Dawn of Defiance News

First, I want to share with you the first episode of Temple Trackers, where Nathan and Monday toured players' Demigod Academy builds. All the submissions were super cool, and we loved reviewing, but we were most impressed by VikaMountainer's "Mount Olympiad." Thank you to everyone who participated!

[h2]Congrats to the Temple Trackers #1 winner, VikaMountainer, and welcome to the Hall of Hestia![/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
That being said, Temple Trackers takes a bit more time to produce, so I will be switching them to a bi-monthly cadence, meaning every other weekly challenge will be used for an episode. You should always check to see if Temple Trackers is labeled in the challenge! As promised, I am reviewing last week's challenge, The Lost Hall of Atlantis, for episode 2. Please expect that video next week :)

Today's challenge will NOT be in an episode of Temple Trackers, but we hope you take inspiration and enjoy sharing your builds with the community anyway.
_________________


[h2]10,000 Steps[/h2]

Create an impressive, heavenly stairway. Every hero must walk a thousand steps. Sometimes, unfortunately, those steps are inclined - one of the Gods' many cruel tricks and why their influence must be cut from the Crossroads.

Other criteria:

- It does NOT need to be 10,000 steps. Please do not count, that'd be crazy.
- Embellishments encouraged to make it more "impressive."
- Can use any kit.
- Can use creative mode.

Some stair inspiration:

Don't forget to submit on Discord!
Link to specific Discord post (only works for existing Discord users): 10,000 Steps

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Lastly, I wanted to share with you guys an extra build from MrDefectiv that came in for the Demigod Academy challenge after submissions closed. See more here: Demi-God Academy. You guys make some amazing stuff


Thanks, Defiers! Speak again soon!
-- Traega Monday

NOW ADDED: We're excited to share with you the first episode of Temple Trackers, where Nathan and Monday toured players' submissions for the last weekly challenge, "Demigod Academies." Congrats to our final build winner VikaMountainer for his "Mount Olympiad."

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Thank you again to everyone that submitted! You guys did some super impressive builds, especially coming in before our creative update. We had a really difficult time picking a favorite.
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So as to give you the most amount of time with the next weekly challenge, I'm sharing it now before the Temple Trackers episode is ready.

As with the last post, the weekly challenge format is as follows:

1. Please submit pictures or a video of your build matching our themed challenge description.
   
2. Submissions must be made in Discord.
   
3. I will compile the player builds for a recap video titled "Temple Trackers," inspired by House Hunters.
   
4. At my discretion, this video will feature a tour of the Top 5 builds each week with one of our devs (or a special guest).
   
5. At the conclusion, our guest will decide which impressive build has won their hearts.
   
6. Winner will be given a vanity Discord role (pending addition this week) and opportunity to pick a Discord emote. Community rewards likely to change in future weeks.
   

On to the themed challenge:
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[h2]WEEKLY BUILD CHALLENGE (8-31)[/h2]
[h3]The Lost Hall of Atlantis[/h3]

Build a regal structure on one of the smaller Crossroad islands that represents part of the lost city of Atlantis. Other criteria:

• Please incorporate water and palm trees for an island aesthetic.
  
• Bonus points if you can create the illusion of "ruins," surrounding or within your structure.
  
• Any kit is allowed, but stone should be your foundation.
  

Temple Trackers, extra tip:
For the video recap of the challenge, it will be beneficial for you to provide either multiple pictures of your build or a video, though not required. If you would like any copy (a written tour) to be considered for the recap, please share as well. For advice or examples of past submissions, see here (link only works for existing Discord members): Demi-God Academy.

_________________

Don't forget to submit on Discord!
Link to specific Discord post (only works for existing Discord users): Lost Hall of Atlantis

PATCH NOTE CORRECTION (8/29/2024): Original notes excluded two other changes, including: 1. Ambrosia Crystal quest has been removed. 2. Grindstone Refinery is now unlocked later in progression.

Today we're super excited to share with you another patch that should offer various quality of life updates, including the much requested creative world settings like the ability to disable building costs and to unlock all recipes, alongside some new items to populate your amazing builds, such as daybeds, pillows, new railings, walls, and more. Please enjoy this more elaborate introduction to the patch from our team, followed by an impressive build tour:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
For the build challenge referenced at the end of the video, please join the Discord for more info, or read through the community hub page. Now, here we'll break down the patch notes for you:

[h2]Feature Additions: [/h2]

• The following world settings have been added to rulesets:
  
  • Disable Durability
    
  • Disable Crafting Costs
    
  • Disable Building Costs (Experimental Players may experience some issues with large numbers of buildables)
    
  • Unlock All Recipes
    
  • Grant All Movement Abilities
• Tool progression for mining and wood cutting has been changed.
  
• Players can now interact with chests to quickly add items which already exist within the chest.
  
