September Force Wipe Update Patch Notes -

The September Force Wipe update introduces scaling taxes for group base upkeep, physical damage states for vehicle armor, and dedicated High-Quality Metal (HQM) nodes. Server persistence and monument progression also see significant overhauls alongside a wide array of balance adjustments.

Group Base Upkeep & Performance

• Tax Scaling: Tool Cupboard upkeep will scale based on authorized players. Placeholder math: first 4 players are free, the next 6 add a 2% tax each, and anyone after adds 4% (e.g., 12 players = 20% extra upkeep).
• Exploit Fixes: Players on connected code locks count toward the total. Removing auth keeps the player in the tax calculation for 24 hours. The TC UI now shows the current group tax.
• Performance: NPC navmesh generation is 30% faster, and pathfinding speed doubled. Ghost Ship nav, Oil Rig scientists, and AI doorways are fixed. VRAM usage was heavily reduced by resizing unoptimized textures. Deferred+ lighting fixes and memory leaks were also patched.

Breakable Vehicle Armor

• Attack Helicopters: Left, right, and front armor panels now break off individually when damaged, allowing projectiles to physically pass through gaps. Passengers now get aim sway based on helicopter speed.
• Hot Air Balloons: Armor splits into breakable chunks, eventually exposing the bare frame. Attaching armor now requires a 3-second hold to prevent accidental clicks.

Monuments & Persistent Events

• Monument Blockers: Debris at Launch Site, Military Tunnels, Silo, and Oil Rigs have visible degradation states. Target health is 1 C4 or 5 Satchels.
• Drone Marketplace: Tied to the Power Plant. Markets accept orders at 50% charge (requires at least 4 active heavy fuses). 4 fuses take ~21 mins to charge; a fully loaded plant takes 5 mins.
• Dome: Crude storage is now capped at 1,000 per pump.
• Persistent Events: Server restarts no longer wipe Oil Rig crates/hack progress, Cargo Ship loot rounds/spawns, or Patrol Heli/Bradley/Satellite Crash debris and burning states. The Oil Rig puzzle reset was tweaked to not wipe nearby players on a server boot. Event crates now despawn at 30 minutes instead of 60.

Resource & Animal Spawns

• HQM Nodes: Now separate from standard ore logic with dedicated jungle-weighted spawns, yielding 20 HQM per node and 5 per collectible.
• Farming/Resources: Swamp trees now yield 1,000 Wood (up from 300). SMG bodies spawn slightly more often, and Rifle bodies slightly less, balancing Workbench 2 availability.
• Livestock: Animals now seek out water when thirsty. A stable-selling UI is in the works, alongside new behaviors for frogs (seeking shallow water), rabbits, squirrels, and new Sea Turtle LODs.

Crafting & Balance Adjustments

• Pies: Longer bonus durations. Hunter's Pie bleed reduction is 90% (up from 75%). Hunter/Fish pie now require 1 mushroom instead of 2.
• Grenades & Molotovs: Max stack size reduced from 5 to 3 (Beancan drops to 4).
• Mortars: Cost drops by 5 HQM and 2 Pipes.
• Hazmat Suits: Cost drops by 1 HQM and 1 Tarp.
• HMLMG: Cost reduced by 30 HQM.
• Medical Kits: Now remove 20 radiation instantly.
• Honey Bandage: 8 instant health, HoT up to 6. Cloth cost halved to 4.
• Heavy Pot / Plate Helmet: Pot Helmet recipe increased to 2 Sheet Metal and 8 HQM. Plate Helmet now muffles game audio.
• Homing Missile Launcher: Locks on 30% faster; displays "Keep on target" UI message.
• Semi-Auto Pistol (SAP): More damage falloff at range. Cost increased from 4 to 6 HQM.
• Longswords: Larger swing radius, shorter delay between swings.
• Boat Planner: Tech tree cost dropped from 120 to 30 Scrap.
• Prisoner Hood: Removed from the tech tree; now a default Blueprint.

Quality of Life, Fixes & DLC

• Mechanics: Handheld flashlights now toggle with right-click instead of 'F', complete with new animations. Radioactive water is much deadlier to heavily protected players (especially via sprinklers). Modular cars feature smoother steering, less body roll, and better drifting.
• Base & QoL: Rugs no longer block Workbench upgrades. Hotbar swapping fixed for overstacks. Large team lag spikes when authorizing friends on turrets are fixed. Player-owned boats remember last usage across restarts (fixing daily restart decay).
• Visuals/World: Nailgun received a complete model refresh. Mixing table's water bucket is finally visible again after years of being transparent. Launch Site rocket factory ledge made taller. Rentable shop vending machines are refrigerated while Power Plant is powered.
• Misc Fixes: Submarine players can't loot clipped bodies without dismounting. Long server descriptions no longer hide the disconnect button. MIDI plugin warms up on launch to prevent a 10-second freeze. Random skin crafting now includes the default appearance and a new icon.
• Upcoming DLC & WIP: High Stakes DLC (Russian roulette), Halloween DLC (Skull Wall Torch), a new tall stepladder, a randomized boiler room for the train network, fruit tree testing (apples on oaks), and major character customization polish (live preview camera adjustments).