With Star Citizen's "Arena Commander" module now at full bore, we popped in last night for a quick gameplay session to showcase the dog-fighting module's mechanics. Things are pretty simple right now, given their rather slimmed-down state and use of placeholder graphics assets, but it's a solid start for the ambitious title.
The module saw a rocky launch over the last week. During this time, it was announced, then revoked, and then announced again -- and the final release didn't include the maps, which delayed players from flight by another hour or two. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of a game's launch, but the internet might have you believe otherwise.
Regardless, it's out there now and it's playable. The above video is my first play session in the AC module and shows off raw gameplay footage with voice-over commentary.
It should be heavily emphasized that the game is not yet optimized for hardware in any regard whatsoever, and no GPU manufacturers have yet added driver support given the game's very early alpha state. This is v 0.8 alpha, so it's presently only available to very early backers and those who've given a lot of money to the cause. The module is a "true alpha," meaning there are lots of bugs that need to be resolved, and the players are the ones who will be finding them. Expect no miraculous visuals or smooth execution just yet -- that'll come later.
You might find some of our other Star Citizen content interesting in the meantime:
- Star Citizen FPS Mechanics Interview.
- Star Citizen Espionage & Hardware Interview.
- Star Citizen - Arena Commander Unveil Interview.
There is no release date on Star Citizen yet. The Star Citizen - Arena Commander module download location can be found on http://robertsspaceindustries.com.
- Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke.