Star Citizen

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I invested back in 2015 and what started as a modest game package grew into something larger... But let's not get into that now :)

I play from time to time and am currently waiting for the public release of 3.3. I did attempt the PTU and love it compared to what it was back when I started. A lot of people are salty due to the long development time but as it is they revamped the whole base multiple times till they got to what they have now and what they have now is not something to huff at.

I'm optimistic about both SQ42 as well as SC and it's not just cause I invested, it is why I invested.
 
I will go for BGS's Starfield personally, betcha its 1000 better. That is if they manage to fix the bugs.
 
Anyone looking forward for the current version that should hit live servers soon?

I was looking to get back to ArcCorp, SC's "Coruscant" of sorts, and didn't want to play it in the test server so I get a more 'refined' experience.
 
When is Star Pyramid Scheme due to come out?
Squadron 42 got delayed to Q3 of 2020, but this can (and probably will) change. Star Citizen itself has no release date so far.

A lot rides on Squadron 42, in my opinion. Mostly because it will be a proof of concept for Star Citizen itself. If it gets received poorly, then the whole Star Citizen project may start crashing down, like a house of cards. So far Star Citizen keeps getting money is because it rides on the idea and promise of what it may be.

Then again, I may be wrong. I certainly am a big skeptic of the whole undertaking. To me it seems like they got too much money for a too big project and at this point the expectations they have awoken in people, who trusted them with their money, are so big that I doubt the developers will be able to reach the bar that's set up for them, no matter how well they do.
 
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Squadron 42 got delayed to Q3 of 2020, but this can (and probably will) change. Star Citizen itself has no release date so far.

A lot rides on Squadron 42, in my opinion. Mostly because it will be a proof of concept for Star Citizen itself. If it gets received poorly, then the whole Star Citizen project may start crashing down, like a house of cards. So far Star Citizen keeps getting money is because it rides on the idea and promise of what it may be.

Then again, I may be wrong. I certainly am a big skeptic of the whole undertaking. To me it seems like they got too much money for a too big project and at this point the expectations they have awoken in people, who trusted them with their money, are so big that I doubt the developers will be able to reach the bar that's set up for them, no matter how well they do.

I'm pretty sure Star Citizen will eventually hit and be confirmed coolness. Wouldn't hold my breath for 2020, though. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Elite: Dangerous 2 come and go before Star Citizen releases.

But as for it crashing and being abandoned, I seriously, strongly doubt it. They're sitting on too much funding for that to be much of a possibility. I'd say worst-case scenario would be that they'll cut features and stretch goals out and release the game without a few bells and whistles. Even if they did bottom out, I imagine any number of other studios / producers would jump at the chance to buy them. In that regard, I'd say the situation would be much the same. New management would probably refocus the development for something that could be finished within a year or two...cut some features and stretch goals out and release the game without a few bells and whistles.
 
My guess is 21-22. My reasoning is pretty simple. Back in 2016 the management, together with the community, changed the direction of the game from a mostly SP game to a full blown MMO. The development time for a large scale MMO is about 5 years. The SP (squadron 42) took a back seat and mostly serves as an introduction to the much larger game and will probably launch close (within a year?) of the MMO launch.

When your modest project, almost overnight, becomes the most funded and mediatized video game project in recorded history... Well.. Let's just say there are no precedents for something like this. Be careful what you wish for, eh?
 
Be careful what you wish for, eh?

That's the moment you bite into the cookie and discover it's oatmeal raisin and not chocolate chip after all. :D

I still think the best bet would be to get Squadron 42 out with focus on piloting. Finish the flight model. (I'd call that a far more important milestone than ensuring the towels in the captain's quarter's bathroom are the right shade of off-white.)
 
I'm pretty sure Star Citizen will eventually hit and be confirmed coolness. Wouldn't hold my breath for 2020, though. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Elite: Dangerous 2 come and go before Star Citizen releases.
The 2020 release is for Squadron 42, not Star Citizen. I am separating these two, because the first is supposed to be a single-player experience, while the latter is for multi-player.

But as for it crashing and being abandoned, I seriously, strongly doubt it. They're sitting on too much funding for that to be much of a possibility.
In my experience time and money are the two things that can never be accurately guessed and you always end up needing more of both. One of the most important trait of good development is keeping the scope of your project. It's what allows you to make sure what can and can't get into the game, given the expected time-frame, features and money that you can spend on development.

It's true that they did get a lot of funding, but they are burning through money very fast too. To my knowledge, they were spending 4 millions per month in 2018, which gives 48 millions in a year. If I am not mistaken they got somewhere around 300 millions total, and that includes selling a 10% share of the company to some billionaire for 46 millions. The last information is particularly worrisome, because it indicates they have started selling themselves (read: shares of their own company) in order to get funds needed to keep the development going.

I'd say worst-case scenario would be that they'll cut features and stretch goals out and release the game without a few bells and whistles.
Agreed. The best they can do is start thinking on how to optimize their development.

Even if they did bottom out, I imagine any number of other studios / producers would jump at the chance to buy them.
I guess it depends on how much it'd cost to buy them and how much anyone really wants to invest into bringing the project to the finish line.
 
I can't believe people think this game will actually become a thing.

While I in no way want to criticize people just for being sceptical about it (because you cannot expect everyone to like something), I honestly wonder why one should be sarcastic about it.

Perhaps I have it easy as I invested not just a few bucks and rely on it delivering at one point. I'm no overzealous supporter but also no hardcore critic.

Years have passed since I backed. I did so in 2015. You really do learn patience. But looking back I wouldn't think of saying they didn't make huge steps since then. Back then what you had as "PU" (persistent universe) was really meagre. Now it feels like there's too many POIs I cannot keep track or bother with them all, and it's still just scratching the surface multiplayer-wise if you look at all the planned star systems and the content they are expected to contain.

