Hi everyone!

It is time for some news about the exact state of the project.
As you know, in recent months the project has not received any major updates, and there are serious reasons for this: after restarting the game in May, many users faced some technical issues (again) that we didn’t manage to solve quickly. We searched for many ways to solve them and found one that seemed to fully meet our needs — a technology from Improbable (https://improbable.io/) called SpatialOS.

Recently, poor sales of Project Genom fell to almost zero (and it’s obvious why): from August 1 to November 1, we sold 182 copies of the game, about 20% of which was returned under the Steam return program. The current income is less than $500 per month, taking into account the fact that we need to support at least 2 database servers (for two regions) and 3 servers with the game world, each of which costs about $ 100 per month (our hosting ipserver, inquisitive ones can find the price for the USA and Russia locations).





In the past months, we have been searching for additional funds to transfer the game to a new technology. Now we are starting another redesign of Project Genom, with SpatialOS technology.

In the near future, sales of the current version of the game will be temporarily suspended. In December, we will restrict access to the game servers. In this regard, we will think about how to compensate players for this pause with in-game content after the release of a stable version of the game. We apologize for the temporary inconvenience and long wait. We’d like to emphasize that the game is not going to end at this and its development still continues. We will report the news on our progress.

Despite the technical issues, the development of the visual part of Project Genom continues. For example, we’ve made a lot of unique animations for enemies in the game.

Hi everybody. We got a lot of questions about development status, we want to answer most popular questions:

• We’re alive;
  
• Project still in alpha stage;
  
• We got some tech issues and we are solving them;
  
• We can’t say any update dates now.

Thanks to everybody, we’ll publish additional news after issues will be solved.

Hello, friends!
Today we uploaded an update in which we:

• Added new quests: Insecticide 2, A Serious Talk, A Hole In The Fence, The Arms Technician, Dioxide Emission, The Warehouse Man’s Failure, A Hound Wedding
  
• Improved the network stabilisation
  
• Fixed the exploration points
  
• Changed the balance of weapons, armor and mobs
  
• Improved the database operating speed
  
• Continue the work on the network synchronization speed process

Hello, friends!
Today we uploaded an update in which we:

• Expanded the English localization
  
• Added 20 new Quests
  
• Improved the network
  
• Added new mechanics for quest objects
  
• Improved the chat stability server
  
• Fixed the manager cluster crashes
  
• Improved the speed of the database query processing
  
• Fixed 4 quests introduced in ver. 0.7.0.4
  
• Fixed the balance of Brawlers and Sliders
  
• Started the work on changing the data synchronization process.

Hello, friends!
Today we uploaded an update in which we:

• Added 12 new quests
  
• Network improvement
  
• Minor UI fixes
  
• Changed the balance of objects and mobs
  
• Changed cluster structure
  
• Added new items

Hello, friends!
Today we uploaded an update in which we:

• Improved the authorization service.
  
• Fixed the garbage collector’s work after players leave a location.
  
• Fixed the server manager crash.
  
• Decreased the number of reliable events.
  
• Fixed an error of reading data from the database.
  
• Added control settings.
  
• Added ammo boxes to the world and instances.
  
• Fixed the damage dealt by machine gunners in the raiders' vans.
  
• Started working on new quests.
  
• Changed the balance of objects and mobs.
  
• Improved the chat's server.
  
• Expanded the French localization.

Hello, friends! Today’s weekly newsletter will be the last in this established format. Project Genom has been updated on the main servers, and from this moment everyone are able to see all the innovations in the game personally. In this regard, we move on to the more familiar news format, in which we will report on updates, tests and important project events, without reference to any specific day of the week.



First of all, we’d like to briefly report on results of the first mass testings of the updated project. The update of the game aroused great interest, and this week a large number of people from around the world played Project Genom, which allowed us to determine the further front of work and improvements.

After the first week, we can confidently tell you about the stability of servers and our work on the network. There were falls, but they were not related to the load on the servers — they’ve proven to be quite stable.

However, there were some architectural bottlenecks that have led to occasional game client fails, but relatively few players had that problem. In any case, we consider these bugs to be critical, and we’re fixing them now.

