EP 252 - The Newcomer Star Citizen Experience in 2026

As Star Citizen continues to grow in features and content, a distinct change is starting to take shape. The game is becoming less a collection of features, and more a game to progress through with or without friends. Even so, some major key features are still missing and in question for the next update, Alpha 4.8. Today I’m joined by youtuber Hav0k to discuss the changing focus of Star Citizen, and what’s still needed to convince most players it’s becoming a game.Today’s Guests: @Hav0k  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hav0kTwitch: twitch.tv/hav0k7ToC:00:00 Introductions05:00 How is Alpha 4.7?25:30 Why So FPS Focused?40:20 4.8 Is Looking Crazy52: 00 Becoming an MMO01:13:30 Closing PredictionsFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other YoutubeInstagram Twitter Facebook Discord

A lot is changing in Star Citizen at the moment, and it offers a good chance to take a look at the big picture. What Star Citizen currently is, and where it’s headed. Cause crafting, instances, base building, and the player economy are all becoming a bigger focus every quarter. So I’m joined by TenPoundFortyTwo to discuss the question, what kind of game is Star Citizen trying to be?Today’s Guests: @tenpoundfortytwo  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tenpoundfortytwoTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tenpoundfortytwoToC:00:00 Introduction03:00 Is 4.7 a Gamechanger?40:20 Is The EPTU Working?45:00 The New Flight Model59:00 Still the “Best Space Sim”?01:09:45 Non-Combative Gameplay?01:18:20 What’s Coming in 4.8?01:28:00 Your Predictions For 2026Follow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other YoutubeInstagramTwitter Facebook Discord

Star Citizen Alpha 4.7 is one of the bigger changes to mining we’ve seen, even though it’s supposed to be the crafting patch. Today I’m joined by YouTuber & Org Leader Loud Guns to discuss the surprisingly big shift in mining playing out in Star Citizen, and how crafting plays into the overall game progression and daily gameplay.Today’s Guests:LoudGunsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LoudGunsTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/loudgunsToC:00:00 Introductions03:30 What Makes Industry Matter?09:50 Mining Up Until Now24:15 4.7 Mining Updates34:30 Skill Based Gameplay & The Whole Loop40:30 Group Gameplay53:20 Too Much Material Quality01:07:30 Narrative Mining Missions?01:13:10 Exploration Gameplay?01:16:35 Your PredictionFollow Space Tomato on social media:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠My Other Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord

Your first couple weeks in any game are the most exciting time, but Star Citizen can be a trip. Today I’m joined by Acuze, to discuss his first month in the game, and his summary of those adventures on Youtube.Today’s Guests:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCQCcvcqJhBukBAegA9D68NA Twitch: twitch.tv/acuzetmToC:ToC:00:00 Introduction05:00 The Star Citizen Community11:30 The Reputation21:40 First Steps in Star Citizen34:15 Best Parts of Star Citizen56:30 Immersion01:08:35 Piracy01:11:30 The DrawFollow Space Tomato on social media:⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠My Other Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord

As we approach 4.7 PTU, headline features, new locations, and new ships are exciting. Q1 has been an exciting time, but today I’m joined by TheAstroHistorian to put this first quarter, Star Citizen’s current successful run, and the next couple quarters into perspective.Today’s Guests: @TheAstroHistorian  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theastrohistorianTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/theastropubToC:00:00 Introductions 01:20 Crafting & Inventory 19:00 Contracts, Missions, & Things to Do 21:20 Player Increase This Year 28:40 2026 First Quarter Report 46:00 The Direction of Star Citizen 01:03:20 Why Does Pyro Suck? 01:12:25 Reputation & Lore 01:32:20 Why is Star Citizen Succeeding?Follow Space Tomato on social media:⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠My Other Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Discord

