[Megathread] Star Citizen

[Mehrunes]

I find it funny you take issue with 1 persons hyperbole but not the other.

Because @XDurionX's post had no hyperbole in it, perhaps? Star Citizen is by definition vaporware. To the point it's one of the few video games examples on Wikipedia's list of vaporware. The magic of language strikes against the stellar arguments in defense of Scam Citizen yet again.

You were the one who literaly started comparing them!

Whoopsie. Yet another self-own on the part of Chris Robert's enablers valiant defenders. Also, do notice how they completely skipped your post when replying to this page.

You can't fly from Earth because you can't land on Earth in Elite Dangerous. If you had a full planet earth to land on with just one massive city, npc's and shops it would be still be massive. If it's just a big round ball of nothing yeah, it's not massive in the sense that it doesn't had much to the gameplay experience.

But a game with four planets with cities you can do fuck all in and otherwise just lots and lots of empty space is totes legit massive /s So much gameplay experience in planets that are devoid of even animals, because they'd crash the servers.

[Orange Joe]

Because @XDurionX's post had no hyperbole in it, perhaps? Star Citizen is by definition vaporware. To the point it's one of the few video games examples on Wikipedia's list of vaporware. The magic of language strikes against the stellar arguments in defense of Scam Citizen yet again.

va·por·ware

/ˈvāpərˌwer/

nouninformal•Computing

noun: vapourware; noun: vaporware


software or hardware that has been advertised but is not yet available to buy, either because it is only a concept or because it is still being written or designed.

Sorry but you are just wrong here.

[MrAnderson]

Because @XDurionX's post had no hyperbole in it, perhaps? Star Citizen is by definition vaporware. To the point it's one of the few video games examples on Wikipedia's list of vaporware. The magic of language strikes against the stellar arguments in defense of Scam Citizen yet again.

Whoopsie. Yet another self-own on the part of Chris Robert's enablers valiant defenders. Also, do notice how they completely skipped your post when replying to this page.

But a game with four planets with cities you can do fuck all in and otherwise just lots and lots of empty space is totes legit massive /s So much gameplay experience in planets that are devoid of even animals, because they'd crash the servers.

Seems like you'll need more than wikipedia to understand the simple concepts of vapourware and software. Hint, public has access to one and not the other. Same as number of planets vs gameplay area. Such a shitty idiotic hill to die on. No wonder trolls feel so lured to it.

[Captain Proton]

Honest question, because I haven't played Star Citizen, just kept up somewhat with it's development. Is there as much to do or as many places to explore in SC currently as there are in a game like Skyrim? What SC may or may not have eventually isn't relevant at the moment, because it's not there yet. Based on responses I've seen here already, the answer in a resounding "NOPE."

What exactly are these diverse activities that Skyrim provide?

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That's because those games have plenty of content in addition to being a sandbox. SC, on the other hand, is an empty sandbox without any content. There are no gameplay loops, and there is no progression outside of the cash shop, because the foundation of the "game" is barely an infrastructure that has been stagnant for a few years. Adding more ships to fly around an empty void does not constitute adding features or content. I understand that they've been doing a good amount of refining for what they have, and that to have a proper sim like this you do need a huge variety of ships, but *everything* hangs on them getting server meshing in-game and released, and that's been "right around the corner" for years.

SC has no gameplay loops? So there isn't space mining, planet/moon mining, bounty hunting, piracy, racing, trading, a variety of missions that include on ground and in ship? Nothing to progress outside of the cash shop? So I can't buy everything in the shop with ingame currency? I can't upgrade my ships with in game currency?

[Katchii]

What exactly are these diverse activities that Skyrim provide?

I never really said, diverse, for one. It's really not THAT diverse, there's just a lot of it. The main thing is that you can pretty much just start running in any direction and find something "to do." A tomb or dungeon you've never seen before, with a quest attached to it to find some lost artifact, and on your way you find animals and enemies and materials and stuff that you can use to craft, all of which increases your stats and therefore engages the character progression system, etc.... it all just flows together naturally.

