Day of Dragons News

[h2]Day of Dragons Update 1.K.H.0[/h2]
Server/Client

It's been 2 months now since our beta release, and it is time for our September update. This is our second feature update, the first being the Quality of Life improvements update we released in August. This update includes the most requested feature content (next to more dragons) being that of Scent. Scent will greatly increase your chances of survival by giving you visual indicators of where things are in the world. We hoped this release would also include the Scrab AI, but the AI combat behavior is not quite finished and we wanted to keep our September update promise, so we are releasing 1.K without the Scrab and will patch it in when the new AI behavior is bug-free and ready. This update also makes changes to mushroom spawns now that scent is a thing and also adds dragon carcasses and projectile improvements.

So without further ado, let's see what all is new in Beta Update 1.K!

[h3]SCENT[/h3]
Added scent ability for all dragonkind allowing players to sniff out their environment. To use scent, hold (default F and may need reset) while stationary. Different species have different ranges of scent detection. Scent that is farther away will spawn a scent trail showing players the direction the scent is coming from. Scent that is closer to the player will spawn a scent plume showing players the location of the scent. Scavenger Mutation increases scent detection range by 25/50/100m per point and scent location range by 10/20/30m per point.

• Added ability to smell lakes, ponds, & rivers (blue)
  
• Added ability for hatchlings to smell puddles (blue)
  
• Added ability to smell edible flora (green)
  
• Added ability to smell blood (red)
  
• Added ability to smell corpses (red)
  
• Added ability to smell carcasses (red)
  
• Added ability to smell prey creatures (magenta)
  
• Added ability to smell nests of the same species (yellow)
  
• Added ability to smell clues (yellow)
  

[h3]SKINS[/h3]

• Players can now select common skins from character menu when spawning. Uncommon and Rare skins are still only obtainable by spawning with a Random Skin
  
• Added new uncommon/rare random skins
  
• Added new hybrid skin crafting recipes
  

[h3]ENVIRONMENT[/h3]

• Added a new species of Mushroom
  
• Changed mushroom spawning areas and density
  
• Minor changes to Forgotten Forest map
  
• Added Thornback Mound ambient sound fx to boss mounds
  
• Added Jellyflies ambient creature fx in certain areas
  
• Added Fireflies ambient creature fx in certain areas
  
• Added Carcass flies ambient creature fx
  

[h3]PATREON LIFETIME SUBSCRIBER REWARDS PACK[/h3]
The first tier of the Patreon Lifetime Subscriber Rewards have been added to the game. Subscribers who have received the Lifetime Subscriber Rewards Pack will receive the Crimson LT shimmer skin and the Jellyflies cosmetic effect. This effect will later be replaced with a unique equippable dragon pearl. Until the inventory system is added in a later update, Subscriber Rewards Pack owners will need to type /pearlon to turn on the effect and /pearloff to turn it off. This effect only spawns while resting or sleeping.

• Added Crimson LT skin as a spawn option for subscribers with the Lifetime Subscriber Rewards Pack
  
• Added Jellyflies cosmetic effect for subscribers with the Lifetime Subscriber Rewards Pack
  
• Added Apply Shimmer button for subscribers with the Lifetime Subscriber Rewards Pack which converts the Crimson PT skin into the Crimson LT skin.
  
• Added Crimson LT skin compatibility with Crimson PT skin crafting recipes
  

[h3]DRAGONS[/h3]
Improvements have been made to dragon abilities and projectiles as well as the addition of carcasses.

