#sc-news

@General News New video from CIG is out:

<:scamMan:847502148464148531>

[Star Citizen Live: Ship Showdown Q&A Summary](

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R97aCFJmPSQ)

-# by @Dynamis Idrizen

600i Rework:

They are happy with the concept and can confirm this is still planned. However, it is not in the 12-18month schedule.
This is because the 600i is, at present, a functional ship, so they would prefer to produce new ships/concepted ships.
They (Jared) is hopeful for a new Origin ship in 2026.

Ships ready for engineering:

All ships are essentially ready for engineering, those without physical component access have a ‘fallback’ mode.
‘Fallback’ mode ships like single seaters will be able to use their MFDs to access engineering gameplay, including repairing components. Half of all ships use physicalized, mostly single seaters are ‘fallback’.
Engineering is not held back by ships being ready for it.

Colour scheme for BIS:

Nothing decided this year, but meeting held next week.

Starters gold standard:

Yes, they want this. As part of this, the Aurora Gold Standard has been kicked off, including fire extinguisher, weapons locker, physical components, MFDs, improving how it was versus when it was made.
It will be a nice update for millions of Aurora owners. Storage was added to the Aurora in 4.3. It’s important to remember gold standard is ‘current standard’, so there will be more updates in future.
They will update other starters if they have time, GSing is prioritized by popularity and the ships with worst issues. Aurora will be reintroduced to sale as part of this.

4th Zeus Variant/Zeus ST:

It’s real. However, it hasn’t been made as it is missing its gameloop, and was only included on stage by accident by JC.
Gameloop was not disclosed. When the gameloop is made, they will return to it.

Ship modularity and Apollo release:

The feature works as much as they need it to presently.
Both Apollos will be module based and are coming in September. It has six modules (configurations of tier beds) and can equip one per side. All six modules will be given, for free, to all Apollo owners.

Command module and Ironclad release:

This is due to finish in December, but implementing may be later. This is a very complicated feature as it needs to have the command module be an independent ship, but also be able to take control of the Caterpillar and Ironclad.
They would like the Ironclad to come with the Command module tech - this likely means it won’t be this year.

Bespoke weaponry:

There are two more ships coming this year with bespoke weapons - Perseus and another unannounced ship.
Design side, it enables control over the raw damage output of a ship as opposed to a full size range. Without bespokes, this would have pushed the Meteor and Wolf out of the roles they wanted and too close to other ships, or too powerful.
Generic S4s on the Wolf as well would have had a visual impact they wanted to avoid - bespoke weapons can be directly integrated into the ship. Bespoke does not mean ‘no options’ for a ship, it means not accessing the entire range. Possibly expect weapons kits at IAE for bespokes.

S2 shields:

Currently, S2 shields perform worse than S3 shields, and powering multiple is very difficult.
In the new system under engineering, you will only power two shields at once. Extra shields above this will rotate in as shields deplete. This essentially gives you the rest of the pool as ‘backup’.
Every item is completely rebalanced with engineering, there is no accurate comparison that can currently be made of 6xS2 vs S3. However, the current gap will be greatly reduced with engineering.

Medium to large salvager:

They would like a full range of ship sizes in a loop, dedicated starters, then S-M-L-C. The Golem was the first example of this.
Side note: earlier this year an RSI Salvage starter was concepted. They would like an ‘orange’ medium salvager.

Backlog/BMM:

The backlog of ships that do not require gameplay is now much smaller. They need to balance creating new content (as this helps fund the game), updating content, and delivering the backlog.
Most of the seriously backlogged ships (Endeavour/BMM etc.) require significant feature and gameplay work. BMM for example is not expected in next 18mo, and hasn’t been worked on since, however, they are hoping to move people back to it in 2026.
By the end of the next 18 months, they expect there will only be 2 or 1 ships per year ‘backlogged’. They would like to focus on finishing manufacturers, and avoid making ships that miss gameplay loops.

Railen cargo:

This will be updated to fit 32 SCU boxes, it is expected it will get a very large cargo increase.
They want it to maintain the visuals but make it worth using (GATAC style), which the old system would not work well for. They’re confident they can achieve this.

Year of RSI/other manufacturers:

This won’t continue, it was just helpful for RSI.
We will see more Kruger ships and they will push for it.

Carrack cargo pods:

This will need an update to allow them to be slid down to the ground. They were not intended to be openable before while attached to the ship, this is how Carrack modularity works.
Updating this will require an extensive belly rework to the Carrack, so they will do this when there is more time.

