Merk Mayhem news & patch notes

Major Update – v0.19 Implemented base AI bots for custom matches.

• "Up to N Bots" allows bots to populate matches until players join.
• Bot Mechanics will continue to be fleshed out and will soon adapt loadouts and swap weapons based on player choices.

Map Progress:

• Cliffside – Nearly finalized
• Resort – Implemented and Nearly Finalized

Fixes and Improvements

• Fixed player spawn bugs and mode-related stability issues.
• Fixed reload animation glitches across multiple weapons.
• Fixed a bug causing the crosshair to disappear on weapon swap.
• Added customizable audio settings.
• Optimized Toxin Grenade visual effect for improved performance.

Control the Chaos. Master the Mayhem.

We've got an exciting update coming your way this April! Here's a quick look at what's new and what's changing: New Map: Azure Isle Experience intense battles set in a luxurious modern resort on a secluded island. This stunning cliffside location features sleek architecture, open terraces, large pools, and plenty of palm trees, perfect for thrilling encounters at every corner! Key Bug Fixes and Improvements:

• UI Color Preferences: Fixed an issue where your selected UI colors weren't saving properly.
• Bot Issues: We're actively working on a fix for bots standing idle after respawn before we push this update. Expect this in 1-2 weeks.
• Spawn & Mode Stability: Fixed player spawn issues and mode-related bugs.
• Reload & Weapon Handling: Addressed multiple reload animation glitches.
• Crosshair Visibility: Corrected a bug causing the crosshair to disappear when swapping weapons.
• Audio Settings: Added customizable audio settings for enhanced gameplay immersion.
• Performance Boost: Optimized the toxin grenade visual effect for smoother performance.

Content Adjustment: We're streamlining our gameplay experience by removing all Plasma Protocol Update weapons and abilities until its release this summer, including:

• Warp Blade 
• Plasma Mine
• Charge Rifle
• Plasmatic Shields
• Sticky Launcher

Control the Chaos: Master the Mayhem.

As we move from free to paid Early Access this Friday at 12:00 PM EDT, we've got some exciting updates and questions for you: We're making this shift because we firmly believe in a fair and player-friendly model. We don't support aggressive Games as a Service monetization. There will never be paid season passes or pay-to-win elements, and If we ever introduce premium currency, it will always be earnable in-game in a fair, rewarding, and player-focused way. Bots Are Almost Here!: Bots are working smoothly and are currently being fine-tuned. We're targeting full, seamless integration by the end of April. How excited are you to try them out? Bug Fixes Galore: Thanks to your awesome feedback, we've crushed a bunch of bugs, but don't stop there! Keep sending your reports our way, and expect another patch with even more fixes in the coming days. Maps Update: On Friday, you'll dive into two fully polished maps. And there's more coming—a completely new third map will be dropping soon! Any guesses or hopes for what it'll be like? Join the Playtesting Crew!: Want an early look at new content and updates? Jump into our Discord server and get access to the exclusive playtesting branch on Steam. Your input is shaping Merk Mayhem, so keep it coming! We're excited to hear your thoughts, questions, and ideas. Catch you in-game soon!

New Weapons

• Charge Rifle (Temporary)
  • Experimental burst rifle with a brief charge-up time.
  • No damage drop-off, but features ADS recoil.
  • Uses a battery system, requires pickups instead of reloads.
  • Note: This weapon will be removed in the vanilla launch.
• R4 Shotgun
• 4-round revolver shotgun as a powerful secondary option.
• 4 pellets per shot, optimal at close range.
• Dumps the magazine on reload.

UI/UX

• Loadouts are now selectable upon loading into a match and will be applied when you spawn.
• Cliffside has been temporarily removed from the match settings menu.

Bug Fixes

• Player nametags should now appear correctly.
• Enhanced Reload + Military Expert now correctly speeds up weapon reload animations.
• Poison now deals damage as intended.
• Warp Blade teleport no longer recalls old knife locations.
• Loadout abilities now apply correctly in Hotel Elysium.
• Throwing Knife aim assist slightly improved.
• Sticky Launcher now has WIP reload animations.

