Well well well, it looks like Star Citizen hit its proposed end-of-December release target for the sandbox’s latest build. That’s right, alpha 4.5 has officially come online this week, and it introduces the long-delayed yet central gameplay loop of engineering… hence why the patch is called Dawn of Engineering.
The patch officially introduces an engineering role for the game’s entire line of ships, which changes in complexity and player requirements based on the size of spacecraft being piloted. Broadly speaking, players can now manage power distribution, will now be able to repair or replace vital ship components, and must be aware of fire hazards that can propagate within a ship’s interior based on several factors. Tangential to this is also the introduction of armor to ships, which determines how much weapons fire affects a vessel and its components.
In addition to the new engineering loop, the patch promises further stability and performance improvements, smarter on-foot enemies, a refresh of loot across multiple activities and POIs, and the ability to earn new ships from Wikelo. The patch notes further outline things like updates to ore yields and ore values, balance tweaks for interceptors and snub fighters, new FPS weapon attachments, and experimental support for VR headsets.
