VAIL News

[h2]EXTRACTION PRE-ALPHA[/h2]

• [p]Added very early prototypes of drone style enemies. These enemies are not close to being finished. They’re untextured, dumb, and somewhat overpowered right now. For these reasons, we’ve only put a handful in the level, but as we continue to tune and improve these drones we’ll add more throughout the map. This isn’t the only type of enemy we plan on adding as well, so stay tuned for more variants.[/p]
• [p]Added a UI header to the backpack to show the total value of everything in the backpack[/p]
• [p]Added distance culling for items in backpacks to improve performance[/p]
• [p]When a player drops a backpack, it will show a closed variant of the backpack[/p]
• [p]Added a new building in front of the lab on Reyn[/p]
• [p]Added improved ambient sound effects to Reyn including new thunder sounds[/p]

[h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Added the ELITE NYX character and weapon skin pack which includes 4,500 GEL and 6 skins[/p]
• [p]Fixed players being able to move in unintended ways using external software — this is something we temporarily disabled for testing server performance improvements, but rest assured it’s back working like it did before.[/p]
• [p]ART_Frio - Fixed some collision at REYAB spawn[/p]
• [p]Fixed bullet casing VFX going through firearms[/p]
• [p]Small optimizations to Thermite on Quest[/p]
• [p]Work on future content to be revealed soon (maybe next week)[/p]

[p]AEXLAB
[/p]

[h2]EXTRACTION PRE-ALPHA[/h2]

• [p]Added functionality to the Extraction map — it will now show active extraction points and the player and their teammates’ locations and rotation. We plan to expand this further in the future to show teammates’ name, health, and other information and possibly even the ability to mark locations on the map for your teammates to see.[/p]
• [p]All players will now automatically be granted 100,000 EXA[/p]
• [p]Added a match time limit for Extraction[/p]
• [p]Improved the look of various loot items with new graphics and details[/p]
• [p]Purchasing ammo now works more like filling up a cart, then purchasing the full cart of ammo all at once[/p]
• [p]Adjusted the amount of ammo granted per box purchased and the price per box[/p]
• [p]Lowered the amount of max ammo slots from 16 to 8[/p]
• [p]Fixed various UI bugs with the gear up page[/p]
• [p]Fixed Extraction loadouts not always spawning everything equipped[/p]
• [p]Fixed items in backpack not being centered in their respective slots[/p]
• [p]Fixed items being difficult to add to the backpack — previously it used the bounds of your hand to select a slot to drop an item, now it uses the bounds of the object itself in addition to various other improvements.[/p]
• [p]Fixed items simulating physics when intersecting with other items in the backpack — this will also improve performance of the backpack in general[/p]
• [p]Fixed the backpack being difficult to grab from your back with either hand[/p]
• [p]Fixed other players being able to force grab items out of another player’s backpack — for now we’re letting other players physically grab items in case one person wants to share items that way, but they’ll need to get close to another player while they’re holding it for them to be able to do grab it instead of using force grab.[/p]
• [p]Fixed being able to add armed tacticals to the backpack which caused all kinds of entertaining bugs and issues[/p]
• [p]Fixed the Kanto not respawning in Extraction[/p]
• [p]Fixed death UI not displaying on suicide kills[/p]
• [p]Misc. map improvements for Reyn[/p]

[h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Made significant improvements to fades on Quest — more improvements to come![/p]
• [p]Fixed cosmetic renderer showing dark characters/weapons[/p]
• [p]Fixed Social Hub scoreboard not being visible but being clickable even when not in the Social Hub[/p]
• [p]Fixed DJ slider in Citadel not working[/p]
• [p]Possible fix for ORE shards falling through the map — let us know if this keeps happening and where it happened[/p]
• [p]ART_Frio - moved REYAB spawn towards B site slightly[/p]
• [p]ART_Frio - added grenade blockers around mid and B[/p]
• [p]ART_Frio - moved forklift at colonist spawn to help block angle from long A to long B[/p]
• [p]ART_Frio - moved box on B site to make it easier to defend[/p]
• [p]ART_Frio - fixed grates near B site not making noise and letting objects drop in water[/p]
• [p]ART_Cliffside - fixed B site marker clipping in mid on quest due to slight difference in LOD on mesh behind it[/p]

[p]AEXLAB
[/p]

[h2]EXTRACTION PRE-ALPHA[/h2]

• [p]Added about 50 new loot items and tuned prices for all items[/p]
• [p]Added an improved backpack that uses slots for physically placing items — more improvements to come![/p]
• [p]Fixed purchasing a backpack and it not loading into the level[/p]
• [p]Removed all placed backpacks from Reyn — you’ll now have to buy and bring one with you[/p]
• [p]Added purchasable ammo — you’ll now need to buy ammo to bring it into the game[/p]
• [p]Fixed sights not loading into the level[/p]
• [p]Added some loot containers to Reyn — more to come soon![/p]
• [p]Improvements to fog on Reyn[/p]
• [p]Improved rain placement in Reyn[/p]
• [p]Fixed loot items scaling down when the player gets close to it[/p]
• [p]Made improvements to the extraction match outcome screen[/p]
• [p]Made improvements to the water on the beach[/p]
• [p]Fixed players being able to move around with invisibility after dying or extracting[/p]
• [p]Misc. improvements and fixes for Reyn[/p]

