A server rewritten in C#
The whole server moved from JS to C#. This test was about one thing, seeing it hold up under load, and it did.
Alpha testing
Community Alpha Test 3
Friday, September 1, 2023 · 2:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM UTC
A brand new server, and a crowd to put it through its paces.
Over the summer of 2023 we rewrote the game server from JS to C#. After a flash test in August went smoothly, we opened the gates on September 1 to see how it held up under real load.
Returning players found familiar ground, refined. Pineyearn Forest and Greenwood Cover got a polish pass, the first collecting skills went live, and the foundations of crafting were in place. Every race and class in the character creator was playable, though every race still played as a Human.
Post-mortem
How it went
We went in with no set end time, ready to stop at the first sign of trouble. Instead the new server took the crowd in stride, and we had a bet going on whether Saturday would beat Friday’s population. As we put it at the time, you mostly bored it.
So we left it up into the weekend, pushed the barrier out a little on Saturday, and brought it down early Sunday morning. If you explored everything open, you’d seen about 3.125% of the world we’re building.
What’s new
Since the last test
Vertex lighting
Each voxel used to light a whole face with one averaged sample, which left harsh steps wherever the light changed. With vertex lighting, every corner of every voxel samples the light around it and blends it across the face. It shipped in client 0.7.18, just in time for the test.
Gossypuffs and more to gather
Several collecting skills went live alongside the groundwork for crafting, with new flora and collectibles across Leont Meadows. Client 0.7.19 added new mushroom art mid-test.
Monks and Shadow Knights
Both classes debuted at the August flash test, early but ready for action. Shadow Knights begin below Leont with the Dark Pact, disciples of Grixius.
From the test
Screenshots
On the Discord
How it unfolded
Flash test
The first test on the C# server
Our first test on the server we rewrote from JS to C#, and the first time Adrullan could be played in third person. Monks and Shadow Knights made their debut. 244 characters were created, Monk was the most played class, and Morty held the longest session at 7 hours 6 minutes.
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Community Alpha 3, announced
After the flash test on the C# server, we invited everyone back for a more intensive trial on September 1, with no set end time.
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Vertex lighting lands
Client 0.7.18 brought vertex lighting, a feature we had talked about since the start of the project.
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The gates are open
Within half an hour there were five streams live on Twitch.
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Staying up
Only minor issues so far, and the server was barely trying. We kept it running into Saturday.
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A reboot, and a first dungeon
A quick reboot for corpse clean up and client 0.7.19. We pushed the barrier out a little, and our most advanced adventurers found the start of our first major dungeon, still in greyscale.
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Wrapping up
The server came down an hour later. Thank you for spending the long weekend with us.
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The original call
As announced
Following the success of our flash test on the enhanced C# server, we're ready to take things up a notch and put the server through a more intensive trial. We're excited to invite you all to Community Alpha 3 on 9/1! We'll be opening the gates at 2:00 PM ET (listed in your timezone - 2pm EDT). We're hoping to really put the server through its paces, so now's the perfect time to rally your friends for this pre-announced event.
What We're Looking For
This test is to further observe our server under load. The duration is undetermined and will depend on the response and data we are receiving. We are not actively pursuing content or balance feedback or sharing new content at this time. While the testing terrain will largely mirror our previous setups, players can anticipate refined content and bug fixes, notably in the Pineyearn Forest and Greenwood Cover regions. We've also enabled several collecting skills and foundational systems crucial to our upcoming crafting mechanics.
Regarding Races and Classes
All Class/Race combinations accessible in the Character Creator are playable. Players will find that each has its baseline skills and quests. However, they are at various development stages, with some offering a more comprehensive experience than others.
For Races, while players can opt for any available selection in the menu, it's essential to understand that all races currently function identically as humans in-game and serves only to add some visual diversity to the test.
Character Continuity and Important Heads-up
Characters crafted during the 8/4 Flash Test will be available for continued adventures. However, any character developed before this test will be unavailable due to large number of Skill and Faction changes.
A Glimpse of the Future
We're holding our cards close when it comes to brand-new regions and content. Our primary goal for this event is to gauge the performance and robustness of the C# server. But rest assured, the team is bustling with exciting developments that we can't wait to showcase in the future.
