Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

If it's a video game it goes here.

Moderators: LawBeefaroni, Arcanis, $iljanus

Post Reply
User avatar
Turtle
Posts: 6310
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:09 am
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Turtle »

I was actually going to be in for a decent ship, once they had something more playable than a tech demo with mediocre combat. Glad I was forced to wait until I got this new job, and now I think I'll just slum it and not bother with a ship.

My game dev senses are tingling, especially since I heard they plan to concurrently develop the FPS and crew portion of the game, and what one other big element that I forget? That's nuts. Eighty-mil is a lot of money, but a studio eats through that quickly, and a studio making what is effectively an MMO eats through that even more quickly. Two studios making concurrent MMOs? That money is already gone by now. Any project manager worth his salt would have focused on just the ship portion and at least have gotten something like Elite Dangerous out the door and playable.

Otherwise, you run into situations like Mechwarrior Online, always on the verge of collapse that they keep trying to pump out new variants to sell to people but pretty much unable to actually make the game that people wanted. But hey, at least MWO is actually playable.
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

Turtle wrote:Otherwise, you run into situations like Mechwarrior Online, always on the verge of collapse that they keep trying to pump out new variants to sell to people but pretty much unable to actually make the game that people wanted. But hey, at least MWO is actually playable.
The trick here is that MWO has a lot of paid features constantly rolling out to support continued development (Mechs and maps).

Star Citizen is planned to be a one-and-done with no subscription or microtransaction post-release options at completion.

I've flown a fighter ship and seen a lot of beautiful things - I've said before that I don't doubt they'll at least be able to at least release a next-gen version of Freelancer. That'll probably royally piss off anyone who spent $500+ on the game. I've dropped $160 - mostly through hype and excitement. I played Freelancer for hundreds of hours. The cost per hour here will still be pretty good for me.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
jztemple2
Posts: 11541
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2009 7:52 am
Location: Brevard County, Florida, USA

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by jztemple2 »

Interesting article on Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Star Citizen 101: What Is It And Why Is It Controversial?
Note: I’ve had quite a few people who either don’t follow games closely or only heard about Star Citizen [official site] relatively late in the day ask me to explain it to them. This piece is intended to break down a complicated situation for those people and others like them. If you already know the ins and outs of this most unprecedented tale of crowdfunding, spaceships and controversies, it will be of little use to you, though please do help to cast more light on the affair in comments below.
My father said that anything is interesting if you bother to read about it - Michael C. Harrold
User avatar
Turtle
Posts: 6310
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:09 am
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Turtle »

With the way they're pissing away money like this, you have to realize that they may not even make it to the point where they release that Freelancer successor. Remember, 38 Studios took much more than $90 million for a bloated game development studio, and the only thing they released was a game that was already well under development at a completely different studio and rebranded into Amalur.

Star Citizen has been around for a long time, and if they had been working towards something concrete then they would have released something more than a barebones combat flight tech demo by now, considering many kickstartered games since this started have already released with way less budget and team.
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Isgrimnur »

VentureBeat
Star Citizen director Chris Roberts decided to do a live demonstration of him playing the latest build, but things got off to a shaky start. After kicking off the broadcast and attempting to boot up the game, Roberts’ PC immediately crashed. Then, instead of cutting away, the camera stuck on the developer has someone came over and power cycled his PC. It’s … well, it’s odd.

Just watch for yourself:
It's almost as if people are the problem.
Frost
Posts: 566
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:14 pm

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Frost »

Isgrimnur wrote:VentureBeat
Star Citizen director Chris Roberts decided to do a live demonstration of him playing the latest build, but things got off to a shaky start. After kicking off the broadcast and attempting to boot up the game, Roberts’ PC immediately crashed. Then, instead of cutting away, the camera stuck on the developer has someone came over and power cycled his PC. It’s … well, it’s odd.

Just watch for yourself:
LMAO

It was so awkward.

Roberts - "Uh, What is wrong with this computer nowadays? Is Dennis around here? The computer is borked?"