Join the Playtest! Test out the latest additions in Update 0.18! Your feedback is crucial in refining the gameplay experience. Let us know what works, what needs tuning, and what you'd like to see in future updates. Control the Chaos: Master the Mayhem

- Fixed a bug where you could mantle through ceilings - The Extended Mag mod at Level 3 now guarantees at least 1 extra round for all weapons, including Launchers, Revolvers, DBS (Double Barrel Slug), and the Heavy Sniper.

- Added Color Coded Niagara Explosive Smoke effect to Blast Pipe - Increased Max Poison Stack to 5 and slightly buffed tick rate

- Added Emissive Colors and Textures to Blast Pipe and added a visible laser for better target acquisition.

- Fixed Kill Z being too high in Canyon WhiteBox

- Slightly buffed aim assist for Burst Rifle - Added slight aim assist to Revolver

New Weapons Heavy SMG

• High-caliber submachine gun designed for mid-range engagements.
• Fires slower than traditional SMGs, trading rate of fire for increased damage per shot and improved stability.
• Best for controlled bursts and consistent TTK at medium range.

Double Barrel Slug Shotgun

• Hard-hitting precision shotgun firing slug rounds.
• High damage per shot, rewarding accuracy and fast follow-ups.

Sticky Launcher (Temporary)

• Experimental launcher firing explosive adhesive grenades that stick to surfaces before detonating.
• Note: This weapon will be removed in the vanilla launch.

Weapon Mods Shattercaps Mod → Replaced by Piercing Rounds Mod

• Bullets now penetrate walls and enemies, with diminishing damage after penetration.

Mod Tier Scaling:

• Tier I: Penetrates one wall OR one enemy (50% damage after penetration).
• Tier II: Penetrates one wall AND up to two enemies (better damage retention).
• Tier III: Penetrates two walls AND up to three enemies (high damage retention).

Engine & System Updates Moved to Unreal Engine Developer Build

• Enables enhanced debugging, crash reporting, and stability tracking.
• Allows for better performance analysis in future updates.

Discord Game Detection Integration

• *Merk Mayhem* is now recognized as a running game on Discord.
• Allows for status updates, party invitations, and streaming integration within Discord.

Map Additions for Testing The following new maps are now available for testing:

• SmallBox
• Cliffside
• OilRig

Bug Fixes

• Fixed radar detection issues affecting enemy visibility in certain areas.

Join the Playtest! Test out the latest additions in Update 0.17! Your feedback is crucial in refining Merk Mayhem. Let us know what works, what needs tuning, and what you’d like to see in future updates.

We’re currently focused on debugging and optimizing core systems to improve stability and performance. Additionally, in response to community feedback regarding empty lobbies, we have begun developing bots to fill matches until real players join, ensuring a more consistent gameplay experience. While we haven’t released a public update in a while, we’ve introduced work-in-progress maps and weapons for testing. These additions will help us gather valuable data and refine content before full integration. We greatly appreciate your continued support—please keep bug reports coming! Every piece of feedback helps us refine and improve the game. Thank you for being part of this journey as we work toward a more polished experience in preparation for late March. Expect further updates soon.

As Merk Mayhem approaches its first anniversary in Early Access, we’re excited to celebrate this milestone with a look back at what’s live and a preview of the thrilling updates on the horizon. This Spring, we’ll also be making an important change: transitioning from Free-to-Play to a one-time price of $4.99 on March 28th. What’s Live Now Thanks to your incredible support, Merk Mayhem has grown into a dynamic multiplayer FPS. Here’s what you can jump into today:

• Game Modes: Team Deathmatch (TDM) delivers fast-paced, squad-based action.
• Weapons: A robust arsenal featuring SMGs, ARs, Shotguns, Marksman Rifles, and Sidearms, giving you the tools to dominate every engagement.
• Abilities: A balanced roster of 21 tactical, lethal, and passive abilities to suit every playstyle.
• Weapon Mods: 7 unique mods you can level up to give your guns the edge in battle!

