Star Citizen Gives Backers Their First Taste Of A Fuller Game

Megalith

Megalith

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Here is your hopeful reminder that there’s “supposed to be an honest-to-goodness game at the end of all this.”

Roberts Space Industries has given backers an Alpha 2.0 release that represents the "first true slice" of the crowdfunded (and much-hyped) game. You can travel between multiple locations around a planet, and first-person ground combat is possible for the first time. Space walks are even an option, if you dare leave the safety of your ship.
 
Still not giving a damn dollar. Release the game first. LOL to those who buy into digital objects.
 
It does seem dangerous to spend a lot of money on elite hardware in a game that may never see the light of day
 
I am glad they have more to show after a long wait. Hope this gives them more of a canvas to finish painting the game for us. At least the naysayers have a little less to bitch about.
 
I got a refund for this about 6 weeks ago. Had to push for it but in the end I got it. Game was supposed to be out in mid-November - I don't believe it ever will be because of the foolishness of Chris Roberts and the never-ending feature creep.
 
Did, did I just see someone in space give themselves an injection through their space suit? Between that and the ducted fans/radiators on the ships I just can't buy into this 'realistic' sim.
 
Trying to understand what money they expect to make from this game. So if a million people have already spent $100m "buying" the game and the developer expects to basically use all of this for development (or maybe not all of it?), then what is there left when it's released?

I suppose they could expect many more people to buy the game, so I could see that. Fallout 4 sold over 10m copies, so there's that. I'm just curious about its level of saturation for its targeted market... do 50% of the people who would buy it already own it? 75%? 90%?

I guess they could release and microtransaction the shit out of it, like I've been seeing.

Not trying to shit on the game or anything, just curious.
 
This is the first I've seen of this and it looks pretty awesome. Kinda reminds me of Jedi Knight. Not sure why but I love the idea.
 
dr_drift said:
Trying to understand what money they expect to make from this game. So if a million people have already spent $100m "buying" the game and the developer expects to basically use all of this for development (or maybe not all of it?), then what is there left when it's released?
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They've already spent almost all of it, but it's not a problem as jpeg pictures are cheap to make and sell for thousands if need be.
 
Kor said:
What's obtuse? He's spuriously claiming that the developer is working on other projects when there are no other projects.
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Did you forget that RSI wanted $500,000 originally and failed to deliver on that promise which he then started fundraising promising additional features that were not part of the original fundraising project. They kept getting further and further away from their original goals as they kept introducing extremely ambitious features yet extremely difficult to implement. Then they get a fancy building, started misusing money to hire his wife (which he failed to mention they were married) to do movies, and the list goes on. Just finish the damn original project they intended to do and then build from there. They didn't even do that, that's the problem.
 
Kaitian said:
Then maybe they should have focused on one thing at a time instead of doing side-projects.
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CIG is a developer, not a publisher. Without funding, either from a publisher or from crowdfunding, the developer does not have the funds to make anything. Have no idea what you mean by "side-projects"? Star Citizen is the only game they work on.
 
Killerxp100 said:
CIG is a developer, not a publisher. Without funding, either from a publisher or from crowdfunding, the developer does not have the funds to make anything. Have no idea what you mean by "side-projects"? Star Citizen is the only game they work on.
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When's the game coming out? Oh ho ho ho that's a funny one!
 
Kaitian said:
Did you forget that RSI wanted $500,000 originally and failed to deliver on that promise which he then started fundraising promising additional features that were not part of the original fundraising project. They kept getting further and further away from their original goals as they kept introducing extremely ambitious features yet extremely difficult to implement. Then they get a fancy building, started misusing money to hire his wife (which he failed to mention they were married) to do movies, and the list goes on. Just finish the damn original project they intended to do and then build from there. They didn't even do that, that's the problem.
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You're being too harsh. The >$10 million worth of cast and over 10 hours of cutscenes show they have the important game priorities in order. And 5 versions of MOCAP studio shows their dedication to deliver the best product possible as they will spare no expense in reiterating and redoing the same things multiple times over to get that perfect result. I bet you're not even a game developer and have no idea how making a game works.
 
