Happy Tuesday adventurers!
We recognize it's been some time since you've officially heard from the Adrullan team and many are anxious for the next time we get to explore the world together. We're actively working to make that happen and want to share some of our progress.
We've taken all the motivation from our last amazingly successful test and put it to work! Every discipline, every pipeline, every city, every craft, all developing and iterating.
☁️ Backend Migration
First, and to explain why we've been particularly quite: We have migrated to new hosting! Coming into the last test, we were keenly aware there was a high chance we would be targetted by a DDoS attack. For those unfamiliar, a DDoS is when bad actors flood servers with fake traffic to try and knock them offline. We investigated our options, but our host provided very little support and we did not have the time to plan a proper migration. The attack came, and we did our best to weather it, but it did affect the Community Alpha Test 6 experience for us and our players. For any future tests, we wanted the tools to fight back.
Our backend team consulted with several different hosting providers, and we're given a sandbox on each to attack. bognar systematically analyzed each option and thoroughly tested. He may share more of his experience in #dev-talk in the future. In the meantime, Sassage was enhancing the CI/CD and server deployment pipeline. His efforts result in containerized servers we can quickly launch on demand. This could help us respond to any population spikes, but also makes development smoother since contributors can create their own test servers without interfering with each other. He also did extensive automation work in regards to code-signing, client deployment, and the patcher.
We are now in the final stages of configuration and testing. We will be migrating our current development and closed testing server in the coming weeks. Once complete, we will once again be free to host open testing events and are eager to see the new infrastructure under real world load.
👾 Unity Update
Similarly, the client frontend required some attention. You may have heard the news regarding a Unity vulnerability present all the way back to Unity 2017 that created a vector for attacks. Unity quickly rolled out patches for all versions of their software. We took this as an opportunity to move from Unity 6.0 to 6.2 along with the Universal Rendering Pipeline update. Due to some custom lighting attenuation we built for Adrullan, we had to recreate our modifications for the new version. We're excited to see what additional performance improvements and features we can squeeze out of this update. The next time you play AOA the patcher will ensure you are safe from this vulnerability.
NOTE: If you're playing other Unity games, make sure to check with their developers and update your games, especially if you also interact with crypto wallets on the same PC.
🧵 Thread incoming!
💾 Client Development
Likewise, the client continues to improve with polish, bug fixes, and new systems.
Block Step Up Smoothing
There's a lot of pros and cons to living in a voxel world. One that's always quite the leap (if you'll pardon the expression) is Step Height. Unity's default Character Controller, and a pretty common industry standard, is a step height of about 0.1 meters. That means your character can navigate over a lip of about 4 inches. In Adrullan, our voxels are 1 Unit which equals 1 meter. 39.4 inches! As you run around, you're casually hopping 3 feet into the air. To avoid constant falling detection, we actually cast a ray in front of your character at all times and adjust the step height from something reasonable to the groin-splitting 3 feet needed to traverse our voxels. This creates some fairly extreme camera jarring that has been a persistent issue for us. h1ddentree has introduced the first iteration of our Block Step Up Smoothing. You can find the option and fine tune the smoothing in the General Options.
Addressable Entity Model Loading
The project continues to embrace the benefits that Unity's Addressable system brings to our open, seamless world. Having converted our texture layering, music, and ambient sound systems to Addressables, it was time to turn our attention to NPCs. Currently all the NPCs you encounter in the world are available in memory via Unity's Resources system. They are instantiated on the main thread as needed. Although incredibly fast, this can block other operations from occurring.
With Addressables, NPC Entity Models (our term for their encapsulated art and data prefabs) are only loaded into memory as needed, cached, and discarded at sensible times. This means a smaller memory footprint. All this activity is also threaded and asynchronous, meaning the main game loop continues uninterrupted during these processes. EnigmaFactory built out some powerful tooling to convert Entity Models to the new system and we have begun rolling them out to Closed Alpha Testers.
Item Tooltips and Comparisons
Not only have we continued to enhance our dynamic tooltip system with additional information and formatting clarity, but skeeter has implemented the first iteration of item comparison! Holding Shift while hovering over equippable items will now display both the hovered item and the currently equipped item in that slot. This allows for much quicker identification and sorting.
