Older Patch Notes

## Patch 1.14 (21/08/2018)

### New Tile: On-The-Rocks Shipping Co.

Our artists and level designers have worked very hard to bring you the first-ever new Tile! In On-The-Rocks Shipping Co., inmates will be able to explore an area filled with facilities and machinery dedicated to the mining and transport of pristine ice blocks.

Thanks to the Tile Mapping system, On-the-Rocks Shipping Co. will now become part of the bank of possible Tiles that are assembled in a various configurations to form a new map for each match. More information about this system in patch notes 1.13.

On-the-Rocks Shipping Co. contains new objects, more colour variation, and other details that will make traversing it very different from the original Tiles. There are fewer forest areas and more tall landmarks that will help inmates spot this area from afar.

Still itching for more variation in the Darwin Project map? Don’t worry, more Tiles are on their way!

### New Tool: Hook

The Hook is a new projectile Tool that inmates can craft using 1 Leather.

Successfully landing the Hook on an opponent will cause them to be pulled toward the player. Just like Arrows and Snowballs, the Hook can be deflected with a properly timed Axe swing.

Inmates who identify with the Goon Playstyle and who are adamant about taking each fight to its end will enjoy stopping enemies in their tracks when they attempt to run away. Even in fights against inmates equipped with fully upgraded Boots or a readily available Glider, there’s still a chance to prevent their escape!

To unlock the Hook and equip it in their Crafting Wheels, inmates will have to complete all tasks assigned by Lancaster the Darwin Orientation Drone.

### Tutorial

With patch 1.14, inmates will be greeted by Lancaster DOD, the Darwin Orientation Drone! Lancaster DOD’s role is to ease new inmates into Darwin Project by assigning them a few simple tasks. These tasks serve as a tutorial to help players understand the main mechanics and allow them to discover the game in a more guided fashion.

Lancaster DOD will assign inmates a new task as soon as one is completed until inmates have completed all 6. Only after completing these tasks will inmates be admitted into the Daily Rehab Program.

### Daily Rehab Program

As more and more cosmetics are becoming available in the Item Shop and demand for cooler, crazier styles continues to grow, inmates have been asking for a more reliable way to earn Ramen. Patch 1.14 introduces the Daily Rehab Program, which offers inmates the possibility of completing a challenge once a day for a Ramen reward.

Inmates can replace the challenge assigned to them in the Daily Rehab Program with a new one once a day.

In-game Daily Rehab Program progression notifications can be disabled in the Gameplay section of the Options.

### Career and Leaderboard Improvements

With the introduction of Duo Mode Career stats and Leaderboards―some of the most requested features since we implemented Duo Mode―we’ve also taken the opportunity to make several improvements to the information in the stats and Leaderboards, as well as the way this information is displayed. Patch 1.14 makes the following changes to the Career and Leaderboards:

New Duo Mode and Show Director specific stats

A new tab at the top of the Career menu will allow players to switch between Solo, Duo, and Show Director stats.

For Duo Mode, stats tracked are the same as Solo stats with the exception of 3rd Places.

Note that Duo Mode and Show Director stats will be tracked starting August 21, so stats from matches played before patch 1.14 will not appear in the Career stats.

Known issue: We are aware of an issue with the way match rankings are tracked for the first player to be eliminated in a Duo team.

New Duo Mode Leaderboards

Stats that will appear in the Duo Leaderboards are the same as Solo stats with the exception of 3rd Places and Official Rating.

Note that Duo Mode stats will be tracked starting August 21, so stats from matches played before patch 1.14 will not appear in the Leaderboards.

New Leaderboard viewing options: All Time and Previous Season

A new drop-down menu on the left of the Career menu will allow player to switch between Current Season, Previous Season, and All Time.

Note that the Previous Season will be empty for the first season following this change.

### Xbox One Controller Support [Steam only]

Controller support has arrived on Steam!

=== Cyber Survivor Cosmetics ===

Cyberspace Legend (male character) and Mind Obliterator (female character)

You can purchase these items individually or as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. The 5-piece sets will be featured during the week of Tuesday, August 21 in the Weekly section of the Item Shop. All Cyberspace Legend and Mind Obliterator items, including the Cyber Axe (not pictured) and Cyber Bow, can also be found in Fan Gifts starting August 21.

Midnight Reaper (male character) and Mysterious Whisper (female character)

You can purchase these items individually or as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. The 5-piece sets will be featured during the week of Tuesday, August 28 in the Weekly section of the Item Shop. All Midnight Reaper and Mysterious Whisper items, including the Digital Whisper Axe and Hush Now Bow (not pictured), can also be found in Fan Gifts starting August 21.

Emergency Hacker (male character) and Alert Alert Alert (female character)

You can purchase these items individually or as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. The 5-piece sets will be featured during the week of Tuesday, September 4 in the Weekly section of the Item Shop. All Emergency Hacker and Alert Alert Alert items, including the Virus Axe and Malware Bow, can also be found in Fan Gifts starting August 21.

#### Gameplay

* Reworked the Arena Electronic Power
	+ Reduced size of the Arena by 40%
	+ Reduced duration of the Arena from 20 to 15 seconds
	+ Made it possible for inmates to deactivate the Arena by pressing the same key again

*Developer Comments: These changes create a smaller space to corner an opponent into a fight and will make it easier to use the Arena defensively.*

* Bushes and trees will now slightly slow down players who run through them and deplete their cold meters twice as fast while inside

*Developer Comments: These changes are meant to encourage players to focus on navigating efficiently during pursuit and to discourage them from hiding in bushes for extended amounts of time.*

* Reworked the jump
	+ Increased gravity by 10%
	+ Increased air control by 30%
	+ Inmates will now jump higher and farther when their stamina is not empty

*Developer Comments: The changes to gravity and air control will make the movement more difficult to predict for opponents, with the overall goal being to make jumps more useful in combat and reward inmates who are able to correctly manage their stamina.*

* Reworked movement speed
	+ Movement speed while going sideways will now be the same as running forward
	+ Movement speed while going backward will now be reduced by 30% instead of 20%
	+ Movement speed while swinging the Axe will now be reduced by 20% instead of 30%

