Patch History/Archive/2019 Jul to Dec

On this page, recent patches for Vox Machinae may be found. Information is usually copied verbatim from the Steam News page.

This page is archived every six months. For older patch notes, please see Patch History/Archive.

Patch Notes - 0.35.3 alpha

December 31 - TonyDanza

Happy New Year, pilots! 🐶

0.35.3 alpha

Pressing Back to cancel out of the Match Length prompt now properly returns to the Match Config menu instead of back to the lobby.
Reduce system RAM usage corresponding with the texture quality setting.
Add support for VKB Sim Gunfighter Modern Combat joystick.
Add support for Saitek X55 Rhino Throttle.
Add support for Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 Joystick (input only, no force feedback).

Steam News page

Patch Notes - 0.35.2 alpha

December 13 - TonyDanza

0.35.2 alpha

Improved graphics performance, especially in larger levels such as Arid Oasis.
Fix bug which could cause Grinders to have a missing or incorrect texture.

🏁
🍰🐶

Steam News page

Patch Notes - 0.35.1 alpha

December 11 - TonyDanza

This patch contains our first round of fixes for the 0.35 Anniversary Update. Another patch with more fixes and performance improvements will be coming later this week. Changes to gameplay may not take effect on dedicated servers until they have had a chance to restart.

0.35.1 alpha

Fix comms screen distortion when more than one person is talking.
Fix cockpit screens flickering white during gameplay.
For awarding team score in Deathmatch, the team of the last enemy to hit you is checked, instead of the team of the last person to hit you. This means you can no longer shoot a teammate to deny the enemy a point. It is also no longer possible to wait until the enemy that hit you respawns and then eject to deny the enemy a point.
Air Brake disables jumpjets temporarily instead of steering jets.
Fixed Thermal Pump not providing fuel while using jumpjets.
Fixed Safety Override activating at the start of a match.
Fix bug that could prevent Training missions from launching.

🍧

Steam News page

Anniversary Content Update

December 5 - TonyDanza

Grinder Modules

Ever since we hatched our plan to ship Vox years ago, we wanted to allow players to shake their gameplay up with a variety of mods that altered mechanics in interesting ways. Finally we’re making good on our ambitions with this batch of 11 unique grinder modules to toy with. Each grinder gets two mod slots, so you can pair your perks for some unique gameplay possibilities. Remember that modules come with both pros and cons, so choose wisely.

What's New

Stay up to date on all the latest changes and improvements to VOX with our in-game what's new menu. Players will now be alerted to major updates so they can check out what's improved since their last login. There is also a backlog of previous updates and patches for those interested in getting caught up on the updates we've shipped in the past.

Bot Stomp Mode Preview

Surprise! We've added a new in-development co-op mode with our anniversary update. Aptly named Bot Stomp, take on waves of enemy grinders with a team of up to 4. Each wave of enemies has a commander, who will allow the wave to respawn their numbers. As the waves progress, difficulty increases with greater enemy numbers and uniquely buffed grinders such as the elite and guardian. See how many waves you can survive across our entire difficulty spectrum. This mode was simply too fun to hold back till it was perfect, so here it is, warts and all.

Terrain Tech 3 Debut

Without further adieu, TT3 is here to pretty up those battered Vox battlefields. With TT3, surfaces can now glow and receive more realistic darkening in shadowed areas. More of the level's details are presented right in front of you, making things sharper and clearer than ever before. Gone are separate background vistas that looked super blurry, now all terrain is presented with higher fidelity. Shape detailing has increased, since we are leveraging tessellation more, leading to a better sense of scale. Finally all levels have improved texture variety, so areas will look generally more interesting. There is a broader range of quality settings available, so be sure to crank those new settings if your machine can handle it. This is just the beginning of what TT3 can do, so expect further improvements to levels in the future.

0.35.0 alpha

As usual, this update comes with a host of other improvements, and here are some highlights:

The pilot's hands now animate for desktop players
Server passwords can be applied from the Match Config menu.
The horn no longer gets separated from the cockpit.
The host is now able to pass on hosting powers to another player when playing on a dedicated server.
The menu system has been improved for consistency.
Stockpile mode balance has changed to encourage catching up, and addresses some edgecase lopsided match issues.
Grinder texture detail can now be increased/decreased to help balance between visuals or memory usage.

Please bear with us while we address any bugs that often come along with a major update.

Note for Commercial users

We've added a "stable" branch you can opt into to get updates only once we are quite certain they don't have any bugs that will affect your day-to-day operations. To use the stable branch:

Right-click Vox Machinae in the Steam Library and choose Properties.
Click the BETAS tab, and from the drop-down menu choose "stable".

