Primal Carnage: Extinction News

Previously, we've looked at Gameplay, Visuals and Sound in our deep dive series about how PCE is evolving. This time the focus is on how Freeroam is getting a bit of a makeover.

[h2]What's in a Name?[/h2]

Sandbox Mode is the upcoming replacement for Freeroam - it is a much more user-friendly and customizable mode. The new name ties into this rework, with the notion of it being a creative and easy place to mess around in.

The FR gametype was included as a bit of an afterthought originally in PCE, because we wanted to prevent the odd “friendly” dinosaurs that would disrupt deathmatches in the first game. It’s never been the main focus of Primal Carnage, but there are many players who love to just chill. Aside from that, it's a good place to experiment with and get used to the game's mechanics.

We’ve also heard a lot of confused PlayStation players over the years wondering why they can’t drive a dirtbike as a Novaraptor! To that end, we've been working on a slightly more robust experience...

[h2]The Sandbox Quickmenu[/h2]

Previously, most all of the fun features in Freeroam would need to be accessed through the developer console window (which obviously doesn't exist on PS4). Features such as vehicles and item summoning would require typing out long awkward strings of text or hacking in keybinds to trigger events.

Not anymore! A new and easy to use Sandbox quick menu will now let you do this hassle-free...



In normal gameplay, hold the Use key for half a second to activate the Sandbox quick menu. Tapping right into one of the main categories shows options to choose from. Tap left to go back, and keep tapping left to exit the Sandbox menu completely. Your character can continue moving around and even attacking while interacting with the Sandbox options.

[h2]Quick Menu Features[/h2]

[h3]Enter Cheats[/h3]



Finding cheat codes will add them to the Sandbox cheats list, where you can quickly activate them. These range from Change Size to Godmode, and are found by entering random button sequences when playing Custom matches on PlayStation.

[h3]Summoning[/h3]

This offers multiple categories to choose from such as Vehicles, AI bots (both human and dino), and soon in-game items (health kits, ammo kits, etc.). We are still prototyping these features currently, so there may be differences between PS4 and PC. The number of spawnable items / AI will be limited to prevent server crashes.

[h3]Passive Mode[/h3]

Going passive means that you won’t receive damage, but while active you cannot deal damage to others either. This is useful for when you want to go AFK, or if you don’t want to run a fully no-damage server.

[h3]Change Map / Vote Map[/h3]

For server owners / admins, a change map list will be available from the Sandbox menu. If voting is enabled on the server, the option to vote for a new map appears in place of this.

[h2]Subject to Change![/h2]

We’re still developing Sandbox Mode and some of these features may change or be removed, particularly on PS4. For example, testing in the beta will determine how many AI are safe to spawn on console, and certain vehicles may be prohibited on PS4 due to their unpredictability.

Outside of the quick menu, an additional option when selecting someone on the scoreboard in Sandbox will let you to teleport to that player's location.

[h2]Expanded Class Selection[/h2]

When playing Sandbox, there will now be additional playable classes listed on the spawn menu. These include several former “NPCs” that have been given a little extra TLC for Sandbox Mode!



From the humble little Compy to the mighty Iguanodon, a new range of Sandbox-only dinos will be playable soon. Iguanodon actually has a completely new model, as it was only ever a corpse before. Sandbox dinos support all the usual playable features such as shoulder cam and have their own roars.



The playable Iggy / Stego / Para are omnivorous - able to heal by both grazing and eating corpses. Aside from the Iggy glow up, other former NPCs like Compy, Stego and Para have received texture / model adjustments and bonus animations.



Iguanodon has its own thumb spike attack, but for the most part Sandbox dinos repurpose existing dino abilities. Tail swiping is popular among both Parasaurolophus and Stego, although the little baby "Steglings" cannot defend themselves. Adult stegosaurs also have a familiar stomp attack...



Each of the Sandbox classes will have several default skins to select from at launch, and we're looking at proper Workshop support for them in future.



They also come with new internal skeletons for being electrocuted or melted (and halloween)!



Other bonus playable creatures are already in the works for future updates to Sandbox, such as Kaprosuchus, Baby Brachi, The Veteran, and Dog.



Don't get too hyped up at the mention of baby Stego, we are not going to do anything like growth for dinosaurs (it's simply a class to select) and there are NO arduous "survival" mechanics planned currently. We do have emotes for drinking, which is something that might refill your stamina in future, but we'd rather not waste people's time unneccessarily.


