Hey there, space enthusiasts! It’s your host, Jack from Space Games on YouTube, and we’ve got some thrilling news to share. In a recent Inside Star Citizen video, the ship development team dropped a bombshell that sent ripples of excitement through the Star Citizen community. They’ve officially resumed work on the highly-anticipated RSI Apollo Medivac, a ship that backers have been eagerly awaiting.

But here’s the kicker: this ship was first announced in 2018, and backers had the chance to purchase it, kicking off a long and mysterious waiting game. What’s the story behind the RSI Apollo? Why has it become such a beloved legend in the Star Citizen community? We’re here to uncover its fascinating history and shed light on the buzz it’s generated.

In 2013, Star Citizen introduced a surprising twist to space combat gaming by unveiling the Drake Cutlass Red, a specialized stellar ambulance in the game. This marked a departure from the typical health kits and hinted at a deeper medical gameplay experience where players could engage in medical careers, rescuing and treating both players and NPCs.

The concept of life and death in Star Citizen was introduced through the ‘Death of a Spaceman’ design post by Chris Roberts. It outlined the idea of ‘permadeath’ and the long-term impact of ship losses on characters, setting the stage for comprehensive medical gameplay. This included treating players lost in space after combat and developing medical repairs and upgrades affecting character abilities.

In 2014, with the development of Star Marine and the game’s FPS system, the team began to explore the concept of “battlefield medicine.” This led to the creation of a detailed system for different injury types in various body parts, paving the way for mechanisms to treat and heal wounds, laying the foundation for medical careers.

The launch of the Endeavor-class science ship in 2015 introduced a modular spacecraft that could create a hospital ship called the ‘Hope-class.’ This offered an endgame medical facility with ambulance bays, multiple beds, labs, and more.

In 2017, the ship team began developing ships to expand on these career visions, including a smaller triage ship between the Cutlass Red and the Hope-class. It would have patient rooms, a kitchen, cockpit area, and a small cargo room for medical supplies. The ship chosen for this role was the Apollo, assigned to Roberts Space Industries in April 2018.

Designer Corentin Billemont envisioned the Apollo as a flying clinic, capable of rescue operations and treating multiple patients. It was to be approximately the size of a Constellation or 600i and was developed with specifications to match the evolving ideas of medical gameplay.

Overall, Star Citizen’s journey into medical gameplay has evolved from a simple health kit mechanic to a complex system that involves rescuing, treating, and even running medical careers in the game’s expansive universe. The development of ships like the Apollo reflects the commitment to creating a dynamic and immersive gaming experience.

Art Director Paul Jones faced a unique challenge when tasked with designing the Apollo, an RSI civilian ship. RSI, known for military designs, had not produced a civilian ship since 2014’s Orion, and this marked Jones’ first foray into RSI design. Capturing the distinct RSI brand identity while creating a civilian ship required careful attention.

Jones selected concept artist Andrian Luchian, who had previously worked on the Origin 100i, a similar challenge to “downgrade” Origin’s brand into a smaller ship. The Apollo, however, was a multi-crew ship designed for evolving gameplay. Luchian’s experience and ability to understand specific design requirements made him a suitable choice for the project, especially given the tight schedule.

The initial concepting phase progressed smoothly. Jones provided Luchian with various RSI references, from the tiny Aurora to the massive Bengal carrier. The artists explored different configurations and silhouettes, aiming to create a design that was unmistakably RSI and also suited the role of a medical ship. Luchian generated several rounds of sketches, presenting three possible directions to Chris Roberts and the team.

Two designs followed a layout similar to the Constellation, featuring an RSI-style cockpit at the front. One had a compact, armored appearance, while the other was streamlined with large upper windows. The third design departed significantly, drawing inspiration from the corvette-class Polaris, featuring straighter, unbroken lines and a capital ship-styled bridge midship.

Designing the Apollo required a delicate balance between RSI’s established aesthetic and the ship’s role as a civilian medical vessel, and Jones and Luchian navigated this challenge with creative ingenuity.

The initial design discussions for the Apollo, did not yield a satisfactory result, prompting Art Director Paul Jones to step in and assist with the layout. Working closely with concept artist Andrian Luchian, they examined profile shapes and areas of significance in the original Constellation design. The working design initially deviated from the Constellation’s narrow waist, featuring windows for patients to see outside, but the size and inclusion of these windows evolved as they sought the right RSI aesthetic. The final look was defined as  tiered  shapes with angled surfaces, avoiding parallel lines.

