Cobalt Valley Research Facility - Release Notes

[The_Sink]

CVRF Update Release Notes - Last edit was made on March 12th, 2022

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Update 0.15.1 | Released: March 12th, 2022

Clone Lab Bot Messages

Bots created in the clone lab will now speak (in a way). They will listen for chat messages from players within a small radius around them (and from their ‘host’ anywhere on the map), and use a markov chain to, in a very rudimentary manner, learn connections between words and “talk” as a result.

Spinning Chairs

The office chairs all arund the facility can now be spun! Use A/D keys on desktop, and the virtual joystick on mobile.

New Commands

A few new commands have been added:

• ;bot - Allows manual creation of clone lab bots outside of the clone lab (up to 50 at a time - may cause lag at that amount at those numbers, of course)
• ;tramdoors - Allows opening/closing tram doors when it has been manually stopped
• ;bodyheight, ;bodydepth, ;bodywidth, ;headsize - New body proportion scaling commands
• ;unteam - Removes a player from a team

As well as this, a major internal refactor has been completed to remove our legacy “Flux” module pipeline from the game, but that is al behind-the-scenes and (shouldn’t) have any noticeable impact on the game.

Bugsfixes/minor updates:

• Updated the Fire Diamonds poster in the Safety Department lounge
• Safety Department simulators are working again
• Jeeps will no longer break when a clone lab bot enters one momentarily
• Clones entering the sample chamber will no longer un-track the current player that is inside it
• Made the animation for swing doors smoother/rotate more accurately
• Panic Rush now uses proximity prompts
• Fixed the username/display name order in the player list being flipped
• Fixed users being able to injure themselves using the commands-only shotgun
• Fixed the new player UI appearing under the background grid image of the main menu

Patch 0.15.0.1 | Released: February 27th, 2022

• Added the ability to toggle whether or not tools are dropped after a player has died
• Added a ;cleanup command for clearing dropped tools and hats
• Made F3X Building Tools and certain weapons exempt from being dropped (this can be toggled in private servers using ;gv adminToolDropping <true/false> where it will drop said tools if set to true)
• Fixed water fountains poisoning you even if filtration is active
• Fixed an internal error in which water purification and falling into the waste silos would attempt to award a nonexistent achievement
• Fixed first person camera freezing under certain conditions while godded
• Made it so clones jump if they become seated (so they aren’t permanently stuck)
• Made hats re-equippable after a headcrab latches on and pulls it off a user’s head
• Fixed accessories potentially obstructing the player’s view in first person
• Made it more obvious that certain block editor features are not yet available

Update 0.15 | Released: February 25th, 2022

COMPATIBILITY WARNING: The alarms and lockdown systems are now in their own command and are no longer GameValues. This means ;gv lockdown and ;gv alarms will no longer work. Use ;lockdown and ;alarms instead!

The first major update of 2022 has been released! Beta 0.15 brings a variety of new content to the game, with a new leaderboard and health bar, first person camera enhancements, and the basic implementation of the Reputation and Roles systems. We’ve also done some updates to the headcrabs, the commands system, the transit system, and a refactor of the lockdown and alarms systems!

The Clone Lab

We have added a new lab, a neighbor to the Headcrab lab, which will allow players to clone one another into other players or into AI bots. The AI is very dumb at the moment, but we plan to work on it and provide updates to it in the coming patches/updates.

There are three possible outcomes to using the clone lab:

1. Player → Bot Cloning - If a player is in the sample chamber, but the target chamber is not occupied by a player, a bot will be created. This bot will wander and (attempt) to follow you around slowly, but may not be successful as it’s currently a bit… dumb.

2. Player → Player Cloning - If a player is inside the target chamber, as well as the sample chamber, the physical properties of the sample will be cloned into the target.

3. Cloning Failure - There is a slight chance (that increases each time after use) in which the cloning process will fail, causing the target’s scale properties to be scrambled. This can create some unusual character shapes, and also causes a random amount of damage to whoever is in the chamber (whether that be a player or newly created bot).

Here’s a video demonstrating the lab:

The Clone Lab

Role/Job and Reputation Systems (Phase 1)

Although they are not utilized that much in the current update, systems are now in place for us to set up gameplay specific to certain facility jobs. You will notice a new “Role Selection” option in the main menu, that will allow you to select between 7 different facility jobs:

You can check the gameplay guide for up-to-date details on these jobs and what their objectives are planned to be.

