Agenda

• Database migration and webIg server change
• Feedbacks on the Patch: Kitinlair occupations, Boss refactoring, Marauder gameplay
• Recrutement: Event team, Support Team, Translation team

I'm going to review the migration and the patching that went on.
We had planned to migrate the very old web server that contained the webig and nevrax tools to a new fresh server.
In order to minimize the problems, it was agreed to migrate only the database (step 1), upgrade the server to a ubuntu version still in LTS (16.04) at least (step 2).
Then on the server me.ryzom.com make a copy of the apps and test them in php 7 (step 3).
Finally when everything would be ok, we would switch app.ryzom.com on me.ryzom.com (step 4).
Then finally a new server will come to add the replication in case it is necessary to switch services (step 5).
Well ... All this was without anticipating that the web server would fail.
This forced us to finally do steps 1 to 5 in 24 hours.
So, report of the operations :
All our servers are currently running Ubuntu 20.04.
The old web server is going to leave us (but no one is going to mourn it ...).
We have the main applications running without major errors (quite a few warnings that we will correct as we go along).
But overall, it's a very good thing done and no more big migrations are planned.
The next updates will be done during a reboot on the Atys server so that the game will not be blocked anymore.
So for the migration, we are not bad.
If there are any questions about this, don't hesitate.

If no other questions we can move on to the patch.
There is still a problem to fix concerning the occupations of the Kitin Lair which are bugged.
This will be solved soon, but we don't know if it'll be necessary to patch and reboot the server or not.
We'll keep you informed.
Boss refactoring has been fixed at launch and for the moment is running normally.
If all goes well, at the next reboot/patch we will apply the system to all Atys.

If no other questions, openssl ?
I know everyone is looking forward to this topic.
So, to put it simply, our clients are no longer compatible with a modification of the let's encrypt certificates.
Which remains one of the major authorities for providing ssl certificates.
To understand : it is thanks to them that we secure our websites in https.
And as a result clients are no longer able to access https sites that have a let's encrypt certificate (which is the case for our servers).
There is a configuration that allows to keep compatibility with clients using openssl 1.0 (so the old version).
This is what we did while waiting to update the clients.
Currently we are testing Windows 64 bits and Linux 64 bits clients with openssl 3.0 and no major issues.
We will apply the same modification to Steam and Macos versions.
If you are hosting webig apps that are no longer accessible from the game, you can come see me and I will help you configure your server to enable compatibility (this is a certbot option).
Well, it's still under discussion but we wonder if we will continue to maintain 32 bits versions under Linux (and Windows).
There are really very few people left on 32 bits configuration.

Agenda[list]

• Current projects
  • Pen-and-paper role-playing game in Ryzom universe
  • OP refactoring
• Recrutement: Event team, Support Team, Translation team

For some time we have been working on a role-playing game in the Ryzom universe. The goal is to be able to play outside the New Lands, either on the Old Lands, now or before the Swarmings, or in other more remote places. Places that will never be in the MMO, for example places where resurrection does not exist.
There is a playable first draft, and I need testers, initially one or two teams of four people. People to play and point out what works well and give suggestions for improvement. For the moment, the working version is in French, and my level in other languages means that I can only have people playing in French. But if a game master wants to get involved, we can also set up tests in other languages.

The outpost refactoring project is Dev's current #1 priority.
Now that GvE tests are finished, we are preparing the next tests on Atys, which will involve GvG. Like GvE tests, these ones will be performed on special outposts.
Ulukyn (Dev) will come to present this GvG part in detail during the next Ryzom Forge meeting on Monday, December 6th.

Support Team

The Support team continues its recruitment campaign for volunteers.
We need you, your availability, your technical and gameplay knowledges of the game but also your diplomacy, to expand our ranks and best meet the expectations of players.
To learn more, please consult this post: https://app.ryzom.com/app_forum/index.php?page=topic/view/22047/2 #2 .
To apply, contact Tamarea exclusively at tamarea@ryzom.com, and do not tell anyone about your application!

