Xsyon Updates Archive

[Xsyon]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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!