Project Winter News

Just as a reminder - our Cabin Fever Trick of Traitor event is live right now!

Come on in to get limited time cosmetics through a new progression tree and event crates!

[h3]Our Cabin Fever Halloween event starts NOW! [/h3]
Enjoy a new progression tree and event crate this spine-chilling season. Spoopy items are now available for you all to unlock and purchase! Please remember that this is a limited time event. Once the event is over, you’ll be able to purchase and keep any unlocked progression items, but will not be able to make progress on locked items.

We also have a special Halloween treat for you all! We’ve opened the Spooktober progression tree from last year, so you get a second chance to unlock these items too! Looks like something broke :( apologies, but we will not be unlocking 2019 Spooktober event tree at the moment.

You can have your chance at these items until November 6th. Get in the game and spend those hard-earned survivor points! We’re excited to see what spooky outfits you all create!

Hello Survivors!

Today we have some exciting news. A new game mode! We are introducing a Basic Mode for new players learning the game and for seasoned players who want more simplified gameplay. The mode will include shorter rounds, a smaller map, a simplified ruleset, and no additional roles.

For those who like to spice things up, we also added more to the custom game mode! Enjoy a wealth of choices for how you want to enjoy your Project Winter experience. Have less than 5 players, control escape vehicle capacities, timer limits, a larger range for the number of traitors in the game, and so much more!

[h3]NEW FEATURES & GENERAL CHANGES[/h3]
Basic Mode added! This is a new game mode designed to help first-time players ease into the main game mode or provide an alternative for veterans looking for a more fast-paced, streamlined game mode. It includes the following features:

• 15 minute rounds
  
• Smaller four-quadrant map
  
• Repair objectives only
  
• No additional roles (survivor and traitor only)
  
• Only blizzard global events
  
• No armory or truth serum lab
  
• Reduced pool of bonus objectives
  
• Reduced set of crafting recipes available
  
• Advanced items (combat stimulants, flares, etc.) no longer appear in crates
  

Custom Game changes:

• Minimum player limit for starting a match is now disabled for custom matches (players will not be eligible to earn points when playing with fewer than 5 or with no traitors)
  
• Minimum/maximum traitor sliders can now be set from 0 to 7, respectively (note these settings may be ignored to ensure one survivor is always present in the match)
  
• Game duration slider can now be set as low as 15 minutes
  
• Added new settings for disabling the truth serum lab or armory
  
• Added new setting for controlling whether berry bushes should respawn
  
• Added new settings for changing the traitor airdrop timers
  
• Added new setting for controlling escape vehicle capacity
  
• Added new setting to control whether power lines leading to second objective should be visible or not
  
• Custom game settings for the current match can now be viewed from the in-game ESC menu
  
• Hovering over the custom game icon in lobby browser will now only reveal settings that are changed (to make it easier to read)
  
• Updated various parts of the main menu play tab UI to go along with the addition of basic mode:
  
• Lobby browser now allows players to select a preferred game mode, which will display its description on the left and sort all lobbies of that type to the top of the browser window
  
• The host game and quick match buttons will now display a new game mode selection screen to specify which type of lobby you want to create or join
  
• The lobby screen design has been updated to be colour-coded based on the game mode of the lobby
  
• Removed option for Classic Mode on host game popup. This can still be played via a custom game with player roles disabled and all other settings left unchanged
  
• Locked lobby filter option in lobby browser now saves and persists between matches and subsequent launches of the game
  
• Added new cosmetic rarity colour for items purchased with artifacts, and improved cosmetic sorting to show newest items first for each rarity tier
  
• Improved UI for showing when escape vehicle has been sabotaged via the cabin radio
  
• Players speaking over the proximity voice channel will now have their indicators in the lower left fade based on their distance from your player
  
• Added crafting recipe item icons to tooltips of items that can be crafted or cooked
  
• Added additional messaging on the repair objectives UI to better inform new players of how to repair them
  
• Added new location indicators for most buildings and removed location indicators for environmental areas
  
• Mega blizzard notifications text updated to show timer and better indicate the mega blizzard is not immediately starting
  
• Updated visuals of tutorial page of game guide and removed video tutorial
  
• Added new message to the launch splash screens to emphasize that voice communication is recommended for playing the game
  
• Refreshed gameplay tips that appear on loading screen and reduced the time it takes for them to cycle
  
• Improved security for voice chat features
  

[h3]BALANCE CHANGES:[/h3]

• Increased radius of effect for hot springs activation and sabotage
  
• Increased number of seats removed from sabotaging the escape vehicle for lower survivor counts
  

[h3]BUG FIXES:[/h3]

• Fixed dying in areas where warmth changes at different rate (cabin, in water, etc.) continuing to apply if player is cloned later in the match
  
• Fixed issue where player’s items could darken and briefly becoming unusable if a ghost player disconnected under certain circumstances
  
• Fixed various areas where alternate keybinds weren’t being scaled for correctly on the UI
  
