News: 10 For the Chairman

10 For the Writers Ep 01
(Citizen Star News) - by Citizen Ed - 2014-11-05 - A nice change of pace, Chris Roberts still in transit back from PAX Australia and the Writers step up to answer a few questions. Thank you Dave Haddock and William Weissbaum!



Questions, answers, and timeindexes...



Q1 - Auran Solstrider - 1:00 - With the vast and detailed universe that you are building, what place or thing are you most excited to see in the game?

A - Right now ... anything. Excited to see anything that is going in. Haddock says Tevarin. Will says Spider.

Q2 - X3rx3s - 2:10 - When writing about the alien races, how do you get yourself "into their heads"? How do you put yourself in their position and write from their point of view? I imagine it is quite different to how you write for a human character as you have to take an entirely different history and culture of species into account.

A - At the end of the day, you are still talking about a "person". Don't want to focus too much on the race but instead of on the individual. Reversing the thought it's fun to think about how humans would seem if you are not part of the culture.

Q3 - Melvach - 4:22 - What is your biggest fear related to when citizens get a hold of a large portion of the lore, such as with the Galactapedia, and start dissecting everything you've written?

A - That already happens. Hope that everything they've written is consistent. Writing themselves into a corner and avoid retconning things.

Q4 - Sharkateer - 6:08 - Will player-driven events like Operation Pitchfork affect the lore (and eventually become part of the history) of Star Citizen?

A - Yes. Small individual and group player activities will become part of the history and effect the long term history of Star Citizen.

Q5 - Dutch - 7:32 - When did RSI introduce the Bengal Carrier? From the lore we know that RSI has been around since the 22nd century, but during the Messer era Aegis were the main supplier of Military vessels like the Idris and Javelin. Was the Bengal released after this period or is it a venerable old warhorse like the Gladius?

A - Fairly recent, within 20-25 years.

Q5 - Doctor Nefario - 8:15 - Do the devs that are building the PU consult with you regarding the lore routinely? I found so many interesting things in the lore that I'm afraid it will be fiction rather than fact as I trave through the systems I've read about.

A - Yes. The lore is the source of what the PU is built in.

Q6 - Cypher Kalderese - 9:48 - The Church of the Journey is a very interesting concept to me, I am curious though if there are / will be any parallels between it and the Pilgrims from Wing Commander.

A - Not sure, possibly. No special bonuses to navigating jump points though.

Q7 - Aintaer - 10:40 - Most of the stories so far seem to be focused on the derring-do and heinous acts of heroes and villains. Do you have any plans to release tales of star-crossed lovers?

A - Ooooo. Sure. Ultimately want to have all sorts of stories. Particularly with the new Phoenix and hot tub that's perfect for romance. (Taking a wild guess and saying these guys aren't big on romance novels if they think the height of romance is a hot tub. - Ed.)

Q8 - Cogneter - 12:05 - Will the in-game events be unfolding in real time? For example, if there's a war that spans 3 months in the lore, will the players be able to experience it for 3 months of real time?

A - Noooo. Game time is condensed. Haven't locked down what the actual ratio is going to be. (Still hate this idea. - Ed.)

Q9 - [903] Harper - 13:54 - The current lore is quite the web of things to keep in mind. What kind of internal system do you use to crosscheck for internal consistency?

A - Internal Wiki. And use the public website. Really hard to keep it all straight.

Nice job guys (my quibbles aside). Good work and it was a pleasure hearing from you! - Ed.

See Also
COMM-LINK

Reddit Discussion

 

10 For the Chairman Episode 44
(Citizen Star News) - 2014-11-10 - (Delayed Publication on 2014-11-13) - A bit of Technical difficulties this week. Starting with the Comm-Link being posted a bit later than usual, but some on our end too.



We thought we'd release a placeholder and Reddit summary rather than skipping this episode...

Reddit /u/Nocturnal_Nick:

Mistwalker Asks: What, in your words, has been the hardest part of making your vision of the game a reality?

It's a little early to answer that question as there is a lot more to do. I don't know, I don't have a brilliant answer, there are a lot of hard parts. Technically, there are a lot of challenges involved with taking a really robust 3D engine like Cryengine and adapting it so that it work in our setting (Much greater scale than FPS usually, and greater fidelity of network traffic handling). The hard part creatively is infusing my feeling/idea/vision of the game across a large team. Since we've been backed to a level that we weren't expecting originally, we've been able to do a lot more of what I'd imagined might happen down the track sooner, but that introduces the challenges of building and growing that team, figuring out how all our groups and studios work together economically and to generate the best content we can. The goal of the game is to not be 2nd best to anything, so we need to always be "ON", never getting complacent. I think I could better answer this question when the game is done, but those are the current ongoing challenges.

Wall-Eminus Asks: Will pirates have a job board similar to how bounty hunters will? That way pirates can target the top bounty hunter taking out our brethren.

I definitely think there'll be all varieties of "job-boards" which will be able to be generated or hosted by organizations, with the same sort of structure. Kind of like Uber-esque, you can put yourself up there, and get rated on how well you did etc, so that version would be applicable pirates or "non conformists", and various guilds could have their own boards, which might require indoctrination to be a part of, to have access to on your mobiglass.

Buzz Killer Asks: You've stated that large ships like the Bengal Carrier will be extremely rare in the PU. Will organizations that are pursuing these ships be able to use a simulator such as Arena Commander to train up a crew on how to fly these ships before they actually attempt to capture one?

I don't actually know about that, we'll definitely have an AC style simulation that'll happen on say an Idris corvette, but I don't know about the Bengal. We'll probably just want you to figure it out in the PU. Hope that doesn't kill your buzz!

