Stars Reach News

[h2]Vendor Kiosk[/h2][p]There is now a Vendor kiosk available to you![/p][p]
[/p][p]The recipe unlock is automatic for the moment and part of the Business skill tree. Everyone gets it for free at the moment.[/p][p]
[/p][p]To create a Vendor kiosk, go to the Lathe and use the recipe you find there for it. Once it is crafted, you can go to one of your Homesteads and place the kiosk there. You place the kiosk with the Fabricator, so you’ll need one of those before you can do so. NOTE: You may only have one Vendor kiosk per Homestead.[/p]

• [p]Any player may open the Vendor kiosk after it is placed and they can buy any item found there.[/p]
• [p]Only players with editing permissions on that Homestead can post items to sell into that kiosk.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Purchasing Items from the Kiosk[/h3][p]Click the BROWSE button in the upper, left of the screen. All the items that you (or other players with edit permissions) have made available for sale are in those listings. Click on any item to get a Purchase dialog.[/p][p][/p][h3]Posting Items for Sale into the Kiosk[/h3][p]To put an item up for sale, click the SELL button in the upper left of the screen. Then just drag-and-drop any item or stack of items from your inventory onto the right side of the screen. You can set the price and authorize the sale. [/p][p]NOTE: There is a non-refundable listing fee each time you place something up for sale, and that is currently 5% of whatever the amount you are listing the item for.[/p][p]There is a minimum cost of ten Klaatu per individual item, so a stack of 100 items will have a minimum sale price of 1000 Klaatu.[/p][p]You need to come back to the Vendor kiosk to collect the money from any sold items. Click the SELL button to see your listings then click the coin icon to collect the Klaatu.[/p][p]You can list a maximum of 100 items on your Vendor Kiosk.[/p][p][/p][h2]Bank[/h2][p]The Bank is found in the Starbase. You can access the Bank kiosk and then drag-and-drop items, or stacks of items, from your inventory to the bank vault. You can then return to the bank at any time and recover those items by dragging them back into your inventory.[/p][p][/p][h2]Homestead Crates[/h2][p]You can now create Homestead Crates and place them on your Homestead for additional storage.[/p]

• [p]You unlock the Homestead Crate recipe by unlocking the Architect skill tree. [/p]
• [p]You build the Homestead Crate at the Lathe.[/p]
• [p]After it is in your inventory, you place it like any other Building Tile by using the Fabricator.[/p]
• [p]Only yourself and people that you give permission to edit your Homestead will be able to access crates placed on that Homestead. (Later on, we’ll add more granular permission settings, but that’s how it is for now.)[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Halloween Event[/h2]

• [p]There is a (minor) event. But we’re not giving you details so there are some surprises. Enjoy![/p]
• [p]It starts when this update goes Live and ends on November 1st.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Miscellaneous Improvements[/h2]

• [p]Large glass walls and corners are added to the game. These are unlocked through the “Windows and Walls” skill node in the Architect skill tree. If you already have that unlocked, you’ll have access to the new tiles.[/p]
• [p]Mission and Ecology kiosks have visual upgrades.[/p]
• [p]There are now Tiers of missions available on the Mission kiosk. The more difficult tiers will be further away from the portal, requiring more travel time, but rewards are greater also.[/p]
• [p]A large number of flora items (trees and bushes) were improved, resulting in higher performance, but we’ll need to do another flora wipe to make them show up in game. Apologies to those of you that made gardens.[/p]
• [p]If a creature is immune to a status effect, you will now see text flyouts occur letting you know.[/p]
• [p]The “Bare” versions of soils that are in the game will no longer generate separate types of doobers. Previously, as an example, there were “Bare Alluvial” and “Alluvial” soil types. Those are still in the game, but you won’t notice it as much now because regardless of which type you extract, you will only get “Alluvial” soil now.[/p]
• [p]Repeatedly walking the same path across grassy areas will now start to form trails of bare soil.[/p]
• [p]The Planetary Health status is broadcast to all players regularly.[/p]
• [p]The Chat Pane has been improved and now has two channels. More channels are forthcoming after we test this further and enable a back-end piece that we’re still working on currently.[/p]
• [p]The “Stunt” function on the Pruning Tool now has a VFX associated with it.[/p]
• [p]Hitting ESC will now close announcements and hint dialogs.[/p]
• [p]“Inventory” is now called “Backpack”[/p]
• [p]Chat pane now defaults to open.[/p]

[p]
[/p][h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed a reference on the Weaponsmith skill tree to say “Corrosion Drones” instead of “Acid Drones”.[/p]
• [p]Using the “Dupe” function on the Fabricator will no longer allow you to exceed building limits.[/p]
• [p]Errors with seed artwork that resulted in them showing random icons instead of the proper art have been fixed.[/p]
• [p]Crafting Pharmacology recipes now generates Medical XP (instead of Cooking XP).[/p]
• [p]Crafting Power Cell recipes now generates Crafting XP (instead of Cooking XP).[/p]
• [p]You no longer get a Health Wound when you die during the first-time user experience hallway.[/p]
• [p]We no longer spam the chat pane every time you place a building tile.[/p]
• [p]Fauna (creature) totals on the Ecology Kiosk have been corrected.[/p]
• [p]Improved calculation and handling of marketplace stack listings.[/p]

