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Welcome to the Dark Throne section. No, this has nothing to do with the Death Metal band of the same name. It's the strategy game found at www.darkthrone.com. The software developer Lazarus has released the full Gold version of the game which is gaining momentum.
The game has had a long running Beta version which is still being played and will probably remain as long as there is enough activity there.
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| October Community Update III |
- From Lazarus Software -
Part III of our community update will wrap up our answers to player submitted questions and will give a brief summary of everything that was posted over the last three days.
Player Submitted Q and A Part III
Will the forums ever get an 18+ section?
-There are a lot of factors involved including deciding what rules would and wouldn’t be enforced and creating the system to disable the word filter and show a forum to users 18 and over. We aren’t opposed to discussing it with players, but the time involved in creating this may prevent us from doing it in favor of a feature that would benefit more users.
To Lazarus: If you were given superpowers would you become a super hero or villain?
-It depends on the power. If I could control people's minds, fly, regenerate, and shoot lasers out of my eyes I'd be a villain. If my powers were to speak to animals, hear things from miles away, and stretch I'd be a hero
Are you going to add more Roleplaying Features anytime soon? (for instance the Good and Evil Alignment thing was one)
-Expanding on that and adding others is a possibility for a future version.
What's your favorite game that's not DT or Lazarus based, for instance, what is your favorite video game?
-Here’s a list of some of our favorite games in no particular order: Baldur's Gate, Command and Conquer, StarCraft, DeusEx, Eternal Sonata, Halo 3
Would you ever be willing to make a bounty system like I saw someone suggest before?
-We’ve always said that we were interested creating a bounty system, but we haven't really seen an idea that can't be exploited to funnel gold or that would be interesting enough for players.
To Lazarus: Do you feel trapped by DT, like so many of your players? Does it consume you?
-I'll answer both with the same answer. You can't leave it. I've tried many times. I guarantee that if I switched spots with someone they couldn't leave either. It is a bottomless black pit of gaming, support items, bugs, messages, and new features. It never ends....
To Lazarus: If you were allowed to ban someone for no reason (which you are) who would that person be? Besides me that is.
-Hmmmm... Probably the next person that tries to convince us that they really have 20 brothers and sisters who play the game at the same time
To Lazarus: Who is your best friend in this game?
-The support center, because it cut down on my personal inbox filling up and other people can answer them
To Lazarus: Do you still have an interest in playing games? If so, what kind?
-Of course I do. I just finished up Batman: Arkham Asylum and I'll play any genre. In terms of upcoming games, I’ll probably try borderlands and/or dragon age.
What would you say are the hardest tasks you've encountered with running Dark Throne?
-Over the life of the company, we’d have to say dealing with cheaters. Any new developer starts developing a game without really realizing the kind of cheating/exploiting that will be going on. We really had to catch up in that area between alpha and Gold launch.
Will there be a mobile version of DT anytime soon?
-There will be a mobile version of DT, but it will probably be tested in the new game first, as they are developing it.
To Lazarus: Planning on watching any other movies soon?
-I just saw Zombieland. Beyond that, I’m not sure. I wanted to see Shutter Island, but they moved that to 2010. I want to see The Road and The Men Who Stare At Goats, but those aren’t until November.
There are multiple pages worth of submitted questions that were answered on top of what you’ve seen in the community update. All other answers have been posted in the forum.
Conclusion
We covered a ton of new information in the three part community update. Here is a brief summary:
-Dark Curse is the new game from Lazarus Software's second development team. It is a horror themed game, letting players take on the role of a vampire, werewolf, or human.
-The Dark Curse developers will stop by the DT forums this month with contests and letting Legend members know how they can try the game early.
-Patch 1.0.9 will focus on equation updates. Included on the list are updates to the wounded system, defensive xp, and fortification casualties.
-The Dark Throne development team has announced plans to release Dark Throne 2. This will be a complete rebuild and overhaul of the game from the ground up. Testing of this will begin with player discussion and move into testing new features and changes in competitive server rounds.
-The Dark Throne development team will stop by the forums in mid-late October with information on how players can get involved in feedback and testing of the new Dark Throne. Keep in mind that there is no release date and that it largely depends on player feedback and participation.
As always, we would like to thank our players for their continued support. As you can tell, we are very busy on a number of fronts and are always working to improve the experience for our players.
Remember that we can only continue to develop this game thanks to Legend member support. All revenue from Legend member subscriptions go right back into development of the game, so if you have not yet become a legend member, please consider doing so. For more information, visit http://www.darkthrone.com/legend |
| Posted by: ringwraith @ October 3 2009, 4:59 pm |
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| October Community Update II |
- From Lazarus Software -
Part II of our community update covers changes to the Dark Throne development plan, which will include an all new version of Dark Throne. More questions submitted from the community are also answered below.
