It's been over a month since our Kickstarter campaign ended, and a lot of you have been asking for more information on what us developers have been doing lately, so now is a good time to give everyone a little update. We have been very hard at work on polishing the Character Editor demo (which will be available soon, more info below) and continuing to optimize all of the clothing, hair, and other cosmetic customizations. We're going to try to post an update at least once a month, though it might be at different times each month. For this update, we've got some news about the upcoming Alpha 1 test, as well as the Character Editor demo, a fun new contest, and more.
Alpha 1
I'm afraid we're going to start this update by getting the bad news out of the way first. We previously announced that the Alpha 1 test would begin on January 27th - that has sadly been delayed.
When we sat down to plan out the full testing roadmap, and decide where and when we wanted to test certain features in specific testing phases, we realized that we wanted to test certain features that required a persistent database a lot sooner - things like the Profiles, Friends List, etc. We weren't originally planning on building the database until Beta 1, but since we want to test those features a lot sooner, that means we need the database ready for Alpha 1 instead. It's no easy task to build a database that can scale to the needs of an MMO, and we want to make sure it's built very well without any bugs or connection issues, and that means it will take time.
So unfortunately, this means that Alpha 1 will not begin on January 27th. It will likely take another 2-3 months to make sure we have a proper database setup, as well as finishing those features that we want to test in the Alpha. On the bright side, this delay does mean that the Alpha 1 will be a much larger testing and gameplay experience with many more features than it was initially planned to have. This delay also means that people who missed the Kickstarter will still have a chance to get access to the Alpha, and we'll talk more about that in a bit.
Character Editor Demo
Many of you are excited to get your hands on the Character Editor demo and finally see all the wonderful avatar customization options that 3XO will offer. Rest assured, it is coming very soon! We've been working very hard making sure it's as polished as it can be, as the character customization is the very core of the game, so it needs to work flawlessly and future-proofed, as it's the foundation that the rest of the game is built upon. Progress was slowed down a bit because of this cautionary approach, as we wanted to be as confident as possible that we won't have to make any big or breaking changes to this Character Editor further in development. We are now confident that the avatars you create in this demo will be able to be used when 3XO launches (or at least as confident as we can be).
We'll be releasing some previews and teasers of the Character Editor every few days building up to when the demo itself drops, which will be soon! And yes, the Character Editor demo will be available to everyone to download and play with.
Preview #1 - Lighting Options
The first of our Character Editor previews showcases all the different Lighting options that you will be able to choose from, to see your avatar under different lights. These lighting options were designed by a professional photographer, and I have to say they look pretty great. The options include: Three-Point, Portrait, Split, Moonlight, Fireside, Pink Lantern, Red Light District, and Nightclub. Check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bY0Mv3RU-g8
Account Registration
Some of you may have noticed already that it's now possible to register your account on our website. And for those of you that haven't noticed that yet - well here's your notice! Everybody should now register an account so that you're ready for when things like the Character Editor demo are released or when Character Name Reservation opens up.
If you are a Kickstarter Backer, then you should automatically see your rewards listed on your account page. If you are a backer and do not see those rewards listed, then submit a support ticket on the website or Discord and we'll get it sorted. If you're not a Kickstarter Backer, then just ignore that section for now, and there will be more opportunities in the near future for you to support 3XO and get those same awesome rewards!
Character Name Reservation
Originally, the Character Name Reservation was planned to open up shortly before Beta 1. But since we're planning on building the persistent database to use in Alpha 1, that means you'll be able to reserve your names a lot sooner! So shortly before Alpha 1 begins, we will open up the reservation process, which we will announce ahead of time so everybody can be prepared for it.
More Crowdfunding Options
As we mentioned previously, we will be adding more crowdfunding opportunities to our own website soon. For those of you who missed the Kickstarter Campaign and have asked about how you can support 3XO, you will now be able to! The rewards and tiers will be very similar to the Kickstarter Campaign, the only real difference being different outfits in the various reward tiers. You'll still be able to get access to the Alpha and Beta tests and get special rewards like custom-designed outfits and more. These options will be available shortly after the Character Editor demo releases, so sometime within the next few weeks.
Chinese New Year Contest
To wrap up our update, we've got a fun new contest! To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, we're having a contest to see who can make some amazing artwork. Are you ready to show us your art skills?
For this contest, we want to see your best depiction of what The Year of the Rabbit looks like in 3XO! Any art is acceptable, including AI-generated or terrible MS Paint doodles. Bonus points if it's sexy! Submit your art in the thread in our Events channel on Discord. Both the Black Lotus devs and the Community Staff will be judging this contest! Winners will be chosen in 72 hours (Thursday at 4pm EST).
The Prizes:
- 1st Place: 5,000 Revs
- 2nd Place: 2,500 Revs
- 3rd Place: 1,000 Revs
The Top 5 entries will also all win a sexy Rabbit Mask, as seen below.
Additionally, every person who submits an entry will receive 100 Revs when 3XO launches!