1.20.8-rc.2 + stable + 1.20.9: Mob spawn balancing, Item disappearing fix

[Tyron]

Dear Extraordinary Survivalists 
v1.20.8-rc.2, an unstable release, can now be downloaded through the account manager.

[Edit 4/22/25:] Also today released 1.20.9 stable with the following changes:
- Tweak: Increased illumination levels of block light, from torches etc. (only client side visual effect, does not alter mob spawn)
- Fixed: Mobs spawning where they shouldn't
- Fixed: Error log spam when player was wearing a night vision helmet outside loaded chunks
- Fixed: Command .debug wireframe landclaim was for some players showing claimed areas with the wrong offset
- Fixed: Sling not affected by the ranged weapons damage character traits

[Edit 4/20/25:] Now released as 1.20.8 stable including all the changes in 1.20.8-rc.1 and 1.20.8-rc.2 and the following additional changes :
- Tweak: Update trader buying/selling lists, update community translations
- Fixed: Mitigate rare crash in wind particles system
- Fixed: One observed instance where the server was running out of memory when the Resonance Archives were generated with world height customised to a lower value than default

 

Screenshot by Saatgut93, shared on #screenshots on Discord

Game updates  (in 1.20.8-rc.2)

• Tweak: Added to Tamed Mountable Animals guide, tame elk currently only obtainable from trader
• Tweak: In Handbook and item descriptions, add some mention of "elk" to most tamed-elk riding gear, for searchability
• Tweak: Players in creative mode with privilege "commandplayer" can now access locked chests
• Fixed: Rift weather stuck at very high forever (since 1.20.8-rc.1)
• Fixed: Mobs able to spawn near light sources outside of storms with normal self stability (since 1.20.8-rc.1)
• Fixed: Complete item loss from shift clicking away items into a chest in certain circumstances
• Fixed: Attempt to fix occasional issue with chest and other inventories not closing server-side
• Fixed: Soybeans and cured fish in meals were not being drawn
• Fixed: Prevent error log spam caused by hopper trying to push a crock into a chest that already contains a crock [Detail: disabled the meal serve into container mechanic when it has EnumMergePriority.AutoMerge which is used by hoppers shift left click and ground pick, in any of those this should be disabled]
• Fixed: Rare ghost items when serving meals from pots in the inventory
• Fixed: Resonance Archives lighting sometimes off when it should be on
• Fixed: In other dimensions, chisel add material and other tool mode changes didn't work
• Fixed: In other dimensions, could be incorrect entity AI targeting
• Fixed: Shiver and Bowtorn corpse harvesting range different from different angles

View full record

[DUCATISLO]

Nice ship pic!

 

[QueenGeeBee]

Always happy to see bug fixes.

[SafeLlama24]

Is the ship a chiseled build or is it a preview of what's to come? either way, it looks good

[AlexCaptain]

7 hours ago, SafeLlama24 said:

Is the ship a chiseled build or is it a preview of what's to come? either way, it looks good

The picture is from a user on the Discord. It does not represent what might come in the next updates. I think this ship was inserted into the picture with the help of an AI. But I could be wrong.

[Murlok]

36 minutes ago, AlexCaptain said:

The picture is from a user on the Discord. It does not represent what might come in the next updates. I think this ship was inserted into the picture with the help of an AI. But I could be wrong.

It's chiseled

[StCatharines]

Oh, nice! I was expecting either a stable or another RC about now. 

[SafeLlama24]

On 4/19/2025 at 6:28 AM, AlexCaptain said:

The picture is from a user on the Discord. It does not represent what might come in the next updates. I think this ship was inserted into the picture with the help of an AI. But I could be wrong.

ah, thank you for pointing that out, the small text underneath went over head. lol

Edited April 22, 2025 by SafeLlama24

[Appleberry]

The fix to the bowtorn corpse harvesting made it way worse. Before you could easily open the loot menu at the groin area, but now it doesn't open most of the time, and I've only managed to make it work by backing off and approaching the corpse while shift + right clicking with a knife and looking at the right leg.

[EarlDeV]

Hey All Vintarians! Happy Easter!  
I just updated my server to the latest version, and I have mobs everywhere?!?! Dark, Light, Any closed Space, Running in Large Packs across open Ground?!?
Is this the New Norm? The Balance has gone VERY Heavy Mobs? It was better before, in my humble opinion! 
Now on v1.20.8-rc.2, some help or feedback please! Not having any storm, just playing a Normal Game?
Now back to Vintage Story Mob killing Game!

[Voldemort]

On 4/18/2025 at 5:38 PM, Tyron said:

Dear Extraordinary Survivalists 
v1.20.8-rc.2, an unstable release, can now be downloaded through the account manager.

