(3.0 Spoilers) 5th Evocati Q&A Update
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/7eh7v3/30_spoilers_5th_evocati_qa_update/
Q: How’s testing this week?A: We did a lot of focused tests in the past 7 days including 100 player server stress tests, shopping experience tests, mission system tests, and reviewing ships’ completion status. We’re at patch 3.0.0X now, and we’re able to test most missions except combat missions, Miles’ and Ruto’s missions. CIG gave us 25 million aUEC so we can travel to the player hubs and buy everything on the shelves for the shopping experience test. This also meant we can afford as much cargo, re-fuel, repair, and insurance deductibles as we want. Outside of the constant mobiGlas bugs, the shopping experience can be considered feature complete and hassle free. The missions system still needs work and I’m hoping that CIG enables the mission-givers Miles and Ruto soon. We can use the beds on ships again, but the ability to log out with them is not yet implemented.
Q: Can the Aurora haul cargo?
A: Yes and no. You can buy SCUs worth of cargo (1m3 box) from trade kiosks but it won’t APPEAR on the Aurora because external cargo boxes aren’t implemented yet. 1 SCU of cargo equals 100 units, so if you buy 6 SCU of cargo for the Aurora, you effectively bought 600 units of cargo. You can buy and sell cargo with the Aurora, Mustang and Hornet through the trade kiosks at the 3 player hubs (Port Olisar, GrimHex, and Levski). With the small, less than 1 SCU “unit cargo boxes” that you can find/carry/place, you can technically place them inside the Aurora but it’s a tricky process under gravity. Any ship where you have to use a ladder to get inside the ship prevents you from placing small cargo boxes inside because your character automatically releases any cargo box from your hand to use the ladder. Any ship that has an accessible ramp to get inside you can place as much cargo as it can fit, but it’s best to place them on designated mag-plates (cargo grid) so they don’t move during travel. You can have a mix of large SCU non-carry-able cargo boxes and small unit cargo boxes that you can carry/place/stack in the same cargo grid.
Q: How’s the FPS lately?
A: I’ve been getting a wide range of frames lately. From as low as 7 FPS in a full server to 65 FPS in a fresh server, my average FPS is about 30 in a 60 player server. To me, that’s a significant improvement from 2.6.3.
Q: How are NPCs coming along?
A: They’re still confined to the player hubs, but they make the hubs feel alive especially Levski. The shopkeepers make comments while you browse and shop, and the space ATC guy sounds like a good guy to hang out with. NPC ships only appear during missions AFAIK. Miles and Ruto are at Levski and GrimHex, respectively, but they’re not enabled yet.
Q: Are the missions from 2.X gone now?
A: Tessa and the ICC Probe missions are not in 3.0 AFAIK. There is no ICC Probe to QT jump to. The CommArray satellites and their missions are still in 3.0 with the added multiple turret security. There are only 4 CommArray satellites and 1 CryAstro service station around Crusader. The Private Eye mission at Covalex Station near Daymar is in 3.0. The Covalex station has a small new area to explore and the secret room to get the good ending is still there. I don’t know if the numerous collectibles at Yela’s belt is still around because I haven’t bothered to look. Security Outpost Kareah is still at Cellin in 3.0, but the security mission for it is not in the mission board app. It might be unlockable with enough good reputation.
Q: How are the bikes and rover handling now?
A: The Dragonfly is working much better than the Nox lately, while the Ursa rover is much more stable than the bikes. The Dragonfly does better in off-road terrain while the Nox works best on smooth surfaces like the race track at Deakins Outpost. The Nox still tends to flip on its side and turning with the Nox is like riding a stallion without a saddle. There’s still the issue of collision with both bikes and the rover. With the bikes, hitting a boulder on the moon surface sends you flying into the air and flipping uncontrollably. With the Ursa rover, it jumps upward when hitting obstacles and flips over. Parking the bikes into ships is still tricky where they move erratically trying to conform to the larger ship’s internal grid. Parking the rover inside the Connie is less problematic than the bikes, but it tends to slip through the cargo bay floor when closing them. That bug needs to be fixed. With Patch X, the bikes can now strafe up and down and they automatically switch from hover mode to flight mode if you can get high enough above the surface.
Q: How’s ship combat? Did they really buff the Gladius?
A: With a “no PVP unless stated otherwise” rule in ETF and no combat focused testing yet, I don’t know. When CIG states we can test combat among each other and combat/escort missions are fixed, I’ll let you know. The Gladius does have 3x size 3 weapon mounts in 3.0.
Q: What’s improved significantly from the first 3.0 patch to the current one?
A: Traversal. In the first 3.0.0 patch, I had a tough time just getting to the moons. Now that we have ~1000m/s AB cruise on most ships and buoys are plentiful and much closer to the moons, traversal is easier now. Most multi-crew ships have enough quantum fuel to travel for hours, while the single-seater ships have enough QF to reach Levski and traverse the moons. However, our ships don’t have enough fuel to reach the other planets. Hurston is over 32 million kilometers away and ArcCorp is over 42 million km away. MicroTech was removed. Delamar, and its landing zone Levski, is the furthest moon we can reach at about 800,000 km away.
