The latest Squadron 42 monthly report for Star Citizen’s single-player campaign revealed that Episode 1 is in the polishing phase and feature complete, but not yet 100% content complete. While Squadron 42 is currently unavailable for purchase, updates on development progress, including AI improvements, character interactions, and gameplay animations, suggest that a release date may be announced at the upcoming Citizen Con event in October.
In the video, the latest Squadron 42 monthly report for Star Citizen’s single-player campaign was discussed. Squadron 42 Episode 1 is in its polishing phase and is feature complete, but not yet 100% content complete. There is still no release date for Squadron 42, but it is expected that a release date will be announced at the upcoming Citizen Con event in October. Additionally, plans for Squadron 42 Episode 2 and Episode 3 are in place, with each episode being considered its own AAA game rather than a split of the original game.
Squadron 42 is currently not available for purchase as it was removed from the RSI store in May 2023. However, it is expected to return with a price change, possibly during Citizen Con in October. Development updates for Squadron 42 include improvements in AI technology, pathing for scripted walkers, and enhancing character interactions with realistic behaviors. The AI flight behaviors from the persistent Universe were integrated into Squadron 42, and combat encounters were refined. Various bug fixes and improvements were made across multiple chapters, such as polishing interactions and animations.
The social team focused on creating a living, breathing ship environment by working on life animations and character placements. Progress was made in gameplay animation, combat AI polishing, and the development of new player interaction moments. The narrative team continued to refine characters and scenes in different chapters, including adding new interactions and animations. VFX support was provided for cinematic scenes, reaching edit lock to finalize camera positions and integrate effects accordingly.
R&D efforts included the implementation of volumetric cloud rendering and texture filtering for improved visual quality. The number of Ray marching steps scaled with scene depth to enhance performance in various environments. The temporal render mode and transmittance filtering received further tweaks for better rendering quality. The development cycle for Squadron 42 is nearing completion, with a focus on polishing and refining gameplay elements before its eventual release. The expectation is that an official release date will be announced at Citizen Con, leading to the anticipation of Squadron 42 Episode 1 being available to players in the near future.