Dark Throne Development Changes
We have made changes to our short and long term development plans for Dark Throne and wanted to let players know what to expect.
Dark Throne has gone through many code revisions over the years, but the basic concepts have not changed since our original Alpha test. While not changing a game too drastically is essential to preserving what players liked about the game in the first place, it limits the updates we are able to introduce into the game.
The initial plan was to base the competitive servers off of modified Dark Throne Gold settings. This would mean that while each competitive version may play a bit differently, any changes would be based on the core equations and mechanics of the game.
Rather than only make marginal updates to Dark Throne during the competitive servers resets, we really want to take this opportunity to talk to players, test new features, and work towards a completely new version of Dark Throne along with having players trying resetting competitive versions.
In short, we’re starting work on Dark Throne 2 and we want to get you involved. We won’t have to worry about recoding the whole game, but we will be re-building the game from the ground up in terms of features and game mechanics and would love to get the community involved.
With the recently announced Dark Curse being designed for the casual gamer in mind, we can really shift focus on Dark Throne to include extended gameplay and features for a more hardcore gaming audience. The new development team has also made the code easier to work with in terms of shifting around new features and adding in equations.
Features and changes being considered and which will be discussed with players include:
-All new equations for every feature in the game.
-Expanding the role of spying.
-The introduction of magic, which may include magic upgrades, units, and spells.
-A complete reworking of the structure upgrades feature.
-An overhaul of the current armory system.
-New attack ranges.
-Expanded options for workers.
-Changes to race-based bonuses.
We’re sure that players are going to have a lot of questions about this, so we have a brief Q and A to help:
What does this mean for Dark Throne Gold?
-Our plans for Gold have not changed. We will continue to update and support the game. The difference will be that future versions of Dark Throne will not have the same game mechanics as Dark Throne Gold.
What does this mean for the competitive server plans?
-We’re pushing up the release of a full competitive server slightly to allow for player participation in the creation of these new features and changes. Instead of testing them on Dark Throne Gold or on a test server that never ends, the first competitive rounds will be test of these new features and changes.
How long will this take to complete?
-This depends in part on the success of Dark Curse, because we will want to use some of their development team and code to speed up the development process. We’d like to start working with players in mid – late October and allow them to test some of these changes in November. The total length of the project also depends heavily on the feedback provided by players.
What made you choose to change directions at this point in time?
-We’ve been really happy with the progress made on Dark Curse and the work done on that code will allow us to put in a lot of features and changes that we’ve been wanting to make for a while. Also, as mentioned above, Dark Curse aiming for a casual audience allows us to go on a different development path and cater Dark Throne to a more specific audience.
What’s the development gameplan for the new version of Dark Throne?
-In mid – late October, we will set up a fresh server to let testers sign into. Testing will start with discussion of features, equations, and changes with players. Unlike discussion in Dark Throne Gold, discussion on the new server will be extremely focused and decisions will be made pretty quickly. We’re also going to be selective in who is let in, so we hope to have the most experienced and active players having detailed discussions.
In terms of features, we’ll start with changes to the attack system (which includes XP, casualties, fortification kills, and fortification damage) and move onto spying, and then magic.
How different will this be from the current version of Dark Throne?
We aren’t just making minor modifications here. Everything is up for debate, from the unit types and stats to equations and basic features. Features that don’t work will be cut, while other features will be expanded upon, and new features will be brought in. Magic for example, is a feature that we’d love to have on par with attacking and spying.
Why is replacing the game equations so important?
The game equations really dictate how the game is played and the results of every major action you make. Changing the game equations will improve game balance and strategy by removing exploits and creating equations that are less random and easier for players to understand.
How can I participate in testing and discussion?
A forum topic will be opened on Dark Throne Gold for players to sign up. A news post will be made as well to let players know about it. Players will be selected based on a number of factors that will be included in the forum topic. Players can expect to see this topic go up during the first half of October.
Player Submitted Q and A Part II
Today continues with part II of questions submitted to us by players.
Will Gold ever get 5x1 casualties similar to Beta?
-We are considering it. That is all we can say at this point, but you know that we have discussed it at length in the forums with players.
Will spy missions/assassinations and infiltrations ever cause enough damage to be as effective as attacking?
-Probably not in the current version of Dark Throne, but we think it would be fun to see the spy aspect of the game be just as important as attacking.
Will there ever be "Interest" added to the Banking System? I think it would very helpful to have my money in the bank growing while it's sitting there.
