The Citizen Central Podcast featured four prominent Star Citizen community members who debated the game’s ever-expanding ship roster, stressing the need for robust gameplay features over sheer quantity of ships. They highlighted the IAE’s prominence, pondered if ship designs were overshadowing gameplay development, and expressed excitement for upcoming modularity, ships like the Polaris, and new gameplay systems.
The Citizen Central Podcast brought together four influential members of the Star Citizen community to discuss whether there are too many ships in the game and other related topics. The panel consisted of Paul “TheAstroPub” Shelly, who specializes in Star Citizen lore and hosts the Captain’s Table podcast, as well as streams on Twitch, Execute from InfRunners, who focuses on ship discussions and community panels, Marcus Wynn, a content creator who transitioned from car videos to Star Citizen content on YouTube and Twitch, and Loken Plays, a Twitch livestreamer and occasional YouTuber.
During the discussion, the panel agreed that the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE) is the most significant event for Star Citizen both in terms of revenue and community engagement, even outshining CitizenCon in some aspects. They shared their personal preferences for events, highlighting the importance of the new ships showcased during these events but also acknowledging the server strain that free fly periods entail.
The conversation then veered into the importance of ships versus in-game features. While ships are central to the Star Citizen experience, the panelists underscored the importance of game features that dictate how those ships are utilized. The consensus was that while ships are exciting, meaningful gameplay interactions and functioning features are crucial in creating a fulfilling gaming experience.
The panel discussed the recent addition of ships such as the Cutter Scout and the Arastra mining ship. There was a consensus that while these ships are visually appealing and conceptually interesting, they currently lack the gameplay mechanics to make them fully functional within the game’s universe. This led to a broader discussion about whether the ship design team at Cloud Imperium Games is too focused on creating cool ships at the expense of gameplay considerations.
The panel wrapped up with thoughts on upcoming ships and features they’re excited about. There was a lot of anticipation for modularity in ships like the MPUV and Retaliator, as well as upcoming ships like the Polaris and more exploration-based gameplay. The panelists also speculated about the integration of hacking and engineering systems into gameplay, and the ongoing development of ships’ roles within Star Citizen.