Update as of September 16, 2024

The following is an official news post, originally available here.

Hello everyone!

Today, we want to inform you that we've decided to postpone the progress wipe by another week to September 23rd. Yes, yes... we know we're announcing this at the last minute, as always, but we hoped to complete all the necessary work by September 16th. The delay is due to the fact that we haven't finished several major improvements. For the past two months, we've been working intensively on the combat system and have practically completely redesigned it from a technical standpoint. We won't go into details; suffice it to say that the amount of work was enormous—we've rebuilt almost every ability in the game for all heroes and all mobs. We've changed the very concept of event calculations and adjusted all client-server timings. To be honest, the tactile feel and responsiveness of Corepunk's combat system were not at a sufficient quality level, and this was a major concern for us. Now, we are ready to compete with the best in the industry in terms of the tactile feel and responsiveness of our combat system. We are confident that with a fresh start, you will notice significant changes, which will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the game and lead to even deeper immersion in the gameplay.

The next major area that the narrative team has been working on immediately after the start of the Alpha 4 test is the improvement of the quest system. We've gathered a lot of feedback, and the narrative team is undertaking a massive overhaul of most quests in the game. Objectives, directions, rewards, storyline narration—everything related to quests will be significantly improved. Now, players will be able to use questing in the game as one of the ways to explore the game world, level up, enhance their equipment, familiarize themselves with game mechanics, and have a great time. Leveling and progression through quests will be much smoother and more balanced. At the same time, work is underway to complete a large batch of side quests and a third storyline that will involve the Steppes, which will be released shortly after the wipe date.

Along with the wipe, as previously mentioned, we will release a new level 20 area—the Steppes. The Steppes will introduce a new biome with unique monsters and bosses, as well as the missing resources needed for crafting Tier 3 items.

Last week, we closed all remaining possibilities for item duplication (or did we?). We didn't rush to fix this problem this time, even though the fix was ready on the test server much earlier. We held back its release because we saw that, by using dupes, players were exploring the content. The progression system, crafting, and items in Corepunk have deep vertical and horizontal progression. While vertical progression is straightforward and forms the basis of most well-known games, to see, study, and appreciate the nuances of Corepunk's horizontal progression, you need to play the game for some time, discover hidden mechanics, and explore ways to use them. In this case, the dupes effectively helped demonstrate how deep and extensive the game's content is—the potential for replayability. Without the dupes, it would have taken 2–3 months for players to discover the possibilities of combining all progression systems.

In the next wipe, many of you will start with a solid foundational knowledge of the game. This can be considered the second stage of testing, where players move from the stage of getting acquainted with the game to more advanced play. We are eagerly looking forward to this, as it will bring a new influx of data for us, which we will use 100% to improve all aspects of the game and fine-tune them for the early access release.

The next important stage for testing Corepunk will be the release of the PvP/PvE game mode with extraction mechanics. It will introduce the missing element that completes the logic of the entire itemization system. Since the mode involves full-loot extraction mechanics, we think that most players will want to use low-tier or low-grade items—or both—when visiting the instance. This will create the necessary secondary market for low- and mid-tier items in the game, which will have a very positive effect on the overall economy and trading between players. All items in the game will become much more valuable. Now players will have many options for using weaker items.

You can sell your items to NPCs and earn gold; you can sell good rolls to other players.

There is also the option to upgrade low-grade items into higher-grade ones. Additionally, players have the ability to dismantle items to obtain different types of resources from them.

With the introduction of the PvP/PvE extraction instance, players gain a new option for using items—attempting to obtain something valuable but with the risk of losing everything you have on you. Soon, the entire game loop will converge into one big replayable system, and the PvP/PvE mode will play one of the key roles in this. We are actively working on this instance and want to test it before the start of early access.

Active work is underway on assembling and preparing new heroes and their specializations for testing. As you already know, much of the content we present and plan to introduce into the game already exists in a produced form. We are working on animations, effects, assembly, tuning, and implementing features for this type of content, and heroes and their specializations are no exception. For heroes, as with instances, a large amount of content has been produced over many years; our task at this stage is to competently and logically assemble it and deliver it into the game.

