What changed in Insurgency: Sandstorm in 2018

Increased from 10 seconds

Expanded restricted area and fixed various issues

No rule changes, only loadouts

Adjusted spawns and reduced camping spots

Fixed various issues with rocks and moved insertion point

Players are kicked when idle for 10 seconds in spawn or 30 seconds outside of spawn

Switched fire particles to blueprints

Players who die within three seconds after capturing will respawn

Elite enemies wear distinct clothing and use better equipment

Refined blocking volumes and fixed exploits

Affected weapons: G3A3, G36K, L85A2, SVD, Mk 18 CQBR, Mk 17 Mod 0, M4/M16 platform rifles

Made consistent with other optic options

Require at least one player per team to be ready before starting the game

Cleaned materials and fixed player stuck issues

Instructions provided for players to report suspected cheaters using replay IDs and Steam IDs.

Encouraging players to report unfair gameplay mechanics like spawn camping.

Banned multiple accounts using cheat software and will continue to monitor for cheaters.

Working on in-game performance improvements and solutions to common issues reported since launch.

Announcement of the first content update as part of the free post-release content plan.

Potential fix to address the loss of input when transitioning between maps on dedicated servers.

Reduced memory footprint for loading static meshes on Refinery map.

Fixed an issue where the Explosive Drone would occasionally not detonate.

Updated translations for all supported languages with various bug fixes and improvements.

Fixed the round start music from playing during the Tutorial Level when you respawn.

Fixed an issue where certain particles would render over smoke particles.

Optimized eyebrow, Insurgent pattern, Security camo, cosmetic ID, Support Helicopter, and vehicle textures.

Fixed an issue where the weapon model would occasionally disappear from the soldiers hands in the Class select menu.

Fixed an issue where the vaulting prompt icon would not show.

Lowered the density of glass to allow for easier bullet penetration.

Fixed a localization overflow issue with the matchmaking progress UI element.

Updated to be darker and less reflective.

Fixed an issue causing foliage in certain maps to be overbright.

Fixed an issue where a weapon model could be seen at the player’s feet when using an under barrel grenade launcher.

Fixed counter displaying 0 matches completed.

Improved hitching related to air support vehicles first spawning in.

Player cosmetic loading will now begin in the Loadout menu to reduce missing cosmetics at spawn.

Fixed an issue where the updated Competitive Firefight rule set was not being applied correctly.

Fixed an issue in the Tutorial Level where players could pick up the weapon instead of scavenging it as instructed.

Reduced memory footprint for loading static meshes on Precinct map.

Auto profile in the video setting menu should now be more accurate.

Ensured AI don’t drive too fast around dangerous corners and crash into walls.

Fixed a typo in the advanced video settings.

Fixed an issue where weapon attachments would not always show reliably in the Loadout menu.

Reduced vehicle usage in Push to only spawn one vehicle at the start of the round.

Reduced memory footprint for loading static meshes on Hideout map.

Fixed an issue with the fire support indicator which would prevent it from showing under certain circumstances.

Added 'Paper Plane' Tattoo for Security, and 'Geometric A', 'Geometric B', 'Sword and Flowers' Tattoos for Insurgents.

Future updates will include new maps, vehicles, and weapons, all free of charge.

Reduced memory footprint for loading static meshes on Summit map.

Added remaining Lesson video tutorials.

Updated +10 round extended magazines to cost 2 supply instead of 1.

Added a new advanced video option 'Keep Loaded Textures' to prevent textures from de-loading.

Added new third person jump animations.

Fixed an issue with the Security gas mask texture.

Soothed out transitions for third person strafe animations.

Fixed an issue where smoke mortar projectiles would sometimes be left in the world after detonation.

Players can choose between co-op or competitive matches in various scales.

Bot 'zeroing in' now begins when they start firing at their enemy, fixing unfair deaths.

Features include player customization, airstrikes, vehicles, and a variety of weapons.

Fixed an issue where the Nvidia Highlights button would not be hidden in the game menu when set to not activated.

Added a new player level icon for when surpassing level 999.

Fixed an issue where key action hints and Lesson hints would not show the correctly bound key if the user selected the alternative toggle or hold version of the default action.

Rebuilt all LODs for characters and 3P weapons with proper bone LOD settings.

The game features unprecedented audio design for a more immersive experience.

Reduced memory footprint for loading static meshes on Farmhouse map.

Added unlimited texture pool size option for high spec machines.