*Developer Comments: The first change is designed to increase players’ ability to dodge projectiles, and the others to reward players who take the risk to attack first and execute well-timed Axe swings.*

* The Spin attack will now damage players earlier in the jump to coincide with the jump changes above
* The first player to die in a Duo team will now be automatically turned into a spectator drone

*Developer Comments: This improvement will encourage the eliminated player to stay in the match and increase the speed with which they can be useful to their ally.*

* Improved the Tile Mapping system to prevent more than one of the same Tile to appear in any map configuration
* Increased Cage Trap deploy time from 1 to 2 seconds so it is consistent with all other Traps
* Reduced Cage Trap HP by 40%

*Developer Comments: This change will allow inmates to break free considerably faster and use that time to promptly carry on the fight with their attacker or maneuver into a more favorable position.*

#### Visuals

* Bow cosmetics will now also apply a matching appearance for Arrows
* Reworked the user interface in the end-of-game screen to clarify information and add Daily Rehab Program progression
* Reworked the Ice Bolt icon to better distinguish it from the Power Leap
* Updated the visual effect when the Arena disappears
* Updated the visual effect when the Bear Trap is destroyed
* Improved lighting in the Dressing Room

#### Audio

* Improved the sound effect when swinging an Axe at a player frozen by an Ice Bolt
* Added a sound effect on level up
* Added a sound effect when walking through bushes and trees

#### Leaderboards

* All Leaderboards will now reset according to the bi-weekly schedule (previously, only the Official Rating and Show Director Average Prestige would reset)
* Decreased the placement matches requirement to appear on any average and ratio Leaderboard from 50 to 20

#### Other

* Increased the odds of finding Legendary and Epic items in Fan Gifts
* Reduced the odds of finding a duplicate item in Fan Gifts
* Added definitions to the Code of Conduct violations on the report menu to help players make more accurate reports
* The Early Access disclaimer and summary of latest updates will now appear as a pop-up upon launching the game
* Changed the button to switch regions from X to Y in the Choose Role menu [Xbox only]
* Reduced the sensitivity of the sliders in the Options menu while using a controller [Xbox only]
* Added the possibility to select voice chat audio input and output devices in the Sound section of the Options menu [Xbox only]
* Added a buffer to the Glider use to prevent players from accidentally deactivating it almost immediately [Xbox only]
* Optimized performance for footprints

* Eliminated floating leather armchairs
* Fixed an issue where it was possible to damage a player caught in a Cage Trap when standing on top of the Trap
* Fixed an issue where the Turret could damage players frozen by an Ice Bolt
* Fixed an issue where it was sometimes not possible to shoot an Arrow in between the bars of a Cage Trap when caught inside
* Fixed an issue where the Show Director would sometimes spawn under the map when the match starts
* Fixed a camera glitch when running through trees
* Fixed an issue where it was not possible to exit the confirmation with the Escape key after remapping a key to one that was already in use [Steam only]
* Fixed an issue where no error message was given when the leader of a party could not launch a match because some players were still loading the end of the previous match
* Fixed an issue where Mute/Unmute All with the controller sometimes would not work in the pause menu [Xbox only]
* Fixed an issue where pressing Y would activate the Megaphone while in the Power Deck or when choosing the target of a Power as the Show Director [Xbox only]
* Fixed an issue where looking from side to side repeatedly would make enemy Traps more visible
* Fixed an issue where player names from the lobby would sometimes not disappear when a match begins
* Fixed an issue with Smoke Bombs causing tracking inconsistencies when Blood Moon is in effect
* Fixed an issue where damaging an armor-clad opponent with an Arrow would count damage done to the armor on the end-of-game screen and in the Average Damage Career stat
* Fixed a typo when equipping a set of cosmetics purchased from the Shop
* Fixed an issue where the rarity color of a Fan Gift item would not appear when about to open the Fan Gift with a controller [Xbox only]
* Fixed an issue where the scroll bar in the Dressing Room would not work properly with a controller [Xbox only]
* Fixed an issue where pressing the Y button in Options would save the Crafting Wheel [Xbox only]

## Patch 1.13 (19/07/2018)

=== TILE MAPPING SYSTEM ===

The Tile Mapping system will build a fresh map for each match by pulling tiles (the hexagon-shaped areas) from a bank and seamlessly assembling them in various configurations. The seven areas that long-time players are used to will still be present, but they will often be rotated and appear in different zones, making it very unlikely that players will ever play on the same map configuration twice.

We’ve introduced the Tile Mapping system for two main reasons:

We wanted to make each match more distinct both visually and in terms of players’ first few actions. Before patch 1.13, players often fell into a pattern of starting off a match in the same way when spawning in a known area. With this update, players will have to stay on their toes and quickly adapt to the map as they discover it. Winners will be able to pride themselves on having the superior survival and adaptation skills and rather than having memorized the map layout.

More excitingly, the Tile Mapping system will make it easier for our team to introduce brand new tiles in future updates, populating the bank of possible tiles as Darwin Project continues to grow. So yes, we can confirm that we have new tiles in the works! Our long-term goal is to introduce tiles that are thematic departures from the snowy, mountainous areas that currently make up the entirety of the map―effectively combining distinct pieces of land to form an arena where one minute, players are fighting in the Canadian Rockies, and the next, they could find themselves in a [REDACTED].

While it may sound farfetched to haul massive chunks of land from across the world and drop them into the arena, Darwin Project landscapers are currently attempting just that. They’ve actually gone home early most days and left the work to a quasi-sentient crane that seems like it knows what it’s doing. It will take more time to work out the many deadly kinks of the research, so it won’t be possible for these pieces of land from far away to be imported immediately. But the technology is advancing nicely and the Darwin Project landscapers seem weirdly confident that a new tile from nearby the facility could be added in the coming weeks.

=== ICE BOLT ELECTRONIC POWER ===

The Ice Bolt is a new Electronic Power that inmates can craft and use after looting an Electronic.

Unleashing an Ice Bolt on an opponent will cause them to become frozen for 4 to 6 seconds and lose 60% of their remaining cold meter. Inmates will be invulnerable while they are frozen by the Ice Bolt.

