Star Citizen alpha 3.0 is quickly becoming one of the most delayed gaming projects of all time, and, unfortunately, we have a new delay to report. As noted in the latest 3.0 Production Schedule Report from Cloud Imperium Games, it appears the anticipated update won’t be arriving during Gamescom after all.
Here’s an official statement from the team regarding the alpha’s unfortunate delay.
“This week, we entered the optimization, polish and bug fixing phase for the 3.0 feature set. As there have been so many features and content implemented, we’ve encountered some stability issues that we want to address before going to a wider test audience. The ongoing work on the new Patcher system (that will save you from having to completely re-download each build) and some new bugs with CopyBuild3 (our internal version of the patcher) have also slowed us down. Because of this we have pushed back the Evocati and subsequent date ranges to reflect the additional time needed to get Star Citizen alpha 3.0 ready for prime time.”
As a result of these apparent issues with the game’s new patching system, the limited Evocati test of 3.0 is now expected to go live sometime next week. The widespread PTU test that most backers will experience, however, is slated for deployment during the first week of September.
This news arrives after several weeks of assurances from Cloud Imperium Games that 3.0 would be ready for the masses just in time for Gamescom between Aug. 22 and Aug. 26. The European convention has historically been a site for huge Star Citizen reveals, but, after debuting 3.0 there last year, it looks like an initial release won’t be possible. A delay of a couple weeks isn’t exactly terrible considering how used to waiting Star Citizen fans have become, but it’s disappointing to see the goal post moved again so close to arrival.
In addition to issues with the patching system, the report mentions delays related to mission givers, persistence technology, user interface, AI and weapons. All of these attributes have pushed progress backward by two weeks and could possibly do so again in the future.
While the Star Citizen 3.0 feature set has been changed and downscaled several times since its inception, the basic concept behind it has remained the same. Moving on from the various 2.6 builds, this one marks the first true instances of gameplay within the game’s expanding universe. Notable additions to the alpha include the basics of a mission structure, some new moons to explore, a completely rejuvenated item system, realistic AI, character customization and the shell of the cargo system. There’s obviously a lot to work on given that list alone, and actively developing it means delays like this are inevitable.
All things considered, it’s been a fairly rough week for Star Citizen fans. In addition to the 3.0 delay, CIG staff also quietly downplayed assertions that the game would only launch with five to 10 star systems as opposed to 100. While the goal for 100 still exists, those involved with the studio stressed fluid work conditions and goals might change those ambitions over time.
As of now, we expect to see Star Citizen alpha 3.0 this September.
What are your thoughts on the latest 3.0 delay? Is it possible this alpha might be delayed a full year? Tell us in the comments section!