We will open the Open Alpha Discord section a couple days in advance. As we are a pre-alpha game in active development, there is much unfinished work, early iterations, bugs, dead-ends and more. Expect issues. Limited support will be provided as we can however the purpose of this test is reviewing performance of our new C# server and not related to balance or content in any way.
So mark your calendars to dive back into the world of EverCraft Online! We'll see you Friday, September 1, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET 🎮🌍🛡️
Alpha testing
Community Alpha Tests
Every Community Alpha Test since the first, in June 2022.
Nov 1 – Nov 8, 2026Community Alpha Test 8Whispers of GrixiusA call to arms. The gates of Adrullan open again.
Apr 1 – Apr 6, 2026Community Alpha Test 71,728 peak concurrent players
Jul 11 – Jul 13, 2025Community Alpha Test 6500 players in the first 120 seconds
Oct 18 – Oct 21, 2024Community Alpha Test 5Whispers of Grixius1,180 peak concurrent players
Apr 19 – Apr 22, 2024Community Alpha Test 4600+ players online at onceYou’re hereSep 1 – Sep 3, 2023Community Alpha Test 3A brand new server, and a crowd to put it through its paces.
Dec 3 – Dec 4, 2022Community Alpha Test 2920 hours played in Adrullan
Jun 18 – Jun 19, 2022Community Alpha Test 1The first time the gates of Adrullan opened to the community.Between the tests
Updates
Flash tests, pre-tests and stress tests. Short notice, and usually announced on Discord.
Flash test
One more pass at the public build
Eight days out, Ballast and Fenla opened again to keep validating the build for Community Alpha Test 7.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 7 →
Flash test
The public test build
Thirteen days out, a first run of the public test build on Ballast and Fenla, with the level cap raised to 20.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 7 →
Flash test
That new server smell
Unannounced, to check our move to new hardware. Fenla returned as a fresh start beside Ballast, and Far Clip Plane, aka BognarVision, got its first public outing. A quick infrastructure check turned into 33 and a half hours, with 577 players at the peak. Druids, Bards and Paladins were the most played.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 7 →Flash test
Release candidate
Two days out, a quick test of the release candidate patch for Community Alpha Test 6. Progress carried over.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 6 →
Flash test
A Saturday shakedown
A few hours on a Saturday to make sure everything ran smooth for the following weekend. One name changed all night, and no bans, kicks or time outs. Progress carried over into Community Alpha Test 6.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 6 →
Stress test
Server stress test
Our first test as Adrullan Online Adventures: five hours to push the server as hard as we could, with Willowbrook and the Bard class to explore and multi-boxing encouraged. The BogBot Armada gathered at the gates of Leont, and Bognar was still bored.
Flash test
Ballast opens
A week later it was Ballast’s turn. Characters from the Tibolt flash test came along, and the Open Pre-Alpha channels opened back up.
Flash test
Tibolt, ahead of the stress test
Tibolt opened with no set length and no agenda. Just hop in and enjoy Adrullan.
Pre-test
Pre-test for Community Alpha Test 5
Tibolt opened two days early to shake out anything pressing and spread the crowd across content. Progress carried over into the test.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 5 →
Flash test
Osgul opens
Unannounced, on a Friday: the Ogre homeland of Osgul opened for the first time, Humans could play Rangers and Beastlords, and the first crafting stations went up in Leont. It went so well we kept it running through Saturday.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 4 →
Flash test
The first test on the C# server
Our first test on the server we rewrote from JS to C#, and the first time Adrullan could be played in third person. Monks and Shadow Knights made their debut. 244 characters were created, Monk was the most played class, and Morty held the longest session at 7 hours 6 minutes.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 3 →
Flash test
Come bash some rats
The server came on for a few hours to show what had changed, the same night UI 2.0 was revealed. New systems, plenty in flux, and rats to bash.
Pre-test
Pre-test for Community Alpha Test 2
Fenla opened for a few hours one Saturday night, hinted at weeks before, to make sure the test on the 3rd went smoothly. Progress carried over into the test.
Ahead of Community Alpha Test 2 →