State of the Server (9/24/15)

**Lotus** · #1 09-24-2015

Hello, everyone.

Over the last few months, I've seen a lot of forum communication and received several PMs asking about what shape Sundren and its staff are in, whether players can expect a renewed commitment from the development and DM teams, and so on. We've met as a team, discussed the interest we've seen expressed from players and what level of work we'd need to accomplish to feel energized about the server again, and decided that yes, we do has what it takes, we do has the five bucks to get this place going again.

In order to do this, we will be moving the timeline forward (amount of years TBD) to justify purging the character vaults. Some of you will be bummed to lose your PCs, and we'll be offering a number of retirement options to soften the blow (TBA when finalized). We're doing this for a few reasons:

1. We're moving the level cap back. Current projection is a soft 15 (monsters, RP XP) and a hard 20 (advancement quests, DM XP). Rather than delevel existing PCs, it's much easier to start with new.

2. We're untangling snarled story threads. Moving the timeline and clearing out old PCs lets us start fresh and gives more PCs an opportunity to get involved in what's going on.

3. We're redoing item balance. A new cap means new item standards, and this will get rid of all of the old items we don't want running around anymore.

So what are we doing that you can look forward to?

1. Finished crafting. All recipes will be functional, all materials will be accessible through drops, nodes, and stores. Crafting will be a reliable way to keep your character competitively equipped.

2. Class improvements. Look for further boosts to Rogues, Barbarians, and a host of prestige classes.

3. Faction reorganization. Factions will be based around the four major cities (Sundren City, Port Avanthyr, Aquor, Sestra).

4. Competitive faction control points. We're developing a system that will allow factions to dynamically compete for control of certain areas. Capturing these areas will be a means to increase faction reputation and will provide access to special stores, crafting resource nodes, and even dungeons.

5. Deeper dungeons. You thought killing the Goblin Chief was the end of it? Think again.

When's all of this going to be ready?
January 2016 is our target to have crafting ready to go, the factions reorganized, and our new storyboard in place. When all of that is "go," we'll announce our glorious victory, cleanse the vault, and hit the ground running. The other development points will be ongoing and may already be partially or entirely in place prior to the vault cleanse.

What can I do to help?
Do you code? Do you build? We would love extra hands to help us with development tasks and potential area building projects.

We're grateful for your comments, concerns, and general feedback, and we're excited to bring this place back to life for everyone to enjoy!