Xsyon: Prelude
Autumn Sale! (50% Off)
Xsyon is on sale this week again (50% off) during Steam's Autumn Sale!
It's a good time to join Xsyon, invite your friends and grow your tribes!
The Test Server is currently open to the public. Several updates are being tested, including upcoming Pets, Mounts and many improvements based on players suggestions.
Please check out the Developer Zone on the Xsyon website for full details.
The current Test Server build includes major revisions to the database code and uses updated base libraries. If anything seems oddly different than what's on the Main Servers, please alert me in the General Feedback thread in the Developer Zone section of the Xsyon website (link above).
My next update which includes the Stables building use (allowing players to keep multiple pets and mounts) and advancing the Pet and Mounts systems is nearly ready and I hope to open this update to the public after this holiday weekend.
Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to all our American players!
Developer Update 2018.10.29
I've completed migrating and upgrading the server to use the latest versions of dependent software and libraries (primarily MySQL and DirectX). This was a grueling task as the old code relied on intermediate libraries that I had to remove or rewrite.
I will run specific tests to make sure everything is in working order for the next few days. If everything checks out we'll return to public testing of pets, mounts and other upcoming features!
The Test Server is currently up with upcoming features (noted in the Developer Zone section of the forums) turned on. Players are free to check everything out, although I'm not quite ready for public feedback yet as I do need to complete my tests to ensure that all the upgrades are functioning properly.
Once I'm ready for public tests I will patch a test build here on Steam and post further announcements.
Thanks for your patience and enjoy!
50% Sale This Week + Upcoming Systems
Xsyon is on sale this week for 50% off while we continue testing upcoming major changes!
Many thanks to all of you that have helped test the upcoming creature updates so far. I've been patching regular changes to the Test Server to address reported problems and to further progress on the pet and mount system until it's ready for public release.
There are still a few features that need to be finished before pets and mounts go to the main servers. Here's what I'm working on right now:
- Final aggro and target selection system for creatures. (Replaces current system)
- Animations for mounted actions (scavenging, foraging etc.).
- Final tweaks and optimizations to the new AI code.
- Stable feature for collecting pets and mounts in your town.
- Revised creature data (health, speed, range etc.) to make smaller and mid size creatures easier to fight.
- Creature mood / attitude and the affects of food and other actions.
These are the main improvements that I need to wrap up before these new systems go 'live'.
While I'm finishing these up, you are all welcome to participate in tests and provide feedback in the Developer Zone on the Xsyon forums.
Major Updates (Pets, Mounts & More) In Public Testing!
Upcoming features that are ready for initial public tests include:
- Fully revised creature AI.
- Pets, taming and associated skills and actions.
- Mounts, riding and associated skills and actions.
- Many improvements based on player suggestions and requests.
- Revised networking for better synchronization and reduced processing.
Check out the Developer Zone on Xsyon's official website to see what's currently available for testing and to provide feedback.
More features will be open to public testing as the current features in progress are finalized.
Enjoy!
Spring Sale!
I updated the servers last night with database changes and more preparations for upcoming features. This should be the final patch with optimizations, preparations and crash fixes before we start testing upcoming features by the end of this month. I may have one more quick patch before then. We'll see!
The long awaited series of updates are near ready for public testing. This series is going to include:
- Fully revised creature AI including movement, positioning, path finding, health, damage and reactions. The new AI system is intended to be similar to the current AI but smoother and reliable and without any of the problems reported over the years. In general, small creatures will be easier to hunt with only the larger legendary creatures requiring groups to kill.
- Pets, taming and associated skills.
- Mounts, riding and associated skills.
- Suggestion Patch 1 - 20-25 improvements based on player suggestions.
- Suggestion Patch 2 - 20-25 improvements based on player suggestions.
- Currency system with dollars linked to each character and not as an inventory item.
- Architecture and crafting revised allowing for easier selection of materials and prediction of final results.
- Vanity pet system allowing players to freeze child pets in time and keep them as cute pets that don't age.
- Architecture part replacement allowing players to swap a building part with another similar part. For example, a wall could be replaced by another wall or a gate.
- Storehouses that allow players to store and have easy access to building materials.
- Animal breeding.
- Hall of Heroes and Hall of Legends where players can check out the current leader for certain skills and actions in their tribes or across the world.
These will be followed by combat revisions including testing of various combat styles before I decide on a final system.
I know all of these have been a long time in coming. Several of these updates are complete and I've done considerable work on the rest of them.
Optimizing the game, eliminating crashes, upgrading code to resolve conflicts with Windows 10 and newer drivers and putting data gathering systems in place have taken a priority but I'm finally ready to start rolling out these features.
I'm getting there and greatly appreciate your patience!
Recent Patches
Although typically I save these posts for more notable news I'd like to keep everyone reading informed on what's currently going on with Xsyon
Since the beginning of the year, I've been releasing minor patches in preparation for more important upcoming features. In general, these patches have been optimizations, fixes, data gathering and database changes for future updates.
Patches were released on the following dates:
01/05/2018
01/09/2018
01/10/2018
01/17/2018
02/11/2018
02/18/2018
02/22/2018
02/26/2018
03/13/2018
04/09/2018
Changes included:
- Crash issues resolved.
- Connection errors resolved.
- Minor bug fixes.
- Error reporting system improved.
