The podcast “Answer the Call” reviews Star Citizen’s mid-2023 progress, acknowledging improvements in server stability but criticizing ongoing bugs, performance issues, and a focus on new content over core gameplay fixes. The hosts and community callers express skepticism about the “year of stability” promise, emphasizing the need for better communication and meaningful long-term improvements to the game’s stability and usability.
The podcast “Answer the Call” discusses the progress and challenges faced by Star Citizen in mid-2023, focusing heavily on the state of stability, gameplay, and upcoming updates. The hosts reflect on the fact that we are halfway through the year and assess whether the promised “year of stability” has been achieved. They emphasize that stability should be measured over the entire experience of the game rather than just recent patches, noting that the game is more stable than before, but still plagued with bugs and performance issues that hinder playability.
Throughout the episode, the hosts talk about the recent updates in the 4.2 PTU, including bug fixes, gameplay improvements, and new content like the Stormbreaker event. They highlight ongoing issues such as server performance drops, bugs with in-game mechanics like doors and codes, and the overall difficulty in fixing core systems. Despite improvements, they express frustration about the slow progress in fixing fundamental gameplay elements like inventory management, ship claiming, and UI interactions, which significantly affect the player experience.
Community feedback and developer responses are a recurring theme. The hosts discuss how the community perceives the current state of the game versus the official statements about stability and content. They critique how some features, like the in-game economy, trading, and ship mechanics, are still underdeveloped or poorly implemented, leading to dissatisfaction. The conversation also touches on the broader issue of development priorities, with many believing that CIG is focusing on new content and ships rather than fixing existing bugs and quality-of-life features, which hampers long-term stability and player retention.
The episode features numerous community callers who share their experiences, frustrations, and suggestions. Many callers point out specific issues such as lag, bugs, server crashes, and the need for better UI and interaction systems. They also discuss the importance of balancing PvP and PvE content, the potential for instancing, and how the game’s economy could be improved with better in-game trading and resource management. Several callers emphasize that the core experience should prioritize flying ships and smooth gameplay over constantly chasing new ships and content, advocating for a more stable and player-friendly foundation.
In conclusion, the hosts and callers agree that while there has been noticeable progress, especially in server stability, the overall state of Star Citizen still falls short of expectations. They lament the focus on content over core gameplay fixes and express skepticism about the “year of stability” promise, viewing it as a temporary measure rather than a genuine overhaul. The episode ends with a call for better communication from CIG about their plans and a hope that future updates will bring meaningful improvements to the game’s stability, usability, and long-term viability.