This month's patch brings a new high level zone, much needed DLSS overhead nameplate fixes, and a few other QoL improvements.
Launcher & Patch Improvements
Last week we fixed a critical bug in our launcher that was causing it update the game when no update was required. There are still a few kinks to work out, mainly that when hitting "Force Check" the launcher will lock up for a period of time while the process completes. We hope to have this issue resolved shortly.
This week we are adjusting how we package the game client. Previously we utilized Unity's LC4HC compression which reduced the client's size substantially on disk. The downside of this was that a large chunk of the game was compressed into a single file which is starting to reach about ~4GB. A file of this size was causing many to have issues downloading the game, not to mention any change we made to individual scenes caused you to have to download this file again even if the change was minor. This week we have disabled Unity's compression and have opted to compress our own files for distribution. This results in a larger number of files all of which are substantially smaller in size. The total download size has increased slightly, while the size on disk has increased by about 45% (the client is still under 10gb in size).
tldr: the launcher will now download more files of a smaller size. This will result in smaller patches in the future while taking up more space on disk.
Grizzled Peaks Phase I
The Grizzled Peaks possess an unrelenting challenge to drifters seasoned enough to find them. Their rugged peaks and valleys offer stunning beauty coupled with a heightened sense of danger. Those who wander within it's forests note a distinct abundance of Ember held in her embrace. The Vehueramen ruins within are like nothing ever seen before. The crisp mountain air blows harshly, offering new challenges. Will you brave the Grizzled Peaks and brace yourself against the cold?
This month we are bringing you a new level 45-50 leveling zone called The Grizzled Peaks. Similar to our rollout of Grimstone Canyon, this patch is delivering Phase I; Phase II will come at a later date. While Phase I is primarily a "standard" leveling zone there are a number of unique high level challenges and gear to acquire. It includes a new set of music tracks, some new creature tech, and a new creature detailed below. Enjoy exploring Grizzled Peaks!
New Creature: Gaunt
December 2023
Our goal for December's patch is to back fill some Ember Vein content while working on back-end tech upgrades.
Looking towards 2024 I want to make sure we are positioned to take advantage of the latest tech improvements the Unity engine has to offer. To do this we must spend some time updating our project to the latest engine version along with a number of internal packages that we use. This process is tedious, time consuming, and must be done all at once. Hopefully these updates will also bring benefits in the form of performance improvements and bug fixes, but only time will tell. Once these updates are in place I will deploy a QA client which will require some robust testing before merging these changes into the live branch. Keep an eye on the QA forums for more info!
- Tech
- Fixed an issue with some spawn controllers that would allow spawns out of their intended bounds. This mainly impacted gathering resources that would unintentionally spawn on the road etc.
- Fixed an issue with Rat Nests and Ant Hills not correctly alerting nearby NPCs to players attacking at max range.
- Fixed a bug that was causing armor to degrade too quickly for some mobs.
- Fixed a bug with the cosmetic slot. Sometimes when equipping items that show on two slots it would not properly render in both slots.
- Reduced overhead nameplate calculation costs while they are off screen.
- When activating DLSS or Resolution Scaling overhead nameplates will be converted to UI space to fix artifacting issues. When either of these features are toggled you will notice overhead nameplates flicker off/on as they switch between world and UI space. The UI space nameplates render using a different method so their scaling/culling/behavior may be slightly different.
- Environment / Art
- Fixed hundreds of stuck spots throughout the world.
- Fixed an issue where no animations would play while dual wielding and an off hand attack triggered.
- Fixed some Nav issues in Forgotten Depths
- Fixed some Nav issues in Northreach.
- Fixed some issues with helms intersecting with new hair styles.
- Minor hand position adjustments to a small number of weapons.
- Quest Weapon Racks in Newhaven Valley have been replaced with Weapon Chests.
- UI:
- Fixed an issue with sorting friend/guild list by zone.
- Fixed an issue that was causing some NPC titles to not show on their overhead nameplates.
- Fixed anchor of UI tutorial popup. This should prevent it from flying off the screen if you scale your UI up.
- Fixed quest log open/close not playing audio clips.
- Added the term "TSB" or Threat Scaling Bonus to abilities such as Fading Strike, Provoke, and Roar. Previously this information was in the upper sub header of the tooltip but was causing some confusion. These abilities give an extra bonus to +/-Threat if you are not at the top or at the top of the target's threat list (in addition to the base +/- Threat).
- Moved a number of toggles to the Interface tab in options.
- Added zone line indicators to zone maps.
- Added Thread Count slider. This slider adjusts the number of threads made available to the engine. The maximum value is your core count minus one (the one is reserved for the main game thread) and is defaulted to 75% of this value. This may help, or it may have very little impact; for this reason it is considered an experimental feature.
- Added separate toggle for Guild Status audio
- Added an audio queue and overhead text when you attempt to loot something and your bag is full.