- Code upgraded for Windows 10 issues.
- Data backup system improved for faster maintenance.
- Database set up for upcoming features.
- Server log system revised and cleaned up.
- Server side information systems added.
- Cart collision revised and optimized.
- Room buffs revised for issues with rooms at zone boundaries.
- Copy and paste from outside text containing multiple lines corrected.
- Additional client logging added to gather information on several errors.
- Function revisions to prevent and detect potential errors and crashes.
- Preparations for upcoming creature AI changes.
- Database clean up to remove obsolete data.
- Creature migration set up for weekly migrations.
- Creature migration system run.
More frequent updates and patch notes are posted on the Xsyon website
Yesterday's patch should be the final or penultimate patch before we are ready to test more interesting upcoming changes.
Enjoy!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
To celebrate the holidays, Xsyon is on sale through January 4th at a 50% discount!
Santa and his Guide Team Elves are also delivering gifts in game through Tuesday, January 2nd!
This year we will are giving out Christmas outfits and if requested one blueprint, pattern or scheme per character.
Guides will announce in game when they are delivering gifts directly to players. They will also deliver baskets of presents to all players that put in a request through the help desk
If you would like to have gifts dropped by your totem, please use the help desk to put in a request with your character name, tribe name and server (War or Peace). Feel free to list tribe mates as well.
Please do not post requests on the forums as it will be easier for us to handle gifts through the help desk.
In addition I have more optimizations and preparatory files ready to patch in the coming weeks. Thank you for your patience while I optimize and improve the game engine. There was a lot of code that needed to be reworked and upgraded before I patch out an major changes. Files for the upcoming creature changes will also be patched out during these weeks. These changes will be run through some final public tests before going live and I will post as soon as I'm ready for public testing and feedback.
Enjoy the Holidays!
Xsyon Patch Notes - 2017/10/17
Several patches have gone out since my last post here.
In general, I am continuing to optimize code and eliminate infrequent crashes and issues. My goal is to clear up any critical crash issues even though they are rare and optimize the most time consuming functions both client and server side to improve the game's performance and stability before adding new features.
Although these patches may seem minor, they require a lot of work.
These patches include:
- Further optimizations and changes towards upgrading DirectX features.
- Array optimizations.
- Continued function optimizations.
- Critical section revisions and code clean-up.
- Build uses updated Microsoft libraries.
- Server logs streamlined and improved.
- Problems caused by 0 stat values fixed.
- Additional error checking and function safety to prevent crashes.
- Additional logging to catch future client crash and freeze issues.
- Issue with tribe expansion potentially causing overlap fixed.
- Improved crash and error log reporting and collection.
- Several causes of client crashes eliminated.
- Rare cause of server crashing in creature AI functions fixed.
I will continue to monitor the game and patch minor revisions for the next week or two.
Thanks for your patience as I continue to check through and rework a lot of old code at this time!
Xsyon Patch Notes - 2017/08/21
All of these changes that seem minor have been a bit grueling, but necessary. As more players are running Windows 10 at screen resolutions that weren't readily available when the base engine for Xsyon was coded, upgrading libraries used in some of the core systems had become a priority.
With all this out of the way, I can get back to more interesting changes.
Many thanks to all of you that provided input and bug reports during this period of optimization!
Optimization / Upgrade Patch
Improvements:
- Windowed modes should properly adjust for Windows 10 machines and high resolution displays.
- DPI scaling automatically adjusted for.
- Windows libraries upgraded
- Steps taken towards upgrading DirectX. These are in progress.
- General optimizations and code cleanup for both the Client and Server.
Bug Fixes:
- Bugs with splitting stacks in the middle of actions such as eating fixed.
- Bug causing architecture parts to sometimes be caught fishing fixed.
- Issues with carts sometimes getting stuck open over long distances fixed.
- Problems with actions overlapping fixed.
- Quest displays fixed.
- Incorrect surfaces fixed (more surfaces can show per tile now).
- Issues with items in your pack activating incorrectly fixed.
Critical issues:
- Several potential exploits blocked.
Xsyon's 2017 Event Season Commences Saturday June 24th!
The Event Season kicks off with a Capture the Flag PvP event, this Saturday, June 24th at 11:00 AM PST on the Peace Server.
We are happy to announce a schedule full of fun and challenging events for all players!
The apocalyptic fantasy sandbox MMORPG's Guide and player run events this year will include:
- Capture the Flag Fortress
- Scavenging Contest
- Swim Meet
- Rodeo
- Costume Contest
- Feed the Bears
- Chicken Round Up
- Cart Races
... and more!
Events will take place at Founder's Isle, the Event Zone and various player tribes.
This year we are also planning a few regular events:
- weekly Tuesday Comedy Night
- weekly Thursday Scavenger Hunt
- monthly Saturday and Sunday Trade Fair
Players will earn tokens at these events that can be traded for in game goodies (blueprints, materials, special items).
All events including PvP events will take place first on the Peace Server with a follow up event on the War Server if enough players are present.
The full tentative Event Schedule will be posted later this week in the Event Calendar on the Xsyon website. This schedule will be adjusted to accommodate any newly submitted player run events.
If you would like to hold a player-run and Guide-assisted event at your tribe please check the Call For Player Led Events
If you would like a monthly Trade Fair to be held at your tribe location please contact us
All players are welcome. Come join the fun!