"The big annual ship show and free fly event of Star Citizen is about to start. Coming off the publicity of the recent Citizencon I expect a lot of new players looking at the game, but also a lot of veteran players trying to optimize their "
The Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE) is Star Citizen’s biggest annual sales event, similar to Black Friday. It used to be the only big ship sale of the year, but it has now been split into two shows: Invicta’s Launch Week Show in the summer, which focuses on military ships, and The Intergalactic Aerospace Expo, which focuses on civilian fleets. The event also includes a free fly week, allowing anyone who signs up for a RSI account to download and play the game for free.
There are two main groups of players during the IAE: new players discovering the game and seasoned veterans trying to get the best value for their investment. The jargon surrounding fleet management can be confusing for new players. Fleet building is a separate side game from Star Citizen, where players assemble the best team of ships within their budget. However, the game can be enjoyed with just a starter game package and progressing by buying ships using in-game currency.
To participate in the IAE, players need to create a RSI account on the website. They can also use a referral code when signing up, which gives them and the person whose code they used some benefits. During the free fly week, players can download and play the game without buying a game package, but if they want to continue playing after the event, they will need to purchase a game package.
The IAE offers ships for sale with 10 years of insurance compared to the usual 6-month insurance. If a ship is being sold for the first time, it will have Lifetime Insurance (LTI). The event also includes ship rentals, allowing players to try out different ships. It is recommended for new players to tour the larger ships and rent smaller ones due to the difficulty of maneuvering the larger ships.
Other important jargon to know during the IAE includes “war bond” deals, where ships can only be purchased with new money and not store credit, and the ship loaner matrix, where players can use a loaner ship while waiting for their purchased ship to be implemented in the game. Upgrades, also known as chassis to chassis upgrades (CCU), allow players to change their ship within their game package. Speculative CCUs and buyback tokens are strategies used by fleet builders to acquire desired ships at a discounted price.
Finally, the IAE week includes a contest with a prize of the winner’s choice of a master module mining, moving medical machine, merchan, or $100 of Steam store credit. To enter, participants must be a member of the channel or subscribe and comment with the secret word, which is the location of the IAE Expo.