As more players build more ships, harbours fill up — and every ship in view costs the graphics card work. This release went after that cost.
What changed
- Shared materials and geometry. Ships now reuse the same materials and shapes wherever they can, and a fault that stopped some Sloops from being merged was fixed. In our 30-ship test this meant roughly 78% fewer added draw calls per ship, with improvements across fleets of 10 to 50. Results will vary with the scene and your hardware.
- Detail by distance. Name boards and small fittings use fewer draws and fade only when they are tiny on screen. Hulls, decks, masts, sails and navigation lights stay visible.
- A lighter menu. While the Esc menu is open, the world behind it draws at about 30 frames per second, then returns to normal when you close it. The multiplayer world, survival timers and network updates carry on regardless.
None of this changes how ships behave: physical components, damage, passengers, ownership and saves are all independent of how a ship is drawn.