[2022] Icarus Week Fifty Four Update | No more 8-player limit and Dropship Beacons

A lil somethin somethin: You can find the details for this event on the announcement page here.

This week, we’re changing the limits on the number of players who can join and play a session as a follow on from our decentralization update, allowing you to share your Icarus journey with more friends.

We’re also introducing our newest Tier 4 and Workshop item, the Dropship Beacon Grenade, which allows you to call your Dropship to wherever you are on the map at any time.

Finally, we’re making a range of fixes that were required since our Decentralisation update and introducing our ‘preferred partners' for our Dedicated Servers.



Dynamic Dropship Landing Zones
Since the launch of Icarus, prospects have been limited to eight unique players who could join across the whole existence of the session. With decentralization, this limitation is gone and we are introducing some new changes that expand not only the number of players who can engage with a prospect but where they can land.

There are two different ‘limits’ that are necessary to understand. ‘Prospect Limit’ is the total number of players who have joined a prospect at any time in its existence. ‘Session Limit’ is the number of active people playing at any one time in a session.

The change to Prospect Limit is as follows:

We now generate a location around the ‘drop zone’ which means that landing Dropships is more dynamic, and removes the 8-person limit entirely, allowing you to have as many people ‘join’ a session over its lifespan.

The change to Session Limit is as follows:

‘P2P’ sessions will still have an 8-player session limit, so only eight players can be active at any one time. However, Dedicated Servers will be opened up to more than 8 players, but at the risk of server degradation as this session count fluctuates, similar to other games in the genre.



Dropship Beacon Grenade
With the removed restrictions on prospect limits, it’s also opened up the door for our newest feature, the Dropship Beacon Grenade.

There is a Tier 4 and Workshop version, which when thrown, will land and fire a flare that calls the Dropship to that location. This can either be used for immediate extraction or left there for use later on.

You can use multiple Dropship Beacon Grenades per session, and it will move your Dropship to where you threw it. However, these are one-use items, so use them carefully.

Just like with Dropships in current gameplay, be careful of where you throw your grenade. Dropships don’t take kindly to bases or prospectors that might be in their landing zone.



Data Decentralization Fix-ups
We’re releasing our first wave of fixes for our Data Decentralisation patch, as we go through the process of tidying up any small errors that cropped up since its release

• Fixed an item duplication bug that was happening while in the station
  
• Fixed the Extraction mission which was broken
  
• Exotics were correctly no longer able to placed in your Dropship, however, the UI had not been updated to reflect this. This has now been corrected, stating the need for an orbital exchange interface.
  
• Workshop items will now specify their owner in their tooltip (Only for new loadouts brought down, old ones will not display anything)
  
• Weather Issues when rejoining open world sessions

Dedicated Servers ‘Verified Partners’
Our Dedicated Servers beta has launched to an excited community of server creators and veterans, and the feedback has been immensely valuable. If you’d like to contribute, you can join our special Discord channel here[discord.gg].

We’re also partnering with some established and credible dedicated server providers as ‘verified partners’, which will be listed on the in-game menu, and working closely with us on providing the premium dedicated server experience we strive for. These are:

• Nitrado[server.nitrado.net]
  
• GPortal[www.g-portal.com]
  
• Survival Servers[www.survivalservers.com]
  
• Streamline Servers[streamline-servers.com]

All four providers are already offering servers, and once internally approved, we'll move this offering out of Beta.



Changelog v1.2.29.105734
New Content

• Adding beeping sound for tech device thrown
  
• Adding dead player small beep sound for location awareness
  
• Dropship landing locations are now generated dynamically using EQS
  
• Added Dropship_Beacon_T4 item static mesh, materials, and textures to project
  
• Added skeletal mesh for the T4 dropship beacon device. Skinned to the frag grenade
  
• Workshop items now display who their owning character is on their tooltip. Names in red indicate that the character has left the drop
  
• Added SK + materials/textures for Meta dropship beacon device. Skinned to Frag Grenade skeleton
  
• Added a version 2 of the T4 Dropship Beacon asset. Textures have been improved and tri count greatly reduced
  
• Added four verified server providers to the dedicated servers screen. Clicking the server providers logo opens their website
  
• Setting up 2 new Throwable Grenades, recipes and workshop enteries which summon dropships
  
• Added functionality to dropship beacon grenades. Fixed potential crash in DamageFunctionLibrary::PrepareProjectileDamage
  
• Updated character list on 'Load' screen to support more than 8 players
  
• Adding correct tag to Workshop Dropship Grenade so it can be taken down in a loadout

