LIVE May 28th; what's new?

[Undone]

This month's patch introduces two new dungeons, a new creature, and raid frames. There are also a number of tech additions that will enable us to make the game more interactive in future patches.

• Tech / NPCs
  • Fixed a bug that caused some NPCs to not respect their reset distance. This mainly impacts skull boss mobs.
  • Fixed an issue with some NPCs not properly animating their combat stance. This mainly impacts Stonecoats & Nocturnes who would sometimes be in combat but animating their idle stance.
  • Fixed an issue with returned mail stripping data from stackable components rendering them unstackable with previous stacks.
  • Fixed an issue where mail would sometimes not show up for recipients.
  • Wandering NPCs now do their best to not face a wall during their pauses between wander spots.
  • NPCs will now more intelligently select which abilities to use based on their health fraction.
    • Heals will be used less frequently at higher health
    • Defensive abilities will be used less frequently at max health.
    • Death save abilities will be used closer to death
  • More humanoid loading performance optimizations. These will likely have a minor impact but every tiny bit helps. We are continuing to work on improvements here.
  • Added some new tech for synchronizing item states across the network with very little additional overhead. This will allow us to make a more interactive world through the use of more interactive objects, traps, and other contraptions.
    • In this patch we have converted many of the drums found in Ravenrock + Exiles to be interactive allowing you to beat on them. While this may not seem like much at first we have many things planned for future patches.
    • There may also be some other contraptions to be found in Osric's rest...
• Environment / Art
  • Fixed a number of stuck spots in Northreach, Meadowlands, Dryfoot, Dryfoot Stronghold, Grimstone Canyon, Highland Hills, Ember Veins, Central Veins, Aquifer, and Grizzled Peaks.
  • Fixed an issue with the Drolsc stop animation.
  • Fixed a number of LOD issues with barns and buildings.
  • Replaced a number of grass prefabs used throughout dungeons with the same shader/material used in the overworld.
  • Added more VFX usage for various regen effects on mob abilities.
• UI:
  • Fixed an issue with the confirmation text of Monolith context-invoked teleports not properly referencing Travel Essence.
  • Loot roll item tooltips will now include the approximate time remaining to roll on the item.
  • Tooltips for interactive zone points (doors, etc) now properly indicate "Zone" or "Teleport" depending on the context.
  • Your character's effect icon panel can now be locked via a right-click context menu similar to UI nameplates.
  • Secondary effects are no longer shown on applied effect tooltip if that part of the effect is not applied.
  • Task envelopes in the Bulletin Board UI now have a background highlight and a cursor change when they are an active button.
  • Quest list is now sorted by quest title.
  • Confirmation dialogs are automatically cancelled if another confirmation dialog is invoked.
  • Added a confirmation dialog when rolling need/greed on a soulbound item.
  • Added a confirmation dialog when attempting to loot a soulbound item.
  • Added new UI elements we are calling "symbolic links" that come into play when placing an item into a remote window for a potential transaction (outgoing trade or mail). These links are basically dimmed out duplicates of the item that ensure a spot is available in the case the transaction is cancelled. Once the transaction concludes these links go away.
  • Players can now trade and mail items from their gathering bag.
  • Added raid frames (see below).
• Design:
  • Cor'duun weapons, Cor'duun offhand items, Legacy items from skull mobs, and Legendary items from skull mobs will now be marked as soulbound. This change is retroactive and will happen at the next inventory validation (which occurs at login or zoning). If any of these items are in shared storage or mail they will remain as-is until the next time you log in or zone with them in your position (including your personal bank).
  • Doubled the loot roll timer for soulbound items.
  • Tripled the corpse expiration timer on skull bosses to 7.5 minutes. Note however that locked loot permissions will expire after 5.25 minutes (meaning anyone can loot at 5.25min).
  • The cost of mailing stackable items has been halved.
  • Updated Protector's Plate to be more gold in color.
  • Corrected stats on Blightiron Long Sword
  • Scorpions will now assist each other.
• Quests / Dialogue
  • Dialogue corrections for Sgt. Brutus
  • Added "Lost Legacy"
  • Added "Wishing for a Well"

New Stuff
New mob: Scarabax
A new mob has been discovered! Behold, the Scarabax! This large sentient beetle can be found in the two new dungeons released this patch (see below). On the surface they seem rather unassuming but they are a dangerous foe. Prepare your hunting log!

