First, thanks to all of you dedicated Alganon fans for sticking around all these years. You were the primary reason that I fought to save - and subsequently purchased - the project. I believed that it was worth saving. So, thanks for that. At the end of the day, it's all about the numbers.

So, what has been going since my last update of August 2022? A heck of a lot. Most of it just boring stuff, really.

Though Alganon isn't as old as many of your favorite MMO games out there, as you all know, the visuals (last updated for the 2015 expansion pack) are getting rather long in the tooth. Not to mention the custom game engine which was built with a now deprecated third-party engine. The game was originally built on the low-fi visuals end of the scale in order for it to run well on its target platforms. As you all know, it did that well enough that performance was never an issue.

I have been sitting on Alganon since my studio purchased it some years back; and although my original plan was to do an international sub-license (or collab sale) deal which would bring it back bigger and better worldwide (the game was never released outside of North America), I never came across a deal that I liked. Then the pandemic happened, and everything went sideways. And so, it was once again on ice.

In the months following my previous update, a lot of work has been done; not only in terms of server upgrades and maintenance - some of which are still ongoing - but we also moved everything to a new datacenter that's closer and more accessible. And through several months of toiling, weeks away from home (datacenter trips to the middle of nowhere aren't fun - ever) etc. we managed to bring the Alganon server hardware back online.

Then the real fun started because for a time after the servers were back up, nothing worked. Like - at all. Aside from the datacenter shenanigans, one in which we showed up to wire up (after the racking from prior visits) only to find out that our racks literally had no power though the work order had already been closed as "ready". Then there was that time we found out that our legacy equipment wasn't compatible with the fiber connectivity at the datacenter - and they didn't have any support for legacy hookups. Yep, you guessed it. We had to order those parts, wait for them to be shipped, go back to the datacenter....only to find that it didn't actually work. Oh, and the many runs to local outlets to source out much-needed materials. Luckily, between us the rag-tag team and the fine folks at TTP[techtradingpartners.com] who were invaluable to us during the transition, everything worked out.

Once we got the servers back up, upgraded (several retired and e-wasted) etc, configuring Alganon and its many services and databases for the new configuration, IP addresses (trust me, fiddling with legacy BGP settings is alchemy) and all that boring stuff, had its own share of drama.

Once we got through all that and things stabilized, Alganon was running again. Then we started on the critical aspects of the rebirth: updating the code base. For one thing, Alganon was developed with a legacy version of Visual Studio and various other tools (and some middleware). And so, that work started because long-term plans required that the entire code base and associated tools be updated. And that work isn't about adding new features, bug fixes or anything of the sort - because we're not doing that at this point in the process.

I could go on and on, but then this would end up being a technical and boring update.

Alganon has been back up and running internally for several months now; and that's why you can once again access your account details via the MyAlganon[www.myalganon.com] web portal. In fact, the only issue (server side) that we had to resolve was related to Keeps sometimes crashing the server during dB updates and subsequently creating a login issue.

So, as you can imagine, doing updates about stuff like this and which aren't actually game-play related, is a pointless and time-wasting venture. But here I am - doing just that. On a Friday. ːsteammockingː

In the "fun stuff" dept, the long-term goal is to continue doing minor backend and client updates to Alganon, redo (where needed) the art assets, improve on the graphics engine pipeline where most needed, do another expansion pack (which, as before, will have all the bells and whistles), and devise a re-release plan that benefits the game as well as ensure continued funding for its live ops.

And yes, I do have a timeline, but I'm not inclined to share that yet. But as I stated in my previous update, the re-release will be a staggered one tagged as alpha, beta etc. until everything in my roadmap is completed and tagged as a final release.

Until next time, I will leave you with this narrated 20-minute video created last month. We plan on not only doing a full-blown tutorial (written and video) for the game, but also similar videos showcasing the many facets and features of the game. This will also include videos of the progress being made as the visual improvements progress. And don't forget that Alganon now also has a dedicated Discord channel[discord.gg] where most of the news and feedback will be conducted as things progress.

Alganon will be back. It's ready when it's ready; but right now, it's not ready.

This is going to be short and sweet.

After many long years being off-line, Alganon is back online. Well, sort of.

