BUGFIXING
After effective downtime of four weeks up to 1.5 month, some tough descisions on restructuring the way our game does its database handling and several nights of carefully recoding routines at the core of our game - Blitz, App and Beta are now ready to run for you. This means we are ready fixing the exploited bug.
- Blitz server is reset 19th April 2006, 21:00 server time (CET),
for a new game round (server came back on 9 march, then was reset again 10 days later, then was reset again). - Beta server will reset unknown date,
for a new game round (server was shut down recently, Portal account clearing and fixing the UBB link is in progress). - Apprentice was reset 29th march 2006, 21:00 server time (CET),
for a new game round ('App tweaking' will continue.) - Guild server will be open for new mages xxxxxxxxxxxx 17:00
(at which time it has received the bug-fixed code).
For several reasons, for Blitz, App and Beta server, we've decided not to end the past game round with Armageddon and not to make up a Hall of Immortals. For beta that was announced when that server opened. For App and Blitz: sorry - but circumstances forced us too:
- We reset the server because there was too long offline time,
- Armageddon was not ready yet (see below).
- Apprentice server was very early in game round when bug-fix downtime hit it. There was not really fair competition for land rushers, early gelders, fast researchers (turn loss/extra turn gain)
- For the same reasons, we decided to reset blitz once again days ago, when it turned out the bug needed a double fix to be really fixed.
PUNNISHING CHEATERS
- We have deleted the accounts of some bug-exploiting players
- We have banned some IP's used by bug-exploiting players.
- We remove mage accounts and implement bans because it spoils the game of fair players. That is the primary reason to forbid it in our decalogue.
- We fix our code and remove bug-exploits at their root.
- We distest our server downtime, not our cheating players.
- We were looking forward to the resetting of our servers, that fully whiped out bug-abuse traces.
1. ADMINNING
We are in the process of restructuring the way we admin the game.
- saving admin and developer time (to use the time for more adminning and developing).
- Admins will be given 'emergency break features', e.g. to freeze the server or to temporarilly close the server for new reincarnations, when a major problem occurs and developers happen to be not online.
2. ARMAGEDDON
We are not happy with the way Armageddon worked in 2005, and hence took that part of the game offline. Ofcourse we are not ready recoding it (amongst other because of the delay by the bug-fixing).
Recoding will envolve 'global effects' with each seal break.
Recoding will envolve making it less obvious 'who exactly is the arma caster'.
Recoding aims 'guild arma casting' not to be a challenge exclusively for the dominant top guild.
This is not finished yet, however.
Once we are finished recoding, we will first test it as server-triggered Armageddon on one server. Thereafter, we will enable player-triggered armageddon - likely first on Beta.
3. TWEAKING APPRENTICE
This is a relative minor task programming wise, but complex task to find the best balance.
4. DISCOURAGING PURE FOCUS ON GELD/HEROES
This is a relative minor task programming wise, but complex task to find the best balance. Pairing of heroes to stacks in battles has allready been changed. It will be made more difficult to collect large sets of heroes too.
The numbers of Magical Compasses in the game will be further limited.
5. DISCOURAGING PURE FOCUS ON SNIPING
This is a point we are still thinking on the best solution. The new database functionality used to fix the bug, gives us new opportunities to do something regarding this issue.
Thanks for your patience.
TR team is in good spirit again, after some difficult time.
Please prepare for more improvements!