Hello dear players!


On Wednesday February 24th, the servers will go down to implement this new patch. As usual the patching process is fairly long, so do not worry if the game is unavailable for an extended period of time!

You can find the patch notes here already!



A couple of things that weren't mentioned in the Patch Notes:
- Level 80 Weapons are also being released
- Kills in PvP channel do not count towards Medals / Achievements
- Gaia Fragments Cap have been increased from 9,999 to 30,000
- Golden Dragon Points do not count towards Monthly Dragon Point Rewards.

Cheers!
Myzzrym

Hello dear players!


On Wednesday February 24th, the servers will go down to implement this new patch. As usual the patching process is fairly long, so do not worry if the game is unavailable for an extended period of time!

You can find the patch notes here already!



A couple of things that weren't mentioned in the Patch Notes:
- Level 80 Weapons are also being released
- Kills in PvP channel do not count towards Medals / Achievements
- Gaia Fragments Cap have been increased from 9,999 to 30,000
- Golden Dragon Points do not count towards Monthly Dragon Point Rewards.

Cheers!
Myzzrym

Hello there dear players!

We will be rolling a fix for the bugged Medals & Achievements this week, starting at:
- 3pm PST (Feb 16th)
- 6pm EST (Feb 16th)
- 0am CET (Feb 17th)
- 7am PHT (Feb 17th)


Apologies for the long downtime, unfortunately we haven't found a way to make it faster :(

Best,
Myzzrym

Hello there dear players!

We will be rolling a fix for the bugged Medals & Achievements this week, starting at:
- 3pm PST (Feb 16th)
- 6pm EST (Feb 16th)
- 0am CET (Feb 17th)
- 7am PHT (Feb 17th)


Apologies for the long downtime, unfortunately we haven't found a way to make it faster :(

Best,
Myzzrym

Well played, everyone!

Not only did you vote for one of the most beautiful Eidolons in Azuria, you also chose one that's getting a new 3-Star form with our upcoming february patch!

From now on, you will be able to find her in the Item Mall at a greatly reduced price!



The top 5 Eidolons were:

• #1: Shirayuki
  
• #2: Hel
  
• #3: Serena
  
• #4: Kotonoha
  
• #5: Endora

Cheers,
Myzzrym

Well played, everyone!

Not only did you vote for one of the most beautiful Eidolons in Azuria, you also chose one that's getting a new 3-Star form with our upcoming february patch!

From now on, you will be able to find her in the Item Mall at a greatly reduced price!



The top 5 Eidolons were:

• #1: Shirayuki
  
• #2: Hel
  
• #3: Serena
  
• #4: Kotonoha
  
• #5: Endora

Cheers,
Myzzrym

And happy birthday too! Aura Kingdom is now officially 2 years old! (DE server is 6 months younger than his big brothers.) Two years of adventuring throughout Azuria with loyal Eidolons at your side, climbing the steps of the Sky Tower and fighting your way through the Sky Realms.

These two years weren't without rough moments, either: Eidolons being removed from dungeons and then added back, hacker attacks, merge issues... But we're still moving forward, and working hard to make sure you have an excellent time in Aura Kingdom.



If you read my previous Producer Letter, you probably remember the part where I talked about the monetization being less friendly toward smaller spenders. I explained that we mostly focus on big spenders to keep the game running, which lets us avoid pushing incrimental purchases by removing features from the game.

I've hinted a few times in the past that we're about to change our plans quite significantly. Overall, this initiative was mostly driven by the fact that we hated seeing players who bought anything other than Ruby Coins feeling ripped off (because they would have gotten a better deal simply getting Ruby Coins, trading them for gold, and then using the gold to buy what they originally wanted).

Therefore, we are dropping the prices of nearly everything that isn't Ruby Coins, Eidolons, or brand-new items. Under this plan, some prices have been reduced by over 70% - older costumes, some consumables, and most fortification items are just a few examples.

So, you probably have a few questions. Let me answer some pre-preemptively:

Why didn't you do this sooner?

