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Xsyon
04-02-2010, 04:09 AM
Archived updates are stored here...

Xsyon
04-05-2010, 12:44 PM
I've sent out a new patch and the patch and game servers are up.

Here is a list of some changes:

Sever stability issues fixed (hopefully! We'll keep testing.)

Launcher fixed to correctly patch only required portions of the large data files.

Crashes while logging / destroying stumps fixed.

Logpiles appearing temporarily near other players fixed.

Pressing enter should allow correct login.

Key bindings should be effective right after setting them.

Actions saved in the action bar should work correctly.

Actions saved in the action bar should clear out with new characters after a wipe and when deleting a character.

Deleted character names should be available.

H key interrupts actions (I need to set this in the keybinds still).

Escape / Jump / Combat mode interrupts actions.

Combat movement speed (left, right, backwards) increased.

Combat parry and dodge should respond immediately (it did before, but there was a glitch in some animations).

Empty messages can no longer be sent in chat.

'Naked character' after crashing should not happen.

Missing scavenged item icons etc. fixed.

Xsyon
04-09-2010, 01:09 PM
Patch Update April 9:

Fixed server issues with timing out players and not allowing them to log back in.

Fixed client stability issues while logging in.

Actions while jumping prevented.

Running out of energy interrupts actions.

Bundles go to back bundle slot only.

Blocked non-physical mesh objects from hand slots and from being dropped to the ground. This was a major source of bugs and crashes.

Fixed problems with gathering resources and picking up bundles exceeding encumbrance limits.

Adjusted selected object interaction distances.

Interaction menu clears when selected object is removed or destroyed.

Crafting ready 90%. Players can start to test grass crafting (grass crafters start with a few basic tools).

I want to patch out some more changes tomorrow. It's late night in Siberia right now so most of the team is hitting the sack and I'll take a little break (I'm usually on Siberian time too!).

I'd like to check server stability for a while today. If it all looks good I will give more players access tonight. I'll probably do so even if the server still has some issues.

Xsyon
04-10-2010, 03:33 PM
Update April 10:

It's a hectic weekend so far!

The server is a lot more stable than last week. It ran without problems for the past 24 hours. There are still a few potential server issues that we think we've fixed and are testing internally today. The server will be updated again tomorrow.

I set a few more players to enter last night and a bunch more today. If your account is set to enter you should have received an email from me.

Now that our major problems (server instability and client loading problems after many terraforming / land surfaces changes within one world zone) are fixed, we should have more time to focus on bug fixe and requested improvements.

There will be a server update tomorrow and a client update by Monday.

If you're just getting in to the game today, I welcome all feedback and criticism. Enjoy!

Xsyon
04-11-2010, 04:39 AM
Update April 11:

A quick update.

Players trying to get in with old versions of the client were causing server problems while logging in. We're working on completely blocking this today.

I need to finish up a few things I was working on last week and left hanging a bit as I see people are messing with crafts and a few things that aren't 100% ready yet. ;)

Players were talking about not being about to pick up logs. You can carry only 1 major resource in your 'bundle' slot at a time (1 big log, bundles of grass, bundles of twigs, etc.). You should be able to pick up logs if this slot is free.

Also, I'd appreciate it if bug reports were sent through the support form (so I can get system specs) or directly to the support email (support@notorious-games.com) so I'm not barraged with PMs here.

Thanks!

Xsyon
04-13-2010, 09:54 AM
Update April 13:

A quick update.

We have a new installer ready, but we will be testing this installer internally all day to make sure it's working correctly. (We'll be testing the full download from various machines and operating systems, so it will take a while).

I've left the server running for those that want to mess around. We're testing many fixes for known issues on our second server. Things are looking good so far.

I'm going to bury my head in the code today so we can get a new full patch out as soon as possible. Once that's out I will come here to read posts and answer questions.

Thanks!

Xsyon
04-23-2010, 11:01 PM
Update April 23:

We're recovering from the loss of forum posts. This has not affected our player database in any way.

The server and client were updated today. The focus has been on stabilizing the server and preventing bad incoming packets from causing the server to freeze up.

A large portion of the bug list has been fixed and we've incorporated some player suggested changes.

A full list of bug fixes and current improvements will be posted soon, thanks to Edaw who is working on this.

Our focus this week will be:

Continued combat and movement improvements.
Changes to female armors.
Turning on additional actions and skills.
Continued bug fixing and tweaks based on player suggestions.

I apologize for these unexpected delays. Things such as hackers messing with the game server and the forum problems tonight are a real headache to deal with and have certainly slowed us down a bit.

We'll continue working as hard as possible and listening to your input!

Xsyon
04-24-2010, 12:29 AM
Update April 24:

A new wave of invites went out despite the problems with the forums. I look forward to all the feedback.

I'm not sure why the patcher had issues for some players this evening as the patcher hasn't changed, but we'll work on this over the weekend.

The server does look stable now. As usual, please report problems through our bugs form or to our bugs@notorious-games.com email.

Thanks!

Virtus
04-24-2010, 01:23 AM
just a note, the above email address can be accessed by submitting a bug report using the support form and selecting any of the game problem related topics.

Xsyon
04-24-2010, 04:27 AM
Update April 24:

We're working again on the patcher and blocking bad traffic on the server. The same IP caused the server to freeze up, this time after many attempts of sending different packets of information.

Thanks for your patience as we work out these problems.

Xsyon
04-24-2010, 01:51 PM
Update April 24:

We're preparing another patch for the server and the installer for this evening. Please sit tight. I will send an email to everyone with game access when this is ready.

The new installer will override the current one but won't require a full download of the data files.

Xsyon
04-25-2010, 05:20 AM
Update April 25:

I took down the installer link as we're still working on an improved installer. We decided to work all night (for me at least) to get an installer that solves as many issues as possible.

As soon as it's ready I will send all active players an email and post here.

Xsyon
04-25-2010, 03:01 PM
Update April 25:

A new installer is ready for download. I'm in the process of sending emails in batches to all active players.

This installer selects a more appropriate default installation directory for Windows 7 / Vista users as recommended by Microsoft. We highly recommend that you do not install the game to Program Files. Microsoft's UAC (User Account Control) causes problems with patch programs when installed in the Program Files or other restricted directories.

This installer also includes DirectX files for users that do not have the correct DirectX version to run the game.

We've improved the patching system to prevent time outs and slow updating when patching portions of the larger data files.

We've also been running the server while blocking unwanted traffic which has continued to attempt to connect to the server throughout the weekend. The server finally seems solidly unaffected by this type of traffic.

Now that we're comfortable that this type of unwanted traffic is prevented, we will take further action against this IP.

Now that these issues are hopefully sorted out, we can continue with turning on features and improving the actual game!

Xsyon
04-26-2010, 12:09 PM
Update April 26:

The server and client have been updated.

This update is primarily a server update to hopefully fix several problems:

Time outs and player disconnects, not being able to log back in.

Inventory items disappearing or becoming corrupted due to a time out or crash.

Additional minor updates:

Incorrect female sidestep animations were fixed.
Xsyon.ini which is for offline mode use was removed.

Virtus
04-28-2010, 02:20 AM
A new patch will be coming out at some point this morning

Xsyon
04-28-2010, 07:46 AM
Update April 28:

I took the server down and will keep it down until we can deliver a new patch and improved patcher.

A few problems have been solved:

The hacker intrusion and unwanted connections is no longer an issues. That has been fully blocked and intrusions of this type have no effect on the server.

We discovered the problem with some players having the launcher hang on downloading small files. This has been fixed, but the programmer working on this sees a few other things that should be improved and optimized. I will wait until these are finished to send out a new installer.

We found an error in reading / loading files from packed files that could cause a client to crash. This wasn't detected earlier as we mostly run the game without packed up piles.

More bugs have been fixed and will be ready for the next patch.

We still have problems with:

The server freezing up. We fixed many potential causes for this, but it's still happening. We have a few days of logs to sort through and will continue working on this as a priority. We do see reasons for this, but rather than patch one fix at a time we want the next patch to include all of the changes we are working on.

There are a few client crashes that we will eliminate thanks to bug reports. We also want the next patch to include all of these fixes rather than upload a few fixes at a time.

The plan is to let in a more players as soon as we can get a solid patch up.

Thanks!

Jordi Grau Davis

Xsyon
04-29-2010, 06:18 AM
Update April 29:

The programmer working on the server problems requested that I keep the server up today with a debugging update he prepared so that we can gather more information while he continues to work on what he thinks is causing problems.

For now the server is up.

We expect it to freeze up (actually we hope that it does) so that we can gather additional information from the server logs. Play at your own risk. ;)

We're continuing work on a more substantial update which will include the intaller, server and client.

Xsyon
05-01-2010, 12:02 PM
Quick Update May 1:

I had to wipe the player and terrain data as bad data was building up and causing the server to lock up.

Our server logs from the past 16 hours or so show the exact same problem causing the server to freeze and we've implemented a fix for this. It will be part of the next update. At the moment we can't patch out this change until the rest of the update is ready.

Xsyon
05-01-2010, 04:17 PM
Update May 1:

Hello everyone!

We’re going to have to push the planned final character wipe until the server is completely stable and we have a decent amount of time to fully test and improve the Prelude features with players in the game.

The recent problems we’ve had with the server and patch downloader have taken too much of our time this past month and we haven’t been able to turn on as many features as we originally planned.

We have made a lot of recent progress fixing bugs and improving some of the currently implemented features based on player feedback.

We’ve also completely blocked unwanted incoming traffic on the server and we’ve tracked down and fixed some obscure problems that only a few players were having. These things were unexpected, but in the long the run, it’s better to take care of these things now rather than down the road.

Player feedback so far has been very positive. Suggestions for improvements are in line with my vision for the game and how it will evolve. I think we’re building a great community and though these unexpected problems are causing a delay, things in general are looking very good!

Our tentative plan now is for a final character wipe on June 15th. We are not going to push a release deadline until the game is ready, stable and with the planned Prelude features working well.

We will continue to let in pre-order players on a first come, first serve basis. We have been letting in larger groups and will continue to do so, hoping to get all current subscribers in the game by the middle of May.

Pre-order players will have access to the current early testing phase and two months of game time starting once the game is ready. If the planned features are still being tweaked by June 15th, we will push this start date forward another month.

Our next update to the patcher, client and server will be in a few days. This update has many changes that we need to bring together and test before releasing it to the public. We’ve fixed a few more problems with the server and hopefully we’ll reach full stability soon.

For now we’re going to leave the server up as much as possible so that players can mess around with the Xsyon world over the weekend while we continue to gather debug information. We will probably take the server down for a day or two early this week so that we can concentrate on preparing the next update.

In conclusion, we will continue to do our best to bring you a great game!

Xsyon
05-02-2010, 02:55 PM
Quick Update May 1:

Virtus and Celestial Fury will be monitoring the server through tonight. I plan to take down the server for a few days starting early tomorrow unless the other programmers request that it stays up for gathering more information.

This will let us focus on the upcoming patch. A lot of changes are coming together right now!

Xsyon
05-03-2010, 06:30 AM
Update May 3:

The server will be down for a few days while we prepare the upcoming patch. My estimate is late Wednesday or Thursday for this new patch.

This update will include major changes to terraforming, continued improvement to the combat system, further optimization of the patcher system, fixes for all the current determined causes of server instability and many bug fixes.

If we bring up the server for some tests I will announce it, but the test server will not include our upcoming changes.

Xsyon
05-06-2010, 05:10 PM
Update May 6:

It's going to be a while longer before the new update and server are up.

I've been running some test installs over the past 2 hours and something's not right with the launcher / patcher. I need to wait for the launcher programmer to make sure he sent me the correct latest build.

I'll post again when I have more news.

Xsyon
05-07-2010, 10:18 AM
Quick Update May 7:

After running many tests yesterday I found there are still situations that could cause a the patcher to run a bit slow, so I wasn't satisfied with releasing this update yet.

The patcher programmer has been working on it. Right now I'm just waiting as you all are.

I'll be back with another update as soon as I have more news.

Xsyon
05-07-2010, 07:28 PM
Another Quick Update May 7:

I've just received the updated patcher. We're going to test downloads on various machines for some hours and check for problems.

Once this looks solid to me, I'll be back with another update.

Xsyon
05-08-2010, 12:39 AM
It's looking good! The patcher is much better now.

This build will go out after I get some sleep. The other programmers and I want to be up and alert to monitor the server when it goes back up.

Xsyon
05-08-2010, 10:44 AM
Update May 8:

Hello everyone!

A new update for Xsyon is ready and the servers are up.

This update includes many changes to the installer, launcher, server and client. Changes include:

1) New Installer. The installer is more flexible and includes a better DirectX install that will check to make sure that you have the latest DirectX files. We will be using this installer from now on. Much thanks to Thiago Fagundes for creating this installer for us!

2) Optimized launcher. The updating and patching process has been revised for better and faster downloads and updates.

3) Server stability. We've fixed all causes of server instability that we could determine from our recent tests. These were mainly issues with bad data that was being compounded with every server freeze. We've added additional checks and logging to both the client and the server so that if we continue having problems we will be able to track them down faster. The client currently records logs that we will ask players to submit in case they crash.

4) Terraforming. Terraforming has been revised to be more accurate and predictable. Terraforming on water has been completely redone. Restrictions on slopes have been added. There are still issues with terraforming on waterfalls. Please don't terraform waterfalls, this will be blocked in the future.

The terrain, which was set to a tighter grid a few weeks ago for better terraforming, has now been smoothed over.

5) Combat. Combat changes are still in progress. So far we've improved: positioning and updates between characters, combat timing, movement, damage and animations. Animations will reflect your cursored target (high, low and medium attacks). Combat is still being worked on, so expect more changes and updates to this over the course of this week.

6) Movement. We've completely revised jumps and fixed problems with players getting stuck. The jump animations to fit the new system are in progress and will be patched out as soon as they are ready.

7) Graphic options. You can now select display mode, instead of simply resolution, from the options menu. This includes selecting your refresh rate. You can also turn VSync on and off. This should resolve problems a few players have had trying to set different resolutions or running monitors that require VSync on.

8) Bug Fixes: A large portion of current bugs have been fixed. A full list of fixes is posted here: http://www.xsyon.com/forums/30-prelude-talk/19769-update-on-latest-build

9) This build includes many other small tweaks, including the availability of selecting different character heads / faces and server side improvements to inventory and trade.

As usual, please report any bugs through our support form, or email bugs@notorious-games.com directly. If you experience a crash, please find the Log subfolder in your Xsyon directories and attach the most recent log file to your bug report.

We're hoping these fixes will let us focus now on rolling out the rest of the features while we continue improving the current systems!

Enjoy!

Jordi Grau Davis

Notorious Games

Xsyon
05-08-2010, 01:11 PM
Quick Update:

When you start a new character you will have most basic skills, but you get a skill bonus and items based on the skills you choose.

Xsyon
05-09-2010, 02:37 AM
Update May 9:

A small patch went up to fix some crashes on the client side.

That's it for now. We are focused on the server again as there are still unresolved problems.

Xsyon
05-09-2010, 11:52 AM
Quick Update:

A small client and server patch was just updated. The server patch is mostly for debugging.

Please try to do whatever you think is freezing the server and we will be monitoring it.

Thanks!

Xsyon
05-09-2010, 05:19 PM
Quick Update:

Another client and server patch is up. We will keep monitoring and making changes.

Xsyon
05-10-2010, 12:04 AM
Quick Update:

Another server update has been patched out. We're going to keep at this around the clock with small updates as we find potential problems and fix them.

Xsyon
05-10-2010, 02:05 AM
Quick Update:

Another server update was patched out with some definite fixes. We'll keep monitoring....

Xsyon
05-10-2010, 09:59 AM
Quick Update:

The server is up and we are monitoring our latest changes. We will continue to focus only on stability today.

I plan to send out some more invites today as the server is looking more stable.

Please email me if:

You have problems with your inventory.
You crash (not just timed out to the login).
You crash or time out and the server seems to have gone down.

I don't need any more client logs, just specific details regarding what you were doing if you crashed or were timed out.

Thanks!

Xsyon
05-10-2010, 01:15 PM
Quick Update:

The server has been updated again. We'll keep checking.

Xsyon
05-10-2010, 06:24 PM
Update May 10:

The server and client were updated again just now with some minor bug fixes.

The server has been running completely stable the entire day but we will continue to monitor it closely.

Hopefully we can get back on track now!

Xsyon
05-11-2010, 05:50 PM
Update May 11:

The server is much more stable now but we are not 100% satisfied that it is perfectly stable.

Several updates were patched out over the course of the day and we will continue with more minor updates tonight is we find any other potential problems.

We let in a group of new players last night, another group tonight and we'll continue letting in players daily if the server continues to run solidly.

Our focus right now is to make sure the server is 100% stable, to eliminate client crashes and fix critical bugs.

If you experience a client crash please email me at bug@notorious-games.com. I've been getting very few crash reports, so I hope that's a good sign. If you're crashing (not timing out) make sure to let me know.

Thanks!

Xsyon
05-12-2010, 06:20 PM
Update May 12:

Just a quick update for now. The server has been completely stable today aside from one issue that was being deliberately tested.

I am currently preparing a build that will allow players to choose between the main server and the test server. The test server will be updated and wiped more frequently and will be up and down as we deliberately try to break things.

The main server will be intended for players who want to get a feel for the game so far without our tests and interruptions.

New players have been let in daily this week. We will continue to do so and we're catching up with the list.

We have a lot going on right now. I wil post a more detailed update tomorrow.

Xsyon
05-14-2010, 12:29 PM
Update May 14:

I've updated the game client and the server.

1) You can now connect to a test server. This will be up and down while the main server will stay online.

If you want to help test, please log on to the test server and create new characters. Right now I'd like players to test chopping trees and chopping felled trees into logs. I will be monitoring and debugging any problems that are caused by this.

2) We discovered and fixed the problem with players getting stuck at the character screen. We can all thank Microsoft for this one! We recently updated the game to use Microsoft's new DirectX libraries from February 2010. It turns out that the new and improved effect compiler runs about 20 times slower than the older version and was causing the game to stall during the initial loading process.

After some research, this is a known issue and other developers are dealing with it by rolling back to use older DirectX libraries. We did the same and the problem has been alleviated.

If you had this problem before, please log in and confirm that you no longer get stuck before the character screen.

Xsyon
05-14-2010, 01:06 PM
Argh.

