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Survive the Nights News

1.32 Update (Sneaking | Resting | Quality of Life++)

Today we’ll be releasing the new 1.32 build to our default branch. This update is a rather big one when it comes to gameplay. We’ve introduced two new mechanics and made quite a few quality of life fixes. If you run into any issues on 1.32, please report them directly to the team using the in game tracker (fixed in this patch). Of course as always you’re free to come join us and speak with the team directly on our official Discord server.

[h3]Zombie Awareness[/h3]
We’ve made some massive changes to the way zombies ‘hear’. The much improved system allows for zombies to respond to a sounds origin rather than simply locking onto the player. This falls more in line once again with the original concept. Zombies don’t just respond to sound, they’re annoyed by it in a sense. What this means is, the more noise you make, the more trouble you’ll be in! We will be expanding greatly on zombie awareness and general behavior in the coming updates so please provide ideas and feedback!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Changes to zombie response to noise:
  • Zombies have the ability to walk to a sound instead of chasing the player instantly.
  • Walking zombies can open doors and break windows
  • Their chance of ignoring a sound is high when their annoyance is low
  • Their chance of going to the sound is high when their annoyance is increased
  • Small chance of AI still chasing player with high annoyance (when player fires weapons near zombie)
  • Outdoor zombies have a higher response to noise and they move for longer to the sound source


[h3]Sneaking and Stealth [/h3]
A massive mechanic we have always intended to incorporate into the game is sneaking. The current stealth system leaves a good deal to be desired. The updated system is exactly what we envisioned from the concept. The new stealth/sneak mechanic has been completely developed from the ground up.

We have greatly expanded on zombie noise detection, adding a good deal of depth and realism to zombie behavior.


Sneak and Comfort UI

[h3]Comfort and Buffs[/h3]
Another new mechanic players will notice is the rested/comfort mechanic. This mechanic is part of the backbone to our improvements in overall gameplay when it comes to structures and setting up a home base. As some of you know, we’ll be expanding on structure customization, trapping and overall structure systems. The comfort mechanic is an early introduction to a bigger overall system.

As the system stands now in its infancy the buffs and mechanic are quite simple.
How the comfort meter and resting works, players receive a constant health and stamina tick when in a structure. The buffs remain active at all times when in a structure. Leaving a structure begins the buff timers countdown (3m).

  • The player receives a comfort buff when in a structure
  • The comfort level is based on your surroundings
  • A fire raises comfort level
  • Placing a sleeping bag raises the comfort level
  • Comfort buff timer counts up (3 minutes) as of now
  • Once the time reaches the top the buff is activated
  • The buff timer doesn’t start counting down until the player leaves the structure
  • Buff effects health
  • Buff effects stamina


*Take Note!
These changes represent a shift in the team's current dedication. We have a really enjoyable game but it needs some polish. Tweaking mechanic behavior is very much based on player feedback. A good deal of which we get from both the in-game reporter/suggestion feature and our official Discord. As with most all of our development, nothing introduced in 1.32 is set in stone. We will listen to your feedback and make adjustments as we see fit.

We plan on expanding on both zombie behavior and the newly introduced comfort system in the next few updates so feel free to share any and all ideas you may have!

[h3]Quality of Life (QoL)[/h3]
We’ve made some decent quality of life improvements in 1.32. Firstly we’d like to thank everyone who has been providing quality tickets via the in-game reporting feature. These tickets go directly to the team and help us dictate exactly what should be worked on and how important it is to everyone.

Some of the fixes include being able to log off near zombies, an annoyance that was originally introduced with good intention however is no longer needed. We’ve also made numerous fixes to the /stuck system, players can use stuck while in vehicles now and the stuck command now works while ‘moving’ this should fix issues where players were stuck far above the ground and system checks thought they were moving.

Additional improvements include players that may fall through the ground while in a vehicle will now place you back on the terrain rather than shooting you off in the general direction of mars. Check out the additional quality of life changes below.

