Due to a DNS issue, some Neocron players have not been able to play Neocron for the last few days, while some have players have been fine. Also the Neocron forums have not been accessable.

However this morning I was able to access the forums, and Nidhogg has just posted this update.

"There was a major DNS switcharound and it can take a couple of days to filter the changes around all the servers. Had we been informed in advance that this was going to happen we'd have posted a warning, but sadly we weren't. :/

The DNS problems should be resolved now but it's possible there are geographies where people are still unable to see us.

Sorry about that, all. "

So if you can't connect now, my advice would be to try a little later. If you can't still connect, feel free to leave a message on the THN forums.

After the server downtime for a major hardware upgrade, that overran by about 12 days, the Neocron servers are back!

However if you use Mars, please note this important piece of information .

"Mars is currently online as a four character slot server, for the time being please do not use these additional slots while we obtain an official confirmation that the server won’t be returning to a one slot server. Should the server be reduced back to one slot no compensation will be given for characters made after the downtime and then lost from these new slots."

What I gather from the forum posts by various KK people is the Neocron servers are running on brand new hardware. I wouldn't be suprised if the old NC servers have been virtualised.

It's also suspected the new hardware will also be used for the Black Prophecy servers .

This little announcement has appeared on the forums, by Snowcrash.

"All servers will be shut down for a major hardware exchange on Thursday, 25th at about 03:00 PM GMT. Due to technical circumstances the downtime will be about two days, means that we expect to have the servers back online on Saturday, 27th at around 01:00 PM GMT."

Yes folks, the hamsters are getting "exchanged!" (I'm joking to anyone who is taking my last comment serriously!)

Update: 30 Mar 12:44 BST - Sorry for the lack of updates here, I had not realise the servers were not back. As things stand, the servers are not back. I'm not able to find any ETA anywhere. However Hoder did give this very amusing update .

Update: 30 Mar 17:18 BST - An update from Nidhogg "There was a pretty serious network infrastructure issue yesterday that we're still waiting to be resolved. Damn pipes. Sorry, all!"

It has been report that the game launcher page is up, but the game servers are not available

Update: 31 Mar 16:45 BST - No further updates have been released by KK

Update: 1st April 15:30 BST - No updates, but we do have uncomfirmed reports that the Hamsters are at the ESA to be shot to the moon in an old Sojus space capsule...

Update: 1st April 16:23 BST - Opps, I've been pulled over by the copbots and told there was an update. This was posted by Snowcrash here.

"Unfortunately we have to inform you that the Neocron servers are not yet operational. During the hardware exchange technical issues arised that were not predictable. As if this would not be enough, we are experiencing issues with the internet connection of the servers. We strive to bring the servers back online as soon as possible but still cannot give you an ETA.

And no, this unfortunately no April’s fool."

Update 6th April 10:26 BST - As expected more news, but there was a little update yesterday to say nothing has changed from Trivaldi.

"Today (5th April 2010) is Easter Monday in Germany which is a national holiday, due to this the earliest likely update would probably be some time tomorrow. However, please appreciate this is not a guarantee of an update.

Once we know the latest, you guys will be first to know.

Your continued patience is appreciated."

Update 8th April 11:02 BST - By Brammers - No change in status, except this small update from Nidhogg in this post yesterday.

"P.S. The Easter break put a crimp in our plans. Hopefully not too long to go now... "

So it's now been 14 days since the servers went down, and 11 days since they was expected to be back online. The THN will do it's best to keep NC fans up to date.

Update 9th April 11:52 BST - Good news from Trivaldi.

"Some servers may currently appear online however if you do get logged in please be aware they may drop out again, stay tuned for further information.

Once we know the game is good to go, an official announcement will be made."

So steady as she goes...

Update 9th April 13:58 BST - Looks like there is a minor issue with the server names being the wrong way around. Looks like Mars and Terra are the wrong way around.

Update 9th April 15:05 BST - This update in from Trivaldi and the official announcement has been updated.

"An issue has occurred during the re-configuration of the servers which has resulted in a mix-up of database data.

This has happened as the servers have been completely re-installed which has not happened for quite some time. Our IT department is currently working hard to bring the servers back online in their correct state.

Please appreciate this will take some time and we cannot guarantee the servers will be back online today."

So it's SNAFU and a bit more downtime is needed to swap the DB's around.

Update 9th April 16:38 BST - Another updates, servers back online and in the right places.

"The issue relating to mismatched character data has now been resolved; characters should now be available on the correct servers in the state they were in previous to the downtime. We apologise for the extended nature of the downtime but the servers are now back up and running for your enjoyment.

