“An in depth look at some of the recent development going into Star Citizen behind the scenes. August 2023”
This in-depth monthly development update covers various aspects of the game, including AI Tech, animation, economy, mission features, graphics, and more. AI Tech added undo and redo functionality to the Apollo subsumption tool, as well as improved subsumption data validation. They also worked on agents adopting different states and implemented new functionality for audio perception. Investigation into performance issues regarding the navigation system and Pathfinder was initiated. The animation team focused on behavioral lines for ambiance and flight, as well as supported tech animation on creature skeletons.
The economy team planned upcoming goals, particularly in rebalancing cargo and the related experience. They also worked on a tool to investigate the current state of cargo and expanded it for other areas of the in-game economy. The mission features team made progress on various missions, including Siege of Orison and Blockade Runner. They also made improvements to destroyed drug stash missions, worked on ship restoration missions, and created a mission for players to work for the Nine Tails gang. Other highlights include improvements to weapon poses, progress on the vehicle tractor beam feature, and highlighting and filtering of mission-critical items.
On the graphics side, improvements were made to temporal super resolution and water shaders, particularly with lighting and foam work. The team also explored glint shading models and improved lightning effects. Updates were made to the streaming debugger and mesh setup editor, and the VFX programming team implemented smoke spawning on fire. The locations team progressed on Pyro’s rundown space station, signage, and dioramas for an upcoming event. The narrative team worked on missions and NPC behaviors in Pyro, while the online services team focused on updating legacy back-end social services and added self-moderation options.
Overall, progress was made in various areas of the game, including AI, animation, economy, missions, graphics, and services. Pyro received significant attention, with work done on its locations and missions. The update also highlighted improvements to weapon poses, the mission-critical item inventory, weapon recoil, social features, and various visual effects. Although some areas, such as the UI, were not extensively mentioned, the development teams continue to work on enhancing the gameplay experience.