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Review of 2011
At the start of the year a progress log, with details of all open and completed quests, was added. It has a really nice look and the details are really helpful for players <todo add a stat for quest completion>. An achievement system was implemented, marking milestones which players reach while playing the game. It provided new goals for things to do and encouraged more varied gameplay. The response was really positive, <todo add a stat for use>.
A groups system was introduced, which facilitates small groups of players who embark on an adventure together. Features include shared access for looting corpses, chat channels, and a group GUI for management which also shows the health of group members. <todo add a stat for use>
The client was also under development: for players who kill a lot of creatures for loot, the new automatic loot feature saves a lot of clicking. Further client side improvements include better placement of tutorial messages and the option to hide heal and poison messages from the chat log. Particularly helpful for new players is the display of danger levels warnings for each zone.
There was a wider focus on improving the new player experience: we have examined and tweaked quests for new players, and hint in the Travel log when a quest is not recommended for that player level. A protective wall around the starting city, Semos, helps direct players to quests within the city - and looks nice, too. <todo get stats on new player experience>
In June we migrated to a new host for our game and webserver. A lot of background preparation and the asynchronous database communication feature of our engine Marauroa meant that we completed this migration with very little game server downtime. <link to technical writeup>.
Stendhal 0.97 features a colour blender for outfit selection, meaning players can colour their clothes and hair to any hue they desire. It makes for some very pretty pictures, see http://arianne.sourceforge.net/news/stendhal-0-97-wear-a-rainbow.html
Stendhal 0.98 has been released and includes a new interesting feature: day and night. There is even sunrise and sunset and without loss of performance.
there are some new quests including a fun guess-the-number-of-kills game.
Website?
A new interactive map using Google maps technology is accessible from within the client or http://stendhalgame.org/world/atlas.html?poi=npc.
release announce for stendhal 1.0 which is ok for strangers?
Stendhal 1.0 is a fun friendly and completely free multiplayer online adventure game with an old school feel. We're happy to announce the first stable release of this open source game at http://stendhalgame.org.
With Java installed, playing is as simple as clicking Play Now on http://stendhalgame.org.
Your character awakes in the house of an experienced guard, start a conversation and he'll teach you how to fight ... but even rats are probably a challenge at first, if you can catch them.
Stepping outside you'll appreciate the beauty of the simple village around you, but once you're strong enough, venture further afield for cities, dungeons, forests, mines, mountains and even tropical islands.
On your way you'll meet over 250 NPCs to chat to, and be tasked with over 100 complex and interesting quests. You may be asked to help protect land or people from danger, feed the hungry, heal the sick, make someone happy, solve a puzzle, play a game or simply lend a hand. You can keep track of your progress using a Travel Log.
Other players will help out and the often filled 'community chest' in the main city is a testament to the friendly groups we have here - though note that PVP is enabled, so if you're nervous, stay in protected areas!
Monsters are the real enemy, as if they are not kept in check, they threaten to plague the cities. You'll meet little crabs and mice right through to terrifying dark archangels and gashadokuro. Some fight with magical forces, so choose your weapons carefully. For elite warriors, the Death Match awaits...
As you play your level and stats will improve, and you'll be awarded achievements for completing quests, visiting places, looting items, killing monsters (and more!). You can compare yourself to your friends and see how close you are to the Hall of Fame on http://stendhalgame.org. The website also has stats on every item, creature, npc, quest, and achievement available in the game and a neat google maps-based world atlas.
It's all too easy to start playing, get hooked... get the source code, and add your own ideas...
Play Now at http://stendhalgame.org.