‘Heavy Duty’ has just entered Public Beta.
Hello everyone. After a month of refinement during our Patreon Beta, we are proud to announce that we’ll be moving to a public beta for further refinements and adjustments before full release.
You can opt-in to the beta by right-clicking SCP:SL in your Steam Library, and then by selecting the Properties tab.
From there, select the Betas category, and finally, select the Public Beta option from the dropdown menu.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
And now, without further ado, let’s get into the changes!
[h2]HCZ Rework and Minor Map Changes[/h2]
As a cornerstone of the ‘Heavy Duty’ update, we have completed our first-ever zone rework. Included are massive changes to the Heavy Containment Zone (HCZ), with significantly improved sightlines, maze-like architecture, and plenty of new rooms. Following the recent improvements to our Level Design team, we are very excited for the future of the Facility.
[h2]Respawn Overhaul[/h2]
One of our largest concerns with current gameplay is how much time is spent spectating the game. Following multiple Patreon Early Access Rebalancing Sessions (PEARS), we’ve decided to finally launch our reworked respawning mechanics. Our goal is for players to be in the game more and feel like their actions are impactful, while still retaining the unique structure of Insurgency versus Foundation versus SCP Subjects.
[h2]Firearm Soft Rework[/h2]
This update comes with balance adjustments and a global simplification to our firearm mechanics. Following community requests for guns to behave more akin to pre-Parabellum firearms, we’ve decided that this solution will be the best of both worlds. Nearly every weapon has been rebalanced, leading to a general decrease in recoil and more accessible shooting mechanics. We’ve also introduced more feedback when using weapons, including improved bullet impacts, fly-by noises, and tracers.
Want to learn more? We’ve explained this decision in more detail in our publicly released February Patreon post.
[h2]Experimental Weapons[/h2]
We have introduced a full overhaul to the 3-X Particle Disruptor, and will be giving the Micro-HID a similar treatment during the public beta. These two weapons in particular have shown their age throughout the recent months. With the teams behind their creation wanting improvements, we’ve found the time to hone these items and allow all special weapons to naturally spawn in dedicated lockers found throughout the Facility.
[h2]SCP-1344[/h2]
We have also introduced a new SCP item this update — SCP-1344! These eye-catching goggles allow their user to perceive targets through walls. This is our first item that directly deals with body horror, the next closest entity being the ugly syringe model from years back.
If you’re curious for more, we’ve just dedicated a whole Steam post showcasing how an SCP item goes from concept to implementation. Check it out here!
[h2]Fixes and Improvements[/h2]
We’ve also introduced a plethora of fixes and improvements in this update. Due to the sheer quantity of them, we’ve opted to release a full list once the full update is around the corner. In the meantime, here are some notable highlights:
Thank you all for your continued support. We’ll be working hard to finalise this update, and release it fully as soon as we deem it ready.
Have fun, and see you in the dark.
- Northwood Studios
You can opt-in to the beta by right-clicking SCP:SL in your Steam Library, and then by selecting the Properties tab.
From there, select the Betas category, and finally, select the Public Beta option from the dropdown menu.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
And now, without further ado, let’s get into the changes!
[h2]HCZ Rework and Minor Map Changes[/h2]
As a cornerstone of the ‘Heavy Duty’ update, we have completed our first-ever zone rework. Included are massive changes to the Heavy Containment Zone (HCZ), with significantly improved sightlines, maze-like architecture, and plenty of new rooms. Following the recent improvements to our Level Design team, we are very excited for the future of the Facility.
[h2]Respawn Overhaul[/h2]
One of our largest concerns with current gameplay is how much time is spent spectating the game. Following multiple Patreon Early Access Rebalancing Sessions (PEARS), we’ve decided to finally launch our reworked respawning mechanics. Our goal is for players to be in the game more and feel like their actions are impactful, while still retaining the unique structure of Insurgency versus Foundation versus SCP Subjects.
[h2]Firearm Soft Rework[/h2]
This update comes with balance adjustments and a global simplification to our firearm mechanics. Following community requests for guns to behave more akin to pre-Parabellum firearms, we’ve decided that this solution will be the best of both worlds. Nearly every weapon has been rebalanced, leading to a general decrease in recoil and more accessible shooting mechanics. We’ve also introduced more feedback when using weapons, including improved bullet impacts, fly-by noises, and tracers.
Want to learn more? We’ve explained this decision in more detail in our publicly released February Patreon post.
[h2]Experimental Weapons[/h2]
We have introduced a full overhaul to the 3-X Particle Disruptor, and will be giving the Micro-HID a similar treatment during the public beta. These two weapons in particular have shown their age throughout the recent months. With the teams behind their creation wanting improvements, we’ve found the time to hone these items and allow all special weapons to naturally spawn in dedicated lockers found throughout the Facility.
[h2]SCP-1344[/h2]
We have also introduced a new SCP item this update — SCP-1344! These eye-catching goggles allow their user to perceive targets through walls. This is our first item that directly deals with body horror, the next closest entity being the ugly syringe model from years back.
If you’re curious for more, we’ve just dedicated a whole Steam post showcasing how an SCP item goes from concept to implementation. Check it out here!
[h2]Fixes and Improvements[/h2]
We’ve also introduced a plethora of fixes and improvements in this update. Due to the sheer quantity of them, we’ve opted to release a full list once the full update is around the corner. In the meantime, here are some notable highlights:
- Chaos Insurgency now counts as targets for the SCPs.
- Facility Guards now spawn together in the same room.
- Both SCP-268 and SCP-1344 are now visible on your player model while using it.
- Introduced 16 new achievements, alongside new artwork for existing achievements.
- Added some new loading screens.
- Improved the behind-the-scenes culling system.
- Fixed over 50 bugs.
Thank you all for your continued support. We’ll be working hard to finalise this update, and release it fully as soon as we deem it ready.
Have fun, and see you in the dark.
- Northwood Studios