Update 341 is now available on steam and includes multiple updates to maps and a bunch of bug fixes and tweaks to both the game and matched play. There are also additional updates to the balance which you can find in the in-game menu. Remember all sales of NS2 and DLC directly affect our development budget and allow our team to continue work on NS2. [b]Changelog[/b] [b]Tweaks / Improvements[/b] [list] [*] Death screen has been made smaller in overall size, hides when the map is opened, the fade to black lasts only 2 seconds, and the killfeed is no longer hidden. This should be more in line with the previous deathscreen experience over the years. Thanks everyone for your feedback on this feature! [/*] [*] Re-added text drop shadows to the in-game chat text elements. [/*] [*] Changed the text drop shadow rendering feature to fix severe FPS losses on certain graphics driver and hardware configurations. (Thanks, Axtel!) [/*] [*] Added Drop shadow text to damage numbers [/*][/list] [b]Matchmaking Fixes and Changes[/b] [list] [*] Individual players are automatically kicked from a lobby after 1 hour has elapsed without progressing the lobby state beyond Waiting for Players. This prevents long term AFK individuals propping up a potentially bugged lobby that acts as a trap for everyone else matching. [/*] [*] Fixed Steam Authentication potentially failing when waiting in a lobby for more than 30 minutes. [/*] [*] Fixed multiple players ending up being on an unassigned team and therefore being kicked from the server. [/*] [*] Fixed rare occurrence of a client not progressing through the lobby stages with everyone else. [/*] [*] Fixed a lobby failing when a server request returned error 500. [/*] [*] Fixed the Matchmaking Rewards menu’s Queue button being active all the time [/*] [*] Fixed Steam Offline status triggering too easily. It now counts down over multiple seconds before considering you having lost connection and can roll backward to a reset state over the same time frame if the offline status did not get reached. This ensures that a momentary loss of internet does not trigger kicking you from the game or lobby. [/*] [*] Fixed client script errors during certain lobby stages. [/*] [*] Fixed skill offset miscalculation between the teams [Drey] [/*][/list] [b]Mod System Changes[/b] [list] [*] Added an option to the create local server page to enable mounting UWE hotfix mods when creating a server. [/*] [*] Maps from non-active mods are now included in the Listen Server map list and are automatically mounted on the server when it is created. [/*] [*] Hotfix mods are no longer hidden in the menu mod list. [/*] [*] Duplicate Mod ID entries in a server’s map cycle are now handled properly. [/*][/list] [b]Fixes[/b] [list] [*] Fixed being able to receive Matchmaking invites while playing in a public server already. [/*] [*] Fixed Auric Clog not being able to be selected or used once unlocked. [/*] [*] Fixed Chroma Resource Tower not being able to be selected or used once unlocked. [/*] [*] Fixed when earning the Battle Gorge calling card, it's not available. And instead two items of Turbo drifter are granted. [/*] [*] Fixed a potential server crash when fetching hotfix mods fails. [/*] [*] Fix -game command line option not handling absolute paths for the Linux dedicated server. [/*][/list] [b]Sounds[/b] [list] [*] Client hitsounds files are no longer constrained by our file validation rules. [/*][/list] [b]Maps[/b] [list] [*] [b]Biodome:[/b] (Thanks psyk!) [/*] [list] [*] Moved Agri RT to the north of Agri (New room, thanks Kash!) [/*] [*] Increased height of small connection between Atmospherics and Scrubbers to nerf Armory blocks while arcing. [/*] [*] Disabled Bridge-Agri jump (still possible with boosting or dropped structures). [/*] [*] Reduced Cysts needed to Filtration from 5 to 4. [/*] [*] Fixed LoS issue which enabled Railguns to shoot Atmospherics Hive from CO2 Scrubbers. [/*] [*] Fixed structure placement exploits in Hydro. [/*] [/list][/list][list] [*] [b]Caged:[/b] (Thanks psyk!) [/*] [list] [*]  Added a vent below the stairs between the Purification and Ventilation connection. [/*] [*] Smoothed out movement below the walkway leading from Ventilation to Purification. [/*] [*] Closed off the door a bit more coming into Ventilation from Purification and moved Pillars/Walls at that entrance (less space at sides) to make it harder for Marines to attack Ventilation from Purification PG. [/*] [*] Added a Pipe/Crate combo so you can jump up on the higher level