SAND: Raiders of Sophie Patch Notes

Servus Allies!SAND's first major content update, “Last Port in the Storm,” is out now! Bringing a brand-new biome, a new final extraction point, a dynamic dropship event, expanded islands, new environmental hazards, additional lore, community-requested improvements, and much more! Read on for the full update notesCheck out the trailer here: ChangelogNew island: SpaceportAn expansive new island filled with valuable loot and resourcesWill be used as a final extraction point in Storm DiveNew Biome: Obsidian CraterAurogen Crystals will only spawn in this biomeHas a unique POI inside it.Has unique lava cracks that will deal damage to players and tramplers who approach them too closelyHas a new Heat mechanic that will accumulate character’s temperature and will start dealing damage once it is accumulated enough.Dropship Crash SiteSmall event that happens once in a specific time windowIn order for the new dropship timer to start, the current one should despawn first. For that it should be visited at least once by any player.Dropship that got covered by Storm automatically counts as visited.Dropship Crash Site is marked on the mapApproaching the Crash Site will trigger the Ironclads to spawn.Some Islands now have additional secret spots to exploreSome islands now have Energy Powered DoorsIn order to open those doors, the reactor should be enabled and have energy.Every Energy Consuming Device is now visually linked to its reactor by set of wires.Reactor on the Dreadnought is broken and can’t be refilled, so make every second count while using the doors linked to themAdded some readable notes. To some of the islands to expand the lore of the Sophie a bit,More notes will be added in the futureNerfed The Throwing Speed of the Impact GrenadesThey can no longer be Spammed because of the increased wind up time.Improved the musical system so that combat music will start and stop correctlyAdded “Report Player” button to the “You’ve been killed” screenUpdated the drop items mechanic so that items couldn’t be dropped through obstaclesFixed an issue with the world generation. Now terrain should be less mountainous and easier to traverseAlso the Islands should stay a bit further away from the edges of the map so most of them don’t get covered by the first circle.Fixed an exploit that allowed duplicating some items (including Orbital Strike)Fixed an issue where it was impossible to reload the ‘M82’ Rifle with non-default ammo if it was brought from orbitFixed an issue that player name might not be shown to other playersFixed a lot of issues with gamepad controlsFixed an issue that gunboats would be semi-transparentFixed an issue that some VFX weren’t visible through the windowsFixed an issue where “Apply” & “Save changes” buttons become unresponsive after entering the Keyboard & Mouse KeybindingsFixed an issue where the trampler blueprint image would be corrupted in some casesReverted “Fixed an issue where the trampler kept moving after the steering wheel was destroyed”Now the trampler will continue moving after the Steering Wheel was destroyedFixed an issue where the avatar appeared partially or completely below the ground after re-entering an expeditionFixed an issue that allowed players to use ladders to access restricted areas.You might notice freezes/FPS drops in the first ~20 minutes of your match. This happens because of the shader compilation. In future updates, we’ll try to improve the compilation process so it doesn’t affect gameplay.Known IssuesThere may be graphical issues and artifacts when playing on Intel GPU’sThe character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelBullets can pass through the character on a speed-boosted tramplerShotgun might not deal damage at close range distanceIronclads can be triggered multiple times by reentering the trigger areaCharacter can become occluded in some casesCharacter hands are “broken” when they carry energy rodsPlayer may not receive a corresponding VFX from heat damageBoxes may remain stuck inside the fridge after the Trampler is destroyedUnfortunately, the flickering and teleporting ghouls have returned when attempting to mount a turret.There might be places in terrain where the character can fall under terrainThis occurs in places where terrain is extremely steepCharacter can let go of ladder if it’s under an angleBox with cannon can fly in the air after uninstalling it while holding large items in handsThanks for your patience while we worked on this update folks, we hope you all enjoy it!Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Update #11 has landed, and even with a major content update on the way later this month, this one is packed! Find teammates in game with the recruitment office, wield new EMP weapons, explore a new POI, and more in our biggest update yet! Check out everything that's new belowChangelogThe recruitment office is now open!At the recruitment office, you can find teammates to join your expedition or theirsYou can add tags to your recruitment ad so you can easily find playersYou can find it under the list of players in the team (blue buttons)Small improvements to world generation so terrain is slightly more variableNew items:EMP GrenadeEMP RocketV1 Repair Patch - instantly fixes damaged patches and pipesAdvanced Repair Kit Fuel - fixes compartments fasterFor now, those items can only be found in the Suspicious Pile of SandAdded POI (POI Archipelago)It can be seen on the map, and it doesn’t have a name like islandsAdded “Take All” mechanicNow you can press F when opening a box to take all items from itRum cars now have loot in their trunksAdded stationary medkits on islands and fortsThey are one-time useAdded climbable vines to some of the islands and fortsThey’re greener than others and can be climbed similar to laddersVFX improvements and optimizationsFixed an issue where Captain's compartment could be placed in hard-to-reach places if the door is located above compartments with smoking pipesFixed an issue where Captain's Compartment is highlighted as valid in the trampler editoreven when it was blockedFixed an issue where the character's hitbox didn’t change position while operating the turretFixed an issue where the held large item disappears after swapping it with another large item on the moving TramplerFixed a clipping issue with moving toward the window while crouched inside the M78v EmbrasureFixed an issue where the game wouldn’t respond to user inputs:After using a turret with a box placed on top of itWhile using a steering wheel if there is a staircase in front of itFixed an issue where KF "Vershyna" Crow's nest ladder remained flying in the air after destroying the compartmentFixed an issue where some items had “+1” displayed near them on the expedition results even though no additional item was extractedFixed an issue where Join by code stops working after opening another menuFixed an issue where the Trampler blueprint couldn’t be deletedYour keyboard and controller settings might reset after installing the updateYou might notice freezes/FPS drops in the first ~20 minutes of your match. This happens because of the shader compilation. In future updates, we’ll try to improve the compilation process so it doesn't affect gameplay.Rework of the gamepad controls - BetaWe started reworking gamepad controls to support new featuresChanges to the button mapping:L3 - SprintR3 - Scope/MeleeX|A - JumpO|B - CrouchSquare|X - Reload/InteractHolding Square|X - InteractTriangle|Y - Change WeaponHolding Triangle|Y - Change Ammo TypeL1|LB - InventoryR1|RB - PingL2|LT - Scope/HipR2|RT - Shoot/MeleeAdditional options added:Flip Reload and Interact (Off by default (Short Interactions for reload)) - Flip long interactionswith short. Reload triggers when you hold the reload button.Gamepad Long Action Time - Slider with a min value of 1 sec and a max value of 5 sec. Thedefault position is at 1.5 sec. Will allow you to choose how long the holding interaction shouldbeChanges to the inventory controls:X|A - Take ItemSquare|X - Take AllCircle|B - Drop itemTriangle|Y - SplitR2|RT - Change InventoryKnown IssuesUpdate 23/09: Terrain Gen may be overpopulating mountains and coral reefs on some maps. We are working on a hotfix to address this. Some actions on the controller might not work as intendedNames of the players might disappearThere may be graphical issues and artifacts when playing on Intel GPU’sThe character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial popup backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or thesteering wheelBullets can pass through the character on a speed-boosted tramplerShotgun might not deal damage at close range distanceIronclads can be triggered multiple times by reentering the trigger areaCharacter can become occluded in some casesCharacter hands are “broken” when they carry energy rodsThere’s a big black shader inside Fort Tarnopol Fnally: The SAND Sountrack is available now! In addition, we've just dropped the SAND Soundtrack on pretty much every music Streaming platform - Head over to your preferred platform and enjoy SANDs Austro-Hungarian inspired tunes now!Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus Allies, After a few weeks of investigation and work to ensure that potential server merges would not compromise player characters or progression, we have now begun the process of merging server regions. Here's what has changed:Brazil and Central US will be merged into East USKorea and Australia will be merged into AsiaGB will be merged into EuropeUS West will be unaffectedThe affected regions will undergo server maintenance as a result, and this work should last around 1-2 hours.Characters and progression on servers that are being merged should carry over without issue.Please don’t hesitate to inform us if you encounter any progression loss, connection, or ping related issues following this update so that we can investigate.(Note that these changes are not final, and we will be adjusting server regions over the course of Early Access based on player feedback.) UPDATE (15/09 - 19:41 CEST): The server maintenance may take longer than expected. US merge should now be complete in about 1 hourAsia merge roughly 2-4 hours from nowEurope merge will begin tomorrow (will update with details when we launch the maintenance on these servers)UPDATE 2 (15/09 - 21:42 CEST):We've identified the issue with US Central characters being lost and have deployed the fix. Servers should be back up in around 1 - 1.5 hours.UPDATE 3 (16/09 00:59 CEST):Server maintenance on Asia and East US is now completeUPDATE 4 (16/09 11:12 CEST):We will being maintenance on EU/GB servers to accommodate the merge shortly, this work should take 3-4 hours to completeUPDATE 5 (16/09 13:23 CEST):The server merges are now complete, thank you all for your patiencePlease don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus Scavengers! Update #10 is here, introducing a whole new mechanic, fixing a number of commonly reported issues and introducing further quality of life improvements! Check out the full list below 👇ChangelistAdded “Threat” mechanicCrew that has destroyed X* tramplers in a single expedition gets marked as a “Threat”:*In Solo expeditions - 2 tramplers*In Duo, Small Crews, and Large Crew expeditions - 3 tramplersIf a team captured other tramplers, then all of their tramplers will be marked as a “Threat”All other players in the same session are able to see the marked tramplers“Threat” status can be lost by:Losing all the tramplers related to that crewExtractingUsing a radio in the municipality buildingMade matchmaking changes for the new playersThe first couple of matches new players will be matched with new playersAdded a report number after reporting the playerThis is done, so you can provide any additional information through Discord or Customer Care. We will not provide information on the results of your report.Fixed one of the main reasons that Voyage servers would crash over timeIn some cases, game objects and/or colliders increased memory usage and the physics engine’s workload.Fixed the issue where ammo type couldn’t be changed in the Outlaw control scheme if the weapon is not fully loadedFixed the issue where the player’s camera would become corrupted during interaction with a Turret or Control Panel if Orbital Strike was previously used. Occurred with Smuggler weapon handling Mode enabledFixed the issue where uncommon ammo couldn’t be loaded into the slots of the Experimental 80 mm turretFixed the issue where loaded ammo would disappear after packing a turret with a full inventory slotFixed the issue where Low Heat 40 mm Turret Ammo couldn’t be extractedFixed the issue where fall damage wasn’t incorrectly received when reentering the game on disconnectFixed the issue where the game would freeze briefly when closing the Players ListKnown IssuesThere may be graphical issues and artifacts when playing on Intel GPU’sThe character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelBullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted tramplerShotgun might not deal damage at close range distanceIronclads can be triggered multiple times by reentering the trigger areaBlueprint can’t be deletedCharacter can become occluded in some casesCharacter hands are “broken” when they carry energy rodsPlease don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus scavengers,Update 9 has landed, bringing a ton of improvements, balance changes and fixes to the most commonly reported issues we've seen reported of late!We've also implemented new systems to address teamers, added custom mouse keybinds and separate sensitivity settings, and more Check out everything that’s new below 👇ChangelistMade changes on the backend to decrease the chances that players who team up before the start of the expedition would be placed into the same expeditionRepair Kit balance changes:Repair Kit Orbital Storage Stack Capacity 10 -> 20Repair Kit Fuel Stack Capacity increasedOrbital Storage 24 -> 60Large Stack 30 -> 60Medium Stack 12 -> 24Small Stack 3 -> 6Repair Kit Fuel Capacity increased 3 -> 6Changes to the Drop and Hide Item ActionsPress X:While holding Small Items (or Weapons) - Put the item back into inventory from the hands.While holding Large Items - Drop the carried item from the hands onto the ground. Equip the last carried small item (when possible; if not, equip the hands)Hold X:While holding Small Items - Drop the carried item from the hands onto the ground.While holding Large Items - Drop the carried item from the hands onto the ground. Equip the last carried small item (when possible; if not, equip the hands)Items/Weapons currently held in the hands can be placed in storagePreviously, you had to unequip the item/weapon before placing it in storageAdded the ability to assign buttons to the side mouse keysAdded separate sensitivity for the following statesIdleHipScopeSniper ScopeTurretTurret ScopeSteamID is displayed near the player’s nameThis makes it easier to find players when processing reports that were not submitted via “Report Player” in the gameAdded EULA and Players Conduct to be shown at the start of the gameThese screens will only be shown during the first launch and when changes are made to themPossibly fixed an exploit that allowed artifacts to be used more than onceFixed anticheat false positives:Where the player was flagged by anticheat while using the trampler ladder below a certain heightWhere the player was flagged by anticheat after exiting to the Main Menu while crouched and then resuming the expeditionFixed turret icons“New icons” should’ve been shown only in the Outfitting stage when turrets are added to the trampler, not everywhere.Fixed an issue where the trampler reactor could not be turned on while a weapon was in hip modeFixed an issue where compartments that can be passed through, such as cargo decks and framed stairs,could block access to the Essential Compartments without triggering a pathfinding errorFixed an issue where blueprints with no access to Core Compartments could’ve been createdFixed an issue that allowed building a trampler with compartments outside the designated areaFixed an issue where the ‘Evacuation Temporarily unavailable’ message was displayed on a previously activated towerFixed an issue where the item prompt in Storage had too many hotkey optionsFixed an issue where a crew member’s body might’ve partially remained in the Captain’s lobby after leaving the party in any wayFixed an issue where the trampler kept moving after the steering wheel was destroyedFixed a backend