Coming in Spring 2025 The main branch will see exciting new additions, including:

• Completed Maps:
  • The Box: A compact arena for skill-focused 1v1s and 2v2s.
  • Hotel Elysium: A neon-lit rooftop battlefield offering urban chaos.
  • Oil Rig: A vertical combat zone with tactical opportunities.
• More Stability: As always, updates to ensure polished, smooth gameplay for all players.

Looking Ahead While Merk Mayhem transitions to paid access, this is only the beginning. Here’s a sneak peek at some of what’s coming by 2026:

• Plasma Protocol Update: 3 special weapons and 3 new abilities to shake up the battlefield.
• Sticks & Stones Update: Adding bows and 3 more abilities for fresh tactical options.
• Skyfire Update: A new aerial Combat Kit, and yes, 3 more abilities to redefine vertical gameplay.

Testing Branch for Playtesters Love being part of the development process? Our testing branch will remain active, giving you early access to beta weapons, abilities, and features in development. To request access, please join our discord server! Thank You, Mercenaries Your support over the past year has been incredible. As we transition to paid access, we’re committed to delivering even more updates, features, and content to make Merk Mayhem the ultimate multiplayer FPS experience.

UI/UX Weapon-specific kill feed icons have been implemented, along with a new precision icon for headshot kills. Gamemodes Team Deathmatch is now live and selectable in lobbies! Default Settings:

• 50 Kills
• 12 Minutes

Multiplayer Features

• Lobbies: A simple lobby system streamlines hosting with customizable settings:
  • Server Name
  • Server Visibility
  • Map Selection
  • Player Count
  • Game Mode
• Steam Invites: Easily join friends in matches through Steam, regardless of server visibility.

Update 0.15 We’re introducing new combat features, an economy overhaul, and numerous UI/UX improvements! Combat: Heavy and Tactical Sniper bullets now penetrate enemy players and spawn points now prioritize locations closer to teammates. Currencies & Economy: An economy overhaul introduces a 3-currency system with Credits, Merits, and Marks.

• Credits: Primary in-game currency earned through play. . Points are earned through gameplay via kills, assists, damage, and more!
  • Use: Convert to Merits and Marks.
  • Conversion: 25 Credits = 1 Merit, 100 Credits = 1 Mark.
• Merits: General currency earned by leveling up and performing well with weapons.
  • Use: Unlock weapons, mods, abilities, and combat kits.
  • Conversion: 4 Merits = 1 Mark.
  • Price Breakdown:
    • Primary Weapons = 7 Merits
    • Mods = 3 Merits
    • Abilities = 5 Merits
    • Secondary Weapons = 3 Merits
    • Combat Kits = 5 Merits
• Marks: Premium, cosmetic-only currency.
  • Earned: Currently only available by converting Credits or Merits into Marks.
  • Bonus Credits: Earn an additional 50 Credits per level up after unlocking all combat kits, abilities, and mods.

UI/UX Improvements:

• Currency Display: Merits, Credits, and Marks are displayed at the top of the interface for easy access.
• Currency Exchange Page: Access an intuitive currency conversion page by clicking on a currency symbol.

Achievements: Added several new achievements!

Aim Assist

• Implemented mild bullet magnetism for Assault Rifles, Shotguns, SMGs, and select sidearms.

UI/UX

• Players can now toggle between locked and unlocked weapon swaps:
  • Locked: Pressing “1” equips your primary, pressing “2” equips your secondary
  • Unlocked: Pressing “1” or “2” swaps weapons.
• Killfeed now also shows the assisting player if applicable.

