The next IdleMMO update is coming later this month, and we’ve crammed quite a lot into this one. It contains a little bit of everything, from smaller quality-of-life improvements and changes to existing systems, to a brand-new tutorial and plenty more.
The update was originally supposed to release today, but we’ve run into some time constraints and we’re not quite 100% happy with where it is yet. Rather than rush it out, we’d prefer to leave it in the oven for a little longer and give it the extra polish it needs.
Check out the preview here: https://www.galahadcreative.com/blog/idlemmo-v0-84-ui-improvements-forge-lessons-quality-of-life-and-much-more/
We are currently running an alpha test of the upcoming 0.84.0 update with a selected group of players. We want to keep the test fair, so we are being careful about how much information about new features is shared ahead of time.
While the alpha is running, we will keep the wiki roughly in line with what alpha players can access. We are generally more cautious for systems that may affect the market or competitive side of the game. Right now, that includes item loaning and the updated Forge system, as both can affect how items and materials are used. More areas will be added to the alpha, and subsequently the wiki, as testing progresses.
Alongside this, we've updated the wiki's home page to highlight recently updated pages, making it easier to find anything new or changed. We have been making improvements to wiki overall, including expanding and enriching the information available across it.
Alpha players are free to talk about the test. We have only asked them to hold off on screenshots and recordings for now, as the design is still being worked on. Nothing in the alpha is confidential.
Any numbers shown on the wiki either come from the alpha or are placeholders, and all of them are subject to change. During testing, values will either match the wiki or be significantly boosted to help testers progress faster. A disclaimer at the top of each relevant wiki page will give more context on how accurate the information currently is. The alpha as a whole is unfinished, and anything may change before release.
This is a large update, so we are testing it in phases and introducing new content to the alpha test in waves. We may open the alpha to more players, although our alpha server has limited capacity, so we cannot promise this. If you want to stay up to date, keep an eye on our Discord.
The update changes a little bit of everything, including QoL improvements, new classes, new features, a large UI overhaul to make the game feel more like a game and less like a collection of menus, a brand-new tutorial, and more. We want to get it right, so we are taking our time with it.
Our target is still to release the update on Monday, 5th October. Given the size of the update, the upcoming campaign, and other internal projects and deadlines competing for the team's capacity, there is a chance we may not hit that date.
If we do miss the 5th, the release will likely move to late October. We're working hard to get everything ready for Monday and will keep you updated if anything changes.
These two systems lay out the groundwork for further extension such as support for pets and guidance scrolls.
We're aware that the recent trading changes have introduced some pain points for legitimate activities such as forging services, guild transfers, loans, and similar transactions. These are already on our radar, and we'll be introducing solutions for them in due time as the system continues to be refined. The risk system is still extremely new, so we'd ask for a little patience while we monitor how it behaves and make adjustments where needed.
We've also made further adjustments to further reduce its impact on smaller trades.
When we introduced Slayer, we didn’t make our usual adjustment to teleportation costs to account for an additional skill. We planned to address that in this update, but decided to take a closer look at the system as a whole.
We know teleportation costs have been a recurring frustration. Some players even avoid levelling certain skills because doing so makes every teleport more expensive. That’s not a particularly satisfying decision to make in a game built around progressing your character.
The reasoning behind the original system was fairly straightforward. Generally, a higher total level means access to better ways of earning gold, so teleportation costs increase alongside it. As a rough assumption, that makes sense. In practice, though, it gets messy. Someone specialising in one profitable skill can earn plenty of gold while keeping their total level relatively low. Meanwhile, someone exploring several skills pays more, even if those extra levels haven’t meaningfully improved their income.
_ _ Before (Bluebell Hollow → Crystal Caverns) TL 100 — 162 Gold TL 200 — 219 Gold TL 500 — 584 Gold TL 800 — 1,222 Gold TL 1,000 — 1,792 Gold TL 1,200 — 2,476 Gold TL 1,500 — 3,708 Gold TL 1,800 — 5,184 Gold
After (Bluebell Hollow → Crystal Caverns) TL 100 — 50 Gold TL 200 — 50 Gold TL 500 — 414 Gold TL 800 — 1,052 Gold TL 1,000 — 1,492 Gold TL 1,200 — 1,785 Gold TL 1,500 — 1,950 Gold (1,758 gold reduction) TL 1,800 — 1,950 Gold (3,234 gold reduction)
Teleportation costs still only use the skills that contribute to the economy. Skills like Guild Mastery, and seasonal skills are still exempt.
Costs can still rise between the beginner range and the cap, but they won’t keep accelerating. Once you reach that cap, you can level Slayer, or anything else, without making the same journey more expensive.
Ultimately, teleportation is still a useful gold sink, but we don’t really feel like it justifies making every extra skill level more expensive anymore. There are quite a few more ways gold leaves the economy these days, with things like Slayer contracts being one example, so we’re comfortable easing up on it a bit. We’ll keep an eye on how it affects things, but we think this is a nicer balance between keeping the economy healthy and actually making skill levels feel rewarding.
Over the coming days, we’ll be introducing a number of changes to trading and the market:
On top of this, the market values of pets will be updated over the coming days. This means the minimum amount of gold required to sell certain pets will change depending on what that pet is actually worth.
The value assigned to items during trades, and the pets, will be based on their actual market value. This will matter when determining the requirements for trades that are considered higher risk. We’ll be analysing the game’s full market and trading history to build as accurate a picture as possible of what each item is actually worth.
As a gesture of good faith while these changes are being prepared, all trade taxes and minimum trade requirements will be removed for the next 12 hours for accounts that are not currently marked as high risk. Taxes between alts are also not covered, because the upcoming patch will not affect alt trades.
If you have paid more than 1 million in trade taxes since the last update, create a support ticket with a breakdown. You will be reimbursed.
This gives everyone a bit of time to move or reorganise items between players before the new systems begin coming into effect.
Also, as mentioned previously, if you’re currently loaning an item to somebody through the existing trade system, we’d recommend having it returned for now. Once the proper loan system is live, you’ll be able to loan it back to them through that instead.
Update: The trade taxes and requirements exemption have been extended for another 12 hours (24 hours in total) to allow those in other time zones to benefit from it. Happy trading!
All high-value items and trades in the game will soon be considered high risk. As a result, any transaction involving these items will be subject to a minimum trade value, similar to the system currently used for the Pet Exchange.
Simply put, high-value and powerful items will no longer be able to be transferred for little or nothing in return. Trades involving these items will need to include an appropriate amount of gold, items, or a combination of both to meet the required value. This also includes the market.
This is not a restriction we would ordinarily want to introduce, but its necessary to help prevent transactions that take place outside of the game.
We are aware that some players currently use the trading system to temporarily loan items to others. For this reason, these restrictions will come into effect after 48 hours, giving players time to return any outstanding loaned items.
We will also begin exploring the introduction of a dedicated loan system within IdleMMO. This would provide a safer way to loan items directly to other players, for a fee, while ensuring that the item is automatically returned to its original owner. We cannot currently provide a timeframe for when such a system may be implemented.
Additionally, we will be increasing the vendor value of items based on their tier. These changes will also begin taking effect over the coming days.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these changes. If you currently have items loaned to another player, or are holding items that have been loaned to you, we strongly recommend returning them to their original owner before the new restrictions take effect.