Hi all, and welcome to another VEIN News update! We are really close to 0.025 and will hopefully be getting it out very soon, barring any major bugs (and if there are unforeseen bugs, we can always release a hotfix as usual). We've got our heads down doing last minute bugfixes and testing mostly, but we do have a couple of feature updates that we want to put out there. Let's get into it!
As usual the below isn't on the main release of VEIN yet. It's accessible on the experimental Steam beta branch, which you can opt into via the game properties in Steam. We discourage people from playing on it as if it were a regular run, as stuff frequently breaks – it is bleeding-edge and what we use internally for testing, so you're seeing features and content before we've even tested it. However, in the interest of transparency, you can access it at any time.
Bugfixes
Here are some of bugs we've identified and found. As we said in the last update there will be no more 0.024 hotfixes as we are incredibly close to the 0.025 update.
We fixed some procedural aim-down-sights and animation code. Some of the newer weapons, like the 870 or Fifty-Seven pistol, had misaligned ADS code. We also fixed some issues like an infinite reloading animation on the double-barrel shotgun.
We did some work on performance, specifically with distant rendering of buildings/terrain/foliage (aka. HLODs). I also fixed some issues with them appearing sporadically or vanishing.
We fixed font rendering for signs when the game language doesn't use the Latin alphabet (e.g. Cyrillic, most Asian languages, etc.)
We did a bunch of work on networking to improve the speed at which things load in in multiplayer. It's still work-in-progress, as always, but we are moving towards stable multiplayer. The most impactful reason multiplayer is like it is, is because the world of VEIN is fully dynamic: you can move everything, dismantle everything, etc. which is unlike most games written with this engine, so we are fighting the engine a lot.
It's not an impossible problem though; it just takes time and programmer-hours to fix. I wrote a proof-of-concept for buildings already which seems to be holding up quite well in testing.
We fixed some yard decorations being indestructible. Some yard props were just stuck-in-place when they were meant to be salvageable, like everything else in the game.
We fixed some issues with zombie behavior. They had a logic error that caused them to not be able to climb fences or guard rails when stuck, and they can now do just that. We also changed it so zombies can't block each other from hitting you (so if two zombies are attacking you, one zombie won't block the other's swings).
There's been a few UI fixes here and there for polish.
We fixed a big multiplayer issue with vehicles and hitching, specifically handbrakes desyncing. This seems silly, but desynced handbrakes means that if you disengaged the handbrake and started towing a vehicle, on your screen it might work, but on the server the handbrake would still be engaged, meaning there'd be a ton of stuttering between movements and the towed vehicle is likely to 'rear-end' you on the server, causing damage.
Features
8z has finished and integrated his ragdoll systems. In VEIN, you could be conscious, go unconscious, or die, and there was no in-between. He's reworked it so that players and zombies can fall over and get back up, sort of like in Grand Theft Auto games. If you get hit by a car, or a zombie gets hit by a car, it's no longer an instant death sentence. Zombies will slow down your car if you hit them, and running over zombies causes damage to your vehicle. Unless you're moving fast enough, it's more likely that hit zombies (and players) are still alive and will get back up. This makes it a lot more hazardous to try and ram zombies with vehicles.
There are some other uses as well. Exiting your car at a high speed will ragdoll you, and things like crashing your motorcycle will fling you out of the vehicle as well.
You can also knock over zombies in combat depending on your weapon, strength, etc. The system still needs a bit of testing and tuning but it's pretty great.
Zoe's done some refreshes of Redford and Saranac to add detail. Yard decorations, fences, etc. are being added to bring the exteriors up-to-par with the rest of the world. After that, she'll be working on the new areas of the Champlain Valley intended for the next update.
I finished up adding support for the new decorative props, so you can now build raised platforms on fences and wood slats using support beams. These should work fine as roofs while we work on standalone buildable buildings for the next update.
I've also set up most furniture and containers in the game to be able to crumble when destroyed, but it needs testing to make sure it doesn't impact performance.
We updated DLSS to 4.5 for the next update.
Yan's been working on smaller features. He's added some prompts to confirm exiting the game and to remind you if you've saved or not. He's also added the ability for admins to teleport to custom map markers and improved the new Utility Cabinet flag placement system. Watching TVs with a custom movie will reduce your stress now, and the map can be zoomed in and out with PgUp and PgDown. Finally, he's added a "no damage (except players)" setting to permission zones in multiplayer, so admins can set up fight clubs or combat arenas without risking damage to props.
Zombies can now have strength stats. Stronger zombies do significantly more damage to you and your fortifications. They can also appear shirtless (if male) and their musculature is visible if they're strong. Zombies near fitness centers tend to be stronger.
I found some major breakthroughs when it comes to gamepad/Steam Deck support, so I've started preliminary work on that. You can now operate the main menu, character creation, etc. with just a gamepad. It's not even close to where we'd like it to be but this will make it significantly easier for us to continue towards gamepad support.
Adam's continuing work on removing that cursed taped box from crafting items. He's finished a couple of metal sheet pieces that are now in experimental.
Skyler's continuing to work on new character hair. We're hoping to preview some of their work in 0.026. There's still a ton of work to do before we get the new character art in (like clothing and zombies), but we want the code side of things to be ready for when the art is.
801 has finished the new set of props for standalone buildables. These are going to be houses or cabins you can build out of fortification tiers. You'll be able to finish and paint the interiors as you like. They have features like stairs, hatches, ladders, etc. We're aiming to get these in for 0.026, but as usual, that's just a goal.
We're still thinking about how to prevent people from building mansions in the middle of the road in towns, but a server option or special permission zone settings should be sufficient for multiplayer players and admins looking for a more realistic/immersive experience.
So that's about it for this update! Like I said, 0.025 is right around the corner.
We're currently hiring an experienced programmer and UI/UX designer, so if you are looking for work and have the skills for it, please don't hesitate to email [email protected] with your portfolio or resume.
If you're not and still want to contribute, there are other ways to help out. If you're bilingual and see translation errors in the game (or want VEIN in your own language), please visit https://crowdin.com/project/vein where we have a community translation system set up. Otherwise, the official VEIN wiki is located here https://vein.wiki.gg/ and can always use volunteers.
Thanks for reading and best of luck in the Champlain Valley!