Hello all,
Today we have added a new classic map to the PVP mode built by MontanaMob, which also features in the newly-returning Easter playlist. We have also removed the April Fools playlists – we are aware that we let this playlist up for far too long and would like to apologize – and fixed a significant issue that required players to sometimes need multiple attempts to join the server.
NEW MAP: KING
Today we are launching a new map, King built by MontanaMob. Inspired by the map with the same name from COD, King is set in a training range and offers a close-quarters layout suited to small player counts. It is available in TDM (4-8 players), Free For All (2-6 players), King of the Hill (4-8 players), and the classic Elimination mode (2-6 players).
DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
Recently, we realized that we made a big mistake by being too slow to remove the April Fools playlist – originally planned to remain in the server for less than one week, but which ended up remaining in the server for two weeks. The delay was because we wanted to bundle this removal with a larger update including a Discord linking feature which has faced development delays. We recognized that this incident has left PVP in a state unplayable for many players for weeks and that it is not a one-off but reflects a greater problem regarding update schedule in GunColony and an urgent need to resolve it.
On deeper reflection, our previous failures to shift from an infrequent update schedule to smaller, frequent updates stems from the desire to bundle community creations alongside code changes to create updates that feel larger, more cohesive, and more exciting. In practice this has resulted in a heavy dependence of the schedule of code changes on the schedule of updates in GunColony – new code changes are often released as soon as they are completed, while new maps and weapon content can sit in a backlog for a long time before they are added to the server. We were previously aware of the issue but underestimated the urgency, but it is now apparent that immediate changes are needed to improve the server’s update schedule.
Going forward, we will aim to decouple community content updates from code changes so that new content – including those from the staff team and community – will be quickly released in smaller batches independently of new code-based features. The long-term goal will still be to allow the staff team to deploy updates on their own, but in the meantime even without such infrastructure set up, we will introduce the decoupling now and leave aside development time specifically to develop and release minor updates to the server, and we will take the necessary technical steps to make it easier to release update frequently (such as developing tools to streamline the miscellaneous tasks required to launch an update into GunColony, including writing blog posts, Discord announcements, in-game hologram, server MOTD and other content).
In addition, we are aware of the need for fixes in terms of server performance and stability. Take this minor update as a first step towards this goal as we fix a significant bug that has prevented some players from joining the server as well as remedy our lackluster update schedule in recent months, issues which have greatly affected the server population and mood among our staff team. However, we are also aware that it takes time and continued, frequent updates to the server to prove our commitment. We are working to ensure a fantastic month of new content updates leading up to our 10th Anniversary and we want the server to be stable and in as good of a shape as possible leading up to this special occasion.
For now, we will make no exceptions to this shift to our development philosophy, which means that even our 10th Anniversary plans will be considerably changed by this re-prioritization. Some code and features originally meant to release on the date of the anniversary may now be released earlier and in smaller chunks, while other features may be delayed in favor of shifting to a faster update schedule (requiring changes such as an overhaul of our website and publishing systems). We will work back to developing grandiose, well-integrated and themed updates in due time, but now is simply not the time to continue our attempts to pursue it. Expect smaller updates that each contain as little as a single feature for a time to come; their blogposts may also come with generic screenshots as thumbnails instead of always relating to their content. The upside is that we intend to be releasing these updates far more frequently than before. Once we are consistent at releasing content to the server regularly, we will be restarting large updates from a position of strength and newfound motivation.
PLAYLIST UPDATES
- Removed April Fools playlists
- Added back the Easter playlist
- Added the new King map to the Easter playlist
- Removed the Belltower map due to vote in the builder team
OTHER CHANGES
- Since this is an update about kings, we have decided to update the “Murica King” boss. Its “Reduce Taxes” boss skill has been renamed to “Increase Tariffs”. The description to “move your factories back to the US” stays the same though
- Updated MOTD hover menu to say 1.21.x instead of 1.20.x for “Recommended Versions” line
BUG FIXES
- Fixed a major bug where server pings and joining attempts randomly led to network errors, resulting in players to only be able to join the server after multiple attempts
