Star Citizen Alpha 3.16 released – final update of the year for the king of crowdfunding
Star Citizen leaves 2021 behind with a flurry of a patch and a new event to round off the year
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It’s been a busy year for Star Citizen even though it is still (perpetually) in Alpha. With little over a week to go until the end of the year, we are getting Alpha version 3.16 alongside a new in-game event based on the popular PvP event Jumptown.
Monickered ‘Return to Jumptown’ (the clue is in the name we guess)
Star Citizen Alpha 3.16: Return to Jumptown launches today and is a server-wide dynamic event inspired by the fan-favorite PvP event Jumptown. In this version of Jumptown, law enforcement and criminal factions will battle it out in large-scale skirmishes to control a payload of illegal narcotics. Expect chaotic shoot-outs and daring getaways in locations new and old.
“2021 has been another fantastic year for Star Citizen and our amazing community, and I’m excited for us to end the year with another explosive Dynamic Event in Alpha 3.16: Return to Jumptown,” said Star Citizen Creative Director Chris Roberts.
“Long-term players remember the emergent PvP Jumptown battles from the early days of the Persistent Universe. We’ve taken the intense action from the old event as inspiration for Jumptown 2.0, which promises to deliver the exhilarating and large-scale battlefields we want to see more of in Star Citizen.
“On top of that, today in 3.16.0 we are also adding big improvements to the handling of hover vehicles, a new Cutlass Steel dropship, and a few more surprises for our players.”
Star Citizen Return to Jumptown release time
The Star Citizen Return to Jump down event will launch at the same time as the Alpha 3.16 patch – 10 am PST.
Star Citizen 3.16 patch notes
Notably in the Alpha 3.16 patch, we will get a rework of the Grav-Lev physics, the Drake Cutlass Steel dropship, and brand new bounties across the galaxy’s largest planets. This update will be live today alongside the Return to Jumptown event.
Key features
Star Citizen – Alpha 3.16: Return to Jumptown update key features include:
- Jumptown 2.0: Inspired by the popular PvP community event where players waged war over valuable drug resources, Jumptown 2.0 seeks to introduce the excitement and chaos of largescale PvP ground conflicts in Star Citizen. During this event, both Lawful and Criminal players will race to battle over control of valuable drug crates at various outposts in the Stanton system.
- Drake Cutlass Steel: This dropship variant of the Drake Cutlass replaces cargo capacity with room for 18 jump seats to transport troops to the frontlines of battle, along with a variety of weaponry, including door-mounted guns, manned and remote turrets, ballistic Gatling guns, laser repeaters, and a powerful payload of missiles.
- Grav-Lev Physics Rework: Hover bikes will see major improvements following a significant rework of the flight and driving model for grav-lev vehicles. The result is improved handling, stability, and a far better experience for hover bikes moving forward.
- Atmospheric Bounties: Bounty hunters can now pursue contracts above the caves on microTech, outposts on ArcCorp, and more with new bounties across Stanton, including targets hiding in-atmosphere across all of the system’s major planets.
The next patch – 3.16.1 will drop at the end of January ahead of 3.17 patch, and will feature further enhancements, specifically:
- Derelict Puzzles: A number of derelict ships have been discovered throughout the Stanton region. Explore and navigate through the wreckage, avoid deadly laser trip mines, and recover valuable cargo in these new derelict variants.
