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Star Citizen Alpha 3.23 Patch Watch | Sights and Cents

Greetings, Citizens!

As with previous Patch Watches, we’re spotlighting a selection of upcoming features and improvements that don’t appear on the Public Roadmap. So, as we approach release day for Star Citizen Alpha 3.23, here are some of the latest additions coming to the ‘verse soon.

Scopes

Coming with Alpha 3.23 is a deluge of updates to the first-person experience, from how you interact with the world to a host of UI improvements. Weapons received quite a few changes as well, and we wanted to highlight upcoming improvements to scopes.

The geometry on scopes has been fully overhauled to give the player a clear-sighted picture. Visual quality has also improved when aiming down sights, with new parallax effects and slight distortion to give the feel of an actual lens. The reticle is now projected on the sight to accommodate any barrel offset, as well.

Additionally, when aiming down sight, the player animation has been replaced with a new procedural animation set, making the transition to ADS much smoother.

Economy

As many of you know, ensuring that the in-game economy remains congruent and balanced is crucial to sustaining a fair and enjoyable gaming environment for all players. It’s a delicate undertaking that requires constant attention and adjustment, especially as we transition from Alpha to full release.

To that end, we are implementing a series of rebalancing measures aimed at ensuring that the building blocks of the in-game economy work well together in a cohesive framework. These adjustments will focus on aligning the distribution of resources, rewards, and vehicle/item prices more closely with the dynamic needs and efforts of the community and are representative of what they should be in an MMO.

Vehicle Prices Balance Pass:

Ships are something to be proud of, so the prices need to reflect that status. The new prices are based on a few factors:

  • Size – A bigger ship requires a greater volume of materials to be built and is, therefore, more expensive.
  • Manufacturer – Some manufacturers use better-quality materials (Origin), better-performing components (Mirai), and even alien technology (Esperia), all of which come at a premium.
  • Focus – In the same way a tank is more expensive than a tractor, military vehicles or those developed for competition are more expensive than civilian or industrial vehicles.

This is only the first pass at the pricing, and we will continue to adjust it to ensure it aligns with evolving in-game dynamics and any mechanics that affect the way the vehicles behave, like Master Modes.

FPS Weapons Prices Balance Pass:

Similar to the vehicles mentioned above, this is the first time that FPS weapons have been balanced together so that the pricing is cohesive within their category. The new prices have been determined based on, for example:

  • Performance – More effective weapons are more expensive.
  • Rarity – Special weapons, like the Railgun, can only be looted and are therefore valued higher.
  • Players’ expectations – In players’ view, a grenade launcher is more dangerous than an automatic rifle, so pricing has been adjusted to meet those expectations.

Rewards Rebalance:

The Economy team has also been working on a reward-balancing algorithm that factors in an activity’s difficulty, duration, risks, and the player’s current stage of profession progress, collectively termed “Effort.” Effort will be balanced against the “Reward” value, which can be expressed in terms of progress, in-game currency, items, etc. This algorithm is being tested on new events and missions, and we plan to apply it to any activity in the game to ensure that the rewards are fun and fair and do not disrupt the economy.

We understand that changes can sometimes be met with apprehension or uncertainty, but please rest assured that these adjustments are being made with careful consideration based on algorithms and with your feedback in mind. Our goal is not only to enhance the cohesiveness of our in-game economy but also to foster a more immersive and satisfying gameplay experience for all Citizens in the ‘verse.

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