Stars Reach News

[p]*NEW* GOVBOT UPDATE[/p][p]The GovBot is a Transplanetary League construct that serves two purposes:[/p]

• [p]It’s a sequence of tasks that a group of planetary pioneers can use to establish a township on a new planet, and;[/p]
• [p]It enables the tools that the government of that new township will need to maintain and grow the planet going forward.[/p]

[p] [/p][h3]Citizenship[/h3][p]Players may (optionally) become citizens of a specific planet. To do so, go to the GovBot on a planet, access the kiosk and choose to become a citizen there.[/p][p]If you are already a citizen on another planet, you’ll have to renounce that citizenship first before you can become a citizen elsewhere.[/p][p]You cannot access any other GovBot functionality until you become a citizen of that planet.[/p][p] [/p][h3]The First Mission[/h3][p]GovBots have levels, and they start at level 1. To move to the next level, the citizens of that planet must rally together to bring resources and Klaatu to the GovBot. Once they Deposit enough materials and currency in the GovBot, the mission will complete and new functionality will be unlocked for the township.[/p][p]The first goal is to unlock a Missions Kiosk for the planet.[/p][p]When the first mission is completed, the Mayor will be notified of the community’s success and the next mission will automatically begin.[/p][p][/p][p]This is a small fraction of the important information in this update. Please find the rest here:[/p][p]https://starsreach.com/govbot-update[/p][p] [/p][h3]PUBLIC LIVING ROADMAP[/h3][p]Today, we reveal our Stars Reach development roadmap. We built something more than just a timeline, but a living page![/p][p]You can click on individual cards for more information. Additionally, watch cards move between categories (forward and backward) as development progresses.[/p][p][/p][p]We want your feedback, so don’t be shy and let’s hear some typing on those keyboards![/p][p]https://starsreach.com/roadmap[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]MASSIVELYOP REMARKS ON RESEMBLANCE TO SWG[/h3][p]MassivelyOP warmly compared Stars Reach’s new government system to the original government system in Star Wars Galaxies. The commenters agreed with the writer on the strong resemblance to the cherished memories of SWG.[/p][p]\[READ MORE][/p][p] [/p][h3]MASSIVELYOP SAYS WE’RE HAVING A HELLUVA WEEK![/h3][p]They watched the new Servitors video by Stars Reach Lab. They checked out our living roadmap, comparing it to a Trello board, but might not have noticed that one can click on a tile and open it for more details.[/p][p]They are right. We’re having a great week![/p][p]Explore the full article →[/p][p] [/p][h3]STARS REACH LAB: THE SERVITORS[/h3][p]The Lab series continues with a look at The Servitors.[/p][p]The old ones left their garden of planets in the care of their faithful Servitors. They care for us, for our planets, and all the flora and fauna living on these worlds.[/p][p]Endlessly polite, they may still schedule you for termination with the right motivation.[/p][p][/p][h3]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/h3][p][/p][p]Saturday’s Fireside Chat is our 50th Fireside Chat. Dave Georgeson will be joining Carneros to break down the new update and talk about our newly-posted development roadmap.[/p][p] [/p][h3]LOGO MERCH AVAILABLE[/h3][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: https://starsreach.com/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][/p]

[p]Today we reveal our Stars Reach development roadmap. [/p][p][/p][p]We built something more than just a timeline. This is a full-featured living document. Click on individual cards for more information. Watch as cards move between categories (forward and backward) as development progresses. [/p][p][/p][p]We want your feedback.  [/p][p]https://starsreach.com/roadmap[/p]

[p]The GovBot is a Transplanetary League construct that serves two purposes:[/p]

• [p]It’s a sequence of tasks that a group of planetary pioneers can use to establish a township on a new planet, and;[/p]
• [p]It enables the tools that the government of that new township will need to maintain and grow the planet going forward.[/p][p][/p]

[h2]Citizenship[/h2][p]Players may (optionally) become citizens of a specific planet. To do so, go to the GovBot on a planet, access the kiosk and choose to become a citizen there.[/p][p]If you are already a citizen on another planet, you’ll have to renounce that citizenship first before you can become a citizen elsewhere.[/p][p]You cannot access any other GovBot functionality until you become a citizen of that planet.[/p][p][/p][h2]The First Mission[/h2][p]GovBots have levels, and they start at level 1. To move to the next level, the citizens of that planet must rally together to bring resources and Klaatu to the GovBot. Once they Deposit enough materials and currency in the GovBot, the mission will complete and new functionality will be unlocked for the township.[/p][p]The first goal is to unlock a Missions Kiosk for the planet.[/p][p]When the first mission is completed, the Mayor will be notified of the community’s success and the next mission will automatically begin.[/p][p][/p][h2]GovBot Missions[/h2][p]After the initial Missions Kiosk is unlocked, successive missions unlock the ability for a township to have its own:[/p]

