Dear Settlers,

Welcome back to another Mayor's Update. Before we jump in, we would like to thank everyone for commenting and giving feedback in the last update. We really appreciate it and we will dive into some of the comments in this update. To avoid any confusion and set the expectations correctly, we just wanted to make clear that the "Mayor Update" is a snapshot about previous changes or updates and a look ahead of what is coming or what the team is working on. The Mayors Update will not be updated when some tasks are completed.

When we last shared the Mayors Update, we were in the middle of transitioning to a new data center with modernized server infrastructure. This has been successfully completed in April and data shows that servers are in general more stable. Thanks to your on-going feedback in this matter, we are constantly pushing for even better stability and will continue making improvements in the back end. In addition we applied various fixes and changes that should have solved most cases of the infamous "90% stuck on loading" issue.

Beginning of this year we successfully released the new "Starfall" quest chain for players at levels 40 - 80 which we see as a starting point for more regular content and quality of life updates to the game. We're genuinely pleased with the outcome and are continuously working on fixes and improvements, with the latest patch introducing a fix for the vanishing star shard chests and some additional smaller fixes under the hood. Additionally we're currently investigating the "hour glass" issue when opening the reward chests.

Last but not least we completed the refactoring of our audio system which should solve the concert hall related crashes on player islands and when visiting friends which plagued many players in the past.


With social interactions and guilds being an integral part of the "The Settlers Online" experience, we're currently working on a new event called "Guild Fest." This event is designed to bring guild members together to challenge other guilds head-to-head. Winning guilds have their guild banners raised on all settlements across a game world to show everyone who is the best! Additionally winners and participants will be rewarded with a range of exciting prices. Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming weeks.

Another major activity in "The Settlers Online" are adventures and we are happy to announce that we're currently in the testing phase for new adventures to be released later this year.

Last but not least our quality of life initiative for this year is aiming on introducing a long requested feature that allows players to send out specialists in groups, significantly reducing clicks for those of us with many specialists at their command.

Let's dive into some specific ongoing discussions within the community.

Comment:
We want you to increase the level limit. Can you do it?
Answer: While it is fairly easy to increase the level limit, we don't want to simply increase the maximum just for the sake of it, but also offer meaningful content that comes with it. Players expect for example new buildings or production chains or new adventures or any other missions. However we are currently actively exploring some concepts for new endgame content, but have nothing to share in this regard yet.



Comment:
Starfall quest timers are too short.
Answer: After the recent changes to the reseeding quest line we agree that the timers are too tight. We're currently evaluating your feedback and data to make a final call on the quest timers.



Comment:
We need more building space or islands
Answer: Currently we are not intending to increase the size of the player island(s), however, with the above mentioned new endgame content, we are exploring new opportunities here was well.


One more thing

Before we conclude this Mayor Update, we're keen to hear your wishes for The Settlers Online. If you could make one suggestion for a feature implementation, what would it be? Share your thoughts in the comments, and feel free to provide details on why you believe it would enhance the game.

Thank you for reading the second Mayor Update. See you in the next one!
Your "The Settlers Online" Team