CGI works through pandemic to ready update

Even amidst the COVID-19 outbreak, work is still being done by Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) on “Star Citizen.” With version 3.9 of “Star Citizen” quickly approaching as more of the intended systems are completed, more information on upcoming game mechanics has come out that the March article did not cover.

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear

 One of the better things that will be coming out of this update is the ability for the artificial intelligence of other non-playable characters (NPCs), including spaceships, to have better collision avoidance. This will make it so AI who are floating about in an asteroid field do not suddenly find themselves smashed to bits by a rogue asteroid. Although it is funny when they do so.

The Star Citizen roadmap on the CIG website says, “The system considers the projection in time of the position of the agents, their size and their target velocity, and provides a steering command that is as close as possible to the original intention of each agent.” Basically, the ships move better.

Flying just got smoother

Mentioned in the earlier article, the atmospheric flight is being improved for AI ships. This will hopefully mean missions of all kinds can be given a little measure of danger due to the AI’s adeptness in both space and planetary atmospheres.

The actual way this is handled is beyond me, but essentially, the AI is able to navigate using the in-game physics of space and the planetary tech that CIG has been working on.

AI ships will use “data from the elevation map of the planet and physical information about the additional objects present (buildings, rocks and so on) to set an obstacle-free path.” This feature is to be continually optimized and improved as more patches and versions are created.

We’re all in this together

Adding friends in “Star Citizen” gameplay and outside of “Star Citizen” gameplay has been quite the hassle. Sometimes it doesn’t work and when it does work, the many options for multiplayer space gameplay are tarnished with bugs and whatnot. Now CIG is starting to put more focus on this function as other systems in the game are brought to a more finished state.

Feeling good

Mentioned in the previous article about version 3.9, there are new status options and mechanics being added to the player’s experience in-game. However, these will also be added to the AI as well.

The behaviors of the AI will be influenced by theses statuses and then it will make intelligent decisions based on this information. This will also have an effect on player interactions as well. This status system will continue to be improved and help to create the dynamic world that CIG is hoping to achieve with “Star Citizen.” 

Playing chicken with quantum jumps

With the addition and implementation of the prison gameplay into “Star Citizen,” the AI is being worked to improve the feel of bounty missions.

The biggest thing to come from this is the ability of the AI to attempt to evade the player when a bounty mission is active. This means that the AI will also be allowed to jump to a distant planet in the solar system in an attempt to lose the player. 

Prowl with the prowler

Once again, something that was mentioned in the previous article for version 3.9, was the Eperia Prowler. This ship at the time had a lot of work that needed a lot of work done to it before it was ready for the “Star Citizen” universe. Well, it looks like this troop carrier will be implemented into the game once 3.9 is launched.

This ship is meant to be used as boarding craft which appears to be timed. This is due to the additions of two larger ships into the game. These ships being the 890J Super Yacht and the Carrack. With the Esperia Prowler soon to be in the game, these larger ships may have something to fear aside from a game crash.

 Wrap-up

“Star Citizen” is being continuously improved by the great development team of Cloud Imperium Games and every update brings the game closer to completion. Along with the list of improvements is more optimization and bug fixes that the game still needs so more players can enjoy it in its entirety. Here is to a successful 3.9 launch for “Star Citizen.”