Thorsten Leimann joined the studio developing Star Citizen about a year ago. He and his team led the supply development, which was their first full work. They are currently working on recycling and three more gameplay loops. He was able to present this Saturday his vision of the work on these different systems.
Recycling
Recycling is a long overdue gameplay. Players with a Reclaimer look forward to using it to its full potential. The first iteration will mainly see the recycling on foot with the Multi-Tool. This one has already been presented in an ISC and is progressing well, we should be able to try it out shortly. He also ensures that the implementation is complete on the Vulture and the Reclaimer with the corresponding UI, and that this is already a major step in the advancement of this gameplay. The UI has been thought out in depth, taking into account all that the mining UI has been able to bring as lessons.
The Reclaimer’s claw won’t be usable in T.0 (first iteration), this one focuses on dismantling ship hulls. However, there will be two usable recycling turrets in the Reclaimer from the first instance. On the other hand, the use of the gripper will be their priority once the first iteration is finished.
Gameplay at T0 will consist of recycling the hull of a wreck, which will liquefy its material. We can then store this liquid to resell it, or use it to repair the hull of one of our own ships with the Multi-Tool. The goal for recycling ships is to have the ability to create this repair “ammunition” for the on-foot tool, as ships cannot do the repair on their own.
Fuel Refining
The presentation of the Expanse ship put a spotlight on this gameplay. Their goal with this gameplay is to establish real depth. The possibilities they would like to offer will range from a simple button to get the fuel you want, to developing custom fuel recipes and formulas. They are studying the chemistry behind the process in an attempt to make it look almost educational.
Life support
Life Support gameplay is all about maintaining a breathable atmosphere in places in space such as stations, ships, suits, etc.
In the vessels, there will be an air treatment device (skimmer). This will monitor the levels of O² and CO² in the cabin, and adjust them if necessary. It will also treat toxic gases, and poor maintenance may cause damage to the crew.
Regarding the combinations, this gameplay will allow a step closer to simulation. They want to put an end to infinite oxygen in helmets. This means that you will have to remove your helmet wherever it is allowed so as not to consume oxygen unnecessarily. Some ships will have a system connected to the suit, mostly single-seater ships. But those with an interior will see the need to remove his helmet.
Flight engineers
One of the main functions of the flight engineer will be the physical maintenance of the ship. Once the wear mechanisms are in place, the engineer will need to ensure that all ship components are functioning properly. His daily life, on the other hand, will be to take care of the distribution of energy within the ship, particularly for the older ones. He will then be able to reflect on the necessary balance and reduce the amount of energy in one component of the ship, to supply or super-supply others.
If Thorsten can’t talk what the first iteration of engineer gameplay will be about. Rather, he speaks of what he would like to see at T0. He then said he wanted to see the physicalized components appear, and the possibility for engineers to replace them physically. He also points out that the UI is a very important point in the development of this gameplay. The engineer must be able to centralize information to act accordingly.
He reminds that there was a titanic background work to see and imagine gameplays such as that of engineer, and that the system present in 3.17 is not necessarily the system on which the gameplay of engineer will be based . However, Thorsten assures us that the technologies have been put in place, in particular that allowing the various components to communicate with the main system as to their state, their energy level and such. And this in such a way that the gameplay can progress in depth and scale (stations, villages, etc.).
Refueling
The reason they focused on player-to-player fuel refill gameplay, is to allow Pyro players to refuel. There will indeed be quite a few stations on Pyro, and allowing players to supply themselves in another way was important, but they will continue to try to improve the user experience. Inclusion of AI and NPCs in resupply gameplay is one of their priorities, once the gameplay is reliable.