Closed Alpha Update 0.8
Early Alpha Image - Work In Progress
Hello Survivors,
Our first update of 2022 is finally here. The Closed Alpha Update 0.8 will begin rolling out between 9:30 AM and 10:00 AM Mountain Standard Time on May 26th, 2022. This update is for our Closed Alpha version of Dead Matter and will only be available to our Closed Alpha testers.
Just a quick note, we’ve decided to move 0.8 to the main branch download on Steam. This branch change means you won’t need to opt into 0.8 through the betas menu on Steam. Instead, 0.8 should automatically download if you are running the default version of Dead Matter.
If you’d like to return to the 0.6 build of the game, you can go into the game preferences on Steam and select the 0.6 legacy branch in the betas menu. That said, we recommend sticking to 0.8 as that branch will continue to be updated over the coming months and is indicative of the direction Dead Matter is taking.
Please read the release notes below. These notes are similar to the changelog we teased a couple of weeks ago, except for minor technical changes. Please read through these notes to learn about the changes in 0.8. We encourage you to test these features and report bugs using our in-game bug reporter or #bug-reports channel on our official Discord server.
Changelog
Gameplay Features
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Bags allow the player to create a unique spawn point. All you need to do is lay a sleeping bag down and rest in it. After that, when you die, you can select your sleeping bag location on the spawn map and spawn right there. Sleeping will also let you recover your lost energy. They are a useful and important item to find when you are trying to survive in Dead Matter.
Tents
Tents function as a large storage container. When you find a tent bag, you can carry and place it wherever you choose. You can then unpack the tent and set up your own storage area. Tents will be useful for creating makeshift bases around the rocky mountains.
Exshaw
A lot of work has gone into Exshaw for this update. We have revitalised some of the existing infrastructure including houses, streets, foliage, terrain, static vehicles, and more. Essentially, everything in Exshaw has been retouched and polished. In Exshaw, you will be able to explore several buildings and outdoor areas that contain various loot items like food, drinks, and weapons. Just be wary of the Infected.
Abandoned Mining Cave Near Exshaw
We have also added a cave near Exshaw for players to find and explore. This cave has a small puzzle that players will need to solve in order to get through the gates. Who knows, maybe there’s some loot inside.
Multiplayer
A functioning dedicated multiplayer server is returning in 0.8. The current limit is 16 players. We will initially begin with one dedicated multiplayer server. Keep in mind that this is for testing purposes and not designed to be a complete multiplayer experience.
Improvements
General Stability Improvements
We have addressed numerous small performance bugs from our 0.7.5 update.
We have also made several optimization improvements to increase the performance of Dead Matter across the board.
Various crash fixes involving the inventory and toolbelt system
Respawn Stability
Fixed HUD issue
Fixed various glitches associated with respawning
Gameplay Adjustments
Less fall damage from non-lethal heights
Loot spawn locations have been reworked
Improved drag and drop behaviour for pouch and inventory slots
Added blood splatter vignette
Added directional damage indicator
Medical containers will now prioritise useful items like bandages, painkillers, and splits.
Medkits no longer spawn in a bugged out state and can be found much more easily by players.
Gun containers will spawn more appropriate weapons.
Weapons can randomly spawn with attachments such as scopes, grips, lights and lasers pre-attached to the weapon or in a weapon spawn container.
Magazines no longer spawn with random amounts of ammunition in the magazine.
Stripper clips have a chance to spawn in alongside the Mosin Nagant or Lee Enfield
You can modify attachments for weapons provided they are not currently held in your hands.
Less junk items will spawn in containers as the game now tries to prioritise items that are useful to the player before spawning in junk
Weapon Scopes have improved clarity and are more likely to spawn
Adjusted Aim-Down-Sights timing
Weapon bashing implemented
Hunger and Thirst bars will decrease at a reasonable rate
Weapons have had their icons updated to more accurately reflect the attachments that were attached to the weapon when it spawned into the world as well as their current magazine state.
Weapons now display in the inventory what the current magazine status is, as well as the hotkey that the weapon is bound to when placed in an equippable slot.
Bottles of Soda now properly indicate how much soda is remaining in the bottle.
Foliage Optimization
New level of detail system for trees in the distance
Better implementation with level design
Updated Animations
New walk cycle animation
Polished MKVII pistol animation and C7 rifle animation
Improved audio implementation in some animations
Audio
Infected will now make sounds when you hit them
Bug Fixes
Infected spawners are working again in singleplayer and multiplayer modes
Survival gauges are functional, and will deplete as you move around or receive damage
You can now die of starvation or thirst
Corresponding death screens will appear on death
Character stats will reset upon death
Weather effects should not appear on player customization screen
Random loot will now spawn in containers
Raging Bull reload fixed
Known Bugs
Various bugs involving multiplayer that can cause the game crash
Please report any bugs you encounter by using the in-game bug reporter. You can also share your bug reports in the #bug-reports channel on our official discord Server.
Until Next Time…
That’s all for now. You can stay updated by following our blog. The next game update will be Closed Alpha Update 0.9, which we will share more details about over the next couple of months.
We’re still hiring, please check out our current job opportunities: https://jobs.qi.games/
Until next time,
Anton