💅 Additional Polish and Bug Fixes
Since 0.10.26, we continue to polish and enhance the client, in addition to the above, other notable new additions:
- Enhanced Stun Feedbacks
- More Particle Effects
- Additional Environmental Fog and Lighting Settings
- Hotbar Persistence Across Characters
- Alt+Tab Movement Lock Fix
- Player Inspection via Right Click or /inspect
🌐 World Updates
Lucerin, landon, and several others on the content team have been working to enhance existing zones and experiences with new populations, encounters, props, quests, and more! Content density and pacing remains a prime focus for us and the team has been working diligently to hit our targets.
Leont Meadows / Cape Corvus / Frostfall Foothills
- NPC population increased to make these areas feel more active.
- Leont Lake Fishing Tournament hosted by Grent Belmoor — Mudbelly Season is on!
Willowbrook / The Brookberry Battlegrounds / The Whistling Glade
- Expanded with new lore books, recipes, and clearer directions.
- Bottombrook fully opened with lighting, music, and tuned spawns.
- Underbrook gained new routes and quests.
- The Brookberry Battles of the Ardent Vale wage on with additional camps, props, and quests with more to come!
- Production of The Whistling Glade and the Satyrs that inhabit it continues with Pire and Riggles .
Pineyearn Forest
- NPC population increased across the entire zone to make it feel more vibrant and alive.
- The Lyrch Cave has expanded into a proper dungeon experience, with new props, NPCs, and layout work.
- Thessara Wyrdleaf introduces a new group encounter inside the cave.
Talon’s Edge & Coalition Expansion
- The Coalition has established an expeditionary camp in Talon’s Edge to secure resources.
- Harpy and Coalition factions now oppose each other, sparking open conflict across the cliffs.
- New quests, NPCs, and an expanded questline now connect from Greenwood Cover into the region.
🧳 New Destinations
In addition to the enhancements to familiar zones, many other locales are at various stages of development. We are working to complete the eastern third of our world, its 4 primary starting cities, and the connective tissue. Today, we will be giving a glimpse into a couple such areas. We look forward to sharing more about these, and additional zones under development!
🪚 Cliffwood Naze and the Fellwood Plain
Southeast of Harvest Reach a majestic imposing wall of bluffs and trees form Cliffwood Naze. This beautiful backdrop peninsula, visible across the firth from the docks of Leont, hides a secret shame. These idyllic stream valleys and paths give way to plundered lands that fuel Leont's rapid development. The Fellwood Plain, once home to the Snarltooth Gnoll tribe and plentiful in flora and fauna, is now an exploited husk. The Coalition, an international syndicate, operates a lumber mill and quarry in this region. Their persistent recruitment erodes communities like Wheatward as it ravages the landscape. A travesty, some from the Cover may call it, others the price of progress, but most remain unwitting as the dense Naze covers the desolation.
Enjoy the relaxing sights of Cliffwood Naze, but beware the giggles! Rumors of Haunchies, mischievous little thieves, compound. Face off, or join up with the Coalition at one of their largest (legtimate-ish) operations in Adrullan. Harness the raw elemental energy of the peninsulas natural Aspect mediums. Gather abundant resources and advance further.
🩸 Bloodstone Gorge
Deep in the South, our final city for the region, Solendris, home of the High Elves, rises. We're incredibly excited about how this city is shaping up and look forward to sharing it with you. The elegant and dignified Solendris is certainly embattled; coming to terms with a world of democratized magics, paying penance for an ancient sin, and facing all the consistent threats of Adrullan. One such threat is that of the Orcs. A major concentration is found just south of the city in Bloodstone Gorge. Imposing limestone walls, adorned with skulls, hides, and blood - the Orcs have established an imposing fortress home here.
A challenging overworld dungeon experience awaits young adventurers bold enough to step into the gorge. Will you overcome the challenges and seek the treasures within?
🚧 Earthshaping
Shiftnative plows forward, moving mountains, and terraforming spaces. Over a dozen additional spaces already prepped and are at varying development stages. Along with Shift, skeeter and Riggles push city development in Central Region, with 2 new cities in production with concepts, textures, and props being produced. We're excited to share more about these locales, and so many more in development!
