Cloud Imperium Games successfully conducted tests to increase Star Citizen’s server capacity from 100 to 2,000 players, revealing challenges such as lag during simultaneous respawns and technical issues with ASOP terminals and Quantum Jumping. Despite these hurdles, the tests provided valuable insights for improving the game’s infrastructure and moving towards the ambitious goal of supporting 10,000 players per server.
In a recent update, Cloud Imperium Games has been conducting tests to increase the player count on Star Citizen servers, aiming to fulfill their vision of region-wide shards that can support tens of thousands of players. The developers have successfully conducted tests that raised server capacities from the current limit of 100 players to 1,000 and even 2,000 players. While many players remain skeptical about reaching such high numbers, the progress made so far is significant.
One of the primary challenges faced during these tests was the logistics of having a large number of players respawn simultaneously. This led to considerable lag as players waited for available Habitat (Hab) locations to spawn into. To address this issue, the developers are considering alternatives, such as allowing players to spawn in their own instances or increasing the number of Habs in each landing zone, which could alleviate some of the congestion.
Other technical issues arose during the tests, including ASOP terminals getting stuck while players awaited their ships, and problems with Quantum Jumping through server boundaries. Despite these challenges, there were notable successes, such as a server with 400 players successfully recovering from a crash, demonstrating the potential for stability even at higher player counts.
The test involving 2,000 players was notably challenging, but it provided valuable insights into the blockers that need to be addressed to improve the game’s net code. This information will help the developers focus their efforts on the areas that require enhancement, paving the way for future tests and ultimately aiming for the ambitious goal of 10,000 players per server.
In summary, while there are still hurdles to overcome in increasing player counts in Star Citizen, the recent tests have yielded crucial data and demonstrated significant progress. The developers are committed to refining the game’s infrastructure and addressing the issues identified during testing, with the ultimate goal of creating a more immersive and populated gaming experience.