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Just a bunch of butthurt joystick jockeys upset that the game is playable with a mouse and mouse happens to be best right now because the flight model isn't finished.
Star Citizen Online - The search for more money
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Phew.
Variise
N00b
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- 17
So couple of things.
Rumblings are less controls and more missile balancing. One specific missile is overused because it's not very well balanced and it's basically the best with very little downside so it gets spammed. Combined that with getting a full set of missiles on respawn with infinite respawns and well.. you can see where this is going.
The rumblings about development not being far enough is an issue with how we visualize game development and not what progress they actually made. For example whenever someone brings up the argument that the "core" of the game is largely still in flux or development and only bits and pieces are created they are referring to a traditional Alpha build that may have spent 3+ years in development at any other studio that has the majority of the game mechanics functional with mostly placeholder art assets and virtually zero polish on any of the mechanics that do exist let alone iterations that don't occur until a larger group has played it. Often larger game mechanics CANNOT be changed through iteration by that stage as they are locked down... see ESO's attempt to pull that off and why EA only iterated on the graphics for SWTOR and not any of the major game mechanics no matter how much fail was built into it.
So instead of building a bunch of major mechanics and say six months from now revealing SC to everyone with some placeholder graphics and concept art and telling us the laundry list of the major features they have now locked down and CANNOT change until long after launch (See Star Wars Galaxies trying to pull that off and failing), they instead have modules. The modules are just fancy PR terms for the various "core" game mechanics that make up the ENTIRE game that you will be playing. They have had a long time to work on them and iterate and due to the structure of development can continue that iteration right to launch. That is impossible with a traditional development cycle. I just cited some of the largest failures in recent and past memory and there are a countless number of them.
It's not to say that this is necessarily the better way of doing it. Valve was able to pull a rabbit out of its hat time and time again but mind you they had to spend many years in development and until other studios when they iterated they practically rebuilt the entire games from scratch (Team Fortress 2) and actually spent the time necessary to do it right. Blizzard does the same thing. They semi regularly scrap games that are 60-80% complete that have spent anywhere from 2-5 years in development and we never see them again apart from a leaked tech demo... at best.
Valve and Blizzard can afford to create a couple of hundred million dollar failure now and then or rebuild a game if it seems worthy. CIG is not established enough to pull that off. They picked the only possible way they could have pulled this off without pissing into everyone's soup when the reveal happened. Hell they might have had to do what CDPR did, whom btw had an established team with several games under their belt and sell out to Sony, MS and take Nvidia money (GameWorks contract). They admitted they had no choice. There wouldn't even be a Witcher 3 with its scope without the Console, and Nvidia, money it if you believe them.
So here we are. Debate to your hearts content but try and keep in mind the sordid history of the gaming industry. It's not all Lucky Charms and rainbows.
Rumblings are less controls and more missile balancing. One specific missile is overused because it's not very well balanced and it's basically the best with very little downside so it gets spammed. Combined that with getting a full set of missiles on respawn with infinite respawns and well.. you can see where this is going.
The rumblings about development not being far enough is an issue with how we visualize game development and not what progress they actually made. For example whenever someone brings up the argument that the "core" of the game is largely still in flux or development and only bits and pieces are created they are referring to a traditional Alpha build that may have spent 3+ years in development at any other studio that has the majority of the game mechanics functional with mostly placeholder art assets and virtually zero polish on any of the mechanics that do exist let alone iterations that don't occur until a larger group has played it. Often larger game mechanics CANNOT be changed through iteration by that stage as they are locked down... see ESO's attempt to pull that off and why EA only iterated on the graphics for SWTOR and not any of the major game mechanics no matter how much fail was built into it.
So instead of building a bunch of major mechanics and say six months from now revealing SC to everyone with some placeholder graphics and concept art and telling us the laundry list of the major features they have now locked down and CANNOT change until long after launch (See Star Wars Galaxies trying to pull that off and failing), they instead have modules. The modules are just fancy PR terms for the various "core" game mechanics that make up the ENTIRE game that you will be playing. They have had a long time to work on them and iterate and due to the structure of development can continue that iteration right to launch. That is impossible with a traditional development cycle. I just cited some of the largest failures in recent and past memory and there are a countless number of them.
It's not to say that this is necessarily the better way of doing it. Valve was able to pull a rabbit out of its hat time and time again but mind you they had to spend many years in development and until other studios when they iterated they practically rebuilt the entire games from scratch (Team Fortress 2) and actually spent the time necessary to do it right. Blizzard does the same thing. They semi regularly scrap games that are 60-80% complete that have spent anywhere from 2-5 years in development and we never see them again apart from a leaked tech demo... at best.
