Do folks still complain about CIG’s failure to release the game? Since I gave up facebook I don’t see many rants so it is easy to assume all the haters disappeared. LOL.
Still, there is quite a bit to do in this alpha release. So much so that it takes a 12 minute vid to cover some of numerous upgrades in the latest patch. Enjoy!
Gone are the days when you could spend hours trying to escape expert campers at GH. Anyone with a crimestat respawned at GH, the dark pirate base with zero safety protocols. That lawless paradise was also hard to find as it took a couple of blind jumps to navigate close enough to recognize the asteroid formation of GrimHex among the ring of asteroids circling Yela.
Today GrimHex is on all SkyLine maps and has been populated by a bit more friendly blokes as all but hand to hand weapon protocols are now enforced. CIG has promised an upgrade!
It is nice to see some fundamental game play mechanics take shape. During the 3.9 patch I have been altering my loadouts trying to minimize both my IR and ER signatures, primarily for the Arrow, Anvil’s light fighter of the future. JUB has posted a new instructional video, one of many in the Legacy Instructional Series (a source I have relied on for years) explaining exactly how radar works in the latest patch.
Today CIG laid out their strategy to bring back hardcore PVP players in a somewhat lengthy discussion that confirms that they really have heard the message. To do it right turns out to be a rather large project so we expect to see the fruits of CIG’s latest strategy sometime post 3.11, a 3.12 perhaps?
For the 3.10 patch first steps include new tech to model atmospheric flight with changes to the thruster efficiency curves and drag modeling using individually simulated aerodynamic surfaces. Fixed weapons are seeing a buff in their “self gimbaling” capability (convergence) to improve aim. Jerk has been nerfed from infinite to something finite (still fun, we hope) so that thrusters will not respond immediately to changes in acceleration. Hopefully this will result in smoother handling with reduced jitter.
The concept of “capacitance” is expected to provide the next layer of complexity needed to enable the “knife fight” by capping use of critical resources. For example, a ship could circle strafe for a time, but the ability of a ship to continue to excessively strafe would slowly be nerfed, presumably by limiting the amount of power to the thrusters, e.g. the capacitor discharging/recharging.
When flying above SCM speeds weapon accuracy, gimbal assist speed, and missile lock speed will be negatively affected.
UPDATE: Two of the three blockers for MMO play discussed near the end of this clip have been addressed and released into Star Citizen, namely Object Container Streaming and Persistence. The persistence is still WIP but takes it’s second step in the upcoming 3.17 patch. Server meshing is still classified as soon(tm).
As we have come to expect from CIG, the new technology and features coming to fruition during the past year are showcased during CitizenCon using a canned demo. This year was no exception. The demo took the form of a multiplayer mission used to showcase several new exciting developments including Planet Tech V4, a unique new systemic rendering system that derives displaying the surface of a planet using temperature and humidity along with some physical maps to greatly improve the clarity of the planets and moons.
Chris Roberts gave an excellent presentation during last year’s CitizenCon 2948 event of the key pillars or milestones that succinctly define the development of Star Citizen, the online multi-player game. From the days of the first hangars back in 2013 until the time we can enjoy the first iterations of Beta much has and will be accomplished.
With CitizenCon 2949 days away I thought it would be a great time to review the framework set out by CR at last year’s event.