December 2024: Public Development Summary

Welcome Everyone!

We’d like to welcome you to our 2024 development summary - a comprehensive overview of our progress from January to December. This update reflects the highlights of our year-long journey, showcasing selected snippets from our Patreon posts of this year. Please note, this is just a glimpse into our work - there’s so much more happening behind the scenes.

If you’re interested in our work, consider supporting us on Patreon. Your contributions help cover server costs and licensing, enabling us to keep this project alive. We’re immensely grateful to our community for making this possible - it wouldn’t be where it is today without your support.


For the latest news and places of contact, here’s where you can find us:

• Official Website: Homepage
• Facebook: Age of Aincrad Fanpage
• Twitter / X: @aoa_mmorpg
• TikTok: @ageofaincrad
• Contact Form: Contact Us
• Discord: Discord Server
• Patreon: Support Us

This month's big (biggest!) Patreon update can be found here: [Patreon Devlog #35 - December 2024](https://www.patreon.com/posts/patreon-devlog-119017148)

Without further ado, let’s dive into the updates.

December 2023 & January 2024

In December, we introduced the first version of our action-combat system. While it was unpolished at launch, this initial version established a solid foundation for the comprehensive overhaul it would receive later in the year.
Another major improvement was the complete recreation of the interaction system. Previously, interactions with NPCs and world objects relied heavily on mouse input. The new system, allowing interactions via keyboard, was a game-changer, making interactions far more intuitive and efficient.
We also debuted a talent system, where players earn points with each level to enhance selected talents, offering passive benefits such as stat boosts or new abilities.
Additional updates included the introduction of large new areas and the first version of a map and navigation system, providing players with better tools for exploration. These updates were complemented by numerous visual improvements to enhance the overall experience.
Lastly, the in-game interface underwent a full redesign, resulting in a modernized and more user-friendly appearance that set the stage for future updates.

February & March 2024

Both months were dedicated to refining and perfecting the new systems introduced in recent updates.

One major focus was on the weapon-drawing and holstering system, a core aspect of combat mechanics. Entering combat mode now requires drawing your weapon first, a process that initially faced numerous challenges due to complex conditions and exceptions. However, these issues were successfully resolved, making the system seamless and intuitive.

Significant progress was also made in fixing animation bugs, particularly those related to dodging, evasions, and issues caused by the new context system. These fixes have greatly improved the fluidity and reliability of character movements.

Our art team was hard at work developing new location models, props, and assets. Efforts were concentrated on creating Rathos and its Harbor, alongside several side areas and instances. As the second major area in the main storyline, Rathos represents a key milestone in the game’s world-building.

We also implemented a fully functioning death, respawn, and graveyard system, enhancing gameplay flow. Additionally, we crafted Velledor, a massive story-rich area that will be pivotal in the narrative.

Lastly, the character customization system underwent a comprehensive rework. While the final version wasn’t ready for release at the time, the most up-to-date iteration is now live as of December 2024. More details on this system will follow soon.

April 2024

The entire animation system and controller were rebuilt from the ground up to meet modern 2024 standards. Previously, we used a straightforward controller similar to those in classic MMOs like World of Warcraft. While functional, it lacked the distinct feel we envisioned for Age of Aincrad. This overhaul not only modernized the system but also made it uniquely our own.

As part of this process, we optimized animations across the board, covering players, NPCs, and monsters to ensure smooth and efficient performance.

Key Updates and Additions:

• Prototyped the first ranged combat enemy, introducing new challenges and gameplay dynamics.
• Implemented an initial version of systems for looking at objects, waypoints, and other players, adding depth to character interactions.
• Introduced a dynamic cloth system, enhancing realism for flags and materials.
• Added visual improvements leveraging advanced effects like SSGI, used by industry-leading games.
• Improved clothing details for male characters, achieving a more polished appearance.

Beyond these major updates, countless bug fixes were made, ensuring a smoother and more stable experience.

The month also saw the addition of new music and the introduction of a biome system, enriching the diversity and atmosphere of the game’s areas. However, the standout highlight of the year was the introduction of the Frucco mount, a significant milestone that players have eagerly embraced.

May & June 2024

During May and June, we made significant progress in visual development, focusing on characters and monsters. This period marked a transition from the 2023 art style to the current, refined aesthetic.

Character visuals were completely overhauled, featuring new hair and eye effects, including eye reflections. A key highlight was the implementation of our modular hair system, allowing players to customize hairstyles by combining different parts for the back, front, and sides, enabling truly unique designs.

Age of Aincrad: New Hair Styles (June 2024)

The modular hair system debuted in June and has since been enhanced with additional features, some of which we also showcase down below.

In combat, we introduced root motion mechanics, allowing characters to move dynamically during attack execution. Alongside this, we focused on fixing bugs in previously introduced features, particularly the player and mount controllers, with extensive testing by our community.