• Added Shadow Scale Scent Animation
  
• Added Shadow Scale Scent Sound FX
  
• Added Acid Spitter Scent Animation
  
• Added Acid Spitter Scent Sound FX
  
• Shadow Cloak now provides complete invisibility when crouched while stationary
  
• Improved projectile tracking and hit detection
  
• Increased range of Acid Spit
  
• Increased speed of Acid Spit
  
• Increased range of Plasma Bolt
  
• Added visual corpse decay which progresses as the corpse is eaten
  
• Added dragon carcasses v1 that replace a corpse that has been mostly eaten. Carcasses cannot be carried or moved like corpses and do not despawn like corpses but instead despawn only when fully eaten or abandoned (feeding on the carcass refreshes the corpse despawn timer)
  

[h3]ADMIN[/h3]
We have had admins request the ability to mute/unmute players from Global Chat who are offline. Mutes and Unmutes are now permanent on the server. We also added the ability to ban a player who is offline from the admin panel. This feature is useful as it does not require a server restart to take effect. Config bans also work but require a server restart.

• Added /mute [steamid] slash command for offline players. Please use admin panel for online players
  
• Added /unmute [steamid] for offline players. Please use admin panel for online players
  
• Added /ban [steamid] slash command for offline players. Please use admin panel for online players
  

[h3]MECHANICS[/h3]

• Added Gore option in Game Settings which is disabled by default. Gore setting enables/disables blood pools and carcass gut piles
  
• Added Survival+RPG HUD style option in Game Settings which combines the blood screen with the status bars
  
• Force closing the game aka "combat logging" now causes your dragon to remain in the world for five minutes instead of just one. To leave the game properly, use the Menu to logout or quit.
  

[h3]FIXES[/h3]

• Fixed missing projectile hit decals
  
• Elder Acid Spitter Acid Spit no longer impacts self when running
  
• Fixed strange movement jitter from network peer Dragons that have grown beyond adult
  

Hello!

It has been an awesome few months since the Beta Launch. Our blog writer, Bad Parrot, was on vacation the last week of August, so this blog is a tad bit later than usual. But fear not! It is packed with a lot of new exciting updates! Before we begin, here is a word from our Lead Developer.....

[h2]Words from the Lead Developer[/h2]

Hello everyone,

Our Beta has been out now for a little over a month and we are humbled by all the positive feedback we are getting. Thank you. In the last 6 weeks since the Beta release, we have pushed out 10 patches to address various bugs, exploits, and introduce various quality of life improvements. In the last 2 weeks I have been working on the upcoming August/September September content update (mainly the AI behavior) to get that ready for release. The update will introduce a new scent system where players can see a visual indicator of scent helping them find food and water and blood. The update will also introduce the Spined Scrab AI (class 1) with our first iteration of AI combat. The current Thornback does not fight, he just runs away, but the Scrab will be programmed to fight you if you're small and run if you're large, though it will be much slower than a Thornback and easier for hatchlings to catch. I'm also working to improve the AI spawning system which will affect all AI creatures now and in the future.



Speaking of Future AI creatures, we just recently revealed the Cave Cutter AI, a class 4 cave-dweller making its home in the frozen ice caves of the Winter Winds. Click the image above for a closer look at this "cool" creature.

In the next few paragraphs, I want to touch on some of the cool things that have happened or are happening in development starting with the Crimson Shimmer.

The new Crimson Shimmer skin is in the development build and coming in the September version 1.K update. Crimson Shimmer is a Patreon Lifetime Subscriber reward given to any Patreon who has pledged $100 or more during the lifetime of their subscription. Patreon Shimmer is something we announced many months ago when we first announced Shimmer skins for Kickstarter backers and Patreons, but we hadn't decided exactly how we wanted to implement it into Patreon until recently. Lifetime Subscriber Rewards are a way for us to reward our patrons who have supported us for many months and is on par with what Kickstarters pledged for the White Dragon Skins. Check the video out below for a preview of the new Crimson Shimmer skin.

[previewyoutube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlYxOI83xdE[/previewyoutube]

In the future, we plan to offer more Lifetime Subscriber Rewards for our active Patrons such as cosmetic fx and possibly merchandise. If you're interested in supporting us through Patreon, check out the link at the end of this blog and thank you so much for supporting our dream!

