Star Citizen has better moons and PvP punching, and Squadron 42 is still in orbit

Just as 2019 was being put to bed, Cloud Imperium delivered a couple of Xmas gifts to its Star Citizen players. They released version 3.8 of their space-faring money blackhole, adding new planet tech, new worlds, and PvP punching. They also released a “visual teaser” for Squadron 42, which is their shooting-heavy Star Citizen spin-off and is probably too far into development to be teased like this.

3.8’s biggest bling is the new planetary tech. I haven’t seen it in the flesh yet, but the trailer below made me want to hop back in my Aurora and see some of the lovely, sharp, desolate moons up close. Though it’s not all suit slicing scree. There are some lush forests in there as well, which I was surprised to see. I didn't expect to see leaves amidst all this tech.

There's also melee, aka men awkwardly swinging punches at each another.

The newest planet in the 'verse, Microtech, has some extreme weather conditions, giving the team the chance to go ham with the snow and ice effects. Games are really getting good at this sort of thing.

And then there’s Squadron 42. I didn’t learn anything new about the FPS-focused side-chick to Star Citizen from this visual trailer. Not a single bullet is fired, but it is purty. I hope they make something of the backdrops, and that you don't just see them through the windows of some vast space dust_2.

I just checked my watch and it's definitely about time for my bi-annual Star Citizen playthrough. If there's anything worth shouting about, I'll beg Graham to let me tell you all about it.