Steam News18 June 20251y ago

📝 Major Update: Multiplayer & Monster Overhaul – Update 0.2.2

🎮 Multiplayer Re-Enabled 🔑 Change 🌟 Why it matters Steam Sockets NetDriver is now compiled in & on by default. Gives secure NAT traversal and cross-platform relays while shaving ∼15 ms off median RTT in EU↔US tests.

In this update8

Full notes

Full Blood Moon Horror update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

1 fix4 additions8 changes0 removals

UI and audio
Balance
Gameplay
Server

changed🌓 Visual Clarity & PerformanceReflections dial-down – We lowered Screen-Space Reflection quality per Epic’s guide, recovering 5-10 FPS on mid-range GPUs while reducing the “hall-of-mirrors” look.

changed🌓 Visual Clarity & PerformanceBrightness pass – Auto-exposure upper limit raised by +0.3 EV, leveraging the extended luminance range option for more readable nights without losing mood.

changed🌓 Visual Clarity & PerformanceUpdated Lumen presets – UE 5.6 ships with cheaper global-illum tweaks; we adopted those for parity lighting at the same frame cost.

changedHighlightsDynamic scaling – Volley damage and hunter pack size grow over time for rising tension.

addedHighlightsVolley combat – New attack montages trigger damage spheres mid-swing for readable telegraphs.

changedHighlightsExpect two more AI iterations : we’re analysing gameplay clips to fine-tune stalk distance, flee triggers, and volley size.

Blood Moon Horror changes

changedReflections dial-down – We lowered Screen-Space Reflection quality per Epic’s guide, recovering 5-10 FPS on mid-range GPUs while reducing the “hall-of-mirrors” look.

changedBrightness pass – Auto-exposure upper limit raised by +0.3 EV, leveraging the extended luminance range option for more readable nights without losing mood.

changedUpdated Lumen presets – UE 5.6 ships with cheaper global-illum tweaks; we adopted those for parity lighting at the same frame cost.

changedDynamic scaling – Volley damage and hunter pack size grow over time for rising tension.

addedVolley combat – New attack montages trigger damage spheres mid-swing for readable telegraphs.

🎮 Multiplayer Re-Enabled

🔑 Change	🌟 Why it matters
Steam Sockets NetDriver is now compiled in & on by default.	Gives secure NAT traversal and cross-platform relays while shaving ∼15 ms off median RTT in EU↔US tests.
9999 ms ping bug fixed	Server browser finally shows real latency instead of the placeholder value older drivers produced.
Version lock	0.2.2 clients only list 0.2.2 servers to prevent mismatched packets.

🌓 Visual Clarity & Performance

Reflections dial-down – We lowered Screen-Space Reflection quality per Epic’s guide, recovering 5-10 FPS on mid-range GPUs while reducing the “hall-of-mirrors” look.
Brightness pass – Auto-exposure upper limit raised by +0.3 EV, leveraging the extended luminance range option for more readable nights without losing mood.
Updated Lumen presets – UE 5.6 ships with cheaper global-illum tweaks; we adopted those for parity lighting at the same frame cost.

🧠 Smarter, Meaner Monsters

Our enemies now run a Utility AI brain evaluated every 0.25 s, then follow a pacing Director that decides when to stalk, ambush, or panic teams.

Highlights

Aggro Meter – Fills at 0.25 pts/s and +5 pts per document, then decays if you escape.
Dynamic scaling – Volley damage and hunter pack size grow over time for rising tension.
Volley combat – New attack montages trigger damage spheres mid-swing for readable telegraphs.
Evade & teleport – Hunters reposition when kited or spotted too early, maintaining pressure.

Expect two more AI iterations: we’re analysing gameplay clips to fine-tune stalk distance, flee triggers, and volley size.

🔍 Enemy AI – Under the Hood

Sub-system	Core Function	TL;DR
Perception	OnPerceptionUpdated	Sight + hearing with 2 % “miss” chance so monsters stay imperfect.
Utility scoring	EvaluateUtility	Weighs nine actions (Idle → Evade) every 0.25 s.
Aggro loop	UpdateAggro	Time-based gain, doc pickups, decay, and hint spikes.
Volley attack	DoAttack / HandleAttacking	Plays random montage → fires synced damage sphere up to 5 hits.
Director hooks	OnDirectorHint	Guides two closest active hunters toward the lowest-threat player to balance pacing.

📅 Roadmap

Hint System UI – In active development; ties Director cues to on-screen prompts so late joiners orient quickly.
Objective Overhaul – Layered tasks beyond “collect docs,” adding strategic choices per match.
AI Polish Pass – Audio barks, death animations, and final balance scheduled for the next two patches.

📝 Patch Notes (0.2.2)

Migrated core project to Unreal Engine 5.6.
Enabled Steam Sockets networking by default.
Fixed server browser ping mis-reporting.
Reduced Screen-Space Reflection quality & lowered reflection capture resolution.
Exposure +0.3 EV for night readability.
Added Utility-AI brain, adaptive aggro, and synced attack montages.
Memory still down ~40 % from prior texture trims and pooling.
Director now enforces “lull” windows to avoid constant panic spikes.

🙏 Thank You!

Thanks to everyone for the support and feedback so far. If you run into any issues, please let us know! Your feedback drives every patch!

Source

Steam News / 18 June 2025

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