We're going to have to test more to build with the correct DirectX libraries now as some of our shaders were updated for the latest version, but in general we need an earlier version for faster compilation.

All servers are back up now with a temporary build until we correct the DirectX situation.

The servers will be running but I will ask for more specific testing this evening.

Xsyon
05-14-2010, 08:36 PM
Quick Update:

The servers were taken down for a 10 minute update and are currently back up.

This includes a correct DirectX version built into the client and should alleviate problems with slow loading characters. If you had slow loading character and were sometiems stuck at the character screen before, please let me know if this update solves the problem.
It should!

The test server will also been running. I would like players to come to the test server and chop trees and logs so we can pinpoint a potential remaining problem with this.

A note about the world loading taking a while:

We've let terraforming changes pile up so we can test the effect. This is causing loading to take a while, but it's not causing other problems.

When the game is official, terraforming changes will be 'baked' into the terrain daily and will not be allowed to pile up. There will also be more realistic restrictions in place.

Xsyon
05-15-2010, 04:40 PM
Quick Update:

The server has just been updated.

This fixes some potential freeze up issues (which are happening less and less).

This also should fix the death fog problems. Please report to me to confirm this.

Our major concern right now are client crashes. If you crash (not time out) and receive a missing ground levels error or similar error, please email bugs@notorious-games.com and attach the most recent log file from your Xsyon / Log directory.

I will update the client in about 30 minutes that will help us gather more information on this.

Thanks!

Xsyon
05-16-2010, 12:48 PM
Update May 16:

The server and client have been updated again for stability.

This is an experimental update as it includes some changes that we did not extensively test as they are better checked by the player base.

Characters and the terrain were wiped for this update.

Please continue sending me logs if you have any client crashes. A few problems have been definitely fixed and I have updated the log information to give more detail on additional problems.

If this build looks good today I will send out more invitations this evening.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
05-17-2010, 05:57 PM
Update May 17:

Our focus this week is to keep the servers running, let in players daily, resolve remaining stability problems and deal with specific client problems so that these are taken care of now and not when there are more players in the future.

We have a lot going on at the moment as we are upgrading all of our servers and moving and revamping the website and forums.

I will post a more lengthy update when I get the chance.

Xsyon
05-19-2010, 03:58 PM
Quick Update:

The servers are down while I prepare a new update. This update includes a new launcher. You will receive an email about this.

Thanks!

Xsyon
05-19-2010, 07:50 PM
Update May 19:

Hello Everyone!

A new update for Xsyon is ready and the servers are up.

The updated launcher allows for the partial download of large files. If you lose your connection while downloading a large file, you should now be able to resume the download.

This launcher should also install all data files to your selected location and ignore old registry keys that were causing some players to have data files installed to Program Data or Application Data folder. This will require a redownload of files. If you do not wish to redownload the large data files and currently have your data files in a directory apart from the Xsyon Launcher, you can location those data files and move them to the directories where the launcher is located before patching. This is an issue with just a few players, so most players don't need to worry about this.

This update includes:

1) An updated and more stable server. We've fixed most server problems with this build, in particular problems being caused by chopping logs and other specific actions. However, the server still has a few outstanding issues that need to be resolved. These can still trigger the server to freeze up unpredictably. We currently do not need more information regarding these freezes or time-outs. We know the problem and the solution, it will just take a while to implement.

2) We fixed a problem that could cause clients to freeze while timing out. I would like some feedback on this to ensure that the problem has been correctly fixed.

3) Combat has been further revised to get closer to what was originally intended. Combat animations, timing, damage, dodge and parrye effects and armor have been revised. Specific body parts can be accurately targeted and the armor or lack thereof on that body part is taken into account.

4) Issues that some players have been having with specific monitors, graphics cards or drivers should be resolved.

5) We've fixed many bugs including bugs with hidden characters, fatigue and screen resolutions stretching.

The world and players have been wiped for this update. Those playing will notice a speed up during Loading Entities. This will inevitably slow down as the world is terraformed and changed. This data will be eventually 'baked' into the world files daily so that it does not affect loading times. For now, we will continue to wipe the terrain data once a week or so.

In the past 7 weeks or so since we first started to let players into Xsyon we've encountered many unexpected problems.

We've greatly improved server stability, the installation process, the launcher performance, resolved very specific issues to ensure all players could get into the game and fixed many bugs and made many changes based on player feedback.

We've also discovered that the website and forum system of our choice is full of problems that have caused us to deal daily with minor website issues.

All of this has thrown us off our intended schedule of releasing regular feature updates. I've had to sit back and revise our plans.

Here is what we plan to do:

1) The official release is now planned for August 15th. We will reassess our progress every month and if we need to push this date further into the future we will. We do not want to force an unfinished release. Instead we are going to continue working as hard as possible until we can fully stabilize the server and finish implementing the planned game features. We're going to stick to our plan, it's just going to take longer than we hoped.

2) We will be focusing first and foremost on server stability and performance. We will then continue with turning on features, fixing bugs and improving performance. Our server changes will be checked for on our test server before they are implemented on the main server. The main server will be kept up and running around the clock unless we take it down for an update.

3) We are upgrading the website to use a better back-end and forum system. It will also be moved to a new location.

4) We are upgrading our game and patch servers and also moving them to a better location where we have tested faster ping rates to connections all around the world.

5) The team has been reorganized and expanded to include more internal testing and so that I have help dealing with support and organizing bug reports and can focus more on development. Additional programmers who spent the last few months getting acquainted with the code are now ready to help us make improvements.

6) 2/3 of the pre-order players have access to game and we will continue to let in players quickly until all players have access.
Many of these changes will be happening over the next two weeks.
Please bear with all our changes and enjoy testing Xsyon while we make it a great game!

Jordi Grau Davis
Notorious Games

Xsyon
05-20-2010, 06:49 AM
Update May 20:

The game was updated today to fix a problem causing the client to freeze, usually upon timing out.

Please continue to report any freeze situations to bugs@notorious-games.com and include your log files.

I don't need any further information on time outs.

Thanks!

Xsyon
05-20-2010, 08:56 PM
Quick Update:

The server has been running without a crash or freeze problem for about 24 hours. It was stopped briefly only for an update.

This is a good sign, but we are still focused on improving the server because of the current lag, in particular, lag spikes. We will have updates on the test server and will move those to the main server only after at least a full day of testing.

Xsyon
05-23-2010, 11:58 PM
Update May 23:

Hello Everyone!

Our main focus right now is some major changes to the server code.

These have been partially implemented and checked on the test server but the bulk of the changes will happen over the next week or two.

In the meantime we are working on:

1) Addressing some of the major player concerns.
2) Preparing new skills and actions.
3) Improving performance.
4) Fixing bugs.
5) Upgrading the servers.
6) Getting new team members up to speed.
7) Getting me to Russia where I can work more directly with the team.

We will continue to let in players this week to at least experience what we have now. All players will have access by the end of the week.

I need to concentrate on making all these things come together as soon as possible so I will be mostly quiet on the forums, but I will post here with updates if there is new information to give out.

Thanks for your patience. We're doing our best!

Jordi Grau Davis
Notorious Games

Xsyon
05-25-2010, 11:23 PM
Quick Update:

I'm going to wipe the main server some time early this morning.

The server will be left running for a few more hours as is for now.

Xsyon
05-26-2010, 06:17 AM
Update May 26:

I've wiped the terrain and player data and reset the server.

We're concentrated on revising the server code and getting things together for a big update within the next few weeks.

More players will be let in today. That's all for now!

Xsyon
05-28-2010, 07:54 AM
Update May 28:

Hello everyone, here is the news of the day:

All pre-order players now have access to the game. If you pre-ordered and did not recieve an email, please contact support@notorious-games.com. Also, the latest installer link is now available here on the forums.

Our physical server upgrade is in progress. We hope to run our next update (both the download server and the game server) from our upgraded location.

We're continuing work on a big update. This includes major changes to the server that we hope will eliminate our current lag an freeze problems. The update will also include more features and quite a few updates that you all have been requesting (a hardware cursor and brighter night time are already implemented).

As I'm not working on the server code, it's hard for me to estimate how long this update will take. We have a lot of pieces that need to come together and be tested. I'm hoping it will take another week, but I will keep everyone updated if it takes longer.

In the meantime we will leave the game server running. Please continue to report all crashes (not time-outs) and send your log files from the Xsyon/Log folder if you do crash.

We are aware of most issues that are being reported, but please keep up the reports in case you do find something new.

I expect this coming week to be quiet while we focus on this update. The server may be down at some times. If so, I will announce the up and down time here.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
05-31-2010, 06:56 PM
Update May 31:

I've reset the game database to reduce lag problems while we continue working on our next update.

We've started the migration to our new servers, and they will be ready for our next update.

Things are going well, but we still have a lot to finish and test this week.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
06-04-2010, 06:32 PM
Update June 4:

Just a short update today.

The new servers are almost set up, we're busy testing major changes with the server and lots of details are being worked on from checking added skills to finishing many requested improvements.

It will definitely be at least a few more days until the next update is ready.

We'll keep cranking on everything through the weekend.

If the server is lagging a lot or having problems due to extreme terraforming, let me know and I can reset the database for those messing around in game over the weekend.

Xsyon
06-07-2010, 05:56 PM
Update June 7:

Hello everyone,

I just want to fill everyone in on what we're up to.

I'm waiting on a few things:

Our new game sever is still being configured. (The new download server is up and running and we're testing downloads from various locations.)

A password protected launcher / patcher.

Testing a bunch of code changes that came together yesterday.

Improved terrain rendering. This might not be ready for the next update as it could take more than another week for it to be 100% ready. Our tests so far have resulted in a 30%-50% increase in terrain rendering speed.

-----------------------

I'm also finishing up some changes to how the interface works.

In the current public build:

World objects are selected and some actions (such as destroy and pick up) are run from the interaction menu at the top of the screen while other skill actions are run from the corresponding icon (such as chopping a felled tree into logs).

Icon actions, such as sorting are run by right clicking the icon which brings up a confirmation menu.

In the revised system:

Right clicking world and icon objects will bring up a pop up menu with a selection of available actions. There will be no confirmation pop up for sorting and similar actions.

World objects will bring up the menu only if they are within interaction distance. Moving will cancel the action menu.

Right clicking objects in your inventory will add them to the appropriate crafting slots if your crafting panel is open.

-----------------------

When everything I'm waiting on is ready the plan is:

Stop coding and test internally / fix obvious bugs for a day.

Take down the current server while we transfer the player database to the new server and make sure everything is running properly.

Put up a link to the new launcher and email everyone!

I'll let you all know when we're ready.

Virtus
06-09-2010, 04:24 PM
Hey guys, another update while Jooky has the nerve to take a nap :angry:

The server migration is still on going, hit a bit of a snag but nothing very serious and should be sorted out in no time. Beyond that everything is going well and hopefully if all goes well we MIGHT see something this weekend.

To acknowledge a few posts, While not enabled, animals do indeed work. I got the honor of being a bears dinner a few times. As Jooky and I have been saying we will let these guys nom you to once we get all the other problems out of the way. I have briefly tested some of the changes to the server and it is far better.

2 of of the fixes (among the many) include an enlarged mouse and the removal of the mouse lag that everyone experiences.

As for the rest of the stuff, you'll just have to wait :)

Xsyon
06-10-2010, 05:38 PM
Update June 10:

I'm still waiting to for the new game server to be properly configured. Apparently Microsoft's windows update 'security' patch modified a lot of things and our servers' security is being redone.

So as we're waiting, we keep fixing, changing and adding things. As soon as the servers are finally configured though, we'll stop with the changes and post the new build.

I'll be here as soon as it happens!

Xsyon
06-11-2010, 06:42 AM
Update June 11:

The game server is finally ready. The plan is:

Spend today finishing up a few things we were changing and fixing.

Spend tomorrow testing downloads and the game now that we can run it from the actual server. We've made lots of changes so I'm sure we'll have some bugs to fix.

Spend Sunday fixing problems. Then we'll shut down the current server while we transfer the player database to the new servers and check that everything is reconnected correctly.

Monday I'll send out an email and post a link to the new download.

If we hit any major snags, I'll post here with another update.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:17 PM
Hello Everyone,

A new update is ready. There have been many changes since the last update.

New installer.

The new installer is located here: www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Installer_20100616.zip

This installer requires your forum / game password to download the latest client.

The launcher has a few other improvements for resuming lost connections.

New servers.

Both the download server and the game server are now running from our new machines at a better location. This took a while to set up, but so far it looks like the switch was worth the bit of trouble.

Improved server code.

We've overhauled the server code and there are more changes to come. Hopefully the lag that was being caused by terraforming will be eliminated now, but this needs to be tested further. We are still in the process of optimizing the server code, but this build is a major step and has been our main focus over the past few weeks.

Crafting.

Full crafting schemes are now available through found patterns and skill levelling. More crafting materials, such as bone and fur, can be found through scavenging.

Skills and actions.

More skills and actions are available including fishing, foraging, fire starting, eating and drinking. These all tie in with cooking and a few other skills that we've been testing and finishing and will be available soon.

Terraforming has been revised with additional limitations and now adds dirt to your inventory when you dig and requires dirt to raise terrain.

Interface and control changes.

We've made many small interface changes as requested, including:

Hardware mouse cursor.

Numbered action bar working correctly.

Q and E keys for turning the player.

Right click menu for actions such as chopping trees into logs, opening ground containers, eating and sorting scrap.

Antialiased fonts.

Hardware Issues.

We've fixed problems that a few players were having due to specific monitors or graphic cards.

Bug fixes and requests.

Many bugs have also been fixed and we've taken care of a few requested features including:

Night has been brightened up a bit.

Your user / forum name is reserved as a character name.

Fixed problems with timeouts so that hopefully we've eliminated players getting stuck at Loading Entities.

Fixed problems crossings back and forth across a zone border line (though this still needs a bit more work).

Fixed problems with some crafting recipes.

Fixed stacking problems.

---------------------------------------

A few notes:

Fire starting requires flint and steel (a knife). Flint can be found sometimes, but not always, on rock surface.

Use the right click menu for some actions that previously used the top interact menu (chopping logs etc.).

Fires will soon require you to add firewood. The update loop for fires and other world entities is currently off for our testing, so I disabled this for now.

Bones, fur, leather and patterns can be found through scavenging.

You can drink from rivers.

The right click menu will soon be used for player interactions such as friend, foe and trade.

Many plants you can find will have uses that tie in to other skills... coming soon.

---------------------------------------
There are a lot of changes with this update and with our server move we weren't able to test as much as we wanted. I expect there will be bugs and glitches.

Our plan for the next two weeks is:

Fix any bugs caused by our recent changes.

Continue optimizing the server code.

Continue working on interface improvements, such as tooltips and more item information being displayed.

Wrap up and release a few more skills such as cooking.

Prepare creatures so we can at least start spawning some bear and deer as soon as possible. The creature code has been affected by all of our recent changes and this will be one of our programmers' primary focus.

I'm also waiting on a major revision to the terrain loading and rendering. This should improve frame rate and loading times as well as the quality of the rendered terrain.

As usual, please report bugs to bugs@notorious-games.com.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:19 PM
A note about hunger:

Mid level hunger level is your normal goal. If this drops too low you lose weight if it gets too high you gain weight. The weight gain / loss process is slow and will be further adjusted this week.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:19 PM
Update June 15:

I've released an updated server and client. This is primarily an update to the server code, with a few minor bug fixes.

We'll see the results and keep working on the problems.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:19 PM
Update June 17:

The server and client have been updated.

This update includes:

Bug fixes to crafting recipes.

Some animation and sound changes.

Fixes to fires (so that players don't catch fire etc.)

Energy gain bumped up.

You can now see other player's hair and beards. Not sure why nobody reported this issue, but there was a recent bug so everyone was bald except for yourself. Nobody wondered about that?

Some server stability improvements.

A kick back to login so nobody should ever be stuck at Loading Entities again. I hope! If you time out during loading, you should be sent to the login screen about 30 seconds - 1 minute.

After fixing a couple of flaws in Monday's update that was getting players stuck at Loading Entities, the server is looking really good right now. Today it ran without problem for 13 hours up until this update, and this patch should be even more stable.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:20 PM
Update June 18:

The server is looking very stable now, finally!

We'll see this weekend as we expect more players in the game.

We're currently working on:

Minor bug fixes.
More interface improvements.
Cooking and some related elements.
Creatures.

I should be releasing minor updates over the weekend.

I'll have to wipe characters and the world data when our terrain update is ready, but this looks like it might take another week for us to fully test. The new graphics programmer is revising our systems so that once he's done with optimizing the terrain he can move on to other needed rendering optimizations.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:20 PM
Update June 19:

The server is up with a new update. We found one cause of lag and crash that happened three times over the course of the past few days and we've fixed this.

I've also fixed some crafting recipes and added a few minor improvements to the interface.

I'm going to spend the day on some optimizations and bug fixes and tomorrow on getting more features ready.

Thanks for all the reports!

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:21 PM
Update June 20:

I just patched out a client update that should fix the crafting window crashes.

If it doesn't, I'm sure you will all let me know.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:22 PM
Update June 21:

Just a quick update on what we're working on for the next few days.

1) We've further revised the server code, implementing some changes that will help us to eliminate lag, in particular the lag spikes that occur.

We're working on this one step at a time. Our current step requires a lot of testing so in-house we are focused on finding obvious problems before patching these changes out.

2) We're also testing the new terrain renderer. This is looking very close to being ready.

3) One of the programmers is working on getting creatures finally ready, making sure all our changes didn't have too many affects.

4) I'm working on minor bug fixes and continued improvements while I wait for the rest to be tested.

I expect we'll patch out an update in a day or two.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:23 PM
Update June 23:

Hello everyone!

A new build is up. This is another server and client update. This build features:

1) The new terrain renderer. This should decrease loading times and takes up much less memory. We've tested speed increases from 10% to 60% on different systems. These are with advanced shadows turned off. We will be optimizing the shadow system soon.

There are two known issues: waterfalls are not rendering correctly, and terrain shadows renders some strange artifacts.

2) Major changes to the server code. This is our next big step in stabilizing the server and reducing lag. We're not sure how much this step will visibly affect the game at the moment, but it prepares the server for further optimization.

3) More bug fixes and minor improvements based on feedback this week.

The database has been wiped completely as this build features a new zone distribution. We don't plan any other major changes like this for a while, so we shouldn't have to wipe characters often from now on.

