Reduced instances of players being able to hear enemies over the radio channels
Fixed a bullet exploit that gave players a significant advantage
Fixed an issue where loadout and cosmetic presets would get wiped after a map change or game restart
Fixed an issue where the 2x-1x OKP reticle did not glow while ADSing with NVGs equipped
Fixed an issue where the dropped magazines of the MK18 equipped with the Desert Hex weapon skin did not have the correct texture
Fixed an animation issue when pulling the charge handle in 1P when reloading the M240 equipped with the extended magazine upgrade
Fixed an issue where the True Grit weapon skin was not being applied to all weapon attachments and upgrades
Known Issues
There is an issue where there was a chance of players entering a desync state when swapping weapons during respawn which caused players to be unable to deal damage
There is an issue where the collision of the tanks are wider than what is seen on Powerplant
There may be a chance where the Survival cosmetics, Dissident and Battleworn do not unlock after a player’s first successful victory of Survival mode
State of Production #23
Hello everyone, my name is Tim Perreault and I’m the Production Director at New World Interactive. I’m keeping this one short and sweet as we are super busy dealing with all the exciting last steps to getting Sandstorm released on consoles.
Key Points for State of Production #23
Console Closed Beta / Release
1.11 Open CTE Results
Cosmetic Contest
Operation: Exodus Minor Update
Console Closed Beta / Release
Our Closed Beta test on console is rapidly coming to an end. We’ve gotten some fantastic feedback from the participants and we’re excited to be launching the game at the end of this month. For anyone who hasn’t yet seen it, you can check out the launch announcement and trailer here. I’ll be playing on launch day, I hope to see you out on the battlefield!
1.11 Open CTE Results
The Open CTE happened earlier this month. We had great participation and we got a ton of valuable feedback. Thanks to everyone who took part. We’re taking the next little while to work on some of the feedback items and improve the update before it gets released.
Cosmetic Contest
About two months ago, we announced a Community Cosmetic Contest for Insurgency: Sandstorm. During the entry period, we’ve had over 80 submissions. Voting started on Monday the 13th and will run until Monday, September 20th. Take a look here and cast your vote!
Operation: Exodus Minor Update
Every major update we release is paired with a smaller community-driven update, and you Guessed it, Operation: Exodus is no different. Details are coming soon but this update will be Something a little different than what we’ve done in the past. Keep your eyes peeled for the official announcement!
With the console launch this month, we’re aiming to bring our release cadence back to normal. We’ll be able to talk about that in upcoming SOPs. Until then, keep your stick on the ice.
VOTING NOW OPEN - INSURGENCY: SANDSTORM 2021 COSMETIC CONTEST
Two months ago, New World announced the very first Community Cosmetic Contest for Insurgency: Sandstorm!
Over the last 8 weeks, many talented community members worked on concept art custom tailored for our game. Altogether, we received over 80 entries from artists that play Sandstorm.
Over the course of the next 7 days, a public voting session will occur to determine which cosmetics entries per category will take the prize and later be adapted into official assets for use in Insurgency: Sandstorm. Voting will remain open until September 19th, 2021 @ 11:59pm EST.
1.11 CTE - Play with the Devs Event Live Now! (Day 3)
In anticipation of our upcoming 1.11 update, our Play with the Devs event is happening NOW from 11:00 AM MST - 12:00 PM MST on the Community Test Environment.
Help test upcoming content on the Community Test Environment:
New map: Gap
Two new weapons (P90 and Vector)
New Weapon Upgrade: Point Shooting Grip
New Mode: Ambush 👀
To play with us, go to your Steam Library and download “Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Test Environment". Boot up the CTE, and please set matchmaking regions to US East. Click Play, select Versus, New Mode, and Find Match. All of the devs won’t necessarily be in one game, but you’ll see us floating around your matches!
During the CTE, we will be restricting the playlists to focus solely on the new content.
Please note that all devs will have a DEV tag next to their name in-game. Anyone posing as a dev without the DEV tag is not an NWI developer.