• Fixed various issues with controller navigation and button colours not being consistent with the rest of the UI
  
• Fixed solar flare audio not stopping if game ends while it’s triggering
  
• Fixed dragged player corpses being released too easily
  
• Fixed text elements not appearing on radial wheel when running at 4K resolution
  
• Fixed odd behavior of animals patrolling near steep slopes in the terrain (notably a bear near the canyon)
  
• Fixed host game popup being left on screen after an invite was accepted, if it was enabled
  
• Fixed menu screen becoming black if disconnection occurs during fade-out to playable tutorial
  
• Fixed investigate option showing on player corpses when roles are not enabled (as this provides no information unless there can be a detective present)
  
• Fixed points earned or lost for stealing resources from repair consoles awarding double the intended value
  
• Fixed players killed via bridge sabotage awarding points for survivors stopped in addition to survivors killed for the sabotaging traitor
  
• Fixed issue where player could be teleported into and trapped in a tree from solar flare event
  
• Fixed various map issues where players could get stuck in terrain or animals would behave improperly
  
• Fixed sabotaging cabin radio incrementing the “escapes called” stat
  
• Fixed issue where being downed while dragging a body was not releasing the body from being dragged for other clients
  
• Fixed cases where players could get stuck on a bridge that was repaired after a sabotage
  
• Fixed first-aid kits counting as crafted items rather than cooked items on stats page
  
• Fixed non-recyclable items not returning to correct colour when recycle mode is disabled
  
• Fixed traitors not receiving additional points for sabotaging an objective more than once
  
• [Blackout] Fixed issue where druid fire was too bright when player was near it as a ghost
  
• [Blackout] Fixed portal animation not resetting properly for players who’ve escaped and returned to the portal as a ghost
  

[h3]
Keep your feedback coming![/h3]

We are eager to see the new gameplay these changes will bring! As always, we are listening and we encourage everyone to leave feedback in our community Discord in the #suggestions channel.

Stay tuned for more updates in the future, and thank you for your continued support!

Hello again, survivors.

As you may know, the team recently compiled a list of feedback from the community Discord and put them up to a vote as to which issues are most pressing. Today is the day that we release these changes into the Project Winter wild. We think that many of you will enjoy our most recent update.

As always, we are still listening! We encourage everyone to leave feedback at-will in our community Discord in the #suggestions channel. We will certainly do more feedback round-ups in the future as we strive to make the changes you want to see.

[h3]It is official, the outhouse door can now be closed.[/h3]

In other news, we’ve done our best to even out proximity chat to ensure that players hear each other more consistently while in-range, made some more balance changes, and added a new custom lobby option. Of course, we’ve also scrubbed out a few bugs that were brought to light by the players.

[h3]NEW FEATURES & GENERAL CHANGES[/h3]

• Custom games can now specify the min and max counts for each type of role in the base game in addition to the min and max traitor counts
  
• Custom games settings button in lobby will display an exclamation badge until the next it is pressed if the custom game settings have been updated by the host
  
• Adjusted positioning and volume scaling of player proximity voice range. The radius for another player to be heard at max volume has been reduced by 75%, while the scaling is now more gradual so players will be more noticeably quiet at a distance. The positioning has also been adjusted so that players further south will no longer be easier to hear at a distance than players to the north.
  
• Backpacks can now be looted from player corpses
  
• Added timeline event to indicate which player initiated the escape vehicle leave sequence
  
• Added new bonus objective for visiting multiple flag points during a match
  
• Tranquilizer gun can now slow animals in addition to players
  

[h3]BALANCE CHANGES[/h3]

• Increased points earned for most survivor repair actions (contributing repair parts, digging up items, delivering batteries and opening cipher bunkers)
  
• Increased threshold for ”survive and take less than X damage from players” bonus objective from 600 to 1000 damage
  
• Increased reward for “survive and take less than X damage from players”, “survive without dealing damage with ranged weapons or explosives” and “survive without dealing damage with tools” bonus objectives from 400 to 500 survivor points
  
• Reduced tranquilizer gun ammo count from 5 to 3, reduced damage to 0, increased aiming speed by 100%, increased tranquilized effect duration to 20 seconds and increased slow from 50% to 60% of based speed
  
• Increased pieces of information revealed for Detective on investigation screen from 3 to 5
  
• Reduced traitor credits cost for cabin radio sabotage from 10 to 5
  
• Proximity traitor credits meter will now begin to drain after being out of range of survivors for several seconds rather than immediately emptying
  

[h3]BUG FIXES[/h3]

• Fixed issue where animals could occasionally move at much higher speeds than normal if the host of a lobby disconnects mid-game
  
• Fixed issue where players muted in a lobby would sometimes not remain muted after loading into a match or after leaving and rejoining the lobby
  
• Fixed issue where melee weapons could sometimes not be equipped after being looted from a player corpse
  
