Ready or Not
Ready or Not - We're Live at Dark Waters Launch
Dark Waters Release Changelog
Attention Officers,
The Dark Waters Release is upon us, and with it comes plenty of changes for free with the base game. You can now buy the Dark Waters DLC on Steam here. Below is the changelog for Dark Waters, covering free changes to the base game, those exclusive to the DLC, those related to the DLC.
If you already own and have activated the Supporter Edition, the Dark Waters DLC is now included for free in your library.
The majority of the Dark Water Release content is available for free in some manner and included as part of the general game update. Here's a quick outline of how it works:
- DLC weapons: Free for all players
- DLC maps: Free in multiplayer if the lobby host owns the DLC
- DLC cosmetics: DLC purchase needed
Within the changelog "Base game update changes" refers to the general changes that will be included for everyone as part of the base game and are not related to the DLC. "DLC Exclusive changes" refers to the handful of changes that will only be accessible via DLC ownership. Finally, "DLC Related changes" refers to changes that are part of the DLC, but will be accessible to everyone in some manner.
Important Note: Until mod owners have updated their versions to match the game, if you have mods installed you should select the “launch in safe mode” option for Ready or Not to prevent crashes/conflicts that may occur with outdated mods.
Gameplay
AI
Base game update changes:
- New compliance/non-compliance behaviors and animations for suspects/civilians across all missions.
- Added new suspect AI loadout system across all missions which allows them to use sidearms, start with holstered/unholster weapons, melee weapons, and use attachments like flashlights or suppressors. The sort of weapons and attachments available to suspects are unique to each mission and type of suspect, with some randomization possible.
Dark Waters DLC Related changes:
Note: In future updates we want to try to include the below Dark Waters DLC Related AI features into the pre-existing missions where appropriate and feasible; for now we intentionally ended up not implementing these features to the 21 existing missions. This is because there was a lot of extra risk and resources required to properly implement these new features in such a widespread manner at once for the Dark Waters Release, which could have caused new issues or sacrificed other new features.
- Mission Event system on “Mirage at Sea” mission which allows the mission to switch from 'Barricaded Suspects' to 'Active Shooter' mid-mission depending on active gameplay conditions and orders from the key suspect.
- New suspect squad behaviors “Rally” and “Regroup” added for Dark Waters missions.
- Added physical weapon cache system on Dark Waters missions, which allows suspects equip weapons that they did not have at the start of the mission.
- Added a UH-60 AI-piloted helicopter on Dark Waters missions, which provides a thermal camera, radio call-outs, and a spotlight for locating suspects/civilians.
- Pre-restrained civilians system for “Leviathan” mission.
Engineering
Dark Waters DLC Related:
- New achievements for Dark Waters missions
Base game update changes:
- Official gamepad support and UI added across the entire game
- Arrest cancelling added
General Performance:
Base game update changes:
- Upgraded DLSS to 3.7.20
- Improved performance of flashlights
- Performance optimizations across various audio systems
- Further optimized various character models
Visuals
Animation
Base game update changes:
- Inverse Kinematics animation support added for SWAT AI.
- New suspect AI weapon hesitation animations across all missions.
Character Art
Dark Waters DLC Exclusive
- 2 new cosmetic uniform sets
- V.B.S.S. (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure)
- Eli-Tec Helmet
- TP-1E Carrier
- Phoenix Flight Suit
- Phoenix Gloves
- Panama Boots
- Eli-Tec Helmet
- ATLAS Association
- Sallet T5X Helmet
- Phantasm LS-911 Carrier
- ATLAS PRO Top
- OxFort Pilot Hard Knuckles
- ATLAS PRO Pants
- Salmon 4D GTX Boots
- Sallet T5X Helmet
- V.B.S.S. (Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure)
- 3 new tattoos: Tentacle’s Embrace, Tiki Fury, and Oil Veil
Base game update changes
- Added SWAT name tags to rear of armor plates which reflect player usernames/SWAT AI names.
- Added team-colored chemlights to improve friendly SWAT identification.
Other
Dark Waters DLC Related:
- New helicopter and boat loading screens on Dark Waters missions.
Base game update changes:
- Improved NVG effects and GPNVG overlay.
