Star Citizen has hit a new peak! The introduction of Server Meshing—technology that supports MMO-scale player numbers on a single server, similar to EVE Online—has been rolled out on their Preview server for the December holiday season. Additionally, the eagerly anticipated second star system, Pyro, was launched in the same update. Despite the Preview being laden with bugs, some more persistent than others, thousands of backers are diving into the fray with enthusiasm.
Pyro marks the debut of the first lawless (free-for-all PVP) star system. Although the security levels of various star systems have been known for years—high, medium, and none—the community forums are overflowing with complaints about the FFA PVP from players who haven’t yet experienced it. I’m not much of a PVP enthusiast myself, but as an MMO player, I know how to keep safe and enjoy my game time regardless of PVP elements.
Pyro is an unclaimed planetary system with a K-type flare star, five terrestrial planets, and a gas giant, was discovered in 2493 by Pyrotechnic Amalgamated. The United Nations of Earth (UNE) did not claim it due to the dangers posed by its star, leading to corporate exploitation until the 2560s.
Like many Star Citizen backers, I was eager for release 4.0. Server meshing? It’s awesome to see a boost in player density. Pyro? Absolutely, it’s a fresh area to explore with an immersive soundscape by Pedro Camacho. I’m excited to check out the new breathtaking landscapes, vibrant outposts, and the improved cargo missions that allow me to alternate between salvaging and mining to boost my earnings and prep for the upcoming 1.0 crafting and base-building update.
My initial strategy was to hang back in Stanton until CIG returned from their holiday break to iron out the most glaring bugs in the 4.0 Preview. My goal was to stack up some cash to venture into Pyro. With 4.x set to stick around, there was no rush. However, the game had other plans.
Turns out, a lot of players had the same idea—to grind in Stanton to fund escapades in Pyro, much like PVP enthusiasts in EVE Online. Coupled with those opting for the relative safety of Stanton, we overwhelmed the servers. After two frustrating hours attempting to leave my home location hangar—and then facing a travel bug that flung players towards the sun for 45 minutes—I threw in the towel. Observing streams on Twitch, it seemed the glitches plaguing Stanton weren’t as severe elsewhere. So, I made an early Sunday move.
Pyro became a haven for outlaws by the early 2600s. It consists of six planets, seven moons, ten space stations, an asteroid field, and numerous abandoned space stations and asteroid bases.
Logging back in, I braved the hangar exit issues and made my way from Stanton to the Pyro gateway, setting my respawn point nearby just in case things went south on my initial jump.
The first trip to Pyro was rough. Despite concerns about potential glitches, I pushed through while the Stanton server was stable. The transition was quicker than others had shown during EPTU, and though it lacked the ‘wow’ factor I’d anticipated, the arrival was marked by the stunning visuals of a dilapidated, patchwork setting. The new skybox hues were incredible. I decided to set up at the Starlight space station, well-positioned in what is a vast star system, though not as large as others in the pipeline.
Starlight Service Station IS Owned by Citizens for Prosperity and located at Bloom’s L1 Lagrange point, originally as PYAM-FARSTAT-3-1.
Now that I’m here earlier than planned and with limited funds, I’m going to explore as much as I can safely. While enjoying the new scenes, I’m also updating my Star System Infoviewer. Unfortunately, CIG isn’t keeping the ARK Starmap current with the live game star system updates. Having that info handy in and outside the game is crucial, so now I need to adjust my backend to pull data from RSI and manually add missing details.
