HWS Connect Audit | HWS RE & HWS+ New Season / Launch

📰 HWS Announcements
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Dear HWS Community @everyone

The big day is almost here! On July 11th, a brand-new season begins not just for our two HWS RE servers, but also for the long-awaited launch of HWS+, my very own scenario that I’ve been crafting for far too long! :rocket:

Here are some important updates for today:

:magnifying_glass_tilted_left: HWS Connect / Services Audit

I’m proud to share that we recently underwent a surprise audit of our web services – and it was money well spent :money_with_wings: (several hundred euros, in fact).

:white_check_mark: HWS Connect v2 has been running nonstop for over 6 years, and it’s absolutely critical that its API and everything connected to it remains secure and trustworthy.

:hammer_and_wrench: During the audit:

  • 1 major issue and 2 minor ones were found and fixed within 12 hours (big kudos to **Hayawen **:clap:).
  • One issue was with the game API itself, due to a regression from Eleon.
  • Another issue was an XSS vulnerability that had not been exploited, but was fixed immediately, of course.

All in all: solid results :white_check_mark: and a huge relief to move forward with a secure and reliable foundation.

:milky_way: New Season for HWS RE

For many, it’s become a tradition! :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: The start of a new season always brings some mixed feelings:

  • The good: fresh, clean databases = faster restarts and smoother performance
  • The bad: the game can struggle with 150+ players at once, so you might see some minor disconnect popups early on (just ignore them).

:light_bulb: Content-wise:
This season focused on new features, but I’m planning to focus on content improvements next. For example:

  • bringing back updated Stargate Missions
  • adding new Stargate Missions
  • improving PvP playfields with CSW+ in mind
  • improving our Star Fragment feature even further with scaling difficulties along the way (one of the top requests)

:glowing_star: HWS+ Launch

You’ve probably heard a lot already, but let me emphasize one thing:
:hammer_and_wrench: HWS+ is a work in progress, built with your feedback! Especially for PvP, there’s no such thing as perfection on day one – it needs live testing and input from you.
:speech_balloon: I’m thinking of hosting a weekly feedback livestream – what do you think about Saturdays, 18:00–22:00 (after the 18:00 server restart)? You’d be welcome to show me your current stuff, share thoughts, and help guide hotfixes for Sunday.

:test_tube: HWS+ Creative Scenario

The first version is live on the Workshop!

  • there is a little tutorial at the beginning to get you started. As well as SVs to test the combat system.
  • please keep the notes in mind. I have to fix some shapes that got apparently broken. (just click on Continue).
  • I’ll update it along the way, for now as Workshop version only - no duplicated Github work.
  • while you can start to build blueprints for the servers, keep the disclaimer in mind that things can change, based on feedback that comes in. Especially for the Creative Scenario I had to merge some things over.

:heart: Your Support Keeps HWS Alive

I want to highlight my deepest thanks to everyone that support me, well you, the Community in the end, keeping HWS alive for everyone! With 9+ years already running, I’m looking forward to a new big chapter coming up!
Only if you have some spare money you don’t need, there is a discount running already on our Support Us website. 15% discounts (up to 85% for Patreons). For HWS+ it’s a bit tricky this time, since you count as inactive. We can do some retroeffective options here, just make a ticket when the wipe is over and I can see what I can do.

That being said, thanks for everyone being here and really looking forward to the big milestone on Friday! :folded_hands:
RexXxuS

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