Insurgency: Sandstorm News

[h3]Resolved Issues[/h3]

• Fixed multiple AI spawning issues in Survival mode on Outskirts, Hideout, Precinct, and Summit
  
• Fixed an issue where ammo boxes in Hardcore Checkpoint would only give one bullet for the MR 73
  
• Fixed some issues where the facial hair was misaligned on certain male heads like Soran and Rob (there are still issues with the Imperial and Garibaldi heads)
  
• Fixed an issue where the keybind in the Tutorials > Weapons > Remote Explosives was showing as UNBOUND
  
• Fixed an issue where the front lens was missing on the 2x-1x Red Dot, 6x-3x Red Ring Scope and 7x Hunting Scope
  
• Fixed an issue where the lighting would change or be inconsistent depending on the weapon held on Hideout, Hillside, Farmhouse, and Ministry night scenarios
  
• Fixed an issue where the Steam Cloud service would not restore presets and settings which only affected the cases where players had lost their data
  
• Fixed an issue where the Flash Hider and Compensator appeared too large on the AK-74
  
• Fixed an issue where the 4x-1x SU230 BUS appeared black instead of tan on the MK 17 Mod 0
  
• Fixed an issue where the bayonet (cosmetic feature) would remain visible when the bipod was deployed on the SKS
  
• Fixed an issue where the bayonet (cosmetic feature) was missing textures on the SKS
  
• Fixed an issue where the flat top remained visible when equipping 1x Flip Up Sights, 1x Kobra, 2x-1x Kobra, 2x-1x MARS, 2x-1x OKP-7, 4x-1x M150 BUS and 4x-1x SU230 BUS on the M4A1
  
• Fixed the following issues which occurred when using the gamepad:
  
• Fixed an issue where it was not possible to unlock items in the Customization Menu
  
• Fixed an issue where scrolling was not fluid in the Settings Menu while using a gamepad or keyboard
  
• Fixed an issue where the Next and Previous buttons were not working in the Mods Menu
  
• Fixed an issue where the minimum and maximum page range was not capped in the Mod Menu
  
• Fixed an issue where the refresh button would not refresh the list of community servers in the Community Server browser
  
• Fixed an issue where players were unable to interact with the Scoreboard screen
  
• Fixed an issue where scrolling in the Credits screen was not possible
  
• Fixed an issue where pressing ‘B’ while editing player indicator colors in the Settings Menu would close the Settings Menu and return to the Main Menu instead of simply exiting edit mode
  
• Fixed an issue where the Lean Right and Toggle Optic actions were both assigned to R3
  
• Fixed an issue where the default muzzle device would still remain visible after equipping any of the barrel attachments on the Alpha AK
  
• Fixed an issue where the siderail would not show when equipping the Laser Sight upgrade on the MG3
  

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

• There is an issue where the Bad Day and Upriser Tops do not always unlock properly
  
• There is an issue where the Insurgent Explosives Drones do not explode when they reach their desired coordinates
  
• There is a chance players may get into a desync state when resupplying with a Gas Mask while holding a non-primary weapon
  
• There is an issue where the weapons and explosives are misaligned in the Customization Menu
  
• There is an issue where the shadows of weapons and explosives appear in the Customization > Loadout Menu
  

Known issues that we are working on can be found on the Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Board.
For a full list of the 1.10 Patch Notes, visit the Update 1.10 Operation: Exodus Major Update.

For game support, visit our support desk at: https://support.newworldinteractive.com/hc/en-us

Hello everyone, my name is Tim Perreault and I’m the Production Director at New World Interactive. We’re keeping this month’s update short and to the point, so let’s dig in.

Key Points for State of Production #21

• Spring 2021 Player Feedback Survey
  
• 1.10 Hotfixes
  
• 1.11 Development

[h3]Spring 2021 Player Feedback Survey[/h3]
The survey is now closed. We received over just over 7,300 responses which gave us tons of valuable data. We’re currently reviewing the feedback against our upcoming releases to both make sure we’re aligned and find places where we can bring more of the feedback into the releases. You can expect to hear more about the survey at the end of this month in the Community Blog post.

[h3]1.10 Hotfixes[/h3]
I’ve invited one of our producers, Christine Truong, to comment on our progress with 1.10 hotfixes and high priority issues:

The next hotfix is incoming really soon. The main focus of this hotfix is Survival mode, but we also added some UI fixes that specifically impacted our gamepad users. Don’t worry, we care about you guys too! More details can be found on the upcoming Hotfix Patch Notes.

Our team is extremely happy to hear that you guys are enjoying the new game mode and worked really hard to stomp out the bugs. Big thanks to those who sent in reports regarding the AI spawning issues. This really helped our QA team track down the issues and helped us resolve them quickly! The next one we’ll be tackling is the issue where the objective indicators may not appear at the beginning or during a match. Honestly a terrible bug we are working hard to fix ☹.

We’re continuing to dig into more issues with the release of 1.10 to make your gaming experience better, most notably the issue with the Bad Day and Upriser Tops not unlocking properly.

[h3]1.11 Development[/h3]
While part of the team is finishing hotfixes, others have started development on our next major update. We’re excited to start sharing some snippets of that development in the coming months. The Temptation is to drop some info about what is coming but I also don’t want to spoil the reveal. So Please Stand By and maybe just listen to some '80s rock instead.

It’s been short and sweet. Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

To make up for missing last weekend we are offering TRIPLE XP from now until Monday at 11:00am MST.

[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

[h3]Resolved Issues[/h3]

• Lighting was fully rebuilt on all the maps to fix visual issues such as seams and gaps appearing in the environment
  
• Fixed a server disconnect issue that occurred when the player was shooting their weapon during the helicopter extraction sequence right before the Victory screen
  
• Fixed an issue where the scope sensitivity sliders in the Settings Menu were rounding to one decimal place
  
• Fixed an issue on Precinct Firefight East where players would see the Restricted Area warning message that occurred when players left and returned to the Insurgent Spawn
  
• Fixed a number of exploit locations where players were able to access unintended areas on Citadel
  
• Fixed an issue where there was an invisible wall blocking some of the trench tunnels on Citadel
  
• Fixed an issue where the gunship was killing friendly teammates during the survival extraction
  
• Fixed an issue where the “Last Man Standing” music would start playing instead of the “Get to the Extraction” music when the extraction objective became active
  
• Fixed an issue when playing on the new ‘Pistols in Arms’ limited-time playlist and selecting a Secondary Ammo Carrier would cause players to disconnect from the game
  
• Fixed an issue on Outskirts Survival where the helicopter would fly back into view during the Victory screen
  
• Fixed an issue where the Region Preferences button was missing from the Play screen
  
• Fixed an issue where the hand position was too high and obscured the sight picture when using the SVD equipped with the Aiming Grip and 7x Sniper Scope while ADSing
  
• Fixed an issue where the 1x Red Dot was misaligned on the MR73 when using the Cheapo Suppressor (pistol optics cannot be equipped with the Cheapo Suppressor on the MR 73)
  
• Fixed the hammer animations on the MR 73 when equipped with the Suppressed Sniper Barrel
  

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

• There is an issue where preset loadouts do not save after game relaunch
  
• There is an issue where the camera switches to a view inside the helicopter interior after the player wins a round of Survival Mode during the Scenario Select Screen
  
• There is an issue where the weapons and explosives are misaligned on the screen in the Customization Menu
  
• Some toggleable options show black when using picture in picture view settings
  
• Male heads, Soran and Rob, have misaligned facial hair
  
• There is a chance when a Party leaders joins a dedicated server, the party member fails to join