Dostro Asks: With 90% of the universe's inhabitants being AI, will what we do effect some of them follow our lead. For example, if a subsection of the community try to set up a blockade, will a subset of the NPC's join in and help while others oppose?

Definitely the actions of players in the world and economy will affect the AI. I've given the example of a factory needing 10T of ore, either a player or some AI can take that mission, they get attacked by pirates, the ship doesn't make their delivery, the factory doesn't make goods! It might put out another mission with protection, either hiring other NPCs or Players to escort the ship to make sure the 10T or ore gets through. All the AI have cause and reaction stuff that happens, whether that's something a player does or an AI does. SO a players action will have results within the economy. So if you're making a blockade, the economic nodes on the planet might hire more defenses along with the original transport mission to help deal with the blockade. OR if you're doing the blockade, you could hire players or AI to help out.

Scaw Asks: Are the FPS and Space Battles going to be instanced separately?

If the question is, say, if I'm in a space battle and some players and I board a ship will that be instanced separately then the answer is no. Inside one instance which would include space-ships AND FPS, now we'll have some network optimizations that might separate these scenarios, as we upgrade to AC 2.0 for multicrew ships as well as introducing the FPS module, but they are generally planned to be kept in the same instance.

Positronic Reflex Asks: Regarding FPS, How customizable will your helmet be? For example, will you be able to purchase different helmets for certain roles or possibly purchase chips and components as upgrades for your helmet to give you tactical advantages towards combat performance?

Yes, your helmet will be customizable. In fact it's less so much your helmet, that's more a display, but the equipment you're carrying dictates what you see in your HUD, much the same way that the equipment you have on board your spaceship will dictate what you can see there as well. The model we're driving towards is you plug different systems in (armour/smart weapons etc). Currently in AC everyone has the same HUD, but in 1.0 (or shortly afterwards) the different ships will have different HUDs, like the Aurora will have a more simple/basic HUD than a more sophisticated combat ship. Auroras might be able to track just one target while the Hornet might track 4. But you can upgrade your radar package etc etc to augment that. Longer term it'll have everything to do with your upgrades that you apply to your ship, but it'll apply to FPS as well. Very customizable is the answer I guess.

Diehydra Asks: Do you plan on offering achievements in the same similar to Steam achievements?

I'm not really keen on base achievements that are sort of abstract, so what we're going for is more in-fiction stuff, like there might be a little snow globe from a planet or settlement you've visited, or similar items, like fish to go n your tank, or a little model of an iconic building from Earth etc. So if you become a bad-ass ace in SQ42 you might have a little medal collection to add these things to in the PU. So yes, but more in-fiction stuff.

Buran Asks: What (if any) methods have been though up to counter "twitch play" in FPS? Example, a human being is not supposed to turn 180 degrees in a tenth of a second and place a precise shot right between the eyes on a foe 200 meters away.

Yes, I agree with that, and part of the design of the FPS is to prevent you from doing that. Not sure if the FPS demo showed off the detail of this, but for example you can't just run around then pull up your gun and fire off an accurate shot, that's why we model fatigue in the game. It's the same idea behind not being accurate at all from the hip, but with iron sights that improves significantly, then again when you're not moving and are rested. We're really trying to model these things to what would actually be the case. Down the road we'll show more stuff that shows this off, while still remaining fun. So there'll be a middle ground between COD style of play and Mil-Sim style play.

DKRises Asks: What are the chances of planets being damageable? Will we be able to destroy planets if we have a large enough ship/weapon?

I would say that for now and for the foreseeable future we don't plan on having a weapon big enough to damage or destroy a planet, though that may change down the track. I would say for now at least that the chances of damaging a planet will be pretty much zero, unless we create some sort of in-game event, like a meteor or something, but that'll be more of a game-master style event.

Creapola Asks: Is there a plan to create a court room/courthouse in cities for lawbreakers to get charged before going to jail, or to receive administrative seals for legal activities?

Or he may actually be referring to the question he asked! This isn't a feature we've planned, I don't think we'll have a court room/house. We're thinking if you get caught then there's a bounty on your head, and you're physically caught, you appear in a prison like we've discussed, we will try to cut out the due process side of things like the hearings etc. We are going to have a sort of player-driven tribunal system, but that's not as much for the law-breaker stuff, although that could partly be involved, but it's too early to say. For now I'll say that's not a V1.0 feature.

[Source]

See Also
COMM-LINK

Reddit Discussion

 

10 for the Chairman - Episode 45
(Citizen Star News) - by Citizen Ed - 2014-11-17 - After showing off some very nice gifts, and talking Star Wars for a bit, Chris Roberts answers our questions:



Questions, Answers and time indexes after the break...

Q1 - Craig910 - 5:00 - How do you envision players getting people into cells on the Cutlass Blue? Will they need to be incapacitated via injury/restraints then put in the cell by the player or will there be a cut scene of you putting the player in your cell?

A - Still figure out that dynamic. On top of that you won't be able to hold someone in a cell forever, as that would enable griefing. Captured players should be able to respawn and perhaps go to prison or bribe their way out, short time-penalty. A placeholder "character" is left behind, that you can deliver to authorities for any reward.

Q2 - FortyEight - 7:06 - I have noticed in a lot of the multiple crew ships that they have co-pilot seat and numerous turret gunner seats. What can we expect the co-pilot to be able to do while in or out of combat? Will they have systems to manage and weapons to operate, or will they wait for the pilot to become incapacitated?

A - Different seats allow you to split up the functions. Manage power, sensors, communications, etc. Very large ships have dedicated seats. Smaller have roles you can allocate to "crew stations". Cooperative play will be very strong.

