After almost 2 and a half years since Post Scriptum released, we have finally reached one of if not the biggest milestone in the history of our development.
It’s with great pleasure and pride that we can announce the release of the Post Scriptum SDK and with this modding is here. We cannot wait to see what people will do with these new modding tools.
The SDK is completely free to download and will be available on the Epic Games Launcher.
But let’s step back really quickly and take this from the very beginning. What even is this SDK?
The SDK or “Software Development Kit” is what allows for our community to create and upload their own modifications for Post Scriptum to the Steam Workshop where all users can download and play with those creations.
We already have several of our community members who have committed to bringing their own mods like one-life mods, realism mods or even full chapters of their own, including the Eastern Front, Africa, Crete & Pointe du Hoc. We cannot wait to see what other things users will be creating once they get their hands on the SDK.
Alongside the SDK we are also bringing the first iteration of our Steam Workshop to players, this allows for players to download and run custom mods for the game, the implementation right now is still quite basic and we aim to make the process much more user-friendly somewhere down the line, this includes things such as downloading mods while joining a server rather than needing to be subscribed to them prior to joining.
The other things we plan to do is to make it easier for players to enjoy modding and inform them when a server is modded, what mods it’s running and other information that can be useful for our players.
For our server hosters out there the experience of downloading, running and managing mods isn’t entirely user friendly but we are looking at options to make this much easier and manageable for those who host servers.
Moving onto the technical side of things, we want to briefly talk about what you can and cannot do with the SDK as we have seen a lot of confusion amongst many of our community members as to how you can use the SDK and what limitations it has.
Let’s start off with the very basic limitations which are that for many reasons the SDK has no access to the Post Scriptum source code, this means that it will not be possible to modify the base game, make new functionalities available or anything else that requires C++ or source code access. This is because we have to protect our game from exploitation and to protect our intellectual property.
So beyond coding and source code Unreal Engine 4 offers some powerful tools and we have seen amazing creations that don’t require any source code access, for example, Chapter Z which featured our Contagion zombie mode was made in such a way that it could be done entirely without needing the source code of our game. It’s actually available on the workshop for download.
From a legal standpoint, a lot of questions have been raised around the use of assets or pieces of our game and what users can do, we can definitely understand that and as a baseline, you can pick apart and mess with any assets or parts of our game as you see fit. But you cannot export and/or reverse engineer stuff with the intent to use it outside of our SDK, this violates our EULA and we reserve all rights to remove your access to Post Scriptum.
Updated Roadmap & 2021
While the year 2020 hasn’t been great to any of us, at least it has brought people much closer together while also being so far away. The game industry has seen a boom in the activity and for developers like us, this is great as it means so many more people get to experience video games who might otherwise haven’t.
As 2020 comes to a close and 2021 approaches it’s time for us to start thinking ahead with the development of Post Scriptum. We have a brand new roadmap and many more plans for the game going into the next year.
What are these plans you may ask? Let’s break it down.
The final parts of 2020 and early start of 2021 will include a lot of Quality of Life improvements, like optimization, bug fixes, layer variety & gameplay improvements. In the period of December 2020 and February 2021, we will put this on the top of our priority list so that those annoying bugs can be squashed before we move ahead with other plans.
The next big stop is the Vehicle Overhaul which will see our current vehicle system be completely reworked from scratch so that it is as flexible and as good as it can be. We have long been bothered by how our vehicles and tanks perform compared to the infantry gameplay and this overhaul should fix these issues once and for all. We are going to speak much more on this once we have a little more to show.
The last big plan for 2021 is Chapter 4. Yes, you've got that right we’re doing another one! So where does it take place this time? While we can’t quite commit to where the location will be this time, but it’s going to get pretty chilly. Like the Vehicle Overhaul, we’re going to speak more on this as we move into 2021.
Nice little early week patch with some more general fixes as we move towards our SDK Release later this week.
Changelog v2.1.1086.311
Updated ticket cost in KillDeathRuleset for all armoured vehicles. (See: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VYEhmPYNbLPA7ivk47BHZ8Mxbfzk1-2KiZ2s6w7fPtA/edit?usp=sharing )
Changed Utah Beach Offensive 01 capzones.
Added and re-arranged all vehicles in the armoured spawner on Arnhem Range.
Fixed Panzer 38t name on the Arnhem Range spawner.
Fixed British binoculars not having british name.
Fixed M1 Carbine being called M1A1 Carbine.
