Update:Star Citizen Alpha 3.5.0

Star Citizen Alpha 3.5.0 is an upcoming Star Citizen update planned to be released around March 2019 (Q1). As per the roadmap, the content in the update is subject to change.

Characters
Mission Giver: Tecia Pacheco

Creating a new mission giver to be added to ArcCorp. This includes concepting with the character team, creation of the character's clothing/props and environment, capturing performance/lines, solving the animation and audio files for implementation into the engine, creating the Behavior tree, and hooking up mission content for this character. This task will also include the creation of any text needed to accompany their mission.

DNA Face Customization

Design and implementation of a bespoke system allowing for comprehensive facial customization for in-game characters.

Playable Female Characters

Implementing the models, animations and items to allow for Players to select a female avatar, as well as update female NPCs in the various locations.

Locations
ArcCorp Planet

The design, creation and implementation of the sprawling urban planet, ArcCorp, including points of interest around the planet. This feature is dependent upon implementation of Object Container Streaming.

ArcCorp Moon: Lyria

The creation and implementation of ArcCorp's moon Lyria, including constructing outposts and populating the moon surfaces. This feature is dependent upon implementation of Object Container Streaming.

ArcCorp Moon: Wala

The creation and implementation of ArcCorp's moon Wala, including constructing outposts and populating the moon surfaces. This feature is dependent upon implementation of Object Container Streaming.

Area18 Landing Zone

Incorporating Landing Control Area18, landing zone on the planet ArcCorp and one of the main commercial ports for interplanetary traffic for the surrounding region. This work includes populating the city with NPCs, Missions, and Stores. This feature is dependent upon implementation of Object Container Streaming.

AI
FPS: Collision Avoidance v2

Adding the ability for AI to acknowledge objects present on an NPC's path and efficiently and realistically navigate around them. AI will consider the navigation mesh border segments in the time horizon prediction for collisions. The result of the collision avoidance calculation will be processed by the smooth locomotion system to ensure NPCs are visually correct in their movements.

Basic Gunship Behaviour

Implementation of specific behavior for pilots of ships that are heavily reliant on turrets. This functionality will allow them to focus on maximizing their damage output by bringing as much firepower to bear as possible while maintaining optimal distance and optimizing shield face exposure.

Ship AI Flight Model Update

With the revised flight model coming on board for player ships, AI-controlled ships need to be updated to use it as well.

Ship AI Combat Behaviour Improvements

Introducing new behaviors to ship AI to add challenge and realism, such as surprise deceleration and break aways when under fire.

Gameplay
System: Heat

Improvements to the heat system to provide a more systemic experience between items and vehicles. This will cover a variety of issues and their effect on vehicles, from how heat affects various components in a ship to incorporating heat values into the room system, all the way up to defining the ambient heat of a solar system.

AI Bounty Hunting in Environmental Missions

Implementing an Environmental Mission in which AI bounty hunters attack players with bounties on them and where AI security forces attack players with high crime stats.

Vehicle Scanning HUD Improvements

Implementing improvements to the Vehicle HUD system to support additional scanning and ping features, including confidence levels for newly identified objects.

AI Distress Beacons

Implementing a Combat Assistance Service Beacon mission where players can assist an AI in distress.

Vehicle Radar v2

Adjustments to the radar system, allowing the management of different radar upgrades and adding functionality for the developers to modify radar range and abilities based on location. This allows for environmental hazards to impact the radar's effectiveness.

Quantum Travel Improvements

Continuing to improve the Quantum Travel mechanic with upgrades to UI, interaction, and spline jumps.

Vehicle Scanning Improvements

Implementation of general user experience improvements to the Vehicle Scanning system. This includes the ability to create false signatures and balancing the distance in which contacts can be detected between pings and scans.

Ship System Degradation Improvements

Functionality for wear and degradation causing reduced performance and it persisting on ship components. Adjustments to overclocking to drastically increase the wear rate.

Vehicle Tech Updates v1

Adding a variety of vehicle implementation improvements, such as vehicle states for modal behavior, and updating the vehicle paint system.