Q3 - Rusty McKinnon - 9:28 - Is seems like there are paths for many playstyles, including missions for salvagers, pirates, mercenaries, miners, etc, but is there going to be any place in space for scholars and diplomats? Will I be able to join a college or library and be sent on research missions to study a topic or retrieve an ancient relic? Will I be able to build a relationship with an alien race to the point that the UEE might name me an ambassador?

A - Great suggestion. On the explorer side there may be Academic sponsors, Indiana Jones side. For diplomats... No, not as such. Currently don't have plans for that. At least not at first. Tools for in system reporters, be part of the advocacy. Not sure it will be as high level as a diplomat.

Q4 - ChronicSilence - 11:53 - The addition of allowing users to create APIs to remove or automate many pleasant/tedious aspects of gameplay have been vital to keeping previous games alive. What features, specifically, do you have in mind for an API in Star Citizen?

A - Way to early to say. Don't have a plan. The Website does have some plans for APIs for Organization statistics. Going to try to avoid making things tedious in the first place. Not planning to make an API to Automate game play.

Q5 - Chillzilla - 13:04 - I'm curious to know if the mobiglas is also used as an alternate communication device between players? If so, can it be used as a means of communication both text and verbal (as you would a cellular phone), between players during battle in ships, and while planetside to other players on ships?

A - Definitely be using the Mobilglas as an IM device. While you are on the ship, you are plugged in to the ship. Mobiglas is essentially a smartphone with augmented reality functionality.

Q6 - Sierra117 - 14:10 - Throughout history, cosmic events have been cultural and historic triggers for many large and significant occasions. Will we see large significant events like solar flares, Halley's Comet and solar eclipses triggering things like national holidays or large scale reactions among the populace and if so how will this be tied into the economy and culture of a system, planet, or city?

A - Yes something we are definitely something that we are planning on. As game masters cosmic events are one of the tools that can be used to stir things up. Famines, disasters - planets blowing up, could very well happen.

Q7 - Ninja_En_Short - 16:04 - When salvaging derelict ships, is it possible to encounter with some unknown life form on board? I think it might be fun and fearful to have encounter with a creature of unknown origin and force you to play a deadly hide and seek.

A - Yes! The first person enables for some very compelling gameplay in this realm. Can go anywhere in the universe, not just stuck in a cockpit or on a station.

Q8 - Nameless - 18:49 - Will there be a FPS weapon showroom similar to showrooms for space ships?

A - Yes! Stores and shops. Buy through mobiglas augmented reality to be released as part of the Social Module. And places like "Cubby Blast" on Stanton

Q9 - Gleep - 19:56 - How do you envision a person flying a Cutlass Red or MISC Endeavor Hospital ship making money? Will we receive a payment once our medical bay heals somebody?

A - Yes, there will be ways to do that, transactional job boards and contracts. Barter/payment. If they didn't do the job they could be suspended. Uber as an example.

Q10 - Emulator - 22:22 - Will there be different grades of fuel? Think 87,89,93,99 octane. Could there also be different grades of jump fuel?

A - Yes. Boost fuel is a different fuel than your base fuel. Jump is as well. Traveling around fuel is easy to "scoop". May also be premium fuels, particularly for boost.

See Also
Comm-Link

Reddit Discussion

 

10 For the Chairman - Episode 46
(Citizen Star News) - 2014-11-24 - After a quick recap of where we are now, Chris Roberts answers 10 Questions...



Q1 - Tullis -2:42 - Have you considered handling the capture of criminal characters in a similar fashion to the death mechanic? Maybe after being arrested a number of times or if the crimes were great enough the player character would be sentenced to life in prison.

A - Have discussed this. If you get captured enough perhaps it does get harder to get out, potentially you could end up needed to start a new character eventually.

Q2 - Drum - 6:00 - Will corpses in FPS have hit boxes, which in effect would allow them to be used as shields?

A - Yeah, yeah...definitely they will have their own geometry and can be hit, and you can hide behind them.

Q3 - SteveJ - 6:28 - After a difficult mission where you barely got back alive and have spent all of your credits fixing up you ship, what do you do if you don't have enough credits left to re-fuel you ship? Are there going to be missions that do not require your own ship?

A - Can probably get a loan, but yes you can accept paying jobs from PCs and NPCs to be a hired hand.

Q4 - Nostromo1977 - 8:03 - As the European Space Agency's Rosetta Spacecraft and Philae lander made history, this begs the question - Can players expect to see comets flying around in Star Citizen? Furthermore, has CIG ever considered an "ice harvesting mechanic" for comets and/or ice fields?

A - Pretty sure there will be comets as part of the variety of space phenomena, and yes there are mechanics for that kind of thing.

Q5 - Greenman - 9:02 - In regards to the loss of limb and replace it with a cybernetic arm mechanic, if I have a cybernetic aem and an enemy throws an EMP grenade at me would I lose control of my arm?

A - Good question. I would there would be a good chance that happen. Not implemented yet, though.

Q6 - Sajuuk - 9:35 - With the introduction of the 315p, one the things I've been looking at has been the tractor beam. Will we be able to manipulate our environments to better suit us in combat? For example, can we tow asteroids into different positions, or launch/slingshot debris at our enemies?

A - Not implemented, yet. Not sure what size you could manipulate, but yes. Should be able to add velocity to an asteroid and release it. Think of a tractor beam as a virtual rope. Will be modelled in the physics.

Q7 - Virtisce - 11:35 - Will beds still have a functional purpose in the PU? What about toilets and showers? Will they be used for anything more than an interactive decoration in the ship or will they provide a specific benefit for gameplay?

