Star Citizen Free to Play this weekend.

WarMace

WarMace

Gawd
Joined
Aug 25, 2004
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EDIT 2: You can fly for free till the 14th, they extended it to the date when the early backer discount ends**.

Referral URL's are not permitted per the rules so i stripped it out. But referral codes are the only way to get 5,000 free UEC when signing up, so get one from a friend, another [H]ard|forum member, or use mine STAR-ZRFD-PTBX just so long as you use one when creating an account.

Step 1. Sign up for Star Citizen, and reserve your handle. https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist

Step 2. Download Installer: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/download

Step 3. Fly for free till 14th with Hornet, Aurora, Mustang Delta, hitch a ride on someone's multi-crew ship, or pirate a ship if that's what your into.

Step 4. If you enjoyed the trial all you need to get both games, Star Citizen & Squadron 42, is a single $45 starter pack. This includes alpha access so you can continue to play after this weekend. https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/Packages/Aurora-LN

**February 14th Star Citizen & Squadron 42 will become separate purchases and the early backer discount will end.

Hard Forums Star Citizen Mega Thread

Game Features as of today, despite it being alpha, what you see in this link is all currently in-game, and that's not the full list of flyable ships.

Star Citizen Imagine Trailer
 
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I play this game and purchased one of the bigger fighters...it is fun and addicting once you look past the alpha stage bugs.
 
I use mouse and keyboard a lot...flight stick is messed up.
 
thedocta45 said:
Oh cool, I thought that this was supposed to be some hardcore HOTAS only game.

Good to know it can be a bit more casual than that.
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I see a lot of people successfully using everything from Keyboard and Mouse, to Dual joystick and there is no right choice so your good. Its being designed to be a easy to jump in, difficult to master flight sim. I personally suck at flying, so don't laugh, I'm looking forward to be a ships mechanic. The larger multi-crew ships will have the ships tasks divided up to multiple players and/or hired NPC's similar to Arermis (think Star Trek bridge).

If you end up getting stuck or having questions post 'em here or PM me and I'll do my best to answer anything I can, I know I needed a bit of help easing into the game over a year ago.
 
WarMace said:
If you end up getting stuck or having questions post 'em here or PM me and I'll do my best to answer anything I can, I know I needed a bit of help easing into the game over a year ago.
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I'm stuck at the installer any recommendations?

Guess I needed 12 buckets.
 
Might wanna recommend something like the referral code generator from reddit for free in game credits (5k UEC, in game money/decorations/weapons) when you sign up/create an account. Just put the code in the referral code box. It uses a random persons referral code and they don't get any sort of perk unless you actually decide to buy the game.

https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/3oiokc/the_star_citizen_referral_code_randomizer/

Edit, I saw the recommendation for the Squadron 42 Game Pack (come with Aurora MR), I actually recommend the Aurora LN Game Pack, same price, same everything, slightly better ship (4 guns vs 2, missiles, better shields and power plant).

Edit2, I won't list my referral code here, the randomizer gives everyone a chance to get some of the perks that puts their codes into it.
 
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thedocta45 said:
Okay got it working just had to restart my computer and re-download the game.
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I never had a problem, but I never installed on a day when there was a lot of people downloading. I know the installer takes a long time to update because its files are on the same server as the game files. But once you get past that, the patcher is P2P now and runs very fast. (It still needs work, I tend to limit it to 2 or 4 MB to prevent it from opening too many connections and overtaxing my modem).

Once in game you will see the main parts of the game.

Universe > Port Allistar is the fledgling Massive Multiplayer Universe, summon a ship and fly around, (use 'B' key in a ship to activate Quantum travel to get to other locations. Be careful everrything outside the starting port is PvP and theres no reputation system yet, so its like the wild west out there.

Universe > ARCCORP is the first iteration of landing zones. Run around, meet players, go into buildings. It too is brand new and just starting to flesh out. F12 for chat.

Hangar is just how it sounds, when you own ships this will be the place you can modify them and store stuff, it'll eventually be seamless with the universe. Free fly weekend players will see a nice Hornet in there to check out the games amazing level of detail.

