Best posts made by Prometheus

Hi everyone,

as you likely know already, we've been experiencing serious server issues since we launched our stress test. The issues are not on our side, but within the SpatialOS runtime.

To give you some context, the current game world is simulated by several different instances of Unity (called "workers"), each controlling a portion of the map. The runtime is the process that stores data and allows for communication between workers, both servers and clients. In short, it's the process that stitches everything together.

To say it in very non-technical terms, after some time the deployment has been running, the runtime just goes nuts. Some bottleneck is born within it that causes a long queue for one type of message (called "component updates"). You cut a tree, the logs stay piled for 30 seconds, then fall? That's because there was a 30-seconds queue for position updates for the logs. If there are more players connected it happens faster, but even if we cap the number of concurrent users to a low value (like last night - 250), it eventually happens anyway.

So, what is causing it? We have no idea (the runtime is out of our control) and neither do the Improbable engineers so far. It might be a bug in the runtime, or more likely there is something wrong we're doing with it we're not aware of. We've already tried two different fixes which didn't make a real difference. Today we're hard at work at another larger server patch, we'll let you know when servers are back online.

We're so sorry for the mess. Yes, this is what a stress test is about, but we did expect it to be a lot better. The only good metric we've had so far is that server workers are never overloaded, even if there are a lot of players fighting monsters and such. This is important, but with the runtime failing, irrelevant.

A word of warning: we'll likely have to wipe the game world before dropping the patch.

Thank you for your patience.

Best,
Jacopo

UPDATE # 1: we're investigating the issue with the Improbable engineers. It seems that the issue was introduced when we updated to a new version of our backend engine (SpatialOS).

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause blueprints not to transform themselves into the final item after completing the last construction step.
• Fixed a bug that would make the minimap stop working and make the client generate a ton of error logs (causing framerate drops) when walking in cities with a high density of land parcels.
• It's no longer possible to place large blueprints (roads, buildings, parcels) on terrains that aren't flat. This means no more houses in riverbeds, etc
• The radial menu of the fireplace (not the campfire) now shows the SET ACCESS interaction.
• Fixed a bug that made bonuses given by talents drop and get re-applied when moving around the world. This also caused characters close to weight limit to become overweight for no reason.
• Stone deposits now spawn stone blocks where they're meant to.
• Pressing ESC in a land parcel no longer removes the Manage Claim button.
• Removing the blueprint of a paved road now makes the dirt road below it re-appear (if it existed previously).
• Honeynail mushrooms finally belong to the correct category in the Book Of Knowledge. Really crucial fix here!

Hi everyone!

The second video update for the Fall Alpha is out, and the launch day has been revealed:

Wednesday, November 4, at 4pm CET (10am EST)!

Read the full announcement

See you next week for the third video development update!

Enjoy Fractured!

Hi, fellow gamer and MMO enthusiast!

Here we go with the second update on the upcoming Winter Alpha. The focus this time is on player cities - and it's on video!

Check it out!

Also, you’re all invited to take part to a live Q&A / roundtable that will be taking place this Sunday, January 31, at 6pm CET (12pm EST) on our Twitch channel.

Feel free to leave your questions in advance in this forum post!

Cheers!

Hi all!

The second major release of the Spring Alpha has arrived, featuring:

• The much awaited respec of character attributes and city researches;
• The Siege Workshop - prepare your catapults for the upcoming city sieges!
• New functionalities for the world map: view territory and view nations;
• Massive client performance improvements on asset loading: it should be now 2x or even 3x faster!
• Some changes to bounty hunting and a few bug fixes.

Read the full announcement

Get your catapults ready, Governors... City warfare is coming!

Fractured's Alpha 1 will feature a full day/night cycle. Here's a short preview of a day and a night on the banks of a river located of Syndesia (grassland biome). The character is a placeholder, in use until we complete our new character models.

It's confirmed for this month but it's not time yet, don't go crazy Also, participants will be asked not to disclose the fact they've been included in the pre-alpha, so it's pointless to ask around

Hi everyone,

as promised, the first Feature Spotlight of Fractured has arrived this week! The core design principles of Humans, Beastmen and Demons are now unveiled, as well as some insights on how Fractured is set to revolutionize the concept of race in the MMO genre.

Click here to read the journal!

A word of warning before you start. In our initial plan for this spotlight, we wanted to not only introduce you to the three races, but also to detail their three planets, societies, religions... We've been such fools! We soon realized we would have ended up with a blog post as long as a novel - and mind, this one's not short either.

Therefore, we decided to break the topic down into several spotlights, with the first one being "only" a high-level overview of the three races of and their Families.

The promised video FAQ also hasn't been forgotten, worry not! Once we're done with the other couple of upcoming spotlights dedicated to the race-related matters hinted above, all the questions still unanswered will get the video reply they deserve. So keep posting and...

...enjoy Fractured!

