Today, we’re releasing an updated production schedule outlining our goals for the 2.6.1 patch. Star Citizen Newsletter - 2.6.1 Schedule January 20th, 2017

Greetings Citizen. Today, we’re releasing an updated production schedule outlining our goals for the 2.6.1 patch. The features in this patch will not only improve the game’s performance and deliver some of the features that were originally planned for 2.6 like the in-game leader boards, message ordering and our new serialized variable system, but also address some of the balance issues now that 2.6 has been in your hands for almost a month. We are also planning on one more small incremental patch, 2.6.2 that will include the MegaMap feature, which allows Players to seamlessly connect to different multiplayer matches or jump into a single player game mode without having to load a level every time. As well as introduce multi region game servers. This was one of our stretch goals and with the move to Amazon's AWS we are now able to move forward with it which I know will make people in Europe and Australasia happy as 200ms+ pings aren't fun! On the project management side, department heads from all four studios were in LA this week to continue high level meetings on a number of topics, including the 2.6.2, 3.0 production schedules, which we'll provide more specifics on 3.0 as soon as they are set. It’s easy to rough in a schedule for what we want to accomplish, but fleshing out the details and getting revised bids from all our leads around the world takes time and an immense amount of coordination. This week, we premiered a tweaked version of Around the Verse. While we've still maintained most of our features like the Studio Update and Behind the Scenes Featurettes, we've broken out the community section to be its own show and afford it the time to really cover the exciting things happening in the community. Our main goal with ATV going forward is to focus on upcoming game features and content, rather than retrospective ones (this week's ATV was an exception due to the short turnaround after returning from holiday). The plan is to dive a little deeper than we did last year, pulling interviews from all the studios to help show the challenges and advances of development. Meanwhile, the roll out of new Community shows is already underway. Last Friday, we premiered Happy Hour which featured a livestream of Star Marine alongside insider information from Design Director Todd Papy and Senior Producer Alexander Marshal. Today's show focused on Pirate Swarm with Sean Tracy as a guest. Finally, if you’ve received a PTU invite to join the testing of Spectrum, I highly encourage you to do so. We're hoping to roll it out with the release of 2.6.1, so the more people putting it through its paces now the better. We’re excited by the initial feedback, and can’t wait until Spectrum is the main hub for the community and devs to discuss and share their experiences with the game. -- Chris Roberts 2.6.1 Schedule Since the release of Star Citizen Alpha 2.6, we have collected a massive amount of feedback to help us assess the patch’s performance. We’ve now sifted through the data, scrutinized our game plan, and updated our 2.6.1 production schedule to reflect these changes. Go here to see what to expect from the next patch. Subscriber Town Hall: Persistent Universe Game Director Chris Roberts was joined by Erin Roberts, Tony Zurovec and Todd Papy to answer questions from our subscribers in a Town Hall focused on the Persistent Universe. Topics covered included distress beacons, multi-crew ships, the mission system and more. Go here to watch this extremely informative town hall. Around the Verse Around the Verse returned this week with Chris Roberts and Sandi Gardiner as hosts. The tweaked format allows for a more in-depth look at aspects of the game being worked on by our global team. This week’s show looked at the new and improved pirate swarm in Alpha 2.6, while future episodes will focus on exciting new features you’ll be seeing soon. Bugsmashers On this episode of Bugsmashers, Mark Abent tackles an issue with the Caterpillar cargo doors not properly opening. Discover how the complicated doors were designed with interior and exterior animations, and how the Player’s visibility of them was part of the problem. Will he solve it? Find out by going here. BOotyCall: NovaRiders Jester is back with BOotyCall and lamenting that a group of incompetent outlaws have taken up the mantle of the famed NovaRider gang. Hear Jester’s concerns, and learn about the NovaRider’s villainous history, by going here. LIVE Version : Alpha 2.6 PTU Version : None PTU Test Groups : None DRAGONFLY POSTER SET Show the galaxy you’re a Citizen to be reckoned with by displaying Drake’s tough-as-nails space motorcycle, the Dragonfly, in both available colors. Drake for life! SQUADRON 42 HOODIE Our fan-favorite hoodies are making a comeback with a new Squadron 42 design just in time for chilly weather! Star Citizen in 360° 4K VR awesomeness - The MMHC My attempt to push 360° spherical photos of Star Citizen environments to the next level… 4K source images. I’m spending a lot of time trying to perfect my technique and I think I’ve almost nailed it. Posted by Nasty Headwound NASTYHEADWOUND XI'AN Orthography / language graphic After watching the "Star Citizen Special Edition: Around the Verse – Alien Languages ATV" I was inspired to do this Xi'an graphic. Posted by Skenter030 SKENTER History of the UEE | Lore The History of the UEE is rich with many important milestones that will help us understand humanity and the society around our characters. Posted by Squidoflove SQUIDOFLOVE Banu Merchantman Corridor Habitation This week’s sneak peek takes a look inside the Banu Merchantman. The finely detailed work on the corridor floor showcases the superb Banu craftsmanship passed down through the generations by their venerated guilds. Such attention to detail is what makes the Merchantman a favorite of traders all across the UEE and Banu Protectorate.