In a recent interview, Star Citizen’s CTO, Benoit Beausejour, stated that server meshing progress is exceeding expectations, with a focus on ensuring gameplay features are compatible. The introduction of a replication layer aims to improve performance by reducing data sent from servers to clients, while other key features such as Quantum are being gradually rolled out to enhance the game’s impact.
In a recent interview with Bon Bour, the CTO of Star Citizen, it was revealed that server meshing progress is moving faster than anticipated. Cloud Imperium Games aims to break down industry barriers by employing specialized developers in small teams that work together to fulfill Chris Roberts’ vision for the game. Server meshing is a technology that allows for seamless transitions between servers, enabling real-time effects across different servers. It was difficult to keep server meshing a secret, as it had been functioning for about a month before Citizen Con. The team is now focusing on ensuring that gameplay features are compatible with server meshing.
Server meshing will be implemented gradually, starting with a replication layer in the preview server of Star Citizen version 3.21. This will be followed by static server meshing and the establishment of servers for specific zones. However, missions that span multiple servers are currently not supported by server meshing, which is a feature that the team aims to work on. The release of server meshing in the live servers may happen sooner than expected due to faster progress, but stability is a key factor in determining the timing of its implementation.
Regarding the database, Bon Bour explained that there are two pieces to purus and entity streaming: the inventory system (Global) and the server’s Shard system. The inventory system is the heaviest in terms of data and has experienced issues in the past. The team is working on reducing the data footprint in the database to enhance stability. While choosing specific shards is not currently a feature being developed, the team aims to make joining specific shards as seamless as possible, particularly for large battles.
The replication layer will alleviate some of the server burden and allow for more players to join each shard. The introduction of the replication layer aims to improve performance by reducing the data sent from servers to clients. However, the replication layer itself can still experience crashes, though the chance is lower compared to the servers. Additionally, server meshing is expected to be relatively easy to implement once the replication layer is fully operational.
Finally, Bon Bour mentioned that Quantum, a significant feature in Star Citizen, is complete but lacks impact due to missing supporting features. The team plans to roll out these features gradually to make Quantum have a more significant effect on the game. Overall, Star Citizen is progressing towards becoming a fully-fledged MMO, with server meshing and other key features being actively developed.