• [p]Tools shop[/p]
• [p]Public crafting stations[/p]
• [p]Planetary bank[/p]
• [p]University (skills kiosk)[/p]
• [p]Planetary ecology console[/p]
• [p]ReLife facilities[/p]
• [p]Title shop[/p]

[p]Missions that will become available later (after further development) will include:[/p]

• [p]Power facility[/p]
• [p]Theater[/p]
• [p]Spaceport[/p]
• [p]Vehicle garage[/p]
• [p]Teleportation hub[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Mission Rewards[/h2][p]Citizens will earn Citizenship Points (CP) as they contribute to the current mission, and CP may be redeemed for bonuses as you go. There are currently two kinds of rewards you can earn by spending your CP:[/p]

• [p]Learning Engrams: These items are consumable and when used, they increase the rate at which you earn XP for whatever tasks you are doing for the next 15 minutes.[/p]
• [p]Skill Chits: These items allow you to zero out the cost of a skill unlock at the Skills Kiosk. They are auto-consumed when you unlock a skill if they exist in your inventory.[/p]

[p]These mission rewards are tradable between characters. The largest contributor (most CP added) to a task also earns special titles available only to that set of overachiever players. The more times you become the major contributor, the more titles you can unlock.[/p][p][/p][h2]The First Mayor[/h2][p]A Mayor controls the laws for the planet. The first Mayor for the new township is always the largest contributor on the First Mission.[/p][p]Is that Mayor going to be in that role forever? Not necessarily. (See “Voting” below.)[/p][p]The Mayor can utilize the Klaatu that have been contributed during missions to unlock Zoning Lots, acquire Township Kiosks, and also can set general laws for the planet.[/p][p][/p][h2]Voting[/h2][p]After a Mayor exists on the planet, every citizen has one vote they can cast for the next Mayor.[/p][p]Every two (real-world) weeks, a new election occurs. A simple majority of votes decides who wins.[/p][p]When a Mayor is elected, all player votes are automatically changed so they vote for that Mayor. This is intentional and favors the incumbent staying in power unless the citizens of that planet rally together and decide on a change.[/p][p]To change your vote, just go to the GovBot, choose the Voting option, and change your vote from the current Mayor to another citizen instead. When the next election occurs, the majority winner becomes the new Mayor.[/p][p]NOTE: If you absolutely do not want to be Mayor, there is a toggle next to your name allowing you to opt out of any future elections. [/p][p][/p][h2]Mayoral Abilities[/h2][p]The Mayor is the great organizer of options for the township, but a good Mayor will often recognize that it’s easier to get stuff done by working with others.[/p][p]Additionally, a planet that is ripped up, is poorly coordinated, or is just generally unappealing is unlikely to attract many citizens, and without citizens, the government will never progress.[/p][p]So it’s up to the Mayor to make things happen. Here are the tools the Mayor uses to do those things.[/p][p][/p][h2]Zoning Lots[/h2][p]Zoning lots are, in effect, exactly like Homesteads, but they belong to the township, not to an individual.[/p][p]The current Mayor always has edit privileges on all Zoning Lots. The Mayor may also set editing privileges allowing other players to edit those Zoning Lots.[/p][p]All Zoning Lots have greatly increased permission settings. Each of the following options can be set to either “Owner only” (in this case, that’s the Mayor), “Citizen only”, a specific list of designated people, or “Anyone”. The permissions that can be set on that Zoning Lot are:[/p]

• [p]Mining[/p]
• [p]Lumbering[/p]
• [p]Chronophasing[/p]
• [p]Paving[/p]
• [p]Building[/p]
• [p]Burning[/p]
• [p]Farming[/p]

[p]A clever Mayor can not only set up Zoning Lots for specific types of buildings (allowing groups of selected players to take on construction projects), but can also use Zoning Lots to protect parklands, designate roadways, etc.[/p][p][/p][h2]Upgrades[/h2][p]As the community completes missions, various kiosks become available to add to the township. The Klaatu that was contributed during those missions is stored in the GovBot and the Mayor can access those funds to purchase Kiosks and to purchase Zoning Lots. These are collectively called “Upgrades” and are accessed via the GovBot.[/p][h3]Kiosks[/h3][p]The Mayor may purchase as many kiosks as desired and those can be placed on any Zoning Lot on the planet. That kiosk is added to their inventory and is placed using the Fabricator. They may be traded.[/p][h3]Zoning Lots[/h3][p]The Mayor can also purchase Zoning Lots. A Zoning Lot object appears in their inventory and can be placed (like a Homesteader object) anywhere on the planet. Zoning Lot objects may be traded.[/p][p][/p][h2]Global Permissions[/h2][p]The Mayor may also set global permissions for the planet. These include:[/p]