The reputation system is meant to somewhat dispel abuse and encourage players to conduct actions that align with their jobs, and is also described on the gameplay guide further.

New leaderboard and health bar

A new leaderboard and health bar has been designed specifically for the game to work with the new reputation and role systems:

It will display the current role and reputation of all players in-game, as well as specific information for yourself on the top.

A new health bar has been added, which shows up at the bottom left of your screen:

It will also indicate whether you are currently godded or not (using the ;god and ;ungod commands):

Tram updates

EXPERIMENTAL!

We have added commands for private server admins to manipulate tram movement, including:

• Starting/stopping the tram at any point along the track (;starttram, ;stoptram)
• Setting the tram’s movement speed (;tramspeed)
• Skipping stations and running in a continuous loop (;skipstations)

Again, these settings are currently experimental. Specifically, setting tram speed has been noted to potentially cause a client/server desync that may cause unusual behavior. Keep this in mind if you plan to mess around with it - we’ll address the problem in a future patch.

Also - emergency access doors have been added to stations (safety:tm:)

Lockdown & Alarm Systems Refactor

We have updated the lockdown & alarm systems to support individual locations/zones. As a result of this, there are new commands: ;lockdown, ;alarms, ;silencealarms, and ;unsilencealarms. View help information in-game for more details on these.

Although this video is moreso focused on the security panic switch and annunciators, you can somewhat see the system in action here:

Lockdown/Alarm Zones, Security Panic, and an annunciator!

New Badges!

In this update, we are introducing 7 badges that can be obtained in-game.

Information on them is visible on the game page, and in-game through the user profile menu (achievements tab).

Other Updates

(there’s a lot)

• Updated the ;god commands:
  • No longer sets your health to math.huge. It now uses SetStateEnabled(), which means your health can still be modified while godded, but you will (in almost every circumstance) not die.
• Changed most facility flooring to use less metallic materials
• Added footstep sounds and player look direction effects, via the Realism module
• Updated the private server panel UI slightly as a result of an internal refactor
• Redesigned the topside elevator lobby in Sector D
• Tweaked headcrabs so that wearing a hat will protect you; headcrabs will no longer die when they kill a target, and their body color will change when dead
• Added a few extra character-related commands
• When you die, tools you have in your inventory will drop beside your character
• Added elevator access to the Cargo Bay Station
• Added the Water Gallon tool
• Added AFK tracking & indicator UI above players’ heads
• Added a weather information display to the control room
• Added a toggleable FPS counter (check settings)
• Restricted security doors to the Security role
• Added security panic switch
• Added a fire annunciator panel to the Emergency Management Office to indicate where fires are occurring
• Implemented a container storage system that is now being used by crates and shipping containers
• Re-added medkits
• Furnished the Security Lounge, Security Office, and Overseer’s Office
• The Social Distancing Stick is now attainable in-game
• The Sink Marketing Association office has been moved to a bigger space
• The original location for Sink Marketing Association is now owned by the Forbidden Reactor Supporters
• Removed the old reactor control room and merged it into a bigger control room
• Improved lighting for the Headcrab Lab
• Improved details to all facility window frames
• Fixed 27 other bugs and issues

As always with a major update, issues are likely at launch. We will update the game with patches after release if any major issues are identified in the coming days.

We have a YouTube channel!

If you haven’t heard already, we created a YouTube channel for JKR available here.

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Past 0.14 Release Notes

Update 0.14.1 | Released: June 25th, 2021

COMPATIBILITY WARNING: The order of arguments in some commands has changed. Due to this, some command blocks will need to be updated.

This smaller update brings improvements to the transit system, new admin features, a new notifications UI, and some minor map updates such as new directory signage and bathrooms near the Sector E transit station.

Transit System Improvements

Our totally legitimate safety inspectors told us it might be a good idea to add a barrier between waiting passengers and a potentially deadly electrified rail and transit tunnel, so we’ve added platform screen doors to all stations except for the Cargo Bay (haven’t exactly figured that one out yet).