Another thing I want to touch on is new hires. We have been on the hunt for more animators as we have a growing number of game-ready models waiting for animations. In the past 3 months we have processed over 100 animator applications and have done several interviews. One of the animators we hired, George, was tasked with the Whiskered Paddletail and Swamp Snapper, although George won't be able to stay with us for long, we were only able to hire him for a limited window between contracts. We'll continue to update you all with news concerning our growing development team in future announcements.

Quests are coming, and they're going to be cool, but I don't think they'll make it in the September content update. Quests will provide ways for players to get those 3 other mutation points and also acquire equippable items like Dragon Pearls, though some of that will need to wait until the inventory system is in. Pearls will provide combat bonuses or cosmetic fx such as Jelly Flies (the mechanic of which btw is already in this dev build). Flicker is already working on Ambient AI, some of which you can collect as a spawnable effect through quests.

OK now for some random thoughts...

The Ice Behemoth Concept is mostly finished, we're still working out the details of his horns but we're not rushing it. Work is being done to improve projectiles as I'm well aware of the desync that happens sometimes where it looks like you hit but the server didn't register it. Plasma charge attack is also coming, though I might wait until the Flame Stalker is in for balance reasons. Elder mushroom spawns will be re-worked. More skin patterns will be coming in future updates. You might start seeing devs spawn in as Flame Stalkers soon but the animation set is not finished, but a lot of the movement is. Fish AI might make it in before the Singe Crest update as another food source. Update 1.K will include a new edible mushroom type. A new Forgotten Forest map is planned, but will most likely come post Genesis. Magma will most likely be in before the Flame Stalker, though we might wait until the Flame Stalker, but we might not. It might take a while before anyone figures out how to unlock it - that is if anyone who unlocks it will ever know how they unlocked it. ːsteammockingː

That's it from me for now, thank you for playing our game, we have so much more planned and coming in future updates and we can't wait to share it with you!

- Jonathan Slabaugh
Lead Developer for Day of Dragons


[h2]Scent System[/h2]

Scent Trails

In the upcoming September update, your dragons will be seeing the work in a whole new way..... with their nose! The scent system is one of the new features coming with this next big update.

Dragons will be able to smell and reveal hidden whimsical trails that can lead them to food (green) and water (blue) sources. Certain creatures will also leave scent trails, such as AI (yellow) and bleeding Dragons (red). The source of the scent will release a puff of colored smoke when players are close.

Scent Source Indicators

Each dragon will have its own scent animation that they use to detect the world. Check out the Acid Spitter and Shadow Scale's created by Karly.

Acid Spitter Scent Animation

Shadow Scale Scent Animation



[h2]Animations[/h2]

Our lovely team of animators have been hard at work bringing our creatures to life. Check out what they have been working since the last dev blog...

[h3]Magma Elemental[/h3]

The Magma Elemental has been full animated and will likely be the next playable creature added to the game. Players will have to learn the secrets to unlock this beast. Check out this video of his haunting calls.

[previewyoutube]VIDEO[/previewyoutube]

[h3]Flame Stalker[/h3]

The Flame Stalker animations are still being created. Here are some of his latest ones.

Flame Stalker Sit Animation

Flame Stalker Stalk Animation

[h3]Whiskered Paddletail[/h3]

The Elemental isn't the only creature finished this month! The Whiskered Paddletail has had all of its animations finished thanks to George, a temporary animator we hired between contracts! George is only with us until early November so we are having him work on AI creatures such as the fish and the Swamp Snapper. Check out the fish animations:

Whiskered Paddletail Idle Animation

Whiskered Paddletail Swimming Animation

Whiskered Paddletail Struggle/Carried Animation


[h2]VFX[/h2]

Our VFX artist, Flicker, has been hard at work on her projects. Check out just some of the stuff she has worked on since the Beta launch!

[h3]Ambient Creatures[/h3]

The world of Jrakhon is going to have a little more life in it soon. Flicker has been creating ambient AI particles which can be found floating throughout the world such as the fireflies and sky jellies or around objects of interest like the corpse flies. Some may even enjoy the company of your dragon...