Q: If you weren’t in Evocati Test Flight what would you be doing to pass the time during the Great Drought?
A: I’d be playing Space Engineers, Stellaris, Empyrion, Astroneer, Hellion, Elite Dangerous, or my old copy of Freelancer. I certainly wouldn’t be spending my free time being salty on the internet
Q: Can the Aurora haul cargo?
A: Yes and no. You can buy SCUs worth of cargo (1m3 box) from trade kiosks but it won’t APPEAR on the Aurora because external cargo boxes aren’t implemented yet. 1 SCU of cargo equals 100 units, so if you buy 6 SCU of cargo for the Aurora, you effectively bought 600 units of cargo. You can buy and sell cargo with the Aurora, Mustang and Hornet through the trade kiosks at the 3 player hubs (Port Olisar, GrimHex, and Levski). With the small, less than 1 SCU “unit cargo boxes” that you can find/carry/place, you can technically place them inside the Aurora but it’s a tricky process under gravity. Any ship where you have to use a ladder to get inside the ship prevents you from placing small cargo boxes inside because your character automatically releases any cargo box from your hand to use the ladder. Any ship that has an accessible ramp to get inside you can place as much cargo as it can fit, but it’s best to place them on designated mag-plates (cargo grid) so they don’t move during travel. You can have a mix of large SCU non-carry-able cargo boxes and small unit cargo boxes that you can carry/place/stack in the same cargo grid.
Q: How’s the FPS lately?
A: I’ve been getting a wide range of frames lately. From as low as 7 FPS in a full server to 65 FPS in a fresh server, my average FPS is about 30 in a 60 player server. To me, that’s a significant improvement from 2.6.3.
Q: How are NPCs coming along?
A: They’re still confined to the player hubs, but they make the hubs feel alive especially Levski. The shopkeepers make comments while you browse and shop, and the space ATC guy sounds like a good guy to hang out with. NPC ships only appear during missions AFAIK. Miles and Ruto are at Levski and GrimHex, respectively, but they’re not enabled yet.
Q: Are the missions from 2.X gone now?
A: Tessa and the ICC Probe missions are not in 3.0 AFAIK. There is no ICC Probe to QT jump to. The CommArray satellites and their missions are still in 3.0 with the added multiple turret security. There are only 4 CommArray satellites and 1 CryAstro service station around Crusader. The Private Eye mission at Covalex Station near Daymar is in 3.0. The Covalex station has a small new area to explore and the secret room to get the good ending is still there. I don’t know if the numerous collectibles at Yela’s belt is still around because I haven’t bothered to look. Security Outpost Kareah is still at Cellin in 3.0, but the security mission for it is not in the mission board app. It might be unlockable with enough good reputation.
Q: How are the bikes and rover handling now?
A: The Dragonfly is working much better than the Nox lately, while the Ursa rover is much more stable than the bikes. The Dragonfly does better in off-road terrain while the Nox works best on smooth surfaces like the race track at Deakins Outpost. The Nox still tends to flip on its side and turning with the Nox is like riding a stallion without a saddle. There’s still the issue of collision with both bikes and the rover. With the bikes, hitting a boulder on the moon surface sends you flying into the air and flipping uncontrollably. With the Ursa rover, it jumps upward when hitting obstacles and flips over. Parking the bikes into ships is still tricky where they move erratically trying to conform to the larger ship’s internal grid. Parking the rover inside the Connie is less problematic than the bikes, but it tends to slip through the cargo bay floor when closing them. That bug needs to be fixed. With Patch X, the bikes can now strafe up and down and they automatically switch from hover mode to flight mode if you can get high enough above the surface.
Q: How’s ship combat? Did they really buff the Gladius?
A: With a “no PVP unless stated otherwise” rule in ETF and no combat focused testing yet, I don’t know. When CIG states we can test combat among each other and combat/escort missions are fixed, I’ll let you know. The Gladius does have 3x size 3 weapon mounts in 3.0.
Q: What’s improved significantly from the first 3.0 patch to the current one?
A: Traversal. In the first 3.0.0 patch, I had a tough time just getting to the moons. Now that we have ~1000m/s AB cruise on most ships and buoys are plentiful and much closer to the moons, traversal is easier now. Most multi-crew ships have enough quantum fuel to travel for hours, while the single-seater ships have enough QF to reach Levski and traverse the moons. However, our ships don’t have enough fuel to reach the other planets. Hurston is over 32 million kilometers away and ArcCorp is over 42 million km away. MicroTech was removed. Delamar, and its landing zone Levski, is the furthest moon we can reach at about 800,000 km away.
Q: If you weren’t in Evocati Test Flight what would you be doing to pass the time during the Great Drought?
A: I’d be playing Space Engineers, Stellaris, Empyrion, Astroneer, Hellion, Elite Dangerous, or my old copy of Freelancer. I certainly wouldn’t be spending my free time being salty on the internet
