TEMA: PTU 1.2 Social Module

WLeverett.CIG: Hey guys! We won't be adding more invites tonight... but here a ProTip! If you want in on the next round which is coming in the next 24 hours, make sure you log on to AC right now as the next round will be from players who have actively logged in the last couple of days.

I. Special Terms: Pre-Release Testing

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Greetings everyone and happy Wednesday!

If you are receiving this email, you have been specifically invited to PTU to playtest Star Citizen 1.2 which features the multiplayer Area 18 landing zone of ArcCorp in the Stanton system, which you saw in the GamesCom demos.

It's our very first element of the Social Module we're rolling out to our backers... and it's available exclusively to you on PTU starting right now!

PLEASE NOTE: We're respectfully asking our initial test group to refrain from livestreaming and taking screenshots during this test. Not only is Area 18 lacking major features that we will be deploying in the coming weeks, but more importantly, we don't want anything spoiled for all of your other fellow Citizens. We want everyone to have that epic feeling of wonder and surprise when they walk through that elevator for the first time!

You'll be able to log into your Hangar, walk through an elevator, take it up to the ground level of ArcCorp, and explore the main city. From there, you will be able to see other Citizens, chat with each other, run around in various shops and buildings, and explore the very first living, breathing component of multiplayer action in the 'Verse.

This is a very early introduction to the Social Module, but we're extremely proud of this major milestone in building the BDSSE!

Star Citizen Patch 1.2 – PTU

The Social Module has been released to the PTU, and is now available for player testing. During this initial testing phase, PTU access will be restricted to a small group of players that we will expand on over time. This patch provides access to our first multiplayer planet side environment, ArcCorp’s Area18 landing zone, with all the scenic vistas our team has been hard at work on. This will also include our first iteration of our augmented reality system, emotes and chat system.

Additions:

Gameplay The main elevator is now active for all pilot hangars and will allow access to our multiplayer ArcCorp module. For Selfland, Revel & York, and Aeroview hangers, you can find the elevator through the double-doors directly behind your character when spawning into the central bay. Once inside, the elevator to ArcCorp is located on your right. For VFG Industrial Hanger, you can find the double-doors underneath the platform where your character spawns, across from any ship you currently have in the central bay. Once you’ve passed through the double doors, the elevator to ArcCorp is located on your right. During this testing phase of the social module and ArcCorp, characters will now appear in one of six random gear loadouts when they spawn into the Hangar. You can only swap between the six loadouts in the Hangar, via the “F6” key. The available loadouts are Marine Light, Medium, Heavy and Outlaw Light, Medium, Heavy. Whatever loadout a character is wearing when they travel to ArcCorp will be retained for the rest of that play session.

User Interface The screenshot keybind has been moved to “Print Screen”. “F12” is now the toggle for the chat interface.

Gameplay Transition animations for moving between standing, crouch and idle have received some minor improvement for a smoother and more realistic experience. Jump animations have received some minor improvements for a smoother experience.

Fixes:

Ships Fixed a collision issue with the Origin M50 Interceptor that allowed players to see into the ship cockpit from the outside and potentially become stuck. Fixed an issue with the Vanduul Glaive, where the pilot hands would not always connect properly with the ship handles and interior components when entering or exiting the ship. Fixed an issue with the beds in the Cutlass Black, where your character would teleport outside of the ship when trying to lay down in the starboard bed.

Environment A number of collision issues that were allowing characters to clip out of the Revel & York hangar have been resolved. A number of collision issues that were allowing characters to clip out of the VFG Industrial Hangar have been resolved.

User Interface Fixed an issue where graphics in the game options menu would occasionally overlap with each other.

Arena Commander Module:

Fixes:

Gameplay Fixed an issue in Arena Commander where hosts were not always being removed from the Lobby when they left the match. Fixed an issue in Arena Commander where the host of a game would sometimes not be able to cancel their search due to matchmaking crashing. Fixed an issue in Arena Commander where players could be put into a broken lobby if the matchmaking service crashed while they were in a game. The HUD colors on the Avenger, Gladiator, Hornet (all variants) and Cutlass (all variants) have been updated to be consistent. Fixed an issue where the countermeasure interface on the Mustang HUD (all variants) would overlap with other UI elements. Fixed an issue where the Vanduul Glaive designated “Tank” at the end of Tutorial Chapter 6 would sometimes become immortal.

Social Module Additions:

Gameplay Our first multiplayer planet side environment, the ArcCorp Area 18 Landing Zone, is now available for testing. During this testing phase where players will have a shared ‘spawn’ location, player collision is disabled on ArcCorp. The first areas available to explore in ArcCorp include: ArcCorp Customs area. Medical Bay. JobWell, sponsored by the Trade and Development Division of ArcCorp. G~Loc Bar. Astro-Armada. Dumper’s Depot. Cubby Blast. Some areas of ArcCorp are not available on the PTU during this initial launch. Some of those intentionally off-limits include: The Casaba Outlet. The Medical Bay Emergency Room. The ArcCorp landing pad. The elevator to the second floor of Astro-Armada. The firing range at Cubby Blast. You can return to your Hangar when you’re done exploring ArcCorp, via the transport elevator in ArcCorp customs that you originally arrived in. You can also leave via the “Return to Hanger” button in the game menu. Our first set of fully animated emotes are now available for players to use in ArcCorp and the Hangar. The full list of available emotes and their variations can be viewed in the chat interface, via the “?” button. Augmented Reality is now available for players to test in ArcCorp. You can access this new functionality via the “F2” key. Our chat interface has launched and is now available for players to use in both ArcCorp and the Hangar. You can bring up the chat interface via “F12”. Players can now chat in our first channel (designated Local at the moment) which is shared between the multiplayer ArcCorp and single player Hangar.

Known Issues:

Gameplay Player collision will sometimes disable during game play within ArcCorp Players will sometimes appear to T-pose while running upstairs Player character animations will sometimes desync between clients

User Interface The chat interface cannot be resized Many of the buttons in the chat interface are intentionally grayed out while their functionality is receiving additional polish Chat scroll will stop updating when chat is spammed excessively Social Module elevator UI will incorrectly display “Connection Failed” instead of a “Server Full” message Augmented Reality text will sometimes not display other players’ names Client crash will occur when F12 is spammed excessively to open and close the chat window There is only one chat channel across all game modes and instances