-This suggestion has been brought up from time to time since the day we opened alpha, but we have no plans to add such a feature to this game.
The ad campaign mentioned in the June CU, can we expect it to begin soon or will it coincide with the competitive servers, whenever that may be?
-It will actually start before that. We should be starting in late October.
Are there any plans in the works to tie friends/enemy lists in with other parts of the game? For example the Beta PM friend system with an address-book like format or online-offline lists?
-Yes, the friend list on messaging has been discussed and is in our future patch list. We have no release date for that feature, but it should make a return to the game.
Part III of the community update concludes tomorrow with answers to more player submitted questions and a brief wrap up of everything posted in the last two days. |
| Posted by: ringwraith @ October 3 2009, 2:22 am |
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| October Community Update I |
- From Lazarus Software -
We have a large amount of content for this month’s community update, so it will be broken up into multiple news posts. The first part will cover patch 1.0.9, the new game from Lazarus Software, and questions submitted by players:
Patch 1.0.9
Patch 1.0.9 will contain the usual code updates and bug fixes, with the main focus being on a number of equation updates including:
-Fixes to address a fort breach bug when an account is at low fort health
-Fixes to reported issues with wounded units.
-Testing a defensive XP update that was completed during patch 1.0.8
- Improving low and 0 fortification casualties at higher levels.
Our Legend service will also see some updates in this patch. Players have expressed interest in additional payment options, so we will be adding the ability for players to pay by mail and will also be updating some outdated content on the Legend website.
New Game Testing
As announced in the last community update, a second team of developers has been working on a new game using our core Dark Throne code. The game is scheduled for release in late October and they will be giving Dark Throne players a first look at the game.
Here is an update they put together for our players:
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“We are inviting players to try out an all new game inspired by Dark Throne.
While the game is based off of the Dark Throne core code, this is a total conversion of the game, including many changes and some new features.
Our goal was to create a casual gaming experience that focused on what everyone enjoys about Dark Throne while exploring new features and a horror theme.
We are looking for players that are interested in trying something new and have an open mind for new features and changes. This game is not Dark Throne and is not being made by the same development team. Expect key differences in the development path and how the game is run.
Below is a list of some of the changes and features you can expect to see:
War Focused: The focus of this game is on attacking and war. Features like 5x1 attacking for casualties will allow players to wage war without worrying about running out of turns. The Attack range system has been broadened making sure you never run out of players to attack.
Race Wars: Anti-Race units and weapons can be used to a brutal effect. You aren’t just waging war against other players, but other races as well.
Customizable Upgrades: Your upgrade path is completely unique with the new perk system. Perks are all about choice, providing the highest level of account style customization. Perks are purchased much the same way as proficiency points in Dark Throne.
Don’t Stop Playing: Ran out of things to do on your first character? Create a new character and try different strategies, play as different races, and aim for different rankings. Up to 4 accounts can be linked in a way that prevents players from exploiting the game.
Day and Night: Day and night cycles give different races different bonuses. Now not only do you have to worry about who to attack but when to attack them. Are you a creature of the night or do you hunt best with sunlight on your side?”
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We are happy to announce that Dark Curse will be the name of the next game by Lazarus Software. With a focus on race wars and expanded attack features, Dark Curse is a horror themed game, letting players play as vampires, werewolves, or humans in a fight to reach the top. The developers of Dark Curse will be dropping by in October with more game information, details on how you can try the game early, and we’ll have a few contests related to the new game as well.
Q and A
Players were asked to submit questions to be answered in this community update and some of them have been posted below. Additional answers will be posted in an additional part of the community update and the rest of the answers to be added to the original forum thread that questions were asked in:
“Has the current 'recession' and 'economic crisis' effected Lazarus Software, in any way? Have you had to sack people? What are you doing to prevent this? “
-The recession has affected every company in some way or another. It has especially hit game developers hard, with many studios closing down. For us, it has probably slowed down business more than anything. We haven't had to let anyone go, due to long term financial planning and we are hoping that multiple projects will allow us to never have to worry about that.
“Will There Be Magic?”
-Magic is a feature that we’ve been interested in before Dark Throne opened, but it never quite fit in with the current set of features. We are definitely looking into getting a magic system into a future version of Dark Throne, and you will see more information on that in the next part of the community update.
“Will There Be Another Legend-payment-method, In the Upcoming Update? (Sms or Paypal…)”
-As mentioned above, we’ll be doing payments by mail next. We’ve looked into SMS, but the carrier fees are really high for the person making the purchase. It would cost almost double for US players to pay for the Legend service by SMS. Other options we’ve been discussing are Google Checkout and Amazon’s payment services, among others.