• Several Buildables have been added to the game
  
  • Decor - Daybed, Pillows, Taxidermy Boar, Taxidermy Wolf, Taxidermy Hare, Taxidermy Wabbit, Curtains, Throne
    
  • Thatch Kit - Stair Railing, Railings, Post, Thatch Door
    
  • Wood Kit - Wall Section, Half Arch Large, Archway, Column Sections, Wall Filler Angle Inverted, Wall Filler Archway, Stair Railing
    
  • Stone Kit - Wall Section, Half Arch Large, Column, Wall Filler Angle Inverted, Wall Filler Archway, Post

[h2]Improvements:[/h2]

• Adjusted camera sensitivity to reduce jitter at low mouse speeds.
  
• Hitting a resource node with an insufficient tool will now message the required tool.
  
• Arrow counts now always show on bows equipped to the hotbar.
  
• Hunter quest now only requires killing one hare instead of three.
  
• Builder I quest objectives have been changed to crafting a simple hammer and building a lumbermill.
  
• Cave quest now requires Ambrosia dust instead of ambrosia crystals.
  
• Island of Arrival portal now requires less ambrosia dust to build.
  
• Some 2 and 3-Star fauna now give more resources.
  
• Woodsmen Potion crafting requirements reduced and now adds more chop damage.
  
• Armor Coating Potion ingredients now requires Spartium instead of Resin.
  
• Birdfeeder recipe now cost less from Aeacus.
  
• Simple Pick now sells for more to Aeacus.
  
• Large and medium tree stumps now give more Resin.
  
• Wood fences now have posts on both sides.
  
• Stone roof mesh no longer has minor culling.
  
• Simple hammer mesh has been updated.
  
• Add I-Frames to dodge roll.
  

[h2]Bug Fixes: [/h2]

• Chests and Lion statues no longer break on relog.
  
• 1-Star Bucks now give two pelts instead of none.
  
• Builder quest II and IV now give credit to builds only once the quest is accepted.
  
• Aeacus tabs can now be navigated with Q/E.
  
• Aeacus Purchase and Contribute/Accept/Complete Quest button has been stylized to be more visible.
  
• Taking all items from gravestones now adds to existing stacks in the players inventory properly.
  
• Taking all items from gravestones while player inventory is full no longer spills items onto the ground.
  
• World settings are no longer being copied between worlds.
  
• Official ruleset names can no longer be overwritten.
  
• Discovered POI’s are shared among all players.
  
• Loot Queue no longer fires when placing items back down in Aeacus sell tab.
  
• An issue with UI prompts for refineries constructed by clients has been fixed.
  
• Player swimming height synchronization with water has been improved.
  
• Pressing sprint button while strafing no longer causes the player to stutter.
  
• Punching no longer stops working when switching items while drinking potions.
  
• Client bow attack has had its animation improved.
  
• Hunter quest now only counts hares after receiving the quest.
  
• Fixed an issue with a desync state clients could end up in, resulting in not being able to shoot the bow or glide.
  
• Golem will now turn to throw boulders at the player.
  
• Golem can no longer be moved with Hardfall.

Thanks again for all your support! We'll let you know when another patch or update is coming your way as we continue to focus on quality-of-life improvements. In the meantime, please continue to send us feedback on Feature Up-vote and hang out with our community in Discord.

Signed,
The Traega Team

Before we jump into the description for the Weekly Challenges, let's take a moment to celebrate our player builds from launch week. You guys made an "Inn for Muses" and an "Alchemist's Hovel," check it out:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Thank you to Rimmsi, VikaMountainer, and Kail for your submissions last week!
As shared in our Discord, challenges would be switched to a weekly endeavor going forward to allow players more time to create. And thus, we begin with a new challenge today!



[h3]Presenting Temple Trackers!
[/h3]
There is a new format for weekly build challenges. Just as those shared last week, you should expect a themed description and will be asked to submit pictures or a video in the Discord; however, in this new format, I will be compiling the builds for a recap video inspired by House Hunters. At my discretion, the Top 5 builds each week will be toured by one of our devs (or a special guest) in an episode of the "Temple Trackers," and at the conclusion, our guest will decide which impressive build has won their hearts.

The winner will receive a vanity role in Discord to join the Hall of Hera, and for at least the next few challenges, will be dm'd by me to pick a new Discord emote (because I need to create a whole bunch).

New challenges will be issued at the end of the week, alongside the previous week's Temple Trackers episode, and submissions will close EOD the following Wednesday.

Thank you, and let's begin!

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[h2]WEEKLY BUILD CHALLENGE (8-24):
[/h2][h3]DEMI-GOD ACADEMY
[/h3]

Build an academy for demi-gods and heroes to practice their weaponry and their aerial mobility. Use any kit.

Aeacus and the Judges have brought you to the Crossroads to test whether you are worthy to champion their cause against the Gods. Now with your newly earned movement abilities, it is only right you have a place to train and study!

