Star Citizen Megathread v. procedurally-generated deadlines

[elix]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/sVGBkIE.png[/IMG]

[video=youtube;if3E9QYhQ88]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if3E9QYhQ88[/video]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qU0zgsq.png[/IMG]

[video=youtube;HaJx4TdshFA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaJx4TdshFA[/video]

[video=youtube;Zt1dIrjfsyo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt1dIrjfsyo[/video]
[I]Video by [URL="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG7Go3a9p3Wo70YfZOOajXA"]GhosTube[/URL], MVP of Around the Verse episode 2.19, February 18 2016.[/I]

Star Citizen is an ambitious game project attempting to push the envelope on almost every level of gaming. Brainchild of Chris Roberts, creator of the Wing Commander and Freelancer franchises, Star Citizen aims to combine both space sim gameplay with an immersive first-person universe full of stories and discoveries. Star Citizen is in fact two titles -- the persistent shardless MMO that bears the project's title, and the single-player storyline campaign Squadron 42 with a performance-captured celebrity cast.

In addition to 6DoF space combat and tactical first-person shooter action, SC aims to bring a wide range of non-combat roles and activities such as mining, hauling, competitive racing, search & rescue, salvaging, information hauling, signal interception and hacking, brewing and smuggling space drugs, poaching alien wildlife, livestreaming gameplay to video feeds both in-game and out-of-game, player and AI passenger transport, and exploration. Success will depend on player skill instead of RPG skill trees and dice rolls.

It is 2947, humanity has spread to dozens of star systems connected by transient wormholes, and we have discovered that we are far from alone. The United Earth Empire finds itself challenged within and without as it coexists with the nomadic trading Banu, the technologically advanced Xi'An, the proud but defeated Tevarin (subjugated by the UEE after wars), and the knife-obsessed xenocidal edgelords humanity is now at war with, the Vanduul. The UEE is thematically modeled after the ancient Roman Empire just before its collapse, and Citizenship must be earned by effort or money.

Star Citizen is being developed for Windows and Linux and is designed to maximize the potential of the PC platform, including planned support for VR HMDs and TrackIR and various input method configurations. System requirements are high, as the game is quite demanding, and the hardware that will be the recommended specs for SC at launch doesn't exist yet.

[B]Star Citizen has a release date of when it's ready,[/B] and with no publisher to hold a knife to the devs' backs, it's able to get away with it.

The current version is [B]Alpha 2.6.3[/B]. Next patch and ETA: [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/schedule-report"]Alpha 3.0, end of July 2017[/URL]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/zcRDJQH.png[/img]

Every Friday since mid-November 2016, [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/schedule-report"]CIG has updated their published internal schedule,[/URL] straight from their internal management software (JIRA/etc.) with sensitive info like assigned dev names redacted. It is important to understand that the target dates and windows in these schedules are goals and not hard deadlines.

[U]The typical current weekly schedule is:[/U]
- Monday: Jump Point article reruns
- Tuesday: Lore post
- Wednesday: Bugsmashers and Loremaker's Guide to the Galaxy (usually one or the other)
- Thursday: Around the Verse, Subscriber Vault updates
- Friday: Happy Hour

Extra:
- First Friday of the month (typically): Previous month's Monthly Report
- Second Friday of the month: Subscriber monthly hangar flair reward
- Third Friday of the month: Jump Point (monthly magazine for subscribers)
- A Wednesday (varies month to month): Happy Hour subscribers edition (public stream, subscribers-only questions)

[img]http://i.imgur.com/kYWGym7.png[/img]

[video=youtube;pFSnSuV9jz8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFSnSuV9jz8[/video]

[video=youtube;X0T3KLnL9uY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0T3KLnL9uY[/video]

[video=youtube;iGWggc7KjJE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWggc7KjJE[/video]

[video=youtube;pdCFTF8j7yI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdCFTF8j7yI[/video]

[video=youtube;igUL5WHPZgg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igUL5WHPZgg[/video]

[video=youtube;i3rqgoYxh0o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3rqgoYxh0o[/video]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/8Mi5az4.png[/img]

[video]https://youtube.com/watch?v=xJaL7Bs-tUw[/video]

