FROM THE COCKPIT

IN THIS ISSUE >>>

03 BEHIND THE SCENES :
Making the Anvil Legionnaire

19 BEHIND THE SCENES :

Invictus History

35 GALACTAPEDIA :
Midas Fish

37 PORTFOLIO :
Invictus Launch Week: A History
ISSUE: 10 05

FROM THE COCKPIT

GREETINGS, CITIZENS!

Invictus, Invictus, Invictus! You’ve heard the word Our second feature focuses on, what else, the history
so many times the last few days it must have lost of the ongoing Invictus Launch Week event. I don’t
all meaning. I’m kidding, it means a major update need to tell anyone reading this how cool ‘Fleet
to Star Citizen that is packed to the brim with the Week’ is and it should be obvious to anyone who
content that got us all (myself included) here in has been here the last few years that while it started
the first place: spaceships! Whether you’re a fan of as an event with unparalleled in-game interaction it
big, powerful fighters and bombers, you’re here for has only increased in complexity so far. Star Citizen’s
unique live events that won’t ever be repeated the artists, programmers, and designers have worked
same way, or you if just want a hint of the military alongside the Narrative team to create an event
aspect of the Star Citizen world you’ll explore further that’s not just a showcase for fleets of cool (and
in Squadron 42, Invictus has something for you. increasingly large) spaceships but also an essential
And it’s great to see the community onboard for part of our shared galaxy’s history that you get to
the adventure! experience differently each year. It’s neat stuff!

First up this month we have the triumphant return of In the lore region of space, we have an article that
going behind the scenes of a ship concept! We had should fit in perfectly next to the one about the
taken a break from the usual ship articles to focus on real history of Invictus: a portfolio covering its in-
other aspects of Star Citizen’s development but we universe history! Isn’t it great how often you get
promised there would be more ships to come… and to do that with Star Citizen’s components? [ANVIL
here they come, starting with the brand-new Anvil LEGIONNAIRE WHITLEY’S GUIDE COMING SOON]
Legionnaire boarding (not landing!) craft! How new Finally, the Galacapedia gets a brand-new article on
is it? Whenever we do one of these articles, Concept the infamous Midas fish, the golden reward fishtank
Art Director Paul Jones kindly donates his time to critter that many of our early backers will remember…
walk through the development of the ship with me. and many of our veteran Customer Support folks will
And this time, the Legionnaire launched the very remember trying to help get to display properly in
moment we got done with the call. There’s always the hangar module. Enjoy!
this moment of ‘will they like it?’ when a new ship
launches and this time we got instant gratification With that I will say it one more time and wish you a
when the community did indeed like it… and then happy Invictus week. I’ll see you through the next
with similar speed turned the forward docking tube Jump Point!
into a meme. But trust me, from what I heard about
this one, you’re going to enjoy that tube when it
goes live! Ben

[email protected]

Editor & Writer: Benjamin Lesnick Narrative Team Writers: Adam Wieser & Cherie Heiberg Design: Michael Alder
Copy Editor: Martin Driver In-Engine Imagery: Simon Ravenhill, Simon Jennings & Sarah Longley
Associate Marketing Producer: Dan Houbrick Marketing Art Producer: Matthew Simpson Narrative Team Producer: Blythe Gumminger

Roberts Space Industries LLC production. A Star Citizen newsletter. Part of the Star Citizen/Squadron 42 universe.
© 2022 Cloud Imperium Rights LLC and Cloud Imperium Rights Limited.
Star Citizen®, Squadron 42®, Cloud Imperium®, and Roberts Space Industries® are registered trademarks of Cloud Imperium Rights LLC.
02
 KEY CONTRIBUTORS :
ART DIRECTOR - PAUL JONES
CONCEPT ARTIST - MIKE OBERSCHNEIDER
VEHICLE DIRECTOR - JOHN CREWE
DESIGNER - GEOFF COFFIN

Specifications and appearance are subject to revision during development.

MAKING THE
INTRODUCTION

Even when Star Citizen was in its earliest planning stages, it was on every concept ship that could be attached to one another like toy
clear that the game would differ from Chris Roberts’ previous Wing construction bricks?
Commander games in at least one major way: players and their ships
would be separate entities. Instead of being a floating hand at the This was the sort of early design element that needed to be considered

ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE
bottom of a cockpit, you would be a full person who had simply chosen but not immediately implemented. This was by necessity as boarding
to take the helm of a ship, and one who could choose to stand up, would not be needed for the hangar module, where static ships
walk away, and go anywhere desired. This meant that from the very were displayed, and it would not be needed for the original Arena
start there needed to be thoughts about one incredibly complex but Commander, the dogfighting module that would serve as a testbed for
absolutely necessary mechanic: ship-to-ship boarding. Star Citizen’s earliest flight mechanics. But it was known from the start
that it would happen down the line and that there needed to be a plan
Early design meetings in Austin, Texas, focused on the ‘docking collar’ for this new mechanic.
that had been imagined as part of the game’s earliest ship specifications.
The collar was supposed to allow players on one ship to dock with As is often the case for Star Citizen, the best way to implement this
another, breach the enemy ship, and then take it over. But how could new mechanic was to attach it to a new ship designed specifically for
this work? Would every ship need to be designed with breach points? the job. With such a ship implemented, like the Prospector for mining,
Would there be some sort of procedural system that could allow the newly developed technology could then be applied elsewhere and
damage anywhere? Or would there be docking ports standardized adapted as needed.

JUMP POINT MAGAZINE //

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 BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING THE ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE

DESIGN

In late 2021, the task of designing Star Citizen’s flagship boarding

craft fell to Lead Vehicle Designer John Crewe’s team. The new ship,
intended to be introduced in concept form at the following year’s
Invictus event, would be put through its paces specifically to discover
how boarding in Star Citizen would work. While the team had developed
several unique flavors of dropship over the years, a boarding ship would
be fundamentally different. Landing craft or dropships are intended to
land troops on planets and platforms or to deliver them to capital ship
landing bays. A docking ship, on the other hand, would need specialized
equipment to connect itself to the mesh of another ship and allow
players to move between them.

The vehicle, designated ‘Anvil Boarding Ship’ and assigned the

Legionnaire name late in development, was assigned to designer
Geoffrey Coffin, a veteran of everything from the Vanduul Blade to the
Aegis Eclipse. Coffin would work with the team on the initial problem
of boarding and then, alongside the concept artists, figure out its final
intended shape.

The new boarding craft was described as a ‘semi-independent (no

quantum drive) ship that can attach to both large and small docking
collars and force entry.’ The Legionnaire would carry (at the time) up to
ten armored troops who would be equipped to engage in short-range
firefights in tight spaces. Since the ship was so tied to Star Citizen’s
first-person shooter combat, there would need to be careful attention
paid to its internal spaces and the flow of boarding itself. The ship was
intended to be relatively inexpensive; an entry-level boarding ship that
could be used by anyone interested in a career of piracy (or defense
against piracy). Along with the usual brief on components, metrics, and
other details, Coffin offered several mechanics-related bullet points for
the concept artists to start from:

• 10 seats for boarding crew, with weapon rack for each

• Second crew seat is a console for hacking minigame to force the
target ship to let this ship dock with it
• Internal space for two larger weapon racks for sniper rifles,
railguns, etc.
• Would be nice to have a 2-in-1 docking collar on each side (or nose,
if preferred) able to connect to both docking collar types. If not,
should have both a small, and a large docking collar
• A rack of breaching devices (10 of them) to be able to force open
doors, airlocks, etc.
• Ship has the capacity to override boarding permissions. Would be
nice to have some visual component on the exterior of the ship
representing this
• Relatively robust vessel, with a lot of shields to weather
incoming fire
• No quality-of-life fittings, such as toilets, beds, kitchenettes, etc.
• Two remote turrets: pilot turret fitted with S2 distortion cannons by
default, gunner/engineer turret with S2 laser repeater by default

With the brief completed, the concept moved to the Vehicle Concept
team in Manchester.

JUMP POINT MAGAZINE //

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 BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING THE ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE

INITIAL CONCEPT PHASE

Art Director Paul Jones knew that a vehicle acting as a flagship for a would go on to be the biggest influence. With Anvil ships, the overall
major design concept would need an experienced artist at the helm. To military style was usually accomplished by combining close,- industrial
that end, Jones selected outsourced Concept Artist Mike Oberschneider detailing with large, distinctive armor.
to work with Design to develop the look and function of the Legionnaire.
Oberschneider has designed many concepts, including the Corsair, Oberschneider began the process with a collection of 2D sketches
Hawk, Nautilus, and the Hercules. and rough 3D models to try and get a feel for the overall shape. The
challenge at this stage with such an unknown ship was getting the mass
“It’s always interesting when it’s a brand-new mechanic,” Jones correct and Oberschneider attempted a variety of different ideas to try
explains. “For boarding, this is the first real one. It was going to require a and hit the sweet spot. He also did the first of what would be many
lot of work alongside the designer to get right.” Jones began the process experimentations with where the boarding tube, needed for the new
as usual, collecting notes, information, and reference for Oberschneider. mechanic, would go: on the side, in the back, in the front with a boarding
Since Design had already chosen Anvil as the manufacturer, it was area above it. Jones reviewed the shapes, looking for something solid
relatively simple to access the copious amounts of work already that could take a beating and also express the Anvil design language. He
developed. Plenty of reference material was ready to go for ships big felt the first group of ships didn’t get that across because they featured
and small, ranging from the Hornet to the Valkyrie, which Jones notes very heavy shapes that emphasized the armored feel.