Audio
Dark Waters DLC Related:
- Helicopter pilot makes directional callouts for AI that they spot
Base game update changes:
- New TOC voice-over
- Added missing dialogue for various SWAT officers
- Optimizations across various audio systems
- Reverb improvements
- Bomb vest explosion SFX adjustment
- TOC now specifies maps that may have booby traps
- Foley for crouching and leaning
- Improvements to character voiceline clarity during loud circumstances
- Fine-tuned event trigger for music track at end of “Hide and Seek” mission
Weapons
Dark Waters DLC Related:
- 5 new weapons:
- M14S-16 rifle (7.62x51mm caliber)
- GA51 rifle (7.62x51mm caliber)
- G3 rifle (7.62x51mm caliber)
- MK17 rifle (7.62x51mm caliber)
- MP5SD6 submachine gun (9mm caliber)
- M14S-16 rifle (7.62x51mm caliber)
- 4 new attachments
- Side angle grip
- TH-Grip
- XE Sight optic
- 510C optic
- Side angle grip
Dark Waters DLC Related changes:
- Updates to general weapon handling and feel, including screen shake, recoil, and visual momentum (when looking around).
User Interface and Experience
Dark Waters DLC Related:
- Helicopter thermal camera tablet view section added for Dark Waters missions
Base game update changes:
- Added advanced ban/lobby manager, allowing players to choose not to match-make with specific players in the future, or preventing them from being able to join their hosted lobby.
Levels
Dark Waters DLC Related:
- 3 new missions:
- “Mirage at Sea”
- “Leviathan”
- “3 Letter Triad”
- “Mirage at Sea”
- Updated Police HQ themed for DLC 2
Bug Fixes
AI:
- Fixed suspects being able to open wedged doors.
- Fixed SWAT sometimes being unable to move and clear on partially open doors.
- Fixed suspects getting stuck trying to kill civilians, if the suspect’s line of sight to the civilian was interrupted by a door.
- Fixed suspects being pepper sprayed automatically locating other SWAT after killing a player.
- Fixed SWAT AI freezing up when ordering them to peek a closed door with a trap on it.
- Fixed SWAT AI sometimes opening doors when ordered to close the door.
- Fixed SWAT AI ignoring close door commands after opening a peeked door.
- Fixed SWAT AI being unable to close doors with traps on them.
- Fixed SWAT AI sometimes not following through on breaches when told to hold, then resume during breaches.
- Fixed broken SWAT AI animation when interacting with a door while holding a shield.
- Fixed SWAT AI sometimes not performing the “Here then back” command correctly.
- Fixed suspect guns floating when suspects exit surrender and pick a gun up off the floor.
- Fixed suspects/civilians spinning after punching a target.
- Fixed suspects sometimes snapping to their surrendered pose when surrendering while stunned.
UI:
- Fixed missing tablet team cam UI when opening it for the first time.
- Fixed other players in multiplayer appearing too faded out on the tablet roster screen.
- Fixed equipped text disappearing when equipping an equipment style other than the main one.
- Removed deprecated entry point button from the tablet.
- Fixed tablet roster not updating properly while open in multiplayer lobbies.
- Added missing mandible loadout icons.
- Fixed mouse clicks scrolling to certain UI elements without also selecting them.
Customization:
- Fixed stretchy shoulder strap of the FPC Plate Carrier.
- Fixed incorrect textures being assigned to certain parts of the FPC Plate Carrier.
- Improved deformations of the SWAT '99 HRM Tactical Vest.
Audio:
- Fixed main briefing audio starting automatically after a briefing media audio recording ends.
- Fixed certain instances of weapon holster audio not playing.
- Fixed certain animations playing incorrect audio.
- Fixed voice commands only being audible by the player issuing them in multiplayer.
- Fixed issue where SWAT dialogue could sometimes play with / without radio effect rapidly
- Assorted subtitle typo fixes
Replay Viewer:
- Fixed missing sounds.
- Fixed character models freezing after being incapacitated or killed.
- Fixed missing arrest animations.
- Fixed missing replay data if replay recording was disabled mid-mission.
- Fixed visual issues when re-entering the station after viewing a replay.
- Fixed disappearing doors.
- Fixed replays unpausing when pressing escape while paused.
Level Specific:
Thank you, come again
- Fixed various navmesh issues.
- Fixed grenades not being able to break windows.
Twisted Nerve
- Fixed stack up bug on certain doorways.
Valley of the Dolls
- Fixed missing bar stool physics.
- Fixed grenades not being able to break windows.
- Fixed SWAT AI being unable to move and clear through certain doorways.
- Fixed collision issues on outside staircase.
Greased Palms
- Fixed destructible soda machines not getting destroyed.
Elephant
- Fixed C2 displaying on the wrong side of the door.
- Fixed destructible soda machines not getting destroyed.
The Spider
- Fixed story timeline error.
- Fixed destructible soda machines not getting destroyed.
