This list includes major fixes/changes only, some very minor fixes/changes are not included.
Gameplay
New Spells:
Doppelganger added
Hush added
Lobby Gameplay:
Added new dockside lobby area
The docks have been infested by rats!!!!
All players must be aboard the ship in the lobby before an expedition can be launched
Can find items and craft weapons at the docks
Added the Grimoire, which allows players to equip 3 different spells and change spell order
Balance:
Boiler sabotage causes an explosion damaging nearby players as well as the ship. The more gunpowder, the more damage
Undetonated gunpowder left in the boiler when it runs out of fuel remains and will explode when the boiler is restarted and fueled for long enough
Reduced the initial sabotage delay when putting a single unit of gunpowder into the boiler from 2 minutes to 1 minute
Additional units of gunpowder now subtract 6 seconds from the initial sabotage delay rather than halving it
Increased the powderkeg fuse time to 30 seconds from 20
Powderkeg has a moving fuse particle that shows how close it is to exploding
Pack ice slows the ship by 20% (was 30%)
Reaching 100 speed while driving the ship now requires ‘boosting’, which overheats the boiler. If it overheats too much it will explode and damage the ship much like a gunpowder sabotage
Boosting through pack ice allows the ship to reach a maximum speed of 80
Only one ranged weapon can be carried at a time (Bow/Musket/Pistol)
Musket / Pistol reticle remains static when equipping
Musket damage falloff increased by 25% beyond 80 meters
Bow’s spread expands immediately after shooting then shrinks with aiming
Firing and drawing Bow costs stamina
Bear Traps now have an arming delay before they can be placed
Cannibal move speed increased by 10%
You can refuse to be let out of the brig
Thralls can cast spells from the brig
Casting spells no longer leaves bloodstains on the ground
Thrall spell UI can’t be opened until the bone dagger has finished its equip animation
Player’s upward velocity is no longer imparted to nitro when thrown (prevents “jump boosting” nitro up into places it shouldn’t go)
Fixes
Cannibals no longer path to and target thrall spell caster after the spell target is killed or unreachable
Fix to falling off ladder in Summit
Objects dropped on the ship no longer despawn for a player who is far away
Casting a spell in a wall consumes HP and makes a sound
Fixed items visually floating in your hand when picked up
Art
New dockside merchants
New cosmetic DLC; Bone Rings, Carnival Masks, Bone Pipes, Fur Hats, and Gentleman’s Wigs
Refurbished dockside
Added new prestige cosmetics - unpaid cosmetics earned by prestiging characters
UI
Added the Grimoire at the docks for players to choose their spells before a match
Interact with merchants to browse DLC and unlockable prestige cosmetics in-game
Compendium pages added for Hush and Doppelganger
Cannot see Thrall UI until the ‘SHHHH’ screen
Level Design
Various improvements to AI pathing across all maps
Fixed some exploits to avoid the polar bear on Approach
Various storage crates in the Approach and Expanse maps now spawn significantly more loot
Other
Increased protections for servers to enhance stability
Changes made to get games to start even when EOS goes down
Explorers! We're aware it's been a while, and we're glad to be back with new content for you.
This update is jam-packed with lots of features we hope you'll enjoy playing with and getting familiar with over the next while. We've addressed some main issues, added some new ways to have fun, and taken on your feedback. Patch Notes will become available over the next week.
Content
New Spell System
The Grimoire
Spice things up by customizing your spell loadout to suit your Thrall play-style. Visit the caravan on the dockside and consult the Grimoire any time you'd like to switch up your spells.
New Spells
Thralls have grown stronger and now harness more diverse and devastating abilities...
Hush
Mute the Explorers and rip their sense of hearing from them temporarily. The spell also establishes a direct link with your Thrall partner, allowing you to coordinate plans. This spell can be used to bludgeon your victim with the rest of the crew blissfully unaware or delay any condemning information from making it to the rest of the crew.
Doppelgänger
Use your dark magic to morph into the form of an Explorer. Spin the crew into disarray and confusion as the Captain drives the ship but is also seen lighting a powderkeg below deck. Be wary of crossing paths with the real person you’re impersonating.
Dockside Lobby
New Look
The Dockside Area has had a revamp!
Merchants
Some visitors have arrived at the docks to aid in preparing you for your expedition.
Crafting
Earn cosmetics by prestiging your characters! Each character's prestige will unlock a free item for you to wear on any character you please.
