Star Citizen - media blowout, Chris Robert's new game

I've been waiting for something like this come along for a decade. Someone needs to invent a time machine so I can travel to 2014 to play this game :D
 
Wow, super excited for this. Only thing I'm not crazy about is the 'pew pew' lasers, always been more a fan of projectile weapons like vulcan and railguns...
 
Wow, super excited for this. Only thing I'm not crazy about is the 'pew pew' lasers, always been more a fan of projectile weapons like vulcan and railguns...

Almost guaranteed to be a selection of projectile weapons.
I can't think of a Chris Roberts game that didn't have projectile weapons.
 
Yes, its gonna happen! Have you guys kept up with the kickstarter that begun a few days ago?
It's at $348,000 out of $500,000 right now, and has 28 days left. This is great news! So excited!
 
Long video. Are there any parts that detail weapon systems? Will it be missile based? How will tracking/scanning and ECM work? Will parts of the cockpit be click-able and interactive?
 
Yes, its gonna happen! Have you guys kept up with the kickstarter that begun a few days ago?
It's at $348,000 out of $500,000 right now, and has 28 days left. This is great news! So excited!

I thought they said they raised $1M a while back...? What's this $500K for?
 
So it looks like for $30 on Kickstarter you get alpha + beta access. Better get that for my $30 on the original pledge...

They still have not refunded my money for the botched pledge, either.
 
So it looks like for $30 on Kickstarter you get alpha + beta access. Better get that for my $30 on the original pledge...

They still have not refunded my money for the botched pledge, either.

Aaaand that's why I don't do this stuff. I'm glad they're getting support, but I can wait for the game to come out, if it ever does. :cool:
 
Long video. Are there any parts that detail weapon systems? Will it be missile based? How will tracking/scanning and ECM work? Will parts of the cockpit be click-able and interactive?

Watch the videos and read. All information is available.
http://starcitizen.robertsspaceindustries.com/
FAQ

I'm going to make this my first crowd funding product that I support. This coming pay day I'm going for the $60 pack on the main site. I feel like this game actually deserves a "Full Retail" price, as it is actually being developed completely with PC ideology in mind. It's fantastic.

RSI said:
Core Concept
“We want to build a huge sandbox … that allows the players to explore in whatever capacity they want.”

The core concept of Star Citizen is that it’s a destination, not a one-off story. It’s a complete universe where any number of stories can take place. Players will have the opportunity to decide their own game experience. Pick up jobs as a smuggler, pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, or soldier. It’s a universe we’ve always wanted to create. We want to build a huge sandbox with a complex and deep lore that allows the players to explore in whatever capacity they want.

Physics
“…the physics in the game are dynamic and procedural…”

One of the most exciting things is the capacity for true Newtonian physics. We have also designed the ships with a Fly-By-Wire system similar to an F35. In short, the computer will make the physical calculations in order to pull off what you want to do. The ship’s computer takes your input on the joystick, throttle and pedals, crunches it into the necessary vectors and velocities needed to achieve it then utilizes the appropriate thrusters and engine to execute it. The idea is that the ship’s computer is simplifying things because it’s just too complicated for you to figure it all out on your own. This means that the physics in the game are dynamic and procedural and not script or data-driven. It’s a full flight dynamic system that will work for bigger ship as well as the smaller ships.

Level of Detail

Being on a PC allows us to create the world in a greater level of detail and fidelity than we could on a console platform. We want it to be open and not be bound to legacy technology of consoles or their revenue models. For example, most AAA games use about 10,000 polygons for their lead characters. We are using over 100,000 polygons for ours, allowing you to see such details wires, the equipment, even creases in their clothing which all contributes to the immersion of the player. It also allows you to find the same level of detail carry over from a character (1.8meters in size) to a fighter (27 meters) even up to a carrier (1 kilometer in size.) All without a load screen or loss of visual fidelity.

Will there be story updates or expansions?

We’re going to be constantly updating the universe from our end. I’m not interested in having yearly updates. We will have a team of people adding content on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. So we’ll be always adding data, stories, and campaigns as well as reacting to what the players are doing.

So the universe will change based on what the players do. They can also become a part of the history of the universe. Say there’s a player who’s an explorer, if they find a space anomaly and successfully navigate it, which is not easy to do. If they’ve recorded the Nav-Data of their jump, they’ll be able to sell it for a great profit to a space company and they’ll have the system and jump-point named after them.

The goal of Star Citizen is build a living, breathing universe that is its own entity. It will be a constantly shifting and evolving place for people to go and escape to.

Can you tell me about the different ships?

We’re working on concept art right now that will show you the different levels of ships! For now, imagine the sort of ship advancement you encounered in Privateer or Freelancer, with the Aurora being the basic ship and others being improved or more specialized craft. The top-of-the-line ship in our pledge campaign is the RSI Constellation, which is a multi-person craft that includes a turret and a smaller fighter that can be manned by your friends!

Why Direct And No Publisher?

Publishers are useful in the old physical distribution world, but the Internet is the great equalizer. Notch didn’t need a publisher to reach 20-million Minecraft fans. Riot games didn’t need a publisher to reach 30-million League of Legends players, and Wargaming.net didn’t need a publisher to reach 20-million World of Tanks gamers. If we were building a big “AAA” console game it would be crazy to try without a publisher. But we want to build a PC game and publishers increase costs because of their need to recoup their sizable overhead cost. We want to make sure all the money raised goes directly to the development of the game. So we’re throwing ourselves on the mercy of the PC gamers out there that share our vision and passion for the platform and the space combat genre to raise money outside of the “cartel” of traditional publishers. The game will cost less, be more creatively pure, and, most importantly, be built for the real “core” audience – not some corporate suit worried about including all the casual gamers.

Can you estimate the system requirements for Star Citizen?

There will be a lot of optimization in the next 24-months, plus the usual fast pace of technology, so it is hard to say absolutely. At the moment you will be able to play it on a dual core PC with a GTX 460 or greater and 4GB of system memory. If you’re running an i7 2500, 2600, 2700 or better with a GTX 670 or greater then the stars are the limit! Since the game is built on CryEngine, their system requirements will stay roughly the same as ours.

All of that is what has me so excited about this project.
 
Aaaand that's why I don't do this stuff. I'm glad they're getting support, but I can wait for the game to come out, if it ever does. :cool:

Kinda why I actually waited for kickstarter to pick this up.
I use amazon payments and avoid paypal. But either way, I would just stop payment if they don't respond. Sure is a pain, no doubt, but eh, shit happens. I like this setup, I feel all warm and fuzzy knowing my money went directly into development and not some publisher who could care less.
 
So it looks like for $30 on Kickstarter you get alpha + beta access. Better get that for my $30 on the original pledge...

They still have not refunded my money for the botched pledge, either.

It says very clearly:

"*Exclusive access to the Alpha and Beta " on the RSI site for the 30$ "First responder" pledge (which is now sold out).
 
What's up with the spinning fans on the fighters? Kinda annoys me.

But on-topic... I'm going to back the shit out of this game.
 
What's up with the spinning fans on the fighters? Kinda annoys me.

But on-topic... I'm going to back the shit out of this game.

They're for allowing air into the cockpit for comfort...in a space sim...in outerspace....hey, wtf?

I was wondering the same thing. WTF are fans doing on the front, or anywhere, on a space craft?

Regardless, this is the game I've always wanted. I just wish the Kilrathi could make a guest appearance..maybe as the Rathi-kil? ;-)
 
Let's pretend that those are gyros or something, one primary and one backup. :p
 
They're for allowing air into the cockpit for comfort...in a space sim...in outerspace....hey, wtf?

I was wondering the same thing. WTF are fans doing on the front, or anywhere, on a space craft?

Regardless, this is the game I've always wanted. I just wish the Kilrathi could make a guest appearance..maybe as the Rathi-kil? ;-)

Chris Roberts has stated that some of the ships have fans/wings etc because theoretically they are supposed to be capable of atmospheric flight as well as space flight.

"I will admit that the ship doesn't need to have wings or fans on the front, but the idea behind that is for possible atmospheric flight (this is not a promise of planetary action for the early build but allows for expansions in this direction), and as a RAM scoop. Plus it just looks / feels cool!"
 
I imagine a cockpit fan could just be for cooling/airflow...the Mi-24 has one, presumably for that purpose.
 
Sandbox? Meh....if it doesn't have decent single player campaign, like Starlancer or Freespace 2 then all this expanded universe means nothing to me. I want proper SP campaign, with scale and magnitude, like that epic fight between two colossus ships in Freespace 2... And not be forced to ferry ore for three weeks before I can change systems and upgrade the piece of junk I'm flying
 
Sandbox? Meh....if it doesn't have decent single player campaign, like Starlancer or Freespace 2 then all this expanded universe means nothing to me. I want proper SP campaign, with scale and magnitude, like that epic fight between two colossus ships in Freespace 2... And not be forced to ferry ore for three weeks before I can change systems and upgrade the piece of junk I'm flying

Roberts Space Industries said:
Squadron 42

The project also includes Squadron 42, a single player campaign that takes place within the Star Citizen universe. Able to be played off-line or with friends, you essentially sign up to fly for the UEE fleet, manning the front lines, protecting settlements from Vanduul warbands. If you prove yourself, you might get asked to join the legendary 42nd Squadron. Set up like the French Foreign Legion, they can always be found in the toughest war zones and always manage to come out on top. Once you complete your tour however, you re-enter the persistent Star Citizen universe with some money in your pocket and Citizenship to find your way.

This is better in my opinion. A campaign seamlessly integrated into the multiplayer universe, which then positively affects your multiplayer character. That's awesome.
 
This is better in my opinion. A campaign seamlessly integrated into the multiplayer universe, which then positively affects your multiplayer character. That's awesome.

That is FREAKIN awesome, I say!
Guys, I'm gonna go ahead and call it, they have made funding!
Kickstarter will meet the goal in one day or too, look at it now:

10,524
Backers
$474,345 pledged of $500,000 goal
27
days to go

It's gonna happen. Excited :)
 
Backers
$474,345 pledged of $500,000 goal
27
days to go

It's gonna happen. Excited :)

That's the thing I am most confused about. There is the funding on the main site. Then there is the kickstarter funding.

My understanding is that main site funding was around first, then they later added kickstarter as another option. What I don't understand is the 2Million Base Goal vs. the 500,000 Base Goal. Does the main site take the kickstarter into consideration in it's funding total? It seems as though they may be two separate goals, but that creates confusion in how they tie into the overall project. I've read on their forums that after the KS is done they'll add that total to the main page total. But should I believe that, I dunno? It's messy and I don't like it. At the very least, they mention on the main site that the kickstarter packs are the same as the main page backer packs.

It's all very confusing when it comes to their funding. If they make 500,000 does that mean the game is a go-ahead? What if they don't make 2 Million?
 
They're for allowing air into the cockpit for comfort...in a space sim...in outerspace....hey, wtf?

I was wondering the same thing. WTF are fans doing on the front, or anywhere, on a space craft?

Regardless, this is the game I've always wanted. I just wish the Kilrathi could make a guest appearance..maybe as the Rathi-kil? ;-)

He was using some of the Assets that came with CryEngine 3 such as aircraft turbines and human hand textures. That's why he needs additional funding to come up with new textures and art direction. Still it's an amazing accomplishment to come this far building with default tools, I thing the Bengal looks great in it's current incarnation ;)
 
It's all very confusing when it comes to their funding. If they make 500,000 does that mean the game is a go-ahead? What if they don't make 2 Million?
I was wondering about the 500k, even when i didn't know about their main page funding thing.

500k is nowhere near enough to make a game of this magnitude, or so i'd think.
 
I was wondering about the 500k, even when i didn't know about their main page funding thing.

500k is nowhere near enough to make a game of this magnitude, or so i'd think.

They are having private investor funding as a part of their gig, so they'll have a large chunk that way. But yeah, they've done a very poor job of clarification around crowd funding goals and strategy.
 
Chris Roberts has stated that some of the ships have fans/wings etc because theoretically they are supposed to be capable of atmospheric flight as well as space flight.

"I will admit that the ship doesn't need to have wings or fans on the front, but the idea behind that is for possible atmospheric flight (this is not a promise of planetary action for the early build but allows for expansions in this direction), and as a RAM scoop. Plus it just looks / feels cool!"

Granted, but seriously...they look like industrial fans for cooling factories. AND they are moving while in space.

The rest of the ship is kick-arse, but I would have preferred they used a grille-intake (WC3 Hellcat)

Regardless, the ship looks a LOT better than some of the WC3 ships (ala LONGBOW)
 
They are having private investor funding as a part of their gig, so they'll have a large chunk that way. But yeah, they've done a very poor job of clarification around crowd funding goals and strategy.

Most of the required cash needed will come from private investors. The crowdfunding is just to show those investors that there is a demand for this type of game.
 
Kickstarter fully funded now and they'll be adding upgrade options in the morning. In the meantime if you head over to the kickstarter comments you can see Chris answering more questions, exciting times!
 
UPDATE: October 26th - Stretch goals for Kickstarter. First up is a Class 1 Repair Bot in everyone's garage when we hit $750,000!

Kickstarter: $689,943

Main site status: "Mission achieved"
$1,555,261
 
regarding the kickstarter, the goal amount was likely set low so that it would be reached. kickstarter does not send the funds unless the goal is met. the amount on the rsi website and on the kickstarter will be added together when the funding period is over in 22 days.

onto the updates (some are old, i just want them all together for clarity):
it looks like we'll hit the 750K kickstarter stretch goal (repair bot) on monday, and the 2.5M main stretch goal (new bomber) on tuesday. if you haven't already, check out the spectrum dispatches for some universe fiction and the time capsule for some universe backstory.

i think that's most of the relevant stuff.
 
Ok. I feel like such a nerd for doing this for a computer game, but seriously, Wing Commander was the reason I got into computer games. Its the reason I bought a Sound Blaster. Its the reason I upgraded my computer for the first time by myself. Its the reason I learned DOS and how to edit autoexec.bat/config.sys files and learn the science of getting enough 640K conventional memory to run any game I needed.

I'm almost embarrassed on how much I've pledged (now that we can upgrade our pledges)....but I want to support Chris's ideals of PC gaming.
 
I wish I could switch my pledge to the Kickstarter. Their web system sucks. I still have no recognition of the fact that I donated besides the email I received on day 1.

Edit: I finally figured out how to see it. Apparently I made the pledge on August 10th, 1998. :rolleyes:
 
yeah, the first day(s) didn't go so well. i think they're still linking peoples pledges on the backup site with their accounts. hurricane sandy aside, everything seems to be working ok.
 
I wish I could switch my pledge to the Kickstarter. Their web system sucks. I still have no recognition of the fact that I donated besides the email I received on day 1.

Edit: I finally figured out how to see it. Apparently I made the pledge on August 10th, 1998. :rolleyes:

You could be a cult hero uber hipster for having the foresight of backing such a good project 14 years ago. I mean, you liked the cool shit before Wing Commander was even out of style in the first place.
 
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