VAIL News

[h2]SOCIAL REFACTOR[/h2][p]We’re now hard at work refactoring all social features including friends and parties. With this update, we’ve fixed a lot of issues with adding and removing friends. You can now reliably add friends by clicking on their name in the scoreboard, searching their name, or clicking on them in the recently played tab. Player profiles are also fixed with player stats and profile pictures showing more reliably. In upcoming updates you’ll see major improvements coming to parties, player presence, and more.[/p][p][/p][p]Alongside other improvements to the tutorial, we’re now introducing a brand new timed mini-game: the Killhouse. This timed mode includes global leaderboards for the fastest times with all firearms in VAIL. The mode will be introduced at the end of the tutorial for new players to get comfortable with shooting and movement together, but can be revisited at anytime with the new “Tutorials” button in “Play” page of the tablet. Try it now and top the leaderboards early![/p][p][/p]

• [p]Added Nanobot Healing Sprays, currently equippable as a tactical. To use the healing spray, shake until the progress bar is full and then spray anywhere on yourself or a teammate. We still have a lot of polish to do here, particularly on sound effects and the charging interaction, and we’ll be adding more variants in the future.[/p]
• [p]Added a new mesh for shields[/p]
• [p]Added over 100 enemy spawns throughout Reyn[/p]
• [p]Tuned the fire rate, movement speed, and other variables on both enemy types[/p]
• [p]Fixed bots not respecting line of sight[/p]
• [p]Fixed bots shooting dead bodies[/p]
• [p]Fixed not being able to kill bots with a knife[/p]
• [p]Added textures to the two Angel enemy variants[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the size of some loot items[/p]
• [p]Added 20 new loot items[/p]
• [p]Adjusted loot spawn lists[/p]
• [p]Increased the price of all sights[/p]
• [p]Updated misc. UI related to Extraction[/p]
• [p]Added a new mesh for extraction points — more improvements, particularly with SFX and VFX, coming soon[/p]
• [p]Reduced the time players are allowed to backfill into existing matches[/p]
• [p]Backpacks are now visible on players’ backs[/p]
• [p]Fixed loadout items brought into a match counting towards EXA Looted leaderboard[/p]
• [p]Reyn - massive visual improvements to power plant and other nearby areas[/p]
• [p]Reyn - fixed some player spawns being inside walls or floating[/p]
• [p]Reyn - adjusted the blockout in Lab[/p]
• [p]Reyn - added new “Crash Site” point of interest on the beach with loot spawns[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Fixed deafening not working with positional voice chat[/p]
• [p]Fixed voice chat not initializing properly for new users on Quest after accepting microphone permissions[/p]
• [p]Made the STF-12 slightly easier to push forward[/p]
• [p]Adjusted how some assets are packaged, which should reduce future patch downloaded sizes and potentially fix some crashes[/p]
• [p]Add a “My Rank” filter to see your position in the leaderboards[/p]
• [p]Fixed hole in the Colonist mesh behind the ears[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - matchmaking prompts now start over from “open tablet” if you close the tablet early[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - players are now prompted to reload each weapon 3 times[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed map exits[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed going to tutorial on new install if you’ve already completed it[/p]
• [p]Fixes for voice chat related crashes[/p]
• [p]Misc. server optimizations[/p]
• [p]Misc. map optimizations and cleanup[/p][p][/p]

[h3]AEXLAB
[/h3]

[h2]EXTRACTION PRE-ALPHA[/h2]

• [p]Added new Angel variants — we’re continuing to improve and expand the enemies in Extraction. Now there’s three variants of drones that use a new projectile based weapon.[/p]
• [p]Added pumpkin heads to Angels temporarily[/p]
• [p]Fixed Angels not dealing damage[/p]
• [p]Added 17 new loot items[/p]
• [p]Reyn - imported new exterior mesh for power plant[/p]
• [p]Reyn - improved the interior block out and set dressing for power plant[/p]
• [p]Reyn - improved the dock area with new set dressing, improved collision, and other improvements[/p]
• [p]Reyn - improved graphics for the vehicles[/p]

