Update:08-04-24

Welcome back. This update implements a significant change in our mapping systems in terms of the size of our "tiles" along with other very large systematic additions and changes. Check out all the changes in our patch notes below!

New Features

Character System

We have made a large change in our character system. We have moved from you as the player being directly connected to your Apple ID to a separated system which allows you as a player to 'own' multiple characters. Don't worry though! All your current progressing has been moved to a character which has taken on the username you originally assigned when first joining Realms. You will be able to create another 2 characters.

Friend System

We have created the start of our integrated social system which allows you to add Friends via their Username. Adding a friend currently allows you to see when they are online and also see them out in the world on your map when you too are playing the game. In following with our design pillars, you can turn on privacy mode which hides you and friends from the live map. Your online presence will still be shown to friends however.

Woodcutting

We have added the next tier of woodcutting: the Willow Tree. To cut down the tree you must have reached level 10 Woodcutting and built up enough points with the Carpenter to reach level 3. We will be making additional recipes crafting available soon when we release the Mining Update.

World View

The world map view has changed. We have changed the size of the world to be larger. This will mean a better level of detail nearer the player and we will be adding new graphical changes to the world in an upcoming update.

Future Releases

We have read feedback from multiple players on what they are looking forward to and changes they think should be made. I hope this update allows you to see the large scale additions we are now making and will be making frequently over the next few months. Later this month we will be adding the Mining Skill and the Blacksmith to the Town Hub, we will be reworking the crafting system and we will be making a start on the character model, equipment, and the battle system. We hope you will be able to help test these new features as they become available. At the moment we are planning a larger scale test in the Summer with more players and testers; our first Friends & Family Technical Alpha. This Alpha plans to have many new systems and features which we want to test on a larger scale, but we need to consistently build and pre-test these features leading up to event.

Change Log

9th April 2024

• Added current skill level to Trader info window.
• Fixed Last Online time on Character select screen.
• Fixed Server sending all online friend locations that were not nearby.
• Fixed friends spawning in incorrect locations for the first 15 seconds.
• Fixed "fake entities" from appearing on map on reconnect.
• Fixed entities staying uninteracable on map.
• Fixed rare occurrences of position of Town Hub scene and entity scene clashing.

Original Changes

• Moved to new Character system:
  • Added Character select screen as part of login process.
  • All players can now have up to 3 characters instead of being locked to a single character for their Apple ID.
  • Players can now delete characters from the character select screen.
  • When logging in via auto session, the last character played will be selected and will log in automatically
• Added Friend System:
  • You can access the new system via the Friends Button found at the top left of the Character Panel.
  • You can add friends by entering their username
  • Invites are sent and the other player is notified of the invitation to become friends.
  • Friends can see each other on the world map when both players are playing at the same time.
  • Privacy settings can be found in the friends menu. Turning off visibility means you can't see other friends on the map, and they can't see you.
• Added Bronze Axe
  • Requires at least level 10 with the Carpenter to unlock (temporary system).
• Added Willow Trees
  • Requires Bronze Axe
  • Drops Willow Logs
• Significant changes have been made to the world map, including size, zoom and interactions:
  • Changed tile size to be significantly smaller than previously (4295 million tiles ⇒ 68.7 billion tiles).
  • Increased model size of various POIs, Hub, and Entities.
  • Changed interaction distances for various map objects:
    • Hub - down to 50m.
    • POIs - down to 25m.
    • Entities - down to 25m.
  • Increased number of tiles to load around the player. The minimum required to load is now 39 (up from 25).
  • Changed look of road to be less jagged and include a small outline around the road. We are still planning to (and have started) writing a complete overhaul of our road rendering technology however this is still many months from completion.
• Fixed further timezone issues with crafting items.
• Fixed missing Town Stone in Town Hub scene.

Issues and Hotfixes

Last Updated	Issues Raised	Current Progress	Status
9th April 2024	Friends from across the world are appearing locally.	A fix has been deployed to the server.	Resolved
9th April 2024	Entities are not correctly despawning and therefore not interactable.	A fix has been released in the latest update.	Resolved
9th April 2024	Character screen last online date is incorrect.	A fix has been released in the latest update.	Resolved

Testing Notes

• We are looking for feedback on the new friend system
• We are still looking for feedback from testers not in the UK regarding the crafting timer.
• Please report if entities no longer appear again.
• Please report if you repeatedly (more than once) receive inaccurate weather.