If there is one thing that's scary for everyone, it's change - especially when that change might significantly affect our revenue. You know how the saying goes: "Don't fix what isn't broken".

While I hate the fact that Aura Kingdom boasts prices significantly higher than other MMORPGs, there is nothing that I fear more than making a huge mistake and having the game suffer as a consequence. Less money means less support, a smaller team, and slower updates. Was I ready to take the risk? Not really... until now.

Why now?

While we could just keep on going with the current pricing, we also wanted to move forward instead of just resting comfortably on past practices. One of the main reasons that pushed me to act was the very notable gold price of Ruby Coins: their price just kept increasing, while all other commodities remained at the same level. This meant the original Buy Ruby Coins => Sell at Auction House => Buy Item with Gold process was becoming more and more efficient – and at the same time, our own offers in the Cash Shop were becoming less and less attractive. After all, why would anyone buy an item – even at 50% off - if buying Ruby Coins at full price could get you the same item for 80% less AP?

We don't want the game to live and die through the Paragon system. People willing to spend money should be able to buy what they want without going through the Paragon or Auction House, unless the item itself is extremely rare or new. Hopefully, this will encourage everyone to spend on something other than Ruby Coins, and lower the gold price in the long run! (not a guarantee, though…)

What about Eidolons & new items? Why aren't they dropping in price?

While we are taking a risk with dropping prices, we do not want to gamble with Aura Kingdom's existence. Newer items and Eidolons are, for the moment, keeping their prices, a decision that will be reviewed in the future based on how well this change in strategy goes.

Unfortunately, people tend to overestimate the numbers of actual spenders – the vast majority of players are free2play users, and do not spend a dime. Therefore, making all items – including new ones – easily affordable is far too great a risk to take.



That being said, we are looking to experiment! This month, January 2016, we're asking everyone to “Vote for your Eidolon!” Every player can vote for one Eidolon from a pool of 22 (the newest ones aren't on the list) over a two-week period, and the winning Eidolon's price will drop permanently.

In addition, it will be available at all times via direct sale in the Cash Shop. Oh, and when we say price drop, we do mean it – not something like a mere 50% off. If you haven't already, vote here!



First of all, we are looking to re-implement the other two quest Eidolons. You heard that right – as long as it's possible, we will be undoing the change and re-introducing the second Eidolon choice for level 25 and level 40 quests! This is not guaranteed to be in time for February's patch, but we have already submitted this project to X-Legend.

Second, Guild Eidolons! We are looking to implement a few new Eidolons into the list (although don't expect to see Alucard or Amaterasu there quite yet), as well as increase their appearance rates. More information in the coming month!



Dear players looking to murder bots by the dozen: I am sad to announce that the PvP Channel is not yet ready. In its current existing state players on it are by default in “Peace” Mode, which means that they can't be attacked. We have asked X-Legend to remove that mode so that the PvP Channel makes for wild and exciting PK, but it's taking quite some time.


On the topic of bots, we are implementing new anti-bot software on Dragomon Hunter this month! If the effect is positive, we will push X-Legend to help Aura Kingdom benefit from the same change as well. Hype!

As for lags, we are still working on it! Unfortunately, on this side, there's no definitive answer, and we're still unsure of whether or not we'll be able to fix the issue.


I think that's enough for now! Please feel free to discuss, ask and debate! I might remember a few other topics later down the line and add them.

________________________________________________________________________

Previous discussions can be found here:

• December Discussion
  
• November Discussion
  
• October Discussion
  
• September Discussion
  
• August Discussion
  
• July Discussion
  
• June Discussion
  
• May Discussion
  
• April Discussion
  
• March Discussion

And happy birthday too! Aura Kingdom is now officially 2 years old! (DE server is 6 months younger than his big brothers.) Two years of adventuring throughout Azuria with loyal Eidolons at your side, climbing the steps of the Sky Tower and fighting your way through the Sky Realms.

