iInflexion Games, behind the upcoming open-world Survival Crafting game Nightingale, has finished its most recent playtest and has made some announcements on the results and forthcoming features.

Steph Herdman, Community Manager for the game, informed us that this recent playtest was the largest yet, spanning over 10 days and including over 8,000 people from over 61 different countries. The longest playtime on record during the alpha test was 137 hours for a single Realmwalker; now that’s dedication.

The goal of this test was to see how the system will scale with ten times as many participants as the one before it. Players were able to explore more of the latter game features and stages, giving them a better idea of what to expect when the game is finally released.

Another Community Manager for the game, Maribel Diaz, also provided us with some insight into the playtest’s rocky beginning. The initial alpha launch wasn’t without its difficulties. Some of the first players to log in were able to play without any issues, however later users were unable to connect to the server. The Network team rushed into action and was able to identify the problem, which revealed itself to be an obscure setting that constrained the maximum number of active realms that may be online at once. Once the issue was identified, a solution was implemented, and the server was back online within a matter of hours.

Players who participated in prior playtests gave the developers both favorable and negative feedback; some of the comments focused on how the game’s musical design and the aesthetics of the game’s setting helped players feel truly immersed. Early on, climbing picks were also made available to players, enabling them to travel across the Fae Realms in unique ways that are uncommon in many video games, but stand out in such games as Conan Exiles‘ use of free climbing.

Some of the improvements made in response to player input include the fact that Estate Blueprints, the tool for laying out future building plans, now tell you exactly how many resources you’ll need to finish the build without requiring any math on your part.

One of the most requested additions that was added for this playtest was third-person view, as some people get motion sickness from first-person perspective games. It also allows for better storytelling videos as well as more scenery to be seen around the player. First Person is still the primary starting setting for the game, though.

The Nightmare Realm, a brand-new starting biome with a striking look and a wealth of additional world lore, was also shown to play testers. The game is made to let you play it how you want to play it and customize how you begin in your Realm. Start off with nothing but your underwear and fight tougher foes for better treasure, or play more casually with more starting gear and simpler enemies. The decision is up to you.

Players report that the game improves with each new playtest, prompting Flexion Games to declare this playtest a success.

Another playtest is planned for the not-so-distant future, but no exact dates or times were mentioned. During this time and before release, they will continue to go bug hunting and eradicate any pests they can find. Replace placeholder assets and work on finishing animations, and try to streamline the experience by trying to make building and resource gathering not seem like a chore while also working on the progression pacing for the game, attempting to make it feel less grindy.

Are you looking forward to the game’s debut? Are you going to play in first or third person? Share with me the comments below.