14 DAY TRIAL // Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games is getting ready to release Star Marine, the first-person shooter component of the space opera video game.
The latest entry on the developer's blog offers us a cartload of additional information regarding the exciting game mode, detailing some of the progress they have achieved working on the module.
The post includes several updates from developers regarding animations, character design, the kind of environments we can expect, and a lot of others, and is definitely worth a read, even though it's pretty lengthy.
One of the things the Star Marine update will introduce in the video game is SATA Ball, an interesting zero-gravity sport where players are divided into two separate teams that have to wrestle for the control of a ball spawning in the center of the playing field.
Moving around the arena is done using arms, legs, and a grappling hook, and will include some gunplay, although that's not the main point of interest. Players will only be able to stun their opponents, but the main draw of the mode is to test out how robust the zero-g locomotion system really is.
The developers want to offer players an interesting experience that feels realistic and rewards skill, so they won't be outfitted with thrusters, which they regard as "an easy way out."
Star Citizen is brimming with potential
It's definitely something that hasn't been done before, and Cloud Imperium Games is aware of this. Controls have to feel natural, and the low-gravity environment will have to benefit from an in-depth physics simulation, complete with how rag-doll plays into the control system.
In addition to this, the team has to create a set of full body poses and animations that will convey visual fidelity to the entire experience, while at the same time showing the amount of attention to detail that Star Citizen fans have come to expect from the title, even in its alpha state.
For the time being, the Star Marine module has no release date other than sometime soon. The latest big update was issued in March, when the developer added a ton of new features to the game, including an advanced persistent damage system and spacecraft landings.
Star Citizen is the most successful crowdfunding project to date, and fund raising continues as we speak on the game's website. The game is set in the 30th century, enabling users to explore the Milky Way and mine, trade, and fight in space, in a massively multiplayer persistent universe.
The game is expected to come out sometime in 2016, headed exclusively to Windows and Linux.