December will be a very exciting month! Maybe with up and downs but we are really working hard for the HWS 9 release and way more behind the scenes. One of the biggest thing:
New HWS EU server (replacing the old hardware wise)
Quick comparison
| Old HWS EU Server | New HWS EU Server |
|---|---|
| 128 GB RAM | 384 GB RAM |
| Intel 2x Xeon E5-2630v3 - 16/32t - 2.4 GHz / 3.2 GHz | Intel 2x Xeon E5-2680v4 - 28c/56t - 2.4GHz /3.3GHz |
| Bandwidth 1 Gbit/s | Bandwidth 10 Gbit/s |
| Cost: $237 / month | Cost: $328.99 / month |
Again, plain speaking: that one single game consumes so much hardware is absurd, there is no other way to say it. And everyone who think this is fake: host your own Empyrion server with 177 online players at the same time with a $50 server. Have fun.
But we love the game. We love our community. So hell let’s do it!
We tried a similar approach 2 years ago with a even bigger server and it didn’t work out as we wanted. We know the reasons though and I think it will be better this time.
Reason why
Overall I need to explain to you why we do this of course:
- At the release of HWS 8.X (177 players) we had a lot of forced restarts because the RAM reached the limit of ~110 GB. That way EAH automatically restarts the game - otherwise Doomsday happen. This won’t happen with the new server and 384 GB RAM anymore.
- With 28/56 CPU cores instead of 16/32 my idea is to keep our Universe as creative as it is now texture / design wise. At the moment Atlantis for example is so heavily texture modified that it’s part of the bad performance.
Additionally the Empyrion hardware logic is like this:- 50 players on one planet = low CPU usage. High player Frames per second (FPS).
- 50 players spread on 30 planets = 100% CPU usage.
With more CPU power we hope to at least have 90% CPU usage now… I doubt it.
- With this very “cheap” new server we want to be ready for the future. Prepared for more performance leaks from the game or the opposite, the game finally fixes its bad performance, we could host more games on that machine.
- DISCLAIMER: All of this will not mean, that we will have
- No bugs / glitches anymore!
- Smooth PvP fights!
It might be better overall with the new server but it is a big misconception nowadays from some start-up companies even, that they can fix their bad code with good hardware! Never do this!
Note: Due risk management I’ve decided to keep the current (old) HWS EU server still available in case the new monster server fails for whatever reason. That means that we have to gift $237 to our provider without using it. There is no generous offer there I can make. But it’s ok. Safety first. I’ll pay it from my own pocket.
How does it affect YOU?
With great power comes great responsibility!
There is a very crucial thing to keep in mind for YOU, the players (as some know from 2 years ago).
Your “ready to spawn blueprints” will be wiped !
Shamefully the blueprints are still stored on your local computer. The game checks the server + player file however. Since the new server has a new IP / Cache they won’t match anymore.
The only workaround for you is to spawn your blueprints from your F2 Factory into the universe BEFORE we do the migration!
We copy over everything to the new server. That way all structures which are really spawned in the universe will get come over!
Again, if you don’t spawn your ships before, you will lose them. And no, we absolutely can’t help you then anymore.
All of that matters on 30th November at 9 AM
HWS Christmas Time
As last year, I also want to share with you a nice christmas time on HWS this year (even if you don’t like it, free loot is always good, no? 
)
Christmas PDA Mission
Some remember it from last year here: HWS X-mas Event 2017
This time with more special loot for you!
A proper thread will be created on the first December.
HWS Supporter Christmas Deal
The first time ever and very experimental for me I created a Christmas Deal for you, which will be activated on the first advent.
Every package except the Keep Credits Upgrader and Custom Donation of course have a -30% discount.
I just wanted to early announce it because it is very new to you and you can wait for the deal if you are in general interested in supporting us.
Note: the -30% deal also applies to HWS Ingots! The deal will run until the 24th December. No refund, exchange or transfer can be made.
HWS Supporter Package changes
Last but not least, because I will start to finally rebalance the Elemental Bank and OCD after 2+ years there are some changes involved to the Supporter package to keep an overall balance. Please see below:
-
HWS Supporter
Price from 9 to 11 €
It includes now also Elemental Bank Level 3 and EGS Recycle Level 3 (will be automatically set after a full wipe to this level without re-paying) -
EB Level 3
Will be replaced with EB Level 5 (to be consistent with OCD lvl 5 and Recycle lvl 5)
Price from 12 to 15 € -
Keep 25m credits
Price from 15 to 10 € -
Keep 50m credits
Price from 25 to 15 € -
Keep 70m credits
Price from 29 to 20 € -
Keep 100m credits
Price from 35 to 30 €
As I said, all of these changes are scheduled for the 1st Advent, on 2nd December.
Alright, that is enough for you to think about! A lot of hints and surprises got out and I hope you are excited, as I am, if all of this works out!
Being creative, spending tons of time for you to create such “different” things is really something I enjoy.
But of course only, if you appreciate it - it’s made for you, not for me.
Please let me know at the given time what you think about all of that!
P.S:: The big HWS Survey is still running but also ends on the 1st December. If you haven’t already, you can particiapte here: HWS Survey #3