Simply moving around the world throws these activities in your face, almost constantly.

[Kyanion]

Remember when Cyberpunk was used as a game by the SC defenders because it hadn't released yet and was a long ways off? Well now it is out and that is just one less piece of ammunition the SC defenders have. Not saying it is a good or great game or anything about it other than it has released which is something SC is not even close to doing.

[Orange Joe]

I never really said, diverse, for one. It's really not THAT diverse, there's just a lot of it. The main thing is that you can pretty much just start running in any direction and find something "to do." A tomb or dungeon you've never seen before, with a quest attached to it to find some lost artifact, and on your way you find animals and enemies and materials and stuff that you can use to craft, all of which increases your stats and therefore engages the character progression system, etc.... it all just flows together naturally.

Simply moving around the world throws these activities in your face, almost constantly.

You do know diverse is a synonym for many/multiple right?

[Katchii]

You do know diverse is a synonym for many/multiple right?

So if I have many/multiple of the same fruit it's synonymous with saying I have a large diversity of fruit?

If a game is nothing but fetch quests....does the game have quest diversity, or just many of the same kind of quest?

diverse =/= many or multiple, they can have overlapping meanings in certain contexts, true. But they're not the same thing.

[Hadriker]

I backed SC in 2012 Or early 2013 can't remember exactly when, right after the Kickstarter.

I followed it religiously for a few years. I admit i was caught up in the hype around a space mmo. Ended up spending a couple hundred on the game over a couple years buying ships and stuff , and then around 2016/2017 pretty much stopped following the game. figuring it was still a couple years away from release anyways and the community was getting more and more echo chambery.

So i cam across this thread and read through the last few pages. I haven't checked in on SC in a while. Wondered if they have done anything cool. sad to say it seems the game hasn't changed much in the last couple years. I am disappointed, but can't say i am not surprised.

I see we are still waiting on the supposed server meshing tech that will "blow the door open" for content dev. They aren't actually saying much about the things that matters. but I see plenty of new ships for sale though!

It honestly amazes me the game is still making money at the rate it is with barely anything to show for it that is playable. I figured it would have hit some sort of ceiling by this point.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I see we are still waiting on the supposed server meshing tech that will "blow the door open" for content dev. They aren't actually saying much about the things that matters. but I see plenty of new ships for sale though!

At this point, I'm doubtful if it will ever come to fruition. They said in early 2019 that they had a working prototype of server meshing... and then never said anything about it again.

They made their ludicrously complex space game without laying the foundation first, and now it's too late. They can't start over without setting themselves back another decade trying to rebuild everything from scratch, as it'd kill their funding. But they probably can't press onward and actually fix the server situation either. I'm guessing that's why development on SC has slowed to a halt; they knows it's a dead end and they're putting everything on the success of SQ42, hoping it will be a hit and give them enough money to keep paying everyone for another few years before they eventually start running out of money have to start cutting people. Chris has already absolved himself and CIG of responsibility, stating that they have delivered the game that they had promised. Maybe they will keep a stash of money for the inevitable lawsuit... if it ever comes.

Only hope out of this is that SQ42 actually comes out and that it's good. Big budget space opera video games have been dead in the West for almost a whole decade at this point.

[Cyclone Jack]

SC has no gameplay loops? So there isn't space mining, planet/moon mining, bounty hunting, piracy, racing, trading, a variety of missions that include on ground and in ship? Nothing to progress outside of the cash shop? So I can't buy everything in the shop with ingame currency? I can't upgrade my ships with in game currency?

