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Hello everyone, Happy Monday! A few members of the CIG team spent their weekend exploring PAX South and attending the annual Bar Citizen event on the River Walk. We had an absolute blast, as usual, and want to thank everyone who came out and said hello. Now, let’s see what’s going on this week: Tuesday welcomes another detailed lore piece with Brothers in Arms Part 1, where we follow two brothers as they struggle to go legit by opening a private security outfit. Thursday will welcome another episode of Around the Verse where we’ll take a look at the latest Star Citizen news. Friday will see a Roadmap update and the RSI Newsletter delivered right to your inbox. Haven’t subscribed yet? Head to your Account Settings right away and never miss one of our newsletters again! We’ve also got some fun activities planned for this weekend! First, we’ll be kicking off another commercial contest on Friday – tune in to Around the Verse this week to discover more details about this contest’s theme. Then, we’re celebrating Australia day in style. Starting on Friday, and through the weekend, we’ll be making the Gladius Valiant available to fly for free to all existing backers. This Free Fly will be coupled with another awesome screenshot contest – keep an eye out on Spectrum for more details! Finally, we know how eager you all are to see additional columns added to the Roadmap. We’re still going through milestone planning and should have an update for you in the coming couple of weeks. We’re fully aware that many of you would like a specific date so that you can rest your F5 finger, but we want to make sure we’ve covered everything intricately before pushing out the update. See you in the ‘verse! Tyler Witkin Lead Community Manager The Weekly Community Content Schedule MONDAY, JANUARY 21ST, 2019 - TUESDAY, JANUARY 22ND, 2019 Lore – Serialized Fiction: Brothers in Arms (Part 1) (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 2019 - THURSDAY, JANUARY 24TH, 2019 Around the Verse (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) Vault Update FRIDAY, JANUARY 25TH, 2019 Roadmap Update RSI Newsletter Commercial Contest Screenshot Contest Australia Day Free Fly Community MVP: January 21st, 2019 We are constantly amazed by the contributions made by the Star Citizen community. Whether it's fan art, a cinematic, a YouTube guide, or even a 3D print of your favorite ship, we love it all! Every week, we select one piece of content submitted to the Community Hub and highlight it here. The highlighted content creator will be awarded an MVP badge on Spectrum and be immortalized in our "MVP section of the Hub":https://robertsspaceindustries.com/community/mvp-posts Don’t forget to submit your content to our Community Hub for a chance at seeing it here! 4K Mobile Wallpaper Pack #1 by NarayanN7 Check out Narayan’s set of epic mobile wallpapers, all captured in 4K. Enjoy the full gallery on the Community Hub. Przeczytaj całość

In this week’s update we see how hover bikes will work in the new flight model, and how devs are re-targeting animations to make female playable characters unique and authentic. Przeczytaj całość

Daisy Wences: Welcome once again to your show of shows, Spectrum Spectator. Where we take everything broadcast during the past week and blend it into a concentrated, easy-to-digest paste. I’m your entertainment emissary, Daisy Wences, and with me as always is this other person. Lars Gonall: Why do I feel like the job title ‘Paste Purveyor’ would go over better with my parents than ‘Spectrum Critic?’ Daisy Wences: Because even though you’re a grown adult, you still live your life seeking your parents’ approval? Lars Gonall: Once again, thanks to Daisy, I’m going to have some deep thinking to do after this show. Daisy Wences: That’s why we’re all here, right? Profound self-epiphanies. Lars Gonall: Profound epiphanies through the prism of spectrum are the perfect medium for self-reflection. Daisy Wences: Which reminds me, have you caught Far From Home yet? Lars Gonall: I have… Daisy Wences: Yes! How many episodes have you done? Ten? Twenty? Lars Gonall: Daisy has been begging me to check it out since she discovered it last week and I gotta say… it’s not for me. Daisy Wences: What?! Lars Gonall: For those of you unfamiliar, Far From Home is this personal diary and advice show that a solo pilot puts out from his Freelancer. It’s basically like when you get seated next to your friend’s uncle at a dinner party and they just want to talk about how good ships used to be in the old days. Daisy Wences: You did not just compare Old Jegger to someone’s random uncle. Lars Gonall: Later, when you go back and check the recording, you will see that I, in fact, did exactly that. Daisy Wences: Despite what Lars says, I still think that this is a show worth checking out. I heard about it on a DIY forum when I was trying to fix a glitchy heater in my hab. Of course, instead of actually fixing the stupid thing, I wound up spending the rest of the night consuming every Far From Home episode I could find. Maybe because part of me always wondered what it would be like on the drift. Hearing him talk, you start to understand the difference between a solitary life and a lonely one. Lars Gonall: I will say that I appreciated how he seemed very much about everyone finding their own best way to live. It wasn’t just him preaching about how we should all be space hermits. And I’ll also give it a few more points now that there’s that rumor circulating that he’s dead. Daisy Wences: Wait? What? Lars Gonall: You didn’t see this? It was on the Galactapedia page. Turns out he hasn’t put out an episode since the last one he did from Charon. People are speculating that something might have happened to him. A bunch of fans have started trying to organize a search for him. Daisy Wences: He is a hermit, right? I bet he’s simply staying off the grid for a bit. I’m sure this is just one of those dumb spectrum rumors and he’ll show up in a week or two with a great story to tell. At least, I really hope that’s what’ll happen. Lars Gonall: Yeah. You’re probably right. Just promise me that you’re not gonna run away to join the search. Daisy Wences: Don’t worry, Lars. I’m not leaving the show… yet. Lars Gonall: Since we got to talk about one of your new favorite shows, you want to talk about my new crush that you can’t stand? Daisy Wences: Fine. Go ahead. Lars Gonall: From the makers of such fine reality vids like Kid Empire and Weapon Wars: Shoot-Out Edition comes my brand new obsession, Face to Face, a dating show with a brilliant premise. Daisy Wences: You mean an insanely creepy premise. Lars Gonall: Oh, yeah. Won’t argue with you there. This is definitely a show for people who love cringe binging. All the contestants are sent into one of those new and really expensive BiotiCorp machines and given identical faces. Daisy Wences: Want to know how they picked what that face would look like? They created a composite head from all the main single person’s exes. How messed up is that? Lars Gonall: The show claims they’re trying to create an ideal partner for the selector by looking at their previous romantic choices. The lucky - Daisy Wences: I guess that’s how they could be described… Lars Gonall: The lucky bachelor is a fitness instructor from New Babbage named Eris who goes on dates with all the contestants and eliminates anyone they don’t like. Once eliminated, the candidates are reverted back to their original face. Daisy Wences: I swear it’s like some bizarre cult. One of the contestants who got cut was sobbing because they didn’t want their old face back. I know it’s pretty common these days to adjust how you look, but the way they were all losing their identity while trying to become someone else’s fantasy made me really uncomfortable. Lars Gonall: You had a much darker take than I did. For me, it was fun to watch people get to know each other in a situation where their looks didn’t matter. Eris couldn’t judge people on who was attractive or not, it was all about if they had a connection. What’s really going to be interesting is that the winning contestant gets to reconstruct their face however they want. Do they go with their original? An ‘improved’ version of themselves? Keep their new face? So many choices. Daisy Wences: Do you think the people at BiotiCorp would have made the Calliope if they knew that this was how their amazing invention was going to be used? Lars Gonall: I assume all scientists hope for a day when their discovery or invention can be used to help strangers pretend to be in love on spectrum. Daisy Wences: Shall we move on to a show that we were actually scheduled to review this week? Lars Gonall: Even better, a show that we both actually liked. Daisy Wences: Last Friday saw the premiere of the much-heralded docu-series One Step Back. Filmed on Asura, it’s a hard look at what life is like for former criminals trying to re-enter society. The first episode focuses on Liz ‘Necro’ Salguero, a convicted shipjacker who was released from Quarterdeck last year. Lars Gonall: You get a real sense of what it must be like to have this criminal reputation hanging over your head. At one point, she goes through a checkpoint on her way to sell some scrap and seeing how security swarms all over her to do a deep scan was really surprising to me. Maybe this is just my naïveté talking, but I always figured that serving time was enough to clear your record. It turns out though that the Advocacy keeps you flagged as a person of interest for a long time after you’ve been incarcerated, and a lot of people get access to those records. Daisy Wences: One of the people they interview is a criminal rights advocate who is trying to change the law so that once your crime is atoned for, your records remained sealed unless you are charged with a crime again. We expect these people to be able to make a life for themselves, but with their past available to potential employers, many can’t find work and even when they do, it’s a long hard road to earning trust and respectability again. Lars Gonall: This isn’t exactly the same thing, but I do remember this one time growing up when my dad accidentally clipped a ship that was rising out of hangar bay. He got flagged and until he paid off the fine, we weren’t allowed to use a lot of public landing areas. It was only a week, but still. Daisy Wences: I had no idea you came from an outlaw family. It’ll be interesting to see what the show does to help forward the dialogue about all this. Apparently, since the episode was released, Liz has been overwhelmed with job offers and people looking to help her out. Pretty touching really. Of course, that’s just one person. Lars Gonall: Strongly recommend you give this show a try. It’s not exactly lighthearted, but it’s doing some important things. Daisy Wences: All right, on that surprisingly serious note, we have to take our first break. When Spectrum Spectators returns, we’ll be discussing the new Tavi Arteaga comedy, One Mann’s Treasure, about a young woman named Aleria Mann who leaves her bustling life in Prime to run her sick mother’s salvaging business out in the far reaches of Corel. Lars Gonall: I’m pretty excited because we haven’t reviewed a ‘the character’s name is a title pun’ show in a long time, so be sure to stick around and we’ll be right back. Przeczytaj całość