- Fixed various LOD issues.
Dorms
- Fixed various navmesh issues.
- Fixed AI getting stuck in one specific spot.
Sinuous Trail
- Fixed collision issue on curb.
- Fixed keycard spawning inside of the desk.
Port
- Fixed destructible soda machines not getting destroyed.
Narcos
- Fixed various navmesh issues.
Lawmaker
- Fixed grenades not being able to break windows.
- Fixed gap in one of the walls.
A Lethal Obsession
- Fixed stack up points not generating on one of the doors.
- Fixed collision issues on the main staircase.
Carriers of the Vine
- Fixed issues with NPC faces looking malformed under certain circumstances.
- Fixed SWAT officers standing on flowerpots when clearing a specific room.
- Fixed evidence being able to fall through certain parts of the level.
- Fixed collision issue on one of the staircases.
Relapse
- Fixed stack up points not generating on certain doors.
Buy Cheap, Buy Twice
- Fixed stretched eyelash on one of the suspect models.
Rust Belt
- Fixed certain double doors not getting destroyed properly by C2.
- Added missing face ROMs to Coyote characters.
Ends of the Earth
- Fixed collision issues in one of the player starts.
- Fixed palm tree LOD.
Miscellaneous Fixes:
- Fixed rare crashes after telling SWAT AI to report a dead/incapacitated suspect or civilian.
- Fixed crash for host in multiplayer when restarting the game while any client is bleeding.
- Fixed rare host crashes when clients attempt to join their multiplayer lobby.
- Fixed CS Gas related crash.
- Fixed cover related freezes/crashes on certain CPUs.
- Fixed rare crash when exiting the loadout menu.
- Fixed rare crash when incapacitating/killing suspects or civilians in multiplayer.
- Fixed various AI related crashes.
- Fixed soft lock when opening the tablet while arresting a suspect/civilian.
- Added missing facial rigs to characters across various levels.
- Fixed a few instances of mismatched skin tones between body and head.
- Fixed team cam section being skippable in the tutorial.
- Fixed jittery credits.
- Fixed breakable sounds sometimes cutting out during gunfights.
- Adjusted pistol holster bones to minimize clipping.
- Fixed various DLSS related issues affecting NVGs and scopes.
- Fixed oversized world generation data for modded maps.
- Fixed laser dots being misaligned with their beams.
- Fixed laser dots lagging behind the aim.
- Fixed infrared laser beam lagging behind when player is aiming at the sky.
- Fixed laser beams clipping through geometry.
- Adjusted VKS description text.
- Fixed being able to join multiplayer lobbies before the host finishes loading, causing players to get kicked from the lobby.
- Fixed being able to join lobbies after the lobby closes.
- Properly centered character model in loadout menu.
- Fixed The Fool, The Magician, First Arrest and Due Process achievements not being awarded to clients in multiplayer.
- Fixed players' third person animation sometimes not properly resetting after free leaning.
- Fixed being able to crash games by pepperspraying players while they’re in the loadout menu.
- Fixed personal best ratings not updating when completing missions as client in multiplayer.
- Increased breaching shotgun damage.
- Fixed unnatural twisting of suspects while aiming.
- Fixed frozen team cam when dying during the training.
- Fixed incorrect icon for PBS Suppressor in the loadout menu.
- Fixed changing toggle ADS keybind breaking training pop-ups.
- Fixed training softlock if player is killed after Split Team phase.
- Fixed M320 holster animation.
- Fixed team cam not turning off during post mission screen.
- Fixed ragdoll issues when dying to a trap while carrying a suspect or civilian.
- Fixed cursor not appearing on the spectator screen when killed while in the pause menu in multiplayer.
- Fixed NVG overlay staying on screen when entering loadout menu with active NVGs and unequipping NVGs.
- Fixed rare crash while transitioning between levels in multiplayer.
- Fixed doors sometimes getting stuck in the doorframe after using C2 to blow them up.
- Fixed instances of characters having really shiny hair.
- Fixed mod.io adding mods to the wrong directory.
- Fixed ‘No Officers Dead’ penalty not appearing correctly in multiplayer.
