Hey all,

 

For those interested in knowing what were in previous development blogs before alpha. Keep in mind that Astral was written from scratch hence why our dev notes reflect very basic implementation. Here is a very shortened (tl;dr friendly archive) of these development blogs:

Development Blog 1: Networking & Login
Description: Initial development of a custom MapleStory server source built entirely from scratch, focusing on the essential communication bridge between the client and the server.

Key Milestones:

• Packet Handling: Implemented encryption and decryption protocols for secure client-server data exchange.
• Core Architecture: Developed the foundational Login and World servers.
• Account Systems: Established basic account handling and connection management.

 

Dev Blog 2: Login, Character & Channel
Description: Focused on expanding the login server and defining the core data structures for characters and inventories.

Key Milestones:

• Character: Defined character data structures and implementing login packets
• Character and Skill Data: Implemented loading systems for skill and character data.
• Inventory Basics: Developed initial barebones code for items, inventories, and equipment.
• RNG Logic: Integrated the official Nexon RNG algorithm to ensure accurate damage calculations and anti-cheat verification.

 

Dev Blog 3: Data Loading
Description: Successfully got ingame!

Key Milestones:

• Reached ingame: Completed character creation for Adventurer and was able to reach ingame without any real logic yet such as skills, etc.
• Quest Data: Implemented the loading of quest data but no actual handling of quests yet.
• Map Data: Implemented loading of map data.
• Reactor/Monster/NPC spawning: Begun work on spawning reactors, monsters and NPCs

 

Dev Blog 4: Spawning
Description: Spawning of reactors, monsters and NPCs complete.

Key Milestones:

• Map Objects: Implemented the code for characters, reactors, mobs, and NPCs.
• Reactor/Monster/NPC spawning: Fully implemented spawning  for monsters, reactors, and NPCs.
• NPC Movement: NPCs can now move and do their animations and have chat bubbles.
• Movement: Started the implementation of player movement

 

Dev Blog 5: Multiplayer Movement & Fundamentals
Description: Successfully enabled multiplayer functionality, allowing players to interact and see each other.
Key Milestones:

• Multiplayer: Players can now see each other and change maps together.
• Core Interaction: Implemented general chat, player emoting, and map chair functionality.
• Character Saving: Fully implemented character saving and stat calculation systems.
• Command System: Established command handling, including GM tools and player stat commands (@str, @dex, etc.).
• Stat Calculation: Added loading for item set effects and local stat calculations from equipment.

 

Dev Blog 6: Inventory & Skills

Description: Focused on the logic behind inventory management and character stat recalculation.

Key Milestones:

• Stat Calculation: Finished the recalculation system for passive skills, buffs, and local equipment stats.
• Inventory Logic: Implemented item dropping, swapping slots, and unequipped item handling
• More Item Loading: Added support for scrolls, mastery books, skill books, and item-based buffs.
• Saving: Implemented periodic saving for equipment and items to prevent rollbacks

 

Dev Blog 7: Equips, Buffs & Monster Movement
Description: Significant progress made on player buffs, monster movement and attacks, and core inventory mechanics.  

Key Milestones:

• Buff System: Implemented various buffs (self buffs and party buffs)
• Mob Movement and Attacking: Fully implemented monster movement and monster attacks.
• Inventory & Equips: Added functionality for equipping items, item merging, and loading non-equipment inventory categories.
• Quality of Life Change: Removed the Nimble Feet skill and increased the base character movement speed.
• General Features: Added passive HP/MP recovery, chairs, and expanded GM debugging commands

 

Dev Blog 8: Attacking/Killing Monsters & Scripting Engine
Description: A major progress milestone introducing combat mechanics, mob loot systems, and the implementation of the NPC scripting engine.

