The New Server FAQ

[Crush]

What is this ominous "new server" all the devs are talking about?

The "new server" (codename: TMWServ) is our new software for the server backend that is currently in development.

Why do we need the new server?

In the beginning of the project we planned to customize eAthena to create our game. But after a while we realized that eAthena, as it has been created as a Ragnarok Online server, was just not flexible enough to allow us to make the game like we want it and react on the many player suggestions we receive. So we decided to create our own server software from scratch that gives us the freedom we need to make our visions come true.

What will the gameplay on the new server be like?

First of all combat will be much more action oriented. Instead of clicking a monster and watching your character while it beats it up you will have more control over your character in combat. You will be able to move around freely and you have to press the attack button at the right time to be succesful in combat.

Then the character system will be much more complex. Player characters will have a wide range of combat and non-combat skills that will increase when they are used.

And yes, there will be magic.

Will there be classes/jobs?

The attribute and skill system will work without distinctive classes. But the attribute system will encourage you to specialize your character into a specific direction. The main directions will feel a lot like classes but give a lot more freedom and room for experimentation in the character development than predefined classes.

Will we be able to keep our characters?

Unfortunately the new character system will be completely different from the current system. That means that it will be very difficult to find a fair method to convert the characters from the new to the old system. At the moment it looks as if everyone will have to start from the beginning. But maybe we will give the old veterans a little present to make the start easier.

Is there anything that will be the same in the new mana world?

Most of the work we invested over the years wasn't in vain. Just the implementation of the eAthena protocol and some parts of the gui that were made to be compatible with the eAthena system won't be used anymore. The complete graphic engine will be used as it is (testing the graphic engine was the main reason we kept the eAthena server for so long) and most of the game graphics and sounds will also stay unchanged. If we will use the current maps or remap the whole world isn't determined yet.

How far is the development of the new server?

Currently (December 2008) the basic netcode and game mechanics are already implemented, but there is still a lot small and large stuff which needs to be done before the server is ready for real gameplay.

You can see the current Version 0.1.0 development roadmap on the bugtracker.

Now I am curious. Can I see it myself?

You can find the most recent sourcecode for both our new server and the new client on our Git repositories. To compile it you need the Git sourcecode management system, a C++ compiler and the knowledge to use those. Instructions for getting the librarys required for compiling TMW can be found in the dependency guide on the wiki

When will the server be ready for playing?

When it's done.

I want it to be finished as soon as possible. What can I do to help?

What we need most are people who are able to write performant, reliable, maintainable and robust C++ code and help with the server programming. See the wiki article joining the project for information how to become a part of the development.

But even when you can't program you can help by making suggestions for the game mechanics on the new server by contributing to the wiki.

[keilost]

It seems that TMW will grow quite
you need help and just talk
see you

[LaCorde]

I can help .

[tapion]

Maybe I can help in art.Just tell me what to do .... and I can help in mapping too.

[Inkweaver]

Have you considered doing a "nightly build" release on the new server? Just a basic buggy build that we can all test without having to compile. On the other side maybe that is a bad idea, but it has worked for a lot of other open source projects.

~anyway, just a suggestion, feel free to disregard it.

[Crush]

We had a nightly build system for the client once but it became defunct after a while.

Having a permanently running TMWServ turned out to be quite a maintenance problem (as every software in development it crashes frequently and has to be restarted manually).

But those who speak German can try Invertika which is already using TMWServ: http://www.invertika.org

[Jaxad0127]

Work is being done on doing nightlies of both clients for Windows. Nightlies of the server binaries for windows are possible, but is there a need?

[Jaxad0127]

Linux users have an easier time compiling themselves. http://wiki.themanaworld.org/index.php/ ... ompilation will help you set it up to get the most recent code we have.

[Crush]

When is it playable?

See first post.

What about linux user?

Lol, Linux support is the last thing you have to worry about on this team. The majority of devs uses Linux. You should rather ask how well it runs on Windows (don't worry, it works fine).

[tourn]

Is there any good place to keep informed on the changes and like once you have an idea when it will be done will it be posted that you have an eta on the new server.

im trying to keep my clan informed on this topic. we all want to be ready for the switch over. especially considering the knowledge that we are losing our characters. some are worried about names getting stolen. also will there be an option for say like a clan or guild chat on the new server as the party is capped at 12 people.

any help and consideration would be appreciated. thank you for your time and hard work.

[Jaxad0127]

Is there any good place to keep informed on the changes and like once you have an idea when it will be done will it be posted that you have an eta on the new server.

im trying to keep my clan informed on this topic. we all want to be ready for the switch over. especially considering the knowledge that we are losing our characters. some are worried about names getting stolen. also will there be an option for say like a clan or guild chat on the new server as the party is capped at 12 people.

any help and consideration would be appreciated. thank you for your time and hard work.

Current plans are to keep the current server running as long as enough people want to play it.

[Crush]

Is there any good place to keep informed on the changes and like once you have an idea when it will be done will it be posted that you have an eta on the new server.

A good way to monitor the development is by subscribing to the RSS feeds of the git repositories of the client and server:
http://gitorious.org/mana/mana/commits/master/feed.atom
http://gitorious.org/mana/manaserv/comm ... /feed.atom

im trying to keep my clan informed on this topic. we all want to be ready for the switch over. especially considering the knowledge that we are losing our characters. some are worried about names getting stolen.

We will most likely run both servers in parallel for a while.

also will there be an option for say like a clan or guild chat on the new server as the party is capped at 12 people.

ManaServ already has support for parties and guilds. You can also register private chat channels.

[Armadeus]

I've been wondering, is this still being developed? It has been being made since 2007, a year after I joined. I've heard nothing about it lately..

[Crush]

Yes, we are currently preparing for the first public beta.

[Armadeus]

That's pretty cool. Thank you for letting me know.