issue where players could get stuck on the “Waiting for rival expeditions 0/0” screenKnown IssuesThe game may freeze briefly when closing the Players List.This occurs after closing the player list four or more timesThe character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelBullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted tramplerShotgun might not deal damage at close range distanceIronclads can be triggered multiple times by reentering the trigger areaBlueprint can’t be deletedCharacter can become occluded in some casesCharacter might get broken animations on turrets and steering wheel after using Orbital Strike on Smuggler control schemeWalkaround: get any tool or weapon in hands or respawnCharacter hands are “broken” when they carry energy rods Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, raiders. - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus Scavengers! Update 8 has dropped, and it's probably our biggest one yet! Introducing the first iteration of Gear Based Matchmaking, new trampler armor sets, new shell types, a trampler reactor rework and more Check out everything that's new below 👇ChangelogGear-based matchmaking BETAMatchmaking will now consider the gear score that is combined from the trampler compartments installed and the items placed into the outfittingIf matchmaking fails to find enough players at the matching player level, it will widen the search range.This system is in BETA, and changes to the matchmaking might be made based on your feedback and information that we’ll see on our backendThese changes to matchmaking might also slightly increase the time required to find a matchBUT even during the least player-saturated hours, you will get matched eventually because the Matchmaker will throw everyone into the general queue no matter the Gear Score at a certain point, so you won't be stuck because of it3 new armor sets for the tramplerCan be unlocked in the Tech Tree3 new types of shells70mm Armor-Piercing / Shrapnel Shell - Shot as a singular projectile. Penetrates the Armor and creates a burst of shrapnel on the other side80mm Subcaliber Shell - Has 100% Penetration Chance - Can penetrate multiple compartments in a row40mm Low Heat-Optimized Shells - Reduces the Overheat Buildup while shooting Autocannons by 50% There are 4 types of shell hits:Hit - the projectile hit, dealt damage, and was destroyedRicochet - Shell deals 20% of its damage and gets deflected into the other direction from the compartment that it hit. The deflected shell can still deal its full damage if it hits something else on its wayPenetrate - Shell deals 50% of its damage to a compartment and keeps flying until it hits another obstacle (Basically you can deal 150% of shell's damage in one shot)Clean Through - can be seen when the shell passes through a destroyed compartment. It Doesn't deal damage to it and doesn't get destroyed. It just goes cleanly through it. (This mechanic was always there; we just added a notification to make it less confusing when the shell flies through the trampler.Trampler Reactor changesReactor now visually show their health status and boost effectsIt reddens when it loses HPAll reactors now have 50% more HPShooting at the back of the reactor will deal critical damageReactor smoke VFX reacts to gear, boost, and reactor stateAnti-cheat false positive fixes:Fixed when driving towards the island and grabbing the ladder during the jumpFixed when driving towards the island and starting parkour during the jumpFixed issue with turret shooting giving “Suspicious Activity” messageItem changes“The Great Silence” is now a large item and can’t be stored in the character's inventoryRepair Kit can now be reloaded, so it no longer is destroyed after being fully usedFuel for the Repair Kit is dropped from the ironcladsEmpty Repair Kit can be purchased in the StorageRepair kit taken to the expedition now starts with 0 fuelRepair kit extracted from the expedition gets automatically unloaded, and its unloaded fuel gets extracted separatelyRefactored Trampler Editor to support new armor typesAdditional VFX improvementsUpdated model of the energy rodsPossibly fixed an exploit when a cheater could steal items from the box in your hands remotelyFixed a number of duplication exploitsFixed an exploit where default ammo could be changed into special ammo typePossibly fixed situations when a trampler can move through another trampler on collisionFixed the issue where trampler legs would be in incorrect position after reentering the gameFixed the issue that the weapon didn't have animation and recoil while shooting and activating the flashlight simultaneouslyFixed the issue when Upiors positions could be different between client and server Known IssuesTrampler reactor might not be turned on while having a weapon in hip modeThe character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelBullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted tramplerShotgun might not deal damage at close range distanceIronclads can be triggered multiple times by reentering the trigger areaItem prompt in Storage has too many hotkey optionsBlueprint can’t be deletedCharacter can become occluded in some casesCharacter might get broken animations on turrets and steering wheel after using Orbital Strike on Smuggler control schemeWalkaround: get any tool or weapon in hands or respawn3440×1440 resolution is not availableCharacter hands are “broken” when they carry energy rodsA note on pre-teamers/queue snipers/cheats We wanted to take a moment here to give you all a quick update on the subject of pre-teaming and our in game moderation plans. We are aware of the reports going around of players manipulating the matchmaking systems to be placed with their friends on servers meant for smaller crews. To be clear, this behaviour is prohibited in SAND, and will result in your account being banned from the game. We are working hard to address this and ensure that SAND remains a fun and evenly leveled playing ground for everyone. Here's a quick summary of what we're doing on this front:We have recently instated new admins for managing bans and reviewing reports more quickly, efficiently and regularly.We'll be implementing a code of conduct soon that requires acceptance before playing the game to make it clear which conduct is prohibited in SAND with an emphasis on discouraging third party cheats and pre-teaming. We are actively working on mitigating the ability queue snipe within the game itself, with the full implementation of GBMM being a starting point. We are looking into queue delays and active checks for players regularly placed together in the same server to limit peoples ability to manipulate the system, and identify anyone who continues to engage in such activity.We're also working on getting an advanced in-game admin system set up so that we can look into reports in real time and spectate reportees for immediate confirmation, but this is in the early stages.We have begun processing reports and issuing bans to pre-teamers daily. (Previously, bans were issued in large waves) We encourage you to report either via the in-game reporting system or on our Discord anyone you suspect to be pre-teaming, exploiting or cheating. Let's keep the deserts clean folks. Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus Allies, Update #7 just dropped, bringing a highly requested feature and addressing numerous commonly reported issues! Check out the full patch notes below 👇 Changelog• Added in-game ping systemYou can ping with the middle mouse button• Refactored the system for the character's deathImproved the position of the killed characterFixed an issue when the character would respawn outside of the trampler• Added SFX when someone is interacting with trampler ownership device• Fixed that teams of 4 players couldn’t choose “Small Crews”• Fixed exploit where auto-cannon would shoot faster than intended• Fixed anticheat false positive while respawning on the moving trampler• Fixed the issue that crafting on islands didn’t work correctly• Added pulse animation when zooming on the map, so that it would be easier to find your position• Now turrets will be grabbed after packing them• VFX improvements• Trampler will continue moving if there’s any player on itPreviously, if the owner was away from the trampler, it would stop or turn off even if another player was on it. Now the trampler will not stop or turn off if another player is on it.