Note: The 4-6 second freeze range allows a counterplay opportunity for the frozen inmate by decreasing the chances that an opponent can predict the moment they will thaw out and launch an unavoidable Arrow.

Like other Powers, the Ice Bolt needs to be equipped prior to the match, and costs 1 Electronic resource to craft.

While most of the other Electronic Powers available to inmates are movement-focused, the Ice Bolt provides a more aggressive option that we hope will reinvigorate combat as inmates create new strategies around it. With its stun effect and impact on the cold meter, the Ice Bolt grants players some time to plan out their next move― whether that’s crafting some Snowballs, setting some Traps in the area, or using a Tool to make a quick escape.

### GLADIATOR-THEMED COSMETICS

Note: The descriptions below have been updated on 7/23 to reflect the fact that these items will be available in Fan Gifts once patch 1.13 is live.

Beastly Bestiarii (male character) and Boastful Bestiarii (female character)

You can purchase these items individually or as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. The 5-piece sets will be featured during the week of Tuesday, July 24 in the Weekly section of the Item Shop. All Bestiarii items, including the Bestiarii Bow and Bestiarii Morning Star weapons, can also be found in Fan Gifts starting July 24.

Onary Onyx (male character) and Ominous Onyx (female character)

You can purchase these items individually or as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. The 5-piece sets will be featured during the week of Tuesday, July 31 in the Weekly section of the Item Shop. All Onyx items, including the Onyx Bow (not pictured) and Onyx Morning Star weapons, can also be found in Fan Gifts starting July 24.

Vicious Venator (male character) and Vengeful Venator (female character)

You can purchase these items individually or as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. The 5-piece sets will be featured during the week of Tuesday, August 7 in the Weekly section of the Item Shop. All Venator items, including the Venator Bow (not pictured) and Venator Morning Star weapons, can also be found in Fan Gifts starting July 24.

#### GAMEPLAY

* Rigged Chests will no longer damage allies in Duo Mode
* Looting an ally’s Rigged Chest will yield a Rigged Chest (if equipped in the Crafting Wheel) or the material cost of the Rigged Chest (if not equipped in the Crafting Wheel)
* It will no longer be possible to shoot an Arrow through a wall if the player is behind cover (“right side peek”)
* Swinging the Axe while looking up will now damage opponents above the player, and swinging while looking down will damage opponents below
* Looting a defeated player will now allow players to find Tools, provided they correspond to Tools they have equipped in their Crafting Wheel
* Increased Bear Trap deploy time from 1 second to 2 seconds

#### VISUALS

* Added a rebindable option to disable the HUD on F10 [Steam only]
* Improved the visual consistency of buttons in the options menu

#### AUDIO

* Updated sound effects when Warm Coffee, Health Pack, and Speed Drink are used to better distinguish between the three
* Improved 3D sound placement of Loot Chests so they are more easily located

#### SHOP

* Updated the weekly item rotation in the Item Shop from Thursdays to Tuesdays
* The Item Shop will now automatically adjust the Ramen cost of items in a set of cosmetics if some pieces are already owned

#### OTHER

* Reporting a player for abusive chat will now cause them to be muted by default if encountered again by the reporting player in future matches
* Disabled country flags on player icons now that the World Cup is over
* Added the possibility to enter a value instead of using the slider to change various settings in the options [Steam only]

* Fixed a bug where players would sometimes find themselves in a forbidden zone for a second when a match starts
* Fixed an issue where resetting a specific set of options to default would affect all options
* Fixed an issue where cancelling a video setting change in the options would revert any changes to the Gamma Correction
* Fixed an issue where the Show Director Toggle Light and Activate Megaphone would sometimes default to the same key (the Megaphone will now always default to G) [Steam only]
* Fixed an issue where various options would not correctly reset to default
* Fixed an issue where Harvest a Clue as a spectator input could be mapped to a key that is already in use [Steam only]
* Fixed an issue where exiting the confirmation of a setting change would bring the player back in-game instead of to the main options menu if the options were accessed during a match or while in the lobby

## Patch 1.12 (12/06/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-12/

### Main Highlights

#### Show Director Prestige

Being a Show Director has always been a key part of the innovation of Darwin Project. The feature is designed to be fun, playful, and add flavour to the show. Following your feedback, we observed that the Star Rating System was too punitive.

At first, we introduced the Show Director with no control measures. The idea was to see how players would behave with all those powers. It created really impressive moments and a great show. On the other hand, it also resulted in players becoming abusive.

Then we added the Star Rating System, the main purpose of which was to block Show Directors with bad behaviour. The problem was that this system was not only used as a restriction mechanic but also as a rating mechanic with many Show Directors competing in the leaderboard based on this. This resulted in the opposite behaviour compared to the first version. Since Show Director ratings were entirely dependent on the inmates, they were less free to play as they wished. The fear of getting a bad rating was too strong. This, combined with the fact that some players would compulsively rate Show Directors 1-star as a relief for their recent loss, became a problem we needed to address.

To fix this, we decided to split up the 2 components included in the Star Rating. The restriction mechanic is now linked with the Player Report system, so if a Show Director is reported too much they will lose their access.

In this new version of the rating aspect of the Show Director, we replaced the quantitative system with a qualitative one. Instead of rating the Show Director from 1 to 5 stars, players can reward them with Prestige at the end of each match by choosing one of the archetypes from the Prestige system. The goal of these archetypes is to reward Show Directors and give them inspiration as they develop their own style. Our aim is for our beloved masters of ceremonies to have the freedom to create more flavourful and meaningful interactions with the inmates.

Each Prestige received will grant the Show Director a fan bonus.

So far, we have 4 Prestige categories:

**The Storyteller** – An immersive roleplaying style, added a layer of pathology and story. Who’s the villain? Who’s the hero? Who’s the underdog? Storytelling style could take the player’s personalities and build excitement out of it.

**The Wild Card** – Shook things up with absurd challenges and humour. A Wild Card style will keep players on their toes with unexpected commands.

**The Sportscaster** – Insightful play by play made you feel like a star on a live broadcast. Sportscasting style may heighten the action by serving as the vocal conductor.

