I have decided to temporarily freeze the main Genesis PW server. This will happen on the night of October 31 to November 1, at exactly 00:00. First, the most important thing: your characters are not at risk. After the shutdown I will make full backups of every single database, and all your progress will be safely stored.
What keeps working
The main server goes into sleep mode, but the test server will stay open. You will still be able to log in there, follow the development progress and test new mechanics.
- Test server. Stays open.
- Player dashboard. Will be switched off.
- Donations. I will keep accepting them in some form, in case you want to support the project.
Why this is happening
I will be straight with you. Right now the online count is small, and the server does not pay for itself. Monthly upkeep costs me about 200 dollars: rent for the main hardware, extra nodes to get around the Russian internet blocks (RKN) and the payment for the player dashboard. The server consistently runs at a loss.
To cut costs, I have already cancelled one of my AI subscriptions worth 240 dollars and switched to saving mode. I need to break this vicious circle: when online drops, donations shrink, and I run into huge tasks that cannot be done both quickly and well.
Development, plans and real life
I need to pay for housing, food and those same AI tools. That is why I am now working in parallel on a second project (which I am paid for) and taking outside orders. It is the only way to become financially independent and keep developing calmly, without worrying about whether the server pays off.
I am tired of classic Perfect World servers. In theory I could cram my work into a standard classic server and try to ride on that, but it simply does not interest me. I want to make something truly new for the game. But unique modes take an enormous amount of time and effort.
For example, right now I am finishing a very complex AI system for the Aurora Arena. The bots can already use absolutely all skills (levels 1 to 11, including the Paths of Hell and Heaven). Now I am tuning their logic so that they chain old and new skills properly. Most likely you will get one more update before the main server shuts down: the Arena will get a full choice between Hell and Heaven skills, and the bots will learn to use them too.
The browser farm and resource transfer
In parallel, work continues on the browser farm (based on the in-game home system). It is going slowly, because in scope it is comparable to a separate full game.
In the future this farm may become an extra source of income for me: there are plans to finish it and release it on the App Store, Google Play and other platforms, so that people can play and support the project that way. But my main and original idea still stands: I want you to be able to play from your phone or browser and transfer the resources you gather there directly to your character in the real game. I think that over time I will be able to build this link.
Freezing the project does not mean closing it. It is a necessary tactical pause: I need time and resources to finish what I started without financial pressure. Thank you to everyone who plays and supports us. Stay tuned, the work goes on!