New AI (Rats)
Serve as pest control or leave them to scurry about in peace.
Cosmetics
Prestige Cosmetics
Earn cosmetics by prestiging your characters! Each character's prestige will unlock a free item for you to wear on any character you please.
Create chaotic outfits by wearing as many things you can wear at once! More items are compatible with others.
Balance
High-Level Balance Adjustments
We’ve adjusted the balance between our experienced Thralls and Explorers. This includes a sabotage rework, a new way to compromise the ship, and Thralls can now cast spells from the brig. We won’t go into detail about these changes just yet, as we’d love for you to dive right in and try them for yourself.
Technical
Server Upgrades
We've massively strengthened our servers against DDoS attacks and improved client performance.
Crash Fixes
We've fixed multiple crashes some of you have been experiencing.
Future Expanse Update
The expanse started with a handful of changes, but this has become a major effort to rebalance and improve the entire map. We know many of you are excited for the changes, but rest assured, we want to make the map the most fun possible and it is coming in a future update soon.
Thank you for sticking with us on this expedition - it means a lot. ____________
Whether you are a new sailor who is eager to start broadcasting, or a veteran captain who has already started broadcasting, you can participate in this recruitment event and win generous rewards and traffic
We've been flat out testing and improving the upcoming content for you while simultaneously dealing with some of the worst DDoS attacks we've had to date. It's been hard, but we're pleased to share some exciting news!
We're aware it's been a bit of a wait on the upcoming content update. We too would much rather spend all of our energy, resources, and time on new content rather than trying to mitigate attacks of tremendous size.
While no amount of money or time can prevent all DDoS attacks, what does go unseen is the more than 1700 attacks we've managed to mitigate in the last two weeks.
We remain committed to keeping these at bay while doing our absolute best to get content to you asap. We wish it was as easy as just 'buying better servers' or 'optimizing' them. We promise we are doing everything in our power to keep the ship afloat.
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Moving onto the fun stuff - the new spell joining the existing three and Doppelgänger is....
Hush
Play the part of the silent killer with Hush. Bludgeon your victim while the rest of the crew is blissfully unawares - deaf to their crew mate's desperate cries for help.
AI improvements to decrease likelihood of cannibals going off cliff in Summit
AI improvements to decrease likelihood of cannibals getting stuck on Approach
jumping in water to avoid increasing cold drain
Jumping in water to attack
Seasoned Sailor progression being removed after playing a map and not grabbing the helm
Fix not consuming ammo when dropping at the end of reload animation
Fix being able to carry downed players while swimming
Fix for games not ending in some cases when thrall disconnected during instructions screen
Art
New model for chests in captains quarters and below deck
New effects for spirit walking
UI
New stuff:
In progress lobbies now show again if there are few open lobbies
Fixes:
Lobbies appearing on global lobby browser that have no expedition set
Hiding UI and opening wardrobe no longer gives black screen
Fixed language drop downs in Portuguese Brazilian defaulting to English during lobby creation
Level Design
Fixes to Ai navigation across all maps
Fixes to collision across all maps
Reduced several jump distances for better consistency on Approach ice flows
Fixed an exploit in Expanse that allowed players to bypass the bear at lighthouse base
Small balance tweaks to available pickups in Expanse
Other
Streamer mode
Save system changed to a more reliable system.
Easy Anti-Cheat
Various other fixes/ improvements
Expanding the Horizon | Update Preview
New content is on its way! In this post we share some exciting previews of what’s to come as well as what QOL fixes we’ve made recently. Plus an easter treat, as the Animal Masks DLC is now available!
Hello Explorers!
We’re currently flat out working on exciting new content for you. Alongside new content, we’re continuing to work our way through bugs and obstacles. Thralls have attempted to sabotage our mission with malicious DDoS attacks on our servers that have been causing outages. Nevertheless, we are persevering and doing our very best. Please read here for more information:
After playing matches with you, and reading a lot of your thoughts and feedback, we’ve got plans for The Expanse to get a little TLC.
The Expanse doesn’t get a lot of love in its current state, but it certainly has potential for it. To reach this potential, there are a few things we have planned. We aim to take out some of the higher level 'cheap feeling' techniques that have been abused, balance the map further, and add more cohesive thematic elements.
Dockside Area - Merchants
Merchants are arriving at the dockside shortly! The Dockside will be the place for all your customization and cosmetic needs.
