Wing Commander Christoper Blair
Star Citizen
By now most of you have run mission chains that including downing an idris or two. Most of you know these are usually long drawn out battles often times requiring several torpedo bombers running multiple missions. While the grind may seem a bit much, it is all so satisfying when you grab that kill shot!
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
The promise for and of the last decade has been to create a believable game play experience flying in a variety of futuristic spaceships. IN OUTER SPACE! Master Modes has turned this vision on its head.
With the release of MM, CIG is headed in an entirely different direction.
CIG has been and primarily is an engineering company. It is clear that internal forces are steering the company toward a sales and marketing slant. A clear sign that CIG is experiencing these internal forces is demonstrated with the advertising proclaiming their game “playable now”. Advertising that coincided with the release of patch 3.18. Of course, 3.18 was unplayable by most.
The introduction of PES in 3.18 fell flat on it’s face and introduced 6 months of delays in some important CIG time tables.
Chris Roberts expressed his hopes that SQ42 will become this generation’s Wing Commander. Granted, MM as a FM is head and shoulders above that found in Wing Commander. But it is a far cry from the advances in technology of the last 30 years and the FMs already found in a variety of currently available games.
When engineering companies reach a certain pinnacle they encounter forces determined to grow the company. These forces are not based on what got them there. They are based on a misguided notion that sales and marketing are the keys. In practice, those keys unlock the doors of death.
In practice, the easiest sale is for products not available, thus basing real life decisions on this erroneous sales data can have extreme derogatory consequences. When an engineering company stops being an engineering company and caters to every shred of promises of sales and riches, they shrivel and die. If sales and marketing are telling you how high to jump, then you know you have the disease.
1] With lower SCM velocities and near infinite jerk profiles, ships attain maximum velocity quickly and then lose further acceleration. This renders them as nearly stationary targets. This is the feeling of being “locked in” and makes the game feel like it is on rails while also limiting evasion.
I don’t need accurate PIPs to hit stationary targets
2] Dog fighting becomes DPS/Hull dependent because time on target generates the biggest advantage. The biggest ship with the biggest guns will win any dog fight. This is a strict FPS model that would NOT ring true in the depths of outer space.
3] Promotes intentional ship ramming by trying to limit unintended ramming.
4] Paints an inaccurate picture of space flight.
5] Rather than follow CIG’s ethos of solving a technology challenge with innovative engineering solutions, they have resorted to limiting game play.
With all the chatter about provisioning costs, Amazon may have CIG by the balls.
6] Weapon damage is RNG based.
7] Multi-crew dependencies are reduce to an almost meaningless level negating well honed strategies of the past. A big loss for the turret gunner role. And surely a damper on distinguishing various classes of ships from each other.
8] Hit and run tactics will no longer be viable rendering ships like the Ion and Inferno useless.
9] The boomerang effect. Many of the acclaimed benefits of MM have actually had the opposite effect compounded with additional unintended consequences. Certainly jousting, kiting, and increased ranges of engagements are all observed in AC.
10] Grandiose talk of lowering the skill ceiling for new players has not been realized for those new players buying starter packages. These single pilot ships don’t stand a chance in PVP engagements as experienced pilots will pair and group up.
MM will impact our solo playing citizens
11] MM eliminates all the really cool flight mechanics that a lot of us love and enjoy. That is, the absence of an arcady and a limiting flight model. The immersion of flying a futuristic spaceship amongst the stars is completely lost and with it, any realism that the verse might have for each of us.
12] It is clear that the DEVs at CIG have yet to learn the laws of unintended consequences. I tried to point this out as an evocati for the 3.0 release when they last tested reduced SCM velocities. Even if MM did solve the problems as advertised, it has created a shit storm of new issues which will indubitably consume much time and resources.
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
Wait, another patch update snuck by me? Oh well, a chance to take my Avenger Titan out to shake off the rust. Located Ghazi in a asteroid belt flying a Defender, strange for a VLRT. Asteroids can be tricky, best not to drift too much. I merged right into the slot and without much effort stayed there. Ghazi’s shields soon failed for a much too easy kill.
As I sauntered away Ghazi’s wingman flying a M50 intercepted me and despite my turn rate disadvantage a few shots on target was all she wrote.
For a starter ship the avenger is a strong contender in the lower ranks of bounty hunting.
Wing Commander Christoper Blair
Wing Commander Privateers
Squadron 42 Star Citizen 2024 03 03 12 16 54 01
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
It’s not often, if at all, that I get into the business of recommending a starter ship. There are probably tons of utube and tictok vids all vying to be your influencer when it comes to recommending your best cash outlay to get started.
And certainly, there are a large variety of starter ships to choose from. By far and away the easiest path to early success in Star Citizen is the vaunted role of a transporter. Here you can start out small running box missions to earn aUEC and stock your inventory with loot. In fact, the creds you earn selling excess loot gathered on these missions far exceeds the payments you will receive.
Once you’ve mastered the role of a transporter you can easily step into mercenary work. Tackle those underground bunker missions to collect “modified” armor and an array of more advanced weaponry.
The ship that best fits this game play is hands down the Avenger Titan.
With a size 4 nose weapon along with a size 3 weapon under each wing you will command enough fire power to take down the majority of the resistance you will meet, including medium sized ships like the Drake Cutlass. The cargo area is easily accessed and is ideal to load up all the road kill from the bunker missions for easy looting. It is one of the few ships that has two hatches. Upgrade the components and you can also use the ship for beginner bounty missions.
For a limited time CIG is offering a feeling lucky 25% discount on the Avenger Titan making it one of least expensive options and by far the most versatile starter ship available. CIG is also adding a Gemini Sniper rifle plus a generous 20,00 starting UEC.