Access to the Cargo Bay station is being made easier with an entrance directly connecting the station to the cargo bay/Sector C west hall.

We’ve also added a flash effect and sound when you’re shocked by the rail to make it more obvious the rail is electrified, as well as new wayfinding signage to make it easier to locate nearby stations.

Command/Admin Updates

We’ve added an experimental admin menu in the style of a GTA 5 modded trainer to quickly access admin features. This is currently PC-only and will most likely stay that way due to the nature of the menu.

Opening the UI and clicking options can be done using the Enter key, navigating the menus is done with the [ and ] keys (or by using your mouse), and Backspace closes the UI entirely.

As well as this, a new stopwatch feature has been added. Starting and stopping the stopwatch is done with the ;stopwatch and ;endstopwatch commands.

We’ve also modified the argument order for some commands to make a bit more sense, and made a few other minor QOL improvements. Finally, there are the new ;hook and ;delhook commands for binding commands to game events. Currently, the only event added is PlayerDied. Check our gameplay guide for more info on this.

Other Updates

• Readability of the directory signage is being improved and will be completed soon:
  
  
• A new notifications UI has been added to consolidate all of the old notification popups into one:
  
• A hidden tool has been added to breach the wall behind the headcrab lab, but you’ll have to find it!
• Added new bathrooms in Sector E near the transit station
• Made swing doors a bit shorter
• Fixed 11 bugs

Reactor → Geothermal Transition

If you haven’t heard already, you should check this post: CVRF Development Update - May 2021

Update 0.14 Hotfix 2 | Released: June 4th, 2021

• Fixed issue preventing Z-Pinch lab from being interacted with after the “EDL Trigger” switch was used
• Fixed keep honk button (G)

Update 0.14 - Mobility Update | Released: May 24, 2021

The Mobility Update is one of the most significant updates made to CVRF in a while, bringing a completely redesigned transit system with 6 stations looping around the facility, new elevators, a new camera system, new ProximityPrompts to replace many existing ClickDetector-based objects around the facility, in-game background music, and more.

All-New Transit System

A tram loop consisting of six stations, connecting major sections of the facility together with an alternative mode of transportation. These stations are:

Reactor Level - A medium-sized station serving Sector A, exiting directly to the L1 Atrium. The only station that has remained at the same location as CVRF’s original transit line in 2017.

Cargo Bay - A smaller station connected to the western side of the cargo bay. You’ll take a tunnel directly adjacent to the reactor chamber! No side effects have been reported just yet.

Security Checkpoint - A small, restricted-access station connected to the freight security checkpoint and cargo tunnel. Don’t worry though, it’s an honor system, so feel free to violate these rules at any time!

Sector C East - A larger station connecting to the eastern side of Sector C, which contains certain labs such as: Headcrab Parasitology, Z-Pinch, and Hydroponics.

Sector E/Materials - A larger station with more unique architecture, merging directly into the Sector E hallway. In a largely desolate location currently, this area will in the future be home to more labs and restrooms (as well as a possible expansion of Sector D).

Sector C West - A large station with an atrium-like opening upwards into the western side of Sector C. Also home to the transit office, a location which will (in the future) be the monitoring center for the tram line. This side contains access to: Distillation, Waveform Manipulation, and the convergence point between Sector C and Sector E.

The tram takes about 3 minutes to complete a full loop around the facility. Be careful not to walk the tracks, as the rail is electrified and may cause harm if touched. Driving jeeps on the track is especially dangerous, as the rail can cause damage and a collision with the front of the tram while moving will cause said jeep to explode. In the future, we’d like to implement a second tram car running opposite of the existing car to allow people to move through the system faster.

Camera Functionality

Cameras around the facility can now be viewed through access points in the control room and security department booth, as well as using the ;viewcams command if you have private server admin permissions. Cameras are positioned in almost every part of the facility, offering 360-degree pan and 75-degree tilt to view the area surrounding the camera. They will also be disrupted by nearby anomalies.

New Elevators

A host of new passenger and freight elevators have been added around the facility, mainly with the intent to move passengers to tram platforms and allow vehicles a mode of access to different levels of the facility.

Command System Updates

A bunch of updates and new commands have been added to the command system in 0.14, bringing the total command count to 95 (from 77 in 0.13.3).