[p][/p][h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Added the FW25 // October Drop featuring the Pumpkin Head bundle and other Halloween themed skins[/p]
• [p]Decorated the Amani Market with spooky Halloween decor[/p]
• [p]Improved shader compilation time[/p]
• [p]Potential fix for golf ball occasionally not spawning[/p]
• [p]Adjusted fog to make it less distracting on Quest[/p]
• [p]Fixed weapon spawners in Citadel not granting ammo to the player[/p]
• [p]Frio - added the mini-map for Artifact Frio observer mode[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - adjusted the hint UI pop up to be more visible[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - added weapon grip highlights for the reload sections[/p]
• [p]Citadel - Fixed hole in collision[/p]
• [p]Citadel - Fixed some z-fighting[/p]
• [p]Backend improvements to voice chat — possible crash fixes and bug fixes related to voice chat[/p]
• [p]Optimizations to server performance[/p]
• [p]Misc. crash fixes[/p]

[p]AEXLAB
[/p]

[h2]EXTRACTION PRE-ALPHA[/h2]

• [p]Adjusted loot probabilities to make it harder to find high tier loot. This is something we’ll continue to tune and improve.[/p]
• [p]Until now, all types of loot could spawn anywhere. With this update, we’re starting to change this so that only certain types of loot will spawn in certain areas. For example, only food items will spawn in the new Energy Plant cafeteria. This is something we’ll continue to change and improve with each update.[/p]
• [p]Extraction match outcome now properly shows the amount of value extracted, Seeker kills, and Angel kills[/p]
• [p]Made improvements to Extraction Match Outcome animation[/p]
• [p]Extraction points now appear when the player is near[/p]
• [p]Hit indicator colors will now match the tier of shield you have equipped[/p]
• [p]Fixed backpack items being left behind if a player extracts while holding the backpack[/p]
• [p]Fixed sights not extracting properly[/p]
• [p]Fixed ammo not extracting properly[/p]
• [p]Fixed teammates being able to destroy each others’ shield[/p]
• [p]Fixed stash sell price not taking into account quantity[/p]
• [p]Fixed purchasing ammo sending players back to play page instead of gear up page[/p]
• [p]Reyn - updates to the Docks[/p]
• [p]Reyn - overhauled the blockout at Energy Plant — this is still a work in progress and you’ll see more improvements soon[/p]
• [p]Reyn - added new experimental loot containers[/p]

[p][/p][h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Significantly improved fog on various maps[/p]
• [p]Fixed fog causing materials to look too dark on PC — we left this on Quest as it had the unintended side effect of making Quest materials look closer to their intended PC look[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed some soft locks and other minor issues with the reloading sections of the tutorial[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed GEL not appearing in wallet after completing tutorial without a game restart[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - the target for learning bullet penetration now sticks out a bit to make it easier to see where it is[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed loading into tutorial automatically every time you launch game if you never finished it.[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed a soft lock if you die from grenade at the same time as completing that step[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - added new sound effects for completing each step[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed some z-fighting and clipping[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - added a message for players leaving tutorial early to inform them that there’s a reward for completing the tutorial[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - locked player movement while choosing dominant hand[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - fixed observer mode being taken to the tutorial[/p]
• [p]Small server optimizations[/p]
• [p]Improved shader compilation time on Quest[/p]
• [p]Fixed Wassies playing walking sound effects after they’re killed[/p]
• [p]Fixed some server crashes with Artifact[/p]
• [p]Fixed some crashes related to matchmaking[/p]
• [p]Fixed some crashes related to Citadel[/p]
• [p]Fixed misc. crashes[/p]
• [p]Fixed REYAB hands sometimes clipping into the sleeve[/p]
• [p]Fixed blue artifacts on Citadel vista[/p]

[p]AEXLAB
[/p]

[h2]EXTRACTION PRE-ALPHA[/h2]