Groups System Improvements v4

Implementing improvements to the Groups System for a smoother MobiGlas and invite experience.

VOIP & FOIP Improvements v3

Implementing further improvements to the Voice Over IP and Face Over IP systems in-game, allowing for better performance and higher levels of accuracy.

Distortion Damage Improvements

Functionality for distortion damage to correctly impact performance of items and be used via environmental hazard areas.

Gimbal Weapon Improvements v1

Improvements to the ship combat system through the implementation of automated gimbal mounts. Weapons, and sometimes other specialty components can be attached to these mounts, and allowed a breadth of motion in their usage.

Extending Delivery Missions to ArcCorp

Extending Delivery Missions to ArcCorp and surrounding Rest Stops.

Ships and Vehicles
Implementing and balancing the updated model of the Origin 300i as a flight ready ship in the game.
 * Origin 300i Rework

Implementing and balancing the revised model of the Origin 315p as a flight ready ship in the game.
 * Origin 315p Rework

Implementing and balancing the revised model of the Origin 325a as a flight ready ship in the game.
 * Origin 325a Rework

Implementing and balancing the revised model of the Origin 350R as a flight ready ship in the game.
 * Origin 350R Rework

Building, implementing, and balancing the Banu fighter as a flight ready ship in the game.
 * Banu Defender

Tasks associated with building, implementing, and balancing of the Reliant Tana, MISC's combat variant of the Reliant, to get it playable in game.
 * MISC Reliant Tana

Tasks associated with building, implementing, and balancing of the Reliant Sen, MISC's research variant of the Reliant, to get it playable in game.
 * MISC Reliant Sen

Tasks associated with the creation, implementation, and balancing of the Reliant Mako, MISC's variant designed to gather all the latest events for the spectrum.
 * MISC Reliant Mako

Weapon and Items
Banu Singe Tachyon Cannon

Designing and creating the Banu Singe Tachyon cannon for use on ships. The work includes asset creation, passes by numerous teams, and Design input on weapon balance.

Gemini S71

Designing and creating Gemini's S71 assault rifle for use by characters in-game. Work covers concept completion, asset creation, passes by numerous departments, and Design input on weapon balance.

Gallenson Tactical Systems GT-870 Tarantula Revision

Covers all the tasks associated with updating Gallenson Tactical Systems' GT-870 Tarantula series of ballistic cannons (S1-3) and implementing the revised versions in-game.

Kastak Arms Coda

Designing and creating Kastak Arms' Coda ballistic pistol for use by characters in-game. The work includes asset creation, passes by numerous teams, and Design input on weapon balance.

Core Dev Tech and Systems
Asynchronous Disconnection Refactor

This refactor aims to improve efficiency and usability of the asynchronous disconnection code. Refactoring this will clean-up a lot of bugs such as infinite loading screens, server crashes, and client crashes, while also helping to assure that more of these issues don't occur in the future.

Network OCS Stall Fixes

Fixing network-related processing stalls during entity binding/unbinding as a result of Bind Culling and OCS.

New Flight Model

Initial implementation of the all new in-game flight control system, incorporating a total overhaul to the entire flight experience. For a detailed look at this new system, check out The Principles of Flight panel from CitizenCon 2948 on our YouTube channel. At a high level this covers:


 * Rebalanced thruster strengths for more momentum in flight
 * Deeper integration with item 2.0 systems such as heat, power, and fuel
 * Redesigned throttle for more direct control
 * Redesigned afterburner and cruise mode
 * Redesigned ESP algorithm
 * New gravlev handling
 * Numerous bugs and issues solved with previous flight model

Projectile Manager

Implement physics systems that will improve projectile functionality and realism in-game.

Hard Surface Shader Improvements

Implementation of multiple improvements to the Hard Surface shader to provide greater texture detail, and a richer feature set allowing more widespread use across the game.

Performance Optimization

General optimization and engine improvements to increase stability and performance for the players. This includes continued transition of gameplay systems to Item 2.0 as well as investigation and resolution of possible memory leaks and performance spikes.