Xbox Game Pass FPS Getting Big New Update

Developer New World Interactive has released a significant update for Insurgency: Sandstorm, featuring a new map, a limited-time mode, new weapons, and a range of fixes and enhancements. This update aims to enrich the gameplay experience for this tactical first-person shooter available on Xbox Game Pass.

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a tactical first-person shooter developed by New World Interactive, featuring realistic gameplay, intense combat scenarios, and team-based objectives. The game emphasizes strategy, coordination, and realistic ballistics, immersing players in modern combat environments. Insurgency: Sandstorm is available on Xbox Game Pass, enabling subscribers to enjoy the game as part of their subscription service.

A highlight of the update is the introduction of a new map called Trainyard, which is available across various game modes, including Versus and Co-op. Additionally, the update introduces a new limited-time mode called Arms Race. In this mode, players start with a basic weapon and progress through an arsenal of increasingly powerful weaponry by taking out enemies. The goal is to secure a victory with the final kill before time runs out, requiring quick adaptation and mastery of Insurgency: Sandstorm‘s weapons.

Moreover, two new weapons, the TAC 338 and L96A1, are now available. Both are bolt-action sniper rifles utilizing powerful .338 caliber ammo, offering extreme precision and versatile reliability. The update also brings new character and weapon cosmetics. The Chemical Combat set for security includes a helmet, top, bottom, boots, and gloves, aiming to expand Insurgency: Sandstorm’s outfit options. The Desert Veteran Weapon skin set allows players to customize their weapons with a desert-themed skin, adding a unique aesthetic to their arsenal. For Insurgents, the Protective Gear set includes similar protective clothing items, and the Dusty Weapon skin set offers new skins for weapons such as the QBZ-95, QBZ-03, KS-23, Alpha AK, MG3, and L96A1.

Insurgency: Sandstorm has had its share of issues, and this patch addresses several across various platforms. Fixes include animation glitches, visual inconsistencies, and gameplay mechanics. Specific improvements address issues with scopes, grenades, and player animations. Art and graphics issues like incorrect scope displays and animation glitches have also been resolved. Level design improvements focus on AI behavior and map-specific exploits, ensuring a smoother and more balanced gameplay experience.

For console players, specific issues related to third-person animations, training videos, and controller input have been addressed. The update also includes numerous localization fixes and adjustments to ensure a consistent experience across different languages and regions. With this update, New World Interactive aims to refine and expand Insurgency: Sandstorm, offering players new content and a more polished experience.

Insurgency: Sandstorm Update 1.16 Patch Notes

NEW MAP: TRAINYARD

Trainyard is playable on:

Versus

• Push Security
• Push Insurgents
• Firefight West
• Firefight East
• Domination West
• Domination East
• Frontline
• Ambush East
• Ambush West
• Defusal West

Co-op

• Checkpoint Security
• Checkpoint Insurgents
• Outpost
• Survival

NEW LIMITED-TIME MODE

NEW WEAPONS

NEW DLC: The Crisis Set Bundle

• Chemical Combat (SEC)
• Contains 5 different cosmetic gear pieces:
  • Chemical Combat Helmet (Head)
  • Chemical Combat Top (Torso)
  • Chemical Combat Bottom (Legs)
  • Chemical Combat Boots (Feet)
  • Chemical Combat Gloves (Hands)

Desert Veteran Weapon Skin Set (SEC)

• Rifleman: VHS
• Rifleman: G3A3
• Breacher: KSG
• Advisor: Vector
• Gunner: M240B
• Marksman: TAC-338

Protective Gear (INS)

• Contains 5 different cosmetic gear pieces:
  • Protective Gear Gas mask (Head)
  • Protective Gear Top (Torso)
  • Protective Gear Bottom (Legs)
  • Protective Gear Boots (Feet)
  • Protective Gear Gloves (Hands)

Dusty Weapon Skin Set (INS)

• Rifleman: QBZ-95
• Rifleman: QBZ-03
• Breacher: KS-23
• Advisor: Alpha AK
• Gunner: MG3
• Marksman: L96A1

RESOLVED ISSUES

Art & Graphics

• ALL: Fixed an issue where the 1.5 PK-AS scope displays incorrectly while reloading on the M24
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the weapon of a player blinded by a flashbang would shake in 3rd person
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the throwing animation wouldn’t play correctly when throwing a grenade from the prone position
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the Welrod’s animation would break when sprinting with certain grips equipped
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the cosmetic patches would clip through equipment
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the Rogue SOF and Gray Man Top Torso would warp the player mesh when combined with any Legs cosmetics
• ALL: Fixed an issue where part of the Biker helmet would obscure the screen when the player died
• ALL: Fixed an issue where headgear textures could appear distorted after playing with “Brute top” torso cosmetics
• ALL: Fixed an issue where a player using a mounted gun could have distorted animation from 3p for users that reconnected to the server
• PC: Fixed an issue where under-barrel buckshot launcher rounds do not display correctly when reloading it while attached to an AKM or AK-74
• PC: Fixed an issue where the visibility of 2x-1x holographic sights differed on each PC platform
• PC: Fixed an issue where when viewed from 3rd person, the grenade round of an explosive launcher attached to a QBZ-97 would remain after firing and display the wrong firing animation
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the third-person animation of opening and closing the bipod on some weapons was not displayed
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the player’s whole character was not visible in the customize menu
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where when viewed from 3rd person, the grenade round of an explosive launcher attached to an M1 Garand would remain after firing
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the player’s weapon and hands would disappear if they reloaded and equipped a gas mask at the same time while in a vehicle
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where smoke particles would render incorrectly at medium to long-range distances
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue on Gen 8 consoles where blood would disappear quickly
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the camera shake was missing from the MDR reload
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the Female “Covered” headgear was equipable at the same time as the “Mountain Tactical Top” torso
• PS: Fixed an issue where bullet holes didn’t disappear at the proper rate
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where the cursor would flicker at the main menu after launching the game
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where static would show before the Focus Entertainment title card