[TAG-500][TAG-501]
Known Issues:
- Rare set of audio circumstances on “Leviathan” mission that may make it so voiceovers are silenced for the remainder of the mission (Fix prepared)
- If a SWAT AI officer performs a restrain and a command to clear a room is then sent out, the Swat AI fails to follow the command (Fix prepared)
- On “Mirage at Sea” mission, a specific doorway under the Sun Deck is only able to receive commands from one side (Fix prepared)
- Surrendered suspects and civilians may exit surrender state when still in close proximity of the player and/or SWAT (Fix prepared)
- Some suspects with SMGs can have bugged gun idle animations (Fix prepared)
- Graphics driver-side issue where sometimes certain DLSS settings can cause screen to reduce in size and flicker with graphical artifacts when in the Pre-Mission loading screen
- When selecting a loadout for the SWAT AI and exiting the menu, all changes are reset to default settings upon re-entering the menu unless saved as a preset
- Tablet screen can sometimes freeze while using helicopter camera
- Face wear and night vision are displaced from the player's face when using a multitool to unlock a door
- When using the gamepad in character customization screen to change cosmetic item style, sometimes it will change the selected character instead
- If an officer performs a restrain and a command to clear a room is sent out, the SWAT AI fails to follow the command
- When selecting a piece of gear and hovering over any other piece of gear, or the same piece of gear again, the variations for the selected piece of gear in the bottom of the screen disappear. The workaround is to maneuver the cursor around other customization options.
- TV in the main living room on “Mirage at Sea” mission is playing the TV news report audio from DLC 1
- Different dialogues are mixed up in the "Legal services & administration" Room. Dialogue from the “Listening Room” can be triggered
- Zoom remains active when transitioning to low ready mode while aiming down sights
- Two suspects on the “3 Letter Triad” mission have their head clipping through their hat
- While in the mission briefing room, the client is also able to walk up to the desk and will get the prompt to select a mission, even though only the host is meant to select missions
- Waves of water visually clip slightly through the sides of the “Mirage at Sea” yacht walls in the engine room
- On gamepad When playing commander mode, pressing the D-pad right in the mission debrief screen sends the player to the main menu
- When player arrives at the optiwand section of training using gamepad, the control pop-up prompts player to ‘press' the button to equip the optiwand rather than to 'hold’
- When a SWAT AI shield bearer attempts to open a door with deployed shield, the door opening animation plays incorrectly
- Within the Replay Viewer there is a rain VFX overlay on the HUD at all times on “3 Letter Triad” and “Leviathan” mission
- When a Suspect performs the Fake Surrender action, the Pistol can be observed flying out of their hands for a second, before returning to their hand
- Final suspects can be stuck performing another action (such as taking cover or being in a designated hiding spot) instead of searching for players
- Occasionally, when SWAT AI is executing the 'Open and Clear' command, the leading officer will open the door and then run to find another path to the room
Community Content Exhibit Vol. 13
If you didn’t see PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted last night, we announced the release date of Ready or Not: Dark Waters, coming this December 10th.
Check out the Official Trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbxznEErPZQ
If looking back is more your style, our COO Stirling Rank recently did an interview with Gaming Founders to speak about the humble origins of the project that would become Ready or Not:
Gaming Founders Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi1N1YmYJug
For this newsletter we’ll be going over some of the creators that continue to represent the ever-growing community of Ready or Not, from our newest partners to some of our oldest.
To start, we won’t exactly be featuring a creator, instead we’ll be featuring our partnership with the National Esports Centre located in Cork, Ireland. As an Irish-based studio, we’ve been aiming to support the growth of gaming in Ireland and would love to share what they’ve been building up. Though Ready or Not is not an Esports game, we love the gaming scene. In an effort to give back to the community, we've taken steps to support the NEC in both the local and global stages, utilizing the tense and tactical gameplay of Ready or Not to better prepare their teams for action in the greater Esports scene.
NEC Promo Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgBYq_jDllI
Next, we'd like to mention a creator whose dedication to the minute of Los Suenos and those that fight over the carefully teetering balance of Law and Order is nothing short of admirable. Over the last year and a half, Shayne of the channel ‘Shayne, Please Shut Up’ has leveraged his eye for detail alongside masterful prose to shed light upon every detail we’ve packed into Ready or Not.
However Shayne's attention to detail most certainly doesn’t stop at Ready or Not, you can check out the channel below. Recently, Shayne moved his lore videos to a secondary channel ‘Shayne, No one Cares’, be sure to keep an eye over there as well.
Main Channel Link:
https://www.youtube.com/@shaynepleaseshutup
Lore Link:
https://www.youtube.com/@ShayneNoOneCares/
Following closely alongside Shayne, we’re going to talk about the other titan of the Ready or Not lore scene, Isaac Morgan. Isaac leverages his talents to tell the tumultuous story of Los Suenos, however he relies much more on incredible editing and cinematography to help tell his story over raw prose.
