Star Citizen Online - The search for more money

Faith_sl said:

Since there seems to be some confusion about just what you are in for when you buy/donate/pledge to SC, can someone give me the lowdown on the situation? I notice that you have to pay VAT on the prices for the ships and some of them dont even come with the game, they are stand-alone. Would this not indicate that you are indeed buying a product and it is in fact not a pledge/donation for the development of the game (donations are generally extempt from VAT here in Europe). I can see how the kickstarter was a pledge/donation/whatever but once they moved on to selling stuff on their own webpage it gets murky for me.

This has made the whole debate rather obscure for me.

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Not sure what the question is. Is it a donation? No. You are buying the game + whatever perks come with the item/package you buy. If you buy a game "package" you get access to alpha, beta, Squadron 42, and the released version of the Persistent Universe (PU). If you are a normal person that wants to spend a small amount of money like $45.00 you get a really good deal. If you are passionate about space games and want to get pumped up and excited and feel like you are a big shot donor that's helping the game get developed, you can spend a lot more. If you spend "a lot more" you aren't getting any more game, you're just getting access to some really expensive (in the game universe) ships as soon as they're developed. In many cases that means you can fly them now in the alpha. In many other cases, that means you get an expensive GIF and can dream about it until the devs get around to putting it into the alpha.

Is there still something you need clarified? The issue that some people are upset about, even though it's been in the cards for a long time, is that due to Squadron 42's imminent release (I've heard rumblings about the end of this year), they are no longer going to bundle it with the PU game package. You'll have to buy it separately. This separation of Squadron 42 and the PU packages is slated to happen on Valentine's Day. How romantic!

So, what can you spend your money on after 2/14?

• Squadron 42 package (stand alone game, supposedly AAA)
• PU package (the "MMO" version of the space game)
• Stand alone ships ("Hey, I've got some extra cash and want to spend it on shit I'll be able to earn in game, for free, eventually!")
• Various other little things that you don't need like different weapon loadouts, skins, etc.
• Actual physical merchandise like T-shirts
• Subscription (Totally not necessary, but makes you feel like you are in a special club - you get access to special forum, and get the warm fuzzy that your subs supposedly pay for all the community outreach stuff)

As a side note, people claiming they "took a huge piece of their budget and sent it to the UK office (Foundry 42) so that they could spend it on the single player game" are very much out of touch. Squadron 42 has been a big part of the original plan since the beginning, in fact the Persistent Universe was originally a stretch goal. It's also a load of horseshit that they aren't spending at least as much money on the PU side of the game. They have teams working on netcode improvements, persistence, AI, procedural generation tech, non combat systems, multi-crew systems, etc.

I'm happy to entertain discussion and answer questions, as I spend a lot of time talking SC with friends and on forums, but I'm not going to get into a back and forth with trolls and Smartbots. Should you pledge? Up to you. Why not try it? It's still free to play until Friday.

You have a very generous definition of imminent lol.

Abefroman_sl said:

You have a very generous definition of imminent lol.

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Well in AAA game development isn't less than a year imminent?

a_skeleton_03_sl said:

Who the fuck are you to "entertain discussion" on this forum ....

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You may kiss the ring.

Blackwulf_sl said:

As a side note, people claiming they "took a huge piece of their budget and sent it to the UK office (Foundry 42) so that they could spend it on the single player game" are very much out of touch. Squadron 42 has been a big part of the original plan since the beginning, in fact the Persistent Universe was originally a stretch goal. It's also a load of horseshit that they aren't spending at least as much money on the PU side of the game. They have teams working on netcode improvements, persistence, AI, procedural generation tech, non combat systems, multi-crew systems, etc.

I'm happy to entertain discussion and answer questions, as I spend a lot of time talking SC with friends and on forums, but I'm not going to get into a back and forth with trolls and Smartbots. Should you pledge? Up to you. Why not try it? It's still free to play until Friday.

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Thank you for the clarification. My reason for asking is the refund debacle, I have seen arguments based on "you are not buying anything, you donate to the development of the game and get a ship as a thanks" which is obviously not the case then. This has been confusing to me since I always saw anything beyond the kickstarter as a "buy" vs a "donation" (especially since you pay VAT on the ships/packs). As you point out there is a lot of missinformation being thrown back and forth which makes it difficult to keep track of things.

And I already "donated" since I was into the kickstarter and I have no intention of asking for a refund, if the games comes out and is good I will be pleased, if the game comes out and is bad/dont live up to all the goals they set up then its just another kickstarter that I gambled and lost on /shrug.

Finnaly, the UK office thing is daft, its a big office and from what I can see from the information I bothered to look at its an expense over time, not like they just dumped $25 mil into it last week. Running a big studio over 2 years costs money? I am shocked! /sigh.

Mist_sl said:

Anyone who's pursued refunds has gotten them.

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Not so much since they 'launched' the 'beta'.

is this a bust yet?

Mist_sl said:

Anyone who's pursued refunds has gotten them.

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No...no they have not. Once the PU went out it basicaly stopped since they claimed they had delivered parts of the game. (That is the explanation they give in mails, Ive seen one example that a friend got, he will have to go through the consumer protection agency since the EU has diffrent rules then the US conserning buying and delivering products).

If you waited this fucking long for a refund you are an idiot.

did you reinvest your refund into Pantheon, Abe?

Abefroman_sl said:

If you waited this fucking long for a refund you are an idiot.

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Oh I agree, but some people... well he is a friend so I wont say anything I have written off my money in either case since I see Kickstarter as a gamble mostly.

So, they gave details on how pricing will change after the 14th. Turns out, basic package for Squadron 42 or Persistent Universe will each be $45. If you buy one, you can add the other for $15. Total cost is going up to $60, so it's not like they're actually doubling the cost or anything (current cost for inclusive package is $45).

Also theJanuary monthly reportis out.

Yeah, guys, the single game they spit into two games you'll have to buy separately will save you money when you buy them together, which is what everyone will do, since it's actually only one game! See, you're not being ripped off nearly as much as you thought!

Early adapters get benefits? News at eleven.