Star Citizen Persistent Universe Roadmap 2021
Welcome to a deeper look at the Star Citizen Persistent Universe Roadmap for 2021 beyond the Q1 Star Citizen Alpha 3.13 release. Today we will be looking at the plans for various content, features, gameplay and ships that are coming in 2021 or planned to be worked on.
Throughout the year there are general fixes and CI working through Technical Debt, updating backend features etc… so we are going to look at the more tangible features and improvements here. Please bare in mind just because something is having worked completed on it in a given quarter DOES NOT MEAN it’s fully complete and ready for implementation in that Quarters patch, it may require more work potentially from another team OR have been reprioritized. This list is also not exhaustive, CI have not included a large portion of their teams including some core tech for icache and server meshing as well as downstream teams so we will be getting more info on this in January BUT what we currently have gives us a deeper look at CIs plans & priorities for 2021 and at least an indicator of when it’s planned to be worked on.
So let’s start with work on features that completes in Q2 2021 so that’s by the end of June.
If you want to see work on Q1 and the 3.13 patch please checkout my video covering that down below.
Q2
Deeper Force Reaction Gameplay
Zero-G Push and Pull of Objects and as a means of traversal in EVA without thrusters.
Cooperative Locamotion Allowing players to moved larger objects pushing them around.
Personal Inventory allowing physically store items and gear in containers and inventories.
FPS Radar / Scanning allowing detection while on foot.
Healing & Actor Status Updates
The improved Player Status System focuses on implementing additional statuses, specifically intoxication and effects from drugs, and the associated functional and visual feedback. This also will allow players to use items with healing properties, such as the MedPen, on other player characters and NPCs.
Player Interaction Updates
Updating the 890 Jump Mission to include body dragging to save unconscious NPCs and an unlawful variant of the mission to.
Orison V1 the landing zone for Crusader this includes all areas – shipyards, habs, gardens, and spaceport are being worked on here.
Dynamic Mission System allowing tailored & more appropriate missions that have more accurate rewards.
Changes and Updates to the Comm Array System for detecting crimes.
Security Networks V1 where players might been clearance levels to operate certain doors, elevators and areas.
Jump Point Space Scaping – Creating the environments around the Stanton and Pyro JPs.
The Akiro Asteroid Cluster in Pyro.
Angular Asteroids for Pyro.
Stanton System Polish Updates
The Nyx System is getting a lot of work with Nyx 1-3 all getting art work done. It’s safe to say it looks like it will be the next system after Pyro.
ATC Updates
NPC Spawning Updates for the Quantum Sim
A Cargo System Refactor
Cargo Loading and Unloading Times
Mission Manager App Update with more features and reputation tracking
An Asset Manager to keep track of all your stuff!
The Argo MPUV, F8 Lightning coming up to Gold Standard
The Nova Tonk (Tank)
More Work on Weapon Capacitors V1 for ships allowing for better allocation of “extra” energy.
More work on the Hercules Starlifter C2 & M2 from the Vehicle Experience
The Constellation Taurus is getting work done
Dynamic Events
Restricted Areas 3.0 making landing in cities a less intrusive, seamless experience.
SDF Shields
Landing Gear Springs
Retaliator Room Swapping – The Start of actual Ship Modularity
Boat Movement – Supporting Boats and other Aquatic Vehicles!
Magazine Stripping allowing different bullet types and manual refill of ammo.
Charge/Drain Power T0 that will be used in various missions and environments
Moving onto Q3 this is work planned for completion by the end of September:
GrimHex Scramble Races.
Updated Item Interaction Animations.
Lockers & Inventory T1 – allowing armor and clothing to to be stored on shelves and in containers more appropriately.
EVA T2 introducing EVA Fuel and encouraging push/pull and tractor beam use.
Better Animations for Stairs
Tracking App that shows players criminality and helps understand jurisdictions
A Deeper Rewrite of the ATC System for Server Meshing.
More Updates to NPC Spawn Lockers
Small Home Outposts are getting work – A small home for players to live and shelter. They consist of a central hub and a few optional internal and external modules. They provide the basic necessities to support a small group of people for an indefinite amount of time.
Jump Points with their functional inner tunnels
Security Service that tracks the actions of players and NPCs and allows for deeper bounty hunting gameplay.