After numerous iterations, Jones and Luchian presented the ship’s shape for review, which included last-minute updates to the interiors and the ship’s neck to accommodate internal components. While Chris Roberts found the overall design sufficiently RSI, further adjustments were needed, such as internal space reworking, retro thruster placement, and changes to the scanner’s appearance.

Jones made additional refinements to the ship’s lower elements and increased visible glass while reducing struts on the front to address feedback. Subsequent reviews approved the ship’s direction but left room for further work. Luchian and Jones explored potential color schemes to align with the ship’s role as a medical vessel, aiming for a universal appeal. After presenting several options, one design was favored by Roberts, with a second choice reserved for a variant. The collaborative effort between Jones and Luchian led to a design that embodied the RSI aesthetic while serving the Apollo’s medical purpose.

Developing the interior of the Apollo, presented its own set of challenges. Art Director Paul Jones emphasized the importance of balancing interior details while considering their impact. To maintain the RSI aesthetic, they incorporated bulkheads and door shapes from the Constellation and updated geometry from the Polaris.

Jones initially planned the ship’s interior cross-section, retaining some RSI elements but reimagining the interior flow for a medical ship. Early fixes included reducing window struts, adding a crew lift, and expanding neck space for components. The designers later decided components could fold back into the hull as long as they remained accessible to players.

The challenge of showcasing the ship’s interior, particularly the beds, emerged as medical gameplay was still in the design phase. They envisioned “autodoc” beds similar to those in movies like Elysium and Prometheus but needed to determine how patients would transition to these beds and what interactions would be required.

Lead designer Todd Papy contributed improvements to the medical gameplay loop, aiming to avoid patients magically appearing in beds. They planned animations for picking up and moving patients into beds and considered using tractor beams to transport injured individuals. However, a mockup of the ship using tractor beams was deemed unconventional during review, leading to the exploration of alternative methods.

Instead of tractor beams, they decided to use medical drones to collect and transport rescued patients from space. Alex Akstinas, who previously worked on the Drake Vulture, contributed to the development of the medical drone, combining two different ideas to create the final drone design.

The interior development of the Apollo ship involved several key adjustments. Initially, the beds had a solid base, allowing patients to move up and down into the hull, but this concept did not align with the desired aesthetic. A second pass introduced a cover with changing glass. The glass became opaque when unoccupied, eliminating the need for a moving animation. Refinements continued, including plans for animating the player’s entry and exit from the beds.

Additional features were incorporated into the ship, such as a medium-sized scanner with potential ties to medical gameplay, a pop-out bench seat, a food machine, lockers, and relocated components. However, the reception area sparked considerable debate. While hospitals typically have reception desks as nerve centers, defining gameplay for a receptionist aboard the Apollo proved challenging. Ultimately, a compromise was reached by adding a terminal with similar functionality, and the reception desk was removed.

Fast forward to 2023, and the Apollo Medivac has finally sprung back to life. As we mentioned at the start of this video, Star Citizen has made the exciting announcement that work on the Apollo has resumed. But what’s the scoop on this revival? Well, the new footage has revealed the ship in its “white box phase.” This marks the very beginning of creating the ship in a 3D environment, essentially a blank canvas for their talented team to work their magic. It’s a clear sign that they’ve decided to build the ship from the ground up, infused with several years of ship production expertise, striving to deliver a more polished product that meets today’s lofty standards.

While there’s no official word on a release date, I can’t help but speculate that we might see the Apollo take flight around the time of Invictus Launch Week 2954. Now, let’s not take my word as gospel – we all know that CIG can pivot on a dime, but it’s undeniably exciting to witness them tackling their backlog and pushing to bring these highly-anticipated vessels to their loyal backers.

And with that, we wrap up our journey through Apollo’s storied history and its fresh start in development. I am dying to hear your thoughts on the Apollo. Are you as hyped as I am? How do you feel about the drone gameplay, and do the interior plans strike a chord with you? Don’t keep ne guessing – drop your thoughts in the comment section below.

This is Jack Long, signing off for now!