[video=youtube;qkcmBAJ4Imk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkcmBAJ4Imk[/video]

[video=youtube;tmXc24PbgRM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmXc24PbgRM[/video]

[video=youtube;3qBjtlTIcvE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qBjtlTIcvE[/video]

[media]https://imgur.com/a/hoTjx[/media]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/cwxvLPu.png[/IMG]

(This section is incomplete and will be expanding in the next few days)

[URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/feature-list"]The current live feature list aka [B]what is currently in the game[/B][/URL]

[B]Design documents:[/B] Relaxed Permadeath ([url="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/12879-Death-Of-A-Spaceman"]Death of a Spaceman[/url], [url="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/14318-Healing-Your-Spacemen"]Healing your Spacemen[/url]) | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/15062-Ship-Repair-And-Maintenance"]Repair[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14926-Design-Notes-Electronic-Warfare"]EWAR[/URL] | Science ([URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/14974-Design-The-Endeavor"]Endeavour[/URL], Carrack) | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14804-Design-Civilian-Passenger-Transport"]Passenger Transport[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14489-Shields-Management"]Shield management[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/14677-Cargo-Interaction"]Cargo interaction[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14522-Star-Citizen-Careers-Mining"]Mining[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14354-Letter-From-The-Chairman"]Multicrew ship interfaces[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14466-MobiGlas"]mobiGlas[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/15274-Careers-Intergalactic-Food-Delivery"]Intergalactic Food Delivery[/URL] (an April 1st joke)

[B]Important lore posts:[/B] [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/14984-EMPIRE-REPORT-VANDUUL-ATTACK"]VANDUUL ATTACK ON VEGA[/URL] | [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch/14987-AREMIS-POST-NEW-CORVO-IN-RUINS"]New Corvo in Ruins[/URL]

[URL="http://www.starcitizenlore.mobi"]Comprehensive fan-made compilation of lore and news/design posts in mobi/Kindle/epub format[/URL]
[URL="http://citizen-history.com/"]Fan-made interactive lore timeline[/URL]

[URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/orgs/FPCORP"][img]http://i.imgur.com/zIz46MS.png[/img][/URL]

[URL="https://discord.gg/ZXTF6Qq"]FPCORP Discord[/URL]

[highlight] !NEW! [URL="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSd-98iTNspb8M8xwxVbKFMEF-DiEEGZCxpodFRLMFDNiYHw/viewform"]January 2017 ship census - fill it out[/URL] !NEW! [/highlight]

[URL="http://goo.gl/forms/PrUdrRuhDg"]FPCORP January 2016 ship census[/URL] and [URL="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Sc-6LpN9fP2aCVBJcixKjmwl03WwsKB8m2BPHlS-ais/edit?usp=sharing"]raw survey data as of January 30th, 2016[/URL].

[URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist"]Register your Star Citizen account today![/URL]
[URL="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fLQfdNuJMl92_eHHyNUJz3msdH5xIsfCRurQqMY9Q4g/edit?usp=sharing"]Use your favorite FP member's referral code and get [B]5000 UEC[/B] free on your account[/URL] [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/referral-program"](more info on the referral program)[/URL]

[IMG]https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/uzjavyma2r6qor/source/PEW.gif[/IMG]

[Creec]

Nice thread name. Also, love the look of that CAT from inside.

[dai]

despite the stream's (horrendous) technical and content shortcomings, we did get some neat information along the way. When we do manage to dig into 2.6 for ourselves, it'll be exciting. Seems it'll have vastly more content to hold our attention than pretty much the rest of 2.1-5 had over 2.0 and 1.X

[Why485]

[B]DEREK SMART[/B]
DEREK SMART
[B]DEREK SMART[/B]
DEREK SMART
[B]DEREK SMART[/B]
DEREK SMART

[Timebomb575]

So I've been pretty much completely out of the loop on SC since the launch of the baby PU (2.0) a long while back. Is there a decent synopsis floating around somewhere of what's happened with the game since then?

