The recent Star Citizen Live Ship Showdown Q&A, streamed on August 21, 2025, featured Jared, John Crew, and Ben Curtis discussing various community questions sourced from Spectrum. The session began with some casual chat about their offices before diving into the top 30 most voted questions. Jared praised the community for the quality of inquiries. One of the first topics was the 600i rework, which was confirmed to be conceptually complete since last year and currently on hold as the ship functions well, with development focus shifted to higher priority issues.
John Crew elaborated on the current ship release workflow, explaining that new ships debut with basic functionality and some physicalized components, with ongoing “ghost fixes” to address issues quietly between patches. Smaller ships receive updates more easily than larger ones due to manpower constraints. The team also discussed the process behind the Showdown paint schemes, which involve broader developer input to ensure thematic consistency. John confirmed plans to “gold standard” starter ships like the Aurora to improve the new player experience, highlighting that older ships may require additional passes to meet current quality expectations.
Modularity was addressed with the Retaliator cited as an example of existing modular features, though expanding this across the fleet depends on resource availability and whether related gameplay features are ready. Upcoming medical modules for the Apollo ship were detailed, with tiered left and right modules offering varying capabilities. The concept of command modules was touched upon, with plans to integrate them into ships like the Ironclad and Caterpillar, though no firm timeline was given. The team reassured that bespoke weapons on ships are not becoming a new standard but rather a balance measure, and they acknowledged ongoing shield system improvements slated for an engineering update.
Additional topics covered included the prioritization of ships based on their game loop readiness, with a dynamic backlog management approach and no secret plans disclosed. Some ships like the BMM and Ironclad have specific features pending or changes planned, while others such as the G11 and Star Kitten are not currently in development. Animation adjustments and storage expansions were noted as possible but not guaranteed soon. The team also hinted at future updates for the PTV and the introduction of a player-usable battle cruiser concept, though release timelines remain distant.
Finally, the Q&A touched on broader gameplay features like ship-to-ship docking, rearming and repair from ship hangars, drones, and logging into other players’ ships—all planned but not yet implemented. The session closed with lighthearted remarks and encouragement for viewers to support the channel. Overall, the developers emphasized ongoing incremental improvements, transparency about development priorities, and a cautious approach to promising new features, keeping the community informed while managing expectations.