Channel Link:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheIssacMorgan
Lastly, but certainly not least, we’re going to talk about the King of Ready or Not shorts, FAC TAC. Though there has been a short lapse in their shorts and a slightly longer in more substantial videos, what is there are showcases of RoNs quirkiness, the occasional smattering of humor, and FAC TACs significant mechanical skill on display.
Channel Link:
https://www.youtube.com/@FAC_TAC
—
Going forward, we can’t wait to see what else the community brings to the table as we update the game to give modders more functionality to play with and as they improve their own work.
Outside of our drops, you can find more of this wonderful content here:
https://discord.gg/TjyfbXTU28 or https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/
Follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Our other links: Spotify, Discord, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.
Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Rapid Response Call: Nominate for "Better with Friends"
Attention Officers,
Incoming rapid response call to nominate Ready or Not for the "Better with Friends" Steam Award. Get your squad together, we only have a 1 hour window to get this done.
Other intel incoming this afternoon.
Stack up and clear out.
VOID Interactive
Vol. 80 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Attention Officers,
Welcome to our 80th Ready or Not Development briefing, November 22nd, 2024!
Hope you’re all doing well today, we have some in-depth info to share about game design philosophy around player flexibility and a few details around the upcoming DLC 2 launch, it being free for Supporter Edition owners, a future free content update for everyone next year, and our prototype merchandise line’s launch.
You can already grab our prototype first-release merch line on our official website here. We’ll have a more extensive and fleshed out second line of merch coming later.
Note: These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that the content in our development briefings may still be a work in progress and subject to change.
DLC 2 Free for Supporter Edition Owners
Our second DLC, Dark Waters, is in view with more info to be on feed shortly.
[Image below: "SWAT, this is Air Support on call, you have eyes in the sky."]
In Dark Waters, each mission takes place in a Maritime setting, where your team will take on an expansion of their responsibilities along the Los Suenos coastline in partnership with the California Offshore Air and Sea Team organization (C.O.A.S.T).
On launch, the Dark Waters DLC will be available for free by default to Supporter Edition owners in their Steam Library, similar to DLC 1.
Other than expressing our continued gratitude to these early supporters of Ready or Not, DLC 2 is being made free in part as a recognition of the DLC Weapon Packs that did not come to fruition—a result in part of how we decided to include new DLC-related weapons as free for everyone.
One thing to be aware of is that we will be concluding the otherwise unused Supporter Alpha playtesting Steam branch due to its outdated purposes and unintended issues it is causing for players still using it.
This playtesting Steam branch was first made as a good faith continuation of the pre-Steam Early Access Alpha testing perk for Supporter Edition owners. It offered brief periods of testing prior to updates since the Steam Early Access launch was in some way a transitionary Alpha/Beta stage. However, that style of playtesting perk is no longer supported after 1.0, long after our Alpha stage.
Also, it turns out a number of players still had their game set to that outdated branch, unaware of the fact that it was outdated and that it could interfere with their ability to match-make with players who are on the normal branch of the game. With all of this in mind, we are going to be officially making that outdated Alpha branch unavailable.
Philosophy towards Player Flexibility
As keen-eyed officers among you may have noticed, several of the features we’re going to be adding with the update surrounding Dark Waters (i.e. arrest canceling, multiple headgear equipped at once) and others that are planned for future updates follow a certain theme of somewhat increased player flexibility.
In recent months we deliberately made a slight shift in our game design philosophy focus, moving away from surface level balancing of loadouts and customization and instead focusing on enhancing player flexibility. Our goal with this is to empower players to make more meaningful choices and offer richer customization options, affecting weapons, quality of life features, and gear.
Part of supporting our game entails a certain degree of evolution, something that is benefited by increased development bandwidth that we have now compared to when we were implementing tons of other features in the past.
Weapon Flexibility
Quality gunplay has always been a key element of Ready or Not’s development with three key pillars being customization fantasy, gun utility, and feel. Where things don't feel realistic it is generally a design choice made because it doesn't feel 'right' or 'fun' for the game.
We realized it isn't very fun, engaging, or realistic to force players to make a decision between different attachments for balancing sake. This is a major part of why we’re planning on implementing multiple rail attachments to be used at once, i.e. a flashlight and IR sight equipped together. This is something we wanted to include in DLC 2 but were not able to properly fit it in.
Meanwhile, you can look forward to a few fresh up-caliber upgrades to your weaponry with Dark Waters.
Gear Flexibility
The changes in gear flexibility applies to the headgear changes showcased in the last dev briefing, Vol. 79. For example, forcing players to pick between whether to take NVGs or a gas mask ultimately seemed unnecessarily limiting more than fun or realistic, including the cosmetic benefits of the flexibility to customize your gear to that degree. It looks cool to wear the two together.
