Rappelz Epic 6 project

Some of you may know, and some of you may not, but recently the SSD on our host machine failed, which unfortunately resulted in the loss of the 1 year progress we had made on the Inferno server project.

After discussing the situation, we decided that instead of stopping development, we would continue working under our name and expand the project further. As a result, the project has now been split into three different servers, each focusing on a different gameplay experience.


During this time we also expanded our team, and we are happy to welcome Alucard, who joined us as our 3D Developer / Designer.

Current team:

Swifta – Game Designer / Developer / Community Manager
Fraun – Head Developer / Game Designer
Alucard – 3D Developer / Designer

The project is built using a 9.8 source that has been carefully downgraded to Epic 6, allowing us to keep the original gameplay while benefiting from modern engine improvements. Fraun and Ghostly were working on the source, spending 6 months improving the engine performance.

Main improvements include:

• Significantly improved performance
• Very high FPS and almost no lag
• New quality-of-life improvements
• Newer engine stability

At the same time, we are trying to stay as close as possible to the original Epic 6 experience.


• UI downgraded to Epic 6

• Monsters, maps and items adjusted to Epic 6

• Skills restored to their original Epic 6 state

• Removed NPCs, maps and portals added in newer epics

• Removed most systems introduced after Epic 6

• Epic 6 pets only

• No dura gear

• Guild system improvements

• Guild Zone system


Since there will be no dura gear, we want players to continuously use and progress through new equipment rather than relying on easily accessible non-dura gear.

•Gear Fragments System
While completing quests, exploring maps, and running dungeon parties, players will collect gear fragments. These fragments can be used to craft new equipment, encouraging players to actively play the game world instead of simply farming one location.

•Pet Collection System
Since Epic 6 does not have staged pets, players eventually end up with many unused pets. The Pet Collection system will give value to extra pets by allowing players to register them in collections that provide small bonuses or rewards.

•Locked Dungeons
Dungeons will not be immediately accessible. Players will need to complete quest chains that prepare them for each dungeon, teaching game mechanics and ensuring they are properly geared. Completing these quests will unlock access to the dungeon. Once you unlock the dungeon, you won't need to unlock it for every single character you make in your account. It's account bounded.

These systems aim to keep the gameplay close to Epic 6 while adding structured progression and long-term goals for players.


Because the project runs on a newer engine source, we were able to introduce improvements such as:

• Much better server performance

• Optimized client rendering

• Higher FPS stability

• Modern quality-of-life improvements

All while still preserving the Epic 6 gameplay style.

• Guild Buff

• Direct looting

•Offline Market

We would also like the community to be involved in the development process.

Feedback, ideas, and suggestions are very important for us, and we want players to work together with us to shape the project.

Please feel free to leave your comments, suggestions and ideas.

So you basically used epic 6 UI, skills etc. How you tell you guys were working hard on a fresh Epic 6 client who worked better and stable than newer epic clients already. That makes no sense creating a server on fresh client since there is already a really good fresh epic 6.2 server

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsunatsu26 So you basically used epic 6 UI, skills etc. How you tell you guys were working hard on a fresh Epic 6 client who worked better and stable than newer epic clients already. That makes no sense creating a server on fresh client since there is already a really good fresh epic 6.2 server

You need technical details? Well, changed some UI rendering, fixed few abnormous K3D matrices which were consuming a lot of memory and cputime, changed rdb loading system, cleaned up some packets, cleaned up main loop overall from crap, fixed a lot of retarded elseif chains, avoiding using shit tons of retarded statements which shouldn't even be used since humanity invented caching. Rewrote pathfinding from scratch. Is that enough of explanation?

Quote:

Originally Posted by RappelzInferno Is that enough of explanation?

How do you expect community to provide feedback with that attitude of yours?

To make this server worth its time nowadays you need to combine:

- Good development skills and feature documentation of EX
- Good and balanced gameplay ideas of Netherworld (maybe some of the EX's too)
- Good community work and consistency of Gambit
- No p2w like on chet's server or as little invasive as possible CS

Otherwise it's just gonna flop like other servers within a month and given how much I've seen your persona around here and in other pservers you lack half of required features above
Offload community work to Swifta, cuz expecting feedback then reacting to simple questions above like that is oxymoronic, not to mention your wall of text without any examples or images\videos represents literally nothing about upcoming server

Quote:

Originally Posted by i33ELYTE How do you expect community to provide feedback with that attitude of yours? To make this server worth its time nowadays you need to combine: - Good development skills and feature documentation of EX - Good and balanced gameplay ideas of Netherworld (maybe some of the EX's too) - Good community work and consistency of Gambit - No p2w like on chet's server or as little invasive as possible CS Otherwise it's just gonna flop like other servers within a month and given how much I've seen your persona around here and in other pservers you lack half of required features above Offload community work to Swifta, cuz expecting feedback then reacting to simple questions above like that is oxymoronic, not to mention your wall of text without any examples or images\videos represents literally nothing about upcoming server

From Swifta's words:
The purpose of that thread was simply to share the idea and gather feedback from the community. At this stage it wasn’t meant to be a full server presentation with detailed systems, screenshots, or videos. The main goal right now is to understand how people currently see Epic 6 and what direction the community would like to see.

