The Star Citizen live Q&A from June 12, 2025, features developers discussing ongoing efforts to improve ship balancing, flight models, and gameplay mechanics, emphasizing incremental development and future features like manual flying and weather effects. They acknowledge current challenges with ship roles, especially heavy fighters, and highlight plans to refine physics, atmospheric flight, and ground vehicle handling to enhance player experience.
The video is a summary of a Star Citizen live vehicle flight and balance Q&A held on June 12, 2025, featuring Jared and three developers: Yogi, Rich, and Matteo. The discussion covers updates on flight models, ship balancing, and future development plans. Jared introduces the team and explains that questions were sourced both live and from Spectrum, emphasizing that upvotes on Spectrum do not guarantee answers.
The developers discuss the current state of ship balancing, particularly highlighting heavy fighters. These ships are designed to be tanks with more protection than medium fighters but are less maneuverable and slower than other ships. They acknowledge that this class needs re-evaluation and balancing adjustments, with Yogi mentioning that they are actively re-evaluating these ships to improve their performance.
Regarding the flight experience, the team reveals that the previously shown quantum experience design has been abandoned and the flight model has been redirected into a new development path. The F8 fighter, known for its agility, has been nerfed, and its position within the fleet will be re-assessed after further refinement of the flight model. The development process is incremental, with changes being implemented step-by-step as they continue to test and refine the flight systems.
The discussion also touches on the importance of player skill versus ship choice in gameplay balance. Rich explains that each ship has a defined role based on its concept, and balancing efforts aim to align with these roles. The game is evolving with new features, which influence balance, and Rich notes that his approach to balancing has changed over time as the game’s scope and features have expanded. Jared emphasizes that the game’s design and balance are expected to continue evolving as new mechanics and features are introduced.
Yogi elaborates on the challenges of balancing space, atmospheric, and quantum flight, emphasizing that each adds complexity to the system. He mentions that the current flight model is akin to training wheels, with plans to allow players to disable IFCS and fly ships manually like planes. The team is working with a real pilot to fine-tune atmospheric flight, and weather effects in upcoming updates will impact ship performance. The video concludes with a candid remark that ground vehicles still need improvement, and the developers are considering adding throttle controls to enhance ground vehicle handling.