That's all for now. This is a major build for us, though the visible changes aren't too exciting.

Our next update will include some more interesting changes.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:23 PM
Update June 25:

Just a quick update for now.

The main server has been running completely stable without any of the past or recent problems for almost 48 hours with quite a bit of activity.

Looks like the changes we made a paying off!

We're going to run some more tests on the test server on Siberian day time (it's 3AM there now) and I will continue to work on a few bug fixes and interface changes today.

I plan to release the update with the new sector update tomorrow morning after our tests, and I will also open up the test server to everyone.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:23 PM
Update June 26:

Both the main and test server are up now with an update.

I've wiped the database on both servers as this update includes the zone size change. The main goal of this update is to switch to the new zone size system which was described in my post on the 23rd.

This build includes many minor bug fixes including:

Female death animations getting stuck.
Toolcraft and weaponcraft found recipes.
Stacking problems with grass and bundles.

There is a known issue with SpeedTree causing client crashes sometimes when crossing zones. We've discovered that this was happening all along, but it's erratic and happens more now with the smaller zones.

I'm not feeling too well today, so I'm going to take it easy a bit and continue working on some simple bug fixes.

At the moment both servers are identical. When changes are ready on the test server I will make an announcement.

If you have any problems with missing buttons or crashing at the main login screen please delete:

Interface.xsip
Font.xsip
Source.xip

from the Xsyon\\Data directory. It seems the patcher is not updating these files correctly for some players.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:24 PM
Update June 28:

Just a quick update at the moment.

Yesterday updates to the terrain rendering code and the creatures were delivered, so we spent the full day (night here) testing.

A few things need to be fixed still so the programmers are still working on them.

In the meantime I've continued to go through the bug / suggestions lists making fixes and improvements. I'm going to continue with these today and need to take care of some organizational tasks.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:24 PM
Update June 29:

Another quick update.

I'm planning an update to the launcher/patcher, client and server tomorrow.

This will include:

We've fixed the problem with the patcher that was corrupting interface files. We're testing this over and over right now.

Creatures need some tweaks and improvements, but they are ready enough for general spawning and testing.

The full new terrain rendering should finally be ready. I'm waiting for a few minor fixes and want to test this one more night before patching it out.

I'm going to disappear now until tomorrow. There's a lot to take care of today, including making sure that there's nothing we need left on our old server which are going to be shut down tomorrow.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:25 PM
Quick Update:

I'm running some checks on the updates from this morning. I'm just about done, so the new update is on it's way within an hour or so.

I'll be back!

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:28 PM
Update June 30:

Hello Everyone!

The new installer is up:

www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Installer_20100630.zip

This will install over your current installation.

This should fix all problems we've had with files getting corrupted. It might need a bit more testing as it's hard for us to test every case internally, but so far we haven't found any problems with this version.

The client and server have also been updated. The main server is up.

The new terrain rendering system is now almost fully implemented, so most of you should see an increase in performance.

The test server is not up yet. I'm testing a few things with a local server before I turn it on. Both servers will be identical for now but we will be spawning and testing creatures on the test server for the next few days.

I will be checking here in case there are any immediate problems with the new installer.

Xsyon
07-14-2010, 12:28 PM
Update July 12:

Edit: As this update hasn't been tested, the server might be up and down. I solved a small problem with changes in the save functions. We'll see if there are other problems or if that was it.

Edit: I just uploaded a small patch to fix a problem with the right click menu on icons.

A new patch is up. This includes:

Final container system including container crafting and carrying of left and right pouches. This system still needs a few tweaks.

Major revisions to how animations are sent from npcs and between players.

Improvements to creature motions and AI.

Performance optimizations for rendering objects and trees.

Minor bug fixes and improvements as usual.

More improvements to creatures and performance optimizations will continue. This build hasn't been extensively tested as it includes some very recent changes. We will be testing tonight and will update again tomorrow morning if necessary.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:29 PM
Update July 14:

A new client and server update has been patched out.

This update includes:

Slower energy drain / faster energy gain.

Performance optimizations for rendered objects.

Improvements to the selection of ground objects such as fallen trees and logs.

Containers and ground objects can now only be accessed by one player at a time.

Eight new starting locations.


Bug fixes:

Trees cut by several players at once will now produce only one fallen tree.

Duplication of objects in ground containers prevented.

Fixed view frustum culling.

Potential crash caused by players logging off during a trade transaction fixed.

In Progress:

Continued improvements to creature AI.

Stacking of objects within ground containers. Splitting object stacks.

Additional pouches.

Right click human / creature interaction menu including skinning and boning commands.

Performance optimizations to Speed Tree.

Updated manual with character creation information that will later be incorporated directly to the character creator.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:30 PM
Update July 15:

Today's patch hopefully solves the lag issues we experienced yesterday. Please give me feedback on this. This is primarily a bug fixing / performance patch.

This patch also includes:

Fixes for busy containers.
Improvement to mid distance terrain rendering.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:32 PM
Update July 17:

I'm working on some new problems players have reported toay. We've fixed issues with containers but will continue to make other fixes and run tests for as while today.

I'll post again when I have either an update for the test server or main server.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:32 PM
Update July 19:

I've patched out a new update.

This update fixes container issues including containers not saving, problems caused by placing containers within containers, and problems with stacking objects within or across containers.

This update required a character wipe, but not a terrain wipe.

There are a few minor additions:

Grass armor recipes can be scavenged.
Shells will appear sometimes in sand areas.

There are also bug fixes, as usual.

We've tracked down the problem causing 'holes' in the terrain. It turns out it was the same problem causing lag spikes. We found a fix but will test this internally for a full day at least. It's not part of this public update.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:34 PM
Update July 21:

Just a quick update for now. We brought on another new programmer this week who has been getting acquainted with the code over the past month.

I'm checking through deliveries (code and art) from just about everyone on the team today so the plan is to bring it all together into a new update for tonight.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:34 PM
Update July 22:

We tested our changes throughout the night and a new update has been patched out.

This update includes:

Hunting skills as a right click menu. You can now gather bones and leather from dead critters.

Creatures should collide with and avoid each other.

Players can equip 4 belt pouches now.

Continued optimizations for object rendering performance.

Problems causing terrain 'holes' should be fixed. If this still happens please contact me.

Problems causing 'black holes' in containers should be fixed, but existing containers with this problem wills still have it. If you are able to create a new 'black hole' in a new container, please report it with specific details.

A few causes of lag spikes were found and eliminated. If you encounter lag in the game, please type 'lag' in the chat and this can help us pinpoint remanining situations where all or just some players are feeling lag.

Minor improvements such as the correct splitting of lines of text in chat and a fix for the mouse cursor disappearing when alt-tabbing in full screen mode.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:35 PM
Update July 26:

A new update has been patched out.

This update includes:

Container and object permissions. Currently these are set to what players can expect within their own tribal zone. Once tribes are set up, object permissions outside tribal zones will allow for stealing.

Improvements to Creature AI.

Fixes for over 50 bugs including collision failures across zones, problems with armor parts, slots in the 3rd and 4th belt pouches and minor interface problems.

Lots of other important secret stuff in progress.

Permissions for existing objects and container might not work correctly. I am planning on a full character wipe this week so that we can make sure the permission settings are working properly.

Xsyon
08-21-2010, 07:35 PM
Update July 31:

The server and client have been updated.

This update includes:

A full terrain, character and data wipe. Hopefully this will be the last wipe until our final character wipe. We'll see how things go.

Hack and cheat prevention. This has been the main focus over the past few days as some potential cheats were brought to our attention. We are going to continue testing these hacks this week. Dealing with this is taking up valuable time, but it's better that we deal with this now and not in the future.

Master and corrected ambient sound control.

A server side full world collision map. This will be used for improved creature pathfinding and preventing cheats.

Creatures should now avoid the lake and other situations. Creatures are still being improved.

Continued rendering optimizations.

Fixes including campfires that weren't working and problems with the selection of dead animals.

We're going to keep plugging away today to get another update out as soon as possible.

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:20 PM
Update August 3:

The server and client have been updated.

This update includes:

Improved player position synchronization. This should be especially noticeable at close range and in combat.

The Social Panel is turned on so you can keep track of Friends and Foes. Additional functions will be available in the next update.

Container and object permissions are available from the right click menu so that you can share objects with the public or with friends.

Trees are affected by gravity and should align better with the ground. This is still being checked an improved.

Continued bug fixes and minor improvements as usual.

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:20 PM
Update August 4:

The server and client have been updated.

This is a minor update that fixes problems with the new creature world collision and pathfinding system. This is in progress but with this patch we will be spawning creatures at various locations today.

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:21 PM
Update August 6:

The server and client have been updated.

This is an untested update. I've backed up all data in case we need to roll things back.

We've copied the current database to the test server so that we can continue making adjustments and check them with the exact world players are currently looking at.

We've made some changes to hopefully reduce the lag spikes that are being caused by terraforming and terrain changes that are building up.

We've also made some changes to:

Animation application and transitions.
Player position synchronization.
Terraforming causing spikes and holes.

We will continue to work on reducing lag and fixing problems right now rather than turning on more features.

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:21 PM
Update August 7:

Things might be a bit quiet for the next 2 or 3 days. We're going to focus on problems that can still cause lag and fixing bugs before turning on anything new.

I will probably restart the server a few times with minor updates that help us pinpoint problems. If I need to run any tests similar to the lag tests we ran last night, I will announce it here.

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:23 PM
Update August 9:

The server and client have been updated in an effort to reduce or eliminate the current lag. We will test througout the rest of the day and tonight to see if we're at least on the right track.

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:24 PM
Update August 11:

Our last update seems to have eliminated the main cause of server lag. We're working primarily on other important fixes right now. There will be another public update before the end of the week.

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:24 PM
Update August 12:

Hello everyone. The server locked up twice within the past few hours. I'm checking the logs now to see what happened. If anyone has any information about what they were doing when they were last crashed or timed out, please email me.

Thanks!

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:24 PM
Update August 13:

Just a quick update for today. Most of the team just hit the sack in Siberia (2:30 AM) and I'm still waiting for some changes to be delivered and tested. The team will continue tomorrow.

I'm going to take the day to review art that will soon make it into the game, including new sets of female only armor, revised animations and terrain features. I also need to take some time to organize tasks for the next two weeks.

We've been testing our terrain baking process and will turn this on next week. This will reduce loading times when entering the game and crossing sectors.

The next update is focused on performance and bug fixes.

More coming soon...

Xsyon
09-02-2010, 04:25 PM
Update August 15:

Another quick update.

We're continuing to fix bugs and test our changes internally. Some changes include:

Changes to animal behavior.

Characters being safe when they log in until they move.

Characters staying in game for 30 seconds when they log out in non safe zones (to avoid players exiting in the middle of combat).

Graphic issues with hiding fixed, such as fires not rendering. This includes hidden character rendered more transparent.

We're going to continue with these changes without a public update for now. The next public update might require a character and data wipe (but not a terrain wipe). This will depend on some changes we're testing right now. We might be able to correct bad data (such as backpack 'black holes' and a mysterious invalid object that someone created) without wiping it.

That's all for today!

Xsyon
09-20-2010, 03:52 AM
Update August 18:

Hello everyone!

I know you're all anxious for an update and this we're spending a lot of time on the current build. Some of our new optimizations require a lot of in house testing as they affect many different parts of the code.

We tracked down the server problem we had last night. It was related to too many terrain changes in one area. We've fixed this so that there will be no limits per area with the next update.

We're going to test one more night (full day in Siberia).

I'm waiting on some updates to the jumping code, a proper scroll bar for windows such as the crafting panel, and full testing of our new Guide commands (that include commands to delete objects and reset permissions).

Whatever is ready tomorrow will be patched out. Whatever is not will be updated over the weekend.

Xsyon
09-20-2010, 03:52 AM
Update August 19:

Update: The server is up. I'll post a full update in the morning. I'm exhausted tonight!

I'm uploading files for today's patch. This will take at least 2 hours. The update is on it's way!

Xsyon
09-20-2010, 03:53 AM
Update August 21:

Hello everyone! Here are my notes on the latest update.

This last update was a concentrated effort to fix bugs, improve performance, prevent crashes and detect and clear memory leaks.

The plan was to spend a full week clearing bugs before moving on to additional features. We plan to spend two or three more days clearing problems, but this coming week we will switch from bug fixing to concentrate on tribe and social features and combat.

I will post a separate thread with an update of what is in progress (as requested).

Here is a partial list of improvements with this build:

General Improvements:

Player logging off system added to prevent players from logging off during combat.

Player safe timer added for players logging in. Players will now be 'safe' until they first move after logging in.

Player position / animation system revised for more accurate synchronization and to avoid players appearing stuck in incorrect animations.

Players appearing tilted fixed.

Character ages correctly stored and reported.

Creature AI improved. Multiple target preference system added.

Creature pathfinding improved.

Opening containers from a distance blocked.

Creating duplicate container panels blocked.

Container system made more robust to prevent problems with ownership and temporary item duplication.

Blocked trading of non empty containers.

Log stacking issues resolved. (Still being checked).

Hiding improved so that players render transparent but not with a metallic look. (For improved blending with the scene).

Incorrect recipes changed.

Gathering sand and shells corrected.

Art Issues:

Sprint animation revised.

Idles revised.

Jumps revised. Jump animations now show the actual jump height. The jump system is being further revised.

Female running animations revised.

All armor sets checked and armor parts with errors fixed.

Graphics Issues:

Floating waterfalls removed.

Floating objects rendered while hiding removed.

Fires turing off while hiding fixed.

Terrain 'holes' prevented. (If these still appear with new terraforming, please let me know).

Problem causing 'invisible walls' fixed. (If this still happens let me know. Invisible walls will be possible while crossing zones that load slow, but they should be temporary and clear up after the zone crossing is complete).

Crash Fixes:

Crash when crossing a zone boundary while objects are selected fixed.

Crashes due to memory issues resolved (see below).

Memory issues:

Speed tree memory leak fixed.

Effect emitter (campfires) memory leak fixed.

Bug causing zones to load twice fixed.

Zone information now properly cleared when crossing the world.

Armor textures revised for less memory usage.

Problem causing animation overflows fixed.

Performance Issues:

Emitter system (fires) revised and optimized.

Object level of details improved for faster rendering.

Tools

Tools for improving terrain added and improved. This will help the artists improve the final terrain.

Terrain baking tool finished. We will continue to test this and when we feel we're ready we will test this on the main server.

Server log system improved to better display errors and help us track future problems.

Guide commands added to assist new and current players.

Xsyon
09-20-2010, 03:53 AM
Update August 23

Our plan for this week is to concentrate on bug fixes for the next two days. After this, two of us are going to switch gears to focus on getting some tribal features into the game and improving some of the current features such as combat and crafting.

Updates will be brief this week as we have a lot to do.

I expect a patch in the middle of the week and another over the weekend.

Xsyon
09-20-2010, 03:53 AM
Update August 25

Quick update. I'm not feeling well, so I need to rest up a bit today before the next patch. There will be an bug fix update tonight and probably another one tomorrow.

The next big update will take a week or so and will be a features and content update. It will include our reworked terrain and will require a full data and terrain wipe.

That's it for now. I will post again once today's update has been patched out.

Xsyon
09-20-2010, 03:53 AM
Update August 27

I'm back in action today!

I patched out a client and server update Wednesday night and a few minor server updates since then.

These patches includes fixes for:

Crashes due to improper locking of arrays on the client side.
Potential combat crashes on the server side.
Terrain gaps and improper blending of some terrain textures.
A few incorrect armor parts.
Encumbrance limits.
Sounds overlapping or playing after a delay during actions.
Backpack problems, in particular dragging items to the spaces between slots.

We have a few more bugs to deal with, but not many. We've switched gears to get out new features with the next update and they are well under way.

I've got to catch up with a few things and then will bury my head in the code.

Our next update might take at least a week, but it will include:

Starting tribe totems.
Player vs player collision (for improved combat).
Combat and movement tweaks.
Speed tree optimization.
New terrain.

It looks like we will also finally be moving the website and switching to new forum software this week.

A lot is planned for this week, so I won't be very active here on the forums, but expect a lot of changes to the game soon!

Xsyon
09-20-2010, 03:54 AM
Update August 31

A quick update for today just to keep everyone informed:

We're running the revised terrain on the test server, varying some terrain parameters until we decide on the best final base terrain.

We've improved movement on slopes in jumping. The bug allowing players to jump over steep slopes has been fixed. The final terrain will be more difficult to navigate than now as players won't be able to climb up all slopes, and slopes are steeper in general, so we're going to test a while to make sure the new terrain isn't too daunting.

Combat revisions are in progress. Player versus player collision has been implemented. The actual hit now takes place at the end of a swing, which should allow players to more effectively use blocking and dodging.

Speed Tree improvements are nearly done. The flickering transitions and billboards have been fixed and the code has been improved for faster rendering.

The tribe creation menu is in place so players will be able to claim a territory with the next update.

It's still going to take at least a few days for us to get this build out to the public. It's looking good though!

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:27 AM
Update September 2

Things are coming along decently, but this hasn't been the best week.

The newest programmer on the team wasn't pulling his weight, so he's gone now and we've had to pick up the slack.

One of the lead programmers (I'm the other one) is taking a 3 day weekend to attend to some personal business, so I'm going to wait until he returns for the next server and client update.

In the meantime we'll continue testing in house over the weekend and I'll wrap up most of the planned changes for this big update.

What I will do is release our current version of the new terrain tomorrow so those of you that are playing this weekend can explore the changed world and provide feedback.

That's it for now!

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:28 AM
Update September 3

I've patched out the new terrain. The world basically the same but we've made some changes:

Surface distribution is improved with different rock surfaces, more sand areas and some special resource areas.

Mountains are taller and have been revised to look better.

Special areas, such as islands in the lake, have been added.

We're still working on further improvements and fixes. The background terrain is not final and will be smoother than what you see now. If you notice any problem areas in the terrain, please report them to bugs@notorious-games.com.

This is a big download and will take a while. I recommend deleting zone.xsip and environment xsip from your Xsyon/Data directory and redownloading them instead of patching them.

The terrain and players have been wiped. We will wipe again with the big update next week, but for now you can explore the changes and provide us with feedback.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:28 AM
Update September 7

Hello everyone!

I was notified this morning by our server hosts that they are moving to a new, better facility.

The good news is that we will be moving to upgraded systems and the new facilities boast better connectivity world wide, especially to Europe.