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
Locate Cole Etherton (LRT)
Never say never to box missions, you know, those tedious missions you run on your way to becoming “the” transporter.
CIG offered one last chance to mine a gold ticket for obtaining the legendary F8C Lightining so off I went to MicroTech to curry favor with Unified Distribution Management. On the very last run for Courier Status (lvl 3), and on the vary last loot crate – I found one!
Two other citizens had landed so I dropped everything, jumped in my STV and headed back to my ship to quickly dock with Port Tressler. No sooner than had I landed and exited my seat – 30K!
So I tested this beast out on a Tracker Beginner’s Permit Certification bounty(LTR) and it is easy to see why this ship is so special. Cole appeared to be the eyes in the sky for their op and while Cole’s eyes were glued on his radar my Lightning’s one two punch was lights out. A leisurely circle around and splash.
Wing Commander Christoper Blair
Wing Commander Privateers
Squadron 42 Star Citizen 2024 01 29 16 25 15 01
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
CIG media is chock full of employee testimonials proclaiming pride in a work product that exceeds the expectations of the current AAA genre. Employees are proud to polish their work to increase the quality and efficiency of each workflow. Indeed, there are some extraordinary events unfolding as the code base from Squadron 42 finds it way into the verse.
Based on currently available MM tuning it is unmistakable that the speed caps have impacted the ability of pilots to generate sufficient rotational accelerations to enable pilots to increase or decrease the distance between each other at a rate that allows pilots to execute a number of common maneuvers.
So pilots be forwarned, Master Modes is a FM on rails.
So, this is the best you can do?
ya know, ya know, ya know, physics, ya know, ya know, ya know, mathematics, ya know, ya know, ya know, …
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
Locate Dewey Conejo
Enjoying the blade, seems a bit jumpy but easily dominates all the bounties I’ve met so far.
Here we go with Dewey. Unable to manage a delta merge with his 350r so I pushed it and resistance was futile.
Wing Commander Christoper Blair
Wing Commander Privateers
Squadron 42 Star Citizen 2024 01 20 14 11 43 03
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
The reviews of Master Modes(MM) are in. CIG is introducing a base line FM that eliminates the need for dog fighting skills similar to EVE Online. Some of Star Citizen’s newest citizens are delighted.
Frustration is directly palpable in the PVP community. As well as with those of us that take pride, having learned the basics so that we may enjoy the occasional thrill of PVP to break up reputation and other grinds. Basic piloting skills rule PVE.
The alarming consequences of MM, as is currently playable in Arena Commander is the elimination of the need for its citizens to acquire a piloting skill set. This is deliberate. When MM was introduced CIG very publicly committed to a company wide sign off. No game play was to be broken.
We are left to “draw the inference” that masters and blasters is CIG’s first attempt at establishing a non-flight combat based MMO.
The goals promised by MM have largely been unmet. Other than the new cone firing mechanic, the promise of reduced jousting and up close knife fighting and of an end to the light fighter meta are not to be found. Light fighter meta has been replace with interceptor meta. The FM has become more complicated and janky with the (re)introduction of an old concept, segmented flight modes(SCM/NAV): a net-loss. And for now, PVP has become a pure DPS battle with a terrible smell of RNG.
And we still have that nasty space drag. Seriously, space drag.
Of course we have seen game play shifts in the past. Sometimes with the goal of obtaining telemetry data. This could be a baseline non-combat patch. Despite the wrath of the PVP community, obtaining baseline telemetry should not turn into a smoke screen. We have seen that act before. Adding the flight combat back into the mix must come quickly.
This fork’s existence could be a baseline to address the console market which will need a radically different FM than found in PC realm.
Critics believe, using sound engineering protocols that with a few changes MM can be saved. Aiming for the center is a neat trick, say wrt max SCM speeds? The throttle is the most effective speed mechanic, far surpassing the afterburner and boost mechanics. Truth be told, none of the cures for the ill(s) require MM but I suspect MM does provide a means to quickly re-balance the over 200 ships per their particular archetype. Some well thought out recommendations could very well save MM from itself.
Posits that speed is not nearly the burden that accelerations are have yet to be disproved. I was sorely chastised by others when I called out Sir Richard for the wholly absurd introduction to MM that claimed speed was the problem. So the gang nerfed the hell out of ship velocities and didn’t solve a damn thing. So much for sound engineering over marketing.
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
Join us in the latest Star Citizen patch “Wrecks to Riches” and Test-fly five legendary ships. Experience Star Citizen for Free!
Follow the steps below using referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
Fly in style in Origin’s 100i or 500i. Go space trucking in Consolidated Outland’s Nomad. Become a space miner in MISC’s Prospector, or fight your way to glory with a friend in RSI’s Scorpius.
Take your pick of one of Star Citizen’s starter ships: the Aurora MR, the versatile Nomad from Consolidated Outland, or the premium 100i Red Festival Starter Pack all for 20% off.
Hurry, offer ends February 15.
For more information please visit our “Eyes Only” forums.
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!
It has long been the case that decisions that reflect the views of CIG’s marketing team tend to differ from the views of many of Star Citizen’s backers. One such example is the demise of the beloved space station known as Port Olisar. Many of the technology advances CIG has delivered have rendered the space station obsolete. The station is unable to support these new features including those found in the most recent 3.20 patch.
Herein lies a divergence between how CIG choose to portray the space station’s demise and that of how the backers would have chosen to retire the station. Here is the official version of the suspected end of Port Olisar.
Akin to the Trade Center Towers we are led to believe that station fell from the sky with no reasonable explanation. Today’s Star Citizens are having none of it. Here is the true story of the events after the sabotage of Port Olisar that led it to sink toward the gas giant Crusader.
Use referral code STAR-62W5-FRT9 and join us in the stars. And be sure to claim your additional 50,000 credit bonus!