Reduced memory footprint for loading static meshes on Crossing map.

Updated the server browser caution message to better inform players of differing experience on unofficial servers.

Slightly increased overhand grenade throw range.

Fixed an issue preventing the ready animations from playing on weapons fully.

Insurgency: Sandstorm's full release is available on PC today.

Added a new 'Ready Up' system for competitive matchmaking.

Fixed an issue where smoke grenades would trigger the Incoming Grenade VO response.

Adjusted match length to 4 rounds total with team swap every 2 rounds and win limit of 3 rounds.

Fixed an issue where third person world models would not always show the correct attachments.

Admin menu should now list the correct map names.

Disallowed players to jump while priming and throwing grenades.

Fixed an issue with the weapon not showing in the players hands in third person if equipped with an under barrel grenade launcher.

Fixed a startup process for Nvidia Highlights which would prompt some users to give permission to Nvidia to record highlights.

Increased accuracy of bots when they are 'zeroed in'.

Soothed out bot navigation on Hideout map.

Vehicle impact deaths should now trigger the gruesome death VO response.

Improved visibility of players using VoIP.

Fixed improper player level colors in the scoreboard.

Fixed multiple issues with the video setting menu in regards to resetting and saving behaviours.

Automatic benchmark should now run properly the first time the game is run.

Fixed an issue where fire support reminder and available lines would play during the Tutorial Level.

Fixed an issue with the Play menu UI after returning from other menus.

Fixed an issue causing the third person vaulting animation to not always properly trigger.

Reduced the number of fire support rounds fired for various artillery types.

Fixed a localization overflow on the post match cosmetic badge UI element.

Reduced vehicle glass health slightly.

Insurgency: Sandstorm officially releases on December 12 on PC.

To activate, go to Settings under the GAME tab.

Refitted gear and added new items like flex cuffs and backpacks.

Open beta period inviting everyone to try the game for free on Steam, including all maps, weapons, and game modes.

Optimized assets and made various gameplay adjustments.

Optimized assets and fixed numerous gameplay and visual issues.

Includes M16A4, M16A2, M9, AK-74, M24, L85A2, Mk 14 EBR, M249.

Optimized assets and fixed numerous gameplay and visual issues.

A new trailer narrated by lead game designer Michael Tsarouhas showcases gameplay features.

An open beta period will invite everyone to try the game for free on Steam.

Pre-orders grant a 10% discount and exclusive in-game tattoo cosmetic.

A big content upgrade will include the full map pool, character improvements, and new voice lines.

Community feedback is being taken into account for weapon balance improvements.

An optimization pass is being implemented for better performance.

An additional 10% loyalty discount for fans who own the original Insurgency.

Added various fixes for Headgear and hair for some heads.

Fixed a potential startup crash.

Adjusted Push Security B building to make it capturable on both floors.

Updated the scale of all third person flash hiders and compensators.

Fixed an issue with bots spawning inside vehicles during Checkpoint that were intended for the human team.

Added potential fix for 'Kicked from server: host closed the connection' issue related to Steam Authentication.

Reworked a wall that affects line of sight into Insurgent B spawn on Push Security.

Removed the Fire Mode display for weapons that don't use bullets (e.g. grenades, knives, etc.).

Fixed duplicate compensators and flash hiders on Insurgent pistols in Coop.

Changed the default scope setting to use a traditional zoomed in scope view which has better performance.

Fixed an issue where there was a slight delay after the animation completed before mines would be planted.

Improved player navigation around fences at Insurgent A spawn on Push Insurgents.

Updated 'Scope Setting' options, now referred to as 'Normal' and 'Picture-in-picture'.

Removed window fence at Insurgent B spawn on Push Security.

Fixed an issue where cycling the bolt of a weapon occurred before releasing the mouse button.

Ragdolls now enter a sleep mode when inactive to stop simulating client-side physics.

Implemented stripper clip and scope deny text support in the loadout menu.

Reduced bot quota from 6/12 to 3/12 to make lower player counts easier.

Fixed an issue where giant characters could occur when using the bipod.

Made various visual improvements in Refinery.

Updated rifle, pistol and launcher sprinting character animations.

Increased drivable vehicle window health slightly to make players inside less vulnerable.

Made various gameplay adjustments to improve level flow and balance.

Improved textures for various Insurgent items.

Fixed being able to leave the playable area near the Insurgent starting spawn in Skirmish.