“Do you plan to bring in more races?”
-We’ve always said that if we were going to add another race into the game it would be dwarves, but there are no plans for new races at this time. Part of the reason for this is the time it requires to complete all the unique unit images.
“Any plans on defensive XP? Or will you leave it as it is?”
-We have already completed some major changes to the defensive experience system and they are up on our development server. We will be testing them with players when we have time to do so.
“Will the forums ever get better options for text formatting like more BB codes and smileys?”
-We’d really like to improve both. It is more of a time issue than anything at the moment. There is a lot we'd like to do, but only so much we can do at once. Ideally, we’d like to dedicate an entire patch to forum updates and optimizations, but bug fixing and core game feature updates take priority at the moment.
“Is Legend subscription going to be connected to the new game? If not, will there be paid subscriptions in the new game at all, and will the prices be higher?”
-The Legend system will not be connected to the new game. There is a new subscription system for the game and the pricing structure hasn't been finalized yet.
“Do you want us to play both games, to stay here or to concentrate only on the new one?”
-You are more than welcome to play both games. We expect each game to appeal to a different audience. Some Dark Throne players will really enjoy the other game, while others will not. Remember that the new game is being developed as a more casual gaming experience.
“Will playing the new game initially be free for anyone at all to register and play, legends only or available for forum signup like Silver/Gold was?”
-The developers are going to start with a brief closed testing period that will be for Legend members and contest winners only. After that the game will open to the public and will be free to register and play, like Dark Throne.
Patch 1.0.8
Patch 1.0.8's focus was on fixing numerous bugs that would result in random error messages, adding bug fixes and suggestions from players in the forum, and adding spy and sentry battle upgrades.
New Features and Equation Changes:
- An equation update for XP was added to lower the random range of XP you can receive.
- The top wealth rank no longer includes vacation mode or inactive players.
- Added typing focus on the first input box of every content page. For players with disabilities who need this feature disabled, a settings page option has been added.
- Added multiple updates to the internal support center.
- An equation update was added to the wounded unit system to decrease the chance of a winning attack receiving more casualties than the losing side, when both have evenly equipped armies.
- The assassination equation has been updated, increasing the maximum amount of units that can be killed.
- Spy and Sentry Battle Upgrades have been added.
- A character count has been added to profile editing.
Bug Fixes and Minor Changes:
- Fixed an issue with multiple IE8 error notices.
- Fixed multiple issues with image tooltips.
- Fixed an issue with suspended users showing as online.
- Fixed the title and page header of the recruiter credits page.
- Fixed text inconsistency on invalid log notice.
- Fixed a FF3 accessibility issue.
- Fixed an issue on IE5/6 with the search page expiring when the back button is pressed.
- Fixed a menu tab issue with the alliance messaging page.
- Fixed an error preventing the list/bullet tag from working on profile pages.
- Added the correct error when image verification resets at the end of the day.
- Fixed a text copy issue on the attack listings.
- Fixed the title for the alliance listings page.
- Fixed a URL error with a Paypal return page after legend signup.
- Corrected text issues on forgot password emails.
- Fixed an issue with inactive users in the recruiter/recruiting process.
- Fixed an issue with support center alliance leader change requests that would cause errors with the new leader's access levels.
- Fixed a top friend issue that would lock out the profile page.
- Fixed an issue with certain Beta accounts that would result in an error message when they attempted to reset their password prior to porting to Dark Throne Gold.
- Fixed an issue with broken content boxes when previewing a message on IE7.
- Fixed an issue with suspended users appearing in the recruiter.
- Fixed a text issue with the alliance profile header image.
- Fixed a browser issue with maintenance mode causing layout issues after the site is brought back online.
- Fixed a rare issue that would result in an error notice locking out a forum topic.
- Added a notice to the recruiter when a player's legend status is deactivated to let them know that they have already received their citizens for the day.
- Fixed a bug with the advisor bar display on the transfer log page.
- Fixed an assassination equation bug, allowing spies and sentries to have the same kill chance as guards and soldiers.
- Fixed a rare issue that would result in an error message when attacking a user that has just authorized their account.
- Fixed a rare error message that would display if you attempted to hit the recruiter home page while receiving citizens.
- Fixed a bug with unread message notifications on the advisor bar.
- Fixed an issue with list confirmation notices saying "error" instead of "confirmation".
- Added a 24 hour cap to adding/removing enemies.
- Fixed a rare issue with password resetting resulting in an error notice.
- Fixed a rare issue that would allow someone to vote multiple times in a forum poll.
- Fixed a bug in alliance invites that would allow you to invite banned players.