JUMP POINT MAGAZINE //

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 BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING THE ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE

One element he liked was a cockpit that looked like an escape pod. While ship with a distinct cockpit and the rear engine section of another that
the idea wouldn’t last, it helped get the initial shape across. Jones ended featured more layering reminiscent of the Valkyrie. Jones passed the
up asking Oberschneider for a second set of options that took the ship in instructions to Oberschneider, who began work on the mesh that would
a variety of possible directions with a variety of different VTOL thrusters, evolve through the rest of the process.
some with so many that they looked like armored insects. Jones favored
one that visually seemed like a landing craft with heavy-duty shapes. The first mesh “wasn’t a million miles away,” Jones notes. It shared
It wasn’t Anvil-enough just yet, but he felt it could get there with more a lot with the finished ship but the armor wasn’t there yet, and it had
armored layering as the design progressed. an overall silhouette reminiscent of a flying fish… with a frog-like face
to boot! He liked the armor plating on the boarding door that gave it
Next, the team made the jump to 3D for another group of options. a World War II landing craft feel. Oberschneider also experimented
Jones wanted to study the possibility of having larger arm-shaped with a more rounded version that wasn’t adopted but did inform the
appendages at the front of the ship that would give weight to how it final product.
would dock. The pair produced about half a dozen options that ranged
from the heavily-armed design to several more traditional armored Jones took the current mesh and made tweaks to the proportions,
ships. Jones presented these roughs to Chris Roberts, who didn’t adding some needed bulk. He shared this version with Roberts, who
like the armed version but felt that two of the other designs could be approved of the direction but also felt the boarding process needed to
combined into what he was imagining. Roberts liked the front of one be bigger and capable of involving more marines at once.

JUMP POINT MAGAZINE //

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 BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING THE ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE

SECOND PASS

With the overall shape of the ship determined and the next set of changes
primarily impacting the to-be-developed interior, the Legionnaire moved to
its second pass stage of development. One of the first parts of this stage was
to develop the landing gear, which was to be mounted alongside some of the
VTOLs, a design that Star Citizen’s concept artists had largely been avoiding
in the past because of since-resolved technical issues.

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 BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING THE ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE

Working with Design, the artists moved to the interior, where there
was already plenty of space for the needed components. As noted in
the original brief, the interior of the boarding ship was intended to be
spartan. To get this across, the team developed a very simple flow for
players aboard the ship, with a straight shot from the weapons lockers
through to the forward boarding tube. The pilot and co-pilot were
separated but still in a straight line above in a forward cockpit accessible
by a lift. In rapid succession, Jones and Oberschneider worked out
the thrusters, the space for the crew, the entrances and exits, and the
overall pilot visibility. The designers were especially important at this
stage because of the need to imagine the boarding actions players
would eventually engage in. The tube couldn’t be a shooting gallery for
defenders, it needed to have enough thought put into it that players
could quickly move through it under fire.

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 BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING THE ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE

At this point, the Legionnaire had forward and rear-facing guns. Design of docking collars were developed, with more work to be done at the
thought the forward guns would be a problem, so changed them to a top- implementation stage. This late pass also focused on bringing out the
mounted turret. The size and shape of the boarding tube became important Anvil in the ship, adding more layering to the armor, more details to the
at this stage, with the need to balance the protruding tube between thrusters, military technology elements to the inside, and simple armor
what was needed for gameplay and what would look reasonable. Jones shapes to balance out the whole design. Changes to the interior would
developed big, movable physical shields on either side of the front of the add larger gun lockers, a necessary rear airlock, and reduce the number
ship to reduce the tube’s overall look of length, balancing the ship’s visual of boarding seats from ten to eight.
weight. Upper doors were added to be part of the shielding, protecting
the player while flying the ship and giving more visibility to the pilot when Other late additions included work on the internal lift and the addition
docked. There was also talk of adding a window that would allow the pilot of lockers to store boarding charges. Jones took charge of tweaking the
to look down on the boarding operation itself, which Jones says is still in cockpit and especially its screens, which would be needed to coordinate
consideration for when the ship is implemented. boarding efforts. There was also a focus on making sure the co-pilot had
a role in the process, giving them a large screen for hacking that would
Animations came next, showing all the usual suspects like the landing be part of the boarding gameplay. A final edit smoothed out some of the
gear and thruster movements, with an obvious special focus on those visual weight, reducing the bulk that had built up at the front of the ship.
needed for the boarding mechanic itself. Short animatics showing One final tweak added a third central-rear thruster that could propel the
it docked with an Origin 890 Jump and dealing with multiple types ship while the others were down for landing.