Dear Adventurers, we hope you will enjoy everything we have prepared and are preparing for you. Corepunk is a special game with a unique concept, and soon we will showcase it globally to the whole world. Thanks to you, we will present the game in good quality, because the amount of fixes, adjustments, and content we are currently producing is simply enormous, and this would have been impossible without this test and your feedback. Please keep playing, and together we will release a great game into the world! Once again, a huge thank you to everyone!

Thank You, Alpha 4 Testers; Pre-Orders Now Closed

The following is an official news post, originally available here.

Hello everyone!

We want to announce that we have received enough pre-orders to achieve our goals, specifically for testing Alpha 4 on a large scale. As we mentioned at the start of the pre-orders, we would stop sales at a certain point during the testing phase.

So, today, on September 2, 2024, we are halting pre-order sales.

Sales for Corepunk will reopen on or a few days before the start of early access, scheduled for November 26, 2024.

The bonuses and skins for pre-order purchases will remain exclusive to pre-order holders and will no longer be available for purchase in the future.

The Alpha 4 test continues, and we want to express our deep gratitude once again to the test participants: those who participated and chose to wait for a more polished version of the game, those who are currently participating and continue to provide feedback, and most importantly, those who provide us with daily gameplay data. This data gives us insights into all aspects and nuances of the game.

You already see the nature and direction of the project, where it is headed, and you are shaping its future with us. We could never have done it without you, but now that we are receiving so much information, our task is straightforward: to fix everything that can be fixed, to package the content we've created over the years into logical, engaging gameplay, and to consider your feedback and in-game experience in realizing our vision.

To be frank, after all the technical and gameplay failures we've experienced, our biggest fear was having empty servers during the test, without the chance to test the game properly. But you, our community, had a different idea—you showed us the immense potential of our shared ideas and their implementation. Corepunk receives incredible support from you every day.

The level of interest in the project has exceeded all our expectations. We are getting a lot of positive feedback on the game's concept and its uniqueness. It has also been a great joy to see the game's ability to maintain a stable online presence, even in an absurd situation where the servers were crashing every hour for a week. Having a stable player base and the ability to continue testing and improving the game is a rare opportunity for us.

We are learning to be better and more experienced. We are learning to support and work with a live service model. As you may have seen from previous tests and the start of Alpha 4, the number of mistakes we made was beyond the norm, and it would be foolish to deny or ignore this. We are not ashamed of it. Artificial Core, as a studio, grows along with Corepunk. There is no doubt that we are becoming stronger and more experienced, and the game will only continue to improve and grow. We are gaining momentum.

Meanwhile, we are preparing for the next round and the upcoming wipe, and we want to fix as many critical aspects of the game as possible before then. We understand that some players are not playing due to existing balance and gameplay issues, which we aim to resolve as much as possible before the next wipe.

To our friends participating in Alpha 4 testing, we continue.

To all our other friends, we look forward to seeing you on November 26th at the start of early access! Make sure to join us—it will be hot and fun!

Dear friends, if there's one positive thing that could be said about our team over the years, it's our passion, belief, and dedication to our work. We will see this through to the end, no matter what it takes, and we will bring Corepunk to market in high quality. Now, with such a supportive community behind us, there's no doubt that Corepunk is destined for great success—we won't let you down!

Addressing Item Duplication: Today's Fixes And Future Plans

The following is an official news post, originally available here.

Hello everyone!

With this update, we want to address the issues related to item duplication. Today's fixes should eliminate all known item duplication methods that we're currently aware of. Again, these fixes have been successful in our internal tests, but on the live build, things can always go off track or there may be other duplication methods we're not yet aware of. In any case, we really appreciate you bringing these issues to our attention, allowing us to fix them. This test is crucial and beneficial for the game, and we're grateful for your participation, feedback, and comments.

