Hello Sandstorm community!

Welcome to Operation: Accolade, the update where we are privileged to bring you content inspired by the fantastic submissions we received to our mapping and cosmetic community contests! We want to acknowledge the work everyone put in by bringing their ideas to life in Insurgency: Sandstorm!! KUDOS to you! You all really brought in the thunder!

These release notes will be updated throughout the week as new content is revealed on our social channels. Want to follow along in real time? Give us a follow on Twitter!

Also, we are reminiscing on Sandstorm’s 4th birthday we recently celebrated on stream. 4 years is a big achievement, and we feel lucky to still be going strong after all these years. Of course, we can’t forget about Insurgency’s 9 year anniversary that happened back in January, too! We were joined on stream by some of the OG devs at New World who gave us the inside scoop on what development was like in those days.

Without further ado, get ready to dive in and read what we have in store for Operation: Accolade!

New Map: Last Light

Pack your bags and get ready for Last Light, the newest level to be added to Insurgency: Sandstorm! Based on the map of the same name created by Invalid_Nick for our Community Mapping Contest, Last Light takes you to a breathtaking coastal town where the action is relentless. The compact design is perfect for intense, close-to-medium-quarters combat, encouraging you to fight your way through lush interiors and out into streets awash in the glow of the golden hour. The luxurious architecture, fancy cars, and detailed, realistic interiors all add to the authenticity of this one-of-a-kind map, giving players an immersive and unforgettable experience. Join the fight and battle to control this stunning but deadly getaway town!

Last Light is Playable on:

• Ambush
• Checkpoint Insurgents
• Checkpoint Security
• Defusal
• Domination
• Firefight
• Frontline
• Outpost
• Push Insurgents
• Push Security
• Survival

New Weapons: MDR and SG 552

Coming to Operation: Accolade, these brand new 20 round assault rifles sure do pack a punch. The MDR is vicious, slinging its 7.62 ammo at 960m per second, while the SG 552 stands out with its ease of use and all around versatility! Both weapons are available for the following classes:

• Rifleman
• Demolitions
• Commander
• Observer

MDR (SEC)

SG 552 (INS)

New Free Cosmetics: Scout and Rebel Fighter

We are always amazed by the creations that our community comes up with and we’re overjoyed to finally be unveiling the Scout and Rebel Fighter DLC’s. Both of these new sets are based off of the amazing contest winning submissions from our Community Cosmetics Contest.

Whether you’re looking to get your eyes on enemy movements or achieve ultimate glory in your fight against oppression, the Scout and Rebel Fighter free cosmetic sets will have you doing it in style!

Scout (SEC)

Rebel Fighter (INS)

New DLC: The Accolade Set Bundle

To celebrate four years of Sandstorm, and the incredible support from the community, get moving with the Accolade Set Bundle. Featuring premium gear and battle-worn weapon skin sets, the bundle is packed full of community-driven content.

These new DLC sets will be available for purchase upon the release of Operation: Accolade and are included in the Year 2 pass for those of you who have it standalone, or via the Gold Edition. These cosmetic items can be combined with others in-game.

Our newest weapon skins, Worn Veteran and Rust & Wrap, are based on the winner of our community cosmetics contest! We hope you are just as excited as we are to see them in action!

Pilot Gear Set for Security

• Pilot Helmet (Headgear)
• Pilot Top (Torso)
• Pilot Gloves (Hands)
• Pilot Bottom (Legs)
• Pilot Boots (Feet)

Worn Veteran Weapon Skin Set for Security

These skins can be applied to the following weapons:

• M16A4
• MK 18 CQBR
• MK 14 EBR
• M24
• MDR 
• M249

Biker Gear Set for Insurgents

• Biker Helmet (Headgear)
• Biker Top (Torso)
• Biker Gloves (Hands)
• Biker Bottom (Legs)
• Biker Boots (Feet)
• Biker Tattoo

Rust & Wrap Skin Set for Insurgents

These skins can be applied to the following weapons:

• SVD
• Mosin-Nagant
• AKS-74U
• AKM
• PKM
• SG 552

New Defusal Layouts

We think you are going to have a blast with these seven explosive new layouts for the Defusal game mode! This means we’ve almost tripled the number of available layouts, so what are you waiting for? Grab your wire-cutters and get to work! 

Bab

Farmhouse

Ministry

PowerPlant

Refinery

Summit

Tell

There you have it! We hope you are as excited as we are for all the new content to arrive in Update 1.14!

