In this video, Daniel Raymond from Ray’s Guide discusses the challenges and necessary updates for the Aurora series of ships in Star Citizen, focusing on what an Aurora Mark II would need to look like. He references a recent Ship Showdown Q&A where Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) addressed the Aurora’s shortcomings and the decision to “gold standard” the series by updating its components to modern standards. This includes adding physical elements like updated dashboards, fire extinguishers, weapons lockers, and other features that the original Aurora lacks but are now standard in starter ships like the Intrepid and Cutter series.
Daniel then outlines what needs to be added to the Aurora Mark II, such as a suit locker, gun rack, fire extinguisher, fuse box, toilet, and physicalized components for the battery, avionics, power plant, cooler, and shields. Conversely, he identifies elements that should be removed or rethought, including the impractical doors on both sides of the small ship, obsolete landing fans that don’t work in airless environments, awkward entry and exit animations, and bespoke cargo boxes that complicate upgrades. He highlights the catch-22 problem where the cheapest starter ships cannot easily earn enough to upgrade or buy better ships, and proposes that the Aurora Mark II should have modular hard points allowing upgrades instead of requiring a full ship replacement.
The design philosophy behind Daniel’s Aurora Mark II concept is to maintain the ship’s original size envelope while making it bulkier to accommodate the new components and meet current player clearance standards. He emphasizes retaining signature Aurora design cues to keep it recognizable but modernizing the structure by beefing up the frame and replacing the old landing fans with six rotatable VTOL thrusters housed in external engine pods, aligning the design with RSI’s current style seen in other ships. The ship also rides taller to accommodate a standard cargo grid system that supports cargo capacities up to 12 SCU, which is significant for enabling more diverse cargo missions without forcing players to buy new ships.
Internally, Daniel’s design keeps some iconic elements like the circular hatch but reimagines it as a deeper cylinder to create a genuine airlock on the port side, with suit lockers, gun lockers, and a fire extinguisher opposite. Behind this area, the ship features a bunk, life support, personal storage, and engineering components arranged along an aisle that leads to a toilet, fulfilling the list of starter ship necessities. The cockpit design removes vertical struts for better visibility while keeping horizontal ones for structural integrity and to mount screens, and it includes a wider center panel and an RSI ceiling-mounted spin seat for easier entry and exit animations.
Daniel concludes by acknowledging that his design is a rough proof of concept, missing the fine details that make Star Citizen ships visually engaging, and that the current Aurora is still aesthetically preferable to many. However, he believes that with refinement, his bulkier, more functional Aurora Mark II could better meet the needs of modern gameplay while preserving the ship’s identity as RSI’s entry-level offering. He also promotes upcoming channel events and giveaways, encouraging viewers to participate and engage with the Star Citizen community.
