Nehkara and Shiver go over the week's developments and news for Star Citizen development
Calling All Devs
Freelancer Max being listed as 2 engines in the ship matrix is an error. However when it comes to being built out that may change, it may have 2,4 etc. The point of the engines are to be bigger than average Freelancer due to the ships role hauling heavier objects.
Cutlass cockpit configuration for co-pilot or other stations to pilot the ship is currently not going to change from current setup. I.e. You will only be able to fly the ship from the pilot’s seat.
M50, Merlin and buggy are the remaining candidates the Ship Team could potentially look at to rework as they are not quite as up-to-date as other ships, but this is not a final decision or confirmed, just something they MIGHT look at.
Decompression is still a feature the team wants to get in, but had to be pushed back a little bit due to the knock-on effects it would have to other techs. The Design Team wants to develop other techs to a more mature level before looking at implementing decompression
AtV
The Origin 100 is a new starter ship series: a sleeker & slightly more upmarket model
It is similar to the Aurora as it shares common components but it looks cooler and intended for new players
The 100 series has two variants:
100i is the base model with 2 SCU and regular weaponry
125a is a combat variant with two missile launchers and capable of equipping military components
135c is a cargo variant with an additional external 4 SCU cargo pod at the rear (for a total of 6 SCU)
Concepted by a new Artist who explored two distinct paths: one inspired by the 600i and a more traditional dart-like look
It has the Origin style landing gear with wheels and a minimalistic, clean interior (with fold out bed)
The 100 series has a refinery item between the fuel intake and fuel tank that allows it to scoop a wider range of gases
It has finished pre-production - concept art and stats have been agreed and approved - but no 3D model yet
600i
The Origin 600i is a direct competitor with the RSI Constellation.
The 600i has two variants: Touring for transporting VIPs and Exploration for exploring. These two variants are defined by different components inside the modular center-core of the ship.
Exploration variant carries a rover and has cargo bay doors.
Boarding is accomplished via an elevator on the underside of the ship. The Exploration version also comes with the cargo/garage bay doors.
Being a luxury design, the interior of 600i is very bright and has a lot of visibility.
600i was increased in size from its original 61 meters to current 91.5 meters.
Cockpit has an open canopy without struts which gives excellent visibility.
600i will serve as style guide for future larger Origin ships including the 890 JUMP.
600i is currently going through its final art passes and beginning tech design work.
Expect some continued iteration on the 600i before it is completed.
Avenger
The primary reason for the revamp of the Avenger was that their old version was too small. It was difficult for your character to move from the back to the front of the ship.
With the reworked version, you can now walk from the rear of the ship to the cockpit seamlessly. With this increase in size, the bed has also increased in size.
The rework also brings the Avenger closer to its inspiration which was the NASA space shuttle, by adding tiling that look similar to the thermal tiles on the shuttle.
The Avenger rework is nearing completion. It needs work on the LODs and an audio pass before completion.
The Avenger retains its three variants - the Titan, the Stalker, and the Warlock. Titan for Cargo, Stalker for Bounty Hunting, and Warlock for combat - including an on-board EMP drive.
Production Schedule:
Significant progress on Hurston and Lorville have been achieved, despite those features being still nearly 6 months out from release.
A couple features have been removed from the roadmap for the time being - the Comm Array rework and the Cargo station.