Survive the Nights News

Hello everyone,

We’ve spent the week working on quite a few features for 1.8 and beyond. Some of you might be new here. If so, please consider joining our Discord if you’d like to chat directly to the team.

[h3]Reflections and Their Challenges[/h3]
A proper reflection system is something we’ve struggled with in the past. We’ve had what can be described as a makeshift system in place for some time. Reflections have always been difficult to pull off properly due to our day and night cycle system and its effect on interior ambient lighting.

Our new reflection system is now properly simulated in real time based on different times of the day and the reflection probes created. Reflections will also be dimmed in interiors so as to not stand out. The results look rather fantastic, they’ll be part of our new Ultra graphic setting. Below are few examples of our old system and our new reflection system on high and ultra.

The system uses a real time reflection probe and dummy assets to create a realistic looking reflection probe perfectly suitable for most situations. This system also goes hand in hand with our new water shaders, a massive improvement over the last. You’ll see a little sneak peek here in some screenshots. We’ll showcase the new water system in next week's devblog.

Reflection Probe

A lot of our island will require custom probes to allow for more accurate reflections. The one below showcases one of our large lakes and Mount Baron's reflection.


Lake Reflections

The new ultra settings will allow for very accurate reflections not just in lakes and large bodies of water but smaller ones like puddles and wet roadways after storms. This system is optimized rather well. It includes a probe manager that ensures only 1 real time probe will ever be baked at the same time. It will also disable a probe and stop the baking process should the player move too far from the source. The biggest difference between the new high and ultra reflections is addition of an image effect on ultra resulting in an even more realistic reflection.

Old Reflection System

New Reflections on High Setting

New Reflections on Ultra Setting

[h3] Hosting Changes and Improvements[/h3]
The introduction of our hosting/solo tabs came with 1.7 and we’ll be working the issues out as we move forward. As James mentioned in last week's blog, we’re working on a partial solution for connection issues. This is something that should help a good deal of those. If the UPnP OpenNAT system doesn’t automatically fix your hosting issues, we’ll have a better idea as to what’s going wrong. If the UPnP system proves to not be effective enough, we’ll add a facilitator based punch through server. A facilitator server along with relay servers should make connections possible even when punch through just isn’t.

James has made some great progress this week streamlining the process and UI surrounding it.
Upon digging into the UPnP rework, he decided to further expand the implementation to give the user more feedback around port status. We’ve simplified the setup and removed the need to infill the IP manually. We’ve created a port checker that is embedded directly in the UI to check if ports are open before attempting to start and join a server.

Below you’ll notice improvements to last week's design, along with the addition of a friend list you’ll be able to invite buddies directly from the host screen!

Updated Host Tab with Friends List

[h3]Website and Forum Changes[/h3]
I think it’s fair to say that we’re a rather open team. Most of you know a lot about the project and us. We share our development progress regularly with our goal being weekly devblogs. The Survive the Nights Community Forum has treated us well. It was our very first platform for speaking with everyone. With that being said, it is now rather dead with more focus on Steam and Discord. We’ll be removing our forums to save a few bucks and condense the sources of information.

The website has been redesigned over the last week or so with Jos making many needed improvements. This includes a much cleaner “Blog” section. This will now be our main resource for getting you devblogs and information. That being said, we’re always available for a chat on Discord.

New Website Layout

[h3]In Summary[/h3]
It has been another productive week at the office. The team is refreshed and glad to be back together. The 1.8 update will bring pretty drastic changes to the project. The time put in now will save headaches later although we’re sure there will always be issues. We’ll do our best to scrub out the larger ones before we hit default. Please keep in mind, our development isn’t always linear as we’re not always able to work on the same issue or feature. There’s constant development. We’re working on things now you’ll see in the next update and things you’ll not see for a few updates. Moving forward we’ll do our best to share more early stage development information and media if that’s something the community is interested in. Thank you all for the continued support. If you're enjoying the game, please consider writing a review or updating your current one. If you’re having any issues, remember you can always reach us on Discord.


[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Changelog: https://changelog.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/a2zinteractive

Hey everyone,

It’s been a long time since I’ve written an update! We’ve decided that this week I’ll do the update since it will cover mostly things I’ve been working on... That and JB’s garage roof has fallen in and is leaking all over…

Everything is ticking along nicely here at a2z HQ. We’re back in the studio now which allows for a greater creative environment! The guys have done an amazing job working from home however it’s simply not possible to bounce off each other in the same way as when we’re all in the same office.

