Alpha 4.1: Orbital Assault — Ramming Speed & the Idris

Patch Overview

Alpha 4.1 “Orbital Assault” went LIVE on March 27, 2025. This is the first major content patch following 4.0’s Pyro launch, and it focuses on combat depth, mission infrastructure, and the ship that every capital ship enthusiast has been waiting for.

Collision Physics: Ramming Is Real

The headline feature is the new collision physics update. Ships now have meaningful mass-based collision interactions, which means:

• Ramming is a viable tactic. A Hammerhead slamming into a fighter at speed will destroy the fighter. Physics-based damage scales with mass and velocity.
• Accidental collisions matter. Pad rammers beware — you’ll take damage too.
• Tactical implications. Larger ships can use their mass advantage in close-quarters combat. Smaller ships need to maintain distance.

This changes the combat meta significantly. Expect to see more aggressive piloting from larger ship operators.

The Idris Is Here

The Idris-M and Idris-P (including K and T kit variants) are now available to owners in-game. This is the first time the Idris has been accessible outside of special events.

For those unfamiliar: the Idris is a frigate-class capital ship with a flight deck capable of launching fighters. It requires a multi-crew team to operate effectively and represents the pinnacle of org-level combat capability.

What this means for CDYN: We don’t currently have an Idris in our fleet, but this sets the precedent for capital ship gameplay. If you own one, talk to Command about integration into fleet operations.

Align and Mine

A new persistent sandbox activity, Align and Mine, introduces updated mining gameplay with alignment mechanics. Miners must now properly align their extraction beams with deposit fracture points for optimal yield.

Mission Updates for Server Meshing

Several mission types have been updated to work properly with server meshing:

• Medical Beacons
• Courier missions
• Prison O2 repair
• 890J Boarding Action

These missions can now seamlessly transition across server boundaries, meaning you won’t lose mission progress when the server mesh hands you off.

Bug Fixes

Nearly 130 bug and crash fixes, with 32 sourced directly from the Issue Council. Notable fixes include:

• Ship component states persisting incorrectly after repair
• Quantum travel destination markers disappearing
• Inventory loss during server mesh transitions
• Multiple crash-to-desktop issues

The Bigger Picture

4.1 is a stabilization-and-depth patch, and that’s exactly what the game needed after 4.0’s ambitious Pyro launch. The collision physics add genuine tactical depth, the Idris brings capital ship gameplay closer to reality, and the bug fixes make daily gameplay significantly more reliable.

Solid patch. Keep them coming, CIG.