Event Team
We're looking for volunteers who want to help write event scripts, or who want to become actors by playing a character in the events we play.
Training is provided, and the entry into acting is done very gradually to give the recruit time to get used to it.
Join us to benefit from this unique experience!
To apply, contact Tamarea exclusively at tamarea@ryzom.com and do not tell anyone about your application!

Translation Team
We are looking for volunteers to translate in-game texts and official announcements into English, German, Spanish, Russian, French, as well as to proofread texts in these five languages.
To apply, contact Tamarea exclusively at tamarea@ryzom.com.

That was the last topic for today!
If you'd like to contact Drumel about tabletop roleplaying, you can do so on chat.ryzom, or reply to the meeting minutes on the forum when they're posted.
The next meeting will be held on Monday, December 6th!
The two main topics will be Bugs and testing, and Outpost redesign.

Agenda

• Update on recent crashes
• Feedback on the Client's beta tests
• Feedback on Boss refactoring
• Progress on OP refactoring (GvG)

Let's talk a little about the recent server problems, there have been several.
The first problem, the most critical, was quite particular and could crash any Ryzom service. Indeed, a Ryzom server is composed of many services which manage an aspect of the game: the EGS which manages the entities (NPC, creatures, actions, etc...), the IOS manages texts and chats and other smaller services but whose role is also important. Now, the bug could occur in one of these services and up to 2-3 times a day, which depending on the service that crashed could cause chain reactions (and therefore a server that crashes completely). The reason of the crash is a bit technical (I could give more details if needed) but a fix was applied and since then none of the services crashed because of this bug.
Another bug has finally been fixed. This is one of the oldest known bugs in the game. We suspected that it came from the missions and we had a hunch that it only happened with characters returning to the game after a long absence. We were able to investigate this bug because we unintentionally caused it by moving occupations into Kitins' Lair. This maneuver, in fact, unknowingly caused the aliases (identification numbers saved in the character's file kept by the server) of the missions concerned to change. Now, if a mission changes aliases and a player has kept the old alias in the character's save file on his own machine, the server will crash as soon as the character in question is loaded. This is because aliases were not originally designed to be changeable... no one anticipated that some missions would be moved from one continent to another. Finally, this diagnosis made it easier to find and fix the bug and the unfortunate player who was crashing the server every time he tried to log was finally able to join Atys without a hitch.
A third bug has been identified in the IOS, which occurs quite rarely. We made the hypothesis that it occurred when a message was sent by the server on a dynamic chat channel, at the same time as one of the players disconnected and added several checks to avoid this conjunction. For the moment, no new crashes have been reported. We keep an eye on it though.
Finally, the last bugs (which cause slowdowns and huge delays in sending messages) occur when the SU crashes (SU = Shard Unifier, a service especially useful when several servers are running - like Aniro, Arispotle and Leanon - or when Ring sessions are active). We have already fixed one of them, the fixing of another is in progress. We will strengthen the part of SU code that handles database writing.
That's it for the information about the recent crashes. Are there any questions?

See forum.
We need as much feedback as possible, because the timing of the next patch depends on it: the sooner we validate the beta client, the sooner we will patch the new features.
So, are there people who have been able to play with the beta client regularly?

See forum.
What are your feedbacks, especially about the new algorithm of spawn of Bosses?
We would like, indeed, to know if its activation in all regions of Atys is now possible or if it still needs some adjustments.

The project is pretty well advanced.
We are running the last alpha tests and the tests on the test servers (Yubo & Gingo) should start soon. At the moment they are focusing on new GvG outposts in zones 50 and will allow us to determine if the NPC setting is good (it is at its minimum, but fighting a guild and NPCs simultaneously can be a bit of a challenge).
During this GvG test, we will move forward with the rest of the project. Some of the changes that are already ready, such as reducing the duration of battles to 1 hour and lowering the cost of attacks, could be implemented quickly. The rotation of materials and the taking of outposts by hostile NPC tribes would then come in a later phase of project development.
We agreed to give the project a boost over the next two months.