**The Puppet Master** – Pitted players against one another in games of intrigue. This is the true All Seeing Eye of the arena. But are they on your side?

   Each of these categories has its own leaderboard and the there is also a one for total Prestige received. All will be reset every 2 weeks like the official rating so Show Directors have to consistently deliver a good show if they want to stay at the top. The top 3 Show Directors of the Total Prestige leaderboard will be invited to show direct our Top 100 Showdown events. **UPDATE 7/06:** The Average Prestige leaderboard is now available and this is the one we’ll now be looking at to consider Show Directors for the Showdowns. For updated details about the Show Director selection process, please see the Top 100 Showdown Rules and Guidelines.

We also added a leaderboard for the total number of games directed.

Last but not least, we reduced the level requirement to unlock access to Show Director mode from level 10 to 5. The objective is to increase the general fun factor by having more matches be played with Show Directors.

#### Non-American Football World Cup skins!

As you may know, we have many international developers at Scavengers and all non-Americans LOVE soccer! Our guys are psyched to announce that for a limited time, Darwin Project inmates can obtain World Cup soccer-themed sportswear by opening Fan Gifts or purchasing them with Ramen in the Item Shop. Show your support for your favourite team or mix and match the new items with your go-to pieces for fresh, workout-ready styles. The items will only be available during the Non-American World Cup month lasting until July 12 on Steam and Xbox One.

The skin sets that would be available are the following. These were chosen based on the teams competing in the event, the Darwin Project playerbase, and our available localization languages.

* Mother Russia
* Saudade Portugal
* Vive La France
* Canaray Brazil
* Romantic Germany
* Tally-ho England

Also for the duration of the event we added the flag of your country in the show director UI so the public can support their fellow compatriots.

#### Work-in-Progress Localization

Starting Thursday on Steam, you’ll be able to play Darwin Project in 8 new languages! Keep in mind that this is the very beginning of our localization efforts, and you may find some English text within the new available languages. You’ll be able to change the language in the Options menu. The languages that will be available are:

* Français
* Deutsch
* Español
* Italiano
* Polski
* Pусский
* 日本語
* 한국어

*Coming soon*

* Português brasileiro
* ไทย
* Türkçe

### General Improvements

#### Gameplay

* Added the Invite Friend option in Duo Mode [Xbox only]
* Traps (bear trap, tripwire, cage) only give a clue to the player who set them.
* Arcade damage text is now only visible for the one that deals the damage.

**Developer Comments:** These changes will reduce the amount of information players receive about fights which they are not involved in.

* Power Leap cooldown increased from 45 to 60 seconds.
* In Duo Mode, Drones can no longer activate cabin Holomaps.
* Players can now rebind the key to harvest Clue as a drone in Duo Mode.

#### Visual

* Updated Player Status Icons. We used to have a circular player status icon. The player status icon is your player Steam Icon. By changing the Steam Icon into a square shape, we keep all the information from the Steam Icon. A square icon allows more visibility of your image, name, and information on the player. It also allows us to include the stamina information of each player.

*Before*

*After*

* Added an indicator for the Show Director to know if it is a Solo or Duo lobby in the top right corner of the screen

### Bug Fixes

* Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the Show Director power deck to not be saved.
* Fixed a bug that caused players to get credit for killing their ally in Duo mode.
* Fixed a bug that sometimes caused the announcer voice to be affected by a weird filter.

## Patch 1.11.2 (07/06/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-11-2/

### King Cold Shoulder and Icebreaker Prime sets coming to the Item Shop [Steam only]

You can purchase these items as a 5-piece weekly set that includes the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots starting Thursday, June 7 at 12:00 PM EDT. You want the King Cold Shoulder set if you play as the male character, and the Icebreaker Prime set if you play as the female character.

Keep an eye out for the Frozen Skull Bow (not pictured) and Frozen Trap Axe weapons in the daily section of the Shop throughout the week and beyond.

### General Improvements

#### Gameplay

* Decreased Tripwire stun duration from 3 seconds to 2 seconds
* Made enemy Traps more difficult to spot when sprinting, and barely visible when running
* After one minute spent in a forbidden zone, the cold meter will decrease at a faster rate
* Taking damage from a Turret will now cancel any Trap the player is caught in
* Reduced cost of Telepathy and Electro-mania Show Director Powers from 5 to 3 Action Points
* The very end of the Axe swing animation will no longer block incoming Axe hits
* Added a toggle for blood in the Options

#### Audio

* Added sound effects for equipping and unequipping Show Director Powers
* Updated sound effect for opening a Fan Gift
* Updated sound effect for purchasing Ramen
* Updated sound effect for exchanging Ramen for an item
* Updated sound effect for purchasing an item pack

### Bug Fixes

* Added missing detail to the Samoan Smasher Armor
* Fixed an issue that would remove the highlight from players under Blood Moon if they were hit by a Hunter Arrow, got caught in a Trap, or tracked as a result of an opponent’s Revenge Cloak
* Fixed an issue with the Show Director level progress bar not correctly computing Fans received and Fans needed for the next level
* Fixed an issue where new Show Director Powers would only become available after playing another game
* Fixed an issue that would prevent the center zone Electronic from activating in Duo Mode, even when Electro-mania was used
* Fixed an issue that would cancel the Arrow nocking animation when landing from an Axe jump attack
* Fixed an issue where the Manhunt would be interrupted if the number of players fell below 4 after it was used

## Patch 1.11.1 (30/05/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-11-1/

### Hunter-Themed Cosmetic Sets Added to the Shop [Steam only]

**Dead Survivalist (male character) and Cheerful Forest Murderer (female character)**

You can purchase these items as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. These sets will both be available in the Weekly section of the Shop starting Thursday, May 31.

Keep an eye out for the Ancestral Skull Bow and Swingable Bear Trap weapons in the Daily section throughout the week and beyond.

Love these designs as much as we do? Check out these sweet wallpapers!

* Cheerful Forest Murderer wallpaper: https://imgur.com/a/pHzdVgn
* Dead Survivalist wallpaper: https://imgur.com/a/5meTGnZ

**King Cold Shoulder (male character) and Icebreaker Prime (female character)**

You can purchase these items as 5-piece sets that include the Helmet, Shirt, Armor, Pants, and Boots. These sets will both be available in the Weekly section of the Shop starting Thursday, June 7.