Dennis(?) - Um, the computer was working this morning

Santa rolling behind Roberts to see what's going on at 3:21 in the video might be the funniest thing I've seen all week.
Some MoFo's are always trying to ice skate uphill - Blade
User avatar
Brian
Posts: 12553
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 8:51 am
Location: South of Heaven
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Brian »

I'm just happy the my first ship, the Freelancer, is finally being made available to fly in the beta.

Man does she look pretty even if the guns are bugged for now.
"Don't believe everything you read on the internet." - Abraham Lincoln
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Isgrimnur »

The F-35 of the Star Citizen universe?
It's almost as if people are the problem.
Frost
Posts: 566
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:14 pm

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Frost »

this video is just too funny. i can't stop watching it. 3:30 for a very unflattering camera angle of "dennis".

At 4:35 he's apparently such a busy man that he needs to sign a document for some woman which can't wait a few minutes until after the tech demo.

I imagine Chris Roberts was furious and flamed his crew off camera after this.
Some MoFo's are always trying to ice skate uphill - Blade
User avatar
Turtle
Posts: 6310
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:09 am
Location: Southern California
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Turtle »

To be honest, that puts more credence to the idea that Chris Roberts and company are the same terrible managers that rumors and reports say. Sitting around and yelling at people works when you're filming B movies, which is what Roberts has been doing before he made bank with Star Citizen, that doesn't work in game production. So going into a live demo with no idea if the build works is crazy in production, it's a waste of time and money, better to just have an old tested build or delay the event and show a video.

Likewise, coming from actual game development, this latest release for SC looked like they tried way too hard to polish to be pretty if only to cover up the lack of gameplay. In the same time SCit has to barely get this out, there's already another edition of Elite Dangerous coming out with expanded gameplay. They really shouldn't be wasting man hours making things pretty when 90% of what's there will absolutely be replaced

I do think something will come out, but it'll resemble something closer to Daikatana than Half-Life 2. They're too big to fail completely, but right now I'm hoping for something like a Kingdoms of Amalur release of the single player game, good but flawed, then a collapse of the company after it's discovered how much money they've wasted already.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Daehawk »

--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

They're still moving forward. I don't know if anyone's keeping up - but they're into Alpha 2.1, which includes some various missions, locations, EVA, multi-crew ships, and FPS.

They've also come close to $110 Million in funding.

I'm still pulling for the game to be good in many ways, and maybe they've gotten past the biggest hurdle involving mixing FPS and space flight. I haven't gotten in and tested it out, but should. The base variant of the Freelancer is flight-ready now, but still needs work. I want to give it a spin and see how it feels.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

Hmmm, I wonder what these guys are referencing?
Key features
  • Visit space today or get old waiting for that other space game that you already paid for
  • Crowdfund a space colony and get other people to pay for it and do all the work!
  • Endless space full of planets to visit. but seriously it would take forever to go there so why bother
  • There is one planet nearby though. Go to that one
  • Fly and shoot stuff in space, because nobody makes games about flying and shooting in space anymore
  • Learn how to be a real bridge commander like that spock dude from mars or whatever
  • The biggest map in <redacted> history, filled to the brim with exclusive content. I know PR. Hire me Valve!
  • No crew member will be left unromanced
Spoiler:
Enlarge Image

Yeah, I know, but the joke is about Star Citizen. Mostly. :P
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
dbt1949
Posts: 25687
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:34 am
Location: Hogeye Arkansas

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by dbt1949 »

Wow, this thread was started 3 1/2 years ago. Is it considered in alpha yet?

Someday this game will have the legendary status of the 101st Airborne.
Ye Olde Farte
Double Ought Forty
aka dbt1949
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

dbt1949 wrote:Wow, this thread was started 3 1/2 years ago. Is it considered in alpha yet?

Someday this game will have the legendary status of the 101st Airborne.
Yeah, it is currently at alpha 2.3.1, according to the website. It's been over a year since I last tried to install it, let alone run it, so I really don't know what that means in terms of the current feature set.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Daehawk »

I still dont care for how crappy the game play is. I wish I could take my money back from this and put it on No Mans Sky instead.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
Frost
Posts: 566
Joined: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:14 pm

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Frost »

Daehawk wrote:I still dont care for how crappy the game play is. I wish I could take my money back from this and put it on No Mans Sky instead.
Dare I ask how much you and others have spent on this? I haven't purchased it or played it yet, so can you explain what is crappy about the gameplay?

