Hello everyone!
August brought improvements to banking, mobile controls, shops and account sign-in, along with a clearer way to follow Xyren client updates. I also worked on item pictures, the World Map and several of the loading problems that had been carrying over from earlier months.
Quite a bit of this month's work was about making everyday play less awkward. Moving an item to a bank tab, zooming without accidentally walking and reading a menu are small things individually, but you use them often enough that the fixes matter.
A Clearer Client Update
The available client packages gained a shared release number. That makes it easier to compare the version shown in your client with the current update, including when you're switching between desktop and Android.
Java, Android and the available Linux packages received updates during August. The Windows launcher continued to provide its existing way to open the game.
The website's download options remained the place to check which packages were actually available. Dedicated macOS and iOS downloads were still unfinished, and I wasn't counting an unavailable download as part of the release.
Banking That Follows Your Finger
Banking received a substantial round of fixes, including item dragging on Android. One frustrating problem could move an item to the wrong place even though you'd lifted your finger over the bank tab you wanted. I corrected that behaviour.
Open screens also received improvements to positioning, dragging and scrolling. A screen you'd moved could jump back unexpectedly, or scrolling in one panel could interfere with something beside it. Those interactions received attention throughout the month.
I also worked on the order of overlapping windows, dragged items and item information. When you're sorting a bank, the thing you're moving and the place you're moving it to both need to stay readable.
These changes were intended to make organising your items feel more predictable, particularly on the smaller screen where every bit of space counts.
Zooming, Menus and Markers
Pinch zoom received a useful correction: finishing a zoom gesture should no longer turn into an unwanted walking tap. It was an easy problem to notice when you were simply trying to get a closer look at something.
Context menus also received improvements to placement, scrolling and visibility over other game screens. Mobile chat got further work on its controls, channels, unread messages and filtering.
Markers and outlines were expanded for the supported objects, NPCs, players, items and tiles. These give you more ways to pick out something you want to find again. Marks and outlines remain separate choices, so you can use the appearance that suits what you're doing.
Equipment information received improvements in item hovers too. I worked on keeping those panels readable near the screen edge and reducing flashing during item drags. There were still mobile cases to improve, but the information was becoming more useful in ordinary play.
Shops and Item Pictures
Shop stock received fixes for purchases and restocking. Buying an item should reduce the available stock correctly, with shops working back towards their normal stock over time.
Selling noted items received attention as well, and price descriptions became clearer about the amount you pay and the amount a shop pays you. Those are two numbers you shouldn't have to guess between.
This wasn't an announcement of extra shops or a general increase in drop rates. The work was about correcting existing behaviour and making item information easier to understand.
Item artwork across the website also received a large refresh. More pictures and names now match the items you recognise from the game, making it easier to tell similar-looking equipment apart when browsing.
Returning to Your Account
Remembered accounts received fixes for returning after a restart. The idea is to make coming back to Xyren convenient while keeping your normal account-security choices in place.
The website also gained support for more device-key options where available, including Windows Hello, password managers and hardware security keys. I improved messages for situations where the chosen option wasn't available on the device.
If you've enabled two-factor authentication, you'll still be asked to complete it when required. You don't need to change your security settings to use the updated client.
I also improved support handling so that some character corrections could be completed with less interruption to an ongoing session. The useful part for you is spending less time getting back into the game after asking for help.
World Map and Loading Improvements
The browser World Map received further NPC-placement improvements and a correction for loading getting stuck when browser storage was full.
In the client, I continued working on pauses during area changes and problems that became more noticeable over longer sessions. Some scenery and loading issues remained, so this wasn't the end of the mobile work.
Older graphics hardware could also struggle with the developing client. If it wouldn't open or display the world correctly, the device and client version were useful details to include with a support report. I kept those compatibility concerns separate from the improvements already made.
Other Changes
- Corrected Android item drops onto bank tabs.
- Improved dragging, scrolling and placement in open game screens.
- Fixed unwanted walking after pinch zoom.
- Improved context menus, chat controls and item-information panels.
- Corrected shop stock changes and noted-item selling.
- Refreshed website item pictures and names.
- Continued fixes for world loading and longer play sessions.
So what's next?
September brings more attention to the things you do together in Xyren: choosing a world, keeping in touch, collecting rewards and returning to your characters. I'll keep working through the mobile and graphics issues alongside those additions. Please keep reporting the awkward little things as well as the obvious ones!
All the best, Austen