[h3]Looking Ahead: [/h3]
[h2]CUSTOM MATCHES[/h2]

Currently the bonus classes are confined to Sandbox mode. However, we’re in the planning phases of adding Custom gametype variants of other modes like TDM. These allow PlayStation players to modify options not previously available outside of the Steam game, while adding a bunch of new ones too.

Custom matches will be added sometime after 3.0, with advanced tweak options including individual class limit adjustments, tweaking respawn timers, toggling spawn waves, allowing cheats, and yes - enabling Sandbox dinos in other game modes.

Running a Custom match will disable EXP gain, but allow a lot of flexibility for those who want to experiment with mechanics and are more interested in fun than progression. Want to play a match that has an infinite time limit with all Iguanodons versus all Pyros and low gravity? Knock yourselves out.

[h2]Coming Soon…ish[/h2]



Sandbox Mode will debut first on PlayStation with Primal Carnage: Evolution when it launches, it's quite a large overhaul and we're developing it on the console platform first. This means that for our PC players, you’ll have to wait just a tiny bit longer for it to be ported across. Sorry!

We’re looking forward to road testing the new playables in the closed beta on PS4 as we close in on a release date. The final wave of beta invites will be going out soon, so if you’re on PlayStation and haven’t signed up... what are you waiting for?


[h2]Getting in the Spooky Spirit![/h2]

The annual Halloween Horrors event for PCE on PC arrives at the tail end of October, and you can expect the initial 3.0 overhaul shortly before we start the spooktivities!



Some features from Primal Carnage: Evolution will not be there on day one of 3.0, as we have mentioned in the past. New elements like the Announcer, Skillshot System & Expanded OST will debut first on console, likewise the expanded lore documents and deeper dialogue system will arrive on PC after Evolution has launched on PlayStation.

For the initial 3.0 update on PC, there will be a reduced number of playable maps - however, new nighttime variants will be available to play for the first time. More remastered maps will be added over the next couple months, with snow levels returning this winter.

We're excited to finally bring this first big chunk of PCE's new era to Steam this October with 3.0, it's definitely been a long road! We do not have an official date for Evolution's release on console just yet, but we plan to finalize the game's content going into November.

Stay tuned!

[h2]Join us on Discord[/h2]

If you'd like to get all the latest Primal news & previews first, or take part in our regular community contests and polls, join the Official Primal Carnage Discord channel...



[h3]Thanks for reading![/h3]
-The Primal Carnage Team

Our deep dive series continues! We've looked at Gameplay, Visuals and Optimization so far.

Today, you’ll hear how we’ve evolving The Sound of Carnage, exploring several areas of audio including: Weapons, UI effects, & Voiceover

[h2]Let’s Get Loud[/h2]

Weapons fire is one of the areas that has been improved the most. The new sound design features bigger, more impressive gunshots that each have their own unique reverb characteristics. The video below highlights a few before & after comparisons between PS4 Extinction to Evolution, showcasing not just the revamped audio but improved particle effects...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
A new sound tweak is weapons changing pitch as you near the end of your current clip, which is also tied to the barrel heat visuals (where the gun starts glowing when you near the end).

Firing a weapon in first person perspective now also has more detailed effects compared to hearing somebody else shooting (3rd person). The player's own gunfire has several extra sound variations, instead of just the exact same cue repeated over and over the way it is in 3rd person.

This kind of “psychoacoustics” treatment makes your own gun always feel like the most powerful one in the room, whilst also optimizing the soundscape...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

If we used the first person soundcues for everyone in the scene, the game would have to pop off a dozen sounds every time someone fires (shot, tail, reverb, shell casing, etc). This would often hurt performance. Instead, we now use a different pre-combined cue for other players, which reduces memory load and helps keep the mix clean.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Something we tweaked recently and have been continuing to improve is the much more advanced flamesaw sound setup. Idle effects for the flamesaw vary based on if you've been using the saw or the flamethrower, and the pressure level of the flamethrower determines which start sound plays.

On the programming side, over the past year we finished moving all auto-firing guns to a new looping system which is much more efficient. This system also makes use of the split 3rd person / 1st person weapon sound tech, so that the complex layers of something like the Flamesaw are streamlined into less complex versions when heard by other players.

The before / after clip in this post actually shows a bug this system fixed, with the assault rifle sounds actually cutting out in Extinction, because it was spawning so many on full-auto that the audio engine just gave up!