The bad news is that this means we need to configure the new servers and transfer all of our data within the next week and a half. We will also need to send out a new launcher and installer.

Because of this, I'm going to delay our big update until the server move is complete. It should be complete on September 15th or a few days after.

This will give us some time to deal with the move and we will also push to wrap up more features for the update.

I will be checking the forums to answer questions and to solicit some feedback on further improvements that we can fit into this next big update.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:29 AM
Update September 14

Hello everyone!

We're waiting for a final time for the server move from our hosting company. The new servers should be available to us between the 15th and 17th. Once we have access it will take a few days for us to get everything set up.

The new update might be ready this weekend, or it might take until next Monday. It all depends on how quickly our hosts and contracted server administrator can deal with the move.

The update will follow shortly after that.

Our website transition to better forums and a new account system is finally well under way.

In the meantime, we keep working on the update to get as much done as possible.

In addition to what's already been listed we're working on:

We've changed the way inventories and containers are saved. This will allow us to change to a more freeform container system (without slots) in the future if we choose to do so. This required some major changes that we are still testing.

Player collision is being improved.

Character rendering has been optimized.

Speed tree optimizations are finished for now.

The new terrain is still being worked on on.

Additional Guide commands have been added.

Many small bugs have been fixed.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:29 AM
Update September 16

Hello everyone!

Not much of an update for today. We're waiting on our hosting company to give us access to the new servers. Once we have access it will take a few days to set everything up and make sure the switch is done properly.

Once the process is started, I'll post here about it. Until then, we keep working on this update to get as much done as possible.

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:29 AM
Update September 20

The same news for today. We don't have access to the new servers, so we're stuck waiting on our hosting company.

So, we'll keep working on the current update. I'll post tonight with more information about what we're working on.

Evening update. Same situation with the host company. It's pissing me off a bit, but nothing we can do.

I've decided to take the extra time to implement some revisions and reorganization to the database that will leave space to add things players have suggested. These will be features added during the prelude, but this will prepare us for it.

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:29 AM
Update September 22

Stuck waiting. :dry:

I just received a message that our host were waiting on a shipment of hardware to finish setting up our new server cluster.

It doesn't make sense for me to patch out the current update with the pending server move, so we'll wait and keep working. This is actually good for us to get a lot done without distractions.

As soon as I can give a better estimate of the when this server move will happen I will post. It shouldn't be much longer.

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:30 AM
Update September 27

As posted in my last Server Update, the word from the server hosts is that we can start moving to the new machines early this week. No news from them today.

We've been cranking on getting a lot of features and fixes ready though.

I spent the weekend further revising the inventory system to hopefully eliminate the problems caused during lag once and for all.

We adjusted combat to account for individual ping rates and that seems to be working well.

We've added a few things such as crafting rank helmets and items that can be used as currency.

If our server hosts delay this move much longer, I will patch out the current update without waiting for the server move. I'll see what the status is tomorrow.

That's all for now. I'll post another update tomorrow.

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:30 AM
Update September 28

A quick update. It looks like we'll finally have access to the servers tomorrow. I won't hold my breath for it though.

Good news is that we're cranking on stuff and I will update the in progress list in a minute.

The next update will include leveling up and most likely player looting in addition to what's already listed.

Xsyon
10-08-2010, 11:30 AM
Update September 30

We finally have access to the new servers (well, full access to one of them at least)!

The good news is that with location move our servers have been upgraded again. Now we just need to get them set up properly. It will take a few days, but at least it's finally in progess!

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:24 PM
Update October 3

We will be transferring files all night as well. We had to wait on some firewall configuration today. This is going to take a bit, so I expect us to be able to finally do the public update Tuesday or Wednesday.

After more waiting for our servers to have the operating system reinstalled and other things set up correctly, we finally have full correct access to both machines!

We will be packing and transfering files all day.

The plan is to spend one day testing our latest changes (and there have been a lot of optimizations I didn't list in the other threads that we need to check) then we will have a new installer and update ready for everyone.

Coming very soon!

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:24 PM
Update October 5

We are still moving things from the old servers to the new. We're almost there and have been testing the updated launcher on the new download server.

I have a short list of issues we need to fix before the update and I'll get these done today while our final source files are being moved and we make sure that we're not forgetting anything. We have a lot of data and backups that need to be taken off the old servers.

As soon as things are ready for the public update, I will email everyone.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:25 PM
Update October 6

Hello everyone!

I apologize for these delays caused by the server move. It's been a huge pain to deal with. Unlike our previous server move which was a move to an already set up location, with this move our hosts are shutting down the old facility and opened a new one.

The current status is that we've moved all the files and have the new servers set up. We were stalled last night as the new servers were down for a while.Now we are waiting on the proper configuration of our firewall, and I need to make sure that our old servers are cleared off and that we've backed everything off because those will be shut off completely.

I need to take care of some personal business for the first half of tomorrow that I've been putting off for a few weeks.

When I return, hopefully the new servers are finally ready. The new installer will be posted here as soon as they are.

Thanks again for being patient while we deal with this.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:25 PM
Update October 7

A quick update for today. I just got back from about 8 hours of driving, so I'm exhausted. I'm reviewing work that was delivered by the team. It looks like there are a few minor issues that need to be fixed tonight. I'm going to work on these, then get a bit of rest.

The servers are finally ready and cofnigured right, so I will put a link to the new installer tonight or in the early morning and that will be followed by the update, finally, tomorrow!

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:25 PM
Update October 8

Finally!

We're all settled in at the new server location and the latest patch is up.

There have been a lot of changes with this patch. I expect that we will find bugs as it's been difficult for us to test everything in house with the server move in progress.

Our plan is as follows:

This weekend work on bugs found and continued combat and creature adjustments.

From now on we plan to release a minor update every week and a bigger update every two weeks. The minor updates will small improvements, adjustements to current features and bug fixes.

The bigger updates will turn on several features. We should have 2 or 3 big updates then we will be ready for the Year Zero Final Wipe.

If things go well, we will patch out the updates faster. Our goal is to start the real Prelude as soon as possible so that players can develop their actual characters and tribes.

What's new with this update:

Player looting.
Tribe creation panel.
Level up.
Totem placement and tribal zones.
Human right click menu.
Basic woodcraft.
Item materials and colors. This transfers color and material to crated armor. (most noticeable with cloth armor).
Social panel additional functions.
Player vs Player and vs animal collision.
Combat swings and hit adjustments.
Combat stationary vs moving attacks.
Combat range affected by height.
Movement and jump improvements.
Final terrain baking process.
Terrain boulders and caves.
Speed Tree performance optimization.
Speed Tree transitions improved.
Mouse invert option in the keybind menu.
Character rendering performance optimization.
Collision with world objects (buildings, boulders).
Corrected set of hairs for when worn under helmets.
Corrected male heads.
Simple ping display.
Turning off weapons for certain animations.
One character per account.

Additional Guide commands to help players.
Help chat functioning properly.

Bug Fixes:
Tree shadows corrected.
Sounds playing on dead animals.
Keybinding crash.
Incorrect map zones.
Inventory and container system fixes.
Animation bugs fixed.
Minor exploits fixed (much thanks to reports from acidraid and Ravenstorm).
Many others.

No visible effect, but good for the future:
Inventory system revised to allow for a non slotted system.
Player and creature data saving system revised.
Terrain editor improvements.

Notes:

The tribe panel is very basic at the moment. You can create a tribe totem and claim territory.

Leaders can not abandon their tribe. This will be changed in the next feature update which will include more tribe and rank settings.

Tribes require only 5 members right now.

You should be safe from attacks and being looted if you are in your own tribe territory. You are not safe in other tribe's territories. We will change this soon based on tribe settings to allow allies to be safe.

Basic woodcraft creates components mostly useful for the construction update coming soon.

Colored cloth does render in color in inventory icons. We are working to tint icons based on the material color. Armor parts created from colored cloth do tint properly.

The quality of crafted armor and weapons affects damage and defense. We will continue to adjust the combat system this week as we test this and other changes.

The ping display measures lag and needs to be checked and revised further.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:26 PM
Update October 9

I just updated the server and patched out a new client.

Thanks to Diocletian we also have a Xsyon Game Manual ready. The link is here:

http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Manual.pdf

Fixes:

Errors that caused the server to freeze a few times since the big update.
Hat recipes with missing materials.
Skill and xp gain update from the server.
River drink being blocked after performing other actions.
Scheme gain while crafting.
Collision on large boulders. If you find any large boulders with faulty collision, please report them with a location.
Right click menu sometimes popping up in the wrong location.
Grass thread should be useable in any schemes requiring thread.
Fixed issues with the character creation panel when switching between male and female.

Fixed in a small patch earlier today:

Pressing Enter to log in correctly logs you in now.
Trade menu icons and buttons corrected

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:26 PM
Update October 11

I just updated the server and patched out a new client.

Characters and objects and tribes have been wiped. Creaturs and terraforming were left in.

We've made some changes to the saving system and will test this throughout the day. For the next 2 or 3 days we might have to wipe the database daily because we are implementing some changes that need to be tested and might not work 100% on the first run.

I've also patched out some missing combat animations and some texture fixes for colored armor.

We will have another patch tomorrow, possibly one tonight. This week the focus is fixing problems and performance issues.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:27 PM
Update October 11

I just patched out another small update. This should fix issues with trade, social and looting. I am also testing to make sure players are being saved correctly.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:27 PM
Update October 12

There will be a patch and a character / data wipe late tonight or tomorrow morning.

Terrain changes will not be wiped.

I think all of the saving problems are resolved. These issues resulted from the server move as we switched to stricter database checking and invalid values that used to save to the database without error were just not saving.

We've cleaned this up but I want to test a bit more internally before I patch things out.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:27 PM
Update October 13

I'm going to get a bit of sleep while some files are uploading and the team is finishing off some changes and testing the current update.

I'll be back.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:28 PM
Update October 13

The server and client have been patched out!

Characters and data have been wiped. The terrain has not been wiped. We shouldn't have to wipe until our next big update.

I'm excited about this update. I spent the past two sleepless days doing something I should have done a long time ago, and review how my old programmers set up part of the rendering process.

This build should show a major performance boost!

In addition:

Player and data saving fixed.
Tribe permissions fixed.
Tribe scroll bar fixed.
Deleting characters should remove them from tribes and social lists.
Missing combat animations added.
A few objects added.
Other minor bug fixes.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:28 PM
Update October 13

Another update today. It's good to finally be on these new servers.

This fixes some missing recipe items, a problem with objects not being removed when destroyed and some other small improvements.

Basically I'm just getting little bug fixes out of the way today so I can focus on a bigger update in a few days (planning for Sunday or Monday).

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:28 PM
Update October 14

Just a quick update.

There's a known issue with chopping trees to logs causing a crash right now. This is due to some collision changes that were being implemented. I'm going to wait for the programmer who made these changes to work on this, however it's his birthday tomorrow and he's taking the day off. So Happy Birthday to him, and this will be fixed for our next update at the end of the weekend.

Hello everyone!

There probably won't be another patched out update for a few days now. We're going to focus on getting more features finished as we fixed the majority of problems reported this week.

I'll be around as usual and if we do decide to patch out a small update I will post about it of course.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:29 PM
Update October 17

A quick update for today.

I've fixed most of the issues reported this week, such as problems with objects left behind by deleted characters.

We still need to work on a few more things tonight and tomorrow before I patch out a public update.

This update will include gathering more animal parts such as skulls, antlers, paws and claws and we're getting very close with construction.

That's all for now. We'll get this next patch up as soon as possible, but it will be tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:29 PM
Update October 18

Quick update. There won't be a patched out update during the day today. It's past midnight in Siberia and we're still working on a few issues. I'm going to keep working throughout the day (and squeeze in a bit of sleep at some point) but I want the team to pick up tonight and test some of our changes more before I patch out this update to the public.

That's all for now.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:29 PM
Update October 19

The server and client have been updated.

This is primarily an fix update with a few minor features turned on. I haven't wiped anything so there will be some database issues from previous updates. I will wipe the database with the next feature update.

Crashes when chopping logs fixed.
Stacking delays and problems fixed.
Player versus player collision improved.
Boulder collision fixed.
Placing of objects on boulders and in caves fixed.
Bug causing animals and characters to be invisible fixed.
Heads can be dissected to obtain skulls and various parts.
Paws, hooves and claws can be gathered from animals.
The chat prompt has been improved.
The length of tribe names has been increased to 32 max characters.
The keybind for the Tribe panel now works.
Selected objects and creatures should now display their name.
Deleting a character should properly free objects in containers.
The entity use right click menu is better confined to the screen (thanks for pointing this out, Kinslayer).
Text on icons should render on top of overlapping panels.
Scavenge animation updated.
Floating boulders fixed.
Server messages are now also added to your Chat log.
The tribe section of the Social Panel should now list and scroll properly.
Other minor bug fixes and improvements.

We're now going to focus on getting construction finalized, improving tribe features and working on reducing lag.

Thanks for all the reports. If you are stil noticing any of the problems that are listed above as fixed, please report them.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:30 PM
Update October 21

We've recieved some excellent test reports and information that should help us resolve two major in game issues at this time: lag and errors crossing zones.

So right now we're focused on those two issues in addition to wrapping up construction and tribe ranks.

The plan is one more bug fix and performance update followed by the construction update early next week and the tribe ranks shortly after.

I'll keep you all posted!

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:30 PM
Update October 22

There will be no update this weekend. We made too many changes last night, so the next update will definitely require a wipe of everything except for the terrain.

Because of this we'll keep testing the performance issues on our test server and the next update will include construction and everything else that gets finished over the next few days.

It the situation changes I will post again. I plan to now bury my head in the code to get things done!

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:30 PM
Update October 24

A quick update for today.

A power outage wasted half my day today, so I'm catching with what I wanted to get done for the day.

I'm not sure when the next patch will be ready. Thanks to some very helpful reports from players we found and fixed a major cause of lag and are working on eliminating the missing ground levels area for good.

So, the next update will take a while longer but will include more changes. Once this update is done I will take some time to review and answer questions.

Back to my code!

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:31 PM
Update October 27

Good news! Thanks to recent tests and bug reports we've finally discovered the causes of several persistent problems in game: lag, zone crossing problems, teleporting crashes and memory build up.

Not so great news: As we're fixing all of this it will take us longer to patch out the next update. The heavy lag spikes and zone crossing crashes seem to have been eliminated. We're wrapping up the teleporting fixes and still revising the terrain loading system. This is taking a while as it requires changes in our terrain editor and terrain baking system in addition to the server and the client.

I'll post again when I have a better idea of when all of this can be patched out.

Xsyon
11-10-2010, 07:31 PM
Update October 31

Happy Halloween everyone!

Just to keep everyone updated, we're plugging away on this update. Some of the changes we're making are taking a while, but we're getting there. We'll be working all night as usual and I'm hoping this update will be ready in a few more days.

That's all for now.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:54 AM
Update November 3

Hello everyone!

I just updated the FAQ in the Developer section. If I missed some questions, please send a PM to Virtus and point them out to him.

Our terrain system changes are done and I've uploaded them so they are ready to go.

We're currently working on some final adjustments to construction and some fixes with tribes and stacking. Once these are done I will patch up the update. We just keep making more and more changes with this current build, but it's looking good. We've solved a lot of annoyances that have plagued us for a while (like the sector crossing crashes and big lag spikes).

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:55 AM
Update November 5
A quick update, since I see people are asking:

I'm not sure if the next patch will be done this weekend or a bit after. As most of you know, we work primarily on Siberian time (except for me, I work around the clock ;)) so we'll see what gets done tonight.

Right now I'm waiting on a few things:

Revised stacking and collision functions.

Revised skill saving system. I need this done now as it would require a wipe if we change it later.

Smoothed terrain to eliminate visible 'steps', especially on some roads. I'd like to have this completely done so I don't have to patch out the large zone files twice in a row.

Other terrain fixes.

I'll see how things go tonight.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:55 AM
Update November 8

We're getting there. I'm still waiting on some terrain fixes and that's about it. We wrapped up work for the day (well 4 AM in Siberia, it was a long day).

I'm uploading files right now, so hopefully the terrain artists wrap things up tonight and I'll get this patch out finally!

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:55 AM
Update November 10

Update: I recommend a full install with this update. All zone files have been updated and patching will be much slower than reinstalling.

A full server and client update has been patched out. This includes a full character, data and terrain wipe. The terrain wipe was necessary as we uploaded a more smoothed revised terrain.

We will be spawning creatures later tonight.

This patch includes:

Construction:

Construction. Players can use the Architecture skill to create walls and buildilngs.

Masonry. This is a secondary crafting skill, similar to Woodcraft. It's used primary to help Architects.

Packets:

Server packet handling improved to prevent situations that were causing big lag spikes.

Packet system streamlined and revised for faster transactions and hack prevention.

Terrain:

Revised, smoother terrain to eliminate visible 'steps'.

Terrain loading revised to eliminate crashing while crossing zones.

Waterfalls fixed.

Combat and Characters:

Alignment system revised to flag attackers and defenders in combat.

Creatures can now attack in tribe zones.

Death teleports evil players to their tribe zone if they are in a tribe.

Problems causing crashing during death teleport fixed.

Trade window fixes.

Skill saving revised.

Tribes:

Tribe radius grows and shrinks with member count.

Tribe members are properly removed from a tribe if their character is deleted.

Tribes change leadership to the next tribe member if the leader abandons or is deleted.

Tribes are removed if the last player abandons tribe.

Destroying and dropping objects in tribe zones by non tribe members blocked.

Collision:

Boulder collision revised.

Collision problems at zone borders resolved.

Creatures now avoid boulders.

Stacking improved. The revisions will soon allow players to choose row and column count for stacking objects.

Collision with dead bodies removed.

Optimizations:

Memory leaks detected and fixed.

Time at login reduced by moving some loading functions.

Animation system optimized for speed.

Sound and Graphics:

Interface glitches fixed.

Footstep sounds revised.

Some animations added and tweaked.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:55 AM
Update November 11

Quick update: We've fixed some issues with the launcher and will patch out a new launcher this weekend along with some bug fixes. Once this is ready I will email everyone with a link to the new installer and post it here.

That's all for now.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:56 AM
Update November 11

I've patched out a small update.

Bricks now stack correctly. Non stacking bricks may have to be deleted.

Fixed chat color getting stuck.

