Reading the memes and complaints and worries about the upcoming master modes I really get the feeling that people missed a few bits of information on this. So let us summarise. Here the full video if you want to watch it again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnawhboh6ow&t=604s&ab_channel=StarCitizen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCM abilities: SCM mode enables: Guns (Including ballistics as it sounds) Shields Boost Countermeasures Combat speed limit (200-300 m/s - probably for smaller ships and the actual true range is pending. - But hopefully higher than the currently defined SCM speeds as those really are boringly slow especially on certain ships) Mining laser, salvaging laser, tractor beam, etc. SCM speeds It sounds like all (smaller?) ships will have something of a base SCM speed of between 200 - 300 ms. So most likely the ships like Aurora on the low end will get around 200 m/s and ships like the M50 on the high end will get around 300 m/s. (Depending on that balance pending they talked about) Note: We don't know any values of ships for sure yet, but we camn see something interesting in the video footage: The Gladius in the video they showed had a non boost SCM speed of 220 m/s. In atmosphere. The current in-game Gladius has a top SCM speed of 208 m/s in space. So that they are increasing the values overall a bit does not seem far fetched. And it looked like a regular build without any dev build cheat magic. SCM boost speed In the presentation video they show us that the gladius can reach 475 m/s while using boost in SCM which is quite a bit of a boost. The base non-boost SCM speed is 220 in this demo btw. Which might even be lower than its actual speed due to this being shot in atmosphere. See here: Boost speeds are now also stongest in the forward facing direction to avoid backpedaling (most likely to make combat more positional and less based on circle srafe wars. - Except if you have a Khartu AL or San'tok.yāi I suppose) QCM abilities: QCM mode enables: Top ship speeds (1200 - 1400 m/s) Quantum travel (Same old) Quantum boost (No starmap needed - just very fast travel in a straight line) QCM speed In QCM we will not only have the extra forward facing mini-quantum-jump, but also access to the good old high speed values we have right now of 1200 m/s or up depending on the ship. Here, these are the relevant parts from the video on the high speed still being fully available: https://youtu.be/Xnawhboh6ow?t=458 Between these two modes we can constrain the speeds in combat and also get all the maneuvering, like high speed maneuvering and traversal mechanics that we had before, but in these distinct modes that are integrated with lore, and integrated with the ship functions such as that there are costs and payoffs for being in each of these modes https://youtu.be/Xnawhboh6ow?t=576 What this mode does: it unlocks your maximum velocity that your ship can reach. So when you were limited before to 200-300 m/s now you can go to 1200 - 1400 m/s ; Whatever your ship allows you The toggle between the modes Switching between the modes has a short spool-up time. This means that you will be in neither mode during the transition. Fast speeds will likely only be available as soon as the spool up phase is done. Note: They plan on having ship specific differences on how fast the mode transition can be. For example in interceptors the transition might be very fast. Shields: Shields will not just vanish, they will fade, making the time-window of having no shield protection and the ability to jump away / run away much smaller than some seem to think. And when you go back into SCM the shields don't recharge as they do when turned off, but instead just refill with the previous energy they had without interruption even through gunfire. https://robertsspaceindustries.com/spectrum/community/SC/forum/3/thread/wtf-cig-1/5404892 Strategic and tactical intentions: There might be ships that can disrupt the quantum bubble - effectively blocking ships from switching modes. (Like the mantis probably) Ships are intended to have different stats on the modes such as some ships will have faster mode-switching than others, making them more specifically usable if fast switching fits better the job to be done. So interceptors might catch up with fleeing ships and, well, intercept them, and then can switch to SCM to actually have a small timeframe where they can shoot and hit. Due to boost accelerations in contrast to the new top speeds those boost speed increases are expected to have much more positional impact in dogfights. On bigger ships turrets will be far more effective due to smaller ships having slower evasive regular speeds and boost is not something that can be on at all times. Have closer, positional combat and far less jousting. Better aiming and less too strongly deflected pips (No more lag pips inside ship interior all the time! yay!) Expected outcomes/implications: Avoiding combat should still be easy enough. See those enemies coming closer on the radar? Go into QCM and flee before they can ever get close enough. Comitting to a fight. Once in a fight, the losing ship cannot just steal the win from the other player by running away anymore when things look less good. Comitted is now more comitted. Preparing for a fight. More reasons for having escorts hired (More jobs for combat players!) Multi crew. With turrets now being even more effective a crewed bigger ship is also way more effective at defense. Closer combat with more positional fighting. Due to lower speeds, adjusted boost impact, and reduced reverse boost power on average. More ship handling diversity. Mode switch speed. Boost specifics. etc. Lots of new attributes that can make ships feel far more different than they feel now. Travelling in QT with QT boost finally gives more freedom with moving around the vast spaces of SC systems. Personal notes: For me especially the fact that boost seems to add a lot more effective speed in SCM makes this pretty interesting and certainly worth trying out. I would have hated just plain old slow speed, but with boost back properly I can really well imagine how this will improve good positional fighting. And as to racing - I can well believe that racers will similar to interceptors have a faster swiching ability betweeen the modes to basically use them like shifting gears. Fast more for long straight track stretches and SCM for the bends and obstacle paths. Don't forget that ship armor and physicalized damage will still be coming in some day. And not only milityary ships will have armor. So having a short timeframe of no shields will often just mean 100 UEC of damage repair after successfully escaping a threat. And if they have a Mantis? Well, if they have one right now you are already committted to any fight. So no real difference to the current state.