Welcome to our second edition of Patch Watch for Alpha 4.0! In our Patch Watch series, we highlight upcoming features, improvements, and fixes not shown on the Public Roadmap. With Pyro, Server Meshing, new missions, and more coming to the 'verse, there's a lot of new content to explore. However, there's a few updates that might not get picked up on your radar, which you can find below! Epic Loot? No Contest Contested Zones are coming to the 'verse in Alpha 4.0, an all-new location type first arriving in the Pyro system. These uniquely-crafted areas provide both a challenge against entrenched pirate gangs as well as other players after the same treasure you are. One such gang is the community-crafted Fire Rats. A criminal and religious organization, they revere Pyro's star and the solar flares it plagues the system with. Other than their self-inflicted scarring from observing the star, they're most famous for being ship-jackers, so make sure your ramps are closed! Below are some examples of the spoils you may find within the Zone controlled by the Fire Rats, with a heat-distorted design to complement the gang's aesthetic. Other gangs have their heels dug in throughout the Pyro system, such as Horizon, XenoThreat, and more, all with their own spoils. Follow the trail of treasure, and the risk will be worth the reward! Anvil Carrack's New Groove In case you missed the first episode of the IAE Show, a pair of updates are making their way over to the Anvil Carrack in Alpha 4.0. The cargo pods on the sides of the ship now have both functioning doors as well as cargo grids! This greatly increases the functional cargo capacity of the Carrack, haulers rejoice! You're now able to fully and easily utilize the additional 456 SCU of cargo provided by these pods. Plus, the long-awaited blast shields for the bridge have arrived. Sport your shades just in time for the Pyro system! Both updates are now available to Carrack pilots on PTU. FOIP Improvements Alpha 4.0 brings with it a number of improvements to the FOIP system. FOIP uses your webcam to capture your facial expressions and mimic them on your character in-game, in real-time, to enhance your sense of immersion. Head rotation tracker has been added Range of motion for the mouth is now wider Stabilization has been added to help jitter in both low-light and high-light conditions Secondary motions have been added for extreme poses The tracking algorithm has been refined overall All of these updates provide much more accurate tracking, better expression mapping, and an overall smoother experience when using FOIP. Time to make some faces! We're looking forward to opening more PTU waves very soon! In case you missed it, you can find the first edition of Patch Watch for 4.0 here. See you in the 'verse!