Fixed chat whisper prompt getting stuck on one name.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:56 AM
Update November 12

A new installer is ready!

http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Installer_20101112.zip

This installs a new launcher with fixes for crashes that were happening while patching large files.

If you have logged in this week, this install will overwrite the necessary files.

If you haven't updated in a while, I recommend a full install.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:56 AM
Update November 14

A small update was patched out to deal with a few crash issues. There should be another small update tonight. I'll post more then.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:56 AM
Update November 16

A small update was patched out dealing with some sever optimizations and potential lag issues. We'll continue to look for crashes and lag situations while more features and fixes are coming soon...

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:56 AM
Update November 16

The servers are down. They will be back up in 2 hours.

Our host servers will be perfoming some maintenence tonight. Because of this the servers will be down from approximately 8:00PM to 10:00PM Pacific Standard Time.

I will post when they are down and when they are back up.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:56 AM
Update November 16

The servers are back up with an update. Some of the fixes for lag we added in the past two days had caused many small problems with teleporting and corrupted saves. These should be fixed now and we will be checking all night.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:57 AM
Update November 19

The servers are back up with an update. The main goal of this update was to clear up bugs and crash issues that have been reported this week.

This update required a full terrain and data wipe.

In addition:

- Bundle objects and logs no longer use permissions. These will be safe in tribe zones only.
- Teleporting and loading have been revised.
- The loading screens should now refresh better so that they don't go blank or appear to lock up while switching to other tasks.
- Small common items such as screws, nails and coins will be found in greater quantities.
- Boulders properly block terraforming.
- You can now terraform over asphalt.
- The radius for blocked terraforming has been reduced.
- Problems with removing tribe members have been fixed.
- Some items, collison boxes and recipes have been fixed.
- Combat animations during sprint have been improved.
- Terrain river edges are improved in some locations (this is still in progress).

I forget the rest... it's been a long hectic last couple of days. ;)

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:57 AM
Update November 20

The game manual has been updated with some information about construction.

http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Manual.pdf

As the game has been running smoothly since the last update, I'm going to block things out so I can focus on wrapping up some more features over the next few days. A feature update will be coming soon and then I'll be here to answer questions.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:57 AM
Update November 22

A quick update for today. As those of you who have been in game the past few days know, we're experiencing random lag as well as long loading times.

The lead server programmer is working on this. Both seems unrelated to the number of players on and they seem to be connected problems.

For the next few days we're focusing on resolving this lag and finishing the tribal information, ranks and allies / foes panels.

I'm hoping that we can patch out an update tomorrow for the loading and lag issues and the tribe update by the end of the week.

Now back to the code!

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:57 AM
Update November 23

Hello everyone!

I've updated the client and the server. This should resolve the recent loading and lag problems. We have a few more optimizations to do to reduce lag, but this should be a big step and we need this tested publicly.

As I had to interrupt and temporarily block other changes I'm making, if there are any new obvious problems, please let me know right away. Everything has been backed up just in case.

I will check in on the server to see if any of you experience lag or loading issues with this build.

Thanks!

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:57 AM
Update November 25

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans!

I've patched out a small update. This update includes more network traffic optimizations. It looks like we've finally resolved all lag and loading issues and the server should run even smoother with this update.

In addition we've fixed some problems with stacking bundles and logs.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:58 AM
Update November 28

Hello everyone!

We will be taking down the servers and disabling the forums for a few hours tonight, starting at 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time in order to switch to vBulletin forums and a new account management system.

After our update, the game will require a new installer / launcher. You will be able to install over your current installation without re-downloading the large data files. I will email everyone regarding this site switch and post a link to the new installer when we are ready.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:58 AM
Update November 28

The Pre-Order page has been taken down (3:45 PM PST) while we start the process of updating the website.

Xsyon
12-04-2010, 11:58 AM
Update November 28

We've switched to new forums and a new account back end!

You can now Order Xsyon with PayPal.

A new installer is posted at:
http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Installer_20101128.zip

This will overwrite your launcher but won't delete your current data files.

You can also now access your account where you will find the latest Installer and Manual links.
https://www.xsyon.com/myaccount/

With our forum switch you will need to:

Upload your Avatar.
Reset your signature
Update your timezone.

The Flame Wars and Anything Goes forums require you to select access via user group settings. You can do this here:
http://www.xsyon.com/forum/profile.php?do=editusergroups

The server and client have been updated with fixes for various client crashes and to prepare for the upcoming Tribe Rank patch.

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:19 PM
Update December 1

The server and client have been updated with a quick patch.

This patch resolves a few minor issues:

- Dirt should not be gained or used when attempting terraforming beyond slope limits.
- Fixes to crafting schemes.
- Problems with bundles collected by other players fixed.
- Minor issues with trade, crafting and construction ghosts fixed.
- 4th pouch container panel should properly display.

The next feature update is going to take a while longer as I've been busy dealing with the website update, reviewing terrain changes, checking new artwork that was delivered and taking care of a lot of minor bugs.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:19 PM
Update December 4

Hello everyone!

I just want to update you on our plans for this coming week.

First of all, please welcome GuideZuriel as our Community Manager. Zuriel will be organizing the forums and asking for community feedback and involvement. If you have any suggestions, screenshots or videos, please send him a PM!

The next 10 days are going to be very hectic. The lead programmer who was dealing with client memory, zone crossing and crash issues is on his honeymoon. Congratulations to him!

We are aware of the current crashes and what's causing them. I plan to take a break from the features I am working on today and tomorrow to see if I can implement some quick fixes, but if I can't find an immediate solution there is not too much that can be done until our other programmer returns.

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:20 PM
Update December 5

The client and server have been updated. This update was rushed out so I will be monitoring it all night. If there are any new strange errors please report them immediately.

I put the features I'm finishing on hold so that we could deal better with some imminent problems.

This update includes:

- Reduced memory usage. On average the game should use about 400 mb less than before.
- Managed animation system.
- Thread protection to stop random crashing and zone crossing crashes.
- Fixes to dragging logs and bundle objects from construction sites.
- Fixes for problems due to duplicate sent commands causing inventory errors.
- Global chat channel. This can be accessed by typing /y at the console to 'yell' to the entire world.

If you were getting frequent random crashes or zone crossing crashes before this update, please let me know if this patch solves or reduces this.

Thanks!

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:20 PM
Update December 8

I patched out a terrain update. We are fixing river edges and zone boundaries. This may affect some terraformed areas, but we need to patch these terrain updates to ensure that we fix all problems for the final terrain.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:20 PM
Update December 8

A quick update.

I'm working on Invalid Inventory issues. If you can create an Invalid Inventory Item, please contact me. I believe that I've fixed the problem but I'd like to test all possible scenarios.

Thanks!

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:20 PM
Update December 10

The server and client have been updated. Over the next few days I will be patching out small updates to animations and objects.

Today's update primarily deals with two issues:

- Problems causing invalid inventory items have been fixed. Current invalid items should be reset correctly with this update.
- Memory leaks eventually leading to crashes have been cleared up.

After this update, if you are able to create an Invalid Inventory Item, please report it immediately with as much detail as possible on how this was produced.

If you have issues with old inventory items after this update, please also report this right away. I want to make sure that the functions resetting old objects worked correctly.

If you are crashing at all, please send me a report with the latest Log file from your Xsyon / Logs directory.

I will take down the server again at 12:00 Midnight PST for about 10 minutes to check the database.

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:20 PM
Update December 11

The server and client have been updated with another quick patch. This patch is mostly a preperation for things to come.
In this update:

-Players now start with all craft skills, however they receive 25 skill points and appropriate tools only for their primary selected craft.
-Architecture now gains schemes. About 40 new schemes will be added within the next few weeks.
-Required skill level for some schemes has been temporarily lowered for testing purposes. This will be overhauled within the next few weeks.
-Your experience bar should display the correct amount on logging in.
-You can no longer hide in combat mode.
-Gathering infinite resources at some locations has been fixed.
-Synch issues with distant characters has been adjusted.
-South Camp Priest Robe and Freel Jacket are fixed.

The tribe rank system and information panels are coming soon. I'm adding a lot more to this than originally planned as I've had a lot of input on the tribal system over the past several months.

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:21 PM
Update December 11

Quick update. I just patched out a small client patch.

This fixes placing of crafted containers so that they don't intersect with existing objects on the ground.

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:21 PM
Update December 13

The server and client have been updated. I'm continuing to patch out a few fixes and preparations for coming features.

In this update:

- Memory management improvements.
- Preparations for improved creature AI
- You can now extend roads off of tribal lands. Roads can be built anywhere as long as you are connecting to an existing road. Roads will soon have greater effect on movement and reduce the effects of encumbrance.

Also, our server logs show no Invalid Inventory Requests since the December 11th update. That makes me happy. :-)

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:21 PM
Update December 14

I've patched out a quick update to deal with a few minor bugs. I will keep patching out small updates for bug issues as it's currently easier for us to make sure they are resolved with public testing.

We're working on a bigger update to be patched out hopefully by Friday.

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:21 PM
Update December 20

Quick update this morning:

The tribe info and rank system is done and ready, but we're a bit stuck testing other changes to terraforming and memory management. We've been working and testing all night and will continue throughout today.

The next update will be ready as soon as possible, that's all I can say for now. Some of our changes need to be working 100% before I can patch this out.

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:21 PM
Update December 22

Hello everyone!

I'd like to keep everyone informed on what's holding us up with the next update at the moment.

We've revised the terrain system to enable us to create a smoother overall terrain and more even terraforming. Although the changes will not be immediately highly visible, they need to be done now before we start baking terrain data with our daily update.

The system is in place but still requires some more testing and checking in both our terrain editor and the game client. As soon as we're confident this system is working well, I will patch out the next update.

To give you all an idea of the end results:

Before our changes, the terrain mesh was aligned in one direction, producing situations like this
66

After our changes, terraforming will be more symmetrical like this:
67

This will also enable us to create smoother river banks and slopes in general as we finalize the terrain.

So, it's not a huge improvment, but something we definitely need to get out of the way before terraformed data becomes a 'baked' permanent part of the terrain.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:21 PM
Update December 24

Merry Christmas everyone!

I will catch up with questions in the developer zone on Sunday and should finally patch out the next update.

Until then, enjoy!

Xsyon
12-31-2010, 07:22 PM
Update December 26

Hello everyone!

The server and client have been updated with a new patch!

This patch includes:

- Tribe / Town info that can be set and viewed at the Tribe Totem.

- Tribe rank system. Players will be set to default ranks. Your tribe leader (or another player who is set with rank creation permissions) will need to set custom ranks and permissions for these ranks.

- Loading revised to prevent problems with players getting stuck during slow loading of entities.

- Terrain revised with flipped mesh edges. This will create a smoother appearance and more even symmetrical terraforming.

- Terraforming is now possible across zone boundaries.

- Terraforming creating water dams has been revised to reduce or block the residual effects of dam creation.

- Other character / creature names are visible only when highlighted or selected.

- Minor bugs with objects fixed.

From now until launch we are going to finalize and turn on the quest system and focus on improving systems already in the game, including crafting, construction, tribes and combat.

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:42 PM
Update December 31

Hello everyone and Happy New Year's Eve!

My big announcement for today is a set final launch date for the Prelude, Tuesday March 1st 2011.

We realize that players are anxious to get started on their real characters and tribes so we will stick to this date.

We will do the final character and world wipe the week of Feburary 14th and Guides will be available to help the current in game tribes to secure and start building at their already established locations.

From now until the launch date we will be focused on improving and refining systems already in game: Construction, Crafting, Tribes and Combat and introducing the Quest system. The World Update and Terrain Baking features will be tested on the public server starting this coming week.

In addition I will review our growing suggestion list to see what minor adjustments can be made to the interface or other features based on your desires and recommendations.

Animal taming will be the final feature we try get in game before the official launch date. If it's not ready by then it will be introduced shortly after.

I've revised the Feature list slightly based on changes that have been made over the past year in the design of the game and to remove a few things that will be featured later as the game evolves.

Features that have been revised:

- Dyeing has been replaced by colored found materials for now.
- Discarded objects build lists to respawn scrap piles rather than save the actual discarded items.
- Quartermaster and tribe roles have been replaced by a custom rank system.
- Auctions replaced by a direct trade totem feature.
- The quest system will be simplified with additional quest types added later.
- Individual storage will be used in place of a bank account totem.

Features that have been improved or added:

- Custom rank system.
- Town information panel.
- Towns as starting locations (if so desired).
- Construction system consisting of parts.
- Bonuses for wearing tribal colors.
- Creation of single player tribes.

Features that have been removed:

- Law, Chaos and Karma. We tested tracking these but the system didn't work out well enough to have the desired effect. This will be revisited later. Good, Evil and Luck are being tracked and remain in game.
- Combat special moves. These will be introduced when we revise the system. Adrenaline may be incorporated for special moves and boosts of power in combat. Our plan is to examine Mount and Blade and other combat oriented games and redesign the system. This will happen during the Prelude.
- Mailboxes. These will be added later.

Features that might be in for launch or shortly after:

- Animal taming and riding.
- Comfort effects of armor and building / fire use.
- Message boards and honor lists.

It's been a tough year for us with a huge letdown by our original programmers. It's taken a big effort from myself and the new programmers to finally stabilize the server, the launcher and the client enough to where we can focus on wrapping up the current features and creating the game you are all looking for.

I look forward to 2011 and hope you'll all enjoy Xsyon as it improves and evolves!

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:42 PM
Update January 5

The server and client have been updated. In this update:

- New and improved memory management system for objects and animations.
- Major memory leak causes by fires fixed.
- Crash caused by destroying campfires fixed.
- Terraforming limits readjusted.
- Crash moving construction objects across a zone border fixed.
- Problems with death teleporting fixed.
- Light from campfires corrected.
- Other minor bug fixes and optimizations.

This wraps up a lot of crash fixes and optimizations that we worked on last week and were testing this week. Our next updates will be concentrated on adjusting and adding features and content.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:42 PM
Update January 11

A quick update today. The download server was taken town for about 2 minutes for a quick patch. If you experienced a disconnection at around 11:15 AM PST this is why.

We're working on a lot of things right now and I expect to patch out an update to the client and server within the next few days.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:42 PM
Update January 17

Hello everyone!

I'm not feeling too well these past few days, but we're forging ahead. We've been doing a lot of in house testing so I've decided not to patch out a public update until we have a few more changes ready (the quest system, which requires database changes, and rock / boulder removal which needs to be done before we run our final terrain 'baking' tests).

That's all for now. I just want everyone to know if things seem a bit more silent than usual it's because we're very focused on getting things wrapped up!

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:43 PM
Update January 22

Hello everyone!

Just a quick update for today as I know many of you are waiting for some news.

I'm currently uploading what I hope will be the final terrain for the Prelude. I will patch out an update with many small changes tomorrow night. This won't include the quest system just yet, but we've made a lot of small improvements and need to test our current build publicly. So, basically whatever is ready tomorrow night will be patched out to the main server.

Also, as a heads up, I am considering a wipe of the world this coming week. It might help us spot errors in the final terrain and to make sure that we've fixed issues that were occassionaly creating bad items in the database (for example bundles or stacks with improper item counts). I will see how testing goes over the next few days and then decide if we need to do this wipe or not.

That's all for today. I'll post a lot more with tomorrow's update.

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:43 PM
Update January 23

The servers are up with a server and client patch. The main reason for this update is so that we can test the improved stability of the client and to ensure that our new system of saving data and logs on the server is working correctly.

The main features we are working on: the Quest system and the World Update are not quite ready yet. Other minor improvements that we've been working on, however, are part of this update.

In this update:

Features and Revisions

Actions
- Characters can sit and sleep for faster regeneration. The default KeyBinds are V and B. These can be set in the Keybind options panel.

Construction and Terraforming
- Small boulders can be selected and destroyed in tribe territories.
- Terraforming limits and dam forming has been revised.
- Buildings can be dismantled. Dismantling a building currently reverts to a construction ghost with no materials. This will be improved to allow salvaging of materials used in the original construction.
- Building sites can be accessed and used by any tribe members with the correct permissions.
- Buildings left abandoned in non tribe territories can be accessed and removed by any players.

Inventory
- Cloth icons display material and color. We are further revising the material icons to be more distinct for each material.
- Sorting stacks new items across all equipped containers.
- Both right and left click activate panel switches in the command bar.

Art
- The final terrain has been uploaded.
- Creature animations have been revised.
- Some human animations have been revised and improved.

Server
- The backup system has been revised to reduce lag spikes while data is backed up.
- The server loggind system has been revised to provide us with more detailed information.

Fixes

- Crashes caused by Alt-Tabbing between Xsyon and other programs fixed.
- Collision improved to prevent climbing up stone posts and other sloped objects.
- Construction sites allow stacking only of same material and color objects.
- Trade window properly displays icon names, colors and materials.
- A bug allowing players to view other players' packs through the trade windows has been fixed.
- Containers are set so that only one player can use a container at a time.
- Problems with several armor and building meshes have been corrected.
- Terraforming while moving has been blocked.
- Pouches containing objects can be picked up if you have a free pouch slot.
- The server and client have been improved to prevent bad items from being created and to prevent crashing in case bad items are accidentally spawned.
- Problems with death and teleporting fixed.
- Stacking of containers inside each other blocked. (This happened occasionally on slopes or when crafting objects in the same spot).
- A bug allowing some buildings to be created without the proper tools in place has been fixed.

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:43 PM
Update January 26

A server and client patch is up. This patch includes:

Features and Revisions

- Server start up and saving has been further optimized.
- The emote panel is separate from the chat panel and can be oriented horizontally or vertically.
- The interface now creates a save file for each resolution.
- Cloth material icons are more distinct.
- Chalk can be found in limestone areas.
- Players should be able to complete others architecture project if they possess the same scheme.

Fixes

- Corrupted equipped items removed.
- Access of abandoned and other player's buildings now show the correct construction scheme.

The main reason for this update was to fix construction projects as this was causing some problems creating bad data and crashes.

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:43 PM
Update January 28

A quick server and client patch is up. This patch includes:

Features and Revisions

- Stat gain and decay system. This is a gradual gain and decay based on what skills you use. The system is designed to adjust your stats over time and has limits to prevent advantages from grinding.

- A new crash log system has been implemented. If your client crashes, please send me the crash log files from your Xsyon/Logs directory. This will help us a lot to pinpoint remaining crashes which seem to affect some players and are typically memory or graphic issues.

Fixes

- Problems with some inventory moves, especially with packs, containers and weapons, have been corrected.
- Grass icons have been fixed.