Keep an eye out for the Frozen Skull Bow (not pictured) and Frozen Trap Axe weapons in the Daily section throughout the week and beyond.

**Islander Slayer (male character) and Samoan Smasher (female character)**

All the items above, including the Dark Antlers and Steer of the Sea Helmets as well as the Pacific Skull Bow (not pictured) and Islander Trap Axe weapons, will begin as Daily items purchasable individually in the Shop.

### General Improvements

#### Gameplay

* Axe hits will now be blockable earlier in the swing animation
* The Axe swing will now have the same reach on both the left and right sides
* Further improved server Axe hit detection (to minimize instances where it feels like an enemy can hit you from too far away)
* Adjusted the Axe jump attack hitbox to make it more consistent with the normal Axe attack
* The Cage Trap will now appear in front of the player instead of under when it is used
* All enemy Traps will now have three different visibility levels depending on whether you are standing still, running, or sprinting (previously, visibility was determined by your Boots upgrade level and Traps became difficult to spot at high movement speeds)
* Trap visibility level will update more quickly when switching between standing, running, and sprinting, meaning that it will no longer be necessary to come to a stop to search for enemy Traps
* The Lumberjack Axe will no longer speed up Trap deployment, Armor crafting, and First Aid Kit use
* Snowballs will now activate the BoomShroom and Electronic repel effect
* Damage received (except cold damage) will now refill player stamina

#### Other

* Increased the number of daily items in the Item Shop from 3 to 6 [Steam only]
* **NEW:** Items in the Item Shop will now rotate at 12:00 PM EDT (previously 11 AM EDT)
* Replaced “Archetype” with “Playstyle” in the Options menu

### Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where the center zone would always close first in Duo Mode
* Fixed an issue where the Rookie label would not be displayed to the Show Director
* Fixed an issue that prevented the use of the Glider right after taking damage
* Fixed an issue where a normal Axe attack would sometimes register as a jump attack

## Patch 1.11 (17/05/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-11/

### Crafting Wheel Playstyles

We’ve added different Crafting Wheel Playstyles you can choose from to familiarize yourself with different equipment and experiment with various strategies in the arena. Each of the Playstyles below will equip you with a pre-set combination of Perks, Basics, Tools, and Powers:

**The Hunter:** The Hunter is a tracking specialist who prefers to gather clues and information about their opponents before confronting them.

**The Goon:** The Goon throws caution to the wind and engages enemies using brute force. If there’s an enemy nearby, the Goon won’t pass up the chance to fight.

**The Shadow:** A master of stealth, the Shadow moves through the arena with ease, often favoring a well-placed arrow or trap to take care of pursuers.

Don’t exactly fit into any of these 3 Playstyles? Save your own Crafting Wheel by selecting Custom option. This way, even if you try out different equipment, you can easily come to back to your saved style.

### Show Director Progression Updates

We heard your feedback about the way new Show Director Powers are obtained. A lot of you felt that having a chance to unlock new Powers after each match left too much up to luck and was somewhat unclear, so we’ve decided to make the process more straight-forward.

With patch 1.11, Show Directors will have their own Level and Fan experience bar. A higher Rating will translate into more Fans after a given match. After the update, all Show Directors will be Level 1, and each new Level will be rewarded with a Show Director Power. Don’t worry: None of your existing Powers will be removed.

For now, only Contestants will receive Fan Gifts upon leveling up, but this may change once we’ve got more Show Director rewards ready!

### Ramen and New Cosmentics Added to the Shop

First off: thanks to all the inmates who purchased the Supporter Pack from our in-game shop! The shop is about to expand its stock with more cosmetics, this time offered individually in exchange for Ramen. Visit the Ramen shop to purchase Ramen, then see what’s available in the Item shop and step into the arena more fashionable than ever.

Starting Thursday on Steam, inmates will be able to equip a set of all-new Axes (they might not look like Axes very much, but we promise they’re just as effective) and gas mask Hats. The cosmetics in the Item shop will rotate―some on a daily basis, and some on a weekly basis. So if the items you’re interested in aren’t available right away, check back a bit later! All of the items featured below will be available at some point over the course of the week.

As a reminder, cosmetics will never come with in-game advantages.

### General Improvements

* Players will be able to join as the Show Director in Private Matches even if they do not meet the Level 10 prerequisite
* The Power Deck Show Directors select in Private Matches will stay saved for future Private Matches
* Show Directors will be able to see whether there are any Contestants in the match who have played fewer than 5 matches (a rookie icon will appear next to those players)―make them feel welcome, Show Directors!
* Decreased the Show Director Rating requirement for Telepathy from 4 stars to 3 stars
* Contestants will now only be able to rate the Show Director once they reach level 10

#### Visuals

* Players’ Show Director Level will now be displayed beside the Contestant Level in the main menu
* Reworked the Dressing Room interface

#### Leaderboards

* Increased the weight of kills in the Official Rating computation

#### Level Design

1. The roof of the central treetop village in the North East area has collapsed due to structural stress from the many inmates hiding there during Sudden Death

#### Other

* Adjusted the value of Ramen (the amount of Ramen converted from duplicate cosmetics will increase tenfold, also applied retroactively)
* Added a loading screen tip explaining the reward for drawing first blood in a match
* Added a loading screen tip explaining the reward for your first match and first win each day

### Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where the names of the Blue Shirt and Orange Shirt were inverted for the female character (yes, this was supposed to be fixed in the last patch, but massive technical issues like these take time)

## Patch 1.10.1 (08/05/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-10-1/

### Revised Rating Requirements for Show Director Powers

Thanks for your feedback, Show Directors! Our original Rating requirements allowed only a small fraction of Show Director players to use the full suite of currently available Powers, so we’ve lowered them to the following:

* Warm Up – 2.5
* Give Wood – 2.5
* Electronic – 2.5
* Close Zone – 2.5
* Speed Up – 3
* Expose – 3
* Electro-mania – 3
* Telepathy – 3
* Blood Moon – 3
* Heal – 3.5
* Gravity Storm – 3.5
* Nuke – 3.5
* Manhunt – 3.5

We also removed these requirements in Private Matches, allowing Show Directors to use any Power they have obtained during Private Matches regardless of their Rating.