There’s been a flurry of exciting new developments which we’re so eager to showcase. Some of which will be summarized below. There’s always so much going on and we’re constantly trying to develop our workflows so that JB can effectively deliver all the goodies in these weekly updates.


[h3]Streamlabs[/h3]



We’ve had an awesome opportunity to engage with well known content creator Generikb. We used to watch his content back in our Minecraft days. When he reached out to us about Streamlabs integration for STN, it seemed like a no brainer. Generikb has a developer that he collaborates with to create mods. These allow his viewers to manipulate gameplay and create rich engagement. We pretty much immediately decided that it 1would make more sense to just add this feature directly to the game. Doing so will allow more control over gameplay than a mod can with the added benefit that it would be in place to use for any streamer, 1 or 100,000 viewers.



In theory, it should be as simple as clicking ‘Authorize’. Once Authorized, the game can read event data from Streamlabs. The way I’ve implemented this means that it fully wraps our already tried and tested commands and permissions systems. This means that providing the streamer has the correct permissions, any combination of commands can be triggered based on Streamlabs alerts.

Web Browser Streamlab Auth Page

This method of implementing also means that in order to add to Streamlabs features, all we need to do is add new commands! Streamer wants some crazy feature when they get raided? No problem! All we need to do is set up a new command and the rest can be handled by the Streamlabs interface.

Main UI

We feel that this is a great opportunity to have some shared benefits from playing Survive the Nights. When streamers play the game, it gives us more exposure which ultimately supports revenue. The more revenue we generate the faster we can bring features to the game. We think it’s awesome that streamers will be able to leverage the game to also benefit themselves! Some potential use cases are shown below.

Choice of companion when someone donates with the donators nametag?

Spawn zombies when someone subs with subbers name?

A chicken for every viewer from a raid?

[h3]Name Tags[/h3]
Name tags have been worked on for this update for a few different reasons listed below.

• There’s been a long standing issue where they don’t always face the player. Whenever I see this in-game or on a YouTube video it makes me cringe badly. It’s never been a pressing issue since there’s always bigger fish to fry. I decided to get it fixed (hopefully) while making some other neat functionality changes.
  
• We had added an area under the name tag for displaying the players level way before we ever had player leveling. That’s now all hooked up and you’ll be able to see other players levels displayed under their name.
  
• Supporter pack! As JB mentioned in the last Dev blog, we’re planning on introducing a Patreon for community members that want to support the team beyond the purchase of the game. This is something we’ve been toying with for ages but never really been able to settle on.
  

We’ve decided that Patreon is the way to go. We had a great meeting with them and they’ve convinced us that their platform is right for our community. That being said we want to add value for our potential contributors without adding any game ruining features (screw pay to win).

Name tags will now be able to show a small text above the username showing information about a user extra contributions to the project. This will toggle in the menus for those who want to remain anonymous in-game. There will be a bunch other rewards via Patreon but this is one example of a visual only reward.

Ideas for Patreon Supporters

[h3]Connectivity [/h3]
While we don’t have a perfect solution right now, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about connectivity issues. From Inception, Survive the Nights was always meant to be a game with PvP and to be played on open public servers hosted by ourselves or by people with knowledge on more advanced topics like port forwarding.

As the development has progressed, we felt that it would be wrong to not offer the most requested feature of solo and self hosted servers. With our last update, we released a pretty seamless solo experience. The self hosting, however, leaves a little to be desired simply because it’s not a 1 click solution.

In 1.8 or soon after, a part solution called UPnP will be utilized via Open NAT which will help a lot of players with automatic port forwarding. This won’t solve everyone's issues since automatic port forwarding isn’t supported by some routers and in others it just doesn’t work as expected. That change combined with slightly sleeker UI and things like automatic IP and port assignment should make things a bit easier for around 50% of players.

However it’s wrapped, firewalls and port forwarding is a ball ache and something that we want to streamline for all of you. It’s on our radar and in the near future I will implement a solution with 1 click self hosted servers that can be connected to by your friends without all the hassle.

Host Tab

[h3]Post version 1.8[/h3]
The design update is really exciting for us! It will bring the graphics up to date and reflects our own development in terms of what we’re able to achieve. That being said, everyone is super excited to get finished up on the update and get it released. We have a lot planned for the future versions of the game but in the shorter term... probably Alpha version 1.9 and 2.0 we’ll be focusing on early game and quality of life fixes.

We all feel it’s time to tie up the loose ends. As nice as it is to just develop freely and work on cool features, the game needs to work nicely and have good retention for early game. That will allow the community to grow with less friction. Some of the things we’re going to address are listed below however a lot aren’t. I can’t stress enough how helpful it would be if you could let us know what your biggest frustrations are.