• Fixed the issue that the character could clip through terrain/obstacles when interacting with a ladder• Fixed the issue that damaged hatches would be displayed as unharmed• Fixed the issue that the kick option becomes unavailable when the captain presses Ready• Fixed the issue that marked items become unmarked after disconnecting and reentering the Loot Division screen• Fixed the issue that terrain can be occluded in some cases• Fixed the issue when on Low and Medium settings, "seams" can be seen on the terrain• Fixed the issue when Repair Kit VFX is displayed in the wrong position from 3rd POV• Fixed the issue when some parts of the environment can be seen through broken compartments• Fixed the respawn timer for objects that had a 30-minute timer• Fixed the issue that turret ammo from the Player's Inventory cannot be loaded into the Turret if another type of Ammo is already placed in the Turret's Inventory• Fixed the issue that multiple players could mount the same turret• Tutorial will no longer start again after restarting the game• Additional fixes on the backendKnown Issues• The character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up background• Items may be displayed inside the character’s body in some cases• Large items may float around the character• Character may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheel• Bullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted trampler• Upiors positioned may be different between client and serverOn the client, it looks like Upior doesn't receive damage, but you might see their “shimmering/blink” body near them• Shotgun might not deal damage at close range distance• Ironclads can be triggered multiple times by reentering the trigger area• Item prompt in Storage has too many hotkey options• Blueprint can’t be deleted• Character can become occluded in some cases• Jumping and staying on the enemy character head can give you a ban• Character might get broken animations on turrets and steering wheel after using Orbital Strike on Smuggler control scheme Walkaround: get any tool or weapon in hands or respawnPlease don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, raiders. - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus allies! Update #6 is live and most importantly - trampler capture is back! Check out what else is new in this update below 👇 ChangelogTrampler capture has been reactivated Additional anticheat improvementsIncludes fixes for some of the false positivesWe are continuing to improve the anticheat and fixing any false positives that will be found Matchmaking queue changes Added “Duo only” queue Small Crews now teams of 3 and 4 Large Crews now teams of 5 and 6 Maneuverability changes: The boost that the energy rod provides now scales with the trampler’s maneuverability The boost will remain 100% until 30% maneuverability. After that, it will steadily decline until 50% at 0% maneuverability. Leg Stun Mechanic Trampler with low maneuverability now has a stun penalty when the leg breaks The lower the maneuverability, the longer the stun Trampler’s max speed is capped to 20% during stun The penalty starts when the maneuverability is below 30%. From there it goes from 0 (at 30% maneuverability or more) to 5 sec (at 0% maneuverability) Using engines to compensate for the maneuverability will also decrease stun duration and negate the rod boost penalty since the maneuverability is increasedOther: Ownership device will no longer be destroyed when the Captain’s compartment is destroyed This means that tramplers can be captured even if the Captain’s compartment is destroyed The large extraction icon will now be displayed when you enter the extraction zone, not while you remain inside it. Fixed the issue where interaction animations would end earlier than the interaction Fixed the issue where trampler would bounce after being destroyed Fixed the issue where a large item could be displayed on the character’s back in Spectator modeKnown Issues The character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up background Items may be displayed inside the character’s body in some cases Large items may float around the character Character may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheel Bullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted trampler Upiors positioned may be different between client and server On the client, it looks like Upior doesn’t receive damage, but you might see their “shimmering/blink” body near them Shotgun might not deal damage at close range distance Ironclads can be triggered multiple times by re-entering the trigger area On Low and Medium settings, “seams” can be seen on the terrain Terrain can be occluded in some cases Crafing on islands doesn’t work correctly Item prompt in Storage has too many hotkey options Blueprint can’t be deleted Character can become occluded in some cases Jumping and staying on the enemy character head can give you banPlease don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Hey raiders,We wanted to give you a quick update on the current status of our next update and the return of Trampler Capturing.A few weeks ago, we disabled Trampler Capturing. This was not an active attempt to "stop cheaters from stealing tramplers," but rather a measured decision to give players time to report any cheats or cheaters they encountered and help us identify the best way to address the issue while improving our anti-cheat systems.Trampler Capturing is a particularly vulnerable feature if we don't protect it against teleportation and no-clip exploits, and even more so with limited options to report cheaters following an expedition. The improvements made in our last anti-cheat update resulted in a noticeable improvement on this front, and with this update we're building on that even further. However, one of the biggest challenges in fighting cheaters is that it's very easy to accidentally flag legitimate players. During our internal testing for this update, we've seen that become a much more prominent issue. Because of this, alongside a few other critical issues that have come up in this build, we've seen the planned release times slip on a few occasions.Throughout the week, we've been testing new detection methods and refining our checks every day. While we've made significant progress, we're still concerned that the current version could result in too many false-positive bans and similar issues to those that led to the initial deactivation of Trampler Capturing.To shed some light on the false-ban issue: to reliably determine whether a player's movement is legitimate, the anti-cheat has to account for many different situations. It needs to know whether the player is on foot or riding a Trampler, whether they've grabbed a ladder, whether the Trampler is accelerating, or whether it suddenly turned around after colliding with a rock or another Trampler. It also has to consider where a player jumped from and where they landed.On top of all that, the system has to handle network conditions such as high ping and packet loss.We've already solved most of these cases, but there are still a few edge cases we aren't satisfied with yet, alongside some other issues in the build that need to be ironed out before we're comfortable releasing the update. As a result, we're now expecting to release it sometime next week.We want to make it clear that once Trampler Capturing is reactivated, we do not plan to deactivate it again. The systems we're putting in place, along with the anti-cheat improvements, should ensure that the issues which led to the feature's removal do not arise again going forward.Thank you all for your patience.Maksym Head of Hologryph Studio