[h2]Foley Finesse[/h2]

On the more subtle end, each human will have unique footstep sounds. For example, Commando wears heavy army boots, while Scientist has a much lighter step and Trapper has some jangling cowboy spurs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aaSW_0iGoY

Additional foley effects were added a while ago for actions such as sprinting, where if you’re holding a long gun you’ll hear it shaking in your hands as you run. Pyro’s fuel tank rattling about will now be more noticeable when sprinting, too. Reloading now feels more badass, filled with lots of extra little rattles, clicks and other mechanical effects.

[h2]Hearing the HUD[/h2]

One of our ongoing improvement drives has been adding extra cues tied to gameplay events. The HUD / user interface has been updated over time with more visual notifications, and various new sounds have been created to go along with these.

https://youtu.be/sR5R68WK8Hk

We added varied hit notifications to the HUD a little while ago. Depending on where you shoot, you see different crosshair symbols if it’s a weak point, strong point, or regular flesh - and the sound changes too. Firing at armour produces dull thunks on impact, whereas weakpoints are louder and sharper. Land a critical hit and there’s a juicy splash (plus a bullet ping if it’s a headshot).

Coupled with in-world sound effects for feeling hits yourself, such as the satisfying CLONK of a Pachy’s headbutt - or the bone breaking impact of a T.Rex tail swipe - it means Evolution has way more audio feedback for both instigators and victims compared to Primal Carnage: Extinction (PS4).

More sounds like these are being added to other parts of the HUD as well...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Stamina now has unique sounds for when it is stolen from you by enemies or being restored by teammates. There are also more subtle indicators for when it starts being used, begins regenerating, and fills up fully. If you have a keen ear, these allow you to focus more on the moment to moment combat instead of needing to keep an eye on your bar.

Even though we’ve added more visual indicators for the roar mechanics, the same is true there as well. The “roar ready” notification popup can be turned off for more immersive visuals, but you can still hear a helpful UI sound cue for it.

[h2]Menu Modifications[/h2]

Every part of the customization / equipment screen will now have custom sounds when interacted with. This is an extra level of detail we never had time for in the past, and which makes just the basics of interacting with these much-used screens more fun.

Select a weapon skin in the customizer and you’ll hear the equip sound for that gun, choose an outfit and there’s a suiting up sound, every single slot has a unique cue to go with it...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Console players, please ignore the Xbox button icons - it's just the default control method when using gamepads on PC. The actual functionality of the customizer itself will also be getting a few usability improvements too, but that's something for a future post.

[h2]More Music![/h2]



You can find several preview tracks from the expanded Evolution OST on our YouTube channel, and we also have a recent blog post about how the new soundtrack is being implemented!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNA-6UEBVWQ

We're happy to confirm every single sublcass in the core modes will have their own custom soundtrack, with both light ambient pieces and heavy combat themes for each! Keep a lookout for more soundtrack selections going live in the run up to relaunch...

[h2]Voiceover[/h2]

It's been mentioned before that the human team is getting re-voiced to allow for a greater dialogue variety. Unfortunately, there was no info regarding who played the original characters for Primal Carnage way back in 2012, so we had to cast new actors.

The Trapper was already largely re-recorded for Extinction in 2014 at the special request of Pub Games (they’re Australian), and we were lucky enough to bring him back to record additional dialogue for Evolution nearly 10 years later!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Likewise, we were able to track down the voice of the chopper pilot in Extinction for round two of his inimitable drawling insults! Bonus lines recorded for him include contexts for getting to the boat and getting to the train, and all that implies…

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In total, there are now over 3500 lines of recorded dialogue in the game. This includes the mercenary voiceover set with several hundred for each class, the chopper pilot’s 130 lines, dialogue for each of the vending machines, the announcer, and various new public service announcements heard in the world. All of these add more life and character, while hinting at times to the larger backstory.

Many of the new lines tie into specific gameplay events. For example, when facing the AI horde you’ll hear characters shout the names of various dinosaurs the first time they're seen (though they won’t always pronounce them properly!).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We’ve held back from adding the automatic spotting mechanic to the other game modes, as it could give your position away. It’s possible we may add manual spotting in future if there’s interest in it.

Numerous other dialogue triggers include (but are not limited to):

• getting a multi-kill streak
  
• landing a headshot
  
• killing dinos with specific weapons
  
• beating a boss wave
  
• throwing supplies
  
• capturing objectives
  
• starting, losing or winning a match.
  

