Hello! It's been a while since we posted here. Let's catch up shall we?
Alpha Release Date
The ancient old question; when will Dyescape release? Well, for the first time we will shed some light on this and make you a promise. The release will happen in 2021. But one might say that this does not indicate much. Well, no it does not. Therefore, we introduced 'the percentage'.
Clemen's Graveyard; playable region within AlphaThe Percentage
This percentage shows the ratio open tickets vs closed tickets. These tickets are not weighted, which means that the percentage could quickly go up or stay stagnant for days on end. Even worse, it can go down if we find new issues. The current percentages are:
Alpha Slots
The alpha will have a queue system. While this queue system will aid in the launch, there's one edge case not covered by the queue system. What happens when there are too many people in the queue?
The likeliest scenario would be that people would not be able to play at all the day they enqueue for the alpha release. To make sure that everyone can play in the first few days of release we will be limiting the amount of alpha slots available. Over the past 4.5 years we have amassed over 650 alpha applications. To prevent this number from raising too quickly as more information in regards to the release becomes known, the amount of available alpha slots have been capped at 1000. This means that between now and the release only 350 people will be able to sign up for free. An application takes 2 minutes, so better be quick!
A street within Clemens; a playable town within Alpha
Performance Testing
With the alpha nearing, our infrastructure is being stress tested. During our stress testing, we test how well the server can handle load originating from different scenarios; from bots standing AFK in a tutorial, to playing an entire quest. By putting this load on the server, we can identify inefficient code and bugs causing poor performance. Doing this iteratively, we keep finding and fixing more issues. Currently the aim is a soft limit of 150 people per server, but may be reduced on the fly when we otherwise foresee issues. Additional slots will be granted to donators, bypassing this soft limit.
Alpha Release Date
The ancient old question; when will Dyescape release? Well, for the first time we will shed some light on this and make you a promise. The release will happen in 2021. But one might say that this does not indicate much. Well, no it does not. Therefore, we introduced 'the percentage'.
If you're looking for the alpha applications (takes 2 min) click here!
Clemen's Graveyard; playable region within Alpha
This percentage shows the ratio open tickets vs closed tickets. These tickets are not weighted, which means that the percentage could quickly go up or stay stagnant for days on end. Even worse, it can go down if we find new issues. The current percentages are:
- Content = 65%
- Development = 86%
Alpha Slots
The alpha will have a queue system. While this queue system will aid in the launch, there's one edge case not covered by the queue system. What happens when there are too many people in the queue?
People have asked us about our plans regarding the upcoming (2021) launch. How will we deal with the masses trying to join all at the same time. Well, to prevent this, we already have a limited amount of alpha application available. These can be submitted on the website. https://www.dyescape.com/threads/how-to-sign-up-for-the-alpha.23/
But now. How will this work? We will have a queue in place, more likely a priority queue. This queue is on first come, first serve basis. They are not linked to the date you created your alpha application on. It is based on how quickly you enter one of the hub servers. Upon entering you will be given a number which reflects your position in the queue. You will be able to play as soon as your number drops low enough and a batch of players is released. Batches of players are let into the server without a defined period of time. This truly depends on how well the servers handle the load given at that time. Batches are, therefore, manually approved and can vary in size. Expected batch size will roughly be 25 players at a time. This means that if the queue is 600 players long you will have to wait 24 batches which is simply an undefined amount of waiting time.
Thus we introduce priority queue for our supporters. Any rank comes with a level of priority queue. Actually, not any. Dukes completely bypass the priority queue and will immediately be able to play. But now for the rest.
Within every batch there are reserved slots for donators. Lets take the example of 10 out of 25 slots.
Scenario 1: There are no or not enough donators in the queue to fill the donator slots. These slots will then be given to normal players.
Scenario 2: There are 300 people in queue and the last 12 people are donators. Depending on rank the highest ranks will be placed into the batch first. This means that 10 people will immediately be put into the first batch (thus skipping 290 people in queue).
Scenario 3: There are 10 viscounts in the queue but you are a noble at position 11. These 10 viscounts will occupy the donator slots but the other 15 are given out on first come, first serve basis. Considering you are at position 11, you will still be apart of the first batch.
These scenarios should provide some understanding of the launch queue. Having supported us by purchasing a rank can save you a lot of time waiting. Please do note that we will prioritise the health of the server and the ability to play once on the server. Therefore, there will never be time indication given of how long the wait will be.
Thank you for reading and hopefully see you soon.
But now. How will this work? We will have a queue in place, more likely a priority queue. This queue is on first come, first serve basis. They are not linked to the date you created your alpha application on. It is based on how quickly you enter one of the hub servers. Upon entering you will be given a number which reflects your position in the queue. You will be able to play as soon as your number drops low enough and a batch of players is released. Batches of players are let into the server without a defined period of time. This truly depends on how well the servers handle the load given at that time. Batches are, therefore, manually approved and can vary in size. Expected batch size will roughly be 25 players at a time. This means that if the queue is 600 players long you will have to wait 24 batches which is simply an undefined amount of waiting time.
Thus we introduce priority queue for our supporters. Any rank comes with a level of priority queue. Actually, not any. Dukes completely bypass the priority queue and will immediately be able to play. But now for the rest.
Within every batch there are reserved slots for donators. Lets take the example of 10 out of 25 slots.
Scenario 1: There are no or not enough donators in the queue to fill the donator slots. These slots will then be given to normal players.
Scenario 2: There are 300 people in queue and the last 12 people are donators. Depending on rank the highest ranks will be placed into the batch first. This means that 10 people will immediately be put into the first batch (thus skipping 290 people in queue).
Scenario 3: There are 10 viscounts in the queue but you are a noble at position 11. These 10 viscounts will occupy the donator slots but the other 15 are given out on first come, first serve basis. Considering you are at position 11, you will still be apart of the first batch.
These scenarios should provide some understanding of the launch queue. Having supported us by purchasing a rank can save you a lot of time waiting. Please do note that we will prioritise the health of the server and the ability to play once on the server. Therefore, there will never be time indication given of how long the wait will be.
Thank you for reading and hopefully see you soon.
The likeliest scenario would be that people would not be able to play at all the day they enqueue for the alpha release. To make sure that everyone can play in the first few days of release we will be limiting the amount of alpha slots available. Over the past 4.5 years we have amassed over 650 alpha applications. To prevent this number from raising too quickly as more information in regards to the release becomes known, the amount of available alpha slots have been capped at 1000. This means that between now and the release only 350 people will be able to sign up for free. An application takes 2 minutes, so better be quick!
A street within Clemens; a playable town within Alpha
Performance Testing
With the alpha nearing, our infrastructure is being stress tested. During our stress testing, we test how well the server can handle load originating from different scenarios; from bots standing AFK in a tutorial, to playing an entire quest. By putting this load on the server, we can identify inefficient code and bugs causing poor performance. Doing this iteratively, we keep finding and fixing more issues. Currently the aim is a soft limit of 150 people per server, but may be reduced on the fly when we otherwise foresee issues. Additional slots will be granted to donators, bypassing this soft limit.