Electronic Access > Arena commander is small map games. PvP, PvM, TDM, Free flight, Capture the flag, and Racing! There is no ranking yet so PvP is difficult with veterans in there mopping up, I recommend Vanduul Swarm because its co-op PvM. When the game releases thease modes will stay as a Sim Game within the main game for pilots to kick back and practice without loosing equipment. (Electronic Access is a dig at Electronic Arts for just being EA.)

Despite being a Alpha it has quite a bit, and we just passed a turning point and production is really ramping up now that they finished converting Cryengine to 64bit and merging all the code branches.

For more details on whats currently in game refer to this: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/feature-list
 
Edit, I saw the recommendation for the Squadron 42 Game Pack (come with Aurora MR), I actually recommend the Aurora LN Game Pack, same price, same everything, slightly better ship (4 guns vs 2, missiles, better shields and power plant).
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Thanks, good eye. It does not show up with basic package search.
 
I though this thing was dying. AKA running out of money or was that another spaceship game......
 
"The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. "
They got some bad press when a competing game developer went on a slanderous rampage. What I tell my friends who question the company's management or don't prebuy games is to try my account for a while and you will see there's 45$ worth of entertainment already in game and anything new is bonus. They usually buy an account after trying it out.

They have a handful of studios that are hiering now, once they start slimming down staff or staff complains about bouncing checks, then I'd worry.
 
WarMace said:
I never had a problem, but I never installed on a day when there was a lot of people downloading. I know the installer takes a long time to update because its files are on the same server as the game files. But once you get past that, the patcher is P2P now and runs very fast. (It still needs work, I tend to limit it to 2 or 4 MB to prevent it from opening too many connections and overtaxing my modem).

Despite being a Alpha it has quite a bit, and we just passed a turning point and production is really ramping up now that they finished converting Cryengine to 64bit and merging all the code branches.

For more details on whats currently in game refer to this: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/feature-list
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Yeah it was pretty good for the 30min or so I had to play it, a bit laggy but that probably has to do with my video card. Going to take another shot at it tonight when I have some more time.
 
So the thing that put me off about this game was the lame insurance and the fact that the devs were charging hundreds if not thousands for certain game/ship packs that I just thought was complete lameness for an Alpha title. That being said, the game play I have seen on you tube like Frankie1080p look really cool..a lot better then elite dangerous...So, I download play for free all weekend...and then by the starter pack for 45$ which is essentially the price of a new game.....What happens if I do not spend the money for insurance....Does my ship become non-flyable and will my game not work? What does 45$ get me without paying anything else?
 
Island said:
So the thing that put me off about this game was the lame insurance and the fact that the devs were charging hundreds if not thousands for certain game/ship packs that I just thought was complete lameness for an Alpha title. That being said, the game play I have seen on you tube like Frankie1080p look really cool..a lot better then elite dangerous...So, I download play for free all weekend...and then by the starter pack for 45$ which is essentially the price of a new game.....What happens if I do not spend the money for insurance....Does my ship become non-flyable and will my game not work? What does 45$ get me without paying anything else?
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The pre-sale of ships with varying insurance has to be taken with a grain of salt for some but I'll explain why I'm ok with it.

They are making a AAA title without a major publishers backing. The money has to come from somewhere to pay the bills. So the method they chose was pre-sell stuff stemmed from the kickstarter method. "Pledge more get more" like any kickstarter. But to prevent from falling in the pay-to-win hole they assure us every ship will be earnable in-game when the game goes live and buying ships with cash will end. You never need to buy anything more than a starter package. If you truly believe in this method of game development, believe in Chris Roberts vision, or simply can't wait you can open up your wallet again. I meet a lot of people with more money than time and they buy ships so they can avoid the grind and do what they want when they get home from work, as a dad I can relate. But if your a student for example, you will earn those ships you want in time through game play. Personally I plan on borrowing ships from clan-mates and returning them with a full tank.

They also added in the REC system where by playing matches you can earn REC points to rent ships and equipment without spending money.