The others you’ll just have to discover in-game!

[h3]Rumble in the Jungle[/h3]

Related to sound, a major part of improving the feel of the game for Evolution involved making a wide array of controller vibration effects. This “rumble” you feel from the gamepad enhances gameplay massively, but didn't receive much care and attention back when Primal Carnage: Extinction released.



This time around, we’ve gone HARD on rumble. Roaring was given tremendous vibration effects a while back for PCE on PC, but we’ve taken it even further for Evolution by creating custom rumble curves for each class that line up better with their actual roars.

Tyrants can now be felt, not just heard, at long distance. Their footsteps create heavy vibrations that you’ll pick up through your controller when they are within a few dozen metres.

A new “hierarchy of rumble” will also ensure important events like roaring are not interrupted by other vibration effects going on. This was an issue for PCE on PC previously. For example, roaring as Ptera or Tupa used to get cut off by your wing flaps in flight, and Tyrants could interrupt their roar effects with the rumble of their own footsteps. Not anymore!



Other bespoke rumble events include diving at terminal velocity as Flyers, and pretty much every attack now has some form of vibration effect (both on button press and when actually landing a hit). Even small actions such as reloading your gun now have little rumble triggers, with motions like shoving a new magazine into the carbine rifle creating a satisfying hit.

Of course, if your hands can’t handle all of this, vibration function can be disabled within the game’s own options menu. Additionally, one of our stretch goals is making a “rumble intensity” slider that globally adjusts how heavy vibration is across the whole game. This slider may not be there on day one, but we’ll definitely be including more accessibility options after Evolution releases regardless.

[h2]Next Time... SANDBOX[/h2]



We’ll be back with another deep dive soon which explores the evolution of Freeroam and some of the fun extras that come along with it. See you then!

[h2]Join us on Discord[/h2]

If you'd like to get all the latest Primal news & previews first, or take part in our regular community contests and polls, join the Official Primal Carnage Discord channel!



[h3]Thanks for reading![/h3]
-The Primal Carnage Team

Our deep dive series continues! Today, we're looking at the ongoing visual overhauls...



[h3]Contrast, Colour & Detail[/h3]

Primal Carnage: Extinction was originally a very drab game that didn't feature much in the way of contrast or colour when it first launched. One of the goals of our Evolution overhaul is to further address this criticism by giving the game a dramatic makeover...



Although still working in the same engine, we've managed to push the visuals even further for 3.0 while finding a more natural brightness range compared to how PCE on PC used to look.



Most maps will appear darker than they used to in PCE on PC, without the nuclear hot sunlight that used to be blasting the environments. Aside from reducing the brightness of the sun itself, we've refined the post processing and overall look of the game, with more finely calibrated tonemapping.

Even though the actual colour grading is different, many bold colours actually come from the wide variety of flowers now found on the maps, which break up what used to be an almost uniformly green jungle.



Some areas have actually become even more detailed since our original before / after showcases at the start of the Evolution beta...



UtilityBase now has dirt filling in the cracks of its floor tiles and leaves piling up inside. New detail props that you can kick around, like traffic cones and boxes, make the game world feel more reactive.

In addition to improving the lighting and shading of the world, many assets have become more detailed over time. If you joined us long after the 2.0 update for PCE on PC, you might have missed that we gave our dinosaurs a 4k texture overhaul...



Since then, numerous other assets received updates too, including the polygons on Commando's head!



[h2]ANIMATION ENHANCEMENTS[/h2]

Many new animations have been created over the past couple of years, such as completely re-animating the entire human team a while ago for 2.0. In the clip below, you can see the original moveset was quite stiff, with motions that often looked a little unnatural. For example, the Pyromaniac on the left seems more like he’s ice skating than sprinting (and his belly is just completely out of control).



Heading into version 3.0 with Evolution, many of the new animations we're now working on aren't just for visual polish - they directly affect gameplay.

Take the raptors, for example. Compared to the regular quick-tap pounce, it was felt that running around with a charged-up pounce could sometimes give a slight advantage. Consequently, raptors now have unique ready-up animations for charging their pounce and moving around with it held ready. While these new animations do assist gameplay… they’re also just really cool.



