Star Citizen Alpha 3.6 Update Seeks to Corral Seditious Frontiers

As Star Citizen continues its sub-lightspeed journey to completion, Cloud Imperium Games has released a new update for the space sim. The Alpha 3.6 patch released on Sunday brings a host of additions to the game, most notably “an overhaul” of the game’s law and order system. 

The new milestone specifically targets the game’s malefactors, instating more repercussions for unlawful behavior. Specifically, a higher Crimestat means that those playing as criminals and pirates will bring more attention to their actions, from both authorities and bounty hunters alike. 

According to the 3.6 patch notes:  

Crimestat now directly impacts the level of opposition and how active their pursuit style. The higher the crimestat, the more active and difficult the pursuers.

Crimes are split into less severe misdemeanors, which are enforced via fines, and more punishing federal offenses which will result in the player being engaged by hostile AI and bounty hunters.

Additionally, regional space is now separated into jurisdictions. These jurisdictions seem to designate certain crimes differently, with each having separate rules and policing tactics based on governance. Players will be able to see how regions handle malfeasance and prosecute misdemeanors via the mobiGlas journal. 

Players will also face forces and bounty hunters as during intra- and inter-system travel. Ship thieves that have been reported to authorities will be attacked on-site, while others may be scanned for illicit cargo. Of course, players have the liberty of choice and can choose whether or not to comply with any and all law enforcement requests. 

However, Alpha 3.6 isn’t all about punishing those that like to play on the seedy side. The patch also heralds the inclusion of black markets in the game, and it tweaks commodity pricing to reflect the addition and greater focus on increasing the “profitability” of stolen goods and drugs for example. 

Specific missions have been added to encourage criminal activity as well. 

Outside of the tweaks to the law and order system, 3.6 brings to Star Citizen new ships, a hover mode, and a ship kiosk, which lets players purchase a plethora of ships in multiple locations around the game’s universe. The developers have also modified the game’s communications and added new space station exteriors. 

While the video at the top of the article delves into many of the new systems in the 3.6 patch, the blog post found here goes into much greater detail. 

Although previous updates have come alongside free-to-play periods, where new and current players have access to certain portions of the game or to specific ships typically locked behind discrete requirements, nothing of the sort has been confirmed for 3.6 as of this writing. 

For those who might not know about the game’s protracted legacy, Star Citizen has been in active development for about eight years. Generating nearly $300 million over that time, it is the biggest crowdfunded game of all time. With such continued interest, it continually makes myriad “most-anticipated” lists year after year with no firm release date in sight.