Beta Roadmap

We are pleased to present the roadmap to the imminent Beta. This roadmap draws from insights you provided in the survey, the results of which you can see here.

Critical bugs

Bugs that have been reported as hindrances on the way to a stable Beta include the following:

  1. Disappearing mods from weapons stored in the shared stash.
  2. Items disappearing from the Consignment House and mail system.
  3. Mod feeds increasing once inserted into weapons.
  4. Drone issues; the need to re-equip gear, skills/bonuses that do not apply, etc.

Other bugs do persist, as well as balance/design concerns. While those will also be addressed in due time, the listed bugs will have to be addressed before the transition to Beta.

Possible additions

Bugs will remain our first priority, but additions that may need to be tested before a full transition to Beta may occur. At the moment those mostly include QoL features, but may come to include features/assets of other types as well.

Beta wipe

A wipe will occur when the aforementioned critical bugs are addressed and Alpha is completed. At the moment this is the only wipe that is planned to occur, and further wipes will be avoided unless they are absolutely unavoidable or necessary to progress.

Donations

Once Beta has started, we will begin accepting donations for server costs. The exact means by which you will be able to donate, if you so wish, will be announced in due time.

Note: In the survey and elsewhere, many of you asked if there would be a cosmetic cash shop or similar platforms, or even suggested that there could be one. As appreciated as this was, let us once again assure you that there will never be any such transactions; London 2038 will never charge you for anything, and will never have potential donations resemble transactions in any way.

Future development direction

The survey let us know that the most popular preference (36%) in regards to future content is “encounters, boss fights, and maps”. Other options were also very popular, but this one is also arguably the most technically challenging one.

So while we will strive to provide changes, tweaks, and additions of all kinds, this will become our first priority from Beta onwards; we will direct our development efforts towards creating additional content, primarily in the form of maps and bosses.

We hope this roadmap pleases you as much as it pleases us, and that the eventual results of this journey live up to your invaluable, continued patience and support.

 

Beta Survey Results

The team at London 2038 appreciates the responses given to the recent survey.

See below for a simplified synopsis of the results; we believe that publicizing them should provide valuable community insight, as well as highlight how the project will progress based on your feedback.

Current/ongoing issues that may prevent moving to Beta.

  • 83% say there are no significant bugs that would prevent the transition
  • 17% say there are.

The most common bugs in response to this question were:

  1. Disappearing mods from weapons stored in the shared stash. 
  2. Items disappearing from the Consignment House and mail system. 
  3. Mod feeds increasing once inserted into weapons. 
  4. Drone issues; the need to re-equip gear, skills/bonuses that do not apply, etc. 
  5. Summoner skills’ cooldowns and power costs misbehaving.

Wipe preference

  • 55% say they would prefer a wipe before Beta
  • 21% say they would prefer one during or after Beta
  • 24% say they would rather not see a wipe at all.

The first 2 groups argue the following in favor of wipes:

  • They refresh the game and increase player retention.
  • They provide an equal playing field, where changes affect everyone equally.
  • They assist with tracking new/early-game bugs, as players play through the game again.
  • They are inconsequential as the game is not competitive.

The group that is against wipes argues the following:

  • Loss of progress can be demotivating.
  • Unless major changes demand it there should not be a need for one.

Priority of future content types

Player preference in this section was quite varied, but a majority also elaborated on their answer.

Note #1: The “encounters/boss fights” and “maps” answers are merged here, both for the sake of convenience and because the two seem to overlap for most players.
Note #2: The “other” category has varied somewhat, but most answers fall in line with existing answers; those have also been merged or simplified.

  • 36% say they would like to see encounters, boss fights, and maps.
  • 18% say they would like to see rebalanced classes, class additions, or new classes.
  • 18% say they would like UI/QoL features.
  • 15% say they would like to see new systems, such as the Messenger or crafting systems.
  • 7% say they would like to see new or Set items.
  • 6% responded “other”, mainly with variations on the available answers.

Potential future donations

  • 84% say they would donate
  • 16% say they would not.
  • The first group says they would donate amounts that are reasonable, in line with donations to other current games, and sufficient to cover server costs.
  • Many also suggested recurring donations through such platforms as Patreon.

Note: Many of the first group asked if there would be a cosmetic cash shop or similar platforms, or even suggested that there could be one. As appreciated as this was, let us once again assure you that there will never be any such transactions; London 2038 will never charge you for anything, and will never have potential donations resemble transactions in any way.