“Previously, we shared an early prototype of what the next stage of salvage might look like. On Today’s Inside Star Citizen, we’ll explore updated changes in development since then and what you can expect to experience from Structural Salvag”
In the latest update of Inside Star Citizen, the developers discussed the progress and challenges they faced in developing the Salvage feature. They had to reconsider their initial approach because the prototype revealed limitations in their engine, particularly in spawning a large number of entities. They adjusted the scope of the feature in order to get it into players’ hands sooner. Salvage involves breaking down ships into construction materials that can be sold, which required modifications to the persistent database.
Developing a live game like Star Citizen means constantly balancing between perfecting a feature and getting it playable for player feedback. The team wanted to release a version of Salvage this year as a first step for testing, focusing on the ships Vulture and Reclaimer. The Vulture gameplay involves using a resonance field to charge up energy on a ship and then fracturing it to obtain valuable materials. Precautions were taken to prevent griefing, requiring the ship’s power to be completely off for structural Salvage.
The Reclaimer gameplay is similar to the Vulture, but done by the claw operator in the co-pilot seat. The claw has been redesigned to function as a field emitter for the resonance and disintegration fields, rather than physically “munching” the ships. Tractor beams are used to grab drifting pieces and move them into the field, where they can be converted into resources. The process has been streamlined with the addition of internal storage in the ship, allowing for easier gathering and transferring of materials.
The filler stations in both the Vulture and Reclaimer have undergone changes to accommodate the size of the ships. Auto eject mode has been added, allowing rapid unloading of the internal storage into cargo boxes. The developers are still looking to enhance the destruction side of Salvage, but that will have to wait until other features are fully realized. Feedback from players during the alpha release of Salvage will help guide future iterations of the feature.
Overall, while there have been challenges in developing the Salvage feature, the team is making progress and aiming to provide players with a playable version this year. Their focus is on creating a balanced and engaging gameplay experience while taking player feedback into account for further improvements.
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In this episode of Inside Star Citizen, the developers address player feedback on the salvage gameplay, acknowledging flaws and limitations in the initial prototypes. They assure players that this is just the first step and they plan to enhance and improve the gameplay over time, with upcoming updates giving players the opportunity to playtest and provide feedback.
In this episode of Inside Star Citizen (ISC), the developers address the criticism and feedback they received regarding the structural salvage gameplay. They acknowledge that the initial prototypes had some flaws and limitations, causing the team to reevaluate their approach. They explain that they were under pressure to deliver a salvage feature by the end of the year, leading to some compromises in the system’s design. However, they assure players that this is just the first step and they plan to enhance and improve the gameplay over time.
The ISC video showcases the gameplay for both the Vulture and Reclaimer ships. The Vulture is a single-player salvage ship equipped with a resonance field that charges up energy on the target and fractures it into various parts for extraction. The Reclaimer, a larger ship with a co-pilot seat, operates similarly but on a larger scale. The claw operator communicates with the pilot to fracture the target, and the ship disintegrates the pieces into construction materials, which are stored in the internal storage of the Reclaimer.
The developers recognize that the co-pilot experience in the Reclaimer needs improvement and assure players that they are working on enhancing the destruction aspect of structural salvage. They mention that they are waiting for the implementation of Maelstrom, a technology that will allow for more complex destruction and salvaging mechanics. They also discuss changes to the filler stations, including the option to set it to Auto Eject mode for quicker unloading of internal storage into cargo boxes.
The ISC concludes by stating that the upcoming update in Alpha 3.12.2 will give players the opportunity to playtest and provide feedback on the salvage gameplay. They emphasize that the development process is not always straightforward and that they appreciate the community’s involvement in shaping the game. Overall, the ISC provides insight into the challenges and plans for the salvage gameplay and assures players that improvements will be made based on their feedback.