Preview branch version 3.24.7.100 is now available. This information may change between now and the update’s official release.
Warning
Please note: New versions on the preview branch are designed to load older saves (backwards compatibility). However, the public branch typically cannot load saves made with newer versions (forwards compatibility). Therefore, if you plan to switch back to the public branch before the update is officially released, we recommend that you avoid loading important saves on the preview branch. Additionally, make sure to back up any maps before saving them in the level editor.
Work in Progress
This version on the preview branch is mostly ready to go feature-wise, but is still lacking some new content and content changes. Notably, the new tree models (fingers crossed), updating the Tank, and likely the combo crate items.
EDIT: Updated tree models, and the updated Tank, are on the preview branch.
Estimated Release
We’re aiming for early the week of the 16th, perhaps Monday (the 16th) that week.
Server Browser Curation
I’ll tidy this up a bit and expand for a “behind-the-scenes” blog post.
A few years ago, moderating the Internet server list was a high-priority community concern, so I gradually duct-taped moderation features on top of the Steam server list. Unfortunately, it’s fairly straightforward to bypass when anyone can create unlimited Steam accounts and unlimited servers. Notes on this:
- With a centralized moderation list (i.e., SDG moderation list) server hosts quickly notice when they’ve been flagged. Regardless of what we filter on (e.g., Steam ID, IP address, name, description, thumbnail, etc) these are all easy to quickly change.
- Last year, there was a particularly horribly long game of whack-a-mole with a copyright-infringing server host. Every day (sometimes multiple times per day) the copyright owner was DMCA-striking the files on the workshop, and I was updating the filters to whatever they’d changed the server to. The copyright owner was eventually in direct contact with Steam’s DMCA team, and we were applying 1-year Unturned community hub bans to the uploaders, but they had a seemingly infinite supply of accounts. This was draining, and I’ve got to imagine it was worse for the copyright owner - I think all the server hosts out there dealing with griefers evading bans know this well.
- Particularly determined server hosts we blocked developed tools to circumvent our filters. They’d instruct players on their servers to install a program that blocks traffic to our backend. It seems dangerous to me that players would be installing random executables like this, it caused a variety of other issues, and we had to rotate out domain names to remain unblocked.
- Relatively recently there’ve been problems with some server hosts in Russia spoofing the details of other Russian servers to steal their players. Again a daily issue, and in this case I haven’t even been able to access the fake servers myself - I believe they’re blocking known VPN providers and cloud hosting IPs.
- It’s highly controversial which filters and moderation rules we should be applying. For example, there was a lot of backlash about rules related to in-game monetization, or whether to allow roleplay of real-world tragedies. (Removing RP servers of e.g. the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Palestine war is something I’ve stuck to.)
My hope is that de-centralizing the ability to curate the server list will help with these issues. Some of the use cases I have in mind:
- Server networks can create a “verification” curator for their servers, applying a label indicating it’s really their server, and blocking fake servers with the same name. This should be very easy to do and shouldn’t require ongoing maintenance unless your GSLTs change.
- Players interested in curating the server list can create their own list shared through the Steam workshop or a file hosted on the web. For example, to label servers they recommend, or hide servers they recommend against (e.g., pay-to-win, abusive admins).
- Mod authors can create a list to hide servers that’re violating their copyright. Perhaps groups of like-minded modders can collaborate on these lists to help protect one another?
- Similarly, perhaps groups of server hosts can collaborate on lists to verify large numbers of servers at once, and to hide problematic servers that’re harassing them?
- If groups like described above do come to exist, SDG could potentially include them in defaults or recommend them somehow. For example, including “Russia Hosting Coalition”, “NA-EU Hosting Coalition”, and “China Hosting Coalition” lists to prevent spoofing by default.
- Unsure whether this is good or bad, but it should be possible to use Geo-IP datasets to create regional server lists. Typically this should already be handled by the default sort considering ping and the max ping filter, but, for example, if you know you only have a good connection to Australian servers you could use a Geo-IP list that only shows Australian servers.
Anyway, here’s the documentation for the feature: Server Browser Curation Docs
Changelog
Added
- Crawler Track physics for Explorer. (*Will do tank before update releases.)
- Internet server list curation feature.
- Left-clicking while zoomed with binoculars sets your waypoint to the focused point.
- Min_Natural_Vehicles config option.
- Zombies Can_Target_Objects config option and object option to prevent zombie damage.
- Object asset property to override animation component path.
- Object Load_Nav_On_Server and Load_Nav_In_Editor [bool] options.
- Barricade and structure Can_Zombies_Target [bool] option.
- Vehicle option to scale steering leaning force with speed.
- Gun DriverTurretViewmodelMode option to control how first-person arms are moved for turrets in the driver’s seat.
- Command-line “-UnredactedLogs” flag to turn off IP redaction.
- Component to spawn explosions with all parameters available. (Replacing unintended Grenade/Rocket script usage.)
Changed
- Reworked how explosion hits are found and sorted.
- Skycranes cannot hook vehicles with barricades on them anymore.
- Redact IPs in BattlEye debug logging by default.
- Mostly finished deprecating older vehicle replication system.
- Caliber_# attachment hook and bullet gravity multiplier supported for all attachment types.
- Interactable objects can toggle Nav object active.
- Updated Json.NET to 13.0.3.
Fixed
- Don’t show item sale in news feed with IMGUI mode enabled. [Thanks RBMKBlaze!]
- Log asset paths which exceed 260 characters (Windows MAX_PATH). [Thanks asineth0!]
- Useable full type name wasn’t supported. [Thanks iBowie and DerpyHoowes!]
- Foliage baking exception if surface collider was destroyed. [Thanks asineth0!]
- No icon for stockpile button. [Thanks LocoCZ!]
- “/copycameratransform” when looking up. [Thanks Toothy!]
- Sandbox folder name instead of path in origin name. [Thanks Molt!]
- Not playing ignition sound when switching from passenger to driver seat. [Thanks Tiway!]
- Color tags in exported vendor asset file names. [Thanks Molt!]
- Trailing space on a few item names. [Thanks Molt!]
- Exploit using an old GUI component to subscribe to other workshop files. [Thanks Jdance!]
- Keep third-person bullet casings visible in first-person for turrets. [Thanks Renaxon!]
- Don’t use client Fake IP in ReadyToConnect per-address rate limiting.
Originally posted on SDG Support: https://support.smartlydressedgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/12462494977172 .
Bug reports are often tracked on our GitHub repository: Issues · SmartlyDressedGames/Unturned-3.x-Community · GitHub .