Xsyon - Prelude news & patch notes

The Magic Realm Christmas Scavenger Hunt Peace Server Event Date: Saturday, December 28th, 2004 Start Time: Noon Pacific Time 1 pm Mountain Time 2 pm Central Time 3 pm Eastern Time I will be busy hiding rewards on the morning of December 28th, 2004 at The Magic Realm, so The Magic Realm is off limits until I start summons for the event. There will be free Fruit Kebabs, Bread Kebabs, and Cheese Kebabs available in Edlothia's public food basket on the counter in Edlothia's Diner for revelers to enjoy. Guide Elijah will be hiding the following things for you to find: 15 Bowls containing $5000 each. 3 Bowls each containing a Supreme Feldspar that you can turn in to get to tame a baby mutant of your choice. 3 Baskets each containing a Santa's Big Helper. 8 Christmas Sacks. 2 Bins each containing a Complete Santa Suit. 2 Bins each containing a Complete Ms. Santa Suit. 8 Bins each containing a Complete Elf Suit. 8 Bins each containing a Complete Ms. Elf Suit. Guide Elijah will begin giving event summons about 30 minutes prior to event start time. Come on over and enjoy the festivities!

Sunset Cove Fishing Rodeo This Saturday, Guide Elijah will be conducting an in game fishing tournament. Peace Server Event Date: Saturday, December 7th, 2024 Start Time: Noon Pacific Time 1 pm Mountain Time 2 pm Central Time 3 pm Eastern Time Rewards will be as follows for turning in fish: 3 Cutthroat Baby Mutant of your choice to tame 7 Brook Trout Supreme Quality Scrapper Fishing Rod 15 Brown Trout Supreme Quality Fish Pouch 32 Mountain Whitefish Supreme Quality Fish Basket You may acquire one of each type of prize listed. So get out there and skill up your Fishing and Animal Taming skills in preparation for this Event. Guide Elijah will start giving summons to the event about 30 minutes before start time. Have fun!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! I'd like to keep you all informed of how things are coming along with my current graphics update as it's been a while since I last posted. The graphics are coming along alright. The DirectX 11 functions are complete and DirectX 12 functions are nearly done. DirectX 13 conversion is well underway. I'm just trying to get everything updated and ready so that when I launch these updates players will be able to choose what system runs best on their machine and I won't have to work too hard on graphic updates in the future. I've updated the website back-end without causing any issues. That was time consuming but at least it's out of the way. While working on the graphics, I've set up different interface and control options as I noted before. I've also been working on a few added features that were started a long time ago but never completed such as in game mail and better creature aging and balancing. As before, if you have any requests regarding things you'd like to see improved, please join the discussion on the Xsyon forums. I'm expecting to release this update early in 2025, hopefully in January or early February. It's getting there! In the meantime, Guide Elijah has volunteered to run a few events during this holiday season. I will announcing them shortly. I look forward to your feedback. Enjoy!