Long story short, after Quest Online was acquired by 3000AD[qol.com] and taken off-line shortly after the deal closed, the plan was to migrate it to a new datacenter, consolidate the servers while e-wasting legacy servers no longer in use etc.

Due to the costs and planning involved, I never intended to bring it back online in its original state. Instead, I was working on various partnership deals which would not only bring the game back online, but also help us transition from bare-metal servers to cloud servers, release the game worldwide (it was only ever released in North America) with localized (a LOT of work for an MMO) assets, do some marketing etc. We also planned visual upgrades to prominent art assets; some of which we had previously done in the expansion pack released in 2015.

For one reason or another none of the deals panned out. And so, without re-releasing it I have been working through various scenarios while pondering on next steps - short of selling it outright to a third-party that can do all the things that I wanted to do with it - and relaunch it.

In 2021, an opportunity came along which ignited some ideas on forging a path forward for Alganon.

While I can't yet divulge the nature of the path forward, I can safely say that in the coming months the game will once again be available publicly - but in a staggered release format. This means that it won't be a wide release, but instead be based on an invite-only process at various stages until the work is completed and the final release goes wide.

There will be a server wipe of all characters and stats, though we will retain legacy accounts. The reason for this is to prevent legacy players from having an advantage over gamers new to Alganon. That said, we plan to compensate (in-game Tribute tokens) those legacy players based on the value and quality of their characters and assets.

Leading up to the initial phase of the re-release, we will also be inviting experienced (based on play time, characters etc) Alganon players to be in-game community GMs in order to help new players ease into the game and become familiar with it.

For now, the Alganon store page here on Steam is back online, but purchases are disabled. Also, you cannot login to the game because the legacy client will not be able to connect to the updated build that's now running on migrated servers at the new datacenter.

You can also now login to the game db via MyAlganon[www.myalganon.com] to view your character stats, as well as catch-up on all the game info, news etc. You can login using either your legacy account or Steam (do not enter user/password when using this method!). As things progress with the re-release, those areas of the website will be updated and populated with current news about our progress.

That is all for now. Welcome back!

This is just a follow-up to my post in the forum. Seeing as there are now some news outlets[mmofallout.com] picking up on my latest advisory, I figured I should issue another official statement - I guess.

The thing with MMO games is that you can't just turn off the switch, move it, then plug it all back in. Plus, with Alganon, there are other things that need to be sorted out.

I used gamigo (in my forum post) for a specific reason because it's the latest such acquisition (they bought Trion Worlds - who were insolvent - via an assignment for the benefit of creditors deal) whereby everything remains "in place" and it's business as usual. There's basically nothing to transfer, transition etc.

In the case of Alganon, aside from the fact that it was never deployed outside of the US, was never localized, doesn't support cloud servers etc, it's a massive undertaking to transition. I bought it from the investors because, like all my games, my goal is to bring it back online and keep it going until the wheels come off because it can pay for itself in the long term.

The biggest challenge is that you can't just launch an MMO game these days. It's a lot more challenging, astoundingly costly, and without marketing you're just asking for trouble while delaying the inevitable. It's why I chose not to relaunch it myself; but instead seek out international partners so that it can be re-launched in key territories, marketed appropriately etc - and with much fanfare. And through all that, we can also do some cosmetic revisions over time because some of the visual assets do need some minor updating.

Being a 100% completed game (we finished it back in 2011 after I took it over in 2010; and I also funded a large expansion pack, got it on Steam etc few years later) that is basically a hands-off SaaS model, it's not like I have a massive overheard to operate and run it. I could bring it online in a matter of days if I wanted to; but there is no rush or incentive to do so. Especially since there are lots of moving parts involved with the process. Not to mention the fact that it was still running on legacy bare-metal Dell hardware (datacenter co-lo) that was procured back in 2006 (!!) - long before my involvement in the project.

FYI. At the time I took it offline, the game had about 250K unique accounts, and a pretty decent DAU/MAU. Sure it wasn't lighting up charts, bank accounts or anything, but it was doing OK - considering that it was at the stage where we barely touched it, except to reboot the master/auth servers once in awhile. But, like SoTA and similar games, it had a dedicated user base.

And also, we didn't have enough of an involvement in terms of team community engagement due to lack of resources (mostly funding; since I don't have the luxury of spending other peoples money) to go "big".

