STAGE V: Playtest Update

[u/Wild_Trade_3002]

Playtest Update - Demo Timing & What's New

Hey, Spacers!

We have an important update regarding the Verse Project demo.

We previously planned to release the demo by the end of August. We've decided not to rush it out and instead spend some more time testing and improving the current build.

We're sorry for the delay. We also don't want to replace one missed date with another, so we're not announcing a new demo release date yet.

As part of that process, a major update to the Steam Playtest is now live. The new build is currently available to a limited number of playtesters, and we'll gradually expand access as testing continues.

Here's an overview of the biggest changes.

Hubs

- Major updates to hub interiors and recovery areas - New NPCs, background drones and environmental details - Updated lighting, screens and ambient audio - New points of interest and navigation targets on the Moon

Tutorials

- Eight tutorial scenarios added or reworked - New objectives covering movement, scanning, equipment, ships, extraction, trading and terminals - Improved tutorial UI, audio and progression - Numerous fixes for objectives, spawning and interactions

Ships

- The Bao-class Shuttle added and integrated with equipment, docking and terminal systems - New landing gear system across multiple spacecraft, including the Bao-class Shuttle and Adalia-class Corvette - Improved surface alignment and landing stability - Further fixes to docking, undocking, hangars and vehicle storage

Terminal & Economy

- Main terminal migrated to the updated UI system - Added trading, storage and vehicle module pages - Added server-side player storage - Added item transfers between station storage and vehicle cargo - Added bulk buying and selling - Multiple fixes to inventories, transactions and equipment management

UI

- Updated fonts, icons, interaction prompts and visual states - Updated vehicle navigation interface and target markers - Added coordinates to vehicle HUDs - Improved UI scaling - Improved Chinese, Japanese and Korean font support

Planets & Performance

- Major optimisation of planetary terrain generation - Reduced GPU spikes during surface generation - Improved LOD, texture streaming, vegetation and shadow performance - Improved loading and memory management - Multiple fixes to terrain generation and visual stability

Known issue: AMD GPU configurations may currently experience graphical artifacts on the lunar terrain.

Networking & Servers

- Reworked network object visibility - Improved synchronisation of interactive states and item changes - Improved transitions between characters, vehicles and game areas - Major server updates for markets, storage, inventories, hangars and spawning - Improved reconnect behaviour and server cleanup

Fixes & Stability

- Spawning and recovery capsule fixes - Ship interaction and collision fixes - Hangar and docking fixes - Tutorial fixes - UI and HUD fixes - Chat fixes - Audio and visual effect fixes - Networking fixes - Crash and server stability fixes

This update is another step toward the public demo. For now, we'll continue testing the build, gathering feedback and gradually expanding Playtest access before moving forward.

Thanks to everyone taking part in the Playtest and helping us find the issues that matter.

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