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Could you address the lack of level design that facilitates FPS PvP? To explain, even the contested zones separate people (blue doors, timers), making it hard to run into people. All the other places are worse. A lot of places are very linear and choke-pointy in their level design, making them not play well for PvP/PvE Star Citizen sandbox scenarios.

TL;DROlder locations had less level design resource and PvE-focused ones will stay linear, but the larger, still-growing level design team is building PvP locations with multiple entrances, sight lines and cover.

SamLead Level Designer

So a lot of our older locations were built with just a lot less level design resource, essentially. But what we're trying to do now is that obviously this game is very heavy on PvE. There's always going to be PvP. That's never going to stop. And we've started building locations intended, basically intended for PvE. And those locations are always going to be more linear. They're always going to be more set up for that. When instancing comes online, that's not going to be a problem for everyone else either. You're going to go to a location and you know it's only going to be you, so you're going to enjoy your PvE gameplay. When it comes to PvP or PvP locations, with the bigger level design team now, we can actually focus on making sure that there are multiple entrances, the sight lines are actually cared for and ensured that it makes sense for multiple teams coming in from different angles, and that we just make sure that cover placement and all of that sort of stuff is up to scratch, basically.

Zac PreeceFPS Systems Designer

The LD team's a lot bigger now as well compared to where it was two years ago.

SamLead Level Designer

We've gained six people in the last year.

Jared HuckabyHost, Community

I don't think it's inappropriate to say that level design was probably underserved in previous years of Star Citizen's development. Why that is, a variety of reasons, but it's been recognized in the last 12 months and the rectification is in process. Like you said, is it doubled? It's probably more than doubled at this point.

SamLead Level Designer

I think it's about doubled now.

Jared HuckabyHost, Community

We've still got a few more coming. So we recognized this challenge early on. We recognized we weren't doing enough to support it, and the fix for that is underway. I just saw a review of Starkitect locations on Tuesday, and you could see right away. I'm like, oh, these immediately look different than the stuff, not just with the visual stuff. I'm talking about the layout, with the amount of cover points, with the amount of interior, exterior, combined cover spaces where you're half inside, half outside, lots of moving in, moving out and stuff like this. The big towers, to make snipers incredibly deadly and stuff like that. There's a lot more effort going in, and I think the stuff we have coming down the pipe, Rock Cracker, and then going forward, the new Siege of Wars and the Municipal Works, are going to benefit from that renewed focus on level design.

SamLead Level Designer

Same as the Starkitect stuff as well in the future.

Star Citizen Live›Q&A FPS Gameplay·
Published on this date.12 Mar 2026