List of updates:

• New spawnjeep/reloadjeeps commands
• New ignite/extinguish commands
• New event command (replaces certain GameValues)
• New choose command
• New invisible/visible command
• New roll command
• New sit/stand commands
• New gravity command (affects the whole game, not just players)
• New rejoin command
• New warp/listwarps commands (warp to locations around the facility quickly)
• New watch/unwatch commands
• New viewcams command
• Significantly improved loading of the command list GUI (all commands now load instantly)
• Made it so you can’t sit on seats while noclipping (players would often get stuck in seats that they randomly encounter when flying through a room)
• Better error checking/responses when users input commands improperly
• Improved command block performance when using goto

Other Updates

• Added a new speaker system for the cafeteria, playing smooth jazz throughout the room

• Added background music to occasionally break the silence (this can be disabled in your settings), you can check all of the music we use here

• Updated the waveform manipulation lab with a display to apply audio effects (and a soon-to-come recording booth with a sequencer)
  

  

• Added an RFID access badge, a purchasable item that applies a CVRF badge to your character and allows pneumatic doors to open automatically for you
  

• Added in-game bug reporting accessible through the menu to help us fix problems by sending error logs automatically
  

  

• Switched many ClickDetectors over to ProximityPrompts except for certain objects like mechaical switches, buttons, and lockers as they are often very close to each other
  

  

• Expanded the maintenance hall connecting the upper level lab halls to connect to the freight elevator and cargo bay, and added a few new (currently unoccupied) rooms
  

  
  
  
  

• Added the ability to manually control freight security checkpoint boom gates in the security booths
  

  

• Finished the redesign of the restrooms around the facility

• Changed the menu music

• Made alarm sounds play at their actual source instead of being audible globally

• Added a “silence alarms” button in the control room
  

  

• Added a switch to lock the door to the Z-Pinch lab machine room
  

  

• Adjusted keybinds and added labels to certain buttons for reference (can be disabled in settings)

• Added the ability to set the incriminating evidence shelves on fire
  

• Added an “invite friends” button to the bottom right of the menu (also, the version and news GUIs are now visible on the menu while in-game)
  

• Added emergency lighting to the maintenance halls

• Made headcrabs die when you run over them

• Added chat tags for admins and developers

• Created a queue system for the intercom so messages will not overlap

• Added a 10 minute cooldown for the panic rush scenario to prevent potential spam

Bug Fixes

• Headcrabs no longer attack you through windows/walls
• Player damage caused by standing on fire is now far more reliable (also optimized fire spread a bit)
• The Z-Pinch lab can no longer be used again while blown up
• Fixed buggy/broken behavior of team-related commands
• Fixed a collision issue with one of the waste silos
• Fixed a bug where jeeps would be unable to honk or the honk sound would be stuck playing infinitely
• Fixed the party lights fun option in the server panel
• Fixed teleporting while the user is flying/noclipping
• Fixed an occasional bug where the command list will show a duplicate entry for each command

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Past 0.13 Release Notes

Update 0.13.3 Hotfix 1 | Released: March 17th, 2021

• Updated server code for Cobalt server list to communicate with new Discord bot

Update 0.13.3 | Released: November 20th, 2020

This is a smaller (but still significant) update that finalizes Phase 1 of the Z-Pinch lab, brings back the settings menu with new functionality to enable/disable fire alarms locally, and some UI improvements/bug fixes.

• Completed Phase 1 of the Z-Pinch Lab
  • Includes all 4 scenarios possible depending on the level you charge the generators to (safe misfire, EDL explosion, stable fire, and overcharge)
  • Phase 2 will include the ability to put experiments inside the chamber
• Re-implemented the settings menu with the ability to adjust visual options and enable/disable local functionality of the fire alarms
• Added a flip button for jeeps if you ever manage to roll them over
  • Uses a strange method of flipping currently due to issues with the vehicle orientation, this will be more reliable eventually when vehicles are remade.
• A few small UI/UX improvements have been made, including:
  • The achievements list now has a progress bar at the top right
  • The command list menu now shows a lock icon besides commands you do not have permission to use, and a total count of commands that are available to you at the bottom right.
  • Loading screen now shows (slightly) more helpful information about load progress
  • Text in chat now has a slight fade-in animation
• Fixed 27 bugs related to:
  • Jeeps
  • Command System
  • Distillation Lab
  • Training Areas
  • Z-Pinch lab