[h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Added more guns, utilities, repulsion sabers, and pickaxes to the new Quarry[/p]
• [p]Added small platforming section the the new Quarry — we have plans to continue improving this[/p]
• [p]Added the new fog that works on PC and Standalone to ART_Frio[/p]
• [p]Fixed a player spawn that was inside a prop on The Citadel[/p]
• [p]Fixed multiple map exits on the new Quarry[/p]
• [p]Work on new content to be revealed soon![/p]

[p]AEXLAB
[/p]

[p]For months we’ve had a small team working in the background on a completely new game mode that could exist as it’s own standalone game, and now the Extraction mode is here for some very early pre-alpha testing. We’re also introducing a brand new Quarry in the Social Hub, a new Artifact map, a new prestige, and we’ve upgraded the engine to Unreal 5.5. [/p][p][/p][p]In this update we’re starting some very early tests for the new Extraction mode. To start, these tests will only be available to VAIL Alliance Subscribers and only at scheduled times so that we can get the most players together at once. The next scheduled playtests will show in game in the Tablet.[/p][p]Whatever expectations you have for the extraction mode, reduce them by like a thousand. This is a VERY early pre-alpha. Almost everything you’ll see, including the map, backpack, menus, etc., are all still using placeholder assets. Currently the core game loop works: you can load into the map, find loot, extract with it, sell it, and repeat. But there’s still a ton of features that we want to add and polish.[/p][p]With this core foundation, we will start shifting more resources internally towards Extraction so that we can continue to improve the mode with every update until it’s ready for a wider release. Your testing will be invaluable for us to improve Extraction, particularly in tuning the economy. This means that we will have some wipes as we prepare for release, but the plan right now is to not have forced wipes after the full release. As we get further in development, we will continue to share more information about what we have planned to set this mode apart as a premier experience within the VAIL ecosystem. [/p][p][/p][p]The Wassies have been doing some digging and redecorating, and now they’ve got a brand new home in The Citadel. This new Quarry is larger, more performant, and features an improved mining system that’s more optimized than ever before. We have plans to improve the look of the new Quarry even more, but we decided to release it already so that you can enjoy the performance gains and gameplay improvements. [/p][p][/p][p]The newest competitive map is Artifact Frio. This is a variation of Frio using a completely new layout built for competitive Artifact matches. Try it out and give us feedback so we can make sure this map is a regular addition to the competitive pool.[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve upgraded the game’s engine from Unreal 5.2 to Unreal 5.5. From your perspective as the player, absolutely nothing should be different. But this will enable us to offer more features that are optimized for Quest, improve performance on existing features, and fix some crashes and other issues we were having. As part of this change, all player settings will be reset to default and you may need to use default bindings with Steam VR for now. If you find any bugs or issues, be sure to let us know in the Discord so that we can address them as quickly as possible.[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Added the August Drop // SS25 to the marketplace with the Bridged Colonist Featured Bundle[/p]
• [p]Added Prestige 6: Psyops[/p]
• [p]Added the AESIR DLC: a portion of the proceeds from this bundle will go to AESIR for winning the tournament and to VRML to support future seasons.[/p]
• [p]Changed the layout of the PLAY page in the tablet to show the three main ways to play VAIL: VAIL Combat, Citadel, and Extraction Pre-Alpha[/p]
• [p]Updated the UI for subscriptions to show all rewards more clearly and added a small badge next to the player profile that will notify the player when rewards can be claimed[/p]
• [p]Moved VAIL Alliance UI pages out of the Marketplace tab and improved the look of the Tablet marketplace[/p]
• [p]Updated some sound effects for ORE and mining[/p]
• [p]Snow particles no longer fall in interiors on Frio[/p]
• [p]Changed the pickaxe texture to improve visibility[/p]
• [p]Added a new EXA wallet to show the Extraction currency[/p]
• [p]Added tooltips for the various currencies to tell players what they are when you hover over them[/p]
• [p]Added back Sprays for Quest — we need to do further testing on this, but pretty soon we’ll bring back a menu to select which spray you want equipped. Press your main hand thumbstick to spray the default option for now.[/p]
• [p]Added dynamic resolution on Quest — this should increase resolution and performance on standalone headsets[/p]
• [p]If you use custom Steam VR bindings, you may need to revert to default bindings and then re-edit your custom bindings from the default — modifying joystick bindings might not work for now[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Fixed an unintentionally accessible spot on ART_Cliffside near B Artifact[/p]
• [p]Fixed being able to see through a pool chair from behind[/p]
• [p]Fixed stats not showing for players that aren’t your friend[/p]
• [p]Fixed Supply Capsule Miniatures not showing the correct tier colors in the UI[/p]
• [p]Misc. bug fixes and crash fixes[/p]

[p]AEXLAB


[/p]

[h2]GENERAL CHANGES[/h2]

• [p]Added Double XP Tokens — these are purchasable in the Items page and included as part of the VAIL Alliance subscription[/p]
• [p]Added a Training Grounds objective to the Citadel Onboarding — there’s also a new reward that all players will receive if they complete the new objective[/p]
• [p]Added a new marketplace rotation featuring the Scrapped REYAB Bundle[/p]
• [p]Added improved LODs for some firearms — LOD 2 average tri count is now 996 for primary weapons and 678 for secondary weapons[/p]
• [p]Added audio for Supply Capsule lid, weapon crates, and made improvements to other recently added sound effects[/p]
• [p]Remade and improved Prestige 3: Forsaken body[/p]
• [p]Improved performance by switching some emissives to use vertex emissives on more maps[/p]
• [p]Fixed new proximity spawners sometimes spawning the wrong tacticals[/p]
• [p]Fixed various crashes[/p]
• [p]Lots of work on future content[/p]

[p]AEXLAB
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