Atulos Online development update

[Steve]

Hi everyone.

Just thought I'd take a break from coding to let you know what's happening with Atulos Online.

The short version is that I am in the midst of converting all the server code to Java so I can run the game server on Linux.

The long version:

The game server consists of

• The core server which implements the protocol used by Atulos Online for communication between the game and the server;
• The Accounts microservice, which connects to the core server, maintains the player database and is responsible for creating your character and logging you in;
• The GM microservice, which responds to various text commands (e.g. /time) and runs the Arena Wars;
• The Arena War updater microservice, which posts Arena War results to the website;
• The Archery microservice, which receives archery quest results from the game and posts them to the website; and
• The Arena Bot microservice, which spawns and controls AI enemies to keep you on your toes during otherwise quiet Arena Wars

I finished rewriting the core server in Java a number of years ago and it has been running Atulos Online since I took it over from Camm. It is by far the biggest part of the server and is already Linux-ready.

Last week, I built a Java client library which will be used by all the microservices for connecting to the server.

I recently finished converting the Archery microservice, which is the first microservice to make use of the client library.

I'm working on the GM at the moment and it's about 50% done.

The Arena War updater microservice will be merged into the GM.

I'm yet to start work on the Accounts microservice.

The Arena Bot microservice will be retired as I expect wars to be busy enough without them.

This work is an absolutely necessary prerequisite to the Steam release. Without this work, the server just won't cope and we will have lost our opportunity to bring thousands of regular players into the game. I can assure you that I am 100% focused on this at the moment.

Thank you all for your patience. Camm and I will keep you updated with our progress in this thread.

- Steve (admin)

[Ambard]

Fantastic! Thanks for the update Steve. I know how hard the back end of things are to get ready.

[Angelus]

good stuff steve,
glad to see the move towards Java is being made (the possibilities are now endless)

[Aerith]

This sounds like quite a lot of work done and to be done. Good job.

All though I have no experience with Java, I know how troublesome it is to code something more complicated
Take the time you need for that huge step towards the future and watch closely for any memory leaks - they can get troublesome (personal experience). Anyone on here understands that a great step to the future and a great upgrade of the game needs even greater time of preparation

Aerith

[mini]

well you doing a great job there Steve m8 and very proud of you letting me know what you are doing well job done Steve and yes you are taking more on then is require but you are doing it you the best steve

[Steve]

The GM, Archery updater and war updater have been completed and are now running on the server. The only remaining microservice to convert is the account server.

[Steve]

The account server has now been completed and all that's left is to redeploy the back-end to Linux hosting. We are now much closer to being able to release Atulos Online to Steam.

 

[Steve]

I deployed the new game server to a Linux instance and successfully tested it with the game. All we need to do now is push out an update so that the game can use the new server. Once that is done, we should be ready to release Atulos Online to Steam.

[Gav]

That's awesome to hear Steve! So are you going to try and get the servers working with the update at the same time as releasing on steam? or are you going to get the update working to make sure it's all ok, then move it to steam?

[Camm]

We will be releasing a game update this coming weekend that uses the new setup, and then will have a period of testing before releasing on Steam. So there will be a gap before the Steam release to iron out any issues. Once the update comes out, it will be great for the community to provide feedback on how it is all working.

Edit: I should add that the game update coming out this weekend will not have any new content. Our entire focus has been on the Steam release with the idea of a fresh new wave of players entering the game. The first major update after the Steam release will contain new content, which will include another round of visibility on the Steam home page (on top of the guaranteed million views we will get at launch). Steam provides 5 rounds of visibility for Greenlit games, the first round will be at launch and the next 4 rounds will be for each major update after that. So if all goes well, we will have 4 major updates with new content released periodically after the initial release on Steam. To be clear the game will always be visible on Steam, but these 5 rounds of visibility are where the game is promoted on Steam.

[Steve]

That's awesome to hear Steve! So are you going to try and get the servers working with the update at the same time as releasing on steam? or are you going to get the update working to make sure it's all ok, then move it to steam?

What Camm said

[Carnage]

Wow!  This sounds amazing and like a ton of work.  Well done and I hope that you get the big congratulations you deserve from the gaming world.

[Steve]

We're just about ready to push the update. I tested the process of importing all the players and I have tested Camm's update. Camm will be running his own tests following the player import just to make sure it's all working properly.

[Mad]

So promising

[Camm]

I have finished the Steam version of the game which can be launched from Steam with screen options. In this case the Steam client replaces the current updater and the file cr.ini.

I am in the final process of finishing the scripts required to put the game on Steam, so within about 24 hours Steve and I will be testing Atulos on Steam, and making any final tweaks to the client.

We still have to finalize the graphics and text for the store front and then publish the game, ready for Valve to evaluate and officially release it to the public.

We are getting closer people