Star Citizen reaches $59 million – FPS module is “fully featured game”.

It’s almost at 60 but not quite yet. Still, you can’t complain at 59.

That’s right space sim fans, Star Citizen has reached a massive $59 million in funding. Gamers continue to throw all their money at Cloud Imperium in an effort to keep increasing the scope of the game.

The $59 million mark unlocks the backer voted Anvil Crucible which is a “repair and construction system”.

• Anvil Aerospace Crucible – A so-called “flying toolbox,” the Crucible is the ship you want on your side when you suffer an asteroid collision or survive a pirate attack! Structurally, the Crucible consists of a cockpit, drive unit and workshop. The Crucible’s workshop is versatile: it can be used as a base for conducting EVA repairs (complete with requisite tool storage) or it can use magnetic grapplers to attach directly to a ship hull. In this situation, the workshop actually opens to space and allows a repair crew direct access to a damaged ship. The workshop can either maintain artificial gravity or allow for zero-g repair operations, depending on the needs of the mission. The Crucible’s cockpit is also outfitted with an array of repair tools, including dual purpose mounts that can exchange weapons for tractor beams and remote manipulator arms. The Crucible is also part of a larger planned repair system. For larger projects, independent sections of support struts and drive units, called the Miller ERS (External Repair Structure), can be locked together to form a sort of scaffolding around a damaged starship, the next best thing to an orbital drydock. A standard ERS unit includes a small drive, thrusters, magnetic attach points and modular hardpoints for mounting tractor beams, repair tools or weapons. ERS segments each have a code defining their shape (P1 = Straight section, P2= Left turn, P3 = Right turn, etc.) with the multiple layouts allowing extensive zero-gravity construction as necessary. In the case of damaged capital ships, like the Navy’s Bengal carriers, hundreds of ERS units might be formed into a latticework serviced by a dozen or more Crucibles.

With this new milestone the Aegis Bulldog-class Twin-Engine Deep Space Fighter is added to the line-up

• Aegis Bulldog-class Twin-Engine Deep Space Fighter – Strike hard from a distance! The Bulldog, a recent design from Aegis, has quickly become Earth’s premier deep space fighter. Deep space fighters are typically used to pursue engagements in outlying areas when support from a carrier is not available. Bulldogs are usually flown by ground- and station-based naval forces, and are widely used by militia squadrons. Specifically designed to operate from planetary bases and engage targets up to a star system’s distance, the fighter trades some maneuverability for an extended supply of fuel and munitions as well as basic survival accommodations for a pilot and radar operator. The Bulldog’s RIO operates a turret, the ship’s missile loadout (optionally) and its highly advanced sensor suite. This distinct scanning array gives the ‘Dog a particular advantage when fighting in and around an obstacle such as an asteroid field or nebula! Finally, the Bulldog is known to be an extraordinarily sturdy spacecraft, with multiple backup systems not commonly found in single-seat ships; stories of Bulldogs limping back to base with a single engine and half their fuselage exposed to vacuum have become common as the battle against the Vanduul has heated up.

Goals are currently all about the ships and voting continues for the next ship in the fourth wave of ships.

In the update Chris Roberts mentions that PAX Australia is coming up this weekend and reiterates that the FPS module is “a fully featured game in and of itself!”. We debated the recent AMA discussion in which they talked more about the FPS module and we’re not entirely convinced that all this is going to slot nicely together. You can listen to that in this weeks podcast.

With a massive amount of funds to play with the scope of the game appears to be ever-expanding. We’re now waiting for the Space Tetris Module to be revealed.