Publisher Daedalic and indie developers FakeFish and Undertow Games today launched the first major content update for Barotrauma, the sci-fi horror multiplayer submarine survival simulation game. The “Saints & Sinners” update introduces a new karma mechanic, expands the traitor system and simplifies server hosting for players. It also adds a new submarine, items and several fixes and balance improvements for the game.

The new karma system is an optional, customizable feature for Barotrauma which helps moderate griefing by penalizing bad behavior like causing a meltdown or triggering spam filters. This mechanic should be invisible to players unless they begin intentionally griefing. Players with low karma may find themselves with unpleasant consequences and restrictions — for example, reduced movement speed, randomly inverting game controls, and being locked out of certain classes. If a player’s karma drops very low, they may even be kicked or banned from the server.

The hugely popular traitor system has also been enhanced with additional mission types, better objective randomization and detection of ‘off-task’ traitor griefing. The traitor system is completely optional and spices up missions with an extra layer of uncertainty. Is everyone on your crew really trying to help the ship — or are they double agents planning to dump your corpse in the ocean’s depths?

Additionally, the “Saints & Sinners” update implements the new Berilia stock submarine for up to 16 players. Crewmates can also now join servers via Steam friends list invites for easier server hosting, eliminating the need to forward manual ports or worry about router settings. New items have also found their way aboard, including six new weapons, two ammo types, more creature loot – and a new musical instrument!