These two years weren't without rough moments, either: Eidolons being removed from dungeons and then added back, hacker attacks, merge issues... But we're still moving forward, and working hard to make sure you have an excellent time in Aura Kingdom.



If you read my previous Producer Letter, you probably remember the part where I talked about the monetization being less friendly toward smaller spenders. I explained that we mostly focus on big spenders to keep the game running, which lets us avoid pushing incrimental purchases by removing features from the game.

I've hinted a few times in the past that we're about to change our plans quite significantly. Overall, this initiative was mostly driven by the fact that we hated seeing players who bought anything other than Ruby Coins feeling ripped off (because they would have gotten a better deal simply getting Ruby Coins, trading them for gold, and then using the gold to buy what they originally wanted).

Therefore, we are dropping the prices of nearly everything that isn't Ruby Coins, Eidolons, or brand-new items. Under this plan, some prices have been reduced by over 70% - older costumes, some consumables, and most fortification items are just a few examples.

So, you probably have a few questions. Let me answer some pre-preemptively:

Why didn't you do this sooner?

If there is one thing that's scary for everyone, it's change - especially when that change might significantly affect our revenue. You know how the saying goes: "Don't fix what isn't broken".

While I hate the fact that Aura Kingdom boasts prices significantly higher than other MMORPGs, there is nothing that I fear more than making a huge mistake and having the game suffer as a consequence. Less money means less support, a smaller team, and slower updates. Was I ready to take the risk? Not really... until now.

Why now?

While we could just keep on going with the current pricing, we also wanted to move forward instead of just resting comfortably on past practices. One of the main reasons that pushed me to act was the very notable gold price of Ruby Coins: their price just kept increasing, while all other commodities remained at the same level. This meant the original Buy Ruby Coins => Sell at Auction House => Buy Item with Gold process was becoming more and more efficient – and at the same time, our own offers in the Cash Shop were becoming less and less attractive. After all, why would anyone buy an item – even at 50% off - if buying Ruby Coins at full price could get you the same item for 80% less AP?

We don't want the game to live and die through the Paragon system. People willing to spend money should be able to buy what they want without going through the Paragon or Auction House, unless the item itself is extremely rare or new. Hopefully, this will encourage everyone to spend on something other than Ruby Coins, and lower the gold price in the long run! (not a guarantee, though…)

What about Eidolons & new items? Why aren't they dropping in price?

While we are taking a risk with dropping prices, we do not want to gamble with Aura Kingdom's existence. Newer items and Eidolons are, for the moment, keeping their prices, a decision that will be reviewed in the future based on how well this change in strategy goes.

Unfortunately, people tend to overestimate the numbers of actual spenders – the vast majority of players are free2play users, and do not spend a dime. Therefore, making all items – including new ones – easily affordable is far too great a risk to take.



That being said, we are looking to experiment! This month, January 2016, we're asking everyone to “Vote for your Eidolon!” Every player can vote for one Eidolon from a pool of 22 (the newest ones aren't on the list) over a two-week period, and the winning Eidolon's price will drop permanently.

In addition, it will be available at all times via direct sale in the Cash Shop. Oh, and when we say price drop, we do mean it – not something like a mere 50% off. If you haven't already, vote here!



First of all, we are looking to re-implement the other two quest Eidolons. You heard that right – as long as it's possible, we will be undoing the change and re-introducing the second Eidolon choice for level 25 and level 40 quests! This is not guaranteed to be in time for February's patch, but we have already submitted this project to X-Legend.

Second, Guild Eidolons! We are looking to implement a few new Eidolons into the list (although don't expect to see Alucard or Amaterasu there quite yet), as well as increase their appearance rates. More information in the coming month!



Dear players looking to murder bots by the dozen: I am sad to announce that the PvP Channel is not yet ready. In its current existing state players on it are by default in “Peace” Mode, which means that they can't be attacked. We have asked X-Legend to remove that mode so that the PvP Channel makes for wild and exciting PK, but it's taking quite some time.


On the topic of bots, we are implementing new anti-bot software on Dragomon Hunter this month! If the effect is positive, we will push X-Legend to help Aura Kingdom benefit from the same change as well. Hype!

