AfterWorld Survival Forum

Yep, it'll be just like back in late 2007 - when I and MANY other people were anxiously awaiting testing to open up again. Before that time I think the total number of registered players was less than 100. Within weeks (days?) of registration becoming open to all that number increased several-fold and the number of new players has slowly increased (on average) since then.

I remember checking the forums daily - sometimes several times per day - to see if it had finally opened up, only to be disappointed for several weeks or months. Only being able to read what the existing testers (it was ONLY testing back then since there were still frequent database resets) said about the game was torture because it was easy to see even back then how much potential AW has!

It seems history has repeated itself. I just hope that this is the only major repetition and that there is only forward progress over the next 4+ years.

To put this patch into perspective for players, I'll highlight some points I have from personal experience in coding and business and how I've personally seen Afterworld develop.

• When coding a game, you not only need to learn the coding language but adjust your mind's logic to the way it operates. So for the average computer user learning any form of code can be daunting and take years to master. Think of the changes you've seen from Alpha to Survival and realise those transfers were not simple cut and paste.
• Dedicated Logic underwent a MASSIVE project in transferring Alpha into Survival. The changes that were required involved the team having to re-learn and adapt the different languages, engine logic and mathematical formula's and on top of this they were required to remove zoning which in a would have enabled them to keep coding at a far more simple level as it was zone restricted.
• The team also had to upgrade the hardware to accommodate the size of the land and new resolutions resulting in larger file transfers on their server. Therefore they were required to also learn new technologies to implement these changes.
• As with any business a cash flow is required and unfortunately we have seen how volatile the cash flow can be for DL. The business actually rely's on a financial model that asks you to pay for what you think the game is worth to you. As a bonus your given awdd to improve your gaming experience. This can be interpreted differently however that is the basic form of a donation. With this in my mind I see the community has a lot of opinions to share but are not willing to pay for the experience that Afterworld provides or for it's future.
• As this is not a commercial game, people must understand anything here requires time. How much is dependent on the task at hand. In trying to isolate how long it has been since Afterworld last had work done on the code, I have found that I believe the work has never stopped, but rather slow down. This is quite simply due to the available hours to work on the project. At no point has Afterworld Survival closed down which in the face of a crisis shows exemplary Survival skills.
• New registrations have closed therefore we have become a community whether we get along or not. To keep this community alive players really need to start to provide ways for others players to have some fun with. Alpha created a lot of divisions amongst players however Survival has taken us to the other end of the scale where we can work together to improve the game for eachother. This is actually the first time players have truly had a closed test in Survival. When Alpha was running and Survival was in test phase there was no point in testing when your time spent there was going to be lost. Therefore I feel like we're now part of Afterworld Survivals future success in a small way.

I could continue this list and may do so in the future but my point here is for players to understand things can't go back to the way they were, as all of this work would then have been a waste of time for Dedicated Logic. We may have seen the end altogether in trying to transition it back so thankfully Survival has survived. Accept what we have available to us for entertainment and help support Dedicated Logic and it's development of Afterworld by donating what you think of the entertainment value you receive whether it be good or bad, it's all entertainment in some degree.

There's other games to try make money off, this may be one in the future but right now Dedicated Logic need financial support for the development of Survival and until they get the business side of things sorted which we believe is in good hands, it's up to us as the community of Afterworld to contribute to it's future, even if it is small.

Feel free to disagree but I've simply highlighted the logic as it stands for me and hope this changes some negative opinions around.

Apart from registrations re-opening, it seems the only change of opinion I've had in nearly a year is how we as so-called "testers" now hold no value into the development of Afterworld. With news of the update being delayed and a rebalanced economy, it looks like another case of history repeating.

I still would love to be a part of a game that becomes a huge success but the years are moving on and Afterworld's development is still far behind other games currently out there (Although none of these have mentioned implementing RCE).

Maybe Afterworld will find's it's niche but times running out. Sooner rather than later a whole new field of games will be released for online game play that will make Afterworld look like an unfinished project rather than a game limiting it's potential for attracting new players.

Also I would have preferred these upcoming updates in small lot's to test and fix in manageable sizes but seeing as everything's being rebalanced that would be difficult to keep track of tasks being worked on.

In regard to the loot/mob rebalance, I'm only annoyed since Survival never provided a sustainable means to acquiring all of the useable loot for gears. Quantity never interested me but as long as I could obtain that item on my own, if I had the time, I wasn't concerned. From what I've gathered there will be a period after the next update where certain loot gaps will eventually stop crafting, which in the end means there's no point to logging in until they fix it.

Survival was already difficult with the disconnects and lag and I may be wrong here but now we are expected to deal with no obtainable loot as well. Well I'll just have to go with the philosophy that time heals all wounds (or in this case loot gaps in crafting).

Wish I could be a bit more positive about upcoming changes but when the future is so uncertain, it's hard to be positive while trying to predict how things will go.

Hopefully other players are inclined to share there feelings about Afterworld's future as it seems a lot of players are very bothered and haven't spoken up or can list more strategies that we as players can take to improve Afterworld for ourselves despite the upcoming changes ( I once tried to start running a marketplace day but the dc's wouldn't allow for it as it would have gotten frustrating for everyone involved and Dale's book covering Afterworld history is another example as well).

All I can say is that the current Survival is unplayable.

