In this video, SaltEMike reacts to recent updates on Star Citizen’s basebuilding and crafting systems, focusing primarily on the challenges posed by the game’s shard system. He explains that within a region like Europe, every land claim base will have copies on all shards, preventing multiple players from claiming the same base across different shards. While he appreciates the necessity of regional shards due to latency concerns in a first-person shooter environment, he criticizes the fragmentation into multiple shards within a single region. He hopes the long-term goal is to have fewer, larger shards supported by dynamic server meshing to preserve immersion and meaningful player interactions, rather than many smaller shards that break the sandbox experience.
SaltEMike discusses how player-run stores and crafting facilities will be accessible across shards if permission is granted, and inventories will be shared. However, raiding a base will only occur on a single shard, with players being transferred to the correct shard dynamically. While he acknowledges this as the best solution given current technical limitations, he finds the necessary loading screens and shard transfers immersion-breaking and not ideal for the game’s vision. He emphasizes that the current system feels more like multiple isolated servers rather than a unified MMO sandbox, which could undermine the meaningfulness of player actions and territorial control.
On the crafting front, SaltEMike is pleased with improvements allowing fabricators to access materials stored within a player’s hangar and, eventually, connected ship inventories. This change reduces tedious manual inventory management, which he finds time-consuming and frustrating. He also notes ongoing efforts to fix resource-related bugs and the persistence of blueprints through patches, though blueprints are not permanently bound to accounts and could be lost in a full wipe. This raises concerns about the longevity and security of player progress within the crafting system.
A significant portion of the video focuses on the monetization and “pay-to-win” aspects tied to crafting and cosmetics. SaltEMike expresses unease about the company’s approach, where cosmetic blueprints will be separated from physical items but weapons, armor, and ships bought through the pledge store may remain account-bound and not lost upon death. He worries this creates a pay-to-convenience and pay-to-progress dynamic that undermines player-driven economy and progression, potentially making gameplay less challenging and rewarding. He critiques the lack of clarity around item upgrades, destruction, and insurance systems, suggesting this ambiguity serves to avoid controversy while maintaining monetization avenues.
Finally, SaltEMike reflects on the broader implications for Star Citizen’s future as an MMO sandbox. He acknowledges the financial realities requiring ongoing monetization but urges the community to push back against systems that overly encroach on gameplay integrity. He warns that without meaningful progression and punishment mechanics, player interest may wane, possibly forcing the developers to implement fresh start servers to revive engagement. Overall, he views the current updates as the best possible solutions given existing constraints but remains skeptical about the long-term health and vision of the game under the current monetization and shard management strategies.