A - Beds as a save point, you go to your bed and no enemies around, you can save there (PU or SQ42?). Are considering having to sleep or eat occasionally in order to function. Don't want it to be heavy weight, sim on this aspect. But in a lightweight way, would be good to do this in a way that would be "fun" and not tedious.

Q8 - Migo - 14:26 - What Kind of mechanics do you have in mind for science and how do you see science being profitable/interesting? Also how big of an impact can we expect our science to have on the verse at large?

A - Fairly big question. Don't necessarily see science as an "individual" thing. There is a Science ship but it's more about breaking down or discovering things. Not at this point going to have a research science role. If new tech gets introduced to the world, will consider having players take part in that, but it would be more "unique mission" than research. Longer term there may be more of a ply path for that.

Q9 - Blackout - 17:18 - Is there a possibility that we get to choose our "home" on a planet. Let's say for instance that one has discovered a beautiful planet and decides that he/she wants to set up camp on that planet and live there. Can we build our home/hangar and place it on the planet?

A - You can acquire real estate on some planets: Hangars, Apartments. Discovered planets may get developed longer term. You may see them grow "sim-city" style. You may need to fly in supplies... etc.

Q10 - Tumuroh - 18:31 - How often do you envision average players dying and being replaced by their heirs?

A - Depends on the players play style really. Would not it to be too frequent of an event. Perhaps 6, 7, 8 "deaths" before permadeath. Depends on how often you play and how much of that is high risk activities.

See Also
Comm-Link

Reddit Discussion

 

10 For the Chairman - Episode 47
(Citizen Star News) - by Citizen Ed - 2014-12-01 - Chris Roberts perfunctorily (almost) gets to the pertinent queries...



Q1 - FuriousGeorge - 2:32 - I'm curious as to what extent that Electronic Warfare will be in the game. Will I be able to use certain techniques to make radar guided missile blow up early, or perhaps put false targets on an enemy's HUD?

A - Yes. E-warfare officers on the bigger ships. Hornet Tracker. Jam radars, hide signatures, etc. Definitely think that will be an interesting part of the game.

Q2 - Chiyeko - 3:37 - With the FPS module now taking shape, what sort of weapons will we see? Currently I only spotted what looked to be conventional chemically propelled projectiles, but will we also see something along the rail gun principle, maybe energy weapons of some sort? Will we also see different ammo types?

A - Well yes you will see all of those. There were actually laser rifles in the demo. Outlaws may have had the lasers. There will be a variety of weapons, railguns, electric bolt. All will have pros and cons in different environments.

Q3 - Kibblesnbits - 5:36 - In regards to FPS, will recoil propel players in other directions when firing in zero-g? Also, will there be hand-hold points so that even in zero-g people can set up ambushes from a stationary point?

A - Recoil is only a small kick relative to your mass. Will definitely have an effect. Yes to handholds. There will be a whole push-pull mechanic including dealing with free hand vs holding weapons.

Q4 - Koachat - 7:35 - Will ship be able magnetize to other ship hull? Such as a M50 hiding on a reclaimer's engine?

A - Yeah, classic Millennium Falcon moment? Not sure. Maybe get off the radar by getting close? There isn't really code that does this, it wouldn't be that difficult to do, but I don't know if it's all that worthwhile.

Q5 - War Dog - 8:45 - Given the ever increasing cargo holds of the newer ships, what do you see the role of the Freelancer being? For example, will there be jump points that the smaller ship will be able to navigate that will block larger ships?

A - Yes on the Jump Point sizes. Some that only a smaller ship that could navigate. Smaller ships may be able to get from point a to b quicker if there is a more direct jump route. Ships will be useful for a variety of roles. Sometimes smaller is better. There will be pros and cons for everything.

Q6 - Smart Ace - 11:41 - Will having a bounty on your head override the PVP slider bar? Some people may rack up a huge bounty and then hide their PVP bar to a low number.

A - Oh absolutely. If you get a bounty on your head from PVP you won't be able to hide by changing the slider. If you get a bounty from PVE that may not have the same effect.

Q7 - Maxx - 13:24 - In addition to going planetside, will we be able to visit moons at all?

A - Yes. Moons are basically just another (potential) landing location. Asteroids as well. (Note: this does not necessarily imply every moon is a landing zone. But some definitely will be.)

Q8 - Nathanalphaman - 13:56 - I was wondering, if I have a R&Y hangar on Terra, and I become a pirate in the 'verse. What happens when I get banned from Terra airspace?

A - You can potentially sneak in. But also you may need to "set up your shop" elsewhere may have to hire people to smuggle ships out. May want to move your assets around before you go pirate, but will probably have ways of getting your ships clear, but possibly not without cost.

Q9 - MrFixit - 15:36 - What are the chances that there will be one of a kind, never before seen, ships, weapons, gear and etc out in the PU for explorers to find?

A - Yes. There will be a bunch of that "rare/unique" stuff. Not sold in the pledge store, not on the common market. Encourage you to travel around and for interesting things in the PU. (Note: He seems to be more saying that there will be rare items, not quite unique. Can't imagine unique geometry for models, since that takes time to create and for there just to be one of would seem to be a waste.)

Q10 - Icinix - 17:21 - With the recent renege of offline capability for Elite Dangerous - is CIG still committed to providing offline Private Servers and Squadron 42 for backers?

A - Well, yes. SQ42 definitely playable in offline mode. Not be able to play coop or multiplayer offline. Definitely will be offline or private (moddable) servers, although will be smaller scale than the main PU. Still committed.