Meeho said:
You're being too harsh. The >$10 million worth of cast and over 10 hours of cutscenes show they have the important game priorities in order. And 5 versions of MOCAP studio shows their dedication to deliver the best product possible as they will spare no expense in reiterating and redoing the same things multiple times over to get that perfect result. I bet you're not even a game developer and have no idea how making a game works.
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RSI is not a manager and should stop trying to be one. The fact that they're doing version 2.0 now instead of doing their original 1.0 that was supposed to have been delivered a year ago tells me that they have a terrible project management system in place. The fact that they changed their TOS so many times and have been refunding critic's money without them requesting the money back shows that they have serious problems with staying on budget and target. But what do I know, fanboys gonna fanboys.
 
dr_drift said:
Trying to understand what money they expect to make from this game. So if a million people have already spent $100m "buying" the game and the developer expects to basically use all of this for development (or maybe not all of it?), then what is there left when it's released?

I suppose they could expect many more people to buy the game, so I could see that. Fallout 4 sold over 10m copies, so there's that. I'm just curious about its level of saturation for its targeted market... do 50% of the people who would buy it already own it? 75%? 90%?

I guess they could release and microtransaction the shit out of it, like I've been seeing.

Not trying to shit on the game or anything, just curious.
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I would expect there is still a large number of people that would still buy the game once it came out. All depends on how long it takes them to finish the game and how it turns out but I could see one new person buying the game for every person that has already backed it and got a copy. It seems that people are interested in the game, just don't want to put money towards it till they finish something. The rest will come in the form of microtransactions. Unless something has changed they are not required but do help you save time. As you do different things you earn credits in game that you can then use to buy ships and other things. Or you can spend real world money and just buy credits or buy ships and save yourself the time of actually earning them in game.
 
Kaitian said:
RSI is not a manager and should stop trying to be one. The fact that they're doing version 2.0 now instead of doing their original 1.0 that was supposed to have been delivered a year ago tells me that they have a terrible project management system in place. The fact that they changed their TOS so many times and have been refunding critic's money without them requesting the money back shows that they have serious problems with staying on budget and target. But what do I know, fanboys gonna fanboys.
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This is the second Alpha. The first one was already released. Next will come Alpha 3, then 4, then 5. That is how numbers work.

I don't back the game and don't have it so don't know for sure, but I think Alpha 1 was just a hunger for you to look at your ships and little else. Alpha 2 is starting to actually add in gameplay.

Yes they are behind what they had expected as they grew the scope of the game and haven't been able to keep up with their goals as quickly as they had hoped. That said when you grow in scope there will be some growing pains. For example if you plan on making a 2d side scroller then decide you have enough money to make a 3d game instead you don't make it 2D first then redo everything to be 3d. Instead you start off making it 3D which means you spend more time getting everything done. Same here, as they grew their initial goals based on getting more and more money that would set them back some as now they need to get that new stuff planned and included from the start.

That doesn't mean that they haven't done a horrible job of managing money, but some changes are bound to be made to timelines as you expand on your plans.
 
Kaitian said:
Did you forget that RSI wanted $500,000 originally and failed to deliver on that promise which he then started fundraising promising additional features that were not part of the original fundraising project. They kept getting further and further away from their original goals as they kept introducing extremely ambitious features yet extremely difficult to implement. Then they get a fancy building, started misusing money to hire his wife (which he failed to mention they were married) to do movies, and the list goes on. Just finish the damn original project they intended to do and then build from there. They didn't even do that, that's the problem.
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I love this idea that somehow having employed his wife work on the project without blasting "THIS IS MY WIFE, EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW I'M MARRIED TO THIS LADY" from the high heavens is misconduct.

It's in no way relevant to anything regarding the business, it's only a problem because you want it to be. In case you haven't noticed nepotism is prevalent in every single industry on the planet, sometimes it works out fine and sometimes not so much. It's this kind of reaching that makes anything you say seem like the ravings of someone who's bought in deep into a conspiracy theory.
 
Kor said:
I love this idea that somehow having employed his wife work on the project without blasting "THIS IS MY WIFE, EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW I'M MARRIED TO THIS LADY" from the high heavens is misconduct.

