The improvements to eyes - as well as eyebrows and other facial character customisation - are detailed in the latest update from developer CIG, as it works on Star Citizen’s 3.17 alpha. In a bid for a wider range of faces, elements from existing designs are being combined to offer a greater degree of variety. Further character creator improvements will continue to be made, CIG said, as the game’s long-running development stretches on. It’s been a little while since we last checked in on Star Citizen’s ever-increasing crowdfunding total, which was announced as $400m back in late November last year. In the three months since, almost $40m more has been generated - making for $439,219,235 at the time of writing. Where is all that money going? Well, eyeball wetness aside, the video also shows a new system to allow NPCs to wander naturally across a procedurally-generated 3D environment. Just don’t expect this in the next alpha. “[As for] when it’s coming? This is still in discussion,” CIG said on the feature. “But the door is still open for possibly 3.18, 3.19 release of the first missions that might use this technology.” In January, CIG laid out a startlingly ambitious five-year plan which it said would see it developing the “sequel and sequels for Squadron 42” within that timeframe. (Squadron 42 is Star Citizen’s single-player spin-off, which lacks a release date and is currently seven years behind schedule.) Last month, CIG said it would limit its roadmap for future features, as “passionate players” were getting upset over delays. Last year, CIG announced plans to open a huge new studio in Manchester, making it one of the UK’s largest development houses. The new office, set to open in May 2022, will rehouse the company’s current 400-person team based nearby in Wilmslow, before quickly and dramatically expanding to house up to 1000 people.
