Linden Labs announced a pending update to their Steam-based alpha game, Patterns.

Our first update is right around the corner. We’re going to be updating to a bigger world, adding more shapes to find in the world and – based on your feedback – we’re adding the ability to place formations on your own creations as well as ours. We’re also fixing plenty of bugs.

This won’t make Second Life Marketplace merchants happy, who’ve been trying to get some needed features and fixes done for… years, really. And it won’t make content creators happy either, who’re unhappy about weird server issues or the dumbing down of the JIRA bug reporting system. Both groups may wonder if LL paying more attention to the new games (see also Creatorverse) and the coming integration with Steam means even less attention paid to their marquee product. But I’m happy, because I’ve become quite fond of Patterns as a relaxing time-waster, and I’ve also found all the Starene shapes there seem to be. I’ve got 2 active games; the original where I’ve Hoovered up every bit of building material within reach, and an “enviro” one where I’ve taken the minimum amount required to build bridges and break into pyramids. I’m delighted at the prospect of new stuff to find and explore. Link: Patterns | Its your universe to shape