While there are some big new features coming to Star Citizen with the Alpha 3.23 patch and you are already well aware of them, there are also small secret changes that you wouldn’t know about until you start playing the new build for more than a few days.
Cloud Imperium Games might not take the time to talk about all these minimal changes, but they do have an influence on the gameplay loop. So, here we are with the changes that we think are worthy enough to be heard by the community before playing Alpha 3.23.
Advanced Auto Crouching
Not that we didn’t have an auto crouch system before, but it performs much better now. Moving through small maintenance tunnels in distribution centers is one way to sneak through the massive complex, and that requires you to go through some narrow hatches.
This is where the improved auto-crouch system comes into play. You can now easily run towards these tiny hatches and your character will crouch automatically to path through.
Now, there are a few hiccups for auto crouch when facing rough terrain like in caves, but overall it works better than before, leaving you with far less tendency to manually crouch.
New ADS Animation For Weapons
You might have spotted this one when Cloud Imperium Games showcased the new changes to the FPS UI system. The new ADS animation looks more realistic than before.
Unlike the previous animation where the player and weapon’s iron sight used to get closer to each other in an almost linear path, your character will now pull over the weapon towards their head, which significantly adds up to the immersion in FPS combat.
Moreover, the iron sight for most weapons has been slightly changed to provide a much clearer vision of the environment. This improvement is quite beneficial for weapons like Custodian SMG and S54.
Data Grab Missions Get Slightly Harder
If you have done Data Grab missions previously, you know that entry-level quests used to feature only two uploads and you would get markers for where to read the codes. Well, that’s no longer the case.
The entry-level missions now feature 3 uploads, and each upload interrupts more than once during the process. Also, you no longer get markers to where to read the codes from.
This surely doesn’t seem like a good update for the entry-level missions, as the older system used to give a better understanding of how the quest worked before getting you to the harder levels.
New Unlawful Mercenary Missions For Distribution Centers
Distribution Centers now feature a wide variety of lawful and unlawful missions, mostly scrapped off the available quests for bunkers.
However, there is one new variant that tasks you with breaching into the facility and assassinating a boss. This is a great mission for players looking to earn a rare armor set, as the boss is pretty hard to kill.
You can go inside the building guns blazing or try sneaking through the maintenance tunnels. Of course, you will have to kill at least a few guards before reaching the boss, but the more you cut corners, the fewer enemies you will have to deal with.
New Hit Detector For Weapons
There is a new advanced hit detector in the game that turns red when you shoot the final fatal bullet at the enemies. The new hit detector also distinguishes the body shots and headshots
This is another big achievement in making combat more accessible for players, as you finally get to know if you are shooting the head or not, especially when engaging from a long distance or shooting at enemies behind cover.
Minimal Positive Changes For Prison Break Path
The path to escape from the prison is still the same, but a few of the obstacles that you used to face in the initial parts of the cave have been changed.
This includes the parts where you used to face some rocky platforms next to giant plant roots. Hopefully, CIG has removed those platforms, and you will now simply need to make a single jump to reach from one side to the other.
New Music For Combat FPS Missions
When you are inside a bunker or a distribution center to complete a combat quest, you will now hear a new background soundtrack, which greatly adds to the tension.
This comes as a real surprise for Alpha 3.23, as bunker combat missions used to feel a bit empty previously with the lack of music.
You will now feel the stress behind each engagement as the new soundtrack will make the fight for your life more epic, no matter if you are killing the bad guys or trying to be the villain.
Trespassing Initiation Delay Increased After Completing Quests
Previously, after completing a bunker quest, you had 15 minutes to leave the area before being recognized as a trespasser. Hopefully, that timer has now been increased to 30 minutes.
While 15 minutes might seem enough for fully looting a bunker and moving away, it is indeed too short for distribution centers, regarding how massive they are.
It is easy to get lost inside a distribution center in the first few visits, especially if your objective is located in the maintenance or cargo levels. The extra time will guarantee you can find your way out, and maybe loot some stuff before leaving the area to make your journey more worthwhile.