- Added a "Quest Mute" toggle to quests. This toggle can be found in the lower right with the quest selected in your log. This will prevent popups and notifications from triggering for this quest.
- Design:
- Fixed an issue where non-aggressive Young Boars were spawning instead of Boars.
- Fixed an issue making Foothill Grizzly Bears non-aggressive.
- Fixed required level on Ranger's Guild Pendant (36 -> 35)
- Fixed King's Quest Great Sword reward to give +2H Damage
- Juggernaut: Fixed an issue preventing the highest tier of Juggernaut's Smash ability from scoring heavy or critical hits.
- Warlord: Terrors of War Alchemy 2 additional damage now bypasses armor.
- Knight: Inner Fire Alchemy 2 now works on unconscious players.
- Warden: Eagle Eye Alchemy 1 & 2 duration now matches the base skill.
- Added a new Challenge Rating of "Boss". This type of mob is more difficult than a 4^ mob and is indicated by a skull icon.
- Arkhos difficulty has been revamped and spawn timer adjusted.
- Vengeful Mangrove difficulty has been revamped.
- Ember Rupture spawn locations have been adjusted.
- Added a Rupture in Grimstone Canyon near the Dryfoot zone line.
- Ember Drift spawn locations have been adjusted.
- Ember Drifts will now spawn 1^ mobs nearby. These mobs indicate what is inside of the vein and can be farmed for Essence.
- Flatworms now give 10-20 Ember Essence when caught (value is randomized). We recognize that their behavior needs improvement - we're working on it.
- Added a tooltip to Ember Drifts that indicate approximately how long before they switch locations.
- Crabs and Scorpions can now go Ashen.
- Ridgebacks can now be skinned.
- Augmenting items now mark them as NoTrade rather than Soulbound. This is NOT retroactive and only applies to future augmentation.
- Killing creatures who are normally eligible to turn Ashen (excludes humanoids and named) and would have given you Essence (non-grays) now have a chance to give you 1 Essence on death. The chance is low for greens, and high for whites. This chance is also individual to your character (meaning that everyone in the group may get a different result). This "passive" gathering of Essence is capped at 25% of your Ember Stone's capacity. tldr: non-ashen creature kills have a chance to give you 1 Essence on death (no rupture required) if your Ember Stone is less than 25% filled.
- Quests / Lore:
- New quests added:
- Memorial to a Simpler Time
- A Study in Ember
- Shards of Living Ember
- New quests added:
Launcher & Patch Improvements
Last week we fixed a critical bug in our launcher that was causing it update the game when no update was required. There are still a few kinks to work out, mainly that when hitting "Force Check" the launcher will lock up for a period of time while the process completes. We hope to have this issue resolved shortly.
This week we are adjusting how we package the game client. Previously we utilized Unity's LC4HC compression which reduced the client's size substantially on disk. The downside of this was that a large chunk of the game was compressed into a single file which is starting to reach about ~4GB. A file of this size was causing many to have issues downloading the game, not to mention any change we made to individual scenes caused you to have to download this file again even if the change was minor. This week we have disabled Unity's compression and have opted to compress our own files for distribution. This results in a larger number of files all of which are substantially smaller in size. The total download size has increased slightly, while the size on disk has increased by about 45% (the client is still under 10gb in size).
tldr: the launcher will now download more files of a smaller size. This will result in smaller patches in the future while taking up more space on disk.
Grizzled Peaks Phase I
The Grizzled Peaks possess an unrelenting challenge to drifters seasoned enough to find them. Their rugged peaks and valleys offer stunning beauty coupled with a heightened sense of danger. Those who wander within it's forests note a distinct abundance of Ember held in her embrace. The Vehueramen ruins within are like nothing ever seen before. The crisp mountain air blows harshly, offering new challenges. Will you brave the Grizzled Peaks and brace yourself against the cold?
This month we are bringing you a new level 45-50 leveling zone called The Grizzled Peaks. Similar to our rollout of Grimstone Canyon, this patch is delivering Phase I; Phase II will come at a later date. While Phase I is primarily a "standard" leveling zone there are a number of unique high level challenges and gear to acquire. It includes a new set of music tracks, some new creature tech, and a new creature detailed below. Enjoy exploring Grizzled Peaks!
New Creature: Gaunt
December 2023
Our goal for December's patch is to back fill some Ember Vein content while working on back-end tech upgrades.
Looking towards 2024 I want to make sure we are positioned to take advantage of the latest tech improvements the Unity engine has to offer. To do this we must spend some time updating our project to the latest engine version along with a number of internal packages that we use. This process is tedious, time consuming, and must be done all at once. Hopefully these updates will also bring benefits in the form of performance improvements and bug fixes, but only time will tell. Once these updates are in place I will deploy a QA client which will require some robust testing before merging these changes into the live branch. Keep an eye on the QA forums for more info!
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