Hologryph and tinyBuild have announced a fresh update for SAND, currently slated to arrive on PC later this week. The developer confirmed that testing is underway and the build is on track for release, focusing on several high-priority community concerns.
Key Fixes and Stability Improvements
The upcoming patch targets a variety of technical pain points that have been reported by players over the last week. The most notable changes include:
- A fix for the persistent duplication bug.
- General server stability improvements.
- Movement and terrain adjustments, specifically addressing issues where players get stuck on objects like rocks or ladders.
- A fix for invisible doors and railings that occur after repair.
- Various UI quality-of-life improvements and balance changes.
The team noted that while these fixes address many common reports, some issues remain works in progress. Most notably, the issue of solo players being incorrectly placed into matches with teams is proving to be more complex than initially expected. While it remains a top priority, the developers cautioned that a final fix might be pushed to a subsequent update or hotfix to ensure the solution is permanent.
Clarifying Gear-Based Matchmaking
Beyond the technical fixes, the update addresses the community’s apprehension regarding Gear-Based Matchmaking (GBMM). The developers clarified that the system is intended to support the core extraction shooter experience rather than restrict it.
The system, which the developers now describe as "Trampler-based," calculates a player's power level by looking at both the individual's gear and their specific Trampler configuration. This ensures that a large, non-combat-focused vessel is treated differently than a small, heavily armed craft.
Hologryph emphasized that the system is designed to be non-invasive:
The system is not permanent or invasive. It will not lock you out of the general player pool if you reach a certain threshold. It will simply try to provide more suitable opponents first without making you wait several minutes.
To prevent players from "gaming" the system, the developer confirmed that no power-level information will be displayed on the frontend. Everything will be handled on the backend to maintain the integrity of the matchmaking pool. For now, the developers are encouraging players to continue sharing feedback on the official Steam forums and the SAND Discord server as they continue to tune the balance between matchmaking quality and queue times.