DOFUS Touch Missive #16

The traditional start-of-year missive is back to take stock of the past year and, most of all, talk to you about the future!

This missive clearly follows on from last year's on various topics, as you will see. It's important for us to keep a steady focus and have a clear-cut vision for DOFUS Touch. The missive is an opportunity for us to explain certain aspects of it every year. So without further delay, here goes!

2022 Was a Great Year

We're pleased to tell you the game is doing great, as evidenced by our internal traffic figures, the size of our updates, and the number of players, for that matter! This has been one of the best years since the game was launched, if not the best!

Seeing that the game is still growing after more than six years is something to be proud of! Symbolically, the milestone of five million downloads on Android was passed this year. Meanwhile, the game's rating has risen above 4/5 on both Android and iOS.

As explained in this devblog, all this data also prompted us to rework the start of the game.

For the record, and since we're talking about Albuera, this update was a real challenge for us! Changing this part of the game required a whole lot of upfront work, analysis, testing, and development… but we didn't want to neglect our historical players at the end of the year. So, in addition to this, there are changes to hundreds of items of equipment, the release of spellmaster seals, the changes to the Kolossium, and everything else you might have already discovered in the changelog.

It was a mammoth task, but at the end of the day, we're quite pleased with the outcome! But it isn't over yet, as you'll find out in the rest of this missive.

We'd like to thank players who gave us feedback during the latest beta for us to improve their experience with their future companions in the World of Twelve, especially when it comes to Albuera, but also emblems and many other topics! It's nice to be able to communicate with you at such times, and it's often really useful.

More than 15,000 players came along to check out Albuera during this beta, which is just fantastic. Although not everyone will give us feedback (imagine our community managers' faces if they did!), this provides us with enough data to adapt the content if necessary. Still, we have to remember you already knew the game perfectly well! As for the rest, various professional playtests were organized externally and internally.

You could almost forget about our other updates: the shift to four-player content, the Elite Bonus Pack, legendary weapons, the different class balancing, and more still. It was a busy year for us, and we hope you enjoyed it. All these updates forge the identity of DOFUS Touch a little more and make us so proud.

Our aim is to keep this momentum going!

2023 Has Something in Store for Everyone

Once again for the coming year, we want to improve different aspects of the game that should affect a large part of our global community. Everyone should benefit in some way!

We'll revisit some points we already covered in the KrosmoNote in October with more details.

Sensitive Subjects

First of all, we wanted to revisit the updates involving the Stubbyobs (for the oldest among you) and Pandala, which aren't yet complete.

The next part of the Stubbyobs' story and revamping Nolifis were considered. It was a real desire of ours at the time, and unfortunately, we couldn't afford to release everything in just one update. This content hasn't been buried for good, but you probably shouldn't expect to see it for quite some time, let alone in 2023.

The reason is simple – we want to work on other priorities and continue to lay a solid foundation, as you'll understand if you read on a bit.

We think this is a sensible decision; however, we would like to apologize to players who are still eagerly waiting for this content.

Now on to legendary weapons! The current system and the analyzed results meet our initial expectations, in terms of both the amount and frequency with which these weapons are obtained on all the servers.

That said, we completely understand why some players are unhappy with the way the weapons are obtained. And so we are considering potential solutions to minimize frustration, but without deviating from the original design that is working as intended. In short, we don't want to promise anything, because we aren't sure about changing this mechanic. But our team is discussing the issue.

Right, now it's time to get to the fun part!

Group Search

Let's start with the much-talked-about group search, which we think is vital for an MMORPG, especially on mobile devices. Even now, many players are still struggling with various content (such as dungeons) due to a lack of companions to help complete them. It's an extremely frustrating experience that we hope we'll solve with this new feature.

There are enough players in DOFUS Touch for them to band together and complete the various activities available to them, but the Recruitment channel is far from doing the trick.