 

10 For the Producers - Episode 01
(Citizen Star News) - by Citizen Ed - 2014-12-08 - The LA based Producers of Star Citizen, Travis Day and Darian Vorlick, step in to answer your questions while Chris is busy at Foundry 42 in the UK.



Q1 - Beer4TheBeerGod - 0:56 - What changes can we expect from the Cutlass now that it's gone back to Foundry 42, and what lessons did you learn from the variant release?

A - By distributing the workload around it frees up hands for things like 1.0. The Cutlass makes an appearance early on in the Squadron 42. Lessons learned, you guys are very interested in modular ships and don't want to be locked into the function of a particular hull, so trying to adapt to that.

Q2 - Archilele - 02:33 - What are some avenues community contribution (existing or new) which you think would be a good way for new backers to engage and contribute to the game?

A - Jump into the forums and RSI chatroll to read, lurk, troll. Go make threads of what what you are concerned about, or like. Darian also recommends finding like minded people for meetups and such, but also you can use your imagination and find your own way!

Q3 - Takomi (sp?) - 04:38 - What major gameplay feature are you looking forward to and why?

A - Darian - Capital Ships; Trevor - FPS, perhaps on Capitals.

Q4 - SmartAce - 06:54 - With different producers working on separate modules, how do you ensure the modules work together to create a consistent overall gameplay experience?

A - Analogy to the ISS, as what not to do. Designs are reviewed by they different producers so that they get a consistent style across the different modules. That's a big part of the Producer's job. Global team effort, producers embedded in each team.

Q5 - BlackDragon - 10:02 - Form a production standpoint; given how many features are planned for the product, how do you make your choices on what will be in launch and what will be in a future patch? Obviously for the sake of getting the game out in a timely fashion not every feature that has been discussed will be a in at launch, what kind of feature density could we expect for the first major content patch once we've launched further down the road?

A - Product road Maps for each of the modules as well as technology teams. Foundation features first. Then additional features. Not all stretch goal features will be there at launch, but they do have a plan to get all that out there. Moving targets. Constantly evolving projects. By the time a schedule is created it is already obsolete.

Q5 - Kinshadow - 13:10 - There has been a lot of discussion about the ship pipe line and how you guys are getting into a mode of pumping ships out at a regular basis. Do you expect this 'pipeline' to ramp down after the game's release or do you expect the current rate of ships (or increased volume) once the PU goes live? Follow up question: do all the alien ships follow the same pipeline or are you expecting some to be shortcut in some way (not player pilot capable)?

A - Don't want ships are relevant serve some sort of functionality or play style. They will create ships based on what's needed. Don't have a solid answer at this point. Some of the Vanduul ships won't have fully functional interiors.

Q6 - Flint Nefario - 15:27 - It seems to me that SC/SQ42 development is proceeding at breakneck speed. How does the development pace compare to other games you've worked on? Also, how do you handle the extremely high standard that is being set because it must take considerably longer to get each step completed to "CR" quality but the backers continuously clamor for MOAR!

A - Very quickly, yes. Interesting challenge. Creating company, long term project but also sharing milestones along the way. Yes, Chis does give feedback and raise it to a higher level. All on board on building the project. (Note: not sure if there really was an answer to this question. Certainly an acknowledgement of the challenge and a commitment to get it done. - Ed.)

Q7 - Janitor - 19:29 - How robust is the plug-and-play system for the ship pipes? We already know about the size 2 tractor beam in the store which can go on any appropriately sized hardpoint, and the application of drop tanks for presumably "wet" class 3 mounts, but does that extend to other potential systems and equipment? Would there be a Size 5 sensor cluster I could put on the nose of my Avenger instead of a Size 5 cannon to go exploring with instead of interdicting?

A - *spoiler alert* Avenger isn't going to stay size 5, they've tried it and it ended up being ridiculous.

All a data driven system. Yes, as long as the size mounts match. May adjust sizes as they go a long the way.

Q8 - Flashp0int - 21:58 - Given the level of details and what we saw from the PU, I am starting to have the feeling that beyond space, there will be a few dozen football fields to walk around, but not really much to explore. The landing sequence on the planet shows a huge 30+ million inhabitant city, but you can only get to a small market place. Can you give us a scale of the planned PU size? (space stations, ground and so on).

A - 105 star systems with an average of four landing zones each. ArcCorp was just a demo. Terra might include residences "called the blocks", can add connected spaces through the mass transit system. Constantly going to be growing. Can't give a square yardage, yet.

Q9 - BerzerkButton - 24:47 When will we get Arena Commander currency and the beginning of the ship component upgrade system?

A - Good question! That has definitely been asked. Coming to a patch to you next year, ... before 2.0, but not in 1.0. Then you'll be able to purchase (or rent?) the weapons VD.

 

10 For the Chairman Episode 48
(Citizen Star News) - by Citizen Ed - 2014-12-15 - Freshly back from Europe, Chris answers our questions but not before giving us some news:

Has been in England preparing for big "shoots" for Squadron 42.

Sidetrip to Germany which should lead to some big news next year. (CryTek related maybe? - Ed.)

He mentions visiting and partnering with Imaginarium, Andy Serkis' company in London (Gollum, Planet of the Apes, upcoming Star Wars films), to push performance capture "to the next level". The guys at Imaginarium are apparently (SC and/or CR?) "fans". That is pretty mind-blowing.



Summary and timindexes...



Q1 - Randomtask - 5:18 - One of my favorite parts of Star Trek was watching the crew come up with interesting ways to use their non-combat equipment to trick distract, disarm or otherwise overcome more heavily-armed or numerous opponents. That said, will science-oriented vessels like the Carrack be able to use their non-combat equipment in novel ways against aggressors, beyond their standard applications?

