Today's patch addresses a number of issues that players have reported, regarding both performance and gameplay. We really appreciate the time players have taken to report bugs and other problems they've run into so that we can continue updating A.W.O.L. and make it as best as we can for you. Here is a summary of the changes in today's patch: Performance changes:

• Optimizations to map geometry have been made to Colombia to address general performance issues. More extensive changes to the map will be made in the future to further address this.
• 3D model rendering has had several optimizations added for non-gameplay related models (IE: not including vehicles used for cover, etc.).
• A performance option has been added to the game menu under Options > Game to convert non-gameplay 3D models to sprites. The number of models this affects is small at this time, but will increase in the future as additional replacement sprites are created. This option is recommended for AMD hardware users who experience significant performance issues, particularly in the maps Colombia and Escape.
• AI and pathfinding have received some small performance fixes, which should affect hard frame hitching while AIs try to perform complex navigation. This was most noticeable in Dubai but should affect AIs more broadly.

General game changes:

• Particles and VFX performance checks were improved or added for most all particle types.
• 3D models in Colombia and Escape have been reworked to improve performance and visual consistency.
• All enemies have had their HP slightly decreased based on player feedback.
• Dubai's dialogue regarding friendly / non-enemy Dubai Security Forces has been clarified and new dialogue triggers added. The player will now be warned multiple times if they attack Dubai Security. Additionally, if the player continues to attack them, eventually Dubai Security will turn hostile towards the player entirely.
• Quadcopter Drones in Dubai have had behaviors changed so they no longer try to fly into positions the player can't aim at. They've also had their visual size increased slightly, their hitbox increased slightly, their speed reduced slightly, and an "active" LED added to make them easier to spot and track.

Map changes:

• Colombia's objectives and general gameplay sequence have been updated to make map progression more clear.
• Escape has had the map/objective info screen updated so the kill counter no longer displays, adding clarity to the escape nature of the level.
• Train no longer resets music and UI after loading a save during the second half of the map sequence.
• Prison has had some sequence break issues fixed, and the prison break effect was more streamlined internally.
• Dubai has received a large overhaul of fixes and more clear objective markers and text relating to map progression based on player feedback.
• Facility received visual updates to improve performance, particularly in outdoor areas.
• Sub Dock received gameplay updates and changes to its overall play sequence. Several dialogue and objective triggers were removed for release and have been added back in.
• Hindsite has several visual glitches and sequence break issues fixed. The final boss had its hitbox increased slightly, to improve hit detection issues and rockets flying through the model.
• A large number of minor changes to most all maps, addressing a variety of issues related to clipping problems, visual glitches, or other non-gameplay altering fixes.

Thank you again to players who have reported these bugs and helped us identify and solve these problems. We've loved seeing everyone's reaction and response to A.W.O.L. and we plan to continue to update the game with additional improvements in the future.

[ 2022-09-19 23:40:13 CET ] [ Original post ]