Greetings and warmest salutations, O Newborn!

The past month at Hectic Works HQ has certainly been living up to our company’s name, but we finally managed to make some progress in our efforts, which we will now be sharing with you as we continue to bring the world of Merrow to life.

Introducing Astral Reckoning ver. 1.1: ‘Rise of the Adventurers’!

‘Clayborne’ Update

The world of Merrow is an ancient land, full of secrets old and new awaiting discovery, but what is a world without it’s people, and where else would these secrets arise from?

Hectic Works Ideaware is proud to announce a complete overhaul of our proprietary ‘Clayborne’ Artificial Intelligence Framework, breathing the breath of life into the inhabitants of Merrow known collectively as The Ignorant!

• All NPCs classified as being part of The Ignorant are now fully sentient, capable of a complete range of emotional, logical and illogical responses.
• Favourability is now even more important - and far less artificial - than ever! You can already dress to impress and talk the talk to gain their affection, now these interactions contain as much nuance as any Real World relationship, with everything that entails...
• As an added consequence, many of the infrastructural systems employed by the world’s civilisations have also seen changes to accommodate their participants.Office politics leading to assassinations? Embezzlement requiring internal investigations? Drama makes the world go ‘round! Engage in a dynamically shifting self-perpetuating world!

• The Follower System is currently slated for updates to it’s UI functionality in an upcoming release, stay tuned for future updates!

Infrastructure

• Our server technicians have been hard at work improving the quality of the servers. Users should experience fewer data transfer issues during heavy load scenarios.
• The Body Adaptability System has been tweaked in certain areas. Users who reported misaligned inputs and ‘ghost’ feedback under certain conditions will be relieved to hear these issues have been fixed server-side. If any problems persist, please utilise the feedback page on our website and we will try to address them in the next update.
• The Neural Systems team have also been hard at work improving the haptic feedback and signal transfer rates. Users can now experience 1:1 control and feedback with most commercial hardware (See the FAQ for a list of tested models, tests assume ideal conditions, so end-user performance may differ).
• Login Queues now utilise additional servers to speed up neural data transfer (Down from an average initialization time of 1-3~ minutes to less than 40 seconds).
• Likewise, the process of returning to Reality has been better optimised for current generation hardware (See the FAQ for a list of tested models, tests assume ideal conditions so end-user performance may differ).
• By popular demand, System Announcements for various achievements and events have been segregated into different categories to avoid clutter.
  • World Announcements are now exclusively for World Firsts of a certain impact. Examples include: First Official Guild, and First World Boss Kill.
  • Region Announcements concern events such as the recently concluded Siege Event in the Meteo Town starter zone.
  • Instance Announcements are a new category and apply specifically to instanced areas like dungeons. Though dungeons have their own alert system in place for Remnant Wills and Evaluation, this is a separate category. Explore the distinction for yourselves!
  • Local Announcements are a much more localised version of Region Announcements, and mainly concern the first time discovery of certain dungeons.
  • Though we have also received many complaints and requests for anonymity or the ability to turn off the occurrence of these announcements, after some discussion we have elected to reject these notions due to the base functionality of Deeds, Fame & Infamy. The Librarians are watching your achievements closely, Newborn, and escaping their notice is harder than you might expect.

