Stars Reach News

[p]HIDDEN FOG UPDATE[/p][p]This test cycle has been extremely helpful and we have a list of bugs we are working through – some of which you can see on the roadmap.[/p][p]Day and night visuals were improved. Volumetric fog and improved terrain tiling were added. The overall effect of these changes can be dramatic and not all of the lighting values and tuning have been completed so more will improve over time. The volumetric fog does impact performance so we have set it as a preference in the escape menu – defaulted to off. (Hence the “hidden fog” reference.) Note: there is one bug affecting lighting in the initial hallway. If you have volumetric fog set to off, some light sources will not be functioning. This is being worked on now.[/p][p]There will be a minor patch next week with bug fixes, user interface tweaks, updates to the simulation, and tiny changes to the initial hallway. The update notes will be posted mid-next week.[/p][p]More useful details can be found here:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]TESTING PLANET ROTATION[/p][p]Recent additions to the game include Wild Wormholes and GovBot.[/p][p]Wild Wormholes is being temporarily mothballed while we work on features to support it and make it attractive. This was planned. We needed to shake out the framework of it, prove it could do what we wanted, and now we go back to tooling to make it fun.[/p][p]GovBot is doing what we hoped it would do, but with only four static planets at this time, we need to rotate those planets out occasionally so that there are new resources, opportunities for new players, etc.[/p][p]Additionally, the mechanics of a planet being “shut down” is part of our gameplay and so we need to test those systems out, regardless of how often it actually occurs in the game.[/p][p]So we’re making this change to ensure that:[/p]

• [p]There are always new resources entering into the game (which will occur naturally once we have a Galactic Frontier to explore but for now, it needs a way to occur);[/p]
• [p]The worlds aren’t constantly in a ripped up state. New players need to see new pristine worlds occasionally, because that will also be common in the launched game;[/p]
• [p]That more than just a handful of people get to try the GovBot experience from scratch. With four static planets, there’s no way to allow new players to participate in the GovBot experience if all the planets are already max leveled;[/p]
• [p]That we experience as many biomes and types of planets as possible during these testing phases.[/p]

[p]The drawback, of course, is that established planets will rotate out after a month of playtest time. A month is quite a long time to play and people can get emotionally bonded. That’s totally understandable. However, the homesteads and citizenships will be refunded to players when it occurs and there will be plenty of warning before a rotation occurs. Players can pick up items they’ve made and use them on a new planet.[/p][p]Ultimately, this is still a pre-alpha testing phase and despite the drawback mentioned above, we’re opting for the overwhelmingly positive aspects so that our tests can produce the most effective and fun game as early as possible. We hope you understand.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]MASSIVELYOP NOTES VISUAL IMPROVEMENTS[/p][p]MassivelyOP remarks that while the most recent patch for Stars Reach might not bring a barn burning addition like player cities, what it does do is refine and improve several aspects of the game including several visual effects, the tutorial, and a few facets of its general gameplay experience.[/p][p]You can read the full article \[HERE]:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]MMORPG EXPLAINS PATCH UPDATES[/p][p]MMORPG.com mentions that the update doesn’t just touch art and visuals. The new player experience has now been completely overhauled with a number of aesthetic improvements, wider hallways to feel less claustrophobic, and a few changes to make the experience a bit more intuitive, from changed dialogue to putting in a ladder where there was previously a shaft you should climb.[/p][p]They mention that one of the biggest goals in this update is clearly performance improvement. In addition to the visual upgrades and faster rendering, they’ve reduced the number of objects where possible. You can check out the full patch notes for more details on all of the changes, as well as improvements and fixes to see how the team is shaping development. \[READ MORE]:[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p][/p][p]We are making testing schedule adjustments for the holidays. This current test will run through Tuesday morning, as usual. But the next test will run Thursday through Monday evening.[/p][p]This change will allow us to deploy a mini patch a day early on the next cycle. More on this later.[/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]You can visit the store here:[/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][/p]