After playing, please fill out our CTE survey. The only other place the team will be funneling feedback is on our Steam CTE Sub-Forum. Please ensure to use the search function in the Sub Forum to see if your feedback/question has already been posted, and stick to ONE topic per thread.
For more information on the CTE, please visit our frequently asked questions article here.
See you soon!
1.11 CTE - Play with the Devs Event Live Now! (Day 2)
In anticipation of our upcoming 1.11 update, our Play with the Devs event is happening NOW from 11:00 AM MST - 12:00 PM MST on the Community Test Environment.
Help test upcoming content on the Community Test Environment:
New map: Gap
Two new weapons (P90 and Vector)
New Weapon Upgrade: Point Shooting Grip
New Mode: Ambush 👀
To play with us, go to your Steam Library and download “Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Test Environment". Boot up the CTE, and please set matchmaking regions to US East. Click Play, select Co-op, and Find Match. All of the devs won’t necessarily be in one game, but you’ll see us floating around your matches!
During the CTE, we will be restricting the playlists to focus solely on the new content.
Please note that all devs will have a DEV tag next to their name in-game. Anyone posing as a dev without the DEV tag is not an NWI developer.
After playing, please fill out our CTE survey. The only other place the team will be funneling feedback is on our Steam CTE Sub-Forum. Please ensure to use the search function in the Sub Forum to see if your feedback/question has already been posted, and stick to ONE topic per thread.
For more information on the CTE, please visit our frequently asked questions article here.
See you soon!
1.11 CTE - Play with the Devs Event Live Now! (Day 1)
In anticipation of our upcoming 1.11 update, our Play with the Devs event is happening NOW from 11:00 AM MST - 12:00 PM MST on the Community Test Environment.
Help test upcoming content on the Community Test Environment:
New map: Gap
Two new weapons (P90 and Vector)
New Weapon Upgrade: Point Shooting Grip
New Mode: Ambush 👀
To play with us, go to your Steam Library and download “Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Test Environment". Boot up the CTE, and please set matchmaking regions to US East. Click Play, select Versus, New Map: Gap, and Find Match. All of the devs won’t necessarily be in one game, but you’ll see us floating around your matches!
During the CTE, we will be restricting the playlists to focus solely on the new content.
Please note that all devs will have a DEV tag next to their name in-game. Anyone posing as a dev without the DEV tag is not an NWI developer.
After playing, please fill out our CTE survey. The only other place the team will be funneling feedback is on our Steam CTE Sub-Forum. Please ensure to use the search function in the Sub Forum to see if your feedback/question has already been posted, and stick to ONE topic per thread.
For more information on the CTE, please visit our frequently asked questions article here.
See you soon!
Release 1.11 CTE Now Live!
Today we are launching a playable preview version of our upcoming 1.11 update. This includes the new map ‘Gap’, two new weapons (P90 and Vector), a new weapon upgrade, and more! See below for more info.
This content is now available on the Community Test Environment. Go to your Steam Library and download “Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Test Environment” to play. Please remember this is a preview build, so some issues are expected (see 'Known Issues') and all content is considered work in progress. If you encounter any problems or have feedback for the development team please don’t hesitate to let us know in the CTE sub-section of the Steam forums. Also be sure to fill out our 1.11 CTE Feedback Survey. Our team will be monitoring feedback during the CTE and aim to push this update to players when the live version of this update releases. The CTE will be available until Monday evening.
The full changelist for the release version of Update 1.11 will be available at the time of release.
Please note: If you launch the CTE and your mods start downloading, please close the CTE and use -DisableModSubscriptionsas a launch parameter on Steam.
New Map: Gap
Gap is where two worlds collide. The luxurious hotel and the poor slums are a close-quarters battle ground offering an intense experience where every step can be deadly. Tight alleyways, exposed rooftops, extravagant hallways and a gold plated lobby are only a few of the various spaces the battle will be taken to in Gap.
Gap was created with the new game mode ambush in mind, requiring players to extract the VIP from the Hotel into the slums through tight alleyways and interiors.