Servus Allies! Update #5 is out now, designed around addressing some of the most common user feedback and reports from the last couple of weeks.Check out the full changelist: Battleye anti-cheat improvementsOptimized rendering and streaming of the terrainLoading of terrain is now smootherArtifacts rebalance:Sphere shield is now impenetrable from both sidesIncreased sphere shield HP from 15k to 25kActivated artifacts can be destroyed by dealing direct damage to them. They have 900HP and can take Infantry and Siege damage.WOK Bomb can’t be destroyed by Infantry and Siege damageActivated artifacts are now instantly destroyed if being hit by an EMP WaveWOK Bomb can be destroyed by EMPArtifacts now play small VFX and SFX on destructionSmoke no longer attaches to the tramplerFixed item duplication exploit with boxesFixed issue that trampler can go under terrain after being destroyedOne of the causes for the “suspicious activity” kicksFixed issue that the character may become transparent in Spectator mode in some casesFixed softlock on the extraction for teams of 2 and moreUI fixesKnown IssuesThe character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelBullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted tramplerThis will be fixed in the upcoming updatesUpiors positioned may be different between client and serverOn the client, it looks like Upior doesn’t receive damage, but you might see their “shimmering/blink” body near themShotgun might not deal damage at close range distanceIronclads can be triggered multiple times by re-entering the trigger areaOn Low and Medium settings, " seams " can be seen on the terrainTerrain can be occluded in some casesCrafing on islands doesn’t work correctlyItem prompt in Storage has too many hotkey optionsThe trampler capturing mechanic will be reactivated with an update Early next week alongside further significant anti-cheat improvements. Appreciate your patience at this time and we'll keep you all updated on this.Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus Allies, With the increasing number of reports of a known exploit making the rounds right now, we are pushing the release of the update planned for today to early next week. With this extra time, we can address some more of the recent exploits that have begun cropping up and ensure we’re reactivating the Trampler Capturing mechanics in a stable and secure environment for our players. Apologies for keeping you waiting. We know how much you all want to see this feature reintroduced, but we need to make sure we don’t bring it back before we’re confident it won’t be vulnerable to the same kinds of issues that led to its removal in the first place. Ahead of the update's release next week, here is the planned changelist 👇Re-enabled trampler captureFixed issue that trampler can go under terrain after being destroyed (one of the reasons why some players were kicked due to suspicious activity)Fixed issue that the character was missing customization on the spectatorFixed softlock on the extractionUI fixesAnti-cheat improvementsFixes for a number of significant exploitsAddressing Duplicated ItemsIn addition, over the last few weeks, we have been able to identify all users who took advantage of an item duplication exploit, as well as the items that were duplicated. Today, as part of a server-side update, we have removed all duplicated items from those who took advantage of the exploit.This will not impact anyone who did not actively utilize the exploit.Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Hey All,Quick status update before jumping in to the Update Notes: First off, we're still working on strengthening our anti-cheat system and implementing new protections against cheaters. We hope to have these implemented this week, if all goes to plan and this work should go a long way toward improving everyone's experience in SAND by addressing the prevalence of cheats and cheaters in the game.Once this work is finished and implemented, we'll reactivate the ability to capture enemy Tramplers. We are taking this issue very seriously, and will continue to combat cheats and cheat distributors in every way we can. Secondly, server issues in West US and Central US should now be resolved, however OCE continues to experience some issues as a result of server outages. The dev team are working with our providers to get these resolved as quickly as possible and to ensure that similar situations are avoided in the future. Apologies for the inconvenience here! As for today's update, check out what's new 👇ChangelogAdditional round of improvements to the hit registration and position of the tramplers and players on the serverKilled characters are put in the correct position on moving tramplersDropping items on moving tramplers now works betterOcclusion now works correctly on moving tramplersInteractions will now work better on fast tramplersParkour will register actions better on moving tramplersShooting on moving tramplers should register betterWe’ll continue improving hit registration; Don’t hesitate to leave feedback or bugs that you might encounterUpdate smoke of the destroyed trampler so it’s no longer possible to see players’ silhouettes inside the smokeAdded SFX for the EMP explosions and shooting at upiors helmetsCrows Nest now requires support. Hope you had fun while it lastedIf you have a trampler with Crows Nest that violates rules, the trampler will be automatically sold, and resources will be granted back to youFixed a newly reported duplication methodFixed issue when at the last Storm Dive sequence the player didn’t receive damageFixed colliders of some compartments in the Trampler Editor:It should be easier to interact with themFixed issue when other player models might look in idle poseKnown IssuesCharacter may become transparent in Spectator mode in some casesCharacter cannot crouch while carrying the Repair KitThe character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelBullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted tramplerThis will be fixed in the upcoming updatesUpiors positioned may be different between client and serverOn the client, it looks like Upior doesn’t receive damage, but you might see their “shimmering/blink” body near themFirst level of the trampler looks black in the Trampler EditorShotgun might not deal damage at close range distancePlease don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

We have today launched a small update to address some of the cheater reports we have been seeing over the last week or so. There is only one change in it - players are now unable to capture tramplers. This is a forced, but temporary measure until we can implement reliable protection against no clip and teleportation.By the end of next week we plan to release an update with protection against the most prevalent cheats and apologize for the inconvenience in the meantime. tinyBuild Games / Hologryph

Servus Allies, Update #3 is now live! As always, we've been closely monitoring your feedback and have today released an update addressing a number of suggestions and reports we've seen over recent weeks (along with adding a brand new Island POI - Halbmond). Check out what's new 👇 ChangelogHitreg fix - Fixed issues and made improvements to melee and shooting at close distancesCharacter movement changes:Movement speed is lower when characters have items in their hands (weapons, grenades, artifacts, toolsStrafing and moving backward are now slowerAdded movement penalty for consecutive jumps/bunnyhopGraphical improvements and VFX fixesImproved performance of the small scatterTerrain Detail graphics settings — Low / Med / High. Controls the range and density of grass and bushesSmall pebbles and grass appear gradually with distance — without suddenly “popping in”Added wind effect to props with fabric materialFixed that Light from the flashlight would be displayed with artifacts when casting in motion at a surface at nighttimeFixed incorrect VFX for the Crystal with HandlesFixed incorrectly baked shadows in some of the compartmentsFixed that Revolver muzzle flash was positioned incorrectlyFixed that the bottom of the Wok Bomb emitted light too brightly while moving it above certain light source objectsFixed repair Kit VFX being displayed in the wrong position from 3rd POVNew Island: HalbmondNew compartment: Crow’s NestImprovements to the failure pointsFailure and trampler module points will now emit particles once, after being fully repairedFixed visual artifacts on the smoke from smoking metal patches, turret slot, and door circuit boxesImprovements for the orbital strike and binocularsShows the distance nowYou’re no longer able to shoot at great distances with orbital