Fixed

• Fix up filenames for DC Palm assets
  
• Removed duplicate textures and repathed. Fixed filenames
  
• Delete duplicate texture and repath
  
• Update Cave Lights to work properly with revised default settings
  
• Optimized some caves by removing lights where there was no hole in the roof for it
  
• Fixed stone master not having niagara support enabled after assets were added to scorpion effects
  
• Update many mission steps using a previous search area setup to use the same search area setup for consistency, including clearing search areas when objectives are complete in some missions. This will resolve visibility issues on some missions
  
• Fixup redirectors in main assets folder
  
• Additional update to some quest step search areas for additional visibility and cleanup handling
  
• Ensure that player stays DBNO if they return to character select when DNMO and rejoin
  
• Exotics can no longer be placed in the Dropship (Workshop items can still be)
  
• Updated the Dropship UI text to let people know extoic extraction now takes place via the Orbital Exchange Interface
  
• HEADSTONE: Fixed Survey Radars being able to block the final mission objective, these are now returned to your inventory if placed in the objective location
  
• Updated PAYDAY and DEEP VEIN missions to use Orbital Delivery Interface. - Added common use steps for exotics extraction
  
• Shovelling snow now grants a variable, increased, amount of ice
  
• Changed method on HEADSTONE item return to players
  
• Fix inappropriate player water movement sounds playing when wading in lava lakes. Now setting a surface FMOD parameter representing water type to differentiate these. Apply the condition to world movement event in FMOD
  
• Filter user reports with no description from sentry
  
• Ensure dedicated server prospects created on the command line save without requiring a player to join
  
• Ensure lobby privacy type is set to friends only for dedicated server prospects
  
• Fix an ensure that is firing on clients for new dediserver integer timer
  
• Fixed issue where player history entries weren't being reloaded correctly
  
• Meta resources and mission completion rewards that are paid when rejoining a prospect now show their notifications after the load screen has disappeared
  
• The total meta resources that are collected by players on a prospect is now correctly reloaded. This would cause absent players to not receive meta resources if prospect was closed and reloaded while they were gone

Future Content

• First pass on LC terraces - 4x meshes + material/textures
  
• Replaced old template caves in TU/AC Areas on Blue/Green/Yellow Quad, DLC Map
  
• Placement of Cliffs in the Phase 2 Area of Purple Quad, DLC
  
• Placement of Cliffs and cave templates in the Phase 2 Area of Purple Quad, DLC
  
• Adding first batch of dialogue for DLC
  
• Delete and repathed copies of Var2 textures in Var3 and Var4 Aspen folders
  
• Adjustments to Lava Gravel footstep layer and reduced verly long rock layer
  
• Delete duplicate AC Fir snow clumps textures and repathed
  
• Adding all current striker events and anim notifiers for footsteps, whoosh, vocals, slams etc
  
• Adding unique striker footstep event. Balance pass of new creatures audio volumes and added missing notifiers and other small adjustments to striker
  
• Various improvements and volume adjustments to striker footsteps lava footstep, vocal adjustments for volumes etc
  
• Updating tonality of R.Dog aggro breaths
  
• Created a New Small Tundra Template Cave, Updated AC_MED_005 To have less rocks blocking path and Have Begun Work on a Medium Tundra Template Cave, Prometheus
  
• Placed Cliffs & Caves Templates in Phase 2 Area on Purple Quad, DLC Map
  
• Optimized Geyser erruption niagara effect
  
• Placement of Cliffs and cave templates and landscape scuplting in the Phase 2 Area of Purple Quad, DLC
  
• Reimporting the needler roar to be a shorter version to move it away from the Croc
  
• Adding needler new roar vocals, adding new spot events for all new creatures and adding to data table AI setup
  
• Added datatable rows for story mission dialogue
  
• Lots of adjustments and fine tunes to DLC creatures, footsteps, vocals, spacializing, reverb level adjustment to lava biome and other small improvements
  
• Setup LC_Terraces BPs, VFX, Collision and Water System
  
• Move mega tree template levels out of Cave folder and into Trees folder
  
• Placed Cliffs & Caves Templates in Phase 2 Area on Purple Quad, DLC Map
  
• Added Mesh Normals/CAC fuctionality to MA_IceCool, Tweaked materials on SM_Node_SuperCool and Added DryIce VFX
  
• Prettied up Cave Template widget advanced mode layout. Added support for newly added Light Exponent Falloff variable in convert function
  
• Placement of Cliffs and cave templates and landscape scuplting in the Phase 2 Area of Purple Quad, DLC
  