[p]HIDDEN FOG UPDATE[/p][p]The mists parted yesterday and a new update came into view. You can patch your Stars Reach Playtest app in your Steam library as you read this newsletter.[/p][p][/p][p]Day and night visuals were improved. Volumetric fog and improved terrain tiling were added. The overall effect of these changes can be dramatic and not all of the lighting values and tuning have been completed so more will improve over time. The volumetric fog does impact performance so we have set it as a preference in the escape menu – defaulted to off. (Hence the “hidden fog” reference.) Turn it on and experience it, watch it adapt to terrain height, then decide for yourself.[/p][p][/p][p]Expect caves and crevices to be darker (and benefit immensely from your light sources) as we have improved our global illumination model. Ambient occlusion is now computed more dynamically.[/p][p][/p][p]Our custom-made reflections implementation also takes ambient occlusion into account and now results in much better colors of metals, custom reflections on flora, and better performance. More details can be found here: HIDDEN FOG UPDATE[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]FIRESIDE CHAT SATURDAY[/p][p][/p][p]Our next Fireside Chat will be Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 9:00 AM Pacific. Dave Georgeson will join us to describe the new update and answer questions about our design choices, what we are working on next, and our roadmap in general. [/p][p][/p][p]You can watch the Fireside Chat live on [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]. [/p][p][/p][p]CONTROLLED CHAOS INTERVIEWS DAVE GEORGESON[/p][p]After carefully pouring over the public roadmap, Controlled Chaos had a list of questions for Game Director Dave Georgeson. [/p][p][/p][p]Dave’s first answer immediately made us laugh. He explains his vision for the roadmap and how we use it. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p][/p][p]As the Fireside chat ends on Saturday, the playtest begins for Hidden Fog Update. Come join us for the briefing and the playtest which will run through to Tuesday morning USTZ as usual. [/p][p][/p][p]We will take advantage of a short downtime on December 9th & 10th for back end maintenance and improvements before resuming on December 11th.[/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]You can visit the store here: STARS REACH STORE[/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]Visual Upgrades[/p][p]Day and night visuals were altered, volumetric fog and improved terrain tiling were added. The overall effect of these changes can be dramatic. Not all of the lighting values and tuning have been completed so more will improve over time.[/p][p]NOTE: Volumetric fog has performance impact, so it defaults to OFF currently. You can turn it on in the Options menu.[/p][p]Our visual upgrades in this update includes:[/p]

• [p]We replaced the stock Unity point and spot light system with our own light grid solution which renders about 400x faster[/p]
• [p]Our global illumination supports ambient occlusion and is automatically computed dynamically resulting in darker crevices and caves[/p]
• [p]Our custom-made reflections implementation takes ambient occlusion into account and results in much better metals, custom reflections on flora, and better performance[/p]
• [p]Automatic sky hue for different sky colors[/p]
• [p]Map sized Volumetric Fog adapting to terrain height[/p]

[p][/p][p]Preamble[/p][p]The initial screens you see after starting a new character have been pared way back. We (hopefully) kept the humor of those screens intact, but now there are only two of the “silently screaming” screens. Then you pick a basic character type and move into the Hallway experience.[/p][p][/p][p]Hallway[/p][p]The initial user experience has been overhauled.[/p]

• [p]To make the experience less claustrophobic, the hallways have been widened significantly.[/p]
• [p]The “broken elevator shaft” that you climbed up wasn’t obvious to many players, so it has been replaced with a ladder instead.[/p]
• [p]A very large number of aesthetic improvements were made.[/p]
• [p]The dialogs were simplified to make it much harder to become uncertain of what to do next.[/p]
• [p]The lava room was removed entirely.[/p]
• [p]The Professions Kiosks at the end of the hallway were removed entirely. Why? Because in the next Update, we’re working on the Training Moon that comes after the Hallway and you’ll be learning skills and gathering tools there instead. For now, every character will receive an OmniShock, Harvester, Terraformer, and Pathfinder when they start. This is temporary but necessary until we get the Training Moon functionality in place.[/p]
• [p]The Chat Pane is closed while in the Hallway to avoid visual clutter. It opens again when you leave.[/p]
• [p]You can now roll under the “Crouch” obstacle.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Identity Kiosk[/p][p]At the start of the Hallway experience, you’ll be able to interface with an Identity Kiosk. There, you’ll be able to select from one of 64 visual appearances available in that kiosk, determining what your character will look like from that point onward.[/p][p][/p][p]We no longer randomly change your character appearance when zoning.[/p][p]This is not a permanent feature, but is a bridge feature that we’ll keep in place until much better character customization options are available in the near-ish future.[/p][p][/p][p]Basic NPCs[/p][p]At the end of the Hallway, there’s a Servitor (the same one you’ve been talking to while you moved through the Hallway). He doesn’t do much at this point, but he was an experimental test so we could put into place the features needed to support basic NPCs going forward (which will be quite useful on the Training Moon).[/p][p]In the future, you’ll be able to customize NPCs for your Homesteads.[/p][p][/p][p]Miscellaneous Improvements[/p]

