Test Server Update - Apr. 09, 2021 - Containment Site Playtesting!

LEARN HOW TO GET ON THE PUBLIC TEST SERVER HERE:
https://forums.daybreakgames.com/ps...st-test-server-policies-download-link.114038/

Chapter 03 - The Campaign Finale
The last chapter of our first campaign releases with this update, and with it comes change.
In short: The continent of Esamir has received numerous fixes and updates, the new Containment Site facility has been added, chapter missions will be available for testing, and items from previous chapters have either been removed or added to the shop.



Containment Site (New Facility)
The Containment Site is a large scale facility new to Esamir in Chapter 03 of The Shattered Warpgate campaign. There are multiple stages of combat where soldiers will fight around and through the facility. Vehicle combat is emphasized outside of the facility, requiring the destruction of multiple weakpoints to bring down gate shields barring entry. Within the hub of the facility, a destroyable SCU will disable defender spawn locations on the first floor of the facility. Attackers then descend into the lower regions of the facility, fighting for capture points held in the Botany, Reliquary, and Energy wings. At this point, defenders spawn in a sub-level location, and must fight their way back toward the surface to re-secure the facility.

Features
This new facility houses a variety of gameplay elements that are new to Auraxis.

• Gate Shield Weakpoints - The hangar bay doors preventing passage into the center of the facility must first be destroyed before a shield will fall. There are three gate shields that operate independently, and are impervious to small arms damage.
• Upper Level SCU - Unlike most Spawn Control Units, this one can be destroyed through heavy weapons fire or overloaded. Overloading the SCU will prevent defenders from spawning on the upper level.
• Guide Paths - Making your way through the heart of the facility is assisted with guide paths that light the way toward each capture point.
• Tempest Siphon - A massive conduit channels the sky's energy into the core of the facility. While the siphon is active, this conduit, and the attached Electrical Room are deadly. Defenders can turn the siphon on, while attackers can turn it off, using a console on the mid level.
• Electrical Room - While the siphon is active, this room becomes charged with energy and shields prevent access (for your safety). The capture point within also reverts to the defender's ownership when this room is active.
• Botany Wing - Planters cultivating the new flora of the Shattered Warpgate can be found in the Botany Wing. These plants act as soft cover that can be destroyed, and regrows rapidly.
• Reliquary Wing - Important research is locked away in the Reliquary Wing, and multiple shields block passage to the capture point. Destroyable locking mechanisms disable these shields.
• Vents - There are plenty of ways in and around the facility, including small passageways that offer risky alternative paths to your destination.

PUBLIC PLAYTEST SCHEDULE
Apr. 10, 6:00pm PT (3:00am CEST) and Apr. 11, 11:00am PT (8:00pm CEST)
This weekend we'll be looking to playtest the new facility at scale, and the results of this test will help decide our release timeline for Chapter 03. We'll be hosting two playtests over the weekend, one at 6pm PT (3am CEST) on Saturday, and one at 11am PT (8pm CEST) on Sunday. This way we'll have timeframes for both NA and EU players to partake.

Playtest Expectations
Our private testing group has helped provide feedback and bug reports during an initial playtest, and now our goal is to prove out the battle flow at scale.
We'd like feedback on how enjoyable and intuitive each separate wing and feature is, as well as discover any gameplay issues we can address.
It's worth noting that THE FINAL ART IS NOT IN THE CURRENT PTS BUILD, so you'll see some rough edges, with the energy room and lower spawn room in a blocked out state.
We don't need bug reports about cosmetic issues (like placeholder textures, pinched textures, or small holes in geometry) but encourage the reporting of bugs for gameplay related issues.
Lastly, the map and minimap will not be up to date with the current Esamir changes, as this is something we do toward the end of the development cycle in case things need to change.

Participation Reward
Folks who participate in the playtest over the weekend will receive a special banner to show you were here, helping us make the experience better for everyone.
This banner will be delivered soon after the update hits Live.


The Work in Progress profile banner.

Feedback Gathering
After the playtests, we will share links to feedback forms in a new unlocked forum thread, and on Reddit.
Getting targeted feedback through these forms helps guide our decisions, and filling them out is a great way to make your thoughts known.
We'll update this post with links to those threads (and share on social,) when the time comes.

Saturday Playback thread: https://forums.daybreakgames.com/ps...ainment-site-playtest-feedback-thread.256461/


Campaign Continued

• The last Chapter of the campaign centers around the new facilities, and a missing agent.
• For the purposes of PTS, these missions will be available to play in any order, but will be sequential on Live.
• Many of the previous chapters' items have been removed or their costs reduced.
• New items can be discovered both through the campaign itself, as well as through the Campaigns vendor in Sanctuary.

