The Taking Flight panel at Citizen Con 2953 revealed a range of updates coming to Star Citizen, including enhanced cockpit immersion with a relax state and customizable ship UI, improvements to flying mechanics for a more realistic and immersive experience, revamped AI ship combat for more challenging opponents, and adjustments to atmospheric flight for increased realism. These updates aim to make ship combat, Quantum travel, and atmospheric flight more engaging and enjoyable for players.
Star Citizen’s Taking Flight panel at Citizen Con 2953 showcased a range of exciting updates coming to ship combat and flight mechanics. One major focus is enhancing cockpit immersion, with a new relax state allowing players to explore their ship before flight. The new ship UI is less cluttered and customizable, featuring simplified navigation through new multifunction displays (MFDs). Players can use hotkeys or the mouse to interact with controls using over 100 keybinds, and even project MFDs onto their helmets with compatible gear.
Additionally, the panel revealed improvements to the overall feel of flying, giving pilots a more realistic and immersive experience. This includes small head motions, camera shake, and changes to afterburners for a more responsive and dynamic flight experience. The reintroduction of sticky throttle allows players to maintain a preferred throttle position. The new Master mode system prevents tri-cording (using Afterburner, Boost, and Cruise simultaneously) and restricts max speed, enabling players to focus on combat with access to weapons and shields.
Quantum travel has also undergone significant improvements. The new physicalized Quantum travel experience enhances immersion, requiring players to keep their ships steady during acceleration. The introduction of Quantum boosting allows for shorter jumps in any direction, while navigation mode enables higher max speeds and access to Quantum travel. A cautionary note was given about switching modes in combat, as it could pose risks.
The AI ship combat has been revamped to provide more challenging opponents that don’t fly perfectly, adding a sense of realism and unpredictability. Various maneuvers, including strafing and orbiting larger targets, are now performed by NPCs. Longer times to kill have been implemented, particularly in large-scale battles, aiming to create truly epic encounters. Weapon tuning aims to offer more variety and balance, with different weapon ranges and a new pip system for more precise targeting.
In terms of atmospheric flight, ships now behave more like planes, requiring rolls and pulls to maneuver effectively. Control surfaces and fins have been added, and gliding works when the ship comes to a stop. Thrusters overheat more quickly in atmosphere, making combat more challenging. Players can now experience a more immersive and realistic flight model for atmospheric flights.
Overall, the improvements showcased in the Taking Flight panel promise to make ship combat, cockpit immersion, Quantum travel, and atmospheric flight in Star Citizen more engaging, realistic, and enjoyable for players.