Hello everyone, After testing 3.4.2 on the PTU over the weekend, we’re aiming to release the patch to the live servers soon. As always, we want to thank everyone who helped test the latest build, as it wouldn’t be possible to have such a quick turnaround without you guys. Last week, we distributed the Buy Back Tokens for the first quarter of 2019 and posted a schedule for the entire year on Spectrum. Check the Announcement to know when the next Token will drop and read our FAQ if you’re looking for more information about how this system works. And with that, let’s see what’s going on this week: Tuesday will carry a lore post presenting a new episode of Spectrum Spectator, a docu-series currently highlighting reformed criminals. Thursday will welcome another episode of Around the Verse where we’ll take a look at the latest Star Citizen news. Friday will see a Roadmap update and the RSI Newsletter delivered right to your inbox. Haven’t subscribed yet? Head to your Account Settings right away and never miss one of our newsletters again! We’re also aiming to publish the Star Citizen Fankit, including wallpapers, music and holoviewer files that should serve as a powerful resource for all of you content creators out there. It’ll also include a style guide answering all the questions about what you can and can’t do with Star Citizen assets. See you in the ‘verse! Ulf Kuerschner Senior Community Manager The Weekly Community Content Schedule MONDAY, JANUARY 14TH, 2019 - TUESDAY, JANUARY 15TH, 2019 Lore – Spectrum Spectator (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2019 - THURSDAY, JANUARY 17TH, 2019 Around the Verse (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) Vault Update FRIDAY, JANUARY 18TH, 2019 Roadmap Update RSI Newsletter Fan Kit Community MVP: January 14th, 2019 We are constantly amazed by the contributions made by the Star Citizen community. Whether it's fan art, a cinematic, a YouTube guide, or even a 3D print of your favorite ship, we love it all! Every week, we select one piece of content submitted to the Community Hub and highlight it here. The highlighted content creator will be awarded an MVP badge on Spectrum and be immortalized in our "MVP section of the Hub":https://robertsspaceindustries.com/community/mvp-posts Don’t forget to submit your content to our Community Hub for a chance at seeing it here! The Asgard Legion by WailanderTv Check out WailanderTV’s second Star Citizen Machinima in which he portrays the heroes on board of the “Sleipnir”, a vessel deciding the fate of the ninth fleet. Enjoy the full video on the Community Hub. Przeczytaj całość

Holy Foley! The wild world of practical sound fx, new flight system updates, procedural layout tools, and a full on map attack, in this week’s update. Przeczytaj całość

January 2949 Subscriber Flair Subscribers Everyone knows that RSI’s Venture Explorer Suit is top-notch light armor, perfectly suited for plunging headlong into the unknown. This exclusive undersuit has been specially designed for the Rust Society, sporting a red and tan color scheme that naturally hides dirt, wear, and tear. Look good while working hard. Imperator Subscribers Imperator-level subscribers get this RSI Beacon flight suit in addition to the Venture edition. Celebrate the blue-collar legacy of the Rust Society with two stylish, functional options. If you’re an active subscriber, these items will be added to your account on January 14th. If you aren’t a subscriber yet but want to sport this Flight Suit, make sure you subscribe no later than January 13th. More information about subscriptions can be found here Przeczytaj całość

This Galactic Guide originally appeared in Jump Point 4.12. After nearly six years of work as a stellar surveyor for the Imperial Cartography Center, Usuni Colo had never taken as much as a sick day. By 2941, his supervisor hadn’t suggested that Colo take a vacation, she mandated it. Faced with three weeks of nothing to do, Colo knew there was only one place he wanted to go. Fascinated by the Outsiders, he traveled to Mya in the Leir system to see firsthand how isolationism had affected the planet and its people. Unfortunately for Colo, his attempts to talk his way past the traveler zone to get the ‘real experience’ got him expelled from the planet. Still faced with a couple weeks of enforced downtime, Colo took his time returning home to the Elysium system. And as a member of an ICC Stellar Surveyor team, he was in the habit of scanning for jump points even when off-duty. So on 2941.03.11 when his scanners hit an anomaly that looked like a new jump point leaving the Leir system, Usuni Colo was professional rather than surprised. What would ultimately surprise him would be what lay on the other side. He’d learn that he hadn’t discovered this system at all. Only rediscovered it. Exploration Excitement Colo took a number of initial scans of what became known as the Kabal system, which Colo named in honor of the famous 27th century musical group. The scans found a F-type main sequence star, three planets, and an asteroid cluster. Upon returning to UEE space, he immediately reported the discovery and logged a special request that his ICC unit be assigned to scan and explore the system he discovered. The UEE granted Colo’s petition, and he returned to the system with the rest of his team shortly thereafter. Their initial assessment of the system was overwhelmingly positive. Kabal II and Kabal III were located within the habitable zone, and Kabal III’s oxygen-based atmosphere meant it had the potential to be a turnkey planet. Excitement swelled among government officials, since finding a naturally habitable world would provide incredible benefits and resources without the expense of terraforming. Colo and the rest of his team were immediately deployed to take more detailed scans of Kabal III. The ICC’s standard protocol is to keep the initial assessment of systems confidential until further evaluations have been made and details verified. Yet, somehow Kabal’s assessment leaked. News about the existence of a planet that might be immediately habitable caused a media sensation. Critics of Imperator Costigan were suspicious; they claimed the leak was a calculated move on the part of his administration. Only weeks prior, the Historical Truth Act of 2941 declassified a trove of documents, many of which were from the Messer era and revealed many of the propaganda techniques Messer’s government used to manipulate the public. Although this was hardly a new revelation and obviously none of the released documents directly related to Costigan’s administration, columnists and critics drew tenuous comparisons between the tactics previously used and actions of the current administration, which had been mired in a series of embarrassing gaffes. The leak of Kabal’s initial assessment was seen by some as a way to get the populace to focus on the UEE’s future instead of the past. Once the confidential report leaked, the ICC decided to embrace the buzz being generated. Usuni Colo was even scheduled to tell his incredible discovery story to Beck Russum for an Empire Report exclusive. The event was hyped across the spectrum for days, then abruptly canceled. When no official explanation was given for the interview getting canned, rumors started to swirl. After the official assessment of the Kabal system was delayed, also for unspecified reasons, the Senate Subcommittee of the Interior decided to get involved. The Known Unknown In October of 2941, Rebecca Alves, chair of the ICC, was summoned before the Senate Subcommittee of the Interior to discuss her stewardship of the agency. Senators focused their inquiries on Kabal III and wondered why the system‘s official report was late. Alves dodged most questions, claiming she couldn’t discuss specifics until the official report was released. When pressed, Alves became more evasive. This drew ire from Senators, who openly wondered who was really running the ICC if its director couldn’t provide a timeline. Alves’ appearance before the Senate subcommittee was considered a disaster. It re-energized the debate over Kabal and reinforced the claim that the Imperator was really controlling the release of information. Faced with mounting public pressure the ICC finally published their official assessment of the Kabal system in early November of 2941. Suddenly, it became obvious why there was so much secrecy surrounding the system. The report revealed that ancient, abandoned Tevarin cities, believed to predate the First Tevarin War, were discovered on Kabal III. So, even though the planet was Human-habitable, no settlements would be established for the foreseeable future. Following the release of this report, the UEE government classified the entire system off limits to the public to maintain the integrity of this important archaeological site. It has remained restricted ever since. Kabal I This small, lumpy protoplanet sits so close to the system’s sun that it only takes 34 standard days to complete its orbit. Kabal II The ICC’s initial report on Kabal II drew comparison to Mars. It’s a terrestrial desert planet situated smack dab in the middle of the habitable zone, making it an ideal terraforming candidate. Yet, the Tevarin never mastered terraforming technology, so it remained uninhabited while the system was under their control. Kabal III Kabal III was the system’s clear gem when it was (re)discovered. Yet the hope of the UEE establishing settlements on the planet was quickly squashed after abandoned Tevarin cities were uncovered, turning the planet into an archaeological site. Beneath a thick layer of native plant life that had reclaimed the cities, this Tevarin world was stuck in time. Buildings and houses were filled with various common goods. Ships sat quietly on landing pads. The sacred codices of Rijora still hung in the temples. All this evidence suggested that the population either left quickly or planned to come back. Either way, Kabal III opened a window into a culture that had tried to erase itself in the Purge after the Second Tevarin War. The UEE military invited Esperia, the noted ship replica manufacturer, to visit the planet to catalogue and appraise the ships that were found. After comparing them with the few remaining historical records, Esperia estimated that the planet was abandoned prior to the First Tevarin War. Despite providing a treasure trove of historical information on the Tevarin, these cities raised more questions than answers. One in particular remained elusive: why did the Tevarin leave? Many still wonder how an entire system could have been forgotten by the Tevarin. Most believe a confluence of calamitous events over two centuries — the First & Second Tevarin Wars followed by the Purge — erased the system’s existence from the Tevarin cultural consciousness. Others insist its existence was a closely guarded secret among Tevarin radicals. Acutely aware of how little they know, UEE researchers have taken a cautious approach with the system. Despite repeated requests from the Tevarin Cultural Preservation Society and the Tevarin advocacy group Nerriva Alle, the UEE has maintained a tightly restricted access to the planet. TRAVEL WARNING Since Kabal can only be accessed through the unclaimed Leir system, some have tried to camp out and stalk government convoys to discover the exact coordinates of the jump point. UEE ships have been known to engage suspicious ships in the Leir system that are deemed a threat to the confidentiality of the jump point’s location. So, if a government sends you a warning comm, obey their orders or suffer the consequences. HEARD IN THE WIND “If you elect me as your Senator, I will work to help bring my people out of the shadows by rebuilding the beauty of Tevarin culture. This includes designating the lost cities on Kabal III as historical sites, and establishing cultural centers on the planet that will educate future generations of both Human and Tevarin alike.” – Senator Suj Kossi, campaign speech, Jalan, Elysium, 2946 “The Kabal system is an interesting case. How could an entire system be forgotten about in only a few centuries? Could collective cultural amnesia really run this deep, or is there something else going on here? To be honest, I don’t know what answer scares me more.” – Professor Vincent Fontana, excerpt from a speech to the Tevarin Cultural Preservation Society, 2943 Przeczytaj całość

