Hello everyone, Aguru here!

It's been quite a while since our last developer blog, and I figured it was about time for another one.

Today, I'd like to give you a little insight into what we've been working on behind the scenes, particularly one of our biggest technical undertakings yet: a new game client for ArcheAge Classic.

This is the first part of our Road to 2.0 series, where we'll be discussing the work leading up to our next major update and what it means for the future of ArcheAge Classic.

The Road to 2.0: Part 1 — A New Client

As some of you may know, we've been working towards what we've lovingly labelled 2.0, our next major update to ArcheAge Classic.

However, before we get there, there's something rather important we need to talk about.

For quite some time now, we've been working behind the scenes on a project that will fundamentally change what we're capable of doing with ArcheAge Classic.

We're building a new game client.

Why a new client?

The original ArcheAge client is rather old, and over the years, we've run into countless limitations that have made development increasingly difficult.

One of the biggest examples is the game's 32-bit architecture, which severely limits how much memory the client can use. This has been responsible for a considerable number of crashes, particularly during longer play sessions or when travelling between populated areas.

And while we've spent a great deal of time working around these limitations, there's only so much we can do without making more fundamental changes.

That's where our new client comes in.

We're rebuilding and modernizing significant parts of the client, giving us far greater control over how the game works.

Some of the improvements we're working towards include:

  • 64-bit support: Removing the limitations of the original 32-bit client, allowing the game to utilize significantly more memory and reducing memory-related crashes.
  • Performance improvements: Optimizing various parts of the engine to improve performance and reduce unnecessary overhead.
  • Improved stability: Addressing long-standing client crashes and engine issues that were previously difficult or impossible to fix.
  • Quality-of-life improvements: Greater freedom to implement new client-side functionality, such as alternative interaction buttons and other features that were previously out of reach.
  • Future development: Establishing a modernized foundation that will allow us to make more substantial improvements to the game going forward.

It's important to understand that this isn't a new version of ArcheAge in the traditional sense. It's not a fresh start, a new server, or a major content update.

It's still the same ArcheAge Classic you know, just running on an improved foundation.

And perhaps most importantly, this is not a one-off update. The new client is intended to become the foundation for all future client development.

What does this mean for players?

Initially, you probably won't notice a massive difference.

That's intentional.

Our first priority is ensuring that the new client can run the game as reliably as the existing one, while taking advantage of the improvements we've made under the hood.

Some players may notice performance improvements, fewer crashes, or other small changes, but we're not trying to reinvent the game overnight.

Instead, we're laying the groundwork for improvements that simply wouldn't have been feasible with the original client.

The amount of control this project gives us over the game is something we've wanted for years, and we're incredibly excited about what it will allow us to do in the future.

How will the rollout work?

Of course, replacing the game client is not something we want to rush.

The new client is currently undergoing internal testing, and our next step will be to gradually introduce it to the live player population, which will begin promptly.

Rather than releasing it to everyone at once, we'll be conducting an invite-only beta directly on the live servers.

Here's how it'll work:

  • Invitations will be distributed in waves. A random selection of active players will be invited to participate, with factors such as recent playtime influencing the selection process.
  • Invites will appear directly in the launcher. If you're selected, you'll know! There's no need to apply, sign up, or constantly check for an invitation. You won't miss it.
  • Both clients will coexist. During the beta, the new client will run alongside the existing one. Invited players will be able to test it without us immediately replacing the old client.
  • We'll gradually expand access. As we fix bugs, address crashes, and gain confidence in the new client, we'll increase the percentage of the player population using it.
  • Eventually, the new client will become the official client. Once we're satisfied with its stability and overall readiness, we'll transition away from the legacy client.

We fully expect there to be some rough edges during the beta. After all, we're making substantial changes to a game engine that's been around for well over a decade.

That's precisely why we're taking this gradual approach.

Your feedback and crash reports will be invaluable in helping us identify issues that might not appear during internal testing.

We'd much rather take the time to get this right than rush everyone onto a new client before it's ready.

Looking ahead

Our new client represents a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes, much of which players will never directly see.

But it's also one of the most important investments we can make in the future of ArcheAge Classic.

For years, we've had ideas and improvements that simply weren't practical because of the limitations of the original client. With this project, we're finally starting to remove those barriers.

And while the initial release will be focused primarily on stability, compatibility, and performance, the possibilities it opens up for future development are what make this project particularly exciting.

This is only the beginning.

In the next part of our Road to 2.0 series, we'll dive deeper into the upcoming 2.0 update itself and what we're planning for the future of AAClassic.

Until then, thank you all for continuing to support us, and we look forward to getting the new client into your hands!

— Aguru
ArcheAge Classic Team