Osric's Rest
A solo-able dungeon has been added to Dryfoot intended for levels 33-34. Will you brave Osric's Rest?

Dryfoot Fortress
The Dryfoot Fotress is finally open for business. After teasing you for all these years you can finally explore the innards. This dungeon is split into two segments: one geared towards level 33-36 players and the other for 44-48.

Raid Frames
This month we have added raid frame functionality to the game. This tech allows for 4 groups to team up forming a 24 player raid. This is basically an extended group that unlocks a few features and functionality:

• The minimum requirements to form a raid is two separate groups.
• If you are not a member of a group, you cannot form a raid.
• To join a raid, you must first join a group, and then that group may join or start a raid.
• To start a raid you must invite another player who is a member of a group. If you send a raid invite a player who is not the group leader the invite will be redirected to their group leader.
• Only the group leader can leave a raid.
• "Nearby raid members" refers to all raid member within 50m of the "source", which is typically the NPC being looted.
• Currency is distributed to all nearby raid members
• Loot rolls apply to all nearby raid members.
• Loot roll timers are doubled when initiated from a raid.
• Raid window shows other groups and each member's Armor, Health, Stamina, Level, and Role/Spec.
• You can select individuals via the Raid window as usual, but there are currently no keybinds available.
• Leaders of each group are shown with the crown icon, while the raid leader's crown icon will be colored gold.
• Raid members not a part of your group will have gold colored overhead names.
• No experience is awarded for NPC kills when a member of a raid. These are not intended for leveling.
• New chat channel via /raid

New chat commands are as follows:

• /rinvite <member name>
• /raccept
• /rdecline
• /rleave
• /rpromote <member name>
• /rkick <member name>
• /rdisband

Please think of this new tech as an extension to the current group mechanics. We understand and recognize the need for different looting configurations (i.e. master looter, etc) and will be working to expand upon this functionality soon. Also note that there are no current context menu actions for raids (it all must be done via chat commands), we are hoping to add this soon as well.

Next Month
The current short-list of deliveries you can expect for next month:

• Engine upgrade to Unity 2022? Due to the many hot fixes we had to deploy this month this line item got punted. We are hopeful we can get this rolling for June.
• With the introduction of new low overhead interactive objects we will be exploring some interesting mechanics to bring a City Monolith online.
• Much of the requisite tech for Gathering + Crafting tasks was completed this month which means we may be able to start adding gathering tasks for June.

(this list is not the definitive list of what will release next month, just a list of things that are currently on deck or in-progress)

 

[Kittik]

Wandering NPCs now do their best to not face a wall during their pauses between wander spots.

But what if they were looking at something interesting.

 

[Viticus]

Not impressed with today's content drop. We have a new quest that cant be completed due to an item that was left out of the release. The new Dryfoot fortress has horrible pathing and insane respawn timers that make a 5-6 man group impossible. The named we were able to kill dropped some of the worst loot imaginable for lvl 43 level items. There was also no community show to help hype the release when this was one of the most important content drops in a long time for Embers. We had quite a few folks log in with the excitement of the new stuff but soon dwindled out with all the frustration mentioned above. Very sad to see such a sloppy release in such a critical time for Embers Adrift.

 

[nautilus]

Not impressed with today's content drop. We have a new quest that cant be completed due to an item that was left out of the release. The new Dryfoot fortress has horrible pathing and insane respawn timers that make a 5-6 man group impossible. The named we were able to kill dropped some of the worst loot imaginable for lvl 43 level items. There was also no community show to help hype the release when this was one of the most important content drops in a long time for Embers with the dwindling population numbers. You can't tell me someone couldn't have filled in to get a PC up and running for the show to go on. We had quite a few folks log in with the excitement of the new stuff but soon dwindled out with all the frustration mentioned above. Very sad to see such a sloppy release in such a critical time for Embers Adrift.

I agree about the loot problem. Remember the Freehold dungeon loot from a year ago? Those level 40 Freehold Boots with 4 avoid, 8 physical damage resist, and 12 movement debuff resist are way better than the level 43 Fortress Boots we’re getting now, which only have 6 physical damage resist and some debuff resist. It just doesn’t make sense. The shirt, the belt, etc. all were junk. No one even wanted to come back for round two this evening and farm named.