Hello everyone, Welcome to 2949! We hope that you all enjoyed the holiday season. We celebrated in the ‘verse with not one, but two holiday themed contests. We were taken aback by the incredible submissions that came through for our screenshot and greetings card contests. If you havn’t seen the submissions or winners, make sure to check them out on Spectrum. And with that, let’s see what’s going on this week: As we mentioned before the holiday break, there will be no new episodes of Calling All Devs this month. We’re taking some time to evaluate the best ways to provide all of you with awesome content. We’ve received a lot of feedback in 2948 about our various shows, and we’re taking some time to evaluate the best ways to provide you with the best possible content. To that end, we’ll likely be making some tweaks throughout the new year. Tuesday is lore day! Galactic Guide will take us to Kabal, a seemingly abandoned system once inhabited by the Tevarin. Wednesday brings the January Subscriber’s Newsletter. Thursday will welcome another episode of Around the Verse where we’ll take a look at the latest Star Citizen news. Now that we’re all back from holiday, the team is heads down and focused on delivering Alpha 3.5. We’re currently in the midst of doing additional planning for 2019 so look for a full update to the Roadmap in the near future. We appreciate that many of you are eager to see what’s coming, and what’s beyond 3.6. Rest assured we’re equally eager to get that information to you. If there are any updates to the Roadmap this week, we’ll update the schedule below accordingly. Stay tuned. See you in the ‘verse! Tyler Witkin Lead Community Manager The Weekly Community Content Schedule MONDAY, JANUARY 7TH, 2018 - TUESDAY, JANUARY 8TH, 2018 Galactic Guide – Kabal (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch) WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9TH, 2018 Subscriber’s Newsletter THURSDAY, JANUARY 10TH, 2018 Around the Verse (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) Vault Update FRIDAY, JANUARY 11TH, 2018 RSI Newsletter Community MVP: January 7th, 2018 We are constantly amazed by the contributions made by the Star Citizen community. Whether it's fan art, a cinematic, a YouTube guide, or even a 3D print of your favorite ship, we love it all! Every week, we select one piece of content submitted to the Community Hub and highlight it here. The highlighted content creator will be awarded an MVP badge on Spectrum and be immortalized in our "MVP section of the Hub":https://robertsspaceindustries.com/community/mvp-posts. Don’t forget to submit your content to our Community Hub for a chance at seeing it here! 2949 Calendar by TwentySquares TwentySquares has captured some stunning screenshots to show off 2949 in style. Looking for a calendar for the new year? Well, now you’re covered. Enjoy the full calendar on the Community Hub. Przeczytaj całość

Squadron 42 Monthly Report: December 2018 This is a cross-post of the report that was recently sent out via the monthly Squadron 42 newsletter. We’re publishing this a second time as a Comm-Link to make it easier for the community to reference back to, and plan on following this process for future Squadron 42 Monthly Reports. Attention Recruits, What you are about to read is the latest information on the continuing development of Squadron 42. Read on for pertinent details from our planet-wide operations on Squadron 42-related work over the last month, as well as intel on an exciting new dispatch. The information contained in this communication is extremely sensitive and it is of paramount importance that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Purge all records after reading. Over and out, UEE Naval High Command The Road to Glory Today sees the unveiling of our Squadron 42 roadmap, a useful piece of intel that tracks the progress of development in detail. Much like the Persistent Universe roadmap, this is linked to our JIRA tracking system, and thus lets you see at a glance the work remaining on the game as we thunder on toward the finish line. Of course, also like its Star Citizen counterpart, the Squadron 42 roadmap is not necessarily exhaustive and may be changed or updated as development continues. Make sure you read the caveats, and enjoy this insight into the process. This monthly project update will work as something of a companion piece, shedding more light on specific work done by each development team, while the roadmap will provide dynamic real-time tracking of progress weekly. Without further adiue, let’s see what the devs fighting the good fight on the frontlines have been up to… AI This month, Ship AI’s focus was on optimizing the Tactical Point System. They now have multiple queries bundled together in a batch from different threads, which allows more control over the cost of the overall system. They submitted several optimizations for the character movement system, which can now update all the components in a multithreaded batch approach and will utilize the maximum the CPU resources during the game update. A pass for thread safety of several subsystems was performed, including the attention target component and communication system. This is required to eventually move the Subsumption component update to the multithreaded batch update step. In FPS Combat, the ‘Defend Area’ assignment was introduced; correctly achieving this behavior requires monitoring the mastergraph transitions to evaluate if the recipients of the Subsumption event can actually process it. In the Defend Area example, they might be executing any regular behavior when receiving the assignment. If the behavior can handle the request in a specific way, great. If not, then the mastergraph takes care of selecting one that can. Alongside this, they’re adding new behaviors to improve combat and patrol to respect this assignment. New behaviors and functionality to support stealth gameplay were implemented, with new audio and visual stimuli being added to allow players to draw the attention of guards, prepare traps, and open up otherwise blocked paths. Work also continued on the bartender for Lorville. To achieve several functionalities of his behavior, they implemented the first pass of UseChannel routing and are continuing to expand the usable functionalities. The Usable Builder Tool received a new feature too: it’s now able to correctly preview different characters using different usables so that designers, animators, and programmers can easily test and verify the content as it’s delivered. Animation On the Story front, the Animation kicked-off production passes on a handful of Squadron 42 scenes. They’re also working to finalize the Armorer character for SQ42 – itself a large and intricate task. Audio Audio worked closely with the SQ42 composer Geoff Zanelli to establish themes for the game’s different races and important characters. This, combined with the second round of music implementation, allowed the team to better support pacing and overall development. The Dialogue Team worked to ensure animation and design had all the assets required to successfully implement their conversations, comms, and cinematics. Character Art The Character Art Team polished the Vanduul armor and concepted the Navy Gunner’s outfit. Cinematics After completing the CitizenCon SQ42 teaser trailer, Cinematics took time to verify that each scene was functioning correctly from start to finish. This mainly involved the Shubin Station art pocket, but also other things like the battleground around Vega II. Once complete, they worked on a pivotal scene for the game featuring a key character not revealed yet. This involved using a new method of character hair and skin creation (tweaked for more realism), and small modification to costumes. The Cinematic Animation Team carried on with regular scene work. Having completed first passes for much of the game’s narrative, they transitioned to scenes where a full implementation pass with a state machine is required. They also supported the engineers working on key workflow tools. Along with navspline improvements, new functionality was added to allow the team to edit multiple cinematic sequences at once. Previously, TrackView only supported a master and child sequence and didn’t allow editing of the master if the child was edited, or vice versa. Some SQ42 scenes feature characters on capital ship bridges reacting to things they see through windows, which requires the team to split sequences between interior and exterior. The new multi-sequence workflow allows multiple sequences to be open and active at once and syncs the timelines for both the master and child. Engine Tools The Engine Team resumed work on GPU skinning. They added vertex velocity support (motion blur), completed several optimizations to skip zero weights (improved throughput), prepared background data, and made the first pass on memory layout and LOD support. They also made the execution of ray collision checks and the defragmentation of grids run concurrently. This achieved a 30-50% speedup for physics planet terrain computation, reduced the number of cell queries on planets, and improved proxy mesh generation of terrain ground volumes. Terrain rendering improvements were added (glow forward pass) as well as fixes for water volume and ocean rendering. The existing hair shader was improved, and a new depth of field algorithm was created to improve quality, performance, and fix halos around silhouettes. Part of the team worked on additional culling refinements in the zone system to submit fewer objects to the renderer, as well as various low-level optimizations to reduce load on the render thread. Engineering Engineering actualized a system to allow variable limits on how far players can move their heads when looking around. The default amount is overridden by the outfit and helmet, so wearing heavy armor will restrict how far they can look. Pickup and Carry was finished off, including the solving of an issue when interacting with items in EVA. Developments on the female character continues. Because of her different sized skeleton, the team implemented animation-driven inverse kinematics to allow her to reach a ship’s controls without the need for new animation sets. Progress has been made on the usables builder tool, which allows the content creators to drop in a character and play all the related usable animations, move locators around, and generally test a setup without having to go into the game. As part of comms, a ‘Tannoy’ system can now pump audio to multiple parts of an environment. For example, an announcement to a single ship’s hangar or a more global ship-wide announcement. The ship AI Team helped out with the new Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS), tweaking ship behavior to better utilize these new flight controls for a better dogfighting experience. Environment Art Art began using their new hard surface shader and new blending features for wear and tear. This enables a more realistic appearance of localized damage without a jarring transition between worn and pristine areas. They’re paying particular attention to make sure wear looks natural and unforced. One of the high-level goals for SQ42 is for every asset and its features to sit in a scene naturally, feel unforced, and for the lighting to have a slightly softer, more realistic feel (except for some areas where the intensity is cranked up to 11). Lighting focused on the Javelin found in an early campaign level, taking into account the emphasis on making one key light do more of the work. This new approach looks great and is less demanding on the engine too. Tweaks to a control room seen close to the end of the campaign progressed, with the aim being to set the correct tone for the narrative and gameplay moments that spread from it. Props seen throughout the campaign (including monitors, screens, wiring looms, hatch covers, ropes, destructible lights, and pressurized items) all received attention, this time to determine how they break or deform when damaged. Several key events take place where these assets need to react correctly to gravity, decompression, damage, pulse, etc. The vast Shubin mining station gained more detail to the supporting structures around it. Development of the facility’s Bridge (as first seen in the CitizenCon 2948 trailer) continued, which comes in at around three times the size of a Bengal’s. Gameplay Story The Gameplay Story Team made swift progress throughout November and continuously added more scenes to their Q4 list. They are currently working on 38 scenes for the quarter and are expecting to add several more by the end of the year. Graphics The Graphics Team worked on several shader effects, including the resurrection of the caustics water effect, which is needed in several locations throughout SQ42. The new hard surface shader was rolled out to the entire team and should improve performance, allow new surface shading features, and enable more dynamic wear & dirt effects. Performance was also a focus, with most attention on the low-level texture and mesh streaming systems to help squeeze as much content in with as little performance impact as possible. Level Design The Level Design Team converted the older sables inside the Idris to a more efficient and flexible system, which also incorporates crew behaviors for things like ‘off-duty’ and ‘mess hall’. Level work is an ongoing collaboration with the Art Team and is constantly reviewed at senior level. “It’s all going well and now that we have almost all the scenes in the levels you really get a great feel for the story flow and pacing.” Cockpit scenes are coming to life thanks to ‘Render to Texture’ technology, while the new IFCS system is fully implemented into SQ42 and making a huge difference to dogfighting. Regular feedback and suggested improvements mean spline technology and flight controls are constantly refined. Narrative The Narrative Team continued plugging away at [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] as well as [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] and that was a lot of fun. Props The Props Team continued work on the assets required for NPS interactions and activities by creating additional sub items used by the engineering crew and the storage cases to house them. The larger maintenance machinery assets are now ready for the animation and cinematic departments to use in their work, too. System Design The System Design Team integrated the New Flight Model into enemy ship AI, ensuring that they are still engaging to fight against and don’t become unbalanced. They noticed that the new IFCS currently causes too much unwanted ‘jousting’ behavior, so are currently looking into ways to modify it. Dialogue wildlines for the ship/FPS/social AI were reworked to unify them within the same overall structure. Collaboration with the audio & writing teams ensured the system works properly for all systemic dialogue in the game. The team is also working to develop tools to automate the setup of dialogue lines. Stealth gameplay elements continue to be developed, which require the AI perception to be upgraded to cater for peripheral vision, as well as various audio events and stimuli from environmental sources, such as throwing a pebble to distract enemies. Tech Animation The Technical Animation department progressed with the initial batch transfer of male animations to the female skeleton. This included updating low-level assets for animation database referencing to ensure she can run around and fire weapons. It has been successful and handed off to animation for further review and polish. Some much-needed toolsets for authoring skinning data on the many different costumes were finished. Used in conjunction with the existing toolsets, these will make skin authoring a more efficient process. An interesting dilemma was presented recently, whereby the team needed to show some sort of fluid dynamics, which usually require intensive calculations The Technical Animation department came into its own and used the existing physics solution to create a dynamic yet economic fake for the various glasses & cups in the bar scenes. Multiple animations for cinematics and gameplay were added, as were several new tools to the animation pipeline along with bug fixes and additions to existing tools. Time was also spent fixing several smaller bugs like animation compilation errors, missing integrations, weapon entities, and DBA setups. Tech Art The Tech Art Team analyzed the full requirements of the character ‘DNA gene pool’. In order for the next-gen facial customizer to work most effectively, a limited pool of heads with specific and unique shapes is required. Relevant factors are gender, ethnic origin, age, physical constitution, and distinct facial features such as hooked vs. pointy nose, thin vs. full lips, and so forth. Several scenarios with varying pool sizes were created to determine the mid-to-long-term plans for populating the pool. The planned release of the new customizer will initially use as many heads as possible from the selection scanned, providing they fulfill requirements. The team also worked on the asset authoring tools and pipeline for the new cloth/softbody solver, which was first showcased at CitizenCon. Optimal simulation mesh topology and vertex density are key to making it work efficiently and fast enough while yielding high-fidelity visual results. Another important factor is creating the best possible binding between the high and low res simulation mesh – this can only be fully automated for simpler cloth asset types and requires artistic ‘guidance’ and fine-grained control in more complex cases. The team went to great lengths to ensure the authoring tools provide this capability in a convenient, easy-to-use way. UI Last month, the SQ42 team specced-out improvements to how AR mission objectives are displayed to the player. For both the PU and SQ42, they’re aiming to create a common unified methodology for how important information is imparted regarding type, position, whether it’s obstructed, etc. They’re also looking at the long-term requirements of missions and building a system to help to surface important information when it’s contextually needed. Another major feature worked on is the area map. Pre-visualizations of how the map could be were built procedurally using existing underlying systems, such as the room system. This informs not only the overall layout but also how it becomes more defined as the player traverses the environment for the first time. Vehicle Features The team spent the month on Vehicle Scanning improvements. The groundwork necessary to allow ships to aim at the engines on target ships has been completed, and the feature itself is nearly ready to be rolled out. Scanning nav points for destination info have been completed and are also ready for implementation. VFX VFX continued to iterate on lightning effects by putting the new texture noise functionality through its paces, which will allow them to create much finer detail up close at a fraction of the previous cost. They also developed a tool to allow artists to create VDBs (including gas clouds) more quickly and with more control over the finer details. Thruster improvements were made to more closely match the VFX. They gained new effects and functionality including damage, overheat, and misfire options. R&D for a Xi’an missile launcher kicked off too. Weapons The Weapon Art Team carried on with the Multi-Tool rework and made progress with the Kastak Arms Ravager-212 and the level two and three upgrades for the Hurston Dynamics Laser Repeaters. They also made minor adjustments to the iron sights on a handful of weapons to improve the sight picture and to make them more user-friendly when no optics are attached. Covert Intel Conclusion WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH… Przeczytaj całość

