It’s been years of work, and we are far from done, but I am super happy to finally reveal what I have been working on at Playable Worlds: Stars Reach.
This is the game I have wanted to make for nearly thirty years. It is the spiritual sequel to Ultima Online and to Star Wars Galaxies. It has in it all the lessons of all these decades of online game development — and it looks forward, not back, to reinvent what an online world can be. I believe it does things that other games just can’t do.
Stars Reach uses simulation to a degree never seen in an MMO before. We know the temperature, the humidity, the materials, for every cubic meter of every planet. Our water actually flows downhill and puddles. It freezes overnight or during the winter. It evaporates and turns to steam when heated up. And not just our water — everything does this. Catch a tree on fire with a stray blaster bolt. Melt your way through a glacier to find a hidden alien laboratory embedded in the ice. Stomp too hard on a rock bridge, and watch out, it might collapse under your feet. Dam up a river to irrigate your farm. Or float in space above an asteroid, and mine crystals from its depths.
The whole game environment is modelled this way. It gives us not just those examples of gameplay, but many more. And it makes the whole experience that much more immersive, because everything acts like you expect. Melt the sand on the beach, and it becomes glass.
This is a sandbox online world featuring all the things that players of those games love.
A classless skill tree advancement system, where peaceful play matters just as much as combat
An intricate player-driven economy where players can craft their way to fame and fortune
An accessible yet deep combat system, where you can choose whether to play using action aiming or more forgiving homing shots or lock-on targeting
In-world player housing that lets you build and customize your home and form towns… and enough room for everyone to have a house
A single shardless galaxy, with both space and ground gameplay… in fact, you can build that house on an asteroid, if you want
The ability for a group to govern a planet, and define its laws, whether you want a peaceful home or a PvP free for all
But we’re also doing a lot of new stuff. Like, we are aiming for sessions as short as five minutes. A fresh take on horizontal progression. Making an MMO with hardly any HUD!
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
I remember the UO landscape filled with player homes making travel impossible.
"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." -Terry Pratchett, The Truth "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it." -Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
I don't love the art style, but he seems to be revisiting a lot of the things I liked about SWG. I'll be keeping an eye on it and will likely at least give it a try if it''s ever actually released.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
An accessible yet deep combat system, where you can choose whether to play using action aiming or more forgiving homing shots or lock-on targeting
Not sure if this means bringing in the worst of the awful SWG combat or not.
" Hey OP, listen to my advice alright." -Tha General "“I like taking the guns early...to go to court would have taken a long time. So you could do exactly what you’re saying, but take the guns first, go through due process second.” -President Donald Trump. "...To guard, protect, and maintain his liberty, the freedman should have the ballot; that the liberties of the American people were dependent upon the Ballot-box, the Jury-box, and the Cartridge-box, that without these no class of people could live and flourish in this country." - Frederick Douglass MYT
Spiritual sequel to both SW:G and UO. Now that is a weird spirit.
I swore off MMOs years ago, unless a solid WH40K MMO comes along, and even then, given my current interests, it might not be enough.
I like the idea of MMOs, but am incapable of managing my time. Every single psychological trick used in an MMO to keep you playing works very well on me.
An accessible yet deep combat system, where you can choose whether to play using action aiming or more forgiving homing shots or lock-on targeting
Not sure if this means bringing in the worst of the awful SWG combat or not.
Yeah, the combat mechanics (especially the weirdly abstract pre-CU stuff where you could incapacitate yourself by firing a weapon) were definitely not my favorite part of SWG.
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
I am expecting a planet of dildos due to the deformable terrain. And planets of furries.
And griefing when visitors start flooding your town.
"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." -Terry Pratchett, The Truth "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it." -Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
Apparently there's going to be a Kickstarter. It has a page up, but the campaign hasn't started so there is no goal, contribution/reward levels or stretch goals yet.
Max Peck wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 12:59 am
Apparently there's going to be a Kickstarter. It has a page up, but the campaign hasn't started so there is no goal, contribution/reward levels or stretch goals yet.
The Kickstarter is live, and immediately killed my interest in the game:
Property Passes - Building homesteads is an important part of Stars Reach. To start a Homestead or to be a long-term landowner in general will require a Property Pass. These passes also include getting a first look at new Shop items, awards of unique items, event passes, and more. Kickstarter supporters at the $30 tier or higher will have this ability through all of testing and early access. After launch we expect this will be a monthly paid pass.
Fuck. That. Shit. Putting player housing in a game like this behind a paywall? Nope, I'm out (and that's before I even get to the microtransaction store or the "social currency" that free-to-play plebs will need to grind in order to engage with the game).
To be clear, I'm not against the idea of having a subscription tier (with associated benefits) alongside a free-to-play tier -- I pay subs to play ESO and F76. What I object to is the predatory design feature of requiring players to keep paying that subscription in perpetuity if they don't want to lose all the work that they put into their "homestead".
"What? What?What?" -- The 14th Doctor
It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
I seem to have missed this thread until now. I hope he can pull it off. ive seen too many developers these days try to make too detailed a game. Older once important or famous devs seem to do it even worse. Either the games never see the light of day or they release in no shape like promised and such. I hope this one can get it right and out the door.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake. http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
When in doubt, skewer it out...I don't know.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake. http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
When in doubt, skewer it out...I don't know.