Weapon Mods

• Magazine Extension
  • Tier I: Increases magazine capacity by 10% (rounding down).
  • Tier II: Adds another 10% (20% total, rounding down).
  • Tier III: 30% total magazine capacity increase (rounding up).
• Condenser Barrel
  • Tier I: Increases Range by 10%
  • Tier II: Adds another 10% (20% total).
  • Tier III: 30% total Range increase.
• Shatter Caps: Converts rounds into explosive projectiles at the cost of base damage. 50% direct hit damage and 40% AoE damage. No AoE dropoff at range.
  • Tier I: 0.5-meter splash damage radius.
  • Tier II: 1-meter splash damage radius.
  • Tier III: 1.5-meter splash damage radius.

Animations:

• Implemented an Armor Syringe animation.

Achievements

• Added several headshot, weapon mod, and progression achievements.

Weapon Tuning

• Burst Rifle
  • Increased base damage
  • Lowered headshot multiplier
• Auto Shotgun
  • Slightly lowered rate of fire
  • Slightly increased base damage
• Revolver
  • Lowered base damage and headshot multiplier

These changes are retroactively reflected on the website changelog. Combat Rating: Implemented a lifetime combat rating for players that is calculated based on kills, deaths, assists, and time played in seconds. The combat rating can be seen on steam leaderboards and on the in-game scoreboard and is calculated as: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6541210b2084f9329a587716/4e9ff472-ecd2-42ca-901f-f12a9a6ff3c2/Screenshot+2024-09-05+102502.jpg?format=2500w Weapon Mods: Weapons can apply one mod at level 5 and two at level 20, mods also level up after 100, 250, and 500 kills. Implemented 4 of 7 mods so far:

• Radar Link
  • Tier I: Extends radar range by 10%.
  • Tier II: Increases ping frequency.
  • Tier III: Enemies remain on the radar 0.7 seconds after they leave your line of sight.
• Aim Accelerator:
  • Tier I: Increases ADS speed by 5%.
  • Tier II: Adds another 5% (10% total).
  • Tier III: 15% total ADS speed boost.
• Stabilized Grip:
  • Tier I: Reduces weapon sway by 5%.
  • Tier II: Adds another 5% sway reduction (10% total).
  • Tier III: 20% total weapon sway decrease.
• Enhanced Reload:
  • Tier I: Increases reload speed by 5%.
  • Tier II: Boosts reload speed by an additional 5% (10% total).
  • Tier III: 15% total reload speed increase.

Join the conversation and stay connected! Control the Chaos: Master the Mayhem

Join us tonight at 9:00 PM ET to play some Merk Mayhem with the community! We'll be testing the unlock system and weapon/ability balance! RSVP via our discord event, join our server here: https://discord.gg/Z8puhpyeaD {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44894715/eacd64ac8f12be1515a547ca041d3427dd4e45f1.png

Merk Mayhem Update 0.11 AUG 19 We’re rolling out some significant enhancements and new features in this update, focusing on unlockable content, new weapons, and a refined progression system. Weapons: Implemented Revolver Stats Overview:

• Fire Rate: 130 RPM
• Magazine: 6 rounds
• Damage: 88 Body, 124 Head
• TTK: 0.46 - 0.92 seconds

Implemented Auto Shotgun Stats Overview:

• Fire Rate: 288 RPM
• Magazine: 10 Rounds
• Damage: 60 Body, 90 Head (12 Pellets)
• TTK: 0.42 - 0.83 seconds (Body), 0.21 - 0.42 seconds (Head)

Implemented Burst Rifle Stats Overview:

• ADS: 1.7x
• Fire Rate: 180 Bursts per Minute
• Magazine: 36 rounds (3 rounds per burst)
• Damage: 18 Body, 30 Head
• TTK: 0.67 - 1.33 seconds (Body), 0.33 - 0.67 seconds (Head)

Progression: Ability Unlocks:

• Stock: Stim, Frag Grenade, Solemn Sight
• 3 Level Up Tokens required for other abilities

Combat Kit Unlocks:

• Stock: Hound
• 1 Level Up Token to unlock other kits

Combat Kit Progression:

Heavy Kit:
• Level 10 Bonus: 20% reduction in weapon sway.
• Level 20 Mastery (Ironclad): Reduces knockback from enemy abilities by 50%, decreases damage from lethal abilities by 10%, and increases knockback from your own abilities by 50%. Hound Kit:
• Level 10 Bonus: 10% reduction in weapon sway.
• Level 20 Mastery (Adrenaline Rush): 30% increase in weapon swap and reload speed when Flesh HP is below 30. Hornet Kit:
• Level 20 Mastery (Venomous Stinger): Kunai deals additional poison damage at max level.

