Star Citizen Alpha 2.2 Available! - March 6, 2016, 7:23 a.m.
Greetings Citizens,Star Citizen Alpha 2.2 is now available! All backers can access the latest patch on the Live server via the Star Citizen launcher. In addition to a host of bug fixes and balancing updates, Alpha 2.2 includes a number of ships, new features and gameplay elements! Ship updates include the flyable Sabre, damage states for the Freelancer and the hangar-ready Xi’An scout. The first major changes to the component system launch with this update with the addition of new coolers. The physical space around Crusader has also been updated, and individual instances now support up to 24 players at once. This release also marks the first iteration of a new hostility/reputation system, an initial party system and physicalized EVA. For a complete list of changes and additions, you can find the full patch notes here.
“It Wasn’t Me… Honest!”
Your efforts repairing Comm Arrays in Crusader have not gone unnoticed by the corporation in charge of this region of space! Alpha 2.2 introduces the concept of “Monitored” space to the game, which are areas of the system that are actively being observed by Crusader Industries, Inc. These zones are centered around Cry-Astro, Port Olisar and any active Comm Arrays. By disabling COmm Arrays, you can toggle the space around them off in an area, allowing players to conduct nefarious deeds without observation. But watch out! Disabling a Comm Array is illegal, and any player attempting to do so will now be flagged as a criminal in this first iteration of the reputation/hostility system.
Destroying an empty ship, colliding with a landing ship (in Monitored space) or disabling a Comm Array now mark the offending character as a Level 1 Wanted Criminal. More serious crimes, including killing a player or destroying an occupied ship (in Monitored space) will add additional levels. Each level adds an extra 30 seconds of time out before a respawn. Want to reduce your criminal level? Waiting ten minutes without committing an additional offense reduces the level by 1, or you can ‘hack’ a console located at Security Post Kareah for the same result.
The corporate board at Crusader has a vested interest in keeping the Comm-Arrays online, and so they are now offering bounties for those who help protect their space by shooting down Level 5 Wanted Criminals. When a Level 5 Criminal is detected, all active players on the server then have the option to hunt them down, with a special reward for those that score the kill. When a Level 5 Criminal is destroyed, they are ejected from the server and must reconnect. Players aren’t the only one entering the fray, though: pirates and security forces now recognize and assist their friends and foes, and both will spawn to protect their interests (pirates at disabled Comm Arrays, Crusader Security at active stations.)
