A major update for Star Citizen is introducing a new type of weapon, alongside some upgrades to ship combat and quality of life. Star Citizen is a multiplayer space trading and combat simulator that was announced in 2012 and has been in slow development ever since as it continues to set its own crowdfunding records. The game is now in alpha, and there is no known date for a commercial release.
There are few places where ambition is more dangerous than in the video game industry. The tragedy of No Man's Sky is a perfect example of that fact; the space exploration game promised a fully immersive and realistically-sized galaxy with a host of exciting features that completely failed to materialize when the game launched, resulting in an awful reputation that it still hasn't completely recovered from despite a host of genuinely excellent post-release content. The sad story of No Man's Sky echoes hauntingly around Star Citizen, a wildly ambitious title that promises to let players live a fully realized life in space, with trading, ship-to-ship combat, first person shooter combat, persistent worlds, and just about anything else one can dream of. Star Citizen has made over $307 million from crowdfunding at the time of this writing but it has been delayed time and time again, and what's been shown of the game hasn't yet justified the exorbitant amount of money it's garnered.
The game's newest update will help add more enthusiasm in the project. Alpha 3.10, the Flight & Fight update, revitalizes space combat (and atmospheric play) by rewarding slower vehicle speeds to incentive a more tactical experience and aerodynamic in-atmosphere physics. Turret combat has also been overhauled alongside targeting UI, which was sorely needed. A new type of firearm has also been added to the game in the form of Electron weaponry that focuses on energy, distortion, and stun damage, available through a sniper rifle and an energy pistol. The update also sees the addition of a new mining vehicle, upgrades to a few existing ships, and several technology improvements.
In addition to the changes being introduced, Alpha 3.10 sees the opening of in-game area New Babbage, a trading hub which sells, of all things, cute penguin plushies. These stuffed animals have real-life counterparts that can be purchased from the game's merchandise website. The update also coincides with an in-game event called the Foundation Festival, which incentives players to connect with each other using Star Citizen's special live tutorial system. This system connects new players with veterans who can show them the ropes and explain the game's systems to them.
Star Citizen Patch 3.10.0 Highlights
- mobiGlas color variants are now available for purchase in-game at the new Factory Line shop in New Babbage on microTech.
- Players can wipe their visor clear when it has become too obstructed by snow/rain/moisture (press ALT+X)
- New & improved bartender NPCs implemented.
- Combat AI will now find smaller objects to use as cover when nothing else is available.
- AI with shotguns will now act like they have shotguns.
- mo.Trader added to mobiGlas, serving as the first in-game trading system. Players can send in-game aUEC and merits to another player regardless if they are on or offline, or on a different server (but are charged a percentage tax to complete the transaction)
- Players can now drag bodies (something not even Battlefield V could deliver on). While dragging, player can use one-handed weapons.
- Ships using thrusters are nerfed when in-atmosphere and real aerodynamics have been implemented, meaning all ships fly different, and having a winged craft means you can stall and face different challenges trying to do tight turns.
- High speed combat has been nerfed (When flying above SCM speeds, weapon accuracy, gimbal assist speed, and missile lock speed will be negatively affected.)
- Targeting UI has been updated to improve visibility (New UI for the TVI, PIP, indicator, range indication, firing indication, assisted gimbals, and fixed gunsight. New UI for targets including the return of orientation style brackets, orientation arrows, and motion ribbons). Everything can be customized on these fronts.
- Electron weapons add electron damage to targets, literally charging them up - and if they receive a secondary hit while charged it creates an electron detonation that can chain to nearby targets.
- New prison repair mission added into Klescher Rehabilitation Facility for prisoners to earn merits by repairing oxygen dispensers that can randomly malfunction in the mines.
- First set of in-game ship paints added, purchased with in-game aUEC from Dumper’s Depot and Omega Pro shops and can be applied using the ship loadout manager in your mobiGlas.
- New weapons added: LBCO Atzkav Sniper rifle (Electron damage), Lightning Bolt Co. Yubarev Electron Pistol (Electron damage), and Gemini C54 Ballistic SMG (10mm rounds)
- Temperatures now rise and fall with the day and night cycle. This means that planets should be warmer during the day and cooler during the night.
- Turrets are now more usable and have a fixed assist system, using weapon convergence to nudge weapons toward the target, while still rewarding precise aim and area targeting.
New Star Citizen Vehicle
The Greycat Industrial ROC Mining Vehicle has been added.
By focusing on the essentials of terrestrial-based mining, Greycat Industrial designed their hardworking, no-nonsense ROC (Remote Ore Collector) to complement the miners who use it. From its precision gimbaled mining arm to its all-terrain wheels, this solo-operated vehicle shows how important it is to have the right tool for the job.
The Greycat Industrial ROC is a ground vehicle designed to mine larger crystalline mineral nodes that are just beyond the reach of a hand tool. This single seat vehicle is small enough to be transported in ships such as the Cutlass Black, Freelancer and Valkyrie allowing you to take it to the newly added mineables that are scattered around planet and moon surfaces in the PU.
For more details, along with the many other minor and major fixes/improvements, other reworks, and known issues check out the complete Star Citizen 3.10.0 Patch Notes.
For a game that's been mired in so many delays, slowdowns, and even legal issues, this is a significant update, and introduces a fair amount of content. The overhaul for turret combat is important, and a good sign that the developers are actively tracking feedback and diagnosing problems with the game. Assuming said overhaul works, it'll be a significant improvement to space combat. Star Citizen's full release is still a long ways away, but the game is starting to slowly shape up. If it can avoid No Man's Sky's fate, then Star Citizen be a truly remarkable title.
Source: RSI