Server/Client Update

In this content update, we are introducing the Spined Scrab AI along with new and updated AI behaviors, Shadow Scale charge shot, dragon carcasses, critical hits, combat balance changes, new skins recipes, projectile improvements, quality of life improvements, bug fixes, and more!

There's a new creature roaming about the Forgotten Forests and it is pretty feisty for its small size. The Spined Scrab is a class 1 AI creature that makes its home in the forests. It is slow and easy to catch, but is not afraid to stand its ground and fight, though it may also try to hide from larger predators. The addition of the Scrab provides hatchlings with a sure meal, if they manage to survive. With this new creature inhabitant, the Thornback Crawlers have begun acting differently, if injured, the Thornbacks will now flee to their nests where they may find refuge.

• Added Spined Scrab class 1 creature
  
• Changed Thornback Crawler behavior
  
• Updated AI spawners and spawn locations
  
• Fixed various AI bugs (no pun intended) ːsteamhappyː

Shadow Scales now have their charge shot. While aiming, hold your attack button until you see the bile meter go up. The higher the charge, the more damage and higher bile cost. A fully charged shot (meter will be glowing) will deal 300% damage and use all your bile putting you in bile exhaustion. In addition, we have also greatly improved projectile hit detection and syncing when targeting fliers and moving targets. We've also added critical hits for melee attacks only. If suffering a critical, your RPG hud will flash red. You can increase your base critical chance, evasion, damage, and protection with various mutations.

• Added Shadow Scale Charge Shot
  
• Mutation Survival line now provides Critical Chance, Critical Evasion, Critical Damage, & Critical Protection
  
• Mutation Movement line now grants Attack Cooldown Reduction, Critical Chance, & Critical Evasion
  
• Mutation Breeding line now grants Critical Damage & Critical Protection
  
• Projectile hit detection has been greatly improved
  
• Plasma Shot now does small AOE damage allowing players to kill small creatures if the impact of the blast was very close to them but missed their hitbox
  
• Class Level Differential Damage Bonus has been nerfed reducing the bonus damage incurred from fighting classes above or below your own class
  
• Reduced Shadow Scale and Acid Spitter swim speeds
  
• Reduced Shadow Scale Lightning mitigation 70% -> 60%
  
• Increased Shadow Scale Plasma mitigation 70% -> 80%
  
• Reduced Shadow Scale base Plasma damage
  
• Increased Acid Spitter base Health
  
• Set Shadow Scale Base Crit Chance to +5%
  
• Set Shadow Scale Base Crit Evasion to +3%
  
• Set Shadow Scale Base Crit Damage to +50%
  
• Set Shadow Scale Base Crit Protection to 0%
  
• Set Acid Spitter Base Crit Chance to +8%
  
• Set Acid Spitter Base Crit Evasion to 0%
  
• Set Acid Spitter Base Crit Damage to +60%
  
• Set Acid Spitter Base Crit Protection to +15%
  
• Added Crit bonuses to some Genetics

We've added a unique dragon carcass in this update. No longer will dead dragon gore piles look like dead drake gore piles.

• Added unique Dragon Carcasses
  
• Greatly improved shadows on Very Low and Low video settings
  
• Relocated Thornback Crawler mounds
  
• Added swamp to "4 ponds" area of map
  
• Relocated some player spawns
  
• Tweaked certain areas of the map

You asked for it, and we did it. Players can now keep the compass on their screen without their character panel. We also reduced the distance players see admin tags so as to prevent people from using the tags as a locator and changed the way the reticle works.

• Added Static Compass game option, players can now have a static compass on their HUD at all times
  
• Added a Static Compass opacity option, to adjust how visible the new compass is on your HUD
  
• Admin tags no longer show up on spectator's dragon body when server config has persistent admin tags disabled
  
• Admin/Dev tags now only render when under 50 meters
  
• Reticle now turns red on valid targets that are within projectile range and black when in bite mode
  
• Critical Hits now flash red on the RPG hud
  
• Added a bile charge bar to the bile meter that glows when charge is full
  
• Added tooltip on growth bar which will show % grown to next stage on mouse hover

• Added new skin crafting recipes
  
• Camera no longer sinks into the body mesh while looking up allowing players to look up in the sky in third person
  
• Added /steamid chat command for players allowing players to see their steam id in game and automatically copying it to the Windows clipboard making it easy to share it with friends or admins
  
• Players who logout now go to sleep
  
• Adjusted food values of corpses

• Admins now see a unique 4 digit steam ID on player names in chat to prevent users impersonating one another
  
• Admin Panel "Copy" button now automatically copies the user's steam id to Windows clipboard
  
• Players with very high ping will now be kicked from servers unless DD config option is disabled
  
• Removed Reset AI admin command and replaced with Spawn AI command allowing admins to spawn food in front of starving player anywhere on the map

• Fixed bug where eggs would timeout and not hatch a player if player waited too long to hatch
  
• Fixed Shadow Cloak not showing as cloaked for a few seconds when another player renders them into view
  
• Fixed missing projectile hit detection on certain parts of the body
  
• Fixed a movement desync when carrying a hatchling long distances
  
• Fixed an issue where dying while flying caused the eaten carcass to spawn in the air
  
• Fixed an issue where players could safelog while swimming
  
• Fixed an issue where the underwater audio loop would play forever for the player after dying underwater
  
• Fixed an issue where players who logout while in motion or flying would continue moving, they should now stop moving and go to sleep
  
• Fixed issue where Elder dragons would jitter
  
• Nametags should be less choppy when player is moving

Server/Client Patch

This patch fixes a long-time critical combat logging exploit

• Fixed an exploit allowing players to sometimes leave the game immediately by using task manager
  
• Fixed missing collision on world bounds background mountains

Server/Client Patch

This patch fixes several ongoing issues and also includes hidden content for the upcoming 1.L Update.