My buddy has spent somewhere in the $150-$200 area, I believe. I used to joke with him that it wasn't coming out ever. I truly hope it comes out. Wish they would just focus on the flight portion and save the FPS for whenever the flight portions of the game are polished. FPS is nice, but people weren't excited about that. They were excited for the promise of an amazing space sim.
Some MoFo's are always trying to ice skate uphill - Blade
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Daehawk »

Not sure what I spent now..its been 2 years ago when I was flush with cash. I bought a Freelancer MAX and a Mustang. So maybe $200

As for it not being what I hoped by now I couldn't count all my niggles...lets see.......

Floaty feeling
sketchy twitchy play..not lagging
bad graphics in lots of places
I still fall through my Mustang and back out into the hanger when I get in it sometimes
The whole game playing feel off somehow..cant describe that..its just my feeling.
Feels like Alpha with a coat of paint
animations are bad..as in walking running jumping
They are still nickle and diming as in your hanger is big and you move slow so they'll gladly sell you a ATV vehicle to get around in.

Its just giving me a bad taste. I feel like it wont gel for another 3 years or so. Id rather get No Mans Sky and have it this year. Looks fun.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Isgrimnur »

Go get Elite:Dangerous
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Daehawk »

Ive had that since early release...box and all. Not played it. I think I think its too difficult or detailed or something and never start it.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Isgrimnur
Posts: 82085
Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:29 am
Location: Chookity pok
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Isgrimnur »

We choose to play space games not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

And so, my fellow crowdfunders: ask not what developers can do for you — ask what you can do for developers.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

Daehawk wrote:They are still nickle and diming as in your hanger is big and you move slow so they'll gladly sell you a ATV vehicle to get around in.
Unless you just can't wait until you can buy it with in-game cash after release, they're not pushing anyone into anything.

This game is up over $114 million in funding and still climbing. Knowing that it's not 'done' has made me want to just keep waiting on it... but I've watched a few good YouTube videos on current progress and liked what I saw. I will say that development seems ponderously slow and bloated, but that's not a massively informed opinion - just a gut feeling based on snippets I've picked up.
Isgrimnur wrote:Go get Elite:Dangerous
You know, for some reason I just can't bring myself to do that. I don't know what it is, but I'm leery of purchasing it. Was it multiplayer only or something? I need to go refresh my memory.

Ah - recent Steam Reviews for Elite:Dangerous... apparently a recent patch destroyed the game by making the AI act in cheap, griefing, very hostile ways.
687 Hours wrote:This game was so much fun, it was a grind, but it was fun. I had a lot of hope for The Engineers update, but it completely ruined the game. I'm not really one to complain about difficulty, but they really ramped up the AI. One of the biggest complaints was that the NPCs were too easy, and they were a bit on the soft side, but now they are just cheap. They pull you out of Frame shift, then as soon as you get their sheilds down they run away. I you attack any ship in a conflict zone, you're immediately attacked by their entire fleet. It would be fine if the AI was smart, but it's just doing the same exploits that the griefers pulled, so now it's like getting trolled by the NPCs. If I wanted to play against extremely difficult opponents then I'd play against all the greifers in open play. Thanks for screwing up a great game frontier.
If I get an itch for a first-person space game, I'll probably fire up X3 again. I just hope I have my last save floating around somewhere after my computer rebuild. I had over 200 hours on that one and a small fleet of ships.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Daehawk »

Finished both prior X games but could not get into X3 for some reason.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

Daehawk wrote:Finished both prior X games but could not get into X3 for some reason.
I don't think I ever 'finished' X2, but X3 is the pinnacle of the series for me - especially with a few mods to add in more varying activities like taxi service, racing, and assassination contracts. The only downside of the last release is the stock market, which is just like printing money and it completely devalues everything it touches... so I actually play without it in order to retain the challenge and sense of accomplishment.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

