Star Citizen: Chris Robert`s new space sim (the Wing Commander guy)

[Seba]

I am curious to see how they will change the 300 series, but the redesign is still a long way off.

If they keep giving these free coupons, maybe I will buy a Dragonfly (assuming that it will be cheap - I hope it will be something like $15) and apply the upgrades to it. That way I'll get to keep the Aurora LN and also have a second (and better) ship, with LTI (that will also cover the better equipment that is standard on 300i).

If I apply the upgrades and then I change my mind and I melt the upgraded package, I'll lose $15 of discounts accumulated so far. That is why I will wait for now, to keep all my options open. In the meantime, I can rent other ships (or soon "buy" them with alpha UEC).

 

[rivethead]

I spent all my coupons stockpiling UEC. Can't run a cargo transport business without capital.....

 

[Fanatical Meat]

What are these coupons y'all are speaking about?

 

[Seba]

First one (first in my case) was given as an offer to all Aurora owners that wanted to upgrade to a 300i. You got $5 off if you bought an upgrade from any Aurora to 300i.

Second $5 coupon was given if on April Fools day you clicked on the link to buy that Big Benny's ship.

Third $5 coupon was just given for all players that made an application to the Shubin mining corporation.

 

[Seba]

I recorded a cockpit shot:

https://youtu.be/NqH1dUx9Jx8

 

[Stringjam]

I recorded a cockpit shot:

https://youtu.be/NqH1dUx9Jx8

Hah...if it was the real game you could go snag that Hornet and make some cash.

 

[Seba]

Two encouters with a Sabre, in my Aurora LN:

https://youtu.be/8ueC0CVwypo

 

[Stringjam]

Two encouters with a Sabre, in my Aurora LN:

https://youtu.be/8ueC0CVwypo

Nice backwards flight around the station (that technique works great in a Connie, too). I like your use of the station at the end of that clip to get the Sabre in a close knife-fight and take him out - that kind of stuff takes good throttle / strafe control.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Looks like the patch notes being leaked are over a week behind... so they're likely on e or f by this point.

http://starmon.shin0by.com/structure/html/pathnotes/pts/fe5a5fbe353f4356963024209fae0dc215330.html

But the notes definitely give a nice look into the work being done and the random bugs they have to smash yet.

Star Citizen Alpha 2.4.0c
Published: 2016-05-10 23:35:55


Alpha Patch 2.4.0c has been released to the PTU, and is now available for players to test! During this initial testing phase, PTU access will be restricted to a small group of players that we will expand on over time as required.

Your launcher should show “2.4.0-354147” as the client version. It is strongly recommended that players delete their USER folder for the Test client after patching, particularly if you start encountering any odd character graphical issues or crash on loading. The USER folder can be found (in default installations) at C:\Program Files\Cloud Imperium Games\StarCitizen\Test.

The full 2.4.0 Patch Notes are located here. Please take full advantage of our PTU Issue Council area of the Community site to report any bugs you encounter, as well as contribute to other players submissions.

Important Callouts:
Persistence is currently not enabled between builds. We are wiping the database with each deployment. Thus when a new build is published to PTU, your characters persistent related information will be wiped clean.
Arena Commander Multiplayer has been re-enabled.
Please note that Singleplayer Arena Commander is crashing when players die or respawn, and all Hangars are crashing on launch right now.

Star Systems
Game Systems
Ships
Technical
Star Systems:

Removed long sleeve CTL shirt from Casaba inventories and updated pricing for items.
Made changes to the look of various glass materials throughout Crusader.
Changed the color of the gun racks in Kareah to match the color scheme of the station.
Fixed some visual issues when flying up to and landing on CryAstro Stations
Reduced the amount of time the Port Olisar locker will lock character in place while changing clothes.
Fixed an issue where Star Marine as active in game.
Added airlock death animation and sound effects.
Deleted unnecessary vehicle ports in the VFG Hangar.
Fixed an issue where excess geometry could be seen through the Aeroview Hangar windows.
Game Systems:

Fixed an issue where changes to characters clothing were not persisting between active zones.
Fixed an issue where the wrong manufacturer logo was appearing on purchasable items.
Fixed an issue where the proper purchase information was not being displayed when bundled items (space suits and armor).
Fixed an issue where the characters thigh would sometimes twitch during idle animations.
Fixed an issue where character could become deformed after walking off a platform into 0-gravity while holstering or unholstering a weapon.
Ships:

Adjusted self destruct times of various ships.
Updated the Freelancer’s turret so the control panel on top of it no longer has texture issues.
Reversed the controls on the 300 series ships. The “always-on wing” weapons are now Weapons Group 1 and the “sometimes-optional” nose weapon is Weapons Group 2.
Fixed an issue where the characters hands and feet were incorrectly placed in the cockpit of 300 series ships.
Fixed an issue where the Mustang Delta rocket pods were not exploding correctly on contact.
Fixed an issue with the Retaliator radar view as it was obstructed by the ship dashboard.
Fixed an issue with the Retaliator where fans in the engineering room were not spinning.
Technical:

Made various client side performance tweaks.
Fixed some disconnection errors.
Fixed several server crashes.
Fixed several client crashes.

