EP 239 | All About Star Citizen’s Engineering Gameplay & Alpha 4.5 Additions

As 2025 wraps up, we are already aware of even more ships releasing in 2026, and the new ships are likely to start in the first month of the new year. So to get straight into things, I’m joined by Execute to discuss the best and worst ships of 2025, and what we expect to see in the new year.Today’s Guests:ExecuteTwitch - https://www.twitch.tv/inforunners/videosYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@inforunnersTwitter - https://twitter.com/theinforunners?lang=enToC:00:00 Introductions01:30 The Best of 202522:00 Are The Ships Getting Better?47:30 New Ships of 2026!01:21:10 Is This The Year For Star Citizen?Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpiPXCO7OVJOlBIclW9tbpb2g29gur3ISupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

2025 started out a bit unsure for Star Citizen, but as the year continued on, it became clear the goal was to deliver fast pieces of content on the back of more stability. This succeeded to varying levels, but ultimately the year was a huge positive change for the game. I’m joined by The Astro Historian to discuss 2025 in review.Today’s Guests:TheAstroPubTwitch - https://www.twitch.tv/TheAstroPubYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAstroPub, https://www.youtube.com/@TheAstroHistorianTwitter - https://twitter.com/TheAstroPubToC:00:00 Introductions04:00 How did 2025 Start?07:00 “The Year of Playability”14:30 Did it Get Better?29:00 Where Are The Features, Though?44:20 Storylines in Star Citizen01:00:00 Something Big is Happening Here01:24:50 Most Important Thing in 202501:32:30 What’s Gotten Worse in 2025?01:33:40 The Community in 2025Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpiPXCO7OVJOlBIclW9tbpb2g29gur3ISupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

Star Citizen is a seemingly very complex game at the moment without supporting systems. Still, there’s a chance the real goal is to pack as many casual opportunities into this game as possible. Today I’m joined by Grolo to discuss a theory he has that Star Citizen could, much like Wow, attract players from all corners of the industry to play a game unlike any other. But will it really happen?Today’s Guests:GroloYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@grolo-afToC:00:00 Introductions06:00 Is Star Citizen a Game For Everyone?25:00 Can You Be For Everybody & Be Niche?36:20 Is It Going To Be Casual Friendly?39:00 What’s Past 1.0?48:30 Is Engineering For Everyone?01:02:00 Instancing in Star Citizen 01:17:00 Can They Bring in More Industry Vets?Audio Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/launchsequenceWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpiPXCO7OVJOlBIclW9tbpb2g29gur3ISupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

Star Citizen Alpha 4.5 is bringing a surprisingly big close to a surprisingly successful year. Engineering and the Vulkan API are 2 long-term projects finally reaching some level of implementation in this next update. Today I’m joined by TenPoundFortyTwo to discuss how much these additions may shift the game forward, and how much pain they may also bring players in 4.5.Today’s Guests:TenPoundFortyTwoYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/@tenpoundfortytwoToC:00:00 Introductions2:00 Performance Improvements and Vulkan23:40 When Will You Get Better Performance?43:10 Is Engineering Ruining Star Citizen?50:30 Ships Still Exploding?01:04:50 Bullet Penetration and Capital Ships01:19:40 Is Crafting Missing 2026?01:26:30 Are We Back to Pre-40 Feature Additions?Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpiPXCO7OVJOlBIclW9tbpb2g29gur3ISupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

After a long 2025, 27 total vehicles will have been released to players in Star Citizen. Of those, the newest are the most exciting. The Clipper, Perseus, and even the L-22 Alpha Wolf have sparked a lot of conversation in the community, and today I’m joined by ship modeler, tristPWN, to discuss the latest additions and what’s coming next in ships for Star Citizen.Today’s Guests:tristPWNYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPs39Q6bS7vVgGmAfS3G3XQToC:00:00 Introductions04:20 What Drew You To Star Citizen?11:00 The Perseus18:00 Engineering & NPC Crew33:30 The Drake Clipper46:00 The Wolf & The Ox58:00 New Ships in 2026Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpiPXCO7OVJOlBIclW9tbpb2g29gur3ISupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

