v2000

Steam Community Items Now Available

Forsaken Frontiers now includes official Steam Community items, including Trading Cards, Badges, Profile Backgrounds, Emoticons, and Stickers.

Steam post image

Emoticon, Sticker, and Foil Badge artwork by Mikkaya - Concept & 2D Artist

New Location: THE HIGHRISE

Region: Manhattan Ruins

Description:

Corporate headquarters previously operated by BIG CORP, a global corporate conglomerate responsible for manufacturing and distributing nearly every category of consumer product.

Recovered records indicate the facility also housed advanced animatronic development under restricted oversight.

At the onset of the Endless Winter, executive personnel successfully evacuated the building. Remaining on-site personnel remained inside the structure when lockdown procedures were initiated.

Recovered documentation suggests the prototype unit was never intended for public deployment.

Internal security records indicate the animatronic became active shortly after lockdown procedures began. All communication from the building ceased within minutes.

NOTICE:

Rumors alleging cooperation between ECD and BIG CORP in the development of the animatronic system developed at this site are classified as misinformation. Personnel disseminating such claims will be subject to Nullification.

Unique Features:

• Unique CEO office cell at the top floor of the Highrise

• Ability to ascend deeper into the Highrise using the starting elevator, at the cost of the building's power

• PLAYMARE-MK.3

• BIG CORP Data Deck

NEW ENTITY ALERT

Designation: "PLAYMARE-MK.3"

Classification: ANOMALY

Threat Vector: Autonomous Animatronic Predator

CHARACTERISTICS

• Animatronic endoskeleton constructed from reinforced industrial components

• Entity demonstrates full-building situational awareness - personnel location appears known at all times

• Entity enters a stalking state upon target acquisition and will maintain distance while continuing to monitor the selected individual

• Direct visual contact from the target may cause the entity to halt movement temporarily

• Upon escalation, the entity transitions into TERMINATE mode

• In TERMINATE mode, movement behavior mirrors that of the selected target

• Entity remains stationary while the target remains stationary

• If the target moves, the entity moves

• Locomotion speed exceeds standard personnel capability once movement begins

• If the target successfully conceals themselves, the entity may disengage and relocate to acquire a new target

• Tracking will resume immediately if the target leaves concealment

BEHAVIORAL PROFILE

• Entity does not behave like standard entities that react to sound or sight

• Once a target is selected, pursuit remains locked onto that individual

• Distractions or noise will not break pursuit behavior

• Stalking behavior should not be interpreted as passivity

• Escalation into TERMINATE mode results in sustained pursuit pressure until personnel exit the structure or are neutralized

• Temporary disengagement does not indicate loss of tracking capability

ENCOUNTER PROTOCOL

• Direct escape is not viable once TERMINATE mode has begun - personnel cannot outrun the entity

• The only confirmed disruption method is use of stunlight equipment directed at the entity's optical sensors

• Flash exposure temporarily destabilizes the unit and forces a short reset cycle

• This disruption window allows personnel to create distance and evade pursuit

CRITICAL ADVISORY

PLAYMARE-MK.3 demonstrates tracking capabilities not observed in standard entities. Personnel should assume the unit is aware of their location at all times while inside the structure. Temporary halting under direct observation does not indicate deactivation or compliance. Stalking-state behavior may escalate without additional warning. Remaining stationary may delay approach, but will not ensure survival. Temporary disengagement does not indicate safety.

WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT: SUNKEN

A new phase of environmental failure has been confirmed.

The Endless Winter, the entities, the spores - these were not the final escalation phase.

• Water levels rise over time

• Fire barrels and interior fireplaces are extinguished under flood conditions

• Underwater traversal requires specialized breathing equipment

• Visibility deteriorates with depth

• Submersion severely limits rapid movement capability

NOTICE: Hydrological activity is occurring under sustained subzero conditions. Current models cannot account for this behavior. Environmental stability is no longer predictable. Projected survivability margins have narrowed.

"Let history record that in our darkest hour, humanity did not dim."

— ECD President David Caldwell

WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT: DISPLACED

A new temporal irregularity has been identified.

• Operational day length may accelerate or slow

• Outcome is determined upon arrival

NOTICE: Temporal irregularities are occurring unpredictably across deployments. Standard timekeeping should not be relied upon. Operational planning windows may vary.

WORKFORCE ENVIRONMENTAL ALERT: ERROR

A classification failure has been identified.