Elsewhere, all Tyrants now have low health animations! Their idle pose and movement style changes with low HP, helping humans to know when they can push to take them down. Keep an eye out for Spino’s dangling arm, Rex’s limp, and Acro’s lumbering. We may extend this feature to other classes in future, but figured it was most valuable when dealing with Tyrants.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
An experimental feature that we're still unsure will make the final cut is floor alignment, which adjusts a dinosaur's rotation to match the surface angle when going up and down hills. This feature has caused some *interesting* bugs so far. Hopefully it can be tamed, since when it works it really helps immersion.



On the human side, the stungun has some new animation tweaks coming up. Regular shots have the same wimpy motion as ever, but charged stungun shots have much more kick, feeling suitably powerful. Also, new motions when fully charged convey that it’s a struggle to keep this thing from popping off.



There are of course plenty of changes that are purely aesthetic, but which go towards making the experience feel more polished. Many of these are 3rd person human anim tweaks, such as making sure guns don’t float out of their hands and fixing the last few missing equip motions.

That said, being able to properly SEE a human doing a melee attack when viewed in 3rd person is quite helpful as a dinosaur, especially if it’s a pathfinder winding up a heavy machete slash!


[h2]WEATHER EFFECTS[/h2]



A new “weather system” has been added, which applies special effects on maps that have it enabled. When you’re outdoors on Airbase, Downpour, etc. you’ll now see your character appear wet and shiny with raindrops pattering on them.



Humans will see their weapons being rained on as well, but go inside and you’ll slowly dry out over time. If you look up while standing in the rain, droplets will also appear on the camera lens.



For now, the only weather type is rain - but we’re looking at adding new snow effects for winter.

[h2]NEW OVERLAYS[/h2]



Similar to standing in the rain, go stick your camera under a waterfall and your view will become distorted as the water washes over you. There are many new post process screen overlays like this, but one of the more complex is the new Roar Ability effect! When deploying a roar, glowing veins now quickly trace across the screen to better communicate the buff...



Other post process additions include Tyrant roars now spraying spittle onscreen if you stand too near to them, and close-up melee kills will splatter your victim’s blood on the camera!

Classic effects such as getting poisoned or being blinded by spit / flares are also receiving upgrades. Flares are now more obscuring when seen by dinos (but hopefully not bright enough to give you a headache), while spit now has different overlays for charged vs. uncharged spit.

We think these adjustments make for a much more visceral experience - but if it’s too much for you, many effects such as screenshake can be adjusted to your liking or turned off entirely in the expanded game options menu.

[h2]STAY TUNED[/h2]

Keep an eye out for more deep dives coming soon, exploring more of the changes and improvements coming with the FREE Evolution Update on PC. You can try out many of these changes already in the Open Testing beta, but there are even more juicy features we've yet to fully reveal!



[h2]Join us on Discord[/h2]

Join the the Official Primal Carnage Discord to keep up with all the latest sneak peeks and take part in the Autumnal-themed screenshot contest, winners receive special spooky items this Halloween!



[h3]Thanks for reading![/h3]
-The Primal Carnage Team

We hope everyone had a rawrsome summer!



Apologies for the lack of updates, the last few months have been a very busy time for development, and there's still a lot to do. That said, we're about to enter the final polishing phase for Evolution.

Over the next couple posts, we'll be diving deep into some of the new changes that are already playable in the 3.0 beta on PC (or will be soon!)

Today, it’s all about gameplay...

[h2]RAPTOR POUNCE RECODE[/h2]

Perhaps one of the loudest complaints we’ve heard over the years has been “pounce sucks.”

We agree. It’s never worked 100% and it’s been clear for a long time it needed rethinking. After embarking on Evolution for PlayStation, we finally had the time and resources to do a full overhaul.



Philosophically, if we were to completely start over from square one, a completely immobilizing attack like pounce might not make the cut. Same with Ptera grabbing. However, these are both expected genre staples and are so embedded in PCE that it’s hard to justify removing them at this point...

[h3]The Problem[/h3]

The pounce overhaul’s goal is to make it an actual viable mechanic that is reliable and versatile. Previously, you'd often pounce at someone and end up just standing in front of them, nose to nose, ready to get your head blasted off. Or y'know, just bounce off the human entirely.

A lot of this was due to the arc between you and the target getting obstructed. Even just skidding along the floor invalidated it, because the raptor had technically already "landed" before it hit anybody.

[h3]The Solution[/h3]



To fix these annoying problems, several aspects of the pounce code were completely rewritten. It now uses much more advanced trajectory calculation, which accounts for variations in terrain between you and the target. This means you can now much more reliably pounce enemies below you from elevated positions such as rooftops, at angles that were near impossible before.



