There has been a good deal of speculation and nail-biting over what the future holds for the cluster. Today is the day we make your day or send you into a rage-induced, expletive-laden tornado. To answer the question:
Yes, we are wiping the cluster after more than two years without one.
No, we will not wipe the cluster a second time-deliberately (outside of the Devs doing something that requires it).
We’ve made this decision as a consequence of the potential for significant changes to the game necessitating the need for a wipe. We don’t want to wait to set this expectation until we know for certain, as the decision to wipe regardless of the causality is going to upset people and likely turn the cluster into a toxic wasteland for a period of time. There will be enough to do with the release, and wipe (if it is actually necessary), without having to contend with angry people and a load of questions. So, come what may, the cluster will be wiped the day Genesis releases.
The details are below in outline form:
- Cluster will be wiped with the release of Genesis
- No items, dinos, or characters brought over
- Co-owner will, at his discretion, bring two dinos
- Rate/Setting changes post wipe
- Crafting Experience eliminated
- Generic Experience reduced to 0.1
- Reduces tek bed experience gain per second
- Harvesting Experience increased by 25%
- Partially mitigates loss of crafting experience
- In line with world engagement resulting in progress
- Resource Respawn Time increase from 3 to 5 in-game days
- Resource collection requires world engagement
- Harvesting/Taming rates will remain 4x
- Breeding rates reduced to 10x
- Character/Dinos stats default
- Weight will remain 10x as points-added
- Autounlocks will be eliminated
- No corresponding increase in engram points
- Engram points added with any additional levels added
- Autounlocks implemented with community maturation
- Flyers will have damage and resistance decreased on Aberration
- Custom dino spawns will be eliminated
- Dinos will only spawn on original maps
- Gacha spawn rate will be reduced to ensure rarity
- Custom loot tables will remain intact
- Loot quality will be scaled according to server difficult
- No more God blueprints (Yay!)
- Loot quality will be scaled according to server difficult
- No corresponding increase in engram points
- Events
- Anniversary Event
- Will no include experience rate increase
- Will not require community goal participation
- 10x Harvesting/Taming and 20x Breeding
- Duration will be 3-7 days
- Duration contingent upon admin discussion
- FNF
- Will be replaced by bi-weekly/monthly boss event or eliminated
- Scope and difficulty of event will be dependent on community participation
- Specifics to be decided through admin discussion
- Event structures
- Incorporated into existing maps
- Allows for organic and spontaneous events
- Eliminates the need to host separate server
- Mitigates transfer related issues
- Incorporated into existing maps
- Anniversary Event
- Tek Engrams
- Will attempt to implement previous scheme of hiding tek engrams
- Contingent upon successful testing
- Will attempt to implement previous scheme of hiding tek engrams
To answer another question; yes, you will be able to keep your current spot. Like with the GSMs, you will submit a ticket, when we tell you to do so, with a screenshot of your GPS coords.
We are aware that this decision isn’t going to sit well with some folks, that some of these changes aren’t going to sit well with other folks, and that some people are going to leave. We’d rather you didn’t, but we wish you well if that’s what you choose to do. All of these changes are set and not subject to debate. If anyone has any questions, we will, of course, answer them.
On a lighter note, we’ve decided to turn Hardcore PvP on for the 48 hours before the server wipes. The last tribe remaining will win a max-level breeding pair of their choice (not Genesis dinos). So, best get after it and happy hunting.