Versus
Push Security
Push Insurgents
Frontline
Domination
Firefight
Ambush
Co-op
Checkpoint Security
Checkpoint Insurgents
Outpost
Survival
New Game Mode: Ambush
We’ve added a new versus mode called Ambush, a single-elimination scenario. Escort the VIP to the objective as the Extracting team, or hunt down and eliminate them as the Ambushing team. This mode is available on the maps below:
Gap
Tell
Bab
Precinct
Tideway
Ministry
We hope to expand the mode to more maps in future updates.
New Weapons: P90 and Vector
We’ve added two new SMGs available to the Advisor class: the Vector for Security at 6 supply points and the P90 for Insurgents at 5 supply points. Both weapons support Optic, Barrel, and other upgrades, and unique iron sights. These specialist weapons are exclusive to the Advisor, and offer new and lethal ways to approach combat with this class.
New Upgrade: Point Shooting Grip
The new Point Shooting Grip is here, adding precision and changing up close quarter combat. The Point Shooting Grip is available to both factions on co-op modes only.
Survival Mode Improvements
Increased enemy AI difficulty by decreasing reaction speed and increasing accuracy
Gameplay Improvements
Static plays when a character speaking through the radio is killed
Voiceover lines played in-game are the same voice over line heard by all players
Different reloading voiceover lines play depending whether the equipped weapon is magazine fed
Added new “Intimidate” voiceover responses integrated with players and enemy AI
Enemy AI that are blinded by flashbangs will play a voiceover line
Added two new controller layouts: Classic and Modern
The flashlight brightness has been adjusted for consistency between all primary and secondary weapons
Direct hits from molotov cocktails will not cause instant death anymore
The Fragger class is broken down into five classes: Assaulter, Advisor, Breacher, Gunner and Marksman Fraggers
Night Vision Goggles can be worn and taken off using one hand, this allows players to keep their weapon on screen and have the ability to fire while toggling
User Experience Improvements
Improved the friendly teammate indicator icon
Increased the thickness and transparency of the friendly teammate indicator icon
Friendly icons appear around the edges of the screen similar to objective icons
Updated the Appearance Selection Screen to add a gradient and vertically centered the UI elements to be consistent with other Screens
Improved audio and visual feedback when interacting with supply crates and scavenging for ammo
Improved responsiveness of the melee weapon attack animations
Changed the default angle the weapon appears on the Loadout Screen
1.5x optics appear between 1x and 2x optics in the Loadout Menu
Added icons for each section in appearance screen
Disabled the ‘setname’ command
Loadout System Revamp
We’ve revamped the look and usability of the loadout system. The list below highlights the changes that were made, but not limited to:
Weapon upgrades and attachments appear in slots around the weapon
Improved audio feedback in the Loadout screens
Improved layout of the Appearance Selection screen
Enemy AI Improvements
Increased enemy difficulty by decreasing reaction speed and increasing accuracy
Enemies are more coordinated and use smoke as cover to advance through the level and capture objectives more effectively
Enemies will take a longer time to react and fire upon players who are hidden in the shadows
Reduced occurrences of hip firing at long ranges
Enemies will react to live C4s by retreating away from it
Enemies will not immediately retreat off a lost objective when engaged in combat
Gunner enemies will search for more effective cover locations to set up at
Scavenged magazines dropped by enemies are always full
Resolved Issues
Fixed an issue that made it difficult for players to select weapons located near the Range Computer in the Firing Range
Fixed an issue where dead characters would play a voice over line
Fixed a visual issue with the left arm when sprinting and toggling the any 2x-1x optic on Hardcore mode
Fixed an issue where the extended magazine would not appear attached to the QBZ-97 in the Loadout screen
Fixed an issue when selecting the different color variations for the Combat Glasses did not change the lens color
Fixed an issue where the “Enter Player ID” button found in the Stats > History screen did not work on the controller
Fixed an issue in the Local Play menu where the selected scenario would reset if the a different time or map was selected
Fixed animation issues when using binoculars while leaning, crouching and proning that caused deformities in 3P
Fixed an issue with the ammo display showing incorrect elements when using an AK74 equipped with a drum magazine and grenade launcher
Please note: There are a number of fixes coming with 1.11, and this is not the full list of bug fixes coming in 1.11
