It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over. As people young and old prepare to return to study, I found myself thinking back to my own first days of elementary school and the mixture of excitement of what’s to come, and disappointment that the fun of summer was coming to an end. And, of course, I thought of those dreaded “What I did last summer” essays that it seemed every teacher would ask us to write. So while this edition of the “From the Developer’s Desk” will have some of that “what we did last summer” essay, I’m going to focus more on the future and what’s coming this fall because it is much more exciting!

Sometime last spring the team decided that we should focus for a few weeks on finding and fixing bugs and issues with the game, both from a content perspective and a technical one. That few weeks turned into a few months, and two major content updates, one in June and one in August. As we look back at the many issues that we resolved, it is with a feeling of great satisfaction. There are, of course, some bugs that have yet to be fully "exterminated". But we are much closer to being able to fix them than we were months ago because of the focused approach that the team took over the summer.

One of the items that remains on the top of our “Known Issues to Resolve” list is the problem with Imperial-owned structures not activating when the building is completed. And though we’re closer to having the Loyalty Tokens sent out to players, completing the necessary upgrades to the various systems involved is also still on that list. As with many things computer related, the planning stage of this project was the fastest to complete, and implementing has required a number of changes and updates. The good news is that each of these updates has brought the game systems closer to a point where a new launcher with more features and information can also be implemented, and improved the gaming experience for players in a number of little ways.

I’d like to take a moment to thank all our players who helped during the summer months to report bugs on our “Current Bugs” threads so that the team could fix some very long standing issues. To see a list of what was changed, fixed and updated over the summer, please read our “June Content Update” and “August Content Update” posts.
June
August

So that’s the brief look back and what’s still pending. Now for the fun part... what is the team going to be working on this fall?

The first project, of course, will be completing those things on the list that were begun in the spring/summer. This includes finishing the tier 2 revamp by adding the mini-dungeons and finishing quest lines that were begun then. The new monster, the Azular, is near completion and will make its first appearance in one of the two new dungeons. When this project is complete, expect to have a new creature to learn how best to defeat. We’ll finish implementing the scholar revamp by completing the scroll lines and adding missing art assets.

And speaking of art, the dragon appearance revamp is near completion! Not only will the new art assets provide dragons with new khutit head designs that match the head of their character in dragon form, but it will also introduce some new appearance options, as well as improving existing dragons. The tech team has been hard at work on designing a method for players to be able to change their appearance post creation and plans to integrate this system into the same system that will be used for the loyalty tokens. While I don’t have the full details yet (and this is something that will be released after the fall), I do know that the system that’s implemented will be one that can be used for all characters who wish to change their appearance after creation and will allow us to introduce new appearance options over time for all races.

Once these in-progress projects are complete the new items on the list are even more exciting. The design team has been fixing loot tables and making small adjustments to various monsters around the world as players report problems, but in doing so we’ve come to realize that the whole of the loot system really could use an overhaul. So planning has already begun for how implement a loot system that gives players a feeling of accomplishment every time they defeat an enemy. The loot revamp will also address inconsistencies with trophy drops and tech drops so that these two sub-systems are also in line with where the designers intend them to be.

The team also plans to introduce new items for player plots. One of the frequently requested items is a new vault building, and that’s high on the list of items to complete for the fall. In addition, the team plans to introduce new decorative items for plots, including more seasonally themed items such as “fall” and “spring” versions of the current trees, plants and decorations. In fact, this is one area where we could use the help and creativity of our player community. While I won’t promise that every item that’s suggested be something that we’ll implement, we’d like to hear from you as to what you’d like to see for plot decorations, both seasonal and non-seasonal. We have started a new section on the forums specifically to solicit feedback on topics just like this. Please join us to share your thoughts on what plot decorations are needed here: Plot Decoration Discussion

And, of course, we’ll also continue to work on improving the existing content of the game. Though the team is small and the projects large, the dedication to making Istaria a world that is enjoyable for all players continues to be our highest priority.

Please join us in our discussion thread here.