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 BEHIND THE SCENES MAKING THE ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE

FINAL CONCEPT MATERIAL ANVIL LEGIONNAIRE SHIP PAGE

With the overall design and details approved, the concept artists moved ways. Images showed an attack on a crippled Idris, the co-pilot using https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/ships/legionnaire/Legionnaire
on to the final package that would be presented to the community their hacking interface, the crew preparing to breach the enemy ship,
and utilized by designers and programmers to implement the ship. As and more. The artists created tense firefights and spectacular outer SHIP PRESENTATION
is typical, this involved developing a dozen different potential paints space scenes showing the ship in action.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18632-Anvil-Legionnaire
ranging from traditional Anvil dark green to blacks and even a snow-
inspired lighter design. Roberts liked a black scheme, which was chosen The Legionnaire would would be introduced as a concept during the first
for the final presentation. The team then developed several promo day of the 2022 Invictus Launch Week to great acclaim, Star Citizen’s
images showing the docking mechanic in use in a variety of different devoted community immediately recognizing its long-awaited potential.

JUMP POINT MAGAZINE //

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 In May 1935, the United States Navy began a tradition that continues from the same source: ranks, uniforms, awards, tactics, and so on are team to share the work they had been doing with the world directly; had an in-lore equivalent that took place at the same time… and so too,
to this day: Fleet Week. Over 100 warships from the United States more often than not inspired by the history of naval warfare. It might a rare pleasure for game developers and an essential part of the it reasoned, should everything else the community comes together
Pacific Fleet arrived in San Diego in a display of military might have only been a matter of time, then, before the idea of Fleet Week Star Citizen experience. to celebrate.
intended to help better establish the Navy on the world stage. Top- was adopted for 30th-century space warfare.
of-the-line battleships, cruisers, and destroyers paraded before rapt There were two problems, though: these events were, by the nature of The first result of this desire to move into the game world was the
crowds, civilians toured the ships, and thousands of sailors from the events that inspired them, extremely close together. It was difficult Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE), an in-world airshow that takes place
the fleet were granted shore leave in the midst of the celebrations. PREHISTORY to divide work-in-progress into separate updates for each event with towards the end of the year. Derived somewhat from the old anniversary
In the near-century since then, Fleet Week has become an annual just a month and a half between them. Second, Chris Roberts was very event, the IAE quickly became a favorite among everyone involved, an
occurrence at major coastal cities around the United States. In the first years after Star Citizen’s initial crowdfunding campaign, a eager to move Star Citizen away from the RSI website and into the ‘verse enormous custom event that could only be experienced in its given form
cadence developed with two major community events: CitizenCon in itself. From the very start of the project, he spoke about the idea of having once before changing the next year - a sort of microcosm of the appeal of
It’s no secret that Star Citizen’s Navy follows many of the trappings October, celebrating the start of the first campaign, and an anniversary players acquire their ships not through a store but at a showroom they following the Star Citizen experience in the first place. With the IAE fully
and traditions of the water navies of eons past that influenced its event and presentation in November honoring the successful conclusion could explore and interact with. Instead of spending a week talking about established, Roberts instructed the Narrative team to develop the history
very structures. Just as the United Empire of Earth operates familiar of said campaign. These major events were seen as much more than just one ship company at a time, it would be so much more appropriate to of another event that would present new ships and updates in-world in a
warship types like carriers and destroyers, it also has lore evolved opportunities for fundraising: they were chances for the development spend that time letting the players experience them. CitizenCon already different way earlier in the year.

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 BEHIND THE SCENES INVICTUS HISTORY

LORE

The Narrative team were no strangers to developing unique holidays.

From Luminalia to Stella Fortuna to Triggerfish, they had developed a
dozen annual events spaced throughout the year that would each offer
a distinct flavor for the community to experience. Future marketing
efforts, stories, patch content, and so on could be tied to these events in
any number of ways all while making Star Citizen’s future history seem
all the more realistic.

Charged with developing a new event for the first half of the year that
would celebrate spacecraft, Fleet Week seemed like an excellent model.
From the beginning, the project had been divided between its civilian
side, Star Citizen, and the in-development military story of Squadron
42. By adapting Fleet Week into what would come to be called Invictus
Launch Week, there could be a mini crossover between the two ideas,
with players’ civilian characters interfacing with the military structure
of UEEN. Similarly, military spacecraft assets that had already been
created for Squadron 42 could be put on display before release in an
entirely logical setting, just as one might visit an airshow and see the Air
Force displaying its latest attack fighter aircraft.