Hotfix 0.13.2.2 | Released: October 26th, 2020

• Added Global Chat
  • This system allows players from all online servers to talk to each other through a “Global” channel.
• Started working on migrating the Sector C bathrooms to the new design
• Fixed the following bugs:
  • Fire alarms didn’t sync when the player joins an already running server where fires were already burning
  • ;gv command didn’t properly tell you when a GameValue doesn’t exist or if it didn’t save properly
  • Version text in the main menu didn’t update properly

Hotfix 0.13.2.1 | Released: October 24th, 2020

• Made the following minor changes/improvements:

  • Added the ability to set the Safety Dept. lobby on fire
  • Added ambient sounds for vents
  • Added ;health and ;forcefield commands
  • Made the cafeteria sign change to “Roblox Servers” when the room is on fire

• Fixed the following bugs:

  • ;god command would freeze players if they took inf damage
  • Regions API stopped tracking players after they died (caused issues in Z-Pinch and Waveform labs)
  • Fire system heat values were not clamped (meaning heat values got high enough to be completely impossible to extinguish)
  • Fixed the PASS device demo in the Safety Dept.

Update 0.13.2 - Anomalous Update | Released: October 24th, 2020

• Added anomalies, red balls of energy that have a low chance of spawning when someone dies. These anomalies exhibit similar behavior to headcrabs (they will latch to you and kill you), but are faster and disrupt the surrounding environment. They also make strange noises that scientists have yet to analyze. They can be spawned manually in private servers with ;gv anomalySpawnTarget [player name].
  

• More work was done on the Security Dept., with more rooms having been constructed (but furniture/equipment not yet added) and a new bathroom design made that will soon extend to the whole facility.
  

  

• An experimental fire system has been introduced. Rooms with fire alarms are flammable, which currently includes: The reception lobby, cafeteria, and atrium lounge. This system will extend to more rooms in the future. The way it works is to ignite a piece of furniture or the ground using a blowtorch by clicking and holding down on it with the blowtorch active. To extinguish, use a fire extinguisher (although we suggest you use a temporarily set up HE extinguisher that is supplied in the safety training area). Fire alarms indicate if rooms are on fire or not.
  Note: Tools are not currently optimized for mobile. This will come in a future patch.
  

  

• The Z-Pinch lab has been given preliminary functionality, meaning only the overcharge scenario works as of now. Next patch will include scenarios for a normal fire and undercharge, and a future update will bring the ability to put experiments into the chamber.
  

  

• Many updates to the command system have been done, including: Private server ;admin and ;unadmin functionality, 12 new commands, quick command help (;help [command name]), as well as GameValue and tool listings using their respective commands.

• Aspects of the UI have been updated: A new topbar with an MOTD-style text and buttons for the menu/private server panel, a redesigned menu screen with animated cutscenes, and a close button on the top right of some GUI windows. Also added an epilepsy warning to the loading screen (due to anomalies being in the game).
  

  

Some less significant changes include:

• A part count optimization, that initially reduced the part count in CVRF by roughly 17% (this will be continually worked on in the future).
• Crowbars have a small chance of dealing a critical hit, which is shown with a “chunkier” sound.
• Chat improvements: RichText has been enabled (markdown support planned), game/system messages have been put in a System channel, and chat window scaling has been enabled.
• Made announcements emit from speakers in-game instead of globally.
• Added a GameValue for assigning a custom audio ID for the scrambler to replace every audio with, instead of simply scrambling.
• Made movement speed dependent on health.
• Fixed 10 bugs

Update 0.13.1 | Released: August 7th, 2020

• Added console support and set up menu navigation/player controls while using a gamepad.
• Added 15 new commands, including a ;help command to offer an up-to-date in game command listing.
• Added a quick command feature: by pressing the back slash key (\) or running ;cmdbar you can open a command entry window, similar to Adonis.
• Added a popup when you join as a server admin (developers and private server owners).
• Added new parse inputs, including team selection t:[team name], default parameter (~), and support for “others” in player input.
• Added a popup when a new user joins for the first time to inform them of controls, such as opening/closing the main menu and control panel.
• Removed Adonis
• Fixed 6 bugs/minor enhancements, check our project tracker (link on community server) for details

