You dont have to add WIP to anything… It is assumed with this game. Perpetual WIP. 
2 Likes
Lols. Accurate.
Star Citizen’s annual in-game spaceship expo - the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo - starts today. Free fly over 100 ships over the next two or so weeks.
Each day’s manufacturer/s will have a range of their ships available to rent for a 48-hour period, overlapping with the next day’s manufacturer/s. All of the ships will then return and be available for free flying for the final four days of the expo.
Here’s a handy little guide to finding your way to microTech and New Babbage where the Expo Centre is located this year.
Traveler’s Guide to the Galaxy: IAE 2952
For both new and returning players, a couple of additional info sources to get you up to speed:
New Player Guide
As you take your first steps into the expansive Star Citizen universe, you might be wondering where to find your ship when you first log in. Fear not. The New Player Guide will provide you with anything you’ll need to know.
)/newplayerguide.webp)
Knowledge Base & Traveler’s Guide
Check out the Star Citizen knowledge base for any and all questions, as well as our Traveler’s Guide where we guide you to the event convention center on microTech.
)/75/travelersguide.webp)
Pre-Flight Check
Last but not least, we created a Welcome Back page to catch you up to speed with information about our last year of patch updates. Before you jump into your ship and start your engines, we recommend you familiarize yourself with the latest additions to the 'verse.
)/landing_platform.webp)
3 Likes
Drake Interplanetary
IAE 2952 Day 1 | November 18
Drake Buccaneer : A light fighter that sacrifices durability (and its ejection seat!) for raw firepower.
Drake Caterpillar : A heavy multi-crew commercial freighter. Lightly armed with superior cargo capacity.
Drake Corsair : A worthy exploration companion, supporting you in battle, discovery, and delivery, wherever the winds of adventure may steer you.
Drake Cutlass Black : Back in black, Drake’s pirate-favorite is a highly versatile ship with combat and cargo prowess.
Drake Cutlass Blue : The Cutlass Blue boasts missiles, a more powerful engine, and Durasteel holding cells in the cargo bay.
Drake Cutlass Red : The Cutlass Red converts the standard cargo hold into a well-equipped medical facility, including two MedBeds.
Drake Cutlass Steel : Whoever has the guns and the personnel makes the rules. Drake has your back in both of those departments with the Cutlass Steel, featuring 18 jump seats and a wealth of firepower.
Drake Dragonfly Black : A two-seater grav-lev bike that easily traverses rough terrain or open space.
Drake Herald : No secret is safe. Drake’s Herald captures and stores information before leaving at blistering speed.
Drake Mule : Whether you need to transport cargo over the roughest terrain possible or load it onto larger vessels and cargo decks, the Mule works, plain and simple.
3 Likes
Shryke_ZA is my SC handle.
2 Likes
I am actually more than impressed with the quality of the graphics in the game. The sheer detail of the models for ships/weapons/buildings are amazing. I am really enjoying the game despite it’s crashes and issues.
For an alpha it is immensely playable with a ton of content. By content I mean things to do, no story or anything, just big (very big) play ground.
3 Likes
Through the 12 Days of Luminalia, CIG gave to us 6 ship paints, 4 FPS weapons, 3 shirts, 3 undersuits, 3 beanies, 2 plushies, 1 knife, and a sextant in Luminalia colours.
The annual Luminalia in-game holiday event is currently on in the Star Citizen universe. All registered accounts can claim 12 in-game gifts to add to their permanent game hangars. (These items will remain on player accounts regardless of future wipes.)
(The ship paints can be applied to either owned ships or the equivalent ship purchased in-game.)
The 12 Gifts of Luminalia 2952
The 2952 Luminalia Gifts will be available to claim through 10 January. Each days’ gift must be claimed individually by applying the coupon code LUMINALIA on the respective gift page. All the gifts this year will be useable in-game and will be added to player hangars. The gifts are (ironically) non-giftable and non-meltable - don’t claim gifts you don’t want to keep in your hangar.
- Red, Teal, and Blue “One Light” Luminalia shirts
- IceBreak and Deck the Hull Paints for the Origin 100 series
- Red, Teal, and Blue “One Light” Luminalia undersuits
- IceBreak and Deck the Hull Paints for the Avenger series
- Luminalia Sextant
- IceBreak and Deck the Hull paints for the Nomad
- Luminalia Arrowhead Sniper Rifle, FS-9 LMG, and Ravager-212 Twin Shotgun
- Red, Teal, and Blue “One Light” Luminalia beanies
- Pico the Penguin Luminalia plushie
- Gemini C54 “Luminalia” SMG
- Finley the Stormwal Luminalia Plushie
- Myondo Knife
Claim your gifts any time before 10 January. EIther go directly to each gifts claim page following the links above or:
- Log in on the main RSI website or do so at any point in the process.
- Visit the Celebrate Luminalia 2952 page.
- Click on the “Grab your Luminalia Calendar Items” link near the top of the screen. Alternatively, you could simply scroll down to the 2952 Luminalia Calendar section.
