Alganon
THE LATEST
The thing with MMO games is that you can't just turn off the switch, move it, then plug it all back in. Plus, with Alganon, there are other things that need to be sorted out.
I used gamigo (in my forum post) for a specific reason because it's the latest such acquisition (they bought Trion Worlds - who were insolvent - via an assignment for the benefit of creditors deal) whereby everything remains "in place" and it's business as usual. There's basically nothing to transfer, transition etc.
In the case of Alganon, aside from the fact that it was never deployed outside of the US, was never localized, doesn't support cloud servers etc, it's a massive undertaking to transition. I bought it from the investors because, like all my games, my goal is to bring it back online and keep it going until the wheels come off because it can pay for itself in the long term.
The biggest challenge is that you can't just launch an MMO game these days. It's a lot more challenging, astoundingly costly, and without marketing you're just asking for trouble while delaying the inevitable. It's why I chose not to relaunch it myself; but instead seek out international partners so that it can be re-launched in key territories, marketed appropriately etc - and with much fanfare. And through all that, we can also do some cosmetic revisions over time because some of the visual assets do need some minor updating.
Being a 100% completed game (we finished it back in 2011 after I took it over in 2010; and I also funded a large expansion pack, got it on Steam etc few years later) that is basically a hands-off SaaS model, it's not like I have a massive overheard to operate and run it. I could bring it online in a matter of days if I wanted to; but there is no rush or incentive to do so. Especially since there are lots of moving parts involved with the process. Not to mention the fact that it was still running on legacy bare-metal Dell hardware (datacenter co-lo) that was procured back in 2006 (!!) - long before my involvement in the project.
FYI. At the time I took it offline, the game had about 250K unique accounts, and a pretty decent DAU/MAU. Sure it wasn't lighting up charts, bank accounts or anything, but it was doing OK - considering that it was at the stage where we barely touched it, except to reboot the master/auth servers once in awhile. But, like SoTA and similar games, it had a dedicated user base.
And also, we didn't have enough of an involvement in terms of team community engagement due to lack of resources (mostly funding; since I don't have the luxury of spending other peoples money) to go "big".
Alganon will be back. Eventually.
SERVER MAINTENANCE & MIGRATION
We will post an update soon.
To prevent new people from buying the game and being unable to connect, we will be disabling the store page temporarily.
UPDATE: 01/02/2018
Nothing new to report for now. Will keep you all posted.
UPDATE: 01/16/2018
It's a F2P game. The store page is no longer up. Like all other MMO games that were sunset, if we were doing that, we would say so.
It WILL be back as soon as we are done with the on-going process. It's not as simple as unplugging a machine, moving it, then plugging it back in and turning on the power.
The biggest issue is that most of the servers are old (going back to 2006), some were dead, need maintenance, running older versions of Windows Server etc. Then there's inventory.
There are other business related issues which are also a part of this on-going process. e.g. though not announced yet, my company 3000AD which took over and has been operating the game since 2010, now owns QOL as well as the game, having bought out the majority investors of Quest Online. The ink on the deal has barely dried.
Alganon will be back with new servers at a new datacenter where 3000AD hosts its titles, instead of where QOL has hosted it since 2006. And we're also planning on releasing in other territories, as well as doing some marketing, and possibly an RTS game similar to what we did with our multi-platform game, Line Of Defense Tactics.
The game was never as popular as we wanted, but we thank you all the fans who have been playing it these past years, as you are the reason that it was never shutdown in the first place due to low population.
Be patient.
Rise Of The Ourobani
It is also available at a 50% off discount for a limited time only.
More updates coming soon to fix some minor bugs and nagging issues.
Steam Wallet Integration
As a result, we have disabled the ability to buy items from the Tribute Market via our Xsolla backend.
You can still spend your existing Tribute, but you can't buy anymore until we complete the implementation next week.
Once the implementation is complete, you will be able to use your Steam Wallet to make purchases via the Tribute Market.
If you have a non-Steam Alganon account which you never converted, please contact us at support@qol.com
Patch 3.0.1.2674
We are working on various reported issues, and will be releasing periodic patches as things progress, rather than waiting to do one big patch.
So today's minor release includes the following. Full changelog.
- Fireball's splash damage now correctly hits nearby enemies
- An attack power stacking exploit with the Warden's Ferocity skill has been fixed
- In certain situations battle damage was applied to equipped gear when dying from a fall. This now applies the correct PvE damage
- Shorax in Warfiend Karr no longer heals to full when taking damage. Players will still find this fight a challenge but without the near endless boss heals
[H1]SERVER ISSUES[/H1]
Yes - we're well aware of various server issues and we're working on them. This includes progressive lag, as well as occasional crashes resulting in disconnects. We do have the server on auto-restart rotation atm, so expect disruptions from time to time, as we work through this.
Thanks for your patience.