My point here is, after years, do a few more delays really result in an issue? Or that the intended version of the MP universe is stil years away? Every year, a few milestones are completed, per quarter roughly. The game will get to a solid point eventually. All people need to do is wait, give it some time.

At least, that is my view as someone who backed once with money that was written off from the start, as you can never know if projects you back in such a way can or will make it. In fact "indie games" fail all the time down the line, few make it imo. But here the whole history, backing and "power" behind it make it more unlikely than someone starting an "indie dev company" from their mom's basement (StarForge, more or less) with no prior experience or solid backing.

Be skeptical all you want, that's fine. But in my book the game will eventually deliver, and the milestones will keep trust or funding going. So as someone who backed and just needs to wait, I see no reason to vocally bash on the game. But perhaps that's just me. I mean I also did play it and the vision convinces me, and so did the existing gameplay so far.

I remain optimistic. Give it some more years. Even half a decade. Who cares, time will fly by, people can play other games and I bet you that at least some, if not many critics will change their mind and perhaps happily play it a few years down the line when it delivers more content and a better experience.

And in light of SQ42, what difference does a year or two make at this point where people have waited years?
 
The 2020 release is for Squadron 42, not Star Citizen. I am separating these two, because the first is supposed to be a single-player experience, while the latter is for multi-player.

Mmm...yes and no in this case. Obviously, the persistent, MMO aspect was the selling point for the game. Squadron 42 was originally envisioned as a sort of "tutorial". That was the gist I got. It would be like playing the campaigns for a Battlefield or Battlefront game. Gets you acclimated to the gameplay so you hit the MP modes running.

Now, I'd say that since the scope of the game became rather nebulous, focusing on Squadron 42 would narrow the development down to nailing the flight model, which will be the thing that makes or breaks the game in the end, I believe. Having the physics, handling, weapon feedback, and/or damage modeling feel clunky or unbalanced will spell a certain level of doom. I'd definitely be sure I got that working at the SP level before I decided exactly how it needed to work at the MP level.


In my experience time and money are the two things that can never be accurately guessed and you always end up needing more of both. One of the most important trait of good development is keeping the scope of your project. It's what allows you to make sure what can and can't get into the game, given the expected time-frame, features and money that you can spend on development.

It's true that they did get a lot of funding, but they are burning through money very fast too. To my knowledge, they were spending 4 millions per month in 2018, which gives 48 millions in a year. If I am not mistaken they got somewhere around 300 millions total, and that includes selling a 10% share of the company to some billionaire for 46 millions. The last information is particularly worrisome, because it indicates they have started selling themselves (read: shares of their own company) in order to get funds needed to keep the development going.

And this is where all creative direction breaks down if it's going to break down. I imagine Roberts is probably in seventh heaven...a chance to revisit the Wing Commander vision, a dev cycle he has sole control over, more money than pretty much any indie studio has ever seen...

But the creative process doesn't change. Less is more. What should have been done, in my estimation, is a production cycle that delivered on the original promise. Establish definitive milestones, leave openings in the code to work toward stretch goals, then deliver on each milestone. As in release things at each milestone. Save expansions for expansions.

What it seems happened is that Roberts decided to toss in everything and the kitchen sink, aiming to build a magnum opus from ground-level to Cloud 9 in one go, incorporating every last detail from the very beginning... Well, that sounds familiar. It's exactly how every production I've seen go belly-up began. It's possible...but I also think it's unnecessary. Often, it's detrimental to the overall project, as it results in too many things happening at once. Invariably, the moving crew will put the furniture in place, forcing the painting crew to paint around it, while the electrician is trying to cut holes in the wall to install wiring, and then the doorbell rings as the people to install the new carpeting have just arrived. Silly way to try to build anything. I'd always opt to do things one stage at a time, ensuring each stage was reasonable.


Agreed. The best they can do is start thinking on how to optimize their development.

I believe the vast majority of people involved in the project would agree with you.


I guess it depends on how much it'd cost to buy them and how much anyone really wants to invest into bringing the project to the finish line.

And since I like to end on a positive note whenever possible -- here we go! I know the development has been both frustrating and disappointing for a lot of backers. I know the game is years and years beyond the original release dates with no end in sight. I know features are buggy, un-optimized, unstable, and relatively incomplete in every way. I know there's a lot upset surrounding both the pricing and way backers have been treated.

But looking at what they have accomplished, it's extremely impressive. The foundations for something great are already there. One thing the team is doing is pursuing their goals with passion. I kind of look at this situation like making a film. The director may be extremely difficult to work with. Some of the actors may have hellish attitudes. The producers might be money-grubbing at every turn. The schedule might be a complete and utter mess...

...but that doesn't mean that the final film won't be incredible.
 
But the creative process doesn't change. Less is more.
This is a really good point, and part of the reason why I like indie games so much. They are often able to achieve more (compared to the mainstream games), despite having more limited resources.

I heard somewhere that Fallout was originally envisioned as first-person experience, but the technology wasn't there for that to be good enough and as a result we got a different game. Thinking about it - it's horryfing, on some level. The game many people consider to be the best/one of the best cRPG came into being in spite of its makers' intentions.
 
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The game many people consider to be the best/one of the best cRPG came into being in spite of its makers' intentions.

Yeah -- exactly! It just goes to show how talented, focused, and skilled that team was. They took what they did have, set a goal, and reached it, letting the project evolve as it needed to along the way. And, they knew what to cut to get it working as a whole.

Silly thing with Star Citizen, though, is that they just seem to add more and more all the time. In the meanwhile, nothing is seemingly being finished. We're almost to the point that we can measure the development in double digits...and the controls still don't seem to be responding correctly when they present demos of the game. Too much...too much.
 
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