The new calculations also make charged pounces much faster, with speed usually about the same as the quick pounce. No more slowly ascending into the stratosphere if you aim too close!

To account for network latency, there is also a degree of “pounce magnetism” when you land near a target. If there is a human in view and they are close enough, you will automatically latch onto them if your pounce doesn’t land exactly on top of the target. This makes pounce much more effective, but not overpowered. There are additional sanity checks in place to ensure raptors don’t zoom backwards onto enemies, and you need to be really close to a human for it to actually kick in.

The actual pounce aiming indicator has been improved as well, allowing a greater range of acceptable pounce angles and more accurately reflecting where your pounce will land. Pouncing uphill? No problem.





As essentially support classes, one goal for the Spitters has always been increasing their versatility and giving them ways to still contribute without being the most powerful frontline dinos.

Both of them now have a chance to have the last laugh when killed, with their volatile internal juices spewing forth on death. Spitters will always form a puddle after dying, and if they are killed by a headshot while charging up their spit - they will actually explode!



The melting utility of Cryolophosaurus has also been extended. It can now destroy thrown health and ammo kits that have been deployed by the Commando, and Cryo itself has slightly higher HP.



All primary weapons have a heavy melee attack, which has now evolved into its final form. If there’s an enemy in front of you, then meleeing with your primary equipped will now perform a heavy melee dash! This makes you zoom forwards to help land your attack.



If you manage to land a heavy melee hit, small dinosaurs will now be briefly staggered in addition to feeling knockback. This prevents them from attacking for just under one second. If you ever wondered why heavy melee needed to cost stamina, now you know.



Previously, if a raptor began mauling someone with low stamina, they would be able to detach at zero stamina with no consequences. They’d even still kill the human usually, since the person they’d pounced would be playing their get up animation and unable to defend themselves.



We’ve now changed this so that if a mauling raptor runs out of stamina, they'll be kicked away by the human, becoming staggered. The raptor gets control-locked for about the same length of time it takes for their victim to stand up, making this scenario much fairer.



[h3]Bruisers Clipped[/h3]



Bugfixing can often affect balance, and after taking another look at the collision setup for Bruiser headbutting it’s happened once again. They can no longer deal damage or knockback through walls / ceilings if they happen to clip through, welcome relief for anyone playing on Transfer.

[h3]Pounding Harder[/h3]
Since we’ve seen a lot of reports about the Tupa groundpound only being good for “finishing off” enemies, it's getting a major damage buff. This makes the attack actually worth the risk of attempting.



Although Tupa's secondary is now capable of insta-killing on direct hit, it does have a tighter blast radius - which means you should try to aim your attack properly or you won't be so effective. We're also going to look at changing things to where low altitude ground pounds deal less damage compared to if you started diving from higher up, adding another layer of skill.

[h3]*BOING*[/h3]

If you've played much Survival, you'll know that it’s particularly effective to jump on a little Compy's head for an easy kill. We felt it was unfair to let humans be the only ones to go “goomba stomping”, so the larger dinos can now do this to their enemies as well.



If you’re playing a Bruiser or Tyrant and happen to jump on top of (or land on) a human, your sheer weight will deal damage to them. The big boys will likely instakill, but if a Pachy jumps on your head you might get away with a concussion.

[h3]Dart Defense[/h3]

For those who hate darts, you’ll be happy to know that they will be completely blocked by armour. Scientists will have to hit soft spots to actually apply any debuff, so Tyrants may want to turn their head away if being assaulted by a tranq pistol. If you’ve got the stamina though, Tyrants can now brace to prevent darts applying any effect at all.

[h3]Tyrant Tuning[/h3]

Sticking with Tyrants, the Acro has received a speed boost and Spino’s claw swipe is more lethal. We’ll be looking at improving Acro’s roar ability in the coming weeks too, providing regen over time that is a percentage of health instead of a flat amount.

[h2]CAMERA IMPROVEMENTS[/h2]

[h3]Hard Shoulder[/h3]
Shoulder camera for dinos was reintroduced to PCE on PC in the last couple years (after having been originally removed during the 2014 beta)...



However, one problem with shoulder cam was the awkward clipping when activating this on bigger classes - the camera would go right inside your own body. It caused us to limit how far shoulder camera could swivel on Tyrants and Bruisers to prevent this. You'd be locked to one side.



