Playable Worlds shipped a new patch for Stars Reach on August 27, a week into the sandbox MMORPG's early access launch, aimed squarely at the performance and stability complaints that have followed the game since it opened.
This update brings another round of performance and stability improvements, including fixes for a major source of server crashes, one source of rubberbanding, and performance issues on frozen planets.
The studio added that it is continuing to track down additional sources of lag and server instability as it works to improve the early access experience, framing the patch as one round of several rather than a finished job.
What else changed
Beyond the stability work, the patch notes carry a set of quality-of-life and economy changes.
- An overhaul of movement speed
- A "merge all" option for inventory management
- A long line of recipe touch-ups
- Better structure placement
- Craftable vendors
- Major improvements to the player market
The craftable vendors and market work land in a game built around player-run systems. Stars Reach is a Raph Koster-helmed sandbox MMORPG intended to bridge the gap between the original Star Wars Galaxies and modern sandboxes, and their respective player bases.
The route to this point has been difficult. The game moved through financing trouble, a Kickstarter campaign and layoffs before reaching early access, and MassivelyOP describes that early access as widely considered to have arrived too early and at too high a price. At the time of the patch, player counts were low and Steam reviews stood at "mixed."
The Steam page suggests a full launch could be as little as six months out, at which point the game stops wiping characters and drops its upfront price.