strikePreviously, you would waste the Orbital StrikeFixed the issue where disconnection from the lobby would cause certain characters to lose their customizationsFixed an issue where, on some regional settings in Windows, players would get stuck in the air/sky at the start of the expeditionThanks to @D0n15 for helping us with finding the cause of this issueFixed the issue that DLSS was unavailable for players with NVIDIA GPUs (forgot to mention it in the last patch)Fixed an issue that unlockable items in the Tech Tree couldn’t be scrolledFixed an issue where lootboxes could be looted more than onceFixed an issue where the character could get stuck on top of the ladderFixed an issue with parts of terrain on Schwalbenberg that caused issues with tesselationFixed softlock on the Connecting screen when trying to connect to the unavailable serverYou’ll be redirected to the server selection screen with a disconnect messageKnown IssuesCharacter may become transparent in Spectator mode in some casesCharacter cannot crouch while carrying the Repair KitThe Character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside the character’s body in some casesLarge items may float around the characterCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelBullets can pass through the character on speed-boosted tramplerThis will be fixed in the upcoming updatesUpiors positioned may be different between client and serverOn the client, it looks like Upior doesn’t receive damage, but you might see their “shimmering/blink” body near them.Other player models might look in idle posePlease don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Hey everyone, First off, massive shout out to the over 300,000 of you that have joined us on Sophie since our launch last week and a huge thanks for all of the feedback and reports you've provided that continue to help us improve the game! Yesterday, we dropped an update that caused some issues for a pretty significant number of our players and were forced to roll back to the previous version while we addressed these issues. We've now completed this work and are re-deploying update #2 (with even more changes and improvements than yesterday!). Update #2 is available now, check out what's been changed below:Update #2 changelist:Fixed an issue that caused servers to become unavailable, and players were stuck on the "Connecting" screenBecause of thіs issue, we reverted yesterday's updateImproved BattlEye behavior to decrease false-positive bansOcclusion changes that will have a minor positive effect on game performanceAdditional improvements to the character movementImprovements to the trampler collisionsDecreased the number of shakes and glitches during the collision between tramplersPossibly fixes issue when character would fly in the air after the collision between tramplersPossibly fixed the issue that trampler parts would be invisible but you would still be able to interact with themLet us know if you will still encounter this issue after the patchFixed oversaturated boxes and props in the lobbyFixed that trampler stability didn't affect speedFixed energy rod selling price on the contract platforms from 450 to 50Fixed the issue where a character's body may remain in the air after deathFixed the issue that you could make additional shots from autocannon by pressing the right mouse buttonAnother round of improvements to the character controller. Including but not limited to:Fixed issue with getting stuck on difficult terrainFixed several issues with parkourFixed different issues with movementFixed issue with flickering names on the landing cutsceneImprovements to the hit registrationImproved occlusion for the compartments on the tramplerThere are still some cases where compartments might occlude, and we'll fix them in the upcoming updatesGrenade pin no longer gets pulled automatically in Outlaw controlsImproved upiors' behaviorNow has collision with playerTheir movement is now less twitchyThe overall behavior is more responsive and more naturalUpiors can now use cannons (except shotguns)They will leave the cannon when the player gets close to themAdded a gas giant next to the SophieImproved design for some of the pop-upsFixed issue for some of the crew compartments where character would respawn outside of the compartmentFixed exploits where items could be duplicatedFixed the issue when some doors may be restored improperly after fixing the Compartment with a Repair kitFixed the issue where, visually, the door is displayed as broken after being fixed with a repair kitFixed the issue where the expedition will end for the player even though their teammates are still alive. This would also cause issues with receiving the loot after the expeditionFixed the issue where players could get into the compartments by sliding on the entrance group ladderFixed the issues where Toggle and Combine Sprint settings didn't work as intendedFixed the issue where matchmaking preferences were not saved between ExpeditionsFixed the issue where incorrect crew sizes were shown during loadingBalance changes:Increased Recoil for 80mm CannonsIncreased T3 80mm cannon reload time from 2.5 to 3 secBase and low recoil 40mm ammo now have slightly better range (150m/s -> 200m/s and 100m/s -> 150m/s)Added 20% more projectiles for regular 70mm Ammo (42 -> 52)Decreased siege damage of regular 70mm Ammo by 20% (30 per pellet -> 25 per pellet)Added 5 more meters before the damage starts decaying for regular 70mm Ammo (35m -> 40m)Decreased fire rate of Triple Barrel shotgun by 30%Projectile amplifier radius decreased from 15m to 5mManually loading turret from the container now transfers shells from the container into the turret's inventory instead of actually loading it (thank you for the tip Peanut)This is now called "Transfer Content" instead of "Load Turret" to avoid confusionLoot containers will spawn slightly less pneumatic partsIncreased Canned Sea Deer XL sell price from 100 to 500Decreased MedKit sell price from 50 to 20Increased Sell price of Small Valuables and Valuables by 1 crown (3 -> 4, 6 -> 7)Ironclad Crate slot changes (12M -> 1L and 11M)High-tier resources orbital stack size increase (50 -> 75)Known issues:Character can get stuck at the top of the ladderCharacter may become transparent in Spectator mode in some casesCharacter cannot crouch while carrying the Repair KitThe Character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelPlease don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

In preparation for the redeployment of Update #2, server maintenance will begin in around 45 minutes from the time of this post. This work should last 30-45 minutes, following which UPDATE #2 will be made live. Please make sure you exit the game and download the update once maintenance has concluded. Update #2 changelist:Fixed an issue that caused servers to become unavailable, and players were stuck on the "Connecting" screenBecause of thіs issue, we reverted yesterday's updateImproved BattlEye behavior to decrease false-positive bansOcclusion changes that will have a minor positive effect on game performanceAdditional improvements to the character movementImprovements to the trampler collisionsDecreased the number of shakes and glitches during the collision between tramplersPossibly fixes issue when character would fly in the air after the collision between tramplersPossibly fixed the issue that trampler parts would be invisible but you would still be able to interact with themLet us know if you will still encounter this issue after the patchFixed oversaturated boxes and props in the lobbyFixed that trampler stability didn't affect speedFixed energy rod selling price on the contract platforms from 450 to 50Fixed the issue where a character's body may remain in the air after deathFixed the issue that you could make additional shots from autocannon by pressing the right mouse buttonAnother round of improvements to the character controller. Including but not limited to:Fixed issue with getting stuck on difficult terrainFixed several issues with parkourFixed different issues with movementFixed issue with flickering names on the landing cutsceneImprovements to the hit registrationImproved occlusion for the compartments on the tramplerThere are still some cases where compartments might occlude, and