  • It is now possible to log off near zombies.
  • Quitting the application no longer causes a crash.
  • Stuck command now works when in vehicles.
  • Stuck command now works when moving. In the event the player is far from the ground.
  • Falling through the ground while in a vehicle now places you back on the ground.
  • Campfire grill now turns red when it cannot be placed.
  • Commercial generators now have double the capacity at 40 units of fuel


[h3]Environment Improvements[/h3]
Andre had some time to work on some lighting issues, one of them being fires ending so abruptly. This effect was rather jarring, to the point it felt like something might have broken with the fire rather than you running out of fuel. This quick improvement adds a great deal the the ambience and lets the player know their fire needs tending without the shock!

Fire light improvements

Woodstove lighting

[h3]Community Spotlight [/h3]
This week's community spotlight is an event that has been put together by one of our supporters LobitoGamingTV. He has taken it upon himself to gather up a bunch of fellow streamers and content creators and try to get Survive the Nights some much deserved traction. There are 20+ streamers participating in event held all day Saturday, May 18th. There will be a dedicated streamer server, keys for giveaways and general creator driven madness. Be sure to check on his channel and others over the weekend!

Some of the creators participating in the event and giveaways are listed below! (subject to ya know, stuff and things)

lobitogamingtv askasto auroragigglefairy mrsspookypants kualija kenny_the_viking lars_the_viking1 pitchieb gamerbearloki williamnharry14 hamandlizgaming stefutnik omgitzvexy swarr102 sarahandjeff lord_reveka r3dhot_gaming kira5175 phoenixkinggamingofficial steeliatee soukiden luellaa c0nflicx

[h3]Patch Notes - 1.32[/h3]

Performance
  • Reduced texture resolution on various oversized textures.
  • Optimized some particles that were incorrectly prewarming.


Comfort
  • Added all new resting system with multiple comfort levels. The more rested a player becomes, the longer they receive buffs to their health and stamina regeneration.


Quality of Life (QoL)
  • Fixed ammo duplication glitch.
  • Weapon wear option now also affects melee.
  • Required calories in day can no longer go negative.
  • Day progression now works consistently.
  • It is now possible to log off near zombies.
  • Quitting the application no longer causes a crash.
  • Stuck command now works when in vehicles.
  • Stuck command now works when moving. In the event the player is far from the ground.
  • Falling through the ground while in a vehicle now places you back on the ground.
  • Campfire grill now turns red when it cannot be placed.
  • Commercial generators now have double the capacity at 40 units of fuel


UI
  • Added new sneaking/noise indicator UI
  • World creation page overhaul to make the flow better and provide increased information before joining game.


Zombies
  • Zombies no longer respawn quickly when returning to the the area.
  • Cleared structures now stay empty for longer.
  • Overhauled zombie hearing/vision to make sneaking possible.
  • Fixed issue which caused zombies to repeatedly scream.


Environment
  • Improved campfire/hearth visual effects.
  • Fixed items falling through building interior items.
  • Fixed AI walking through various props like concrete barriers and shipping containers.
  • Fixed zombies walking through tents that have been harvested.
  • Fixed gap between river and terrain.
  • Fixed collision issue on bridges at swamps.


Server/Host
  • Starting servers that have loot respawn disabled no longer causes server lag on started.
  • Config option for disabling hordes now works as expected.


SFX
  • Reduced combat sound volume.
  • Reduced zombie footstep sounds.
  • Increased dampening of zombie footstep sounds when there is a wall between player and AI.
  • Increased footstep sound falloff.


Analytics
  • Improved analytics data collection so that we can make informed decisions more easily.


If you're enjoying the game and our recent updates, please consider leaving a review. Thanks for your support! :)

[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights

Patreon: https://patreon.com/a2zinteractive

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

Hotfix - 1.31.7 (Item Stability | Gravity System Improvements | Performance++)

We’re releasing a quick hotfix today to our default branch. There are a lot of decent quality of life fixes to smoothing things out before the next big update. Check against the changelog below and report any issues directly to the team in game or via our official Discord.