Happy New Year! ATV thunders into 2949. Przeczytaj całość

Jump Point Now Available! Attention development subscribers: the December 2018 issue of Jump Point is now available in your subscription area. You’ll learn about the development of the Anvil Arrow, take a look back at some of Star Citizen’s biggest accomplishments in 2018 and discover the banded fessle in an all-new Galactapedia. Interested in becoming a development subscriber? You can learn more here. Przeczytaj całość

Star Citizen has seen a lot of changes throughout the year. Join Chris Roberts, Eric Kieron Davis and the rest of the team as they take a look at highlights from 2018. Przeczytaj całość

Star Citizen Alpha 3.4 Available! Alpha 3.4 Today, we open Alpha 3.4 to all backer! Alpha 3.4 launches several massive technical upgrades to the game including: The Lorville Central Business District, including the Hurston Dynamics Showroom and Transfers Commodity Exchange Six new ships including the Freelancer variants and the Anvil Hawk New armor, helmets, and a new personal weapon Two ship weapons have been reworked and their offerings expanded New visual updates to quantum markers and turrets Expanded the mission system into Hurston and surrounding moons And more! And of course, you can read the comprehensive Alpha 3.4 Patch Notes here. 3.4 Flyable Ships With this major milestone of Alpha 3.4, we’re introducing newly flyable ships, as well as updating some older favorites. The list of new & updated ships includes: Anvil Hawk RSI Constellation Phoenix Emerald MISC Freelancer Variants Origin 600i Touring Module MISC Reliant Kore Improvements Please enjoy the trailers below and find even more information on our 3.4 Flyable Ships page here. Bug Reporting Remember, while there’s a lot to explore in Alpha 3.4, the game is still just a portion of the Star Citizen experience! You can help the team improve future releases by reporting bugs and other issues using the Star Citizen Issue Council. The amazing feedback from Star Citizen backers is what has allowed us to iterate on the PTU so quickly, and we’re eager for feedback about the Live release as well. You can access the Issue Council here. Finally, we would be remiss if we did not thank our incredible community of PTU testers for helping make this patch the best it can be! Your dedication is exemplary of the UEE’s finest defenders! Przeczytaj całość

Happy Holidays! Wishing you the best! Give the gift that keeps on giving – a Star Citizen starter package! Plus, enter our two holiday contests for the opportunity to win festive prizes. Check out all the details below. HOLIDAY SCREENSHOT CONTEST How are you celebrating the holidays in the ‘verse? We want to see how you’re ringing in the holidays in Star Citizen, and what better way to show us than with a new screenshot contest? To make things even merrier, a special holiday helmet and an extra-festive delivery mission are making their way to the ‘verse for a limited time. Check your inventory and contract manager for access to these jolly treats and show us how you holiday. Prizes: 1st Place: MISC Freelancer MAX standalone ship – LTI 2nd Place: Drake Cutlass Black standalone ship – LTI 3rd Place: Aegis Avenger Titan standalone ship – LTI Ready to get started? Find all the details about the rules and where to submit your entries on our announcement post on Spectrum here. HOLIDAY GREETINGS CARD CONTEST Hit us with your best shot Keeping the festivities going, we want to see who can design the best Star Citizen-themed holiday greeting card. Fire up an image editing program or grab some paper and show us your old-timey art skills. Get creative! The important thing is that the card contains an element of the Star Citizen universe. Prizes: 1st Place: MISC Freelancer DUR game package – LTI 2nd Place: Origin 315P game package – LTI 3rd Place: Consolidated Outlands Mustang Beta game package – LTI Ready to get started? Find all the details about the rules and where to submit your entries on our announcement post on Spectrum here. TREAT YOURSELF It’s that time of Year Some say it’s better to give than to receive, but why not have it both ways? We’re offering these game packages at a special seasonal rate. Grab one and blast into 2949 in style. The Season for Giving Gifts for your friends and family, all around the ‘verse. Give your loved ones the gift of spaceflight with these ships, available to purchase and send as gifts to those special galactic explorers in your life. You can even write a special message to accompany the gift. Przeczytaj całość

Breaking news on Squadron 42, 3.4 and more, in this week’s update. Przeczytaj całość