Viking Settlement Building Event The Viking Settlement Building Event will start on Saturday, June 29th. Guide Elijah will hop on both the Peace and War Servers at Noon Pacific Time / 3 pm Eastern Time to announce the start of the Event. At a minimum I want you to build 4 small houses with thatch roofs, and one Viking Longhouse using either pioneer or mason fortress roofs or a combination of those. Everyone who completes a build with these requirements will get to tame a baby mutant of their choice. You must choose a site on one of Xsyon's large lakes, or somewhere on the continental coast, or on an island to build your Viking Settlement. For those builders who go above and beyond, incorporating other appropriate structures that one might find at a Viking Settlement, those people will get to tame an additional baby mutant with another of their toons, or choose one of the special weapons as an additional reward. The Event will end on Saturday, August 10th. So you will have a little over one Xsyon year to complete this Event. Starting at 9am Pacific Time/Noon Eastern Time on that day, I will start hopping around to event participants sites to judge their builds, and start granting rewards. Make use of the time until the start of the event to be gathering materials and selecting appropriate sites to build on. See you in Xsyon!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! It’s been quite a while since my last progress report. Things are coming along but there is still a little ways to go with the graphics update. The basic DirectX 11 update is done with a few minor effects that need to be converted or improved. Setting up the code for the many different combinations of effects and settings has unfortunately been very time consuming. I’ve also converted most of the code for switching to DirectX 12 (and then 13). Most likely I will release the DirectX 11 patch first followed shortly by the DirectX 12 option. I have set up conversion tools that allow me to modify the game world surfaces using World Machine which is a much better tool that Xsyon’s proprietary world builder. The process of exporting is still cumbersome so I need to finish creating a tool to speed up this process as I believe I will be able to create a much better surface distribution which will make the terrain look better especially at a distance and be more realistic. I have updated the old Speed Tree and spent some time trying to implement assets from the latest Speed Tree. Unfortunately, I can’t afford the current Speed Tree SDK which is intended for large development teams. At this point, I will likely stick with the older version with some improvements (bump mapping on trees and more realistic textures) and try to implement newer assets in the future. I’ve also updated the MySQL and Steam functions to the latest versions. I need to finish setting up new options menus as some of the graphic options have changed and there are more interface and interaction options now available. I am also working a necessary upgrade to the Xsyon website. Although the website functions perfectly well as is, the base forum software was coded using a version of PHP that is reaching its ‘end of life’. As the forum software was integrated with a back-end payment system and then customized this upgrade is not very straightforward. I am starting with an upgrade to the latest forum software and will work on integrated a payment and account system and then any needed customization. While I’m wrapping these things up, I would appreciate some feedback on what you players would like to see improved. I am looking for requests that could improve the ‘quality of life’ or play-ability especially for new players and that wouldn’t require new 3D graphic objects. If you have any such suggestions please join in the discussion on the Xsyon forums. I wish the graphics update wasn’t taking so long but it has been a lot of work and some things I’ve worked on this year haven’t turned out to be productive. It’s basically a rewrite of all the graphics code with additions and I’m working a normal 40-50 hour schedule these days unlike the past when I could often put in 80+ hour weeks. Things are coming along though and once everything is up the latest standards I will be removing the Early Access tag on Steam but will continue improving Xsyon indefinitely. I look forward to your feedback. Enjoy!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! As many of you know, there were big problems at the data center that hosts Xsyon's game servers over the past few weeks. I've been moving things around and also upgrading the database code. For now, there is a new Xsyon Launcher for players that play directly and off of Steam. You can find this launcher linked to in the old Launcher window or through your account page on the Xsyon website. I am testing out locations for a future and more final move but at the moment everything is up and running and I hope it stays that way! I am returning my focus to the game. I think it will still be a few months before I can release the DirectX graphics update. This mess at the data center was a big distraction but I continue to move forward with the code. That's all for now!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Xsyon is on sale at a big discount of 75% off through January 4th! We also have a few events coming up thanks to our Guide Team. Come join in the fun! Important Note: Unfortunately I am posting this announcement late as the Xsyon servers are currently unavailable. There is a major problem at the server host data center that is being dealt with and may take another 24 to 36 hours from the time of this post to resolve. Once the servers are back up I will work quickly to set up any players that attempted to create new accounts during this down time. I apologize for any inconvenience and thank players for your patience! Christmas gifts: During the Winter Sale Xsyon we will be distributing Christmas gifts. I am extending the gift period to January 11th because of the server down time. To receive a gift, please open a help ticket and request one blueprint, pattern or scheme. You will receive that gift in addition to a Christmas outfit and some cash. In your ticket, please note your character name, tribe name and the X, Z and Zone coordinates to the location of a basket that you leave in game (preferably at your tribe's totem). Please make sure to send us a request before January 4th. Gathering Events: Guide Elijah will be running a different kind of event in January. Although the event sounds simple enough there is a lot of distance to cover and explore and you will be crossing paths with legendary creatures along the way. On the Peace Server this event will start on Saturday, January 13th at 12 noon PST and will run for one week until Saturday, January 20th. On the War Server this event will start on Saturday, January 20th at 12 noon PST and will run for one week until Saturday, January 27th. The starting location for the event is at the dock at the Bay Watch tribe. Guide Elijah will summon players to the start location 30 minutes before the event commences. Fish up 10 Cutthroat Trout fish from the dock at Sunset Cove. These can be of any quality. Next, scavenge 10 premium Mink Furs from the scavenger piles outside of Silverleaf. Once you have gathered all of these items, bring them back to Guide Elijah at the Bay Watch Tribe on Mystery Isle. Once you have turned in the items to Guide Elijah, he will spawn in a baby mutant of your choice and set its age to 1 and health to 100 to make it a little easier for you to tame. Here are map coordinates to help you get to the event locations: Peace Server: Sunset Cove Dock Zone: 687 X 741 Z 476 Bay Watch Infirmary Zone: 779 X 531 Z 829 Scavenger Pile outside Silverleaf: Zone 796 X 20 Z 410 War Server: Guide Elijah's Home Infirmary: Zone 779 X 402 Z 737 West Coast Fishing Location: Zone 687 X 771 Z 490 East Coast Scavenger Pile Location: Zone 796 X 20 Z 410 Update: I am continuing with the DirectX graphics, interface and interaction update and will post an update on what’s been completed and what’s still in the works in the New Year. It’s coming along but there are many little things to wrap up and optimize. Enjoy the holidays!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! I’ve been making steady progress with the DirectX graphics update. As I’ve mentioned before this is a massive update to the game engine. The code for most rendering functions had to be completely rewritten. This is a necessary step though so it will continue to be my focus until it’s done. We’re getting there! Since my last major report I’ve completed the following: - Improved lighting functions (torches, though not yet implemented will be finally possible!) - Fires. - New cloud system. - Reflections on water. - Sun and moon rendering implemented. - Sunlight and moonlight functions revised. - Improved shadows. - Ground texture improvements. - Bump mapping for ground textures completed and optimized. - Terrain conversion to World Machine, potentially allowing for better overall surface distribution. - Post processing effects for adjusting brightness and contrast. - New font system. - Interface function adjustments to accommodate the new font functions. - Hero panel update. - Chat panel adjustable transparency. - New HDR rendering system. - Revised loading functions to work with the new graphics system. - Optimization of graphic systems implemented so far. Here’s what I’m working on next: - Continued work with World Machine. My goal is to use World Machine to improve the overall ground surface texture distribution. - Finalizing distant terrain. - Finalizing trees. I’m hoping I will be able to use the latest version of Speed Tree though for now I’ve converted the older version but still need to improve some of the lighting and distant tree functions. - Adjusting some rendering functions to work properly with the new HDR rendering system. - Ensuring that zone crossings are 100% correct. - Continued improvements and options for interacting with objects and the interface. - Revised tutorial. - Checking through everything and updating anything else that I’ve missed! This DirectX update is taking a while and there have been several snags over this past year where I found that functions had be coded using completely different methods to achieve the same or a similar effect. While revising the font system at first I implemented a system that would allow players to use any font on their computer. Unfortunately that system was too slow. Instead I implemented a fast system and have converted 10 standard fonts for players to choose from. In the near future I will post a feedback thread for players to request additional fonts as I can add a few more and maybe remove some of the redundant fonts that I’ve set up. At this point, my goal is to release this graphic update including the War system, improvements to the interface, interactions and the tutorial in January. I don’t wish to release a big update like this and remove the Early Access tag during the winter holiday season as Xsyon tends to get lost among other big releases and popular titles on sale. I will post more regularly as I wrap up this update. Thanks again for your patience. Revising a graphic engine is a lot of work for one programmer! Enjoy!

