The Wait Is Over - Season 2 Is Now Live!
After over 5 months of building, polishing, and bringing your ideas to life, I'm super excited to announce the wait is finally over - the big Season 2 is finally here!
If you're new here, welcome! You can learn about the tropical world of StarNet by clicking here.
Now let's dive into what's new!
Firstly, The Big Visual Refresh
Visuals have always been a huge priority for us. With that, the first thing we focused on for Season 2 was a much-needed visual refresh. A fresh palette! We've updated hundreds of textures and models, along with rebuilding many areas across the island - and honestly, we couldn't be happier with how fresh and polished everything now looks! Flora is fluffy, colors are vibrant, and shapes feel more unique rather than just Minecraft.
Outer Islands Receive An Overhaul - Plus New Jungle Content
Firstly, Outer Islands have been relocated around Starfish Island to keep everything within the one world, improving exploration and making the world feel more connected.
Now the fun part - the Jungle Island has received a complete transformation featuring a full map remake from the ground up. We wanted the Jungle Island to feel more unique and have more character through diverse terrain and interesting structures. With the map update, new jungle content have been introduced! Here's what's new:
Introducing The Jungle Monkeys
The Jungle Monkeys...
Meet The Pirate Jungle Monkeys (Or Don't)
These monkeys are as fierce as they are hungry for gold! The Pirate Jungle Monkeys are more dangerous then the standard Jungle Monkeys, equipped with golden loot and swords which they'll throw at you and use to block attacks.
The Jungle Monkeys drop Golden Bananas and other common loot - but they also come with a new item - the Pirate Jungle Monkey Golden 
Be Discovered By The Jungle Snakes
These green slithering enemies are found all over the Jungle Island and only feel threatened when you stay too close. While an inconvenience, they're relatively easy to defeat.
The Jungle Snakes come with 2 new uncommon items - the Shed Jungle Snake Skin (commonly dropped) and the Jungle Snake Fang (a little rarer to obtain)! These items can be used in Potion Brewing and are sold for a decent amount of Coins.
The Jungle Temples
A big part of the Jungle Island remake was creating designated areas for creatures rather then having them spread out randomly around the island.
With this, we introduced the Jungle Temples! They are found on two smaller islands on both sides of the Jungle Island, where you'll find the Jungle Minions, Jungle Spearmen, and the sacred Golden Banana Trees.
Outer Island LEGENDARY Loot Chests
We wanted to introduce a new reward for overcoming every challenge on the Outer Islands! Moving forward every Outer Island, starting with the Jungle Island now, will have it's own unique Key and Loot Chest! Outer Island Keys such as the Jungle Key used in the image below can be crafted from at least one of every material from their associated island - this can be done over at The Tinker Lab.
Finding these Loot Crates is quite easy, once you get past all the danger... They spawn randomly throughout the Jungle Island among structures (up to 10 at a time) which can be opened with their related Keys for a random legendary reward!
Punch The New Jungle Loot Barrels
We wanted to introduce a fun and interactive way for you to heal up on your adventures - so we introduced the Jungle Loot Crate! You will find these on safe structures between bridges and can hit them with any tool to break them open for a chance to get a random golden fruit.
But watch out! Among dropping fruit, there's a really small chance a Jungle Monkey will jump out of it...
Say Hey To Shay
Shay is the latest character addition to StarNet, but he isn't new around here! Shay's been exploring the surrounding Outer Islands his entire life, and he has a lot of knowledge to share. You'll usually find him around the Pool Area where he talks to new guests about Outer Islands, at the Bonfire where he tells his stories, and around the Jungle Island where you'll learn about some of the creatures there.
Update On The Volcano Island
We released the Volcano Island as an Alpha back in October, but it went live earlier then it should've. For now, we've temporarily disabled the island while we rework it properly. But don't worry! It'll be making a return soon.