No, not really. Of those listed, you could maybe call piracy/bounty/prison a loop, but that's kind of a stretch; the prison wholly under-developed, like most areas of the Alpha (thus why it is still an Alpha). And I guess on a technical term racing is a loop, because you do loop around a track. Both Mining and Trading are still lacking the economy subsumption (or whatever they're calling it), and are thus nothing more than a time waster, since its still a 50% chance that you crash and lose whatever load you were hauling (see: Alpha). The dozen or so different missions might take you an afternoon to complete, mainly because of the travel time (2 dozen if you count all of the different Relay Station locations for the Repair Station mission). When it comes to progression, as of the last major patch all of my progress reset; so no, there is no progression.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

It's also rather embarrassing how CIG has been trying to milk the names of their big name actors for SQ42. Well, yes, the whole point of hiring the big name actors was to garner publicity, but they've been telling the actors to retweet SQ42 for years and there is still no sign of it coming out. I think it's rather telling that Mark Hamil, who was very passionate about the space opera genre, pretty much doesn't retweet SC anymore, not even when CIG pings them begging for retweets.

[Yriel]

Yes a lot of planets to land but none of them are or will be earth-likes with all that comes with it. Atmosphere, different biomes, weather etc.

Why would you need that in a space sim? If the game is a survival game á la NMS then maybe but here, it seems pretty pointless for me that while approaching the one of two cities on the planet from space you see 6 different biomes in the 1 minute you need to land.

[MrAnderson]

Why would you need that in a space sim? If the game is a survival game á la NMS then maybe but here, it seems pretty pointless for me that while approaching the one of two cities on the planet from space you see 6 different biomes in the 1 minute you need to land.

Star Citizen has survival mechanics. Weather affects your health just like oxygen or lack of it does. You can freeze to death on some planets if you don't have adequate amour just like you'll die if you take off your helmet in places without atmosphere. It has thirst and hunger mechanics too.

Besides, are you seriously asking why would you need beautiful planets to land in a space sim? Elite 2 had atmospheric planets remember and I'm sure they'll plan on adding them on Elite: Dangerous too.



Having the possibility to land anywhere is huge for the believability of a space sim and just for the eyecandy factor alone it's worth it but also open's up gameplay factors from just allowing your avatar to wear something besides a space suit & helmet to changing how ships and ground vehicles behave in earth like atmosphere as opposed to in space.

[MrAnderson]

New Patch 3.12 on the PTU brings some new stuff like Mining Refinery's, Tractor beam, Gas clouds, Planetary improvements and a new ship and Idris NPC ships to hunt down



Makes for some good fireworks while melting the servers!

[Val the Moofia Boss]

The multi-tool grappling hook feature for mobility looks super cool, but the use for it seems limited right now since there aren't really any zero gravity hot spots for combat. There is no reason to go to the blown up Corvalex station for combat. The zero gravity sections of Grim Hex are within the armistice zone. And the satellite relays are just one big room so you're a sitting duck so you mind as well just use a gun anyway since mobility won't save you.

Thank goodness the horrid landing tunnels at Loreville and Area18 are being removed!

[MrAnderson]

The multi-tool grappling hook feature for mobility looks super cool, but the use for it seems limited right now since there aren't really any zero gravity hot spots for combat. There is no reason to go to the blown up Corvalex station for combat. The zero gravity sections of Grim Hex are within the armistice zone. And the satellite relays are just one big room so you're a sitting duck so you mind as well just use a gun anyway since mobility won't save you.

Thank goodness the horrid landing tunnels at Loreville and Area18 are being removed!

The tractor beam has many uses you just have to be creative. It helps when doing the fedex missions has you can move the package around easily.
In those derelict ships missions that have those misc boxes spread around it's actually fun picking them up with the beam and throwing them into the ship hatch. You can pick anything physicalised with it. Vending machines, crates, guns and even grenades. Imo it brings another layer of dynamic gameplay that just screams for creative emergent gameplay.

Some examples I've found:




https://clips.twitch.tv/ShyNurturingYamDansGame

[Sezerek]

This tractor Beam is literally a carbon copy of the Magnetic Module in Breath of the Wild

[Super Kami Dende]

After being hyped for this game for *YEARS* I finally played it recently. I found it entirely disappointing and it crushed my hopes of being able to dive into a game like the Old Wing Commanders that I loved.

Instead it felt like an experiment in how much you can frustrate the people playing your game.

[Orange Joe]

This tractor Beam is literally a carbon copy of the Magnetic Module in Breath of the Wild

You mean the gravity gun from half life?