The Xsyon Coastal Region Treasure Hunt Event The Event will run for one week's Time. Starts: Saturday July 1st at Noon Pacific Time Ends: Saturday July 8th at Noon Pacific Time. Start and Ending Location: Just outside of Sunset Cove near the West Lighthouse A message from Guide Elijah: I will hide 60 treasure baskets on the morning of the Treasure hunt. One or 2 baskets in each Region listed below. Each basket contains items of one treasure type as listed below. You are only allowed to take one item from each basket. You can either keep the items or turn them in on a one for one basis for event tokens. If you turn in all 60 different treasure items instead of turning them in for event tokens, then you get a chance to tame a baby mutant of your choice that I will summon in. Good luck in your treasure hunting! Region and Treasure Type Campana: Feldspar Cedar: Gold Metal Decoration Griminger: Gold Small Metal Block Simpson: Gold Metal Rod Devil Peak: Gold Metal Ring Placer: Gold Rivets Forest Hill: Gold Wedge Forest Hill: Gold Spikes Emigrant: Gold Small Plate Midas: Gold Small Metal Sheet Celina: Quartz Blackjack: Chrome Metal Decoration Beartrap: Chrome Small Metal Block Coppins: Chrome Metal Rod Independence: Chrome Metal Ring Loyalton: Chrome Rivets Haskell: Chrome Wedge Burma: Chrome Spikes Burma: Chrome Small Plate Peavine: Chrome Small Metal Sheet Black Springs: Obsidian Hungry Sun: Titanium Metal Decoration Hungry Sun: Titanium Small Metal Block Curnow: Titanium Metal Rod Pah Rah: Titanium Metal Ring Moses Rock: Titanium Rivets Secret Canyon: Titanium Wedge Pierson: Titanium Spikes Caletorn: Titanium Small Plate Caletorn: Titanium Small Metal Sheet Outlands Isle: Electrum Metal Decoration Outlands Isle: Electrum Small Metal Block Talapoosa: Electrum Metal Rod Talapoosa: Electrum Metal Ring San Juan: Electrum Rivets San Juan: Platinum Wedge Tibbie: Platinum Spikes Tibbie: Platimum Small Plate Virginia: Platimum Small Metal Sheet Virginia: Platinum Metal Decoration Silver: Flint Hackett: Silver Small Metal Block Hackett: Silver Metal Rod Dayton: Silver Metal Ring Copper: Silver Rivets Copper: Silver Small Plate Churchill Isle: Brass Wedge Churchill Isle: Brass Spikes Alkali: Brass Small Metal Sheet Alkali: Brass Metal Decoration Singatse: Nickel Small Metal Block Singatse: Nickel Metal Rod Mason: Nickel Metal Ring Mason: Nickel Rivets Shamrock: Nickel Small Plate Shamrock: Stainless Small Metal Sheet Wilson: Stainless Metal Decoration Wilson: Stainless Metal Ring Smith: Stainless Rivets Saroni: Stainless Small Plate

