Update 341 Released!

Update 341 is now available on steam and includes multiple updates to maps and a bunch of bug fixes and tweaks to both the game and matched play. There are also additional updates to the balance which you can find in the in-game menu.

Remember all sales of NS2 and DLC directly affect our development budget and allow our team to continue work on NS2.

Changelog

Tweaks / Improvements

• 
  Death screen has been made smaller in overall size, hides when the map is opened, the fade to black lasts only 2 seconds, and the killfeed is no longer hidden. This should be more in line with the previous deathscreen experience over the years. Thanks everyone for your feedback on this feature!
  
• 
  Re-added text drop shadows to the in-game chat text elements.
  
• 
  Changed the text drop shadow rendering feature to fix severe FPS losses on certain graphics driver and hardware configurations. (Thanks, Axtel!)
  
• 
  Added Drop shadow text to damage numbers
  

Matchmaking Fixes and Changes

• 
  Individual players are automatically kicked from a lobby after 1 hour has elapsed without progressing the lobby state beyond Waiting for Players. This prevents long term AFK individuals propping up a potentially bugged lobby that acts as a trap for everyone else matching.
  
• 
  Fixed Steam Authentication potentially failing when waiting in a lobby for more than 30 minutes.
  
• 
  Fixed multiple players ending up being on an unassigned team and therefore being kicked from the server.
  
• 
  Fixed rare occurrence of a client not progressing through the lobby stages with everyone else.
  
• 
  Fixed a lobby failing when a server request returned error 500.
  
• 
  Fixed the Matchmaking Rewards menu’s Queue button being active all the time
  
• 
  Fixed Steam Offline status triggering too easily. It now counts down over multiple seconds before considering you having lost connection and can roll backward to a reset state over the same time frame if the offline status did not get reached. This ensures that a momentary loss of internet does not trigger kicking you from the game or lobby.
  
• 
  Fixed client script errors during certain lobby stages.
  
• 
  Fixed skill offset miscalculation between the teams [Drey]
  

Mod System Changes

• 
  Added an option to the create local server page to enable mounting UWE hotfix mods when creating a server.
  
• 
  Maps from non-active mods are now included in the Listen Server map list and are automatically mounted on the server when it is created.
  
• 
  Hotfix mods are no longer hidden in the menu mod list.
  
• 
  Duplicate Mod ID entries in a server’s map cycle are now handled properly.
  

Fixes

• 
  Fixed being able to receive Matchmaking invites while playing in a public server already.
  
• 
  Fixed Auric Clog not being able to be selected or used once unlocked.
  
• 
  Fixed Chroma Resource Tower not being able to be selected or used once unlocked.
  
• 
  Fixed when earning the Battle Gorge calling card, it's not available. And instead two items of Turbo drifter are granted.
  
• 
  Fixed a potential server crash when fetching hotfix mods fails.
  
• 
  Fix -game command line option not handling absolute paths for the Linux dedicated server.
  

Sounds

• 
  Client hitsounds files are no longer constrained by our file validation rules.
  

Maps

• 
  Biodome: (Thanks psyk!)
  
  • 
    Moved Agri RT to the north of Agri (New room, thanks Kash!)
    
  • 
    Increased height of small connection between Atmospherics and Scrubbers to nerf Armory blocks while arcing.
    
  • 
    Disabled Bridge-Agri jump (still possible with boosting or dropped structures).
    
  • 
    Reduced Cysts needed to Filtration from 5 to 4.
    
  • 
    Fixed LoS issue which enabled Railguns to shoot Atmospherics Hive from CO2 Scrubbers.
    
  • 
    Fixed structure placement exploits in Hydro.
    

• 
  Caged: (Thanks psyk!)
  
  • 
     Added a vent below the stairs between the Purification and Ventilation connection.
    
  • 
    Smoothed out movement below the walkway leading from Ventilation to Purification.
    
  • 
    Closed off the door a bit more coming into Ventilation from Purification and moved Pillars/Walls at that entrance (less space at sides) to make it harder for Marines to attack Ventilation from Purification PG.
    
  • 
    Added a Pipe/Crate combo so you can jump up on the higher level of Ventilation from the south side.
    
  • 
    Moved the Powernode in Ventilation to be less vulnerable.
    
  • 
    Created space between the scanner and container in Shipping.
    