In general, optimization proved to be quite normal. Taking into account that the project became more complex on all levels (the number of objects, the complexity of materials, the volume of texture maps, polygonization in a frame, etc.), there were no significant FPS drops on middle class hardware. We know which way we’re going to optimize the game further, we will try to improve the parameters for middle class hardware soon, and we’ll work out the graphics settings, so that the decent picture was even at the minimum graphic settings.

According to numerous reviews, first of all, the players were uncomfortable with the lack of control settings, which we will soon add. We’ve received a lot of comments concerning SFX (character’s walk, for example), which we will soon introduce too. And of course, the lack of mechanics, but this is a separate large front of work for the near future.

As the result, the launch of the updated game went quite well! There are still shortcomings, but all of them were quickly revealed thanks to your comments and bug reports, and we express our gratitude to all the players who weren’t indifferent. There is still a lot of work ahead, but the project continues to evolve and expand, we understand where to move and what to do next, there were no serious obstacles this week, and that's great!



On May 7, we uploaded an update in which we:

• Fixed the network related problems of instances “Dump” and “Digger Cave”
  
• Expanded the french localization
  
• Fixed the characters’ spawn algorithm when going back to Harbinger with the menu

On May 14, we uploaded an update in which we:

• Improved Garbage Collector to clear the information after players’ exit the game
  
• Started the refactoring of the player’s data replication
  
• Cycled the music on open locations
  
• Expanded the french localization
  
• Fixed the doors in open world
  
• Added the underlayer for the chat
  
• Added the terminal with items for the “1000 Buys” shop
  
• Added ammo boxes in Dump location
  
• Added new mobs
  
• Added new loot from mobs
  
• Made some changes for the test servers

We’ve completed the work on the huge instance “Raiders’ Scientific Encampment”



We began working on the high poly models of Collectors.



We were happy to keep these Weekly Newsletters alive and support the expectation of players who believed in us. We are grateful to everyone who survived the 63 reports with us, did not lose faith in Project Genom, and helped us get to the new stage of development. Project Genom starts a new path to its Beta stage. We will regularly update the game, conduct testing of new mechanics, improve and optimize the project relying on your bug reports and requests. And, of course, we won’t stop reporting you about all the important events, and we’re sure there are a lot of them ahead!

Project Genom is available on the main servers, but it also remains on the additional test branch, where different tests will be conducted before uploading the game to the main servers. To access the test branch of the game transferred from the PTS version, you need to have an activated copy of the game on Steam, where you need to enter the privatetestserver code in the Beta-Access box. You can find the detailed instructions on the activation in the weekly report №60
https://steamcommunity.com/games/pgenom/announcements/detail/3226142592947297397

And, once again, we want to remind everyone who considers purchasing the game that it’s still in its Alpha stage, and we do not recommend buying it if you expect a full-fledged finished project. By purchasing the game now, you support the development and have an opportunity to see its early stages. If you want to enjoy a full game experience with the maximum number of game mechanics and no critical errors, we advise you to wait until the project enters the beta testing phase or even later.

Greetings, friends!
Today, as planned, one of the main events of the year has happened — Project Genom has been updated on Steam! It has become possible thanks to all of you, the players, who overcame the difficulties of development together with our team, tested, offered ideas, and helped financially. We are endlessly grateful to everyone who believes in us and continues to lead the project into a bright future together with our team. You supported us at the stage of ideas, you jumped from the rocks and bought tons of ammunition on Torque, you twisted your fingers playing on our own engine, moved with us to Unreal 4 and survived several reincarnations of the game on it. You supported us on Greenlight, which already does not even exist, you became the founders, Avalonians, Gold, Bronze, you broke the game countless times and saw all the bugs in its world. You are the main value of Project Genom! Thank you!



Due to the update of Project Genom on Steam, we are meeting one of the most frequent requests — a 50% discount on the game and all the additional sets!



We strongly recommend that you think about the feasibility of purchasing the project now at its Alpha stage. By purchasing the game now, you support the development of Project Genom. At the same time, you get an unfinished product and will face possible wipes, bugs and the absence of many planned mechanics. If you want to enjoy the full-fledged game, please wait for later versions, the Beta one or the Release.

