Single-world sandbox MMORPG Bitcraft Online gets friendlier with social overhaul

Take the beating heart of Minecraft - exploring the world, gathering resources, and building a settlement you and your friends can call home. Then infuse it with the MMORPG leveling and economy of games like Old-School Runescape, and you have the new single-world sandbox MMORPG Bitcraft Online. Developer Clockwork Laboratories has been cooking up one of the most unique MMOs around, and its new update makes socializing with the people you want much simpler, while also introducing a very cute new frog pet.

The best MMORPGs truly come to life as you grow acquainted with the community around you. Even in FF14, where I mostly play with friends, I know a lot of the names on my server, and hunt trains are a consistent cavalcade of familiar faces. Bitcraft Online takes this one step further by condensing all its players into a single, shared world, a factor that only enhances the ability to impact its landscape and build settlements with your fellow players. It combines Runescape's long-form progression grind with the creative control of the best sandbox games, making this new MMO one to watch as it moves through early access.

With everyone on a single server, however, keeping track of the friends you want to interact with most has proven a little chaotic, and Clockwork Labs has stepped in with an update to help. Introduced with the latest patch, a new 'social' window lets you quickly see your online friends, spot their location, message them, and manage your invites. You're free to change who can see your current status if you don't want certain people watching your every move, however.

This much-needed feature is certainly the most important part of the update, but my favorite addition is the new Croaklin pet, an adorable frog. Clockwork Labs offers a cryptic hint to track one down: "I dwell where the storms dance, yet my kin live in leaf and tree. The sky above is my roof of glass, and nets of patience let seekers pass. Find me, and I'll follow where you roam."

Elsewhere, you'll encounter several new music tracks triggered by specific 'memory moments' around the world, and the ambient sound has been improved as well.

The Bitcraft Online social update is out now. Read through the full patch notes courtesy of Clockwork Labs for a comprehensive list of changes, including the ability to release or destroy item piles, new tier-four building visuals, improved housing permissions, and additional cargo packages for resources including clay, fiber, ore, and pebbles.

Whether you're on the hunt for more of the best crafting games to satisfy your creative curiosity, or the best co-op games to enjoy with other players, we've picked out plenty of excellent options to keep you busy.

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