Star Citizen – New Drake Ships – IAE & FreeFly Starts 18th November

Star Citizen’s Intergalactic Aerospace Expo starts on Friday November 18th.

Drake Interplanetary invites you to join us for Intergalactic Aerospace Expo 2952, the biggest ship show in the ‘verse! In honor of the galaxy’s premier aerospace event, Star Citizen will be FREE TO PLAY from November 18th to 30th. Head to the expo for all of this and more:

Test-fly over 100 spaceships and vehicles for free
New vehicle announcements
Special-edition vehicle paints and in-game items

It appears the Expo is on microTech again this year at New Babbage. You’ll be able to take the train directly to the expo hall there.

There is an in Memoriam Jax Maccleary which implies he is dead… this could mean they couldn’t get the voice actor OR he’ll turn up as a skit.

Drake is the Official Sponsor of the IAE this year which makes sense as we know the Drake Corsair is going to be flyable… but you can also probably expect something else from drake turning up new here too. In the media for the IAE it says there are a few new surprises… so you can expect some cool stuff! The Vulture should be there to walk around and fiddle with at the Expo Hall too but not to fly.

In the IAE Video there is a section where the Drake CEO looks to be showing off an entirely new ship BUT we only catch a glimpse.

From the looks of the trailer video there is a load of announcements and skits planned throughout.

Each day a manufacturer will take to the expo floor (normally for 48 hours at a time so they overlap)

Manufacturer schedule wise We have Drake on the 18th, Origin on the 19th, Aegis 20th, Alien Manufacturers on the 21st, Anvil 22nd, Argo Greycat, kruger and CNOU on the 23rd, Crusader and Tumbril on the 24th, MISC on the 25th, RSI on the 26th, Best in Show (including weapons & armour in the 27th and the event finale between the 28th – 30th.

Typically during the finale you can rent any ships you want from terminals at the expo hall.

It looks like the expo will start at 4pm UTC and that is likely going to be the time that the new manufacturers turn up too.

You can rent any of the flyable ships from that manufacturer, by approaching the ship and interacting with it.

You’ll also be able to buy pretty much any ship that CI have ever sold and those ships go on sale on their appropriate manufacturer days, I believe all ships continue being on sale throughout the expo once they have been put on sale.

There is likely going to be limited / rare ships on sale on their prospective days.

So Drake on the 18th should be selling the Kraken and Privateer, Aegis on the 20th should be selling Idris and Javelin. These typically sell a limited amount in waves starting when they switch over (so 4pm) then 8 hours later, and 8 hours after that again. Sometimes ships sell out within seconds… just be aware.

Other Normally Limited ships are Connie Phoenix, 890J, Pioneer & Hull-E.

CI typically have some discounted starter packages for like 10-15% off.

You can expect a Referral Bonus scheme to get you and a friend a ship / vehicle.

Underneath the Expo hall (down the stairs) there will be a holo suite showing off various ships and vehicles.

We are getting a Star Citizen Alpha 3.17.4 patch with the IAE as well, that includes the IAE content but also likely some bug fixes.

Id be disappointed if we don’t have Jac McCleary and silly skits with every IAE. That said I am always happy for CI to do something new.

Ship wise, I love Drake and the idea of not just the Corsair but also potentially something else entirely new and flyable from them is quite exciting.

We could see a new large ship go on concept from another manufacturer too… CI like to do that at the IAE as people seem to throw money at the screen.

Star Citizen has almost beaten the total it raised in 2021 already (which was a record breaking year) AND it hasn’t started the IAE yet… last year they made $21m in November, this year I’d expect them to beat $25m and raise over $110m in the year (which will be the first time they’ve breached over $100m in funding in a single year!

I think some people really dislike Star Citizen’s funding model, artificial hype around ships and their scarcity, where as other enjoy it… The funding model certainly works to generate income for the project and Star Citizen would not exist in the way it does without it. Not as a dream but as a game that is afforded enough time and money and talent to make feature creep and dreams into an actual tangible game. At least that’s what I genuinely believe… that said there is a ton you can criticise the project about, but it’s mostly focused at delays, marketing and communication.

I am mega hype for the IAE this year… fortunately I have planned a real life holiday to coincide just as the IAE ends… so ill be taking a week off… well maybe I’ll still put out a video or 2… I like making videos!