- Click on any day that you’ve missed, enter and apply the LUMINALIA code in the field under Step 2.
- View and enjoy your shiny new Luminalia gift in your hangar.
- Active players will find their claimed gifts in their inventory at their home location.
2 Likes
How did you get on? I saw your name in my Friends list - not sure if it’s live or a little delayed - but I kept getting errors trying to load into the Universe. Did eventually manage to get on a while later using my daughter’s account which only has a single ship - the nifty little Cutter - attached to it.
Took a “Find Missing Package” mission which ran pretty smoothly until I discovered the package had spawned a metre underground. Stumbled around in the dark for a bit trying to get into some of the at least 4 crashed ships around the area (ship soft death is working) before literally walking into a NPC guard. Managed to draw my pistol and shoot him, only for the guard in the turret that I’d completely missed to open up on me as I was bending over the dead NPC intent on looting him. 
I died.
Regenerated back in the med bay on Everus Harbour thinking I should have tried logging out in the ships’ bed before stumbling around in the dark. Either way, after regen, the mission was still active, the parcel to be collected still showing on the moon, alongside my death marker. PES is working. Claimed the Cutter, flew back to the outpost, saw my original ship sitting where I’d left it, my body next to the NPC I’d shot, and the other ships still there too. Then the outposts defensive turret starting shooting at me, I realised how the other ships had ended up crashed all around the place, and I bugged out.
There’s a heck of a lot of issues with the patch, and I don’t think I’m going to even bother trying to get my main logged in until the 3.18.1 fixes are out - hopefully within the week. But, the little I did experience of 3.18 was pretty positive.
1 Like
I use the USA server, lot less logging in issues during the day and morning. I was lucky to get to HUR1 before the station issues hit. I bed saved there like I always do, its my home. So was able to rent a ROC and get it on my nomad on the ground and mine rocks. No need to land at a station.
2 Likes
Star Citizen Alpha 3.18 - Lasting Legacies
The long awaited α3.18 patch has eventually reached the live Persistent Universe servers after spending over 3 months on the Public Test Universe servers. It’s probably the most significant update to the game since players first got to leave their hangars and venture into the Stanton system back in patch 2.0. It’s certainly the biggest SC patch to date.*
What’s New in Alpha 3.18
• Persistent Entity Streaming •
Technology: Universe-Wide Persistence
Persistent Entity Streaming is a huge update to Star Citizen’s core technology that enables the next generation of cutting-edge features and gameplay. From items remaining after death to visiting new star systems in future releases, it’s a major step toward a fully realized Persistent Universe that evolves with the players that inhabit it.
• Dawn of Salvage •
Gameplay: Hull Scraping
Carefully dismantle crashed haulers or tear apart the losers of battles to make a fortune with the debut of Salvage gameplay. Hull scraping is now available via the Aegis Reclaimer, all-new Drake Vulture, and by hand with the Greycat Multi-Tool. Further salvage mechanics will be added in upcoming releases.
• Drake Vulture •
Vehicle: Specialist Salvage Ship
Get away from it all to a life on the drift with the Drake Vulture. Built purely for salvage, it’s ideal for enterprising pilots looking to make a living breaking wrecks apart. This initial implementation includes hull scraping, with material mulching and processing coming in a later patch.
• Soft Death •
Gameplay: Vehicle Immobility
Alpha 3.18 introduces vehicle ‘soft death.’ Now, if one of a ship’s critical components is destroyed, the ship will remain intact but stranded, leaving its contents and crew hanging in the balance. Soft death is key to the Salvage career, as abandoned vehicles can be ripped apart for serious profit by ships like the Aegis Reclaimer and all-new Drake Vulture.
• RSI Scorpius Antares •
Vehicle: EMP-Equipped Heavy Fighter
The Antares takes the already deadly RSI Scorpius fighter and outfits it with a devastating EMP generator and quantum jammer. Disable enemy ships, prevent them from fleeing, and take complete control of the battlefield. And although upgraded for electronic warfare, the Antares hits hard enough to take down immobilized ships in a flash thanks to Size 3 weapons mounts and a Size 4 missile rack.
• Cargo System Refactor •
Feature: Cargo Mechanic Rework
Finally made possible by PES, this long-awaited refactor physicalizes cargo boxes and crates, allowing them to be picked up and moved in real-time. While vital to ships like the MISC Hull series, it also makes piracy more lucrative, as cargo persists wherever it’s dropped.
• Gen12 Graphics Renderer •
Technology: Next-Gen Update to the Graphics Engine
Like PES, Gen12 is a hugely important update to Star Citizen’s core engine. This initial version renders all transparent geometry but will ultimately deliver vastly improved performance and visual fidelity in coming patches. Gen12 is also the foundation of the Vulkan API, Star Citizen’s cutting-edge graphics platform currently in development.
• Natural Wonders •
Locations: Sand Caves & Rivers
Sand-cave networks are now waiting to be explored across the system. Alongside hosting various new and existing missions, they feature a unique harvestable that can be foraged and sold for profit. Plus, more rivers and lakes have been placed around microTech alongside the debut of rivers on Hurston.
