The Star Citizen FAQ was recently updated with information about what PC gamers can expect in regards to system requirements for the upcoming game. The FAQ also clarifies that Star Citizen isn't an MMO despite its MMO-sounding features. Instead the game will pull from "the best of all possible worlds" ranging from a permanent, persistent world found in MMOs to an offline, single-player campaign like those found in the Wing Commander series.
"To play Star Citizen you need only to buy the initial game," the FAQ reads, answering speculation that Star Citizen may be a subscription-based game. "There will never be a monthly charge for usage. Some in-game items may be available as microtransactions, but we will NEVER sell anything that can’t be acquired through honest (and fun!) gameplay."
As for the system requirements, they're not set in stone given the game won't be completed for at least another 24 months. But the FAQ states that because the game is built on CryTek's CryEngine 3, the system requirements will roughly stay the same.
"At the moment you will be able to play [Star Citizen] on a dual core PC with a GTX 460 or greater and 4 GB of system memory," the FAQ reads. "If you’re running an i7 2500, 2600, 2700 or better with a GTX 670 or greater then the stars are the limit!"
CryTek launched CryEngine 3 back in 2009, and since then only seven titles have been published using the engine including Crysis 2, Crysis for PS3 and X360, Cabal 2, Nexuiz, Warface, Fibble and the just launched MechWarrior Online. The platform supports DirectX 9, 10 and 11, but for Crysis 3, which launches in February 2013, CryTek chose to support only DirectX 11. Whether or not Star Citizen will eventually take this route in two years time is anyone's guess at this point.
As previously reported, Crysis 3 will need at least a dual-core CPU, 2 GB of memory (3 GB if running Vista), and a DirectX 11 GPU with 1 GB of VRAM. Suggested combos include a Nvidia GTS 450 GPU with an Intel Core2 Duo E6600 CPU clocked at 2.4 GHz, and an AMD Radeon HD 5770 GPU with an AMD Athlon64 X2 5200+ CPU clocked at 2.4 GHz. That's just the minimum system requirements.
In addition to Star Citizen's system requirements, the Kickstarter FAQ reveals that the PC game won't receive expansion packs. Instead, it will be continuously updated on the developer end, with new content being added on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. "We’ll be always adding data, stories, and campaigns as well as reacting to what the players are doing," the FAQ reads. "Because of this the universe will be affected by the actions of the players."
For more information about Star Citizen, check out the FAQ on the game's Kickstarter page here.