Before proceeding to our weekly report, we would like to note the most significant changes that have occurred in the updated project. If you did not follow our Weekly Newsletter, then you will be interested to know that:

Project Genom has been changed almost completely. It does not have any old lines of code left, which means that there are no old bugs in it, but you can stumble upon new ones.



The previous version of the game’s world which had an area of 10 square kilometers, increased to 100 square kilometers and was completely redesigned: hundreds of plant species, complex materials, unique biomes, ruined Gunar cities, bases and outposts, human settlements, the changing of the time of day and many small pleasant trifles. The world has yet to be livened up and improved, but filling the beautiful world with life is much more pleasant than a small and stunted one.



A lot of work was done to improve the game character: new models were created, anatomy and materials were improved. In turn, this required to redesign all the armor, the range of which has also expanded.

The character controller was completely redesigned. The male and female player characters got their unique animations for all actions. We've also introduced a basic customization in the game, allowing you to change the race, face, hairstyle, beard, scars and tattoos.



The AI of all the characters, enemies and bosses was completely redesigned. Mobs received new models, materials, animations, skills and brains. In addition, the species diversity of enemies was expanded, differing not only in appearance but also in abilities.



The changes have not bypassed non-player characters too. Many NPCs have been redesigned: we added new characters, updated the animations, behavior and the characters' movement system. We've added an adequate dialogue system.



The interface was seriously redesigned. The HUD was completely redesigned. A handy 3D map was added.



The Main Storyline and Side Quests were seriously revised. New Quests were added.



The development of the project will now go in a more customary manner for all the players — the game will be constantly updated. The PTS servers are now closed, testing will take place in a separate branch. The frequent updates on that branch will be constantly moved to the main version of the game.

First of all, our nearest future plans include:

Debugging of various bugs, seen at the testing stages. Do not forget that if you find a bug, the best thing you can do with it is to report it to the bugtracker. At the moment, the most critical one is the bug with the stability of the game on AMD processors. About 5% of players on AMD processors encounter problems with using the movement system, which we plan to fix first.




Expansion of the Main Storyline and Side Quests, which include the development of game locations. In addition, we plan to introduce Quests shortly without a reward limit — the more you accomplish in a Quest, the higher the total value of the reward. We've scheduled the introduction of Daily and Weekly Quests, as well as adding global events that will be performed by the entire community on the server.



Adding resource collection and crafting.



Introduction of Group and Syndicate mechanics in the game.



Expand the player's capabilities by adding sniper rifles and shotguns, as well as passive and active skills.



Our further future plans include exoskeletons, manipulators, mechs, covers, transport, mounts and pets, devices, clan and personal property, and also close combat.



This week, the main job was to update the main version of the game on Steam. We did the the final testings and bug fixes, as well as dozens of long and painful creations of game builds.



We fixed and added the initial balance of quests, weapons, armor, mobs, as well as the acquirement of experience and skill points. We added the nodes of Assault Rifles Mastery to the character leveling.



Added new sounds.



Fixed various flaws in the interface, bugs with navigation, and bugs with the death of the game character.



We continue working on optimization of the large instance "Raider's Scientific Encampment".



We continue on creating animations for the Slider Larvae mob.






Project Genom has been updated! This remarkable event has become the most important one for us this year. We are glad that we were able to overcome all difficulties of development together with you and bring the project to the next stage of development. We hope that the development will not be delayed by unexpected problems and we will quickly reach the stage of the first Beta testing.

From this day, Project Genom becomes available on the main servers, but it also remains on the additional test branch, where different tests will be conducted before uploading the game to the main servers. To access the test branch of the game transferred from the PTS version, you need to have an activated copy of the game on Steam, where you need to enter the privatetestserver code in the Beta-Access box. You can find the detailed instructions on the activation in the weekly report №60
https://steamcommunity.com/games/pgenom/announcements/detail/3226142592947297397

And, once again, we want to remind everyone who considers purchasing the game that it’s still in its Alpha stage, and we do not recommend buying it if you expect a full-fledged finished project. By purchasing the game now, you support the development and have an opportunity to see its early stages. If you want to enjoy a full game experience with the maximum number of game mechanics and no critical errors, we advise you to wait until the project enters the beta testing phase or even later.