A - Pretty good ... uhm... question... Definitely looking at countermeasures. Not sure specifically the Carrack although are planning more modularity that should allow flexibility. Hard to appreciate it right now, but almost all the functionality of even the smaller ships flying around in AC are based on equipped items. Computer, radar, etc. The signature system, which will be introduced in ACv1.0 will allow a lot of interesting game play in this vein. Hiding in asteroids and etc.

Q2 - Julian Delphiki - 8:56 - What happens to your ship if you fail to navigate a jump point? Are pulled out an unknown system location between the two end points or somewhere else?

A - Several things could happen. Spit out at some random location, or ship is destroyed. Some context would apply, but like is there some place where it would make sense for you to be spit out. We've not entirely worked that out yet.

Q3 - Marko Fowles - 9:38 - Will players be able to own and operate factories that produce (alien) tech and how does a factory get founded?

A - Not sure about alien tech. But factories (aka production nodes) are definitely planned. As things grow, more "slots" would be available.

Q4 - Rex - 11:06 - Will a coms officer be able to scan for and listen to other player's/NPC's ship to ship or EVA communications over various frequencies? Will it be possible to encrypt and hack communication signals?

A - Yes. Something like a "mini-game" there. Yes encryption and decryption (code breaking) could be a part of that.

Q5 - Stormfire962 - 12:96 - Can you please tell what kind of tools will be available to organization to help track expenses, ships usage, supplies, missions and etc?

A - Allow orgs to pay it's members for missions, tax or tithe members. Common assets. All still early days. Some of that will be on the web site. Slowly building in these things. Part of the lobby, org system and Planetside module that will be released next year (were you will be able to invite people into your hangar and do things).

Q6 - Pendulum Effect - 13:42 - How do you foresee snub fighters being deployed on captial ships? Will be it launch tubes similar to Battlestar Galactica or do you have something else in mind?

A - Don't really have launch tubes... most ships fly off the flight deck. May have quick launch systems on rails which could be somewhat similar, but with out the tubes.

Q7 - Cantara - How much interaction can we expect from AI in the PU? Will AI on my ship or planet-side comne up to me and start a conversation or tell me something important or will players need to approach every AI in order to ask question or interact with?

A - NPC AI will be both passive and active. Some of the characters will have their own personalities and goals. Trying to make our AI more dynamic.

Q8 - Sicus - 16:40 - In the PU, if I choose one of the planetside hangars can I leave the hangar and visit shops and pubs on the planet? If so, what if I choose the asteroid hangar? Will I have to fly with one of my ships to a planet or will there be some sort of shuttle service?

A - Yes, you can leave your hangar. Asteroid hangars would be a big asteroid with mulitple hangars and have shops and pubs of it's own. There will also be public transportation. Will be some pirate locations.

Q9 - Johnjohns - How much additional support will drop-ship pilots be able to provide for their ground teams? For example, a pilot be able to assist the strike force with an additional pair of eyes by monitoring their motion sensors, vital signs, helmet cams, etc?

A - Aliens comes to mind, should probably support that but can't promise that at this point. Kinda cool. Will take that under advisement.

Q10 - Drachir - 19:24 - Once Squadron 42 is complete and out the door and the PU up and running, are there any plans to work on other single-player campaigns? Maybe something non-military, or maybe play as a member of an alien species?

A - Yes, definitely. Squadron 42 is the first in a series. Some will be military and some maybe civilian. Haven't really nailed down what that will be yet, but do plan on continuing in that vein.

 

10 For the Chairman - Episode 49
(Citizen Star News) - 2014-12-22 - Chris Roberts joins us to answer a few questions:



Recorded after the livestream apparently. Before I think it become clear there were going to be serious difficulties staying connected.

Q1 - 1:49 - Roland Deschaingun - How would you compare your vision for sharing information across ships (e.g. a Hornet Tracker sharing info to a C&C center on an allied cap ship) to sharing information across crew stations? Will signal/signature visibility, transmit/recieve equipment, interception, encryption, etc. be considerations?

A - Definitely signal/signature, broadcast distance/range, cpu power, encryption, so yes to all. Disrupting you opponents communication and interception/hacking, yes. Planning to have a fair amount of this kind of thing.

Q2 - 3:08 - SilentRuin - I've heard a friend can login to an NPC position. But it brings up the question - since I hired an NPC for the position - how does a player get paid for doing that job? Is the NPC paid in escrow and then if a player subs in for X time they get X slice of the salary?

A - No. You'll hire a crew. You have to pay them. When you are in space you can invite your friends to play the NPCs, but there is no paying the Player. NPCs stay there, they are just controlled by PCs temporarily. (Players do this to have fun, could say they get paid in Fun not in game cash. If they want to get paid in UEC, they'd have to sign on as crew and bring their own characters. - Ed.)

Q3 - 4:39 - CyberianTiger - How will social status play into the game? Will there be a benefit to having earned citizenship? Will there be be planets we can't visit without citizenship or limitations on what we can do without citizenship?

A - Definitely be part of the game. Track your relationship with various groups. Citizenship is part of that. Some areas citizenship may be a disadvantage, with pirates for example. You will get some access to stuff that you can't if you don't.

Q4 - 6:54 - Julien Delphiki - How will the jump point discovery mechanic work? Is the jump point discovery expected to be real-time flight manuevering or is it strictly based on sensors and electronics that can map the jump point?

A - You need to scan to find it. Not going to be automatic. When you find the "point of entry" then you have to fly it... to map it. Haven't prototyped it out fully. "Surf the tunnel." Automatically go back. Some of the gear will be capable or as capable.

