Armello (tuxdb.com)

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Progress Update on Network Upgrade & Crossplay Beta

Hey Armellians! Trent Kusters here, studio and production director at League of Geeks. First things first, if you missed it, we just pushed a small patch live that should fix multiplayer issues for the vast majority of Steam players, as well as restore Daily Chest functionality. You can find the patch notes here. Alright, so back at the end of Feb we informed you that some multiplayer functionality would be offline while we engaged in the final part of a major upgrade of Armello's multiplayer architecture. We said at the time we didn't know how long it would take, and whilst we're proud we've managed to keep public multiplayer and crossplay live the entire time (which is no small feat!), we had no idea we'd be here 10 weeks later still working at bringing private multiplayer back online for a bunch of you. Some of you have rightfully asked what's going on, and as always, we're an open book. So if you're not interested in the (very detailed) explanation of what's going on and where this upgrade is at, the TLDR is simply...

We're sorry we haven't communicated more with you. We should have.
We did not choose to do this upgrade, but we must (at great financial loss) in order to keep Armello multiplayer online for as far into the future as possible.
Crossplay needs all platforms to be in sync to work, and Switch is stuck in Nintendo's certification process, holding everything up.
To avoid this hold up, we've chosen to pivot strategy to just pushing platforms live as they're ready with their own multiplayer fixes, which will disrupt crossplay, but get private multiplayer back online faster for each platform. We'll then do a sweep updating all platforms so that they're back in sync and we can turn crossplay back on.
Our multiplayer service provider has chosen not to support party functionality for Mac OSX and Linux in the new version we're forced to upgrade to. We're investigating solutions and will update our Mac/Linux players when we know more.
We're close to finishing the network upgrade. Everything could be resolved in a couple of weeks. But the nature of crossplay means to finish this upgrade, we are at the mercy of all platform holders' certification processes.
I'll be providing short, weekly updates on the progress of the network upgrade moving forward.

That's it. Now, for those of you sickos like me that love the gory development details, let's gooooo...

What is the current state of multiplayer functionality?

Great question.

On Windows, Public and Private multiplayer functionality is currently live and stable. Though Crossplay with consoles is temporarily disabled, and you will not be able to Party Up with friends on Mac OSX and Linux due to current issues from those platforms (see below).
On Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Mac OSX and Linux, forming Parties and Private Multiplayer games are currently unavailable. Public matchmaking on your own is still available. Crossplay is still available between console platforms.
Meanwhile, across all platforms, all features (including; login, inventory management, progress saving, singleplayer games, item drops, etc) have remained live and stable.

Note: Rejoin functionality is currently offline across all platforms while the network upgrade is in progress.

I see people talking about multiplayer issues, but multiplayer works fine for me. What's happening?

Yep. For the vast majority of Steam players (over 96% of you actually), you're unlikely to see any issues with multiplayer right now (other than 'Rejoin' currently being offline). But as you can see for our friends on console, Mac OSX and Linux, Private Multiplayer and Party functionality remains offline.

Okay, so why is this network upgrade taking so long? Where are we at?

I know the time this network upgrade has taken is less than ideal (to put it lightly). We, like you, are extremely frustrated. To understand why it's taken so long there are a few crucial pieces of info about how both crossplay development, and build certification, work for different platforms that will assist you in understanding. Crossplay Development [olist]

For crossplay to function, each platform needs to be pointing to the same server 'version number'.

Whenever we make changes deep enough in the serverside code for any platform (which is obviously the exact type of changes we're making right now) we need to increment the server version number.

Which then means we have to update each platform to point to the new server version number, even if the serverside changes were for an issue not present on all platforms.

Once that's done, we then have to then publish all the new, updated builds live at the same time for crossplay to continue working. [/olist] As you can imagine, the above requires some intense release management coordination, This is a daunting undertaking for any studio. Still, we're capable of managing this. Build Certification Across Different Platforms [olist]

All platforms (i.e., Steam, Xbox, the App Store, etc) have their own submission and certification guidelines and processes for publishing content/patches/updates. You may have heard these referred to before as "lotcheck" or "cert".

