PC Game Update - May 30, 2019 (Combat Intensifies)

[PSNews]

PC servers will be taken offline on Thursday, May 30th, 2019 at 6:00AM PT for maintenance. Downtime is expected to last up to 2 hours.

Map Screen and Continent Flow

• Biolab outposts are now all connected via lattice.

Dev Note: This change seemed to work well on Esamir, and with the new respawn mechanics we've decided to move this change to the remaining continents as well.

• Biolab outposts now have generators stationed next to the teleporter. When overloaded, the teleporters, connected spawn room, and spawn room shield will be disabled.

Dev Note: The intent here is to offer some counterplay to the defenders, allowing them to inhibit spawns directly into the Biolab with some additional effort.

• Terrain on the map screen should no longer appear invisible under certain conditions.
• Default NS faction color should appear as grey, instead of white, in disabled regions and on neutral objects.

Join Combat

This system has been restructured, and should no longer fail to send players off when the countdown completes.

Join Combat now works on a priority system when deciding where to send players.

• First, it looks for ideal populations and balanced fights.
• If none exist, it will simply look for balanced fights.
• If none of those exist either, it will send the player to attack an enemy frontline base, even if that base is empty.

In addition, the system will now attempt to throw players into a Drop Pod at every opportunity.

Restructuring Join Combat in this way allows us to deliver players to an ideal PlanetSide experience first, wherever they're available. We then focus on intensifying balanced fights that currently exist, while helping generate new fights along the frontlines. These changes work hand in hand with the spawn system revamp mentioned below.

Spawn System

• Players can now spawn at spawn points within 200 meters of your death location.
• Inactive hardspawns now show new iconography on the map screen.

Dev Note: Between the two changes above, the frustration and confusion for why players can or can't spawn in certain areas they died near should be alleviated, though we continue working toward streamlining the visuals so that map clutter is reduced.

• Reinforcements Needed has been disabled, as was intended in a previous update.
• Elysium Spawn Tube's matrix feature has been disabled for now.

Dev Note: We'll re-implement it in a later update once it's working properly with the new spawn system.

Squadplay

• Spawn Beacon cooldown skill line has been refunded, as squad beacon respawns have been standardized with the new spawn system.
• Spawn Beacons are no longer placeable as a solo player (though you've never been able to spawn on them.)
• Squad's private or public recruitment status is reflected by a small padlock icon near the squad 2d HUD elements.
• Mentor Squads will now display the words "Mentor Squad" on the 2d HUD elements.
• Made some slight adjustments to the 2d squad HUD UI as well.

Misc. Fixes, Changes, and Additions

• Character select screen character models now use the correct resolution.
• Sky boxes no longer show unintended extremes of brightness. This change should effectively return the skybox to their visuals prior to the DX11 update.
• NSO Galaxy Drake and Walker weapons now fire projectiles again.
• Combat Medic's Shield Recharging field now effects NSO characters.
• RD-GG is no longer purchasable.
• /leader chat now works again, for real this time.
• Purchasing utilities on one class no longer allows you to equip locked utilities of the same type on another class.
• Halberd SE and Halberd-H SE no longer require the ownership of the original Halberd.
• Various fixes for broken "Must Own Weapon" requirements.
• Fixed an issue with that would cause dead projectiles to hover in the air and continue to stack particle effects for a time.
• Fix for death screen animations while wielding C4, a reverse-grip knife, or medical kits and other similar items.
• Harasser top weapons should count toward NSO directive kills correctly.
• Sticky Grenades should work for NC characters again.
• NSO Lightning HESH and HEAT should now allow attachment purchases.
• NSO characters should now earn repair ribbons.
• NSX-A Kuwa max damage from 167 to 150
• Pain fields should once again dispense pain.
• MAX unit's experimental leg upgrades have been removed.

Known High Priority Issues

• Players spawning vehicles from terminals may still experience invisible vehicle pulls.
• Players interacting with equipment terminals may occasionally experience frozen characters. Relogging will fix this issue.
• 3D HUD indicators aren't showing the correct orientation on targets behind you, this is especially noticeable in air vehicles.
• Various material impacts aren't displaying currently, for example, infantry targets with shields won't flash when being struck by a projectile.

Source: Game Update Notes