The master-modes are one new approach to ship maneuverability from Star Citizen. Speed can be an asset but also a disadvantage, and the balance is difficult to find. The developers have tried a lot of different designs, including via a “soft-cap“, an artificial limitation, recommended, of the speed but it does not work as desired. So today they introduce the master-modes, which work according to their internal expectations, and which make it possible to solve many problems. The master-modes are 2 in number: SCM and MCQ.
SCM
SCM mode is the functional mode of ships. In this mode, them capacitors are activated and so we can use his weapons, shield, mining head… But not its quantum engine. However, in this mode, the effective speed is limited between 200 and 300 m/s. It is possible to exceed this speed with a boost, but not to maintain it. Speed thus becomes a limited resource, which must be managed in the same way as all the other components of the ship. This mode allows for a positional style of combat, avoiding jousts, and improving the effectiveness of larger ship turrets.
MCQ
QCM mode is the quantum displacement mode. The capacitors are deactivated, and with them all systems of the ship, except the quantum engine. In this mode, it is possible to reach the Maximum speed of the vessel (>1000 m/s). The mode of quantum displacement changes drastically with this appearance. In this mode, the boost is actually a quantum booster. It will allow you to move very quickly between relatively close points of interest, without having to target them directly. It also becomes possible to slightly maneuver your ship in quantum travel in this mode.
Mode change
Depending on the category of the ship, the mode change will be more or less rapid, but never immediately. An interceptor could for example approach very quickly, make an equally rapid change, in order to be able to fire. The system is functional today, but it will take time to arrive on the servers, as it will have to be manually adapted to each of the more than one hundred ships in the universe, as well as balancing their values in this new mode.