The insurance is easy because they downplayed and devalued it so much. Like EVE Online or Elite Dangerous you pay to insure your equipment so you get it back should it blow up or get stolen (traditional MMO money sink to be honest). Lifetime insurance is merely a collectors item now because the basic starter ship comes with 3 months insurance. And insurance does not tick down unless you are logged in. It's not clear to me if its per day (90 days) or per hour (2160 hours) but either way that's more than enough time to earn some dough in game to keep your equipment insured. They also stated insurance will not be expensive.

Should you go bankrupt and loose your ship you can still earn money through missions without a ship. They said in the past that eventually starter kits will not come with ships and you will have to earn your first one (I question if they will follow through with that). You should always be able to play with or without a ship, but it would be wise to pay your insurance.

Don't forget this game has a very large FPS side coming to it so if you are not a good pilot like myself you can earn money doing space marine stuff.
 
WarMace said:
The pre-sale of ships with varying insurance has to be taken with a grain of salt for some but I'll explain why I'm ok with it.

They are making a AAA title without a major publishers backing. The money has to come from somewhere to pay the bills. So the method they chose was pre-sell stuff stemmed from the kickstarter method. "Pledge more get more" like any kickstarter. But to prevent from falling in the pay-to-win hole they assure us every ship will be earnable in-game when the game goes live and buying ships with cash will end. You never need to buy anything more than a starter package. If you truly believe in this method of game development, believe in Chris Roberts vision, or simply can't wait you can open up your wallet again. I meet a lot of people with more money than time and they buy ships so they can avoid the grind and do what they want when they get home from work, as a dad I can relate. But if your a student for example, you will earn those ships you want in time through game play. Personally I plan on borrowing ships from clan-mates and returning them with a full tank.

They also added in the REC system where by playing matches you can earn REC points to rent ships and equipment without spending money.

The insurance is easy because they downplayed and devalued it so much. Like EVE Online or Elite Dangerous you pay to insure your equipment so you get it back should it blow up or get stolen (traditional MMO money sink to be honest). Lifetime insurance is merely a collectors item now because the basic starter ship comes with 3 months insurance. And insurance does not tick down unless you are logged in. It's not clear to me if its per day (90 days) or per hour (2160 hours) but either way that's more than enough time to earn some dough in game to keep your equipment insured. They also stated insurance will not be expensive.

Should you go bankrupt and loose your ship you can still earn money through missions without a ship. They said in the past that eventually starter kits will not come with ships and you will have to earn your first one (I question if they will follow through with that). You should always be able to play with or without a ship, but it would be wise to pay your insurance.

Don't forget this game has a very large FPS side coming to it so if you are not a good pilot like myself you can earn money doing space marine stuff.
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Warmace-YOU are awesome dude! Thanks so much for the informative/helpful reply. Money for me is not a big issue, but playing games that sole purpose is to suck every dime..IE paytoplay kinda doesn't sit very well with me....I think i'll bite and try the Aurora LN package as it seems like the best bang for my buck...and if I don't like the game...it was only 45$
 
So the choice is pay cash or grind way too much. I might just have to take a pass on this until it's finally released.
 
Technical_Advisor said:
So the choice is pay cash or grind way too much. I might just have to take a pass on this until it's finally released.
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OK, no worries, thats fair. Knowing if the game is grindy is important, its why I couldn't get into Eve, but LOVED Star Wars Galaxies. Hopefully for both our sakes its not grindy and their writers keep it refreshing and fun.

After the 14th of Feb they will split the packages making Star Citizen (the MMO like persistent universe) and Squadron 42 (the single player game with its own big AAA quality gameplay, and notable voice actors) into 2 separate game purchases. You may enjoy just having Squadron 42 without Star citizen when that comes out.
 
WarMace said:
The pre-sale of ships with varying insurance has to be taken with a grain of salt for some but I'll explain why I'm ok with it.

They are making a AAA title without a major publishers backing.
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It better be the most amazing space sim every, because it's budget is bigger than all but 10 other games (and it's likely to move up to number 6 before the year ends).
 
WarMace said:
What I tell my friends who question the company's management or don't prebuy games is to try my account for a while and you will see there's 45$ worth of entertainment already in game and anything new is bonus.
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What I've seen certainly isn't worth $45. Clunky and pointless sums it up. It has a long way to go until it is actually worth playing. Arena Commander is still the best part, but it plays like a $5-10 budget title still in Early Access. Obviously the game isn't complete, but there isn't much to do right now. They have a long way to go in making the game feel proper and I'm not sure if they can have that down by the end of this year for Squadron 42. I do hope so though.

