Star Citizen’s “Star Engine” is a next-generation space game that aims to revolutionize the genre by offering seamless planetary landing, improved visuals, realistic physics, and support for technologies like ray tracing and HDR. While the demo footage looks promising, concerns remain about the game’s performance and how it will ultimately perform in the hands of players.
Star Citizen’s “Star Engine” is a next-generation space game that aims to revolutionize the genre. The game promises seamless planetary landing, atmospheric flight without borders or loading screens, and the ability to walk or fly anywhere on planets. The latest information from Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) showcases the new features being added to Star Citizen, including a new cloud system, improved water effects, fully destructible environments, and support for technologies like ray tracing, DLSS, and HDR.
The demo footage reveals dramatic improvements in the game’s visuals, with enhanced clouds, ground fog, and lighting shafts creating a more realistic and moody environment. The way planets are generated on players’ computers is also being changed, resulting in less repetition of textures and more interesting environments. Additionally, the addition of animals, improved water systems, and a new fire system further enhance the overall experience.
CIG has also made rendering improvements, with support for HDR and ray tracing. The lighting in different environments will be affected by these technologies, and the game’s visual fidelity is significantly enhanced. Furthermore, changes to character simulation, including sweat, blood, and cloth physics, as well as a new physics system called Maelstrom that allows for realistic destruction of structures and ships, add depth to the gameplay.
While the demo footage looks promising, it’s important to consider that it might be curated content. The real test will be the final product and how it performs in the hands of players. There are concerns about the game’s performance, given its current sluggishness on many setups, but CIG is implementing a new renderer and server fixes that may improve performance. Overall, Star Citizen’s “Star Engine” demo showcases a truly impressive and ambitious space game that sets a new standard for the genre.