Known Issues
There is an issue where AI is unable to damage players
There is an issue where two or more players will spawn with the VIP appearance but only one should be able to capture the objective
There is a crash that may occur after pressing the “Deploy” button in the Loadout screen
There is an issue where the NVG point shooting is missing from the new Loadout screen
There may be an issue where AI may not navigate properly towards to the objective area and will run back and forth
There is an issue where Night Vision Goggles remains stuck on the player’s hand if they were killed while toggling
There is an issue where the Vector is not available in the Survival weapon crates
There is an issue where the VIP is missing hands upon spawning, the hands will reappear by reloading the weapon
There is an issue with the finger animation when using the AKS-74U with the Point Shooting Grip equipped
There is an issue with where the primary weapon will jitter when equipping the Point Shooting grip while toggling ADS
There is an issue that may cause the direction of the autocannon strafe to differ from the initial request which can cause the strafe to hit at unintended locations
There is an issue where dedicated servers do not appear in the server browser list, however players can still to connect to the server by IP
There is an issue where replays are not being saved
State of Production #22
Hello everyone, my name is Tim Perreault and I’m the Production Director at New World Interactive. Between a very brief vacation last month and everything that was going on to prepare for our console Closed Beta, we didn’t manage to get an SOP out last month. We’re back to our regularly scheduled program, so without further ado:
Key Points for State of Production #22
Console Closed Beta
1.11 Open CTE
Major Issues - Voice Channels
Console Closed Beta
We’re all very excited to be sharing the current state of our console work with everyone. The beta has been gathering very valuable feedback for us so far. We’ve been making tweaks and adjustments as we go, but we have a few more weeks to go before we wrap it up. If you are interested in participating and haven’t already signed up, you can go to https://beta.insurgency-sandstorm.com/ to register. You can expect some important console news coming in the near future, so stay tuned.
1.11 Open CTE
The update is very rapidly coming together and as usual, that means we’re going to be having our open CTE testing period. Anyone will be able to check out our next update from August 26 until August 30. During that time, we’ll be running three play-with-the-developers events to focus testing on specific elements of the update. If you’d like to join, grab the update for your Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Test Environment that will be released August 26 and then join the developers by queuing into the appropriate playlists.
Thursday, August 26 - New Map: Versus Modes
Friday, August 27 - New Map: Co-op Modes
Monday, August 30 - New Game Mode
All playlists will be available for the duration of the event, but if you’d like to play with developers, aim to play those specific game modes from 11AM MDT / 1PM EDT / 5PM GMT / 7PM CEST. More details will be given closer to the start of the event on how to participate and how to provide feedback. Join us and get a sneak peek at what’s coming.
Major Issues - Voice Channels
Since our migration to using Vivox as our voice communication provider, there has been an issue where occasionally players will hear voice comms from channels they shouldn’t have access to. We are working on this issue with our partners.
We’ll have a lot more exciting news coming next month. Until then, keep your stick on the ice.
TRIPLE XP Weekend
To make up for missing last weekend we are offering TRIPLE XP from Saturday at 11:00am MST until Monday at 11:00am MST.
July 2021 Community Update Blog
Hello Gamers™,
Welcome to July’s Community Blog. A lot has changed since we last spoke, I’m sure by now fatherHank is riding kangaroos and eating some vegemite in the Oceania region. (sorry Aaron)
With all the departmental restructuring/personnel shifting, I figured that this month’s community blog would provide a great opportunity to introduce myself and my other colleagues that currently make up the Communications Team at New World. Read on!
LUKE
Player Support Lead / Interim Community Manager
This month actually marks my first official year with New World! I started at around the same time as fatherHank when I was tasked with doing some contract work in Player Support. In July 2020 I was given the opportunity to lead and evolve the Player Support Department to where it is today. I hope that our efforts in decreasing cheating and toxicity in Sandstorm have shown since then.