Steam News page

Patch Notes - 0.34.5 alpha

November 11 - TonyDanza

0.34.5 alpha

Added support for Saitek/Logitech X52 (Non-Pro version) HOTAS
Added support for Logitech Extreme 3D joystick.

Steam News page

Patch Notes - 0.34.4 alpha

October 29 - TonyDanza

0.34.4 alpha

Fix bug that could cause server to shutdown when changing mission from Deathmatch to Convoy.
Fix end-of-match award graphic.
Fix end-of-match kills stat not tracking.
Fix player being able to take damage during training.
Splash logo more spooky.
Control of FreePlay servers will now correctly prefer to transfer to one of the players the host set as a buddy, not the other way around.

Steam News page

Wormageddon draws Near…

October 26 - TonyDanza

Our Spookiest content update yet arrives 10/26/2019

It's that time of year once again, so Vox Machinae is back and spookier than ever with our Wormageddon update! As some of you may recall, last year we debuted our spooky week content which added giant death-dealing worms in Blast Chamber and featured our skull achievement hat for a very limited time. Well let me tell ya, this year we're taking things even further with the following appropriately spooky additions:

Worm Hunter, a new limited time offering:

We like to call it Skull 2.0, but essentially we've added a new way to get an even more exclusive spooky week hat, so get to unlocking before spooky week ends! Note that the original Skull hat achievement is once again enabled for the taking, so don't miss it this time around.

Wormageddon remix mode

You asked for it (again and again, you know who you are!), so we went ahead and did the unthinkable. With the new Wormageddon remix mode enabled, worms will now spawn on any level of your choosing and in any mode. What's more, they come out even more often than before, sometimes several slithering around at the same time! So better brush up on your dodging skillz, because those worms are out to get you!

Dust ON those old cobwebs, plus green goop too

We thought our old spooky week decorations could use some more… spookiness. That's why we spared no expense and imported only the finest earth spiders to populate your hangar with webs. Also, someone must have left the green smoke machine on for far too long and flooded the hangar with an eerie green glow.

Wait, where'd TT3 and Modules go?

I knew someone would ask us that, so here's the long and short of it. We wanted to put in all sorts of crazy awesome new stuff for this update. As we piled on the features though, it became abundantly clear that we had too much stuff to lump together with the spooky content. So we split them up, with spooky content heading out the door very soon, and a much more ambitious update following at a later date.

Last but not least, the patch notes:

0.34.3 alpha

Wormageddon has arrived. This new Remix option will frequently spawn worms on any level.
Spooky Week runs from October 26 to November 2.
Spooky Week: Earn a spooky new hat for giving the worms a good thrashing.
Spooky Week: Dedicated servers will have Wormageddon enabled from October 29 to November 1.
Scramble Teams option is now more scramblier.
Fix some Index controller buttons stopping working after opening the Steam overlay.
Fix networking issue that could cause the master server to not return the server list in some rare cases.
Fix intermission length on dedicated servers being 75 seconds instead of the intended 60 seconds.
Add support for Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS.
Add support for MFG Crosswind V2 pedals.
Fix incorrect lighting on worms.

Boo!

Steam News page

Patch Notes - 0.34.2 alpha

September 24 - TonyDanza

0.34.2 alpha

Show countdown timer on intermission.
Fix Overhaul having one stuck reticle quadrant.
Randomize teams now evenly distributes human players.
Fix performance issue related to tessellation quality setting.
Fix missing detail geometry on terrain.

Now do like Arnold says and stay cool!

Steam News page

Patch Notes - 0.34.1 alpha

September 11 - TonyDanza

0.34.1 alpha

Fixes compatibility with Windows 7.
Fixes bug that could prevent hosting an online game.

Steam News page

The Lots of Little Things Update (0.34.0 alpha)

August 9 - TonyDanza

Greetings and salutations! Prepare for incoming patch... oh no too late, it's already here -- AAAGH *static*.

That's right, we've been tinkering away on lots of little fixes and changes. It's a real grab bag, so check out the patch notes below to find out all them lil bits. Also, get hyped for the next update that will have some Big Things™.

Vox Machinae's birthday is coming up, too. 🍰 It's been almost a year in Early Access. We still have many things we want to jam in there before we let it escape, so don't think we're gonna leave you hanging; there are lots of updates to come.