WarMace said:
I meet a lot of people with more money than time and they buy ships so they can avoid the grind and do what they want when they get home from work, as a dad I can relate. But if your a student for example, you will earn those ships you want in time through game play.
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That is the very definition of pay to win. :p
 
Island said:
Warmace-YOU are awesome dude! Thanks so much for the informative/helpful reply. Money for me is not a big issue, but playing games that sole purpose is to suck every dime..IE paytoplay kinda doesn't sit very well with me....I think i'll bite and try the Aurora LN package as it seems like the best bang for my buck...and if I don't like the game...it was only 45$
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Happy to hear, I'll PM you my contact info so if you want to try out my multi-crew ship and see what its like running around on deck while the pilot is doing rolls and firing missiles at the same time. Multiple physics grids are so much fun!

Flogger23m said:
What I've seen certainly isn't worth $45. Clunky and pointless sums it up. It has a long way to go until it is actually worth playing. Arena Commander is still the best part, but it plays like a $5-10 budget title still in Early Access. Obviously the game isn't complete, but there isn't much to do right now. They have a long way to go in making the game feel proper and I'm not sure if they can have that down by the end of this year for Squadron 42. I do hope so though.



That is the very definition of pay to win. :p
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I've had a lot of fun evenings playing various aspects of the game guess value is relative to the player. Clunky? Yeah, alpha 1.x's later builds were a bit more stable, but 2.x added my favorite feature, multi-crew ships. It's alpha and they add new features weekly so I hope you revisit the game and see for yourself in a bit.

"That is the very definition of pay to win. :p" You know I considered Pay-To-Win more like if you spend more money you become invincible in a sense. I actually had to google the definition because now I'm doubting myself. What I can tell you is the game is very dependent on the players actual skill and if I had access to the best equipment I couldn't beat the games best pilots in a starter ship. On Twitch they prove it time and time again by racking up kills in inexpensive ships. But if it matches your definition then I won't argue with ya. ;-] Will the ship pre-sales ruin the game? Squadron 42 is single player, and you will be able to run a private universe server, so after that its up to the devs to prevent it from ruining the public universe. Now I'm being too wordy, time for bed.
 
Cool. Going to give this a try sometime tonight hopefully.

If I end up enjoying the game I've been eyeing that Cutlass Red for a while. Sure it may not be bad ass explosions and mayhem, but I like the idea of being neutral and helping whoever crosses my path.
 
Shogon said:
Cool. Going to give this a try sometime tonight hopefully.

If I end up enjoying the game I've been eyeing that Cutlass Red for a while. Sure it may not be bad ass explosions and mayhem, but I like the idea of being neutral and helping whoever crosses my path.
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The Red is a neat take on the "healer class". Like a first responder with some teeth to support FPS players and npc's. And theres the Endeavor can be configured as a hospital ship. https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14972-Research-Unbound-The-MISC-Endeavor

I never was very good at offensive classes so in UO I was a healer and SWG I loved crafting droids. In SC I'm eyeballing ship repairs but nothing is decided until I have tried everything once. Although if they get in voxel destructable asteroid mining like they purposed that could be fun as well.
 
WarMace said:
OK, no worries, thats fair. Knowing if the game is grindy is important, its why I couldn't get into Eve, but LOVED Star Wars Galaxies. Hopefully for both our sakes its not grindy and their writers keep it refreshing and fun.

After the 14th of Feb they will split the packages making Star Citizen (the MMO like persistent universe) and Squadron 42 (the single player game with its own big AAA quality gameplay, and notable voice actors) into 2 separate game purchases. You may enjoy just having Squadron 42 without Star citizen when that comes out.
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You may have something there.
 