of Ventilation from the south side. [/*] [*] Moved the Powernode in Ventilation to be less vulnerable. [/*] [*] Created space between the scanner and container in Shipping. [/*] [*] Added a glass hole at the northern entrance of Generator for building ARCs. [/*] [*] Smoothed movement around that area below Generator. [/*] [*] Added some obstacles into Monitoring. [/*] [*] Marines can now get into the Lower Wasteflow ceiling vent using the barrels and doorframe to climb up. [/*] [*] Added a ladder into the DAT-1 vent. [/*] [*] Slightly scaled out the doorframe near the DAT-1 vent to make it easier to trick jump into the vent. [/*] [*] Marines can now trick jump into the Sewer-Puri vent from Sewer. [/*] [*] Removed collision from tons of tiny props. [/*] [/list][/list][list] [*] [b]Derelict:[/b] (Thanks psyk!) [/*] [list] [*] Added 5th techpoint in the middle of the map in Admin. [/*] [*] Moved res node in Admin. [/*] [*] More cover, thicker trees and other improvements to Plaza (smaller room). [/*] [*] Added a few more cover spots here and there. [/*] [*] Added vent between Flooded and Botany. [/*] [*] Added additional route between Garage and Turbine. [/*] [*] Added additional route between Geothermal and Flooded. [/*] [*] Re-arranged the Truck/Container setup in the entrance of Garage / Alley. Can go through the right side of the truck, jump up the small crates; also broke the right yellow railing at the right entrance for more fluid gameplay. [/*] [*] Added kinda vent between Glass Hallway and Biome. [/*] [*] Added ladder at the pipe tower in Plaza. [/*] [*] Changes to Administration to help Aliens against ARCs coming from Overlook: [/*] [list] [*] Another window hole to bile or attack. [/*] [*] Lowered the vent on floor level to help (retreating) Gorges. [/*] [*] Put more crates into that ARC spot hallway to the right to remove some space for ARCs and to the left to give Gorges some cover to bile from range. [/*] [*] Smoothed out movement in those offices by rearranging/scaling the desks, etc. and using collision geo. [/*] [/list] [*] Moved the entire Atmospheric Seeding location higher to reduce/remove elevation at both exits, which led to frustrating uphill combat for Aliens and made the long corridor even worse. [/*] [*] Increased the height of the floor around the broken tree container prop and the RT in Nursery to remove awkward movement and collision due to height differences. [/*] [*] Geothermal fixes: [/*] [list] [*] Moved up the entire floor plane to reduce issues with height differences and techpoint being in a kinda pit. [/*] [*] Shrunk pipes above techpoint. [/*] [*] Blocked off the space above the ceiling pipes leading away from Geothermal and used for bile bomb abuse. [/*] [*] Removed ladders, you can use the rocks to jump up now. [/*] [*] Moved power node around the corner to be more protected from bile. [/*] [/list] [*] Shrunk Western Entrance by 33%. Less negative space, less clutter needed to fill it, more fps. [/*] [*] Changed the entrance between Western Entrance and Infested Corridor to be more interesting for gameplay and less of a long, straight line abused by well positioned Marines. [/*] [*] Widened Infested Corridor and improved movement/combat. [/*] [*] Removed vent from Western/Biome to Plaza. [/*] [/list][/list][list] [*] [b]Origin:[/b] (Thanks psyk!) [/*] [list] [*] Moved Ore RT into Generator; easier to defend from Ventilation and a good tunnel location for Biodome start. Also denies an RT to Marines, if they hold Furnace side, similar to how Maintenance is denied, if they hold Biodome side. [/*] [*] Added more starting Cysts to Biodome Alien Start. [/*] [/list] [*] [b]Tanith:[/b](Thanks, Zavaro!) [/*] [list] [*] Increased height of Acidic-Access vent to make boosting more difficult [/*] [*] Lowered floor of Fusion Core resource node to make cyst sniping harder [/*] [*] Pipes in Computer Control-SatCom hallway have been broken so that players may more easily use them as an escape [/*] [*] Chemical Transport’s south side now allows structures to be placed [/*] [*] Ladder added to south side of Chemical Transport platform [/*] [*] Western Entrance modified slightly to smooth out travel between Old Wing and Reactor Room [/*] [*] Some fixes to areas where structures should not have been able to be placed [/*] [*] Several stuck spots removed [/*] [/list] [*] [b]Docking:[/b] (Thanks, Thesaltyseacaptain) [/*] [list] [*] Fixed exploit where marines could escape the map [/*] [*] Fixed power issue in Locker Room [/*] [/list][/list]