Greetings Citizens,
I hope you are all enjoying the early release of the Hangar Module. Now that the build has rolled out to many fans, we’re going to add a new layer to keep the experience interesting! Today we’re unlocking additional items in the RSI store that you can use in your Hangar. Two types of items will be available: decorative hangar items like posters and trophies as well as ship upgrade parts like laser cannons and tractor beams.

You may have noticed that the RSI website now includes a ‘credit ledger’ which shows your United Earth Credit (UEC, or “Imperials”) balance. When you download the Hangar Module for the first time you are awarded 5,000 UEC to play around with in this new system. Many of our early backers also have credits they earned during the first days of the pledge campaign. Credits included in pledge packages are not yet represented here because you will need some credits in order to start the game itself; we don’t want players bankrupting themselves and locking themselves out of space travel! You can use these credits to buy ship parts and hangar items which you can then interact with in your hangar.

The key is that this all ties directly in to the finished game. The items you see for sale through the website are the ones that will be available galaxy-wide in a number of stores. Here you access it through an online store, Voyager Direct, which is a futuristic equivalent of Amazon.com. You may well need to travel across the galaxy to find an especially rare or advanced laser… but you will always be able to purchase a reliable Behring M3A from a local arms dealer. To prevent players from stockpiling credits and damaging their game experience, we are imposing a strict 25,000 UEC-per-day limit and an upper bound cap of 150,000 UEC on your ledger at any time. Similarly, you cannot melt these items as you would a game package: once you have purchased them they are considered ‘played with.’ When the game launches you will be able to sell them to NPCs or trade them to other players… and until then, they’re yours!

There are several limitations you should be aware of right now. At this time, decorating your Hangar is not persistent. If you move a laser to a particular ship and then quit the game it will go back into your storage area. Additionally, only one of every decoration will appear at the moment. While you can have multiple lamps in your web inventory, only one can appear in each hangar at this time. Both of these things will change as the Hangar Module expands. Ultimately, the web store will go away and be replaced with an in-game interface starting with the first release of the Planetside Module.

As previously stated, additional Imperials will be available for purchase within the limitations discussed above. Please keep in mind that you are not under any obligation to purchase Imperials at this time. We are giving you the option right now because there isn’t a way to earn credits in the game (as we’re still building it!) and this is a great way to let you support the development of the game as well as play with other game elements we’ve already created. But be warned, purchasing a stock of extra lasers through the catalog right now will not provide any great advantage when Star Citizen launches; there will be a lot more to discover in the living universe and some of the best weapons or upgrades will have to be earned through gameplay or sought out by traveling to the appropriate planet to buy them. Ultimately all items in the store today and in game will be purchasable via UEC earned in game. Outside of the initial ship package everything will be purchasable through UEC in the final game. There is no pay to win here!

The UEC Store is a great way to let players start interacting with the game world while continuing to support Star Citizen’s development. As more features of the Hangar Module are rolled out, we will offer further ship parts and decorative (and interactive) items for your hangar. This will be one of the ways we demonstrate our dedication to keeping the Star Citizen setting fresh: just like the game will have a responsive live team, the Hangar Module will feature a continually expanding amount of content!

Please enjoy your new found freedom to experiment with items in your Hangar! This is your first taste of how ship upgrades and other personalization elements will work in Star Citizen…

Many Citizens have experienced delays and other issues downloading the Hangar Module and patches. We are aware of the issues and are working to resolve them as quickly as possible. Wondering what happened? Here’s the explanation from our cloud hosting service:

It used more outbound bandwidth from the storage server than we’ve ever seen by an order of magnitude for the 30 minutes or so following your release.

We are establishing a “origin shield” (not related to Origin Systems or EA’s hosting service) to improve load balancing and make the hangar download speeds more reasonable. All part of the testing process!

What are UEC?

United Earth Credits, aka “UEC” or “Imperials”, are the official currency of the Central Core Bank. Established by the United Planets of Earth in 2528, the modern UEC remains one of the shining beacons of human economic stability. For more information about the history of UEC, please read This Day in History.

What are UEC used for?

Imperials can be used to purchase items that are available in the game. For the initial launch of the Hangar Module this includes a modest selection of hangar decorations, posters, weapons, and the Greycat Personal Transport Vehicle.

How can I see my UEC balance?

When you log in to your account on the RobertsSpaceIndustries.com website your UEC balance is listed in your MyRSI menu, and also in the Billing and Subscription section of your “My Account” console.

How do I get UEC?

Many fans who pledged during the early stages of the crowdfunding campaign have Original and Veteran Backer Rewards which contain UEC. Those UEC will be removed from that reward package and added to the UEC Ledger on your account. Also, everyone who qualifies to download and play the Hangar Module will be given 5,000 UEC at the time that you download the Launcher. And of course, once the game is launched, you will be able to earn UEC through gameplay.

If you wish to purchase more UEC before that time, you can do so in the Pledge Store. UEC is available for purchase in increments of 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000 UEC. Once purchased from the Pledge Store, the corresponding amount of Imperials will be added to your UEC Ledger. These purchases can be funded with RSI Store Credit or through direct purchase.

Can I use the UEC from my game package?

No, those credits are not ready to be added to your UEC ledger at this time. They will be necessary when you start playing the full game, so they must remain untouched.

Are there limits to the amount of UEC I can obtain or stockpile?

In order to regulate the economy, the Central Core Bank has imposed restrictions on acquiring and stockpiling UEC. Each account can obtain a maximum of 25,000 UEC per 24 hour period, and can hold a maximum of 150,000 UEC on account in your ledger at any time. Buying items with UEC does reduce your ledger balance, and does not count towards the maximum UEC cap. These restrictions may be modified at the order of the CCB in the future when additional gameplay options become available.

How can I spend UEC?

With the release of the first version of the Hangar Module we are introducing the Game Store, Voyager’s Direct: http://robertsspaceindustries.com/game. Within Voyager’s Direct you will be able to purchase a number of items which can be used within the game. For the initial version of the Hangar Module this functionality is very limited, but will be expanded over time.

What can I buy with UEC?

At this time you can buy a variety of ship upgrades and decorative hangar items with UEC. These items have been selected because they will be available in this same ‘mail order’ fashion in the finished game. You can not purchase items which would not be available everywhere in the game universe, such as add on ships, or items which are not part of the Star Citizen universe, like t-shirts or game packages.

Are my hangar upgrades permanent?

Any items purchased with UEC will carry over to one of your characters in the release version of Star Citizen.

Can I gift or reclaim items purchased with UEC?

Items which are purchased with UEC are not giftable, reclaimable, or refundable. By order of the Central Core Bank, all Voyager Direct sales are final. In the future, some of these functions may be handled by the game servers themselves. This exact functionality has yet to be defined.