Because of that, I don’t think screenshots or videos would add much value yet, since most things are still in the idea and planning stage. When the project reaches the testing/beta phase, I will make a proper post explaining everything in detail, including videos, screenshots, and clearer feature explanations.

Right now the idea of the post is mainly discussion and idea gathering.

Regarding the cash shop, I honestly haven’t put much thought into it yet. I’m not even sure if there will be one. If there is, it would most likely be limited to decorative or non-invasive things, but that’s actually one of the topics I wanted to discuss with the community before making any decisions.

Also, the reply above from Fraun wasn’t meant to come across as toxic. That’s just his style of explaining things sometimes — he’s just a normal developer giving a direct answer ��

Anyway, I do appreciate the points you raised about development quality, balance, and community involvement. Feedback like that is exactly why the thread was created in the first place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RappelzInferno Because of that, I don’t think screenshots or videos would add much value yet, since most things are still in the idea and planning stage. When the project reaches the testing/beta phase, I will make a proper post explaining everything in detail, including videos, screenshots, and clearer feature explanations. Right now the idea of the post is mainly discussion and idea gathering.

Trust me, at this stage (and frankly at any other) - transparency is the key
I've seen some screenshots\video showcases of what you guys are cooking there, it is worth sharing anyway because:

- External opinion is always good reference point on how new systems\additions\changes could be perceived
- At this stage you all should have started gathering discord community with dev diaries and opinion feedback to build trustworthy audience
- Even technical details are worth sharing as they are indeed interesting to read (at least for me) also they showcase how much love is being put into the project

Everybody underestimates how much community work and transparency alone is bringing to the server, this is mostly seen successfully at EX and Gambit, and how much a failed community interaction will lead to disastrous destruction on Netherworld aka Underworld
While on the other hand, same UW server build running as Phoenix showcases success because there have been put a lot of work into transparency and community, despite Jamashi being completely unfiltered guy cursing with @[Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...] tags while still showing love for his audience :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by RappelzInferno Also, the reply above from Fraun wasn’t meant to come across as toxic. That’s just his style of explaining things sometimes — he’s just a normal developer giving a direct answer ��

No hate on Fraun tho, I don't doubt his developing skills, but his lack of empathy and proper communication skills is what could cause failure in the long run
On the other hand - look at the Jamashi again, similar behavior but what's different is that his ego is not thru the roof and he's honest with his intentions

Quote:

Originally Posted by i33ELYTE No hate on Fraun tho, I don't doubt his developing skills, but his lack of empathy and proper communication skills is what could cause failure in the long run On the other hand - look at the Jamashi again, similar behavior but what's different is that his ego is not thru the roof and he's honest with his intentions

He just having some kind of mental issues and had brain damage (literally). So he talks always random way, no matter about anything. That's not the ego. For him everybody are standing on the same level

Quote:

Originally Posted by RappelzInferno You need technical details? Well, changed some UI rendering, fixed few abnormous K3D matrices which were consuming a lot of memory and cputime, changed rdb loading system, cleaned up some packets, cleaned up main loop overall from crap, fixed a lot of retarded elseif chains, avoiding using shit tons of retarded statements which shouldn't even be used since humanity invented caching. Rewrote pathfinding from scratch. Is that enough of explanation?

Hi man, I don't need the technical details. A customer would like to see what's him into. I said there is already a working server which works perfect. It runs at 240 fps no issues, no screen tearing. That epic was already almost perfect.

If you want someone's attention, beside the technical details, show them the server rates, available endgame content and the future you have talked about. You should reconsider your attitude I guess. Good luck on your new project

Quote:

Originally Posted by i33ELYTE How do you expect community to provide feedback with that attitude of yours? To make this server worth its time nowadays you need to combine: - Good development skills and feature documentation of EX - Good and balanced gameplay ideas of Netherworld (maybe some of the EX's too) - Good community work and consistency of Gambit - No p2w like on chet's server or as little invasive as possible CS Otherwise it's just gonna flop like other servers within a month and given how much I've seen your persona around here and in other pservers you lack half of required features above Offload community work to Swifta, cuz expecting feedback then reacting to simple questions above like that is oxymoronic, not to mention your wall of text without any examples or images\videos represents literally nothing about upcoming server

I agree with Frauns statement though, The question asked is clearly asked from a place of ignorance. If you do not know what you're talking about that is fine, However if you say "That makes no sense creating a server on fresh client since there is already a really good fresh epic 6.2 server" then you are just speaking from your rear. There is NO stable 6.2 server. Even better to be put there is NO stable Rappelz client. Respect comes from both ways, inform yourself before inquiring or stay humble whilst doing so.