Some cert processes are slower or more intensive than others, and all have differing degrees of autonomy entrusted to us as developers.

On Steam we can just push builds live ourselves, immediately, at any time. Because we're already live and have gone through their main cert process, Xbox and PlayStation permit us to do rapid patches that can go live in less than 24 hours. And Nintendo takes about 4-7 days to return results on a submission, because they personally test them all. Even small patches.[/olist] For this reason, we led first on Switch so that a) we were utilising Nintendo's testers as well as our own to ensure a higher quality release, and b) Nintendo had the longest lead time, so we could use the time we were waiting for Nintendo to go through cert in order to then roll those updates across to the other platforms. Once the submitted Nintendo build was approved, we would then wrap up any changes to the other platforms and push them all live. We have analytics that tell us that the vast majority of playtime in Armello is spent in Singleplayer, followed by Public Multiplayer, and then Private Multiplayer games. So our focus throughout this network upgrade was to ensure that we did not lose any online functionality that impacted Singleplayer, Public Multiplayer and hopefully crossplay (due to its impact reducing public multiplayer queue times). This approach made great headway in the first four weeks, we even managed to get a couple builds out addressing various issues across all platforms. However, due to weird edge cases in getting this new multiplayer service to interact with the way network connectivity works for the Switch (Sleep mode, etc), for the last four weeks we've been sitting on the fix for private multiplayer games but that build has unfortunately been locked in a certification loop with Nintendo. Each build seeming perfectly good to go, but failing cert on some weird multiplayer edge case. We fix one bug and another pops up. Repeat ad nauseum. Mulitplayer infrastructure is tricky and finicky. The edge case bugs can be seemingly endless. And in this case, they have not let up. Still, Nintendo have been great to work with and the good news is that their efforts along with our restructure of multiplayer architecture are leading to a greatly improved multiplayer experience for the other platforms too.

So where from here?

Well, as you can see from the Steam build that went live today, we're no longer going to wait for Switch and have pivoted to just update Steam, Xbox and PlayStation asap. This will disrupt crossplay on those platforms, but as they go live, we'll bring crossplay back online where we can. We're still working on Switch (we actually have another submission candidate ready to roll) and once Nintendo have approved that patch, we'll roll those updates across to the other platforms and set 'em all live, enabling crossplay across all platforms again.

How long will this take?

Well, I didn't get my first guess right, and honestly, we're at the mercy of Nintendo and the chaos gods right now, but if I were a gambling man I'd say 1-2 weeks and we should have private multiplayer back online across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox, with Crossplay live again. And in 3-4 weeks, I imagine we'll be ready to switch Rejoin functionality back on.

Why even do this upgrade if there are this many issues?

Believe me. Doing a complete network upgrade seven years post launch is not something we exactly wanted to do, but we had no choice. Plus it is better for the longevity and health of Armello and its community. So for anyone who's interested, let me give you the entire context. Just like the vast majority of developers, we utilise a third party solution for Multiplayer. Always have. The solution Armello has used for the better part of a decade now, was purchased a couple years ago by a very large company. Considering our large investment into their service for our final Crossplay update, we expressed our concerns for the service, but were assured there would be no disruptions to the service that would not affect our plans for crossplay and and/orArmello's multiplayer community. Flash forward to late 2021; as we were preparing to announce and ship our Major Crossplay update v2.2, we were informed that the Multiplayer service and architecture it was built upon was, in fact, about to be deprecated (aka; shut down). You can imagine our extreme frustration. The choice was to let Armello's multiplayer servers go offline forever as of March this year, or suck it up and begin the complete rebuild of our multiplayer architecture again on their new service, across all six of our premium platforms. The idea of expending all that time and money again, when we had two new games in development and Crossplay ready to go live already was no fun, but we couldn't deny the upside that the upgrade would ultimately improve Armello's stability for the long term, and shutting down Armello's mutliplayer was not an option we were ever interested in entertaining. So, we rolled up our sleeves, and got stuck in. When I last came to you at the end of February, we were a chunk of the way into this second upgrade, and ready to dig into the final part of it to close out the Crossplay Beta. We just needed to knock some things offline in order to tackle the deeper side of the upgrade. As I mentioned then, we had little way of knowing how complex it would be or how long it would take until we begun.

