The video addresses performance concerns with the early builds of Star Citizen 4.0, particularly during the Evocati testing phase, where players have reported significant frame rate drops in new areas like Pyro stations. While the presenter acknowledges these issues, they remain optimistic that optimizations will be made before the game’s official release, urging that it’s too early for alarm given the typical performance fluctuations during testing.
The video discusses the performance concerns surrounding the early builds of Star Citizen 4.0, particularly as experienced by players in the Evocati testing phase. Many players have reported poor performance, especially in the new Pyro stations, which has raised questions about the game’s optimization and stability. The presenter shares personal gameplay footage, noting a significant drop in frame rates during various scenarios, highlighting that performance can fluctuate dramatically depending on the environment.
Initially, the video showcases the frame rates during a jump to Stanton, where the presenter experiences around 30 FPS, which improves to the 50s and 60s as the game stabilizes. However, upon entering the Stanton side, performance dips again, suggesting that the GPU is struggling with loading assets. The presenter speculates that these performance issues may stem from how elements are processed, indicating that optimizations are still necessary as the game progresses through its development cycle.
The decision by Cloud Imperium Games (CIG) to allow Evocati members to stream and share footage of 4.0 is also discussed. Typically, CIG avoids showcasing unstable builds, but this move may be a strategic marketing decision to capitalize on the growing interest in the game, particularly leading up to CitizenCon. The presenter notes that streaming this early footage serves as free marketing, potentially increasing engagement and sales of in-game items, despite the rough performance displayed.
As the video continues, the presenter highlights that while performance issues are prevalent, they are not entirely unexpected during the Evocati testing phase. They emphasize that previous Public Test Universe (PTU) builds have often shown worse performance compared to live patches, mainly due to additional logging and debugging processes that can impact client-side performance. The presenter expresses optimism that performance will improve by the time 4.0 goes live, as optimizations are typically implemented during the development process.
In conclusion, while the performance of 4.0 raises valid concerns, the presenter believes it is premature to panic. With a target release date at the end of the year, there is still ample time for CIG to address the issues. The video underscores that the current state of the game is a work in progress, and with continued development and optimization, players can expect improvements before the official launch. However, the presenter cautions that if performance does not improve significantly, there could be negative reactions from the player base.