Key Milestones:

• Player attacks: Fully implemented melee, ranged, and magic attacks, including 100% accurate third-party criticals.
• Mob Mechanics: Enabled EXP distribution, monster respawning, and drops expiring over time on the map
• Scripting Engine: Implemented the NPC scripting engine with support for taxis.
• NPC Shop: First NPC shop was Perion Potion NPC. Throwing stars can be recharged in any shop.
• Basic Game Mechanics: Implemented key mapping, auto-assign AP, channel changing, and skill cooldowns.
• Technical Fixes: Resolved multiple deadlocks, bundled item bugs, and patched various v95 client-side bugs that Nexon made and GM checks

 

Dev Blog 9: Skills/Items & Quests
Description: Expanded the combat and questing systems and implemented a few quality of life improvement changes.

Key Milestones:

• Item & Buff Systems: Implemented potions and use-item buffs. Debuffs (stuns/freezes) and stackable Damage over Time (DoT) are now functional on monsters.
• Quest System: Implemented the quest system including completion checks and rewards for EXP and mesos.
• Summon Mechanics: Implemented the basic logic for summons, including movement and attack logic.
• Gender Neutral Items: Updated the client to allow all clothing items to be worn by both genders.
• Quality of Life Changes: Increased climbing speed from 3.0 to 4.0 (faster climb speed) and updated charge-skill mechanics to allow for mid-air use and movement while charging.
• Bug Fixes: Resolved equipment parsing issues and fixed item drop positioning on ladders and ropes.

 

Dev Blog 10: Skills, Quests & Quality of Life
Description: Tons of progres was made in completing the questing engine. Nearly all Adventurer skills are working, and significant client-side combat refinements.

Key Milestones:

• Quest & Scripting: Completed the full questing system (WZ and scripted quests) and implemented map and portal scripts.
• Skill Implementation: 95% of Adventurer skills are now functional, including 4th job skills and a revamped RNG algorithm.
• NPC shops and Updated Drop Table: Fully implemented Victoria Island NPC shops and functional reactors with v83-based drop tables.
• Quality of Life Change: Enabled teleport-while-jumping, melee-range ranged attacks
• Skill Rebalance: Updated the Battleship durability formula from 
  900 * skillLevel + (characterLevel * 100)
  
  to:
  
  300 * characterLevel + 500 * (skillLevel - 72)
• Quality of Life Change: Removed mob requirements for Rush/Backspin Blow
• Quality of Life Change: Increased Recoil Shot distance from 250 pixels to 400 pixels.
• Misc Change: Lowered minimum name length to 2 characters.
• Infrastructure: Dockerized the server for streamlined deployment and improved debugging with new GM commands.

 

Dev Blog 11: Scrolling System, Mob Skills, etc
Description: Implemented key systems for interacting with players and implemented the game's scrolling mechanics and monster skills.

Key Milestones:

• Party System: Implemented party creation, invites, switch party leaders, kicking party members, etc
• Scrolling & Small Scrolling Rework: Fully implemented the scrolling system. White Scrolls have been removed, and Chaos Scrolls were re-adapted to work only on accessories with a 0–3 stat range.
• Mob Skills: Fully implemented monster skill logic and abilities.
• Damage Calculation: Established basic damage calculations, including the foundation for Damage over Time (DoT).
• Buddy System: Implemented the buddy system, including buddy requests and login notifications.
• Job Advancements: Completed 1st and 2nd job advancement scripts for all Adventurers.

 

Dev Blog 12: Closed Testing Readiness
Description: Finalized a lot of core systems to the game and job advancements while shifting into a heavy "bug bashing" phase to support the launch of internal testing

Key Milestones:

• Core Systems and Job Advancements: Fully implemented Parties, Buddies, and 3rd/4th Job Advancements for all Adventurers.
• NPC shops in All Major Towns: Integrated NPC shops for all major towns.
• Area Bosses: Implemented spawning for area bosses.
• Trading and Fame System: Enabled player trading and the Fame system.
• Free Market Portal: Implemented a "previous location" save for the Free Market.
• Various Portal Updates: Added various portal scripts (Silent Swamp, Balrog Temple, etc.).
• Passive Skills and Morph Skills: Fixed booster skills, implemented Brawler's MP Recovery, and enabled player-morphing items.
• Quests: Added Jump Quests (Forest of Endurance/Tenacity), Ninja Castle entry, and the Mushroom Kingdom questline.
• Technical Polish: Integrated a database change management system.
• Bug Fixes: Fixed mob projectile crashes, and adjusted magic accuracy/avoid calculations.