I have also uploaded an Italian translation of the game manual.

http://www.xsyon.com/install/Manuale_di_Xsyon.pdf (http://www.xsyon.com/install/Manuale_di_Xsyon.pdf)

Much thanks to Luca Blue!

That's all for today. The main reason for this update is to implement our new crash logging system and some server monitoring code. More coming soon!

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:43 PM
Update January 29

A quick server and client patch is up. This is just a patch to deal with problems with containers being stuck open and to add to the new crash tracking system. Please continue to send or post your crash logs. These are very useful.

Thanks!

Xsyon
02-16-2011, 09:43 PM
Update January 31

A quick update for today. I am planning a full wipe as soon as this Wednesday and for sure this week. It all depends on what gets done today and tomorrow.

So if you want to take some screenshots and videos of your villages, now is the time!

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:45 PM
Update February 1

A quick server and client patch is up. Please continue to report all crashes, with your crash_log files from the Xsyon/Logs directory attached.

This patch includes:

Features and Revisions

- Creature collision map has been implemented for buildings and boulders.
- Crash log system further improved. This is helping us a lot!

Fixes

- The cause for recent 'random' client crashes has been tracked and fixed.
- Automatic unlocking of containers that get stuck 'open' or 'busy' during a client crash or other situations.
- A few armor parts have been fixed.
- Creature animations have been updated.

That's all for now. The main reason for this patch is to test the fixes we implement for client

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:46 PM
Update February 2

A quick update today. No patch or wipe today. We're going to wind things down in Siberia (where the team is) in a few hours and I want another full day of internal testing for the quest system and some database changes that are going in for this upcoming patch.

I'm going to keep plugging away throughout the day making some final tweaks to the quest system. Additional good news is that we found a TCP issue affecting ping rate and fixed it and have made a lot of progress on various client crashes.

So the next big patch will be either tomorrow or Friday, as soon as it's ready and tested. Stay tuned!

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:46 PM
Update February 4

Just keeping everyone posted since I was planning to update by today. I'm still waiting on a few things from the team, so I'll patch things out as soon as possible. Thanks to the new crash logs that players have been sending we've caught a few bugs that were causing very random client crashes so that's been taking a bit of extra time, but should be worth it.

Back to the code for me.

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:46 PM
Update February 6

Hello Xsyon Citizens!

I'm currently uploading files for an update. I need a bit of rest today, so I'm taking a break while the files upload and the wipe and patch will happen tonight. I just wanted to keep you all informed.

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:46 PM
Update February 6

A quick server and client patch is up. Please continue to report all crashes, with your crash_log files from the Xsyon/Logs directory attached.

This patch includes:

Features and Revisions

- The basic Quest system has been implemented. This can be accessed at a tribe's totem.


A few notes:

You must enter a valid 'goal' item when creating a quest. This can be the name of any in game object and the server checks to validate if this object is available or not for that quest type.
Only tribe members with permissions can create quests at a totem.
Any player can accept and complete quests, even if they are not in the tribe.
Quests will give experience. This is not finalized yet and will be in an upcoming patch.
Hunting and Crafting quests will be finalized soon and will require the player to hunt or craft the items collected.
Quests are currently managed at a totem. I plan to add a personal quest panel for easier quest management soon.
Fixes
- A problem with the sockets system that was causing some minor lag and fluctuating ping rates has been corrected. Ping rates should be more stable now and the monitor should more accurately reflect the actual ping rate.

- Thanks to everyone's crash logs we've fixed several causes of random crashes and crashes crossing sectors. We have a few more fixes in progress. Please continue to send crash log reports.

The world and terrain have been wiped for this update. It was necessary because of changes to the database structure. There will be one more final wipe before the launch.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:47 PM
Update February 7

After a few quick updates the servers should be back up and working correctly now. I patched out changes that were just delivered to resolve a few more client crash issues. If you are getting any client crashes after this last update, please make sure to post them in the bug report section or contact us through the support email with attached logs from your Xsyon/Logs folder.

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:47 PM
Update February 9

First I need to announce that the Final Wipe will take place on Friday February 18th. I've decided to set that date instead of the 14th for several reasons:

- It makes more sense to do the final wipe for a weekend to give more players a chance to get in at the same time.
- We are upgrading our download server and it may take up until the middle of next week.
- This gives us a few more days to implement some plans we have to make starting locations safe.

A quick server and client patch is up. Yes, I finally implemented stack splitting. It was sitting on my list forever.

Features and Revisions

- Stack splitting (hold Shift and click to split a stack)
- Icon dragging revised. You can now click to pick up and click to drop an icon in addition to the old drag and drop.

Fixes

- Problem with invalid item messages when adding and removing from construction ghosts fixed.
- Duplicate quest rewards can no longer be added.
- Containers and crafter objects can be properly added and retrieved through quests.
- Missing tool_pins corrected
- A few other crash causes were detected and fixed.
- Additional error tracking for two remaining crash caused was added so we can see what's going on.

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:47 PM
Update February 13

Hello Xsyon Citizens!

First an announcement.

We are in the process of setting up a second Xsyon world on European servers!

Players will be able to connect to both locations if they desire. You won't be forced to play on a particular server, but this will give European players much better connections if they choose to play on the new servers.

We are currently waiting on our host company to set up the new servers. The download server at our US location will also be upgraded and we are preparing an additional Trial server.

We are considering setting up additional servers in both the US and Europe that will be more war oriented where we will remove safe zones and make some adjustments. At the moment this is very likely, but we have no set date for this.

The server and client have been updated and patched out. The main reason for this update is to fix a problem with saving character schemes we discovered yesterday. This was the cause for data rollbacks yesterday and this morning. I will be carefully monitoring the server to make sure this issue is fixed.

We may wipe with the next update to clear out corrupted data to help us test a few final changes that are going in this week.

With this update:

Features and Revisions

- Tools have been revised. This is a step towards crafting revisions in progress that have been a long time coming and will be finished with the next update.

- Other crafting revisions are in progress. These will become more visible (with tooltips over icons) with the next update.

- Containers can be placed inside buildings. This will provide protection from decay. We are working to fix a few issues with placing containers through walls at the moment.

- Support for low net book resolutions.

Fixes

- Quest goal input has been revised to ignore spaces and punctuation when searching for a matching valid name. Apostrophes can be entered but are not required to find a valid name.

- A major problem with saving character schemes was discovered and fixed.

What's going in before the final wipe?

As much as possible! At the moment we are focused on:
- Crafting revisions.
- Tribe placement corrections.
- Differences between Tribes and Homesteads (single player totems).
- Revised and safe starting locations.
- Unstuck command.
- Terraforming exploit fixes.

Before the launch we will continue with:
- Combat corrections. I started looking into this, but I switched to other more crucial changes
- Minor tribe improvements.
- Death adjustments.

At launch we will turn on:
- Many more creatures.
- New architecture parts.

For the first few days after the final wipe, only Tribes of 10 members will be able to place totems. I may lower this number, based on current tribe sizes after I examine the database.

After a few days, solo players will be able to claim Homesteads.

The European servers should be available before the end of the month.

What I am hoping to do with this is to stagger the launch so that you all don't feel rushed to play at once and that players can settle in nicely on the two servers without too much chaos!

We will then continue with improvements, additions and evolutions!

That's all for now. I apologize that I haven't been able to handle the FAQ questions recently. I will do so as soon as possible. With the new servers getting set up and plans to expand the team in March, there are many things taking priority right now.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:47 PM
Update February 14

Hello Xsyon Citizens!

Just a heads up for right now. We are going to patch out an update today that will require a full wipe. We fixed a recent problem with the server that caused the saving of bad data, so to properly test the rest of the week and ensure that our changes are correct, the best solution is a wipe.

I apologize for this. Under normal circumstances we could write scripts to clean up this data if something like this occured. However, we need to press on with more important things.

I will post here when the update is ready.

Xsyon
02-20-2011, 12:48 PM
Update February 14

Hello Xsyon Citizens!

The server and client have been updated. This is a bit of an emergeny update as the server crashed with the same cause that we had fixed and were testing. I've wiped all data as this recent problem was causing too many issues with data not properly saved, and we need to press forward rather than clean this up.

Regarding the European Servers, these will be prepared but only used in the future if they become necessary.
Regarding tribes and homesteads, we are working on a solution by implementing a timer between totem spawns.

With this update:

Features and Revisions

- ToolTips on crafted items. These display quality and durability as well as the crafter's name. More information on items will be turned on soon. There are still some crafting revisions in progress.

- Improved data saving and backups.

Fixes

- Server crash and data loss problems fixed.
- Objects getting stuck busy have been fixed.
- Minor issues with tool revisions fixed.

If you find an object that is stuck 'busy' please report this directly to bugs@notorious-games.com (bugs@notorious-games.com).

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:19 PM
Update February 16

EDIT: There is one problem left over from the last build. A glitch caused scheme data to save multiple times and this is causing some players to time out during loading. The server has been fixed, however I would need to wipe the database to clear out the duplicated data. If you are getting stuck, deleting your character fixes this problem.

The server and client have been updated.

Features and Revisions

- /unstuck command Yes, it's about time! You can now /unstuck yourself to teleport 5 meters ahead if you're trapped in a tight spot. This command can be used only once every 3 minutes and the timer is set if you are at all in combat.

- Tribes and Homesteads. The separation of Tribes and Homesteads is set up. Homesteads require only one player but do not expand. They can be placed close together. Tribes require 5 members and require a maximum space between tribes.

- Tribe timers. There is now a time limit of 6 hours between creating tribes. There is a 30 minute tribe limit between joining tribes. So think carefully after the final wipe before you select and place your totems!

- Safe starting locations. The starting locations (including the new Founder's Isle location) are now small safe zones to prevent griefing these spots right after the final wipe. These will be removed after tribes settle in and once we add a feature where tribes can select themselves as starting locations for new players.

- Display for who hunted, gathered, scavenged items (as long as they are not merged). This will be used for the quest system in the near future to ensure the questor actually hunts and gathers the required items.

Fixes

- Merging of objects corrected for merging quality and durability.

- Twigs can be properly used in crafting now.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:19 PM
Update February 16

The server has been updated. I've reset old homesteads to function as homestead and fixed some incorrect distance calculations between tribes and homesteads. Tribe growth has been adjusted slightly.

I've also temporarily removed the tribe timers so that we can test tribe radii better today.

That's all for now! (Server is resetting, will be up in 5 minutes).

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:20 PM
Update February 16

Hello Xsyon Citizens!

- I will shut off the game server at Midnight PST on February 17

- The server will come on with the final wipe at 3:00 PM PST February 18


Enjoy!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:20 PM
Update February 18

Thanks for all the reports regarding tribe problems and exploits. We're going to work through tonight and all weekend on this, with the first priority being to block further exploiting of placing totems.

Multiple totems are not being saved properly so they will have to be removed.

When all the problems have been sorted out there will be an immediate update. It might take a while.
-------------------------------

First of all we've set up a torrent where you can download and share the large data files:
http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon.torrent (http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon.torrent)

If you've already downloaded the large files and want to help seed the torrent, you can start the torrent download, then copy files from the Xsyon/Data directory to your Download/Data directory where the torrent stores downloaded files.

If you want to use this as an alternate download, once you've downloaded the data files, copy them to your Xsyon/Data directory and then run the launcher.

Although the server has settled down a bit, it is possible that we'll have to wipe again. Players have been reporting many issues with tribes not forming correctly. We will examine the logs and database tonight to see exactly what the problem is and we will decide the next step after we completely understand the problem.

Thanks again for your patience. We are doing our best to deal with these problems.
-------------------------------


Things are settling down a bit. The main problem we're having is not the number of players online, but the number of players downloading. I was hoping that more players would have the game downloaded ready for this, but it appears that many players waited until now to start patching.

-------------------------------

Please bear with folks. We're having trouble handling so many logins and downloads at once.


Our bandwidth is limited until we can move to a new server location. As soon as I saw the recent influx of new players we put in an order to move to new servers, but unfortunately our hosts have not been able to move us yet. This will happen before the official launch.

Today's early start for pre-orders is not going well and I apologize. There's not much we can do at this very moment, just bear through it.

It would help for players to get in and set up their totems and come back when things settle down.

Thanks for you patience!

-------------------------------

Hello Xsyon Citizens!

The Final Wipe is here!

A new launcher is out. The launcher has been improved for faster patching and now displays game information and updates.

The server and client have been patched out. We are working on setting up new servers that can handle additional bandwidth. Please be patient this week as we move to a new location.

Our current server location will undergo some maintenence this weekend between 10:00 PM Central US February 19 and 2:00 AM Central US February 20. I will announce when the servers are down for this.

Features and Revisions

- Special starter weapons are now available. These are bound to your character.

- Guides have been equipped with a few new commands.

Fixes

- Graphics have been optmized in order to reduce overheating of graphics cards.

- A few causes of client crashes have been tracked an fixed.

- Additonal blocking has been implemented for terraforming into rock.

Here are our plans for the next few weeks:

- Over the next few weeks we will focus on fixing and improving current game systems and review suggested changes.

- On March 1st we will reset the creatures with all current creatures in game. Other changes will be patched out over the next few weeks as they become ready.

- We are in the process of setting up new servers which should be ready by March 1st. This is an upgrade to our current servers to handle more traffic better. A trial server will be added as soon as possible.

- We have a new and exprienced coder joining us who will focus on combat and AI improvements. I look forward to expanding the team!

Enjoy!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:21 PM
Update February 19

Hello everyone!

In order to validate that the bandwidth bottleneck is the cause of all the lag, I shut down our download server for a few minutes and the lag completely subsided. That's good news!

We're working on a few major issues:

The server freezes. These definitely surfaced because of the lag, but they point to problems in the code that need to be fixed. Before yesterday we didn't have any server lockups for 2 months (with the exception of some guide commands that were used with incorrect parameters). We're examining all the server logs. This takes time but we'll keep on it until it's resolved.

Data corruption. This was caused by the server freezing up during the save process. We have a redundant saving process partially implemented. It will be finished this week and this should keep additional backups in case a save process is interrupted in the future. For those that will say why didn't we implement this before... good question. I should have thought of this system before, but I didn't. I'm not perfect. ;-)

Tribe exploits. These also surfaced because of the lag. Thanks to the exploiters that sent me full reports on this I am working to completely block these from happening again. If anyone was able to place an actual Tribe with one player, I need to know the exact details. Please report this directly to bugs@notorious-games.com (bugs@notorious-games.com).

There is a lot of speculation about what could have been done to prevent this. I did try to get our bandwidth upgraded and servers moved two weeks ago, but as various options were offered, changed and delayed, we ended up stuck with the current configuration.

Ultimately it's my responsiblity so here's what we're going to do:

We're going to need to wipe because of the data loss and multiple totems. I apologize, but that's the best solution.
The wipe will happen when the upgraded servers / server location is ready.

I've backed up the database and if possible we will restore tribes to their current locations. I will post details about how we will deal with this when I'm positive that we can. Any tribes / homesteads placed after this announcement will not be restored, so if you are joining us now, check out any enjoy the game and plan to situate yourself after the next wipe.

All players will get two weeks additional free play time. Effectively that makes March 15th our 'official launch' start. The actual start and final wipe will be as soon as possible once we have the new servers set up.

Again, I apologize for this rough start. We'll get over this bump soon!

-------------------------------
Quick update: We currently have about 1/3 of yesterday's peak population online and lag has subsided a lot. The main difference is, as expected, the number of simultaneous downloads.

We still need to wait on new servers but are working furiously on the server freezing up, data corruption and tribe exploit issues. As soon as I can confirm whether or not we will need to wipe, I will. If we do, I will see what can be done about restoring current tribe positions for those that suffered through the lag yesterday to place a legitimate totem.

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:21 PM
Update February 20

Hello everyone!

A quick update about the current lag. This sever lag will be gone once our new download server is ready. The download server will be ready before our actual game server move, which will further improve performance.

Some have suggested allowing only download through the torrent files right now. Downloading through the torrents help, however we can't block the patcher itself. It's required to verify files before a player enters the game.

Ok, here's the painful part. :-)

I actually want this lag to continue for today and tomorrow. The lag has brought out a few problems that did not show up before. They won't happen without lag, but in the future they could happen during a lag spike so we need to fix these now. The current lag, although it's not fun, is helping us find and quickly fix some problems.

Thankfully these have been easy to fix with a couple of server side safety checks. I've been working frantically on these and will patch out a new build as soon as possible. We'll then test under the current lag conditions.

Rest assured we are not taking a moment's break right now!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:21 PM
Update February 20

The server and client have been updated.

This patch deals with tribe and quest exploits that were possible during severe lag. Exploits that allowed players to place multiple totems should now be blocked.

If you are able to reproduce these exploits, please report it.

Thanks!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:21 PM
Update February 21

Hello everyone!

A quick heads up for today. I do plan an intermediate wipe with the next update tonight or tomorrow to make sure that improvements we've made are working 100% with a clean slate. We will also test this week with some forced server 'crashes'. I will announce these in game before I do it.

I know these things sound like a pain, but the few problems that surfaced due to the severe lag must and will be corrected before we do the final wipe.

Back to the code for me!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:22 PM
Update February 21 : Regarding recent discussions

Hello everyone!

I don't have time to read through all the recent discussions, but I want to clarify things as I see a lot of incorrect speculation.

The pending launch is for the Prelude, which is intended to last at least 6-9 months as originally planned. The Prelude is meant to be as described in the Features section. During the Prelude the game will evolve based on the community. The vision is and always has been to do this.

As those of you that have been around for a while already know, I've been paying attention to feedback and features have already changed based on what the community asks for. The tribe and rank system has changed from it's initial implementation. Combat was completely revised, though I admit it needs work and that's why we're bringing on another specialist this coming month.

The main discussion seems to be regarding safe zones. Some players are imagining 'safe switches' that can be turned on and off. That's not part of any plan. I am considering allowing tribes that want to war sooner than others to remove their safe zone if they so desire. A separate zone (as the mist clears) or server with no safe zones at all is also under consideration depending on the world's population. My goal is not to impose new limits as solutions but to give more choices.

I hope this clears things up. The game plan is to continually evolve and improve the game to listen to feedback and accomodate many types of players, and we're sticking to that.

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:22 PM
Update February 22

The server and client have been updated.

This update focuses on additional error checking and data saving procedures to eliminate problems that surfaced over the weekend due to the heavy lag. I will be monitoring the server and restarting it throughout the night to run some tests.

