Loud Guns discusses the 4.7 mining changes in Star Citizen, highlighting the shift to single-ore rocks, a new quality system, and resource distribution tied to riskier locations, which improves accessibility and encourages dynamic gameplay despite reducing some strategic depth. While appreciating these improvements, he expresses concerns about crafting complexity and suggests reintroducing skill-based mechanics to balance accessibility with mastery.
In this video, Loud Guns discusses the significant mining changes coming with the 4.7 build in Star Citizen, revealed during a recent crafting test tech preview. Due to NDA restrictions, no direct footage is shown, but the focus is on summarizing the key changes to mining and sharing personal opinions on them. The main changes include minable deposits now containing only one type of ore instead of multiple, the introduction of a quality system for resources on a 0 to 1,000 scale affecting crafting outcomes, and a major overhaul in resource distribution across moons, planets, and asteroid clusters, with specific locations offering certain materials and quality levels.
The move to single-ore rocks simplifies the mining process, removing some of the previous complexity where rocks could contain multiple ores and inert materials. While this change lowers the skill ceiling and invalidates much of the existing knowledge about mining, it also makes the game loop more accessible to new players and reduces the tediousness of scanning multiple rocks for desired materials. Loud Guns acknowledges that although this reduces some strategic depth, it ultimately leads to more efficient mining sessions with less time spent scanning and more time actually mining.
The distribution changes mean that certain materials will be found only in specific locations, and higher quality ores will be tied to riskier areas like the Pyro system. This introduces a clear risk versus reward dynamic, encouraging players to venture into lawless systems for better resources while making lower-risk areas less lucrative. Loud Guns welcomes this change as it could revitalize underused systems like Pyro by attracting industrial players first, which in turn would bring more PvP activity, creating a more vibrant and dynamic game environment.
Despite the positives, Loud Guns expresses some reservations about the crafting and item quality system, finding it potentially overcomplicated and concerned about inventory management issues. He also feels the skill ceiling for mining could be raised again by introducing mechanics that reward player skill, such as perfect breaks that improve ore quality. This would balance accessibility for newcomers with depth and mastery for veterans, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
In conclusion, while Loud Guns is not entirely satisfied with all aspects of the 4.7 mining changes, he sees them as a net positive, especially in terms of accessibility, quality of life improvements, and encouraging diverse gameplay. He hopes the developers will continue to refine and build upon these changes, particularly around crafting and refining, to reintroduce more skill-based elements. He invites viewers to share their thoughts and stay tuned for future videos exploring related topics like logistics and security in lawless systems.