What people do not understand is this, I will also explain the reason why I respond harshly here.

When we work on Rappelz we do it because we are hobbyists it is not easy and requires a lot of time and knowledge, time and knowledge which is often not even respected OR taken into account.

The most common thing one sees happening in Rappelz is cashgrabs, yes those will bend on short term dopamine but long term they will never work and also require small amounts of effort. People should be more empathetic to developers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masumichan However if you say "That makes no sense creating a server on fresh client since there is already a really good fresh epic 6.2 server"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masumichan The most common thing one sees happening in Rappelz is cashgrabs

These two are connected, there have been so much cashgrabs low effort servers in the past years that this is a genuine first question which comes in mind
Had I not known what Fraun & his team is working on there I would have asked the same question given how much low effort this post gives and provides vague information, not to mention half of the features listed are already to be seen on other projects

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masumichan When we work on Rappelz we do it because we are hobbyists it is not easy and requires a lot of time and knowledge, time and knowledge which is often not even respected OR taken into account.

I want you to understand the other side of what I mean - players
By my observations most audience that hop on fresh servers are cheap dopamine seekers, p2w\pk\drama - once it vanishes, they look for another fresh server and continue there
Do you want this audience? I hope not

So in order for this "hobby" time to not be wasted - yall have to gather quality audience, and interest them with quality of your work, since most of the good remaining players in this game might or might not take the risk and switch their servers since they don't have much daily free time already due to being old, lol

It just feels like an insult to not put more effort into that post and not make discord server with more information to discuss already
Or this backfires to my expectations and server releases as half-baked low polished dead on arrival yet-another-9.5-repack

You can have all the bells and whistles, new systems, sick progression but server is nothing without stable community, so I want you to also understand that I come with peace and practically beg to start doing it properly, since it gives much hope to play somewhat custom E6 since chet's server is just vanilla and he gave up at working on it

Quote:

Originally Posted by i33ELYTE These two are connected, there have been so much cashgrabs low effort servers in the past years that this is a genuine first question which comes in mind Had I not known what Fraun & his team is working on there I would have asked the same question given how much low effort this post gives and provides vague information, not to mention half of the features listed are already to be seen on other projects I want you to understand the other side of what I mean - players By my observations most audience that hop on fresh servers are cheap dopamine seekers, p2w\pk\drama - once it vanishes, they look for another fresh server and continue there Do you want this audience? I hope not So in order for this "hobby" time to not be wasted - yall have to gather quality audience, and interest them with quality of your work, since most of the good remaining players in this game might or might not take the risk and switch their servers since they don't have much daily free time already due to being old, lol It just feels like an insult to not put more effort into that post and not make discord server with more information to discuss already Or this backfires to my expectations and server releases as half-baked low polished dead on arrival yet-another-9.5-repack You can have all the bells and whistles, new systems, sick progression but server is nothing without stable community, so I want you to also understand that I come with peace and practically beg to start doing it properly, since it gives much hope to play somewhat custom E6 since chet's server is just vanilla and he gave up at working on it

You can add me on discord if you'd like, and then I'll speak to you I dislike all this back and forward it's very impersonal.

xsun_123

best of luck !

Quote:

Originally Posted by RappelzInferno He just having some kind of mental issues and had brain damage (literally). So he talks always random way, no matter about anything. That's not the ego. For him everybody are standing on the same level

i see fraun, why tf you talking about yourself in 3th person ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by yosiemelo i see fraun, why tf you talking about yourself in 3th person ?

'Cause it's not fraun :confused:

To be honest, I feel like the tone in this thread has become a bit harsher than it needs to be. Questions about transparency, endgame content, or the long-term vision are completely fair – but at the same time I think every new project deserves a fair chance to prove itself.

Especially when people are working on something like this as a hobby, there is usually a lot of time and passion involved. Personally, I always enjoy seeing new Rappelz projects being started, whether they are hobby projects or something more serious for the long term.

There are a few things I’d genuinely be curious about:

- Do you already have an approximate timeline for when the server might launch?
- Is there already a Discord server or another place where the community can follow the development?
- Do you have any ideas yet about the planned endgame content (for example additional dungeons, raids, or other long-term goals)?

I also think it would actually be great to see a few early screenshots or short videos of what you are currently working on. Even if things are still in development, it often helps the community to better understand the direction of the project and get a feeling for it.

Many players have probably become a bit cautious because a lot of servers in the past disappeared quickly. That’s why transparency and small development insights can really help build trust with the community.

In any case, I wish you good luck with the project.