Patch 3.0.1.2674
We are working on various reported issues, and will be releasing periodic patches as things progress, rather than waiting to do one big patch.
So today's minor release includes the following. Full changelog.
- The Magus' Fireball action now casts correctly after learning it
- The /random command now works correctly when in a party
- Several enemy types that were showing as neutral (yellow) now correctly show as aggressive (red)
- Various high-level profession recipes are now added to the correct category when learned
[H1]SERVER ISSUES[/H1]
Yes - we're well aware of various server issues and we're working on them. This includes progressive lag, as well as occassional crashes resulting in disconnects. We do have the server on auto-restart rotatation atm, so expect disruptions from time to time, as we work through this.
Thanks for your patience.
[H1]EXPANSION REFUNDS[/H1]
Note that if you do a Steam refund, when you log back into the game, you will lose access to ALL features you had when you owned it. This includes loss of character (Ranger), as well as any items that you bought and which are tied to the expansion. So be aware of this.
MMORPG Stream
Today at 3pm EDT/12pm PDT, Padreic and Parilis will be accompanying Beau Hindman from MMORPG.com while he checks out Alganon.
We'll be looking at some of the content included in the Rise of the Ourobani expansion, discussing the game and answering questions.
Beau will also have some keys for the expansion pack to give away!
For more information about Beau, you can visit his Twitter account or tune in to the stream on MMORPG
Hope to see our wonderful community there!
UPDATE
YouTube video of today's TwitchTV stream is now online
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as7oUD69o-U&feature=youtu.be
Status Update
We were having issues between people who had legacy Alganon accounts (username+password) logging in with their Steam account, then not seeing their purchased items, including the DLC.
So we made some changes as follows:
- Alganon legacy account users can buy items, including the DLC, from the Tribute market.
- Steam users can buy items from the Tribute Market, but can only buy the DLC through Steam.
[H1]ALGANON GAME CLIENT[/H1]
The standalone Alganon client launcher has now been discontinued and should no longer be used. The game should only be launched (alganon.exe) through Steam as that will be only supported version going forward. We will no longer be releasing stand-alone patches outside of Steam.
[H1]ACCOUNT LOGIN RULES[/H1]
- If you have an Alganon account, continue using that on Steam
- If you do NOT have an Alganon account, you should use your Steam account
- If you have a pre-existing Alganon account and you login with your Steam account, you will NOT have access to your Alganon account, characters etc, because the Alganon and Steam account details are different and we have no way to transfer an existing Alganon account to a Steam account.
[H1]UPDATES[/H1]
We are working on some issues which we expect to roll into a new update in the coming weeks. You can track these known issues over on the support page.
[H1]SUGGESTIONS[/H1]
There is thread in the forums soliciting suggestions for tweaks, features etc. Please check it out and chime in.
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
[H1]WARNING[/H1]
The post and thread of every single person who was banned, don't get completely deleted. They are hidden, and can still be viewed by mods (us) and admins (Valve) at any time
As such, we have a table of those posts, who made them, why/when they were banned etc. And they are also referenced to their "review bombing"* on the game's Steam store page.
* This practice is when someone uses the game's Steam review page to attack the developers, post questionable content etc. It is a direct violation of Valve's guidelines. And it is usually done by those who were either banned from the game's forums, or who have a vendetta against the developer/publisher
NOBODY gets banned for their opinions; as long as those opinions are in line with the Steam community guidelines which were written for a reason.
And, to be clear, this is a gaming community where a select group of gamers get together to play games, make friends and have fun (you do know what that is, right?).
Simply put, this is NOT the first Steam forum where anti-social behavior is simply NOT tolerated. The only difference being that a) we tend to perma-ban for serious violations b) we don't give second chances
There are all kinds of unflattering posts still visible on the forums because they were not abusive, nor do they violate Steam's own guidelines.
The reason that the majority of gamers - and devs - are sick and tired of the anti-social lawlessness present in some Steam forums, is precisely why we don't tolerate it in our forums. If other devs and publishers took the hard line, most people doing this, won't think that it is acceptable behavior.
Many companies, including Microsoft, Sony, Blizzard et al, take serious steps to curb anti-social behavior, cheating etc, from their games and communities. And when they do it, they tend to do it en masse and in very large numbers e.g. aside from forum bannings, just two weeks ago, Daybreak (H1Z1), banned 24,000 people from their games, and their community. There is a reason for that.
We MUST take the hard line and take the necessary steps to ensure that those who play our games, have an enjoyable time doing it, free from harassment, cheating, and all manner of anti-social behavior.
If you have been banned from i) a game you don't like ii) a game you're not playing iii) a game in which you have to resort to cheating (!) to win iv) a game/community from a dev/pub you don't like, I don't see the problem.
And before someone utters the words, Free Speech, don't; because if you knew what that was, you wouldn't be crying foul and citing it.