[h3]Patch Notes - HOTFIX 1.31.7[/h3]

  • Fixes to items disappearing/becoming detached from vehicles (please report in game if this is still happening in 1.31.8)
  • Fixed issue which caused items to be lost when entering placement mode.
  • Improvements to gravity system to prevent items falling through shelves and a tables.
  • Performance improvements at the military base and facility.
  • Improved performance in the military base and underground facility
  • Fix for items not falling instantly when dropping/stewing
  • Vehicles now keep gravity while they have velocity to prevent them floating
  • Increase brake torque when getting out of vehicle to stop vehicle from rolling too far
  • Fix for getting water from swamps not working
  • Fixed large font size in machine GUI quantity display
  • Fixed campfire/grill exploit.
  • Damaged reduced when stepping out of a moving vehicle.
  • Fixed issue which trapped you in placement mode.
  • Fix for being able to consume cooking pot when using hotkey.
  • Upgraded unity engine


Links
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights

Patreon: https://patreon.com/a2zinteractive

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








1.31 Update (New Vehicle | Flamethrower!! | Fixes++)

Today we’ll be releasing the new 1.31 build to our default branch. This update address some issues, adds some really cool items and does some background priming for our upcoming builds that will feature some big game changing mechanics.

[h3]1.30 and 1.31 Devlog and Catchup Video[/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]The Flamethrower! [/h3]
We’ve really wanted to add some new weapons for a bit now. We’ve really, really wanted to add a flamethrower. Andre has in 1.31 and it’s a whole mess of fun. It accepts propane (propane filling stations coming soon). It sets stuff on fire, it stops zombies dead in their tracks and you can totally use it to light fireworks, stoves, campfires etc.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Military Truck[/h3]
You’ll now find a big ol' flatbed at the military base. This vehicle handles off-road well and has a large bed for storage.

Military Truck

Cargo Area

[h3]Community Spotlight[/h3]
We’re always happy to see some great content come in from all kinds of folks, some on our discord, YouTube and our Steam workshop. With every update we’ll try to feature some community content for everyone to check out.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
YouTube credit: Fossum

After Dark Scenario credit: IndieMaze

Screenshot credit: alway (Steam)

Screenshot credit: M1CH0 (Steam)

[h3]Patch Notes - 1.31[/h3]

Weapons
  • Added flamethrower!


Traps
  • Propane tank now has 200 resources
  • Propane fire trap uses resources 10x faster
  • 10 resources are added/removed at once when adding/removing resources from the fire trap.


Melee
  • Reworked melee to improve hit detection and overall 'feel' of the system.


Vehicles
  • Added new military flatbed truck.
  • Added 4x4 military jeep variants.
  • Prison bus no longer flies away.
  • Improved interaction with vehicle wheels.


Inventory
  • Fixed duplication issue with containers


Zombies
  • 30 zombies can now chase the player instead of 25.
  • Tweaks to zombie behavior when there are more than 20 chasing the player.
  • Hordes no longer come while at POI's


Crafting
  • Removed airhorn from airhorn trip wire trap.


Environment
  • Fixed several floating rocks in the environment
  • Aligned chimney on house variant 4.
  • Moved the generators in the military facility so they can power the doors with out the needs of meter/breaker panels.
  • Fixed visible spawners in the drive in movie theaters.


SFX
  • Improved commercial generator sound


Props
  • Tools and weapon drops no longer cast shadows when on the pegboards.
  • rear of the pegboard is no longer invisible.
  • Textures for the 9mm ammo crate now shows correct ammo type.


UI
  • Updated splash screen.


Admin
  • Added god mode and invincible indicator lights.


If you're enjoying the game and our recent updates, please consider leaving a review. Thanks for your support! :)

[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights

Patreon: https://patreon.com/a2zinteractive

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

Experimental Update 1.31 (New Vehicle | Flamethrower!! | Fixes++)

Today we’ll be releasing the new 1.31 build to our experimental branch. This update address some issues, adds some really cool items and does some background priming for our upcoming builds that will feature some big game changing mechanics.

This is just a quick update for anyone interested in helping the team test out the experimental build before it hits default later this week. If you’re interested follow the steps below to join the branch (you can always go back to default). Please check against changelog below and report any issues found directly to the team via the official Discord.

We will be doing a full length blog and vlog later in the week with the default release of build 1.31!