[p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p][/p][p]With backend service migrations and new update installations planned, our playtest schedule has adjusted for the next week. Bear with us on the complicated test schedule.[/p][p]

A TOUR OF PLAYER CONSTRUCTION ON AKACALA[/p][p]If you wanted to go on the construction tour of Akacala but missed the stream, we have uploaded a recording to [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]. These buildings are amazing. Highlights for me were the grand piano, the roof terraces, the comfy living rooms, and the curated gardens.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]GROKLUDO INTERVIEWS RAPH KOSTER[/p][p]Jeremy Ray, aka The Junglist, interviews Raph Koster for the Grokludo podcast. [/p][p]The conversation touches on game design theory, game history, Stars Reach’s cellular automata system, sustainability despite player terraforming, the dangers of fire and water, and much, much more. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]MASSIVELY OP COMMENTING ON STARS REACH
MassivelyOP points out two separate, unrelated hours of video – both worth watching. One is the tour of the player-built city on Akacala and the other is Raph’s History of Virtual Worlds presentation to the IGDA San Diego chapter. [/p][p]Regarding Akacala City, MOP commented that “What’s important to note here is that this city and its buildings all sprang up organically from concerted player effort without any specific system features added in the game’s test build.” Players organized themselves. And they did it on a test server knowing that it would be wiped at some point in the future. This is not yet a permanent world.[/p][p]https://massivelyop.com/2025/10/13/stars-reach-highlights-a-player-built-city-and-a-raph-koster-panel-about-online-worlds-evolution/[/p][p] [/p][p]CONTROLLED CHAOS INTERVIEWS SOUND DESIGNER KURT LARSON
This interview is a crazy one. Kurt has an immense personality and is a lot of fun. Controlled Chaos earns his name on this interview – even struggling at times with Kurt Harland Larson’s name. [/p][p]Come hear Kurt’s amazing background and the role he plays on Stars Reach.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]PLAYED WITH THE DEVS LIVESTREAM
If you missed Thursday’s Play-with-the-devs livestream, we have a recording of the hilarity and pandemonium. Watch us defeat the dreaded Harror while dying repeatedly to many other creatures. For once, the Servitors were not disgusted with us. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]NEXT FIRESIDE CHAT - OCTOBER 25[/p][p]Please join Dave Georgeson (Qix) and Rick Reynolds (Carneros) at our next Fireside Chat at 9:00 AM on Saturday, October 24, 2025. [/p][p]We will be introducing a new game update and answering your questions. [/p][p]Join us on [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]. Saturday, October 25 at 9:00 AM Pacific / noon Eastern.[/p][p]

LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE[/p][p]We currently have three sets of logo merchandise in stock:[/p]

• [p]The Transplanetary League set[/p]
• [p]The Stars Reach logo set[/p]
• [p]The Infinite Worlds set[/p]

[p][/p][p]
You can visit the store here: https://starsreach.com/store[/p][p] [/p][p]HOW YOU CAN HELP [/p][p]If there is one thing you can do to help us, you can wishlist us on Steam. This makes a difference for the algorithm and also helps on the day we eventually launch on Steam. Thank you for this support. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p][/p][p]We are currently closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but are open Thursday through Monday.[/p][p][/p][p]A TOUR OF PLAYER CONSTRUCTIONS ON AKACALA[/p][p]If you wanted to go on the construction tour of Akacala but missed the stream, we have uploaded a recording to YouTube. These buildings are amazing. Highlights for me were the grand piano, the roof terraces, the comfy living rooms, and the curated gardens.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]THE HISTORY OF VIRTUAL WORLDS PRESENTED BY RAPH KOSTER[/p][p]Raph presented a talk on the history of virtual worlds at the International Game Developers Association – San Diego Chapter’s Demo Days event held at Mesa College. This was dense material presented to fellow game developers, not to players or the general public.[/p][p]A recording of the presentation was posted to YouTube and we hope you will enjoy it. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]MASSIVELY OP ANTICIPATING STARS REACH[/p][p]Justin Olivetti wrote about upcoming MMOs and MMO expansions that are holding his interest these days. Then he shared the top 8 in-development MMORPG projects that he’s most anticipating at the moment. [/p][p]Stars Reach came in between Light No Fire and EverQuest 3 – although he didn’t mention if the presentation order meant anything at all.[/p][p]https://massivelyop.com/2025/10/05/mmo-hype-train-the-five-upcoming-mmo-projects-im-most-anticipating/[/p][p] [/p][p] [/p][p]BYBSIE ANTICIPATES STARS REACH[/p][p]
Polish MMO content creator Bybsie posted an MMO news roundup (in English) for October 2025 that includes Stars Reach among other games. He gets our vision and he understands what to expect in the pre-alpha phase of development. [/p][p]Stars Reach is the first game he covers at about 1:59 into the video.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]NEXT LIVESTREAM THURSDAY OCTOBER 9[/p][p]Next Thursday we will be rampaging through the wild planet if Bob, the god of wormholes, is willing. We’ll be fighting creatures, healing each other, rezzing each other, and just causing havok. If you are non-combat, equip a Harvester or Terraformer, come with us, and casually pick flowers or emeralds next to us while we fight.[/p][p][/p][p]You are welcome to join us in game. Just meet us on the back deck of the TPL station in space. Or you can join us for the livestream at [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink].[/p][p][/p][p]If you prefer to watch, join us on [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]. Thursday, October 16 at 9:00 AM Pacific / noon Eastern.[/p][p] [/p][p]LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE[/p][p]We currently have three sets of logo merchandise in stock:[/p]