Oh noes, Elite has negative Steam reviews! <swoon>

For a year and a half, people have bitched and whined that the pilot AI needs to be more challenging and tactical. Then when they get that, other people bitch and whine that the game is too difficult and has been ruined. The circle of life... :)

I should probably dust off my joystick (Totally not a euphimism!) and dive back in to see just how bad it is at the moment. (This statement is applicable to both Elite and Star Citizen.)
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

Max Peck wrote:I should probably dust off my joystick (Totally not a euphimism!) and dive back in to see just how bad it is at the moment. (This statement is applicable to both Elite and Star Citizen.)
Every time I think that I'd like to see how my Freelancer flies (I think I've read that they're flight-ready, but maybe not combat-ready?) I fire up the game and drift off as soon as it starts updating 20+GB of data... and then I get over the urge to just test it out and close it.
Max Peck wrote:Oh noes, Elite has negative Steam reviews! <swoon>
I dunno - I give it some weight when the negative reviews come in large batches and from people with hundreds of hours of playtime all expressing the same frustration.

Apparently the AI has started acting like griefing players. They run when their shields drop, they rip you out of relative safety to pound on you mercilessly, and if you pick a fight where they have any friends within a wide range, those friends come to kill you too. At least, that's the summary I'm getting from the negative reviews.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

Paingod wrote:
Max Peck wrote:I should probably dust off my joystick (Totally not a euphimism!) and dive back in to see just how bad it is at the moment. (This statement is applicable to both Elite and Star Citizen.)
Every time I think that I'd like to see how my Freelancer flies (I think I've read that they're flight-ready, but maybe not combat-ready?) I fire up the game and drift off as soon as it starts updating 20+GB of data... and then I get over the urge to just test it out and close it.
Max Peck wrote:Oh noes, Elite has negative Steam reviews! <swoon>
I dunno - I give it some weight when the negative reviews come in large batches and from people with hundreds of hours of playtime all expressing the same frustration.

Apparently the AI has started acting like griefing players. They run when their shields drop, they rip you out of relative safety to pound on you mercilessly, and if you pick a fight where they have any friends within a wide range, those friends come to kill you too. At least, that's the summary I'm getting from the negative reviews.
I just checked the RSI store, and they list the Freelancer as "Flight ready. Remodel In Progress, Exterior Materials Pass" while ships that seem to be "combat" ready (e.g. Hornet) are also just listed as "Flight ready."

WRT the Elite Steam reviews that you're citing, that sounds like the AI is playing like an actual player instead of a target drone. None of those are particularly "cheap", they're simply logical tactics -- why would a pilot not try to run away if they are losing, or not call in available allies? Is it happening in "safe" systems where you would not expect any trouble (barring player-pirates who specifically raid "safe" systems to harvest noobs) or is it happening in inherently dangerous conflict zones? It is entirely possible that the AI is currently too aggressive, but it is equally possible that mediocre pilots who think they're über are rage-quitting because now they have to deal with something more challenging than a target drone. I would need to strap on my Cobra and see for myself to say which it is. If I was going to rely on player feedback, I'd check out the Frontier forums rather than negative Steam reviews that read (to me) like they're written by rage-quitters. From what I see there (with a very brief scan) it *sounds* like people that are having issues with the AI being too good are typically a) flying solo and b) going into high-risk areas that were previously soloable due to the AI being pretty passive.

At any rate, Frontier is pretty good at engaging with the player base, so if a consensus emerges that the AI has gone from being too passive to too godly, I expect it will be dialed back. Nothing in Elite is really set in stone -- they have a years-long development roadmap and have been tweaking and tuning all along the way.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

For me, the biggest problems would stem from AI calling in insurmountable odds against you, and making combat take FAR longer than it should by running excessively. It's just no fun to try and fight enemies that can't be shot down.

