May 2021 Community Update Blog

[h3]Hello Gamers™,[/h3]

Welcome to May’s community blog. Two weeks ago we saw one of our biggest releases yet with
Operation: Exodus. It’s been exciting seeing how everyone’s been rocking their sirwals, exploring Citadel, and enjoying the chaos that is Survival.

The team is already hard at work for 1.11 (and beyond), and we’re looking forward to bringing you new content soon.

P.S. I moved out of my house last week, so this blog will be a little short.



[h3]1.10 is live![/h3]

Operation: Exodus was one of our biggest updates yet with a new map, new game mode, new pistols (and their optics), and a fresh wardrobe full of cosmetics. Overall, we’ve noticed that the community has been happy with the 1.10 release - notably with the new map, Citadel, and Survival mode.

Citadel has brought on a new environmental mashup of both close and long range combat, and the randomized experience of Survival has everyone on their toes anticipating the endless enemies and preparing for the M99 with iron sights (or hopefully… a different gun).

With the release of the cosmetic DLCs for characters and weapons, we received (mostly) positive feedback over the artistic direction compared to our previous updates. We’re happy that you’re happy with how the studio has taken on the feedback you’ve given us.

There were some smaller issues with this release such as the field of vision being locked and sensitivity being limited to a single decimal point. Some players also experienced issues with disconnections caused by bugs. We’ve since addressed these in the recent Hotfix #2, and are continuing to monitor for issues. Overall this felt like a fairly polished release, but we will continue to raise the bar on quality for our releases.

As for the AI adjustments, the whole system is a continuous work in progress and we will continue to improve their behaviour over time. The AI has lost some of their robotic edge with the 1.10 release and their perceived difficulty is something we’re continuing to keep an eye on. The exciting news is that the spatial awareness system from the Survival AI will continue to improve the rest of the PvE modes in Sandstorm.

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[h3]Spring 2021 Player Survey[/h3]

I told you we had a survey coming, and it’s here!

It went live last week and your feedback is legitimately invaluable. Remember the word cloud in previous blogs that showed your most desired weapons? We are looking at a new cloud now, so make sure your opinions are heard.

Can you do me a favour? This time when submitting your most desired gun, don’t… don’t just write ‘gun’. I promise we will add gun, so be specific for us.

Please take your time to fill out the survey - it helps us understand how you, the community, feel about the current game, and can guide our development toward what you’d like to see in the future.

Click here to let us know what you're thinking.

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[h3]Behind the Scenes[/h3]

We've seen everyone's appreciation for Citadel so far, especially for the intricate details like extinguishing fires in the tunnels using the carefully placed sprinkler.

We wanted to show you a bit extra from behind the curtain.

One of the first steps in creating a level is a technique known as blocking-out or grey boxing. Essentially, the environment is sculpted using gray blocks with minimal detail. In our case we throw in some orange as well. This early phase involves incorporating the team’s conceptual ideas and then testing the playable areas of the level.

With Citadel, the theme was to provide a space with both close-quarter combat and mid-to-long range engagements. This is achieved with the contrast between open and narrow areas and between high-ground and ground level play.

Because I didn’t ask the Level Design team for these assets in time (classic Hank), some of them are not right at the grey box stage and have a bit more polish than they do at the very beginning.





Once the map layout is finalized, the visual style in the environment is refined, and details are added. The simple gray blocks are retextured or remodeled completely for more dimension. These details help to shape points of interest for players. These allow for the creation of call-outs and assist with map memorization for players.

Most importantly, the art creates an immersive war-torn atmosphere as you traverse the map. Here are a few more before-and-after shots from Citadel.







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[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]We’re starting off with a bang… a flash bang. Sometimes, initiations don’t go as planned (Reddit user Readerofthethings).


Extraction music > lofi hip hop beats (Reddit user f1ndin)


Be careful what you wish for.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]This is just incredible. No words (Reddit user toasterlife).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]There was no good outcome for this guy (Reddit user Awareofthat).

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[h3]That’s it for May![/h3] We are coming into Summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and I am personally excited for some nice weather and, pandemic willing, some time to get outside and see friends and family before I take off to Australia.

Take care of each other and yourselves, and I will speak to you all soon,

fatherHank