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Letter from the Chairman Hello everyone, 2018 brought some pretty big things in the universe of Star Citizen; our first planet, Hurston, our first major landing zone, Lorville, four new moons, 32 new flyable ships, Face Over IP, much improved performance thanks to Object Container Streaming, Network Bind Culling and a complete overhaul of the game code to run on multiple CPU cores simultaneously. We had our largest CitizenCon to date in Austin, Texas and just recently wrapped up a really fun Anniversary Event. How cool was it to make the journey to Lorville, visit the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo West and get an up close and personal sneak preview of some ships that are coming to the ‘verse, or fly dozens of already flyable ships? It has been exciting reading the posts from people discovering the project for the first time and seeing so many people having a blast playing Star Citizen. As we look forward to the holidays, I wanted to give you all a couple of updates. The first item of news is the Squadron 42 public roadmap is going live today. As with our Persistent Universe roadmap, this is linked to our company’s internal JIRA tracking system, so you can see at a glance the work remaining to complete the game. It was a lot of work to make sure every remaining task was broken down in detail and estimated to the best of our ability, and the same caveats will apply to the Squadron 42 roadmap as they do to the PU one, but our plan is to be feature and content complete by the end of 2019, with the first 6 months of 2020 for Alpha (balance, optimization and polish) and then Beta. When we started the campaign for Star Citizen and Squadron 42, I said that the crowdfunding would go towards development of the game, and that the amount would define the scope and ambition of what we were working on. That is a commitment I am proud to say we have been upholding; its why we have over 500 staff around the world working on the games and have spent very little on marketing. You can see this investment into development in the UK financials that we publish every year on Companies House. In a further effort at transparency we have decided to publish our historical financials from 2012 through 2017 on our new corporate website to allow all of you to see not just how much money we raise via the public counter, but also how the money has been spent globally. All of our marketing is community focused and viral; events we host for all of you, in-fiction lore, commercials that help flesh out the world, and PR outreach. The fact that we have raised over $211M via word of mouth and viral marketing is staggering and a testament to how amazing a community all of you are. Everyone at Cloud Imperium is humbled to have your trust and support on this journey together. As a result, we are building two of the most ambitious games ever embarked on in gaming, with budgets that are unmatched by all but the very biggest projects. Having a great game is only half the battle. As we look towards the release of Squadron 42, we have been acutely aware that having a AAA game that matches the biggest single player games out there only goes so far if no one knows about it. The games we will be competing with for attention have tens and, in some cases, hundreds of millions of dollars of advertising behind them. Other companies in a similar situation have normally tackled this problem by partnering with a Publisher for the marketing and sales of their game. As you all know I am not in favor of putting my destiny in the hands of a third party. On the other hand, I don’t feel it would be right to go back to all of you to raise funds to market the game to other people; most of you already have a copy earmarked for you and I still strongly feel that the money brought in from our crowdfunding should continue to go to the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42. Because of this, we started to investigate ways to raise money to fund the upcoming marketing and release needs of Squadron 42. We turned away some approaches from Private Equity and Venture Capital because we were concerned about them fully understanding what makes our company tick and pushing us towards short term decisions. During this process we were introduced to Clive Calder and his son Keith, who have both been interested in the confluence of entertainment with the ability to directly connect with an audience online. Clive founded the most successful independent music company, Zomba, which was home to some of the biggest music acts in the world. Keith is an independent film producer whose company Snoot Entertainment’s most recent films are the critically acclaimed Blindspotting and the Academy Award-nominated Anomalisa. During our first meeting, we got on like a house on fire, with Clive telling me about how he wished that when he built Zomba you could have connected to the fans of an artist bypassing the myriad of media gatekeepers in the way Star Citizen does, and which wasn’t possible 15 years ago. Keith and I swapped war stories about the film industry and talked about how refreshing it is to be able to utilize crowdfunding to create a project that normally would fly against what is currently considered mainstream. During the course of these discussions it became clear to me that if Clive and Keith joined us as investors in our company, we’d have true partners that respected what we had built, but also fully understood the ins and outs and the patience required with a business based on creating entertainment. Taking in like-minded partners helps us solve the need of funding the marketing and release of Squadron 42, but also stay attuned to what makes us special. So, it’s with this that I would like to announce that we have closed a minority investment into Cloud Imperium US & UK, from Clive’s family office and Keith’s Snoot Entertainment for $46M for approximately 10% of the shares in the Cloud Imperium US and UK companies, which is a testament to the value, future potential and longevity of the company. As part of this process we’ve taken on two outside board members. The first is Dan Offner, an experienced lawyer and entrepreneur with over twenty years of experience in Interactive Entertainment, who is Clive and Keith’s board nominee and second is Eli Klein, a long term friend who has been acting as an advisor to the company over the past couple of years. The control of the company and the board still firmly stays with myself as Chairman, CEO and majority shareholder. We wouldn’t have taken anyone on board if we didn’t feel that they were fully aligned with our vision, philosophy and could add valuable insight in navigating the business challenges ahead. This investment helps secure our independence. We may not have the resources that an Activision or EA have to launch one of their tentpole games, but we now control our own destiny in marketing Squadron 42, especially as we have a secret weapon: all of you! Between the power of the best community in gaming to help get the message out and these additional funds we will be well positioned to enable Squadron 42 to enjoy the success that it deserves. Beyond this, this investment gives Cloud Imperium the ability to take the long view when needed and allows us to grow as a company. I couldn’t be happier. So I would like to welcome Clive, Keith, Dan and Eli to the Cloud Imperium family, and I look forward to great success with them and all of you. See you in the ‘Verse! -Chris Roberts Przeczytaj całość