The work we've been doing since we engaged in the final part of the upgrade has taught us the following:

It is much more involved than we anticipated and has taken much, much longer than expected.
Due to it being a new service, it also has some quirks of software early in its lifecycle. These won't affect you as a user, but have led to many development difficulties (i.e., the one's we're experiencing in cert with Nintendo right now).
There were also unforeseen complications for Windows 7. Though we have managed to find a workaround for these (which was pushed live today).
Frustratingly, the new service's 'Party' functionality does not support Mac OSX and Linux. Considering both platforms were fully supported in the previous version, we were not expecting nor were we prepared for this.

What does this mean for Mac OSX and Linux?

It is very unlikely we will be able to restore full multiplayer functionality. Rest assured, if that is the case, Armello would continue to function as expected in every other regard. If we cannot find a solution utilising this new version of our multiplayer service, it will just be Private Multiplayer and Party functionality that we are unable to get back online for Linux or Mac OSX. Our third party multiplayer service provider we've used for almost all of Armello's life online has just removed support for those platforms, and unfortunately we do not have the time, nor the resources currently available to roll our own Multiplayer solution specifically for Mac OSX and Linux. The devastating commercial reality is that most days, Linux and Mac OSX sales don't even get close to surpassing $100 USD. They are a tiny fraction of our sales and our community, and whilst Mac and Linux users are important to us (I'm literally writing this post on a MacBook, which I use to play Armello), literally every day we spend working on anything solely Mac OSX and Linux related is a loss we will never make back. This has been the case for many years. So, whilst we're committed to getting out this final Crossplay update, and ensuring a smooth experience where possible across all platforms, at this point in Armello's lifecycle, it is simply not possible to undertake an initiative as large or complex as rolling our own multiplayer solution for Linux and Mac OSX. We understand not being able to play Private Multiplayer or join Parties may be upsetting to our Linux and Mac OSX players. We wish the reality were different. We wish our service provider continued support. And I say that as someone literally typing out this post on the MacBook Pro that I also use to play Armello on. We will continue looking for solutions to this issue. When Crossplay v2.2 is all said and done, if it turns out we were in fact unable to restore full multiplayer functionality for Mac OSX and Linux users, we will honour any refund requests for affected players and remove the Mac OSX and Linux versions from the storefront. What about Steam Deck, doesn't that run on Linux? Steam Deck will be unaffected by these issues as we've just switched the Steam Deck version over to Windows Proton and have resubmitted it to Valve for verification. We imagine the Windows version will be live within a couple of weeks

Why have you been so radio silent?

This one is literally on me, personally. We could have been more communicative with you, and while there are legitimate reasons we haven't been, ultimately those reasons don't matter. For the small subset of players affected by these issues, you should have been updated far earlier. In hindsight, now knowing how long this process has taken, I would and should have updated you along the way. Even if that news was bad news. I'll be here with an update for you every Friday from now on, until we push the last patch on the v2.2 Crossplay update.

Thanks!

