The Space 4X game "Stars" celebrated its ninth anniversary this week, and developer Paradox simultaneously launched the most transformative version 4.0 update in recent years and the new dlc "Everything" .However, this update caused many problems such as stuttering and crashing.Game Director Stephen Muray admitted in an interview that the team was a little overwhelmed this time and apologized for disappointing players' expectations, but he insisted that releasing patches on time was the right decision.

Muray said frankly: "There are indeed many flaws in the 4.0 version. We have listed many known issues in the update description to clarify the status of the current version. Players need to have a clear understanding of the status of the current version and the direction we are improving." Although there were many problems when they first updated, Paradox has released multiple fixes for the game so far, solving most of the serious problems reported by players.

Muray said he was satisfied with the decision to update on time, as the huge player community always spots problems that were not exposed during the testing phase."Even if we delay for two weeks, we can't find all the problems - although the situation will improve, there will still be high-intensity repair work, but it won't be as urgent as it is now. After all, the system involved is too complicated. We are discussing whether we should adjust the release strategy for major updates in the future. Given the deep binding of extended content to the base game, separate releases will face great challenges and increase development costs. But it may be worth trying in the future."

Despite the ups and downs, players still love "Stars".This trust stems from the fact that the Paradox development team always maintains high-frequency communication with the community - Muray and his colleagues publish detailed development logs every week to discuss existing problems and future plans."We build games for fans, so we have to maintain close communication. I am proud of my team, who have accomplished extraordinary tasks in incredibly urgent time. It was the most outstanding team I have ever led in two decades of my career."

Regarding the follow-up plan, Muray said that it is currently prioritized to optimize performance, improve operational experience and user interface.Although the redone of the population system improves the performance of the later game, it will lead to intensified early lag on low-end devices.In addition, he emphasized that this impact on players using older devices is particularly significant in response to the memory leak problem currently being addressed: "The optimization of version 4.0 is just beginning and we still need to work tirelessly. We have many improvements, one of which was not included in the current update due to the high risk, aiming to reduce small population groups generated by systems such as ethical shifts. This alone can significantly improve performance, but more internal testing is required to be revealed."

Muray has great expectations for the potential of the reworked system: in addition to achieving synchronous population growth and optimization of automatic migration, he particularly emphasized the differentiated development prospects of newly built areas.In addition to the initial fourth type of functional areas, the development team added a fifth type of "power generation zone hydroponics system" after the version was launched, so that the space station can realize solar farming, and more characteristic functional areas are already under planning.At the same time, the director also revealed: "We still have some heavy plans and can't wait to realize it. Although the new system will confuse old players who are used to version 3.14 in the early stage, I believe that when version 4.6, everyone will sigh, "How did you use the old system in the first place?"

With the launch of optimization patches one after another, this classic space strategy game is ushering in a new chapter.The nine-year interstellar journey continues, and the enthusiasm and feedback from players will continue to guide the development team forward.