Hey TDN Community -
We are a few days out from the server being back online and we wanted to give some insight into how things will go, cover some updates and changes to policies to ensure everyone is familiar with expectations:
The Login queue is one of the most critical elements of our relaunch, which is designed to ensure a more reliable experience when players attempt to join the server.
Server Details:
IP & Port: 51.81.93.175:5555
Password: Will be mentioned when we go live on Tuesday.
Notes on server strategy:
We pursued a 'second' server that would run async to our current server, however there were some Database challenges that weren't realistic to overcome before launch. For now, we'll be using a single server [+Login Server] approach and be looking to optimize everywhere we can to continue to improve the performance of the server. If it works out to add a new server in the future, we'll do that.
We'll be cutting things close as we're crunching to wrap things up. If all things are looking good, we'll be targeting a 2pm EST launch on Tuesday February 18th. If things are rough, it could be pushed back until around 10pm EST. (Primary reason is to ensure that Aschent_ has a few hours to monitor the server after going online to ensure we can quickly hotfix any game-breaking issues). Keep an eye on Discord announcements to stay in the loop.
While we've addressed many issues since our last up-time, this still isn't going to be perfect. However the committment is that we'll be online moving forward and address things. We'll try to move quickly but please keep in mind that everyone who works on TDN also has a personal life to deal with, which can mean that there may be days where Devs aren't actively working on issues or problems.
Depending on the nature of an issue or bug someone runs into, it is entirely possible you'll be advised to spin up a separate character until we have time to get to your particular situation.
Opting in will be reset for all characters which are not considered a 'opted in class'. If you are opted in: You are now playing on Hardcore mode. If the changes to how we approach permadeath are not something you want to take part in (but have a class that is forced into it), please open a DM support ticket and the team will be more flexible with rebuilds/remakes due to the gravity of this adjustment.
Civilians are no longer auto-opted-in.
Please review our latest revision of: https://www.dragonsneck.com/wiki/Death-Dying
Professions ended up missing our launch window, unfortunately. These will be added once launch has stabilized. While this was primarily a bandwidth issue, this gives us an opportunity to evaluate how the server is functioning without introducing new complexity that particularly has economical impact on the server. Best ETA we can give for professions is "In the near future" - as a smooth launch experience is more critical to us than implementing this feature.
As a small window into our plans for professions:
This will be a complete overhaul of our previous approach to professions, introducing more traditional versions while keeping specialized professions like reforging/augmenting:
Gathering Professions
- Herbalism
- Mining
- Woodcutting
- Gamekeeping
- Fishing
Production Professions
- Alchemy
- Blacksmithing
- Leatherworking
- Woodworking
- Jeweler
- Cooking
- Tailor
Specialized Professions
- Reforging
- Augmenting
With Professions on the horizon, these are going to have long lasting economical impacts to TDN. With that in mind, we need a viable solution that mitigates some of that impact while also being a system that aligns with the setting of being more grounded. Before professions are added, select merchants both in Murann as well as Circle of Elements will repair items for a fee. The greater the tier of damage, the greater the fee. Players will be incentivized to repair before Tiers 2 and 3 in order to offset the costs to the best of their ability. Once professions are introduced, these vendors will no longer offer repair services as the characters who take professions that can craft those items will be eligible to repair them.
On the front end: Items will not be destroyed by this system.
Items Eligible for Durability:
Durability Q&A:
What is a "Use":
For weapons: A successful attack against an enemy.
For Shields/Armor: Incurring spell damage, or receiving a successful melee/ranged attack (non spell).
Will this have greater impact on Tank-archetypes?
Yes. ICly - Characters taking the brunt of damage should negotiate terms around this ahead of time with their party. We'll monitor equity across classes closely - the durability is backwards compatible so if we adjust max durability for items later, it will take effect on existing items.
Moving forward, NPC Guards will respond to player actions such as combat feats, spellcasting, and visible spell VFX. This works on a 'Tier' system which degrades at a rate of one tier per 8 hours (for now). Tiers are shared amongst guards, so if you spellcast in front of one, and then move to another, the tier will advance cumulatively - reaching Tier 2.
Tier 0: Warning
Tier 1: Warning
Tier 2: Warning
Tier 3: Guard Attack & Imprisonment - if you are reduced below 0HP, you will be moved to a 'processing' room to await PC Guards to determine imprisonment or release depending on the circumstance.
In the future, this system will become less lenient, however as we're validating it works as expected we want to ensure there are no false-triggers for Guards before imprisonment.
We are seeking to outfit our Player Guard roster with capable individuals. If you are interested, please open a DM support ticket to indicate your interest and the DM team will assess. We will announce the Player Guard roster just before launch on Tuesday.
At launch, we'll be adding a slowmode to #gameworld - moderating a discord of over one thousand people can be time consuming, and our time is better spent addressing issues in-game rather than handling miscellaneous interpersonal challenges people might face while communicating in Discord. Please leverage the "player-support" channel/forum on Discord for questions related to the game. If you need help with moderation or need DM assistance - please use the appropriate support tickets.
We're in for a wild ride! Expect the worst and you won't be disappointed. Crashes, Perf issues, etc. It might be frustrating at times but please be patient with the team as we resolve issues and refine our processes. Remember: It's ok to take a break. Go watch Severance, or Silo or play Oregon Trail and watch as your loved ones all die from dysentery.
We are a few days out from the server being back online and we wanted to give some insight into how things will go, cover some updates and changes to policies to ensure everyone is familiar with expectations:
Server Queue
The Login queue is one of the most critical elements of our relaunch, which is designed to ensure a more reliable experience when players attempt to join the server.
