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Patch Patch - 3/9/2023 - Skull of Power, Growth, Server Updates, and More.

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tr1age

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Server:

So after monitoring the server over the last week, we are confident everything is running smooth and is good to go! Here is a graph that shows our first 24 hours after we migrated.

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The results have exceeded our expectations, with most users experiencing an improvement in latency ranging from 10% to an impressive 60% for those located overseas. We're thrilled with these outcomes.

Ping to the server is averaging at 1-15 MS per second, which is better than what we had hoped for. Some have questioned why we didn't upgrade right away. The answer is that before migrating, we spent a significant amount of time optimizing the ServUO code. By doing so, we were able to accurately gauge the impact of our changes. For example, we optimized staggered champ spawning, which significantly reduced the overall resource usage.

In non tech terms: if you are in a Ferrari, the difference between 80 and 85(whatever you metric is) is very hard to gauge. But you get into a Hugo, 85 you feel like your car is going to fall apart.


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Overall nothing of note since we did the initial installation in the front. Which is GOOD

We took our time to ensure that everything was done correctly, not just for today but also to prepare for the future. We're grateful for your patience as we debugged, optimized, and ultimately resolved all issues. Thank you!

Growth:

It is no secret this had a lot to do with the simple fact that we are growing. So we wanted to really take this time to reiterate some important core values of UOAlive.

As the server grows, we cannot help but feel proud of what we have achieved. While growth can be exciting, the server is community-focused rather than metric-focused, and our idea of a healthy population is not based on "online players" but on people who share a love for Ultima Online. Our focus has always been on creating a safe space where players can enjoy the game at their leisure while being part of a vibrant community.

With the changes in how communities operate on Discord, we have found a way to combine the old and the new. The true magic of Ultima Online is exploring the vast world and discovering all its secrets with friends and strangers alike.

Our community is made up of players from all over the world, and with diversity comes different ideas and views. That has made these explorations so much more exciting! We celebrate our differences and embrace them to create a community that is inclusive and welcoming to all.

Unfortunately, toxic gaming culture is still a prevalent issue in many online gaming communities(and the world in general). We are proud that we do not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, or toxicity towards any individual or group on our server. Our strong set of safe space policies are in place, and we will continue to moderate heavily to keep our community a safe and welcoming space for people of all genders, sexual orientations, races, religions, nationalities, and abilities even if it means removing individuals from our server; we would much rather have a smaller population that is kind and respectful towards one another than a larger population that perpetuates toxic behavior.

We firmly believe that we can continue to create a strong and vibrant gaming community that is inclusive and welcoming to all, while not catering to toxicity. We know that this may not be the norm, but we are proud to be breaking the mold while maintaining a fun and exciting atmosphere for gaming. We have already achieved so much, and we know that we can go even further with your support. You should all be so damn proud of what we have accomplished as a group here at UOAlive.

Our hope is always that you will find what you are looking for on UOAlive, but we also understand if you need something different. The freedom of choice is valued, and we put the power in your hands to decide if UOAlive is right for you. Our straightforward answer is intended to be welcome for everyone. So join us, be a part of our community, and help us continue to build a safe and inclusive space for all.


⚠️⚠️⚠️
Enhanced Client UO Users:

UOAlive 2.0 is now just UOAlive for continuity on the login page.

  • This will break profiles, don't worry they are still there.
  • You need to find where you installed your client
  • Likely: Documents/EA Games is likely where and rename UOAlive 2.0 to UOAlive
Classic UO Users:
  • UOAlive 2.0 is now just UOAlive for continuity on the login page.
    • This will break CUO profiles (e.g. my path is C:\Games\Ultima Online UOAlive\ClassicUO\Data\Profiles\<ACCOUNT>\UOAlive 2.0\<CHARACTER>). It's an easy fix to go in and change the folder name. Just go to that path and rename it to UOAlive.
    • This path will differ for everyone depending on where you installed ClassicUO.
      uoalive.gif

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    • Just RENAME the folder UOAlive 2.0 to UOAlive. If another UOAlive folder exists due to logging in you can rename that to UOAliveBACKUP or delete it. The first is safer.

Skull of Power:
Well here we are! Time to release the quest everyone has been waiting for. Details found here:
  • READ THE LINK ABOVE IN FULL.
  • Remember to be respectful to all players trying to complete the quest if not in their party. Be patient!
  • Do not post spoilers in discord!
  • Report ANY bugs you find, exploitation of bugs will result in account actions being taken.
  • We tested this with a group of 5 people, TomJ has tested it for weeks on his own as well. That doesn't mean there will not be something that causes an issue here or there. So please be patient with us if that does happen.
Otherwise ENJOY THE AMAZING JOURNEY THAT IS SKULL OF POWER!