  • 
    Added a glass hole at the northern entrance of Generator for building ARCs.
    
  • 
    Smoothed movement around that area below Generator.
    
  • 
    Added some obstacles into Monitoring.
    
  • 
    Marines can now get into the Lower Wasteflow ceiling vent using the barrels and doorframe to climb up.
    
  • 
    Added a ladder into the DAT-1 vent.
    
  • 
    Slightly scaled out the doorframe near the DAT-1 vent to make it easier to trick jump into the vent.
    
  • 
    Marines can now trick jump into the Sewer-Puri vent from Sewer.
    
  • 
    Removed collision from tons of tiny props.
    

• 
  Derelict: (Thanks psyk!)
  
  • 
    Added 5th techpoint in the middle of the map in Admin.
    
  • 
    Moved res node in Admin.
    
  • 
    More cover, thicker trees and other improvements to Plaza (smaller room).
    
  • 
    Added a few more cover spots here and there.
    
  • 
    Added vent between Flooded and Botany.
    
  • 
    Added additional route between Garage and Turbine.
    
  • 
    Added additional route between Geothermal and Flooded.
    
  • 
    Re-arranged the Truck/Container setup in the entrance of Garage / Alley. Can go through the right side of the truck, jump up the small crates; also broke the right yellow railing at the right entrance for more fluid gameplay.
    
  • 
    Added kinda vent between Glass Hallway and Biome.
    
  • 
    Added ladder at the pipe tower in Plaza.
    
  • 
    Changes to Administration to help Aliens against ARCs coming from Overlook:
    
    • 
      Another window hole to bile or attack.
      
    • 
      Lowered the vent on floor level to help (retreating) Gorges.
      
    • 
      Put more crates into that ARC spot hallway to the right to remove some space for ARCs and to the left to give Gorges some cover to bile from range.
      
    • 
      Smoothed out movement in those offices by rearranging/scaling the desks, etc. and using collision geo.
      
  • 
    Moved the entire Atmospheric Seeding location higher to reduce/remove elevation at both exits, which led to frustrating uphill combat for Aliens and made the long corridor even worse.
    
  • 
    Increased the height of the floor around the broken tree container prop and the RT in Nursery to remove awkward movement and collision due to height differences.
    
  • 
    Geothermal fixes:
    
    • 
      Moved up the entire floor plane to reduce issues with height differences and techpoint being in a kinda pit.
      
    • 
      Shrunk pipes above techpoint.
      
    • 
      Blocked off the space above the ceiling pipes leading away from Geothermal and used for bile bomb abuse.
      
    • 
      Removed ladders, you can use the rocks to jump up now.
      
    • 
      Moved power node around the corner to be more protected from bile.
      
  • 
    Shrunk Western Entrance by 33%. Less negative space, less clutter needed to fill it, more fps.
    
  • 
    Changed the entrance between Western Entrance and Infested Corridor to be more interesting for gameplay and less of a long, straight line abused by well positioned Marines.
    
  • 
    Widened Infested Corridor and improved movement/combat.
    
  • 
    Removed vent from Western/Biome to Plaza.
    

• 
  Origin: (Thanks psyk!)
  
  • 
    Moved Ore RT into Generator; easier to defend from Ventilation and a good tunnel location for Biodome start. Also denies an RT to Marines, if they hold Furnace side, similar to how Maintenance is denied, if they hold Biodome side.
    
  • 
    Added more starting Cysts to Biodome Alien Start.
    
• 
  Tanith:(Thanks, Zavaro!)
  
  • 
    Increased height of Acidic-Access vent to make boosting more difficult
    
  • 
    Lowered floor of Fusion Core resource node to make cyst sniping harder
    
  • 
    Pipes in Computer Control-SatCom hallway have been broken so that players may more easily use them as an escape
    
  • 
    Chemical Transport’s south side now allows structures to be placed
    
  • 
    Ladder added to south side of Chemical Transport platform
    
  • 
    Western Entrance modified slightly to smooth out travel between Old Wing and Reactor Room
    
  • 
    Some fixes to areas where structures should not have been able to be placed
    
  • 
    Several stuck spots removed
    
• 
  Docking: (Thanks, Thesaltyseacaptain)
  
  • 
    Fixed exploit where marines could escape the map
    
  • 
    Fixed power issue in Locker Room