Mega Server test concluded!

The test conducted on our Mega Server today was in many ways a success but the server lag became a bit too heavy with 600+ players online at the same time.  What was very nice to see was that the server didn’t die or totally freeze. In a sense it was still playable and many of you didn’t seem to care much but the lag wasn’t really noticeable if you were only walking around or fighting. It would be very frustrating during creation or building though.

We’ll look further into what can be done to reduce lag and discuss the data we gathered.

A  heartful thank you goes out to everyone who participated in this test – we did find things that we do not want to run in to in a live release situation. Next test will be at a better time with a bit more notice. We’ll keep you posted with any decisions we make!

Rolf

Mega Server test client link

Allright, the game client you need to use for the Xanadu Mega Server test is our standard test client, which has been modified to connect to that server:

http://www.wurmonline.com/client/wurmclient_test.jnlp

There is no need to register for the event – just type a nickname and a random password and connect.

We suggest that you download it now so that your graphics packs update properly.

What we are testing is to see how a large population affects lag on the server, so don’t hesitate to run multiple clients at once. The test is scheduled to run between 22.00 and 23.00 hrs CEST today but we will try to keep the test going as long as population numbers increase.

We’ll be streaming how it looks ingame as well on http://www.twitch.tv/codeclub

Thanks for joining in!

Help us test our new Mega-Server on Thursday!

On Thursday 10/4 at 22.00 hrs CEST we will test a Mega Sized Server and want you to help us out! The size we are testing is 16 times the size of our current largest servers.

Our current largest servers are 16×16 kilometers, and this new map is 64×64 kilometers, or 4096 square kilometers, non-instanced, single zone fully modifiable, living terrain!

We want to see how many players can be on the server simultaneously and see how bad the lag gets on the client and server under heavy load. There will also be 50 000 creatures roaming the wilderness (which is a fairly low population in Wurm terms).
NO REGISTRATION WILL BE REQUIRED FOR JOINING THE TEST! You will just have to type in your desired nickname and a random password and click play once we provide the link to the client used for the test.
Apart from the fact that no other MMO has ever launched a modifyable map of this size, running this many players in one game zone is pretty unusual in itself and will be an interesting experience. We strongly suggest you join in.
We will livestream the event on www.twitch.tv/codeclub.
In case all goes well we’ll consider releasing the server within a few weeks after some more testing and tweaking.
We will post a link to the game client used for these tests on our launcher and in the news section of the web site approximately half an hour before the test goes live. Note that this test will last approximately one hour and the server will be made unavailable afterwards and the database will probably be wiped.
Hope you can make it!
The Wurm Online Team

New fence creation window and Shark Season

  • We launch a brand new way of creating fences, hedges, flower beds and stone walls without all the right-clicks! You now use the same window as for item creation. We are looking into doing the same for houses as soon as possible.
  • Sharks have changed. They are a lot weaker and a bit more common. It’s unwise to try and fight them swimming, but they will not attack you in boats. They are also pretty easy to avoid and should pose a danger mainly to careless explorers.
  • There are also reports of the huge Sea Serpents closer to land again. Maybe food is scarce in the deep seas.
  • Another tweak to smelting was required.
  • Double favor items for Libila no longer only counts once but should work as for the other religions.
  • It is no longer possible to ally for MR and JK since the number of HOTS champs is limited to 3.

Post-update patch

  • Adding and removing structure tiles should now properly check for permission
  • Chaos terrain was rolled back to yesterday so that bush types were restored
  • Balanced Libila on the Valrei map and changed the way power and vitality are managed between scenarios
  • Made it so that creatures do more reasonable damage to vehicles
  • Fixed stone slab road issues
  • Added marble and slate road slab tiles