• Deployment readings may return as ERROR

• Standard forecasting systems are returning incomplete data

• Location behavior must be assessed on-site

Operational conditions remain unknown until deployment.

NOTICE: Long-range environmental analysis systems are experiencing intermittent classification failures. Readings are being returned as ERROR despite confirmed activity at affected locations. Cause remains under investigation. Proceed with caution.

Resuscitation Device Authorization

Emergency defibrillation equipment approved for limited field deployment

• Restores a deceased Workforce member to operational status

• Single-use per deployment

• Disabled when submerged

• Disrupted by electromagnetic pulses

Operational headcount has declined beyond acceptable thresholds.

Restoration of viable personnel is recommended.

Escape Mode

Entity Spawning Overhaul

• Escape Mode is now permanently set to Hollowed difficulty. Previously it ran at max difficulty with all entities spawning immediately

• Entities now use a dedicated Escape Mode spawn system with a 5 minute spawn interval. A random entity type is selected and spawned immediately at the start, then the timer begins for the next wave

• Entities spawn in batches and depending on the location (for example, 5x Forsaken on Hospital), and the type selected each wave is random (for example: Forsaken, Spider or Shamblers)

  This creates a more balanced start, with difficulty increasing over time instead of overwhelming you immediately

QoL

• Adrenaline Shots now fully cure "infection" in Escape Mode instead of temporarily suppressing it

• Fallen teammates can now return to the run - Defibrillators can be found in containers

Fixes

• Fixed a bug where the gas mask could go on sale despite being free in Escape Mode, causing it to cost money again and become unobtainable

General Changes

• Added hidden finale

  The overgrowth bloomed. Her colors followed.

  A path marked in static and signal, like someone still trying to guide their people by fluorescent stars.

  Long after they had forgotten which stars were real.

  (This is a path that must be walked alone.)

• Reworked Forsaken Frontiers theme - "Last Song" has become "Final Song"

  "The air feels heavier now. Like the end is near."

• Added new cosmetic patch - awarded for witnessing the hidden finale

• Added support for Neutral Modifiers

• Introduced FORSAKEN WATERS, our custom in-house water system built to be lightweight, optimized, and visually immersive

• When captured by The Shepherd, items are now dropped instead of being consumed

• Gas Mask and Rebreather are no longer dropped when captured by The Shepherd

• Added a new Deck Tape log hidden somewhere in the Highrise

• Shamblers can now be stunned

• Shamblers can now be killed with the Pickaxe

• Added death animations for all entities

• The Gun is now available for purchase. Yes, really

• Boltcutters now lose 1 durability after disarming 4 mines instead of each mine

• Glowstick cost reduced from 40c → 30c

• Reduced the cost of the Gas Mask 400c → 275c

• The Supply Officer can now be heard faintly breathing behind the filtered mask

• Added environmental reverb to main menu

• Updated Environment Marker to use new spray can pickup sound

• New cassette tape pickup sounds

• Changed remote pickup sound to use cassette pickup sound, as the previous sound did not fit

• Increased loot value in Tunnels

• Increased loot value in Warehouse

• Increased loot value in Pentagon

• Slightly decreased loot value in Hospital due to high density of lootable containers, making it more rewarding than harder locations

• Added Playmare to Pentagon, spawning only after noon

• Removed Hollow Shambler from Pentagon (Pentagon is intended to contain every standard entity except Hollows)

• Hollow Spider no longer spawns instantly on Mineshaft and now appears later depending on difficulty

• The Shepherd no longer spawns in Mineshaft on Unbroken and now only spawns at 5PM on other difficulties

• Reduced some loot value in Mineshaft to reflect reduced difficulty, increased ore values to reinforce mining as the primary loot source

• Increased odds of elevator cells appearing in Mineshaft

• Decreased Mineshaft max cells to reduce map size

• Reduced the number of Carriers that can spawn

• Reduced Spores loot bonus from 1.7x to 1.6x to better match reduced difficulty

• Reduced Packrat fleeing speed to give players a chance to catch up

• Increased minimum cell size for Tunnels

• Ceilingmen no longer spawn until after the first cycle

• Ceilingman spawn chances have been reduced:

  Pentagon: 50% → 12% Mineshaft: 45% → 13% Warehouse: 60% → 35% Plantation: 25% → 6% Bunker: 35% → 6% Tunnels: 30% → 6% Hospital: 20% → 6% Hotel: 20% → 5% Metro: 10% → 0%