Hello Xsyon Citizens! I’ve patched the latest build with minor changes not including the upcoming graphics update. This build features the architecture snap feature that makes aligning similar construction parts to each other much easier. In addition this patch is a preparation for the upcoming graphics update and War System. A lot of the code has been cleaned up with many functions prepared to be compatible with the DirectX 11 changes. These changes should not have any noticeable effects on the game. If you do notice any issues with this patch, please report them on the Xsyon forums in the Developer Zone. Enjoy!

Location and Time: Saturday May 13th Peace Server - The Hidden Realm Event Time: Noon Pacific Time War Server - Zone 767 X 418 Z 1008 Event Time: 2 PM Pacific Time Event Particulars: A message from Guide Elijah about this coming event: For this event work on those Fishing and Taming skills to get ready. There is a hard to catch fish in the coastal waters here, the Tuichub. Everyone who catches one will get to participate in the Animal Taming event. I will spawn in 5 Canis Armadillis pups, 3 male and 2 female. I will set their age to 1, so you can level them up, once you tame them. Once I get them all spawned in and their age set, I will then give the go ahead to start trying to tame them. Everyone who attends will get $5000 and of course you get to keep your new Canie Armadillis pup if you can tame one. Come join the fun!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! It's been a few months since my last update and I've been very busy working on the DirectX graphics update. As noted before, this is a full revision of the graphic engine and is the largest single task I've undertaken to the game. It's been a lot of work but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Here's what's been updated since my last announcement: - Water rendering (expect for the waves caused by a player in water) - Shadow rendering - Distant terrain revised - Terrain bump mapping - Terrain textures updated - Cloud rendering - Tree rendering (this was the largest single graphics system that needed updating) - Post processing system set up - Clean up and optimization of systems and elements previously updated What still needs to be done: - Map panel - Fires - Improved lighting - Further improved shadows - Final ground texture selection - Grass - Waterfalls - Minor fixes and improvements - Optimizations Most of these are relatively simple tasks. Once I feel the overall graphics update is polished enough for public view and I'm comfortable with the updated textures I will launch this new version on the Test Server. In the meantime, the latest version with the War System and architecture snap functions (but without the graphics update) is running on the Test Server. Feel free to check the Xsyon forums for more info. In addition we have a few events coming up and I will announce those in a separate post. Thanks for your patience while I work on this major update. It's been a grind this year but the update is starting to really come together and I'm excited to release it hopefully before the end of summer. Enjoy!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! I've been quiet lately as I've been absorbed in coding and there's nothing new quite ready for public testing. My focus is still upgrading the graphics engine from DirectX 9 to DirectX 11 and then DirectX 12. The update from 9 to 11 has been complex and time consuming while updating from 11 to 12 appears to be more straightforward. So far the following graphic elements have been updated: - Interface functions (panels, inventory, character creator, chat etc.) - Font creation and rendering - Sky rendering - Terrain rendering - Snow rendering on terrain - Rendering players and creatures - Rendering buildings and objects - Selection and interaction - Occlusion and depth rendering for special effects and optimizations - Lighting functions I'm currently working on: - Shadow rendering - Water rendering What's left: - Trees (I plan to update trees using the latest version of SpeedTree) - Grass - Effects (fire and rain) - Clouds - Waterfalls - Mist - Post processing effects (effects while teleporting, distance blur) Shadow rendering is complicated but nearly done. The rest of the effects left to be updated I believe will not be too difficult. While working on this I've learned a lot about DirectX 11 and 12 and HLSL language in general. Going forward it will be easier for me to improve graphic capabilities like adding torches finally and more effects. This major task is taking a long time. There was a lot of code that had to be completely rewritten and there were times I was stuck on some functions but I am progressing rapidly and smoothly at the moment. In addition to the DirectX update, the War System and architecture snap functions are nearly ready to go. I have a short list of things to double check and plan to open up a final round of testing once I finish the shadow rendering code I'm currently focused on. That's all for now!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Xsyon Citizens! This year we will be distributing gifts through January 5th, while Xsyon is on sale. To receive a gift, please open a help ticket and request one blueprint, pattern or scheme. You will receive that gift in addition to a Christmas outfit and some cash. In your ticket, please note your character name, tribe name and the location of a basket that you leave in game (preferably at your tribe's totem). I will post an in depth update on the status of the DirectX update and what's in the works after Christmas. Enjoy!