we'll fix them in the upcoming updatesGrenade pin no longer gets pulled automatically in Outlaw controlsImproved upiors' behaviorNow has collision with playerTheir movement is now less twitchyThe overall behavior is more responsive and more naturalUpiors can now use cannons (except shotguns)They will leave the cannon when the player gets close to themAdded a gas giant next to the SophieImproved design for some of the pop-upsFixed issue for some of the crew compartments where character would respawn outside of the compartmentFixed exploits where items could be duplicatedFixed the issue when some doors may be restored improperly after fixing the Compartment with a Repair kitFixed the issue where, visually, the door is displayed as broken after being fixed with a repair kitFixed the issue where the expedition will end for the player even though their teammates are still alive. This would also cause issues with receiving the loot after the expeditionFixed the issue where players could get into the compartments by sliding on the entrance group ladderFixed the issues where Toggle and Combine Sprint settings didn't work as intendedFixed the issue where matchmaking preferences were not saved between ExpeditionsFixed the issue where incorrect crew sizes were shown during loadingBalance changes:Increased Recoil for 80mm CannonsIncreased T3 80mm cannon reload time from 2.5 to 3 secBase and low recoil 40mm ammo now have slightly better range (150m/s -> 200m/s and 100m/s -> 150m/s)Added 20% more projectiles for regular 70mm Ammo (42 -> 52)Decreased siege damage of regular 70mm Ammo by 20% (30 per pellet -> 25 per pellet)Added 5 more meters before the damage starts decaying for regular 70mm Ammo (35m -> 40m)Decreased fire rate of Triple Barrel shotgun by 30%Projectile amplifier radius decreased from 15m to 5mManually loading turret from the container now transfers shells from the container into the turret's inventory instead of actually loading it (thank you for the tip Peanut)This is now called "Transfer Content" instead of "Load Turret" to avoid confusionLoot containers will spawn slightly less pneumatic partsIncreased Canned Sea Deer XL sell price from 100 to 500Decreased MedKit sell price from 50 to 20Increased Sell price of Small Valuables and Valuables by 1 crown (3 -> 4, 6 -> 7)Ironclad Crate slot changes (12M -> 1L and 11M)High-tier resources orbital stack size increase (50 -> 75)Known issues:Character can get stuck at the top of the ladderCharacter may become transparent in Spectator mode in some casesCharacter cannot crouch while carrying the Repair KitThe Character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside of the character's body in some casesCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheelCharacter can get stuck at the top of the ladderCharacter may become transparent in Spectator mode in some casesCharacter cannot crouch while carrying the Repair KitThe Character cannot enter the Expedition if the Invite has been accepted at the Tutorial pop-up backgroundItems may be displayed inside of the character's body in some casesCharacter may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or the steering wheel

Hey everyone, With the connection issues that have begun occurring following today’s update, we’ve decided to rollback the update for now so that we can identify what is causing these issues, fix them and redeploy later this week. This rollback will require some server maintenance, which we expect to last around 15-30 minutes. Once the servers are back online, you'll be able to access the game again and the queuing issues introduced in today's update should be resolved. We’ll get to the bottom of what’s causing this and redeploy the update within the next couple of days. Apologies for the inconvenience here and appreciate all of your understanding and patience while we navigated this.

Hey All, A "Quick" mission update for you all to address some outstanding questions, following a massive week for SAND. First of all, we're in the process of testing the next update, things are looking good and we're on track to release this week. Here's some of the bigger things that will be addressed in the update:Duplication bug fixServer stability improvementsMovement/terrain fixes (being stuck on ladders, rocks, etc)Fix for invisible doors\\railings after repairBalance changes and fixesUI QoL improvementsAnd moreOnce again, this update has largely been built around the most commonly reported issues and concerns from players over the last week or so and doesn't cover everything. Fixing the solos being placed with teams issue is proving more complicated than anticipated, despite being one of our highest priorities. We're hoping to have this resolved in this update, but it is possible it may slip to a subsequent update or hotfix. We understand how impactful and frustrating this is, but we have to make sure that this is fixed properly and permanently. We'll keep you all updated on our progress with this.On another note, we wanted to address something that's been a contentious topic since we announced it in the roadmap; Gear Based Matchmaking. We fully understand the collective effort of the community to preserve the fun and the core concept of extraction shooters.This is exactly what we are also trying to do.Because of this, we want to introduce this system as carefully and as non-invasively as possible for regular players. We are familiar with the most common mistakes players have faced in other games of this genre, and we are carefully studying them so we don't repeat the same mistakes. Let's address all concerns one by one.1) "What is the point of progressing if you will be matched against the exact same opponents? There will be no feeling of getting stronger, and gear will have no meaning whatsoever."The answer is this: feeling your progression, or pulling off a crazy run that significantly boosts your progress while being the underdog, is one of the most cherished and memorable experiences in the extraction genre. And we want to support that as much as possible.However, there are two edge cases that have always been a huge pain point for this genre.When you first start playing an extraction game, it is extremely hostile and difficult to learn because new players are thrown into the meat grinder against seasoned veterans. Gear-based matchmaking will give them a few matches of breathing room to learn the basics in less extreme conditions and become more confident before facing average players or veterans.On the other hand, there are veteran players who have reached the top of the progression and are simply looking for fun and a good challenge. And the best kind of challenge is facing someone who is at least partially capable of fighting back. At that point, it becomes less about progression and more about creating cool moments by putting that progression to the test.So, to sum it up: newbies will get a bit more breathing room, around 95% of the community will still play in the same queue, and players running insanely expensive builds will be nudged (not forced) toward opponents of similar power.Which brings us to the second concern.2) "It will make lobbies empty while searching for suitable opponents."The answer is simple: GBMM is not forced.Since most of the community will still be matched into the same pool, regular players should not experience longer queue times.If you are one of the edge cases (a newbie or someone running an extremely powerful build), the matchmaking will first spend a few seconds trying to find the most suitable opponents. If it can't, it will simply proceed to fill the lobby from the shared player pool.We will listen to your feedback and continue tuning the balance between GBMM priority and queue times to keep matchmaking as comfortable as possible.3) "Why make gear-based matchmaking? Make it Trampler-based instead."Actually, that's exactly what it is. Our earlier communication was slightly misleading, and we apologize for that.We see this system as a combination of both. Your Trampler configuration and the gear you bring with you will together determine your "power level" for matchmaking.Why is this necessary? Because it is possible to build a spacious Trampler that can house a large crew but has very limited combat capability. On