 

Dev Blog 13: Guilds, Cash Shop, Pets, Instanced Maps & Bug Fixes
Description: A massive progress month finalizing essential social systems, cash shop functionality, and critical combat bug fixes.  
Key Milestones:

• Guild System: Implemented guilds (guild creation, inviting, kicking, expanding, etc).
• Cash Shop: Implemented the basics of Cash Shop (buying, inventory movement, and equipping).
• Pet System: Fully implemented pets (excluding evolving pets) and multi-pets.
• Quality of Life Change: All pets now do not need Meso Magnet and Item Pouch. They will pick up mesos and items by themselves.
• Instanced Maps: Developed the foundation for instanced maps, enabling Mini Dungeons and 3rd Job advancement trials.
• Skill Implementation and Fixes: Fixed several skills including Focus, Grenade DoT, Heal, Dispel, and Battleship.
• Quality of Life Change: Enabled jump-shooting for bows and crossbows.
• General Mechanics: Implemented death EXP penalties, debuff-curing potions (All Cure/Holy Water), and Mastery Books.
• Bug Fixes: Resolved issues with 4th job SP gains, Goby triggering autoban, and visual issues with party buffs

 

Dev Blog 14: Drops, Skill Quests & Bug Bash
Description: Focused on a major data rework for game drops and the completion of 4th job skill quests alongside major fixes.

Key Milestones:

• Drop Table Rework: Overhauled the drop system using a mix of data sources to ensure a more complete and accurate GMS-like experience.
• 4th Job Skill Quests: Fully implemented all 4th job skill quests for all available classes.
• Skill Fixes: Implemented Time Leap, Mystic Door, and Dark Flare. Fixed issues with Energy Charge, Shadow Stars, and Meso Explosion.
• Evolving Pet System: Implemented Evolving Pets, including the Dragon and Robo lines.
• Cosmetics: Added hair, face, and eye stylists to major towns.
• Technical Bug Fixes: Resolved a packet issue from Meso Explosion, fixed a packet buffer bug that broke characters, and a bug that caused players to get stuck at the character selection screen.
• Quality of Life Change: Changed minimum speed cap from 2 to 0.
• Skill Rebalance/Quality of Life Change: Potions can now be used while "key down" skills (e.g: Hurricane) are active
• Skill Rebalance/Quality of Life Change: Hurricane will no longer be cancelled when you get hit
• Skill Rebalance/Quality of Life Change: Transformation/Super Transformation now take into account of attack speed.
• Skill Balance/Quality of Life Change: Newly spawned mobs now also chase puppets.
• Misc: Changed max password length to 32
• Misc: Fixed some UI positioning

 

Dev Blog 15: First Time Together, Bug Bash and Storage
Description: Focused on Kerning PQ and party play following successful community testing, alongside the implementation of the storage system and major boss fights.  

Key Milestones:

• Party Play & PQs: Fully implemented the Kerning City Party Quest (KPQ) and established party-wide quest kill counting and EXP/Meso distribution.
• Storage System: Implemented account storage and all associated NPCs, including logic to handle meso overflows and "one-of-a-kind" items.
• Bossing & Instances: Implemented the Papulatus boss fight and fixed respawn timers for area bosses like Pianus, Manon, and Griffey.
• Quality of Life Change: All pets by default now loot at a further range, can look forward, and can pick up drops that weren't originally yours. There is no longer a need for Binoculars, Wing Boots, or Magic Scale
• Skill Fixes: Fixed Advanced Charge disconnects, corrected Power Guard/Mana Reflection damage
• Skill Rebalance/Quality of Life Change: Reduced Final Attack delay to 60ms.
• Travel NPCs: Added Danger Zone Taxis, Camel Cabs, and NLC Taxis.
• Bug Fixes: Resolved the "pet rollback" bug, fixed dark scrolls not destroying items, and fixed various packet issues and quest-related crashes.

 

Dev Blog 16: Patching, Pet Tiredness & Bug Bashing
Description: Patches are now distributed through the Astral patcher. Implemented some pet systems and a massive bug bash of quest-related bugs.  