• Reduced footstep noise travel distance (meters):

  Metal: 8 → 6 Wood: 7 → 5 Rock: 7 → 4 Tile: 7 → 4 Carpet: 5 → 3

New Loot Items (Highrise)

• Coffee Beans

• Strange Coffee Mug

• Stack of Sticky Notes

• Plastic Food Tray

• Snack Pack

• Stapler

• Pager

New Loot Items (General Loot Pool)

• Coffee Cup

• Matchbox

• Spray Paint

Lost Metro Changes

• Added new rare cell to Lost Metro - FOLLOW THE COLORS

• Added new power room cell to Lost Metro - restore power to the building

• EMP will no longer roll on Lost Metro - Time distortion is now inherent to this location

  "Time Moves Differently Here..."

• Reworked Lost Metro loot - now primarily uses standard loot with uncommon high value "Anomaly" items

• Reduced the amount of Hollow Shamblers spawning on Lost Metro

• The Abandoned One no longer spawns in Lost Metro

• Removed Hollow Spider and The Shepherd from UNBROKEN on Lost Metro and delayed their spawns on higher difficulties

Lost Metro Fixes

• Fixed several Lost Metro cells where snow and spore details would not appear

• Fixed excessive door generation on Lost Metro

• Fixed an incorrect floor material in the Lost Metro elevator cell

• Fixed Lost Metro nature soundscape not playing until leaving the train station

Data Deck Changes

• Updated the Data Deck interface to render within the game's post-processing pipeline, now properly affected by PSX/CRT effects and screen distortion

• Added an Accessibility option to switch the Data Deck screen back to the Legacy renderer if needed

• Data Deck skins now replace the bottom-right government label with a skin-specific message

• Reworked Data Deck time glitch effect

• Data Deck tapes are no longer chance-based and now always spawn

New Data Deck Skins

• CorpDeck - Corporate executive edition - "Where productivity was monitored from the top"

• EntityDeck - Devotee's data deck - "Where the overgrowth bloomed and one voice found God in the static"

New Data Deck Music Tapes

• Added new Data Deck music tape "Hollow Song" by t4t0 - Found in the Pentagon

• Added new Data Deck music tape from community member Uncle Larry - found in Highrise

Fixes

• Fixed Data Deck screen not fully covering the mesh screen bounds

• Fixed a bug where the Shepherd's terror radius would persist after death if it died near the player

• Fixed an issue where dying to falling in a hole would cause your bag to spawn near the train instead of at your death location

• Reworked how footstep audio is played and synchronized across the network so clients can now hear AI and other player footsteps

• Fixed AI idle voice lines continuing into chase, now immediately cut off when aggression begins - should resolve enemies quietly entering chase before attacking

• Fixed Stunlight not always stunning enemies

• Fixed entities not playing their stunned animation if stunned while kicking a door

• Fixed entities not always playing death animation when killed while stunned

• Fixed an issue where players already in the shop were not exited when the brake was pulled

• Fixed an issue where AI could continue playing vocals after death

• Fixed EMP Data Deck time reverting to normal when downed

• Fixed a bug where the player could remain in a nervous state after a nearby enemy died

• Fixed a bug where kicked doors would progressively open wider

• Fixed a bug where elevator doors could reopen after the elevator departed

• Fixed Backrooms elevator doors not always closing after use

• Fixed a bug where the Backrooms elevator invisible wall could sometimes remain stuck after use, preventing players from entering when it arrived

• Fixed an issue where items could spawn slightly too low inside pentagon desk drawers

• Fixed loot inside big filing cabinet drawers spawning too low and clipping

• Fixed snow covering a trap door in one of the Plantation cells

• Fixed floating props in the Hotel

• Fixed Plantation bedroom dresser drawer being accessible through the dresser frame

• Fixed Warehouse train station entrance doorway using incorrect metro wall texture

• Fixed the green light coming from the Metro ticket machines so it is now properly turned off during power outages

• Removed the recently added scaffolding from a Metro cell due to client desync issues and AI being able to see through it

• Fixed null reference error triggered by Lost Metro easter egg in Bunker

• Fixed power generator playing incorrect animation when already off on arrival

• Fixed power generator lever animation only playing locally, now properly syncs for all players