 

[Stringjam]

Fixed an issue where the characters hands and feet were incorrectly placed in the cockpit of 300 series ships.

Yay! This was getting so annoying. Nothing like spawning in BR with your hands in the middle of the screen covering up the PIP. Seemed like it was happening probably 2 or 3 times a match lately.

I'm pretty excited about this patch making it to PU. I think once they get past the hurdle of getting the persistence database worked out, it will open up a lot of other options for gameplay.

I wonder if any netcode improvements have been made?

 

[Stringjam]

Found this little tidbit in the 2.4b notes:

Made some tweaks to the maneuvering ability of the Gladius.

 

[Seba]

The retarded NDA for 2.4 was finally lifted.

Does not look to be much with this 2.4.

We have shopping on ArcCorp/Area 18 and on Crusader/Port Olisar.

It seems that you start with 2750 alpha UEC.

Here is the best video that I found about shopping and new shops at Area 18 and new areas in Port Olisar (Port Olisar part starts at 5:49):
https://youtu.be/S4c0yywxzU0

mobiGlass shopping interface (min 0:21):
https://youtu.be/_xiOuXeGwvg

Haven't seen the mobiGlass holotable replacement yet. Still searching for a video that shows it.
Edit - Found one:
https://youtu.be/3cKAaET6dhw
- Does not seem to have filters, not even like the filters holotable had. You scroll a big list.
- At one time (min 2:50) the view looked to be zoomed in too much and a part of the list was not visible.
- How will that work when the components are close together or on top of big ships?
- The video does not show how you put the ammo boxes for ballistic weapons.

At Cry Astro repair stations you now pay with alpha UEC (using the mobiGlass interface). Example in this otherwise useless "artistic" 2.4 video (starting at min 3:24):
https://youtu.be/SsWv4vL7yJg

You die if you attempt to exit the space station without a space suit:
https://youtu.be/ep1_6sHdk2I

Reliant Kore:
https://youtu.be/Ir5X4Vkgkxw
As expected (going by the look of the cockpit), it has a great view from the pilot (and co-pilot) seat.

Starfarer is spawn at pad A00. In some video it looks that it is spawn in space above Port Olisar, but I found another one where it seems to be spawn on a landing pad.

Still same annoying USE interface when opening doors and interacting with other things.

The image glitches when flying a ship are still present.

 

[Sabrewings]

Here's the most thorough list I could find of changes:

https://as.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/4k6mmk/24_is_on_ptu_nda_has_been_lifted/d3ckwgv

I got my PTU invite last night. Hopefully I get to check it out this weekend.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Yay a few more weeks and maybe it will be pushed to live, and I'll be able to use my shoulder by then.

 

[Stringjam]

Yay a few more weeks and maybe it will be pushed to live, and I'll be able to use my shoulder by then.

SC is one of the few games I can play right now. I've had an irritated ulnar nerve for a couple of weeks which makes playing anything with a mouse very difficult / uncomfortable.

Doesn't bother it a bit though to grab the Fighterstick, so that's about all I've been doing lately.

 

[Stringjam]

Haven't seen the mobiGlass holotable replacement yet. Still searching for a video that shows it.
Edit - Found one:
https://youtu.be/3cKAaET6dhw
- Does not seem to have filters, not even like the filters holotable had. You scroll a big list.
- At one time (min 2:50) the view looked to be zoomed in too much and a part of the list was not visible.
- How will that work when the components are close together or on top of big ships?
- The video does not show how you put the ammo boxes for ballistic weapons.

I'm trying to remain optimistic, because CIG said this is in its infancy, but this is not really what I was hoping for.

This looks like it's going to be very cumbersome for equipping large ships (as you noted).

I know what CIG is going for - they want to avoid any sort of non-interactive interfaces in this game. They want every action to be tied to the player actually using an in-game system - but I wish they could somehow tie that in with a simple, drag-drop ship inventory.

Pull up the screen - ship on the left with empty slots. Items that are compatible to fill those slots on the right. Simple to program and simple to use.

 

[rivethead]

I'm trying to remain optimistic, because CIG said this is in its infancy, but this is not really what I was hoping for.

This looks like it's going to be very cumbersome for equipping large ships (as you noted).

I know what CIG is going for - they want to avoid any sort of non-interactive interfaces in this game. They want every action to be tied to the player actually using an in-game system - but I wish they could somehow tie that in with a simple, drag-drop ship inventory.

Pull up the screen - ship on the left with empty slots. Items that are compatible to fill those slots on the right. Simple to program and simple to use.

Do you know if there are any plans for animation to improve realism?

I really don't like how right now you walk up to hard point, mobiglass, select weapon, and....poof weapon magically appears on the hull.

