Star Citizen Alpha 3.23 Feature Plans
CIG shared their plans for Star Citizen Alpha 3.23’s Features
New EVA with a more responsive, better feeling system, where fuel is important, you are in the iron man pose. You are propelled by your EVA Suit / Thrusters, there will be better EVA gear in the future that you can choose for your loadout like backpacks.
EVA push pull is not going to be in 3.23 but will be coming later.
Want to be an EVA salvager, you will and it will be much better with these systems.
Player Interaction System (PIS PIT) – They needed a better cleaner interaction system that was intuitive and easy to use. That’s what they are going for with this new update.
You get an icon and verb telling you what to do. For Use to Equip to Inspect, to Store…
You can customise this default primary tap and Secondary double tap control.
You can also use the interaction wheel as well… that’s been cleaned up
You need to be in range and have you looking at an interactable for it to show the notification, it’s not invasive. The precision is much better as well, you’ll be able to grab an item relatively easily out of a pile of stuff.
New Quick Looting system we saw at CitizenCon is also in!
FPS Updates
Reloading – Improvements there is a ton of refinement they’ve made from SQ42 development. They don’t want you to be stuck with a load of empty mags stuck on your inventory. There is ammo repooling allows you to condense all your mags down, show and animation and reload your mags.
Dynamic Crosshair – You don;t always want to ADS. The dynamic crosshaair will show where your weapon is actually aiming while hipfiring, there is weapon spread involved here too. This is a feature of combat helmets / suit. In the future they will have speicialized suits and gear with different features, combat helmets will allow for things like dynamic crosshairs for your weapons.
Visor & HUD Updates – They are restyling and improving it for 3.23.
Hints being tied into a notification system.
At a glance you can see your combat stack of your ammo and weapons etc…
There is an FPS compass.
There is a minimap for some locations and ships. They have to markup these locations… so a lot of ships and LZs should have them in 3.23.
Much easier to traverse the Verse…
New Starmap – SIGNIFICANTLY improved
Estimated Travel Time
Search Functions
Easier to use
Feels and looks better.
Distribution Centers – These are massive facilities. A big hub for activity.
I believe these are also the locations with the massive underground networks as well.
Lots of landing pad, offices, reception, industry / work going on.
There will be a variety of types of center, different factions, different focuses.
From lawful ones like UEE / Greycat, but you could have one that’s been taken over by Nine Tails, there could also be Lawful corps doing shady things.
For this release there will be a variety of locations and missions.
They are mini-landing zones.
But there is a ton more they have planned for them in the future, more types, archetypes, missions.
You’ll even see self contained missions within in thee distribution centers.
Will Raids be in the initial release… they didnt say BUT there is a ton more coming with them.
Master Modes – Are planned for 3.23!
Nav & SCM are switchable modes. Nav is for travel, go fast, quantum travel, quantum boost BUT you have no shields or weapons powered. SCM much slower and no quantum BUT you have Shields and Weapons.
They’ve tried to make dogfighting more personal and close.
At larger scale with capital ships this should feel more like naval combat.
Combat Updates
Precision Targeting – Additional toggled zoomed aiming, you can see much more of the enemy ship, target systems much more accurately. Less pixel hunty.
Gimbal Changes – All Ship weapons have gimbals, there are a few exceptions like the idris railgun, vanguard nose etc…
They wanted this to be more simple, turrets weapons also have gimbals that should make them feel better. Size restrictions are going away with those too. They are standarizing a lot of this.
Character Customizer
New Character Scans
2 ways of customising – DNA blend, choosing a % of another heads feature you want on your character between the current head and theirs.
You can also grab and move features / pull them and it will search the database for similar features to what you are doing. Feels like sculpting.
New hair, facial hair, dye (and fades), make up.
Big UI overhaul too…
Instantaced Hangars & Freight Elevators – Kiosk, what’s in your storage, bring it out of storage., there is a ui showing this. Hover trolleys are part of this too.
Economy Updates – Big updates in 3.23 and on into 4.0 (which seems like it may be the next patch after).
They are having an economy with more bite for 3.23.
They will be more sensible pricing various factors. From Weapons, Armour, ships and vehicles… these will be substantial changes! They looked at manufacturer and other already “set” features of a ship.
Size will also be a big factor. Role will also help inform the prices.
Rough Examples they gave of new prices:
Medical Pisces maybe around 500k aUEC
Arrow 2 million aUEC
Constellation 10 million aUEC
Hammerhead 45-50 million aUEC
The luxurious 890j might be around 70 million aUEC
This pricing is a work in progress and eventually this will all be dynamic. They will continue to make adjustments!
THERE ARE MORE FEATURES TOO...
Blockade Runner Mission (Evolved Version of Nine Tails Lockdown)
BIG XENOTHREAT UPDATE – Pre-XenoThreat Missions too – Starting to roll out before 3.23 and into 3.23.
New Shopping App
I believe they mentioned the Dynamic Scope as well.
Other Cargo Updates
And EVEN more they aren’t sharing yet some to be a surprise when you first find / play it, others because they may or not be ready, and some because they just aren’t ready to share.
When Is Alpha 3.23 Live… they don’t know for sure!
Squadron 42 Features are coming and more refined features!