Quality of Life Flexibility
Our moreso quality of life focused flexibility changes, such as adding arrest canceling, are not intended to change the deliberate pacing of the gameplay in a major way but rather to reduce circumstances where the game might lock you into something you realistically no longer want to do. Although you can now cancel your arrest, you still have to quickly re-orient and decide how to deal with the immediate threat that may be facing you. Keeping your area safe and secure before going in for arrests is still the ideal option.
Future Free Content Update
Although many of our recent content updates have released next to a paid DLC, this is of course not the plan for all updates going forward. Our next content update is planned for next year and will be free for everyone. Expect more details regarding this update in the new year!
First Line of Prototype Merchandise
Once again, on our website you can find t-shirts, hats, and a hoodie with RoN branding and designs.
We have many other types of merch and designs that we're planning for our second line, however you can get your hands on this prototype first line now! By buying this line of merch you also help us gauge what sort of sizes and quantities we should plan to have readily available in the future.
[Image below: One of the t-shirts from our first-line merch]
Conclusion
Player flexibility is an area we’d like to continue to explore in the future, and something you can look forward to enjoying with our second DLC, Dark Waters. To our Supporter Edition owners, thank you again for your dedication to the early state of the game and we are happy to offer the Dark Waters DLC for free for those of you. We have no shortage of juicy info that is going to be put out in the coming weeks and in the free content update for everyone that's next year.
This concludes our 80th development briefing, thank you for joining us. Be sure to fall in next time for more development news!
Follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Our other links: Discord, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify.
Stack up and clear out.
VOID Interactive
Ready or Not Mapping Competition 2.0
Today we'll be explaining more about the mapping competition.
Mapping Contest 2.0
Unlike our first contest where our contestants had the freedom to make whatever their heart desired, the idea this time around would be the create a map that's directly based on an existing map either past or present.
From gutting an existing map and completely remodeling it in your image, tweaking it however you see fit or reviving a old map or version of a map with your own twist on it. That being said, the amount of effort taken in the remodel will be taken into consideration. For example, a siege on a freshly repaired and remodeled post-meth head infested Twisted Nerve would be judged much more favorably than Port Hokan with with just a change of weather.
Maps that do not meet a minimum threshold of effort [i.e. just increasing the amount of AI on an otherwise stock RON map] will not be considered as valid entries.
No matter the option a mapper chooses, the maps themselves can be either ripped from the game and modified or reproduced from ripped assets but the core idea is that the maps must be based on an old or current VOID Map.
For the ease of use, all past maps and blockouts are free game for the competition.
As with the last competition, there will be a cash payout for our winners with more prize support coming as we secure it.
First Place: $3,000 USD
Second Place: $2,000 USD
Third Place: $1,000 USD
Further contest rules and submission guidelines are available on our Discord, as well as a continually updated FAQ section. Any questions not addressed there or here are free to be directed to my DMs on Discord or in the comments following this post here.
We can't wait to see what our extremely talented modding scene brings to bear this time.
Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Community Content Exhibit Vol. 12
Before we start the newsletter, I wanted to thank all 16,000 of you for responding to our sentiment survey! The massive amount of feedback you provided will give us insight to help improve Ready or Not as we go into the future!
Now, moving onto business, we’re announcing our second mapping contest! There will be a follow up news post this Monday with a far more in-depth explanation about the contest and the theme. For now, a topline detail is we’ll be bringing to bare a 6,000$ prize pool for three lucky mappers or teams of mappers.
Keeping up the tone for the letter, here’s a look at recent maps produced by some of the most talented mappers that our community can bring to the table. All three that we’ll be featuring here are produced by mappers with a venerable histories as RoN Modders.
As usual, the mods are not presented in any particular meaningful order, they’re simply numbered for the sake of organization and conversation.
1. Office Offensive by DecoyMoth
Playing to their strengths, DecoyMoth has made yet another beautifully constructed map that forces players into incredibly tight spaces, challenging either the communication of even the most experienced team or the most veteran lone operative. A prime example of a simple concept done exceptionally, it stands out among much more complex layouts and projects.
Nexus Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/mods/4698
2. Hell comes to the Hills by Delta
Coming from a modder whose diligence has helped many a mapper break in or take their modding to the next level, Delta delivers a map that they documented the construction on their YouTube channel. You can check it out to learn everything you could want to know about the map or give you an excellent starting point for your own mapping journey!