the other hand, you can have the smallest Trampler possible while equipping it with experimental cannons and powerful artifacts.4) "People will try to abuse the system and squeeze into another power level."Yes, they probably will, and unfortunately there is no perfect remedy for that.Because of this, we will not display any information about your power level or the type of lobby you are being matched into. You'll have to trust our judgment here.Everything will run entirely behind the scenes on the backend, making it much harder to min-max your way into weaker or stronger lobbies.5) "I'm a veteran player. Does this mean I'm permanently locked out from the main player base?"No, absolutely not. We didn't forget about you.This system is not a permanent rule. First of all, it does not judge your playtime, skill, or experience. The only thing it cares about is what you bring into the match. If you are running a reasonably powered Trampler, you will still be matched with the general player base.And that's not all. Even if you are driving an incredibly powerful killing machine, the system will only try to find similarly equipped opponents for a few seconds. If it can't, it won't lock you into an empty lobby by yourself. You will still be matched with the general crowd and have the chance to wreak some havoc and feel like a raid boss.TL;DRThe system is designed to give newbies some breathing room while learning the game and to provide veterans with a better challenge.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.It will be difficult to game the system since we won't expose any information about it on the frontend.Most importantly, it will still preserve those exciting moments of progression and lucky runs, since the vast majority of the community will still end up playing in the same matchmaking pool.Once again, your feedback is extremely important to us. Please tell us what you think and point out any edge cases or concerns that you think we may have missed.Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! Catch you on the dunes, Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

Servus Allies! Big day todayFirst of all, we've been closely monitoring your feedback and reports since launch, and a huge thanks to everyone who has been active in helping us identify some key issues. Thanks to your contributions, we've now release our first update, which has been designed around addressing the most prevalent issues we've had brought to our attention over the last couple of days.You can find the full changelist below: Improvements to the character controllerDecreases the chances of getting stuck on different collidersImproved shooting on and from moving tramplersThis is only the first batch of improvements, and we'll continue to improve the character controller in future updatesImproved lighting to make it more realistic and improve the visual distinction of the terrainFixed the issue where shadows might have been darker than neededAdded onboarding notifications in the gameplayThese notifications will guide players/teams through the basics at the start of the expedition.Fixed the issue when the animation for picking up large items was displayed incorrectly from the 3rd person viewFixed the issue when invisible railings/colliders would appear on the trampler when having a bad connection/packet dropsFixed the issue where the metal vestibule cannot be installed on the tramplerFixed the issue where anti-aliasing and upscalers weren't applied in the menuFixed the issue where a character would be in a T-Pose after being killedFixed the issue where the explosive barrel and Wok Bomb become hidden when a player climbs a ladder, removing the visual detonation timer for other playersFixed the issue where the player may fall under the terrain after being killed or after pressing the respawn buttonFixed the issue that the "Respawn unavailable" message was displayed at the start of the expeditionFixed the issue where the character would partially soft-locked while interacting with the Workbench when it is occupiedWe are continuing to address server issues and outages and have implemented a number of DDOS protections and are still working to get to the bottom of some other common issues (such as groups/teams appearing in solo matches), but we've made a lot of progress and we hope to have the majority of these resolved in our next update. Bear with us, we'll keep you updated. Known Issues in this build:The player's camera may jitter while crouch-walking over environment props such as stairs, boxes, and other objects.The player avatar may get stuck between the seams of certain complex colliders.Avatar's may become invulnerable to melee damage while interacting with turrets or steering wheelIssues causing incorrect object unloading have been partially resolved. However, some environment occlusion issues still remain and are under investigation.Remaining Issues (High priority)Player characters may teleport while climbing ladders.Player characters may become stuck at the top of a ladder.Characters controlled by players with high latency or an unstable network connection may be displayed incorrectly to other players. The same issue affects Tramplers, resulting in erratic movement and incorrect rotation.Weapons and other player-held items may occasionally remain floating in the air.Players may be launched off the Trampler when Tramplers collideUnfortunately, the issue where solo players can still be matched into larger crews has not been fixed yet. We are actively working on a solution.Secondly, we've been closely following your feedback, suggestions and requests throughout our recent Server Slams and since launch. And with all of that in mind, we're excited to share our current roadmap for SAND: Raiders of Sophie.Please keep in mind that this is an overview of just some of the features and content we have planned. As development continues through Early Access, these plans may evolve based on player feedback and community suggestions.Lastly, we want to express our gratitude to the 100,000+ scavengers who have joined us on Sophie in just 4 days! We're incredibly grateful for your support and thrilled to have you along for the ride with us as we trample towards a 1.0 release in the future! Please don't hesitate to report any issues you encounter or share any feedback you might have following this update on our Steam Forums and Discord! We'll see you on the dunes Scavengers! - Hologryph / tinyBuild Games

In preparation for today's update, we will begin server maintenance in 30 minutes, please make sure you wrap up your expeditions before this time to ensure you don't lose any loot or resources. The maintenance should last about 20 minutes.To tide you over in the meantime, here's today's update changelist: Improvements to the character controllerDecreases the chances of getting stuck on different collidersImproved shooting on and from moving tramplersThis is only the first batch of improvements, and we'll continue to improve the character controller in future updatesImproved lightning to make it more realistic and improve the visual distinction of the terrainFixed the issue where shadows might have been darker than neededAdded onboarding notifications in the gameplayThese notifications will guide players/teams through the basics at the start of the expedition.Fixed the issue when the animation for picking up large items was displayed incorrectly from the 3-rd person viewFixed the issue when invisible railings/colliders would appear on the trampler when having a bad connection/packet dropsFixed the issue where the metal vestibule cannot be installed on the tramplerFixed the issue where anti-aliasing and upscalers weren't applied in the menuFixed the issue where a character would be in a T-Pose after being killedFixed the issue where the explosive barrel and Wok Bomb become hidden when a player climbs a ladder, removing the visual detonation timer for other playersFixed the issue where the player may fall under the terrain after being killed or after pressing the respawn buttonFixed the issue that the "Respawn unavailable" message was displayed at the start of the expeditionFixed the issue where the character would partially soft-locked while interacting with the Workbench when it is occupied