User blog:Luperza/Patch Notes: Game Update 04

All servers will come down for a Game Update on March 13th at 6:00 AM PT. Downtime is anticipated to be less than 2 hours. Players may note the following changes to gameplay:

General Updates

We've increased the number of passive certifications for members and scaled the increase in Certification points based on length of Membership. The new cert point rates are as follows:
 * Rotated the Warp Gates on all three continents
 * Passive Certification gain has been increased for members.
 * 1-mo. member - 24 passive cert points/day
 * 2-mo. member - 28.8 passive cert points/day
 * 3-mo. member - 33.6 passive cert points/day
 * 4-mo. member - 38.4 passive cert points/day
 * 5-mo. member - 43.2 passive cert points/day
 * 6-mo. + member - 48 passive cert points/day

Added a Virtual Reality Training Center
 * This area is accessible through any warp terminal
 * This is a safe test area where you can try every weapon, vehicle, and upgrade available to your empire!
 * Each empire has its own Training area.
 * This area has target dummies for vehicles and infantry that have the same properties as in normal combat.
 * An indoor shooting range with random targets at 10 meter intervals for reflex practice and target recognition is available.
 * An outdoor shooting range with infantry and vehicle targets to train with all manner of weaponry is also available.
 * There is an open area to practice driving or flying with vehicles.
 * A quad course is available, but jump ramps haven’t been installed yet, so be cautious and creative when navigating the course!
 * While in the training area players have a separate set of loadouts for vehicles and classes. Normal loadouts are used when the player returns to one of the continents.
 * A Redeploy hotkey has been added and can be used without having to view the map. Default binding is the Delete key. If you find yourself stranded in VR, use the hotkey to get back to the training facility. This functionality is available both in and out of VR Training.
 * For training purposes, reality has been altered in this area:
 * All weapons for infantry and vehicles available to the player’s empire can be used!
 * All vehicle upgrades, suit upgrades, abilities, and weapon attachments are available and at the maximum rank while in the zone, regardless of the player’s current certifications.
 * Vehicles and MAX suits do not cost resources.
 * Vehicles and MAX suits do not require or start acquisition timers.
 * Player stats are not recorded while in this area.
 * Experience and medals cannot be earned while in this area.
 * Players cannot hurt each other or their vehicles but can hurt themselves.
 * Shooting or destroying friendly target dummies does not grant grief points but will still show the grief indicator and play the grief sound.
 * Respawning has no time delay.
 * Weapon trials cannot be obtained while in this area (you already have access to every weapon!).
 * Note that consumables still cost resources and deplete the player’s inventory when used while in VR. This will be altered in a future update.

New Items:
 * More Classic Decals have been added to the Depot.
 * Added a new weapon for the Flash, the S12 Renegade shotgun.

Infantry Updates
 * The cloak effect on low graphics settings will no longer make the infiltrator completely invisible.
 * Fixed issues with some AA weapons not causing proper damage to air vehicles at close range.
 * Fixed an issue where rocket launchers could maintain a lock through actions that should have cancelled it
 * Shooting through SCU shields should no longer impact projectile range
 * When set to semi-automatic, the crosshair for the NS-11 and NS-11 Platinum should no longer disappear
 * Fixed an issue where the M77-B could lose its crosshair after aiming down the sight
 * Changed the color of the night vision scope’s crosshair so that is easier to see against dark backgrounds.
 * Should now be able to unlock the Auraxium Medal for the TR’s ASP-30 Grounder
 * The shell casings for all pump action shotguns should now eject from the weapon at the correct time and match the texture of the shell casings being loaded
 * Placed C4 will now despawn when the source player dies
 * NS Annihilator: Range to lock-on to ground targets reduced to 400 meters (matching the range of other ground lock-on rocket launchers). Range against aircraft remains at 500 meters.
 * Fixed bug that was causing the hit box and the player model to not match when jumping.
 * Note: Other players will now jump lower to the ground (and be slightly easier to shoot). There has been no change to actual jump height.
 * Small increase to the angle that players can walk up
 * The medals for the TRS-12 Uppercut should no longer be mislabeled
 * The LX Mark IV and Trueshot scopes should now both apply the proper attachment to the GD-66 Claw when equipped
 * Addressed cosmetic issues with the T5 AMC’s reload animation
 * The following infantry based explosives have been modified. In general, explosions are now stronger at their center, but damage falls off faster
 * Frag Grenades: Reduced inner blast radius by 2 meters. Reduced outer blast radius by 0.5 meters. Increased inner damage by 25 points.
 * Sticky Grenades: Reduced inner blast radius by 2 meters. Reduced outer blast radius by 0.5 meters. Increased inner damage by 25 points. Sticky grenades will now bypass flak armor if stuck to a player.
 * TR Claymores: Reduced inner blast radius by 1.5 meters. Reduced outer blast radius by 1 meter. Increased inner damage by 25 points.
 * NC Bouncing Betties & VS Proximity Mines: Reduced inner blast radius by 0.5 meters. Reduced outer blast radius by 1 meter. Increased inner damage by 25 points.
 * Tank Mines: Reduced inner blast radius by 0.5 meters. Reduced outer blast radius by 3 meters. Note: These changes only apply to infantry.
 * Underbarrel Grenade Launcher: Reduced inner blast radius by 0.4 meters. Increased inner damage by 25 points.
 * C4: Increased inner blast radius by 1 meter.

