Empire in Flames soft-launched the Starsider server on May 3rd in the US. (In some parts of the world, it was May 4th.) While the official “server is live” announcement didn’t come until May 4th, a large number of very eager players figured it out and by the morning of May 4th, the server was hopping.
Without further ado, a frank look at what we’ve been seeing, the issues we’re having, and the plan going forward.
Population
The night of May 4th saw an online character count of just under 100; since then, server population during prime time has maxed out at just under 150. Off-peak population hovers between 75 and 110 characters.
As of the time this was written, 269 accounts have logged into the game. 437 characters have been created.
Stability
We’re running on the latest SWGEmu code, which carries with it some inherent risks. In our case, we’ve had two major issues – vanishing terminals and an approximately once-per-day segfault that brings the server down. Both issues trace to a change in container handling in the SWGEmu code, and a number of hotfixes have been released by the emu team that have alleviated most of the problems.
As far as the custom code is concerned, we’ve either patched or have staged patches for issues players have found, ranging from weaponsmith XP gains to specials adjustment to Squad Leader commands – even relatively little stuff like making fishing work for the new races. By no means is everything addressed, but we’re working on it steadily.
Finally, the hardware issue. We launched the server on older hardware, fully expecting it to handle our projected population. Due to the efforts of our awesome Community Manager, Sandarie, our actual population has doubled what we expected at start. The server is struggling to keep up, so we’re taking some mitigation steps (reducing online character count from 3 to 2, reducing visual range for players from 256 meters to the SWGEmu-standard 192) to reduce lag and rubberbanding. Ultimately, we need a much more powerful server. If you want to help, hit the tip jar on the site’s front page.
Player Community
The crowd that’s been playing regularly has been amazingly helpful and chatty. GalaxyChat has been almost constantly lit up with chatter from players doing a variety of activity – crafting, dancing, fighting, harvesting. I’ve been stunned at how bonded the community is becoming – even the Hutts are acting altruistically!
Crafting
Several weaponsmiths have mastered (pre-XP adjustment – some of the cores were far, far too efficient in giving XP!) and are regularly stocking vendors. They’ve also eagerly been pestering me for news on the heavy weapons crafting revamp so they can supply Bounty Hunters and Commandos with their chosen weapons.
At least one armorsmith has hit master now and is working on producing all the components necessary for high-quality armor. I’ve seen reports of basic resists hitting 47%, which is excellent given that our armor system currently scales from 0% to 55%. Full production is expected soon.
Several tailors have been leveled on the server, with at least one master, although there’s a lot of waiting yet for factory runs of subcomponents to finish. The most popular clothing right now appears to be the new Singing Mountain Clan and Nightsister options (available to females of all races).
At two bioengineers and one chef are currently being leveled, as per reports on GalaxyChat. There are likely more that we’re not aware of yet.
Finally, architect has been a competition. Abi appears to be the first master architect on the server, but Genie was the first to produce a new city hall. A guildhall – prerequisite for a guild – has not yet made an appearance.
Combat
Players have largely received the new combat system positively, citing fast-paced combat that doesn’t feel like an extensive grind. Several members have expressed belief that combat XP gains are too high; this will be watched closely going forward. The PvP scene has not yet emerged, and likely won’t for a bit as armorsmiths are still working on their trade and the new GCW system is still some months away.
Player Cities
EiF launched with a single admin-created player city – due to the restriction of player houses to only city limits, the decision was made for the sake of crafters to start with a city so that housing was available.
In the last day, two new player cities have been established – one on Dantooine, one on Tatooine. More are expected to start soon, but architects are resource-starved to keep up with the demand for new structures. As more resources flood the market, the supply should start to catch up.
The Future Looks Bright
Player response to the server has exceeded the dev team’s expectations, and we’re looking forward to our next steps – a revamp for entertainers, finishing the heavy weapons crafting revamp, adding more craftable for artisans, releasing new content and systems for the players, and continuing to enhance the existing professions. Most of all, we want to maintain a fair and relatively balanced system for players to enjoy with a minimum of administrative meddling.