Resolved Issues

Hello again! We hope you like the new content coming to Sandstorm with Operation: Accolade! We also happen to have a whole number of fixes in this update, so read on below for those.

Please note that not all bugs or issues are experienced by every player. If anything you see below is still affecting you, or an issue you are experiencing is still in the game, please contact our support team here.

Art & Graphics

• Resolved an issue with visual inconsistencies in the Puffer Jacket between third-person and first-person views.

• Resolved an issue where IR laser and IR flashlight VFX were not visible in NV scopes.

• Resolved an issue with speed reloading when using scavenged AKM ammo with the SKS.

• Resolved an issue where the reload animation would repeat when using the Desert Eagle.

• Resolved an issue where the ammo carrier with backpack was clipping with the Brute Top.

• Resolved an issue with textures near the respawn point in Ministry on console.

• Resolved an issue with textures that extended too far and blocked projectiles on Crossing.

• Resolved an issue with textures that extended too far and blocked projectiles on Farmhouse.

Audio / VO

• Resolved an issue where the Commander’s voice lines would loop on console. 

• Resolved a glitching issue with the  gunshot audio on console.

• Resolved a sound distortion issue on Bab while multiple players in the same place were shooting on console.

• Resolved a sound distortion issue in multi-story buildings.

Gameplay Improvements

• Resolved an issue where spawn protection gave an advantage to new players joining the match.

• Resolved an exploit where players would stay in spawn protection mode and freely explore the level killing players.

• Resolved an issue where the game would crash on the local match loading screen.

• Resolved an issue with party recreation on console.

Level Design Improvements & Fixes

• Resolved a collision issue causing players to get stuck on Tell. 

• Resolved an issue where Objective C on Precinct Push (Insurgents) was extended too far.

• Resolved an issue with a hole in the map on Outskirts.

Mod Tools

• Resolved sound issues in the editor.

• Resolved an issue of players being unable to play in editor if gamemode required a restart.

• Resolved a crash issue during AI navigation for custom maps.

• Resolved an issue of being unable to pack a mod.

• Resolved an issue of being unable to load skin texture on characters.

• Resolved an issue where the KSG and KS-23 were missing from the mod editor.

• Resolved an issue where four frontline scenario objectives were missing.

• Resolved an issue where a UI icon was missing for supply crates.

• Resolved an issue where a skin-shader texture was missing.

• Resolved an issue where loading into PIE with dev iteration would crash the SDK.

• Resolved the example map missing the floor.

• Resolved an issue where playing Checkpoint starts in defeat.

• Resolved an issue where custom voice dictionaries were not working.

UI / UX

• Resolved an issue where the scoreboard would remain on the screen after interacting with “copy platform ID”.

• Resolved an issue of the jump button becoming inactive.

• Resolved an issue where the player was unable to fulfill a player report.

• Resolved an issue where players could spawn in spectator mode on console.

• Resolved an issue where selecting “save cosmetic preset” would cause the player to get stuck in the customize menu.

• Resolved an issue of the game crashing on the EAC screen.

Miscellaneous

• Resolved an issue where the MK 17 Universal Digital skin had the wrong description.
• Resolved an issue with the Skull Camo and Skull Plain cosmetic being locked on console.
• Resolved an issue where the in-game store was empty for some EGS players.

Known Issues

Finally, our known issues section. Identifying that an issue exists is the first step to a resolution, and each piece of information we can gather about certain causes or contexts can go a long way. Every time you file a support ticket you are helping us to investigate these issues, and we truly appreciate it when you take the time to do this! If you encounter something funky, please file a ticket here. 

Small reminder, by the way, that we do have our FAQ page, which is a great place to look for questions you may have! 

All that said, the below list is not exhaustive so if yours is missing it doesn’t necessarily mean we aren’t looking into it!

• AI may behave in abnormal ways.
• Voice chat may appear as disabled. 
• Editing a preset after you selected another cosmetic may reset every change you made.  
• “hide hud” toggle may not work while in replay or spectator mode. 
• Dismembered body parts may not match a character’s skin tone.

Conclusion

Thanks for sticking with us ‘till the end! We can’t wait for you to dive into this update with us as a lot of hard work went into it from the whole team!

Join our livestream on Twitch, March 30th at 11am MST to get a first look at the new content and see Last Light in action! Can’t make the livestream? That’s okay! You can follow us on our other social media to stay up to date with all things Sandstorm.

As always, see you out there in the field!