Virtual AI Service that helps drive logic and Subsumption and Quanta AI AND the NPC Scheduler that helps spawn NPCs dynamically with appropriate archetypes.
Updates to Shop UIs in preparation for Org Perks.
Fire Extingushers
The Hull-B, Redeemer, Ares Ion & Inferno, Hercules Starlifter A2 are getting Work
Brining the F7A Hornet Mk1 & 2 / Retaliator up to Gold Standard
FPS Devices/Deployables like mobile shields
Various Updates to Ships
Ship CPU/Blades with various gameplay and functionality allowing for automation of some ship functions and unlocking others.
Turret Improvements
Better 3rd Person Cameras
MFD Rework that are more customizable and generally more appropriate.
Vehicle in Vehicle Spawning
Multi-Grid SDF tech to allow Capital ships to split into multiple parts
Cutting T2 allow the multi-tool to cut thru various objects and surfaces.
Work on Salvage T0
And for the final Stretch Q4 with deliverables expected to be completed by mid December 2021:
Thruster Capacitors V1
Prone & Sliding Updates
Better ladders and the ability to do actions while on ladders
Visor HUD updates
Weapon Handling Updates
Pyro System, Planet & Mission Setup as well as adding small rundown rest stops. AS WELL AS Ruin Station – Once a mining platform operated by Pyrotechnic Amalgamated until it was abandoned and overrun, Ruin Station is an highly dangerous location frequented by feuding gangs and outlaws.
Counterfeiting / Data Download – Implementing missions that task players with infiltrating ships defended by hostile NPCs to hack terminals. There will be both lawful and unlawful variants of these missions.
More Work on Dynamic Events, Dynamic Populations and probability volumes that will affect encounters.
Ground Scramble Racers on Hurston and it’s moons
Reputation Gates for Missions
Orison V2 is planned to get work here – Improving Crusader’s landing zone with more shops and expanding various services around the city.
Updates to garages to Lorville and Levski.
Outpost Theme Variants for Colonialism outposts, which allows us to create different points of interest in the world. Themes will range from abandoned, mining, research, and many more.
The Massive Aaron Halo asteroid field in Stanton
Looting Updates
mobiGlas Hangar Manager App that give ASOP terminal type functionality.
Updates to the notification system and a new app
Org Perks and Benefits – Leveraging the Reputation system, we’re adding in-game perks based upon Organizations the player has joined.
The Hull A, B and excitingly the RSI Polaris are getting work.
Shield Capacitors V1
Ground Vehicles V2 – more robust tuning and identity between various ground vehicles.
A Better UI for Quantum Travel.
Improvements to fuel scooping
Shield emitters are becoming physical components that can be destroyed
Control Surfaces – Ships with control surfaces will be able to use them in atmospheres to aid their maneuverability. This will allow for improved performance from ships that have weak maneuvering thrusters in atmosphere, and bring new depth to aerodynamic flight in the game.
Multi-Crew Permissions Systems this will allow players to assign roles to each other in running large ships. Roles determine what access you have to view and manipulate ship systems, and players will be able to customize this as they need.
Lots of Game optimizations including culling areas of ships not in view.
Restore ship state which sounds like it might be able to be used to save cargo ships from 30ks MAYBE?!
Work to Finalize the Gladius dashboard buttons with multi-states and fully demonstrable with a procedural animation for each state.
Elevator and ramp ground alignment
Weapon Misfires and wear as well as FPS weapon overheating
A Crossbow weapon
And new damage types Plasma, Incendiary and Disarray
There are some feature work which look be be completing early 2022 as well here so this is:
Subsumption & Server Mission Logic as well as the Quantum Simulation – This will serve as the background economy for Star Citizen. Thousands of unseen simulated entities will carry out trade, commerce, piracy, and security to populate and inform other game systems.
It looks like each major quarterly patch may have dynamic events added that are new and potentially exclusive(ish) to the patch.
Prisons V3 new escape routes more challenging gameplay and stealth elements.
Bounty Hunting V2 – Enabling players to track criminals via a mobiGlas security app linked to distress beacons, comm arrays, air traffic control systems, cameras, and NPC informants. This will rely on various new backend tech, including Virtual AI, the NPC Scheduler, and Security Service.
And that’s it for what the Roadmap is showing for Star Citizen’s PU obviously the accuracy of exactly will be getting love does fall as the roadmap get further out.