Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) has announced that Star Citizen’s Alpha 3.20: Fully Loaded update is now available, allowing players to experience a major overhaul of the long-gestating game’s in-game Arena Commander module, as well as new content and feature sets in its open-world Persistent Universe (PU). According to funding stats that can be found on Roberts Space Industries, Star Citizen has raised over $600 million at the time of this writing, with backers now totaling over 4.8 million. Development of Star Citizen began in “late 2012,” according to the Star Citizen Wiki, which notes that the game still has no release date.
“Arena Commander may serve as an additional testing ground for Star Citizen, but it’s also a mode that brings a lot of joy to our diverse community. Whether it’s climbing the leaderboards in competitive PvP modes or casually exploring in free flight, we want to make that a fun, accessible experience,” said Star Citizen Creative Director Chris Roberts. “The Persistent Universe continues to expand with Alpha 3.20: Fully Loaded, bringing the long-awaited flyable debut of the MISC Hull C, which is both an impressive ship in its own right and highlights the benefits of physicalized cargo in delivering a fully immersive experience. But cargo trading is not without its danger – a fully physicalized world offers pirates a bountiful opportunity to steal precious cargo from fully laden Hull C haulers.”
Star Citizen – Alpha 3.20: Fully Loaded Features
- Arena Commander Revamp: In addition to new content and features, almost every aspect of this module has been reworked or updated. The game mode can now be interacted with entirely through a single window, streamlining the experience of getting into the action. Spawn screens have been introduced, giving players a 3D look at the map and the ability to alter their loadout or ship, while fully supporting multi-crew spawning. This is the largest update to Arena Commander since its introduction in 2014, delivering more focused, bite-sized gameplay with diverse content for racers, fighters, and competitors climbing the leaderboards.
- New Arena Commander Modes and Maps: Players looking for more combat-focused modes can enjoy familiar FPS staples including “Single Weapon Elimination” with pistols only and “Gun Rush,” or the new Tank Royale, a Nova tank-exclusive mode with classic deathmatch and team vs. team options available. Dogfighting has been expanded with new combat locations at INS Jericho space station, providing a large scale, open battlespace ideal for focused dogfighting, and the orbital Security Post Kareah, which packs its own punch with a variety of turrets that are as much of a threat as any ship. Four new racetracks from the PU have been added to Arena Commander including the community favorite Rikkord Memorial Raceway.
- The MISC Hull C Redefines Cargo Hauling Gameplay: The MISC Hull C represents the ultimate in intersystem cargo transportation, and is a necessary part of any dedicated cargo operation. Using an innovative expandable frame the Hull C can carry almost 10 times the cargo of its nearest competitors for orbital deliveries, while planetary pickups and drop-offs can be done with the frame retracted and with reduced capacity. The Hull C also supports the newly introduced automated cargo loading available at space stations, giving pilots and their crew time to count their earnings or relax and assess any damage sustained in transit. With flexible design, defensive armaments, and unmatched hauling capacity, the Hull C is how cargo gets from place to place in the ‘verse.
- New Salvage Mission: New missions continue to expand the variety of in-game content available to players and support diverse playstyles. In Alpha 3.20, criminally minded pilots can undertake the Salvage Cover Up mission, tasking them to track down a criminal ship and remove the markings off the hull to evade identification by the authorities. A job is never quite that easy in the ‘verse though, and players may find hostile forces that must be pacified before they can complete their subterfuge.
- Mirai Fury LX Takes the Checkered Flag: While the Mirai Fury and Fury MX are renowned for their combat capabilities, the new LX variant arrives to create its own legacy in the racing world. The speed and maneuverability of the Fury have been enhanced with this weaponless, race-tuned version, giving it a seemingly unfair advantage over the competition. The Fury’s unique transforming technology allows skilled pilots to attempt audacious maneuvers, squeezing through narrow corners and tight tunnels at speeds once thought impossible.
- Community Localizations and International Payments: As part of CIG’s commitment to a global community, players across the world are now able to utilize community created language localizations starting in Alpha 3.20. Furthermore, players can make purchases from the RSI pledge store using the newly added Alipay option.
Two new ships take to the stars with today’s update and are now flyable; the MISC Hull C, the titan of the cargo hauling profession with room for a crew of up to four players, and the Mirai Fury LX, a racing variant of the recently added Mirai Fury snub fighter whose finely-tuned engines and compact form make it the perfect racing ship for adrenaline junkies. New playable content and features have also been added, including the introduction of automatic cargo loading and unloading at space stations to support the Hull C’s expansive cargo capacity.
Arena Commander is a “game within a game” in Star Citizen, where players can enjoy shorter, action-packed gameplay experiences for instant session-based action without the setup time typical for the Persistent Universe. Pilots can go it alone for intense PvE combat including free-flight exploration, races, and the Vanduul Swarm horde mode, or join with others in adversarial and cooperative multiplayer including competitive racing, co-op Vanduul Swarm, and various PvP modes like battle royale and dogfighting; putting players directly in the action with any ship or weapon available in the mode. Competitive players can fight on foot, by ground, or by sky and space to earn a place on the public PvP leaderboards, earning bragging rights and the reputation that can come from being the deadliest fighters in the ‘verse. Alpha 3.20: Fully Loaded delivers the first of three significant Arena Commander updates coming to the mode, initially focusing on modernizing and streamlining the user experience to get pilots into the action faster and with more control than ever.