Added ability to click on a column and sort the results in the server browser.

Added gamma option in settings menu.

Added mouse smoothing option in settings menu.

Bots should be less aggressive with grenades, allowing targets some time to flee before they explode.

Bots should now properly ignore targets with spawn protection.

Improved the speed at which ragdolls will stop simulating physics if they haven’t encountered any large physical forces.

Reduced mine planting time from five seconds to 3.4 seconds.

Added server admin config option bCounterAttackReinforce to Checkpoint for custom servers.

Updated the menu idle animation.

Fixed an issue where players could get stuck inside a silo near Push Security B.

Fixed an issue with the Uzi and AKS-74U iron sights being misaligned.

Moved Insurgent B spawn further forward on Push Security.

Revised Push Insurgents scenario and expanded it to five objectives.

Fixed an issue with Rcon when submitting an incorrect password.

Reduced appropriate weapon textures from 4k to 2k resolution for several weapons.

Scaled down the suppressor for the AKM, AK-74 and Alpha AK.

Fixed an issue where bots firing semi-automatic or bolt action weapons would not be audible.

Improved bot navigation at Security Checkpoint B and Insurgent Checkpoint D.

Reduced horizontal recoil for assault and battle rifles by 10%.

Reworked head and neck constraints and added linear damping for ragdolls.

Slightly sped up normal (non-sprint) Aim Down Sights speed across all weights.

Added filter options: Show Full and Show Empty in the server browser.

Improved map voting screen so that longer scenario names fit the voting buttons.

Fixed a crash that could occur when changing maps.

Aim Down Sights speed now factors in weight instead of being a fixed delay.

Server hostname can now be up to 63 characters in length.

Bot respawn pool reduced from 100% to 60-80% of total player count.

New anti-aliasing option added to the settings menu.

Player ragdolls are no longer invisible when killed inside a vehicle.

Fixed issues with the playable area on Checkpoint, Push, and Skirmish modes.

Admin list/map cycle setup has been simplified and placed into their own text files.

Navigation has been rebuilt for better gameplay flow.

Resolved an issue with Bomber Drones floating through walls.

Fixed an issue where spectators in the Loadout menu would not return to spectating state after confirming.

Resolved an issue preventing the admin menu from being accessible in local play.

HUD chat element now automatically focuses input from the keyboard.

Resolved an issue where incorrect equip times were being used for items like grenades.

Resolved an issue with VoIP functionality when playing on matchmaking servers.

Expanded the D capture zone to both floors in Skirmish.

Resolved an issue where chosen color presets would not be saved between sessions.

Resolved light casting issues on certain meshes and terrain.

Resolved an issue where grenades were missing animations in restricted areas.

Resolved an issue with arm textures being discolored under certain lighting.

Significant steps have been taken to reduce CPU and memory requirements, aiming to improve overall performance.

Makes recoil feel more emphasized and requires more user control.

Added for certain maps.

Slightly adjusted.

When players are seated in insertion truck.

Characters will explode into blood if they take a high amount of explosive damage.

Various cosmetics reduced in price.

7.62 caliber rifles and .45 pistols see a higher recoil increase than other weapon types.

Disabled per-tick floor checks, allow prediction to be skipped on the same frame as net updates.

Recoil increased by about 20%.

Changes made to reduce the time and cost to unlock cosmetics, including starting with 1000 Appearance Credits.

The map Refinery has been reintroduced to the map pool based on community requests.

The game has been upgraded from Unreal Engine 4.19 to Unreal Engine 4.20, allowing for new features.

Can now be customized with custom colors.

The new Alpha AK assault rifle is now available for the Insurgent Advisor class and Security Advisor in Coop.

Adjustments to recoil, sway, focus, and player movement have been made, including more 'punchy' visual recoil.

Includes asynchronous particle tick and parallel particle collision.

Toggle sprint not always reliable in some cases.

Enemy AI in Coop mode has been improved for better objective completion and grenade usage.

Can be discovered in the in-game server browser.

Never played previously.

Dedicated server application released for community hosting, with setup guides available.

Several known issues have been listed, including VoIP problems and animation issues.

Reduced their attenuation distance.

Improvements to graphical options, anti-aliasing, animation, and character models to enhance performance.

Hundreds of improvements targeting movement speeds, weapon statistics, and map layouts.

A new weapon for the Insurgent faction will be added.

The game will be updated to use Unreal Engine version 4.20.