It's in no way relevant to anything regarding the business, it's only a problem because you want it to be. In case you haven't noticed nepotism is prevalent in every single industry on the planet, sometimes it works out fine and sometimes not so much. It's this kind of reaching that makes anything you say seem like the ravings of someone who's bought in deep into a conspiracy theory.
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You mean every time you walk into a mom and pop store the person there doesn't yell, "hey customer this is my spouse" while pointing to the other person in the place? Weird, every time I walk into a small restaurant they always make sure to point out that their husband is the one running the kitchen so that I know they are married. Oh wait, i'm sorry that isn't what happens. My mistake. :D
 
Exavior said:
You mean every time you walk into a mom and pop store the person there doesn't yell, "hey customer this is my spouse" while pointing to the other person in the place? Weird, every time I walk into a small restaurant they always make sure to point out that their husband is the one running the kitchen so that I know they are married. Oh wait, i'm sorry that isn't what happens. My mistake. :D
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Were you buying a picture of the meal with a promise of it getting delivered to you some years later? If yes, then you would maybe like to have known who would be making it and what qualifications they have to cook it. If no, my mistake, I thought your example was relevant.
 
i backed this game over a year ago but there was nothing really to play and completely forgot about it, gonna download this and check it out now looks promising
 
Exavior said:
This is the second Alpha. The first one was already released. Next will come Alpha 3, then 4, then 5. That is how numbers work.

I don't back the game and don't have it so don't know for sure, but I think Alpha 1 was just a hunger for you to look at your ships and little else. Alpha 2 is starting to actually add in gameplay.

Yes they are behind what they had expected as they grew the scope of the game and haven't been able to keep up with their goals as quickly as they had hoped. That said when you grow in scope there will be some growing pains. For example if you plan on making a 2d side scroller then decide you have enough money to make a 3d game instead you don't make it 2D first then redo everything to be 3d. Instead you start off making it 3D which means you spend more time getting everything done. Same here, as they grew their initial goals based on getting more and more money that would set them back some as now they need to get that new stuff planned and included from the start.

That doesn't mean that they haven't done a horrible job of managing money, but some changes are bound to be made to timelines as you expand on your plans.
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No, it wasn't. The game has not been released period. You got alpha's that are extremely buggy but nowhere near their goals. They are behind? They are YEARS behind schedule. So far all people have bought are jpeg ships and now they're having to scale back on their expectations. Always over promise and under deliver the product. You get their money either ways.

Kor said:
I love this idea that somehow having employed his wife work on the project without blasting "THIS IS MY WIFE, EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW I'M MARRIED TO THIS LADY" from the high heavens is misconduct.

It's in no way relevant to anything regarding the business, it's only a problem because you want it to be. In case you haven't noticed nepotism is prevalent in every single industry on the planet, sometimes it works out fine and sometimes not so much. It's this kind of reaching that makes anything you say seem like the ravings of someone who's bought in deep into a conspiracy theory.
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Dude, he hid the fact that it was his wife and was in a position of authority at RSI which can be a conflict of interest issue especially when it comes to labor laws. He allegedly used Star Citizen money to support her venture which was not part of the Star Citizen project. They promise to have their records be publicly audited and that's not happening. The original TOS said that they would give all audit records but good luck getting that since they won't do that. They'd just refund you instead.

Star Citizen, most likely to flop. Just as bad as the Phantom Console.
 
This idiot can't distinguish between "side projects" and "stretch goals". Why bother arguing with him?
 
EODetroit said:
This idiot can't distinguish between "side projects" and "stretch goals". Why bother arguing with him?
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Dude, when it comes to kickstarters, you're supposed to stick to the project and you're not supposed to use that money for anything else. Even Squadron 42 was not part of the kickstarter.
 
EODetroit said:
This idiot can't distinguish between "side projects" and "stretch goals". Why bother arguing with him?
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Also I have a question for you. Do you think that the financials for RSI needs to be released as they promised when they launched the SC project? Yes or no answer.
 
I seriously don't think some of you understand how long it takes to make a game. They did not get into full development until 2013. The game has been in full production for just over two years.

How long do you think it takes to make a game, especially a large one on a huge scale?

