8:11pm EST - The devblog is live and client update just hit!

7:40pm EST - The server update just went live! Devblog and client update should follow shortly.

7:27pm EST - Still waiting, no update or devblog yet...

6:48pm EST - "All builds succeeded, now just testing to make sure the game isn't ruined and servers aren't wiped and we will push to main" -Helk

6:30pm EST - Looking good... "Staging server has compiled! Updating our staging servers to make sure nothing is wrong, and hopefully client compiles also!"

5:51pm EST - Another progress update: "Client is building, but server is not, trying to roll back one feature that may be to be blame (mesh decals)"

5:04pm EST - Latest from Helk: "The build server is having some problems and we're still waiting on a working build.. I'll keep you guys posted, sorry about this!"

4:40pm EST - Still no word on the update, stay tuned...

4:01pm EST - Looks like the update is delayed. There is an issue with procedural map generation which needs to be fixed prior to the patch launching, and that fix is taking longer than expected. In light of this, we shut our stream down, but follow @Rustafied to get notified when the update hits. Also, check out our stream replay if you'd like to see these changes in action.

2:00pm EST - Our update stream is live!

1:10pm EST - With the update just hours away, we're still seeing some commits come in. Here are some highlights from the last several hours:

Increased effective distance of rifle bullets
Adjusted bolt action damage so coffecan helmets let you barely survive one headshot
Hopefully fixed a case where the player view direction was not shown correctly to clients
fixed candlehat/minerhat not being visible in first person
removed darkening on holosight lens
moved most barricades to common/uncommon tier (instead of rare)

1:30am EST - It is update day, and with it, the return of research - with a slight twist. We've also got ammo damage balance and some peaks at the upcoming graphics overhaul. There is no forced wipe with this update, however, some servers may wipe anyway (see bottom of the post for Rustafied wipe info).

Our update stream goes live at 2pm EST, follow @Rustafied for news throughout the day.

Research bench is back!

After disappearing into blueprint abyss with the XP system launch, the research bench is back - with some changes. Unlocked at level 10, it mostly works like it did with the old blueprint system: put the item you’d like to research along with some blueprint fragments (to up the odds) and roll the dice. You either end up with a blueprint or a broken item.

Here’s where it differs...

Research paper

Instead of blueprint fragments, we’ve now got research paper. Same basic concept - it’s a gambling token found in loot around the map - the more you put in, the better your odds of research. Here’s the new breakdown of what's needed to secure that 100% chance per blueprint type:

Common
1 paper

Uncommon
3 paper

Rare
5 paper

Very Rare
10 paper

That’s not all...

Single use blueprints

Gone are the days of studying a blueprint once and being able to craft that item for eternity. We now have single use blueprints - a stackable item which allows for one craft. Say you have an AK blueprint and the resources required, once you craft said AK, the blueprint disappears along with the resources.

What size stacks do you get? It depends on the item. Here's some examples Helk gave me:

Bullets
~30-100 blueprints

Metal hatchet
10 blueprints

AK
5 blueprints

Note on re-researching to get more BP's: Items with a condition crafted from a single use BP start at 50% health. This is to decrease the researching odds, making it harder for people to continually make new single use blueprints off the same item.

Handmade and buckshot buff

In the wake of last week's boosts to the double barrel, Andre has doubled the projectile radius for buckshot and handmade shells. This means they’ll do more damage when you're close up, but less at a distance.

Rifle and pistol shifts

As a counterweight to the recent shotgun buffs, base damage for rifle and pistol ammo has been increased from 40 to 50. For more details, check out Andre's explanation:

"To clarify: This affects all weapons that use pistol or rifle ammo. So weapon A won't be better relative to weapon B, but both A and B will do more damage to both naked and geared players.

This for example means that AKs kill naked players with a single headshot, but even the most basic headgear will require a second hit.

It's meant to be a modest buff to overall weapon damage that should start moving us in the right direction without overshooting our target. Naturally none of this is set in stone."

Other projectile changes

Andre also did a bunch of backend changes to projectiles, damage types, and a slew of other things. I’m frankly not really sure what it all means, so let’s wait for his explanation on the devblog.

Graphics overhaul on prerelease

Peturs long awaited graphics overhaul branch has gone live on prerelease this week. It’ll be going live into the game (main branch) on September 1 with additions, tweaks and fixes expected between now and then. For a more indepth look at this exciting new visual update, check out my previous post.

Other stuff

Large wood storage unlocks at level 9 instead of 10
Combat log also contains rejected attacks (including reason for rejection)
More progress on dungeon art

Rustafied server wipes

Given it is the middle update of the month, the maps on all Rustafied servers (except the low pops) will wipe when the update hits today. No XP wipe is planned until forced or otherwise warranted.