During the Alpha phase of Star Citizen we will be using aUEC (Alpha United Earth Credits). This allows for the economy to be balanced during the testing phases without affecting players' starting funds once Alpha testing has concluded. Eventually, UEC (United Earth Credits) will be used which appear on players accounts via the website.
For further information regarding Currencies, see the Currencies of Star Citizen guide.
To begin your shopping experience for the newest addition to your fleet, you'll need to locate the nearest ship and/or vehicle dealer. Some examples of major locations for players to purchase ships with their hard earned aUEC are New Deal Ship Shop in Lorville, and Astro Armada on ArcCorp. Additional shops like these are also available in the various landing zones, and more will be added to new places around the 'verse in the future! For the purposes of this guide, we will be looking at Astro Armada in Area18.
For more information on how to get around the Universe, visit our article here: How to Quantum Travel
Visiting the Dealer
Firstly, head to a major spaceport and then locate the retail area. There will be signs with icons or other labels pointing the way, or you can look around the area map in your mobiGlas using the Maps app (shortcut key is F2).
For this guide, we are in Area18 and are looking for the Astro Armada storefront, which is located on the Retail Bridge. If you are coming from the habs, hang a left after exiting the hab building and you should see signs with a ship icon pointing the way to the Retail Bridge.
Once inside, make your way to the main show floor and check out the current ship(s) on display. If you want to purchase a display ship, simply walk up to the display kiosk and an Augmented Reality (AR) panel will show up with the details. You will be presented with a brief description, the name of the ship, your balance, and the price of the ship. Should this all be what you are looking for, hold F to purchase it!
Shop Terminals
As with other shops, ship dealers have a great deal more ships on offer than what is on display on the showroom floor. A dealer would need a massively large warehouse to display dozens upon dozens of ships! Their full inventory of vessels available to purchase can be viewed through the shop terminals in their showroom floor.
Once satisfied with your selection, click the PURCHASE SHIP button and then you will be presented with a confirmation window before finalizing the purchase. Make certain this is the proper ship, as there is no way to sell a ship back to the shop and RSI Support staff cannot assist with reversing in-game purchases like this! Click the CONFIRM PURCHASE button to finalize and add the ship to your fleet if it's the one you want.
After the purchase is confirmed, a message stating the ship will be available at an ASOP terminal for use will be displayed. Head there to begin your journey with your new vessel!
In-Game Purchases and Alpha Testing
We are endeavoring to keep player progress between major patches, which includes mission progress as well as in-game purchases like ships, armor, and so on. However on very rare occasions there might be a need to reset things for testing and balance purposes, such as with major changes to the in-game economy. If this is something that our developers have deemed necessary, a notice will be given beforehand.
Otherwise, these in-game purchased ships are yours to keep and play with during the Alpha test.
Try before you buy?
If you wanted to test out a ship before spending a big chunk of your aUEC on something you might not enjoy flying, you can try renting a ship first.