Key Milestones:

• Game Patcher: Released the first version of the Astral patcher to allow for seamless client updates and content distribution.
• Pet Systems: Fully implemented Pet Closeness, Tiredness, and feeding mechanics (including Cash Shop pet food) for all pet types. Successfully implemented Alcaster’s shop and various reward-opening scripts (Hongbu/Nolbu's Gourds).
• Quest Item Fixes: Updated and added dozens of missing quest-related drops (Plant Samples, Fossils, Witchgrass Leaves, etc.) across the world.
• Bug Fix: Fixed reactor item ownership so players can instantly loot items from broken boxes/reactors.
• Area Bosses & Portal Fix: Enabled spawning for Faust, Nine-Tailed Fox, and King Goblins; added a missing portal script to allow progression through Temple of Time.

 

Dev Blog 17: Expeditions, Zakum & Aran
Description: Introduced the expansive Expedition system for bossing and successfully launched the Aran class with custom balance adjustments.

Key Milestones:

• Expedition System: You can now create expeditions, invite other players and manage the parties in the expedition.
• Zakum Expedition: Launched the first functional expedition!
• Aran Class: Released the Aran job with 1st through 4th job advancements and over 60 associated scripts.
• Skill Rebalance/Quality of Life Change: Increased the combo degradation timer from 5 to 12 seconds
• Skill Balance/Quality of Life Change: Combo-consuming skills to no longer reset the counter to zero.
• Global Drops: NX cards drop globally from monsters. Chaos Scrolls also drops globally but chance vary depending on monster level and character level.
• Inventory Merging/Sorting: Added Inventory Merge & Sort functionality and implemented a location-tracking feature for quest mob drops.
• Skill Fixes: Corrected mechanics for Achilles, Power Stance, Sacrifice, and Dragon Roar.

 

Dev Blog 18: Questing Experience & Hurdles
Description: Focused on a massive rebalance of the questing experience and the implementation of character scaling systems to keep early-game content relevant.  

Key Milestones:

• Quest EXP Overhaul: Quests no longer suck! Improved the EXP rewards for over 600+ quests.
• Party Quest Scaling: Implemented a stat-scaling system, allowing high-level players to participate in KPQ by automatically adjusting their stats to level 30.
• Aran Progress: Completed 80% of Aran skill quests (up to level 57) and fixed bugs related to Polearm Booster and the Aran tutorial scaling.
• Notes System: Fully implemented the Notes system.
• NPCs: Implemented crafting NPCs (Arwen and Francois), Singapore/Malaysia transportation
• Patcher Improvement: Added a progress bar to the patcher when it is checking for new files.
• Technical Fixes: Resolved Expedition party-switching bugs and updated Pickpocket mesos to prevent pet looting for better balance.

 

Dev Blog 19: Rings & Aran Skill Quests
Description: Completed rings system and finalized the extensive scripting required for the Aran class.

Key Milestones:

• Ring System: Fully implemented player rings, including prerequisite sysetms such as gifting and notes.
• Aran Completion: Finalized all remaining Aran skill quests, completing the class's quest-based progression.
• Bug Fixes: Ironed out various minor issues and improved server stability following the large-scale system updates.

 

Dev Blog 20: Evan
Description: Implemented Evan!

Key Milestones:

• Evan Class Launch: Successfully implemented Evan, including unique skills like Soul Stone and Dragon Fury.
• Massive Scripting Implementation: Completed the entire Evan questline, involving over 100 new scripts for portals, NPCs, maps, and quests.
• Quest System Upgrades: Updated the quest engine to support remote completion (lightbulb), as well as SP and Fame rewards.
• SP Logic: Overhauled the SP allocation system for all jobs to ensure compatibility with extended SP tables.
• Resistance Foundation: Commenced early development on Resistance tutorial scripts to prepare for future class releases.
• Bug Fixes: Resolved issues with beginner SP allocation and remote quest handling.

 

Dev Blog 21: Scrolling System Rework & Orbis PQ
Description: Delivered a massive overhaul of the scrolling system to streamline equipment progression and completed the Orbis Party Quest.