Writer’s Note: Phantom Bounty: Part Four was published originally in Jump Point 3.4. Read Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here. Mila was a traitor. She’d risked her career as a bounty hunter . . . had betrayed her partner, Rhys, to free Casey. Was it all worth it? Had Casey been telling the truth about her father developing bioweapons? Mila snuck a glance at Casey as she returned to the co-pilot’s seat. The dark-haired woman offered her a small smile, then harnessed herself into her seat. Mila’s childhood friend. A terrorist. The emptiness of space loomed before them, nothing but darkness beyond Devana’s forward screen. Mila gripped the controls so tightly her hands ached. “I’ve managed to mask our signal,” Casey said, “but it’s a temporary fix only. We have a half hour. No more.” “How . . . ?” Casey explained the method, and Mila shook her head, partially in awe of the hacking skills required, partially in dismay over the length of the resulting prison sentence if she were caught at it. “Could have used that trick myself a time or two,” Mila muttered. “Not if you want to stay on the right side of the law.” Casey cleared her throat. “After this is over. Of course. Just picked up the signal on the scanner. Gotta be my contact. The ship’s waiting a few clicks from the jump point.” Mila’s hands grew tighter on the controls as she glanced at the scanner screen. Space normally held the dual promises of endless possibility and endless danger . . . but today it held only danger for her. “Any sign of the Advocacy?” Mila asked tightly. “Not yet. But . . . they’ll follow. They always do. Get me to my contact, and we’ll execute the plan.” Mila tried to calm her breathing, but her heart was racing, and she couldn’t make it stop. It was supposed to be simple. Mila would pull up next to the contact ship; Casey would knock her out, then transfer to the other ship. When Rhys and the Advocacy found Mila, she’d tell them Casey took her ship and ran with it. Then everything could go back to normal. Or almost normal. Would Rhys believe the lie? Could she lie to him? This was stupid. So stupid. She’d acted rashly. There was no way she could lie well enough to convince the Advocacy and Rhys that Casey had somehow escaped the containment pod, overpowered her, and then locked her inside. But Mila didn’t have another solution. “Straight ahead.” Casey plotted new coordinates, and Mila followed the trajectory. A long, sleek yacht came into view in front of them. A few thin lights gleamed along the length of the 890’s hull. The owner of this ship had plenty of money; Casey’s contact was the real deal. “Freelancer,” came a voice over the comm. “State your business.” Casey replied, “Tell S Whispering Wind approaches.” “Around which sun does the finest planet orbit?” “Ilios.” Mila’s heart skipped a beat and she slammed a hand over the comm, silencing it. “Ilios,” she hissed. “Like the project?” Casey’s brows rose for a split second, then her expression smoothed. “Exactly like that.” “I thought you destroyed all that data.” “S has cleared you for docking,” the comm interrupted, “but we’ll need to scan you at close range.” Casey pushed Mila’s hand out of the way and hit the comms. “Roger that.” “Tell me what’s going on,” Mila hissed. “What is this about Ilios?” Casey sighed. “I can’t tell you about S. Or Ilios. If I did, I’d have to kill you.” Mila tensed in her seat. There was no hint of humor in Casey’s voice. None. She was serious. “I risked everything for you!” “Look . . . all I can say is that People First has friends in high places. They support the cause. But not all friends are created equal. Many do things . . . for their own reasons. And can be persuaded to help if you offer the right terms.” Mila pulled the ship up beside the much longer 890. “This contact is connected with People First? And what were her terms for you, to get you out of here and betray PF?” The 890 commed them before Casey could answer. “We detect two life signs in the Freelancer. S says you were supposed to come alone.” “I needed help getting here,” Casey replied tersely. “S says both of you must board. Or we leave.” Casey glanced at Mila with a veiled expression, “I’m sorry to drag you into this. But we both have to go over there.” “No.” Panic rushed through Mila, and she tightened her grip on the stick. “No way. That wasn’t the deal. You go over. I stay here. Or I’m leaving.” “Evony.” “Don’t call me that,” she said through gritted teeth. “My name is Mila now.” “Mila,” Casey’s voice was low, soothing. “How do you think it’ll look if we fly away now? They’ll shoot us out of existence and jump without a glance back. You have to go over there. I’ll make sure S sends you back here.” “How will you make sure?” “I just will. Now suit up. We’re wasting too much time. S definitely won’t be happy if the Advocacy shows up at her door. But I’m pretty sure you understand that.” Casey left her seat and headed back to suit up herself. Mila stared at the yacht, trying to decide if she could outmaneuver it and escape. But then what? She had to get rid of Casey, not keep her on board. She let out a frustrated sigh, unbuckled, and headed back to her gear. She ignored Casey, not meeting her gaze. Her injured shoulder, shot by Casey, cried out in pain as she pulled her suit up. She slapped a new numbing patch on it and continued dressing. As she closed the suit up, her hand touched her necklace. Mila’s heart twisted as she pulled the bronze token over her head. She stared down at it, at the infinity symbol, the special iridescent “good luck” stones dangling from it, and a new wave of regret washed over her. Rhys had spent some of their last creds on this. To make her happy. Mila took the necklace and tucked it in the space between the bunk and the wall. She didn’t deserve it. And it hadn’t brought her good luck anyway, had it? When Mila got back to the cargo hold, Casey was suited up, her helmet under one arm. “Ready?” “Yeah,” Mila mumbled. They both latched their helmets on, then Mila depressurized the cargo hold and opened the back ramp. She and Casey pushed off the ramp and drifted toward the 890’s rear lift. When they were inside the empty space, the cage lifted under them, and artificial gravity gently resumed. A light turned green above them, and Casey took off her helmet. Mila did the same. They stared at the double doors before them, waiting in tense silence. The doors finally slid open, revealing a broad-shouldered man in a dark grey flight suit. “S will see you now.” The man stepped into the lift, one hand gripping a pistol, and gestured for Mila and Casey to enter the ship. Mila squared her shoulders and met the man’s hard glare with one of her own. She wouldn’t be afraid of these thugs. She’d faced off against dozens of wanted criminals and come out on top. She could do it again. Another pair of guards met them in the next corridor where it widened. One of them patted Casey and Mila down and removed their mobiGlas as the other kept his gun trained on them. When they were satisfied, they led them down the corridor and into a well decorated lounge. Mila’s eyes darted around. The lounge was on two decks, and more guards looked down at them from behind the rail of the upper deck. By the taste displayed here, Casey’s contact was old money. It could have been owned by Mila’s parents or any of their friends on Terra. Silk panels from Rihlah, famous Terran brocade applied to the benches, a delicate glass and metallic table at the center, and a very impractical glass chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Iridescent stones decorated the chandelier, and Mila’s hand almost went to the spot where her good luck necklace used to be. They looked just like the stones on it. Two more guards entered, bringing the total to five on the main deck. Mila’s lips parted as a woman, apparently the mysterious ‘S,’ walked in behind them. It was the woman from the market stall where Rhys had purchased her necklace. Mila did a double take. No . . . there were differences. This S was petite, with space-black hair and light blue eyes, just like the woman at the stall. But the woman before her wore a well-tailored suit and robe, not loose skirts. And her hair wasn’t done up in braids, and she didn’t have a nose ring. She looked more . . . well-preserved — her skin smooth, a product of youth treatments. This was not the same woman . . . but Mila would be willing to bet they had some relation to each other. The woman walked up to them with a smile, and exchanged kisses on the cheek with Casey. “Brought a friend?” she asked, raising a brow at Mila. “Like I said. I needed a ride.” “And who is this?” Mila didn’t answer, just tried to keep her expression blank. She couldn’t let this woman know she knew anything about her. “She’s just an old friend of mine,” Casey said, her voice light. The woman’s eyes darkened, her polite demeanor fading a fraction. She gestured to one of the guards. “Come with me, Elaine. Let us talk over here.” Casey followed her to an ottoman near the center of the room, while the guard grabbed Mila’s arm and pulled her to the edge of the space and out of earshot of Casey and S’s quiet conversation. Did S know who Casey was originally? She’d called her Elaine, the name she’d used on Tevistal. The two of them engaged in an intense, quiet talk for a few minutes and then Casey lifted the sleeve of her suit and peeled off a piece of her skin. False skin. Mila went cold at the sight of it. Casey hadn’t mentioned any hidden data . . . or details on the price for her passage. Casey scraped a chip from the skin and passed it to S. Casey was selling data, probably Phan Pharmaceutical data. Had she lied about everything? Was she just stealing data to sell to competitors? Anger started to bloom in Mila’s chest, and she fought to keep her mouth shut. All that mattered now was that Mila get out of this alive and unscathed. Casey finished her transaction and returned to Mila. “What was that?” Mila hissed. Casey’s expression was tight. “She’ll let you go back to your ship just as soon as she checks my payment.” A new guard ran through the door. “Madame. The Advocacy was spotted by our scout. We need to jump. Now.” “Wait — no.” Mila looked toward the door they’d come in. “Send me back. Send me back now.” S shot them a glare and gestured to the guard behind Mila. “Take them each to a room until after the jumps.” Jumps. This was starting to get a lot more complicated. “Let me go back to my ship!” Mila’s voice rose. Casey dug her nails into Mila’s hand and leaned close, whispering. “They won’t let you now. Keep it together if you want to survive this.” Mila lurched to the side, trying to make a desperate run back out to her ship. The guards closed in on her, grabbed both her arms, and dragged her the other way. She went limp, no longer fighting it as the realization of what had happened sunk in. They took her up a flight of stairs and opened the first door they came to, pushing her inside. “Harness up. We’ll be jumping soon,” one of the guards said. The door slid closed and she heard the lock engage. Mila took a panicked look around the small room, and then sank down in the jump seat. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she buckled in. She’d messed up. She’d always been able to get out of scraps before. Always. But not this time. She just kept sinking deeper into a pit that appeared to have no bottom. The ship hummed softly as it powered up, and in mere minutes she felt the woozy sensation of the first jump. Another soon followed, and Mila’s hope died as they travelled further and further away from her ship. When the Advocacy found the empty Devana . . . they’d know. They’d know she’d helped Casey escape. They’d think she was working with her. And it would be true. The stomach-lurching feeling of the third jump let Mila know her old life was over for good. Now she was a criminal . . . on the run. She could try to say Casey had kidnapped her, but why would she have? There was no good way out of this. And Rhys knew the truth; he’d known about their shared past. If the Advocacy pressed him . . . Would Mila even get off this ship alive? When the yacht powered down, Mila unharnessed herself and paced the small room. Hours passed, and a guard brought Mila food and water. The reconstituted food tasted like death, like a last meal before the end, and a terrible one at that. She could barely wrap her mind around what she’d done — how much her life had changed in just a few hours. Then the locks disengaged on her door again, and she turned as it slid open. Casey slipped through and quickly closed it. “The guards are busy . . . for the moment. This might be our only chance to talk.” “You lied to me. You knew.” “No. I didn’t. I’d hoped to get you back to the ship.” “I can never go back now, Casey. Not ever.” “Shh. I’m Elaine here.” Casey looked completely calm, unbothered by the fact that Mila’s entire life was hanging in the balance. Mila rushed Casey and shoved her against the metal wall. “They’re not gonna let me walk out of here, are they? I’m an unknown entity. I was never supposed to be here.” Casey winced with pain and her forehead creased with worry. “S — Sybil — will make sure she knows who you are before she lets you leave now. And when she finds out you’re a bounty hunter . . .” “Well, I think I know something about her. There was this woman selling trinkets at the market—” “A younger sister. You don’t say a word about knowing anything, understand? She’ll kill you if she thinks you know anything about her. She operates under the illusion that we don’t know anything.” Mila backed away from Casey, feeling dizzy. “You lied to me. You’re selling data—” “Not bioweapons! When we do jobs, we collect harmless, or even beneficial, research and sell it to fund our cause. But I’m funding my escape with it this time.” “What is it? What did you just sell?” Mila’s voice rose as she spoke, and she tried to calm herself down, but her mind was racing. “The formula for a medical treatment that hasn’t been patented yet.” “How can I believe that?” “Look, we don’t have time for this.” Casey placed her hands on Mila’s shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes. “You know about her family. She’s going to find out about you. There’s no way she’s letting you just go back to your regular life now. You have one choice.” Mila shrugged off Casey’s hands. “What?” “You come with me. I’m going to try to convince her to let us disappear together.” “No!” Mila began to pace the room again. “I can’t just . . . leave the Empire.” “If you stay — you just freed me and left your ship stranded next to a jump point. They’ll know you helped me. You have no other choice.” “You think I don’t know what it looks like? You have to help me get off of here. Have them drop me off somewhere so I can . . . somehow make it right.” “You know too much! About me — about PF — about Sybil.” Red crowded around the edges of Mila’s vision, and it took everything she had not to wrap her hands around Casey’s neck and squeeze. “I helped you. You’d be dead if it wasn’t for me. You have to help me fix this. Help me get out of here.” Casey folded her arms across her chest and glanced back toward the door. “I can’t.” “You. Will.” “They’ll catch you—” “And it won’t matter to you either way. You’ll be long gone, hiding in Xi’an territory.” Casey met Mila’s eyes and sighed. “Fine. Get yourself killed if that’s what you want.” She reached into her suit pocket and pulled out a translucent swipe card. “Stole it off a guard.” Casey smiled ruefully. “This should get you into the corridor at the end of this one. They have a little 85X there. I know we’re stopping at a planet soon. Backwater, but plenty of places to hide. I’ll distract the guards for you. When I knock twice on your door, wait five minutes, then it’s time for you to go.” Mila stared down at the card in her hand. “Thank you again, for helping me. I owe you my life.” Casey wrapped her in a quick hug that Mila didn’t return. “I really am sorry. Try to be safe.” Casey gave her one last sad smile. “If you change your mind . . .” “No,” Mila said, her voice breaking. “I’m going to fix this.” The knocks came after Mila had given up on Casey ever following through. Two knocks. Mila grabbed her helmet off the floor and hugged it to her chest. Heart pumping a chaotic rhythm in her chest, Mila waited through five tense minutes, then swiped the card Casey had given her. The door slid open to reveal an empty corridor beyond. She barely breathed as she gingerly stepped into the corridor and looked both ways. She turned right, as Casey had directed her to, and hurried toward the end. It curved right, taking her to a new door. She said a quick prayer to the Banu god of luck that the room beyond would be empty, then scanned the card. The door opened into a hangar bay. The 85X sat at the center of it. An alarm sounded, and red lights began to flash in the bay. Mila was sweating freely as she latched her helmet on. “Hey!” Someone tackled her from behind, shoving her down on the floor. She fought back, twisting in the man’s grasp until she saw him face to face. A guard, the one who had warned Sybil about the Advocacy’s arrival. Mila slammed a gloved fist into his unprotected face, and he stumbled backward. She desperately climbed forward, trying to get into the 85X cockpit, but the guard followed her. Depressurize Bay. The small words flashed in the corner of the cockpit’s interface. As the guard grabbed her leg, she hit the button on the screen. A whole new set of alarms joined the ongoing din. The man’s eyes widened, and he scrambled away from her, toward the hangar door. He scanned his key card, trying to make it open, but it was sealed shut. He would die if she didn’t do something. Mila paused the depressurization and lurched out of the ship. She crashed into the man, seeking the pistol he held in his grip. She slammed an elbow into his gut again, and he released the gun. She picked it up and trained it on him. “Last chance to get out!” she yelled. He stared at her wild eyed and scanned his card again. This time the door opened. Several guards waited beyond, but he yelled something to them and they didn’t try to enter. The door slid shut, and Mila climbed back into the ship, tossing the pistol into the seat beside her. She brought up the Starmap, her hands shaking with adrenaline, praying that it would display more than a void. They were in orbit over a settled world! She chose a landing site to the west of the closest city. She could abandon the ship there, hide in the wooded hills, wait it out until she was sure Sybil and her guards had given up waiting for her to emerge. She chose her destination, and then completed the prep sequence. The countdown began. She harnessed herself into the seat as the hangar bay opened, revealing black space behind. She throttled up and took off, leaving the 890 behind. Mila headed directly planetside, sparing little attention for the ship at her back. If they shot up the runabout, she would have no more worries herself. There was nothing she could do but speed to her landing site. She pictured Rhys. His handsome face, his reassuring words, the way he’d held her. That smirk she’d probably never see again unless she got caught or found a way to fix this impossible situation. As she entered the planet’s atmosphere, she spared the time for a few tears. A few days ago she’d been hunting the Phantom. Now she needed to become one. Five Months Later Mila wove her way through dark alleyways, keeping her head down, a hood concealing her face. A lock of her newly short-cropped blonde hair fell into her eyes, and she blinked as it irritated them. The green colored contacts she wore felt dry, scratchy. But at least from afar she wouldn’t be recognized. She glanced back at a huddle of transients gathered round a rusty heater, and turned down the next alley. She’d reached the hostel sector. It was dangerous being back in Tevistal so soon after the Incident, but she’d run out of options and time. A dozen small-time jobs had funded her existence along the way, but now there were even more bounties on her head. She’d been hunted for months, had been nearly caught, but so far she’d always gotten away. And this was the one place they’d probably never expect her to return. Mila gritted her teeth and walked down the dark alley between two hostels. A cracked globe flickered, guiding her to a hostel entrance. She pushed open the door, and the scent of piss wafted over her. It barely registered. This place was only half as filthy as most of the places she’d slept the past few months. Voices rang through the thin metal walls. Arguments. The sound of two people moaning and grunting. An old vid playing at full blast. Mila found an unoccupied room and went inside. Dim sensor lights lit up the room. The place had a film of filth coating it, but it would do. She shut the door behind her and activated the second-hand mobiGlas on her wrist. Her hacking program did a quick job of activating the RoomTab. The lights and power came on in response, and she pulled her mobi away. It would stay on until she ran her program again. No creds needed. Which was good, because she didn’t have many left. A glance around the now well-lit room brought a flood of memories back. The pain came with it, weighing Mila down. She sank to the dirty mattress. She and Rhys had tracked the Phantom to a room like this once. Mila did something she hadn’t done for weeks. She brought up the news search she’d saved to her mobiGlas, to see if anything had changed since she’d last checked. PHAN PHARMACEUTICAL CEO UNDER INVESTIGATION She rewatched the vid of Casey’s father being arrested with the sound turned off. Owen Phan’s face was the same regal countenance she remembered from growing up. When Mila had first heard that the truth about the biological weapons had leaked, it had been a relief to learn that Casey had at least been telling the truth about that. And even more importantly, Mila’s mother had been kept completely clear of the breaking scandal. Knowing that Phan wouldn’t be making weapons anymore was the only glimmer of light in these recent dark days. Almost without thinking, Mila accessed another archived news story. An image of herself flashed in the air before her. Or at least what Mila used to look like. It was the photo the Advocacy had been using on her bounty. EVONY SALINAS CHARGED WITH AIDING AND ABETTING “THE PHANTOM” The article speculated on the nature of the terrorism, on the relationship between Mila’s parents and Phan Pharmaceuticals, and on Mila’s motives. Even with the revelation of the biological weapons it hadn’t changed the fact that the Phantom had wreaked havoc for months. Casey, and by association Mila, were still considered criminals. The article had included a small photo of Rhys as well. He had been held for questioning, but with no proof of any wrongdoing on his part he had eventually been released. Mila reread the final line. Evony Mila Salinas is still at large, with several bounties on her head for crimes ranging from petty theft to terrorism. She scanned back up to see Rhys’s face one more time, but it was like a knife through her heart. She turned off the mobi. She needed to get to Xi’an territory fast, and she only knew of one woman who could get her there. Sybil. But she’d been unable to dig up anything useful on the woman. All she knew was that she was related to that peddler who had sold trinkets in the Tevistal market square on Pilgrim’s Day. So that’s who Mila needed to find. Sybil might have her guards shoot Mila on sight after what she’d done . . . but Sybil had helped Casey — for a price. And Mila was desperate enough to pay just about any price Sybil asked. She’d learned a few weeks ago that Rhys was hunting her down, trying to bring her in, that her time was running out. Maybe . . . maybe if he did find her again in Xi’an territory, free of Advocacy influence, she could explain. She could hope for his forgiveness, if nothing more. But until then, she’d be a Phantom. Doing what she needed to stay free. THE END Przeczytaj całość