0.34.0 alpha

Fix bug that caused projectiles to not hit Drill's upper leg, making them very difficult to destroy.
Fix Drill sometimes falling at extreme speeds when using the drill/downward jets.
Add support for CH Pro Pedals USB.
Voice chat screen shows correct reflections on pilot depending where they are instead of where you are.
Fix voice chat screen incorrect pilot shoulder poses when more than one person is talking.
Balanced the difficulty on Convoy co-op mode.
Turning jets now have their own unique sound effect and do not trigger the regular jump jet effects and vibration.
Objective screen now shows up to 4 player/team scores and has a new layout.
Fix bug which could cause effects to not appear if they were in the zoom scope view, but not the main/eye view. This mainly occurred when using the Hammer missile cam.
Improved "commit" effect for Hammer missile.
Network bandwidth optimizations.
Improved smoothness of rotations on GDRs.
Added support for UPNP protocol on the server, improving the odds of successfully connecting to a player-hosted game if the host's router supports the feature.
Improve networking ability to handle corrupted or invalid messages.
Four new hats added. A new matching achievement exists for each hat.
Cooling geysers have erupted on Cryptic Tundra. Jump in and beat the heat!
Reduced CPU load by approximately 10%, improving framerates on CPU-bound systems and reducing the chance of missed frames in VR.
Added "Scramble Teams" option under the Teams menu in the match config.
Grinders now have different radar ranges, with lighter classes having higher range than before, and heavier classes having lower range than before. The radar range is shown on the radar monitor.
Fixed hands being rendered with one frame of delay. This fixes problems such as the jumpjet stick intersecting the hand and makes the hands feel more responsive in VR.
Greased lightning! No one is going to make you drive 55, because being struck by lightning now refills your fuel.
Added different briefing for deathmatch with no teams (free-for-all).
Fix bug that caused starting a training mission to fail if you are currently hosting a match.
New sound effect when hammer commits to its target, audible to those around it.
Stockpile scoring system changed to award points after holding for specific amounts of times, capping off once full. Points are also awarded for neutralizing an enemy factory.
Salvage spawning location rebalanced for more fair locations.
Salvage respawn penalty to defending team now reset once new Salvage has spawned.
Increased health on Hopper's arms to be able to survive one railgun hit.
Fix bug which caused Drill's main weapon aim to be very slightly off target.
Fix bug which prevented FreePlay dedicated servers from restarting themselves automatically and causing server performance issues.
Fix hand pose when grabbing the throttle.
Drill downward jets now have no fuel cost and propel straight down instead of trying to assist towards the nearest enemy.
Fix controller vibration playing when a detached limb impacts something.
Fix controller vibration playing when an enemy shoots your detached limb.
Add "-platformmic" launch argument to use experimental platform-provided mic input. Oculus Store = Oculus SDK. Steam = Oculus SDK for Oculus VR Mode, otherwise Steam SDK.
Reduced respawn time in Convoy mission.
Remix options can now be used on Convoy mode. Beware, enemies can benefit too!
Fix glowing paint on Grinder cockpits on some video cards.
Fix microphone cutting out after switching audio output while the game is running.
Lasers now count a hit if the laser touches an enemy at any point of the beam's duration instead of only at the start. (for accuracy tracking purposes)
Enemy factories that show up in Convoy mode now capture by proximity, consistent with Stockpile mode.

Steam News page

"What's Coming Up" and Minor Patch Notes (0.33.6 alpha)

August 9 - TonyDanza

Here are just some of the features we are currently hard at work on:

Terrain Tech 3 Work Marches On

Work continues on taking our terrain visuals to the next level. We’ve just recently gotten it to a stage where the artists can start converting all assets over to the new system. This is a months-long task, as we’re taking the time to also expand/improve our levels in meaningful ways while they’re under the knife. For a sneak-peak at the current state of Serpent Plains using TT3, check out the video. {{#widget:YTEmbed|id=rw7ylN6lQSU}} Grinder Modules

We're just getting started on the journey to getting our much-anticipated grinder mods shipped out to you all. That is to say, we got a few of them working to the point where we can play around with their functionality and start tweaking/balancing their gameplay. After that we’ll start doing an art pass on presentation, along with any special case stuff to make sure players understand what the mod will do once equipped. While we’re still a ways off from shipping this feature, it is already showing a lot of promise, shaping up to be another great addition to the game.

Game Mode Scoring Changes

As many of you may have noticed in discussions with us over on our Discord server, we’d like to tweak some of the way scoring works on both our Stockpile and Salvage game modes. Specifically, stockpile is currently undergoing some tweaks internally, with the goal of rewarding more strategic teamplay. We’d like to move towards rewarding prolonged control of factories as opposed to just getting a point every X seconds of control. Additionally, we’d also like to create some more interesting point distributions for taking over enemy-controlled factories to encourage comebacks. We’re hoping we can get it finalised for inclusion in our next update, fingers crossed.

