The video critiques the recent Polaris buffs in Star Citizen, arguing that core issues with multi-crew gameplay—such as fragility, ineffective turrets, and poor survivability—remain unaddressed, making multi-crew ships less viable and more vulnerable. The creator advocates for design improvements like shield regeneration and balanced damage mechanics to enhance strategic team play and overall ship effectiveness.
The video discusses recent changes to the Polaris ship in Star Citizen, noting that most of the planned nerfs have been reverted, effectively buffing the ship instead. The creator views these changes as fair and balanced but highlights that core issues with multi-crew gameplay remain unaddressed. They argue that multi-crew ships have been neglected for years, with CIG seemingly lacking a realistic plan for how multi-crew gameplay should function, especially within the game’s MMO and PvP environment. The video aims to review the Polaris updates while also examining the broader problems plaguing multi-crew systems in Star Citizen.
The creator criticizes the unrealistic community and developer expectations around multi-crew gameplay, which often revolve around limiting power rather than enhancing it. They describe proposed systems like subsystem targeting and damage mechanics as more suitable for PvE raid bosses than for engaging in balanced PvP. Multi-crew ships are depicted as fragile, exploitable “raid boss” style targets with obvious weaknesses, making them ineffective and unviable in combat. The design philosophy that encourages multi-crew ships as force multipliers is contradicted by the game’s current mechanics, which instead make them easier targets when properly crewed and coordinated.
A significant portion of the video is dedicated to the shortcomings of ship-mounted turrets, which are portrayed as ineffective and outdated. The creator provides footage showing how turrets are slow, inaccurate, and share limited ammunition, making them nearly useless in combat. They argue that turrets should be redesigned to have independent power, larger magazines, and range/velocity modifiers to make them viable. Without these changes, turreted ships are essentially just large, immobile fighters with no real advantage over small fighters, undermining the purpose of multi-crew ships as strategic assets.
The creator also emphasizes the importance of ship survivability, suggesting that mechanics like passive shield regeneration for large ships could improve their viability. They criticize the game’s focus on firepower and damage output over durability, which results in small fighters easily destroying larger ships. A proposed solution is to slightly reduce weapon damage across the board to increase time-to-kill (TTK), giving ships more resilience and making multi-crew ships more meaningful. These changes, they argue, would help balance the game and make multi-crew gameplay more practical and engaging.
In conclusion, the video asserts that despite recent buffs to the Polaris, fundamental problems with multi-crew gameplay persist. The current design makes multi-crew ships less effective and more vulnerable, often incentivizing players to strip turrets for better performance. The creator advocates for mechanics like shield regeneration and damage balancing to improve ship viability and promote more strategic, team-based gameplay. They express hope for future improvements and encourage community discussion, emphasizing that the current state of multi-crew in Star Citizen remains far from ideal.