You may use whichever kit you prefer (Thatch, Wood, or Stone). If you wish for suggestions, consider an archery range, a small arena, a classroom, an obstacle course....You will not need all or any of the listed suggestions to be considered for review, so long as we see it meeting the assignment "Demi-god Academy"

Temple Trackers, extra tip:
For the video recap of the challenge, it will be beneficial for you to provide either multiple pictures of your build or a video, though not required. If you would like any copy (a written tour) to be considered for the recap, please share as well.

Don't forget to submit to the Discord!
Link to specific Discord post (only works for existing Discord users): Demi-God Academy Challenge
Thank you, and we look forward to seeing what you make!

- Traega Monday

Thank you to everyone playing Dawn of Defiance! Following our launch last Thursday, we've been keeping tabs on your bugs and suggestions and working to implement the best changes for you. Before we get into the specifics, here's a couple notifications we'd like you to read:

[h3]PSA FOR INTEL USERS: [/h3]

There is an issue with Intel 13th and 14th Gen CPUs (13700, 13900, 14700, 14900 series) that we want to make sure everyone is aware of. We STRONGLY suggest you check out this post and apply the BIOS update as Intel has confirmed they have an issue with your specific CPU that can cause permanent damage. This can cause problems while using a range of software - not just Dawn of Defiance - so it's worth the time it would take to apply the patch to your BIOS:

Intel Community - Update for Intel Core 13th & 14th Gen

Here are additional links with further information on the issue:

Processor Instability Decompression Failures CPU Crashing and Instability CPU Crashes - What you need to know

[h3]ANOTHER UPDATE COMING NEXT WEEK: [/h3]

Please anticipate an update next week which will include a creative mode and additional buildables and decor which will expand your potential for amazing builds. We'll also give you a little behind the scenes look at other content updates down the pipeline.

Thank you again!

---



[h3]Feature Additions:
[/h3]

• Auto Stack button has been added to personal inventory to consolidate stacks.
  

[h3]Improvements: [/h3]

• Adding materials to refineries has been sped up. We intend to make this even faster in a future patch.
  
• Made optimization changes to reduce fauna jitter issues
  
• Stamina costs have been reduced on many non-combat related actions:
  
  
  • Tools usage consumes 33% less stamina
    
  • Sprint consumes 50% less stamina
    
  • Dash consumes 40% less stamina
    
  • Glide consumes 33% less stamina
    
• Glide Speed increased 15%.
  
• Hares spawns are now more prevalent on the Isle of Arrival.
  
• Hares have been scaled up to be more visible.
  
• Item stack maximums have been increased for most items.
  
• Merchant sell values for primitive and simple equipment updated.
  
• Merchant sell values for forged equipment have been adjusted to reflect their primary crafting materials.
  
• Animation speeds on consumables have been adjusted to be more consistent between eating and drinking.
  
• Aeacus’s generic welcome lines now occur less frequently.
  
• Inventory controls are now shown as the default bottom right panel instead of player stats.
  
• Voyager Armor set icons are updated to show more accurate representations of the armor visuals and cloak options.
  
• Athena Shrine quest text messaging has been improved for Wayward Soldier locations.
  
• Wayward Soldier camps now appear on map and compass.
  
• Temple map icon has been replaced with a Portal map icon to ensure the portal within is easier to find.
  
• Correct statues are now at place of power locations.
  
• Portal inside of Temple of Hecate now has banner light posts and is pulled away from the wall for better visibility.
  
• Rain VFX have received a performance pass under light, regular and heavy thunderstorm conditions.
  

[h3]Bug Fixes: [/h3]

• Controller now rotates buildables in 15 degree increments and is slowed down on decorations.
  
• Saves now save properly when having to trust client-sent ID.
  
• Quest stat counter for Shrines Defiled is now properly tracked fixing quest completion.
  
• Mirrored Lion Statue now has collision and can be deconstructed
  
• Soldiers no longer freeze when they reach their maximum leash range
  
• Look for additional soldier AI updates in the near future
  
• Place of Power III location no longer can be discovered from the caves below it
  
• All forged spears now have Steel and Ambrosia crafting options.
  
• Gamepad Layout menu now displays correct controls.
  
• Ambrosia Crystal base no longer errantly display forged tool required message.
  
• Armor Cloak versions now show cloaks in their icons.
  
• Consumables icons now display proper icons on HUD.
  
• Ping can no longer get stuck on the edge of compass.
  
• Fixed Aeacus' dialogue and late game enemies appearing too soon.
  
• Campfire light now respects active vs inactive state.
  
• Grindstone mesh now has its base and all internal components.
  
• Voyager Soldier Cuirass with and without cloak now shows the correct material for silver.
  
• Gorgon VFX package now has improved performance and visuals. Handling of activation and deactivations of these VFX have been improved.
  
• Enemy spawn VFX no longer spawns too many times and now have improved performance under all scalability options with improved visuals.
  
• Captain Warcry VFX has been added.
  
• Campfires found at camps and caves should no longer turn bright white.
  

Thank you so much for playing! We hope you're having fun and that these changes improve your...quality of life. Yes. Thank you!