As for lags, we are still working on it! Unfortunately, on this side, there's no definitive answer, and we're still unsure of whether or not we'll be able to fix the issue.


I think that's enough for now! Please feel free to discuss, ask and debate! I might remember a few other topics later down the line and add them.

________________________________________________________________________

Previous discussions can be found here:

• December Discussion
  
• November Discussion
  
• October Discussion
  
• September Discussion
  
• August Discussion
  
• July Discussion
  
• June Discussion
  
• May Discussion
  
• April Discussion
  
• March Discussion

Hey there, people!

It's time for December's Producer Letter! For those who don't know me, I'm Myzzrym, Aura Kingdom's Producer. This month we'll be discussing quite a few things!

Also: Patch notes here!




For those of you playing on the US version of Aura Kingdom, you're probably aware of the dreaded "6 AM lag," as well as other times where the game seemingly stops responding. NPCs don't answer, and monsters stop spawning for several minutes.

The good news: we know what's mostly causing this issue. The bad news: we haven't managed to fix it yet. This means that we're still working on it. Even though it's been around for quite a while, we're not giving up! That being said, it's quite hard to deal with and will likely take more time as we are on the Publishing side and not the Development side.


Aura Kingdom is home to its fair share of bots. We all know how annoying and frustrating it can be when you're out questing and suddenly, an army of red-haired grenadier clones swoops in and guns everything down.

Are bots a problem? Yes. Have we already tried to fight them? Yes. Have we found a way to solve this issue? Not yet. However, that doesn't mean we've thrown the towel quite yet. We will be speaking with X-Legend early next year to try to convince them to switch to a stronger anti-hack security program. If successful, it should prevent most bots from accessing the game.

In the short term, you'll be happy to learn that bot-hunting season is coming soon! We'll be opening the PvP channel in January, after which you can go on a bot-killing spree!


If you're a Diamond Founder or obtained Cleopawtra via Supply Packs during the launch of Aura Kingdom (almost two years ago now!), you might have noticed when logging in today that you received a brand new, shiny Key of Uriel in your Item Shop cart.

For those who didn't follow the story, we announced in September that we would make Cleopawtra available to all players with the October Patch. Our main reason behind this move was that Cleopawtra was scheduled receive a 3-Star evolution, and there was no way for us to sell it only to our Diamond Founders.

However, Cleopawtra was originally intended to be Founder-exclusive. So, we promised two things:
- All Diamond Founders and players who acquired Cleopawtra through Supply Packs at launch would receive a Diamond Skin for Cleopawtra, who was changed back to her regular non-shiny skin (sent in October).
- All Diamond Founders and players who acquired Cleopawtra through Supply Packs at launch would receive a free Key of Uriel with the roll-out of the December Patch (sent yesterday).

If you are a Founder, or acquired Cleopawtra through Supply Packs at launch and did not receive the mentioned items, please send us a ticket explaining your situation.


Must be funny, in the rich man's world. In any case, Aeria Games doesn't happen to have the best reputation around. If you look at reviews, you will often stumble upon disgruntled players who once played our old games, speaking in angry whispers of Pay-to-Win and bans (well, if whispers were in caps lock).

I'm not going to deny the fact that Aeria Games used to be very player-unfriendly. Most of our old games were simply not tailored for Free2Play users who were looking for a good gaming experience. However, we are trying to change that. If you've read my previous letters (available on the forum only), I explained why some items were so expensive, and why you sometimes stumble upon crazy expensive offers.

In order to allow the vast majority of players to have an enjoyable Free2Play experience, we rely on those who are able and willing to pay more to keep the game alive and well. We have, in Aura Kingdom, rejected the choice of implementing in-game features or content locked behind paywalls.

In the past, some Eidolons were removed from dungeons as in-game drops. As of April, they are back. Now we are looking to return the two other starter Eidolons to the main quest (Aelius & Uzuriel).