General
  • Surveyor John's Campsite has been overhauled quite a bit.
    So much so we are offering a free trade in stone in Magincia. Info here:
    1678406585177.png

    • Summary:
    • You can use Commodity Deeds from the backpack.
      • The cost of this convenience will be 2000 gold.
      • Raise your camping skill to max to get a huge discount!
    • Upon placing your campsite you are given a 5 use recall rune marked to your campsite. Use this to return quickly from your adventures! This cannot be removed from your bag.
    • You can now logout at your campsite if you have max camping skill. DBL click the fireplace and you will safely log out if you agree to the prompt.
    • The camp roll is now a wonderful natural color instead of ugly green.
  • Global Chat to Discord Chat is back. There is a delay to prevent overloading of the API.

Adjustments
  • Treasure Chests now have a higher chance to spawn a mob upon removing an item.
  • Storage containers can now "pull from".
    • Storage boxes can be filled using the Add resource button from the players pack, their pet's pack or nearby containers. It will search for & add the resources from within a container inside another container. It will NOT add from another players pack or their pets pack.
      - Hammerhand
  • Crimson and Platinum Drakes added to Summon Creature
  • Kudos have been removed completely from the game to stop any confusion going forward. (sorry collectors)
  • Prep for our 7th anniversary on the backend in place.
  • Guardians and Special Mobs from Treasure Chests will now be different hues (we kept the blue, we removed the poo brown)
  • Already on live: 10 minutes between all mini champs restarting after completion.
  • Cleaned up the stairs to be more unified and wider in New Haven
    1678406103624.png
Bug Fixes
  • Charlie Cannot be Dyed.
  • Grail reports cannot be moved from pack, actually fixed.
  • Chest Guardians cannot be tamed, any tamable will now be normal hue and tamable.
    • All Dragon Wolves previously tamed have been adjusted to match the new stats and had their hue reset,. No need to turn them in, just enjoy :)
  • Mustangs with Barding will lose their durability again.
  • Ethereal Burst now properly lowers time based on skill level.
  • Fixed a fringe case: If Champion spawns wander too far out of bounds they will be forced back in so you are never stuck at 16 candles with nothing to kill to progress. - Anathemort
  • Fixed Serpent Arrow: should now see proper damage.
  • Already on live: No more Kudos at invasions. Replaced with Event Tokens
  • Already on live: special tamable spawns will no longer have strange resets mid wave fight.
    • After a code sweep and looking at the reports and videos(thank you everyone!), we uncovered a hidden "On Tick" method that would reset the total kill count if no kills were made within a specific time frame, even though there was a solid 60-minute timer in place.

      This meant that players could be caught off guard and lose progress if they didn't make kills within a short window of time. (similar to how a champion spawn works with backward progress, sans the candle visual)

      To fix this issue, we extended the tick, allowing players more time to progress, and not interfere with the intended 60 minute timer per wave.

      From your feedback we also increased the Naja Spawners timer to 240 minutes to create a more relaxed and casual experience. Additionally, over the last few months we reduced the trash spawn rate and adjusted the kill count to make it more manageable. The Naja Spawners spawn two Naja at the end, providing more chances to get the stat dependent choice. This will not be the case for all spawners but this particular tame makes sense due to it's stats being important and seeing as people will want to run this multiple times in a row. So to further assist with this there is no delay at the end of the spawn either for the next wave. So once you tame them, be careful.

      We believe that high-end monsters should be just as thrilling for tamers as high-end gear is for melee and other players. This approach creates a level playing field for everyone.
Additions:
  • Removed one weird fringe color from Hen Harpies.
  • Dye Tub Mount to Neutral will work properly now.
  • Overall adjustment pass on SoP to be more clear and function as intended.
    • Some SoP Typos Fixed
    • Some SoP bugs fixed
    • You can no longer enter an area that another player(s) is in for major parts of the Quest until they are done unless in their party. (thanks Ana for the assist)
    • Added more admin tools for SoP to prevent restarts.
    • Important items will now go direct to pack to prevent issues with Dbl Click to loot but still toggle it off in CUO to be safe.
    • Updated SoP guide:
      https://uoalive.com/forum/threads/the-skull-of-power-exclusive-uoalive-quest-by-tomj.1350/post-3899
 
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