Now, we’ve added a brand new shoulder camera arc that neatly avoids clipping. The camera is no longer restricted to a limited angle on the big guys, and will smoothly swap between shoulders once it has moved far enough across the axis. It’s not 100% perfect, but feels way more comfortable and makes shoulder camera much more useful for large dinosaurs.

[h3]Hulk Specate[/h3]
Spectator mode camera had some odd bugs we’ve fixed recently, such as a hidden timer that would stop you being able to spectate your killer after several deaths. You’ll have seen this as the camera just getting stuck on the floor where you died.



We've also fixed the “Hulk Hands” bug, where first person arms would show in spectator camera view. While this was hilarious, it was also honestly one of the most deviously annoying bugs we've ever tackled.

[h3]Usability[/h3]
Something related to the camera but also a UI improvement is interactive object highlighting.



For example, corpses still have red outlines when viewed through walls but will now get a golden glow if you are close enough to use them. This same effect is now employed by all usable items, but can be disabled in the options menu.



You can try out many of these changes already in the Open Testing beta on PC, but there are even spicier features being put through their paces in the closed PlayStation test.

We hope to bring the 3.0 beta to the live Steam game around Halloween (fingers crossed!).


It won't feature *everything* that's arriving with Primal Carnage: Evolution (PS4) at first. However, most of the mechanic updates (such as pounce recode) will be included day one, along with over two dozen reworked maps and map variants.



[h2]Join us on Discord[/h2]

If you'd like to get all the latest Primal news & previews first, or take part in our regular community contests and polls, join the Official Primal Carnage Discord channel!



[h3]Thanks for reading![/h3]
-The Primal Carnage Team

The 2024 Meltdown Update is now LIVE on Steam!

Yes, things are really heating up now. Our annual summer event caps off Jurassic June, bringing with it both a range of sizzling new items and some MAJOR gameplay refinements! Check out the highlights:



As we prepare for the gigantic 3.0 update, various fixes and improvements have been deployed along the way. We've got several that we've singled out as important for Meltdown below, along with some details on how we'll be evolving certain features going forward...

[h3]Human Melee[/h3]

This is the first part of overhauling human melee attacks, making it more rewarding to use melee attacks in general. Landing a melee hit will restore a small amount of stamina, while killing with melee will restore both a large anount of stamina and a portion of your health.

At the moment we're working on even bigger changes to melee, such as adding a dash to heavy bashes when you're close to an enemy, along with a potential rework of melee hit detection. Watch this space.

[h3]Flamesaw Improvements[/h3]

The flamethrower code has been adjusted to do multiple traces instead of just one, which should make its hit detection much more reliable. Flamesaw attacks in general should no longer be able to hit enemies *behind* the Pyro, and we have a hopeful fix for "fake" hitmarkers when using it.

Since it's potentially 3x more reliable now, we'll be watching closely just how much more effective the flamethrower is after this update.

[h3]Cerato Tweaking[/h3]

Compared to last patch, Ceratosaurus primary attacks are now a little faster than before. To encourage using the tailwhip in battle, whip kills will restore a chunk of the Cerato's health as of this update. That last part has been highly requested by the community, and we're happy to oblige.

There's another change that isn't 100% related to Cerato, but which will definitely help it out - humans now move a bit slower when backpedaling. This means they can't stay out of a dinosaur's reach as well as they could before just by walking backwards. Brawlers will enjoy this one.

[h3]Stun Adjustments[/h3]

The stungun has been modified so that there is less of an imbalance between its primary and secondary fire. Tapping the stungun's primary will only ~briefly~ immobilize small targets now. Additionally, the Tyrants can only be prevented from attacking by fully charged stungun shots, making electricity less of a nuisance.

Bigger changes for the stungun are planned in future, such as introducing a battery system to allow multiple shots without reloading and alternate control styles for weapon charging (similar to the bow).

[h3]Quality of Life Improvements[/h3]

Over the last couple months we have been able to bring on an additional programmer to help us out. You've already seen some of the QoL improvements they've been working on in recent patches, and there are a lot more in this update as well.

If you play as Flyers much, you'll know the annoyance of bumping into invisible walls or the map's "ceiling" and entering the fall state. This will no longer happen, allowing you to smoothly glide along the map boundaries without exiting flight.