Loyalty Programs will also have their Tiers gradually lowered in price. That doesn't mean fewer rewards. You'll simply have to spend less to get them. As usual, if you have suggestions, please don't hesitate to bring them up! While we do understand that not everyone wants to spend money in a Free2Play game, if there is a specific reason that is keeping you from buying anything in Aura Kingdom, be it our policies or our prices, please share it with us.


If you didn't notice the launcher downloading new files (lucky you, that's gotta be a real good internet connection you have there), the December Patch is now live! You can click on the link at the top of the News to read the Detailed Patch Notes.

Our veteran players will be pleased to know that the limit on Extra Character Slots has been increased by one (although the text hasn't been updated yet). This change was originally intended to go live at the same time as the Greatsword Class update so players wouldn't have to delete a character to experience the new class. However, it wasn't able to be implemented in time. That being said, in the future, one Extra Character Slot will be added every time a new class is released!

Everyone will also be happy to know that you can now store your little Ostrich Mount in your warehouse, and you won't have to stare at it in your backpack any more! Goodbye, Beebis, you will always remain in our hearts!

Another item that we managed to introduce early is the Eidolon Star Shuffle Scroll, which allows players to re-roll their Eidolon's Star Bonus. This allows them to play with the Eidolons they prefer without missing out on the stat bonus they want. Roll on! If you don't like the new Star Bonus you just rolled, you can keep the old one. There's no risk of getting something worse!

One last thing that was unfortunately delayed again is the PvP Channel. While it's technically working, there are still quite a few bugs for us to iron out, so we're looking at a January release. In the meantime, you can look forward to all the bot-hunting!


Due to Christmas, New Years, and Chinese New Years (which is a very important period for our Taiwanese developers), the next patch will most likely be around mid-February at the earliest, to March at the latest... unless a typhoon suddenly destroys X-Legend's offices, in which case we're all in trouble. But hopefully that never happens.

What will be in it? While I can't be too specific, and changes can always happen, there will new dungeons, all-around optimization, new 3-Star Eidolons, and maybe even a new level cap! Don't read too much into it for now, though.


That's all for today folks! As usual, if you have any question, feel free to discuss on our Official Forums or Steam Forums.

________________________________________________________

Previous discussions can be found there:

• November Discussion
  
• October Discussion
  
• September Discussion
  
• August Discussion

Hey there, people!

It's time for December's Producer Letter! For those who don't know me, I'm Myzzrym, Aura Kingdom's Producer. This month we'll be discussing quite a few things!

Also: Patch notes here!




For those of you playing on the US version of Aura Kingdom, you're probably aware of the dreaded "6 AM lag," as well as other times where the game seemingly stops responding. NPCs don't answer, and monsters stop spawning for several minutes.

The good news: we know what's mostly causing this issue. The bad news: we haven't managed to fix it yet. This means that we're still working on it. Even though it's been around for quite a while, we're not giving up! That being said, it's quite hard to deal with and will likely take more time as we are on the Publishing side and not the Development side.


Aura Kingdom is home to its fair share of bots. We all know how annoying and frustrating it can be when you're out questing and suddenly, an army of red-haired grenadier clones swoops in and guns everything down.

Are bots a problem? Yes. Have we already tried to fight them? Yes. Have we found a way to solve this issue? Not yet. However, that doesn't mean we've thrown the towel quite yet. We will be speaking with X-Legend early next year to try to convince them to switch to a stronger anti-hack security program. If successful, it should prevent most bots from accessing the game.

In the short term, you'll be happy to learn that bot-hunting season is coming soon! We'll be opening the PvP channel in January, after which you can go on a bot-killing spree!


If you're a Diamond Founder or obtained Cleopawtra via Supply Packs during the launch of Aura Kingdom (almost two years ago now!), you might have noticed when logging in today that you received a brand new, shiny Key of Uriel in your Item Shop cart.

For those who didn't follow the story, we announced in September that we would make Cleopawtra available to all players with the October Patch. Our main reason behind this move was that Cleopawtra was scheduled receive a 3-Star evolution, and there was no way for us to sell it only to our Diamond Founders.

