Hi Scourge community!

We have some good news for you, Scourge: Outbreak fans! We have been working hard with the new Bots functionality and we are happy to say that it is now LIVE FOR EVERYONE! Now you can play your favourtite multiplayer maps against them! But is that all of it? Nope! We also included 3 new multiplayer maps! Vendetta, Outpost and Conflux are now available for everyone with this new update. No need to pay a dime!

Here's a brief explanation of this three new environments:

Conflux: This is a sacred place for Nogari. The founder of Nogari Corporation, Akemei Ayumu, is buried here. This area is mainly used to give some peace to the mind, body and soul. A small open map, with wide high areas for sniper lovers and some shotgun mayhem corridors as well. Works in all multiplayer modes.

Outpost: This air defense bunker was going to be the first line of defense for the Nogari Army. Looks like Tarn managed to attack before the place was ready, but the "will" of the Nogari soldiers can never be broken. This maps has so many different heights, that makes it unique between the rest of the Scourge multiplayer maps. Players will also need some skill to reach certain areas and it's a hell of a lot of fun in CTF. Works in all modes.

Vendetta: This Nogari port was the first area attacked by Tarn. This cargo harbour is a maze and Nogari tries to stop the enless waves of Tarn Pods striking the island. Short distances, nice vertical combat and a mini maze to have some shockwave fun. Works in DM & TDM.

We also fixed some bugs and added some new functionalities as well:

• Cross-hair now changes back to default color (white) when enemy is dead
  
• When launching for the first time in full-screen mode the monitor's current resolution will be used instead of the default resolution. Fixes start-up black screens noted by some players and minimization to the task-bar on launch.
  
• Game will not process input if Steam overlay is closing. Fixes the ESC button issue when closing the overlay which also (unintentionally) closed the currently focused game UI scene.
  
• Potential MAC fix for gamepad issue addressing inverted mappings. Not a final fix though, so please provide feedback on this!
  
• Resume' button issue noted by some players now fixed.
  
• Searching for a Co-op game will now always show the Server List. If there are no available games, the list will be empty and you'll get a 'No games found' message.
  
• Max number of Bots (up to 7) now configurable in Pre-Game Lobby. Note that for Public games this defaults to 7 and cannot be modified.
  
• Bots now use Shockwaves more effectively. Previously they would often do Shockwaves after killing their target, and Bots with the Static Shockwave would often activate it before the target was in range.
  
• In TDM, Bots previously would sometimes stand still and not do anything until the Player had engaged an enemy. Now they should begin moving and searching for enemies right away.
  
• Bots now have more varied inventories. Previously they all had the Firefly Submachinegun and the Piranha Pistol. Now some characters have Reaper Assault Rifles and Barracuda Shotguns.
  
• New fix for Audio crash experienced by some users (thanks slimak), which should resolve some of the crashes.
  
• New Controls option to disable Gamepad Button icons even if you have a Gamepad connected.
  
• Matchmaking for a Public Versus (multiplayer) game now doesn't wait so long before creating a game even if you don't find other players. It used to wait 3 minutes, but now it should be between 1 and 2 minutes.
  
• Players can join private games from the friend list without having to receive an invite first.
  
• Graphics options let you scroll down to the custom values. Once user selects a custom value, 'Level of Detail' will be changed to 'Custom' automatically.
  
• Fixed several cover bugs in all maps.
  
• Alt+F4 crashes fixed
  
• Very rare audio crash fixed
  
• Reduced pause time between AI shotgun bursts
  
• Bots currently work as intended in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch. There's no bots on Capture the Flag.
  
  Known issues:
  
  
• Bots don't use the Shield ability. Please note that even though the AI uses the Shield in the Campaign, making them use it in Multiplayer could potentially be very complicated and we cannot guarantee getting this to work in the future.
  
  
• Bots currently do not pick up any weapons. They start with their default inventory (slightly different per character) and have infinite ammo.

We've been hard at work improving the multiplayer AI Bots and various general improvements and fixes for Scourge: Outbreak. Check out a full list in the Bots beta update thread!

If you haven't tried out the Multiplayer Bots yet, why not give them a shot? Literally! :-)

Sincerely,
The Scourge: Outbreak Team

When Scourge: Outbreak was launched on Steam a few weeks ago, all owners of the original 'The Scourge Project' (TSP) automatically received a free copy of the remake in their Steam library. One thing we didn't anticipate was a lot of new Scourge players asking if they could BUY the original TSP! After discussing this with Valve, we are happy to announce that ALL owners of Scourge: Outbreak should now have TSP in their library for FREE!

