The client and server will be updated to version 0.10.9 at 5:00 PM GMT (12:00 PM EST) on Saturday, March 12. Here is a list of player-visible changes. Not all changes are on this list because there are almost 1000 commits since the last major release and it would take ages to sift through them all. There will be a 20% EXP boost for all players until 5:00 PM GMT on Saturday, March 19.

I've been hard at work these last few months on various gameplay changes. I'm finally almost ready to release the update. Most of the bugfixes have already been applied to Main.

As I've vaguely described to most of the active players recently, this patch not be immediately applied to Main. A separate server will host all the major changes for a few months (I'm not sure how long). The current "Main" server (along with your current characters) will be renamed to "Legacy Sphere", while the new server (with all the newest changes) will be renamed to "Main Sphere".

Part of the reason behind this is that some of the changes completely alter gameplay balance and could ruin the existing experience for players. This is a way to get feedback before everyone's characters are ruined by the massive changes.

I also think fresh starts are just healthy for the game. They provide a new economy and return old players to starter areas, giving them the opportunity to provide feedback on where improvements can be made.

Players will not be transferrable until the next big update, after which they'll have to be manually moved individually on request from the Main Sphere to the Legacy Sphere. The Legacy Sphere will then receive all the updates from the Main Sphere, and the Main Sphere will be updated with new updates and players will have to restart their characters on the Main Sphere.

After this update is released (and feedback is addressed) I'll be shifting my focus. I was going to write about it here, but it became lengthier than I wanted. You can read about it here: https://www.daimonin.org/12277/plan-following-0-10-9/

Legacy is 0.10.8, Main is 0.10.9. When 0.10.10 or 0.11.0 is released, characters on Main will be migrated to Legacy, Legacy will be updated to 0.10.9 (or 0.11.0, if protocol changes are made) and Main will be updated to 0.10.10 (or 0.11.1).

So the intended server for most players is Main, and your characters are safe. Unfortunately the migration process will be manual for now to prevent conflict between characters/accounts of the same name. Eventually we'll have a combined account server (so your account is shared between website, Main, and Legacy) and characters will be tied to a specific server.

I'm also considering discontinuing this system and going back to the old system of 1 main server, 1 unstable testing server. That method was much simpler, but players seldom used the test servers. And when they did, they'd often either be given unbalanced items for "testing", or they'd find unbalanced items in the unofficial maps (player-created, but not yet added to the core game). Those unbalanced items made it difficult to properly test changes.