Other small but meaningful changes include fixes for footstep attachment, so that particles don't spawn in midair at the center of the world instead of at your feet sometimes. Humans actually didn't produce any effects at all before, but if you look down now you'll see particles being kicked up as you run.

Fancy a swim? If you go for a dip on Freeroam dinosaurs have had their turning speed fixed. Instead of snapping 90 degrees everytime you move, they'll smoothly swim about in the water. You'll also no longer get your head stuck in one position if you stomp while holding the look up/down keys as Acro.

To see a full list of changes, scroll down to the bottom...


[h3]Special Event:[/h3]


Things are really hotting up in-store today with a sizzling selection of brand new summer looks! We've got mutations and mega skin bundles galore, let's soak in some of the highlights...

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Outside of the featured store set, there are dozens of new FREE drops such as the Maraudos Rex mutation, several new weapon skins and fresh avatars / sprays...


*(NOTE: hats not actually dino compatible)

You can check out every new item added this update on our Special Event Trello page!




[h3]BALANCE CHANGES[/h3]

• NEW: Multiple Use Health & Ammo Kits- a "ghost" version remains at the same spot after somebody grabs one, allowing it to be used by a second player for a short time.
  
  
• Modified flamethrower hit detection method, should now be 3x more reliable
  
• Reduced flamethrower distance slightly to be a closer match to its visuals
  
• Fixed flamethrower being able to burn targets behind yourself
  
• Possible fix for flamesaw showing "fake" hitmarkers
  
  
• Melee kills as human now restore 25% stamina and 15% health
  
• Receiving multiple knife melee hits as a raptor or spitter will now apply the bleed status
  
  
• Tweaked ceratosaurus primary attack speed to be a bit faster
  
• Cerato tailwhip kills now restore health
  
  
• Reduced human walk speed when moving backwards
  
  
• Fixed electrocuted animations not playing
  
• Changed how Tyrants react to being stunned - only fully charged stungun will stop them attacking
  
  
• Rebalanced stungun, fixed stungun primary fire applying maximum stun state
  
• Stungun charge time is now slightly shorter, begins at equal to tap firing damage level
  
  
• Fixed it being possible to deal knockback to raptors when they are pouncing a human
  

[h3]GENERAL FIXES & TWEAKS[/h3]

• Added bonus EXP for giving teammates energy drinks
  
• Added bonus EXP for healing teammates with tranq pistol
  
• Fixed not getting Hazard Removal bonus EXP for burning away Dilo spit pools
  
  
• Fixed compound bow aim speed not respecting aim sensitivity setting
  
  
• Fixed stomping as acro while holding "crouch" or "jump" locking your head position
  
• Fixed flyers exiting flight when they hit the ceiling or edges of the playable area
  
• Fixed broken turning speed when dinosaurs are swimming in Freeroam
  
  
• Fixed footstep particles not showing for humans and flyers
  
• Fixed footstep particle traces for Tyrants going under the level
  
• Fixed a minor texture seam on battlescarred rex skin
  
• Fixed harionna nova skin not having feathered model
  
• Fixed a few other cosmetic issues
  
  
• Updated requirements for challenge "My Little Friend"-
  (now requires 3 grenade launcher tyrant kills instead of 10, downgraded to Silver grade)
  

[h2]Steam Summer Sale![/h2]

During this year's summer sale you can get Primal Carnage: Extinction and the PCE 4-Pack for 50% OFF! With 3.0 just around the corner, it's a great time to bring some new friends into the carnage.



That's not all, we've got every DLC pack for PCE with a nice little 25% discount during the sale, which gives you an even better price if you pick up any of the game's bundle collections!

Sale begins at 10AM Pacific time today, and runs until July 11th.

[h2]3.0 BETA COMING SOON[/h2]



Our beta for Version 3.0 will soon be playable in Open Testing! Dubbed "the evolution update", 3.0 is one of the largest overhauls the game will ever see, and we'll be launching the beta early July...

This will be a rolling beta with new maps, features and additions added over time. The reason for this is because we have around two year's worth of changes to transfer across from the new PlayStation release. The first batch of content will include overhauls to various shaders, effects, audio and map upgrades.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We're obviously very busy currently wrapping up the PlayStation version, so major new systems such as skillshots / the announcer / intel / new dialogue etc. will be added to the PC beta later. We're really excited to finally be on the verge of releasing all these upgrades, it's been along road.

[h3]Here's to a rawrsome summer![/h3]
-The Primal Carnage Team

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