Cloud Imperium Games has pushed out another alpha update full of features to its sci-fi space RPG. The 3.24: Cargo Empires update is now live, and it ships with the game"s new instancing tech, overhauled cargo mechanics for better immersion and gameplay, and more. Watch the launch trailer above.
Instanced locations is a big addition to the multiplayer experience, letting players enter hangers that are dedicated to them without any wait times or time limits. When requested, any ship will be available to board right from these new types of hangers.
"All hangar types are instanced, meaning they are able to physically stack on each other in the same location without interference," says the studio. "All hangar types have ASOP terminals, Item Banks, and Freight Elevators (SCU freight amount depends on hangar size)"
Moreover, every player now has a Personal Hanger at their home location, which comes with space for items, decorations, and vehicles for players to use however they wish. "Your hangar is allocated by the largest vehicle you own, so it’ll always fit, even if you upgrade your ship," adds Cloud Imperium.
Next, loading cargo into ships from bays no longer needs to be automated, with brand-new Freight Elevators delivering the items straight to cargo bays. These can then be manually arranged inside of ships by the crew by hand or tractor beams. Automated cargo loading has not gone away however.
Meanwhile, Hauling missions have been enabled for all players. There are three different variants of cargo hauls for players to accept, each one procedurally generated to take them across the solar system. The amount of cargo players can accept to haul depends on their reputation in the field.
The developer has even published a dedicated blog post diving deep into the new cargo systems to guide players on hauling missions, what tools are needed, recommended ships, how to make a profit, and other essential elements.
Star Citizen Alpha 3.24: Cargo Empires is available now to all backers. Read the complete patch notes for the update here, which has details on the fixed and known issues of this release too.