Invictus Launch Week, from the Latin word meaning unconquered,

would provide a patriotic display from the forces locked in desperate
battle with the Vanduul. The lore was introduced thusly:

Invictus marks the beginning of the new year for UEE Navy
recruits and commemorates the graduation of the latest class
of starmen and officers. The event’s origins date back to 2542
and the First Tevarin War when the UPE would send transport
ships to each planet to pick up recruits for basic training.
The locals would gather to celebrate those leaving to defend
Humanity and marvel at the impressive military ships.

Today, Invictus Launch Week is celebrated in UEE systems

with high-flying public demonstrations from the naval fleet.
As an added attraction, the galaxy’s top vehicle and defense
manufacturers utilize the festivities to showcase the ships and
armament they supply to the military.

INVICTUS 2950

Like all the events that would follow, Invictus 2950 relied on a new Star
Citizen patch to release on schedule. This meant that it would need to
piggyback on a regular quarterly update and that update would need
to go live before the scheduled start of the show and its associated
online content. To make that happen, Star Citizen’s producers scheduled
the second major patch of the year to launch roughly a month before
Invictus. Content in Star Citizen Alpha 3.9 would include new missions,
enhancements to mining, changes to control bindings, and dozens
of other fixes and changes. Adding an even greater challenge to the
release was that it coincided with the uncertain start of the COVID-19
pandemic, which would necessitate that Cloud Imperium’s developers
move to an untried work-from-home environment.

JUMP POINT MAGAZINE //

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 BEHIND THE SCENES INVICTUS HISTORY

Luckily, the team rallied when faced with these challenges and the and accessible to the public, decked out in UEE Navy propaganda
patch made it live with plenty of time to spare, releasing to the entire and endless Invictus event signage. The cavernous convention center
community on May 1, 2020. Unbeknownst to players, the new patch hall featured displays from all of Star Citizen’s ship companies (with
also included the new convention hall and all of the associated interactive the exception of Drake, a perennial enemy of the military in the game
elements planned for the event, which would later be switched on world’s lore) that featured both existing and in-development ships
manually by the Live team. Additional content was added with Alpha ‘advertised’ to the inhabitants of the game world. Free rentals of the
3.9.1, which launched live on May 27 midway through the event. The ships being displayed each day would allow players to try almost all
difficult situation worldwide seemed to make creating a successful live of Star Citizen’s different ships, with different companies offering these
event all the more important, with Star Citizen’s community around the flights every two days. Origin, Tumbril, and RSI opened the show on
world also quarantining at home and unable to interact at Bar Citizen’s the 22nd, Anvil followed on the 24th, Aegis on the 26th, and a coalition
and other events. Invictus would be a much-needed distraction! of Argo, Consolidated Outland, Crusader, and MISC ended the week
starting on the 28th. Thanks to a Free Fly event scheduled for the same
The premiere event started on May 22, 2020, with the activation of week, players who had not yet bought a starter ship could also join and
the newly designed Bevic Convention Center at Area18. Added to the test fly the free rentals to get a good look at what Star Citizen was really
area with the launch of Alpha 3.9, the convention center was now open about and the incredible scale it was already achieving.

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Larger spacecraft were made available for tours at updated orbital team followed suit, making real-life versions of some of these
berths and a series of airshow-style demonstration flights allowed available for sale.
players to watch the elite 999th Test Squadron display some of the
hottest military hardware in the fleet. The team looked for every There was a story being told, too. As the convention progressed, it was
opportunity possible to expand the weight of the event beyond revealed that Drake Interplanetary, denied its own appearance during
just the Free Fly and the new convention center. So, stores around the week, would be holding a competing ‘DefenseCon’ following the
Area18 offered event-exclusive Invictus 2950 in-game clothing as event. This corresponded with the launch of the Cutlass Blue ‘police’
proof-you-were-there souvenirs, while Star Citizen’s Merchandise variant with Alpha 3.9.1, which managed to release just in time!

