Star Citizen is no longer a lawless frontier thanks to the new update

Star Citizen might still be a long way off completion, but as of the weekend it now boasts the beginnings of a legal system, the cornerstone of civilisation. Alpha 3.6 brings with it 19 new laws to the slice of space open to players, along with space cops eager to enforce them.

The 19 laws cover both space crimes and naughty business on planets, and if you decide to throw caution to the wind and become an outlaw, you'll nee to deal with NPC security forces empowered to fine, arrest and even kill criminals. None of this is meant to really discourage crime, however, and new missions have been added to the game that will task unscrupulous players with breaking the law and duking it out with the cops.

"The new law system brings a much more systemic approach to law and order throughout the Star Citizen universe," says CEO Chris Roberts. "Different locations and factions can have different rules which will be enforced by AI or even other players as the crime becomes more serious."

When you're being hunted by the law, you've got a few options. You can leave the area where there's a warrant out for you, pay off your bounty or use a hacking tool to clean your record. During this time, however, you'll be chased by other players who have received missions to help take you down.

Alpha 3.6 also lets you purchase nearly all of Star Citizens ships, more than 90 of them, using in-game currency. The update also tweaks some of the ships and their weapons, introduces new space stations and you can now use VoIP or FoIP to hail other ships. Take a look at the patch notes here.

The update's brought with it a bump in the crowdfunding total, too, which now sits at more than $230 million.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.