Patch 0.6.10 - The Playtest is Now Live!

Swordsmen! This is it! The playtest is LIVE!

The servers are now open, and all players are invited to dive into the tower and test their dueling skills! I'm excited to see you explore the updated tower areas, new fights, and improved mechanics.
If you encounter any bugs or issues during your adventure, please report them in the bug-report channel on the Discord.

Your feedback is invaluable in making the game the best it can be!

Thanks so much to the 3000+ players who signed up!

Patch Notes:

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

General Updates:

• Adjusted Othari NPC attack aiming after a kick to prevent stabbing over players' heads.
• Cripple status effect now blocks jumping.

Loot & Crafting:

• Loot crystal mechanics improved: Crystals now allow completion of loot interactions if decaying unless decayed multiple times (prevents abuse).
• Fixed a bug where loot crystals would flicker during looting.
• Added a lesser crystal infuser in the T1 dungeon area.

UI & Visuals

UI Improvements:

• Tower menu improvements: Fixed resizing bug during server list reload and made it more visually appealing.
• Fixed the cultivation UI to correctly lock items you cannot afford, avoiding confusing server rejection.
• Made the chat appearance cleaner, and improved the combat log with more human-readable terms (e.g., "Right Hand" instead of "hand_r").

Visual Fixes:

• Added baseboards and minor details across various tower areas.
• Improved decoration in the Initiation Trial and the T1 tower crafting room.
• Fixed a floating banner and misaligned torch in Memories.
• Fixed misaligned walls in the Initiation area, upgraded textures.
• Fixed a bug in the Flame Acolyte loot table, ensuring all ingredients drop.
• Brightened a few dark areas for better visibility.
• Updated visuals for the tower entrance, adding new trainers and challenges.

Bug Fixes

Major Fixes:

• Fixed a rare Puppeteer boss bug where she would get stuck if the aggroed player stood in a certain spot.
• Fixed Guard Captain achievement not being granted properly after a kill; players will now receive it the next time they enter the tower.
• Fixed AI issues with lost souls to give them a stronger identity; they now use Mist Step as a dodge (planned future improvements for more creative use).
• Fixed a bug where essence rewards were not displayed correctly when performing katas on the server.
• Addressed alt-F4 loot crystal bug to ensure all items drop properly.

Navigation & Collision Fixes:

• Fixed stair collision bugs in the left path of the new dungeon area.
• Fixed a nav mesh issue in the big hexagon room of the T1 dungeon.
• Fixed a bug where a respawning barrier statue could cause collision issues if players stood in its spawn point.
• Adjusted colliders separating rear and left paths in the new dungeon.
• Blocked players from walking too deep into mist portals without a soul key in the tutorial area.
• Fixed an issue with the block instructor NPC in your home not rotating to face the player properly.

Server & Networking Fixes:

• Improved server performance by fixing issues with kata orbs and lights.
• Fixed a bug with server transfers during red portal use and enhanced error handling for failed transfers.
• Fixed packet routing to improve ping for cross-region gameplay (e.g., NA to EU, SA to NA).
• Switched the main NA server from East to Central for better scalability and performance during the playtest.

Optimizations & Performance

Performance Enhancements:

• Fixed FPS drops by addressing issues with particle system culling
• Adjusted the kata orb jumping puzzle in the T1 crafting room to reduce performance issues.
• Mist portal optimization: Added additional lights in dark areas and tweaked visuals for smoother gameplay.

Planned Improvements & Miscellaneous

Decoration & Polish:

• Memories boss fight redesigned from a chaotic NPC vs. summon fight into a more balanced duel for all skill levels.
• Continuous decoration efforts for the T1 tower crafting area and general detail improvements.
• The 2nd stage of the Initiation Trial is slightly easier to achieve a C rank, with no change to higher grades.

Miscellaneous Fixes:

• Fixed a bug where crafting resource counts wouldn’t visually update when depleted.
• Improved error handling for portal failure cases, returning to a white portal if unrecoverable.
• Added icons to the Steam inventory backend for better visual clarity when viewing backpack items.
• Fixed a bug where escaping from the crafting menu wouldn’t close it correctly under certain conditions.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2321890/Swordai/