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INVICTUS 2951

The goal for Invictus 2951 was, in typical Star Citizen fashion, to take
the success of the previous effort and then expand it wherever possible
to best match the ever-increasing size and complexity of the game.
The event would again take place at a convention center filled with
spacecraft, displays, and activities and it would again include a Free Fly.
Chris Roberts did not, however, want to simply repeat the event from
the previous year. Even the setting would change entirely to help share
other areas of the ‘verse. So, instead of giving the Bevic Convention
Center a new coat of paint and adding the latest ships, Star Citizen’s level
designers set about building another environment on another planet: the
Tobin Expo Center in New Babbage on microTech. The Tobin map would
be even more elaborate than the previous year’s showroom, with plenty
of room for military displays, ships parked for inspection, and recruiting
booths where players could sign on with the navy. One new element
at the Tobin Expo Center was the holosuite, a special environment that
would display enormous interactive models of still-in-concept military
ships, like the RSI Perseus, that would change from day to day. New
variants of exclusive in-game clothing were made available and various
NPCs were developed to interact with the event space and show floor.

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Invictus 2951 quadrupled down on the included

lore. Placards around the show offered an
unparalleled amount of information on the
UEE Navy’s structure and history as well as
information on dozens of different spacecraft.
Four different manufacturers each selected a
UEEN squadron to honor, with a ship bearing
its livery on the showroom floor and plenty of
associated history. The number and complexity
of the scheduled flyovers were also greatly
increased. Where the previous year stunned
with the first appearance of a Javelin-class
destroyer, Invictus 2951 would go much further
by allowing players to tour one of the massive
ships themselves moored in one of the orbital
berths for the very first time.

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The event began on May 21 with the launch

of the unexpected Roberts Space Industries
Scorpius fighter, an unusually military-
focused ship for the typically civilian-oriented
manufacturer. The Scorpius, which would
become flyable at the following year’s events,
immediately won a legion of fans. The schedule
was again divided by manufacturer with RSI on
the 21st, Aegis on the 23rd, and Anvil on the
25th. Drake DefenseCon would again follow on
the 29th and, for the first time, the show would
conclude with a massive finale that allowed
players to fly all the available spacecraft
at once.

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And then there was one final surprise: the first in-game glimpse of the
massive Bengal-class carrier that had first been shown in Star Citizen’s
reveal trailer in October 2012. Initially concepted by Ryan Church, the
Bengal had become an almost legendary part of Star Citizen’s history.
The first version was built for the game’s initial demo and had been kept
under wraps as part of Squadron 42’s development since then. The
Bengal functions as the equivalent of a modern supercarrier - a giant
living city capable of launching squadrons of fighters and bombers.
There couldn’t be a more appropriate time to reveal the current
state of the vast capital ship than a military recruiting effort and Star
Citizen’s implementors worked overtime to make it possible. The grand
appearance was hinted at several times during the lead up to the event,
causing players to begin searching immediately. The final reveal, during
the capital ship flyby, was a truly exciting moment.

INVICTUS 2952 AND BEYOND

Star Citizen Alpha 3.17 included the initial content for Invictus 2952,
with Alpha 3.17.1 launching the day before the event on May 19, 2022,
with additional fixes. The third Invictus event would follow the same
pattern established in previous years with a week-long celebration of
the military and displays from the galaxy’s various military-related ship
manufacturers (plus a separate DefenseCon event for Drake).

The event would also follow in the tradition established the previous year
by changing where in the Stanton system the convention would occur.
The choice for a new setting was an obvious one: the newly developed
city of Orison, floating above the Crusader gas giant’s stunning
volumetric clouds (enemy to older graphics cards everywhere). Star
Citizen’s level builders constructed the Vision Center as a completely
standalone environment accessible via public transportation.

Launch Week 2952 began on May 20, 2022. The first day saw the launch
of the RSI Scorpius (included in Alpha 3.17.1) and the in-environment
reveal of Star Citizen's latest concept ship, the Anvil Legionnaire [see
the Legionnaire design history in this issue! - ed]. Players could again
visit larger ships moored elsewhere in the system for a Javelin tour and
it was promised at the very start that the Bengal would make a flyby.
Another first this year was the addition of event-limited Invictus paints
themed after the event's familiar color scheme for the Pisces, Avenger,
Gladius, Retaliator, Vanguard, Hawk, and Hornet. A race around Orison
was also established by the Community team, challenging players to fly
a Pisces from platform to platform as quickly and accurately as possible.

[At press time, Anvil and Aegis have displayed their latest and greatest
on the showroom floor and Invictus 2952 has only just begun. There's
more to discover that we aren't yet able to spoil, so check back in next
month's In the Cockpit column for a final wrap up.]