• Fixed issue where minimap could remain visible after solar flare event teleport if player enters cabin just prior to teleport occurring
  
• Fixed neutral role players awarding “survivors stopped” points if the game ends while they are still alive
  
• Fixed custom game settings button in lobby not adjusting position after clicking on another player in the lobby and seeing the player options dropdown
  
• Fixed error message that could appear after cancelling out of the custom game settings screen from the host game popup and then reopening it
  
• Fixed various issues with controller navigation
  
• Fixed several issues where player could clip into or get stuck in environment objects
  
• Fixed apply and revert buttons being visible on custom game settings screen when pressed from within a lobby while not the host of the lobby
  
• Fixed cases where damage to animals may not be reflected correctly if the host has disconnected
  
• Fixed issues with ordering of certain popups on main menu
  
• Fixed player count in lobby sometimes not reflecting the correct number of players
  
• Fixed traitor credits indicator remaining visible for dead traitors cloned into survivors
  
• Fixed issue where items on breakable bridges would sometimes not fall after bridge was sabotage
  
• Fixed particle effects on items being briefly visible where the item was previously positioned if it was dropped in one location, picked up and then equipped in a different one
  
• [Blackout] Fixed issue where Whisperer converts would not correctly join the red radio channel if they were converted while already holding a radio and later dropped it
  

[h3]NEW COSMETICS TO EARN[/h3]



Remember, no matter how tempted you may be, you won’t be able to fit the entire lobby into one outhouse.

Stay tuned for more updates in the future.

Survivors, a new research assignment has been sent from the sea labs HQ.

We’ve been tasked with gathering as much intel about the local zone as possible. We’re looking for natural anomalies, landscape features, and an assortment of equipment that has survived the storms.

We’ve annexed a document listing all items of interest below. Each item has a particular value to the labs crew, so different submissions may earn a different amount of credit to the participant.

Participants are required to capture photos of as many priority items as possible at once. The more items captured in one image, the higher value the image is worth.

[h2]Rules[/h2]

• Community guidelines still apply
  
• Participants must follow the community guidelines, failing to do so will disqualify you from the event. Find them here.
  
• All event submissions must be through an in-game screenshot.
  
• No alternate forms of submission will be accepted.
  
• 3 screenshot limit
  
• You may delete submitted screenshots to resubmit one with a higher score.
  
• Participants’ Steam account must be linked to their Discord Account.
  Exceptions can be made, direct message RedFive (thomas4good#4074) on discord.
  
• All screenshots must be taken in a standard, non-custom, public game of Project Winter.
  
• Screenshots must be unique
  
• You cannot take more than 1 screenshot per game.
  
• You cannot submit screenshots with identical inventories
  
• You cannot score multiple stacks of duplicate items in the same screenshot.
  
• Tie breakers
  
• Images must be submitted before this time, Sept 11, 2020.
  

All tie breakers are solved by choosing the submissions with the most amount of
time left until the mega blizzard.

[h3]Participants will be rewarded for the following categories.[/h3]

1. Highest value single photo: 10,000 SP, 50 Artifacts
2. Labs’ choice awards: 10,000 SP, 50 Artifacts
   
3. Highest value sum of all three submissions: 25,000 SP, 100 Artifacts, ONE free copy and DLC for a friend

[h3]Score Multipliers by Role[/h3]

ID Thief, Innocent, Medic, Detective: x1.5
Traitor, Traitor Medic, Hacker, Defector, Soldier, Scientist: x1.25
Traitor Scientist, Traitor Hacker: x1

ID Thief screenshots will need to be without a role stolen.

[h3]The following items have been selected for priority by the Labs team.[/h3]

Inventory Items

All items not mentioned below are excluded.

• Fuel - 6
  
• Quick Disarm Kit - 6
  
• Mechanical Scrap - 11
  
• Electrical Scrap - 11
  
• Tripwire - 16
  
• Smoke Grenade - 6
  
• Bear Trap - 12
  
• Medkit - 18
  
• Any Dig Site Part - 15
  
• Non-Red Radio - 22
  
• Landmine - 29
  
• Trap Disarm Kit - 33
  
• Potpie - 20
  
• Stimulant - 50
  
• Crossbow - 35
  
• Poisoned Crossbow - 40
  
• Shotgun - 50
  
• Bolt-Action Rifle - 50
  
• Semi-Auto Rifle - 75
  
• Truth Serum - 80
  
• Battery - 45
  
• Dragged Body- 25
  

[h3]The following anomalous or integral sites are to be examined[/h3]

Tier 1 - 100

• Lit Druid Campfire
  
• Geyser Erupting
  

Tier 2 - 125

• Amory Opening
  
• Lazarus Machine Opening
  
• Bridge Being Destroyed
  

Tier 3 - 175

• Polar Bear
  

Submissions can be made through the #events channel on our Discord. The event starts today and will end at the same time on Sept 11, 2020.

Go now, survivors! Collect as much data as possible, the labs team is counting on you!