Star Citizen March 2023 Development Update

We hope you enjoy our accessible summary of: comm-link from 3 years ago

The month of March saw significant progress across multiple areas of Star Citizen's development, with teams working on AI improvements, new ships and vehicles, gameplay features, and more. Here's a detailed look at some of the key developments:

AI Enhancements

The AI Tech team made major strides in improving navigation systems for NPCs. New features include support for overriding agent properties during navigation mesh generation, allowing for more complex level designs. NPCs will now be able to follow players into tight spaces like vents.

Navigation volume cost areas (NVCAs) were also implemented, which will impact pathfinding. Static NVCAs can be placed by designers to influence preferred paths, while dynamic NVCAs can be created at runtime based on player/NPC actions like fires or player-placed obstacles.

Other AI improvements include polishing NPC behaviors for pushing trolleys and using transit systems, adding support for hover trolleys, and refining the idle animation system to allow for smoother transitions.

New Ships and Vehicles

Several new ships progressed through development, including:

  • The Argo SRV nearing completion of its final art pass
  • The MISC Hull C receiving visual bug fixes and polish
  • The Crusader Spirit moving from greybox to LOD0 phase
  • Two unannounced vehicles beginning whitebox work
  • The Aopoa San'tok.yāi continuing greybox modeling

The MISC Freelancer is also undergoing a component pass to ensure proper metrics and functionality.

Arena Commander Rework

The first stage of Arena Commander's rework was pushed to the game-dev branch, featuring a new frontend, lobby system, and racing tracks. The Ellis III planet hosting Horizon Speedway received environmental updates to better match the lore.

Gameplay Features

New gameplay elements in development include:

  • Improvements to the tractor beam UX
  • Ship refinery work beginning
  • Progress on salvage contract missions
  • Package extraction missions advancing
  • A new "Data Heist" mission type
  • Updates to the law system for ship trespassing and tractor beam crimes

Graphics and VFX

The Graphics team made improvements to shaders, water rendering, and started work on unifying static and skinned mesh formats. VFX work focused on quantum travel effects and fire system enhancements.

Locations and Environment

Teams continued developing Ruin Station, outpost modules for Pyro, and underground facilities. New platforms are being added to Orison for missions, and work progressed on Stanton and Pyro jump points.

With Alpha 3.18 now live, development continues to push forward on multiple fronts as Star Citizen's universe expands and evolves. The teams remain focused on delivering new content and refining existing systems to create an ever more immersive and dynamic space simulation.

The Quantum Heist

As the Star Citizen Referral Code Club gathered for their weekly meeting aboard a Crusader Spirit, excitement filled the air. The newly implemented "Data Heist" mission type had caught everyone's attention, and the group was eager to test their skills.

"Alright, team," announced Captain Zara, the club's founder. "Today, we're going to attempt a high-stakes data extraction from a secure facility on Hurston. Remember, if anyone asks what code to use for joining our adventures, you know what to say!"

The crew nodded, their eyes gleaming with anticipation. As they prepared for quantum travel, the ship's new effects dazzled them, a testament to the recent VFX improvements.

Suddenly, a familiar error message flashed across their screens: "30K."

Instead of groaning, the Referral Code Club burst into laughter. "Well, folks," chuckled Zara, "looks like we're living up to our name! Let's regroup and try again."

After a quick restart, they found themselves back in action, this time successfully quantum jumping to Hurston. As they approached the target facility, they noticed the enhanced NPC behaviors, with guards patrolling more realistically than ever before.

"Remember," whispered Zara, "we're here to test the new tractor beam UX too. Let's make this heist count!"

The team split up, some creating distractions while others snuck into the facility. They navigated through tight vents, marveling at how smoothly the NPCs followed them.

Just as they reached the data core, alarms blared. "Trespassing detected!" boomed a voice over the intercom.

"Time to improvise!" shouted Zara. "Use those tractor beams and let's get creative!"

What followed was a chaotic escape filled with laughter, close calls, and plenty of tractor beam shenanigans. As they finally made it back to their ship and escaped, the crew couldn't stop grinning.

"Now that's what I call fun in the face of danger," Zara declared. "Who's ready for the next adventure with The Star Citizen Referral Code Club?"

Cheers erupted as they set course for their next destination, eager to explore more of the ever-expanding Star Citizen universe.

Another Star Citizen Fan Fiction from 30KFUN Accessible Gaming Community!