For anyone who hasn't played the original, this is a great opportunity to see for yourself how much work we put into making the remake so much better than TSP. You can find more details HERE.

We'll continue to listen to our community and do what we can to improve the Scourge: Outbreak experience, both for old fans and new!

This week's INDIE GALA EVERY MONDAY BUNDLE[www.indiegala.com] includes SCOURGE: OUTBREAK for PC and Mac on STEAM, as well as a bunch of other great indie games, for only $3.49! If you buy it within the first 24 hours, it will only cost you $1.99!! If you or any of your friends don't have Scourge: Outbreak yet, be quick because now is your chance. In the first few hours almost 2,000 people have already bought the bundle, so our community is ready to explode! Check out the Indie Gala Every Monday Bundle[www.indiegala.com], tell your friends and family, and join Echo Squad in the fight against Nogari Corporation!

Since the release of Scourge: Outbreak a few weeks ago, we've been thrilled at how much great feedback we've been getting from our Steam community! One of the most requested features has been AI Bot support for multiplayer modes, so today we are happy to announce the availability of a 'Bots' Beta that all owners of Scourge: Outbreak can try to test the first version of these bots. We look forward to working with our community to improve the Bots over the coming weeks before officially including them in the game. For more information please take a look at the announcement in our Steam forum.

- The Scourge: Outbreak Team

Since the Steam release of Scourge: Outbreak on April 2nd, we've been actively interacting with our community to identify problems and find potential fixes. While there are a number of improvements that we are still investigating, we have released an update that addresses several issues which were spotted early after launch.

VERSION 1.103 NOTES:

• Added Say/TeamSay key bindings for text chat in Co-op/Versus modes.
  
• Added Controls option for enabling/disabling Controller vibration.
  
• Fixed several graphics issues in LOW and LOWEST pre-defined graphics modes.
  
• When matchmaking for Versus games, the game will now search for additional players for a minute or two, then put you in a game on your own if no-one is found. This allows you to run around exploring and testing things while waiting for someone to join, instead of having to sit in the lobby (twiddling your thumbs) while waiting. This was the fastest way to implement the closest thing to an 'open public' server that several Steam community users asked for.
  
• Co-op Campaign matchmaking now always shows you a list of available Co-op games, instead of automatically joining the game which most closely matches your preferences.
  
• Fixed various bugs related to creating LAN Co-op games.
  
• Fixed several Leaderboard issues including endlessly updating Leaderboards and incorrect XP totals for some players.
  
• Fixed several localisation (translation) mistakes.

One of the features requested repeatedly by the community is Bot support for Multiplayer modes. We're currently working on this and plan to make beta versions of the 'Bot' update available for owners of Scourge: Outbreak to test and provide feedback, thereby participating in the improvement of the game.

We're also pleased to announce that we'll soon be releasing "Incursion", the new DLC map pack for Scourge: Outbreak FREE for owners of the game. Keep an eye on our Facebook page, Twitter feed or our Steam forums for more details on all this and more!

With the help of our community, we fully intend to continue improving the Scourge: Outbreak experience in future updates!

• Facebook Page[www.facebook.com]
  
• Twitter (@ScourgeOutbreak)
  
• http://www.scourgeoutbreak.com/home/

Have you tried Scourge: Outbreak Multiplayer yet? Now's your chance! Check out this new forum post about upcoming Multiplayer events on Steam!

Whether you already have the 'Blindside' DLC map pack or are considering buying it, check out the new overhead map guide. With detailed layouts for every part of the 6 included maps, as well as call-outs to help everyone use the same location names, this is a must-read guide for everyone who loves PvP in Scourge: Outbreak!

You can find the guide here: http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=245589923

The contents of these bundles/packs are not displaying at the moment (we're working on it!), but for the moment here's what is included in each:

AMBROSIA BUNDLE: Includes the Full Game, 'Blindside' DLC Pack 1, Digital Artbook and Digital Original Soundtrack.

DEATH SQUAD 4-PACK: The complete ‘must have’ pack for a full squad, including 4 copies of each of the following: Full Game, 'Blindside' DLC Pack 1 , Digital Artbook and Digital Original Soundtrack. Send the extra copies to your friends!