Design Brief: Engineer | Journey To 4.0

Greetings, dear space travelers! Welcome aboard the Journey to 4.0, a recurring initiative launched at CitizenCon 2952, where we step away from the traditional weekly format of Inside Star Citizen to tell tales of our ongoing development journey. In this thrilling adventure, we shall explore the uncharted territories of "Design Brief Investigations" - an endeavor that takes us through the earliest phases of a feature that exists only in the form of text and rough diagrams. Fear not, my friends, for we shall venture forth with humor, excitement, and a touch of the fantastical!

The Engineer Gameplay: A New Chapter

As we continue our exploration through the cosmos, we come upon a design brief that has been tossed around, debated, and finely crafted by both the developers and the community. This design brief has been given the green light by the many game directors and is set to become the next stage in the resource management system. Behold, the "Design Brief Engineer" - the next fundamental component of true multi-crew gameplay!

But before we dive into the nitty-gritty, a fair warning: the engineer gameplay system is still mostly in the design stage. So, let your imagination run wild as we explore the possibilities of this work-in-progress feature!

The Role of the Engineer

As an engineer, you are responsible for the resource management of your ship, setting priorities for various items and countering any dangers that may arise during your flight. Your role is unique, as you deal with dangers that affect the mechanical parts of your ship, which are different from the challenges faced by a pilot.

There are three types of dangers you will face: overheating, wear and tear, and malfunctions. Overheating can be countered either actively or passively, with coolers and fire extinguishers at your disposal. Wear and tear is a gradual decline in efficiency that requires general maintenance to keep items running. Malfunctions, on the other hand, are a new danger that we will delve into in more detail.

Malfunctions and Engineering Gameplay

Malfunctions come in various forms, such as disconnects, power drops, misfires, clogs, power surges, leakages, unresponsiveness, bugs, and complete destruction. These malfunctions introduce a new level of complexity to the engineering gameplay, as you must understand the different states an item can be in and react accordingly.

As an engineer, you can wear three basic types of heads: tuner, mechanic, and manager. The tuner is responsible for strategic decisions and setting up items in advance. The mechanic is the hands-on engineer, fixing fuses and dealing with malfunctions on-site. The manager uses the engineering screen to analyze the ship's state, dispatch mechanics or tuners where needed, and manage resource consumption.

Conclusion: The Exciting Future of Engineering Gameplay

The engineering gameplay we've discussed here is an active development, and we are all eagerly awaiting the day when we can try it out for ourselves. The designs shared here today are just a sneak peek into the exciting future of multi-group gameplay, as resource management evolves into engineer gameplay.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more updates and Inside Star Citizen episodes, where we will show you how the engineering gameplay is progressing. Until then, I'm Jared Huckabee, signing off from this thrilling journey to 4.0. May your ships be well-tuned, your malfunctions few, and your adventures in the cosmos be filled with excitement and wonder!