OFFICIAL NEWS

 1- Ryzom on Steam

We are nearly ready for the release!

We thank a lot all the ones of all groups who have worked (and are still working) hard to improve the game and make all ready to add Ryzom on Steam.

Dev work:
A lot of things (including clients, bugs and game quality) have been improved these last months by Dev group (Ryzom Core and Ryzom). A special thanks to Kervala who spends a lot of time on his Ryzom tasks!
Nearly all the build (dev part for Steam) has been validated by Steam team. It only still one thing to validate in the dev part: Ryzom billing system on Steam. To finish this dev task we need Steam team to create us packages (one for 1 month sub, another ones for 3, 6 and 12 months). To be sure it will be done and ready in time, we have postponed Ryzom release on Steam from the 31th of march to the 16th of april.

Communication work:
The store has been validated by Steam team. It only stays to write and translate the press release that will announce this release. That also means that Tamarea is available for all of you like before.

Translation work:
Ryzom's user manual has been checked in English and translated/checked in French: these two languages versions have been added on Steam. It would be great if we would have some volunteers to translate it in the other languages (German, Spanish and Russian) now!

All the translation group is still working hard on the proof-reading of all the ingame text. It's very long and difficult because it often needs to check ingame to see where the words or sentences are shown and how they look after the modification.There, we need the help of the Steam testers to report us any wrong thing they see, so the maximum will be fixed before the release.

We'll need the help of all Steam users to do these reports after the release, it will help us a lot to going on improving the quality of the ingame text (all will not be finished for the release). For this, we'll close the current topics about ingame text errors reports on the forums and will open a new one. Now we know how to fix each error one by one as soon as they are reported. The fix updates will be done during reboots.

The bigger file is the one with all the dialogs, rites, etc. So nearly all what uses sentences. It's the one which also talks about the old leaders in the rites instead of the new ones. The proof-readers are working hard on it (with some work and validation from Lore team) and the old Lore things like the old leaders are been updated too. But this big special file can't be tested before the release because of dev reasons, and we can't try to add it without any test, one error could make Atys crash. After the release it will be possible to test it on Yubo (the test server) and only then, it will be updated on Atys. So there will stay some Lore or grammar mistakes in sentences (dialogs, rites, etc.) for some other weeks until all will have been tested. We don't like not to be able to offer you a perfect ingame text starting from now, but an ingame text with some temporary errors is better than a broken/crashed server... We'll tell you as soon as the new (dialogs/rites/etc) file will be added on Atys, and then we'll wait for your reports!

The Spanish ingame text will only be partly improved for the release because it's a lot of work, it looks more like a new translation than a proof-reading. But it will be done. By the way it would be very useful to have other Spanish proof-readers!
And we are still looking for some russian proof-readers... It's impossible to fix the russian ingame text without any volunteer to help on it.

Q: The new clients will also be available for download from the Ryzom site? The non Steam clients?
A: Yes.

Q:  Do you know how far Kervala is with his installer/profile manager? Will it be finished for 16th April?
A: No, but he preferes to take his time to make it properly since it wasn't essential for Steam.

Q: To the end, will it be possible to link the Ryzom achievements and the Steam successes? It would consists only in showing the Ryzom achievements as Steam successes.
A: This question will be studied later, it's not an urgent task.

2- After Steam projects: questions and answers

Now that the main tasks for Steam are over, we'll be available to work again on our other projects that were in break.

Q: What would be the next project after Steam?!
A: In order not to spread oursleves, we're concentrating for now on these three areas: New Encyclopedia rites with the 50 matis rite first, Ranger rite, and improvements in the marauder gameplay. These projects also mean improving Ark in parallel.
Q: Interesting, I wish they wouldn't take as much time as the Steam has taken to get implemented?
A: Theses projects are already ongoing but had to be put on hold during Steam.

Q: Is it planned to add specific craft missions for the marauders (as it is for the craft missions of the tribes?) without for it to change their fames?
A: The improvement is planned in three steps:

First step:    
- Fix the walls and the guards (done with extra fixes such as the OP plan givers fix). (done)

Second step:    
- Consolidate the Lore.     
- Fix the fame and the rite.

Third step:    
- Start assemblies and events.   
- Add missions and occupations.   
- Work on new elements such as armors for Marauders.

These steps have been defined for a long time, but because of the Steam tasks, step 2 is still waiting to be finished. This project, as the other ones, will restart now.

Q: I'd like to see a new Zone.
A: It's the long term goal of Ryzom Forge. Even if there still is a long path to go, as much on the ideas level as on the technical learning.
There's no rush... A new zone have been suggested years ago... But, still nothing... I know, a new Zone isn't that easy to implement but I believe it's a true way to develop the game... I don't think few bug fixes or some superficial adds would make old Players resubscribe. If we put the effort on something big, I would aspect the results to be as big.
A: Zatalyz: A new zone has been in the pipeline for a long time, but creating it is complex. 
First of all, the tools: currently, creating a new map is impossible. Kaetemi is working on these tools, but he's alone and it's long. If you know C++ and 3D engine, you can help him. Second, gamedesign: creating a balanced map requires a lot of parameters. The projects already written on the forum are only vague ideas, which haven't managed to get the approval of all the participants. In the end, you have to place thousands of mobs on the map, manage the sound system, etc.  It's not unrealizable, but frankly, as long as there won' t be more peoples working on this kind of things, it's not much realistic. At the current working pace, it would require about ten years for a small nice area.So, if you want a zone, find volunteers, people who want to get trained, or find peoples to pay for twenty skillfull professionals. There aren't enough people working on Ryzom and on Ryzom Core fo it to be feasible "quickly".
It's exactly the problem, there aren't enough Dev...
A: Zatalyz:  It's not only about devs, but also gamedesigners, a very different job. Currently, using the world editor to edit the primitives can be done by a non-dev, and it allows to do a certain amount of things, but you have to learn the tool AND to know about gamedesign, or you'll have a not very nice zone.
The real project would how to get Dev and GameDesigners interested to develop Ryzom... I'd suggest, make an additional option to subscribe with double price so that Ryzom can get more Money, as at the end is a question of investement and Money!
A: There's already an option to donate to Ryzom, using Paypal.