“We feel we’re reaching a new level”: Cyberpunk 2077’s multiplayer mod just completed its “most stable and successful test” yet
So, an ambitious Cyberpunk 2077 multiplayer mod called CyberMP has been in development for a little while now, and the folks behind it have just concluded its “most stable and successful” closed beta test yet. Tweaks to key elements like vehicle and player synchronisation, as well as a new interface and custom lobbies went down well with testers, while technical gremlins were minimal.
If this is your first time hearing about CyberMP, it’s a project that’s currently being worked on by a team of 10, having first come to prominence last summer. Its goal is to offer multi-person deathmatches and races to Cyberpunkers, rather than full GTA Online-style co-op missioning or gigging.
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That brings us to now and the mod’s latest closed beta test, which the modders had previously teased would be a “pivotal stage in the project’s evolution”. As shown off in the video above, the CyberMP team invited a group to give some races and shootouts a go, as well as cruise around Night City.
According to the modders’ latest Discord post, the key goals included making sure progress had been made on getting players and vehicles to sync up seamlessly, with the CyberMP folks having reworked both systems. Thankfully, that work’s paid off, with characters and cars reportedly translating more smoothly across players’ screens, while moving about on foot feels “more responsive”.
Also under the microscope were a new interface overlay, which provides everything from chat functions to the ability to teleport around the world, and the option to create custom lobbies for the mod’s races and battles. Finally, testing out a new JavaScript module and how CyberMP runs on Linux were on the to-do list. The modders say all went well, adding in terms of those last two technical bits: “several minor bugs that were found have already been fixed, and we will continue working on optimisation”.
“In summary, we can confidently say this was the most stable and successful test in the project’s history,” the CyberMP team wrote. “Over the few days, only a handful of game client crashes were recorded, some of which were not directly related to the CyberMP client. All discovered gameplay bugs have either already been fixed or are being fixed now. We feel we’re reaching a new level and are preparing for even more extensive changes.”
As of writing, the mod’s still without a release date, but its creators did tease here that more updates on on the way soon. So, I guess all we can do is keep out weird robo-eyes peeled for news of when multi-merc meetups might open up to everyone.