[editline]17th December 2016[/editline]

and when am I going to be able to fly my beautiful Herald :cry:

[dai]

[quote]2.6.0i - 488815 is now open to Wave 1 Testers & RSI Subscribers!
Patch Notes

PTU Site
[url]https://ptu.cloudimperiumgames.com/comm-link//15644-Star-Citizen-Alpha-260i[/url]
Spectrum
[url]https://ptu.cloudimperiumgames.com/spectrum/community/SC/forum/1/thread/star-citizen-alpha-2-6-0i[/url]

Major Known Issues
Major known issues are listed in the #known-issues channel.

Feedback

We will be collecting feedback from dedicated feedback posts on the PTU Website.
#2-6-0-comm-link-directory

Issue-Council:

Please be sure to use the correct section of the PTU Issue-Council.
Star Citizen
[url]https://ptu.cloudimperiumgames.com/community/issue-council/star-citizen[/url]

Star Marine
[url]https://ptu.cloudimperiumgames.com/community/issue-council/star-marine[/url]

Playtests

NO CURRENT TESTS

For the duration of this PTU we will be using Spectrum and not Discord for our communications
[url]https://ptu.cloudimperiumgames.com/spectrum/[/url][/quote]

how bout that

[img]http://i.imgur.com/CpWGCrn.png[/img]

[elix]

I'm going to be updating the op with more information, I want it to be a catalog for info since CIG's own info collection is kinda awful. But here's the short answer of what's happened since 2.0:

- Server-side persistence is now a thing, which means loadouts are no longer saved to files on the user's disk (and can't be edited), and there's now support for currency. Right now, the currency in use is "Alpha UEC" which is usually wiped with every update and is separate from your actual UEC, and you can buy clothes and weapons and space suits with it.
- bunch of ships are now flyable, like the Khartu-al; also the Drake Dragonfly was revealed
- 3.0 includes procedurally-generated planets and they're now looking pretty good; the toolset is [B]ridiculously[/B] powerful and fast at generating massive quantities of terrain with biome sculpting; 3.0 is coming sometime in 2017, probably March-April at the current pace
- There's a new space station in the Crusader map, the outlaw asteroid base GrimHex
- Still not done yet, still making steady forward progress even if it doesn't translate into new playable builds more than once every 3-4 months

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;51540963]and when am I going to be able to fly my beautiful Herald :cry:[/QUOTE]

The Herald is flyable in 2.6, which [I]just hit public PTU as I type up this reply.[/I]
[t]http://i.imgur.com/eDCGEV2.png[/t]

[Mai]

[t]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/131482024450981888/259495531259101194/unknown.png[/t]

space discord is a thing now

[Timebomb575]

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;51541020]
The Herald is flyable in 2.6, which [I]just hit public PTU as I type up this reply.[/I]
[/QUOTE]

Well fuck me, talk about literally perfect timing to become interested again :v:

[elix]

Here come the prerecorded segment breakouts from the stream.

[video=youtube;X0T3KLnL9uY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0T3KLnL9uY[/video]

[video=youtube;31ei4SUjaRA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31ei4SUjaRA[/video]

[video=youtube;fS8SBxkXF7c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS8SBxkXF7c[/video]

[video=youtube;Oqhx7_RdDoQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqhx7_RdDoQ[/video]

[video=youtube;9sqNzp8cfCo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sqNzp8cfCo[/video]

[video=youtube;e9JgXvBX73s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9JgXvBX73s[/video]

[Computermaster]

To the vidyas:

[I]Mah dick.[/I]

[Ott]

help i am invisible and i have no mobiglass and i crash when i go to the hangar and i boil when i go through the airlock

[Mai]

[t]http://i.imgur.com/pM4s4nq.jpg[/t]

herald has microscopic missiles

[Mai]

idk how you fuck up fps this badly (in a primarily fps engine too) but chris roberts managed to do it

absolute madman

I mean I absolutely adored Kareah/Covalex FPS in Crusader when it happened but the current iteration of SM is just a shitshow of glitches and terrible netcode and I'm just disappointed with how fucked it is now and how long it'll probably take to iron everything out

[editline]17th December 2016[/editline]

you can now do this tho so it's not [I]all[/I] doom and gloom

[t]http://i.imgur.com/DZzuLdn.jpg[/t]

[elix]

[t]https://i.imgur.com/1O7VZGr.jpg[/t]

[URL="https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/3y9nri/port_olisar_wish_you_were_here_happy_holidays/cybyghg/"]From last year, but still good.[/URL] (I'm the one crouched in front.)

