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LIVE February 28th; what's new?

Undone

Codemaster
Stormhaven Studios
What's new?
This month's patch is likely the largest changeset we have ever delivered at one time. It includes new quests, a new zone, numerous bug fixes, quality of life enhancements, and performance improvements. Your banks have more space, merchants allow you to buyback things that you had previously sold them, and your fellow players will suffer embarrassing losses to your weighted dice.

Moving our development cadence to a monthly live patch has proved to be far more productive than our previous weekly release schedule. It's much easier to push content and fixes to QA more frequently when we don't have to worry about breaking the game. We received a ton of great feedback from QA the past few weeks so we would like to thank everyone in the community who provided that feedback. You can expect QA to open up again once we get some more content/fixes in (about a week). And when time allows I will continue adding features to QA to make your testing experience smoother (teleports to QA zone, etc).

Bug fixes / improvements:
  • Performance
    • Fixed a major per-frame allocation with the vegetation rendering system. This should reduce hitching for some.
    • Adjusted the "pixel error" of all overland zone terrains. This results in less accurate terrain mesh at a distance for a moderate performance boost.
    • Disabled volumetric fog anisotropy. This should give a moderate performance improvement at the cost of less dramatic lighting. This should also further reduce the washed out look when looking towards the sun. This should help everyone, but will be most noticeable for those running at higher than 1080p resolutions.
    • Disabled double sided rendering for all water materials in the game. This should yield a minor performance improvement when water is in the scene.
    • Cloud reflections are now updated over multiple frames for a minor performance boost in all overland scenes.
    • Added destination caching for pathing NPCs. This should significantly reduce the load NPCs place on the server's navigation system in some situations. In other words: improved server performance.
  • Tech
    • Fixed a number of client-side exceptions.
    • Fixed issue where players were considered to be crouching while holding crouch while in combat stance.
    • Fixed issues with feared NPCs not running away from players.
    • Fixed an issue where feared NPCs could still attack
    • Fixed issues with center screen announcements not showing for some players.
    • Reverted max cloud shadow distance back to where it was before disco time was introduced (flashing light at dusk/dawn)
    • Slightly increased animation lerp rates (transition from stopped --> run is faster).
    • Camera damping is now off by default to make things a bit "snappier". You can re-enable this in your gameplay options. Camera damping eases the camera movement between different movement speeds. Kind of an "easing" that happens most noticeable when your character stops or starts moving.
  • Environment / Art
    • Fixed some misc prop issues in Newhaven City
    • Fixed some misc prop issues in Redshore & Redshore Ridge
    • Fixed some stuck spots in Dryfoot Stronghold & Central Veins.
    • Fixed Ashen Mandrake frond texture issue.
    • Fixed a number of missing diffusion profiles on misc. vegetation items that were causing them to be overly green.
    • Fixed missing shield visuals for Crag Kite Shield
    • Fixed some ambient light color issues in some dungeon rooms.
    • Added a new targeting reticle graphic.
    • Learning animation replaced with a book reading animation.
    • Updated road signs in Meadowlands.
    • Disabled a few non-functional anvils.
    • Reduced bloom post processing effect intensity and ubiquity. Hopefully this will further help with the washed out visuals some have mentioned.
    • Adjusted humanoid skin material to reduce light bleed when close to light sources.
    • Reduced shininess of humanoid skin slightly.
    • Reduced the size of Forestry logs slightly.
    • Adjusted Stun attack animations.
    • Added water ripple visual effects when moving through water.
    • Added new swimming animations.
    • Increased cloud shadow quality
  • Audio
    • Male & Female jump audio clips are now more consistent (all clips are the same voice now). Pitch variation reduced as well.
    • Normalized a number of animal audio clips (bear, boar, wolf, frog, spider, stag, bat rat). These could likely still use some work but hopefully they are better than they were before.
    • Increased frequency of ground sampling for your character to produce more accurate footstep audio.
    • Added water slosh audio when moving through water.
  • UI:
    • Fixed bank locations being swapped on the Newhaven City map
    • Fixed trigger count not decreasing on target dummies, rats nests, and ant hills (they were decreasing on the server - your UI was just not updating correctly).
    • Fixed trigger chance not appearing on tooltips for some abilities (i.e. open wound)
    • Fixed item counts not properly updating in the trade window with item splits and merges.