Someone should put their refferal code in here so we can help a fellow [H]er if we decide to buy it. Ive wanted to play this for some time, i'll download it when I get home. Whats the game size like?
 
its pretty big, not sure off top of my head but want to say 25 gigs or so? its no 5 gig game. last patch was 2.3 gigs for me tho. also, the patcher is p2p, so if you have the space it'll update really fast. ive seen it hit 23MB/s so far, so itll take whatever your modem has lol
 
Vaulter98c said:
its pretty big, not sure off top of my head but want to say 25 gigs or so? its no 5 gig game. last patch was 2.3 gigs for me tho. also, the patcher is p2p, so if you have the space it'll update really fast. ive seen it hit 23MB/s so far, so itll take whatever your modem has lol
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It's about 31GB last I checked. My install is double that because I have two builds installed because I frequent the PTU Test server a lot. FYI the current version of the patcher has a bug where it tends to open too many connections and tie up your internet.

If you edit \Cloud Imperium Games\Patcher\_TorrentSettings in notepad you can reduce the connection limit to something more realistic. Change any other settings at your own risk.
 
Island said:
Warmace-YOU are awesome dude! Thanks so much for the informative/helpful reply. Money for me is not a big issue, but playing games that sole purpose is to suck every dime..IE paytoplay kinda doesn't sit very well with me....I think i'll bite and try the Aurora LN package as it seems like the best bang for my buck...and if I don't like the game...it was only 45$
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Yup thanks Warmace, just bought the Aurora LN package too. Really only in it for SQ42, but won't mind joining a few epic space battles.
 
Eymar said:
Yup thanks Warmace, just bought the Aurora LN package too. Really only in it for SQ42, but won't mind joining a few epic space battles.
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Glad to hear I was helpful.
When you pop in game from time to time remember there will be bugs. It's expected. The flight training tutorial is a mess, the game can't properly close on my PC. But it's an alpha and leaps and bounds farther than the state it was in a year ago.

A year ago there was only single seater fighters and you couldn't exit your seat. Today there are functional multi-deck multi-player ships with working turret positions, so it's coming along. Just try not to get caught up in the hype waiting for it to release, its the 2nd worst thing to open development. First being the temptation of spending money on ships.
 
WarMace said:
It's about 31GB last I checked. My install is double that because I have two builds installed because I frequent the PTU Test server a lot. FYI the current version of the patcher has a bug where it tends to open too many connections and tie up your internet.

If you edit \Cloud Imperium Games\Patcher\_TorrentSettings in notepad you can reduce the connection limit to something more realistic. Change any other settings at your own risk.
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I bet thats what was happening to my installer last night, I couldnt do anything when it was downloading. Last night I said screw it and didn't bother with it anymore. I'll try this tonight, Thanks!
 
Morphes said:
I bet thats what was happening to my installer last night, I couldnt do anything when it was downloading. Last night I said screw it and didn't bother with it anymore. I'll try this tonight, Thanks!
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Hope it worked out for you. If you don't want to edit a file, I've found that going into the installer options and dropping it down to 4MB or 2MB works as well, but its not optimal.
 
Freefly has been extended to Feb.14th with the game package split:

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/15189-Package-Split-Information

There is also a backer exclusive (or not so exclusive) game package:

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/15196-Discount-Package-For-Backers


How to get the Backer Discount Game Pack with a new account:

Step 1. Create an account. (please use referral code randomizer to help community and get some free ingame credits)

https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/3oiokc/the_star_citizen_referral_code_randomizer/

or help me get my Fish Tank: STAR-6FK6-S9WP

Step 2. Buy a cheap item (ship skin, $5 or something/anything up to $40 meltable), congrats you are a backer!

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/Add-Ons/Dread-Pirate-Skin

Step 3. Give it a bit of time, 24 hours.

Step 4. Melt said items, up to $40 in value. Go to "My Hangar" on the website and expand your item and "Exchange for store credit"

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/account/pledges

Step 5. Now you can see and add Backer Discount Game Package to your Cart.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/Packages/Aurora-MR-SC-Starter-Backer-Edition

Step 6. Apply Store Credit (and pay any difference).


Congratulations, you just bought into Star Citizen for $40 using an obvious loophole! This is a limited time offer, so take that into account with the 24 hour melt period.

I still consider the Aurora LN a better starter package and even is a $5 discount over this package.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/Packages/Aurora-LN
 
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