Star Citizen Roadmap Update – Alpha 3.18 Still Missing Major Features
Welcome to a Star Citizen Roadmap Update, with some additional details of the upcoming 3.17.4 patch, the IAE, Alpha 3.18 as well as some dev responses and interested Spectrum / Reddit Threads I saw that I want to talk about:
CIG put out a Roadmap Update on the 26th October 2022 they said:
Star Citizen Alpha 3.18 has begun testing with our Evocati group, with our next test aiming to go out later this week.
As we mentioned, after evaluating data from our recent Evocati test, we’re targeting early December for a live release of 3.18.
This update will not impact the 2952 IAE which will now release in the Alpha 3.17.4 patch.
Additionally, as the Drake Corsair is due to release during IAE, we’re moving its card on Release View from 3.18’s column to 3.17.
We did see some more features locked in confirmed for Alpha 3.18:
New Rivers in Stanton – Setting up biome-specific object rulesets around bodies of water and distributing those by placing additional rivers and lakes on microTech and Hurston.
Sand Cave Archetype – Establishing the visual language, creation pipeline, and quality standard for a new sand cave archetype. With this release, cave networks using this archetype will be placed throughout the Stanton system.
Security Post Kareah Reactivation – Security Post Kareah will take a more central role in Stanton’s security. Crusader Security has moved in full-time staff and has begun storing confiscated contraband aboard. Unless given prior authorization, the station will be off-limits to all civilians.
New Missions – Orison – Bounty, Assassinate, Clear All, and other missions to take place on the platforms created for Siege of Orison, which, in future, will be distributed across the planet of Crusader to create further content.
This is in addition to the already committed features of the Daymar Crash Site – a Derelict Settlement of Starrunner and 600i with a junker town connecting them.
The GreyCat PTV Race Track is also committed… with some people suggesting it might also be release with Alpha 3.17.4 tho…
That does leave a variety of features that are still planned for 3.18 but are yet to be 100% confirmed:
The Cargo System Refactor
Sandbox Prison Activities
Salvage, Repair & The Vulture
PES (Persistent Entity Streaming)
CI have said however everything is still looking good for that December Release to Live with all of that content.
This was very disappointing. I really expected more after we skipped last roundup.
CIG Jake Accapella Responded:
Just as a reminder, no news is good news! Means we’re on track as of the time of writing.
A lot of players were expecting more details on Alpha 3.17.4 but we don’t have much yet in the way of info on that patch
2952 IAE – FreeFly, Try Almost Any Ship, Expo, New Ships & Concepts, Big Old Ship Sale, Jax McCleary Shorts… it’s a massive event with different manufacturers displaying their ships every day.
We are also going to see the Drake Corsair released to flyable here too and there might be some other activities to get involved with.
Maybe the GreyCat Race Track??
Alpha 3.17.4 could well contain some bug fixes and balance tweaks too.
There were updates on the Progress Tracker too with a lot of work being extended out for some of the SQ42 chapters… I saw a related thread in Spectrum Pyro and 4.0 where the OP stated:
I think were lucky at this point if we get 4.0 next year.
Reading through all tasks on the roadmap after this weeks update it feels like if Server meshing is starting testing Q2 or Q3 next year we get it at Q4 or Q1-2 2024.
As for Squadron 42 it really saddens me that each update the goalpost is moved. There is no way CIG are not aware of Squadron 42 being years away yet for a long time now all chapters were finished on the roadmap until today when they again got moved forward.
I hope that it wont take another 10 years cause it just makes me sad since the space genre is very limited other than SC, Elite and NMS. Nothing to look forward to since everything else is forever delayed as well such as BGE 2 and Starfield.
CIGs Jake Accapella Responded:
Just to clarify, the reason the Squadron chapters moved forward is because the majority of the teams working on Squadron are downstream. This means they only forecast one quarter ahead, and Q4 was added in today’s publish.
I believe the current estimate for SQ42’s release is within 2 years… but I have been constantly burnt on these release expectations like a very inept firebreather.
I saw an thread I thought was interesting saying the Freelancer Should Have a Remote Turret… I actually really like that idea. It sort of makes sense. All those stations (4) in the front of the ship seem a bit overkill without some weapon control.
Literally making that manned turret a remote one seems like a good idea right? That would give some more room in the back of the ship for vehicles, cargo piles…
Someone said the side gun were originally supposed to be remote controlled which is one of the reasons the Freelancer has 4 seats… so it might just be a bit of a relic that needs updating. Hopefully CIG will do some tweaks there in the future.
Another thread I saw basically talks about the FPS Railgun being massively OP.
@CIG please tell me why the railgun does more damage than the ares ion size 7 cannon lmao. a handheld railgun should not be better than the ares starfighters.
I think in the short term it’s just to give infantry on the ground a strong fighting chance while other things like air defence and ground to air combat are built and balanced out.
It is a bit too powerful at the moment being able to 1 shot a range of smaller ships… and this is what CI were trying to avoid with the Ares ION… but you can do it with a very accurate fast travelling FPS weapon…
Boom, that’s it for today’s Star Citizen Roadmap Update and a bit of a community response video…