It's a new area but if you were experiencing 44+ you would be better off in GP. Vale + bulletin board + double xp farming near a rupture. Before you slam me with its "about the journey", actually come playtest in this dungeon in a 6 man group.

It’s also baffling that we can’t acquire Ember in this area, which means we’re stuck without being able to use our skills effectively. It’s like being a chef in a kitchen without any ingredients—what’s the point if you can’t cook up something great? This oversight really hampers the gameplay experience, especially in a new zone where you’d expect to put all your abilities to the test. Not to mention you probably are using a ton to get here from GP and no way to get it back.

It’s disheartening to acknowledge, but the sight of just two players in the zone on patch day after 8PM CST speaks volumes. It seems to reflect a broader sentiment within the community. I had hoped for a different scenario, one where the excitement and participation were palpable. It’s a tough pill to swallow, realizing this is the current state of affairs.

At some point, a pivot will happen, right? And I hope that's not the lights turning off.

 

[Viticus]

There needs to be a hierarchy of loot that is taken into consideration.. If you are creating quest or dropped items that are worse than items many levels before it, you lose any sense of progression and start to question.. "why bother?". I can point out many examples of higher level items which are hard to get that just don't compare to lower level counterparts of said items that have better stats. Sometimes it feels like loot is created in a vacuum without any consideration to other options that exits at much lower levels that the player already has access to or is currently wearing.

 

[Undone]

Not impressed with today's content drop. We have a new quest that cant be completed due to an item that was left out of the release. The new Dryfoot fortress has horrible pathing and insane respawn timers that make a 5-6 man group impossible. The named we were able to kill dropped some of the worst loot imaginable for lvl 43 level items. There was also no community show to help hype the release when this was one of the most important content drops in a long time for Embers with the dwindling population numbers. You can't tell me someone couldn't have filled in to get a PC up and running for the show to go on. We had quite a few folks log in with the excitement of the new stuff but soon dwindled out with all the frustration mentioned above. Very sad to see such a sloppy release in such a critical time for Embers Adrift.

Don't assume we're satisfied with today's release either. Some of it comes down to bad timing (Elloa's computer going out on short notice), and some if it comes down to not enough testing coverage on QA. Either way I am working tirelessly to fix things as quickly as possible.

 

[darkwizard]

Question : Was this done to fix a certain issue or prepare for something coming in the future? It creates the issue that you can no longer trade items 1 for 1 with someone if you have a full bag, which while not the end of the world, can be annoying.

• Added new UI elements we are calling "symbolic links" that come into play when placing an item into a remote window for a potential transaction (outgoing trade or mail). These links are basically dimmed out duplicates of the item that ensure a spot is available in the case the transaction is cancelled. Once the transaction concludes these links go away.

 

[Undone]

Question : Was this done to fix a certain issue or prepare for something coming in the future? It creates the issue that you can no longer trade items 1 for 1 with someone if you have a full bag, which while not the end of the world, can be annoying.

It fixed an issue with items potentially being "lost" when the transaction was cancelled but no bag room was available. It also allows you to trade/mail from your gathering bag which was a big QoL request since the gathering bag was introduced.

 

[zabatiz]

Mammoth is almost impossible to kill now having to fight in the small cave with him rotating and clipping into the wall. The difficulty of that fight should be adjusted. We have not been able to get enough people to kill even with planning an end of the week attempt. I also think Dryfoot Fortress is way to hard. I have a hard time believe a raid of 30s could kill the new Queen there. Is the whole zone designed as raid content? Seems a single 5-6 man group struggles there based on mob density and respawns.

 

[darkwizard]

It fixed an issue with items potentially being "lost" when the transaction was cancelled but no bag room was available. It also allows you to trade/mail from your gathering bag which was a big QoL request since the gathering bag was introduced.

Ok, yeah. All good, trading from Gathering bag is a pretty huge thing. Is there anyway to make it able to allow 1 for 1 trading when the receiver has a full bag but is trading something out in order to make room, or are we stuck doing 2 trades now. Theoretically this would also allow 2 players, even with full bags to get an item to each other without someone having to destroy something.