@BearRod this type of cart can hold 12 heavy materials, and only the one who crafted it can use it

@Xzoviac it's a focus ability (new mechanic). Focus abilities are toggle abilities, but you can have at most 2 active at the same time. Current focus abilities are protection from fire (new), protection from poison (new), mage armor and frenzy.

Our character artist and a dev are working on character creation right now! It was originally meant to feature only race selection (male/female for humans) and a couple basic options. Instead, you'll be able to select different faces, haircuts, facial hair, skin tones, eye colors, etc for humans, and equivalents for other races.

It won't be implemented all at the same time, but realistically throughout the first half of this year. Of course, even in its complete version, the options you'll have will be way fewer than the average first/third person RPG, but still a very decent amount for an isometric RPG

Hi everyone!

Today, we’re going to tackle another topic which has been discussed aplenty, with lots of sensitive feedback being received over time: regional servers and localization.

Our vision on the matter largely conflicted with that of the Fractured community. What have we done to address that?

Click here to find out

As always, let us know what you think of this update and let’s keep the support for our Kickstarter campaign going strong. 9 days to go, we can make it happen!

Enjoy Fractured!

@Clinion @Razvan @Farlander there's one part of the game that's still missing which is at the core of your issues here: cities! The closest one will always serve as respawn point if you die, will provide local storage for your items, will allow you to rest in a tavern, etc. It will truly make the travelling experience feel very different, without taking away that "preparation" part that players like @Balderly enjoy, which is actually a core component of the Fractured experience

Hi everyone!

As our Kickstarter campaign is now about 80% funded, the time has come to reveal our stretch goals!

Click here to unveil them

As always, let us know what you think of this update and let’s keep the support for our Kickstarter campaign going strong!

7 days to go, we can make it happen!

Please note: if the Kickstarter campaign ends successfully, the funding for pledge-based goals (new features) will continue on our website after!

Hi everyone!

Player cities are the next big feature coming to the world of Fractured. The first iteration of the system is going live in Alpha 2 - Test 3, but we'd like to take a moment to discuss it with you beforehand with a dedicated Q&A!

That is why I'm going to be live on Twitch on Sunday, April 12, from 7pm CEST (1pm EDT).

So, wait no more: start posting all your questions here! Don't feel limited, ask me whatever comes to your mind - and enjoy it being replied to on video!

THREAD RULES

• The Q&A is about player cities, let's stick to this topic specifically.
• Don't make more than one post
• It's fine if your questions are complex, but please post questions, not essays!
• ...and no more than 2 or 3, please
• Also, split them clearly if you got more than one.
• This is a dedicated question thread. Don't start discussing with your fellow community members!

To tune in, just open Oxfurd's Twitch channel a few minutes before the time announced above - we can chat a little before the Q&A session begins!

Thank you all and... see you soon!

– Jacopo

Hi everyone!

It's done! The campaign has hit the target and is now galloping towards its first feature stretch goal! I considered posting the usual wall of text, but I guess a short video is actually more enjoyable

New Unlock

Oh yes, yet another unlock! This time, all backers receive an exclusive Kickstarter Cape!

We're very close to the Free Carpenter Month already, so I guess I'll have to announce that very soon as well!

Don't forget the next Q&A tomorrow, focused on housing and player-run towns! Leave your questions here if you have any

See you soon!

• Jacopo

Hi @Dordolio! Let me explain to you why things work this way in Fractured (which is not only about avoiding the P2W mentioned by @GorTavaro and @Zori).

You have to forget the idea of a classic MMO city that is populated by NPCs, where at most the NPC shops can be owned by players (like in Albion Online).

In Fractured, cities are the places where players actually live. The land claims in the wilderness you've seen so far are going to be used only by those who really want to live by themselves, we expect most players to claim a private land parcel in a city and build their home in it.

NPCs in cities will exist, but their role will be limited - most of the work will be carried out by players... and you really can't be in a city without players, since to rank it up and unlock new technologies you need both prestige and citizens. The highest rank for a city (30) requires 100 citizens, specifically.

Also, I see you've decided to stick to a large territory, which requires 15 players to be started. If that looks like a high number, it's because you haven't grasped how large a large city is - if you didn't have to make roads, you could stick 300+ buildings in it! Since you have to build roads it's probably half that, but you get the idea. Once the game is well populated, we expect 100-200 players to live in a large city and 25-50 to live in a small one

Hope that made it clearer!

Hi everyone,

as promised, here's a quick survey to gather your feedback on the Open Playtest and what you would like to see next in Fractured.

To provide a little incentive, we've also added a reward of 1,000 Foundation Points if you complete it!

Fill the survey

Thank you all for your time!

Enjoy Fractured!

Hi everyone!

Got a few questions about Fractured? Would like to try Alpha 2 – Test 2 but can’t get a pack?

Looks like we have some goods news for you!

Read the announcement

Thank you all and... talk to you soon