Meet the friendly faces that you’ll come to visit shortly:
New Thrall Spell - Doppelgänger
Seeing double? That’s a real possibility in the upcoming content update! Doppelgänger uses your dark magic to clone another player. Spin the crew into complete disarray and confusion as you board the ship as the Cook but leave as the Doctor. But be careful not to run into the person you’re cloning - choose your moments wisely.
Other News
Over 107,000 Concurrent Players
The other night we hit 107k! We’re beyond stoked that so many of you are enjoying Dread Hunger. And to add to that…
One Million Copies Sold
Sorry, what?! We’re in absolute awe of the overwhelming support we’ve received from you. Thank you so much for sailing along with us on this expedition. You’ve helped shape the game into what it is today, and you continue to play a huge role in where it goes next. We’ll be sure to pour a glass tonight and raise it to you, Explorers. So thank you again! We can’t wait to see where Dread Hunger goes next.
As always - much love from the Dread Hunger Team. ____________
We've been busy fighting DDoS attacks over the last few weeks. We'd like to thank you for your patience while we face this storm.
Dread Hunger is selling well beyond our wildest expectations, which is simultaneously exciting and terrifying.
The problems we have faced building indie games, versus the problems we are now facing scaling a massive multiplayer hit are dramatically different.
We have a veteran team, with many of us having worked on games beyond this scale before - but only as a part of bigger teams. Right now, there are 8 people working full time on Dread Hunger.
We have a raft of tough challenges to solve. Infrastructure scaling and performance issues, cyber-security issues, and even team members going down to COVID. As with all games, Dread Hunger has its own unique fingerprint that means some of the issues hit us in unique combinations around the clock and in an unrelenting fashion. Through all of that, we also need to keep our team focused on the game itself, because there's still so much to do to help Dread Hunger reach its potential.
We've made massive progress. Many of the issues that we were struggling with a month ago are now solved. Attacks and limitations that were stumbling blocks last week no longer are. But the growth is such that we get new issues on an almost daily basis.
We're incredibly humbled and appreciative of the great industry teams that have been reaching out and sharing what they can to help us navigate some of these problems. We're continuing to bring on help, and the people supporting us are making us more resilient.
Our utmost gratitude and thanks to players for bearing with us while outages hit. We understand how much it sucks not being able to play the game. Sadly there's no silver bullet for these issues and no amount of money that just solves things. But we remain committed to doing our very best and improving things as rapidly as possible.
- Fixed pathing issues where nitro could be obtained without fighting wolves/bears - Various map fixes (collision issues etc.) - Various quality of life fixes
Hotfix 1.06
Fixed Redpoint EOS issues
Fixed 3:100038 and similar login error/issues
Updated region names
We’ve had to completely rewrite our backend systems to help deal with the huge influx of new sailors! If you encounter any bugs or issues with login or VOIP, please let us know in the comments!
If everything goes well, this update should not change anything for most of you. For those who had problems, we hope this solves the issues you have had loading into the game!
Just in case, we do have the capability to roll this update back in case everything catches fire.
(Note: We are aware of lobby loading issues and we’re investigating the matter. Thank you for letting us know, and thank you for your patience.)
Roadmap: 2022
Hello fellow Explorers! 2022 has already been a huge year for us with launching into full release late January. Now it’s about to be even more exciting as we reveal to you this year’s roadmap!
This roadmap will give you an idea of what you can look forward to and expect from Dread Hunger throughout the year.
Coming Soon
New Prestige Levels
We introduced prestige in Dread Hunger, and while the fancy border is nice, you deserve more. Along with adding tiers to the prestige system, each tier will have its rewards.
New Cosmetic Types
We’ve got rings, hats, and pipes. Now for something different…
Plans:
Prestige Cosmetics
Spell Customization
More Thrall Spells
More Lobby Activities
Ship Customization
New Dockside Area
We’ve got prestige cosmetics to reward you for your valiant efforts!
As we introduce more Thrall spells (we’ve got a few up our sleeve) you will be able to customize your experience by swapping Thrall Spells in and out of your three available slots depending on your playstyle or mood.
The London Docks are getting a bit of a revamp - which we’ll talk about closer to the time. We’re aware that t-posing and punching your friends in the lobby doesn’t always cut it, so we’re looking at some other fun options to introduce there.
Ship customization will introduce DLC you can decorate your ship with, including figureheads, flags, paint, and more.
On top of all that, we have some more plans cooking up and look forward to sharing them with you throughout 2022!
Thank you for your support as always, and good luck on your expeditions!