Fallout 4 took took around 4 years, GTA V took 5 years.

Some of you acting like they should have somehow magically been able to build this game (which is a much larger scope) but in half the time or something.

Kaitian said:
Dude, when it comes to kickstarters, you're supposed to stick to the project and you're not supposed to use that money for anything else. Even Squadron 42 was not part of the kickstarter.
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What?
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cig/star-citizen/description

Squadron 42 - A Wing Commander style single player mode, playable OFFLINE if you want

Playable offline or online, co-op with friends, you sign up for a tour of duty with the UEE fleet, manning the front lines, protecting settlements from Vanduul warbands.

Life during wartime

If you distinguish yourself in combat, you might be invited to join the legendary 42nd Squadron. Much like the French Foreign Legion of old, they can always be found in the toughest areas of operation and always snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, regardless of the odds.

The conflict never ends

Upon completion of your tour you’ll re-enter the persistent Star Citizen universe with some credits in your pocket and Citizenship to help you make your way. But in the universe of Star Citizen when one conflict ends, another is just around the corner. You’ll have opportunity to spend more time with your squadron mates as additional Campaigns are released as part of the content update plan.
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Squadron 42 was definitely part of it.
 
Meeho said:
Were you buying a picture of the meal with a promise of it getting delivered to you some years later? If yes, then you would maybe like to have known who would be making it and what qualifications they have to cook it. If no, my mistake, I thought your example was relevant.
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Not years, but I have ordered catering before for months in advance. Does that count? That aside, there is nothing wrong with any person hiring their husband or wife if they are qualified to do a job. When your job is to market something and you have brought in as much as they have I think it is safe to say they are getting the word out somehow. Does that mean she is the most qualified, no. At the same time people bitch that he hired his brother. A guy he has worked with for years and is very qualified. To some people it isn't so much that these people are or are not qualified, but simply the fact that he hired people related to him or hired friends of his instead of going out and bring in outsides. Thinking that this is some massive scheme where they are just taking the money and doing nothing. John Carmack's wife worked at ID Software in various management positions while he was there. How is that any different? You have a husband hiring his wife at a video game company. John Romero's wife was a game developer and they worked together on games, and even started a company together. So that's two examples of people in the game industry working with their spouse in a business they run. Are those better examples?

Kaitian said:
No, it wasn't. The game has not been released period. You got alpha's that are extremely buggy but nowhere near their goals. They are behind? They are YEARS behind schedule. So far all people have bought are jpeg ships and now they're having to scale back on their expectations. Always over promise and under deliver the product. You get their money either ways.


Dude, he hid the fact that it was his wife and was in a position of authority at RSI which can be a conflict of interest issue especially when it comes to labor laws. He allegedly used Star Citizen money to support her venture which was not part of the Star Citizen project. They promise to have their records be publicly audited and that's not happening. The original TOS said that they would give all audit records but good luck getting that since they won't do that. They'd just refund you instead.

Star Citizen, most likely to flop. Just as bad as the Phantom Console.
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I have never heard of labor laws preventing a person from hiring family. If it was there are a lot of places that would be in trouble. Remember you are looking at a small private company, not a publically owned company.
 
Exavior said:
I have never heard of labor laws preventing a person from hiring family. If it was there are a lot of places that would be in trouble. Remember you are looking at a small private company, not a publically owned company.
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Did I say that labor laws prevents a person from hiring family? No. The issue is that they actually avoid acknowledging their marriage until one had to dig out the fact that they were married. Also the other issue being that she's in a position of authority where he apparently prefers her over any other decisions. From a human resources perspective that is a huge issue especially when it comes to conflict of interest on projects. On job applications for example when you apply to any company, they first and foremost always ask if you have any relatives working for the company. If one gets fired from the company and it's because of a decision between the husband and wife, labor boards loves these kind of stuff and they almost always wins.

At my previous company I worked at, Human Resources always stressed you must disclose any family relations with anyone both internally and externally.

Ethics, you've heard of this, no?
 
All this hostility over a game. I might be interested in after it launches. Depending on the nature and amount of micro transactions the game has after it has been out for half a year or so, of course.
 
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