• [p]The Transplanetary League set[/p]
• [p]The Stars Reach logo set[/p]
• [p]The Infinite Worlds set[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]You can visit the store here: https://starsreach.com/store[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]HOW YOU CAN HELP [/p][p]If there is one thing you can do to help us, you can wishlist us on Steam. This makes a difference for the algorithm and also helps on the day we eventually launch on Steam. Thank you for this support. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]Hello Reachers![/p][p]We got a new update for you today; time to list some changes![/p][p][/p][p]Changes[/p]

• [p]Building Tiles have had their models updated. This is the first step in a larger update that is aimed at helping with the performance of their assets.[/p]
  • [p]You may notice that the appearance of some of them has been altered slightly. Keep an eye out for anything that seems out of place and let us know if it helps with performance in areas with a lot of building tiles.[/p]
• [p]The planet ecology system has been turned back on after some fixes and tuning. See the University Updates for more information on the system.[/p]
  • [p]This is only the first pass on the system, and we are excited to see how you all interact with it.[/p]
• [p]Added a cancel button on the trade dialogue when waiting for the other player to accept the trade.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Bug Fixes[/p]

• [p]Fixed an issue that was causing the Named Bosses from public events to spawn multiple times.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue with grown trees not retaining their size after a server restart.[/p]
• [p]Deployed a fix to prevent creatures from dropping power-ups if they were killed by the kill-field below the world.[/p]

[p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p]We are currently closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but are open Thursday through Monday.[/p][p]
[/p][p]CONTROLLED CHAOS INTERVIEWS JUSTIN STREFLING
The craziest Controlled Chaos interview yet – this time he interviews Playable Worlds Human Resources Manager Justin Strefling. This interview sounds more like two friends having beers after work on a Friday. You will laugh. This is a long, fun interview.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
RAPH KOSTER PRESENTS AT IGDA SD DEMO DAYS[/p][p]Raph presented a talk on the history of virtual worlds at the International Game Developers Association - San Diego Chapter’s Demo Days event held at Mesa College. [/p][p]Rod Haza also brought a demo computer and demonstrated Stars Reach for the attendees alongside other Southern California-made games. [/p][p]Special thank you to Justamirage for attending and taking photographs and letting us use them.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]KICKSTARTER LATE PLEDGES ENDED - THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!
The late pledges had remained surprisingly popular after the close of the Kickstarter campaign but these have now ended. [/p][p]Be advised that for a period of time there will be nothing offered for sale other than logo merchandise. [/p][p]It is still possible to sign up for the waiting list for future invitations to playtest. Please visit https://starsreach.com to sign up.[/p][p]

FIRESIDE CHAT WITH LIGHT BATES
Last Saturday, Light joined us on stage to talk about the University Update, what each thing meant and sometimes a bit of why it was interesting. [/p][p]These features are not meant to be finished, shipping quality but are meant to be sufficiently functional for players to tell us what works and does not work about them. We are leaving space to adjust our design before finishing the features. This is an important part of how we want to partner with our players.[/p][p]Please take advantage of this temporarily-stored video on demand:[/p][p]https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2578742717[/p][p][/p][p]
NEXT LIVESTREAM THURSDAY OCTOBER 9[/p][p]Next Thursday we will be touring the buildings and homes on Akacala in a nod to EverQuest’s famous old home tours. [/p][p]You are welcome to join us in game and come attend (or guide) the tours with us. [/p][p]If you prefer to watch, join us on [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]. Thursday, Oct 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM Pacific / noon Eastern.[/p][p]

LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE[/p][p]We currently have three sets of logo merchandise in stock:[/p]

• [p]The Transplanetary League set[/p]
• [p]The Stars Reach logo set[/p]
• [p]The Infinite Worlds se[/p]

[p][/p][p]You can visit the store here: https://starsreach.com/store/[/p][p] [/p][p]HOW YOU CAN HELP [/p][p]If there is one thing you can do to help us, you can wishlist us on Steam. This makes a difference for the algorithm and also helps on the day we eventually launch on Steam. Thank you for this support. [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]