Enhancements to the server browser for better user experience.

Introducing a large scale urban map set within the fictional conflict of Insurgency: Sandstorm.

Tweaks to movement speed, weapon mechanics, armour, fire support, map layouts, and hundreds of bug fixes and improvements.

New weapon for the Insurgent Advisor class (and Security Advisor in Coop).

A new tattoo cosmetic option, with more varieties to come.

Includes caching of cosmetic items to increase performance, higher quality textures, and proportion adjustments.

A series of new optimizations to push frame rates higher and reduce micro-stuttering.

Explosive Drone can now enter buildings through windows for interior-clearing fire support.

A new map which combines two classic Insurgency maps, District and Contact, into a single urban environment.

Enhancements to character models and animations, including higher quality textures and performance improvements.

Beta testers will receive an exclusive tattoo cosmetic and additional cosmetic appearance credits at launch.

Implementation of numerous bug fixes and general improvements.

Enhancements made to the low-quality scope option.

Adjustments to movement speed, weapon mechanics, armour, fire support, and map layouts.

Implementation of community dedicated servers and enhancements to the server browser.

Introduction of a new urban map called 'Precinct'.

Introduction of a new tattoo cosmetic option with more varieties planned.

Added more Anti-Aliasing and graphics options for better visual quality.

Upgraded the game engine to Unreal Engine 4.20 for better development benefits.

More cosmetic item variations and a new forearm tattoo cosmetic type will be added.

Character models, textures, and animations will be improved.

Improvements will be made to the scoped experience for both high and low-quality scope settings.

The game will be upgraded to Unreal Engine 4.20 to continue optimizing performance.

Insurgency: Sandstorm's release date has been postponed from September 18, 2018, to December 12, 2018.

Improvements to level visuals, gameplay, and overall optimization.

In-game server options will be expanded to include a server browser, community-run server support, and a custom games system.

The game will be refined to have far fewer bugs, glitches, and visual inconsistencies.

Landscape optimization and various fixes for the Crossing map.

Moved bullet impact particles processing from CPU to GPU.

Gas Mask added to the default Loadout for all Insurgent classes.

Players are recommended to use Full Screen mode for accurate performance depiction.

Increased bullet drop for 5.56, 5.45, and 7.62 at long ranges.

Optimized terrain to lower triangle count and adjusted playable area.

Players are advised to adjust Texture Streaming Pool Size based on their video card to avoid hitching.

Video settings are now only applied when the user presses 'Apply Changes'.

Fixed bullets not penetrating arms and hands, preventing damage to the torso.

Disabled Nvidia Aftermath due to hitching issues.

Slight reduction in effectiveness of Light and Heavy Armor.

New voice over added for taking damage from Chemical Mortars.

Increased enemy AI spawns at the final objective.

Fixed grenades not showing effects if detonated in mid-air.

New icon added for players who haven't completed enough placement matches to be ranked.

Fixed an issue preventing bullets from dealing damage, resulting in higher time to kill.

Slight reduction in player acceleration.

Increased transition time from prone to standing from 0.65 seconds to 1 second.

Shadow Quality and related settings have a sizeable performance impact; lowering them is recommended for performance issues.

Laser Sight lasers not displaying correctly for other characters has been fixed.

Slight increase in free aim recoil.

New server region added for players in South America.

Fixed crashes related to the movie player, Tactical Map, and scavenging weapons.

Various optimization improvements and fixes for the Farmhouse map.

Optimized buildings and improved AI vehicle navigation on the Summit map.

Adjusted texture pool sizes to help reduce their loading and unloading times on lower settings.

Increased timeout to potentially prevent players being placed directly into Spectator when joining a game.

Modified culling, fixed props fading issues, and addressed several exploits and stuck issues.

Removed spawning of character audio if not audible by the player.

Removed particle effects for character movement if not visible by the player.

Modified culling, adjusted particle visibility, and moved Security Supply Crate to fix an exploit.

Removed spawning of bullet impacts if not visible by the player.

Removed spawning of bullet audio if not audible by the player.

Introduced optimizations to reduce micro-stutter during high-action scenarios.

Fixed an issue with third person grenade launcher animation poses.

Fixed Class Selection menu occasionally not showing any classes to choose from.

Fixed an issue where resupplying with a foregrip would break third person animations.

Fixed destructible objectives crediting players with assist damage when they didn’t destroy them.