Gameplay

• ALL: Reverted the time it takes to explode caches with Molotov and AN-M14 Incendiary back to 1.13 levels
• ALL: Fixed an issue where ragdolls could freeze, distort or otherwise behave unrealistically
• ALL: Fixed an issue where mine explosions were delayed
• ALL: Fixed an issue where destroyed vehicle wreckage could disappear immediately
• ALL: Fixed an issue where when aiming from a prone position while close to an obstacle some scopes with a magnifier 1.5 or higher have transparent distortion
• ALL: Fixed an issue where some scopes could disappear when using the Vector and focusing at certain angles
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the player could be unable to change magnification while using VAL with Woodburn skin after speed reloading a fully empty magazine
• ALL: Fixed an issue where going prone on an elevated prop surface could cause the player model to shake rapidly
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the player could become invincible to gunfire
• ALL: Fixed an exploit where players could see and shoot through walls
• ALL: Fixed an exploit that reduced incendiary and Molotov effects
• ALL: Fixed an issue where under-barrel grenade launchers were bound to the incorrect button by default
• ALL: Fixed an issue where after crouching the keybind could invert
• PC: Fixed an issue where the “Skip Time” buttons could change the camera speed in replays
• PC: Fixed an issue where players and AI could become invincible in a local game when a helicopter is shot down
• PC: Fixed an issue where resupply crates were missing collision physics
• PC: Fixed an issue where the player would be unable to spectate friendly AI in co-op modes
• PC: Fixed an issue where the changes made to controller layouts wouldn’t be applied correctly
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where two training videos were missing from basic training
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the player could not crouch inside of vehicles
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the player could be unable to spectate after changing faction
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where a Free For All match could end if a second player doesn’t deploy
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the AI would ignore Molotov and AN-M14 Incendiary damage zone in local play
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where controller input would be disabled after pressing any mouse button in the match’s loading screen
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where if a player entered the scoreboard via controller and exited via keyboard they would no longer be able to move.
• PS: Fixed an issue where adaptive trigger sensitivity would change after firing the first round with a bolt-action weapon
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where the frame rate drops when players scope into Chemical Mortar or Smoke Mortar through the 6x-7x scopes
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where players using a mouse were unable to use both mouse buttons at the same time

Level Design Improvements & Fixes

• ALL: Fixed an issue where friendly AI wouldn’t leave spawn on Hillside in local play
• ALL: Fixed an exploit on Precinct that allowed players access to an inaccessible building
• ALL: Decreased the size of the chemical gas damage zone in all Defusal maps
• PC: Fixed an issue on Last Light (Outpost) where bots could get stuck on the doors near objective “D”, and wouldn’t capture objective “C”