4 New Island Events - Plus Now More Frequent
We didn't want to leave you event enthusiasts empty handed! In Season 2 we've introduced 4 new minigames including StarNet's first team minigame. Jump in and play Raft Race, Pillar Clash, Volcano Run, and my personal favorite - Hot Sand! We've also introduced damage in minigames to pair with the knockback mechanic, meaning you can now knock other players off the map while also dealing damage! This opens the opportunity for adding weapons and healing items, which is exactly what we've done here.
Raft Race - Fish Up Materials And Craft Your Way To The Middle
This is StarNet's first-ever team minigame! You'll start on a raft equipped with a Fishing Rod and a hand-held Workbench. Fish up scrap materials and craft them into useful blocks and tools to bridge towards the center - just don't fall into the water.
After a few minutes, the middle walls drop and the real race beings. Once you reach the center, you'll need to stay there for 5 seconds without being knocked off or eliminated to win!
Pillar Clash - Use Random Items To Defend Yourself And Be The Last
You'll start on a narrow pillar above the ocean with limited space. Every 7 seconds everyone is given a completely random item - and it could completely change the fight! Use what you receive to attack, defend, and build up while keeping your footing.
Stay alive and be the last one standing to win!
Volcano Run - Don't Fall Into The Lava
Volcano Run takes place above a high pool of lava, where the ground below you won't stay solid for long.
As players run around the volcano, the surface under them slowly heats up more and more until it eventually crumbles and disappears completely. Use your Wooden Oar to knock other players off course and onto the level below, and secure your place on what little space remains.
Will you make it out on top?
Hot Sand - Pass Along The Hot Sand And Be The Last Standing
Hot Sand is the most playful minigame on the island. You'll start in a random location on the minigame's map, and a few seconds into the game a random player will receive the Hot Sand - an item with so much energy it's close to turning into solid glass in your hands!
If you're unlucky enough to be the first to get the Hot Sand, you'll be lucky enough to have 60 seconds to pass it on - however, as the Hot Sand passes along each player the countdown till' destruction is never reset. Eventually, the sand will eliminate someone and from there a random player is given the Hot Sand with just 5 seconds to spare.
Will you be the last standing?
Bug Catching
Bug Catching was one of our most highly requested features - so here it is! Craft the new Bug Net from Mazie's Greenhouse to start catching bugs.
Bugs such as snails, spiders, worms, and even butterflies can be found all over the island, typically appearing in different environments depending on the type. You can catch a bug by swinging at it with your net with a 2 second cooldown, where the bug has a small chance to dodge it.
You can visit Marlo's Bug Frames at the Marketplace to frame your bugs and display them on your island and even turn them into badges you can display on your profile!
The Witch's Hut - Introducing Potions, Wands, and a new Skill
Welcome to the Witch's Hut, where the real magic happens!
Floating next to her Brewing Cauldron and surrounded by floating candles, you'll find the Witch. A resident so experienced in her dark crafts her skin has forever turned green and her eyes glow a deep purple - a lasting mark of the magic she's spent years working with.
At the Brewing Cauldron you can craft all sorts of items such as the new Spell Wand, Essence Jars, and of course, Potions! There's currently 40 Potions to brew from materials found all over the islands. Having lots of unique materials used in brewing definitely has the benefit of giving items more use overall, and was super fun to come up with!
Now - let's talk spells. It's definitely not something we pioneered on having, but a feature I think will opens the doors to an entirely new area of combat in StarNet! Spell Wands are quite simple - once you create your wand, you can apply any negative Potion to it by clicking your wand and dropping it in.
To cast your wand, you can simply left click in the direction of your enemy to cast a 10 block range of effect with a 7 second cooldown. To reach even further, you can right click to charge your wand before casting it to reach 20 blocks with an extra 7 second cooldown added. There's currently no limit to how many times you can use your wand - however once we expand on this aspect more a lot of balancing will follow.
And lastly on the topic of magic - an entirely new Skill has been introduced! Level up in the new Alchemy Skill to unlock special abilities.
Egg Hatchery
We wanted to introduce a more interactive and meaningful way to adopt your companions - and that's where we added the Egg Hatchery!