We haven't yet finished investigating it, but our team is really looking forward to this group search, and we'd like to make it available to you as soon as 2023, if possible. So, it's difficult to explain how it works right now, but we can share our initial thoughts with you.

Note that at first, this group search will only be effective for dungeons.

This project is a challenge in that we feel the expectations are different based on players' profiles:

• At low levels, the player won't be particularly interested in the composition of their team and will want to find teammates quickly. It won't matter if the group consists of just Iops for a Field Dungeon because they'll manage to complete it;
• At higher levels, players become more organized to react to the various bosses' strategies. This means they need to plan for damage, positioning, healing, etc. In this case, it's less optimal to offer a quick search that doesn't permit any specific filtering.

 

We'll therefore need to meet the various needs! Other issues must be considered, such as "wisdom mules", who aren't necessarily welcome in every group – they can monopolize places and produce few results.

We'll definitely be providing a devblog later in the year to review all this! In the meantime, feel free to let us know what your expectations are, because we're listening.

Anti-Cheating Measures

We'll continue to strengthen our efforts in dealing with bots and modified clients. As you've already seen, greater efforts have been made in these areas since late 2021.

Although we don't regularly report on these topics, they're still at the heart of our concerns because, as we already explained, this is a never-ending issue, sadly.

For 2023, we're reviewing some of our strategies and methods regarding these topics, which should further increase our impact!

*short musical interlude*
Well done if you made it this far! There's still a "bit" to read, but first, here's a gift code to before we go on: DT2023bis. You can use it here.

Revamped Tactical Mode

It was already updated in Ankama's other MMOs, so tactical mode in DOFUS Touch is finally catching up! Actually, we already did some analysis and testing two years ago. We wanted to keep our maps' sceneries, atmospheres, etc. insofar as possible while improving the accessibility of fights.

Here is an example of our initial research on the subject back then:

 

The scenery elements were replaced with smaller "blocks", holes, etc. However, we weren't satisfied with the results, and it required a lot of technical efforts at the same time. Other solutions were considered, but we gave up on them for the same reasons.

We don't want to wait any longer to adjust this long-awaited tactical mode, which is a really important feature in your everyday experience in the World of Twelve. We therefore decided that it should work more or less the same way as in DOFUS, where it has proven itself. Here are two examples of how it appears in the game:

Depending on which area the fight takes place in, tactical mode will take on a more consistent and visually pleasing appearance!

Astrub Revamp

Some of you will have noticed that shifting from Albuera to Astrub can be extremely rough, and even more so for a beginner in the DOFUS Touch universe. It's therefore vital for us to rebuild this second area as soon as possible, always with a view to better welcoming, guiding, and retaining new players! This will involve both the design (e.g., game maps and navigation) and the content (quests, monsters, etc.).

Revamping this emblematic city will enable us to round out the game's tutorial. Several mechanics (professions, guilds, trade, etc.) are yet to be introduced for players, and we wanted to do it at a pace they could manage. It will also be an opportunity for us to introduce a bit more background of the DOFUS Touch universe and the Krosmoz.

Even though we didn't talk about it in Update 1.57, from the very beginning, the Albuera revamp was planned with the Astrub revamp in mind, which is why we deliberately left out some aspects of the game to be introduced at a later date.

This means Astrub will be the logical follow-up to Albuera in all this!

Here is one of the Astrub maps currently in the game:

 

Here are our early research and testing for the revamp:

 

This map probably won't be used as such in the game, but it does show where we're heading.

What we can already tell you is that things there will be much nicer (especially when it comes to the walls surrounding the city)! The layout of the various buildings will also be much more cohesive. There's no need for anyone who owns a house to panic because you won't lose anything and you'll keep your property!

Xelor Revamp and Balancing

Yep, here we go again! After several adjustments over the months, the Xelor class is getting its own revamp this time. It was a long wait because we needed to allocate development time for some new spell effects, among other things.

It's still too early to reveal the new Xelor mechanics to you, but you won't be disappointed!

As for the other characters, we'll be doing some more minor balancing as you've grown accustomed to.