UI/UX

• ALL: Fixed an issue where the “Select Firing Mode” indicator won’t display during pre-round
• ALL: Fixed an issue where patches could not display correctly in the “Loadout” tab
• ALL: Fixed an issue where if the replay binds are empty the default key icons are displayed in the Replay overlay
• ALL: Fixed an issue that could result in a player’s rank being displayed incorrectly
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the “BUY DLC” button was blinking
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the naming convention of the Free For All mode was inconsistent across menus
• ALL: Fixed an issue where if the scoreboard is accessed while a contextual hint is on the screen the “MUTE ALL” text will be missing from the scoreboard
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the icon for the under-barrel explosive launcher on the G36K displayed the icon for the M320
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the “Enter” button would not select the Matchmaking mode
• ALL: – Fixed an issue where rebinding an already bound key could unbind the same key in other sections
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the player in a party could still have a “Join Match” widget after leaving a match to the main menu when all other party members have left the match
• ALL: Fixed an issue where if a player joining a match hit cancel as it said “Match begins in..” and then tried to join the same match they would be met with the “Unknown match player” error
• ALL: Free For All mode displayed as ‘Multiplayer mode’ in replays
• ALL: Fixed an issue in Free For All where during the pre-round it would display a “1st place obtained” message when a player kills another player
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the “Call Vote” option was available in offline play
• PC: Fixed an issue where the “Message of the Day” is broken in offline modes
• PC: Fixed an issue where when using a controller the “Loadout” screen could display the keyboard UI when first opened
• PC: Fixed an issue where the “Reset Filters” text in the Community Servers screen is cut off
• STEAM: Fixed an issue where the “Toggle Admin Menu” option is not able to be bound
• STEAM: Fixed an issue where players would be unable to close the “Call Vote” window with controller or keyboard
• STEAM: Fixed an issue where the first player on the scoreboard flickers
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the text displaying the distance to a point was misaligned with the point icon
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where resetting to “Default” settings could not reset the “motion blur” and “dismemberment” settings if they had been applied twice
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where if a player equipped an explosive launcher it would display an “Add Upgrade” button in the menu
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where when playing local play without an internet connection the Network Disconnect widget would be displayed
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the objective text isn’t centered under its icon in basic training
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where Scenario images in local play are not displayed correctly if the Turkish language is selected
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the “Leave Party” text extended outside of the drop-down list in the Party menu
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where scrolling a game mode’s description would have inverted controls
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the “Stats” and “Overview’ Tabs could display incorrect information
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the “Scroll” hint wasn’t displayed for the description of game modes
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where Free For All was referred to as “Multiplayer Mode” in the “History” tab
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where there was no description of “Smoke Grenade” for M320/M79 in the Loadout menu
• CONSOLE: Adjusted scoreboard behavior so the player is the highlighted player by default until the cursor is moved
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where the player’s left hand could be distorted while scrolling left in the loadout tab
• PS: Fixed an issue where party icons repeatedly refresh while preparing to join a match
• PS: Fixed an issue in basic training where a hint from the PC build is present in the PS5 build
• PS: Fixed an issue with the main menu party UI
• PS: Fixed an issue where the “Purchase DLC” button would require a double-tap to select
• PS: Fixed multiple localization issues
• PS: Fixed an issue where if the party leader left and rejoined from an invite, it did not properly display party members in the UI
• PS: Fixed an issue where the party leader can’t see late joining party members in the UI
• PS: Fixed an issue where the promoted party leader is not displayed in the party widget for all members after a new member joins the party
• PS: Fixed an issue where if a player was promoted to party leader their Online ID would not be displayed in the party widget
• PS: Fixed an issue where a PC-specific hint would display in the video lessons
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where Gen 9 players could be displayed as PC users on the scoreboard
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where upon joining a cross-generational party they’ve been invited to, players are not met with a notice of crossplay settings having changed
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where the term “controller” was translated improperly in some regions
• XBOX: The cursor starts flickering when the user changes account in Account Picker during gameplay
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where if two players accept each other’s party invites simultaneously the game will incorrectly display the message “Unable to find a party with the specified code”
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where it becomes impossible to create a party if two players accept each other’s party invites simultaneously.
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where if the player is in the loadout menu there would be no notification pop-up for successfully joining a party
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where a PC-specific hint would display in the video lessons
• XBOX/WS: Fixed an issue where the “DLC Purchase” widget will not appear if the account has 700 credits or less
• XBOX/WS: Fixed an issue where some text was cut off in the “Binds” menu

Miscellaneous

• ALL: Fixed an issue where the faction selection option would default to the already joined faction
• ALL: Fixed an issue where the “friendly fire” voice line is triggered in Free For All
• ALL: Fixed an issue where cross-platform players could not report players from another platform
• CONSOLE: Fixed an issue where after a party formation, the player would be unable to enter a match with their party after losing and regaining an internet signal
• PS: Fixed an issue where after joining a party via code it becomes impossible for that player to invite another player via code
• PS: Fixed an issue where upon closing the window confirming joining a party, a player’s movement would continue in the direction they were moving previously without moving the thumbsticks
• PS: Fixed an issue where party leadership would transfer from a Gen 8 party member to a Gen9 party member after loading into an Outpost game
• PS: Fixed an issue with the Japanese version where players would be unable to exit to the main menu from the matchmaking menu
• PS: Fixed an issue where some party members would not join the match properly when joining a co-op game with a full party
• PS: Fixed an issue where the party member can’t leave the party
• WINDOWS STORE: Fixed an issue where the player could be unable to start a match after failing to join a full party
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where switching to a suspend state while joining a match could result in a softlock when exiting suspend mode
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where the error message indicating loss of network connection to Xbox services is not displayed
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where the game could crash on the loading screen after being in suspend mode for over three minutes
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where disconnecting and reconnecting a controller would cause NWI services to reconnect leading to the player being kicked from any active party
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where changing accounts upon controller reconnection would cause the game to enter an unresponsive state
• XBOX: Fixed an issue where disconnecting the Ethernet cable after accepting the party invite displays the “Unable to find a party with the specified code” error
• XBOX/WS: Fixed an issue where players in a party would drop to the main menu momentarily upon loading the next level
• XBOX/WS: Fixed an issue where players with the same cross-play settings joining a party can be met with the “Crossplay will be disabled to join the party” message. This can cause a mouse and keyboard to become unresponsive
• XBOX/WS: Fixed an issue where a player on a different platform could be unable to join a party member’s match in progress

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