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Patch 0.13.0.1 | Released: July 24th, 2020

• Fixed issues with audio scrambler breaking
• Fixed bug where menu logo will stay after pressing play
• Fixed ;startergive command
• Fixed issue where command system would not accept single words with quotes (e.g. “Test” vs Test)
• Reduced door volume slightly

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UPDATE 0.13 - Integrated Update | Released: July 24th, 2020

The Integrated Update redesigns parts of the facility that were considered lacking, bringing many things in the CVRF both on the build and scripting sides up to newer standards. We’ve also added a bunch of new private server features (and some experimental ones).
This update changes JKRF to its new name: Cobalt Valley Research Facility.

Major changes:

• Completely redesigned and expanded the security area of Sector D and added new areas
• Redesigned the safety training, demonstration, and loadout areas
• Added an in-house admin system (currently in phase 1), accessible by admins and private server owners
• Added an achievements and stats system, as well as the backend for a future currency system release
• Released a variety of private server features, including:
  • A new, experimental prop placement system and snapshot saving/loading/sharing functionality (join our community server for more information about this)
  • Improvements to the audio scrambler, as well as a way to recover normal audio afterwards
  • New “Spawn Headcrab”, “Party Lights”, and “Auto Jeep Respawn” options.
• Migrated the game’s lighting technology to Voxel
• Replaced the Radio Interferometry Lab with a new one: the Waveform Manipulation Lab
  • Allows you to mess with audio on Roblox by modifying how its pitch correlates to its volume, resulting in some potentially very cursed results

Minor changes:

• All directional signage has been remade
• The Z-Pinch Lab has been built (but is not scripted yet).
• Added a spawning animation for headcrabs
• Redesigned the maintenance sector using new maintenance hallways currently present between lab halls
• Added a news and updates GUI to the main menu
• Added signage to indicate the current floor/level you’re on for most stairwells in the facility
• Added a secret closet for our favorite organizations, SMA and FRS
• Gave the jeeps sounds, including a honk ability by pressing B
• Made jeeps explode if damaged too much
• Added clock/intercom things around Sector D to show a fake current time (will use an actual time system eventually)
• Fixed 41 bugs/minor enhancements, check our project tracker (link on community server) for details

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Past 0.12 Release Notes

UPDATE 0.12.2 | Released: May 15th, 2020

• Added VIP/Admin Control Panel
  • Does not support mobile at the moment! Press V to open if you are playing on your VIP server.
  • Introduces new controls: Allow Panic Switch Use, Enable All Doors, and Enable Headcrabs
  • Introduces fun options: Hardcore Mode, Audio Scrambler (beta), and Fast Jeeps
• UI Redesign
  • Redesigned menu buttons with new animations and sounds for better responsiveness
  • New window design utilizing UIGradients
  • New loading screen with design by Daegia
• Jeep Updates:
  • Added seating to back compartment (space for up to 4 players)
  • Occupied jeeps are no longer reset during the reset period (every 15 minutes)
• Added join/leave messages to chat
• Optimized alarm beacons, now uses TweenService instead of a while loop.

PATCH 0.12.1.1 | Released: May 11th, 2020

• Fixed headcrabs - now use new pathfinding API methods, should work better
• Fixed R15 users being invincible from the crowbar tool

UPDATE 0.12.1 - Recursive Update | Released: May 11th, 2020
This update brings the game back online! That’s basically the biggest change, but here’s the specifics…

• Added call zones and announcements to the panic switch system
• Moved the opening into the Sector D hallway from the atrium slightly
• Added a certain specific easter egg to the atrium that will make you want to party!
• Updated the ending of the communist revolution easter egg - this is still a work in progress
• Updated UI elements with new information, and added a few gradients
• Added warning lights to the panic switch display in the security area
• Updated all in-game group role values: Lockdown overrides work for Tester+, Panic Switches work for Member+
• Replaced old camera models with new, modernized spherical ones. Bye, 1995!
• Re-branded (at least we think) all circular logos, in-game text, and doors back to JKR.