‘Star Citizen’ Update Details FPS Module Release Timing, Ship Stealth And More

With Chris Roberts’ wildly ambitious space sim “Star Citizen” inching ever closer to the $80M mark, the studio has released a new Q & A with the game’s producers. The new video provides updated details on a diverse range of topics including facial capture, the impending release of the FPS module, backer-driven changes and much more.

The news comes via the “Star Citizen” YouTube channel, as part of a subscriber-sponsored show called “10 For the Producers,” which sees “Star Citizen” subscribers submit 10 questions for the game’s producers to tackle. The video starts off with producer Chris Vorlick explaining that Chris Roberts is currently in the UK, working hard on the “Squadron 42” single-player story component of the game.

Responding to a question about the release date of the highly anticipated FPS Module, producer Travis Day acknowledges that there’s no release date set just yet. He added that the module will be released when it’s ready and meets Roberts’ approval. He went on to say that the module itself is looking good, stating that the team decided to include the maximum level of detail and fidelity possible, which will take a fair amount of time. Roberts himself provided gameplay details of the FPS Module in a recent blog post, explaining that the team was re-thinking the very basics of first-person shooter control.

“In designing and engineering ‘Star Citizen’s’ FPS mode (which players will first test in ‘Star Marine’), we’ve made a conscious effort to throw out systems that have become standard in first-person shooters in favour of taking an entirely new look. We’ve gone back to the drawing board to look for ways not only to set ‘Star Citizen’ apart, but to add more balance to gameplay,” said Roberts.

On the subject of ship stealth, Vorlick explained that pilots will be able to bleed off excess heat by shunting it to a sump, which temporarily reduces the ship’s infrared signature, allowing for better stealth. Vorlick warned, however, that this degrades the ship systems, and its use will have to be carefully monitored to prevent damage.

Day and Vorlick also told subscribers that they had briefly considered having fans come in at conventions to get scanned and have their avatars recreated in the Persistent Universe, but they noted that the amount of work required would simply be too much to handle. That isn’t to say that fans don’t have an impact on development. The pair noted that it’s fairly common for community feedback from experts to make it into the game, influencing design and technology, but they said that they would always err on the side of ensuring the game is fun rather than scientifically accurate.

A release of the “Star Marine” FPS Module is expected in the spring around the same time as the release of the Planetside/Social module. Further down the line in the summer, the Arena Commander 2.0 update will multi-crew ships ahead of the fall 2015 release of the first episode of the story-focused “Squadron 42.”