Alganon will be back. Eventually.

We're undergoing server maintenance & migration. The servers will be off-line until completed.

We will post an update soon.

To prevent new people from buying the game and being unable to connect, we will be disabling the store page temporarily.

UPDATE: 01/02/2018

Nothing new to report for now. Will keep you all posted.

UPDATE: 01/16/2018

It's a F2P game. The store page is no longer up. Like all other MMO games that were sunset, if we were doing that, we would say so.

It WILL be back as soon as we are done with the on-going process. It's not as simple as unplugging a machine, moving it, then plugging it back in and turning on the power.

The biggest issue is that most of the servers are old (going back to 2006), some were dead, need maintenance, running older versions of Windows Server etc. Then there's inventory.

There are other business related issues which are also a part of this on-going process. e.g. though not announced yet, my company 3000AD which took over and has been operating the game since 2010, now owns QOL as well as the game, having bought out the majority investors of Quest Online. The ink on the deal has barely dried.

Alganon will be back with new servers at a new datacenter where 3000AD hosts its titles, instead of where QOL has hosted it since 2006. And we're also planning on releasing in other territories, as well as doing some marketing, and possibly an RTS game similar to what we did with our multi-platform game, Line Of Defense Tactics.

The game was never as popular as we wanted, but we thank you all the fans who have been playing it these past years, as you are the reason that it was never shutdown in the first place due to low population.

Be patient.

If you haven't checked out the latest DLC, now would be a good time to check it out.

It is also available at a 50% off discount for a limited time only.

More updates coming soon to fix some minor bugs and nagging issues.

We are in the process of implementing Steam Wallet in order to satisfy the Steam requirements for micro-transactions.

As a result, we have disabled the ability to buy items from the Tribute Market via our Xsolla backend.

You can still spend your existing Tribute, but you can't buy anymore until we complete the implementation next week.

Once the implementation is complete, you will be able to use your Steam Wallet to make purchases via the Tribute Market.

If you have a non-Steam Alganon account which you never converted, please contact us at support@qol.com

We are working on various reported issues[www.alganon.com], and will be releasing periodic patches as things progress, rather than waiting to do one big patch.

So today's minor release includes the following. Full changelog[www.myalganon.com].

• Fireball's splash damage now correctly hits nearby enemies
  
• An attack power stacking exploit with the Warden's Ferocity skill has been fixed
  
• In certain situations battle damage was applied to equipped gear when dying from a fall. This now applies the correct PvE damage
  
• Shorax in Warfiend Karr no longer heals to full when taking damage. Players will still find this fight a challenge but without the near endless boss heals

Yes - we're well aware of various server issues and we're working on them. This includes progressive lag, as well as occasional crashes resulting in disconnects. We do have the server on auto-restart rotation atm, so expect disruptions from time to time, as we work through this.

Thanks for your patience.

We are working on various reported issues[www.alganon.com], and will be releasing periodic patches as things progress, rather than waiting to do one big patch.

So today's minor release includes the following. Full changelog[www.myalganon.com].

• The Magus' Fireball action now casts correctly after learning it
  
• The /random command now works correctly when in a party
  
• Several enemy types that were showing as neutral (yellow) now correctly show as aggressive (red)
  
• Various high-level profession recipes are now added to the correct category when learned

Yes - we're well aware of various server issues and we're working on them. This includes progressive lag, as well as occassional crashes resulting in disconnects. We do have the server on auto-restart rotatation atm, so expect disruptions from time to time, as we work through this.

Thanks for your patience.


Note that if you do a Steam refund, when you log back into the game, you will lose access to ALL features you had when you owned it. This includes loss of character (Ranger), as well as any items that you bought and which are tied to the expansion. So be aware of this.

Today at 3pm EDT/12pm PDT, Padreic and Parilis will be accompanying Beau Hindman from MMORPG.com while he checks out Alganon.

We'll be looking at some of the content included in the Rise of the Ourobani expansion, discussing the game and answering questions.

Beau will also have some keys for the expansion pack to give away!

For more information about Beau, you can visit his Twitter account or tune in to the stream on MMORPG[www.mmorpg.com]

Hope to see our wonderful community there!

UPDATE

YouTube video of today's TwitchTV stream is now online

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as7oUD69o-U&feature=youtu.be