Anti's vision of Survival seems to involve a lot of work on the fundamentals of the game (i.e. the reasons we hunt and how we skill up). It is unlikely that changes of the scale that Dedicated Logic are performing, with the small team, are driven by a release date. It is more likely that these mission critical changes are governed by readiness rather than effort.

Anti appears to be as open as he can about the development going on. He is not going to share the design documents nor is he going to share the minutes of the meetings they have. Build a bridge, get over it, burn it down behind you as there is no going back.

Bitching, demands, threats and tantrums are going to have the same effect on him as they had of the DL team before this.
Nil, Nada, Nothing.

I found out the hard way that expressing my personal opinions on this forum must be done very carefully and in an attempt to be constructive which is what this thread aims to achieve and this has nothing to do with what Anti is trying to achieve.

Actually I want idea's for things to do outside the game and ways to rebuild the community. I'm really tired of thinking of ways to improve the game when the game itself doesn't improve. Something like forum competition etc. I know the wiki needs to be remade but we have to wait until changes are made.

Please tell me though that my previous post isn't being viewed as being "Bitching, demands, threats and tantrums" or I will seriously not log in to the forum again as I was trying to be positive and think I'm misreading your post as it feels like it's directed at me. Just feeling a bit "unloved" at the moment with Afterworld.

I'm sure players have idea's and I normally would as well but this year has been absolute chaos for me.

@Windslow: Please don't abandon the forum, I could not live with the guilt. The post was not directed at yourself.
It is a general comment about how I feel a few members are treating DL, essentially a lack of empathy and understanding of the reality of complex software development.

I've made a lot of mistakes but as long as I learn from them I walk away a better person. Thanks for stating it wasn't directed at anyone in particular but even I have been a provocateur of bad criticism which is why I asked.

My biggest problem with Afterworld is I've always been waiting for the fun times of Alpha to return and seeing as though the future game looks like a lot of work needs to be done, hopefully we can use that time to recreate or even try to get an idea how to have fun throughout Afterworlds development process.

Although some won't see it this way, I thought I only played this game to have a good time and forget about real life drama's but that hasn't occured since Alpha. So I'm starting to wonder now why I really play Afterworld. Is it for a prospective income from RCE (only Second Life, Entropia and Afterworld were available as RCE when I started), is it being part of something that starts small and becomes a success or is it simply because I have nothing better to do.

As it stands I thought by now the community would begin to grow again but upcoming changes have stalled that further, so now I'm literally reaching out for idea's to stay involved without having to grind the game and my time away.

Just one point i would like to make.. Without trying to provoke or insult anyone..


You say that you don't see the community grow? I very rarely see you or Jane in-game, never chatting / buying or selling.. So where is your support? You guys (and others) just want to chat on the forum and wait for everything to happen? ... Log-in, play, trade, chat & donate! Do something about it rather than complain here on the forums. The more active players in-game the more players it will attract!



The community is growing, i am very active at the moment, so i see it all.. There are new players and lots buying / selling various skills and items.

I immediately didn't like the changes Anti had brought, but after time i see that they are actually for the good and necessary.. I play more than i ever did, and am really looking forward to coming update and the future of Aferworld

Log-on and actually play, you might feel the same

Good post 

Windslow, perhaps my post does not include you.. Sorry for getting that wrong. By my point in general is still valid. Inactive players need to become more active to support the game and its progression, sitting on the side-lines hoping for the best is not going to help anything.


It must be a time-zone thing, as i have seen a few new players coming recently, some who are very active and buying up everything, some who are picking away at NU.. When a few trickle in more follow.


About the loot wipe, I understand lots of people are annoyed with it.. But no longer understand why? Surely you can see that it has to be done? And in reality, nobody is losing much of anything.. You can refine most things, and electronics you can craft into Scanner & Extractor parts which all have a very low CC so AWD should not be an issue there.


I feel the game is going in the right direction, sure i don't like Antis attitude towards us and the way he comes across.. but i'm genuinely starting to think that perhaps this is exactly what the game needs? No bullshit, grab the bull by the horns and really sort Afterworld out. Time will tell i guess.

You say that you don't see the community grow? I very rarely see you or Jane in-game, never chatting / buying or selling.. So where is your support? You guys (and others) just want to chat on the forum and wait for everything to happen? ... Log-in, play, trade, chat & donate! Do something about it rather than complain here on the forums. The more active players in-game the more players it will attract!

I have been playing and contributing to AW Survival well before it being opened to the public in December 2012.

If AW Survival was the promised step-up from AW Alpha, I definitely would be more active in the game. Unfortunately, it is a step down from AW Alpha and instead of being the Alpha 'develop your character which way you want', character development is very limited.

As for participating, I have never heard you offering help to newcomers and free items to newcomers. Perhaps it is a timezone thing or maybe something else. Either way it is a bit silly to assume you know what I am doing in the game or why I am absent from time to time.

@Gig: The game is about to change in a fairly major way once the update is released. At that point, I'll re-evaluate how I'll play the game. However, I do have a positive attitude in regards to Anti's vision of Survival. This attitude does not apply to the current version.  Commenting on my presence in the game or your enjoyment of the current version of the gamer is, for all involved, a false-belief task (IMHO). And that is all I have to say about this off-topic. Feel free to Message me in the forum  if you feel this is worth pursing further.

If you want to be childish and have the last word, go ahead. I have no intention of lowering myself to that level.