If you're still here, thanks for reading on with me! I hope that all makes sense. I'll be back on the Armello forums Monday to answer any questions folks might have. I also want to thank you all for your patience. Armello's now been live for over seven years, and we played the first paper prototype over eleven years ago. We never dreamed crossplay was even possible back then, let alone the notion that seven years post release we'd still be supporting this game in some way. I've seen a lot of speculation, so I do want to confirm. Crossplay v2.2 will be Armello's last update. That's been the plan for a long time. Crossplay was meant to be the final parting gift, and our multiplayer service provider kinda ruined the party here, but we're excited to see you all engaging with it. Most importantly for us (and a lot of you), as more people are able to get into more games together more quickly, Crossplay has largely stabilised our concurrent player count which will help us achieve our goal with v2.2 of giving the Armello community the best chance of continuing on and booting up Armello for a game or two many years into the future. We love Armello and we have loved continuing our support of it, even though we now do so at a significant financial loss, because we enjoy interacting with all of you and seeing you engage with our little game. But in order to pay the bills and truly grow at what we do, we must move onto new things. The vast majority of the studio has been working on other things for the past couple of years and we are fast approaching Alpha on two brand new projects. And that's why I'm excited to say, both projects will be revealed this year. One in the not too distant future! They're both brand new IP for us, strategy titles (with a bunch of heart!) and vastly different from one another. I honestly cannot wait for y'all to see them. If you enjoy Armello and our work, these two will absolutely appeal to you. And if not both, at least one of them. ;) Now, if you're reading this thinking, "shut up, my dude! I only care about games where animals fight each other" well, completely normal person, do not fret. The phrase "Armello 2" gets thrown around the studio quite a bit. So I'm sure our favourite furry friends will get another day in the sun at some point. Thanks again, and see ya next Friday! <3 Trent & the LoG squad P.S. Huge shout out to the champions over at LoG who have remained on Armello and tirelessly slaved away at getting Crossplay out the door for well over a year now. It's nothing but a desire to give y'all the solid gaming experience you're looking for, and a love for Armelly, that gets us all through the day.

[ 2022-05-14 01:50:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Armello

League of Geeks Developer

League of Geeks Publisher

2015-09-01 Release

Indie Strategy RPG Singleplayer Multiplayer Tags

Game News Posts: 295

🎹🖱️Keyboard + Mouse
🎮 Full Controller Support

Very Positive (10747 reviews)

http://www.armello.com

Steam Store

The Game includes VR Support

Public Linux Depots:

Armello Linux Universal [2.02 G]
Armello Linux64 [2.26 G]

Available DLCs:

Armello - Usurpers Hero Pack
Armello - Seasons Board Skins Pack
Armello - The Bandit Clan
Armello - Rivals Hero Pack
Armello - The Dragon Clan

Armello is a grand swashbuckling adventure that combines three styles of play; The deep tactics of card games with the rich strategy of table top board games, combined with a character role-playing system.

As a hero from one of the clans of Armello, you'll quest, scheme, hire agents, explore, vanquish monsters, cast spells and face off against other players, with one ultimate end goal in mind — storming the palace and becoming King or Queen of Armello. The Kingdom of Armello is as dangerous as it is beautiful, perils, banes and bandits hide around every corner and a spreading corruption known as the rot is leaving no creature untouched.

Armello is League of Geeks’ attempt to revolutionise digital board and card games, whilst providing players a rich world within which they can craft their own stories of epic adventure. The aim was to create a rich game full of backstabbing, close shaves, shattered alliances, ruses and empty promises - a perfect game to play with your friends.

MINIMAL SETUPOS: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (64-Bit)
Processor: Dual-core 2.0 GHz (SSE2)Memory: 2 GB RAM
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Graphics: OpenGL SM3.0 capable GPU with 1GB VRAM. Graphics card that has vendor-made drivers installed.
Storage: 4 GB available space
RECOMMENDED SETUPOS: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (64-Bit) or later
Processor: Quad-core 2.5GHz (SSE2)Memory: 4 GB RAM
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: OpenGL SM3.0 capable GPU with 2GB VRAM. Graphics card that has vendor-made drivers installed.
Storage: 4 GB available space

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