I saw a video review of the Freelancer remodel back in (January?) and it was looking pretty nice on the outside, but nothing had changed inside. I'd be interested to see what they do with my Freelancer DUR.
Max Peck wrote:From what I see there (with a very brief scan) it *sounds* like people that are having issues with the AI being too good are typically a) flying solo and b) going into high-risk areas that were previously soloable due to the AI being pretty passive.
That might have been it. I don't have any intention of playing with others, and I think I recall Elite being designed for it - almost needing it. That was it for me on wanting it. I could be wrong.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

Paingod wrote:For me, the biggest problems would stem from AI calling in insurmountable odds against you, and making combat take FAR longer than it should by running excessively. It's just no fun to try and fight enemies that can't be shot down.
Elite has to provide a range of difficulty challenges to suit all sorts of players, both solo and in groups. If you try to solo a high-risk conflict zone that is designed to be a challenge for a coordinated group, you should expect to get your ass handed to you. That's like trying to solo group content in any MMORPG -- if everyone can do it, regardless of individual skill levels, its too easy. Now, if people are constantly getting ganked by NPC pirate wings in safe, stable systems and the system police aren't jumping in to sort things out, I'd agree that there's a problem. What I am reading inidcates that people are getting pwned by trying to solo content that is designed for coordinated groups, and some of them are over-reacting to the change because prior to the update it could be done, because the AI was still sufficiently braindead to allow it. Since the game doesn't recognize their über pilot skills, it must be broken beyond repair, amirite?
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

Yeah - that rules out the game for me. I'm sure those "high risk" zones also include some of the best stuff to find or the quickest path to success. As a person who plays games almost exclusively single-player, I wouldn't really be keen on having whole areas of the game blocked off to me.

I don't know how Star Citizen will handle this, but the entire Squadron 42 package is being designed as a single-player game. The "big game" is a mystery still, but I'm not sure how much I'll play that if I've got a stand-alone game.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

Paingod wrote:I'm sure those "high risk" zones also include some of the best stuff to find or the quickest path to success.
Nope. Speaking as an exclusively solo pilot, "high risk" combat is something I did for fun, not because the game forced me to do it to get better gear. Ships and equipment are purchased from NPC merchants rather than obtained as loot drops (although it appears the Engineers update includes some sort of loot drop/salvage gameplay that provides components for the mod crafting, so maybe that would be a reason to fight tougher enemies -- I need to find out more about this), and the fastest way to acquire the necessary wealth to buy the shiniest toys is the fine art of commodity trading. Fighting and exploration were my hobbies, and I dabbled in prospecting and mining, but spending time as a space trucker (in solo mode, if I didn't feel like dealing with player pirates) was what financed everything. It may be a little too much like real life in that sense, with the relatively routine stuff making the cooler stuff possible.

At any rate, this off-topic topic has gone on more than long enough. Here's some Star Citzen gameplay videos (featuring the Freelancer) to look at.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

Max Peck wrote:Here's some Star Citzen gameplay videos (featuring the Freelancer) to look at.
I'm watching through this one, and it looks interesting. It's a couple months old. He hops in his Freelancer and goes for some PvP. First he has to disable Comms Arrays to shut down communications in an area. He accidentally picked up a gunner that climbed into his ship before he took off and almost crapped himself when he saw this guy on his ship in the middle of nowhere.

The side turrets don't look like they operate as independently as this video suggests. They seem to be strictly connected to the pilot's gunning and I doubt they auto-track different targets. The Freelancer kind of steers like a cow, too - but it's not a fighter, so that's to be expected. In the first video, he takes down a heavy fighter with relative ease, but runs from a light fighter flying circles around him. Escaping didn't seem too hard, and I'd wager that's where a competent turret gunner comes in - to take down smaller ships your main guns just can't track fast enough.

I might try and fire this up sometime soon to see how it feels.

The tour of the Starfarer is awesome. I might never fly a fuel tanker myself, but the thing is cavernous and massive - and not the biggest thing out there. A 7 person crew (pilot, co-pilot, engineer, captain, 3 gunners).

I'm curious how well the AI companions will handle gunning stations and other things, like Engineering. I think being a turret person will get boring fast unless there's constant combat - and being an Engineer gets older faster with nothing to look at except a power control console. I expect that any ship I pilot will exclusively use AI for crew given my reclusive/antisocial nature.
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
User avatar
Brian
Posts: 12553
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 8:51 am
Location: South of Heaven
Contact:

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Brian »

I have three ship packages with accounts tied to them so I'll be loaning one of my accounts to a buddy and we plan on working together to haul freight and provide escort.

