scavenger Hunt going on right now on Discord, for the chance to unlock special time-limited item codes!

The first few codes have only just been revealed, with many more left to uncover! Keep track of how the community is progressing by checking the Special Event Trello board.