Modified the total ammunition capacity of the following weapons:

Default capacity increased from 120 to 140 on the following carbines:
 * NC Reaper DMR
 * NC AC-X11

Default capacity increased from 180 to 210 on the following assault rifles:
 * NC GR-22
 * NC Carnage BR
 * NC GD-7F
 * VS Pulsar VS1
 * VS H-V45
 * VS CME
 * VS Equinox VE2 Burst
 * VS Equinox VE2
 * VS Solstice
 * VS VX6-7
 * VS Solstice Burst
 * VS Solstice SF
 * VS Serpent

Default capacity increased from 60 to 70 on the following Sniper rifles:
 * NC Gauss SPR
 * NC Impetus
 * TR 99SV
 * TR KSR-35
 * VS VA39 Spectre
 * VS Phantom

Default capacity increased from 30 to 40 on the following bolt action sniper rifles:
 * NC NC14 Bolt Driver
 * NC SAS-R
 * NC LA80
 * NC Longshot
 * TR M77-B
 * TR TSAR-42
 * TR SR-7
 * TR RAMS .50M
 * VS XM98
 * VS Ghost
 * VS V10
 * VS Parallax

All 75 round LMGs are now the same and have a 300 round capacity.
 * NC Gauss Saw S
 * TR TMG-50
 * VS Pulsar LSW
 * VS SVA-88
 * VS Flare
 * VS Ursa

Pistols:
 * NC NC4 Mag-Shot : Default capacity increased from 60 to 75
 * NC Rebel : Default capacity increased from 32 to 56
 * TR TX1 Repeater: Default capacity increased from 84 to 105
 * VS Beamer VS3 : Default capacity increased from 68 to 85
 * VS Manticore SX40 : Default capacity increased from 60 to 75

SMGs:
 * NC AF-4 Cyclone : Default capacity increased to 175
 * TR SMG-46 Armistice : Default capacity increased to 240
 * TR PDW-16 Hailstorm : Lowered default capacity to 240
 * VS Eridani SX5 : Default capacity increased to 200

Other:
 * TR T32 Bull: Lowered default capacity to 240
 * All semi-auto shotguns : Default capacity increased to 48
 * NC Jackhammer : Default capacity increased to 48
 * VS VX29 Polaris : Fixed bug that was causing this weapon to pickup ammunition twice as fast as all other 100 round LMGS.
 * NC Gauss SAW S: Fixed bug that was causing this weapon to pickup ammunition too slow. It now collects a full magazine each pickup pass.
 * All 8 round magazine semi-auto shotguns: Fixed bug that was causing these to only pickup 6 rounds each pass. They now pickup a full 8.

Vehicle Updates

Flash Update:
 * Rumble Seat: You can now bring a passenger with you on your Flash that can utilize their personal weapons while moving.
 * New Cert Line: Wraith Module: Cloaking for infiltrators using the Flash
 * New Weapon: S12 Renegade Shotgun
 * Vehicle horns should now be able to be heard from significantly greater distances
 * Movement improvements have been made for the Magrider:
 * Stock hover length increased
 * Hill climbing restrictions re-adjusted. Should no longer receive excessive penalties when driving on uneven terrain.
 * Torque has been increased for all ground vehicles.
 * This should result in an increase over their current top speeds when driving up inclines.
 * General tuning adjustments to environmental collision damage for all vehicles
 * Should now be able to re-equip the default cockpit glass on aircraft after equipping decal cockpit glass
 * Vehicles will no longer continue to drive themselves after the pilot exits
 * Fixed an issue that could cause a players to be flung long distances when they collided with a vehicle

Vehicle Weapon Changes
 * Prowler P2-120 HEAT & HE rounds have had their blast damage reduced from 1000 to 700.
 * Full shields and health infantry require at least two rounds to be killed from splash damage exclusively.
 * This does not affect direct damage.
 * A direct hit will still kill a full health infantry in one round.
 * Most vehicles are immune to tank blast damage so this will have little effect on vehicle to vehicle combat.

