Hello, Adventurers.

We’ve been thinking deeply about recent issues with our Free to Play (f2p) version and wanted to give our new players a more complete full loot extraction experience. After careful consideration we have decided to test the removal of the item restrictions in the Normal mode, allowing players to bring in any of their loot into the dungeons up to 'Legendary' grade.

In order to protect new users from being completely run over by fully geared players, we will be utilizing a gear based matchmaking system in the Normal mode. We still feel that matches where most players start off on a similar footing is extremely fun and fair. The default Normal mode will have a maximum gear score limit set to 25, basically restricting players to mostly ‘Common’ grade gear. This default matching pool should feel like the previous gear restricted Normal mode from before.

Players with higher gear will be matched into a separate matching pool where almost everything goes. We expect the addition of this matching pool will help the Normal matches feel similar to the previous playtests from times yonder with much chaos and destruction. We do have some concerns regarding pub stomping, but we’d rather give players this choice of play. We have also made the game a little more forgiving when it comes to engaging in combat and escaping, which should make the above situations more avoidable.

We are excited to see how the community accepts the new Normal mode. We’d like to reiterate that it was never our intention to mislead our players and we are learning from your feedback. If you are curious on our motivations for releasing the game as free to play, we invite you to check out our extended thoughts on our website at https://darkanddarker.com/news/58. Finally, unless we encounter major issues, the Platform Link feature that allows players to link their previous account to a new platform is scheduled to be completed within the week. We thank you for your patience.

IRONMACE

Changes:
-

• Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause the server to crash.
  
• Fixed an issue where Ignite was not applied properly to weapons.
  
• Fixed an issue where the sound that occurred when hitting the Thorn Barrier with a weapon was set incorrectly.
  
• Fixed an issue where Frost Wyverns could sometimes take damage without waking up.
  
• Fixed an issue where the rope escape would not work properly.
  
• To allow all players to experience the full loot extraction experience, we will begin testing an updated Normal mode.
  
• The gear cap for Normal mode dungeons has been increased from ‘Common’ to ‘Legendary’ grade items. (Keep in mind the gear cap can and will be adjusted in real time to a rarity that best suits Normal dungeons.)
  
• Gear score matchmaking is enabled for Normal mode dungeons.
  
• Normal mode dungeons are now split into two matching pools. The default matching pool is set at a maximum gear score of 25 to most closely match the previous Normal game experience where players were restricted to ‘Common’ gear. Players or teams with anyone having a gear score above 25 are placed in a more difficult ‘Normal' matching pool.
  
• Updated the gear score for Poor and Common items to have a lower gear score.
  
• Updated the gear score for Poor and Common Utility items to no longer provide any gear score.
  
• Healing potions and Bandages provided by Squire now have a quantity of 2.
  
• High Roller dungeon is available as soon as you reach ‘Legendary’ status.
  
• Trade must be available 72 hours after 'Legendary' status is activated.

Hello new adventurers!
Our launch on Steam and Epic Games marks a major milestone in the availability of Dark and Darker.

We would like to address the Free to Play label. We’ve heard your feedback loud and clear, and would like to explain the reasons behind our current Free to Play model. We would also like to clear up any misunderstandings and layout our plans going forward. We apologize to anyone who felt misled by the game being marketed as Free to Play and acknowledge that we should have chosen a better method to introduce it in that regard. Throughout the game’s Early Access development, the game was always a paid product, and we intend for the full experience to remain this way. This ensures we uphold our promise to our loyal early adopters, and helps combat cheaters along with RMT to keep the dungeons clean for all to enjoy.

The main reason we released our game as Free to Play (F2P) was because we made a promise to our early loyal adopters on Blacksmith, that we’d do everything possible to not force them to repurchase the game again if it went to major platforms. We do not believe in double-dipping or taking advantage of our fans who are the sole reason we’ve come this far.

When we had the opportunity to release the game on the Epic Games Store and Steam platform we were thrilled to be back on large global platforms. However, due to the large number of previous customers on Blacksmith, it was not feasible nor fair to our platform partners for us to distribute thousands of keys to Blacksmith customers for free, increasing their risk with little benefit to them. The solution to overcome the technical, logistical and contractual hurdles we faced was to transition to a Free to Play model which would allow our current customers to naturally transition to a partner platform of their choice without the use of any abusable keys.

When we designed our current free to play system, our intention was to ensure that previous customers did not feel as if they were taken advantage of for supporting us. We wanted to make sure they felt properly compensated for their loyalty while still feeling excited for the new transition to a free to play version.

As a bit of context and history, we implemented the current Normal game mode that restricted items to common grade back in November of 2023 where it quickly became a fan favorite. Our Blacksmith players saw the mode as a solution to a divisive item gap disparity and many viewed the mode as the most fair and balanced mode rather than a limiting system. We decided to open the Normal mode to the free version precisely because of its high value to the community. We naively thought this mode would be compelling enough for incoming players since they got access to the most popular and accessible mode in the game for free. We had failed to take into consideration how brand-new players not knowing the development context would have a different perceived value for this mode, and how it could easily be construed as us trying to bait and switch them. This is the farthest thing from the truth as we are continually striving to find fair and open ways to run an online game while respecting our loyal customers.

A secondary reason for restricting free players to the Normal mode was to act as a barrier, and lower the incentives for hackers to disrupt the game. Like many other competitive online games, we face the challenge of fighting those that look for advantages through unfair means. We knew that once we went free to play, we would be sending an open invitation to hackers around the world. In our quest against hackers, our bans show they almost exclusively attempt to exploit the High-Roller dungeons as that was where their exploits would bear the most fruit. Limiting hackers with free accounts to the less disruptive Normal modes was also a preventative measure to try and compartmentalize the damage they could do.

When releasing our Squire and Legendary account models, our intent was to offer a free version of the game that had no time limit. This would give players a commitment-free opportunity to see what Dark and Darker has to offer. The free account status allows players to experience Normal mode dungeons with a single character, stash the loot they acquire, and complete quests. This improves their standing with the merchants - improving pricing and wares, while also expanding the arsenal of items the Squire merchant provides players with.

Despite our intentions, we failed in anticipating the expectations that new players would have when approaching our game. We did not intend to deceive our players, and we now realize that the current Normal/High Roller bifurcation is not well designed for F2P players. We built a full loot extraction game and then forced upon a large contingent of the player-base the inability to utilize their hard-earned loot without any workarounds. We now understand the absurdity of that situation and are looking to make amends.

We are currently working on solutions that take into consideration both the needs of existing and new players. Our goal is to give new players the ability to experience a complete loop of a full loot extraction experience and risk their loot while still respecting the loyalty of our existing players. We’re still working on the details for that plan that will address access to the High-Roller dungeons, the ability to unlock character slots, and will make an announcement very soon as the details are finalized. Our goal is to be fair and just with our players, and we’ll do our best to show our appreciation. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your incredible support over the past two years as we work to make Dark and Darker the best it can be. We could not ask for a better, more passionate community – thank you for holding the line!

IRONMACE