Fixed Fixed French APX 47mm AP & HE Round names
Fixed Panzer VI Tiger being called Tiger E1 in the deck spawner.
Fixed Utah Beach main base radius not encompassing repair station.
Fixed Spawner on Utah Beach RAAS US.
Fixed Utah Beach loading screen.
Fixed Stonne Offensive 03 armoured spawners.
Fixed several asset and geo issues on Utah Beach.
Fixed US Commander Jeep being under the map on Grave Offensive 02.
Fixed Terrain on Driel Offensive 01 that would stop vehicles from leaving spawner.
Fixed Missing Scoped Lee Enfield UI Icon.
Fixed missing building floor material on Oosterbeek.
Removed some doubled assets on Utah Beach Invasion 01.
You can find our Official Community Resource Google Drive with all layer information, ticket costs, spawn commands and more here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Bc0iNcgZP_wYzKQIuLAWTnkv3SwVCbCL?usp=sharing
Update v2.1.1075.270 - Changelog
Greetings!
We have a patch ready for you as we start to move into December and the Christmas spirit has started to set in here at Periscope.
Post Scriptum is currently on sale at 25% for the Steam Autumn Sale! https://steamcommunity.com/games/736220/announcements/detail/2899718323762786882
So what is this patch all about? Well, the biggest item is that Utah is getting some more well-needed layers. In order to help our own workflow, we are going to start focusing on the map or chapter-specific updates so that all chapters are getting their own updates and that we can focus on testing more coordinatedly internally.
For Utah you're getting an additional Invasion layer that focuses on the southern part of the beach, you're also (finally) getting some Offensive layers as well as an RAAS layer for the map which has since released had none.
We've also fixed a couple of minor bugs along the way. Going forward from here our priority is sorting out the armour system, we've been investigating it since it was reported earlier in November, but the issue seems to be much deeper than we initially anticipated, we are hoping to have a fix for this soon, but we will keep you all updated on the situation.
We have also heard the feedback about our communication and we agree that it needs to be better. This means more dev blogs, streams and presence within the community.
Some of you may also have noticed that we recently streamed to our twitch, this is something we really enjoyed and you can expect to see more regular dev streams with the team going forward.
Changelog v2.1.1075.270
Utah
Added Utah Invasion 02
Added Utah Offensive 01 & 02
Added Utah RAAS US
Fixed several material and geo issues.
Fixed missing LOD for some Utah bunkers.
UI/UX:
Fixed Main menu logo still using "Bloody Undead" version.
Standardized Chapter 3 loading screens to the same as Chapter 1 & 2.
Gameplay:
Fixed Sten Mk. V mag only having 30 rounds instead of 32.
Fixed the following open-bolt weapons that allowed for +1 round in the chamber: MP-34, MP-40, ZB-26, Chauchat, MAS-38, Coax Reibel, Sten Mk. V, BAR M1918, M1A1 Thompson, M3 Grease Gun.
The Steam Autumn Sale is here and Post Scriptum will be 25% off for the duration of the entire sale. We will also be on sale later in the Winter Sale that will arrive in late December.
As we are slowly starting to wrap up November month within the development team the Christmas spirit is setting in amongst the team and we are feeling in a particularly giving mood!
So since we have you here we want to briefly talk about the plans over the next couple of weeks as we start to wrap up 2020. We are hoping to have a new patch out before December is upon us with a couple of new layers, fixes and more. We are also looking at fixing some critical bugs before we leave for our holiday.
In terms of development, you can expect to hear a lot more information about Modding and SDK in December, as well as a new roadmap that outlines the plans for 2021, which are very exciting! We can't wait to share with you what you can expect going into the next year.
As has become a regular occurrence on Steam at this time we are once again taking part in the Steam Award Nominations, we hope that you will make sure to vote your favourite games of 2020 for an award, fingers crossed that means Post Scriptum included!
We hope you enjoyed the spooky Halloween event that we ran alongside this Steam Halloween Sale.
We are extremely positive about the initial reception of the game mode and we will investigate the feasibility of making it a permanent small game mode of Post Scriptum at a later date. For now, we are switching Post Scriptum back to its non-spooky state and it includes a couple of small fixes.
We are aware of some issues with the Armour penetration of certain vehicles and it's being looked into.
Changelog v2.1.1036.1
- Removed: Post Scriptum: The Bloody Undead Time-limited event.