Armour in engineering:

Engineering will contain damage reduction to emulate Maelstrom. This will stop ‘meleeing doors open’ working, as melee applies physical damage.
Armour will have minimum threshholds to take damage. Longer term, Maelstrom (functional in Sq42) will do this as a simulation rather than the lightweight approximation.

Medical beacons/gameplay:

They are aiming to restore beacons with September, they are causing a lot of problems.
They are also aiming to expand medical gameplay in September, including further separating the functionality of medical bed tiers. This will come, again, with the Apollo.
They want to fix issues with medical gameplay but also add things. If this misses # September, it will be soon after.

PDCs:

These were only given to the Reclaimer, 890J and Phoenix as their original concept included them - the Ironclad, for example, will not receive them.
They are intended for military capital ships. There is a new kind of vehicle with a new kind of PDC coming, and the PDCs sold in the Idris-kits will arrive in game shops around IAE.

Ship entry/exit animations:

Some of these, like Talon, are too long, and they will change these, however it is a multi-disciplinary adjustment as it needs to sync with audio and visuals.
The Wolf entrance and exit was mo-capped, which enabled it to be so fast. Ladder tech v2 is for static ladders, so this can’t be used for ships.

Paint creation:

This is extremely difficult for them still. They are able to apply paints internally to ships using the current paint system, but they need to be very careful with how they apply things to avoid making ships ugly. Breakup is also baked into the ship model, so they cannot make individual panels change colour.
One of the issues they are approaching is due to the very high resolution of textures in game, custom liveries - entailing unique textures - would be a huge graphical pressure on the game in the shared environment, this isn’t something they want to do. They want to make the idea easier and Graphics team is very on board on this.
They want internal liveries/paints to be a thing in the future, but this is an ongoing process.

Retaliator modules:

They will deliver the two remaining modules (dropship/living quarters), JC would like a med bay module.
Instead of a bomb module, they would like to allow the torpedo racks be swapped for bomb modules, and a bomber Tali makes sense.

PTV rework/G12 production:

Bundling these as both are called filler ship tasks. These keep getting moved for more important ships, but it will eventually come with all paints.
They really want to do the G12 to complete Origin as a manufacturer line-up, and it was on the 2026 schedule, but has been removed.

Concept ships/Battlecruiser:

They are not planning to do any concept ships anymore, none are planned for 2025 or later. It will only be Straight to Flyable from now - the era of concepts is over.
The only concept ship they may consider is the Battlecruiser, which is ‘significantly larger/different than Javelin’.
The Battlecruiser is in concept right now. It is in very early stages, but is coming - this was previously mentioned at Beijing Bar Citizen reportedly.

Wolf not being gold standard:

They did not have the time to finish the gold standard component animations for it to release in August. All of these are in progress and in engine, and they will be delivered before end of the year along with other Wolf things.
The Wolf not being gold standard is not a reflection of them skipping gold standard on new ships, only a timing challenge.

Single seaters with S4/S5 weapons:

They don’t see a problem with these smaller ships having larger guns to pursue larger ships, as this is part of the gameplay they want to pursue. They do not want to create a ‘Jesus ship’ which is the best at everything.
They indicate the Meteor as an example of how despite having large weapons, the ship is not overpowered as it is tuned around having such large weapons in durability and agility.
As long as ships do not break immersion and are balanced, they see no problem with filling in a wide spectrum of fighters.

More star-kitten paints:

This is a decision not directly taken by the ship team. There will be more as they are very popular. They will not make one for the sake of making one though, it will need to make sense - IAE themed around Star Kitten?

Ship to ship docking:

This is still planned, but not in progress all ships billed for it follow the metric set for it. The smaller, round docking collars extend to the bounding box of each ship and connect to enable a transfer.

Rearm/repair/refuel in capital ships:

This will eventually be implemented to enable MobiGlas style resupply on some select ships, such as Idris and Polaris, using the resources on the cargo grid of the parent ship.
This will also be part of Crucible and Vulcan functionality, but will not apply to ships that do not have dedicated hangars - Ironclad for example will not have access to this.
This is being worked on as part of content they want to deliver next year.

Drones:

Drones are due to come with base building, but will not come with the Apollo.
The Apollo has internal space for drones, but they reviewed Drone gameplay for the Apollo and it would not match current medical gameplay as it was originally envisioned versus what we have now.
They may some day implement drones into the Apollo if they can find a suitable medical gameplay space for them. They are providing all of the modules of the Apollo to all buyers, old or new, for free, as a replacement for this. This will be attributed to owner accounts.

Bedlogging:

The new design mindset is that beds will not be needed for logout in the future, as you will be able to log out ‘where you are’.
This is part of the reason why the Prowler Utility did not have a bed, and they intend to make more ships without beds as they won’t be needed for logging in or out anymore.