### General Improvements

#### Gameplay

* Updated the default set of Powers available to Show Directors:
	+ Give Wood x 2
	+ Warm Up x 1
	+ Electronic x 2
	+ Close Zone x 2
	+ Nuke x 1
* The Show Director Megaphone is now back to a default ability on a cooldown and will no longer appear in the Power Deck
* Removed the red sound wave visual emitted by a tree when a player was hidden inside
* Player status icons will now be displayed during Telepathy to clarify who is speaking

#### Blood Moon Improvments

* Increased the duration of Blood Moon from 1 minute to 2 minutes
* Added voiceover and sound effects to accompany the Blood Moon start, plus music for the entirBug Fixesn
* Blood Moon will change the time of day to midnight and a giant moon emitting red light in the sky will appear.

### Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where arrows would sometimes go through some trees
* Fixed an issue where the Slow Power, which does not actually exist, was made available to Show Directors
* Fixed an issue that would not display the correct amount of matches needed to appear in the Arrow Accuracy, Headshot Ratio, Average Rank, Average Number of Kills, Win Ratio, and Show Director Rating leaderboards
* Fixed an issue where clues didn’t work properly while Blood Moon was in effect
* Fixed an issue where Expose would sometimes not expose anyone
* Fixed an issue where a newly unlocked Show Director power would not appear in the Power Deck until another match was played
* Fixed a typo in Show Director Power info text
* Fixed an issue where Show Directors could not see their cursor until they opened and closed the Power Deck [Steam only]
* Fixed an issue where players’ Official Ratings would not decrease when they died by lava or cold
* Fixed an issue where the names of the Blue Shirt and Orange Shirt were inverted for the female character

## Patch 1.10 (04/05/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-10/

### Show Director Progression

There are some big changes in here, so a little bit about the reasoning first. Being the Show Director is a big responsibility: the skill and personality of the Show Director has a lot of impact on the contestants’ play experiences. With the progression system, we’re rewarding experienced Show Director with more Powers and influence over the match while giving newer Show Directors the ability to learn the role with more basic Powers before they become familiar with the mechanics and grow into their style.

From now on, when you play a Darwin Project match where there’s a Show Director with access to Powers such as Manhunt, you’ll know that they earned the ability to use them by playing several matches and maintaining a high Rating throughout. Here’s what’s involved in the progression system:

1. The prerequisite to play as the Show Director is now Level 10 instead of 5 matches played.
2. Show Directors will begin with a limited amount of available Powers and unlock new ones as they play. Some Powers can be unlocked and equipped multiple times, whereas others can only appear in the Power Deck once.
3. All Powers have an associated Show Director Rating requirement. The higher the Power’s potential to influence the match, the higher the required Rating the use it.
4. The Show Director role will become unavailable if players fall below a 2.5 star Show Director Rating, but can work their way back up by playing matches as contestants

### Power Deck customization

We’re really excited about this improvement since it’s one of the most requested Show Director features, and it’ll create a lot of new Director styles and combinations. Show Directors will be able to browse available Powers and insert them in their Power Decks as they see fit. The Power Deck is customizable from the main menu as well as from the lobby, so the Show Director can decide on the Powers they’re bringing into the match after getting to know the contestants a little bit!

### New show director powers

**Give Wood (Cost 1)**: Channel your inner Wood Delivery Guy and give a chosen player 3 Wood.

**Expose (Cost 3)**: The selected player and their nearest opponent both receive a clue on each other

**Telepathy (Cost 5)**: All players can hear one another’s voices

**Blood Moon (Cost 5)**: All players track one another

**Electro-mania (Cost 5)**: Activate all Electronics

We look forward to hearing about your experiences with all these new Powers! We’ll be polishing them over the next few weeks, so don’t hesitate to share your feedback.

### Shop [Steam Only]

Many of you have been asking for ways to support Darwin Project now that it is free to play on Steam (Xbox players, we hope to have an update to share on this topic soon). First of all: thank you. We didn’t expect to see so much of this feedback, and it means a lot to us that you care. Or maybe you just really like shopping for clothes? That’s cool, too.

We’re introducing a simple in-game shop with just one purchase option to start: the Supporter Pack. Here’s what it contains:

As a reminder, alternate clothes and weapon appearances will never come with in-game advantages.

Keep an eye out for more stylish items in the near future!

### General Improvements

#### Gameplay

* The Show Director Manhunt Power can now only be used when at least 4 players are alive and at least 2 zones remain
* In Private Matches, Show Directors now have the ability to start the game in Solo or Duo Mode (teams are chosen at random)
* Decreased visibility for players hidden in a tree
* Hiding in a tree will now cause it to shake and emit sound effects
* Arrows used to kill Deer will be retrievable from the body again
* Shortened the Axe jump attack damage window by 30 milliseconds
* Tweaked Axe animation timing to improve fluidity and feedback in combat
* Changed the default Mute All key from Y to M [Steam only]
* Increased the amount of Wood salvageable from dead players
* Aiming your bow no longer consumes stamina, but it does slow down its regeneration

#### Visuals

* An icon will now appear next to your mute icon when you are talking
* Updated the match end screen
* Added an option to watch Behind the Scenes videos from the main menu
* Corrected the Revenge Cloak description in the Crafting Wheel

#### Leaderboards

* You must now play at least 50 matches to appear on the Arrow Accuracy, Headshot Ratio, Average Rank, Average Number of Kills, Win Ratio, and Show Director Rating leaderboards
* Leaderboards will now reset at 11:00 AM ET (3:00 PM UTC) instead of 3:00 PM ET (7:00 PM UTC) to correspond with our (semi) regular maintenance time. Resets will still occur every other week on Tuesdays, with the next Steam reset being May 8, and the next Xbox One reset being May 15. The remaining time before resets will be displayed as a countdown above the leaderboards.

### Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where players who downloaded Darwin Project after the free-to-play transition did not have access to all skin colour and hairstyle options [Steam only]
* Fixed an issue where players would sometimes jump out of the window in a buried house and fall into an abyss
* Fixed an invisible player collision under the bridge
* Fixed collisions on big trees being a bit wider than the tree
* Fixed an issue where Electronics would sometimes play the wrong animation
* The final zone will never be Nuked, even if it wins an audience vote
* Fixed an issue where players would sometimes start the match with 5 Arrows

## Patch 1.9.0 (24/04/2018)

Full patch notes can be viwed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-9/

### Customization

We’re overhauling the progression system to give you the ability to earn a variety of cosmetic items as you level up. As you play Darwin Project matches and gain Fans, you’ll occasionally receive Fan Gifts. Open these packages to discover new styles for your clothes or weapons. We hope you’re excited to start expanding your collection, because we’re adding over 200 items on Tuesday, with more coming later!

Full information here: http://www.scavengers.ca/major-customization-update-coming-tuesday-april-24/

### Spectator Interactions: Now with More Votes!

The last update we made to Spectator Interactions allowed viewers tuned in to contestant streams to vote, even if the Show Director was streaming on a different channel. On Tuesday, we’re making another significant update to this feature that will engage viewers even further. The update is in two parts:

1. All zone closures will be voted on by the public, regardless of whether there is a Show Director in the match. This guarantees many votes are launched in a match, giving more control to the audience.
2. In matches where nobody joined as a Show Director, an AI will take over the Show Director drone and use Powers whose targets will be voted on by the audience! The Powers that the AI Show Director will be able to use are Nuke, Manhunt, Warm Up, Heal, and Gravity Storm.

In short, if you’re looking to watch some Darwin Project matches, all streams where at least one contestant in the match is streaming (and connected to Twitch/Mixer) will allow you to have a say in the match by voting!

### Show Director Power Targeting Update [Steam Only]

Finding the sweet spot for what Show Directors can and cannot do has probably been the most persistent challenge of Darwin Project’s development so far. Our vision for the role of the Show Director continues to be entertainment-first, with the contestants’ ability to negotiate and win over the Show Director an important factor in the outcome of the match. Unfortunately, some players still feel that Show Directors directly granting Powers such as Heal and temporary Invincibility to an inmate counts as an unfair advantage. The Show Directors themselves sometimes have trouble dealing with the negativity this creates, so we’ve decided to change the way targets for Show Director Powers are decided.

On Tuesday, all Powers that require a player target will cast a vote to the audience. [UPDATE: Thanks for your feedback! We’ve updated this so it’ll only affect Show Directors with a rating of 3 stars or less]. There’s a sense among players that if a group of viewers decides which contestant receives an advantage, that player has earned it―but the Show Director’s decisions aren’t received the same way. We hope this change will have a positive impact on both contestants and Show Director experiences while still allowing Show Directors to make matches a blast to watch. Note: this change doesn’t affect Private Matches.

Further improving and adding depth to the Show Director role is on high priority for our future updates. Please let us know what you think about this update on any of our official channels as always, and we’ll keep working until we get it just right.

### Gain Fans in Duo Mode, Private Matches, and as the Show Director

Another frequently requested improvement! Playing in Duo Mode, Private Matches, and as the Show Director, will now also allow you to gain Fans. This means that Duo and Private Match enthusiasts will also be able to fill up their Dressing Rooms with new gear starting April 24. (Don’t worry, Show Directors, we haven’t forgotten about you).

### Gameplay

* Increased Turret deploy time from 0.5 to 1 second
* The Turret will no longer highlight players it aims at
* Decreased the Revenge Cloak clue duration from 2 seconds per level to 1.5 seconds per level
* Decreased the Detective Cloak clue duration from 20% per level to 15% per level
* The Ghost Cloak will now reduce clue duration by 10% per level instead of 15% level
* Decreased Radar duration from 15 seconds to 10 seconds
* The Radar will no longer detect Traps
* The Detector will now detect Traps
* Increased Detector cooldown from 30 seconds to 45 seconds
* Reduced Arrow knockback by 30%
* Increased health recovered when you kill a player from 150 HP to 300 HP
* Parrying an Axe attack while trapped now breaks the Trap
* Killing a deer with an Arrow now destroys the Arrow
* Improved server Axe hit detection (Axe combat will feel better the lower your ping)
* Aiming your Bow will now slightly consume Stamina
* Snowballs will now nullify Camo on hit
* Snowballs will now destroy Turrets on hit
* Using the Camo power when the Glider is in effect will also camouflage the Glider
* NEW: Tightened the hitbox for the jump Axe attack

### Audio

* Added volume sliders for music, sound effects, and voiceover
* Added music during sudden death [Xbox One only]
* Added various missing sound effects [Xbox One only]

### Level Design

* Removed a huge rock in the North West Electronic area to create more space for combat during sudden death

### Visuals

* Matches can now begin in the daytime, at dusk, or at nighttime (previously they would only begin at dusk)
* The snowstorm will no longer begin at the same point in the match

### Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where the zone restriction would trigger a crowd favorite vote
* Fixed an issue where Holomaps would disappear after the Manhunt cutscene
* Fixed an issue where the Turret could hit a player who was out of range if it started firing while the player was in range
* Fixed an issue where the Evader Boots bonus would stack when multiple players tracked you
* All Bear Traps, Cage Trap, Tripwires, Turrets and Rigged Chests touching an Arena (Electronic power) when it vanishes will be destroyed (to address an issue where these tools would be stuck in the air if the Arena was used during a jump)
* Using the Glider will no longer prevent your Stamina from regenerating
* Fixed an issue where the Turret would sometimes not be destroyed when hit by an Arrow
* Fixed an issue where the incorrect voiceover would play when the Manhunt target was killed
* Fixed an issue where the kill by trap voiceover would not play
* Fixed a hole near West Electronic area where a player can fall in and get stuck
* Jumping through a Portal will no longer cause a hard landing
* You will now be able to enter a Portal from the side
* Fixed an issue where audio input and output device settings were not saved

## Patch 1.8.3 (10/04/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8-3/

### Mister Friend’s Escape Plan Event

You’ve received a strange message from your jail cell neighbour, known only as Mister Friend, saying he needs your help to escape the facility and show up (albeit very late) to his son’s soccer game. He needs you to collect enough flags from the arena to help him build a device for his escape. By helping out Mister Friend, you can add a new hatto your dressing room and a mysterious new tool to your ccartwheel The event begins April 10 on Steam. Full information here: http://www.scavengers.ca/help-mister-friends-escape-plan-unlock-new-hat-tool/

### Show Director Megaphone

Many players sent us feedback suggesting the Show Director should be able to talk to all contestants at once. We’re excited by the gameplay possibilities this system creates and decided to implement it! This ability isn’t an official Show Director power and doesn’t cost any Action Points to activate, but does have a 90 second cooldown. Press G when playing as the Show Director to broadcast a message to all players!

