Welcome to the November 2023 Star Citizen Progress Report
This is the 17th progress report about Star Citizen & Squadron 42 in the series.
Information for this report comes from the SC FOCUS features completion page which has been updated again here: https://scfocus.org/star-citizen-s42-features-complete/
Stretch Goal Completion Scoring
Completion for Star Citizen & Squardon 42 is scored based on a total of 104 features that were chosen to represent major gameplay milestones for both projects. The 104 features were selected from the official Stretch Goals.
Previous Star Citizen & S42 reports:
Progress in this reporting period
During this reporting period few features were added which is on par for these reports. However, progress was made on server technology as well as development where 4 patches were seen running simulataneously (LIVE, PTU, EPTU and TECH PREVIEW).
Additionally, CitizenCon brought the announcement of the feature completion of Squadron 42.
Star Citizen & Squadron 42 Report Summary
Star Citizen is roughly 63% complete as of November 2023 (Alpha 3.21.1).
The pace of progress seems to be finally speeding up as the project nears end of Alpha and with Squadron 42 being announced as feature complete.
*Note that Squadron 42 is feature complete. These features represent Squadron 42 features that are shared with Star Citizen and that are either currently playable in Star Citizen or not.
Playability Score
Playability Score: 4/5 - Playable but buggy
- Player Count (2/5)
- The Economy (3/5)
- Flight Model (4/5)
- Dogfighting (4/5)
- FPS Combat (4/5)
- AI (3/5)
In this reporting period as of Alpha 3.21.1 there were several improvements to quality of life as well as graphics and framerates. This has made the experience far more enjoyable and playable without any of the playability score items having had their scores increased. While the bugs in the previous reports mostly still remain, the improved server performance has made the game more playable.
The Playability Score has been increased back from 3 to 4 out of 5.
Playability - How Playable is Star Citizen Alpha 3.21.1?
The servers continue to receive love and the recent IAE 2953 in game expo was not plagued with the same issues as last year and was mostly playable.
Bugs and Instability
Star Citizen Alpha 3.21.1 still has the Alpha label. As such instability is expected as the game is still some time away from feature complete. Alpha 3.21.1 is paving the path for the universe to grow beyond Stanton system.
This score was increased from 3/5 to 4/5 due to recent fixes and performance improvements.
4/5
Player Count
This score remains unchanged. For this score to be a 3/5 player counts per shard will need to be over or near 1000. For a score of 4/5 over 10,000. A 5 out of 5 score represents the maximum universe size for seamless play (100,000s or millions).
2/5
The Economy
The economy in Star Citizen is still barely functional and almost entirely game-controlled. However, players do trade items but the current server issues are causing Balance, Item, Ship and Reputation wipes. Read our article about Wipes and see Star Citizen wipe history and estimates.
3/5
Flight Model
Master Modes and the new flight model were not released this period. This score remains unchanged.
4/5
Dogfighting
This rating remains unchanged in this report.
4/5
FPS Combat
Score unchanged. Certainly playable.
4/5
AI
Squadron AI were added to Star Citizen and this has made fps and dogfighting npcs more challenging. However, in terms of living and breathing and complex tasks 3/5 still remains adequate. Also still no sign of fauna. This score remains unchanged. For a score of 4/5 the universe will need to feel more alive with NPCs and fauna. For a score of 5/5 NPC will be able to be hired as crew on ships and perform useful functions.
This score is expected to change in 2024 as fauna and more complex AI activities are added.
3/5
November 2023 Report Conclusion
With the announcement of Squadron 42 features being complete, this time it can finally be expected that Star Citizen progress should speed up.
Upcoming Features
Some features on the roadmap that are coming up that could be completed within 12 months:
- Escape Pods
- Playable Hangars
- Repair
- Water
- Component Tuning
- Jump Gates
- Escort Carriers
- Data Running
- Fuel Gameplay
- Exploration (Pyro)
The next 12 months should bring in gameplay content at a faster rate than previously. What appears clear is that Squadron 42 is feature complete with Star Citizen entering the road to the end of Alpha and then the start of Beta and that full commercial release no longer seems impossibly far away.
Suggestions and Issues that require attention
This report aims to provide suggestions for interested readers to current identified issues with the game. This advice is pure suggestion and might not even be applicable for the game or be something that is already solved internally. These are potential issues we have identified that might help development and the community.
There are no recommendations in this reporting period.
Caveats
The list of 104 features used to track "progress" in this report are listed at the Star Citizen Completion Features Percentage Page. This is a highly simplified list of features out of thousands of technical, art and gameplay features that the game(s) will end up having. 104 features were chosen as a simplified average set of gameplay features that the author guesses are plausibly required in the final games to be considered "complete".
The data is gathered as objectively as possible and is non-promotional in nature. This information is purely speculative based on personal criteria. Opinion can and should vary. It is provided for free and actually costs time and money to maintain.
Disclaimer
As always, this article does not represent the official views of Star Citizen. It is provided as speculation to help SC FOCUS org plan the strategy going forward. This information is provided to readers openly and freely and each reader is free to form their own opinion.