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Recent Client Optimization Measures
Greetings, Saviors! Today on the blog we’re talking about our game client. Many of you have long been noticing that, when user numbers go up or during busy battle scenarios, the client’s response time tends to drop rather low. And in fact, while the game’s graphic engine is able to portray images with its distinctive unique 2d-like feel, it was suffering from a lot of performance-related problems. So, in this post, we want to notify the information about how much we improved in the new patch. The biggest issue with the current engine was the high number of draw call. Every time this number reached a certain level, the CPU would become overworked while the performance of GPU was underutilized. One of the main reasons behind this high number of draw calls was the abundance of particle effects. Whenever an enemy dies, or a character on screen attacks, and even when doing nothing, a large number of particle effects is required to render all the small objects moving in the background. - Particle Effect Batching In order to reduce the number of draw calls, we need to group together particles of the same type to create draw call batches. The problem is that most particles used are semi-transparent, so without depth sorting, they won’t be rendered the way we intend. The current engine prioritizes rendering accuracy, so particle effects of all types were mixed together, making batching impossible and increasing the number of draw calls. We considered, in this case, that improving the client’s performance was a more urgent matter and decided to slightly compromise the visual accuracy of the game in favor of allowing more batching. We’re also applying other measures to improve performance and reduce draw calls, such as exploiting multiple render targets, shadow processing optimization and character instancing. - Multiple Render Target - Shadow Processing Optimization and Character Instancing - We tested versions with and without the optimization measures applied and compared the results. - Chart Showing FPS (Frame Per Second) and MS (Millisecond per frame) Figures by time The top of the graph shows FPS variation (the higher, the better), while the bottom represents MS figures (where lower is better). With all the optimization measures applied, we witnessed an increase of approximately 2.5 times in minimum FPS. We were able to see that the gaming environment was improved greatly by the fact that by raising the minimum FPS allowed the game to maintain at least 60 FPS on the testing specifications. Note that these results were obtained in a testing environment and can differ depending on each user's PC specifications. However, the inconvenience caused by these problems is expected to reduce significantly in most situations. Besides of these issues, there are still some problems need to be optimized such as CPU multicore utilization and Graphics data-side optimizations. These measures are part of all efforts to continue providing a better environment to TOS players. Thank you.
[UPDATED] Temporary Connection Issues with the [SEA] Varena Server
Greetings Saviors, There was a slight issue with the [SEA] Varena Server where certain channels were unexpectedly shut-down. Details 1. Time: [EDT] 11:00 ~ 11:40, Sunday, May 29th, 2016 2. Problem: Unable to access certain maps. 1. Time: [EDT] 09:20 ~ 09:40, Sunday, May 29th, 2016 2. Problem: Unable to access certain maps The issue has been resolved. We are sincerely sorry for the reoccurance of the issue. Please let us know via the ticket system if you are having trouble accessing the game. As always, we thank you for you continued support, enthusiasm and love for Tree of Savior. Sincerely, IMC Staff
Steam TOS Service Improvement Plan
Greetings, Saviors! First of all, we would like to thank you for the love and support you’ve been showing for Tree of Savior. We hope this post addresses some of the most pressing issues you’ve been asking about and sheds some light on how we are working to improve them. Client Lag Issue The graphic engine optimization is currently in process. We had some major progress and the patch is being prepared. How much it smoothed the overall experience and improved the performance is going to be announced through our Dev Blog. Server Lag Issue As stated in our previous announcement, temporary restrictions limiting access for new players to Tree of Savior are now in place. We will alleviate the “slow server process speed” symptoms through temporary maintenance before we permanently solve this server lag issue. As previously announced, there have been other DDoS attacks on the [SA] Silute server. Every attack results in the particular machine getting banned, which means far lower machines compared to the user count, and we have been denied adding more machines to the server. The SA server shall be moved to a NA location due to the fact that normal service operation is practically impossible with the current local service provider. The regional pricing will remain the same even after the machine’s location transfer. The server will stay in NA until we find a good solution to the SA problem. Persistent Bot Problem The Bot Classifier for [SEA] Telsiai, [SA] Silute and [SEA] Varena servers is under maintenance and has not been fully operational. This is a problem related to DB backup, which cannot be solved easily and requires extended maintenance to fix, which is why we are putting it on hold for now. In the case of [SA] Silute, the problem should be solved and the situation normalized after today’s relocation. We also expect to solve the problem for [SEA] Telsiai and Varena and get back to normal operation on those servers as soon as possible. Why haven’t you applied to iTOS the same patch as kTOS? The regions for iTOS are more and diverse and applying a patch for each region takes some time. Our previous patches also had problems of that sort. Such problems resulted in the updates and the game access being unavailable. Also, after we update the Korean version and receive feedback from the users there, we sometimes end up making changes to it again, so getting a final version of the update that we can apply to iTOS can take some time. That is the reason why we were unable to apply patches frequently. Feedback and Communication from the Staff Are Insufficient From now on, we will have a regular Q&A time with the Dev Team based on the opinions from you, the users. Also, a CM will gather up questions raised on the forum and forward them to the Dev Team and provide our users with answers. Token Prices Our players have long been voicing out their opinions about the price of Tokens, and after some internal discussion we’ve decided to lower Token prices. We plan to compensate those who are currently using or have recently purchased Tokens as a result. Details will be announced in a separate news post. link : https://treeofsavior.com/news/?n=434 Thank you for reading and have fun playing Tree of Savior.
