Last months were mainly integrating lwjgl3 and migrating code to java11 and implementing a new control input system, gui scaling, database maintanace, compression update, network protocol updates, refactoring, as well as looking into and trying out different techniques. The main changes of the universe update will mostly involve creating things to do for the player.
As for side projects, there are a few things I'm working on not only to keep my head sane, but also to ensure I can continue working on starmade, which is still my absolute undisputed main project. These are small projects nowhere near the scope of starmade (not even scraping the surface), but they also help me try out code concepts and techs that I can then use in starmade as well as maybe have a few smaller releases along the way. I can't really give any accurate ETAs but I hope to be done with the optimizations and block updates in the next 1-2 months. Then for audio and AI another month and a half. If everything in there goes to plan, the restructuring of the universe wont take that long. After that restructuring, gameplay mechanics for single and multiplayer will be put in. After that, the project would be going into beta.