Valve and Blizzard can afford to create a couple of hundred million dollar failure now and then or rebuild a game if it seems worthy. CIG is not established enough to pull that off. They picked the only possible way they could have pulled this off without pissing into everyone's soup when the reveal happened. Hell they might have had to do what CDPR did, whom btw had an established team with several games under their belt and sell out to Sony, MS and take Nvidia money (GameWorks contract). They admitted they had no choice. There wouldn't even be a Witcher 3 with its scope without the Console, and Nvidia, money it if you believe them.
So here we are. Debate to your hearts content but try and keep in mind the sordid history of the gaming industry. It's not all Lucky Charms and rainbows.
Eidal
Molten Core Raider
- 2,001
- 213
Most of the skepticism you detect, Variise, is just people pointing out two things: this is one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived from both a gameplay AND technical perspective, and the method (long distance, modules...) is a difficult feat for programmers. All of this from a brand new studio.
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It'll probably be 3 years or maybe more before the Persistent Universe actually feels like a 'whole' universe rather than a bunch of instances of different modules stitched together.
But along the way to that point, we'll have 3 single player campaigns with co-op support, Arena Commander 2.0 with full multi crew ship support, and then Arena Commander 3.0 with a capital ship boarding/assault game mode.
Funding charts show they have never actually slowed down in terms of pledges. They're still averaging 3 million a month in pledges even with an only barely playable game so far.
Once the FPS module comes out, I'd expect that number to rise as they start selling cosmetics and shit for FPS characters.
But along the way to that point, we'll have 3 single player campaigns with co-op support, Arena Commander 2.0 with full multi crew ship support, and then Arena Commander 3.0 with a capital ship boarding/assault game mode.
Funding charts show they have never actually slowed down in terms of pledges. They're still averaging 3 million a month in pledges even with an only barely playable game so far.
Once the FPS module comes out, I'd expect that number to rise as they start selling cosmetics and shit for FPS characters.
Variise
N00b
- 497
- 17
And here in lies the problem.
There is one faction of the playerbase begging for stuff like skins, equipment including armor and guns to be sold for FPS as soon as possible. Then there is another faction of the playerbase screaming Pay To Win! Nevermind that they have a built in system to let you earn everything practically for free apart from your time and initial funding of a basic game and required modules.
There is no insurance on items other than ships. Those missiles people are buying for 18k or whatever has no bearing at all on the actual value of those items once the game launches. In fact this was brought up just a short while ago by CIG and they plan to address that but don't know how until a much more massive item list exists since they have nothing to peg to value of items to and everything is essentially pulled out of their ass.
So they might make a ton of money once FPS is released if they sell say.. Light, Medium, Heavy packages but they would take a serious beating for doing it. They keep avoiding an answer and people keep pushing them to make it available like the game is already out.
/facepalm
I think it would be enough just to get the exposure of the FPS module to get more people to join.
As for the other bit yeah. They are seriously pushing for SQ42 you can tell from the assets so I expect we might actually have an Alpha build at the very least by Xmas to test Chapter 1. But a fully fleshed out PU that feels lived in... yeah 3 years sounds about right.
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Star Citizen Leaked Assets - Album on Imgur
This had some good newer renders in it. F8 Lightning looks awesome, will probably liquidate my pledge and buy that when it comes out.
This had some good newer renders in it. F8 Lightning looks awesome, will probably liquidate my pledge and buy that when it comes out.
I still think SC could be a little more bold with their ship designs. For instance, an asymetrical design. I realize this is not very logical from a mass vs balance point of view, but I noticed that Eve has done this and I love their designs a lot. I also noticed that their asymetrical designs have sparked more then a few discussions.
Blackwulf
N00b
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- 18
They've said a couple different times that the F8 will only be able to be acquired in the PU via capture or maybe as rare rewards from the military.
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lol yeah and I totally believe that...
It will be flyable towards the end of SQ42 campaign 1 they've said. Which means it'll be around for years before the PU is available. There's no way they won't sell them to generate money some point in between.
Palum
what Suineg set it to
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There's a saying coined by Bill Lear: "If it looks good, it will fly good'. There's all manner of effective but ugly aircraft being canned and when pressed the committees/generals will admit that they wouldn't want to be photographed with it. I see no reason why future humans don't follow the same utili-aesthetic design ethos of current humans.I still think SC could be a little more bold with their ship designs. For instance, an asymetrical design. I realize this is not very logical from a mass vs balance point of view, but I noticed that Eve has done this and I love their designs a lot. I also noticed that their asymetrical designs have sparked more then a few discussions.
Blackwulf
N00b
- 999
- 18
Jimbolini
Semi-pro Monopoly player
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Jimbolini
Semi-pro Monopoly player
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The FPS part of the game is the only thing that was holding my interest. I dont think I can get into a space only game. The thought of being able to fly around in space and then land on planets was intriguing.