Weapon Unlocks:

• Leveling Weapons: Weapons level up individually; 3000 points earned grants a Class Merit.
• Stock Weapons: Assault Rifle, DMR, SMG, Shotgun, and Pistol.
• Points: Damage dealt equals points earned; kills add 150 points, assists add 50 points.
• Class Merits: Use Class Merits to unlock advanced weapons within that weapon class. Thank you for your support! Expect more updates as we refine Merk Mayhem based on your feedback.

Join the conversation and stay connected! Control the Chaos: Master the Mayhem

As we continue to enhance your gameplay experience in Early Access, we are excited to bring you the latest updates: Lethal Abilities: Implemented Blast Pack Throwable explosive that sticks to surfaces and has a 0.7-second activation delay. Detonates on command or when shot. Useful for explosive jumps, if you survive the blast… Deals up to 240 damage:

• Cone: 2m radius, 6m height with linear dropoff after 1m, max 180 damage.
• Sphere: 6m radius with linear dropoff after 3m, max 60 damage.

Tactical Abilities: Implemented Restorative Cover Deploys a destroyable cover that lasts for 60 seconds. Standing behind the cover regenerates 2HP of armor every 0.5 seconds. Leveling: Implemented a rudimentary level system:

• 1 level for every 100 points earned.
• Kills count as 2 points.
• Assists count as 1 point.

Thank you for your support! Expect more updates as we refine Merk Mayhem based on your feedback.

As we continue to enhance your gameplay experience, we are excited to bring you the latest updates: Adjustments and New Features: Reload Animation Adjustments:

• Reload animations no longer block firing for a split second after reloading.

New Passives Added:

[] Military Expert: When Equipped:
[] Base Lethal ability cooldowns decreased by 5%. [] Lethal Ability cooldown decreased by 3.5 seconds per kill. [] Increase reload speed by 25%. [] Increases weapon swap speed by 30%.
[] Tactician: When Equipped:
[] Base tactical ability cooldowns decreased by 5%. [] Tactical abilities with a duration last 20% longer. [] Tactical Ability cooldown decreased by 5 seconds per kill. [] Tacticals with Radius buffed by 15%.
• Nanite Boost effectiveness increased.

New Tactical Ability:

[] Disruptor Grenade:
[] Throw a grenade that explodes on impact, disabling enemy radar, lethal, passive, and tactical abilities for 3.4 seconds.
• 32 second cooldown.

Upcoming Abilities:

[] Blast Pack (Lethal): A powerful explosive that can be set up to 3 meters away, with moderate knockback and high damage. [] Restorative Cover (Tactical): Deployable cover that regenerates armor and blocks enemy fire.

Bug Fixes and Known Issues:

[] Sniper Scope Adjustments: All sniper scopes now align with FOV, set to 2x zoom. This is a known bug and will be fixed in a future update. [] Predator Sway Issue: Addressing the outline issue caused by movement and weapon sway while walking with Predator.

Achievements and Leaderboards:

[] New Achievements: Assist achievements added. [] Steam Leaderboards: Now tracking assists and deaths.

Assist Achievements:

[] Kill Stolen: Lose a kill to a teammate for the first time. [] Kills Stolen: Have your kills be stolen 10 times. [] Can't Get These Kills: Accumulate 100 assists. [] Personal Assistant: Have so many kills stolen you might as well put it on your resume.

Thank you for your support! Expect more updates as we refine Merk Mayhem based on your feedback.

