Hello again!
We’ve been busy working on another MEs update, this time focused on faster world loading, lower memory use and more reliable voice chat.
We also want to acknowledge the slowdown introduced by our recent interim fix for very large patches. That update kept every patch loaded, causing significant slowdowns for many players. We’re sorry for the disruption and the wait. We’re still working on the original large-patch issue, but this release brings substantial improvements while that work continues.
Faster, smoother world loading
Join worlds faster, especially those with lots of patches. Nearby patches begin loading while the rest of the world data is still arriving.
Fewer hitches as models, images and text load.
Faster animated-image loading on Windows and Mac.
More efficient shader loading on Windows.
Switching worlds stops downloads you no longer need, helping the next world load sooner.
Lower memory use
Significantly reduced memory use on Windows and Mac, with further savings on Mac when importing large images.
Added low-memory warnings on Mac and expanded Windows warnings to cover system memory, with suggestions to reduce memory use.
General improvements
View Distance in Video settings now also controls how far away patches load.
Improved performance in busy scenes with animated avatars and moving patches.
World thumbnails stay visible while updated images load.
Moved Motion Blur next to brightness and color-blind settings under Video > Graphics.
Voice chat
Speaking indicators are now colored by default, making it easier to follow who is talking. Choose Vivid Colors or Soft Colors in Settings > MEs > Experimental > Speaking Indicator Colors.
Reduced freezes when MEs checks microphone permissions on Windows and Mac, or audio devices on Mac.
If microphone access is blocked, MEs now explains how to enable it. You'll also see a warning if your microphone becomes unavailable while you're unmuted.
Voice chat on Mac now refreshes expired connections after waking from sleep.
Echo cancellation on Mac now supports more microphone formats, including stereo input.
Fixes
Fixed crashes when closing web pages or quitting with web pages open, plus crashes caused by some web-page dialogs on Mac.
Fixed saved patches disappearing from the brush inventory after a failed load.
Fixed some large patches appearing stationary to other players while being moved.
Fixed stationary players appearing to move along with patches beneath them.
Fixed some graphics settings, frame-rate limits and window modes being reset when upgrading.
Thanks for sticking with us while we work through this. We’re continuing to investigate the remaining large-patch issue, so please keep sharing your reports and feedback. We hope this update makes your worlds faster and smoother to explore.
See you in MEs! 🥰