Q5 - 8:45 - Drum - Can someone Re-sample or Re-Do a jump point sequence that would be faster or less of a thrill ride than the original data created? Or once it is accomplished, that will be the only way to do it ever?

A - Really interesting idea. Current plan is only path... but it would be interesting to do this so that you could get a better time, or more efficiency. Play with that when we get it prototyped.

Q6 - 9:30 - Vic - How will players be able to establish relationships with NPCs? Will NPCs ever initiate interaction with the player, perhaps coming to them with a job as suggested by the MISC Freelancer commercial?

A - Yes. NPCs will initiate interactions and they may come to individuals with jobs. Job board is the main place. Want to make them seem real. "Meta AI"

Q7 - 11:14 - ERK - Will we see longer ranged smart-weapons both for attacking ships and smaller targets that are comparable with present day weapons (i.e. Harpoon, Tomahawk, Phoenix, etc)?

A - Think longer range stuff will probably come in later, once the bigger maps come. A lot of long-range gameplay. Will be some limitations since it won't be much fun if all combat ends up beyond visual range.

Q8 - 12:28 - Jacknife - With the recently announced modular approach to ships, are you and the team considering a simple "plug-and-play" approach, like the current method of configuring small ships in Arena Commander, or would swapping out internal modules be a larger undertaking, perhaps requiring a machine shop and several in game days of downtime for the ship to be reconfigured?

A - Good question. Not sure we've really decided. On a bigger ship, may take longer. Haven't made a decision on that. Putting it off till we get working and can play with it.

Q9 - 14:27 - Euno - How will transportation of ships be handled? For example if I am a trader and I want to bring a few hornets to sell in a warzone will the be transported in parts allowing them to fit in my cargo or do they have to be transported fully assembled?

A - Right now... fully assembled. So they would have to be flown there or you'd have to have a ship big enough to carry them.

Q10 - 15:35 - Rodent rascal - Will a merchant player be able to bribe the character slot NPC crew of their competitor to mutiny against their boss?

A - Not planning to do that at the moment. Take it under advisement. May have fun with morale and mutiny somewhere down the line. There will be some elements of it. Skill levels and morale. But no mutiny for SC 1.0.

Happy Holiday wishes from Chris and the team! Thank you for your patience (do realize it's taking longer than would be liked) and next year should be pretty amazing!

 

10 For the Producers Ep 03
(Citizen Star News) - by Citizen Ed - 2015-01-12 - You can really tell these guys are hitting their stride, pulling all these things together. Producers Travis Day, Alex Mayberry, and Darian Vorlick answer your questions about Star Citizen!

Unfortunately I have a difficult time summarizing the writers and producers shows, not as amenable to it as when Chris does these shows. I'll just hit a few highlights and link to the excellent work that the reditors do over in the /r/StarCitizen subreddit.



In this episode they take questions on the role of producers, process, the meaning of double precision, companion apps, missiles, and even avatar gender equality.

It was good to see Alex Mayberry, clearly in charge here. He's been laboring in the background for so long.

Smaller "sub-capital" multi-crewed ships will get modularity that is essentially slimmed down versions of their capital equivilents. One pretty basic example is the C&C that the Constellation is supposed to get.

Smarter patching is being worked on.

Big priority task at this point is balancing the missiles.

See Also
COMM-LINK

Reddit Discussion (including summary and TL;DR)

 

10 For the Chairman Episode 50
(Citizen Star News) - By Citizen Ed - 2015-01-19 - Chris just back from Europe. Helping set up the Frankfurt, Germany office.



Environment Summit coming up, just completed the Ship Summit. It's summit season as they revisit all the plans and lay out the work to be done this year.

New patch coming with major work on Missile Balance and Counter Measure fixes.

Q1 - 6:57 - Bearing - Will there be medals and rank in SQ42? After we complete the campaign will we be able to frame all the medals, badges, and final rank and anything else we earn and display it in our hangar or home?

A - Yes. That's definitely intended. In game, in fiction awards. In the PU there will be mementos and things like that as well. Now considering having PU and SQ42 being capable of happening in parallel, "Campaign Dairy" fills out as you get deeper into SQ42.

Q2 - 9:31 - Void Stalker - Can you tell us a little about how you envision the artistic look and feel of moving through a jump point? We have seen everything from light filled "tunnels" that you surf, ala the Wing Commander movie, Stargate or Freeelancer, to streaking stars in Star Wars and Star Trek. Do you plan something visually along those lines, or do you have a unique artistic twits up your sleeve that you don't mind sharing with us?

A - Just starting to work on that. Jump Point for interstellar and Quantum Travel in system (Speed of light * .2 (or slightly higher than that did he just say?). Still playing with the ideas. Jump Points should be surfing tunnels. Quantum would be more Star Trek like. Also considering unstable Jump Points. Drift over time requiring occasional re-navigation or some might be so unstable that you have to fly them manually everytime.

Q3 - 13:49 - Admiral - Can you tell us more about how you see the role of capital ships in the game? Do you see them as viable exploration, mining or trading vessels, suitable for diverse uses, or will they be strictly combat oriented?

A - Would depend on how you want to use them. They are built to survive out in space for long periods of time. Great base. Mining might be more difficult but small mining ships could base off a capital. Modular elements may enable that flexibility down the road. Retaliator is going to be the pilot ship for the module elements which will get into the capitals.

Q4 - 16:32 - Where is the line drawn in legalities inside the Verse whin it comes to theft vs reclaiming? Will this depend on when players eject?

A - I don't know, that is a good question. Would think that if you shoot up a ship and then they eject then that's stealing. If you are an uninterested 3rd party and didn't witness the act then you can probably salvage free clear. Something that they will be figuring out sometime soon.

