Update 3.3 brings numerous fixes and improvements to maps, ported from the upcoming PlayStation version. There have been many visual and sound updates, plus further game-wide optimizations.
Read on for the details...
CONTENT UPDATES &
ASSET OPTIMIZATION
One of the mostly hidden changes this update is a large scale rearrange and optimization effort of the game's files. As part of getting PCE running better on PlayStation, we've been modifying everything to be more efficient, updating shaders and textures across the board.
You may notice some skin icons being slightly lower resolution, this is because they are always-loaded taking up memory. It was neccessary to downscale these icons to free up some performance.
Almost all character textures and models have been rearranged for more optimized loading, however this means there's a possibility that some assets may not be visible or usable currently. We've done our best to re-link skins and muations to their new file locations, but if you spot any that are appearing as default please let us know.
There's a small chance that a cosmetics may crash your game when you equip them if they are missing files, so it's important that we receive reports quickly to fix any that may have slipped through. We ordinarily wouldn't push a change like this to the live game if we can help it, but right now there aren't enough testing volunteers to thoroughly check every item in the game.
You can post any issues over on the official discord's Bug-Reporting channel for the fastest response. If any problem assets are found, we'll crank a hotfix out within the next day or two.
REFRESHED MAPS
Over 30 maps have been overhauled in ways big and small - from fixing annoying stuck spots to adding extra cover, or refining lighting and foliage. In general, level design is more optimized and less awkward to navigate; playing, looking and sounding better.
This brings PCE on PC up to date with the latest map versions seen in the Evolution beta on PlayStation. To list all of the fixes and tweaks would be near-impossible at this point, suffice to say there's a lot.
We aimed to address annoyances in a lot of areas, such as a certain gap in the Borealis ice cave that claimed many lives.
Spawns have been updated with every TDM map now having many more respawn locations. We hope this may reduce how often you pop in at the feet of an enemy. GTTC spawns have also been tweaked, fixing some that were in the wrong place and reducing dino distance from the objective in some places.
A small handful of mostly community maps weren't touched outside of making sure their lighting isn't broken, since they couldn't be ported to PS4 (such as FR-Island with its dynamic day/night cycle).
One aspect in particular of the overhauls deserves special mention:
FINE TUNED GTTC
Every map in Get to the Chopper (soon to be known as Evacuation mode) has been modified with new capture and cooldown timers, with every single objective being tweaked based on community feedback.
In general, cooldowns on control points are much longer, giving the human team a better chance at capturing some of the most difficult zones. Capture points have also been widened in several cases so they are less cramped, while also getting more cover to allow sneak approaches.
There have been at least a couple of more notable layout changes as well, such as adding more routes to the final helicopter zone on GTTC-Docks. The dinos can now sneak behind the humans from the mainland instead of always rushing from the front of the boat, while humans have a new side route.
Finally, the sub-objectives inside GTTC-Falls should no longer lead to an infinite round timer if they remain uncaptured.
ːsteamthumbsupː NEW OFFICIAL SERVERS
We recently moved to a new hosting provider for the official game servers! Our sincere apologies that it's took so long, but we now have them up and running in multiple regions, including Oceania!
Our aim is to provide every region with official matches for every game mode, offering plenty of choice. We're also working with our new provider, ShockByte, to offer more options. You can rent dedicated servers from them yourselves too, with the ability to host Hybrid TDM/GTTC matches and add various custom launch options.
CHANGE LOG
VERSION 3.3.0
major content merge from Evolution, bringing PC assets up to date with PS4
massive reorganization of packages (mostly character assets) for more optimized loading
numerous texture/shader updates and optimizations
shortened the Ceratosaurus roar animation (40% faster) to let it begin fighting quicker
reduced weapon sway on sniper rifle first person model when moving
reduced default TDM round time limit from 10 mins to 7 mins
fixed infinite round time if GTTC-Falls dome objectives aren't captured
fixed match not ending if you die on specific waves in Survival mode
updated post process overlays
particle effect enhancements and optimizations
fixed some detail normal maps that had broken compression settings, which made them look flat
various collision fixes and minor layout tweaks to nearly all competitive maps
lighting tweaks and improvements to over 30 maps
added randomized fog density to VisitorCentre map
updated cinematics for Survival mode a bit
added more colour variation to foliage and new environment assets
additional environmental details and effects throughout the game
merged latest audio updates from Evolution, adding more variety
added new ambient sounds to various maps, such as missing waterfall audio on TheFalls
added morse code transmissions to antennae and more PSAs to loudspeakers
fixed a few voice lines playing for the wrong characters
SANDBOX BETA NEXT WEEK
We'll be rolling out experimental features into Open Testing by the end of next week!
Keep an eye out for more details about what's being added to OT soon, with new functionality such as dino drinking and bonus classes being among the highlights.
Once the beta goes live, a few of the official servers will swap over to Open Testing for at least a couple of weeks to give people a chance to check out the upcoming content. As it's a beta, things will be a little rough at first, but we hope to get things polished up in time for Summer Meltdown.
Thanks for playing!
-The Primal Carnage Team