Provenance aside, the excellent atmosphere combined with the immaculate presentation features an open layout that’s both what one would expect in a realistic high-end home and one that presents danger to teams that linger in one space for too long.
Nexus Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/mods/3072
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeMpdkJrX_CGU-kIZJz4nbZ8KMNNWhWz3
3. A Florida Man – A Trailer In Darkness by StentheAwesome
Taking the notorious reputation of the infamous ‘Florida Man’ and turning it up to 11, StentheAwesome flexes his technical expertise by including features not often seen to this degree in modded maps, such as the ability to move members of your team to the opposite side of the map for double-entry, the ability to enter through windows, making excellent use of the games sound system. and much more.
The map layout itself is also nothing to shake a stick at, presenting a dangerously open approach with cramped, cluttered quarters and a dangerously cluttered back yard if any of the suspects manage to retreat.
Nexus Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/mods/983
—
Going forward, we can’t wait to see what else the community brings to the table as we update the game to give modders more functionality to play with and as they improve their own work.
Outside of our drops, you can find more of this wonderful content here:
https://discord.gg/TjyfbXTU28 or https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/
Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive
Vol. 79 - Ready or Not Development Briefing
Attention Officers,
Welcome to the 79th edition of our Ready or Not Development Briefing, October 25th, 2024!
This week we’ll be covering the short-term delay of DLC #2 along with a visual preview of the new levels and some features that will be included with its release.
DLC #2 is now expected to release during the Winter time frame instead of Autumn.
The timeline shift for DLC #1 ultimately ended up affecting DLC #2’s timeline, an effect which was amplified by the number of features we are aiming to include in the DLC #2 release.
In this dev briefing we're showing 3 previously unannounced DLC #2 levels, and feature prototypes that are continuations (with a few bonuses!) from the Vol. 78 dev briefing: Suspect Squad Behavior, Suspect Loadouts, SWAT Visual Identification, improvements allowing multiple headgear/facewear gear to be worn at once, and updated NVG overlays.
Note: These development briefings serve to keep you in the loop about parts of our ongoing support for Ready or Not, however the briefings do not encompass everything that we’re working on at a given moment. Please keep in mind that the content in our development briefings may still be a work in progress and subject to change.
Updated DLC #2 Release Time Frame
Fortunately, many of the DLC 2 features are already well under their way in implementation. There is an additional demand on Quality Assurance and feature implementation into the new levels that is accounted for as well.
Speaking of which, our 3 new levels for DLC2 are progressing well but still need more time in the oven. ‘Blockout’ versions of the levels were playtested and iterated upon over the past months, with each level now entering its final stages of art pass inclusions.
Features and weapons meanwhile are mostly undergoing their animation stages, with core programming already largely complete and features exiting prototype stages.
Akin to DLC #1, all of the new weapons and many of the features in DLC #2 will be accessible to all players regardless of DLC ownership (because some features could be level-dependent). Playing the new DLC #2 missions in multiplayer is free as long as the host owns the DLC. An exclusive cosmetic outfit set will be included for DLC owners, like before-- and this one will have a very specific theme.
DLC #2 Levels Preview
Without giving away too much yet, here’s a peak at the 3 new missions coming in DLC 2:
Mission 1
(Image below: An oil rig looms in an overcast sky)
Mission 2
(Image below: A once-manicured tropical paradise now lost— overgrown)
Mission 3
(Image below: A buffet awaits within a luxurious lounge)
DLC #2 Features Sample Preview
Here's an exciting sample of the features that are planned to be included with DLC #2! Some other features we will wait to disclose closer to release.
GPNVGs/NVGs Overlay Improvements
The GPNVGs (a.k.a. ‘quad nods’ or quad tube nightvision goggles) and binocular NVGs in-game will now have an improved first-person overlay. The GPNVG change is complete with an increased real-world FOV and a dynamic imitation of how the images between each peripheral tube would be digitally stitched together, with slight distortion.
The dark vignetted tube outline now shifts according to your movements, resembling the NVGs hanging out in front of your character’s eyes. Simultaneously, your camera’s view is slightly adjusted forward and FOV tightened to represent the perspective out of the NVG tubes.
Can’t aim as well without canting your weapon anymore― a substantial touch to these visual changes is the added blurring to nearby obstacles and your weapon’s optics/ironsights while NVGs are enabled. NVG-compatible holosight optics like the Holosight EXPS3 will help you mitigate this though!
(Video Below: The new GPNVG and binocular NVG overlay)
Headgear Changes
We have altered the system for how headgear and facewear to improve the versatility of gameplay choices. For example, you will be able to equip NVGs and a gas mask at the same time, or even combine helmet + NVGs + flash goggles + ballistic mask.
