For months we’ve had a small team working in the background on a completely new game mode that could exist as it’s own standalone game, and now the Extraction mode is here for some very early pre-alpha testing. We’re also introducing a brand new Quarry in the Social Hub, a new Artifact map, a new prestige, and we’ve upgraded the engine to Unreal 5.5.

In this update we’re starting some very early tests for the new Extraction mode. To start, these tests will only be available to VAIL Alliance Subscribers and only at scheduled times so that we can get the most players together at once. The next scheduled playtests will show in game in the Tablet.

Whatever expectations you have for the extraction mode, reduce them by like a thousand. This is a VERY early pre-alpha. Almost everything you’ll see, including the map, backpack, menus, etc., are all still using placeholder assets. Currently the core game loop works: you can load into the map, find loot, extract with it, sell it, and repeat. But there’s still a ton of features that we want to add and polish.

With this core foundation, we will start shifting more resources internally towards Extraction so that we can continue to improve the mode with every update until it’s ready for a wider release. Your testing will be invaluable for us to improve Extraction, particularly in tuning the economy. This means that we will have some wipes as we prepare for release, but the plan right now is to not have forced wipes after the full release. As we get further in development, we will continue to share more information about what we have planned to set this mode apart as a premier experience within the VAIL ecosystem.

The Wassies have been doing some digging and redecorating, and now they’ve got a brand new home in The Citadel. This new Quarry is larger, more performant, and features an improved mining system that’s more optimized than ever before. We have plans to improve the look of the new Quarry even more, but we decided to release it already so that you can enjoy the performance gains and gameplay improvements. 

The newest competitive map is Artifact Frio. This is a variation of Frio using a completely new layout built for competitive Artifact matches. Try it out and give us feedback so we can make sure this map is a regular addition to the competitive pool.

We’ve upgraded the game’s engine from Unreal 5.2 to Unreal 5.5. From your perspective as the player, absolutely nothing should be different. But this will enable us to offer more features that are optimized for Quest, improve performance on existing features, and fix some crashes and other issues we were having. As part of this change, all player settings will be reset to default and you may need to use default bindings with Steam VR for now. If you find any bugs or issues, be sure to let us know in the Discord so that we can address them as quickly as possible.

• Added the August Drop // SS25 to the marketplace with the Bridged Colonist Featured Bundle
• Added Prestige 6: Psyops
• Added the AESIR DLC: a portion of the proceeds from this bundle will go to AESIR for winning the tournament and to VRML to support future seasons.
• Changed the layout of the PLAY page in the tablet to show the three main ways to play VAIL: VAIL Combat, Citadel, and Extraction Pre-Alpha
• Updated the UI for subscriptions to show all rewards more clearly and added a small badge next to the player profile that will notify the player when rewards can be claimed
• Moved VAIL Alliance UI pages out of the Marketplace tab and improved the look of the Tablet marketplace
• Updated some sound effects for ORE and mining
• Snow particles no longer fall in interiors on Frio
• Changed the pickaxe texture to improve visibility
• Added a new EXA wallet to show the Extraction currency
• Added tooltips for the various currencies to tell players what they are when you hover over them
• Added back Sprays for Quest — we need to do further testing on this, but pretty soon we’ll bring back a menu to select which spray you want equipped. Press your main hand thumbstick to spray the default option for now.
• Added dynamic resolution on Quest — this should increase resolution and performance on standalone headsets
• If you use custom Steam VR bindings, you may need to revert to default bindings and then re-edit your custom bindings from the default — modifying joystick bindings might not work for now

• Fixed an unintentionally accessible spot on ART_Cliffside near B Artifact
• Fixed being able to see through a pool chair from behind
• Fixed stats not showing for players that aren’t your friend
• Fixed Supply Capsule Miniatures not showing the correct tier colors in the UI
• Misc. bug fixes and crash fixes

AEXLAB