Star Citizen’s inventory can be a bit much, but with the new update it looks like it might meet many folks’ needs. Along with crafting in the tech preview, it’s looking more and more possible that we might see the major feature in 4.7. Today I’m joined by TheCoreGameplay to discuss inventory, looting, crafting, and the growing logistics gameplay of Star Citizen.Today’s Guests:ThecoregameplayYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thecoregameplayTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thecoregameplayTwitter: https://x.com/TheCoreGameplayToC:00:00 Introductions07:45 Survival Gameplay in Star Citizen13:40 Looting Gameplay Currently23:00 Star Citizen’s Inventory40:20 Solo vs “Org” gameplay57:20 What’s Coming Next?1:00:00 Should You Play Now?Follow Space Tomato on social media:⁠⁠Website⁠⁠  ⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠  ⁠⁠My Other Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Discord

From Eve Online to Halo to Jedi Starfighter, Star Citizen attracts players from a wide variety of games. Today I'm joined by Active to discuss what drew him to the game, what keeps him entertained, and what could eventually make this an MMO for the masses. Today’s Guests:ActiveYouTube:  @ActiveInTheVerse  Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/activeeToC:00:00 Introductions05:20 What Brought You to Star CItizen?13:00 Does Squadron 42 Matter20:20 Risk & Reward in A Game38:00 How They Can Lose The Reputation47:35 Pvp & PvE59:50 What’s Different About Star Citizen01:14:05 Halo and Squadron 42Follow Space Tomato on social media:⁠Website⁠  ⁠Youtube⁠  ⁠My Other Youtube⁠⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠Twitter⁠ ⁠Facebook⁠ ⁠Discord

After a long year of “stabilization”. Star Citizen is back to feature development. This week, the CTO of CIG delivered details about what that will look like over the next few months. From crafting to persistence, I’m joined by Grolo to discuss the near-term future of Star Citizen. We’ll also be looking at the recent collapse of Ashes of Creation and what Star Citizen players might see in it.Today’s Guests:GroloYouTube:https: //www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_Bu-562FhrRftPbd1-K9A Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/grolo_afToC:00:00 Introductions07:00 Was Ashes of Creation a Forewarning?19:00 Social Apps INCOMING!32:00 Where is Dynamic Server Meshing?43:30 Let’s Talk About Crafting01:01:50 The New Inventory01:16:50 Peripheral Updates01:25:15 Item Persistence01:28:50 What is 2026 the year of?01:31:50 Big Prediction of the next 6 monthsFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other YoutubeInstagram Twitter Facebook Discord

Every year, Star Citizen kicks off with a slow January of planning and prep for the year ahead, not this year. CIG has released a new update in January with new features, ships, and narrative content. With an early test of crafting and the roadmap of 4.7 also revealed, I’m joined by Farrister to discuss potentially the best start to a new year for Star Citizen so far!Today’s Guests:Farrister:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCCWLg4f6GAMe-hdIFQ_Fq2w Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/farristerTwitter: https://twitter.com/thomasfarristerToC:00:00 Introductions05:20 Does Engineering Actually Matter?17:00 Star Citizen 4.6 | Is It Good?27:30 Star Citizen’s Newest Event42:50 The RSI Hermes Reviewed58:00 Is Crafting Coming Soon?01:12:15 A New Salvage Ship Coming Soon?01:17:45 Best Start to A Year Ever?01:25:00 Predictions!!!!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 YoutubeInstagram Twitter Facebook Discord

Crafting has finally hit player hands in closed testing, and we’ve got the details. There are wins, losses, confusions, and potential long term problems, but for now, I’m joined by TenPoundFortyTwo to just chat about what we experienced and what it could mean for the game going forward.Today’s Guests:Today’s Guests: @tenpoundfortytwo  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tenpoundfortytwoTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/tenpoundfortytwoToC:00:00 Introductions02:30 Summarized Findings09:20 Crafting Tier 0 Explained18:00 Potential Problems50:10 It’s Not Just Combat!58:30 The Casual Players Effect01:07:00 Stop Adding Features?01:12:00 The Org Effect01:20:10 The Next Progress Wipe?Support This Podcast:Patreon Paypal Ko-FiFollow Space Tomato on social media:Website  Youtube  My Other Youtube Instagram Twitter Facebook Discord