    • Fixed exceptions when adding item links to chat.
    • Fixed an issue where some players were not receiving group invites.
    • Fixed an issue where you could select a different character via the arrow keys on character selection after hitting "enter world"
    • Fixed incorrect font usage on character creation input box.
    • Fixed issue where you could not repair individual items while missing a bag as it was not properly checking your stash for cash.
    • Fixed an issue where you were unable to purchase a bank expansion even if you had the appropriate funding until you relogged.
    • Fixed crafting & harvesting books to now have correct Blue/Red requirement tooltips based on the level of the required skill. Previously these were only comparing against the highest level crafting or gathering skill.
    • Gathering tools now require the level of the appropriate skill to use. Previously they were only checking against the highest level Gathering skill.
    • Added extended ASCII character support to the chat font (accents etc.)
    • Added "Bees of Knowledge" toggle to Game Options. When checked the bees will show for all who learn.
    • Added "Legacy Jump Audio" toggle to Audio Options. When checked jumps will use many voices as they once did.
    • Added a "Consider" keybind option which echos the Chevron+Color difficulty tooltip text to the chat. This is unbound by default.
    • Added tips to loading screens.
    • Added notifications to chat when abilities rank up
    • Added "Who" command to player context menus
    • Tabs on the Skills & Crafting UI are now slightly more pronounced and hopefully a bit more noticeable.
    • Leave Group icon changed from the "x" to a "log out" icon (the same one used for leave guild).
    • Experience bar below the action bar will now more intelligently select another role/profession to track if you forget the selected role/profession.
    • Tooltips are now more opaque. One day I'll get a slider in so you can adjust it yourself but for now I have made them less see transparent.
    • Loot roll results are now sorted in chat by Need/Greed/Pass. Within each category rolls are sorted by value, then by name with the Winner always appearing at the top of the results.
    • Highlighting items when their counts increase.
    • Highlighting bag icons in the upper right when items are added to your bag, gathering bag, or equipment.
    • Adding VFX overhead of NPCs that are feared.
    • Improved combat logging for DOTs/HOTs and other applications.
    • Increased maximum bank size to 8x8 slots for both your personal & shared banks. Each row now has 2 additional slots - this will cause your items to "shift" position so you may want to reorganize things :)
  • Design:
    • Shortbows and Crossbows reduced delay from 5s to 4s
    • 1H Mace flanking bonus changed from PEN to HIT
    • Brookhollow Knuckles have DMG/HIT now instead of Avoid/Block
    • Fixed issue with Ashen Toads referencing the wrong loot tables.
    • Fixed issue with Ashen Ant loot tables not including Ash.
    • Fixed issue with mobs always using the lowest level of specialization skills such as Venom Strike.
    • Riposte ability split into player & npc versions. Player version has higher damage and threat multipliers.
    • Increased base speed of Mandrakes
    • Increased respawn rates for various camps around Redshore.
    • Mob ability Vice Grip duration reduced.
    • Effects that are triggered via attack/hit such as Quillback Spines, Viperid Toxins, Hemorrhaging Strike, Open Wound, and other damage shields will no longer miss when they fire off. Instead they will always score a normal hit.
    • Adjusted gap between low and high tier tea. Deer leafs add duration.
    • Fixed issue with Silk materials not keeping their material prefix
    • Added flatworms to Redshore Ridge
    • Added new consumables and crafting items to Redshore merchant
    • Poplar recipe available at level 25 instead of 46
    • Enabled dynamic threat scaling for Disengage
    • Ability Patch reduced healing amount by 10%
    • Added new level 34 abilities. NOTE that these abilities once learned are lost when your spec is dropped and re-learned (meaning you would have to re-acquire these abilities). Given that this scenario is unlikely to occur often we deferred fixing this to focus on other higher priority items.
  • Quests:
    • Added default dialogue to Phil in Newhaven Valley
    • Fixed a few misc. typos.
    • New Quests:
      • Runty's Revenge
      • The Circle Expedition
      • In the Forest of Madness
      • Stone and Bones
      • The Hunt
      • The Great Hunt
      • Eye in the Sky
      • The Fight for the Freehold
New stuff:
Dueling
Have you ever wanted to face off against another player? Well now you can, with dice! Our game is strictly a PvE game and the back-end system are designed with that in mind. Enabling any sort of player vs. player combat would require significant engineering time which we are in short supply of. Given that our game is heavily based on dice we thought it appropriate to add duels by dice rolls in place of actual player vs. player fighting.