• Swimming
  
• Tree cutting
  
• Tutorial and UI learning curves
  
• Game stutter and lag spikes that bring the frame rate to 0
  
• Structure management (Zombies/items spawning in bases)
  
• Character movement. - getting stuck on stuff, jumping over items etc.
  

[h3]Summary[/h3]
Overall it’s been business as normal here. Andre is pushing through with the design update with support from Jos. John is hard at work tweaking and improving animation related mechanics for the future. I’m working on broken bits and pieces and larger implementations for the future.

In terms of 1.8, we’re hoping to have it with you very shortly. We’re very excited to show somewhat finalized ‘before and after’ shots however we’re committed to not doing that until we know for sure that what is shown is what you will receive.

The last 10% of any update is always the most difficult part. Rest assured that we’re working through the little problems that will hopefully resolve any new issues creeping into the build.

Stay safe everyone! Remember that you can always contact any of the team via discord however for general support, JB is your man. His work with the community allows us to focus 100% on improving the game.

Jayty

[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Changelog: https://changelog.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/a2zinteractive

Hello all,

The design update is chugging along at a feverish pace now. We've added a great deal of new design, shaders and content. Alongside the design update, we've been working on quite a few community requests, fixes and additions. Many of you have requested an alternate means to help the team out, something you could do outside of buying another copy. A couple of weeks ago we had one of our weekly meetings and decided that a Steam supporter pack (more info on this coming shortly) along with a Patreon page would do the trick. We had been contacted by Patreon and they thought their platform would be perfect for our small team.

[h3]Patreon Page[/h3]
We have gathered some ideas from the community and created a basic mockup. We have three tiers setup: gold, diamond and platinum. These are throwback to our first project as a2z(Interactive); our Minecraft a2z website and server. This Patreon page has been set up mostly for our biggest fans and. of course. any additional support is most welcome.

Every penny made will go directly to the development of the project. We plan on setting up some nice goals too, ideally being able to take on more help if the additional financial support allows us to. If you're interested in the Patreon page and have some ideas for rewards and tiers please feel free to share them over on our Discord. We will likely be launching the page in the coming week or so. Thanks much for your continued support!

Patreon page mockup

[h3]Swamp Biome Ambient Lighting Update[/h3]
The swamplands have really taken on a life of their own. They have an amazing vibe to them. The new ambient lighting paired with some really nicely done fog brings the entire area to life. You will notice a good deal of change in the coming design update, swamps and marshland only being a small part of the entire overhaul. It should also be noted that this is by no means our last update when it comes to world design, we far more in store when it comes to Black Island.

Below are a few shots of the swamp biome and an example of some of the new ambient lighting in action. You'll also notice new and thicker vegetation. Trees no longer always stand straight up and lean with random pitch, there are a lot of small details like this that have gone into 1.8 and we're excited to get some more polish on this and get builds onto our experimental branches.

Ambient lighting sunrise

Ambient lighting midday

Swampland just after sunrise

In the muck

[h3]Improvements to UI[/h3]
We've begun to clean up our UI in general, improving backgrounds like the inventory booklet and we'll continue to do so moving through the next few alpha builds. Below are some before and after shots. Andre has cleaned up the font and backgrounds for all of the main menu tabs. This makes setting up solo/host servers along with joining servers much easier on the eyes. Thank you for the feedback on menu UI. We'll continue to take your suggestions and improve as we go.

Old UI is a bit washed out

New UI crisp and easier to read

[h3]Merch Shop[/h3]
We've opted into a 3rd party seller (Teespring) to provide those that have requested it the ability to pick up some cool merch and help out the team.

[img ]https://i.imgur.com/REE088A.png

[h3]If you're enjoying the game, please consider writing a review or updating your current one. Thank you! :)[/h3]

Thanks for the continued support and continued issue and suggestion reporting :). Below are some helpful links to anyone new and interested in the game. If you'd like to follow a bit closer, please consider joining our Discord. We're here, we're listening!

[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Changelog: https://changelog.survivethenights.net
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/a2zinteractive

Hello all,

We're working on our 1.8 design update patch along with a few more goodies we'll be talking about in the coming devblogs. Our design update is really starting to come together and you all seem to be making out quite well with 1.7 and our solo/host update. Along with a multitude of changes to effects, textures, shaders, etc., 1.8 will feature two new biomes, swamps and marshlands.