There won’t be any shows now until Citizencon Direct. Lots of ships at IAE.

Turbulent web studio becomes Cloud Imperium Games Montreal

CIG Montréal will work on refining the online game Star Citizen , which has been available in a pre-official version since 2017, but whose official launch version ( Star Citizen 1.0 ) is now promised for 2027 or 2028.

Star Citizen

CIG Montréal is indeed looking to increase its workforce to some 150 employees. Its ambition is to become one of the largest studios in Montreal. Turbulent, for its part, will continue to exist for web projects, including the updating of the National Bank and Ricardo websites.

Star Citizen is a fully crowdfunded, massively multiplayer online first-person space simulation game. Chris Roberts, co-founder and CEO of CIG, says he’s raised just over $1 billion (canadian $) for his game from players, some of whom are growing impatient and eager to see the finished product.

“It allows us to do things without imposing the framework of a typical video game studio,” Chris Roberts said in an interview with La Presse from his home in Los Angeles. “The players who fund us expect the best game, period. We don’t have to streamline, cut jobs, or change our business model.”

The British entrepreneur knows the Quebec metropolis well, having participated in the filming of feature films there, at a time when he was taking a break from video games. He appreciates the city and the talent of its video game specialists.

He planned to be there to personally inaugurate the renaming of his studio, but the turbulence at Air Canada decided otherwise.

Squadron 42

On the way to the “final” version of Star Citizen , CIG Montreal plans to launch the single-player game Squadron 42 next year , with a more conventional narrative and set in the same universe as the latter. Several new features introduced by Squadron 42 will then be used to enhance Star Citizen .

Squadron 42 will launch at a point in 2026 where it won’t be overshadowed by the most anticipated game of the next few months, Grand Theft Auto VI . “We’re hoping it’ll be almost as big an event. Other than GTA 6 , it’s probably the biggest-budget AAA game,” says Chris Roberts.

Star Citizen already has over a million returning players every month. In total, at least 25 million people have played it at least once. This should help CIG successfully market Squadron 42 , as many of these players are eagerly awaiting the new title.

Others might be drawn to the formula or the characters. “It’s Top Gun meets Star Wars ,” says Chris Roberts.

Throughout the action, players will be able to rely on sidekicks who take on the features of well-known actors, including Gary Oldman, Mark Hamill, and Gillian Anderson. The voices and gestures of the three actors were digitized in the studio to create realistic avatars.

In addition to Mr. BeausĂ©jour, Turbulent’s other co-founder Marc Beaudet and partner Claire Buffet have taken on new roles at CIG. The former will lead the studios in Montreal, Manchester, England, Austin, Texas, and Frankfurt, Germany. Ms. Buffet becomes head of operations and human resources for CIG’s North American offices.

Sneak peek of the week:

Medical Recharger

Quote: I need to recharge..

This Week in Star Citizen:

Tuesday

  • Ship Showdown - Elite Eight Start
  • Ship Showdown - Free Fly Start

Wednesday

  • Roadmap Update + Roundup

Roadmap Update - August 27, 2025:

Release View:

Cards added to Release View 4.3.1:

  • RSI Apollo Triage
  • RSI Apollo Medivac
  • Behring Laser Cannon Art Refactors
  • Onyx Facilities (4.3.1)
  • AI FPS Turrets
  • Mission Pickup on Location

@General News



A short video from Facebook in between your daily Ship Showdown contest. Go vote for the ES by the way.

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Sneak peek of the week:

RSI Apollo

Quote: Someone called for a medic?

This Week in Star Citizen:

Tuesday

  • September Subscriber Comm-Link + Newsletter
  • August Issue of Jump Point for Subscribers

Wednesday

  • Maintenance window starting from September 3, 2025 11:00 AM
  • August 2025 PU Monthly Report

Thursday

  • Squadron 42 Monthly Newsletter

Centurion Subscriber: Quirinus Tech ‘Daybreaker’ Undersuit and Helmet

(Calva Helmet and Sabine Undersuit)

Imperator Subscriber: GRX Prototype

Jump Point Magazine - August 2025

Articles on:

  • Behind the Scenes L-21 Wolf
  • Behind the scenes: RSI Meteor
  • Portfolio: Kruger Intergalactic

PU Monthly Report - August 2025

AI (Content):

  • Looked into the upcoming environments to make sure they’re properly set up for AI populations.