Status (Objectives) Screen Update

What once was an objectives screen, will soon become a status screen. Why the change of heart(name)? Well since we shipped our game, we introduced game mode briefings at the start of matches, so it’s no longer a mystery about how the current mode you’re playing works. With that, the status screen can then be cleaned up a bit, leaving room for more important status information that’s key to your team’s strategy towards winning. This is a mockup of the direction we may take for future revisions of the Status screen’s presentation (in this case showing Stockpile mode).

UPNP Support

UPNP is a feature of many home routers that can help prevent some connection problems when one player tries to join a server being hosted by another player. It allows the game to request that the router reserve a specific port for game traffic and not be so strict! If you've ever tried to join someone's game and gotten the Server not responding error message, there is a good chance this will help you out!

Platform Mic Support

Vox currently uses the microphone support built into the Unity game engine. While this works for most people, a few had issues. We are working on hooking into the microphone input available in Steam and Oculus Platform which will hopefully provide a better experience. This will also help simplify things for us since we use the Wwise audio system for speaker output, and removing the dependence on Unity for mic input allows us to disable Unity's audio system completely. We're just testing the new mic input and sorting through some bugs, hope to have it in there soon.

In Summary...

So there you have it, TT3 work continues, grinder modules are taking shape, game mode scoring will improve soon-ish, and misc stuff is also happening! All this to say, we’re continuing to work our butts off in making Vox Machinae better and better, even if sometimes that means doing less exciting stuff along the way.

0.33.6 alpha

Add support for Logitech-branded X52 Pro HOTAS joysticks.
Add deadzone for joystick-type controllers to prevent drift.
Add "-avatar" launch option to force showing the pilot customization screen.

Steam News page

Valve Index Controller - Update and Important Info

July 4 - TonyDanza

🚧
We've just published a patch that improves Valve Index controller support. This update uses the finger sensors to grab objects instead of the force sensor and results in a much more comfortable experience. It also enables use of the A buttons and thumbsticks, which previously were not mappable.

If you have modified the controller mapping using the Steam VR mapping editor, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you switch to the official mapping in order to be able to use the grip properly. You can then make any modifications you like to this new mapping (you are also able to edit the mapping using the in-game menu). For new players and those who have not edited the mapping this should (hopefully) happen automatically.

The default controls for Index controllers have changed a little bit. The menu is now operated with the Left Thumbstick and Right A/B buttons for Select/Back. Aiming on the scope is now mapped to Right Thumbstick by default. All other inputs remain the same.

Tutorials and weapon grouping prompts now also feature graphics specifically for the Index controllers.

This update does not add full finger tracking, which we do hope to incorporate in the future.

Also, due to a game engine upgrade this patch is unfortunately fairly large, and we do apologize for the inconvenience this might cause.

If your grip is NOT working after the update, please follow these instructions:

open Steam VR
click the menu symbol in the top left corner
Pick Devices > Configure Controller
click Vox Machinae
under Current Controller, ensure Index Controller is selected
under Current Binding, ensure Vox Machinae Index Controller Mapping is selected
if not currently selected, find it in the list underneath and click View, then Select This Binding

See below for the full patch notes:
0.33.2 alpha

Fix controller prompt for left trackpad press incorrectly showing left thumbstick press.
Valve Index: Add controller graphics for Valve Index controllers.
Valve Index: Added custom Steam VR controller profile for Valve Index controllers. Now able to use A buttons and thumbsticks. Grip has been changed from force sensor to capacitive touch sensor for more natural grabbing.
Valve Index: The menu is now operated with the Left Thumbstick to navigate and Right A/B buttons for select/back.
Valve Index: If you have made your own Steam VR controller mapping, we recommend using the new default mapping for the best experience and to ensure you have access to all controller buttons.
Valve Index: Default controller mapping has changed. Aiming now defaults to right thumbstick. If you have edited the controller mapping using the in-game menu, we recommend resetting the mapping for each controller.

0.33.3 alpha

Fix some errors that could occur during Convoy mode.
Fix error that could occur when Oculus Touch controller runs out of battery.
Adjust grabbing thresholds. Grabs when 80% depressed, releases when 20% depressed.

0.33.4 alpha

Add settings for motion control grip grab and release threshold.
Add setting to disable hand tracking.
Hands will no longer snap to default position when an untracked controller is moved/pressed. Please use the "hand tracking" setting if you have tracked controllers that cannot easily be turned off and want to use traditional inputs.

Steam News page