• Fixed item generator issue causing inconsistent item scaling across loot containers Stretchy loot bug in the hospital tall cabinet still persists though :(

• Fixed entities not properly respecting SPORES vision reduction

• Fixed entity hearing radius compounding across actors when transmitting noise, causing some entities to hear from further than intended

• Fixed duplicate tape pickups of the same type remaining after one is collected

• Fixed a bug where tapes would despawn for all players when collected by one player

• Fixed metal detectors retriggering after being activated

• Elevators now reset when leaving a location - fixes a rare issue where the Train Station elevators could become stuck and unusable

• Fixed certain equipment not being pickable while carrying equipment that prevents picking up the same item

"I used to work nights cleaning the offices on the 37th floor. Nobody ever notices the janitor. Which meant I heard things most people weren’t meant to hear. Executives arguing behind glass walls, strangers coming in late at night with equipment nobody explained, crates being wheeled into the robotics labs long after everyone else had gone home.

One of those crates had a plain white label on it.

Just three black letters.

ECD.

I didn’t know what it meant back then.

I do now.

They told everyone the robot they were building was just a mascot. Something for kids. But I saw the crate they brought in. Nothing meant for children should weigh that much.

When the Endless Winter began, the executives left first.

The helicopter was real.

I saw it through the glass while I was cleaning the executive offices.

Not long after that, the lights went out.

Then the thing they built started moving.

Everyone ran for the ground floor exits, but the doors wouldn’t open. The building had gone into a security lockdown. BIG CORP sealed the whole place when they evacuated. Hundreds of people were trapped inside, pounding on glass that was never meant to break.

That’s when the screaming started.

Somewhere in the chaos a man named Kevin started shouting that there was a helicopter on the roof. People said it was a rumor. Said he was panicking. But Kevin had seen the same thing I did.

The problem was that the helicopter he saw had already left. The rumor spread through the building anyway. People started heading upstairs, thinking that was the way out.

Getting up there turned into its own kind of nightmare. People were fighting in the stairwells. Someone even blew out part of the stairs trying to slow the thing down. After that, whole sections of the building were cut off.

Eventually the only way to reach the CEO floor was a private elevator. People gathered there, trying to get it working.

When someone finally managed to get it running, they reached the CEO floor and found the office sealed shut.

Reinforced door.

No roof access.

The rumor changed after that.

Out of desperation, people convinced themselves the roof access had to be beyond the office.

That the way out was past that door.

For hours, people argued, pounded on it, tried anything they could.

They never got inside.

Later on I heard people yelling Kevin's name in the halls,

blaming him for the rumor.

I never saw Kevin come back down.

I stayed on the lower floors. A couple of the engineers started working on the lockdown controls. I don't know what they did. It took them a long time, but eventually the doors released.

By then most of the building was already dead.

A few of us managed to get out. Me, two engineers, and a guy from maintenance.

We started walking north.

For weeks we walked through ruined towns and empty highways. Everywhere we went we kept hearing the same rumor from people hiding in basements and broken storefronts.

Go to Boston.

ECD says the government and the military collapsed in the first day.

That’s not true.

Boston is still standing.

People are still holding on there.

The military is still there.

They're the reason it held together.

They've built walls out of the ruins. A place where people don't answer to the ECD.

If you’re reading this on one of their trains, listen to me.

They want you to believe there’s nothing else out here.

That the trains are the only way to survive.

They’re lying to you.

There’s a better life beyond their tracks."

— Tom

The guy who cleaned the floors

MEMORY ACCESS VIOLATION

1988

2147

21472

I've said "this will be the final update" before, only to return with something new later. This time, v2000 is meant to be the final major update for Forsaken Frontiers.

The past few years I've spent working on Forsaken Frontiers have meant more to me than I expected. I've never worked on a project that I've loved the way I have this one. What started small slowly grew into something far larger than I ever planned.

I believed in what I was building from the beginning. As development went on, the universe expanded beyond what I first imagined. Somewhere along the way, I realized how much this world meant to me.

That feeling hasn't gone away.

Watching players explore the locations, discover secrets, and speculate about the world behind it has meant a lot to me. Seeing people experience this universe in their own way has been one of the most rewarding parts of working on this game.

Forsaken Frontiers may be reaching the end of its development, but the universe it exists in is far larger than this one story.

Thanks for stepping into the frozen unknown with me.

— Mayleen