Key Milestones:

• Major Scrolling Rework: Generalized all scrolls into three primary categories: Weapon, Armor (Hat/Top/Bottom/Gloves/Shoes), and Accessory (Cape/Belt/Face/Ring/etc). Removed 10% and 60% scrolls, and replaced them with 30% and 70% variants respectively.
• No Clean Slate Scroll, White Scroll and Dark Scroll: Completely removed Clean Slate, White, and Dark Scrolls to simplify the gear-enhancing process.
• Scrolls Global Drop: Implemented a level-based global drop system for scrolls; specific monsters no longer drop specific scrolls. Higher-level monsters drop scrolls at a higher chance.
• Boss Rewards: Added 30% scrolls as guaranteed drops from bosses on top of the global drop system.
• Orbis PQ: Fully implemented the Orbis Party Quest mechanics and rewards.
• Quests Update: Updated all existing quests to reward the new generalized scrolls

 

Dev Blog 22: Player Shops & Mob Scripting
Description: Implemented player shops, pipelining for Hired Hired Merchant, and building the pipelining for scripting monsters.

Key Milestones:

• Player Shops: Fully implemented the player shop system.
• Hired Merchants: Completed a majority of the Hired Merchant framework; the system is currently disabled while the final implementation is polished.
• Mob Scripting System: Developed a new mob scripting serving as precursor for bosses like Horntail
• Server Stability/Bug Fixes: Continued server stability improvements and minor bug fixes.

 

Dev Blog 23: Mob Bugs & Hired Merchants
Description: Wrapped up Hired Merchants and mostly wrapped up Horntail.   

Key Milestones:

• Hired Merchants: Fully implemented Hired Merchants and Fredrick.
• Horntail: Reached the final stages of Horntail PQ development.

 

Dev Blog 24: Cash Packages, Major Client Update & Misc
Description: Started the new year by implementing the majority of Cash Shop items, implementing a major client architecture update, and refining skill balances.

Key Milestones:

• Cash Shop Overhaul: Implemented buying and gifting for Cash Packages. Removed various items including Gachapon tickets, Scissors of Karma, Vicious Hammers, 2x coupons, and Mastery Books to align with server progression goals.
• Major Client Update: Updated core client structures to support future custom UIs and content. This update also disabled Dual Blade, Cygnus, and Resistance from character creation.
• Social & Community: Successfully implemented World Chat, Megaphones, and various Messenger items.
• Cash Items: Added functionality for AP/SP resets, Safety Charms, morph items (Oinker’s Delight), and weather items.
• Shops & NPCs: Rien merchants (Puno/Puri Puri) and storage NPC Mr. Lee.
• Quality of Life & Skill Rebalances:
  • General: Removed Nimble Feet and its variants (Legend/Evan/Citizen).
  • Thief/Night Lord: Adjusted Lucky 7 (130%–236%) and Triple Throw (226%–347%) damage percentages following the removal of the LUK-based client formula.
• Equipment Update: Nerfed Demon hats to +6 primary stat/5 slots and removed stats from the Aura Ring.
• Bug Fix: Resolved a bug where pets could fall off the map during map transitions.

 

Dev Blog 25: Open Alpha Readiness
Description: Finalized our checklist and reviewed playe shops/merchants to prepare for the Open Alpha launch.  

Key Milestones:

• Shop Distance Checks: Implemented distance checks for Hired Merchants and player shops to prevent crowding near portals.
• Player Shop/Merchant Fixes: Fixed concurrency and overflow bugs.
• Anti-Squatting Measures: Hired Merchants now automatically close after 24 hours to ensure fair access to Free Market spots.
• Shop Fixes: Added logic to prevent opening empty shops and implemented automatic closure once a shop is sold out.
• Drop Table Cleanup: Removed unused and outdated scrolls from the global drop table to align with the new scrolling system.
• Bug Fix: Resolved a server hang issue during shutdowns.
• Stuff for GMs: implemented essential GM skills for community management.
• Infrastructure Progress: Completed the foundation for the game website, Single Sign-On (SSO) integration, and production server hosting.