Every week, designers, engineers and other developers from our five offices around the world answer backer questions submitted on SPECTRUM and voted on by YOU. And for info on becoming a subscriber, go to: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/subscriptions Przeczytaj całość

Hello everyone, Last weekend, we opened 3.4 on the PTU to all backers, which keeps us on track for delivery of 2018’s last content update. As the year comes to an end, it’s time to look back at what was achieved, from new shows like Calling all Devs, to improved FPS compliments of OCS, the implementation of mining, an already legendary CitizenCon and of course, Hurston. The year was chock full of new features, breakthroughs, and wonders, but now we look forward, to what 2019 will bring. What was your favorite Star Citizen moment of 2018 and what are you looking forward to most in 2019? Let us know in the comments. And with that, let’s see what’s going on this week: Every week on Calling All Devs , designers, engineers, and other developers from our five offices around the world answer backer questions submitted on Spectrum and voted for by YOU. This week, we talk about GrimHEX hangars, the difference between scanners and radar, sharing missions with friends, and more. Tuesday is lore day! The Lore Team will publish Phantom Bounty Part 4, the thrilling conclusion to this harrowing tale. Check out Part 3 here. Thursday will welcome another episode of Around the Verse where we’ll take a look at the latest Star Citizen news. Also on Thursday, the Squadron 42 Newsletter will provide you with the latest info on our cinematic single-player adventure. Enlist today, if you haven’t already! Friday we’ll update the Persistent Universe Roadmap and send out our weekly RSI newsletter. As a side-note, we’re currently planning to update the PU Roadmap with additional columns in the new year. This will be the last “This Week in Star Citizen” post for 2018, so we want to take the opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and interest in the project. May the Season bring only happiness and joy to you and your crew, and keep an eye out on Spectrum for some fun in-game activities later this week! Ulf Kuerschner Senior Community Manager The Weekly Community Content Schedule MONDAY, DECEMBER 17TH, 2018 Calling All Devs (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18TH, 2018 Lore – Phantom Bounty Part 4 (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19TH, 2018 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20TH, 2018 Around the Verse (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) Vault Update Squadron 42 Newsletter FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21ST, 2018 Roadmap Update RSI Newsletter THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27TH, 2018 Around the Verse (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) Community MVP: December 17th, 2018 We are constantly amazed by the contributions made by the Star Citizen community. Whether it’s fan art, a cinematic, a YouTube guide, or even a 3D print of your favorite ship, we love it all! Every week, we select one piece of content submitted to the Community Hub and highlight it here. The highlighted content creator will be awarded an MVP badge on Spectrum and be immortalized in our MVP section of the Hub. Don’t forget to submit your content to our Community Hub for a chance at seeing it here! Chewing the Scenery: Lorville by Hasgaha “Chewing the Scenery” is a video series in which Hasgaha showcases the environments within video games. This time, he takes a meandering, cinematic tour through the massive city of Lorville on the planet Hurston. Enjoy the full video on the Community Hub. Przeczytaj całość

In this week’s update we look at armor for female characters and take a tour of the developing Stanton System. Przeczytaj całość

December 2948 Subscriber Flair Subscribers The final piece of your exclusive Venture Explorer Suit from RSI falls into place with this stylish and functional torso section. Now you can stay safely insulated from the ravages of space and complete this soon-to-be-legendary look. Imperator Subscribers Imperator-level subscribers can complete their limited purple suit with the matching torso piece as well, and finally gain access to establishments that deny service to the shirtless. If you’re an active subscriber, these items will be added to your account on December 17th. If you aren’t a subscriber yet but want to sport this Chest Plate, make sure you subscribe no later than December 16th. More information about subscriptions can be found here Przeczytaj całość