With the year coming to a close it’s obvious 2025 was a success for Star Citizen monetarily. But looking back on content, bug fixes, and maintenance throughout the year not everything feels the same. Today I’m joined by Morphologis to look at the past year of progress in various areas, and where Star Citizen may be going from here.Today’s Guests:MorphologisYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FarristerTwitter: https://twitter.com/thomasfarristerToC:00:00 Introductions06:30 PvP and PvE in Star  Citizen22:00 Is Star Citizen Progressing?35:00 Story and Narrative in 202548:30 The Clipper, Perseus, & Other New Ships!01:03:10 Alpha 4.5 is ComingAudio Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/launchsequenceWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpiPXCO7OVJOlBIclW9tbpb2g29gur3ISupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

We finally got to try engineering! After years of talk, Star Citizen is finally making engineering gameplay available to players. It has a long way to go, but it seems to be a genuinely transformative addition to Star Citizen, making ships more than transportation vehicles. I’m joined by Farrister to discuss the complications and most asked questions surrounding engineering gameplay, and whether solo players still have a Star Citizen to play.Today’s Guests:FarristerYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FarristerTwitter: https://twitter.com/thomasfarristerToC:00:00 Introductions08:00 IAE 202518:00 Why Engineering Gameplay?21:00 Why The Negative Reaction?33:30 Our Hands-On Experience51:00 What Took So Long?01:10:30 Other HypeSupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

From November 20th through to the end of December, Star Citizen is likely to add at least 6 new ships, and possibly an update or 2. This caps off the most prolific ship release schedule in the game’s history, without a single concept ship. Is this a sustainable path forward? What new ships are coming out, and what makes them special? I’m joined by StarJump_GRIM to answer your spaceship questions this week on The Launch Sequence!Today’s Guests:StarJump_GRIMTwitch - https://twitch.tv/starjump_grimYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChRBwcaz6lNw8MJwbGWXL6wTwitter - https://twitter.com/starjumporgDiscord - https://discord.gg/A44nu8WtYvToC:00:00 Introductions04:30 What is Too Many Ships?16:00 Will They Always Sell Ships?31:40 6 New Ships By Years End!01:13:40 Ships in 2026Support This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

Star Citizen has finally introduced near-release level engineering gameplay to players. While it’s behind an NDA in gameplay, we can discuss everything that has played ot in that closed testing so far. I’m joined by 10Pound42 to discuss the newest iteration of engineering, how it’s changing the game, and whether it feels like a win or a drag.Today’s Guests:TenPoundFortyTwoYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tenpoundfortytwoTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tenpoundfortytwoToC:00:00 Star Citizen’s Events and 4.3.207:30 Playability Has Fallen Short so Far14:20 What is Engineering Gameplay?27:00 Was Vulkan The Blocker?30:40 Is Solo Gameplay Ruined?36:30 Heat & Fire!54:15 Is This Another Tech Demo or Good Gameplay?01:01:00 Is Engineering Wrong for Star Citizen?01:14:35 How Much More is There?01:34:00 4.4 In Evocati!!?Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvpiPXCO7OVJOlBIclW9tbpb2g29gur3ISupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord

Star Citizen’s next star system is coming next month, but it’s different than what was planned. Today I’m joined by TheAstroHistorian to discuss the Nyx system, the lore behind it, and how it will change Star Citizen in different ways than the first 2 systems.Today’s Guests:TheAstroHistorianTwitch - https://www.twitch.tv/TheAstroPubYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAstroPub, https://www.youtube.com/@TheAstroHistorianTwitter - https://twitter.com/TheAstroPubToC:00:00 Introductions11:00 What Brings You to Star Citizen?20:00 Pay to Win30:30 Can They Survive Financially?45:00 Mainstream Viability01:08:10 Star Citizen’s LegacySupport This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Discord