Xsyon 2022 Thanksgiving Event: On Saturday, November 26th, we will be hosting Xsyon's 2022 Thanksgiving Event over at the camp on Mystery Isle. This will be a cooperative Event in the spirit of Thanksgiving. The Time for the Event on the Peace Server will be Noon PST. The Time for the Event on the War Server will be 2 pm PST. Guide Elijah wants Triceracock Kebobs for my Thanksgiving Dinner! He will spawn in a Legendary Triceracock and name him ThanksgivingDinner. Players will be expected to cooperate to take him down. You will only be able to use one of the 4 types of dogs as your hunting pet for the event. Coyotes will not be allowed for this Event. So get out there and tame yourself a good hunting dog and train him up for the event. When he is taken down, Guide Elijah will skin him and evenly distribute the spoils among event attendees. You will then need to cook a Triceracock Kebob using the following ingredients: Primary Ingredient 1 Triceracock Meat Secondary Ingredient 1 Water Cress Terciary Ingredient 1 Yarrow Each person that turns in a Triceracock Kebob will receive their choice of Special Weapon and $5000. Happy Thanksgiving!

In celebration of Halloween, Xsyon is on sale for under $10 through October 31st! This coming weekend we will be hosting our annual Halloween Event. The Event will be on Saturday October 29th at 12 Noon PST. Pumpkin Head Revenants have taken over the long sandy gulch on Mystery Isle. Donning pumpkin head helms and wielding indestructible weapons, they terrorize the Isle. We are calling for Heroes to come clear out this haunted batch of evil spirits! Heroes can keep all the gear they loot from the Revenants, including the pumpkin head helms and indestructible weapons. If they so desire, players can exchange looted weapons for 10 Event Tokens and Halloween Helms for 3 Event Tokens. In addition, there are baskets hidden in the area that each contain $5000 loot. Guide Elijah will start summons about 20 minutes before the event start time. Come one and all and enjoy the Xsyon 2022 Halloween Event!

We are running PvP battle events again this coming weekend, on both servers! Time: War Server: 12 Noon PST , Saturday October 1st 2022 Peace Server: 2 PM PST , Saturday October 1st 2022 15 minutes prior to the event, whisper GuideRaguel for a port. Details: Let’s get ready to rumble. Two citizens enter, only one leaves alive. With the conquest update coming up, it is time to fight. Spar with your fellow survivors to see who has the edge. Depending on participation there may be time for rematches, challenges, or team fights for fun. After the fights, we’ll have a short race just to see how fast you can get to those contested areas! Everyone is a winner. Food will be provided. Come hang out and see your fellow players and enjoy an afternoon of sparring and fellowship! Rules: Single elimination bracket Must keep it in the area No mounts Order of port request determines bracket order Weapons allowed Looting of opponent NOT allowed Destruction of the arena high discouraged Don’t kill non-combatants! Prizes: 1st gets a brand spanking new craft-able weapon of their choice and a pick of material (within reason) or schematic. 2nd gets either a new weapon or pick of material (within reason) 3rd gets whatever 2nd did not choose.

A Fishing Rodeo will be held on September 17th at Sunset Cove. The event will start at 12 Noon PST / 3 pm EST. GuideElijah will be on hand about 20 minutes before the event begins to give summons. Everyone who shows up will get $5000. You can turn in 5 fish of any type to get 1 event token. Turn in fish as follows for other prizes: 20 Mountain Whitefish Supreme ql 125 Master Scrapper's Rod 15 Brown Trout Supreme ql 125 Welmeti Fish Pouch 10 Cutthroat Supreme ql 125 Welmeti Fish Basket 5 Brook Trout Supreme ql 100 Dissector However be sure to hold some fish back for the special grand finale of this event. I will spawn a male hunchback coyote pup and set his age at 1. Whoever tames him gets to keep him. Age of animals in Xsyon is in months, and about every 3 and one third to 3 and one half real life days your your pet's age will go up by one month. Come and join the fun!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! Here's a summary of what's going on with Xsyon over the next few months. War Server Conquest System I've resolved glitches with the Conquest System that were reported and that I found on my own over the past month. Several requested features have also been implemented. The latest iteration of the system is currently on the Test Server. While I feel the system is working well enough for public release I will be waiting until October to make it live. Almost there! Construction Snap I've added a Snap feature to building construction on the current Test Server build. Check the Developer Zone on the Xsyon website for more info. Events We will be running several events (both PvE and PvE) in September and October. I will announce each event a week ahead of time but we're planning to have an event at least every other weekend starting around mid September. DirectX Graphics Update The graphics update is coming along but will take a while longer. I am hoping to finish updating all the graphic systems and effects by the end of the year. Most of the foundation has been updated but the tree system, shadows and effects still need to be converted to the latest DirectX. I will keep players updated on my progress and when I get to the point where some of the updated graphics can be tested. That's all for now! As before, my primary focus is updating the graphics code. It's a very time consuming but necessary task and I hope it will be well worth it when it's complete. Enjoy!