This Galactic Guide originally appeared in Jump Point 4.11. The Kiel system was a major hub of military activity during the cold war, but since relations with the Xi’an have improved, the system has worked hard to redefine itself. The Senate’s recent official recognition of the system’s third planet, Severus, is considered proof to many that some of that hard work has started to pay off. The system was discovered by a Merchant Marine fuel collection vessel operating in the Hadrian system. The ship’s captain, Adhama Schnauss, made it a point to take a different route on each collection trip to keep the crew on their toes. One day in 2514, Schnauss noticed a strange anomaly on their scans and redirected their course to investigate it. What they found was a large jump point connected to a new system with a white, F-type main sequence star surrounded by six planets and an asteroid belt. Schnauss named the system Kiel after a longtime friend who adamantly refused to leave his home planet of Mars. Schnauss hoped the gesture would motivate his friend to finally venture into the stars to see the system that bore his name. Military pathfinders scanned the system to discover that none of the planets were naturally habitable and only the third one, Severus, was deemed suitable for terraforming. As the terraforming process was underway, jumps to two new systems (Baker and Horus) were discovered, igniting massive public and private interest in the system. Even though it hadn’t been officially inhabited, it was already well connected to the expanding eastern-edge of the empire. It had a mineral-rich asteroid belt, gas giants to be used for refueling and soon, a terraformed world to serve as the system’s nerve center. Yet, all that changed when in 2542 when Marie Sante discovered a jump into Xi’an space from the Horus system. Being connected to the Perry Line, Kiel was now only one system away from Xi’an territory, so the UPE quickly re-designated the system. Much to the dismay of the companies that had begun prospecting as the terraforming process was completed, rather than opening the system for economic development, the government drafted plans to make Severus a massive military hub, a decision that would define the system for centuries. Military Machine Once Severus was habitable, the military moved into the system en masse. Ivar Messer had recently risen to power partially by cultivating fears over the Xi’an, so pouring government funds into Kiel was considered an impressive show of force against the new alien enemies. Over the decades, the military’s strong presence in Kiel also proved beneficial for domestic pacification purposes. Its proximity to Terra was a noted concern amongst the growing anti-Messer activists, who saw it as a potential staging point for invasion. There were even rumors that Terran Senator, Assan Kieren, who mysteriously disappeared in 2638 after drafting a bill that would grant Terra sovereignty apart from the UEE, had been abducted and taken to a military installation on Kiel II. Kiel’s military footprint was greatly reduced in the early 29th century after tensions with the Xi’an de-escalated and the Perry Line was dismantled. However, as the military moved out, attracting private sector companies to replace them in the system proved difficult. With large swaths of resources removed by the military, an aging infrastructure in need of repair, and without a significant population, it just didn’t make economic sense for many businesses to expand into Kiel. That started to change under the guidance of Joona Tzur, who was elected Severus’ Governor in 2903. Tzur was one of only a few hundred people whose Kiel roots extended further than two generations, beginning with his great-grandmother who chose to remain in the system upon retiring from the Army. He knew Severus’ strengths better than anyone else and specifically recruited industries to the planet that could capitalize on the military’s infrastructure and abandoned bases. The strategy worked and numerous giants of the space industry set up factories in the system. In addition, Tzur knew that he needed more than businesses to grow his homeworld, and so he invested heavily in public leisure and green spaces, claiming that a happy population is one that grows. One of Tzur’s most notable victories came when he convinced the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo to host the event on Severus. Tzur’s main selling point was the numerous decommissioned spacecraft hangars that could house the massive event. After a rapid series of upgrades were made to the facilities, the IAE was held on Severus for the first time in 2916 and has been one of the system’s main economic drivers ever since, creating additional hotels, restaurants, and attractions in its wake. Today, in addition to the Aerospace Expo, many other conferences use the facilities throughout the year, making tourism one of the largest growth sectors for the planet. The economic turnaround and rebranding of Kiel has been considered a success by many, including the Senate who official recognized Severus in 2937. The system’s population has continued to swell ever since. With plenty of jobs and considerably less congestion than other systems (like Terra), Kiel was recently voted one of the “Top Ten Most Livable Systems” by the editors of New United. Kiel I This small mesoplanet is sun-scarred on one side thanks to it being tidally locked. Kiel II Kiel II is a rocky planet that features a thin atmosphere and a good deal of mystery. Scans of the planet reveal the presence of resources, yet the UEE has strictly prohibited any mining operations. This has led some to believe the planet may continue to house classified underground military installations. Kiel III (Severus) Severus is a rocky planet that was quickly terraformed after the system’s discovery. Named after a famous Navy admiral who distinguished himself during the Second Tevarin War, it served as a key military hub during the cold war with the Xi’an. Once relations thawed, the planet’s permanent residents worked hard to help it find a new identity. Things started to turn around after RSI agreed to open a large factory to manufacture their improved line of thrusters. RSI brought a fresh flow of people and creds into the system, which encouraged other companies to follow suit. Soon word spread that the planet had plenty of work and an affordable cost of living. Blue collar workers arrived in droves, and the planet saw its populace consistently rise for decades. It wasn’t long before the Governors’ Council applied for and received representation status, with Tzur’s daughter Janna Thurville elected as Severus’ first senator. The influx of people and business allowed the government to redesign parts of the planet for civic use. The planet’s capital, Eri City, received the most attention. A number of old, drab military structures were demolished and beautiful public parks built in their place. Though the planet still lacks a unique cultural identity, its fine dining scene is surprisingly strong. There have been great strides in making the planet’s soil arable again, and with housing expenses being relatively low, many people are more than willing to splurge on gourmet meals. Kiel IV A picturesque gas dwarf that’s a striking deep blue color. The planet’s rapid spin means it only takes 16 standard Earth hours to make one complete rotation. Kiel V This massive gas giant has a planetary radius of over 57,000 kilometers and an impressive set of planetary rings that extend well beyond that. Kiel VI It takes this protoplanet 44,512 standard Earth days (about 122 standard years) to make one trip around the system’s sun. A festival is currently being planned for the next time it reaches its perihelion. TRAVEL WARNING Miners have long coveted a chance to pull resources from Kiel II, and over the years, numerous unauthorized attempts have been made. Yet, even though the military no longer dominates the system, it still maintains a strong presence and is quick to go after those who disobey the mining prohibition on Kiel II. HEARD IN THE WIND “The true potential of the Kiel system is still untapped and unmolded. I don’t see its lack of an identity as a hindrance, but rather as the ultimate opportunity to create something new.” – Governor Joona Tzur, inauguration ceremony, 2903 “The boring, nondescript building was originally constructed and used by the military when they controlled the planet. For centuries, it housed stodgy military bureaucrats, but now it’s home to Nocturne, one of the most exciting new restaurants in the UEE. Like much of the Kiel system, what looks dull and unimpressive at first blush becomes much more fascinating upon closer examination.” - Gloria Budd, New United “Top Ten Most Livable Systems,” 2945 Przeczytaj całość

Every week, designers, engineers and other developers from our five offices around the world answer backer questions submitted on SPECTRUM and voted on by YOU. And for info on becoming a subscriber, go to: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/subscriptions Przeczytaj całość

Hello everyone, Last week, we took a look at what our teams around the globe have been up to in the Monthly Report for November. We also laid it all out on the table and took a look at the latest information on a variety of ships(including the Carrack!) in Reverse the Verse. If you missed either of these, pour a glass of Radegast, kick back, and enjoy. We’d also like to give a shoutout to all of those making the trek to Jumptown on Yela. Whether you’re a good civilian defending controversial trade routes, or a pirate looking for trouble, we’ve loved seeing all of the action and emergent gameplay going down. And with that, let’s see what’s going on this week: Every week on Calling All Devs , designers, engineers, and other developers from our five offices around the world answer backer questions submitted on Spectrum and voted for by YOU. This week we talk about NPCs moving around on ships, ship configuration persistence, ship seat heights, and more. On Tuesday, the Lore Team will publish a vault previously only seen in Jump Point Magazine. You can check out previously published lore posts here. Thursday will welcome another episode of Around the Verse where we’ll take a look at the latest Star Citizen news. If you didn’t get enough from Around the Verse, sit back and relax, as Thursday will also bring the latest Squadron 42 newsletter, hot off the press! As a reminder, Reverse the Verse is now on hiatus for the remainder of the year as we work towards wrapping up 3.4 and preparing for the holidays. See you in the ‘verse! Tyler Witkin Lead Community Manager The Weekly Community Content Schedule MONDAY, DECEMBER 10TH, 2018 Calling All Devs (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11TH, 2018 Lore Post – JP Vault (https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/spectrum-dispatch) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12TH, 2018 Subscriber’s Monthly Newsletter THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13TH, 2018 Around the Verse (https://www.youtube.com/user/RobertsSpaceInd/) Vault Update Squadron 42 Newsletter FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14TH, 2018 Roadmap Update RSI Newsletter Monthly Report November Community MVP: December 10th, 2018 We are constantly amazed by the contributions made by the Star Citizen community. Whether it’s fan art, a cinematic, a YouTube guide, or even a 3D print of your favorite ship, we love it all! Every week, we select one piece of content submitted to the Community Hub and highlight it here. The highlighted content creator will be awarded with an MVP badge on Spectrum and be immortalized in our MVP section of the Hub. Don’t forget to submit your content to our Community Hub for a chance at seeing it here! Yuletide on Yela by 6Muffin6Man6 and Friends 6Muffin6Man6 and friends completed the incredible feat of creating a Christmas tree out of landed ships. Enjoy the gallery on the Community Hub. Przeczytaj całość