Q5 - 18:10 - Sheppard22 - can you please go in depth about the PU trading system? Will you make profit without ever leaving your ship, or will it be more complex where you have to unload your cargo and take it to shops trying to sell it?

A - When you land on planets this will generally be handled by manifest so you wouldn't necessarily need to leave your ship. Some specialty cargo may need to be handled differently. Some places may not have that level of facility to handle the cargo for you.

Q6 - 20:18 - Cpt. Darkstar - Are there any plans to have our ship sensors synched to our mobiglas? This would allow us to periodically check up on our exterior surroundings while we are exploring interior area and make sure we are not left stranded.

A - Yes. And maps, charts, etc. Was just looking at some the features, like depressurizing the cockpit. We'll be seeing some of these appear in AC sometime soon.

Q7 - 22:18 - Marius - Will there be Tiered Factions, Governmental Organisations and career opportunities within them?

A - Yes. Definitely. Governmental orgs are NPCs versions of the same type of orgs. Hierarchical. Offer jobs. Relationships.

Q8 - 23:45 - Blakethepatton - With there being other alien races, does that mean that there will be other currencies with a need for currency exchange office?

A - Different races would have different currencies. But at the moment it may be handled as a fixed exchange rate, at least in the early stages.

Q9 - 24:39 - PositronicReflex - Will rovers have limitations on the area that they can explore due to such factors as power, fuel drains or map barriers? Also, will they be able to be destroyed?

A - Yes limits. All of the above. Planetside areas will be pretty limited, 16-30 sq kilometers max to start. And yes there will be damage modelling and destruction.

Q10 - 25:49 - Talon Karrade - As stated previously when you lose a larger or rarer ship it may take longer for a new one to arrive in your hangar. Will we have the ability to pay UEC to fast track our ships manufacturing and receive it sooner?

A - Good question. Hadn't thought about that. Replacement is based on supply and demand. Too early to answer that question.

See Also
COMM-LINK

Reddit Discussion

 

10 For the Chairman Episode 51
(Citizen Star News) - by Citizen Ed - 2015-01-26 - Chris answers a few questions after spending a while talking about a new LA space. Descriptions of how packed things are. New space used to be a photography studio, they are keeping one of the areas dedicated to Community programs and MoCap. Adding some local QA in the new office. Got lucky and got a deal. Move planned around June.



Q1 - 6:50 - Raeyick - I've seen a lot of talk about food, sleep, showering, etc. Many ships have features for the immersion effect but are there plans to actually make these commodities/needs affect the player? In other words, will sleeping grant a bonus to black out tolerance or food give players a buff like the do in most MMOs?

A - Talked about before. Do like the immersion features and that ship has features that make it seem real. Don't like the tedious level of requiring self-maintenance. Light effects expected. Light RPG immersion factor. Automated fashion.

Q2 - 9:30 - Drum - Would we be able to capture, decrypt, and interrogate the information drones which are transferring news and information through the various jump points, and possibly find a market for the information gathered? If so, would it also be possible to do a catch and release, thereby doing this under the radar without the knowledge of the true recipients?

A - Yes. Think that would be something a focus of the info runner and associated mechanics. Part of it is getting information to the recipient securely.

Q3 - 10:27 - Eoi Telemnar - Do you plan on any of the larger ships, i.e. the Starfarer or Carrack, to be hangar ready in 2015?

A - Starfarer yes... Carrack maybe. Starfarer is needed for SQ42 and that would require it to be at least hangar ready. Still hiring people for the ship team(s). Retaliator as well. Talking about some new systems that should blow us away.

Q4 - 13:12 - Mr. Everything - If I am flying with a squadron of friends and we encounter a jump point, will we all be able to enter at once or will we have to go through one at a time?

A - Good question. Haven't really figured out the group jump. Are considering "link-ups". Also Jump point size might have an effect. Goal would be to have you be able to fly from instance to instance with your friends and not get separated.

Q5 - 14:18 - Renji - Will our missiles be able to lock on to specific points of the larger capital ships such as the engine or cockpit, or will we have to aim them manually?

A - On bigger ships, you will be able to do some specific systems targeting.

Q6 - 14:50 - Xenoshaft - How will back packs and/or "kits" work in SC. Will we end up putting a backpack on and then have access to so much room to place items, like a more traditional MMO/RPG?

A - Yes, that is the design. It is all physically fit. This goes from pants pockets to back packs to hangars. Number of items of X size. You'll actually see the items.

Q7 - 16:40 - Space Monkey - In addition to the skills that must be acquired by players such as ship piloting, will there be any character skills or perks such as being able to speak alien languages?

A - Don't have any plans for this now. Equipment can sort of fill this role. Buy better tools that allow you to do certain things. NPCs have this but for the players it's what you do as a player.

Q8 - 18:08 - Tools - How do you envision player to player sales in the PU? Will other players simply browse my goods through their MobiGlas, or will there be an opportunity for a storefront?

A - That aspect is something we are discussing. Are considering store fronts eventually. Banu Merchant Man concept is sort of a mobile store front. There will probably also something like craigslist were players can arrange to meet.

Q9 - 19:42 - Inspiration - Will a capital ship be able to extend its shields around a docked/connected smaller ship to provide additional protection during this delicate process?

A - Probably not. Each ship takes care of it's own shields.

Q10 - 20:34 - Chaplain - Will pilots have the ability to lock bulkheads in their ships as a means to make boarding attempts more difficult? Maybe depressurizing and re-pressurizing compartments as a means to fight back using ship systems?

A - Yes they will! Lock down mode. Boarding may require hacking door locks.

See Also
COMM-LINK

Reddit Discussion