Mars is currently online as a four character slot server, for the time being please do not use these additional slots while we obtain an official confirmation that the server won’t be returning to a one slot server. Should the server be reduced back to one slot no compensation will be given for characters made after the downtime and then lost from these new slots."

So don't use those extra slots on Mars! If Mars does become a four slot server, we will let you know.

Many of you will know Christian "Snowcrash" Schuett, as the Neocron Community Manager at Reakktor. Today, he announced he was moving to work at Gamigo to work on Black Prophecy as the Assistant Product Manager. He say's he will still continue as Community Manager for Neocron, but on a voluntary basis.

This is what he said on the forums.

"As some of you might have already heard from the Black Prophecy forums, I have left Reakktor Media and joined gamigo in Hamburg, Germany as Assistant Product Manager for Black Prophecy. However, I will not completely cancel my work for Neocron and still be available on voluntary basis as Community Manager to be at your service and to lead the other voluntary helpers.

I’ve been with the game and the community for over 8 years now and I simply could not just leave and close the door behind me. We've gone through good times and bad, but this game and its community is still unique and definitely worth spending some leisure time on to keep things running. "

Myself, and everyone else would like to thank Snowcrash for all the support and help he has given to not only the community, but also to the Techhaven Network over the last years. Also we wish him the best of luck in his new role!

Yet more Neocron related news?

Too Right.

Following on from the general statement of operations given to the Black Prophecy community yesterday, some more news has arrived relating to Neocron.

Kirk, ReaKKtor CEO, has once again personally dropped by the Neocron Community Forums, with some fantastic news. Now that KK are operating under their own steam again, this has granted them more freedom in their development choices - meaning none other than a Neocron Patch.

Patch 169 is finally on the cards.

A particularly exciting ectracts reads as follows:

"To enable a long-term future for Neocron, but also to lay foundation for a possible Neocron 3, we consider these measures as necessary. We assume to be able to provide the reactivation of the payment options and the deployment of said patches within the next three months."

I'm sure you will agree this is utterly fantastic news and personally this has me grinning like an idiot. Hit up this link  to read Kirk's full community address.

"Some weeks have gone by since the last Stellarvox Community Bulletin and it is time again to provide you with some fresh information about Black Prophecy.

This time we have quite pleasant news for you. The responsible District Court in Hannover has abrogated the current insolvency proceeding of Reakktor Media GmbH’s assets. This means that we are finally out of the insolvency and again fully operational. With this huge obstacle out of the way, we are now in a far better situation for the negotiations with potential publishers. Having the insolvency sitting in our neck made things far more difficult and we are convinced that we’ll be able to provide you with more good news within the next weeks."

The THN admin team recentnly did a mass email on how to play Neocron for free. For those who do not have a THN account, here is a copy of the email sent. Click on read more to find out more.

In what can only be described as totally out of the blue, Kirk Lenke, CEO of Reakktor Media has directly replied to a response to his recent letter regarding Reakktor's situation, Neocron's future and the effect of Black Prophecy.

In the new response Kirk states as the company's CEO he will not give up on Neocron and goes on to say a number of avenues for Neocron's continuation have been discussed in house at Hannover. The only barrier for those plans however is KK's current financial status. Black Prophecy's sucessful release and a sound publishing deal should sort that one.

Hi John,

first of all NC will not be thrown to a wastebasket. Not by me - no way. Period.

In these days (during the last 15 months) the focus on BP is the only chance for KK to survive. We are in this insolvency procedure now for nearly one year amd the hectic has started earlier. So I am far away from being a happy camper at all.

Thanks for the compliment above regarding the great piece of work. I know that people only get mad when they like something.

Regarding NC and BP and the comparison of these two games. NC was/is a game completely funded by KK from scratch till live date. BP is game which is funded by a fund. So we have to deliver a product to these people and they also have impact on the developement. So you cannot compare both games completely at all.

And our last goal is to create a WoW playerbase. It would be nice but hey!? Trying to compete with WoW in regard of their success etc. is one of the major faults independent studios can go for before they start a new product or using an existing IP like NC. It would be nice but to get there you will need tons of money etc. Trust me, when you approach VC for example the first thing they mention is a sentence like "Will it be like WoW? Or as successful as WoW?".

We have already evaluated certain possibilities on how we can proceed in regard of technical and content support for NC. When the time is right more infos will come.

Cheers and take care
Kirk

You can read the response in it's original location, including the original letter, here !