Developer Neon Giant has released a new patch for The Ascent that fixes a wide variety of problems and performance-related issues present in the game. This patch also fixes numerous crashes and bugs, especially when playing with a friend. In addition, it adds a big feature that was missing the Windows 10 edition.
The Ascent is a top-down twin-stick shooter set in a cyberpunk-themed world. Players take control of a worker enslaved by a powerful megacorporation known as The Ascent Group. After their mysterious demise, it falls on the main character to figure out the events that led to their collapse. There are plenty of things to like and dislike about The Ascent, but the overall reception has been positive.
The Ascent shipped with a few bugs, and the patch comes with a large list of improvements in order to give more polish to the overall user experience. Most notable is the addition of Ray Tracing, which was strangely absent from the Windows 10 version, but present on the Steam version. Other PC enhancements include improved performance with DX12, faster loading for all NPCs, and the addition of a CPU performance mode for lower-end hardware. There are a large number of gameplay-related fixes for all platforms, and the patch also improves the stability of the game during both single-player as well as co-op. Problems related to the camera, UI, and save progression have also been rectified.
After its release on July 29, players started to notice that the Windows 10 version of The Ascent is missing both DLSS and Ray Tracing. As all Xbox Game Pass users on PC got to play that edition of the game, it led to a lot of confusion among a large part of their audience. The developers had noted that they were aware of this issue and working on a fix. While Ray Tracing has now been added to the Windows 10 version, DLSS is still missing and remains exclusive to the Steam version.
It is not odd to have different builds for the Steam and Windows 10 versions of a game, but having two important features missing was a big cause of concern. When Nier Automata released on Game Pass on March 18, it also shipped with notable differences between the two storefronts on PC. Although in that case, the Windows 10 version performed better and did not have any of the issues that had plagued the Steam release since its initial launch in 2017.
Below is the full list of patch notes for The Ascent.
Performance (PC Steam & Win10 only)
- Fixes to improve performance in DX12, also with Ray Tracing.
- Note to Players: on first running of the update, there will be a 20-25 second ‘stall’ on loading to Main Menu to allow some caching to happen before you play. This is a one time event.
- Ray Tracing is now available to Players on the Windows Store.
- Improved loading in of NPCs
- CPU performance mode for lower-end PCs
Stability (all platforms)
- Numerous instances of ‘one time’ crashes have been fixed in both Single Player & Coop on ALL Platforms. (some other instances remain, we are working hard to resolve these for the next update).
- Local Coop fixes where Player 1 and Player 2 have controller focus issues on certain menus.
- Numerous other crash-fixes have been made to improve the stability of both local and online Coop, including fixes when disconnecting controllers, issues when 3 Players start a new game, and fixes when the internet connection becomes unstable.
- Fixed an issue where in certain circumstances a black screen would appear at the end of Mission 12.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes it takes too long to return to the Main Menu after gameplay.
- Fixed issues where Area loading is slower for the Client joining the game after the Host is using the Taxi.
- Fixed some Weapon replication issues in Online Coop.
- Fixed some issues around cross Platform hotjoining where Clients had trouble connecting to the Host.
Save Progress (all platforms)
- Introduced a new system to circumvent situations where save files could become corrupted.
- Fixes to situations in Coop where the Host leaving the game could cause the Client to lose progress.
- Fixes to situations in Coop where Players may experience progression blockers in certain situations.
- Fixed the issue where a Client's items would unequip after a Host disconnects.
- Fixed an issue where a Client may lose connection when hotjoining a game in progress.
Gameplay (all platforms)
- Fixed an Achievement issue where you could unlock Main Mission and Side Mission under incorrect conditions.
- Fixed an issue where the mission objective during ‘Go To Grinder’ in Mission 2 would not update.
- The issue where multiple bosses could spawn has been fixed. e.g. Papa Feral, Megarachnoid (Spider Boss), Gun-Dolph.
- Fixed the Casino Courier Side Missions 1 - 5 where you could sometimes be unable to proceed due to missing NPCs.
- Fixed the custom camera for ‘Dark Horse’ Side Mission.
- Fixed the custom camera for Bartender in Stimtown.
- Fixed the situation where sometimes ‘Dark Horse’ could not be completed due to the NPC remaining in a frightened state.
- Fixed an issue where the Volatile Augmentation when used on neutrals had no effect.
- Fixed an issue where the Siege Mech in the Prison could despawn after a Player died.
- Fixed the issue where the Snooze Dealer’s Journal map icon was a white square.
- Fixed damage scaling on the Pocket Mech minigun to make it more powerful as you level up.
- Allows the use of certain augmentations while rolling.
- Balanced cost/cooldown/efficiency of Life Transfer, Neutron Beam and Overclock
- Fixed issues with PLUG Cyberdeck not cracking ICE 1.
Translation (all platforms)
- Lots of fixes have been made to address instances where English would appear instead of the correct language.
- Further work is continuing to improve the quality of the translations as well as further general bug fixes.
- Fixed an issue in Japanese where text overlapped in the intro cut-scene.
Assorted other fixes (all platforms)
- Fixed an issue where sometimes in Dreamworld, shooting SFX without enemies being present could be heard.
- Fixed an issue where the death-screen replaced the SFX & VO after defeating the Megarachnoid.
- Cyberdeck visible in Journal
- News now plays in the Taxi
- Film Grain toggle added to the Graphics menu
- Fixed the Dismemberer shooting SFX that could be missing for Clients.
- Fixed previews for Auto Turret and Pocket Mech in Vendors.
- Fixed Cluster 13’s Metrolink entrances collision box.
- Various UI fixes.
The Ascent is now available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Steam