Purple Sky Jelly

Fireflies

Corpse Flies

[h3]Corpse Death Effects[/h3]

Corpses will show you how much food is remaining with this new Death Effect. As you eat the corpse, parts begin to fade away. Once you have eaten 50%, the corpse will turn into a carcass.

Acid Spitter Corpse Death Effect



[h2]Models[/h2]

Some of you may have already seen our new AI concept revealed earlier this month. If you haven't, check it out here. The Cave Cutter was just one of the projects our modeling team has been working on. Have a look at what else they have been up to.

[h3]Carcasses[/h3]

As started above, once half of a corpse is eaten it will be converted into a carcass. Unlike corpses, carcass can no longer be carried by any size dragon and will decay much slower.



[h3]Rigging[/h3]

With our temporary animator focusing on the AI, that means its time for more rigging. Karly has been working on rigging and weight painting some of the AI creatures including the Swamp Snapper. Check out what she has done so far....

Swamp Snapper WIP RIg


It's been a very busy few months. All of our departments are working full speed to continue to bring this awesome game to life. Now, check out the spotlights from our community!


[h2]Dev Q&A Livestream[/h2]


Our next Q&A livestream has not yet scheduled. Stay tuned and watch for updates to find out when the next one will be!



[h2]From the Community[/h2]


Each blog post, we pick some of our favorite screenshots and artwork posted by the community to showcase here. Want a chance for your submission to be showcased on our next blog? Post it in the appropriate channels on our discord!

[h3]Some of our favorite recent screenshots...[/h3]

by Melon#6370

by Nevermore#9384

by DecoDemon#3051



[h3]Some of our favorite artwork from the community...[/h3]

by Shika#4449

by Oka/Karta#7648

by Puco#0733


As always, thanks for reading!

~The Day of Dragons Development Team



Don't want to miss out on updates? Follow us on our social media accounts or become a patron to get updates before they are released!


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[h3]VERSION 1.J.J.0[/h3]
Server/Client Patch

Due to the frequent use of the "Alt+F4" exploit we are rolling out a small patch to address that. This is not the Aug/Sept content update.

• Fixed an exploit in which dead characters did not delete properly from player account if player exited the game by closing the application which allowed players to get their character back on login
  
• Male dragons now only get a "nest in the area notification" if they are the nest sire preventing unrelated players from knowing that a nest is in the area
  
• Young Shadow Scales now have their own flap sound and no longer sound like an adult flapping
  
• Added @c shortcut for @clan broadcasts
  
• Added @a shortcut for @admin chat
  
• Admin player filter now filters steam ids and clan names as well as player names
  
• Added copy button in admin panel to copy player id to name filter. After copying, you will need to highlight the text and then press Ctrl+C to copy to clipboard.
  
• Acid Spitter DLC now properly installs on Linux Clients
  

[h3]VERSION 1.J.G.0[/h3]
Server/Client Patch

FIXES IN THIS PATCH

• Patched several holes in the map where players frequently get stuck
  
• Fixed an exploit allowing flight without burning stamina
  
• Fixed Character panel controller keybind - it now properly works for controllers
  
• First Flight Music can now play more than once (just not at the same time)
  
• Fixed bug granting Acid Spitters perma Sprint after using Social Panel
  
• Acid Decay no longer sometimes heals players
  
• Fixed a bug granting bile to admin hatchlings
  
• Night is slightly darker, last patch made Night a little too bright eliminating the need for Nightvision
  

Greetings Dragons, first let me say that this is not the Aug/Sept Content Update that will include the Scent system and the new AI Creature - the Spined Scrab - that content will be coming in the Aug/Sept content update Version 1.K. This is a Quality of Life Update for the current 1.J version to provide admins and players tools for an improved user experience.

