The State of the Hearth Address

[ThirdEmperor]

Party Time!

This has to be the funniest thing I've ever seen.

I'm designing a bot that will post this picture every time Avu ever tries to post something.

[Gulluoglu]

Now, would anyone mind translating the OP into something a half-tired average person could understand?

Twoscore and fourteen weeks ago the first Hearth Fires of the world, which to a present posterity has been recorded only as "the First", were lit in this vast and bountiful realm by, indeed, the first of those uncounted brave souls whom it has pleased the vagaries of a peculiar Providence to direct unto us. It is with enduring personal satisfaction that we, therefore, in Hearth's light of this fortuitous annumnal, wish to embrace the opportunity to confer unto the present auditorium a report -- as exhaustive as those natural limitations of foresight and premonition can afford -- on the current and coming states of public affairs.

We started this game 54 weeks ago, and opened it to the first players. Since we're happy with how things have been going with the game, and in recognition of our year anniversary, we want to tell you how things are looking now.

It is the humble opinion of the Developmental Congress that the efforts exerted over the course of the past year have brought the Hearthlands to a point of advancement beyond what candid and reasonable expectation could prima facie have assumed. The progress of public credit is witnessed, not in the least, by a noteworthy and upward aiming trend in the continual increases of the total amount of both active and registered accounts -- a figure which, as of this writing, in case of the latter, approaches thirty thousands, and, in case of the former, exceeds three of the same.

We, the developers, never expected the game to be where it is now when we first started it; more and more people are playing as time goes on, and we have about 30000 registered accounts with 3000 of those considered active accounts.

As is habitual for a natural order undisturbed, new challenges must invariably present themselves where others have been met. In spite of these the fact deserves due mention that the experiences provided a Hearthling by the current order governing these lands is to no small an extent as pleasant and agreeable as they are, also, adequate. Notwithstanding the importance and necessity of further developments and advances within the mechanics that the past year has established, it can be observed that the Pursuit of Happiness carries, among the ranks of Hearthlings, not merely the reverberance of stale dogma, but the confirmation through action of a living principle.

It's natural for new challenges to always present themselves, though we think the game is relatively stable as is and the growth of the game and user base is proof of this to us. Further development, however, is still obviously necessary and important.

The relative peace and stability consequently afforded compels us to direct the focus of our attention away from temporary expediences, and toward matters pertaining ultimately to the more distant horizons of a longer term. It follows that the length of the development cycle must be proportionably extended. We express our hope and belief that a change of the pace and recurrence of change shall be met by the publicum with the cool and deliberate exertion of patience, firmness, and wisdom.

We are at a point where we feel band aid fixes and temporary issues are not as important as working on larger developments pertaining to the betterment of the game in the longer term, and because of this developmental additions to the game will seem to come less frequently. We hope that despite the less frequent updates, everyone will be patient while we develop.

Among the many interesting challenges that presently present themselves before us, the state of the Server, especially as viewed in light of the aforementioned increases in the sum total of participants in this our common endeavor, merits special consideration.

One of the issues we all face is obviously the game server and our growing game population, and it is something we are thinking about too.

The proper establishment of a system for the acquisition and advancement of skills, lores and land, capable of replacing that of the Learning Points, while at the same time retaining those aspects of that system that are serviceable, is the object of our immediate labors.

Another issue we want to address is a system that can replace the current system of Learning Points for skill acquisition and advancement, while still maintaining the fun and usefulness of that system. This is what we are working on now.

Various considerations render it expedient that the map generator be improved to allow for the impositioning on the map of a more meaningful topology, especially as concerns the macroscopic features of the same.

One other thing we are working on is improving the game world's map generation to make the game have more meaningful terrains as it pertains to the game world as a whole. (Maybe better flow from one terrain into another or regional variation, etc, not sure here.)

To increase the value and meaning of manufacture, the resources demanded by those processes of creation must be extended to enforce more interesting complexities, primarily as concerns the dimensions of time spent and ease of execution, the latter not to be determined by the arbitrary rolling of dice. The establishing of specific classes of intellectual resources will be instrumental in the carrying out of said visions.

We want to make crafting more interesting, because the system needs work in the areas of time spent and difficulty in crafting something with less random senseless dice rolling.

Gentlemen of the Announcement Forum,
The past year has been one laden with a most sublime and ongoing sense of accomplishment. Your participations, without which the ebbs and flows of development would surely have washed over some other shoals, have been, and remain, our pride, pleasure and sacred honor. We wish to express, in Hearth's light of this fortuitous annumnal, our sincerest gratitude for the year we have behind us, with the fond hope added that you shall remain with us for the one to come.

You all rock, stick with us for another year. Here, have some cake.

That's it, more or less, but Jorb's is much more eloquent.

[Jeebus]

What? Banishing the LP system?! NOES!!! Not my precious LP's!! You can't have them!! They're my LP's!! My LP's give me super strength!!

I love you, LP's.

[Gray]

Happy Birthday!! Have a toast with a slice of cake, for the upcoming years.

[Plooploop]

Happy Birthday Team H&H !

Thank you for bringing this game into my life and have a good one !

Cheers !

[Wolfang]

Gelukkig Verjaardag!!!!!

-Wolfang-

[HulkingUnicorn]

Does this just mean fewer normal updates or will this mean fewer mini updates as well?

[TheRussianB]

Are these items for a limited time?

[jibbeil]

i can't seem to find party hat and the other thing in the crafting menu

HulkingUnicorn form what Gulluoglu stated in his translation weekly updates will probley end and updates will be on another scale

[HulkingUnicorn]

There's probably some skill you're missing, it's there for me.
It would be disappointing if there would be no updates at all for weeks at a time. We've usually had mini updates for some time now, with the "stuff", but if even these kinds of updates will be fewer then that's a shame.
Hopefully he meant that big new features or major changes will be far between, but that we can still expect frequent mini updates - who knows