Fixed broken UI texture for Skirmish in the Versus match preferences menu.

Fixed an issue where moving away from a deployed surface with the bipod would temporarily break third person animations.

Reworked exposure settings, reduced bloom, increased contrast.

Improved ragdoll impulse values for ballistic ammo to allow them to react to impacts from bullets more realistically.

Fixed an issue where the game was not launching in Fullscreen even if the Fullscreen option was selected.

Fixed an issue where Smoke Artillery would sometimes trigger its audio twice on detonation.

Increased horizontal recoil when in free aim / hipfire.

Fixed third person animation poses for grenades, pistols and items.

Fixed an issue with Smoke Artillery not blocking visibility for bots in Checkpoint.

Fixed an issue with the SVD with bipod breaking third person animations in the Loadout room.

Removed player damage from Smoke Mortar and Smoke Artillery shells.

Decreased recoil by 20% if using a weapon’s burst fire mode.

Extended Magazine with 5 extra rounds now costs 1 supply; 10 extra rounds costs 2 supply; 20 extra rounds costs 3 supply.

Fixed an issue where the character would be rotated 180 degrees in the escape menu and Loadout screen.

Increased recoil of M16A4 and M16A2 slightly.

Fixed an issue where awarded cosmetic items were showing as locked until the game was restarted.

Added missing actor merged mesh, scatter rocks no longer fade out on lower settings, reduced skylight intensity slightly.

Updated Customize screen with new cameras and lighting.

Fixed issue that caused the Anti-Aliasing video setting to list anti-aliasing options that are currently unavailable.

Added LODs to vehicle fire particles and further optimized the emitters.

Reduced skylight brightness, potential fix for bright spot, added vehicle nav modifiers, adjusted vehicle spawn number, added more cover actors for bots.

Increased Easy Anti-Cheat and initial connection timeouts to 150 seconds to assist with connection to matchmaking servers.

Improved the lighting of third person items and weapons.

Bots in Local Play’s Checkpoint are now named after their chosen class.

Removed 1x Holographic sight from all Insurgent Coop classes.

Added a cooldown to the Support Helicopter’s minigun burst time.

Added framerate smoothing option in the Settings menu.

Fixed an issue with Supply Crates which stopped their UI element from showing reliably.

Added 2x Kobra sight for Security Coop classes.

Display Competitive rank when hovering over Competitive in the Play menu.

Fixed foregrip hand poses for the third person AKM and MP7.

Reduced the chance of counter-attacks using lethal Fire Support to create more diversity in enemy Fire Support attacks.

Fixed an issue where changing weapons while using a bipod would cause the third person animation to break.

Competitive rank display will always be shown even when unranked and will default to 'Unranked' until you have completed the required number of placement matches and earned a rank.

Added sidearm melee third person animations.

Fixed an issue with the Lessons menu where clicking outside of the video would unload it.

Increased horizontal recoil for drum mags slightly.

Added framerate limiting option in the Settings menu.

Added idle animations for characters in third person.

Added vehicle death animations.

Fixed characters T-posing when killed inside an exploding vehicle.

When Loadout menu is open at spawn.

Impacts top sprint speed and stamina.

Improves framerate across all maps.

Now populate correctly into the player’s profile.

Instead of 'Joules' in the Loadout menu.

Increased free aim recoil and radius slightly.

If there's a larger magazine and they haven't fired recently.

Instead of rushing to cover.

The first Pre-order Beta will finish on August 13th.

Insurgency: Sandstorm will release on PC on September 18th, 2018.

The Game will not return to the main menu with 'Connection has been lost' if Steam disconnects.

Fixed a crash on Linux servers caused by character animation snapshot.

A second Pre-order Beta will run from August 30 until the release on September 18.

Lighting will apply to player cosmetics as a group instead of individually.

Includes dozens of weapons, hundreds of loadout options, fully implemented vehicles, and support fire.

Improvements to hit validation to reduce cases of bad hit detection.

Fixed an issue where cosmetic credits earned during a game were not updated correctly within the character customization menu.

HLOD distance is now affected by the users 'Effects Quality' setting in the video menu.

Characters who are no longer in the players view do not update their animation and bone positions.

Fixed an issue with shotgun pellet simulation on some pellets.

Players can access Pre-order Beta 1 featuring three maps and four modes from the final release.

Improvements to the moving lean animation.

Added submit feedback button to the main menu to allow easy access to the forums.