Yesterday saw Star Citizen release its roadmap and related roundup post for the game, offering backers a nebulous view of what alpha 3.20 is planning to bring to the table, and the vast majority of what’s being brought is a swath of Arena Commander mode tweaks.
CIG plans frontend updates, new racetracks, updates to existing racetracks, several new maps for FPS and dogfighting gameplay, and the introduction of experimental game modes, which are being touted as ways for devs to both iterate on game modes quickly and collect valuable testing data on specific activities, equipment, vehicles, and in-development features.
While efforts to improve Arena Commander were discussed by CIG in a February episode of Inside Star Citizen, many players are not particularly enthused about 3.20’s focus, with some claiming development of the module pulls resources away from the Persistent Universe or assuming that CIG is being stretched too thin, particularly when alpha 3.19 still has problems of its own and Squadron 42 is nowhere close to release, while others are generally excited for updates to a perceptibly neglected game mode.
Speaking of neglected game modes, others are taking this renewed focus on Arena Commander in alpha 3.20 to wonder where Theaters of War went to; readers might remember this mixed arms mode was first previewed in 2019 but the studio hasn’t noted any major updates since 2021.