- Fixed a bug with player name links on sent messages going to player search instead of the player profile.
- Fixed a bug with forum quick searching.
- Fixed a legend medal bug which would cause the bronze medal to freeze, rather than change to silver. |
| Posted by: ringwraith @ October 3 2009, 2:13 am |
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| June Community Update |
June 2009
- From Lazarus Software -
06/20
This month’s community update includes our plans for multiple competitive servers and an announcement regarding an all new game being published by Lazarus Software.
Patch 1.0.8
Patch 1.0.8 is almost wrapped up and includes 20+ bug fixes, equation updates, and new spy and sentry battle upgrades. Most of the bug fixes are already live and you can see our current patch status by visiting:
(Need to have a dt form user account)
http://www.darkthrone.com/forum/topic/12044
New Battle Upgrades: Spies and Sentries will be receiving type I and II battle upgrades with patch 1.0.8. We are currently testing the battle upgrades with players on our development server and are fixing a few reported items as well as creating icons to go with them.
Equation Testing: We have a number of players testing out an assassination simulator and suggesting improvements for the assassination spy mission. We are also looking into changes for defensive XP that will make the equation more similar to the current offensive XP equation. We have already made changes to offensive XP and the wounded unit system to address previously reported balance issues.
Competitive Server
Survey: Those interested in having a say in settings for the first round of our competitive server should visit the following forum thread:
(Need to have a dt form user account)
http://www.darkthrone.com/forum/topic/12763
Long Term Plans: Our long term plan for the competitive servers on Dark Throne are to have multiple game servers running at the same time, each with unique settings and a different theme. Each server would have a fixed game length, allowing players to try something new on a regular basis. Here are a few examples of game types we’d like to introduce:
-Elimination Game: all players start off with a fixed amount of population and no resets are allowed.
-Team Game: Every player is on one of two teams and players cannot attack players from the same team.
-Overall Rank Game: Similar to the current game or first competitive round, but the attack range is an overall rank range and not level.
-Spy Game: More spy missions, different settings for each spy mission, and spy missions would use turns and give XP.
These are just a few of the game types we have in mind. Players have also made some great suggestions for competitive server settings that we’d love to try out. In order to reach this goal, we will need to work on a variety of code updates and all of this also depends on player support.
Required Code Updates: On the technical front, we are working on changes to the login, password, alliance, forum, and legend system to automatically sync information between game servers. We want to make changes that will allow players to sign up for any game type on the registration page without having to go to the current version first. We also want to allow players to easily switch between game versions without any issues.
Being able to do the above is technically challenging and we are in the process of working on these changes. Unfortunately, these changes are not completed at this time, but we will be working on them over the next few months.
Testing and Round 1: We know players are anxious to try out the competitive version, so we are not going to wait on the technical changes listed above before starting. The first thing we will do is to begin testing game changes on a new test server. Similar to our Silver testing, we will grant players access to a test server where they can try out new features and report any bugs they run into.
Once everything checks out, we can either start with a 36 hour speed game (similar to our VLP game prior to Gold launch) or we can begin our first competitive round. The first competitive round will be fully playable and will function like the current version of Dark Throne, but would be missing some of the fast switching/syncing technical updates we mentioned above.
New Game Announcement
Lazarus Software has teamed up with a group of developers on a new project. Similar to what Epic Games does with the licensing of their Unreal Engine for other game developers to use, we have allowed these developers to work with our Dark Throne codebase in order to create a new game.
We are pleased to announce that this game is in its final stages of development and that they will be running an open alpha test later this summer.
Similar to Dark Throne’s alpha test, this will allow players to help shape the direction the game takes and try out an all new game using some of Dark Throne’s core systems.
This will have nothing but a positive effect on the development of Dark Throne. The Dark Throne development team will continue to patch Dark Throne as planned and work on the competitive version. Some of the technology for this new game will be used for the Dark Throne competitive rounds and this game also has many features that we can swap in and out for different competitive rounds.
Some of the features from this new game include:
-Anti-Race weapons and unit bonuses.
-An achievement system that awards achievements based on hitting various account feats.
-An attack range solely based on overall rank.
-A fully customizable upgrade tree that allows for almost completely unique accounts.
More information will be released on this game in the near future, with an alpha sign up page going up in the coming months. Private closed testing will start in two weeks and the only thing we can tell you about the theme at this time is that it is not fantasy-based.
Advertising
If players want to see multiple competitive servers running at the same time, we need to bring in more users to fill each one of them up. Starting later this year, Lazarus Software will begin an advertising campaign to promote the current version of Dark Throne, the competitive servers, and the new game. You will see Dark Throne-related ads on popular gaming and entertainment websites, we will be running contests and ads in magazines, and we will also be asking for players to help spread the word.