Animation:

  • Animation worked on improvements to the kopion as well as a new creature.
  • Created assets for the upcoming MedGel dispenser.
  • Facial Animation worked alongside Mo-cap and Narrative to capture additional content for releases coming soon and into early next year.
  • Worked through previously captured dialogue that will soon be available in-game, including for brand-new mission givers and additional lines for Amelia Boyd.

Art (Characters):

  • The Character Art team progressed with armor for a new gang
  • The Concept Art team started the exploration phase for new heavy armor.

Art (Ships):

  • Three unannounced ships progressed throughout August. All are currently in various stages within the greybox phase:
    • the 1st is approaching its final review.
    • the 2nd is receiving improvements to component accessibility.
    • The 3rd recently entered following its whitebox gate review.
  • The Anvil Paladin progressed into the LOD0 stage, having had feedback from the greybox gate review actioned. The exterior, which was slightly behind the interior, has now caught up, allowing for further refinement between the two.
  • The Drake Ironclad and Ironclad Assault progressed toward their whitebox reviews, with the team finalizing the asset kit that will be used across this and other Drake ships.
  • Work on the **RSI Aurora and Aegis Hammerhead **kicked off to bring them up to current standards, focusing first on their cockpit and dashboard views as well as physicalizing components.
  • The MISC Hull B entered pre-production following the approval of its updated concept.
  • the RSI Apollo Medivac and Triage continued to be prepared for release, with testing and bug fixing being the focus. Ships also supported the Gameplay teams with medical gameplay adjustments.
  • The RSI Perseus was prepared for its LOD0 gate review, with additional lighting and detail passes being done across both the interior and exterior.
  • The Drake Kraken’s pre-production phase continued too.

Core Gameplay:

  • Improvements to medical ship functionality are in progress, including the addition of MedGel, which will be required to allow respawning. This will further differentiate the utility of the various medical vehicles in the game.
  • The devs are working to close out the functionality required to support a new creature’s unique behaviors and attack moves.
  • The engineering screen was then updated to show the rate of heat change for components.
  • For item recovery, the team added the ability to disable components for ships that have been claimed. Additionally, items will now display a timer until they become ‘bricked’ after they’ve been claimed by the original owner. This is also displayed to the player as part of a notification when an item is bricked and a player attempts to use it.
  • For crafting, the team implemented an offline version of the Blueprint service, which is used as a stand-in to support the player-bound Blueprint Library until the actual service starts development
  • They also finished the first playable prototype of crafting in a multiplayer environment.
  • For Radar & Scanning, the team worked on various improvements and polish tasks, such as improved UI information about targets and better positioning of the scan information for very large targets.
  • The inventory rework is progressing well too, with the team implementing proximity looting, which will allow players to loot from multiple nearby inventory containers simultaneously. The new UI has also had filters and search implemented.

|| @General News ||




Q3 2025 Newsletter:

JOURNEY TO ODIN

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

This white-dwarf-centered system may seem outwardly cold, but its unique spectral anomalies and convenient hauling hubs make it well worth the visit (as long as you’re not expecting a handshake and a cup of cocoa). Discover the once vibrant Fortune’s Cross station, explore the treacherous tunnels of The Coil, and feel the magnetic pull of the system’s glorious auroras. Before you visit, be sure to download your very own map with all the information you’ll need to keep safe and keep flying.

Link to Email:

Sneak peek of the week:

RSI Apollo Pilot Controls

Quote: Still trying to get a grip on things.

This Week in Star Citizen:

Wednesday

  • Pirate Week
  • Roadmap Update

Thursday

  • Star Citizen Live’s Tech Talk: Benoit Speaks II

Changes coming to medbeds in the PTU

  • Amount of MedGel contained within a single canister increased from 100 to 200. The cost of a single canister remains at 100,000 aUEC. Respawning still consumes 100 MedGel, however due to the canister change this is now the equivalent of 50,000 aUEC.

Tiered injuries now have different MedGel costs, rather than a flat amount for any and all injuries.

  • Healing a T3 injury will consume 5 MedGel, the - equivalent of 2,500 aUEC.
  • Healing a T2 injury will consume 10 MedGel, the equivalent of 5,000 aUEC.
  • Healing a T1 injury will consume 20 MedGel, the equivalent of 10,000 aUEC.

Medbeds have had their MedGel capacity increased

  • Tier 3 beds have had their capacity increased from 100 to 200.

  • Tier 2 beds have had their capacity increased from 200 to 400.

  • Tier 1 beds have had their capacity increased from 400 to 600.

  • Respawn distance of T1 beds is increased from 150,000,000 meters to 750,000,000,000 meters, enough to cover most star systems.

  • Medical canisters will be added to LTP.