Update: Star Citizen Alpha 4.8.0

Star Citizen Alpha 4.8.0 - "Tactical Strike" is a major update for Star Citizen, introducing with it the Vehicle Loadout system for Item Recovery, improvements to refueling gameplay and dedicated missions, ship hangar services, the implementation of the Drake Command module used by the Caterpillar and Ironclad, and the addition of the brand new Tactical Strike Groups activity.

This update also included a complete wipe, the first since the alpha 4.0.

With the release of Alpha version 4.8.0 Star Citizen reached its highest player concurrency to date, causing severe system stress.

Gameplay

Tactical Strike Group (TSG)

G-force tolerances & Flight suits

Refueling missions & improvements

Ships & Vehicles

Item recovery - Vehicle loadouts

New ship - Drake Ironclad & Ironclad Assault

New ship - Drake Command module

Aegis Hammerhead - Gold Standard

Ship hangar service

Weapons, ammo, munitions and component adjustments

Ship armor & shield rebalance

Characters & AI

7 new player hairstyles

Weapons & Items

New FPS weapon: UltiFlex Crossbow

New FPS weapon: Kastak Arms plasma grenade

New flight suits

Core Tech & Audio

Virtual reality updates (experimental)

Star Citizen Alpha 4.8 contains over 166 bug and crash fixes since 4.7 went live, 73 of which originated from the Issue Council.

Client crash fixes: 17 fixes

Server crash fixes: 4 fixes

Fixed multiple main thread deadlocks

Roadmap deliverables

• Characters
• New Hairstyles (4.8.0): Implementing seven new hairstyles and one new beard, along with updates to one hairstyle and one beard to bring them up to current quality standards.
• Flight Suit "Tailwind": Implementing the "Tailwind" Flight Suit in the persistent universe.
• Core Tech
• Transport System: Implementing the new Transport System, a full rewrite of transit across the universe, supporting trams, trains, and elevators with improved reliability and scalability for technologies like Server Meshing and Instancing.
• Item Recovery: Vehicle Loadouts: Adding the ability for players to save and claim vehicle loadouts via the ASOP Terminals. Claimed vehicles and their components will now be bricked after some time. Includes a major refactor of the Entitlement Service and extension of the Item Imprint system to ensure player owned vehicles persist reliably.
• Gameplay
• Tactical Strike Groups: Implementing a new cooperative ship combat experience featuring a series of objectives and challenges designed for a multi-role fleet. Players are encouraged to bring a diverse lineup, equip the right loadouts, and be ready to refuel and resupply both ships and FPS players on site to succeed.
• Refueling Improvements: Implementing refueling and docking improvements, simplifying the refueling process with simplified fuel deliver and updating docking to support mutual requests and automatic docking at close range, alongside more impactful itemization for fuel capacity and transfer speeds.
• Flight Suits G-Force Resistance: Implementing G-Force resistance modifiers to flight suits, enabling players to choose specialized equipment for improved maneuverability and endurance.
• Ship Hangar Service T0: Implementing service gameplay updates that draw from resources stored in your ship’s cargo grid to fulfill refueling, repair, and restocking requests via dedicated service hangars.
• Vehicle Command Module: Implementing Vehicle Command Module docking/undocking and ship systems transfer.

• QV Extraction stations: Located in the Nyx system, the QV Extraction Stations provide key infrastructure for the new Tactical Strike Groups content.
• Missions and Events
• Refueling Missions: Implementing refueling missions centered on servicing NPC ships. Players will also be able to request refueling via a beacon, which will initially be fulfilled by NPCs.
• Ships and Vehicles
• New Wikelo Ships Offerings (4.8.0): Adding a Kruger L-22 Alpha Wolf with a unique base livery and upgraded components as a reward for completing a new addition to the ever-expanding list of available Wikelo's Emporium contracts.
• Aegis Hammerhead - Gold Standard: Updating the Aegis Hammerhead to Gold Standard, and implementing improvements and updated interior art.
• Weapons and Items
• UltiFlex Crossbow: Implementing the long-awaited crossbow, featuring a devastating, shattering bolt and harsh projectile drop, the Ultiflex Crossbow rewards skilled aim with immense power. Its near-silent firing mechanism lets you strike quietly and gain the upper hand on your foes.
• Kastak Arms - Plasma Grenade: Implementing Kastak Arms area-denial grenade. Prime and throw to lock down an area and prevent enemies from pushing through.
• FPS Weapons Art Refactor: Updating visual material and texture for the following weapons and equipment: Deadrig Shotgun + Kastak Arms: Custodian, Ravager, Scalpel, Coda, Devastator.

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