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 MIDAS FISH

GALACTAPEDIA
MIDAS FISH

The Midas fish is an aquatic animal indigenous to the planet ocean reefs of Cassel, consisting of one large female and
Cassel (Goss II) in the Goss system, United Empire of Earth a mature male, along with a few non-breeding immature
(UEE). Prized by aquarium enthusiasts for its golden color males. If the female dies, then her reproduction partner will
morph, the Midas fish is a protected species on its home change sex and one of the other males in the group will
world, and is sometimes poached. A breeding program to mature and become her mate. They are herbivorous, and
replenish their numbers, overseen by Cassel’s Governor’s spend most of their time grazing on seagrass, or using their
Council, has been underway since SEY 2936. powerful jaws to crush and ingest pieces of algae-coated
coral. The polyps along with any coral particulates pass
DESCRIPTION harmlessly through their digestive systems.

Midas fish vary from large to small, and have one dorsal When it is time to breed, the female will lay eggs in a
fin, four triangle-shaped pectoral, and ventral fins, and sheltered area and the breeding male will fertilize them.
an indented tail fin. All Midas fish are protandrous or As the eggs mature over a period of about one week, the
born male. When they reach around seven Standard group of fish will take turns guarding them from potential
Earth Years of age, larger males will change sex, predators until they hatch. The fry will disperse after
becoming female. another week of being guarded. They breed yearly, early in
their local warm season.
Coloration is widely varied, with most wild Midas fish being
mixed gray and white with black-tipped tail fins and a gold ILLEGAL PET TRADE
streak at the corner of both eyes. Pink, orange, white, and
black specimens have also been observed. The highly Midas fish are endangered on Cassel. This is partially due to
sought gold color morph, characterized by shimmering the development of resorts near their habitats, but largely
yellow scales streaked with white, exists in nature in due to over-hunting to supply the pet trade. The capture
small frequencies. Its prevalence in the hobbyist trade is a and trade of wild Midas fish was banned on Cassel in SEY
product of many generations of selective breeding. 2927, and in the UEE at large in 2934. Thanks to this ban
and Cassel’s Golden Touch repopulation project, the Midas
BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY fish’s numbers have been steadily rising and are expected
to reach a non-threatened level in the late 2960s. Captive-
Usually, Midas fish live in small groups among the warm bred Midas fish remain legal to own and trade.

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 PORTFOLIO

INVICTUS
LAUNCH WEEK:
A HISTORY
In 2542, the inaugural Invictus Launch Week saw Navy ships visit every on Mars called Invictus, which inspired the event’s name and stuck
system in the United Planets of Earth (UPE). Amidst the First Tevarin even after the base closed in 2579.
War, people gathered in massive numbers to celebrate and send off
the brave recruits who boarded large military transports to be taken to Invictus ran for a week every October during the First Tevarin War
basic training. Navy officials noticed that these large gatherings were (2541-2546). In 2547, the first Imperator, a First Tevarin War military
becoming more and more popular system after system and realized hero by name of Ivar Messer, insisted that even though the war had
that the event could serve both a practical and political purpose. From ended, the event be held again to celebrate Humanity’s victory. From
there forward, Invictus would be both a chance to pick up new recruits, the event on Earth, Imperator Messer emphasized the importance of
celebrate the Navy, and eventually show off the latest additions to sacrificing oneself for the greater good of the Empire and promised that
its fleet. Five centuries later, despite undergoing significant changes, the Navy would be used to defend the newly renamed United Empire
Invictus Launch Week has become a cherished Empire-wide tradition. of Earth (UEE) against threats both alien and domestic.
Today, instead of transporting volunteers, the event showcases the
latest vehicles in the Naval fleet while celebrating that year’s recruits Over the next few decades, people still gathered to see the Navy ships
and graduating officers and pilots. Still, the core values of the event and celebrate that year’s local crop of recruits, but the supporting events
have remained focused on driving recruitment and honoring the brave varied greatly depending on the system as there wasn’t an active war
starmen who’ve dedicated themselves to protecting the Empire. or unified theme. That changed in 2581, when Imperator Messer, faced
with declining Navy recruitment numbers, turned Invictus into an official
READY TO LAUNCH holiday meant to celebrate the corps. Under the Navy’s direction, large
and lavish ceremonies were planned to coincide with its ships arriving
Few system discoveries changed the trajectory of Human history in-system. New recruits now hopped aboard ships to Borea, Magnus
more than Elysium. On November 15, 2541, Dr. Kellar Lench returned system, which housed the Navy’s main shipyard. That destination
after charting the first jump into the system to report that it teemed changed in 2632 when the Navy moved its shipyards to MacArthur, Kilian
with advanced alien life, now known to be Tevarin. Unfortunately, system, where they still reside. As an annual event, Invictus continued to
unlike Humanity’s previous two encounters with a new culture, this evolve and expand with some landing zones getting elaborate expo halls
one would quickly lead to war. Unprepared for the Tevarin blitz and to showcase ships and advanced technologies. Seen by some as a way
their ships’ powerful phalanx shields, the UPE Navy found itself on to attract technophiles to the Navy and by others as a warning to those
the defensive and in desperate need of starmen to build an effective who dare come up against it.
fighting force. Navy brass met with the UPE’s governing tribunal and
high-ranking senators to not only seek ways to attract recruits, but INDOCTRINATION
to solve the logistical problems involved with transporting volunteers
to basic training, as ship ownership among the public was rare and Throughout the 26th century, the Navy was tasked more and more
commercial space travel capacity and security not sufficient. A hybrid with dealing with political dissent and what was deemed by the
idea emerged where Navy ships would visit the populated planets in government as “domestic unrest.” Not all welcomed the military and
each system and pick up new recruits while also projecting power and saw the unbridled propaganda of Invictus as another opportunity for the
security to the populace. The recruits’ ultimate destination being a base Messer regime to push its authoritarian ambitions. Historians consider