• [p]The ability to personally approve citizenship applications[/p]
• [p]To allow voting (yes, the Mayor can decide to be a dictator and not allow elections!)[/p]
• [p]Setting permissions for specific citizens[/p]
• [p]Adding titles to citizens (for example, if the Mayor wants to designate a council)[/p]
• [p]Building permissions (allowing/disallowing building)[/p]
• [p]Mining permissions (allowing/disallowing mining)[/p]
• [p]The ability to spend GovBot funds on Zoning Lots or kiosks[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Other Improvements[/h2][p]A lot of our focus this sprint was on the GovBot, but other improvements were made also. Here’s a list:[/p]

• [p]The wild wormholes are going to close for a bit. (Don't worry, they will return in the future!)[/p]
• [p]You will have four regular planets to play on. After a while, the least used is going to be lost as the Servitors destroy the portal and point it at a new world. It's going to be down to your activity to determine which that is.[/p]
• [p]We are doing this because we need to test the dynamic for the later game. We will not be packing up your homesteads automatically, but we WILL be fixing your used homestead count when it happens.[/p]
• [p]The great flora conversion is finally completed. We’ll do one last flora wipe this time and then leave it alone in the future (hopefully!)[/p]
• [p]There are a few new furniture pieces! A couple of stools, two end tables, a table, a barrel and a canister. This is just a start. A new “Furniture Set” is available for unlock in the Architect skill tree and the pieces are made at the Lathe.[/p]
• [p]We added some curved wall pieces to the game also. Large and small curves for walls, windows, ceilings and floors are added to a new “Curved Set” available for unlock in the Architect skill tree.[/p]
• [p]Crafting stations and the Ecology Kiosk no longer exist at planetary portals. (You have to earn them via GovBot now.) The ReLife station is still there and you can still refit, of course. So be sure to use your Camps![/p]
• [p]Chef and Medic have been added as titles in the Title Shop.[/p]
• [p]Enabled temporal anti-aliasing to create cleaner rendering.[/p]
• [p]Added a placeholder map page (it doesn’t function yet but people kept asking if we were going to have a map…and the answer is yes.)[/p]
• [p]/camp has been removed from the game. If your character gets stuck in the world somehow, use the /stuck command to get moved to the surface instead.[/p]
• [p]The Refinery is part of the Camp3 skill node upgrade now and will be placed when you place a camp after unlocking that skill node.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an error with the Terraformer that made its extraction mode underpowered.[/p]
• [p]The Bank now holds 100 items (instead of 60)[/p]
• [p]The Homestead Crates now hold 25 items (instead of 10)[/p]
• [p]Terraformer and Chronophaser were improved in effect, buffing them somewhat regardless of PQRV stats. (All stats are lifted equally.)[/p]
• [p]Mining tailings in space now evaporate over time.[/p]