- Level Design: Fixed random Flak & Pak spawns infinitely respawning on Heelsum Offensive 04
- 3D: Fixed some buildings missing roof, balcony and interior wall collision.
Contagion Hotfix for the Hotfix v2.1.1024.1 - Changelog
Greetings!
The latest hotfix was pretty good but a small issue with the syringe was causing some invincibility issues.
We are temporarily removing the syringe until we got a permanent fix in a patch later this week or weekend.
Next on our priority list is resolving issues with the survivor teamkilling each other, don't be that guy, please.
HALLOWEEN SALE AND FREE WEEKEND
Starting later today October 29th Post Scriptum will be on sale at 50% off for the entire Steam Halloween sale on top of this a Free Weekend will also be available from October 29th around 10 AM PST until November 1st 1 PM PST.
As per usual get your changelog below!
Changelog v2.1.1024.1
Contagion: Temporarily removed the syringe to stop an invincibility bug
Thanks for the wonderful reception of our time-limited game mode Contagion. We've been keeping an eye on how players have been greeting the mode and we are really happy most people are enjoying it.
There are however a couple of issues, most notably never-ending rounds, teamkilling and team switching late game.
This hotfix should address some of these issues and we ask that you please keep sending us that feedback.
HALLOWEEN SALE AND FREE WEEKEND
Starting later today October 29th Post Scriptum will be on sale at 50% off for the entire Steam Halloween sale on top of this a Free Weekend will also be available from October 29th around 10 AM PST until November 1st 1 PM PST.
As per usual get your changelog below!
Changelog v2.1.1023.1
Contagion: Added a 7 minute cut off for survivor reinforcement. After 7 minutes players can no longer switch to survivors to stop endless games.
Contagion: Removed the ability to teamkill friendly zombies.
Contagion: Removed survivor spawn protection after staging phase has ended.
Contagion: Removed Kubelwagens from all layers.
Contagion: Removed the fire barrel burning notification and moved it to the spawn message.
Contagion: Possible fix for match not ending when bomb is destroyed, blown up or survivors are dead.
Contagion: Possible fix for survivor sections not locking when survivors are dead.
Contagion: Adjusted game timer from 25 minutes to 20 minutes.
Contagion: Adjusted St Mere Eglise chapel fire barrels to stop "The Pile".
Last week we unveiled the last Chapter 2 map titled “Maginot” and the features that you can expect from this 3rd map. Our new Halloween game mode titled “Contagion” is now available to all players for free for a limited time.
HALLOWEEN SALE AND FREE WEEKEND
Starting October 29th Post Scriptum will be on sale at 50% off for the entire Steam Halloween sale on top of this a Free Weekend will also be available from October 29th until November 1st.
CONTAGION
To go along with the spooky Steam Halloween sale we are releasing a temporary Chapter known as Chapter Z: The Bloody Undead with a new game mode titled “Contagion”
“Contagion” is our new zombie game mode that pits a group of survivors against a fierce horde of zombies and the survivors need to complete a set of tasks in order to win the match. The zombies have one simple objective which is to kill all survivors.
Below you can read about the game rules for the Contagion game mode.
Survivor Objective
Find and load 4 explosive supply crates in the M3 half-track MSP. Crates can be picked up by looking at it, press and hold 'F' the press grab.
Bring the supplies back to the truck and unload it using 'F'
Once 4 crates have been loaded, you can drive the Half-track to the bomb objective.
Drop the supplies and build the bomb, then place the fuse by holding 'F' and pressing the button.
Protect the bomb until it goes off.
In depth explanation:
The goal is to collect 4 supply crates scattered across the level and load them in the construction truck and then go build a bomb at the destroy marker.
There are a total of 10 potential areas where supplies can be found, out of these 10 potential locations, only 7 are actually spawned in.
As you are getting closer to the supply marked area, the marker will disappear if no supplies are at that location, or become a supply marker if there is indeed a crate there.
In order to load the crate in the truck, you need to get to the crate and pick it up by looking at it, pressing 'F' and “Grab”. Then you will need to walk within 2 meters of the truck and hold F to load the supplies in the truck.
If done correctly, the game will prompt you with a message telling you that the crate has been loaded in and it will tell you how many more crates you need in order to go build the objective.
Once the 4 crates are inside the truck, you will need to drive the truck to the bridge area to build the bomb. You will see a red ghost of the bomb, as soon as the ghost turns green, the bomb can be built.