Server Details:
IP & Port: 51.81.93.175:5555
Password: Will be mentioned when we go live on Tuesday.
Notes on server strategy:
We pursued a 'second' server that would run async to our current server, however there were some Database challenges that weren't realistic to overcome before launch. For now, we'll be using a single server [+Login Server] approach and be looking to optimize everywhere we can to continue to improve the performance of the server. If it works out to add a new server in the future, we'll do that.
Server Launch
We'll be cutting things close as we're crunching to wrap things up. If all things are looking good, we'll be targeting a 2pm EST launch on Tuesday February 18th. If things are rough, it could be pushed back until around 10pm EST. (Primary reason is to ensure that Aschent_ has a few hours to monitor the server after going online to ensure we can quickly hotfix any game-breaking issues). Keep an eye on Discord announcements to stay in the loop.
While we've addressed many issues since our last up-time, this still isn't going to be perfect. However the committment is that we'll be online moving forward and address things. We'll try to move quickly but please keep in mind that everyone who works on TDN also has a personal life to deal with, which can mean that there may be days where Devs aren't actively working on issues or problems.
Depending on the nature of an issue or bug someone runs into, it is entirely possible you'll be advised to spin up a separate character until we have time to get to your particular situation.
Updates around Permadeath & Opting In
Opting in will be reset for all characters which are not considered a 'opted in class'. If you are opted in: You are now playing on Hardcore mode. If the changes to how we approach permadeath are not something you want to take part in (but have a class that is forced into it), please open a DM support ticket and the team will be more flexible with rebuilds/remakes due to the gravity of this adjustment.
Civilians are no longer auto-opted-in.
Please review our latest revision of: https://www.dragonsneck.com/wiki/Death-Dying
Missed Milestone: Professions
Professions ended up missing our launch window, unfortunately. These will be added once launch has stabilized. While this was primarily a bandwidth issue, this gives us an opportunity to evaluate how the server is functioning without introducing new complexity that particularly has economical impact on the server. Best ETA we can give for professions is "In the near future" - as a smooth launch experience is more critical to us than implementing this feature.
As a small window into our plans for professions:
This will be a complete overhaul of our previous approach to professions, introducing more traditional versions while keeping specialized professions like reforging/augmenting:
Gathering Professions
- Herbalism
- Mining
- Woodcutting
- Gamekeeping
- Fishing
Production Professions
- Alchemy
- Blacksmithing
- Leatherworking
- Woodworking
- Jeweler
- Cooking
- Tailor
Specialized Professions
- Reforging
- Augmenting
New System: Modified Item Durability for select items
With Professions on the horizon, these are going to have long lasting economical impacts to TDN. With that in mind, we need a viable solution that mitigates some of that impact while also being a system that aligns with the setting of being more grounded. Before professions are added, select merchants both in Murann as well as Circle of Elements will repair items for a fee. The greater the tier of damage, the greater the fee. Players will be incentivized to repair before Tiers 2 and 3 in order to offset the costs to the best of their ability. Once professions are introduced, these vendors will no longer offer repair services as the characters who take professions that can craft those items will be eligible to repair them.
On the front end: Items will not be destroyed by this system.
Items Eligible for Durability:
- Weapons
- Armor
- Shields
- Crafting Tools
- Tier 1: 200+ Uses
- Weapon: -1 AB
- Armor/Shields: -1 AC
- Tier 2: 400+ Uses
- Weapon: -2 AB
- Armor/Shields -2 AC
- Tier 3: 600+ Uses
- Weapon: -5 AB
- Armor/Shields: -5 AC
Durability Q&A:
What is a "Use":
For weapons: A successful attack against an enemy.
For Shields/Armor: Incurring spell damage, or receiving a successful melee/ranged attack (non spell).
Will this have greater impact on Tank-archetypes?
Yes. ICly - Characters taking the brunt of damage should negotiate terms around this ahead of time with their party. We'll monitor equity across classes closely - the durability is backwards compatible so if we adjust max durability for items later, it will take effect on existing items.
NPC Guards
Moving forward, NPC Guards will respond to player actions such as combat feats, spellcasting, and visible spell VFX. This works on a 'Tier' system which degrades at a rate of one tier per 8 hours (for now). Tiers are shared amongst guards, so if you spellcast in front of one, and then move to another, the tier will advance cumulatively - reaching Tier 2.
Tier 0: Warning
Tier 1: Warning
Tier 2: Warning
Tier 3: Guard Attack & Imprisonment - if you are reduced below 0HP, you will be moved to a 'processing' room to await PC Guards to determine imprisonment or release depending on the circumstance.
In the future, this system will become less lenient, however as we're validating it works as expected we want to ensure there are no false-triggers for Guards before imprisonment.
Player Guards
We are seeking to outfit our Player Guard roster with capable individuals. If you are interested, please open a DM support ticket to indicate your interest and the DM team will assess. We will announce the Player Guard roster just before launch on Tuesday.
Discord
At launch, we'll be adding a slowmode to #gameworld - moderating a discord of over one thousand people can be time consuming, and our time is better spent addressing issues in-game rather than handling miscellaneous interpersonal challenges people might face while communicating in Discord. Please leverage the "player-support" channel/forum on Discord for questions related to the game. If you need help with moderation or need DM assistance - please use the appropriate support tickets.
We're in for a wild ride! Expect the worst and you won't be disappointed. Crashes, Perf issues, etc. It might be frustrating at times but please be patient with the team as we resolve issues and refine our processes. Remember: It's ok to take a break. Go watch Severance, or Silo or play Oregon Trail and watch as your loved ones all die from dysentery.