PvP

Yep, here we go again… again! As announced in the last massive, we started researching PvP (player versus player) last year. This will most likely be THE big thing in 2023.

Once again, we won't reveal too much because it's far too early. Ideally, over time, we'd like to have permanent and balanced core content, along with other seasonal content such as Ascension Island for PvM (player versus monster).

The interserver aspect is obviously really appealing for us, especially for the Kolossium, but it's quite a complex and time-consuming feature to implement, despite the fact it's available in DOFUS! We are continuing to study this project, but to be honest, it will probably be very difficult to deploy it in 2023. So, this first major PvP update in 2023 will presumably be without the interserver aspect.

In any event, we want to offer dynamic, competitive, and appealing PvP that is suited to mobile sessions.

Miscellaneous and Other

On top of all these big projects, other surprises are awaiting you throughout the year! And some aren't small ones either, but we have to leave a bit of the suspense and teasing to the community managers!

Alright, one last little clue… We also want to take a closer look at usability on mobile devices. Sometimes the game is still difficult to play, especially on smartphones. But we're going to change all that, bit by bit!

Despite all these announcements, there's still room for any suggestions you might have! Your favorite CMs are always listening to you and giving us regular feedback to improve the game with your help.

A Word From the CMs

Speaking of the community managers… There's no point in introducing them for the umpteenth time – they answer your questions every day and bring your game sessions to life.

You've shared many moments with them: All Star Touch, the invasion of Vulkania, the various contests, and many other things. Let's talk about several topics that have already passed or are coming next year!

All Star Touch

After an eventful Abyss Joust in 2021, it was quite the challenge to get back into an interserver tournament. But your community managers like to see it raining blows in the arenas (the GDs less so, as you might've noticed), and there was a strong desire to start another interserver tournament.

The first issue was finding a time slot for the tournament, as the September update was almost finished, and we had to move very quickly with the end-of-year update, which was taking up a lot of space in our communications. That's why we decided on a format where the stages would be held over a weekend, which many people liked, but others didn't. When it comes to timing, it's hard to make everyone happy, unfortunately. Speaking of time…

The second issue was the international side of things! The first All Star Touch was for the French-speaking community, but it was unthinkable to limit the tournament to three servers this time around. Juggling three languages, times for several countries, and everything in between was a real challenge… but one we accepted!

The final issue was making the tournament go off without a hitch. Just like in every tournament, there are those who come away disappointed; it's not easy winning a tournament of this scale. But we can safely say that All Star Touch #2 was a success! Well done to all of you for what you brought to the event, both in the arena and in the stands. And of course, well done to the participants and winners on the Herdegrize server!

See you in 2023 for the next interserver tournament? Perhaps…

Podcasts

The CMs are also creative people. We enjoy working on projects to best communicate with you.

We had a lot of fun recording some podcasts in 2022 to share our feedback on your everyday suggestions. But we were faced with the reality that since each project required great time and effort, not enough people listened to the podcasts compared to how long it took to produce them.

At least we tried! It obviously won't be the last concept we'll try to introduce. Stay tuned!

Events in 2022

We had a great year in 2022! There was the appearance of a Leprechaun in Pandala, giving out Nachos during Maysial Munch, the Kwismas bosses taking over Vulkania, and many other things.

It's true that we enjoy ourselves, and having a production team that agrees to go along with our ideas is really a strength in our daily work.

What about you? After all, these projects are for the benefit of the community more than anyone else! What event made the greatest impression on you and why? Or should we say… what ideas – no matter how outlandish they may seem – would you like to see? Pandas invading Amakna? A one-legged Gnome from the Evil Forest dancing under a full moon amid the statues of the Twelve to open the way to an incredible event? Share your best ideas with us because we'll be reading the comments thoroughly!

Let's not forget all the events offered by the Game Masters! A big thank you to them for offering all these wonderful activities – now they're more determined than ever for the coming year.