Here are a few key points from this update:

As we've mentioned before, our current focus is entirely on the technical aspects of the project—server stability, fixing all leaks that allow item duplication, and resolving bugs. Our top priority is to make the game enjoyable and ensure that nothing disrupts your immersion.

With this update, we’re adding recipes to the synthesis machine, enabling you to craft Tier 1 and Tier 2 artifacts, as well as Tier 2 weapons using rare and epic items with additional bonuses. Next week, we plan to introduce advanced crafting through the synthesis machine for runes and chips. This mechanic will add depth and replayability to crafting and expand the utility of items. For example, there’s already a logic where you can combine six common items to create one uncommon item, reducing the random factor in crafting. We’re continually adding new recipes and logic to the synthesis machine.

There will also be an option for party members to trade items within a certain timeframe. We've wanted to release this feature for a while but couldn't get to it due to critical bug fixes.

You’ll be able to open additional tabs in the bank. To do this, you’ll need to buy a consumable item from the banker, which will unlock an extra tab in the bank. This is a temporary measure, and in the near future, we’ll introduce a full-fledged system of bags for the bank and inventory, enhancing convenience and gameplay variety.

Plans for next week:

Our plan for the coming week is to continue testing the fixes for item duplication, as well as the balance of mobs and bosses. We’ll also test the new items we’re adding to the game and deepen the crafting system. We’ll expand the logic of the synthesis machine for all professions, introduce two troll bosses with corresponding loot, and implement a host of additional items, gameplay fixes, and balance adjustments. If everything works as expected, we’ll perform a wipe at the end of the week and start a new cycle, which we hope will last much longer and be even more enjoyable. The goal of this cycle will be to test the new balance, considering all the updates and complete itemization.

To reiterate, we are continuously working on all aspects of the game, and we hear and understand the community’s feedback. In fact, it's thanks to your feedback that we’re able to fix and polish the game so effectively. We’re constantly working on quests to make objectives clearer, remove the need to submit rare resources, and provide more valuable rewards for completion. We're also improving and balancing bosses, fixing gameplay bugs, adding tons of new content, and enhancing the overall quality of the game every week. This kind of effective work is nearly impossible with just internal testing due to differences in scale. That’s why we decided to extend the test—because adding content, testing it, and polishing it in the live game is a unique opportunity for a developer to prepare for early access, and we’re taking full advantage of it. The number of fixes we’re implementing each week exceeds everything we've done before, and the data on our vulnerabilities at this stage is incredibly valuable. We’re aware of most of the issues that arise, and we’re solving them one by one every day.

Dear friends, over the next three months leading up to Corepunk's early access, the game will be refined, polished, and expanded with new content. We want to extend our deepest thanks to everyone actively participating in this process—you’re helping us bring the game to market and make it a quality product.

Thank you for playing!

Second Wipe And Alpha-4 Until The End Of October

The following is an official news post, originally available here.

Hello everyone!

We wanted to give you an update on what we’ve been working on and our immediate plans.

Starting with an important announcement: today, at around 9 PM Amsterdam time, we will take the servers down for about an hour to update the build. This update will include a full wipe of progress and characters.

This wipe is necessary due to a bug with passive talent bonuses that allowed many characters to stack various stats and bonuses, making them overpowered. We believe we have identified and fixed the bug, but we cannot correct the issue on existing characters without deleting them. Therefore, a wipe is essential.

We are implementing numerous server fixes, and it’s challenging to accurately assess their effectiveness while hundreds of broken characters are still in the game. To objectively test these fixes, we need to reset progress and start fresh.

We understand that this may negatively impact some players’ motivation to continue playing, and you’re right to feel that way. However, bugs that drastically diminish the value of progression for all other players are critical and must be addressed first and foremost. Additionally, this is crucial for our work and highly effective in tuning and fixing the game.