Your Support
We have laid out our plans for our competitive rounds above, but we cannot do any of this without player support. This is a community-based game and we rely on player support to continue development.
Please consider signing up for our Dark Throne: Legend service at http://www.darkthrone.com/legend
Besides automatically receiving citizens each day, all money goes back into development of the game. The more support we receive from the player base, the more programmers we can hire and the faster we can get out new features and new game versions.
Closing
As always, we want to thank players for their continued support. As you can tell from this community update, we are very busy on multiple fronts and are working very hard to make our vision for multiple game servers a reality.
Next month’s community update will discuss the competitive server status, patch 1.0.9, and the new game. |
| Posted by: ringwraith @ June 21 2009, 1:11 am |
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| November Community Update |
November 2008
- From Lazarus Software -
11/30
Recent Patches
Since our last community update, Dark Throne has received two patch updates. Both patches contained numerous bug fixes and changes based on player feedback. Changes and updates included the new sign-in page and multiple fixes for the recruiter, logging in, and browser compatibility. For a full list, check out the 1.0.4 and 1.0.3 patch notes on the news page.
Future Patches
Our upcoming 1.0.5 patch will feature a variety of bug fixes as well as numerous suggested changes from the community. We’ve already put in the new downloads page, and have also put in a handful of fixes for the profile, levels, and transfer page.
After 1.0.5 is finished, we will be handling the next few patches a bit differently. While every patch will still include bug fixes and minor miscellaneous updates, there will be a main focus for each upcoming patch such as game balance changes, HTML, the recruiter, or Legend updates.
New Battle Upgrades
A planned post-launch addition to the game discussed since our Dark Throne: Silver test was Spy and Sentry battle upgrades. We are definitely still interested in getting this feature into the game and need your help in deciding on the battle upgrade names. Check out this thread to suggest names for these battle upgrades:
http://www.darkthrone.com/forum/topic/8547
Other Game Changes
We are currently evaluating a variety of game balance changes for an upcoming patch. Many of this is already being discussed in the forums and you can seek out and comment on those to give us a better idea of where players stand on the various suggested changes. Topics include Fortification repair cost increases, Defensive XP tweaks, Infiltration damage changes and more. We expect to have some, if not all planned changes into the game before the end of the year.
Updated Downloads Page
Make sure to head over to the new downloads page located at:
http://www.darkthrone.com/downloads
We have updated this page with our new human, undead, and goblin wallpaper as well as our winter wallpaper that was posted for our Omega test closing last year. All new wallpapers are available in both wide and full screen and we will be updating this page with additional wallpapers in the future.
Beta Test Status
Every day we get a message or support ticket with one of the following lines:
“OMG, my friend’s roommate’s cousin told me Beta was closing tomorrow. Is it true?”
“What are you guys doing with the beta test?”
Right now Gold support and Gold code updates have been our top priority. We will be evaluating the state of Beta in December and January and will discuss options with the community early next year. Until you hear it from us, nothing has been decided at this time.
New HTML
For the last month or so we have been working on an updated version of our layout and content pages. While the artwork will remain the same, we have cleaned up and improved the HTML and javascript to address compatibility issues and multiple bugs related to the friends drag and drop system and the alliance ranks/access pages.
We expect to be done with this sometime in December and will give players a chance to test it out and report bugs before we put the update on Dark Throne: Gold. Like we have in the past, a forum thread will be posted asking for players to post if interested, so keep an eye out for that thread in December.
Community News
Players have organized a Dark Throne art competition and are looking for entries. For rules and more information on the competition, visit this forum post:
http://www.darkthrone.com/forum/topic/7602
New Advertisements
Over the next month we will be working closely with a handful of advertisers to fill up our ad rotation on Dark Throne. It is very important to us that we have an ad rotation that is free of pop-up and any other annoying ads that may interrupt users playing the game. Please bare with us as we test a variety of ad types and ad rotations.
We are also going to be offering small businesses the ability to advertise directly on the site without needing to go through the advertising networks we work with. If interested in more information, please contact:
advertising@darkthrone.com
Legend
As always, we want to thank those who have supported us by becoming Dark Throne Legend members. Our Legend service allows us to continue to develop the game, adding new features, balance changes, and new versions in the near future.