Valve is aware that they have a serious problem with this, and have started taking steps to curb this behavior (and the "review bombing"). Once serious actions (I'm all for Steam account bans. It's the only way to be sure) start being taken here on Steam, hopefully that will send a clear message that we simply cannot allow a select group of anti-social people to ruin our gaming communities. Especially this, being one of the largest eclectic gaming communities.
Over a year ago, Steam was reported to have over 75 million users. Let that sink in for a bit.
No developer, or gamer, should be afraid to speak out because there is a mob out to tarnish their rep and/or ruin their games.
We as gamers, developers and publishers, simply CANNOT give in to these people.
We should stand up and REFUSE to be bullied and/or harassed.
So, if you violate any of the community guidelines in our forums, you WILL be banned (temp or perma-, depending on severity). NO EXCEPTIONS. And now also, you will be banned from our game servers. In case you were wondering; yes, we can in fact do that, same way we treat cheaters and their ilk.
So, now would be a good time to brush up on the community guidelines. Below it's all in one place so you don't have to go looking for them.
Rules and Guidelines for Steam Community Discussions
STEAM™ ONLINE CONDUCT
As a Steam subscriber you agree to abide by the following conduct rules.
You will not:
- Upload, or otherwise make available, files that contain images, photographs, software or other material protected by intellectual property laws, including, by way of example, and not as limitation, copyright or trademark laws (or by rights of privacy or publicity) unless you own or control the rights thereto or have received all necessary consents to do the same.
- Use any material or information, including images or photographs, via Steam in any manner that infringes any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other proprietary right of any party.
- Upload files that contain viruses, trojan horses, worms, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another's computer or property of another.
- Institute attacks upon a Steam server or otherwise disrupt Steam.
- Use Steam in connection with surveys, contests, pyramid schemes, chain letters, junk email, spamming or any duplicative or unsolicited messages (commercial or otherwise).
- Defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy and publicity) of others.
- Restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying Steam services, software or other content.
- Harvest or otherwise collect information about others, including e-mail addresses.
- Create a false identity for the purpose of misleading others.
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations.
General Rules
Do not do any of the following:
- Flame or insult other members
- Bypass any filters
- Abuse or encourage abuse of the Reputation, or Post Reporting Systems
- Post personally identifiable information (i.e. name, address, email, phone number, etc.)
- Bump threads
- Derail a thread's topic
- Post links to phishing sites
- Post spam (i.e. +1, 10char, rickrolls) or Re-post Closed, Modified, Deleted Content
- Repetitively post in the incorrect forum (example: trade requests belong in trading forum)
- Openly argue with a moderator
Off-Limit Topics/Replies
Do not post any topics/replies containing the following:
<*>Porn, inappropriate or offensive content, warez or leaked content or anything else not safe for work
<*>Any discussion of piracy will result in a permanent ban from the Steam Community including, but not limited to:
Cracks
Key generators
Console emulators
<*>Cheating, hacking, game exploits
<*>Threats of violence or harassment, even as a joke
<*>Posted copyright material such as magazine scans
<*>Soliciting, begging, auctioning, raffling, selling, advertising, referrals
<*>Racism, discrimination
<*>Drugs and alcohol
<*>Religious, political, and other “prone to huge arguments” threads
No Backseat Moderating
Let the moderators do the moderating. Backseat moderating is when people who are not moderators try to enforce the forum rules. If you see a person breaking the rules, take advantage of the Report () button or simply ignore the offensive post(s) or thread.
Report Posts to Moderators
Should you observe a fellow Community member breaking these rules please report the post by clicking the Report () button located on every post.
Repeated Offenders
Repeated offenders of the above rules and guidelines will be banned from the Steam Community. Any moderator has the ability to ban a user for violating the rules at their discretion.
Server Update
- Implemented a fix for the recent server crashes
- Raven Speaker can again be attacked by players. Her HP has also been greatly reduced in order to help with the quest completion
- Herbalism and Mining no longer add unusable skills to your player
- Fixed an issue with enemies not facing you while they cast spells
- Fixed a minor issue with enemy movement after recovering from the Ranger's Leg Shot ability
- Fixed issues with the Ourobanic (DLC) starter areas
Also, yesterday we added support for using your Steam account to login to the Tribute Market. So you no longer need a legacy Alganon account (username/password) for that. You can use either one.
To use your Steam account, just click on the Green "Sign in through Steam" button.
[H1]KNOWN ISSUES[/H1]
- Keep doors aren't always functioning correctly to allow passage into Keeps
- Skitter Ambushers are not spawning for the quest "Not All That Chatters"
- Characters cannot be rotated during character creation
- Companions and pets spin in circles and don't stand still as they should in areas around Uz'ak
- Enemies in the Gate of Stars area are yellow and don't interact with players correctly
You can track these on this support page