• [p]The Starbase got a big update. The basement has been removed entirely. You now spawn into the Garden (of Life) via the Respawn Stations that have been moved there. There were also many significant visual upgrades as well as changes to reduce the number of objects used for performance reasons.[/p]
• [p]The Wild Wormholes have been turned off currently, in favor of a “planet rotation” feature which will be fully explained later when that feature is ready for testing.[/p]
• [p]A large number of art assets were introduced to add visual distinctiveness to many ores, plants, etc. when viewing your inventory. (This work is not yet complete, but we made good progress with this update.)[/p]
• [p]A large number of performance improvements went into the game that should significantly improve framerate for many users.[/p]
• [p]When you use a ReLife station, there is now a visual effect to make it more obvious that something happened.[/p]
• [p]You should no longer see multi-boss spawns in various zones.[/p]
• [p]The recipes for Soil-to-Metal or Soil-to-Gemstones have been removed because they were an early design that has been replaced and are no longer needed. Instead, we have the “adds” system so that when you extract soil, you occasionally get extra drops of the metal or gemstones you could make previously.[/p]
• [p]Harvesting logs are now beneath the notice of the Servitors and will no longer trigger edicts.[/p]
• [p]The Xyloslicer and Harvester have been improved with better targeting.[/p]
• [p]GovBot missions now require less wood. We doubt anyone will be surprised by this.[/p]
• [p]Many new fruits can be harvested. Seeds for fruit-bearing trees/bushes are now found when harvesting those fruits instead of when chopping them down.[/p]
• [p]More new furniture and lights were added.[/p]
• [p]The camera now defaults to Fixed-Reticle mode rather than Free-Reticle mode. Remember that “T” toggles your camera mode, as always. You can also temporarily switch it by holding the ALT key.[/p]
• [p]Camera behavior in tight spaces has been greatly improved.[/p]
• [p]You can now have private chats, as long as you’re on the same world. If you use /tell to message another player, it opens up a new chat channel where you can chat back and forth. This does not work across servers yet, but we’re working on it![/p]
• [p]Some of you may have noticed a while ago that we did some tests with client prediction on firing certain tools and then removed the feature. Those initial tests only worked for those specific tools but client prediction is now back with a more generic model so all projectile weapons will see you fire them immediately without waiting on a server response. There are still some iterations coming to improve this feature further and fix edge case bugs but you can disable it in the Options menu if you have any issues with it.[/p]

[p]NEW UPDATE NEXT WEEK[/p][p]We have not yet announced what is coming in next week’s update but savvy observers have been watching our public roadmap.[/p][p]Update notes will be posted next week. We will leave you some surprises for that post, but here’s the roadmap in the meantime.[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]FIRESIDE CHAT[/p][p]Our next Fireside Chat will be Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 9:00 AM Pacific. Dave Georgeson will join us to describe the new update and answer questions about our roadmap and design choices.[/p][p][/p][p]You can watch the Fireside Chat live on [dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]. [/p][p][/p][p]NEW PLAYER ONBOARDING LIVESTREAM [/p][p]Did you know that nearly anything in this game is (or will be) interactable? You just need the right tool. Most new players miss this (as we watch them on livestream or video.) There is so much to learn. So we’re going to try something new: hands-on new player onboarding.[/p][p]Thursday, November 27, we will feature new player training for our weekly livestream. Everyone is welcome to join us in the game and we’ll help you get up-to-speed on Stars Reach. Or shy folks can watch us on Twitch.TV from a safe distance. [/p][p]When the playtest opens at 9:00am Pacific (noon Eastern), please launch the game from your Steam library, create a new character, and make your way down the initial hallway. When you go through the gateway at the end of the hallway, you can then join us on the TPL Space Station.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]CONTROLLED CHAOS INTERVIEWS LIGHT BATES [/p][p]Technical Designer Light Bates explains elements of the GovBot update, the dev team’s reactions to how the players interacted with the GovBot, and tries not to leak anything too sensitive. And something about spam.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE [/p][p]The playtest continues with GovBot Update from Thursday (US Thanksgiving) morning through Tuesday morning, December  2, (119 hour test). Then next week we are installing a new game update with a quick initial test on Thursday, December 4, 2025.[/p][p][/p][p]LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE [/p][p][/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]You can visit the store here:

[/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][/p]

[p]ON THE GOVBOT UPDATE[/p][p]The GovBot update is the talk of the town right now but perhaps you have not read through the entire patch notes: [/p][p]If you prefer to hear about it firsthand from one of the designers who worked on it, you can listen to the interview with Technical Designer Light Bates.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]FIRESIDE CHAT[/p][p]If you missed last weekend’s fireside chat, you can hear another take on the most recent update from Game Director Dave Georgeson.[/p][p]Also, Dave spends time talking about the roadmap and our priorities.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]PUBLIC LIVING ROADMAP[/p][p]Last week we posted our public, living roadmap and told you about it. Some of you quickly realized you can click on individual cards for more information.[/p][p]What others didn’t realize is that we are updating it frequently. We’ve updated it four times since posting it. It’s worth revisiting regularly.[/p][p]We haven’t received a lot of feedback other than you like it. We were expecting more questions and more comments on priorities.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]MMORPG EXPLAINS STARS REACH ROADMAP[/p][p]MMORPG.com commented on our roadmap that we are “aiming for accountability and transparency about which features are planned and in that pipeline.”[/p][p]The author explains that we are in “full-fledged development testing, with occasional updates and playtests shared from the team.” [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]CONTROLLED CHAOS ALSO EXPLAINS THE GOVBOT UPDATE[/p][p]Did you know that the GovBot update lets you rule a planet in Stars Reach?[/p][p]While one might ask our first official major of any city in Stars Reach, Dr. Drake Vellaut, it turns out that one could also ask Controlled Chaos about this subject![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p][/p][p]The playtest continues with GovBot Update from Thursday morning through Tuesday morning, December  2, USTZ (119 hour tests).[/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]You can visit the store here:

[/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]