Legend members do not have to recruit and receive a number of other benefits, with more to come in the near future. If you are interested in becoming a Dark Throne Legend Member, visit:
http://www.darkthrone.com/legend
Closing
We hope everyone has been enjoying the new version of the game so far. We have been working very hard to not only fix bugs as quickly as possible, but to add new features and suggested changes from the community and we will continue to do so. We also want to launch a competitive version of Dark Throne in the near future, and would love to run the occasional 36 hour speed version because both the developers and players had a lot of fun with the virtual launch party game we ran before Dark Throne: Gold opened.
Keep an eye on the news page over the next few weeks for updates regarding patches 1.0.5 and 1.0.6.
Patch 1.0.4 Notes
11/07
Patch 1.0.4 added a new sign-in page and sign-up process, fixed numerous reported bugs, and added a handful of features and changes based on player suggestions in the forum:
-Added new sign-up layout.
-Enabled new sign-in process for accounts on Dark Throne Gold.
-Fixed an issue preventing the forgot password feature from sending out the new password email.
-Fixed an issue with bank deposits related to daylight savings time.
-Added a number of text changes to the FAQ.
-Added a notice to the top advisor to notify you of a successful sentry defend.
-Fixed an issue with inactive Beta players having difficulty porting to Dark Throne: Gold.
-Ported over security words for all Beta players who did not play Dark Throne: Silver.
-Fixed an issue with filtered names preventing alliance mass messaging from working properly.
-Fixed an issue with suspension notices looping after your suspension period has ended.
-Made a URL change so that if you go to a page such as /armory and are logged out, logging in will take you to the armory instead of redirecting to the overview.
-Made a text change to the friend/enemy feature to keep it consistent on friend and alliance ally pages.
-Fixed an issue that would cause an invalid page error on alliance lists.
-Changed the page name for the Terms of Use page.
-Fixed a sign-in bug with the character creation screen refreshing on certain browsers.
-Fixed the order of support tickets displayed to the user in the ticket center.
-Changed the transfer log button from "search" to "submit".
-Fixed an issue with vacation mode players receiving daily housing citizens after a reset.
-Fixed an issue where vacation mode players would accidentally appear in the wealth rankings.
-Changed the notice displayed for alliance leaving and disbanding.
-Fixed multiple issues related to adding friends/enemies.
-Added a redirect to the overview page for URL typos.
-Fixed a bug with the rankings archive changing the URL of the rankings page on the menu.
-Changed transfer history page so that it works just like the war history page in terms of data clearing.
-Fixed an issue with outside recruit clicks not awarding citizens if you have not joined the recruiter.
Patch 1.0.3 Notes
10/14
This is our last major bug fix patch, that addresses multiple critical issues and allows us to move forward with new content. Updates from Patch 1.0.3 include:
-Fixed a login issue where the login page would deny game access and simply refresh the page.
-Fixed a login issue with certain ISP's that would automatically log out players every few mins.
-Fixed a login issue due to password incompatibility between Beta and Gold accounts.
-Fixed a login issue where password/email changes on your Gold account would revert to Beta details.
-Fixed an issue with ex-Legend members having a non-working recruit link the day their subscription ends.
-Fixed an issue causing certain forum threads to be completely locked out.
-Fixed an additional issue with recruiter citizens not awarding at 0:00 if you did not click for the day.
-Fixed an additional population caching issue with the recruiter.
-Fixed "recruiter disabled' error message that popped up from time to time.
-Fixed a rare recruiter issue that would cause your recruiter to reset.
-Fixed an issue with the daily recruiter reset time at 0:00.
-Fixed an issue with the War History page being occasionally inaccessible.
-Fixed an issue with alliance/player searching that would not pull up a name if it starts with an underscore.
-Fixed an issue with the order in which user/alliance search results are displayed.
-Fixed an issue with advanced forum searching.
-Fixed an error notice that would pop up if you used alphabetical characters in the alliance page jump box.
-Fixed multiple browser incompatibility issues with the Friends feature that would cause the removal of friends or the friends box from the settings page.
In addition to the above bug fixes, we have also added a variety of features to allow us to more easily address support ticket issues and perform maintenance on the game without fully taking the site down. While we will continue to fix bugs as they are reported, our focus will now be on getting up the new sign-up page as well as adding new features that players have requested in the past and we have been saving for post-launch. |
| Posted by: ringwraith @ December 4 2008, 10:54 pm |
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| July Community Update |
July 2008
- From the Developers of Dark Throne -
Silver Testing and Gold Conversion
Last month we opened our Silver test to the public and have been very happy with the feedback we have received from thousands of players. The Silver test has been a great chance for players to get involved in the development process and we have made hundreds of changes based on player feedback.
We are now at the stage of what we call "Gold Conversion", where we are converting Silver to the full version of Dark Throne. This includes numerous balance tweaks, new features, and graphical changes, including:
Character Gender Selection: Along with selecting character race and class, players now have the ability to select their character's gender. Of course, there is an option on the settings page to hide or show this on the profile page.