[p]IMPORTANT UPDATE NEXT WEEK[/p][p]Our next content update, scheduled for next week, will be an important one. This will be the “GovBot Update” introducing player self-governance, claiming a planet, choosing a town mayor, the mechanics of zoning your town, citizenship, and much more.[/p][p]The team has been working hard on this, and we’re excited for you to try it.[/p][p][/p][p]FULL RESET COMING WITH GOVBOT UPDATE[/p][p]There is a larger scope to the testing of this next update. After all, the GovBot Update includes the planet ownership feature first revealed in our Kickstarter reward tiers. [/p][p]To implement it (and also to evaluate it), we will need to do full character wipes. Character wipes would also break ownership ties to homesteads effectively orphaning the beautiful constructions on Akacala and other planets. The solution is a full wipe.[/p][p]We are telling you this now so you can plan, screenshot, record video, etc.[/p][p][/p][p]REDBEARDFLYNN COMMENTS ON VISUAL UPDATES[/p][p]Redbeardflynn is excited for these visual upgrades but also for what comes later down the line when we also update visuals for hard surfaces, creatures, and characters. He calls this a huge step in the right direction (and we agree with him!)[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]PLAY WITH THE DEVS + CONCEPT ART LEAKS[/p][p]Yesterday’s livestream includes a group play session on Akacala with a break to look at concept art for upcoming kiosks of various sorts. We also looked at the newest in-development version of the drone light providing illumination on a dark night.[/p][p]These streams are Thursdays at 9:00 AM Pacific/noon Eastern. You are welcome to join us in game, watch us on:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] or catch the recordings.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]NIGHT OF THE VEIL EVENT[/p][p]Courtesy of the Galactic Union of Natural Conservation (GUNC), we have our first player-created holiday event known as the Night of the Veil. Come along on this video record of the event and see what you missed. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]THE LAST DAYS OF AKACALA-VEGAS – AKAVEGAS[/p][p]Chef Jerek pays homage to the amazing city that developed near the travel portal on Akacala. Very creative, Chef![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]COMMUNITY POWER: GUNC GUILD[/p][p]Join Thomas for the first episode of a new series called Community Power. [/p][p]The goal of these videos is to showcase what players do or create when playing Stars Reach. We’ll interview members to learn the culture, goals, and activities of the group. [/p][p]This first episode features GUNC, the Galactic Union of Natural Conservation. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/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]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]RAPH EXPLAINS VISUAL UPDATES[/p][p]For months now, we have been working on a big overhaul to the visuals in Stars Reach. This has involved redoing most of the shaders in the entire game, and going back and retouching every asset. We started by redoing all the plant life and flora, and we have hundreds of those assets that had to be redone.[/p][p]Further, they all need to grow, change in response to seasons, be able to catch fire and burn, freeze, shed leaves and die, and so on. The right plants grow in the right places based on the temperature and the humidity and the soil types. [/p][p]All that means that every tree you see in the game grew there, and propagates across the landscape just like real plants. Seeds fall and grow into trees, forest fires happen and so on.[/p][p]
More details are here: Raphkoster.com[/p][p]
STARS REACH LAB PRESENTS: BIOMES UPGRADE VIDEO[/p][p]We continue our series on incoming visual upgrades (and in some cases performance upgrades at the same time.)  [/p][p]Gorgeous volumetric fog effects, seasonal changes, reactions to frost and fires, multiple biomes, day/night cycles, hydrology changes, and alien species are visually portrayed. [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]FULL RESET COMING WITH GOVBOT UPDATE[/p][p]Our next major update is a big one. We will be calling it GovBot Update and it includes the planet ownership feature first revealed in our Kickstarter reward tiers. More details on GovBot Update coming soon. [/p][p]To implement it (and also to evaluate it), we will need to do full character wipes. Character wipes would also break ownership ties to homesteads effectively orphaning the beautiful constructions on Akacala and other planets. The solution is a full wipe.[/p][p]We are telling you this now so you can plan, screenshot, record video, etc.[/p][p]
MMORPG.COM & MASSIVELY OP NOTE NEW GRAPHICS AND RAPH’S BLOG
“Almost unrecognizable” and “major visual improvements”, they said. [/p][p]They reference and quote Raph’s devblog describing the new updates and how they are being added to the game. And MMORPG explains how the biomes are simulations rather than pre-designed settings.[/p][p]
Please read both articles here: mmorpg.com & Massivelyop.com[/p][p] [/p][p]CODE & CRAFT PODCAST INTERVIEWS LIGHT
Code & Craft sat down with Playable Worlds Technical Designer Light Bates to learn more logic and design philosophy behind Stars Reach. They talked about creative problem-solving, building worlds that feel alive, what it really takes to bring vision and engineering together in modern game development, and about Light’s own journey into game development.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
FIRESIDE CHAT - OCTOBER 25[/p][p]If you missed Dave Georgeson and Rick Reynolds’ Fireside Chat on October 25, we have a recording of the livestream. [/p][p]This is the introduction of Vendor Kiosk Update with some of the thinking behind the features in the update. [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
PLAYTEST SCHEDULE[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We are testing the Vendor Kiosk Update built and new items include the bank in the TPL starbase, homestead crates providing new storage on your homesteads (limit 3 per homestead), and the titular vendor kiosks you can place on your homesteads.[/p][p]As usual, tests are currently running from Thursday morning straight through to Tuesday morning. [/p][p]
PLAYED WITH THE DEVS LIVESTREAM
If you missed Thursday’s Play-with-the-devs livestream, our plan was to show the new bank in the space station, then move to Akacala and tour the local shopping just added this week. We saw the breadth of offerings, the prices, and the organization. Some folks even placed multiple vendor kiosks side-by-side differentiated by the categories of goods for sale within.[/p][p]We then visit a homestead and built a Homestead Crate for storage and then a Vendor Kiosks so you could see the building and [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p] [/p][p]PLAYABLE WORLDS CO-FOUNDER SPEAKING AT GAMESBEAT NEXT
GamesBeat Next runs Wednesday and Thursday, November 12 & 13 in San Francisco.[/p][p]It's a conference for games industry executives and their support services. [/p][p]Playable Worlds President and Co-founder Eric Goldberg is moderating a panel on Games M&A at noon on November 13.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The full agenda can be seen on the Gamesbeat website.[/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 Merch 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]