Gameplay

• Crafting
  • Currently, the crafting system is an automated process that simply checks eligibility and outputs items according to a random dice roll. For the sake of balance and to give users a chance to express their efforts and mastery, this functionality has been completely removed.
  • Crafting is now a completely manual process.
  • To be eligible to create an item, Newborn must still attain the prerequisite Rank and Star Rating, as well as possess: the necessary recipe, tools, facilities and material components. Basic requirements will be outlined in the recipe itself, so be sure to read it properly!
  • When the item has been made, the result will be judged for quality, completion and other factors - then assigned a new ‘Quality’ percentage.
  • Quality determines the performance of the final product as compared to the intended result outlined in it’s design.
  • Will something happen if a created item is deemed to be even better than the expected result? Seek to impress the Gods and your peers!
  • Failure is likewise dependent on user skill. Products that do not meet a minimum quality (unique to each item) will be assigned the Failed prefix to their Tier and lose most or all functionality.
  • In the interest of fairness Ranks and Star Ratings will be reset for Newborn that are deemed by the systems to not qualify for that distinction. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Any designs the user has learned prior to the update will remain learned, but will be locked until the user qualifies again.
  • In the interest of fairness, Newborn whose skills are deemed to be higher than their currently assigned Rank and Star Rating will not be adjusted upwards. We are sorry for the inconvenience. All users must prove themselves on the same playing field as their rivals!
  • The complementary crafting tools available to players upon arrival have had their durability and attributes dramatically reduced. A poor craftsman willingly uses poor tools!
  • There are many highly skilled craftspeople amongst The Ignorant, living and long-dead. Learn the tricks of the trade from them with the newly expanded Talent system! Salvage mistakes and take risks for greater rewards!
  • Honing your trade is an experience all its own. Now gain Experience towards your Level every time you complete a project! Experience gained is dependent on the final Quality, the difficulty of the item and your Class. Worried your Class requires too much time tinkering in a workshop to go on adventures? Never fear!
  • Experience gained this way has diminishing returns for ineligible Classes and for once difficult - now effortless - endeavours. The Path to Truth isn’t walked with just a lifetime’s supply of fruit juice and a mountain of cheap daggers, Newborn!
  • The criterion for advancing through Star Ratings and Ranks have been rebalanced to follow the new system.

• Students
• • Gaining understanding is a rewarding experience for any academic. Now gain Experience towards your Level every time you complete a project! Experience gained is dependent on the knowledge’s rarity, the difficulty of studying the subject and your Class. Worried your Class requires too much time studying in a library to go on adventures? Worry no more!
  • Experience gained this way has diminishing returns for ineligible Classes and for once difficult - now effortless - endeavours. Apply your knowledge and put the proof to your hypotheses!
  • The criterion for advancing through Star Ratings and Ranks have been rebalanced to follow the new system.
  • There are many other changes to explore, but it is only appropriate you discover them for yourselves...

• Gathering
• • The lands of Merrow are truly bountiful, but their natural riches are still finite. At least, in theory. While we originally intended for there to be no shortage of supplies for crafting, with our push towards realism, this leniency must sadly come to an end to protect the economy of the native civilisations.
  • All Gathering ‘nodes’ have been removed.
  • Harvested items, with few exceptions, do not magically reappear once taken.
  • The necessary steps to gather materials have been changed to reflect Reality or Merrowan tradition.
  • Many items have had their transport via magical means restricted.
  • Goods now have a ‘Quality’ value in addition to their Star Rating and Rank, which determine how valuable that item is, depending on how efficiently and precisely it has been gathered and pre-processed. Higher Quality ingredients are essential for higher Quality crafts!
  • The complementary gathering tools available to players upon arrival have had their durability and attributes dramatically reduced. A poor craftsman uses poor tools!
  • The drop rates for specific materials from living beings such as Monsters have been dramatically reduced.
  • Many natural items now adhere more strictly to the consequences of poor preservation efforts. Take more care in handling and storage to avoid rotting carcasses, withered herbs, and spoiled food!
  • Carcasses eligible for butchery left behind by certain types of Monster now appear far less frequently, and their Quality determines the possible results of proper butchery. Burnt fur and shredded innards among other things will have negative consequences, so fight your foes prudently, Newborn!
  • The criterion for advancing through Star Ratings and Ranks have been rebalanced to follow the new system.

• General
• • On reflection, while the existence of an infinitely expanding personal inventory is certainly an enduring tradition in video games, after talks between the Balance and the World teams, we have decided to remove it for the sake of the setting and the local economies.
    • There exist on Merrow similar storage methods with their own unique quirks which are similarly accounted for in the laws and systems of the world which the current Newborn Inventory mechanics flagrantly ignore.
    • Players are encouraged to explore these possibilities and find new solutions to inventory management.
    • Upon the user’s next log-in, they will have a 24-hour grace period (Merrowan time, independent of active play-time) to remove all contents from their inventory. Any items still inside will be deleted or forcibly ejected into the world. Hectic Works will not be liable for any losses that may occur once this feature is officially removed from your account at the end of this grace period.