[Saber15]

The new MISC ship looks cool but I don't see any MISC traits in it. It's way too sleek.

[Archangel125]

[QUOTE=the_killer24;51541818]idk how you fuck up fps this badly (in a primarily fps engine too) but chris roberts managed to do it

absolute madman

I mean I absolutely adored Kareah/Covalex FPS in Crusader when it happened but the current iteration of SM is just a shitshow of glitches and terrible netcode and I'm just disappointed with how fucked it is now and how long it'll probably take to iron everything out

[editline]17th December 2016[/editline]

you can now do this tho so it's not [I]all[/I] doom and gloom

[t]http://i.imgur.com/DZzuLdn.jpg[/t][/QUOTE]

I mean, it was abundantly clear that SM and SC 2.6 were absolutely not ready, but from the total shitshow the stream was and the community response, that it's been pushed to PTU is basically damage control. At least if people can play it, even if it's broken, they'll be pacified for a while until CIG can get their shit together.

[Apocalypsewaffle]

Good lord why did the holiday stream turn out so bad

the little info on vanduul and razor was pretty cool but my god the "gameplay show"

my god

HAVE THEY NOT LEARNED BY NOW

[Miya]

glad to know my backer money is being put to good use

[t]http://i.imgur.com/sLwkuQ2.jpg[/t]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6UpYsOwlGY[/media]

[dai]

couldn't have summed the stream up better

I really don't understand how anyone could fuck it up so consistently, despite the high moderator presence on the twitch channel it's like nobody was aware the entire time that whatever intern they stationed in AV was completely incompetent operating the switcher software

(also have you ever worked in an office with that many employees before? monitors die and end up in the IT graveyard pretty frequently)

[Hezzy]

[QUOTE=dai;51542656](also have you ever worked in an office with that many employees before? monitors die and end up in the IT graveyard pretty frequently)[/QUOTE]

What shitty office do you work in? My office has monitors that are nearly 10 years old that are still truckin

[dai]

we only buy the strongest monitors here. Good bones, warranty always outlived

[Techbot]

this is how fast I can go to the hangar now.

[vid]http://techbot.xyz/ShareX/file/2016/12/17/yes.mp4[/vid]

[Wazbat]

So whats with the caterpillar skin? What mission do you complete to earn it?

[swebonny]

Bought the game in like 2014, only now do I have a computer that should be able to run it! Time to download.

[editline]17th December 2016[/editline]

No wait, [B]2012[/B] wowe.

[dai]

[QUOTE=Wazbat;51543113]So whats with the caterpillar skin? What mission do you complete to earn it?[/QUOTE]

'pirate swarm', going to be similar to how in Vanduul swarm, if you survived through the final wave (18, all named glaive pilots from previous waves), you could earn a forum title and unlock the ability to purchase or REC a glaive. From how they worded it it's just a straight up unlocked skin instead of 'hey now you can give us 300 bucks :)'

[Mr. Khorn]

Played a bit in 2.6 Free Flight.
I left my ship adrift while I opened the front.

[t]http://i.imgur.com/LkXpo3W.jpg[/t]

[t]http://i.imgur.com/vzUUk1t.jpg[/t]

[t]http://i.imgur.com/V83uv1y.jpg[/t]

[t]http://i.imgur.com/gETBzTv.jpg[/t]

[Grenadiac]

I have enough Christmas money already I could buy a Cat and not even notice the missing money. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa but I feel like that'd be irresponsible as shit

[Mr. Khorn]

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;51544251]I have enough Christmas money already I could buy a Cat and not even notice the missing money. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa but I feel like that'd be irresponsible as shit[/QUOTE]

If you get into the PTU, you'll have access to all ships.

Or wait for Live and borrow someone's ship.

[krail]

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;51544251]I have enough Christmas money already I could buy a Cat and not even notice the missing money. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa but I feel like that'd be irresponsible as shit[/QUOTE]

you said you have the cutlass now right? if it's your only ship remember that the cutlass is way more versatile and much better starter ship, the cat probably needs a crew of 3 just to be viable