After a long wait – Awakening is nearly here. We will be releasing our latest expansion for Mortal Online during August, if all goes well; this could be as early as mid next week. It is of course possible that this might stretch out for an additional week or so but this is where we are and what we’re aiming for right now.
Awakening is not just new content, core systems of the game have been completely re-written from scratch AI, path finding, AI behaviour and the entire GUI system, these systems alone give us a new feel and experience to the game.
It is important to call out here, that whilst the Focus Group has done an absolutely superb job with a huge list of fixed bugs, there is no substitute for thousands of players and the dynamic environment of Live.
There will be bugs at launch. We are getting staged now for rapid patching and will be without doubt patching on a daily basis as soon as we go live. With the introduction of several new GUI trading systems and the Broker, there is a risk that an as yet undetected bug or dupe could impact the database. We will be watching very carefully! Be advised that, in the event that we detect any very serious bugs impacting the database, which will take significant time to fix, we will rollback the server to the previous day. You will be compensated for any lost game time, however no in-game compensation will be available in the event of a rollback.
A little more detail...
New AI – As said, the AI system has been completely re-written. This is a huge update to a core feature and you will see some immediate changes here. Different attack types, new animal behaviours as well as animals ageing and growing in power and strength both in the wild but even more so under the care of a player-tamer. A skilled player can also now control multiple pets, giving more freedom and customization for your in game adventures.
New GUI – The GUI has been completely updated, you will notice fast smooth windows with no lag, banks will open smoothly and it is now far less confusing for new players to work through as most windows now react in the same way. Player friendly features have also been introduced with this new UI, such as ensuring you don’t delete items by accident, money exchange at the vendor simplified and basic information on items too.
What else? Well, 64B Support, lock-picking, player written books, bags, armour and clothing dyes, the City of Tindrem, new dungeons to discover and explore, vendor changes, and the Trade Broker are just some of the additions you will notice.
However, as always Starvault does not release the full content of any patch or expansion, Awakening has many, many secrets waiting for you to discover!
Everyone at Starvault has been working long and hard on Awakening, so we are all very excited to finally see the release and share the new world with all of you.