It’s been a little quiet on the Huaxu front, but that doesn’t mean work has slowed down. Behind the scenes, exciting changes have been brewing, and today I’m thrilled to give you a sneak peek into what’s been happening.

Some of you may have come across the poll I posted a while back, asking for feedback on several features I’m planning to introduce in the near future. While some of these features are still in the planning phase, others are already in development. So, even though Huaxu might seem unchanged on the outside, there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes.

This post will give you an overview of the progress so far and what you can expect soon.

Huaxu V3

My primary focus over the last few months has been the development of Huaxu V3, which involves a significant overhaul of the codebase. The most exciting part? Huaxu V3 will support (almost) all Punishing: Gray Raven servers! Yes, this means that soon players on the Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean, and Global servers will be able to:

• Look up player data,
• Track leaderboards,
• Use the story reader.

This is a major leap from the current version, which only supports the Global server. It’s been quite a challenge to address the different game modes and regional inconsistencies, but I’m pleased to report that most of the major issues have been resolved. The codebase is now at a point where I’m almost ready to deploy it to production.

However, not everything on the future servers is within my power to support just yet. Most notably, I’m unable to implement support for the upcoming Onslaught PPC due to technical limitations. I’m definitely frustrated by this, but unless something changes internally within the game, or I find some very dedicated players willing to help, there’s no workaround for this issue at the moment.

That setback aside, the release of Huaxu V3 doesn’t mean that everyone can immediately access all servers. For now, https://huaxu.app will continue displaying data for the Global server only. In the background, however, Huaxu will be collecting and organizing data from the other servers. This will give me time to ensure that V3 is stable and reliable before opening it up to everyone.

Once everything is running smoothly, the UI will receive a minor update, allowing you to select which server’s data you’d like to access. You’ll also be able to view the story reader for all supported servers.

New features

After the rollout of Huaxu V3, I’ll shift my focus to the features you voted for in the poll. I’ll start with the most requested features, some of which are already partially implemented in V3. Here’s a preview of what you can expect:

• Calendar: A calendar showing all upcoming in-game events.
• Active Banners: A list of current banners, with details on available characters and weapons.
• Shops: A comprehensive list of all in-game shops, including what’s available. For RC shops, I’ll include details on how to get the best value for your money (pack efficiency).
• Overview: A general game overview page, summarizing the current patch alongside key features like Warzone/PPC rotations and banners.

Permalinks and sharing

Another feature I’ve wanted to add is the ability to share specific pages with others, without them changing when you edit your in-game build. That’s why I’ll be introducing permalinks—permanent, unchanging URLs that will let you share a specific build or page with others. This will allow you to lock in a specific build or page and share it as a reference across different platforms or media.

Story Reader

While the current transcript-style story reader works well, I want to enhance the reading experience. One idea I’ve been considering is drawing inspiration from the Arknights Story Viewer.

What excites me most is the idea of adding character portraits with expressions and inline backgrounds, making the story reader more immersive. This will take some time to implement, but I believe it will be worth the effort.

For those who prefer the current, no-frills version of the reader, don’t worry—I’ll make sure it remains available.

Story Viewer

I’ve also experimented with the concept of a story viewer that would display the story (almost) exactly as it appears in the game. Although this is a low-priority feature, I think it would be a fun addition to the story reader.

The main limitations here would probably be the "effects" used in the game, such as the shaking screen or character animations. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to replicate these effects, but I’ll do my best to make the viewer as close to the in-game experience as possible.

Wrapping up

I hope this post has given you a clear overview of what’s been happening behind the scenes and what’s coming next for Huaxu. I’m really excited about these upcoming features, and I hope you’ll enjoy using them as much as I’ve enjoyed developing them.

Please keep in mind that Huaxu is a solo project, and I’m working on it during my free time. While I’m committed to delivering the best possible experience, some things may take longer than expected. I appreciate your patience and support.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll and shared feedback! Your input helps shape the future of Huaxu. If you have more suggestions or ideas, feel free to reach out through the contact page.

For those interested in reporting bugs or suggesting improvements, please use the GitHub issue tracker. It helps me stay organized and ensures that nothing slips through the cracks. I’ve also added a roadmap on GitHub, so you can see what I’m currently working on.

Looking forward to sharing the new features with all of you soon!

~ nova

• blacknovatech
• [email protected]
• @blacknovatech