Companions are now obtained in the form of Companion Eggs which you can take to the Egg Hatchery and place down to slowly hatch. Each Companion is associated with a skill type, and the more XP you gain from that skill the more the hatching progresses!
Once your egg is ready to hatch you can return to the Egg Hatchery and crack it open to reveal your new friend.
The Tinker Lab
Welcome to Dr. Winston's Tinker Lab!
The Tinker Lab replaces the old Vehicles Shop and brings together everything tech-related into one building. Inside, you'll find giant robotic arms, advanced machinery, and Dr. Winston himself - the genius mind behind StarNet's technology.
Here, you can craft and buy a wide range of tech items including the Outer Island Keys, Sell Scanner, Virtual Shop, SocialPads, and of course Vehicles!
Global Level Rework
Your Global level is now the combined total of all your Skill levels, meaning all progression in individual Skills contributes to your overall growth! Whether you're foraging throughout the island, fishing along the shores, or mastering magic, each level gained brings your Global Level higher.
With this, Quests and Achievements now reward Level XP for the Skill the task is associated with, giving you more ways to increase your Skill levels!
Quests Overhaul
Rather then giving everyone dozens of daily quests to complete across every category, we've brought everything together and narrowed them down.
Daily quests are now found in one menu and reduced to 3 just per day, making it easier to see what's available and focus on completing them. Weekly quests have also been added, offering 7 quests that can be completed over a longer period with higher difficulties and greater rewards.
We've also introduced the Quest Tracker! Your active quests will now show on a sidebar with descriptions making them easier to track.
Crafting Overhaul - Minecraft's Crafting Reimagined
As we introduced more and more custom content, Minecraft's simple base-game crafting mechanics started to feel out of place. So this season, we decided to completely reimagine Minecraft's crafting in StarNet!
All 1,300+ base-game recipes are now craftable within the new Inventory Crafting menu, accessed through your Inventory and the new Workbench furniture which has replaced the Crafting Table block. All recipes follow the same ingredients as before.
This has allowed us to merge both custom crafting inside vendors and base-game crafting into the same system - making everything feel seamless and more intuitive. This complete freedom has also allowed us to expand on quality-of-life, where we've introduced Tabs, Searching, and a Craftable Only toggle!
To craft an item simply open the menu, select the item you want to craft, and click craft when you're happy!
Furniture Box Categories
As more furniture was added, it became increasingly difficult to get what you want - or close to it. This is why we've introduced 8 categories to the Furniture Box!
You can now use your Furniture Box Tokens on a specific category - these include Bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen, Living Room, Garden, Beach, Outdoor, and Decor!
We hope this helps make it a little easier to find what you're after.
Dialogue Branches - Interact With The Characters
Ever wanted to ask a question while talking to a character? Well now you can! Just not too many...
Dialogue Branches allow you to select a response to a Dialogue by scrolling and right clicking the option. This means characters can now better explain individual features, tell you stories, and more!
Friends System - Keep Your Friends Closer
Another highly requested feature - the Friends System!
Send friend requests to guests, and when accepted, they'll be added to your Friends list found in your Profile menu! This allows you to send a teleport request to them, and soon, much more. You can currently have up to 20 friends at a time.
Night Time Storms
They say you shouldn't be out and about during tropical storms... but this one you won't want to miss!
Storms can now roll in at midnight with an 11% chance, lasting through the early hours of the morning. When they do, fishing becomes faster than ever, with fishing Bite Times dropping to a just 2 seconds, and bug catching becomes twice as rewarding.
Voting and the Star Drop Celebration
Voting has finally arrived on StarNet!
You can now open the Voting tab in the in-game store and vote on up to 5 different sites each day, earning a Vote Point for every vote. Vote Points can be spent on special store items such as crates and tokens, giving you more ways to earn rewards just by supporting the server.
Once the island reaches 30 total votes, the Star Drop Celebration beings! Head to the Pool Area and collect the falling stars for rewards as they shoot down across the sky.
And That's Not All
This Season brings dozens of exciting additions and changes - check out the full changelog in our Discord!
That's all from me today - thanks for reading! See you on the island!
