Status Update - May 28th - What's Going On?

[ThePraetorian]

Hey campers,

Been a rocky few days to say the least. Few of us have slept since Thursday, but I wanted to take a moment to inform all of you as to what’s going on with everything. We’re having global issues, on all platforms (PC/XB1/PS4). Here’s a breakdown of the most common issues so far.

Known issues. Why they are happening. What we’re doing to fix them.

Issue: “I can’t login, it keeps saying something about a Database Error.”

Why: Our database was hit really hard when the game went live. We had upwards of 75K players in a short period of time. Due to this our database was hit hard. We tried spinning up more nodes to help alleviate the stress but ultimately caused some corrupted nodes which is causing people not to be able to login that were affected by those nodes. In addition it has caused major slow downs in our database software which can on and off effect other accounts from logging in.

Fix: We are working around the clock to get this solved. We are a small team but brought in outside resources to help. It's our top priority right now and we need to make sure we can get our servers properly scaled and balanced to handle the current demand. Once we can alleviate some stress on the database this should all start working smoothly. We are working hard to properly load balance our servers and identify issues with accounts that are slowing down the database.

Issue: “I can sign in (sometimes) but I can’t find a match when I select Quick Play”

Why: Due to a high demand of PS4 players there is an issue with Matchmaking when it finds an open session several players try to join that open session at once filling up the room the same time you receive the message this room is still open. You end up not being able to connect to that session and move on but it wastes time taking it a lot longer to find an open session. On Xbox One there also is a high number of players trying to find games and the amount of requests is really adding up which is overloading the Matchmaking service.

Fix: We have tuned Matchmaking on PS4 to create more open sessions to spread out the playerbase. We also have tuned the time it takes to create new sessions. We are currently testing the fix and hope to have a patch out real soon. For Xbox One we have been working with Microsoft who has tuned some settings on their end. This has helped some users but not all. We are still working on tuning our Matchmaking algorithm along throttling requests more in line with LIVE standards and with working with Microsoft on this as well. We hope to have a patch in testing early this week.

Issue: “It’s not saving my Jason kills, XP, clothing customization or achievements.”

Why: This is a result of the mentioned above database issue. Unfortunately all of this information is tied to the database as well.

Fix: Once we can alleviate some stress on the database this should all start working smoothly. We are working hard to properly load balance our servers and identify issues with accounts that are slowing down the database.

Issue: “What happened to my XP? I was level ‘X’ now I’m level 0” or “My XP is stuck and I’m not getting any more.”

Why: This is also a result to the database issue. Match statistic reports still seem to be coming into the database correctly so if you had a level at some point, it should be still progressing.

Fix: Once we can alleviate some stress on the database this should all start working smoothly. You should still be earning XP but it’s just not showing it properly. When the database is less stressed you should see your proper XP level.

Issue: “I see others can play, but I have yet to get past the login screen.”

Why: This is also the result of the database issue. We’ve noticed it can randomly affect specific accounts. So while you can’t play someone in the next room with a different account can play. We have identified what causes it for some accounts and fixed it, but there are a few causes at play here.

Fix: Once we can alleviate some stress on the database this should all start working smoothly. We are working hard to properly load balance our servers and identify issues with accounts that are slowing down the database.

Issue: “My DLC isn’t working. I downloaded it, where is it?”

Why: PC Keys were not working and we had to issue a new set of keys. For PS4 DLC keys we are still waiting for the DLC to be approved and go live.

Fix: If you are a PC user please make sure you have received your new keys. Check your email. If not please contact us. PS4 users we will keep you posted when the DLC is live.

Issue: “I never got my game/DLC code. I’m a backer, what’s up?”

Why: This could be due to multiple reasons. Emails from BackerKit do not contain codes, you must log in to BackerKit to retrieve codes you’ve ordered. You possibly did not complete your BackerKit survey? Or there may be an actual customer service problem, error or glitch.

Fix: The first step is to use your original kickstarter email address to log in to https://friday-the-13th-the-game.backerkit.com/ and retrieve your codes. Keep in mind that if you ordered multiple times that you will have to check each order survey to look for all your codes as they are associated with each order they were placed on.

If you did not fill out your survey/s, you will need to do so and then we can lock it down and process your codes so they show up in your account. Remember, if you had multiple orders then you will need to go through and fill out each survey.


Issue: “I received the wrong platform code via email. Help!”

Why: Sometimes mistakes are made and glitches happen. Some players received codes for the wrong platforms, but this can be rectified after verification of the issue.