One of our Guides will be running combat events on both servers this coming Saturday. Let’s get ready to rumble! Time: War Server: 12 Noon PST August 6th, 2022 Peace Server: 2PM PST August 6th, 2022 15 minutes prior to the event, whisper GuideRaguel for a port or ask in global chat. Details: Two citizens enter, only one leaves alive. With the conquest update coming up, it is time to fight. Spar with your fellow survivors to see who has the edge. Depending on participation there may be time for rematches, challenges, or team fights for fun. After the fights, we’ll have a short race just to see how fast you can get to those contested areas! Everyone is a winner. Food will be provided. Come hang out and see your fellow players and enjoy an afternoon of sparring and fellowship! Rules: Single elimination bracket Must keep it in the area No mounts Order of port request determines bracket order Weapons allowed Looting of opponent NOT allowed Destruction of the arena highly discouraged Don’t kill non-combatants! Prizes: 1st gets a brand spanking new craftable weapon of their choice and a pick of material (within reason) or schematic. 2nd gets either a new weapon or pick of material (within reason) 3rd gets whatever 2nd did not choose.

Hello Xsyon Citizens! I'd like to update everyone on what is currently in the works. My primary focus right now is to finish updating the game engine DirectX graphics. I started this task many months ago and kept interrupting it to work on other improvements such as the terrain expansion, War system and interface and interaction revisions. For now I am spending most of my time working on this graphics update. It's a massive task as the more current versions of DirectX are very different from the antiquated version (DirectX 9.0c) currently used for Xsyon. Basically it's a rewrite of the entire graphics code but it's a necessary update that in the long run should be well worth the effort! So far I've updated all core functions, loading functions and 2D interface elements. Rendering code for 3D basic objects (buildings etc.) is updated as well. Character and creatures are rendering but I haven't finished updating animations yet. I'm currently working on updating the terrain rendering system which so far is relatively straightforward. There is still a lot of work left to be done but it's coming along! The next public update will be the War System. There are few minor features I need to complete or revise but I think it's almost ready to go. I will be reviewing the current feedback to see what's left and try to wrap things up as soon as possible. I'm a bit behind schedule this summer as I caught Covid during the Summer Sale. Fortunately I didn't have any symptoms aside from being very lethargic and dizzy. (No cough, sore throat, loss of taste or other common symptoms). It did render me unable to concentrate and code but I caught more sleep than I've had in many years! In summary: I will try to release the first version of the War System before September and I will be focused on the DirectX update until it's complete, however long it takes. That's all for now!