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 INVICTUS LAUNCH WEEK: A HISTORY

Invictus posters, banners, and recruitment vids from early 27th century massive crowds to meet, exchange information, and in some systems
events prime examples of Messer era agitprop. Surviving pieces either with lax security, use the flights to plan sabotage operations or recruit
reside in museums or are highly sought after by private collectors. The new members to the cause. Imperator Messer IX’s attendance mandate
public pushback to Invictus peaked in 2637 when the Terra system only lasted two years before being replaced with a law that deemed
abstained from the event in protest of Imperator Livia Messer III using missing the event “unpatriotic behavior” punishable by up to five years
previous events to promote her growing pro-military agenda. Instead, in prison. The law was rarely used in connection with the actual event,
the system hosted a counter-event that featured a famous speech by more often it was used as a justification to arrest anti-Messer activists
Terran Senator Assan Kieren, who rallied the crowd around the idea of that the regime couldn’t pin other charges on. The legal mandate lasted
Terra sovereignty. until 2792 when the Messer regime finally fell.

In 2681, the Navy dropped one of the core elements of Invictus and MODERNIZATION
ceased using the event to pick up recruits to transport to training.
From there forward, Navy recruits have been required to self-report to The importance of Invictus actually increased following the fall of the
Kilian. This led to the overall number of Invictus events being reduced, Messers. The Navy found itself in desperate need of new recruits after
as Navy ships no longer visited each system. Instead, larger more purging its ranks of Messer loyalists and, in 2974, would move the
focused celebrations were held at various major landing zones across event to May in order to repopulate its numbers as soon as possible.
the empire, rotating locations each year. These larger Invictus events To further separate the event from its negative reputation, Imperator
usually included vast recruitment centers that aggressively courted Erin Toi worked with Naval High Command to reshape the message
volunteers to fight the new danger from the edges of the empire: the of Invictus away from the old display of military dominance into one
Vanduul. The now-classic vid All Tomorrow’s Guardians, which centered of hope and serving the greater good. Aggressive recruitment centers
around Navy personnel and the tactics they used in these recruitment were replaced with aspirational dioramas depicting moments when
centers, featured a Vanduul attack on an Invictus ceremony in Angeli for the Navy came to the aid of the Empire. The turn toward becoming
its dramatic finale. Many at the time saw the vid as traditional Messer a popular family-friendly event continued in 2803 when the famous
propaganda but it has since earned a reputation for having a subversive 999th Test Squadron began performing exhilarating aerial acrobatics
spin of the event and politics of the era in its subtle skewering of the at select ceremonies.
characters depicted as Messer loyalists within the Navy.
Most embrace and celebrate modern Invictus Launch Week events
The intense recruitment drive alongside the public’s growing weariness as an informative, entertaining, and fitting tribute to the Navy and
of the Messer regime led to a significant drop in Invictus attendance in starmen that serve the Empire. Yet, it’s not without its critics, who
the late 2730s. Embarrassed by the lack of public support, Imperator believe the cost is too exorbitant for taxpayers. They also argue that the
Galor Messer IX would make attendance of Invictus mandatory event has become too commercialized and amounts to free marketing
beginning in 2743. In a strange twist on the event’s original intentions, and essentially a government endorsement of the ship, weapon, and
Navy ships were used to pick up and transport people to the celebration component manufacturers featured on the showfloor. Still, Invictus
closest to them. Invictus events soon featured large, sometimes unruly remains one of the most beloved and widely attended events in all of
crowds that mingled about the halls just as long as required. Some used the UEE. A chance for people to support the Navy, what its pilots fly,
the free flights to plan family reunions. Anti-Messer activists used the and the sacrifices they make for the safety of the Empire.

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