Happy Wednesday, everyone!
Every two weeks, we accompany the Roadmap update with a brief explanatory note to give you insight into the decision-making that led to any changes. This is part of an effort to make our communications more transparent, more specific, and more insightful for all of you who help to make Star Citizen and Squadron 42 possible.
With that said, let’s go ahead and dive into this week’s Roadmap Roundup!
-CIG Community Team
Notable Changes for August 21, 2024
Progress Tracker
We're excited to share the updated production schedule on Progress Tracker through the end of 2024! We've made some changes to how the roadmap operates, reflecting the more agile approach we're taking as we near major milestones. This has led to a significant shift in how deliverables are tracked, while still offering transparency into our team's focus. We've tweaked the system to give you better insights into what our teams are working on throughout 2024, with 2025 to come.
Since Squadron 42 reached feature-complete status last year, we've reorganized our teams into cross-discipline groups to prepare for the upcoming milestones, including 4.0, 1.0, and Squadron 42's launch. These teams now collaborate across various disciplines to deliver features and content, rather than being tied to specific resources focused on a single deliverable.
As a result, deliverables are now tracked by the "owner" of each feature, which is how they will be displayed on Progress Tracker moving forward. Downstream teams like Audio, VFX, and others won't be individually represented, as their work is integrated into the main objectives. This streamlined approach also makes it easier to find relevant teams, with these new groups now featured at the top of the list.
These new groups encompass all the disciplines previously displayed on Progress Tracker, and we've adjusted how production schedules are tracked to accommodate the need for flexibility. Instead of pinpointing individual developers, we’re using placeholder headcounts and disciplines for each deliverable.
With this update, we're adding the Core Gameplay Pillar, the Character Art and Tech Teams, both Vehicle Content Teams, and the Locations Pillar to Progress Tracker. Additional teams and deliverables will be added over time. Plus, as we continue refining the production schedule for 2025, we'll populate additional teams/groups/content. And of course, make sure to tune in for CitizenCon, less than two months away...
Release View
With this publish, we're adjusting the release window for Alpha 4.0 to Q4 2024. Alpha 3.24 and its update to systemic gameplay features has required extra attention to ensure necessary issues are resolved ahead of release, which has resulted in a lengthier PTU process. While work has continued on 4.0's features and technology simultaneously, we're making this adjustment to release timing to ensure Alpha 4.0 gets the proper amount of time in testing.
The following card has been added to Release View, targeting a release with Alpha 4.0:
New Missions - Repair, Charge and Drain
Implementing new missions that introduce engineering gameplay into the persistent universe, first appearing in Pyro's outposts. Players will be tasked with going to the location and fixing wind turbines, relays, moisture extractors, or solar panels. This is done by repairing pipes with the your multi-tool, charging batteries with the new charge/drain feature, or replacing broken components in the networks that are broken or missing.
That's all for this week! Join the discussion on Spectrum.