As usual please report any data loss or rollbacks if they happen after a restart.

Thanks!

Features and Revisions

An ignore command is in place. /ignore <name> will add that character to your ignore list. We will improve this soon so that you can view your current list and remove characters from the list.

Fixes

Swapping to soulbound items should be blocked.
Dropping dirt to dead players should be blocked.

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:22 PM
Update February 23

Hello everyone,

The game server is currently down until further notice. I've taken it down so we can examine the data and run tests with some changes that have been made throughout the day.

I will wipe the data again and turn on the server when we have fixes for all the problems that we've located with the tests over the past 24 hours.

Thanks for your patience. We will get this all fixed!

--------------------------------------------------------
We tested problems with saved data throughout the night with a wipe and some forced crashes and rollbacks. We've identified a few problems that we're working on. Once we have a new update ready I will test again with a wipe and forced small rollbacks until we're sure all the issues have been fixed. For now the server will be left running until we are ready for these test.

Thanks for all the testing and reports!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:23 PM
Update February 24

The game server should be back on this evening (PST). I'm just waiting on some test results before we test our current changes live.

It's a busy day!

Xsyon
02-24-2011, 10:23 PM
Update February 24

The server will be back up in about 3 hours. We're running a few final tests.

Xsyon
03-04-2011, 11:51 AM
Update February 24

The game server is back up!

I will be testing server restarts and forced shut downs throughout the night. I will be in game asking questions to make sure that our changes are working properly.

We'll see how this testing goes tonight!

Xsyon
03-04-2011, 11:51 AM
Update February 25 11:00 AM

The game server is down while we work on fixing some problems.

The corrupted data problems appear to be solved but we have a few issues with something that was added within the past week. A patch will be up as soon as possible.

New download servers will be ready tonight and I will post a new installer when they are ready!

Xsyon
03-04-2011, 11:52 AM
Update February 25 6:45 PM

Files are currently being transferred to our new download servers. This will take another 2-3 hours. When this is ready, a new installer link will be posted and we will have an update tonight!

Xsyon
03-04-2011, 11:52 AM
Update February 25 11:00 PM

Our new download servers are up! You will need to run our latest installer:
http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Installer_20110225.zip (http://www.xsyon.com/install/Xsyon_Installer_20110225.zip)

You now have the option of downloading from a US or European server.
Both connect to the same game server.

The game server is also up and running with a very important update. Our latest tests uncovered the problems that have persisted since last Friday and we're confident these are now resolved. We'll test throughout the weekend to ensure that the server has been properly stabilized now.

I will be checking in game as usual and will announce when I am testing rollbacks and forced crashes.

I also want to clear some misconceptions posted on the forums today. Forum moderators do not have the power to ban players from the game. Their role is to organize and moderate the forums. Bans from the game will be dealt with only by our full time staff.

Xsyon
03-04-2011, 11:52 AM
Update February 26

The server has been updated. This fixes the cause of (annoying) timed shutdowns that occured throughout the night. The shutdowns were caused by our error checking system. Now that the errors have been located and fixed, the server should run smoothly today. I will continue to monitor it all day too make sure.

Xsyon
03-04-2011, 11:52 AM
Update February 26

We've recently fixed problems with data corruption and partial saves. Now that these are corrected, we are focused on determining causes of lag. We are not forcing induced lag, but are monitoring and recording things to determine what actions are causing this.

We will continue to patch out updates as we optimize the server.

Regarding the final wipe, we plan for this to be a week before the official launch of March 15th. We have compiled a list of saved totems from the 18th and will email the tribe and homestead leaders in advance of the final wipe.

We have not yet moved the game server. This is estimated to happen early this coming week.

For now, we need to continue with server improvements. Thanks for you patience!

Xsyon
03-04-2011, 11:52 AM
Update February 27

Hello everyone!

A quick update regarding our tests and lag right now. The main cause of lag is currently terraforming and actions that change the terrain or trees. Primarily, this was terraforming which is why it's been disabled today for testing. Other actions such as chopping down trees and gathering bundles when the terrain changes surfaces can have an effect, and these have not been turned off.

Lag is a lot less than yesterday, but depending on the amount of these actions, it will still occur.

We're working on the code now and will have an update as soon as possible. For now I'm just keeping everyone informed.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
03-10-2011, 05:03 AM
Update March 4

Hello Xsyon citizens!

I'd like to recap what's been going on for the past two weeks and give an update on what we're working on and what he have planned for the coming week.

On February 18th we attempted a final year zero wipe. As our dowload server shared a connection and firewall with our game servers, the heavy download traffic reached our bandwidth limit, interfering with game traffic and causing severe lag. This lag exposed various exploits and problems with tribe and totem placement which in turn led to crashes and bad data being saved. On the 19th, we decided to push forward the official launch for two weeks so that we could resolve the problems that surfaced. The major issues were as follows:

Heavy lag due to bandwidth limit:
This was resolved a week ago as we set up two new download servers separate from our game servers.

Tribe and totem exploits:
These were fixed and confirmed throught testing.

Corrupted data saving:
The saving system was revised with additional error checking, double back ups and automatic shut downs in the case of bad data being created. After a few days of server crashes and shut downs, both forced and due to problems in the code, we corrected all issues and since then the saving system has been running smoothly and rollbacks, if needed, are small and without data corruption.

Built up lag due to simultaneous terraforming activity and terrain actions:
After some optimizations we haven't been able to reproduce this lag in the past few days. We are wary that it may happen again, however. We've added some additional checks and measures so that if lag does build up again, we will be able to pinpoint the exact cause much easier in the future.

With all this out of the way, we are nearly ready for the final wipe and real start of Xsyon!

Here's what is currently in motion:

1) We will proceed with a clean slate for the Year Zero start.

The totem survey that we sent out resulted in over 70% of players that placed totems and roughly 90% of players that responded in favor of a clean start. In addition, many totems were not saved properly or were missing from the saved data.


2) The game will start with two game servers: War and Peace.

The main reason for this is to handle our current game population and anticipated growth over the next few months.

Although the lands beyond the green mist were created a long time ago, we spent a lot of time this past year improving the central active Tahoe zone. Our terrain artists are currently revising and improving the outer lands to match the central zone. The first expansion zone should be ready by the end of April. Currently, however, we can't clear the mist so we are limited to the Tahoe starting zone.

This limitation along with the recent addition of homesteads is crowding the starting zone with our current population. This is driving creatures too quickly into the green mist and not allowing enough active wilderness areas for creatures to breed. We have some additional changes to creature AI that will help resolve this issue, but at this point a two server solution is necessary.

Additionally, this solution will help with the land rush and reduce lag when the servers are full.

With an obvious existing split in the community between players who want more of a construction game and players that want to focus on PvP, we decided to use this as an opportunity for War and Peace servers.

- Both servers will allow for PvP.
- Both servers will retain our anti-griefing policies.
- Both servers will start off the same and change over time.
- Both servers will evolve with the player community.
- Players will have the option to create characters on both servers.

The War server will have safe zones removed during the Prelude. The plan is to evolve this server to focus more on tribal warfare and conquest as quickly as possible.

The Peace server will retain its safe zones with tribes having the options to engage in tribal warfare or allow PvP on tribal lands. This server will evolve more for the crafting and building community.

3) The final wipe and land rush will proceed in a controlled manner.

On the day of the final wipe, players will be able to enter the game and form their tribe charters, but not claim any land. This will allow tribes to form their groups and find their locations and then log on.

On the second day, players will be able to claim land, but terraforming will be turned off and combat will not be allowed on the Peace server. This will allow players to claim their lands without entire tribes being online, and once totems are placed, players can log off to reduce stress on the servers.

On the third day, everything will be turned on as normal and game play can begin.

We will do this do reduce potential lag and chaos. The goal of the early entry is for tribes and players to settle in, while the game will officially start with a creature reset on the 15th.

-------------------------------------------

What's next:

We are currently preparing the War and Peace servers. These are at a new location that should provide us slightly better connectivity to players around the world. This won't result in a huge difference from our current game server, but any improvement is welcome. These should be completely set up by tomorrow.

A new launcher is almost ready but needs to be tested once the game servers are fully prepared.

I'm working on a few fixes and changes that I want done before the final wipe. If we encounter any built up lag in game tonight or this weekend, we will have to take some time to work on it as well.

As of now, I estimate we'll be ready by the middle of this coming week. I will post an update tomorrow to keep everyone informed of our progress.

Xsyon
03-10-2011, 05:03 AM
Update March 4

Hello everyone!

Before arguments get out of hand I will make some sure things are clear up front. I see already many misconceptions about the War and Peace servers.

- Both servers will start off the same.
- Both will have PvP with consequences.
- The Peace server is not a PvE server.
- Safe zones will be removed during the prelude on the War server when towns can defend themselves. This is not a Chaos or griefer server, but a server for players that want tribal warfare and conquest. This will happen as soon as possible, possibly within a month or two.
- The differences between servers will be slight. This will not require a lot of additional development, just a matter of settings and switches in the code.
- Both servers will evolve with each player base. The plan is and will always be to evolve with what the player base wants.
- The servers are an option. You can play on both if you like.
- Crafting and social features on both servers will be identical. This is not a Crafting vs PvP split.

- Players that seek a world based on tribal warfare and conflict should choose the War server. That's the direction that server will evolve. Again, it will NOT be a Chaos free for all server. Players that want less danger and future consensual tribal PvP should choose the Peace server. The goal here is one of choices and balance.

- My goal here is to take the need for two servers as an opportunity to accomodate the players that want Xsyon to become a more war and conquest based game. I do believe this is a decent percent of the population.

Xsyon
03-10-2011, 05:03 AM
Update March 4

I'd like to say a bit about my vision with Xsyon.

The original design of Xsyon was conceived more than ten years ago. I envisioned a game similar to UO but with with no npc cities and quest givers. Instead players would build cities and dungeons, create quests and play monsters. I was also interested in creating a game that would evolve with the players and with players forming communities within the game that would accomodate different groups and playing styles.

Warfare and conquest was not part of the original design though conflict over claimed resources and player combat was.

The Prelude was planned as a starting point as I knew it was impossible to create the complexity of my original design (many features haven't been mentioned at all) with a small independent team. My plan was to grow the game from this starting point based on the players that I would attract. We've followed this plan all year and will continue to do so.

I do see a separation between those that want a game focused on conquest and those that want a world where allowing for war opens up benefits but is not forced upon them. The difference between world is simply that, where is the game headed? We provide the tools and features, you make the choices and the game evolves as planned.

One last clarification as I need to focus on other things: Consensual warfare would mean tribes choosing to be warring tribes or not. This would be a permanent or difficult to reverse choice, not a switch and would have benefits. Wild areas will remain as open PvP areas on both servers.

As stated below, both servers will start off the same.

Xsyon
03-10-2011, 05:04 AM
March 5

Hello everyone!

After sleeping (just a bit) on the two server decision and discussing this with the other programmers, I’ve decided that there will not be a server split.

The reason for the server split was to accommodate the amount of tribes and homesteads and anticipate growth over the next month or two while we prepare more zones. The main issues are crowding of the Tahoe basin and driving creatures away from the starting zones too quickly.

The additional benefits would be a less hectic land rush launch and the opportunity to evolve the game in two slightly different directions to accommodate what I already see as a split community.

The additional overhead would not be in future coding, but more maintenance and management of two servers and two terrain maps. After weighing the benefits and the overhead and brainstorming a bit we will try to implement some quick solutions to solve the current crowd issues and we’ll forge through a hectic launch and first month or so until we open more lands and players can expand to new territories.

To reduce crowding, we will try to implement the following:
- Slightly reduced homestead areas.
- Add ‘clans’. Clans will be 5+ member tribes with a smaller maximum radius.
- Tribes will require 10 members (as originally planned).
- Tribes and clans will not be allowed to overlap, based on their maximum radius.
- Homesteads will not be able to be placed within a tribe’s maximum radius.
- Tribes will check placement using a middle radius distance from homesteads. This will allow tribes to expand, potentially enclosing homesteads in the way. Homesteads will have priority over their zones. Tribes will have to negotiate with the homestead if they want it removed.
- Tribes losing members will revert down a level (from tribe to clan to homestead). Homesteads gaining members will require a disband and reforming to claim more land as a new clan or homestead.

To reduce the problem of animals being killed off and pushed to the mist:
- Creatures will be able to hide / hibernate, essentially being turned off temporarily.
- Breeding rates will be accelerated and allowed during the hiding phase.

Regarding the future of safe zones and conquest as brought about by the discussion of War and Peace servers:

What I imagine is:
- Tribes choosing to become warring on non-warring, not as an on / off switch but as a permanent or difficult to reverse decision, likely based on tribal actions.
- Warring tribes would be able to conquer and raid others, but they will also become susceptible to war. Non warring tribes would keep their area safe, but don’t gain the ability to raid or conquer other tribes.
- Both warring and non-warring tribes could claim resources that would be up for contest by both types of tribes.
- Some expansion zones being open to more conquest without safe zones, while in others tribes would retain the choice to war or not.

As always, Xsyon will evolve with its community to provide balance and choices. What exactly game will become 6-9 months from now will depend on how players drive the world.

This decision was made not because of the arguments and complaints but arose from proposals from the other programmers to resolve the crowding issues without the additional complications of managing two worlds.

Xsyon
03-10-2011, 05:04 AM
March 6


Hello everyone!

The game server has been moved to its final location. I don't expect any huge improvements from this but this location boasts better connectivity and we won't encounter any bandwidth limits as we did with our older cluster.

That's all for the moment. I will post another update tonight.

Xsyon
03-10-2011, 05:04 AM
March 6

Hello everyone!

We have a lot going on right now so my updates this week will be brief and to the point.

Thursday March 10 at 6:00 AM PST we will wipe the server and allow players in to form their tribe / clan charters. You will not be able to place totems yet, so you can take your time and get your tribe charters ready over the course of the day.

Friday March 11 starting at 9:00 AM PST we will allow players to place totems. Terraforming will be turned off. Once you've placed a totem, please log off to reduce traffic on this day. We may turn off other features as well.

Regardless of what we do, we expect a bit of chaos. When things settle down and totems have been placed, we will turn on terraforming.

We will reset creatures and officially start on the 15th if all goes as planned!

Xsyon
03-10-2011, 05:04 AM
March 7

Hello everyone!

A new server and client have been patched out.

We're testing some tribe revisions. Tribes will now have 4 sizes.

Homesteads 1-4 starting members.
Bands 5-9 starting members.
Clans 10-19 starting members.
Tribes 20+ starting members.


This will allow smaller groups to form tribes with a decent claimed area but without crowding the world due to the maximum tribe size.

Each of the tribe types can grow in radius beyond the size of the next type, so their maximum radius anticipates some growth.


Homesteads have a fixed radius.
Bands grow in size up to 15 members.
Clans grow in size up to 25 members.
Tribes grow in size up to 80 members.

If your group drops below the minimum number, it will change to the next size tribe. We will not implement tribe and homestead overlap for now due to potential complicated situations. We'll think about further revisions to the system in the future when we expand the green mist.


Aside from the maximum growth size there is no difference between these tribe types. The member counts were chosen based on current tribe sizes to provide some balance.


We may slightly adjust the numbers after some more tests tomorrow.


In addition, tribes will be able to place totems at starter areas except for Founder's Isle. However, these will still be safe zones without combat or terraforming. The safe zones will be removed after we set starting zones based on tribe locations (tribes will be able to specify if they want a start zone near their tribe or not).

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:33 PM
March 10 2011

Hello everyone!

The Year Zero final wipe commences, spread out ove the next few days as follows:

Thursday March 10 at 6:00 AM PST we will wipe the server and allow players in to form their tribe / clan charters.

You will not be able to place totems yet, so you can take your time and get your tribe charters ready over the course of the day. Most actions will be turned off. Take your time, today is for forming tribes and scouting locations only.

Friday March 11 starting at 9:00 AM PST we will allow players to place totems.

Most actions will be turned off. Once you've placed a totem, please log off to reduce traffic on this day. Only 1 person is required to log on to place a totem once the tribe character is created and filled.

Once characters are settled in, we will turn on actions and the let the game

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:33 PM
March 10 2011

A quick announcement and update:

To avoid further confusion with tribes, the system has been slightly revised.

1) Tribe type will be chosen when placing your actual totem.

20 or more will start a tribe.
10-19 will start a clan.
5-9 will start a band.
less than 5 will start a homestead.

2) When creating a Tribe Charter you will have only 1 selection.

This applies to already existing Charters. There is no need to create a new charter if you have one in place.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:34 PM
March 11 2011 9:00 AM PST

Phase II of Year Zero has started. Today you can place totems. One 1 person is required to place a totem. The tribe type created is based on the number of players in your tribe charter when you place your totem.

We will be monitoring all day and patching out updates if needed.

Enjoy the madness!

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:34 PM
March 11 2011 10:00 AM PST

The server will be down till further notice, while we fix and issue with the Tribe system.
Sorry for the troubles, but we will get this issue resolved as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:34 PM
March 11 2011 12:20 PM PST

Hello everyone!

We are going to do a new totem placement start at 3:00 PM PST.

I apologize for the problems this morning, but we needed to reset data as tribe radii were not placed correctly due to recent changes. Everything seems to be correct now. The data has been restored to the last backup before this morning's update.

We will monitor closely to ensure that totems are placed and stored correctly. We plan to spread out this launch as much as needed.

Thanks for being patient!

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:34 PM
March 11 2011 7:45 PM PST

The server is back up. I will be monitoring closely.

We are focused on resolving current causes of lag and other recent issues and will keep working on this throughout the weekend.

I will restart the server as needed to ensure that data is backed up.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:35 PM
March 12 2011

Today we are going to focus on monitoring lag, making optimizations and fixing bugs.

While we've found and fixed many potential causes of lag, clearly some issues remain and we need to concentrate on eliminating these.

That's all for now.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:35 PM
March 13 2011 3:00 PM PST

The game server is currently down until we can patch out an update to block character naming exploits.

I will post when this update is ready.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:35 PM
March 13 2011 7:00 PM PST

The game server is up.

Character name exploits have been blocked.

Global chat has been disabled.

The final starting zones have been updated with more junk piles. If there are any problems with your totem floating or sunken due to slight terrain changes, please contact a Guide.

Terraforming, logging, construction and crafting will remain off until we are sure that are no problems with the updated terrain.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:35 PM
March 14 2011

Hello everyone!

We turned features back on in groups over the course of the night. Currently only combat is disabled and creatures have not yet been spawned.

The download servers are overloading because of the large terrain patch, but many players have gotten past this and are in game. I am working with our server hosts to see what can be done about the downloads.

That's all for now!

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:35 PM
March 14 2011

A quick update. We've upped the bandwidth limit on the download server. This should help move things along for today.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:35 PM
March 14 2011

Another quick update. We are well aware of the lag and will continue to work on it. We've been adding additional detection code to pinpoint where things are getting stuck. More players, more potential causes. System resources and bandwidth are not issues right now.

We will stop taking Pre-Orders at 12:00 Midnight PST. Pre-Order players will have 2 1/2 months of game time starting tomorrow.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:36 PM
March 15 2011

We experienced a large rollback. Unfortunately we can't restore this data as it was not saved. We are working to ensure this does not happen further and will be stopping and restarting the server to make sure that it is saving correctly now.

Xsyon
03-24-2011, 03:36 PM
March 15 2011

We have corrected the data saving issue and are continuing to work on reducing lag. Creatures and combat have been turned back on.

I apologize for all the current problems. We are doing our best to handle the great increase in player population.

Thank you very much for being patient as we continue to patch out improvements.

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:02 AM
March 16 2011

Hello everyone!

We are currently focused on the lag issues. The server ran with little lag and no rollbacks all night. As more players logged on this morning, lag started to build up again.

I will summarize as best as I can what we've fixed and what we are currently working on.

The lag is not a simple issue as it can be caused by many things. A few weeks ago the main bottleneck was a bandwidth limit. With this removed, we've been tracking and fixing other causes of lag. Although when you are in game during lag, it's definitely frustrating and difficult to see our progress, a lot of progress has been made.

Lag is not being caused simply by the amount of players online, but the more players online the more likely the causes of lag will be triggered. Once these happen, lag will build up over time and alleviate only when the most lagged players log off.

What we are doing is measuring the most critical functions that are causing things to get backed up. Earlier, these were terrain functions, but with these optimized, other functions have become the problem.

With each improved update, we can handle more players before lag is triggered. We will continue to optimize, update and detect the next problem area in the code.

Thanks again for your patience and for all the reports.

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:03 AM
March 19 2011

Hello everyone!

A quick update for today just to keep all of you informed:

For the most part, lag has been taken care of. We are still experiencing lag at peak hours, but we've made huge improvements over this past week.

We are focusing on a few things right now:

Server optimizations to further reduce lag and increase overall performance.

Client / DirectX optimizations to increase client performance for both loading and frame rate.

Fixing critical bugs.

The art team is primarily working on preparing expansion territories.

When these critical issues are under control, I will post a longer update about what features and improvements we'll be working on for the near future.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:03 AM
March 23 2011

Hello everyone. We are aware of crashes many players are experiencing with the latest patch and are looking into this to prepare a new update as soon as possible.

Thanks

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:03 AM
March 23 2011

Important update: We have found the problem causing crashes and have patched out an update. The problem was being caused with our new DirectX improvements which needed some adjustements.

If you are still crashing, please send us your most recent 'client' and 'crash' logs.

Also, please delete Options.sav from your Xsyon/Save directory to reset default options.

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:03 AM
March 23 2011

Hello everyone!

I'm waiting on the other programmers so we can deal with the changes that have slowed loading to the point that the game client seems stuck waiting on commands. We will work on resolving this as soon as possible.

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:03 AM
March 24 2011 12:30 AM PST

Hello again!

The server has been updated with a fix (hopefully) for the problems loading entities earlier today. We will be monitoring closely to make sure.

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:03 AM
March 24 2011 3:30 PM PST

Hello everyone!

The server and client have been updated. This patch should correct the problem that players have been having staying logged in after a crash.

We are focused on several issues right now:

1) Server optimizations to prevent lag and to allow for more growth without lag occuring.

2) Client DirectX and memory use optimizations to fix crashes and improve overall performance for loading and rendering. This includes a lot of quick improvements being made by our new programmer. Some of these have caused more crashes so we need to continue reviewing crash reports to ensure that all new settings are compatible and correct.

3) Fixing critical bugs and blocking exploits. This includes additional checks on the server to detect, record and prevent exploits.

4) Preparing the terrain beyond the green mist. This is the reason for the large zone.xsip updates.

We're going to spend the next few days working on these issues specifically. Once I can catch up with bug reports and our server optimizations are complete, we will switch gears to focus on improving and adding new features.

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:04 AM
March 25 2011 6:00 AM PST

Hello everyone!

I've patched out an update, primarily focused on more client (DirectX) and server performance issues as well as fixes for some bugs and exploits.

I will contact all players that have reported crashes recently as we've added additional information our the client and crash logs. We are also working on improvements to the patching system today.

In addition:

- /unignore <name> can be used to remove a character from your ignore list.

- Unarmed combat damage has been corrected. It was set too high.

- Characters stuck spinning have been fixed and additional checks were added to prevent this in the future.

- The goal count for quest items can be set to a limit based on maximum stack count, or 100 for items with large stack counts.

- Most actions are blocked from a sitting / sleeping state. Jump will properly take your character out of a resting state.

- Creature stats have been adjusted.

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:04 AM
March 27 2011 3:00 AM PST


Hello everyone!


Just a quick note: There are some disconnection issues right now, possibly orginating at our hosting data center. This is not affecting all players, but many are affected (including me!). I've contacted our hosts to see what's going on and I expect this will be resolved soon.

We are working primarily on improving the patcher and patch system this weekend in addition to some continued improvements to the server and client. I expect to update everything on Monday!

Xsyon
04-14-2011, 12:04 AM
March 29 2011 5:30 PM PST

Hello everyone!

I took the opportunity while the server was down to patch out and important update today.

This update focuses on frame rate improvements and fixing critical bugs.

There were several issues, in particular with lights and effects from many camp fires that were slowing down the frame rate in many areas. I hope you will all notice a big improvement with this update! We measured big changes on our systems and will continue with more optimizations.

We are done with server optimizations for now and will shift our focus to:

1) Improvements to the patching system that are almost done.

2) 'Baking' the terraforming changes on a regular schedule. These will be done once the patching system is updated and will greatly reduce loading times and improve sector crossings.

3) Continued graphics and frame rate optimizations.

3) A revised creature AI system that is currently being tested.

4) New combat system.

5) Feature improvements and additions!


I will be monitoring and in contact with the Guides, awaiting feedback on the frame rate.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:34 PM
April 1 2011

Hello everyone!

We are currently working very hard on optimizing loading (in particular loading of terrain changes) to reduce the long loading times and eliminate the lag times while crossing zones. Baking the terrain as planned would eliminate most of the current loading issues, but we've designed a better long term solution. This is being implemented in steps and tested on the test server. It might take a few days for the next update, but we'll keep working through the weekend as usual until this problem is solved.

The order page will be disabled briefly tonight for an update.

We also will shut down the server for 30-60 minutes tonight so that I can transfer the current game data to the test server. I will announce this with a few hours of advance warning.

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:35 PM
April 2 2011

Hello everyone!

The server will be down from 6:00 AM PST to 7:00 AM PST so that we can transfer the current data to the test server. I apologize for interrupting the game today at this hour, but we really need the current data copied so that we can better test our changes to loading and crossing sectors.

Thanks!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:35 PM
April 2 2011

The server is back up. I will post an update on our progress on the loading and zone crossing issues tonight.

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:35 PM
April 3 2011

Hello everyone!

Not much news tonight, but I want to keep everyone updated. We've made some improvements with loading and zone crossing, but have a few more optimizations to implement and test. We need to test our changes thoroughly before patching out the next update.

We're very concentrated on this so that's all for now!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:35 PM
April 5 2011

A quick update for this morning. We will be shutting down the server for 1 hour daily (as we did this morning) for routine server maintenance. Today we're continuing our tests optimizing loading, in particular while crossing zones as well as testing changes to creature AI. Things are looking good, but we do need to test our new changes as thoroughly as possible before the next update. I expect the next public update will be tomorrow or after.


Enjoy!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:36 PM
April 14 2011

Hello everyone!

We've finally patched out the latest server and client update. Eliminating the zone crossing lag required big changes that we needed to test thoroughly this past week. This is a major build on the server side and we will be able to patch out more frequent small updates over the next two weeks.

Our new programmers have helped make many optimizations and server improvements, so this build prepares us for changes ahead. I'm really looking forward to the coming months as we start to evolve Xsyon!

In this update:

- New creature AI system with an improved creature behavior system.
- Zone crossing lag eliminated.
- Zone loading times reduced.
- Packets compressed and optimized for reduced bandwidth usage and overal better performance.
- Timing out of crashed players improved to avoid the 'already timed out' messages.
- Bug causing some players to scavenge unusual items such as felled trees fixed.
- Many small bugs fixed.

In progress:

- All creatures will be in game soon. We have a few minor behavior variable adjustments to make and test.
- Finalizing a decay system for crafted items.
- Faster tree growth and surface generation system. This will include scrap pile generation.
- Server and client memory use optimization.
- Revised patcher with improved compression for smaller downloads.

These are things we expect to patch out with then next week or two. We are formulating a plan right now for the next 6 weeks and I will post the details as soon as everything has been discussed with the team.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:36 PM
April 14 2011 8:00 PM PST

Hello everyone,

Those of you playing today know that we are experiencing frequent server crashes today with this build. We didn't have this problem on the test server so we are working as hard as possible to find out exactly what is causing this.

We're focused entirely on this issue right now. If the crashes continue over the next few hours, we may rollback to the previous build to see if the crashes are due to something that's changed on the server.

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:36 PM
April 15 2011 9:30 AM PST

Hello everyone,

I've patched out a build that allows all players to connect to the test server. Please join us on the test server if you like.

The database on the test server is a copy of the main database from 2 days ago. What we are primarily testing is players logging on and off repeatedly, in particular players that log in twice from the same computer. We are also testing players logging in while others are crossing zones. So the main things we need players to test are:

- Log in and out, fully or just to the character screen.
- Cross zone boundaries repeatedly.

We have not yet been able to reproduce a server crash on the test server. We are currently running a debug build that will help us gather more detailed information. Your help testing this is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:36 PM
April 15 2011 12:20 PM PST

The main server will be turned off at 1:00 PM PST temporarily so that we can focus on the test server build. The main server may be down for a few hours, but all players will be able to log on the test server. we really need to try to crash the test server build so that we can resolve the crashes that have happened on the main server.

Thank you all for your help and patience while we track down the crashes!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:36 PM
April 15 2011 2:30 PM PST

The main server is back up. If you would like to help us continue to test on the test server, please do so. Both servers will be accessible.

We reverted to the old animal AI on the main server and added some error checking. We will continue to focus on the source of these recent crashes.

Thank you very much to all that have been helping us on the test server!

Xsyon
04-29-2011, 08:37 PM
April 15 2011 9:45 PM PST

Hello everyone! The good news is that I've pinpointed the exact problem causing the server crashes with the current build. The problem originates when a player disconnects in the middle of crossing zones. We will figure out exactly why this is a problem and fix it as soon as possible. At the moment I'm waiting on the other programmers.

We'll work on this all night, as usual.

Xsyon
05-21-2011, 11:22 PM
April 16 2011 2:30 AM PST

Hello everyone! The server is up with an update. This should fix the server crashes that we had the past few days. We'll be monitoring closely as usual for problems. Hopefully this build is now stable and we can move on to more interesting tasks.

With this update, we've turned the new animal AI back on and reverted all other server optimizations

Xsyon
05-21-2011, 11:22 PM
April 23 2011

Hello everyone!

I haven't posted much on these forums for a while as I've been extremely busy behind the scenes. A lot is going so it's about time to catch everyone up.

First of all I'd like to introduce two new members of the development team, 'Dezgard' and 'Danathur'. You have probably already seen them either on the forums, in IRC, or in game.

Dezgard runs our new test team and Danathur joins us a game designer and programmer. Both will be interacting with the community to solicit feedback on current, planned and desired features and game balance.

I'm also glad to introduce two new programmers, 'Sergant' and 'Alexx', who have joined the team this past month. They both have jumped in head first, quickly getting acquainted with code and optimizing the server and the client. Now that they are settled in Sergant will be focusing on creatures, combat and client optimizations, while Alexx will prepare our server clusterfor future expansion.

We’ve also added a few terrain artists to the team and we have new areas to the east and northwest which are almost ready to be cleared of the green mist.

Our Guides will continue to run events in game to provide some daily excitement and activity.

I will be in Russia for the first half of May, meeting the new team members and making preparations for the future!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are our development plans from now through mid summer.

Overall plan:

We are going to evolve Xsyon to include farming, contested expansion totems and revamped combat. The goal is to provide more daily activities to tend to and something to fight over. While we progress towards this goal we will wrap up many things that are almost ready and continue to balance and improve current features based on feedback.

Immediate goals:

We are currently finishing up a revised patcher that uses compressed files and we are preparing the server for a tree planting and agriculture system. Once these are ready, we will be able to patch out smaller features and improvements on a more regular basis.

Our new creature growth and breeding system is complete and being tested along with further improvements to creature AI.

As we progress towards our overall goal we will wrap up many things that have been sitting almost finished for a while. This includes:

- Object decay and tool tips turned back on.
- All wild creatures in game.
- Animal growth and breeding.
- Female only armor sets.
- Full themed architecture sets, including floors, roofs and stairs for multiple story construction.
- Functioning gates.
- Cooking system.
- Quest system improvements
- Death penalties added.
- Town improvements, including currency, town friends and foes, and binding to friendly totems.
- Crafting improvements including material bonuses, repair and dismantling.
- Fire building improvements including fire fueling and tending.
- Undead creatures.
- Improved guide commands for running special events.

All of these will be introduced while we work towards adding agriculture, expansion totems and a completely revamped combat system.

Over the past six weeks we’ve been dealing with one emergency after another and have made vast improvements to the server to handleour player base and optimized the client to improve frame rates.

I know our efforts don’t make much of a public impact, but they were necessary and will prepare us for the future.

Once we finish the launcher improvements we are ready to roll out regular updates focused on improved and new features.

I thank you all for your patience with the rough launch. I’ve been taking in all of your suggestions from emails and from forum reports gathered and sent to me. Please feel free to approach Dezgard and Danathur with your suggestions and general feedback.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
05-21-2011, 11:23 PM
April 27 2011

A quick update today to let you know what we are working on.

Currently we are wrapping up improvements to the launcher and patching system. We are testing this heavily as we are trying to eliminate all problems that players have experienced with patching files in the past. The improved system uses file compression that reduces the total download by half. The new launcher will allow players to select from the main build or a test build, which will enable us to let players jump in on the test server and check out features in progress before they are patched out to the main server.

We need to finish this new launcher before moving forward as our next patch will include a lot of data in anticipation of features that we will be adding over the next month. As soon as it's ready it will be made available for download.

Danathur and Dezgard will become increasingly involved here on the forums so that I can concentrate on managing our expanded team and working on the code. In particular, Danathur will be soliciting feedback and posting in regards to upcoming features and the overall direction of Xsyon. I will continue to post general updates at least weekly as time permits.

Enjoy!

Xsyon
05-21-2011, 11:23 PM
April 27 2011

I would like to add that once the updated launcher / patcher is ready we will patch out our current build. This build focuses on improved creature AI including creature breeding, hibernating and hiding. The patch will be accompanied by a large spawn of creatures which will then multiply. In addition as we are revising the stored tree data in preparation for tree planting and agriculture, we may respawn all trees.

Xsyon
05-21-2011, 11:23 PM
April 29 2011

Hello everyone!
First of all we are in the final testing phase of our launcher improvements. I will post later today to announce the next update. The new launcher will require a full download, however the download is now less than half of what it previously was.

The following is a response to another thread but I am copying this here to keep all of you informed.

I apologize for the rough launch. We do our best to resolve issues as they arise and I'm proud of what we've accomplished in the past 6 weeks. A lot of gameplay improvements had to be placed on hold as we worked through bigger problems with lag, slow frame rate, loading times, crashes and exploits. I realize that these fixes and optimizations don't give you players the satisfaction that new and improved features will, but they were critical issues that needed to be dealt with so that we can move forward.

Regarding game features: some were temporarily disabled to help us focus on fixing problems, some are being completely revised thanks to our new programmers and some will be replaced or modified to accommodate our plans to add farming, expansions and conflict into the game. That is the nature of the Prelude and Xsyon in general. We will do better to adjust the feature list to the current state of the game, what is changing and what is evolving.

One thing that I want to make clear about the Prelude is that this is a period for evolving the game. Things will constantly change. Our goal is to provide the right tools and systems so that players can make things happen. The Prelude is intended as a process between players and developers. With the coming launcher update, players will be able to join us on the test server to check out our changes in progress.

In this past month we've doubled the size of the team, but we are still very small. Our new members are just settling into their roles and there is intentional overlap between development and community management. Many changes to the website systems, communication plans and the structure of the team are in progress. At the same time, I have had to focus on our improved launcher, getting the new programmers acquainted with the code and preparing to spend the next few weeks in Russia where I will be meeting the new developers and setting up shop in the near future.

Danathur and Dezgard were chosen for their experience and vision. I am confident they will do well in providing much needed interaction with the community.

Let us know what is bothering you in a constructive manner and we can respond better to what is critical for both the game and the community. We all want the same thing here, so I appreciate all of your feedback and assistance in letting things happen and making things happen! Let's all make Xsyon a great game and community!

Xsyon
05-21-2011, 11:23 PM
April 29 2011

Hello Xsyon citizens!

The launcher and a the next client and server update are ready, however we're going to continue testing throughout the weekend and hold off on patching this out until I've arrived in Moscow. I leave early Monday morning and I don't want any last minute emergencies with this build to happen as I'm preparing for this trip or while I'm in the air.

Wednesday will be our regular day for patches unless we have additional critical patches that need to be made.

I will work with Dezgard tomorrow on a system for keeping the launcher window up to date with critical information and hopefully we will have that ready before my departure.

Xsyon
05-21-2011, 11:24 PM
April 30 2011

Hello Xsyon citizens!

We've updated the launcher panel. The panel now shows:

- Current Server Status
- Link to display the latest updates posted here
- Link to the forums
- Link to IRC chat
- Maintenance schedule

We will continue to improve this, but this should give players easier access to information without having to check here.

Enjoy!