[h3]VERSION 1.J.F.0[/h3]
Server/Client

SERVER ADMINISTRATOR QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS:

• Added a Player Name Filter to the Admin Panel
  
• Added Admin panel Disband Clan button allowing admins to disband the clan of selected player
  
• Admins can now chat to each other with @admin that non-admins cannot see
  
• Players can now ping admins with @admin allowing players a private way to communicate to admins
  
• Added Restore admin panel button allowing admins to restore a player character to a player only if the character that died was a juvenile or older. Restorations are only available for 30 minutes after character dies.
  
• Added new Ban player Admin panel button allowing admins to ban players from within the game. Admins can now ban in-game or from the config. In-game bans must be removed via /unban command or by deleting the steamid.sav in the /bans folder on the server. Config bans are separate and have not changed. Use config to ban when the server is offline and admin panel to ban when running.
  
• Added new /unban chat command which unbans players who were banned via admin panel
  
• Added new PvP server config option bFlagHatchlingKillers=true that causes adult or older eyes to glow red for 20 minutes after killing a hatchling notifying other players that their hatchlings are not safe. Safelog is unavailable while Flagged when this config is enabled.
  
• Added new server config option iMaxClanMembers=0 that allows servers to cap clan size. Only applies to clans made after this update. Server owners will need to either disband the clan in-game or wipe the SaveGames/Clans folder to force clans to re-make under new clan size limits. Clan members can be configured in the range of 8 - 1024 members.
  
• Admin Port/Summon now ports/summons 5 meters above the player to prevent falling through the world
  
• Admins now have infinite Stamina and Bile while in Super mode allowing them to do their duties without needing to rest
  
• Added a system message notifying admins they have nametags on/off
  
• Muting players now persists on the server indefinitely until unmuted
  
• Player Chat command /anyadmins now only shows admins that are online and not incognito to prevent players from breaking rules when no admins are online (now they might be watching incognito)
  
• Admin Panel now shows character info regardless if their character is rendered
  
• Admin Panel now displays ping of players if ping is less than 1000.
  

PLAYER QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS:

• Added new /verystuck command that teleports player to the nearest group member. Can only be used while stationary every 5 minutes and only after trying /stuck. Sets health to 1 and roots for 5s. Use only when necessary.-
  
• Added /anyrevives chat command to let players know if they have a character that can be revived and how much time is remaining on the revive. Characters can only be revived by admins and must be a Juvenile or older upon death to be stored.
  
• Added an "Apply Shimmer" button on Character panel allowing Kickstarter Backers with Shimmer Skins to apply the shimmer effect to nested-in Dragons with non-shimmer skins. After applying, player must go to Spawn Menu or safelog. Skin will be applied on next spawn in.
  
• Added a struggle hint telling players how to struggle when picked up
  
• Aiming reticle is now white when you can fire and red when you cannot to help our color blind community
  
• Hatchlings on PvE servers can now only be picked up by group members to prevent griefing
  
• Character Panel can now be mapped to Controllers
  
• Developer nametags are now always visible to players (no more biting someone and then finding out they're a dev) ːsteamhappyː
  
• Tooltips now look cool
  
• Servers with Friendly Fire (group damage) enabled now display Friendly Fire On/Off in the group social panel
  
• Chat command for making clan announcement is now "@clan " (used to be "/@ ")
  
• Nights are now slightly brighter
  
• Slightly increased Stalk Speed of all Dragons
  
• Elder Walk, Swim, & Fly speeds are now capped to Adult speeds
  

BUG FIXES

• Fixed a server-side memory leak
  
• Loading Flaps should no longer persist into the character menu
  
• Left mouse click on keybinds now properly allows player to rebind key
  
• Improved flight sync to reduce camera jitter when being carried in flight
  
• Unknown Parents & Clanmates should now display when player is offline even if player is not on Steam friendlist (requires player to logon before going into effect)
  
• First Flight Theme should no longer play more than once
  
• Players can no longer walk on the bottom of the pond in the far NW corner of the map