However, Cleopawtra was originally intended to be Founder-exclusive. So, we promised two things:
- All Diamond Founders and players who acquired Cleopawtra through Supply Packs at launch would receive a Diamond Skin for Cleopawtra, who was changed back to her regular non-shiny skin (sent in October).
- All Diamond Founders and players who acquired Cleopawtra through Supply Packs at launch would receive a free Key of Uriel with the roll-out of the December Patch (sent yesterday).

If you are a Founder, or acquired Cleopawtra through Supply Packs at launch and did not receive the mentioned items, please send us a ticket explaining your situation.


Must be funny, in the rich man's world. In any case, Aeria Games doesn't happen to have the best reputation around. If you look at reviews, you will often stumble upon disgruntled players who once played our old games, speaking in angry whispers of Pay-to-Win and bans (well, if whispers were in caps lock).

I'm not going to deny the fact that Aeria Games used to be very player-unfriendly. Most of our old games were simply not tailored for Free2Play users who were looking for a good gaming experience. However, we are trying to change that. If you've read my previous letters (available on the forum only), I explained why some items were so expensive, and why you sometimes stumble upon crazy expensive offers.

In order to allow the vast majority of players to have an enjoyable Free2Play experience, we rely on those who are able and willing to pay more to keep the game alive and well. We have, in Aura Kingdom, rejected the choice of implementing in-game features or content locked behind paywalls.

In the past, some Eidolons were removed from dungeons as in-game drops. As of April, they are back. Now we are looking to return the two other starter Eidolons to the main quest (Aelius & Uzuriel).

Loyalty Programs will also have their Tiers gradually lowered in price. That doesn't mean fewer rewards. You'll simply have to spend less to get them. As usual, if you have suggestions, please don't hesitate to bring them up! While we do understand that not everyone wants to spend money in a Free2Play game, if there is a specific reason that is keeping you from buying anything in Aura Kingdom, be it our policies or our prices, please share it with us.


If you didn't notice the launcher downloading new files (lucky you, that's gotta be a real good internet connection you have there), the December Patch is now live! You can click on the link at the top of the News to read the Detailed Patch Notes.

Our veteran players will be pleased to know that the limit on Extra Character Slots has been increased by one (although the text hasn't been updated yet). This change was originally intended to go live at the same time as the Greatsword Class update so players wouldn't have to delete a character to experience the new class. However, it wasn't able to be implemented in time. That being said, in the future, one Extra Character Slot will be added every time a new class is released!

Everyone will also be happy to know that you can now store your little Ostrich Mount in your warehouse, and you won't have to stare at it in your backpack any more! Goodbye, Beebis, you will always remain in our hearts!

Another item that we managed to introduce early is the Eidolon Star Shuffle Scroll, which allows players to re-roll their Eidolon's Star Bonus. This allows them to play with the Eidolons they prefer without missing out on the stat bonus they want. Roll on! If you don't like the new Star Bonus you just rolled, you can keep the old one. There's no risk of getting something worse!

One last thing that was unfortunately delayed again is the PvP Channel. While it's technically working, there are still quite a few bugs for us to iron out, so we're looking at a January release. In the meantime, you can look forward to all the bot-hunting!


Due to Christmas, New Years, and Chinese New Years (which is a very important period for our Taiwanese developers), the next patch will most likely be around mid-February at the earliest, to March at the latest... unless a typhoon suddenly destroys X-Legend's offices, in which case we're all in trouble. But hopefully that never happens.

What will be in it? While I can't be too specific, and changes can always happen, there will new dungeons, all-around optimization, new 3-Star Eidolons, and maybe even a new level cap! Don't read too much into it for now, though.


That's all for today folks! As usual, if you have any question, feel free to discuss on our Official Forums or Steam Forums.

________________________________________________________

Previous discussions can be found there:

• November Discussion
  
• October Discussion
  
• September Discussion
  
• August Discussion