The long awaited update for Star Citizen's Arena Commander module has been released, bringing it to version 1.0 and making many, many more ships flyable in the dogfighting space-sim. It also makes them flyable in Free Flight mode, so if you just want to get a hang of scooting around the galaxy, it's now easier than ever.
New ships now flyable include: Hornet, Mustang, 300 and all the different versions of the Aurora. Both the Cutlass and Avenger are now flyable too. While there's still more to come, the vast majority are now playable within Arena Commander and that certainly makes them seem a little more valuable.
Until this patch, many ships which people had paid hundreds of dollars for were only viewable in the hanger and were essentially, expensive ornaments.
As well as the new ship additions, Roberts Space Industries has also released a new lobby system for the game, meaning friends and family can now gather together to make their own game and those that want more of a challenge can search out something harder.
New animations, textures and mechanics for in-ship flight have also been added, giving players control of ship power, as well as access to ship signatures and a lateral g-force system.
RSI head Chris Roberts did say in his update, that ideally the team would have liked a few more days of stress testing and bug hunting, so there may be a few errors still in there, but they wanted to get the build out for Christmas.
He also stressed that v 1.0 of Arena Commander was the "beginning, not the ending." It is the start of a new stage of development.
"Some elements, like the initial Avenger and Cutlass, will be converted to the new modular ship component system, but we wanted long-waiting owners to get an early look at their ships. So I encourage you to experience everything we’ve added to Arena Commander 1.0, but also to know that much, much more is in the works," he said.
Anyone pumped for some Christmas Arena Commander?