Fix: If for some reason you received the wrong code for a platform you didn’t order for, please contact BackerKit by logging on to your account at https://friday-the-13th-the-game.backerkit.com/ and then use the contact form to input your issue. You will then only need to wait for a response. You cannot switch to a different platform. You will receive the code that was selected in your original BackerKit survey. We repeat, you cannot swap platforms just because you changed your mind.

Issue: “I can play, but i’m experiencing glitches/bugs/crashes.”

Why: General gameplay bugs that may have already been fixed but a patch hasn’t been released for that platform yet. In addition as new players play they are helping us find bugs all the time.

Fix: We have an Xbox One patch that addresses a lot of the glitches/bugs/crashes that we are testing now and are shooting to have it out mid next week. We are currently working on another PS4 patch to help with Matchmaking and some gameplay bugs. Our team is constantly working on fixing bugs, optimizations and pushing new patches on all platforms.

Issue: “OK, but why weren’t you guys prepared for this?”

We thought we were. We looked at average concurrent players during the beta; 5K. We then took PC pre-order numbers, as well as backer numbers and tripled it for three platforms (XB1, PS4 and PC). We then added more cushion just to make sure. We were forecasting somewhere around 30K concurrents and that’s what we setup our database to handle. However, when we flipped the switch, making the game live, 75K players showed up in the first 20 minutes. 50K players got in, but at that point our database was melting. We immediately started spinning up new database servers to meet demand. But in the process, the original database started getting damaged nodes due to the influx of players. We were moving just as fast as we could to meet the demand. But it wasn’t fast enough.

Due to the damaged node, bad accounts started being recorded. Bad as in, the data associated with the account was taking too long for the database to read it. So we had two issues hitting at once, within a 30 minute time frame; not a robust enough database to meet demand, and corrupted data (bad accounts). Basically we have accounts that are taking a long time to query and we are investigating why.

If you login on your bad account and the request hits before someone with a good account, it’s timing out both players. Right now, bad accounts are taking upwards of 120 seconds to pull it down. This slows everyone down that is in line after them on that node. And in some cases the database says “this is taking too long” and just throws up the error for everyone standing in line. Good or bad account.

The fix to this is a more robust scaling solution in our database. 90% of player accounts are good. The remaining 10% will take more time due to how corrupted they are. Again, this data is salvageable, just tedious and time consuming to repair.

[throck morton]

darn

[defeatedcharityboxer]

Is there a potential fix for those that can't get past the launcher (i.e. getting dll errors?) I know you guys are working hard but was just curious considering I am having that issue. Nothing fixes it so I assumed it was linked to the servers with the 'summer camp exe' fail.

[The_Dapperstache]

Well, now all the people complaining they don't have answers will have to find something else to flame about.

That's probably the most specific feedback I've seen from a developer on Steam. Kudos, guys. Good luck.

[lostboy2of7]

Hey Dev, my right stick wont work on my xbox controller on the pc version. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

[The_Dapperstache]

Originally posted by Mr. Wombat:

Is there a potential fix for those that can't get past the launcher (i.e. getting dll errors?) I know you guys are working hard but was just curious considering I am having that issue. Nothing fixes it so I assumed it was linked to the servers with the 'summer camp exe' fail.

What is the .dll error? msvcp140.dll? If so, use https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48145

[Sinon]

Hope you fix the Database Login Failure this Night :3 Thanks for the Update tho

[Slut Dragon]

fıx the game OMG

[The Ghost]

Rekkinator perhaps you should read. They've been up for 3 days trying to do just that.

[The_Dapperstache]

Originally posted by Rekkinator:

fıx the game OMG

ermehgerd. ter ertwerg.

[Boundless]

I've had good results with EMC clustering, not so much with Netapp. Dell is alright. I'd avoid IBM/Lenovo and HP as if they had the Ebolacanceraids.

What hardware and clustering software are you guys using?

[Camera Lucida]

i dont get login errors, i can play it fine but the progression doesnt seem like its working so i dont feel like playing right now because of that. any eta for possible fix? too lazy to ready that postwall.

[Karma]

Thanks for the update. Love you guys, im sure you'll make it!

[The_Dapperstache]

Originally posted by Thurisaz:

I've had good results with EMC clustering, not so much with Netapp. Dell is alright. I'd avoid IBM/Lenovo and HP as if they had the Ebolacanceraids.

What hardware and clustering software are you guys using?

I read that at first as electrocannabinoids. First thought was where to sign up.

[KounterFIT]

Originally posted by Rekkinator:

fıx the game OMG

You are a fool.

[The_Dapperstache]

Originally posted by lostboy2of7:

Hey Dev, my right stick wont work on my xbox controller on the pc version. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

You need to use the thumbstick retractor tool.