Terrain Expansion Patch - Terrain expanded to 7 times the original map. -- Easy danger regional hubs are distributed around the map so that players of all levels can inhabit the expanded terrain. -- The southernmost area of the full Xsyon terrain is still being finalized. The north and middle sections of the map extend to a mist filled ocean that surrounds the Xsyon island. -- The full Xsyon terrain comprises 1600 1024x1024 meter zones, including zones in the surrounding ocean. Roughly 4/5 of this terrain is now currently open! -- The terrain is divided into 182 regions for purposes of scavenging, resources and the upcoming War System. Each region is assigned a region type based on one of the 8 (7 currently in game) architectural styles. - Scavenging revised -- Resources are now more regionally distributed. -- Scavenged materials can be found in each region based on its assigned style (Gadu, Pioneer, Mason, Scrapper etc.) - Tree spawning revised -- Trees spawn across the world to ensure regions maintain a decent population of each tree type. -- Tree spawning distances improved to prevent close clusters of trees. -- Tree distribution based on elevation, terrain surface and proximity to water. - Creature migration revised -- Creature migration revised to populate the expanded world and keep it populated. -- Number of potential creatures in the world increased. This will be further increased over time. -- Creature migration is tracked in a server side panel so that I can ensure that regions are properly inhabited. - Large World Map -- A large world map has been released! Use the M key by default to access the new map. -- The map consists of various layers that can be turned on and off, including the zone grid and a regional overlay. -- Additional features to this World Map will be forthcoming. - Trading Post (Mist Trader) revised -- The Mist Trader now updated once per game day (nine times per real day). -- Items expire if now bought after 3 real days. -- The number of total items available for purchase at one time varied based on tribe size, ranging from 15 to 60 items. -- Trading Posts fill to their limit during each update. -- The inventory available should be roughly 50% blueprints, 30% patterns and 20% tool and armor schemes. -- These revisions should make it much easier for players to acquire the construction blueprints they are looking for or complete their armor or tool sets. - Options panel improved -- Options / settings divided into three tab groups: Graphics, Sound and Interface. -- Screen resolution and Refresh setting separated for easier adjustments. -- Sound settings now use sliders instead of arrows. -- Combat Mode is now referred to as Active Mode. -- Default Mode setting added. This allows players to set what mode they wish to enter the game in, Active or Passive. (Passive mode was the past default) -- The Action Menu (the buttons for interaction with objects, creatures and other players) can be set to a Top Menu of buttons, a Right Side List of small buttons, a Radial Menu or the original Right Click list. -- Actions in the Action Menu can be assigned key binds, which is particularly useful for interacting with objects in Active Mode. -- Camera Field of View setting has been added to adjust the Field of View between 40 and 100 degrees. -- Mouse Yaw and Pitch settings added to control the speed of the mouse control for camera and player rotations. -- Report Gains settings added to display a message in the lower right of the screen each time a resource is acquired. This will be expanded to display XP gains as well. -- The various standard Control Bars and Panels (Commands, Chat, Emotes, Combat, Packs, Skills and Resources) can be turned on and off in addition to being displayed vertically or horizontally. -- The Mini Map can now be set to align to the left or right side of the screen. -- The Radial Menu and Active Mode changes are in progress and will be further revised over the upcoming month. - Key binds revised -- Key binds for all object interactions added. -- Key bind for the new World Map added. -- Key binds to turn standard Action Bars on and off added. -- Key bind panel rearranged. - Optimizations and general improvements -- Glitches with the Crafting Panel fixed. -- Crafting properties check optimized. -- Quality and Durability preview in the Crafting panel set to 2 decimal places. -- Environmental sounds load now at the end of world loading. -- Chance / luck removed from building construction. -- Tribe panel revised with the Totems tab added for placing sub totems. -- Font issues corrected. -- Some gathering actions sped up. -- Server side start up heavily optimized. -- Many functions and systems have been further optimized for speed. -- Minor bug fixes in addition to the above listed changes are noted in the Bug Report section of the Xsyon forums.

Hello Xsyon Citizens! The massive terrain expansion patch is live! This patch increases the playable terrain by about 7 times, giving players a whole lot of world to build in and explore. This patch focuses on a greatly expanded terrain and includes a lot of new and updated features. Here are some the changes in this patch: 1) World Map - A large world map with layers that you can turn on and off display the world in detail, the zone grid and region boundaries. 2) Scavenging - Scavenging had been revised so that items found are grouped by region and danger level of each region. Regions are categorized in the same groups as architecture parts and the Mist Traders (Gadu, Pioneer etc.) With the revised system, it should be easier to find what you are looking for. 3) Mist Traders - Mist Traders will sell a greater variety and number of schemes so that it will be much easier for players to collect the patterns and blueprints they seek. 4) Interface interactions - Options have been revised to include various menu styles, key binds and settings so that players can further customize their game experience to play either in the current older MMO fashion or more like a current sandbox survival game in 'active mode'. 5) Revised regions - With the terrain expansion, current regions have been reshaped and increased in size. This will become more important for the War Server when the War System is released as each conquerable region will be larger in size than the current small regions around the lake. Some of these features (such as the map) are a work in progress and will be improved and completed over the upcoming weeks. For all players: Please start by checking your Options and Key binds as some defaults have been changed. In the near future I will set up a panel that will allow players to choose from two basic default sets of options when they start the game. Xsyon will be on sale starting through May 23rd and will be on sale again along with the War System update this summer. As there are many updates to the code with this patch, I expect that there will be issues found. Please post any issues you encounter in the Developer Zone on the Xsyon Forums. Enjoy!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! The massive terrain expansion patch is ready to go and will be patched this coming weekend! The servers will shut down Saturday, May 14th at 10:00 AM PST and should be back up between 12:00 Noon and 1:00 PM PST with the update. This patch focuses on a greatly expanded terrain and includes a lot of new and updated features. Here are some the changes in this patch: 1) World Map - A large world map with layers that you can turn on and off display the world in detail, the zone grid and region boundaries. 2) Scavenging - Scavenging had been revised so that items found are grouped by region and danger level of each region. Regions are categorized in the same groups as architecture parts and the Mist Traders (Gadu, Pioneer etc.) With the revised system, it should be easier to find what you are looking for. 3) Mist Traders - Mist Traders will sell a greater variety and number of schemes so that it will be much easier for players to collect the patterns and blueprints they seek. 4) Interface interactions - Options have been revised to include various menu styles, key binds and settings so that players can further customize their game experience to play either in the current older MMO fashion or more like a current sandbox survival game in 'active mode'. 5) Revised regions - With the terrain expansion, current regions have been reshaped and increased in size. This will become more important for the War Server when the War System is released as each conquerable region will be larger in size than the current small regions around the lake. I will continue working on some of these features and making adjustments based on feedback after the public release but they are currently in a state that is good enough for public play. Xsyon will be on sale shortly after Saturday's update. See you in game!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! I'd like to give you all a quick update on what's currently in the works. My primary goal at the moment is to wrap up and release two big features - the massive Terrain Expansion and the War System for the War Server. The Terrain Expansion is nearly ready for release. This week I will be running extensive tests and fast simulations of creature migration, tree spawning and scavenging distribution in the expansion regions. Next week I will patch any additional zones that have been cleaned up and I will request final feedback on the expansion areas. As part of this update I've recreated the tree spawning system. I think trees spawn in a better pattern now without issues of over crowding some areas. For this new system I am clearing out and respawning all trees not on tribe land. I have several players touching up the remaining zones that need a check over. This is a time consuming task and I will likely release the expansion without all the zones open as the systems are ready to go. The War System has just a few additional features for me to finish implementing and should be ready to go public along with the expanded terrain. As I am wrapping up these features and will soon have time to work on additional tasks, I have set up a feedback session for players to request minor improvements that they would most like to see. Please feel free to join us in the Suggestions session on the Xsyon forums. Enjoy!