Introduction
Hello friends!

The development of Project Genom continues. The transferring of the game from PTS to test servers was successful! Everyone who wanted to see the updated game with new features can still do it. Now we’re preparing to transfer Project Genom to the mains servers, which is planned on the next monday, on May 7, 2018.



Once again, we want to remind you that the game is in its Alpha stage. Although this alpha version will be moved to main servers on May 7, 2018, it will not be considered as Beta stage or Full Release. The game will not have the planned mechanics, it may have bugs, optimization problems and wipes. By purchasing the game now, you support the development and have an opportunity to see its early stages. If you want to enjoy a full game experience with the maximum number of game mechanics and no critical errors, we advise you to wait until the project enters the beta testing phase or even later.



We’d also like to note that due to the update of the game, the servers may not be available for maintenance. We’re actively working on balancing the main servers which demands constant uploads, updates and tests.

The maintenance has been extended until Tuesday.



Software
This week we continue working on updates on the main servers. We also continue testing the version that was moved to the PTS branch. We’re grateful to all the testers for their support and every day work thanks to which we can fix the actual bugs and errors promptly.



Aside from bugs, we’ve managed to do the following things:

• Added all the quests from Chapter 2
  
• Added 40 side quests
  
• Added more than a thousand items in the game
  
• Added to the following mobs: Brawlers, Sliders, Trots and Hounds
  
• Added New research points (Eyes) to locations
  
• Added the maps for the Dump and the Cave
  
• Added the voice localization selection option
  
• Added the quest instance for the quest "Cabin of Yersa"
  
• Added the fast travel to the Scientific Encampment and the Dumpside.
  
• Transporters are reconfigured and fixed
  
• A wind on the trees that was previously disabled for the time of development is set now
  
• The operation of checking servers for maintenance has been fixed.
  
• Fixed a major error with inventory overflow when moving objects
  
• Due to the introduction of many items in the game, about six hundred icons for inventory were created.

World
There’s been many changes with Harbinger this week.



Aside from that, we started working on optimization of huge instance “The Raider Scientific Encampment”. There’s many buildings with interiors that affect the performance.



Enemies
We continued our work on animations for Sliders Larvae.





We also created the concepts of different types of Collectors. You’ll meet these technologically advanced creatures that were created by raiders by using Almers’ technologies in the different zones of Avalon. Each type will differ from one another with their own features and will be a tough and dangerous enemy to fight with.



We created all the basic effects necessary for the basic enemies (Hounds, Sliders, Digger Queen, Brawler, Lairs)








Conclusion
Project Genom is close to its update on the main servers and gradually being filled in with content and mechanics. The global redesigns and reprocessings of the project are complete, so both we and players won’t be distracted from the expansion of the game and its constant updates. We hope that soon we’ll be able to add the 3rd Chapter of the main story, and also craft, groups, and other important features of the project.

We want to remind you that PTS servers are closed and transported to the test branch of the main servers. In order to get access to the Test Branch of the game migrated from PTS, you need to have an activated copy of the game in Steam client, go to its Properties - > BETAS -> enter the code privatetestserver in the field. Look for the more detailed instruction in our Weekly Newsletter №60.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/pgenom/announcements/detail/3226142592947297397

And, once again, we want to remind everyone considering purchasing the game that it’s still in its Alpha stage, and we don’t recommend buying it if you expect a full-fledged finished project. By purchasing the game now, you support the development and have an opportunity to see its early stages. If you want to enjoy a full game experience with the maximum number of game mechanics and no critical errors, we advise you to wait until the project enters the beta testing phase or even later.

Introduction
Hello, friends!
This week, as it was planned, the additional test branch of the game that’s been on PTS servers has migrated to the main servers. As the access to it opens today, we decided not to post a separate news, but to share this information in today’s Newsletter! If you didn’t participate in closed tests, then you can read a short guide on how to get access to the Test Branch below. Due to the migration of PTS to new test servers, access to PTS will be close to everyone.



