[h1]It's time! Atomic Picnic officially drops into Early Access on November 7—but if you're itching to jump in right now, we’ve got you covered![/h1] The [b]final public playtest[/b] has just kicked off and will run for the next [b]7 days.[/b] This is your last shot to try out new features, objectives, and wild Curios before launch. Plus, we need your help to test and perfect everything before the big day! [b]You’ll need to unlock a few characters and weapons this time around. Keep in mind that not all characters and weapons from previous playtests will be available at this time.[/b] But you’ll also find plenty of new goodies to experiment with. Please also note that any progress in this playtest will re-set and wipe before launch. So, let’s get into what’s new in [b]v0.4.8[/b]: [b]What’s New:[/b] [list] [*] [b]Cursed Curios[/b]: A fresh batch of Curios that change your attributes permanently—both good and bad. High risk, high reward! [*] [b]New Curios[/b]: [/*] [list] [*] One-Eyed Whirli: Spawns twisters that push enemies away. [/*] [*] [b]Brisk Enkindlement[/b]: Chills nearby enemies. [/*] [*] [b]Firebranded Whisk[/b]: Leave a burning trail when using Air Gear. [/*] [/list] [*] [b]New Evolutions[/b] [*] [b]New Objectives & Events[/b]: Missions to shake up your Picnics! [*] Aura Pillars, Gold Goblin, and Area Hold Explosive challenges. [*] [b]New Drop Chest[/b]: Defeat Minibosses or complete events to score Evolutions, Pebbles, Curios, or shop items. [/list] [b]New Systems & Changes:[/b] [list] [*] [b]Curio Limit[/b]: You can now equip up to 8 different Curios. Cursed and Evolution Curios don’t count toward this limit! [*] [b]New Memento[/b]: Unlock the [b]Frictionless D20[/b] (Reroll) by earning it—no more freebie on the level-up screen. [/list] [b]Visual Improvements:[/b] [list] [*] Updated visuals for various locations inside the [b]Loner’s Camp[/b]. [/*] [*] Character idle animations are smoother. [/*] [*] [b]Ash[/b] now has dynamic equipment loadout animations. [/*] [*] A reworked [b]Toon Shader[/b] and better antialiasing for a cleaner look. [/*] [*][b]New Water Shader[/b] and improved terrain materials. [/*] [/list] [b]Quality of Life Upgrades:[/b] [list] [*] [b]Single Player Pause[/b] is finally here—take a breather whenever you need. [/*] [*] Improved rendering performance, better object culling, and [b]shadow quality[/b]. [/*] [*] [b]Partial Localization[/b] and [b]Controller Support[/b] improvements. [/*] [*] Optimized for wider aspect ratios (16:10 and 21:9), the game looks crisp no matter your screen. [/*] [*] New [b]Loading Screens[/b] with tips and tricks. [/*] [*] Sound upgrades, including a vocal boss-fight track and enhanced SFX for key moments.[/*] [/list] [b]Gameplay Tweaks & Balancing:[/b] [list] [*] [b]Harder Difficulty[/b]: We’ve cranked up the challenge. Think you can handle it? [/*] [*] [b]Discovery System[/b]: It now takes more playtime to complete, but the rewards are even better. [/*] [*] [b]Octavio Boss Rework[/b]: Now packs an even bigger punch! [/*] [*]Improved enemy targeting and flying enemies that mix up their altitude for a more dynamic challenge. [/*] [/list] [b]Bug Fixes:[/b] [list] [*] Fixed game freezes during objectives. [*] Corrected issues where certain enemies weren’t taking damage from some Curios. [*] Resolved problems with [b]UI flickering[/b] and made various improvements to [b]controller navigation[/b]. [*] Fixed [b]connection errors[/b] in some regions and addressed minor glitches to smooth your experience [/list] [b]Known Issues:[/b] [list] [*] VFX for new Curios may persist when a character is downed. [*] Some projectiles don’t disappear properly. [*] Certain rewards for Discoveries aren’t showing the correct icons. [*] We're still squashing various minor bugs with 3D models, endgame screens, and more. [/list] That’s it for now! Thanks for joining us in this playtest and helping us make Atomic Picnic the best. We can’t wait to see what chaos you create with all these new Curios, Evolutions, and missions!