Tactical Abilities Implemented Ammo Crate:

• Spawns an Ammo Crate in front of you that spawns Ammo Pickups every 5 seconds for 40 seconds.
• Despawns after 40 seconds or after taking damage

UI/UX Implemented Tooltips:

• Specific details now appear when you hover over any selectable loadout item (combat kit, lethal, primary, etc.).
• Note: This can be turned off in the settings

Loadout Enhancements:

• Loadouts now save locally and can be renamed.
• Note: Loadouts need to be reapplied upon respawn when joining a game.

Implemented a Scoreboard

• While still WIP, the scoreboard will show the team’s total kills, as well as tracking personal kills, deaths, and assists.

Implemented Status Effect Indicators

• While burning, poisoned, cloaked, or affected otherwise, status effect indicators will be visible on the right side of the HUD with information such as the effect name and duration.

Two Abilities added temporarily for testing! Lethal Abilities Implemented Plasma Mine

• Sticks to surfaces upon activation detonating when an enemy passes within its blast radius. Deals 100 damage and an additional 50 if stuck to an enemy.

Tactical Abilities Implemented Warp Blade

• Throw a knife that teleports you to it’s impact location

These abilities will be removed soon and are slated to be released with the Plasma Protocol update!

Nine new abilities and damage types! Damage Types Implemented Poison Damage (Toxin Grenade, Hornet’s Sting)

• Ignores armor and damages health directly.
• Deals 1 damage to health every 0.5 seconds for 5 seconds.
• Can stack up to 4 times for a maximum of 4 damage every 0.5 seconds.
• Can be cured and prevented with abilities.

Implemented Burn Damage (Thermite Flash)

• Damages health and armor simultaneously ticking every 0.5 seconds for 3 seconds.
• If armor > 0 deals 6 damage per tick to armor and 3 damage per tick to health.
• If no armor deals 4 damage per tick to health
• Cannot stack.
• Can be cured and prevented with abilities.

Lethal Abilities Implemented Thermite Flash

• Throw a grenade that sticks to enemies and surfaces, dealing scaled damage on detonation and causing burn damage.
• The damage formula when enemy armor is less than 80 is DamageDealt = 0.75(EnemyArmor) +20
• Also flashes enemies within the blast radius and emits light.

Implemented Toxin Grenade

• Detonates 0.7 seconds after impact, releasing a toxin that deals poison damage.

Implemented Jolt Grenade

• Chains 45 damage between clustered enemies upon detonation, dealing more damage

Implemented Crunch Grenade

• Creates a mini black hole that briefly restrains and launches enemies after detonation, dealing 90 damage.

Tactical Abilities Implemented Apparition

• Grants invisibility for up to 9 seconds with increased movement speed. (Cannot fire weapons while invisible. Nameplate and weapon invisibility are WIP.)

Implemented Nanite Boost

• Restores 40 armor and 20 health to yourself and nearby teammates.

Passive Abilities Implemented Armor Leech

• Restores 25% of the damage dealt as armor.

Implemented Predator

• Highlights damaged enemies and shows their footsteps. (Glow effect improvement in progress.)

Implemented Stalker

• Reduces presence on enemy radars.

We're excited to bring you these updates and look forward to your feedback as we continue to improve the game!

Help us playtest our WIP thermite Flash grenade, text chat, and give us feedback on the new menu!

Text Chat now accessible by pressing Enter

New WIP Menu system linking to our discord and a report a bug page!

New Map Look Thermite Grenade WIP is in: - Deals variable damage based on enemy armor. - Sticks to locations (fixing sticking to players) - Deals Burn damage (No UI indicators yet, but deals more damage if enemy armor) - No Flash/Blinding effect yet. Selectable Passives: Vital Surge & Solemn Sight adjusted

Adjusted grenade damage and radius. Added Drum Mag model for Heavy AR Updated Hotel Elysium fixing collision issues and lighting. Textures to be added soon

rolled back lighting on Hotel Elysium for performance. Map will be optimized with new lighting shortly