• Secrets of Daymar •
Location: 600i & Mercury Settlement
An all-new derelict settlement has landed on Daymar, this time made up of the remains of an Origin 600i and Crusader Mercury. Like the previous settlements (and those coming soon), it features new missions that challenge players to clear out enemies, assassinate specific targets, recover items, and more.
• Kareah Reactivation •
Location: Update to Security Post Kareah Space Station
One of Stanton’s classic locations has been given a makeover with new missions and gameplay vital to the security of the system. The station is now protected by full-time Crusader Security who, alongside guarding the fabled CrimeStat terminal, have begun storing confiscated materials and contraband around the place.
• All New Missions •
Gameplay: New Missions in Orison and Klescher
Planning a productive meeting at Orison’s Inspiration Park after the defeat of the Ninetails outlaw gang? Think again, Alpha 3.18 introduces new combat missions across the business sector platforms. And for those on the wrong side of the law, doing hard time just got a lot easier. Now, guests of the Klescher Rehabilitation Facility on Aberdeen can enjoy new ways to reduce their stay, including collecting and handing in contraband.
• High Speed Thrills •
Locations: New Air and Ground Racetracks
Buckle up, new raceways are open around the ‘verse! Found across six locations, including Daymar, Euterpe, and Area18, each unique circuit offers high-speed thrills with varying difficulty and environmental challenges. Plus, a new Greycat PTV-only kart track is open in Orison for more down-to-earth racing action
• Full Alpha 3.18 Patch Notes •
The update patch size is ~13GB. If you are doing a new install, the current game size after the patch is ~85 GB.
If you are updating from an existing 3.17 installation remember to clear the old shader files from X:\Users\<yourname>\AppData\Local\Star Citizen\ (or via shortcut to %localappdata%\Star Citizen).
Deleting the USER folder from ...\StarCitizen\LIVE is also strongly recommended. (If you have custom keybinds or controller settings copy and store your Mappings folder from...\StarCitizen\LIVE\USER\Client\0\Controls before deleting the USER folder. And replace it after the launching the game once the patch is installed.
* Be warned though… 3.18 is a huge patch that makes some significant changes to the games’ structure. Its release has not been very smooth at all. Ten days later and there is a .1 patch on the near horizon that will hopefully bring better server performance and some urgently needed stability. Some people are already having a great time in 3.18. Many others are still not even able to log in. YMMV.
1 Like
Has Squadron 42 been cancelled? It’s the only part of this charade I’ve ever cared about, and I haven’t seen any news or new trailers in at least 4 years.
3 Likes
They still update in emails about it, so not cancelled but it feels that way 
2 Likes
Squadron 42 is still a thing. It’s allegedly getting the bulk of CIGs attention now, with the aim of getting it out before all hope in it is entirely lost. Allegedly. 
There is a monthly Squadron 42 Update published, but it tends to be very thin on detail and substance. Again, allegedly, to avoid spoilers and giving too much of the story away before release.
If you have a Star Citizen account, you can set your subscriptions up at the bottom of the My Account > Settings > Overview tab.
You don’t need to have a game package in order to subscribe to the newsletters, just an account. If you do create an account, even if you never intend joining the Star Citizen side of things, it’s still worthwhile creating the account using one of the MEW Citizen’s referral codes. If you ever change your mind and keep the same account to join the MMO, they’ll get a referral point and you’ll get some bonus startup credits.
1 Like
I was actually an original Kickstarter backer. Interestingly they haven’t posted updates on Kickstarter for very close to 10 years!
2 Likes
Decent preview from LevelCap of the 3.19 patch currently on the test servers. After the jank and kak that is/was the 3.18 patch, there’s some optimism that 3.19 will smooth things out a bit in time for the big annual in-universe Invictus Fleet Week event which is scheduled to start on 19 May.
When it works, it’s fantastic. If only CIG could get it to work a with a lot more stability… Soon™
2 Likes
Have a look at Red Monster Gaming’s Mining Guide and Cheat Sheets. They’ve been updated for 3.19. I haven’t used them recently, but when I last did way back when, I found them very helpful.
1 Like
I used to use them yes. Now, if you do not own a prospector, mining asteroids/planets with it is very unfruitful.
Mining gems with my space bakkie and rented ROC is also a little frustrating, not something to relax and do, sadly.
I need to find something else to relax with in SC, maybe I will look at cargo hauling next. I want to do salvaging but not possible without a salvaging ship, which you cannot get in game yet unless you dish out dollars.
2 Likes
What sort of times are you on at? We should try coordinate some time even if it is to just to get onto the same server so that I can spawn my Vulture and/or Prospector for you to play with.
1 Like
Thanks for the very kind offer. Sadly, bad internet all weekend long made me log off SC as soon as I managed to get in. The lag was just too bad.
2 Likes
Fabulous fan-made cinematic tour of the updated Area 18 landing zone from Mr. Hasgaha. Studio quality cinematics made by (very talented) player, using in-game tools and visuals.
2 Likes