• Fixed an issue where server Clan Registry would get corrupted and cause server crashes or prevent servers from starting
  
• Dragons can no longer emote while swimming underwater
  
• Slightly increased night time ambient light
  
• Shadow Scales can no longer cloak glitch for perma glowies
  
• Plasma and Acid shot now properly damage targets at point blank range
  
• Greatly improved plasma/acid projectile hit detection. Players should find that hitting targets with breath attacks is now much more consistent
  
• Players who logout under water will now float to the top of the water allowing them to be killed by other players while still in the world
  
• Players who logout while flying will now drop to the ground and not continue flying allowing them to be killed by other players while still in the world
  
• Possible fix for hatchling movement desync after being carried long distances then dropped
  
• Slightly increased Shadow Scale turn rate allowing them to be able to turn quicker and giving them a slightly better chance to defend themselves on the ground (they still turn slower than an Acid Spitter)
  
• Added new server config option "bDisableDD=true" allowing servers to disable server desync detection and other anti-cheat measures which may be useful for small private/personal servers experiencing frequent disconnects or servers that wish to allow cheating. bDisableDD=false enables Desync Detection (default) & bDisableDD=true disables Desync Detection (not recommended)

Hello all!

Fall is here and the weather is beginning to cool. We hope you all are staying healthy and enjoying the latest update which brought scent to the game. As some of you may or may not know, Jao's dogs had a litter of pups (pictured below) and he has been taking a break to focus on their care during their first few weeks of life.



So, this month has been a lot of focus on bringing to life the creatures that inhabit the world by creating beawesome animations and creatures. Now... let's see what everyone has been working on this month!



Our animation team has been working hard on bringing our creatures to life! The Flame Stalker's land, water, and flight locomotion animations are completed as well as his base attacks and rests. Next we will be focusing on his action animations, including his eating, drinking, and base emotes. It's safe to say he is about 50% done with his adult animations. Check out some of his animations below...


Flame Stalker Bite


Flame Stalker Bile Attack


Flame Stalker Hover


Flame Stalker Flight


Flame Stalker Lay


Flame Stalker Sleep

We have finished the Swamp Snappers animations! These animation previews might make you think twice about going near the water...


Swamp Snapper Walk


Swamp Snapper Basking


Swamp Snapper Swim


Swamp Snapper Bite


Swamp Snapper Stealth Lunge Attack

Next, we are getting ready to begin animating the Inferno Ravager, but before we can it will need to be rigged. While the rig is begin created, we are working on additional emote animations to help your dragon express their true feelings. Here is a taste of two of the new emotes featuring everyone's favorite sizzle boy.


Acid Spitter Mourn Emote


Acid Spitter Rage Emote





Over on the model side of things, Jia Hao has just finished the Cave Cutter model. This AI creature will blend in very well with its environment and be a creature you don't want to face alone. The average size of the Cave Cutter dwarfs an adult Acid Spitter.


Cave Cutter model

The Blitz is also finished. Hao finalized his different age and sex morphs this week. The male Blitz Striker will have larger spikes than the female and, of course, the baby will be adorable.


Finished Blitz Striker Adult morphs and WIP Alpha morphs


Blitz Striker Hatchling morph

Brigade is working on the next corpse for the game. The dragon corpse will replace the current drake corpse for when a dragon has been mainly eaten. We currently have the pose and skeleton done and are moving on to the fleshy bits.


Dragon Carcass WIP




With the preparation for quests, Flicker has been working on some of the possible cosmetic quest rewards; ambient AI creatures. Similar to the Sky Jellies, these critters will float around the dragon when equipped. Check out some of the critters we've made so far...


Bumbler


Sky Slug


Dragon Wasp


Elvenbug


That's all for this month's dev blog! Don't forget to check out our weekly Dev Dairies (posted on Kickstarter) for weekly updates.





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





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!



by Waryx#4143


by Powerslav#8811


by Atomix Spark#6448





by Kaliber#4188


by zowato#1725


by Ztarli#7786


Thank again for reading! See you next month for another Development Blog!

~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!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

This is a Client-side hotfix, no server update required

• Greatly Increased water and puddle scent detection range to make it easier to find large bodies of water.
  
• Tripled the ShadowScale Nightvison visibility distance when flying
  
• Tweaked the sniff sound FX
  
• Fixed an issue where carcasses could be smelled from anywhere on the map. They can now only be smelled if within species scent detection range as with other scents.

Server/Client Patch

• Fixed error when trying to release a carried hatchling
  
• Greatly extended the range of scent detection

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!

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)

• 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

• 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

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

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)

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

• 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.

• 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.....


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.



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




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




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...


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.




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


Flame Stalker Sit Animation


Flame Stalker Stalk Animation


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



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!


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


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




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.


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.




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!




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





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!



by Melon#6370


by Nevermore#9384


by DecoDemon#3051





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!


Discord | Twitter | Youtube | Instagram

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

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