[h3]SteamCMD and Linux Server Update[/h3]
As for an update on Linux server files and SteamCMD, we had originally made the mistake of not including the server in the store package for Survive the Nights. That's the reason you're getting a subscription error when trying to download via SteamCMD. We've sent another ticket in requesting information on anonymous login. Ideally we don't want players having to login to download. We'll let you know as soon as we hear back which shouldn't be long now as we've opened a line of communication.

[h3]Swamps (new biome)[/h3]
Swampland has a naturally creepy vibe to it. There are some classic horror movies and games that take place in them. The swamps on Black Island are wet, foggy and isolated. They're almost screaming out for some gators. You'll find the swamplands feel like large cluster of small islands amidst murky algae covered water. Isolated cabins, run down shacks and thick wood lines and vegetation all add to a nice swamp vibe.

Swamp Camp

Looks Like Gator Country

Swampland Walkway

[h3]Marshlands (new biome)[/h3]
Marshland is a bit more open so you'll be able to see zeds or players coming. They're still wet like swamps and they're comprised of many small islands surrounded by smelly water :p. You'll notice thick vegetation but fewer trees. Cabins populate some of the small marsh islands and you'll find new connecting walkways between them. These spots will likely be idea in future builds especially when it comes to fishing and crabbing.

Marsh Walkways

Marshland Hideaway

Foggy Open Wetlands​

[h3]Merch Shop[/h3]
We've opted into a 3rd party seller (Teespring) to provide those that have requested it the ability to pick up some cool merch and help out the team.

[img ]https://i.imgur.com/REE088A.png

[h3]If you're enjoying the game, please consider writing a review or updating your current one. Thank you! :)[/h3]

Thanks for the continued support and continued issue and suggestion reporting :). Below are some helpful links to anyone new and interested in the game. If you'd like to follow a bit closer, please consider joining our Discord. We're here, we're listening!

[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Changelog: https://changelog.survivethenights.net
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/a2zinteractive

Hello all,

Last Monday we released our 1.7 patch which introduced solo and hosting gameplay. The team is working on 1.8 and the upcoming graphical update, alongside quite a bit more. Today's update will be a quick little hotfix. We're waiting on Steam's approval on the release of linux server builds. We'll be back to our regular weekly devblogs on Friday with another peek at what has been going into 1.8 and beyond.

[h3]Patch Notes - Alpha v1.7.37 (Hot Fix) [/h3]

• MessageSystem.cs optimisation to save all the instances of finding object with tag
  
• UI updates for settings stamina to disabled when option is turned off
  
• Made vehicles slightly more common based on config option
  
• Another fix for disabling hordes
  

[h3]Linux Servers & Steamcmd[/h3]
If you're interested in running linux servers, we likely don't have to explain the steps to you here. To be perfectly honest and while our official servers do run on Linux, we've not really had a chance to develop on it and don't have an in house Linux machine. Steamcmd should install the depot without issue giving you access to the Config folder. Running a server should be as easy as editing config files and running ./Linux_Server_x64.

If you don't have Steamcmd you'll need to install it along with some dependencies. Below are the steps we've taken to install via Steamcmd and the project.

 
Code:
sudo mkdir /home/[user]/steamcmd
cd /home/[user]/steamcmd
sudo wget http://media.steampowered.com/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
sudo tar -xvzf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
sudo apt-get install lib32gcc1
sudo ./steamcmd.sh
login [user][pass][tfa]
Steam>force_install_dir ../stn (or whatever you want to name it)
app_upadate 1502300 validate 

[h3]Windows Servers [/h3]
Currently we only have a Linux based depot on Steam but we'll be working on a Windows based option shortly. We have had quite a few requests for windows server files and while it technically is possible with the packaged files, it's not ideal and requires some messing about. We'll have a nicely put together Windows option as soon as possible.

[h3]Merch Shop[/h3]
We've opted into a 3rd party seller (Teespring) to provide those that have requested it the ability to pick up some cool merch and help out the team.

[img ]https://i.imgur.com/REE088A.png

[h3]If you're enjoying the game, please consider writing a review or updating your current one. Thank you! :)[/h3]

Thanks for the continued support and continued issue and suggestion reporting :). Below are some helpful links to anyone new and interested in the game. If you'd like to follow a bit closer, please consider joining our Discord. We're here, we're listening!

[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights
Changelog: https://changelog.survivethenights.net
Forum: https://community.survivethenights.net
Twitter: https://twitter.com/STNgame
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STNgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/a2zinteractive
Website: https://www.survivethenights.net
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/a2zinteractive