• Adjustments to snow striker footstep levels, fixed spot sounds in wrong data table entry, adjusted grasslands tree creak and other small DLC audio improvements and updates
  
• Added destructible meshes for various Swamp folage assets
  
• Added New Large Template Cave For Tundra Biome And Added The New Cave Into Blue Quad, Prometheus
  
• Added LavaFalls mesh to replace waterfall mesh in lava rivers
  
• Adding all unique attack sounds for striker. Whoosh, slam, heavy slam, claws out etc
  
• added obsidian armor materials, textures and ml
  
• Adding Striker climb rock sounds and animation notifiers
  
• Fixed TestPlayerId not working with cooked builds
  
• Icon and display name updates for Brick buildables
  
• Placed Cliffs & Caves Templates in Phase 2 Area on Purple Quad, DLC Map
  
• Placement of Cliffs and cave templates and landscape scuplting in the Phase 2 Area of Purple Quad, DLC
  
• Adding foot layers to striker climb anims
  
• Small scatter adjustments to tundra biome to make wind play slightly more and other small details
  
• Fixed rocket spawn points not being released when their owning player leaves by dropship
  
• Players on dedicated servers who aren't logged in as admin are now limited to a whitelist of RCON commands
  
• Added localisation support for /help RCON command
  
• Local copies of player lists from previously joined prospects are now updated when the server browser gets its sessions
  
• Added Mangrove Mega Tree separated parts to create more optimized assets, and added them to Tree Template Level called SW_Mangrove_001_V2
  
• Biome general audio balancing and finessing
  
• Tidy up of Fishing BP logic. Tweaks to cable component to make it less bouncy
  
• Balance adjustments to striker attack and death and spot sounds
  
• Added New Large Template Cave For Tundra Biome And Added The New Cave Into Blue Quad, Prometheus
  
• Placement of Cliffs and cave templates and landscape scuplting in the Phase 2 Area of Purple Quad, DLC
  
• Submitting Wooly Zebra, carcass, respective textures and fur
  
• Add a new integer timer for tracking dedicated servers
  
• Dedi server time can be dilated (Slowmo)
  
• Dedi server time can be paused
  
• Wire Weather Event music to pausable dedi server timer
  
• Wire Weather Blueprint Components to pausable dedi server timer
  
• Replacing heavy slam sound on rockdog for something stronger feeling. Small other adjustments to lava biome and rockdog scream etc
  
• Added new player data helper functions for adding, removing, and updating items
  
• UI usage of currency now routes through player data instead of older backend path
  
• Adding character lava footstep event and sounds
  
• Added New Large Template Cave For Tundra Biome, AC_MED_008, Prometheus
  
• Placed Cliffs around lave lakes/river & Caves Templates in Phase 2 Area on Purple Quad, DLC Map
  
• Placed Cliffs around lave lakes/river & Caves Templates in Phase 2 Area on Purple Quad, DLC Map
  
• Add new Stalking AIAudioState and apply to Hunting GOAP action. Will enable different creature vocalisations for stalking vs. full aggro for BatDog and similar
  
• Updtaed BLD_DBL_Doorframe_Brick_Left
  
• Adding beeping and static comms for dead prospectors
  
• Adding in nested event with static end for dead prospector. Also added unique event for taking the tag. Added to blueprint
  
• Spacializer adjustments and fine tunes to dead prospector beeping event
  
• Delete Spider SMs with SK filenames and unused duplicate PhysicsAsset. Assign Fur material to Fur SK mesh. Add LODs to Spider SKs
  
• Setting cave ambiences to play for the new biomes
  
• Add LODs to SMs that don't have any
  
• Added New Large Template Cave For Tundra Biome, AC_MED_009, and Begun Work On New Medium Ice Cave, Prometheus
  
• Adding in 3rd Person shield block animation and relevant montage setups, added equip animation too as it was missing, added wooden shield icon
  
• Placed Cliffs around lave lakes/river & Caves Templates in Phase 2 Area on Purple Quad, DLC Map
  
• Adding in wood cart mesh and skeleton and base anim BP for full implementation
  
• Adding missing Socket on the skeletal mesh that was breaking validation
  
• Added initial data table configuration for new dropship throwable
  
• Stopped looping audio on Dead Prospector for the Dynamic Collect mission once the ID has been collected
  
• Swapping out shield skeletal mesh with static mesh to unbreak audio hookup
  
• Updates to the spacializer for the dead prospector beeping sound. Clearer and easier to find at close / medium distances (without increasing the max distance)