This is a podcast extra from Nature. Every week, nature publishes a science fiction story in its

futures slot. At the end of every month, we read you our favourite. This month's story is Project

Earth is Leaving Beta, written by J.W. Alden, published on the 19th of May and read by

Charmany Bundell. Dear Backers, the beta test of Project Earth is finally over. We can't thank you enough for your

patience and generosity during our crowdfunding period. But before we roll out Earth 1.0,

there's a few things you should know.

First, the bad news. This update comes with a server wipe.

Yes, we know you've poured time and effort into your lives on Earth, and it's disappointing to lose your progress.

Unfortunately, this can't be helped.

We experimented with methods of porting existing

avatiles into the new version, but it brings a host of compatibility issues with our new

character creation system. More on that later. As a consolation, we're planning another

exciting in-game, end-of-the- world event so you can go out with a bang.

Here are some big changes to expect in the new update.

New Abuser Report System.

Every multiplayer experience comes with griefers and trolls.

Unfortunately, the nature of Earth's gameplay makes it very difficult to tell

when someone is being an asshole on purpose. But we've implemented a system that lets you flag an

avatar for review. This notifies our mod team who will examine the player's behavior for signs of

intentional griefing. Please don't abuse this feature.

Only report an avatar if it exhibits unreasonable hostility that could not possibly be the result of normal human development.

New advanced career paths. A limited number of political and business leadership careers will open to the general player base.

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