Exploring the New Pyro System in Star Citizen Alpha 4.0
In 2019, Cloud Imperium Games unveiled the Pyro system, a new solar system designed for their crowd-funded space simulation game, Star Citizen. After extensive development, players can now immerse themselves in the Pyro system, featuring innovative planets, unique resources, and even new wildlife.
Getting to Pyro: The First Ever Jump Point
To reach this new star system, players will utilize Star Citizen’s inaugural Jump Point, which links the Stanton and Pyro systems. As highlighted in the accompanying trailer, traversing this Jump Point involves maneuvering through a thrilling two-minute space tunnel filled with obstacles, before emerging into the wonders of Pyro.
Discover the Planets of Pyro
Upon entering the Pyro system, players can explore several fascinating planets:
- Pyro I: The closest planet to the sun in the Pyro system, Pyro I is characterized by a dense, high-pressure atmosphere. This environment results in turbulent weather patterns, including powerful winds and frequent lightning storms, concealing an ecosystem of plants and resilient animals that thrive despite the extreme heat and stellar flares.
- Pyro II – Monox: Dubbed “Monox”due to its toxic carbon monoxide-rich atmosphere, Pyro II boasts a temperate climate and was considered a potential site for terraforming. However, the risks associated with its proximity to the system’s unstable sun deterred the United Nations of Earth (UNE) from approving such endeavors. As corporations withdrew during the 26th century, outlaws began to inhabit this world.
- Pyro III – Bloom: This third planet, known as Bloom, is distinguished by its cold, yet naturally habitable environment. It became a hub for mining activities, where Pyrotechnic Amalgamated and other entities established processing sites, only to be abandoned in the late 26th century as profits dwindled, leading to an influx of squatters and outlaws.
- Pyro V: Research indicated that Pyro V was named for its ordered classification after evidence suggested its outer moon once orbited the sun between Pyro III and Pyro V. However, a celestial event disrupted this orbit. Currently, travelers harvest hydrogen from this planet’s vibrant green and yellow atmosphere.
- Pyro VI – Terminus: As the outermost planet in the Pyro system, Terminus features a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere that is barely breathable. Extended exposure to its atmosphere’s high methane and carbon dioxide levels poses health risks to its visitors.
Server Meshing V1: A Game-Changer
One of the most significant updates in this release is the introduction of Server Meshing V1. This eagerly anticipated feature enables clusters of servers to collaborate, creating a more stable universe and currently supporting up to 500 players in a single “shard.”According to Cloud Imperium Games founder and CEO Chris Roberts, this improvement localizes server issues, enhancing performance and ensuring that players in other areas remain unaffected during server crashes. This also allows for a smoother gameplay experience as each server will handle fewer entities.
Additional Updates in Star Citizen Alpha 4.0
The comprehensive change log for the eagerly awaited Star Citizen Alpha 4.0 update, which includes an economy overhaul, instanced hangars, and an Advanced Flight HUD tailored for expert pilots, can be found here. Notably, the game has implemented a full wipe, resetting player accounts to 20,000 aUEC (prior to bonuses) and removing all acquired ships.
This alpha release of Pyro is revolutionary in nature, as Cloud Imperium Games has chosen to retain access to the previous version, Alpha 3.24.3, allowing players to continue their missions and gameplay loops using their remaining currency and ships. Encouragingly, the studio has announced plans to eliminate future wipes following the launch of version 4.0.
Download Options for Star Citizen
The Star Citizen Launcher now offers players the choice between the new 4.0 Preview—with the Pyro system, server meshing, and other features—and the older game versions for download.
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