Hello Xsyon Citizens! It's been a while since the last major update but there's a lot in the works and I expect to start patching updates again in the next few months! Here's a preview of what's coming up: Terrain Expansion The full original Xsyon map is close to being ready the public. Another large area of zones in nearly ready for patching and testing. Once that's been submitted, there are around 150 zones that still need to be checked over and touched up. To put this into context there is a total of over 1000 land zones so we're getting there and I may start opening up this terrain to the public before the final 150 zones are complete. The current state of the terrain expansion can be checked out on the Test Server and a full map is available in the Developer Zone on the Xsyon website. Along with this update I am updating the distribution of resources to make it easier for players to understand what can be found in specific Regions. War System The War System proposed and discussed years ago has been mostly implemented and is running on the Test Server. I have a few more items to finish and this system will be ready for heavy battle testing. Please check the Developer Zone on the Xsyon website for full information on this upcoming feature. Interface Improvements As mentioned several months ago, I am continuing to revise the interface and interactions. The changes I'm working on are not yet ready for patching to the Test Server but when I'm done players will be able to choose between several overall interface systems and many individual settings. The goal is so that players can interact with Xsyon either as an older style MMO (as originally designed) or a newer style survival game (as most new players expect). Suggestions I will be opening a feedback discussion for the next round of minor improvements soon. My goal is to go through the current full list of open Suggestions here on the forums, add any more current suggestions and crank through and implement the ones that are most desirable and easy to implement. DirectX I am still working sporadically on the major DirectX update to the game engine. Basically it's an entire re-write of the underlying graphic engine. I hope to have that in testing by summer but currently it's a lower priority than the other improvements listed above. That's all for now. You are all welcome to join us on the Test Server and Developer Zone discussions!

Due to popular demand we will be running another revenant conquest event, this time with a touch of Christmas. The fun will commence at 9:00 AM PST, Saturday December 18th and will continue on throughout the day. - Kill lots of Revenants! - Collect armor from revenants and turn it in for prizes. For every 3 pieces of revenant armor turned in you get an event token. - Come to Zone 737 X 944 Z 953 or ask in global chat for a Guide to summon you to the start of the event. - There are 5 Santa's Big Helpers Hidden in the Event area. - 100 pieces of Christmas gear are hidden in the Event area. You have the option of keeping them or turning each piece in for an event token. - There are 25 Christmas Sacks hidden in the Event area. Each Christmas Sack contains: 10 Fruit Kebabs, $ 5000, and 5 event tokens. Come and join us, enjoy the event and meet new folks! After the event, redeem your tokens through a help ticket Please supply the following information: - character name - tribe name - server - tokens you plan to redeem - prize you wish to collect To expedite token redemption you can place the tokens in a locked bin and note the location (x, z, zone) in the help ticket and we can deliver the prize directly to this bin.

The full Xsyon terrain is currently available for players to check out on the Test Server! Much thanks goes out to the volunteer players that have been helping smooth out errors and finalize the terrain so that it can be ready for public release! To celebrate this Xsyon is on sale this week, through December 13th. A map of the full terrain is available in the Developer Zone There are still a few steps to finalize this massive terrain expansion but at least the coding is done. Scavenge tables are set up but need to be adjusted but not much more is left to do before I can release this. Instructions on joining the Test Server are here If you wish to help check out the terrain come join us on the Xsyon forums in the Developer Zone. Enjoy!