Drasil entered version 0.3 two weeks ago and we are all currently working hard to release 0.4, which will include many of the game's gameplay functions. Features that Patch 0.4 will introduce include;

• Basic Player Abilities (Sword, Axe, Light Armor, Medium Armor, Unarmed, Bow
• Item Durability
• Item Weight
• User Interface Improvements (Information Window, Status Windows, NPC HP/MP Numeric Information, Re-Designed Base GUI)
• Graphical Improvements (Chat Bubble, Blood, Rendered Names, Bars and Item Information)
• Skill/Spell Quick Information and Spell Lists (Though no spells or skills until Version 0.5)
• Click/Mouse-Based movement
• Ambient Sound Effects
• Increased Hacking Security, Packet Injection and Spoofing Protection

In terms of player customization, the following has been added:

• Female Gender
• Two new hair styles each
• Dynamic Hair Color
• Multiple Skin Colors

We are still working on 0.4, and many bugs have been fixed that plauged earlier versions of the Drasil Alpha. The server will be online once again very soon. Server status notifications will also be added to various places on the website and forums to alert users of the status.

The patching system has been updated and should also run faster now on older machines. Drasil's rendering is being updated as well to accomodate lower-end machines or Vista boxes with exceptionally low FPS. 

If you have any suggestions for Drasil, do not hestitate to post them in the Suggestions board on our Community Forums.

As it currently stands, the only things hindering Drasil's imminent release is the completion of the final game area. After deciding on an area to release the game with, we decided on the first town, now Ruceth instead of Malvern, which will be the second town. Ruceth, as all towns will, has town evolution set in motion based off Ruceth's quest completions.

Below Ruceth is Ruceth Forest, an eight map path leading downward to the first dungeon, which will over seven floors, with the ending to Ruceth's final quest at the bottom. 

There are currently 20 quests planned for Ruceth. The starting number of quests will be 5. As more players complete quests, more will be unlocked within the town. Requiring more players to unlock more quests. 

Aside from game areas, we are also fixing a number of bugs that plague player connections. The first few version of Drasil may be plauged with connection errors for the time being. If you are unable to play the game, please be patient as we are working swiftly to cure as many bugs as we can as we are made aware of them. This is the purpose of this Alpha/BETA gameplay. 

Many gameplay elements are subject to change. Gameplay WILL get more difficult, so please enjoy Drasil while much of it is still simple. Only being able to cast spells in certain Spellbooks, Item Weight and needing to aim spells at both friendly and enemy targets are among the planned features that will increase the difficulty of the game. Many of these will not be in the game for a while as our coding needs are evaluated, but please be aware of the changes in gameplay. 

Once Drasil's download is released, the few members that currently surf the forums will be our first batch of "Alpha" testers. Once we have snuffed out the remaining connection errors and game bugs to a stable level, we will announce Drasil to the rest of the ORPG community and begin the Open Beta phase, which will last indefinitely.

In the meantime, please follow our progress. Nicolae will be leaving in two weeks for one week. When he is back, he will evaluate the work done by the developers and decide if Drasil is to be released in the few days following that.