Big update from Rhialto about the upcoming agenda items to get the game ready for alpha testing in early August.

New Website

There will be a very basic website live when the game launches. It will mostly function as a landing spot for the privacy policy and news announcements. Rhialto expects player-created sites and wikis (such as this one) to have the more interesting web content. Site will be finished when Wyvern’s artists polish up some of their ideas.

High Score Lists

High score lists will return for the launch of the game. They will use most of the old high-score code and will just need to be ported to the new system. The score lists will be included in the iOS interface, so you do not have to go to the web to view the leaders.

Players Reset for Alpha

Rhialto will be resetting all players to level 1, which includes backing up the old table. He will also be giving everyone who used to play the game goodies based on how much they played.

Alpha Testers Limited to 17

Apple only allows for 25 alpha testers. The game currently has 8 spots accounted for, which means Rhialto will be choosing 17 people who will get t download the alpha client for their iPhone or iPad(s) and play it during August/September. The alpha will last 2 months, during which time Rhialto will be fixing as many bugs as possible, and keeping the feature development to an absolute minimum. Beta test is slated to start early October and according to Apple’s rules, it can support up to 2000 players and runs for up to 60 days. With everything on schedule, testing will be done in December and the game can aim for a holiday launch.

No Player Resets After the Alpha

After the initial player reset that is scheduled to occur in the next few days, there will be no player resets after the alpha, and Rhialto is very likely to not reset players after the Beta either. There will still be the possibility of tweaks or modifications to the game balance or the players based on what is uncovered during beta. Justification for the new change:

Rhialto: But resetting folks is no fun for anyone, and it’ll be nice to go into the real launch with a well-rounded high score list.

Other Action Items

In the upcoming weeks Rhialto will also be also be making changes to the log system so everything is saved permanently, securing permission from Alpha to get Wyvern submitted for alpha testing, and waiting for the final player artwork, which mostly includes guild costumes, from Wyvern’s artists.