[UPDATED] TP Shop Token Prices Reduced
Greetings, Saviors! As announced through our developer’s blog, we will be permanently reducing the price of 30-day Tokens in the TP shop from 198 TP to 99 TP. Furthermore, we plan to compensate those who have already purchased and/or are currently using Tokens ahead of the price change. Make sure to read the details below. Price Reduction Schedule The new reduced Token prices will come into effect after our weekly maintenance on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Users Eligible for Compensation Note: Conditions apply exclusively to regular 30-day Tokens. Event Tokens such as 7, 15 or 60-day Tokens will not be considered for compensation purposes. A. Those using at least one Token at the time of the price change. B. Those possessing at least one Token within their team at the time of the price change (includes those possessing a Veteran’s Pack DLC unopened in their Inventory or Message Box). Compensation Items Note: Compensation will be given to each eligible team individually (i.e. users with more than one team across multiple servers will receive compensation for each of their teams). - 99 TP per Token being used or possessed (according to the conditions above): sent directly to each eligible team’s Inventory - 7-day Token time extension (applied to all Tokens being used, regardless of type) Compensation Schedule Eligible users will receive compensation on the day of the price change during the weekly maintenance period (see schedule above). Sincerely, IMC Staff [UPDATE - FAQ] Q. Who will receive compensation for Tokens bought on the Market with silver? A. Compensation will be given to the player that has end ownership of the Token. This is due to the fact that we see the transaction between players on the Market as an agreement between the two on the exchange of ownership of items. As both players have agreed to change ownership of the item, the player that ends up with the item will be compensated.
[COMPLETE] [SEA] Telsiai/ [SEA] Varena Temporary Maintenance – May 27th, 2016.
Greetings, Saviors! The servers and Bot Classifier are now back online. You will now be able to access the game. We regret to inform you that Temporary Maintenance will be extended by an hour. That makes the maintenance period like the below. - [EDT] 02:00 to 05:00 (approximately 3 hours) Friday, May 27, 2016 The compensation will match the elongated time. We apologize for any and all inconveniences, this may have caused you. Greetings Saviors, The [SEA] Telsiai/ [SEA] Varena Servers will undergo temporary maintenance. 1. Maintenance Period - [EDT] 02:00 to 04:00 (approximately 2 hours) Friday, May 27, 2016 2. Reason - Improvements to server capacity and stability. 3. Compensation: - 6-hour Token time extension - EXP Tome x2 Note that this temporary maintenance will affect [SEA] Telsiai and [SEA] Varena. Thank you for understanding. Sincerely, IMC Staff
[COMPLETE] [SA] Silute Relocation Maintenance
MAINTENANCE COMPLETE: The servers and Bot Classifier are now back online in [SA] Silute. You will now be able to access the game. TIME UPDATE: The relocation of [SA] Silute is expected to finish 30 minutes earlier than previously announced, ending at approx. EDT 09:30 AM. MAINTENANCE EXTENDED: We regret to inform you that today's [SA] Silute relocation maintenance is being extended for approx. 3 hours (until EDT 10:00 AM). Thank you for understanding. Greetings, Saviors. As announced earlier today, we will be temporarily relocating our [SA] Silute server to North America in order to improve its stability. The relocation process will take place during the following maintenance period: [EDT] 01:00 to 07:00 (6 hours) Friday, May 27, 2016 Compensation: - 18-hour Token time extension - EXP Tome x6 Note that this temporary maintenance will affect [SA] Silute only. Thank you for understanding. Sincerely, IMC Staff
[SA] Silute Temporary Relocation Notice
Greetings, Saviors. As you are well aware, our [SA] Silute server has been target to multiple DDoS attacks in recent weeks, which have seriously affected the server’s stability and normal operation. Every attack results in a particular machine getting banned, which means we have far fewer machines compared to the user count, and we were denied the addition of more machines to the server. Continuing normal service operation in South America with our current provider is proving nearly impossible. For this reason, we are being forced to temporarily relocate Silute to North America in order to stabilize the server. Latency in the new server location is expected to increase for users in South America, for which we would like to apologize. Instead, we hope the relocation will improve the server’s current stability and connection issues for most users in the region. We continue to search for ways to stabilize Silute and provide steady service to users in South America, and the server is expected to be moved back to its original location in São Paulo once the current issues have been solved. Also, we would like to note that the regional pricing in [SA] Silute will remain the same even after the server’s relocation. The relocation process is expected to take place tomorrow; a new announcement regarding the relocation schedule and details will be up on our official website soon. Thank you for your understanding. Sincerely, IMC Staff
Temporary Restrictions on Access for New Players Now in Place
Greetings Saviors, The temporary restrictions limiting access for new players to Tree of Savior are now in place. We will try our best to resolve the aforementioned issues and lift these restrictions as soon as possible. There will be another announcement when we are ready to once again allow access to new players. Thank you for your continued support, cooperation, understanding and love for Tree of Savior. Sincerely, IMC Staff
[SA] Silute Server Temporary Maintenance - May 25th, 2016
Greetings Saviors, The [SA] Silute Server will undergo temporary maintenance. 1. Maintenace Period - [EDT] 8:40 ~ 9:10 (approximately 30 minutes) 2. Reason - Improvements to server capacity and stability. Thank you for your cooperation. Sincerely, IMC Staff