Alignment Tweaks: Alignment was changed so that it is easier for players to move up and down the good and evil scale.
Updated XP Equation: The experience equation has received another update, making it slightly more difficult to get the best possible XP.
Updated Fort Breach System: Our new fortification breach feature has received multiple updates, making it more difficult to breach a new user, easier to breach higher level players, and increasing casualties from successful breaches.
New Version of Assassination: The assassination spy mission is now stat dependant, meaning that the higher your spy offense is to your enemy's spy defense, the more casualties you will inflict. It is now possible to kill up to 50 units on a successful assassination attempt.
All of the above updates have already gone into Dark Throne: Silver and are working properly. In addition to the above features, the following items are planned to go in before the full version release:
Registration Date Display: We are still discussing this item with players in Silver, but we may be displaying account registration date on the profile. Like gender display, players will have the option to hide or show this box.
New Legend Payment Options: Mail-in will be added as an option and we are looking into a separate credit card system along with other payment options. More details will be posted shortly.
New Advisor Options: Recently we managed to create a feature for the advisor system that we've wanted to put into the game since Alpha, but wasn't technically possible until now. We aren't going to give out details right now, but will be testing this feature out in Silver over the next week or so.
New In-Game Layouts: We have a new set of in-game layouts and players will be able to see them for the first time during the virtual launch party.
New Sign-In Page: Of course, we couldn't have new in-game layouts without replacing the sign-in page. The Dark Throne home page will be replaced with a new layout that will debut during the virtual launch party.
New Legend Mini-Site Layout and Content: Our Legend mini-site also has been redesigned and new content will be created to update the FAQ and add new payment options.
Wiki: Our Dark Throne Wiki is almost ready for launch. The system itself is working correctly and we are in the process of finalizing templates for alliance, player, and game pages.
All of these items will be seen before the full version of the game, with some of them being shown early at the virtual launch party.
Virtual Launch Party
We have officially scheduled our virtual launch party for the 26th of July. The virtual launch party will be a 36-48 hour version of Dark Throne for Legend Members and select players who have won various contests recently.
For this special event game, everyone will start with more citizens, turns, and gold than normal, with turns running every few mins and citizens being awarded every 30 mins. Prizes will be awarded randomly to players participating in the virtual launch party.
The event itself will open at 0:00 DT time on the 26th (technically the evening of the 25th for some) or 12:00 DT time on the 26th, depending on player feedback. For more information, make sure to check out the Dark Throne: Silver forums.
If you are interested in trying this limited-edition version of Dark Throne and are not currently a Legend member, please visit our Legend Mini-Site for more information on joining our Dark Throne: Legend service.
Gold Launch
The 4th of July holiday and many players being out of town on vacation pushed up our virtual launch party and game launch plans a bit, but technically we are at the point where we can launch the game at any time. We want to make sure that players have the proper notice regarding our launch plans and want to give everyone time to check out Dark Throne: Silver and prepare for the new game.
Over the next couple of weeks, players will notice many changes, including a new layout for the sign-in page and www.darkthrone.com taking you to the full version of the game instead of Beta (beta will be moved to a subdomain). Please keep an eye on the top site news area of the site for a variety of updates from up over the next few weeks, in which we will post a game launch FAQ, release new wallpapers, and more.
For those that have not yet had a chance to check out all of the thousands of changes that have been made to Dark Throne for the new version, make sure to sign up to test Dark Throne: Silver on the Beta forums and give the game a try before the full version is released.
The official launch date for the full version of the game will be announced shortly although we have finalized the date internally this week. Leading up to launch we plan to have various promotions and contest, and will post plenty of information for player as to what players can expect for launch and beyond.
Closing
If you haven't had a chance to test it out yet, make sure to sign up for Dark Throne: Silver. All you need to do is visit the Beta forums and reply to the sign-up thread.
For those interested in a guaranteed spot in our virtual launch party, make sure to sign up to become a Dark Throne: Legend member. Legend members get exclusive member-only benefits including no recruiting, extra layouts, and access to our virtual launch party. For more information, visit our Legend mini-site.
As always we want to thank those who have helped us during our testing phases by providing feedback, posting bug reports, and joining our legend service. We are very excited to be finally launching the full version of Dark Throne and have much more in store for players in the future. |
| Posted by: ringwraith @ July 19 2008, 12:51 pm |
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By: JLC |
| Submitted on: 28 Feb 2005 |
| WTF? Is that a Camera looking at us? |
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a d v e r t i s e m e n t
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