With release 0.101, Nineholds moves from pre-alpha into Closed Alpha. Joining is still by invitation. The foundations are in place, and updates from here focus on depth, balance and stability.
Factions gained leaders, ranks and appointed stewards. Buildings can be rented by the real-world day with up to a week paid ahead, co-tenants can share the cost, and stewards can set rent and keep their hold's notice boards in order.
Lost Holds became guided, escalating sieges that staff set up step by step, with stronger groups unlocking as waves are beaten. Simple Jobs arrived as short paid work around town.
On October 16 we found that a single lookup was consuming the server's main thread with around a dozen players online. The fix took the average server tick from about 380 milliseconds to about 2.5, which is the difference between a stuttering world and a smooth one.