 

[Stringjam]

Do you know if there are any plans for animation to improve realism?

I really don't like how right now you walk up to hard point, mobiglass, select weapon, and....poof weapon magically appears on the hull.

Not that I know of.

There's a lot of things in this game where manual control of things typically handled by spreadsheet interfaces in other games really aids in immersion and fun, but I don't think this is one of them.

If this was realism, it would take a whole crew of guys or robotic arms to install this stuff on the ships. It's just something I don't think they should waste their time on trying to make more realistic in the hangar.

And this is just the beginning - eventually we'll have dozens of different types of components to equip on the ship. How long will it take to walk through a Starfarer to every component / get at just the right angle so you can access the dot / select from a massive scrolling list.

I would have been happier if they would have just copied HoloXplor's interface layout.


(BTW rivet....looks like the Aurora got a 38% health drop in 2.4)

 

[TechBoyJK]

Not that I know of.

There's a lot of things in this game where manual control of things typically handled by spreadsheet interfaces in other games really aids in immersion and fun, but I don't think this is one of them.

If this was realism, it would take a whole crew of guys or robotic arms to install this stuff on the ships. It's just something I don't think they should waste their time on trying to make more realistic in the hangar.

And this is just the beginning - eventually we'll have dozens of different types of components to equip on the ship. How long will it take to walk through a Starfarer to every component / get at just the right angle so you can access the dot / select from a massive scrolling list.

I would have been happier if they would have just copied HoloXplor's interface layout.

Yea, they've mentioned multiple times ATV and 10 For the Dev's that they have to deal with the fine line between realism, and realism that ruins game play.

One example is the time it takes to actually enter a planets atmosphere, land, etc. Even though it's not realistic, they have to speed up the process because otherwise half the game is just landing on planets.

 

[Seba]

I expected something much better than this holotable replacement. They knew how disliked was the holotable and then came up with this big scroll list of item names, with no description, no stats, no filters, no sorting and cumbersome to use?

Let's hope that at least it works 100% as intended for installing components, since HoloXPLOR will no longer be usable as a workaround.

(BTW rivet....looks like the Aurora got a 38% health drop in 2.4)

Ha ha. At least he also has an Avenger Titan and a Gladius, if I am not mistaken.

It's more tempting to use my upgrades to 300i. For now, the rented M50 still works (I love this little ship).

 

[TechBoyJK]

I expected something much better than this holotable replacement. They knew how disliked was the holotable and then came up with this big scroll list of item names, with no description, no stats, no filters, no sorting and cumbersome to use?

Let's hope that at least it works 100% as intended for installing components, since HoloXPLOR will no longer be usable as a workaround.

I think much of this is placeholder. I can understand why they don't want to rollout UI and other front end changes until more of the backend is taken care of. Same reason they're only dealing with male models right now. No point in duplicating the workload and having to fix things twice.

 

[Stringjam]

It's more tempting to use my upgrades to 300i. For now, the rented M50 still works (I love this little ship).

BTW....I've heard the tweaks to the Gladius have brought it back to 1.3 levels of handling. If that's true, I'm going to be stoked.

Back then, it felt a lot like an M50 that was more equipped for combat. One of the best handling ships in the game (that was its biggest advantage).

As soon as 2.4 goes LIVE, it will be the first ship I jump back in. If you like the way the M50 flies (and I love it), then you might want to try renting a Gladius in 2.4.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Nice quick overview from STLYOUNGBLOOD about buying clothes and space suits.

Reminds me of GTA5!!!

https://youtu.be/6xnZPQjpQEA

 

[Stringjam]

Nice quick overview from STLYOUNGBLOOD about buying clothes and space suits.

Reminds me of GTA5!!!

https://youtu.be/6xnZPQjpQEA

That's pretty cool. I wonder if you're forced to wear a hat, though? Every person I've seen so far is wearing a ball cap.

One thing I haven't been able to find any info on - - what's up with the flight suit vs armor? Why would you buy a flight suit when you'll need armor the second you step out of your ship? Or are the flight suits intended to appeal to folks who don't plan on engaging in any kind of combat?

 

[Fallen Kell]

Do you know if there are any plans for animation to improve realism?

I really don't like how right now you walk up to hard point, mobiglass, select weapon, and....poof weapon magically appears on the hull.

I would think this will get some end animation if/when they are sure this is the overall interface that will be used. I suspect the current concept, if liked by end-users, will still be tweaked to add some more information about the particular weapon being placed in the hardpoint, and some other filtering options (i.e. weapon type, manufacturer, size, quality level, etc...), and then a big robotic arm or similar will move over to where the weapon is physically located, pick it up, move it to the particular ship hardpoint location, a bunch of sparks will fly with some arch weld effects, and suddenly the new weapon is on the empty hardpoint (a similar type animation would happen in reverse when removing an existing weapon).

Again, I don't see them putting the time into all that without the system itself being closer to finalization, as otherwise it is wasted time spent by animators and effects artists for creating something that never gets used.