v1.3.5 is primarily a server stability and networking pass.

The core problem we were solving is that past around 10 players, the server was doing significantly more work than it needed to. Broadcasting game events like gunshots, footsteps, damage, and inventory changes to every connected player regardless of whether they were anywhere near the action was the main culprit. This update addresses that systematically by introducing distance-based culling across virtually all network traffic, alongside a handful of other targeted improvements like batching, caching, and converting broadcast RPCs to server-only calls where damage and validation are involved.

In practical terms, the server should hold up noticeably better as the lobby fills. We are targeting a smooth 20-player experience as the baseline, with the system scaled up to handle a full 32-player server without the instability and inaccuracies that were creeping in before. The improvements are not just about raw player count either. Combat should feel tighter and more accurate at higher populations since damage is now routed through the server directly rather than relying on a broadcast chai

These changes lay the groundwork for confidently pushing larger lobbies and events without the server degrading mid-session. There is still more optimization headroom available, but this update represents the biggest single reduction in unnecessary network load the game has seen so far.