Finally, the world map saw considerable expansion. We added new environmental assets to fully realize mountain and cliff areas, making the world more immersive and visually compelling.

July 2024

July was a major content push, with significant progress made across various aspects of the game.

We populated most of the new instances with mobs and props, enhancing the environment's depth and interactivity. The combat system also saw improvements, including telegraphed enemy animations to make evasions more intuitive. While not all animations are complete due to time constraints, we made notable advancements.

One of the key highlights this month was the addition of new field bosses—the Ancient & Corrupted Golems—which bring unique challenges to the game.

We also introduced the first iteration of a new dual-shield weapon type, a long-awaited fan-favorite.

The vegetation underwent a comprehensive rework, replacing all placeholder greenery with custom-designed assets, ensuring a cohesive and immersive visual experience. We wished to create every bit of greenery in the game to be our own, and we succeeded.

The Floor One map received further expansion, including new plains, fields, and storyline-related areas such as an underground mine and hidden caves. These additions enrich the game’s narrative and exploration opportunities.

Lastly, the shadow system received a significant upgrade with soft-shadow treatments, eliminating hard edges for a smoother, more natural look that aligns better with the environment. Character shading was also enhanced with subtle edge glows and improved outlines, alongside numerous other visual refinements.

September 2024

September was primarily focused on quality-of-life improvements and refining the overall player experience.

Level design took center stage as we worked to make the world more engaging and rewarding to explore. Numerous caves and hidden passages were added, enhancing the sense of discovery. The starting area received a significant overhaul, incorporating new assets developed in the previous month for a refreshed and immersive look.

The navigation system saw substantial upgrades, now featuring icons for resource objects, NPCs, quests, and areas of interest. While not yet perfect, these improvements are a big step forward in making exploration more intuitive. Additionally, we introduced a beacon system, further aiding players in navigating the world.

On the technical side, a body physics system was implemented (for those who appreciate the finer details), and the character footstep system was upgraded. While there’s still room for refinement, further updates to these systems are planned for 2025 as other priorities take precedence.

We also completed the NPC creator/generator, which we aim to release to the community in 2025. Finally, a first version of our scars and tattoos system was added, giving players more options for personalizing their characters.

October & November 2024

October and November were incredibly productive months, with significant advancements across multiple areas of the game.

Most of the work focused on upgrading the server backend. This included updating the server itself, optimizing server code, and merging game code between older and newer versions. These updates resulted in a range of performance improvements, new features, and, most importantly, a substantial boost in server stability.

Our world-building efforts also progressed. We developed a variety of custom plants tailored for mountain areas and introduced new rock formations to enrich cave systems, adding greater depth and realism to the environment.

The combat system received a major overhaul, bringing it to its current state. Improvements included numerous optimizations and the addition of a lock-on system inspired by souls-like games, enhancing tactical gameplay. All abilities, visual effects, and sounds for attacks—both for players and enemies—were completely reworked. These updates have refined the combat experience, bringing it closer to finalization for the alpha stage.

Development began on two new monsters: the Wyrmbat and the Rocktoise, whose appearances live up to their imaginative names.

Additionally, we introduced a new combat weapon type - the Nodachi. This weapon stands out as our most polished to date, setting a benchmark for other weapons in the game, which we plan to bring to a similar standard in the coming year.
These months were pivotal in laying the groundwork for both technical stability and gameplay refinement as we approach the next stage of development.

December 2024

As we reach the end of the year, we reflect on the incredible journey 2024 has been.

For our Patrons, we’ve published the latest December Patreon post. It includes detailed information on testing and accessing the December builds which we are currently testing and improving every day, aside from the usual dose of news and updates.

December 2024 Patreon Post

For the wider community, we’ve made our return to social media after a long hiatus, and we have an exciting gift coming.

We are currently working on an offline, single-player demo. The demo will allow everyone to explore a bit of Floor One - Artuax.

Consider it a preview showcase of the world and visuals, through which we would like to show you what we are crafting and the feeling we wish for it to convey.

The plan is to publish it on the first weekend of January 2025. We will publish announcements and download info as soon as it's ready.

While we understand the disappointment of not being able to provide a multiplayer experience yet, limitations in server capabilities and licensing costs have made this challenging. There is still considerable work ahead to make multiplayer available for everyone, but we are doing our utmost.

Nevertheless, we hope this demo offers an engaging glimpse into the world of Age of Aincrad.

Thank You for Reading

To all our supporters: thank you for staying with us through this journey. Your enthusiasm and encouragement mean more to us than words can express. You are the reason we’ve come this far.

We’ll be back in January with the demo and more to show, ready to tackle the challenges and opportunities of 2025.

Until then, we wish you a wonderful New Year filled with success and happiness.

With gratitude,
The Age of Aincrad Team