This is probably the first time any of you have heard from me via a public forum like this. I was able to work quite effectively behind the scenes within Player Support - it has definitely taken me some time to adjust from that now that I’ve been given a platform where I have a spotlight shining on me. With all that being said, I’m still super excited to take on the task for the time being and hope that I can work with the community to ensure that your feedback is always being heard.
I’m starting to hang around the Official Insurgency: Sandstorm Discord a lot more (I guess that is kind of a part of my job now though…) if you see me there, don’t be a stranger! Always happy to chat or jump into a game of Push with anyone who asks.
LOGAN
Community Associate / Will Slaughter Your Sergeants
Hello all! Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Logan (A.K.A. Sgt_Slaughterer) and I'm the new Community Associate here at New World Interactive. I have the honor of training to step into the spacious Jordan's of our previous Community Manager Aaron (fatherHank) and continuing to uphold his high standard of transparency and respect. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be no small task to follow in the trainer shaped footsteps that he left in the community, but I'm committed to the task and excited to continue the good work that he started.
I figured I should tell you a bit about myself here so let's see; some of my personal interests outside of gaming are drawing, playing guitar, and cult horror movies and comic books. I cut my teeth on old-school FPS Like DOOM (still have the floppy disks!) and from there I became very interested in the Source modding community and the amazing mods that came out of that (CS, DoD, Insurgency). My preferred genre is still FPS but I also enjoy "relaxing'' with rogue-likes like BoI/Spelunky/Rogue Legacy, etc. I'm currently re-playing Control on the Series X and Noita (pretty great indie rogue-like) on PC, and attempting to hold my own in Insurgency: Sandstorm, but this community is no joke! Part of my daily routine has become hopping on to learn the ins-and-outs of the game and getting immediately humbled every time. It's a process for sure, as there’s a ton of depth to this game, but man is it rewarding and I feel super lucky that I get to play and learn a game with a community as passionate as you guys. Feel free to hit me up on Twitter @SgtSlaughterer
BRUNO
Player Support Analyst / Johnny “Bravo”
Hey everyone, my name is Bruno, but most of you probably already know me within the community as Bravo. I joined NWI back in November of 2020, yet it feels like I've been part of this incredible community for what seems to be an eternity at this point.
During this time, I've seen the release of Operation: Cold Blood and Operation: Exodus, worked on a Trello Board for the community and helped a few thousand of our players through our support desk. I'm always working on something, so I may not be as active as I wish I could be on Discord. However, I'm always happy to have a chat whenever I have time, so if you see me in-game or on Discord, feel free to say hi!
Oh man, July was a pretty jam-packed month for the Community Team. While taking this month to welcome and onboard Logan to the team we also happened to announce our first-ever Community Cosmetic Contest! With the success of the 2020 Mapping Contest that we held last year, we thought it would be fun to hold another contest that is similar in vein, but is way more accessible this time around. Be sure to check out the official rules and terms - if you’re a capable concept artist or game asset creator, now is your time to shine!
This month we also announced the release of our first console beta! That feels so good to finally say. If you haven’t signed up yet, you can find beta applications here - we will be having multiple betas so don’t worry if you haven’t been picked to playtest straight away.
As some of you probably know, the Player Support team has emphasized community engagement because we know that we all share a common goal. We consider ourselves lucky to have such a vocal community, and we want our community to see that they are being heard and that their opinions matter.
We appreciate all the feedback we've received so far, and I promise that we have some good stuff coming in the future, so hang tight, and thank you again for all your help!
[previewyoutube="8gem8tUcGkQ;full"]Another quality weapon case study from one of our very own Sandstorm Partners, sacrilcious__. - Luke
[previewyoutube="hfO72kKBzVU;full"]I would have broken both ankles attempting this. - Logan ( Twitch.tv/TheProfessianal Discord: ExtremelyStiff#5410)
[previewyoutube="vM1rgqlcjEg;full"]Ladies and gentleman, the insane power of mods!(SnakeyI0 on Reddit)
Amazingly stylish screenshot curated by Bravo (Credit: Fetcher)
That’s it for July’s Community Blog. Thank you for reading and as always, thank you for playing Insurgency: Sandstorm.
