If there is one thing that this latest version of Star Citizen has shown us, it is that yoga lives on many centuries from now.
While later than usual for the ambitious space sim’s quarterly updates, developer Cloud Imperium Games have today made Alpha 3.9 of Star Citizen available to all backers. While the update does not offer as many new ships as recent quarterly updates such as the Anvil Carrack or the Origin 890 Jump, where it truly shines is its incorporation of the New Babbage landing zone. Following earlier landing zones which have followed the heavy-industrial design style, New Babbage is the first chic, and modern planetside hub players can land their ship and explore.
Regarding core tech, this update introduces Weather Locomotion and numerous performance optimisations to increase framerates across all PC specifications. While you will still see NPCs T-Posing everywhere, other gameplay system improvements include an overhaul of the contacts system, a brand new prison system, updates to the player interaction system with NPCs and more. In addition to the New Babbage landing zone, the planet moons of microTech (Calliope, Clio and Euterpe) are also introduced.
Despite being without a large, major ship to show off – this update makes the Esperia Prowler stealth dropship flyable. Not my cup of tea personally and lacking much in-game practicality at this point, but does look rather cool. Furthermore, Alpha 3.9 introduces a refresh to the Misc Reliant line of ships, giving all four variants – Hauler, Fighter, Researcher and Broadcaster – more firepower.
For a full look at what’s been included in this update, and what players should expect for the big Alpha 4.0 due in the coming months, consult the Star Citizen Development Roadmap.