Get out of the truck and unload all the supplies by pressing 'F' while looking at the truck and click Unload Supplies.
You should then see a bomb object on the bridge, get your shovel out and build it until you can see ammo and explosives in the wooden crates. When the bomb is fully built, press 'F' while looking at the bomb and click Place Fuse.
Once the fuse is in, the bomb will explode within 30 seconds, you need to protect the bomb until it goes off. The Zombie can deactivate the bomb by attacking it. If they do deactivate the bomb, your team loses.
Zombie Objective
Find and stop any and all survivors from gathering crates and building the bomb. Use your supernatural abilities to get close to the survivors. Survivors will turn into zombies if killed. You can destroy the bomb by attacking it.
Zombies are inherently weak and will die very fast if alone, the best approach playing as zombies is working together with other zombies to get close to the survivors.
As a zombie, you have supernatural abilities like increase jumping height, increased speed and stamina. Use this to quickly advance into position.
Zombies have the ability to spawn almost anywhere on the map.
Fire will burn your flesh, so stay away from fire!
As a Zombie, your goal is to prevent the Survivors from building the bomb on the bridge. Either by killing all the survivors, holding them off for the entire duration of the round or destroying the bomb once planted.
CARENTAN & ST MERE EGLISE OPTIMIZATION
On top of the zombie game mode and Maginot, we’ve been investigating further into the optimization issues with both Carentan and St Mere Eglise. During that found that the amount of buildings rendered is potentially causing some serious performance issues Carentan. It also serves as frustration for players with the number of open buildings that are scattered throughout the city.
Alongside this, we've optimized multiple shaders and shadows around the map.
As a result, we’ve spent the last month identifying and closing off selected buildings in key areas to declutter the map and help the flow on the map.
The below screenshots show a comparison between version 2.0.944.15560 (Which was the last update before this one) and the new version 2.0.42.1. Images are taken on an empty developer server on Carentan Offensive 01 and St Mere Eglise Offensive 01. Same locations, same hardware, same video settings.
Hardware used for performance test: I7-7700K @ 4.2 GHz. Nvidia GTX 1080Ti. 32 GB of DDR4 Memory @ 2400MHz
Game Settings: 2560x1440p @ 144Hz in Borderless Window with No Super-Sampling Epic Graphics Quality with Epic Textures, Epic Effects, Epic View Distance & Epic Foliage using FXAA Anti-Aliasing Additional Settings: Distance Shadows ON, Screen Space Reflections ON, VSync OFF, Bloom ON, Ambient Occlusion ON, Pre-Load Textures ON, Motion Blur OFF
OPEN THE IMAGES IN A NEW TAB FOR FULL RESOLUTION
v2.0.944.15560 Carentan Café De Normandie town entry
v2.0.42.1 Carentan Café De Normandie town entry
v2.0.944.15560 Carentan Crossroads
v2.0.42.1 Carentan Crossroads
v2.0.944.15560 St Mere Eglise South Main Road
v2.0.42.1 St Mere Eglise South Main Road
And as per usual you can find your changelog below for the Halloween update.
CHANGELOG v2.0.42.1
Added: Post Scriptum Chapter Z: The Bloody Undead time-limited event.
Gameplay: New Contagion Game Mode
UI/UX: Added FG-42 Icon
Level Design: Added Contagion layers for Best, Carentan, St Mere Eglise, Stonne
Level Design: Made several optimizations passes on Carentan & St Mere Eglise.
Level Design: Closed off buildings in Carentan to improve performance and game flow.
Level Design: Closed off buildings in St Mere Eglise to improve performance.
Lastly, we want to thank every single one of our Community Testers that have helped test and give important feedback on the game mode. Without their help, the undertaking wouldn’t have been possible.
Last week we unveiled the last Chapter 2 map titled “Maginot” and the features that you can expect from this 3rd map. You can find a link to that at the bottom of the post.
We are announcing our new Halloween game mode titled “Contagion” which will be available for free for a limited time to all players starting tomorrow.
CONTAGION
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“Contagion” is our new zombie game mode that pits a group of survivors against a fierce horde of zombies and the survivors need to complete a set of tasks in order to win the match. The zombies have one simple objective which is to kill all survivors.
HALLOWEEN SALE AND FREE WEEKEND
Starting October 29th Post Scriptum will be on sale at 50% off for the entire Steam Halloween sale on top of this a Free Weekend will also be available from October 29th until November 1st.
