Gamemodes
What is being worked on
Internally we are currently working on improving our architecture so that it is easier to add new gamemodes. As Zombies is currently the main Gamemode, its features and design has taken focus so much so that working on other modes is harder than it should be. We plan to release a general fix update for Zombies soon as the last update before our new architecture takes hold.
Here’s what to expect once it does:
- The Duels gamemode will be remade so that it doesn’t include some of the quirks of the current set up
- A lot of options for custom lobbies will be deleted - this includes any commands relating to these settings
- Zombies specific commands will be moved into the top-level - e.g.
/transferscoreor/tsinstead of/lobby ts - Old unused gametypes (like ffa, tdm, ctg) will be removed
Essentially the old design accommodated a great deal of user-based custom gamemodes via settings and a template system, however this was never made use of and as such is being removed entirely.
Map Builders
A recent unannounced (publicly) release was also the addition of map builder lobbies and displaying non-default flags in the /inlobbies list. Private/custom lobbies also no longer display “joinable: yes” as this is misleading to users. This is to allow map builders to have easy access to a lobby where they can go and edit their maps or test out their maps. Unlike other flags, the map builder flag is special in that:
- It requires a permission to use
- It bypasses the intermission timer as soon as the server is ready
- It will always try to join any existing (map builder) lobby
About lobby ids
You may also have noticed since you first looked at /inlobbies that it also tells you the id of the lobby, with seemingly no way to use this information. This id is actually provided for developers when players need to a report a broken lobby or for staff that need to join a specific lobby to deal with a report. It is not intended to be used by non-staff members as the role of Overlord (the lobby manager) is to ensure that players are put into an appropriate lobby, both that is suitable for the player to join and that satisfies the balancing Overlord is looking for.
Overlord has the ability (but has not yet been told to use it) to migrate users from one lobby to another. This means that if you had access to join via the id, you could join a specific lobby only to be immediately migrated to another one. By not allowing the user the choice of where to go, Overlord is allowed some freedom about what it chooses to do with a player and how it can orchestrate multiple lobbies, as is necessary especially due to resource constraints.
Private/Custom lobbies
Whilst implementation of the Supporter role is still underway private and custom lobbies remain inaccessible for anyone who doesn’t go out of their way to specifically give us money (because the system to support this automatically is not yet out). In the meantime, I think it makes sense to temporarily award these permissions some other way. Top voter rewards are far away, so this looks like a good opportunity to fill the gap until the Supporter role is officially released. As a result, the Top 6 voters as of the time of this post are being awarded temporary access to create private and custom lobbies:
- Neverbeen - @Tejdxa (prize given to Tru3thful and redeemed)
- NoobieRookie - @NoobieRookie
- 0re0 - @0reg0n (prize redeemed)
- Ms. Lina - @Ms.Lina
- Agent Vin - @Agent_Vin (prize redeemed)
- TheWeirdYT - @TheWeirdYT (prize redeemed)
These forum names are my best guesses as to who these people are on the forum.
These winners will need to contact me via PM @popstarfreas to get their permissions. Any of these winners may, at their own request, give their prize to someone else. If a winner does not claim their prize within 7 days, then their prize may be awarded to someone else or revoked entirely.
PvP
PvP’s world has been changed to a new one due in part to corruption issues with the current one. As there is currently no one with time to work on looking into the lag issues that show up after PvP has been running for some time, there will also be a daily automated restart aimed at when PvP is at its quietest.
As the last update for pvp has been a while, I want to remind everyone that the damage numbers showing in two colors is a temporary workaround while the damage calculations are updated. The purple number will always be necessary but the blue number is temporary until we fix the red number to correct again.
I want to remind you that users can suggest feature updates (that is, new mechanics) on the forum (balancing suggestions should be directed to the discord channel). If a PvP feature suggestion is voted up enough, it will be able to be considered each time the top voted suggestions are reviewed. It is not recommended to make these kinds of suggestions on the discord as we have no way of keeping track of long running suggestions (just look at Suggestions for an idea of what I mean by long running, these suggestions in a Discord channel would be long forgotten by now). Ultimately depending on what the suggestion is, the greenlight is required by @MrSandwich before any such suggestion will actually be implemented.
New Update
Damage Variation
Damage variation is now a configurable setting by PvP Managers, @MrSandwich intends to use it to make minor changes have less noticeable impact for fine tune adjustments.
New damage variation setting: PvP Manager
Armor Piece Modifications
We also now have configurable defense and damage bonuses for armor pieces (not armor sets). These values are currently set to the vanilla numbers.
New Armor section: PvP Manager
Survival
There are currently no on-going software developments in survival. However, @Madeira and @Legolas are working on and most likely will soon be implementing a new survival spawn. You can expect this to be added when the next reset happens. The automated reset also has only one more piece missing before it is completed, possibly in the next two months this last piece will come into play.
Misc
Moderators
For people who find themselves making consistently good reports, you may look into About posting a Moderator Application.
TSL
TSL which is what Rift/Items/Special Item and Gamemodes (but not the actual lobbies) runs on is also being continuously improved. The next major milestone for TSL is to support placing and destroying objects. It already has support now for placing objects so the only thing left is to support destroying objects, of which there are many parts to port over from the original Terraria server implementation. The support for this kind of placement/deletion is one of the blocking requirements for the MyBuild dimension.
RepMode
RepMode itself is also being improved so that it is more consistent and clear for users. At this time the required time for talking and registration changes infrequently and as a result, it makes sense for now to directly tell users how long they need to wait to use these things. One of the next changes is that RepMode will start to encompass the entire server as a whole, which means that whichever Dimension you visit, the chat limitation still holds.
Nicknames
Some of you may have seen me and @Tejdxa with names like:
This part of a replacement to /selfname and is a new system called the Nickname System. This is a system that allows a user to set a nickname for themselves to anything they want (within the rules) whilst having the same account name. Currently, anyone using a nickname gets a discriminator and specifically colored name (as pictured). If you see this kind of name, it means that person is using a nickname. Unlike /selfname this nickname is permanent unless changed or turned off (by the user). Rejoining the server or changing dimensions will keep your nickname.
The long-term plan is that any trading member will have access to this nickname system without needing to get a command on the dtp. A nickname change will cost a certain amount of DP, but otherwise users are free to change their nickname whenever they want. The specific format and color for nicknames may change before it becomes widely available in the long-term.
In the short-term, this system will first become available to supporters and will not cost any DP for them. There are some issues to resolve with the use of nicknames that we will most likely work with during the supporter-only period before it will become widely available.