• [p]Increased the number of max teams from 4 to 6 and total players from 12 to 18[/p]
• [p]Consolidated all ammo types into 4 types: compact, rifle, heavy, and shotgun[/p]
• [p]Added 6 tiers of ammo — these ammo tiers do not change their base damage, but instead change their penetration in relation to the new shields[/p]
• [p]Added 6 tiers of shields. The shield is projected around your entire body from a small device on your right shoulder (the model is placeholder for now). Bullets can still penetrate the shield, depending on how high a tier of bullet vs the tier of shield.[/p]
• [p]Added 18 new loot items to extraction[/p]
• [p]Reyn - remade all of the basalt rocks with new improved meshes and a new material with moss[/p]
• [p]Reyn - adjusted floor materials to match the new basalt better[/p]
• [p]Reyn - improvements to the dock area of the level[/p]
• [p]Fixed some items not extracting consistently[/p]
• [p]Wiped all inventories for testing[/p]

[h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Set the default turn option to smooth[/p]
• [p]Added new sound effects for redeeming double XP tokens[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - removed the settings screen and replaced it with one single prompt to choose dominant hand[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - improved the final section of the tutorial, added GEL reward for completing the tutorial and skins to purchase in the tutorial[/p]
• [p]Tutorial - Adjusted the layout at the end of the tutorial to be able to add a killhouse section[/p]
• [p]Upgraded some of our online infrastructure[/p]
• [p]Fixed occlusion culling on Citadel not working as intended, causing significant performance issues[/p]
• [p]Fixed shaders compiling extremely slow on Quest[/p]
• [p]Fixed helicopter nameplates in observer mode[/p]

[p]AEXLAB
[/p]

[h2]EXTRACTION PRE-ALPHA[/h2]

• [p]Wiped all player inventories for Extraction testing — wipes will happen frequently while in alpha, but we do not plan to have forced wipes after the full release[/p]
• [p]Added a Loot Extracted leaderboard and we plan to reward top looters every week with in-game rewards, so see if you can top this leaderboard![/p]
• [p]Added 27 new loot items[/p]
• [p]Added 5 tiers of backpacks that are now purchasable with more storage. The lowest tier backpack is free but only has 6 slots for loot items while the largest tiered backpack has 20 regular slots and 3 primary weapon slots. The models for these backpacks are still placeholder and subject to change, but all of the functionality is now working.[/p]
• [p]Added primary weapon slots to the backpacks. With this, primary weapons cannot be added to the inside of the backpack since they’re too large, but secondary weapons still can be placed inside in the regular slots. Instead, if you have a backpack with a primary weapon slot, you can now attach any primary weapon to the outside of the backpack. The highest tiered backpack has 3 primary weapon slots — one on each side and one on the bottom.[/p]
• [p]Added an auto slot to backpacks that’s accessible by dropping items over your shoulder or at the top of the backpack. This slot will simply put an item in the next available slot in the backpack and you can use it by dropping items over your shoulder if you have a backpack equipped. SFX for this will be added soon![/p]
• [p]Added a UI widget for loot that will appear when holding an item and pointing your palm up towards your headset. This widget includes information about the item you’re holding including rarity, value, category, and more.[/p]
• [p]All players will now get a maximum of two extraction points that are shared with some other players in the match.[/p]
• [p]Fixed Extraction map not showing icons for a couple of seconds after opening the tablet[/p]
• [p]Reyn - improved the texture quality and look of vehicles[/p]
• [p]Reyn - minor fixes to various props[/p]
• [p]Reyn - improved floor collision across the entire map to prevent loot and backpacks from falling through the floor[/p]

[h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Added a new marketplace rotation featuring the Lekar REYAB Bundle and some new cosmetics from the community as part of the VAIL Artisans program (join Discord for more information)[/p]
• [p]Added the first iteration of a beginner tutorial. For now, this is only accessible in the setting page of the tablet while we continue to improve it. Feel free to try it out and send us feedback! This tutorial is targeted at helping new players feel comfortable in a training grounds or quickplay match. In the future, we plan to add specific tutorials as needed for different game modes including Artifact, Extraction, and Mining.[/p]
• [p]Fixed spectators being able to queue up for matchmaking[/p]
• [p]Fixed tablet close button not working while matchmaking[/p]
• [p]The Void - Improved lightmap res which should fix some blobby shadows[/p]
• [p]Citadel - fixed upside down light props in the DJ booth and some other minor changes and optimizations[/p]
• [p]Possible improvements to some hitches when loading different parts of larger levels[/p]

[p]AEXLAB
[/p]