Prowler P2-120 HE
 * Time to reload increased from 3125ms to 3500ms
 * Vanguard Titan 150 HE
 * Time to reload decreased from 5000ms to 4750ms

G30/A30 Walker
 * Reduced cone of fire penalty slightly
 * The inner/outer blast radius from the following vehicle based weapons has been reduced
 * MBT HEAT: (P2-120, Titan and Supernova): Inner radius blast reduced from 2 to 1.5 meters. Outer radius blast reduced from 7 to 5 meters.
 * MBT HE: (P2-120, Titan and Supernova): Inner radius blast reduced from 2.5 to 2 meters. Outer radius blast reduced from 11 to 8 meters.
 * Lightning: L100 Python HEAT: Inner radius blast reduced from 1.5 to 1 meter. Outer radius blast reduced from 7 to 5 meters.
 * Lightning: L100 Python HE: Inner radius blast reduced from 2 to 1.5 meters. Outer radius blast reduced from 11 to 8 meters.
 * Liberator: L105 Zepher: Outer radius blast reduced from 8 to 7 meters.
 * Liberator: C150 Dalton: Outer radius blast reduced from 10 to 9 meters.

ESF:
 * Rocket Pods: Outer radius blast reduced from 6 to 5 meters.
 * Common: M60 Bulldog: Outer radius blast reduced from 8 to 6 meters.
 * Common: E540 Halberd: Outer radius blast reduced from 4 to 3 meters.
 * Magrider: Saron HRB: Outer radius blast reduced from 4 to 3 meters.
 * Vanguard: Enforcer ML85: Outer radius blast reduced from 4 to 3 meters.
 * Prowler: P525 Marauder: Inner radius now matches M40 Fury; Increased from 1 to 2 meters.

The experience granted for killing many enemy vehicles has been increased:
 * Galaxy: 400 xp, increased from 300 xp
 * Liberator: 500 xp, increased from 150 xp
 * ESF: 400 xp, increased from 75 xp
 * MBTs: 500 xp, increased from 100 xp
 * Lightning: 400 xp, increased from 100 xp

UI Updates
 * The server select screen in the create character flow now defaults to showing recommended servers
 * Improved bundle preview functionality
 * Added item descriptions tooltips
 * Added strikethrough for owned items
 * Added “last logged in” to outfit management
 * Added drag and drop functionality to the Platoon Management window
 * The grenade counter on the HUD now displays which grenade you have equipped
 * Various UI optimizations
 * Manual minimap zoom is now supported. The default keybindings are ‘[‘ and ‘]’ for zoom out and zoom in, respectively.

Respawn & Map screen revamp
 * The respawn screen has been merged with the map screen capabilities
 * Deployment locations are now displayed on the left side of the screen when the player is dead, along with simplified class selection panel. The list functions the same way it did on the respawn screen.
 * You can now switch continent views by clicking directly on the continent title bar at the top of the map screen.
 * Statistics, Resources, and Filters panels have been consolidated into a modal toggle bar in the upper-right of the map screen. In addition to reducing screen clutter, this cleans the map up to future expansion as features such as the mission system get implemented.
 * Instant action has been redesigned to be a single button press, with no on-map indication of where it will send the player, but it will still hot-drop them onto a facility with heavy combat. This is to prevent people from exploiting instant action as an organizational tool, which is what people were using it for previously. If you are in a squad and not the leader, a second button for squad deploy will appear.
 * Fixed a bug where locked certs were showing as purchasable, even though they could not be purchased
 * The tooltip displaying Bronze and Gold membership bonus percentages should now show the correct bonus amounts
 * The information displayed in the Profile page and the Leaderboard Stats Pane should now be consistent
 * Fixed an issue where platoon leaders that gave up squad leadership were unable to be promoted back to squad leader
 * Facility defends should now be appropriately tracked in stats and leaderboards
 * Leaderboards should no longer display erroneous negative numerical values in the Time Played column
 * Can now click/sort the BR, Capture, and Defended columns in the Leaderboard
 * Social Menu button on the Leaderboards should now be grayed out for your own name
 * "Back" and "Next" buttons become grayed out and do not function once the player reaches the beginning or end of the leaderboards
 * The "go to top" and "find me" buttons are now disabled on the friend and outfit leaderboards
 * The Mini-Chaingun, Jackhammer, and Lasher are now listed in the machine gun section of the stats page
 * /l and /c are now shortcuts for leader/command chat.
 * Destroyed phalanx turrets display the “need repair” wrench icons for friendly engineers
 * Location of squad mates should correctly show on the map, even if the squad was created at long ranges
 * Will no longer receive a successful confirmation message when entering incorrect Twitch TV credentials
 * Vehicle acquisition timers should now display accurately while you are dead
 * There is now a Battle Rifle filter in the Depot
 * The AMR-66 should now be correctly filtered in the Depot