Esamir
Below is a list of the most notable changes, though many bug fixes and adjustments have been made across the map.

• Electrical Storm - The roaming Electrical Storm on this continent has been removed entirely.
• Echo Valley Substation - Received additional cover, flow adjustment, and a teleporter room located on the northern side of the base.
• Jaeger's Fist - Received adjustments to redirect chokes away from the spawn room. Now has a lattice link to Tapp Waystation.
• Tapp Waystation - A southern road now connects to Jaeger's Fist, and buildings have been added to the nearby area. Added lattice link to Andvari Containment Site. Removed lattice link to Andvari South Bank.
• Nott Communications - There are now two additional underground routes into this base, and the capture points have been moved. Shield Generator has been moved outdoors.
• Ymir Ruins - Adjusted capture point locations, added Sunderer Garages and cover buildings. Decluttered the playspace.
• Excavion DS-01 - Has been replaced with Ymir Containment Site.
• Andvari Ruins - Has been replaced with Andvari Containment Site.
• Apex Genetics - Has been replaced with Mani Containment Site.
• Mani Processing Plant - Has been renamed Steelshore Processing, and now links to Steelshore Reconstruction.
• Mani Fortress - Has been renamed Steelshore Reconstruction. This base has been reactivated and given a new layout.
• Mani Lake Outpost - Has been renamed Esper Research Station, minor cleanup around the vehicle gate area.
• Vidar Observation - Has been moved north of Grey Heron Shipping, and the layout has changed.
• Grey Heron Shipping - Now has a lattice link connection to The Rink, and uses a northern bridge to reach Vidar Observation.
• Spral Oasis - New construction base added that links to Elli Forest Pass and Terran BL-4 Crash Site.
• Elli Forest Pass - Capture point at this base has been moved to the central bridge, minor changes near the Sunderer garage.
• Eisa Tech Plant - Lattice link removed to Baldur Amp Station. Lattice link added to Waterson's Redemption.
• Waterson's Redemption - There is now a road north of the base, leading to the Eisa Tech Plant.
• The Traverse - A large fissure now runs east and west of The Traverse. This base has also received a new teleporter room close to the vehicle pad.
• Northpoint Station - Has been renamed Northpoint Ruins. This base has been reactivated and given a new layout. Lattice connects to Steelshore Reconstruction and Stillwater Watch.
• Stillwater Watch - This base has been reactivated and given a new layout. Lattice connects to Northpoint Ruins, Vidar Observation, and Mani Containment Site.
• Old Shore Checkpoint - Removed lattice link to Bridge Ward.
• Frostbite Harbor - Now has a lattice link to Baldur Amp Station.

Sunderer Towers

• Along with the changes to Esamir, we've added new towers that can house Sunderers within them.
• Some of these towers are equipped with energy shields that can be controlled via a terminal on the tower itself.
• In the future, these new towers can be fitted on other continents to create more secure Sunderer locations.

Implants
Symbiote

• Fixed an issue that prevented Symbiote from gnawing at health pools after redeploying.

Phylactery
This implant has received some noteworthy changes to its function.

• Now "banks" revives you've received, and gives you a self-revive after having been revived 5 times.
• A self-revive will count toward one of your banked revives as well.
• Using an equipment terminal, redeploying, or entering a vehicle will restart your counter.

Heavyweight
This implant has been reworked to give it a more worthwhile niche and more usability. Instead of the reduced bullet flinch and penalty to movement speed, the penalty has been removed, and it acts as mentioned below:

• Rank 01: 60% camera shake reduction / not affected by enemy or ally knockbacks
• Rank 02: 65% camera shake reduction / not affected by enemy or ally knockbacks
• Rank 03: 75% camera shake reduction / not affected by enemy or ally knockbacks
• Rank 04: 95% camera shake reduction / not affected by enemy or ally knockbacks
• Rank 05: 95% camera shake reduction / not affected by enemy or ally knockbacks / Taking fall damage will cause a shockwave that knocks back nearby enemies (this portion is unchanged.)

Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions

• Added First Time Events (tutorial slideouts on the right side of the screen) for many construction items and some class tools.
• Increased opacity of lattice links between regions contested by two opposing factions.
• Added a Back button to the Campaign pane timeline.
• Replaced the "S-AMS" reference with "Sunderer" when you're notified that your last Sunderer spawn is under attack.