How to get into experimental branch:
  1. Open Steam and go to your games library.
  2. Right click on STN and select "Properties"
  3. Navigate to the "Betas" tab and select "experimental" in the drop down menu.
  4. Close the properties window.
  5. You will find a single experimental server titled EXPERIMENTAL_SERVER. Join this for some testing.


[h3]The Flamethrower! [/h3]
We’ve really wanted to add some new weapons for a bit now. We’ve really, really wanted to add a flamethrower. Andre has in 1.31 and it’s a whole mess of fun. It accepts propane (propane filling stations coming soon). It sets stuff on fire, it stops zombies dead in their tracks and you can totally use it to light fireworks, stoves, campfires etc.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h3]Military Truck[/h3]
You’ll now find a big ol' flatbed at the military base. This vehicle handles off-road well and has a large bed for storage.

Military Truck

Cargo Area

[h3]Patch Notes - Experimental Update[/h3]

Weapons
  • Added flamethrower!


Traps
  • Propane tank now has 200 resources
  • Propane fire trap uses resources 10x faster
  • 10 resources are added/removed at once when adding/removing resources from the fire trap.


Melee
  • Reworked melee to improve hit detection and overall 'feel' of the system.


Vehicles
  • Added new military flatbed truck.
  • Added 4x4 military jeep variants.
  • Prison bus no longer flies away.
  • Improved interaction with vehicle wheels.


Inventory
  • Fixed duplication issue with containers


Zombies
  • 30 zombies can now chase the player instead of 25.
  • Tweaks to zombie behavior when there are more than 20 chasing the player.
  • Hordes no longer come while at POI's


Crafting
  • Removed airhorn from airhorn trip wire trap.


Environment
  • Fixed several floating rocks in the environment
  • Aligned chimney on house variant 4.
  • Moved the generators in the military facility so they can power the doors with out the needs of meter/breaker panels.
  • Fixed visible spawners in the drive in movie theaters.


SFX
  • Improved commercial generator sound


Props
  • Tools and weapon drops no longer cast shadows when on the pegboards.
  • rear of the pegboard is no longer invisible.
  • Textures for the 9mm ammo crate now shows correct ammo type.


UI
  • Updated splash screen.


Admin
  • Added god mode and invincible indicator lights.


[h3]Links[/h3]
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights

Patreon: https://patreon.com/a2zinteractive

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

1.30 Update (New Zombies | Military Base POI | Terrain Barrier Breakthrough++)

Today we’ll be releasing the new 1.30 build on our default branch. Come check out some exciting new additions along with a few needed fixes! We have been busy, quite busy actually. I’m sure some of you have noticed the large land mass off the northeast corner of Black Island. When we released the last update we teased an army base and we’ve been cracking along developing our brand new POI.

[h3]New Zombies, Zombie Types and Area Specific Zombies [/h3]
Something we have wanted to add for some time is new models, it’s not easy with a team our size. Along with new models, the idea of zombie types has always intrigued the team. With the addition of our new military base POI, we’ll be introducing zombie types and area-specific zombies.

Players will find multiple military-based zombie types with varying difficulties. Along with ‘regular’ military zeds (stronger than civilian zeds) you will now also encounter more heavily armored, tank-style zombies. This expands on several possibilities when it comes to points of interest and player/team-created scenarios.

Along with military based zombies we’ve added police and inmate zombie variants. These can be found in the islands police stations and prison. They add a really nice vibe to both of these places and they’ve needed for some time.

Military Zombie

Gas Mask Zombie

Zombie Tanks

Gas Mask Tank

Armored Zombie

Police Zombie

Inmate zombies

BISD Zombies

BISD Swat

[h3] Black Island Military Base (Above Ground) [/h3]
The addition of this landmass and military base isn’t a small one. The island itself is massive, and the upper level of the base is massive. There’s a huge warehouse, and a newly designed military building (previously the schoolhouse - the schoolhouse is being updated.) There are barracks and tarp-style tents, shooting ranges, solar arrays (alternative power in the works), an additional runway, and much more.