I would also be willing to serve as a gunner/crew member for any OOers that might be playing when I'm online as well.

Once the game goes live that is. :)
"Don't believe everything you read on the internet." - Abraham Lincoln
Cortilian
Posts: 1590
Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2005 10:30 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Cortilian »

Demo from Gamescon starts at the 2 hour mark. There might actually be a game there. Wow.

https://www.twitch.tv/starcitizen/v/84518331
User avatar
Max Peck
Posts: 13680
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:09 pm
Location: Down the Rabbit-Hole

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Max Peck »

Star Citizen's 'Squadron 42' Single Player Campaign Delayed Indefinitely
Squadron 42, the single player campaign for upcoming space MMO Star Citizen has been delayed indefinitely.

Chris Roberts and Cloud Imperium Games made the delay announcement during a livestream, stating that while a lot of the basics were complete, a great deal more had to be done. This includes in-progress development on things like pathfinding logic, enhanced flight AI, and the mission integration system.

The campaign's 28 missions are simply not done yet, according to Roberts, with some still at the grey-box level. The developer has been notoriously quiet about a release date---up until now, while very little from the campaign had been shown, CIG had still not pushed back the 2016 release window.

2017 is now the target, but I won't be holding my breath until a great deal more of Squadron 42 is on the table.

On the other hand, much of what was shown at CitizenCon looked very impressive, especially the giant sand worm (around the 1:54:00 mark in the below video.)

Star Citizen: Full CitizenCon 2016 Presentation

Of course, all this amazing looking tech for an incredible looking game might just as easily be described as "feature creep." One can't help but worry about the developer's ambition here, and the sheer amount of work, time, and money all of this requires. With no end in sight, multiple delays, and what appears to be an ever-expanding game, it's no wonder some people worry that Star Citizen will be stuck in development forever.

I remain hopeful. At the very least, each time I see footage of the game it looks terrific, and things seem to be moving along, however slowly. I almost hesitate to even write about the game, however, as superfans and supercritics alike will almost certainly descend to either defend the game's honor, or point out its every flaw.

On that note, please refrain. I really don't need to hear all the reasons why this latest footage proves anything one way or another. The game is not finished. My hope is that one day it will be. In the meantime, I'll keep checking back in to check on its progress. It's a real shame that Squadron 42 has been delayed, but not entirely surprising. Nor do delays mean that the final product will be a disappointment. Sometimes games simply need more time.
"What? What? What?" -- The 14th Doctor

It's not enough to be a good player... you also have to play well. -- Siegbert Tarrasch
User avatar
Daehawk
Posts: 63524
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2005 1:11 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Daehawk »

Star Citizen Forever 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
User avatar
killbot737
Posts: 5660
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 11:19 pm
Location: Next to America Jr.

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by killbot737 »

So the only reason I backed the game has been delayed indefinitely.

I'm not 100% surprised, but fucking hell.
There is no hug button. Sad!
User avatar
Jag
Posts: 14435
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 3:24 pm
Location: SoFla

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Jag »

Was at LAX airport yesterday and saw a dude with a Star Citizen tattoo and emblem on his arm. Figured he may be a developer, but I didn't have it in me to ask.
User avatar
Paingod
Posts: 13132
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 8:58 am

Re: Space, er, I mean, Star Citizen

Post by Paingod »

killbot737 wrote:So the only reason I backed the game has been delayed indefinitely.

I'm not 100% surprised, but fucking hell.
Ditto that. The issues mentioned seemed less technically challenging than the larger problems they've talked about. Pathing is slowing this down? Seems odd.
Jag wrote:Was at LAX airport yesterday and saw a dude with a Star Citizen tattoo and emblem on his arm. Figured he may be a developer, but I didn't have it in me to ask.
Maybe a believer in lost causes? Perhaps he has Battlecruiser 3000AD tattooed on his other arm, and "DNR" on his junk?
Black Lives Matter

2021-01-20: The first good night's sleep I had in 4 years.
Post Reply