A combination of winter, work stresses, the family spread across 3 states now, and Jenn's health crisis has left me feeling rather blue at times. We were all anxious to kick 2021 in the butt. However, nothing could have prepared us for the crisis mode we'd be in entering 2022. While always endeavoring to remain hopeful and manage what's within our control, I'm in desperate need of my time away from it all.
Nothing removes me from the present pressure-cooker like gaming, specifically, MMOs. And not one to game hop, I'm returning to Star Citizen, the game I hope to call home for years to come.
Can Star Citizen Alpha 3.16 deliver enough variety and entertainment in the current alpha state? I'm about to find out.
The ability to escape into my own brand of fun is why I mostly solo MMOs. It's a time when I don't want to care about what anyone else wants. Where, what, when, and how of others is mostly off the table, especially during the week. And I definitely, without exception, am not interested in hearing some random player's voice coming out of my speakers. I enjoy being among but not with other gamers when I'm decompressing. Social gaming is what weekends are for in my world. Of the game-play that Star Citizen has to offer at the moment, I'm most inclined to mine, do FedEx-type deliveries, and NPC bounties. The latter two offer opportunities to gain reputation standing with the various NPC factions.
I'll likely rotate among the content as the mood strikes me. For now, I'm starting in ArcCorp, the planet-sized mega-city so that I can do the rooftop deliveries that seem to be more readily available there. Setting up your base of operations immediately requires that you consider the physicalized inventory and medical system available in 3.16. It also adds a lot of roleplay/depth to your decisions.
Given that you're character is limited to the inventory, including the ships, you have stored in a given area, planning ahead is a good idea.
After selecting ArcCorp as my home planet, I elected to establish my base of operation at the orbital station. Baijini Point is a Trade Hub Space Station in geostationary orbit around ArcCorp, located above Area18. I elected to start looking for missions, which are regional, from that location. Additionally, I decided to mine on Arial, a moon of ArcCorp, with refining operations at ARC-L1. Officially named Wide Forest Station, ARC-L1, is a Rest & Relax owned Rest Stop located in ArcCorp's L1 Lagrangian point.
Having made decisions about locations, it's up to the player to actually transport their personal inventory to where it's needed. I set my medical resurrection point/cloning insurance at Baijini along with the ships, armor, weapons, etc., I might need to do missions. I flew my mining ship, the MISC Prospector to ARC-L1 along with my Drake Herald. The Herald, designed to safely ferry data from Point A to Point B, is one of the fastest ships in the game. I'm using it for delivery quests since it's fast getting in and out of atmo and serves as a quick shuttle between Baijini and my mining operations.
Owed to its Beltalowda made from scraps aesthetic, revisiting the Speedy Gonzolez, Drake Herald added RP spice and atmosphere.
Getting this much established took a couple of sessions. I hadn't used the inventory system yet. Additionally, playing after a wipe, I also had to travel around the star system equipping my ships, purchasing gear, and delivering things to the appropriate place. That was another couple of gaming sessions. Doing just this much made me feel more connected to the game and my character than previous stints in Star Citizen. These choices, while by no means permanent, have a session-to-session impact on your character, and going through the actions, makes you feel grounded in the game. In my next post, I'll talk a bit about my adventures in mining and doing deliveries out of the ArcCorp which has been entertaining enough of a diversion.
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