While we aren't exactly flooded with "omg game is ded" threads right now, I still wanted to come out with an appreciation thread of sorts for all the things that Grey Havens has done right, in the eyes of the players, since their acquisition of Spiral Knights back in April of 2016. With almost a full year of stuff to look back on, there's a lot to smile about.

Since the game was acquired by Grey Havens, we've seen some great additions. Most of them are small on the surface, but go a long ways in terms of actually helping the community thrive. The slime casino is a great example of this - while on the surface it's not much (and therefore, it doesn't require players to completely no-life for its duration in order to get its rewards), but underneath it's a crown sink for players with a lot, and a quick cash pick-me-up for players without money who collect slime coins through normal play.

Here's a short list of the positive changes we've seen:

• Golden Slime Casino

As stated above, the slime casino added in new ways to spend our money, for limited times. However, after the first few casinos were created and rewards balanced (and to this day continue to shift and get new things on them - like ocarinas of slime and luck potions), they've become a sort of "side event". This is an event that isn't formally announced, but is still active in the game. The idea of these unannounced events is huge, and the casino paves the way for more reoccurring small events for the future.

• Numerous behind-the-scenes changes

Updating libraries and things we don't actively "play" is as important or even more important than the content we have. We had an interactive bug-solving adventure using the forums not too long ago, when developer Gyre-Of-Guile was working on getting the Mac Steam client working. A working game makes a happy gamer, thus, these changes are huge despite their seemingly pointless mention in the patch notes.

• Numerous bugfixes and small tweaks

Long-standing bugs (missing tile in FSC D26 left path, shadow lair dialogue) being fixed is something to rejoice about, as it shows some more direct bug fixes in action. Small tweaks such as resizing the game in windowed mode and darkfang shields dropping from darkfang thwackers are also much appreciated.

• Removal of the Steam region lock

The removal of the region lock for steam players was huge for players in asian based countries. More friends from more places for everyone!

• Iron Guildhall Update

For old-time and esteemed guilds this may not seem like much, but this update added a whole lot of stuff into the game for new or growing guilds. Lower upkeep means less farming, and more furniture to be bought instead! This allows more guilds to start up without being drained of money as quickly. On top of that, new furniture colors were added, and the exciting bit that they rotate out every day means you have a reason to log on and check up on the birdsong emporium each day for something to make your guildhall pop!

... Oh right, and playable chess too!

• Return of old prize box colors

The return of hunter, glacial, dangerous, and hazardous boxes has been huge for players looking to fill in gaps in their costume tabs. On top of that, we see some new items show up in these boxes, such as dangerous and hazardous accessories, and various new accessories in the older colors. On top of that, having the slime casino work alongside these old promotions allows for even more customization and costumes!

• ... and creation of new prize boxes

Let's be honest here, all of the prize boxes we've gotten since the transition have pretty much been on the ball in terms of good boxes(sans equinox/solstice, but I will maintain my grudge against those until I'm not paying $5 for a ~50% chance at 20k crowns in a UV ticket). Of the new boxes, we found ourselves with great volcanic gear, fluffy buhgok attire, and the newest addition of wonderful green garbs with RAINBOWS. I know it's all cosmetic, but I'm not afraid to say I love all the new promos - it's a stark contrast to the promos we had before the acquisition.

• Hardcore Mode

Similar to the golden slime casino, we have the hardcore mode events - which are likely going to become more frequent due to their positive reception. Hardcore mode is a nice way to appease the players who wish for auto target to be removed from Lockdown while also trying out new and interesting things. The hazards were fantastic, and I'm excited to see what else will be sneaked in for the next auto-targetless weekend!

• Community Events and Interactions

Interactions between players and those who work with a game are important, and even small interactions can have a huge impact. The occasional post on threads have increased heavily since the acquisition, and Hera's forum events are a great way to let us all get creative! Other community events have also proven fun, so we can hope for more of those in the future!

At the end of the day, I guess I wanted to just say "thank you" to everyone at Grey Havens. It's been a bit of a crazy year, and I'm looking forwards to all the exciting things we'll see in the future. :)

As for the rest of us... What else have you been excited about or loved about the game since the changeover? I know I'm loving these buhgok tails a little too much, but Nemesis' puppies delivering rewards to our mailboxes isn't far behind in the "omg i love it" spectrum.