[Edit 4/20/25:] Now released as 1.20.8 stable including all the changes in 1.20.8-rc.1 and 1.20.8-rc.2 and the following additional changes :
- Tweak: Update trader buying/selling lists, update community translations
- Fixed: Mitigate rare crash in wind particles system
- Fixed: One observed instance where the server was running out of memory when the Resonance Archives were generated with world height customised to a lower value than default

 

Screenshot by Saatgut93, shared on #screenshots on Discord

Game updates  (in 1.20.8-rc.2)

• Tweak: Added to Tamed Mountable Animals guide, tame elk currently only obtainable from trader
• Tweak: In Handbook and item descriptions, add some mention of "elk" to most tamed-elk riding gear, for searchability
• Tweak: Players in creative mode with privilege "commandplayer" can now access locked chests
• Fixed: Rift weather stuck at very high forever (since 1.20.8-rc.1)
• Fixed: Mobs able to spawn near light sources outside of storms with normal self stability (since 1.20.8-rc.1)
• Fixed: Complete item loss from shift clicking away items into a chest in certain circumstances
• Fixed: Attempt to fix occasional issue with chest and other inventories not closing server-side
• Fixed: Soybeans and cured fish in meals were not being drawn
• Fixed: Prevent error log spam caused by hopper trying to push a crock into a chest that already contains a crock [Detail: disabled the meal serve into container mechanic when it has EnumMergePriority.AutoMerge which is used by hoppers shift left click and ground pick, in any of those this should be disabled]
• Fixed: Rare ghost items when serving meals from pots in the inventory
• Fixed: Resonance Archives lighting sometimes off when it should be on
• Fixed: In other dimensions, chisel add material and other tool mode changes didn't work
• Fixed: In other dimensions, could be incorrect entity AI targeting
• Fixed: Shiver and Bowtorn corpse harvesting range different from different angles

 

View full record

 

When I use the night vision helmet on my character, I get spammed in the console, and after 2 minutes, it crashes the whole server.

[Obison]

 

1 hour ago, EarlDeV said:

Hey All Vintarians! Happy Easter!  
I just updated my server to the latest version, and I have mobs everywhere?!?! Dark, Light, Any closed Space, Running in Large Packs across open Ground?!?
Is this the New Norm? The Balance has gone VERY Heavy Mobs? It was better before, in my humble opinion! 
Now on v1.20.8-rc.2, some help or feedback please! Not having any storm, just playing a Normal Game?
Now back to Vintage Story Mob killing Game!

My base which I carved into a mountain is absolutly full of mobs, like never before after this patch. Ive never killed so many in such a short time period. Im breaking weapons like crazy , and I can barely get any work done in my base. Any time I try to do any blacksmithing im constantly being interrupted. Its a bit much to say the least.

[Funkus]

this update TOTALLY broke mob spawning. Any light level, anywhere, any time no matter what you're constantly being ambushed.

[Lempo]

i've seen a few shivers and drifters spawn in front of me on the surface in broad daylight with no rifts or anything of the sort around, i think somethings wrong. i've also been having some issues harvesting drifters now since the update that i wasnt experiencing before.

Edited April 21, 2025 by Lempo

[QueenGeeBee]

Seems a nasty bug snuck through. Hopefully it isn't too hard to squash.

[Mogshake]

Like a few others said, it seems like mob spawning is really off now. I saw a group of maybe four drifters spawn on bare stone in daylight about a minute after making a new world with the default settings.

[Cimik]

Hello, same problem as guys above with insaine mob spawn.  i am Wandering some command to disable mobs till dev repairs it. 

[TeaJay]

Enemies are constantly spawning around my base even in broad daylight, groups of 2-3 bowtorns and shivers, it's incredibly annoying!

[dethsentence]

There is a mod that disables supernaturals spawn. Since i don't like to use mods, personal preference, i just stopped playing for now because it's unbearable, being shoot constantly by bowtorns all around my base while i plant seeds, animal pens packed with drifters and shivers, all room of my base have drifters in them moaning trying to get out. A bit much honestly 

[StCatharines]

On 4/18/2025 at 9:38 AM, Tyron said:

[Edit 4/22/25:] Also released 1.20.9 with the following changes
- Tweak: Increased illumination levels of block light
- Fixed: Mobs spawning where they shouldn't
- Fixed: Error log spam when player wears a night vision helmet outside loaded chunks

That was quick! 

Edit: After some testing in various existing and new worlds, the issue with mob spawning seems to have been solved. Thanks for the fast solution!

Edited April 22, 2025 by StCatharines

[Mogshake]

It does seem to be fixed with 1.20.9. Thank you!

[Lempo]

that change to lighting is huge. i looked out my window after sleeping and thought it was the middle of the day but it was only 2 am, my place is lit up like the fourth of july with just a handful of oil lamps. i almost liked it better when it was still spooky out.

 

and like the guy above said im also having a very frustrating time harvesting bowtorn since the change

Edited April 22, 2025 by Lempo

[Weirdo]

I still can't loot Bowtorn 90% of the time

[greatorder]

1.20.9, mobs still spawning during the day. Went down to my bee farm at noon and found myself inundated with shivers, bowtorns and drifters.

[Dark Thoughts]

On 4/22/2025 at 10:59 PM, Lempo said:

i almost liked it better when it was still spooky out.

I 100% liked it better with the more moody lighting. It was already hard to do moody lighting in VS because mobs spawn at light level 7 instead of 0, like in oldschool MC before they changed that. But now it became even less feasible because even low light sources emit a lot of visual light. Makes me wonder what's even the point of oil lamps or even candles if we can't use them for moody light conditions because they're either causing mobs to spawn or now because they're not even moody anymore.

Also, I got to say the updates recently seem rushed and lacking QA testing. Each hotfix brings in another critical issue or two it seems, and the game already had a lot of them to begin with - especially since the last major update or two.