The following commands should now function properly:
 * /outfit invite
 * /outfit quit
 * /outfit leave (same functionality as /outfit quit)

Facility Updates
 * Can no longer capture Point A at Arroyo Torre Station through a wall
 * All jump pads at Nott Amp Station should now be empire-specific
 * Replaced a missing ammo tower from the Spec-Ops Training Camp
 * IFF shields at Wokuk Amp Station should now update appropriately on base capture
 * Fixed misplaced IFF shields at the NE teleporter room of Andvari Bio Lab
 * The shield generators at Zurvan Amp Station should now be connected to the appropriate shields
 * All banners at the following locations should now update properly with ownership:
 * Andvari Biolab
 * Terran BL-4 Crash Site
 * Onatha Biolab
 * Ymir Biolab
 * Added a fourth equipment terminal to the Heyoka Southeast Gate forward spawn
 * The ammo tower at Xelas Bio Lab’s North East forward spawn should now properly update with point ownership
 * Removed a non-functional SCUs from:
 * Copper Ravine Station
 * Crimson Bluff Tower
 * Mani Bio Lab
 * Addressed issues with Gravpad particle effects missing when viewed from certain angles
 * Fixed collision issues that could cause players to fall through the world near the Indar’s northern warpgate
 * Fixed patches of missing terrain at the following locations:
 * Zurvan Amp Station
 * Dahaka Amp Station
 * Allatum Biolab
 * Mao Tech Plant
 * Tawrich Tech Plant
 * Addressed some graphical issues at the spawn point for Howling Pass Checkpoint and the Dahaka Amp Station tunnels.
 * Forward spawn points should now display as neutral when appropriate on both the map and minimap
 * Addressed terrain clipping and texture seam issues at:
 * Zurvan Amp Station
 * Ikanam Bio Lab
 * Tawrich Tech Plant
 * Crimson Bluff Tower
 * The Stronghold
 * The Crown
 * Crossroads Watchtower
 * Highlands Solar Station
 * Indar Bay Point
 * J908 Impact Site
 * Red Ridge Communications
 * Sandstone Gulch Mining
 * Camp Connery
 * Scarred Mesa Skydock
 * Mao Tech Plant
 * Hvar Tech Plant
 * Gravel Pass
 * Abandoned NS Offices
 * Quartz Ridge Camp
 * Removed a non-functional capture point from the Esamir Biolabs
 * Fixed inconsistent experience reward for capturing Quartz Ridge Camp
 * Friendly terminals and phalanx turrets now give appropriate grief when damaged
 * Redesign of the Outpost Tower to make vehicle ordering more secure
 * Added a switchback from Blackshard Platinum Mine to Mesa Com. Station and connected Rust Mesa Lookout to the Old Stockpile
 * Adjusted ARC Bioengineering and NS Salvage Yard to be more accessible
 * Added a bridge from Crater Firing Range to Alkali Mining Supply
 * Addressed a stuck bug in some crates and containers at Northpoint Station
 * Anti Gravity Pad particle effects should no longer be coming through the floor anywhere at The Crown

Audio Updates
 * Riders on the Flash should now hear audio cues for lock-on
 * Exiting a Sunderer with a gate shield diffuser equipped should no longer play the diffuser activation audio.
 * Suppressor attachments should now change the firing audio of the Eridana SX5 and SMG-46 Armistice
 * GD-7F Carbine should no longer have different firing audio for single shot vs automatic fire
 * NS Annihilator should now have lock on sound effects