Starting the game anew, armed with your knowledge of its mechanics, rules, and optimal strategies, can be enjoyable. It’s like starting a new round—everyone begins from scratch, and we’ll see how successful each of us will be this time. We understand that some of you may find this less fun in a slow-paced game like Corepunk, but early progression should feel smoother for those who have already gone through it once. Plus, the game’s economy will be healthier after the reset, benefiting those who enjoy crafting and trading.

We’re continuously adding many improvements and fixes to the game. With updates, you’ll notice new mobs, environments, and various enhancements scattered throughout. There are so many changes that we’re not currently maintaining detailed patch notes. We know they’re needed, and we will begin updating and detailing them regularly soon. For now, the sheer volume of daily fixes would be a distraction from our focus on improving the game. Once we’ve fixed most of the game, we’ll start producing detailed patch notes consistently.

We want to express our deepest gratitude to our community—veterans and new members alike—for playing the game, staying with us, helping us improve it, and providing valuable feedback. Your active participation in the development process is invaluable. Without you, this work wouldn’t be possible. We could never organize internal tests on such a scale, testing all aspects of the game and receiving real-time feedback from testers to make immediate corrections. This has only been possible because you’ve maintained a stable online presence. Despite the numerous critical technical and gameplay bugs we’ve encountered, you’ve kept the servers active, and that’s the best support you could give us. This allows us to work on the game while you watch its evolution and changes. So please, keep playing, and we’ll continue to do our part by fixing the game daily. The game has already improved significantly since the start of the test, and this process is irreversible. We’ll get it to a state where you can fully enjoy Corepunk without interruptions.

Given that this is the second wipe during this test, and understanding how crucial it is to maintain consistent large-scale testing for game quality, we’ve decided to extend the Alpha 4 test until the end of October. We’ll keep the servers running continuously, and as mentioned, we’ll keep adding new content and polishing the existing content. To be honest, there may be more wipes—claiming otherwise would be misleading—but this doesn’t mean we won’t eventually reach a point of extended periods without wipes. That’s our next big goal.

Our plan is to fix the game as much as possible during the test so that it plays smoothly, with minimal noticeable bugs. Then, before early access, we’ll shift to actively marketing the game and drawing significant attention to it. This seems like the right strategy at this stage.

We want to thank all test participants for your dedication and, as a token of appreciation, we’ll be gifting you a skin from the Sabbath set, adapted for all hero bodies. The key for this skin will be sent to all participants of today’s wipe.
 

Additionally, everyone who plays until the end of the Alpha 4 test will receive a mount—a beautiful horse—as a gift.

These two skins will be unique, won't be sold anywhere, and can't be obtained in the game.

The skin keys will be sent out by the start of early access.
 

Dear friends, each day we’re doing great work together to develop Corepunk—we make an excellent team! Let’s meet in the next round and make it even better than the last!

Alpha 4 A Necessary Wipe

The following is an official news post, originally available here.

Hello everyone,

We'll be performing server maintenance later today (we’ll update you with the exact time shortly). During this maintenance, we’ll be implementing a lot of fixes, most importantly addressing server stability and observability issues.

IMPORTANT: We’ve discovered several exploits that make some level 20 players extremely powerful, which would severely disrupt the late game. Because of this, we will need to perform a progress wipe today, and all characters will be deleted.

We want to emphasize that we take wipes very seriously and consider them a last resort. We understand how much effort you’ve put into your characters, and we always try to avoid wipes at any cost. However, this situation leaves us no choice, as it threatens the integrity of the test for everyone.

We really wanted to avoid a wipe, but after assessing the situation, we see that a small yet critical number of players have already taken advantage of these exploits. This is not the fault of the players, and we are grateful for your help in identifying these issues.

To help mitigate the loss of progress, we will be increasing the experience gained from monsters and quests by 40%, allowing you to regain your progress more quickly.

Additionally, we’ll be unlocking 40 quests that were previously disabled.

We’ve also made numerous balance adjustments and general game polishing.

Thank you for your support and understanding, fellow Adventurers!