New map base in Northeast

Civilian Barracks

Shooting Range

Military Base Long Shot

Substation

Military Office

Office Interior

[h3]The Tunnels (Breaking the Terrain Barrier)[/h3]
When we originally concepted STN and right through our original stress test the terrain was not a barrier for us. However, we quickly found (at the time at least) that AI and quite a few other logics didn’t play nicely below the terrain. We’ve wanted to get back below ground for some time and we’re happy to say with 1.30 we’ve done just that.

The military base is essentially two points of interest. There’s a massive above-ground base some of which you’ve seen above but there’s also a massive underground tunnel system. This system leads directly to our new POI’s reward a massive ammo cache.

Breaking below the terrain allows us to greatly expand on our map and opens up a new playing field. The power station rework is in the prep stage and you better believe that POI will have a large underground labyrinth to explore and we plan on incorporating it into an overall power mechanic (more on that when the time comes).

The terrain barrier no longer being an issue allows us to also explore other possibilities like massive tunnels linking POIs, sewers systems, structure basements, and anything else the community can think of, so feel free to share some ideas on Discord.

Zombie Lighting

Facility Map

Tunnel Infirmary

Tunnel Vault

Vault Long Shot

Interior Tunnels

[h3]Performance Improvements[/h3]
In 1.30 we've implemented changes to how assets are loaded. These changes should produce RAM savings up to 40% with potentially faster load times and smoother gameplay. We've achieved this by moving away from outdated asset bundle loading. This means that internal builds take slightly longer. However the improvements results in the removal of double references to the same assets within the project. We're trying out these changes in 1.30 to gauge the pro's and con's of the new system. Let us know how performance has changed for you over on the Discord.

[h3]1.31 Roadmap Preview[/h3]
There are a few really big updates planned. The ability to get below the terrain opens up a world of possibilities for us. The plans for the future will most certainly include getting back underground. In the mean time we’ll be improving our new POI the military base. We’ll get this quick update out as soon as possible while we continue to develop the larger 1.32 update (more on that in the coming weeks).

Additions
  • A military base is not really complete without a unique reward and while our new ammo crates provide a substantial amount of ammunitions' it’s just not enough. We plan on introducing a large military vehicle along with some fun new features and items ;)


Improvements
  • Item gravity has needed some attention and we’ll get to fixing those pesky issues in this next quick version.
  • Melee improvements


[h3]Patch Notes - 1.30 [/h3]

1.30.2
  • Improved design in stair wells leading to the underground facility.
  • Stopped weapon unequipping as you walk down into military facility.
  • Improved loot spread at military base and facility.
  • Improved spread of keycards around the military base.
  • Less zombies in the facility entry building
  • Fix for scenario that caused drowning damage while in the military tunnels.
  • Added new emergency speaker sounds at military base.
  • Fixed ai wandering through various military props.
  • Zombies in military facility now wonder.
  • Improved zombie wander navigation calculations.
  • Fixed missing sounds at facility.
  • Added emergency sound effects to the military headquarters armoury
  • Balanced loot in the headquarters and military facility
  • Added military base maps to the walls in the headquarters to help guide the player.


Zombies
  • Added new zombie variants
    • Soldiers
    • Soldier tank
    • Police officers
    • Swat
    • Inmates
  • Added functionality for zombies to have clothing items like helmets, gas masks and bullet proof vests.
  • Zombies now drop location/type specific loot.
  • Fixed headshot reactions


Player
  • Fixed the /stuck command
  • Added system for detecting when the player is stuck. So they can be informed of the /stuck command.


Assets
  • Added over 80 new military and tunnel network assets.
  • Added new zombie variant.
  • Added zombie clothing items.


UI
  • New map design
  • New images in the loading sequence


Performance
  • Reduced Ram usage by 2-3gb’s
  • Fixed issue which caused steam to think files need to be reacquired.


Admin
  • Added toggle options to the admin window for spawning zombies by type.
  • Fixed server errors when killing command spawned AI.



If you're enjoying the game and our recent updates, please consider leaving a review. Thanks for your support! :)

Links
Discord: https://discord.gg/survivethenights

Patreon: https://patreon.com/a2zinteractive

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