⚙️ Core Systems
⏫ Max Player Level Increased to 20!
We've raised the max player level from 15 to 20, adding new content throughout these levels. All classes have received new spells and abilities to fill out their kits through level 20, giving you more tools to tackle the challenges ahead.
System Updates
- NPC-cast Crowd Control spells share a 20 sec cooldown baseline
- Player Resist System updated: partial resists + tick-based CC breaks now applicable
- Sitting regen bonuses only apply after a full tick
- Pet weapon damage capped at 150%
- NPC Dispels: 30 sec recast (start lvl 12 Shaman/Druid)
- New characters start with Beekeeping
- Right-click or /inspect to inspect players
- Self Found, Hardcore, and Group game modes integrated
- Vendors can now sell items based on faction tier
- Player Controlled Vehicles / Canoe System
⚒️ Crafting & Tradeskills
Comprehensive Crafting Questlines (All 16 Trades)
- Caireal O'Leary (Leont)
- Kragmok (Osgul)
- Dessa OvMarne (Underbrook)
Additional Updates
- Botany released as our newest tradeskill in 0.10.29
- +21 Amethyst Jewelcrafting recipes
- Smelting fuel bug fixed
- Salvaging tools now toggle with right-click
- Fish Bone Leather Boots recipe corrected
- Major consistency and research cleanup across all trades
- Block crafting/trading while distracted (training, casting, etc)
- Prevent crafting UNIQUE items you already own
- Fixed NPC reward logic for UNIQUE items
Special thanks Deleted User for all the crafting normalization efforts!
⚔️ Classes & Combat
Charm System
- Enchanter / Bard charms more stable; dungeon resist mods reduced
- Charm Power stat visible and functional
Beastwarden Overhaul
- Full rework: costs, heals, Shared Vigor (+20% HP share), positioning bonuses
- New buff, DoT, and nuke lines for companions
- Wildstrike / Wildcleave grant only AGI + DEX
Expanded Buff Network
- New attribute / spirit lines for Enchanter, Paladin, Shaman, Ranger, War Wizard, Wizard, Druid
- Rogue stealth feedback fixed
Additional Updates
- NPCs check debuffs before casting
- Broader heal spell usage
- Fixed unfinished cast animations
- Druid NPCs use Flourish; Shaman use Medicant & Husk
- Polished totem system: Totem of Energy / Totem of Haste
- NPCs no longer self-cast NPC-only buffs
- Falling through world returns to zone safe point
- Fixed lull resist feedback & trap damage
- Summoner pet spells added for Lvl 16 & 20
👻 The Influence of Grixius
Like many of you, the team is disappointed we were unable to run our Whispers of Grixius event this year. We love hosting these and practicing for future live events. But that doesn't mean that the icy chill of the Lord of Fear went totally unfelt. The Season of Oberos's shadow can be seen all over Adrullan.
🌳 Ents of Shadowgrove
As you cross the dark thicket of Shadowgrove; beware! Here, haunted flora reaches out to entangle you! Brool laid down some concept art brought to imposing life by Pire.
🪦 Gates and Gravestones
Pire also dropped some new modular gates and gravestones we are just dying to install.
👹 Spooky Masks and Scareogres!
The Halfling Brookberry Battlers learned long ago of the Ogres fear and respect for the Gokra. Well known for their mask making, The Whittlers set out to make a likeness convincing enough to spook Ogres. These masks join in a long tradition of both practical and stylish masks Riggles has brought to life.
🌾 The Harvest Season
Our Closed Alpha Testers celebrated the season by running through all of Harvest Reach's spookiest content.
Trauma compiled their experience in this horrifying Halloween Special! 🎃 https://youtu.be/DisCfrd7nu4?si=y2IviHRO1usyuI4X
🔮 Glimpses of the Future
So as you can see, the entire team has been utilzing this time to the fullest. We're incredbily excited to have you all in Adrullan again. We will keep you abreast on our progress with the final server stand up and what our plans are afterwards. We are also preparing to share more specifics on Cities and other future content we are working on. We appreciate everyone's patience and support so much! Your kind words and encouragement has meant the world to the team.
We're looking forward to sharing more Adrullan with you soon!
- The AOA Team