Another important news this week it was decided on which date PTS will be transferred from test to main servers. The first update of main servers, which we all have been waiting for more than a year, is planned on May 7, 2018. Thus, as always, we will launch another update release countdown clock on the official website of the game. From this date, the project will be actively developed and constantly updated on the main servers.

We’d also like to remind everyone that the game is still in its Alpha stage, It has not all the planned mechanics yet, and that bugs, optimization issues and wipes may occur! By purchasing the game now, you support its development and have an opportunity to see its early stages. If you want to enjoy a full game experience with the maximum number of game mechanics and no critical errors, we advise you to wait until the project enters the beta testing phase or even later.



Access to the Test Branch
In order to get access to the game Test Branch was transferred from PTS, you need to have an activated copy of the game on Steam, go to its Properties - > BETAS -> enter the code privatetestserver in the field “Enter beta access code”:

Right-Click on Project Genom in your Steam client’s Library



Select Properties



Open the “BETAS” batas



Enter privatetestserver in the field shown below and click CHECK CODE



Select the test version in the selection list.



Done! After that, the test version of the game will be installed as a regular Steam product (by clicking the “Play” button). When you start the game, you can choose between a test branch and a regular version of the game.

Software
This week our main task was to transfer the PTS version to the test branch of the main server, as well as make the according adjustments and settings.

First, we added the support of regions. Currently, the additional servers have been deployed in North America. Thus, players will have a choice between North America and Europe.



French and English localizations were expanded.



Additional settings for the maximum texture resolution were added. For video cards with 1GB of memory, you need to choose low, 2GB of memory – Medium, 4GB of memory – High, 6GB of video memory – Epic. Changing the resolution of textures will require a restart of the game. This one setting can give a significant performance boost, so don’t neglect it.



Screens modes settings were revised. A real Full-Screen Mode was added as the additional option.



We added new various Quest Objects models.



Aside from that, a lot of bugs were fixed this week. They include the error with loading of intermediate stages of quests, problems with localization of stages, error with AI of mobs and bosses, and some UI flaws. New enemies were added, NPCs in the Ark were reworked and adjusted.



World
This week, we continued our work on setting the various important quests zones, which we prepared for the update on main servers.



Enemies
This week, the work on creating animations for Slider’s Larvae was started.





We continued our work on creating various effects for enemies — from skills to interactions with the environment!



Conclusion
This week, Project Genom finally reached the stage of its update on the main server. We all have been waiting for this moment! Many people fell into despair, some have forgotten us, but the majority of people have been helping us all this time. They’ve been testing the game and moving the project in the right direction. Without our players, our testers, this transition to the main server would have delayed for an unknown time. Thank you all, friends!

Over the past year and a half, the project has changed dramatically. There is no a single sequence of the old code left in, the world changed completely, spreading over 100 square kilometers, filled with absolutely new nature and zones. Most of quests were rewritten and improved, dozens of new quests were added. We completely redesigned all enemy models, animations, conducts and balance. New mobs were added. The character and his controller were completely changed, customization was added, the interface was reworked and many others changes were made. This is the completely new game, that took all the best from the previous version without changing its fundamentals, forgetting promises, and soon it will turn into a full-fledged MMORPG, which we all are waiting for!

We want to remind you once again that from now, PTS servers officially are closed. Now the test version of the game, which was on PTS, becomes available to all players without registering on the forum or any other complicated actions for its activation. Until May 7, 2018, game will be available in a separate test branch, which can be easily activated by entering privatetestserver code in the Beta tab in Steam. After May 7, 2018, we will transfer this version to the main server and will forever replace the current version of Project Genom. Thus, if you want to enjoy the flights in the heavens with ATV, fight with a black boot screen, see a small world and try to find Mithra without any help or map one last time – you have only 14 days left before we replace the main version of the game!

Once again, we want to remind everyone considering purchasing the game that it’s in its Alpha stage, and we don’t recommend buying it if you expect a full-fledged finished project. By purchasing the game now, you support the development and have an opportunity to see its early stages. If you want to enjoy a full game experience with the maximum number of game mechanics and no critical errors, we advise you to wait until the project enters the beta testing phase or even later.