The ambitious space sim Star Citizen is slowly making progress. And today is the launch of a new alpha update, Alpha 3.10: Flight & Fight.
Flight & Fight’s biggest adjustment is an overhaul of the flight and combat systems. Thruster efficiency curves, simulated wind effects on aerodynamic surfaces, and jerk (speed of ship acceleration) are now part of the flight mechanics and will affect handling. So a speedy fighter class ship should feel slippy while large cargo-class ships should be hefty. All 100+ ships will now handle differently with this addition.
“Today’s launch of the Alpha 3.10: Flight & Fight Update marks a significant step towards our final vision for Star Citizen,” said Cloud Imperium Games CEO and Star Citizen creative director Chris Roberts. “The enhancements to flight and combat systems are just the beginning of the continued overhaul we intend to iterate over time with the help of our community and represents our continued commitment to deliver meaningful updates that improve the Star Citizen experience.”
That’s for the flight overhaul. For the combat aspect, Star Citizen has now improved manned turrets with a new UI and lock-on system. Targeting systems are now faster when ships fly slower, so there’s a targeting advantage for flying slow. There’s also a new weapon type joining ballistic and energy weaponry. Called electron weaponry, two weapons called the Atzkav Sniper Rifle and Yubarev Energy Pistol will be added, manufactured by The Lightning Company.
Alpha 3.10 also adds the Player Trading App (you can transfer in-game funds, and later be used for player-driven economy features), the new Remote Ore Collector (ROC) vehicle, upgrades to the Origin M50 and Khartu-al X’ian ships, tech imporvement like ocean impromenets and dynamic lighting plus the grand opening of the New Babbage. It’s a store on trading hub on microTech, introduced in last update.