(Video below: Headgear system changes)
Suspect Loadouts
The video below shows some of the new suspect loadout behaviors: Usage of flashlight attachments and switching to secondary weapon at will. Not shown, but in implementation, is switching to melee and addition of weapon optics.
(The weapon the suspect is using is a dev test weapon, so the magazine is missing and some animations may not be normal)
(Video below: Suspect loadout feature showing flashlight usage and switching to a holstered secondary weapon at will)
SWAT Team Identification
For those of you who enjoy ultra-realism or cinematic playstyles with HUD elements turned off, the addition of glowing nameplates on officers’ backs will be a welcome quality of life improvement.
(Image below: A line of officers with nameplates on the back of their plate carriers)
Suspect Squad Behavior
Below is a preview of the suspect squad behaviors for DLC #2, "rallying" and "regrouping." Rallying is used as an offensive measure, while regrouping is used to retreat from danger.
(GIF Below: Suspect rally behavior preview, showing suspects rally toward an ally in need of backup)
(GIF Below: Suspect regroup behavior preview, showing a suspect retreating to find another ally)
Hesitation Animation Variations
(Video below: A compilation of some of the new, more subtle and slow hesitation animations that we are implementing into gameplay)
Conclusion
With Winter as our new time frame goal for DLC #2, we are working across the team to deliver the best update to you that we can.
Thank you all for the incredible game feedback that you provided in our recent Community Sentiment Survey! We're poring over the data for internal use in the coming week.
Last but not least, Steam has moved a major sale for games, including RoN to next week with the Scream Fest. If you want to get the game or some new friends onboarded, that will be the time! There was some temporary mix up that caused the sale on other games and ours to launch this week. It was not intended to be a trick, but hopefully it served as a treat!
This concludes our 79th development briefing, thank you for joining us. Be sure to fall in next time for more development news!
Follow Ready or Not on Steam here.
Our other links: Discord, X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook.
Stack up and clear out.
VOID Interactive
Player Sentiment Survey
In our continued effort to polish and grow Ready or Not into the cornerstone game that it's meant to be, we'd like to hear what you think!
Below is a link to a survey for all of you to gauge how we've been doing and how you want us to proceed, for your troubles we're offering up some Logitech gear that we've come into for those that fill out our survey.
https://forms.gle/HYHym978SKw3Paui6
Community Content Exhibit Vol. 11
This month's newsletter with have a little bit of everything with the revival of our Content Creator program, the showcase of an incredibly talented set of creators and actors, and lastly but most certainly not least, a few of our outstanding non-english communities.
To start, we have the newest iteration of our Content Creator program. Partnering with our friends at Lurkit we will be giving creators of all sizes opportunities to work with VOID, allowing creators them to acquire keys for giveaways or personal use, as well as giving them opportunities to earn money for hitting streaming and media milestones!
You can apply via our Lurkit page at the link below:
https://www.lurkit.com/company/ready-or-not-creator-program
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A late addition, but far too good to pass up, a video created by the incredibly talented people behind the channel Томми Вайс ТВ has gone criminally under the radar. Borne from the most surreal map in Ready or Not, the iconography, unsettling movements, and cinematography bring the entire piece together.
The cherry on top being the hand-made cultist masks, pulling the entire performance together.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4enoQlc_Ng4
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Next up are a couple of the many unofficial foreign language communities that can be accessed through links on our Discord. These Discords are not partnered directly or indirectly with us however we do, as the largest concentration of Ready or Not players, offer them a platform to grow their own communities and allow non-english speakers to have a more comfortable place to play.
The two communities we will be featuring today are the largest of our sub-communities [that we feature] and another that has taken Tactical gaming to a whole new level.
First up is our German community, who currently hold the record of our largest peripheral community at a whopping six thousand users. Showing that even sub-communities can grow to frankly monumental sizes!
Next is the Brazilian community who have endeavored to practice Ready or Not to a hitherto unknown degree, practicing with members of the well-known Brazilian police unit B.O.P.E. Utilizing their vast real-world experience to help community members tackle the swathe of hostile suspects that inhabit Los Sueños
Links to both can be found on our main Discord. https://discord.gg/readyornot
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Going forward, we can’t wait to see what else the community brings to the table as we update the game to give modders more functionality to play with and as they improve their own work.
Outside of our drops, you can find more of this wonderful content here:
https://discord.gg/TjyfbXTU28 or https://www.nexusmods.com/readyornot/
Keep your feet on the ground.
VOID Interactive