• The Beginner’s Point Store is now accessed after Vessel Creation and prior to arrival at the user’s starting zone of choice. Hectic Works Ideaware would like officially to thank the Merrowans who curated this service for their time.
• The Beginner’s Point Store has seen some rebalancing on the price of items and the effectiveness of most equipment has been overall reduced to incentivise the acquisition of better armaments
• The ability for new users to exchange points in The Beginner’s Point Store for local currency has been removed and replaced with basic rations that cannot be traded or sold. These rations do not degrade, but will disappear after the Newborn reaches Level 5. This is to ensure that new players have the chance to take care of themselves without placing further strain on the local economy by essentially printing money with every new Vessel created.
• Similarly, equipment bought through The Beginner’s Point Store will now be untradeable and unsaleable, instead of having an inherent value of nothing. Once their usefulness has expired, they will be destroyed permanently.
• Designated Mentors have had their lower-grade Skill Gem and Magic Tome production burden eased to accommodate more Newborn and Merrowans daily. Be advised, stocks are still limited!
• The interfacing software that allows users to record their play sessions has seen a suite of updates and improvements. Please refer to the Recording Gameplay section of the Archive on the official website for further details.

• Fame & Infamy
• • Currently, the Infamous System is a rudimentary framework that mainly arises from killing other Newborn to accumulate, which was intended to provide a sense of risk and consequence to attacking your fellow players. However, after observing the playerbase, we have concluded that the system was far too lenient. Unless a player went out of their way to accumulate it by killing dozens upon dozens of players and The Ignorant, gaining it was too difficult for those that wanted it for related content, and there was functionally little to no risk for those who gained it incidentally or sparsely, as it would decay too quickly to be a proper threat to regular play.
  • From now on, actions other than the murder of Newborn will be judged much more harshly, and the Infamy gain for killing Newborn is also greatly increased - Approximately 80% of the Infamy gained for murdering Merrowan natives in cold blood, up from 32%, taking the new rates into account as well.
  • Action severity will accumulate Infamy at differing rates, but on the whole, it will be a little easier to become a notorious outlaw early on, but comparatively more difficult later.
  • Infamous society has had their Infamy requirements adjusted to fit the new system. We are aware that some Newborn may be negatively affected and apologise.
  • The Infamy Value detection methods have had their parameters modified.
  • Infamy takes much longer to decay before reaching a new checkpoint. Down from 1/Hour to 1/Month.
  • If no further Infamy is accumulated after a period of inactivity (dependent on Infamy tier) you will resume Infamy decay.
  • Fame has also been adjusted to follow similar rules. Celebrity is temporary without an effort to stay in the spotlight!

Bugfixes & Known Issues

• A small subset of Newborn have been requesting the ability to purchase in-game goods and services. In order to maintain the setting’s balance and avoid legal trouble internationally, Hectic Works will maintain a ‘No RMT’ policy. While users are free to negotiate amongst themselves, please observe the laws of your respective nations. Hectic Works Ideaware will neither support or decry these practices, but may assist authorities who gain investigative rights according to the Global Online Trading Freedoms Agreement(2089).
• There are currently no plans to introduce internet connection functionality to the UI, both for the sake of immersion and due to the relative difference in experienced time.
• To address complaints, Party and Guild exclusive communication methods were already present in ver. 1.0 of Astral Reckoning. The means to do so typically require external attainment, such as items or buildings to facilitate. We encourage Newborn to learn more about the world of Merrow before making assumptions about what might be lacking in feedback. Libraries, Town Halls and other facilities are good places to start learning about your new world!
• An exploit concerning certain low-level dungeons, whereby enemies would respawn infinitely under certain conditions is currently under investigation.
• Fixed an issue where players would sometimes arrive at the starter zone inside of the terrain when the destination was congested. In the event of congestion, Newborn will now be asked to wait in a queue before arrival.
• Fixed an issue where Newborn could sometimes reset the freshness of food and drink items by adding a fresh one to a degraded item stack (Due to the subsequent inventory removal, this is no longer relevant…)
• Fixed...