What About 2023?

While we're waiting for your ideas, we've already got quite a few of our own! It's a melting pot of new things and feedback.

Sometimes we get told about a lack of new things in some events. Please remember that while you may want to see new concepts being created, we can't redesign the world for every event. Vulkania, Kwismas, Horrib Isle, etc.: There are many fantastic events that can't be constantly renewed since there are already a lot of projects for us to be working on for the game.

We add new things when we can, such as the Lilzilla in Vulkania or the Gobball invasion for Saint Ballotwine's day. But we shouldn't forget that new players also want to discover this content.
 

Behind the Scenes of DOFUS Touch

It's been a long time since we talked about what goes on behind the scenes! We'll conclude this missive with some nice anecdotes that should be of interest to you.

Suggestion Tracking

Legend has it that the staff never listens to players. Let it be known that it is exactly that: a legend!

Regarding the beta phases, once a week, the community managers (them again, of course…) have a meeting with the production teams to agree on cohesive suggestions. In the process, tasks are created to work on them or plan them for future updates.

Regarding suggestions outside of major updates, it's roughly the same, but at a slower pace, about once a month on average.

In short, most of your ideas are brought up and reviewed, and we do our best to include the most cohesive and feasible ones. However, it's difficult to give you detailed answers every time, either on the forum or Discord, and we apologize for that.

Bug Tracking

A new member has joined the DOFUS Touch team for testing purposes! His name is [Fadu], and some of you might have already met him on Discord. He won't hesitate to get involved on this platform or the forums to get more information about reported problems, thus avoiding the need for community managers to back and forth between the various teams.

This reorganization has already helped us out a lot in tracking reported problems!

In previous years, major problems sometimes persisted for several months (if not longer), and this was clearly unacceptable; we apologize for that once again. We are now trying to be as reactive as possible regarding these issues.

On that note, a survey was sent out a few weeks ago asking you what issues had the most impact on your daily life in the World of Twelve. We had a chance to review these, and a number of key problems are coming to the fore again: loading issues, incorrect AP/MP values displayed in combat, monsters failing to skip their turn, and a few others. We'll dig deeper into all these issues as soon as possible this year. Our thanks to those players who completed the survey!

Update Surveys

After each major update, we send you a survey to get your impressions. We get very little feedback from these (for the same reasons as explained above), but our teams really do use them!

The survey is managed by one of the teams linked to the marketing department. It coordinates with the other teams (production, community management, etc.) to collect the various questions, supervise proofreading, translation, etc. Once enough answers have been obtained, a presentation is organized with the different departments involved, as a matter of course.

We'll try to adjust the format of these surveys over the next few updates, since we admit that they're not always easy to understand!

DOFUS Touch Corner

[Fadu] wasn't the only new recruit in 2022! To welcome all these fine people to Roubaix, we set up a new workspace in the colors of DOFUS Touch. It's a nice place to be in between our friends from support and the web team!

 

Incidentally, some of the DOFUS Touch production team is still located in Tokyo, Japan. That's where the game's development was launched in the past.

Despite the (huge!) distance separating us, we all manage to organize ourselves and work hand in hand. Several members in Roubaix and Tokyo already knew each other before DOFUS Touch or met IRL in France before leaving for Japan, which makes things much easier!
 

Acknowledgments

It will soon be seven years since the first DOFUS Touch missive was published. How time flies! And some of you have been there all this time for each one of them, which is fantastic.

This is our opportunity to thank you (all!) once again for your commitment and daily support! We know how fortunate we are to have such a passionate and involved community.

We would also like to reiterate our thanks to all the players who never stop contributing to DOFUS Touch. Moderators, community helpers, fan sites, influencers… what you do for the game is amazing!

But first, here's a little gift code for you to use at this address to get some in-game gifts: DT2023.

We'll see you in two months' time for the first beta of the year! (And much sooner for the first spoilers…)

Happy New Year 2023 to you all, both in the World of Twelve and beyond!