Within the Star Citizen community, there is currently a significant conflict. PvP chaos escalated during a test and drove peaceful players to madness. Discovering new content and reporting bugs became nearly impossible.
With this year’s CitizenCon, developer CIG provided many interesting insights into the current state of the space MMO Star Citizen. In addition, the single-player campaign Squadron 42 was labeled as ‘feature complete.’
While solo adventurers now look forward even more to a story-driven game that they can explore by themselves, the community believes that something is really going wrong in the multiplayer variant of Star Citizen.
We’re talking about Pyro, the next system with multiple planets and moons. For this purpose, the developers held a tech preview test to gather feedback from participating players on new content and bugs found.
However, diligent players were hindered by so-called griefers. These PvP pirates targeted everyone who crossed their path on the preview server. As a result, many players who only had good intentions for this test had their fun taken away. The victims here are all players of Star Citizen, including the griefers themselves.
If voluntary testers are missing from the servers of the preview versions, the quality of upcoming updates suffers. If toxic behavior continues to spread within the community, players will leave the Star Citizen universe, and new potential space pilots will be deterred. No one benefits from this. Neither PvE and PvP players nor the griefers themselves.
PvP players out of control, Star Citizen becomes the ‘Wild West’
What happened? Selected players of Star Citizen had the opportunity to check out a preview build of the space MMO. In this early version with new content, space pilots could examine the upcoming Pyro star system. The focus was on exploration and finding bugs to report to the developers.
However, the discovery of new planets and moons was out of the question. Bug hunting also proved to be a challenging undertaking. Both were massively disrupted by griefers with unfair PvP battles.
A griefer aims to ruin others’ enjoyment. The word grief translates to sorrow. A griefer is therefore someone who wants to cause others distress.
Why did the PvP gameplay escalate? The game world did not have weapon-free zones during this test. Griefers shamelessly exploited this and ruined the fun for other players. Areas that players needed to cross to reach their spaceship were effectively monitored.
As soon as an unsuspecting character was spotted, the fire was opened on them. Since there were no penalties for such crimes at the same time, griefers had no consequences to fear.
Some players were targeted who had just entered the game world. Others managed to get into their spaceship but were shot down by griefers as they attempted to reach space.
A station in the new Pyro star system
How did the community react? Players who had to experience such situations multiple times quit the game in frustration. On Reddit and Spectrum, the official Star Citizen forum, players vented their anger and frustration over escalating PvP players. Countless posts and comments contain complaints about the toxic behavior of the griefers.
But the other side in the form of the griefers also spoke up. The result was debates about who was actually right. The PvP pirates argued, among other things, that there must be some level of risk in Star Citizen. The constantly recurring gameplay loops in PvE would not be enough.
Here are some voices on the conflict:
- People who are currently doing nothing but killing everything? That’s just plain stupid. Especially since I bet these are exactly the people who constantly complain about bugs. (Usual-Application916 via Reddit)
- As a former enthusiastic player approaching 40, I no longer have the time, energy, or patience to deal with such childish bullshit. (NKato via Reddit)
- Yes. Go back to Stanton for a civilized, polite society. Pyro is a lawless hellhole and should be recognized as such. (False_Profit_ via Reddit)
- As long as there are enough people actually looking for bugs and reporting them, I’m fine with letting the PvP players have their fun. […] Constant danger can enrich the game in a way. (Spectral_Disorder via Reddit)
Community demands and the developers’ reaction
What is being demanded now? The majority of posts and comments advocate for a structured PvP experience. For the Star Citizen community, PvP is part of the game. However, it only occupies a small part of the otherwise PvE-dominated game world for most players.
PvP missions and mutual player conflicts at eye level are not a problem for them and are even desired. Even the developers have previously urged you to hunt them in the game.
Some feel this goes too far. They demand a strict ban or technical implementation to ensure that PvP is generally impossible in testing environments. For them, the focus should purely be on exploring new content and bug hunting with reports to the developers.
Griefers defend their behavior with the developers’ lax approach to this issue. CIG states on their website, “What is deemed criminal activity in the verse is still in progress, but in most cases, your moral compass will serve you well.” (via support.robertsspaceindustries.com)
Since the three systems for a player’s crime rating only take effect on the live server, griefers currently feel secure. The local legal, crime, and reputation systems were simply missing in the preview version for Pyro. However, this is not the only issue that Star Citizen is currently facing criticism for.
What does CIG say about this? The developers are aware of the issues. CIG is already working on a solution. Through the three mentioned systems, NPCs in the game will eventually respond accordingly to players who display too much criminal energy.
They will either prevent dishonorable space pilots from entering their territory with force or at least make it very difficult for them to set foot in the NPC-populated stations.
CIG recently also stated in a video that the PvP actions of other players are part of the lawless setting in the Pyro system. What is lacking here is a clear distinction from griefing. Where does PvP begin, and where does it end? And more importantly, when does toxic behavior in the game become a form of griefing? Until then, players are largely left to their own devices.
What would the consequences be without concrete rules and systems? The developers should not take too long to find a solution. Initially, griefing in preview versions leads to fewer willing testers. Who wants to be repeatedly transported to the digital afterlife defenseless?
The result would initially be less thoroughly tested updates and content with lower quality. If CIG does not establish clearer rules, active players might turn their back on Star Citizen. If the toxic behavior of griefers spreads more widely, it could negatively affect the registration of new players. Chris Roberts and Co. rely on fresh money for further development.
The development studio behind Star Citizen continuously raises large sums of money, as the funding statistics show. (via robertsspaceindustries.com)
Nevertheless, newcomers also represent a financial factor that should not be underestimated. Nobody wishes for the game’s failure who actively participates in its development. This would also not be in the interest of the griefers. Which side of history are you on?
CIG recently also stated in a video that the PvP actions of other players are part of the lawless setting in the Pyro system. What is lacking here is a clear distinction from griefing. Where does PvP begin, and where does it end? And more importantly, when does toxic behavior in the game become a form of griefing? Until then, players are largely left to their own devices.
What would the consequences be without concrete rules and systems? The developers should not take too long to find a solution. Initially, griefing in preview versions leads to fewer willing testers. Who wants to be repeatedly transported to the digital afterlife defenseless?
The result would initially be less thoroughly tested updates and content with lower quality. If CIG does not establish clearer rules, active players might turn their back on Star Citizen. If the toxic behavior of griefers spreads more widely, it could negatively affect the registration of new players. Chris Roberts and Co. rely on fresh money for further development.
The development studio behind Star Citizen continuously raises large sums of money, as the funding statistics show. (via robertsspaceindustries.com)
Nevertheless, newcomers also represent a financial factor that should not be underestimated. Nobody wishes for the game’s failure who actively participates in its development. This would also not be in the interest of the griefers. Which side of history are you on?