Duels in our game are nothing more than a classic "death roll". The way these work is that the starting player rolls a 100 sided die. Their opponent then rolls a die with as many sides as the result of the previous player's roll. This process continues until someone rolls a 1 and they are deemed the loser. So as an example, let's say Undone and Drindin duel it might look something like this:
  • Undone rolls a 1d100 --> 74
  • Drindin rolls a 1d74 --> 53
  • Undone rolls a 1d53 --> 23
  • Drindin rolls a 1d23 --> 4
  • Undone rolls a 1d4 --> 4
  • Drindin rolls a 1d4 --> 1 --> LOSES
During this rolling process players will lose a fraction of their health proportional to the difference in their opponent's roll and their last roll. This is always a fraction of your health and should never knock you out. This is simply to simulate "the duel". The loser will fall to their knees and beg for forgiveness, the winner will perform a random dance emote to gloat, and the results will be broadcast to the entire zone.

To duel someone simply execute the "/duel <opponent name>" or "/deathroll <opponent name>" chat command, or select "Duel" from right clicking the player's nameplate. Players must remain within 10m of the initial duel spot otherwise the player leaving the area will forfeit the duel. Duel requests from blocked players will be declined automatically. Duels are not legally binding...unless you want them to be.

Social window improvements
To increase visibility (and hopefully usage) of the LFG/LFM tool we have split the social UI into two separate panes. In the left pane you will find the LFG/LFM tools, while on the right you will find the friends/block/guilds management section. The window can now also be resized vertically. A number of new features have also been added:
  • "Online Only" toggle for friend & guild lists
  • "Friend Request" option on guild member context menus
  • "Invite to Group" box added to the bottom of the LFG/LFM panel.
  • Added level, zone, and role to friend list entries.
  • Added "Last Online" to guild member tooltips.
  • You can now sort your friend list by Name, Role, Level, Zone, and Last Online status in either ascending or descending order.
  • You can now sort your guild list by Name, Rank, Role, Level, Zone, Join Date, and Last Online status in either ascending or descending order.
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Merchant Buyback
Merchant's of Embers Adrift have finally come to their senses and will allow you to buyback items that you had recently sold to them. When selling items to merchants they will appear in the "Buyback" tab of the merchant UI for the next 30 minutes allowing you to buy it back for the price sold. Each item will show the time remaining before expiration on the tooltip.
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Grimstone Canyon
Grimstone Canyon is a level 30+ zone located to the north east of Dryfoot. This zone is currently segmented into three "phases" with this first release being Phase I only. The second phase will be the higher altitude portion of the canyon, while the third phase will likely be a new zone released farther down the line.

The beautiful red-walled canyons north of Dryfoot are marred only by the Grimstone Marauders dwelling within - earning them the name "Grimstone Canyons." These marauders are even worse than their Drybone counterparts - if that was possible. They are ruthless beyond measure and will do anything to get more "slagrock," their term for ember ore.The views you'll find in Grimstone Canyon are quite stunning, but don't let them distract you from your surroundings. If you don't pay attention you're prone to be ambushed by any manner of vicious creatures. From the fearsome Redmanes to the deadly scorpions that call these canyons home.
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Last edited:
Hello,

Was inventory space updated? I read somewhere else that it was and I do not see it in these patch notes. If it was how much was it increased? I could not play the game with the minimal inventory design choice.
 
Wow, that's alot of changes! Great work.

About the volumetric fog anisotropy: Are there plans to add it as an option? When logging on today the first time after the patch I noticed something with the graphics was different, couldn't place it first but I think it's the volumetric fog anisotropy. Now it looks sharper with brighter colors (to my eyes...). Could be just me.
 
Hello,

Was inventory space updated? I read somewhere else that it was and I do not see it in these patch notes. If it was how much was it increased? I could not play the game with the minimal inventory design choice.
Increased maximum bank size to 8x8 slots for both your personal & shared banks. Each row now has 2 additional slots - this will cause your items to "shift" position so you may want to reorganize things :)
 
Was inventory space updated? I read somewhere else that it was and I do not see it in these patch notes. If it was how much was it increased? I could not play the game with the minimal inventory design choice.
It was not. Bank space only.
 
About the volumetric fog anisotropy: Are there plans to add it as an option? When logging on today the first time after the patch I noticed something with the graphics was different, couldn't place it first but I think it's the volumetric fog anisotropy. Now it looks sharper with brighter colors (to my eyes...). Could be just me.
Maybe? Given the performance benefit of leaving the anisotropy at 0 we'll likely just leave it there - but in some instances we may change the anisotropy for specific zones for increased effect.
 
  • Performance
    • Adjusted the "pixel error" of all overland zone terrains. This results in less accurate terrain mesh at a distance for a moderate performance boost.
    • Disabled volumetric fog anisotropy. This should give a moderate performance improvement at the cost of less dramatic lighting. This should also further reduce the washed out look when looking towards the sun. This should help everyone, but will be most noticeable for those running at higher than 1080p resolutions.
    • Disabled double sided rendering for all water materials in the game. This should yield a minor performance improvement when water is in the scene.
    • Cloud reflections are now updated over multiple frames for a minor performance boost in all overland scenes.

For the items above are there any plans to add a toggle for those that want the improved quality at the performance trade off if they have a high end system?
 
For the items above are there any plans to add a toggle for those that want the improved quality at the performance trade off if they have a high end system?
The quality difference in most of these cases is negligible. The only potential exception is the fog anisotropy but that's more of a stylistic change which can be very objective. I currently have no plans to add toggles for any of these until we receive more feedback.
 
The quality difference in most of these cases is negligible. The only potential exception is the fog anisotropy but that's more of a stylistic change which can be very objective. I currently have no plans to add toggles for any of these until we receive more feedback.
I would be very happy if the fog anisotropy was made possible again. The beautiful lightning it results in was one of my favorite atmospheric features of the game. It also added greatly to the immersion and made it feel more like a world in addition to being a game.
 
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