Today, we’re proud to announce that [i]SCP: Secret Laboratory[/i]’s 12.0.0 update, ‘Mimicry’, is now in its public beta stage. From overhauling the entire SCP team, to sweeping changes for the average round — Mimicry is at risk of being our biggest update ever. It’s public knowledge that this update has been in closed beta for a while now, but we are extremely pleased with the amount of support and feedback that the community has brought forward for the duration of this stage. A ton of work was put in by the Development team, but we wouldn’t be where we are today if not for your input. Thank you! [b]You can opt-in to the beta by right-clicking SCP:SL in your Steam Library, and then by selecting the [i]Properties[/i] tab. From there, select the [i]Betas[/i] category, and finally, select the [i]Public Beta[/i] option from the dropdown menu.[/b] And now, without further ado, let’s get into the changes! [h2]SCP-939 Rework[/h2] SCP-939 has gone through countless balance changes, soft reworks, nerfs, buffs, and everything else that an SCP could possibly receive throughout its lifetime. With this update, we’re proud to announce a complete rework — both visually and mechanically, for SCP-939. We’ve discussed the rework in a previous Steam post available [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/700330/view/3329873512163089356]here[/url], which details the massive amounts of content and unique features that SCP-939 now holds. [h2]The Operational Guide[/h2] One of the most unexpected features to come from this update is our Operational Guide. For a long time, we’ve felt that [i]SCP: Secret Laboratory[/i] had gone without a proper introduction. The Operational Guide attempts to help relieve these issues, providing some overview and explanation behind the classes; alongside providing a ton of lore for the world of SCP:SL. Now available from the main menu, feel free to dive right in and potentially learn a lot more about the game. We’ve discussed the Operational Guide in depth during SCP-939’s full rework presentation. If you’re interested in learning more about the guide, check out the latter half of the post [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/700330/view/3329873512163089356]here[/url]. [h2]CharacterClassManager and Metrification[/h2] Behind the scenes, a massive amount of changes were also carried out for the future of SCP:SL. We’ve spent time refactoring the Character Class Management (CCM) system, one of the core systems for the game. The old CCM system resulted in a variety of issues and limitations, and as one of the oldest pieces of code in SCP:SL — it was a prime example of the word ‘technical debt’. In fact, as mentioned in a previous Patreon post, it was quite possibly the “worst-maintained script within the entirety of the video game industry”. Thanks to the refactoring, we are now able to do new and extremely interesting things, an example being SCP-939’s new ability to steal voices. With this comes the possibility for incredible new features that were not possible before, so stay tuned for future updates! Alongside this, we have now properly ‘metrified’ the game. Previously, our measurements did not match any existing metric standard. Although the resulting changes may go unnoticed by the majority of the general playerbase, we’d like to note that this has been a significant improvement to our backend systems, allowing us to properly create and implement content at a much more efficient rate. [h2]SCP Soft Reworks and Improvements[/h2] With this update also comes overhauls to nearly every SCP in the game! Although SCP-939 was obviously the shining star for this update, we gave a bit of love to every SCP we could, ensuring that none of them were left behind in the dust. Found below are some highlighted changes for each of the SCPs: [h3]SCP-173[/h3] [list] [*]SCP-173 has received improvements to its backend systems. As a result, you should be seeing less desynchronisation, and improved quality in teleportation. [*]SCP-173’s blink indicator now allows you to more clearly see when a target is in range. The indicator’s neutral colour has been set to red, but will turn orange upon being in range to kill a target. [*]SCP-173 can now teleport near a window to break its glass. In addition, ramming into a piece of glass with the Breakneck Speeds ability active will now shatter it. [*]SCP-173’s Hume Shield now scales with health — starting at a lower value, and increasing as his HP reaches critical values. This should provide a bit more longevity to the class. [/list] [h3]SCP-079[/h3] [list] [*]SCP-079 has received its own soft rework. With this comes a new interface, improved mechanics, new abilities, and numerous quality of life improvements. You can read more about these changes [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/700330/view/3228538806389207013]here[/url]. [/list] [h3]SCP-049[/h3] [list] [*]SCP-049 has received a soft rework of his own as well. With this comes new abilities, significant balance changes, as well as improvements to SCP-049-2s. You can read more about these changes [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/700330/view/3329873512159793862]here[/url]. [/list] [h3]SCP-106[/h3] [list] [*]In line with the other SCPs, SCP-106 has also received his own soft rework. Of interest is a new core mechanic, [i]Vigor[/i], new abilities, removal of his bullet resistance, the removal of the Femur Breaker, and much more. You can read more about these changes [url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/700330/view/3305103170308794620]here[/url]. [/list] [h3]SCP-096[/h3] [list] [*]SCP-096 no longer automatically enrages once seen. Instead, after being looked at, players can now choose when to enrage, by pressing R. Following this feature, SCP-096 now has an easier to understand indicator that’ll display how long his rage will last. [*]SCP-096’s [i]‘Try not to Cry’[/i] has received improvements. Instead of only being able to use his ability on doors, you may now use it on any flat surface. Additionally, the audio has been improved upon, making it sound like SCP-096 is walking away when in use. [*]SCP-096 no longer kills a target in one hit with either his melee attack or his charge ability, instead dealing high amounts of damage. [*]SCP-096’s Hume Shield now scales with health — starting at a lower value, and increasing as his HP begins to dwindle. [*]SCP-096 no longer has a ‘cooldown’ period after raging. Instead, he can enrage immediately after completing his previous cycle. [*]SCP-096 has received significant number adjustments to his HP, Hume Shield, damage, and speed; all to be re-adjusted when appropriate, for the remaining duration of this beta. [/list] [h2]Patch Notes[/h2] Due to the sheer amount of content added within this update, we have decided to list only important or notable features here, specifically those not mentioned in any of the linked Steam posts above. [b]Gameplay Changes:[/b] - SCP-1853 no longer increases stamina consumption. - Spectator mode has been greatly improved. Not only have the missing UI elements been fixed — the mode now includes proper first person viewmodels, better syncing status effects, and better post-processing effects. - Desaturated post-processing changes. - Improved the role intro animations. - Surface Zone has received some lighting changes to improve its visibility. - Heavy Containment Zone and Entrance Zone layouts now have two checkpoints connecting one another. - SCP-207 has received entirely new textures and animations. - Improved decals performance by almost double the original amount. - COM-18 has received an entirely new model. - All human models have received new (temporary) third-person animations. - Improved spawn protection UI. - Modified SCP-106’s room to no longer include the lower section nor the femur breaker. - SCP-939’s old room now has a ‘Death Pit’, and a side office. (Thanks to Dan for the idea!) - Added the COM-45. (Thanks to Oberstrudel for the idea!) - Adjusted lighting of Surface and Entrance Zone. As a massive amount of code overhauls have been completed this update, it is virtually impossible to list the tremendous number of bugs that have been fixed. [b]Technical Changes:[/b] - CharacterClassManager has been refactored, and its functionality has been split into several different scripts. - Alpha Warhead Controller has been refactored, but its functionality should remain the same. - The voice chat system has been completely rewritten. It no longer utilises Dissonance. - PluginAPI has been implemented into base-game servers. - The entire Facility has been scaled down to utilise metres as a scaling rule. - The Discord Rich Presence system has been re-written, along with anything Discord-related. - Some minor improvements to the Environmental Hazard script. See you in the dark. [i]~ Northwood Studios[/i]