### New Craftwheel Item: Revenge Cloak

The Revenge Cloak is a new item you can slot into the Cloak slot in the Perks section of your craftwheel. It grants 10% cold resistance and a 2 second Clue on your attacker per level, and can be upgraded up to level 5.

### Gameplay

* Reduced Clue duration from 30 to 15 seconds
* Increased Tripwire deploy time from 1 to 2 seconds
* Reduced HP recovery when you kill a deer from 100 to 50
* Improved Turret electronic
	+ Increased Turret damage from 25 to 50 per projectile
	+ Decreased deploy time from 2 to 0.5 seconds
	+ The Turret will now keep shooting at players hidden behind obstacles
* Reduced Show Director Invincibility power duration from 20 to 10 seconds
* Manhunt loot will now be automatically given to the player who kills the Manhunt target
* Rigged Chests will now break the armor if the player was wearing one
* The Tripwire stun now interrupts an Axe swing
* Bear Trap damage now breaks the Tripwire stun
* Increased the amount of BoomShrooms on the map
* Aligned the Arrow block window with the Axe swing animation
* Synced the Axe swing animation with the Axe hitbox
* Using the Power Leap when not moving will now result in a vertical jump

### Performance

* Optimized Smoke Bomb effects
* Optimized Nuke effects
* Optimized Show Director drone power granting effects
* Further optimized footprints
* Optimized network replication

### Visuals

* Added resolution scaling options
* Improved graphical fidelity on low and very low graphics settings
* Added anti-aliasing options

### Audio

* Added sound effect when the Show Director begins and stops following you

### Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue with random resource generation not working
* Fixed an issue where the snowball kill text would appear when a player died of cold
* Fixed an issue where players would have a hard landing after using Rocket Leap
* Players hit by an axe or arrow will now be knocked back even if they are on an incline
* Fixed collision issues with ropes around Treetop Village’s tree
* Fixed collision issues with wooden log structures
* Fixed collision issues with railings inside cabins

## Patch 1.8.2 (30/03/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8-2/

#### Leaderboards

* The Official Rating will now reset every two weeks instead of weekly (with the next reset being Tuesday, April 10). That’s twice as much time to try to make it to the top 100! Use it wisely.
* Added Easter Egg collection leaderboards

#### Gameplay

* The Show Director now automatically switches to the next player when the followed player dies
* Killing a deer will now heal 100 HP
* Berserk Arrows can now only stack up to a maximum 30 seconds of infinite stamina
* Reduced the Hunter Arrow clue duration from 10 seconds to 5 seconds

#### User Interface

* Changed the position of tooltips that were appearing over the crosshair
* All tooltips will now stop appearing after five matches played
* Added a Play Again button on the end game screen

#### Visuals

* Reduced red sound wave effects range by 30%

#### Other

* Improved authentication and reduced the number of “authentication failed” errors
* Female character optimization
* Footprint optimization

#### Bug Fixes

* Fixed an issue where Sudden Death was triggered if the Show Director closed the final zone
* Fixed an issue with Spectator Interactions on Mixer and Twitch sometimes not working correctly during a long livestream
* Fixed an issue where voice chat would sometimes stay enabled after disconnecting from a match

## Patch 1.8.1 (20/03/2018)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8-1/

### Patch Notes Summary

**Character**

* The female character is now fully tested and ready to hop into the arena!

**UI**

* Added tooltips for Spectator votes that disappear after the feature is used

**Audio**

* Added sound effect when a vote starts (previously only heard by the Show Director)

**Visual**

* Lowered the light intensity of the Show Director drone

**Communication**

* In-game news feeds now appears with real-time updates

**Bug Fixes**

* Fixed an exploit where players could use infinite Speed Drinks and Warm Coffees during the Manhunt cutscene
* Fixed an issue where the Twitch and Mixer match viewer number would count dead players twice

## Patch 1.8 (Early Access Release)

Full patch notes can be viewed at http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8/

### Patch Notes Summary

**Spectator interactions**

* Spectators watching contestants and Show Directors on both Mixer and Twitch can now vote on the same match.

**New Menu**

* The menu has been updated to allow connections to Twitch and Mixer easier, Just press “Connect to Twitch or Mixer” in the Main Menu to start the process.

**Other Improvements**

* Added health and cold bar to voting interface
* Added Steam avatar to vote interface
* Vote interface now disappears after viewers cast their vote

**Xbox Build**

*Darwin Project will only be available digitally at launch.*

The game will be released on Steam and Xbox One simultaneously, Darwin Project will be playable on the Xbox One family of systems this Friday, March 9 at 3 PM EST. Our Xbox community joining on Friday will be able to play a **two-hour free demo** as part of the Game Preview program.

**Private Matches**

* Private matches only need 2 players before the game can be started instead of 10.

**Improvements**

* The Official Rating will reset every Tuesday at 2 PM EST.

* The default mouse sensitivity has been reduced from 50 to 30. This change should make aiming the bow a little more stable for new players.

* Visual effect optimization
	+ The BoomShroom tech will no longer cause FPS drops.

* Show Director powers
	+ Added a confetti effect around the contestant chosen as the Crowd Favorite.

**Bug Fixes**

* Fixed an issue with Mixer Spectator Interactions when viewers would vote at the exact same time
* Fixed an issue where the zone closing vote would not work
* Fixed some issues with key rebinding
* Fixed an issue where the snowball kill voice-over was missing