Star Citizen: Chris Robert`s new space sim (the Wing Commander guy)

Page 242 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Sabrewings

Golden Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,942
35
51


Anyway, since I'm a sucker for exploration... I picked up the UEE exploration pack. Finally got a Carrack and that tough little Terrapin.

Edit: String, what have you thought about the CH Throttle's mini-stick? Good enough for strafe use?
 
Last edited:

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
Just finished watching the presentation. Wow. It's 2:30 in the morning and I don't even care. Wowee, that was amazing!
 

Worthington

Golden Member
Apr 29, 2005
1,433
17
81
I haven't been paying much attention to SC lately, but that presentation did look pretty amazing. Some of the stuff they pulled off there was crazy.

FPS mechanics look like they still suck though. lol
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
Edit: String, what have you thought about the CH Throttle's mini-stick? Good enough for strafe use?

I know a lot of guys love it for strafe, but I never could get along with it - - I never could use it precisely enough, especially when doing precise things like landing. The biggest problem is when I wanted to strafe perfectly lateral or vertical, I had a hard time deflecting the stick straight enough not to have a little bit of the other input blended in.

I ended up mapping it to roll back when I was using it.

Congrats on the Carrack! We'll have to go out on a deep space exploration venture sometime!

Did you watch the GamesCOM stream String?

I saw the procedural landing gameplay demo and the 3.0 gameplay mechanics list. So much stokage for this update!!


On a note back to the CH stick - - as much as I love the feel and movement, I'm not sure I'm going to like rolling with pedal axis well enough to stay with it (since the CH doesn't twist). I used pedal slide axis for roll before and I liked it just fine, but after about 40 hours of using a twist axis, I'm having a hard time going back.

It sucks because I really prefer the light feel of the CH. :(
 
Last edited:

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
I think a lot of people are glossing over a key point in the presentation and just focusing on the 3.0 hype. Pay close attention to the bullet points on the 2.6 slide. There's going to be some serious Arena Commander, Star Marine, IFCS, flight mechanics, etc. love coming our way. AND A NEW RACE TRACK!
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91


The graphic fidelity in Nyx is just superb. Lighting / environment, everything. And yay for NPCs!

I honestly don't know how anybody who is remotely paying attention to the progress of the alpha this year could possibly say this is still a "scam," (especially after watching that gameplay video). We're finally seeing all the back-end work pay off and content is starting to really move.

I think a lot of people are glossing over a key point in the presentation and just focusing on the 3.0 hype. Pay close attention to the bullet points on the 2.6 slide. There's going to be some serious Arena Commander, Star Marine, IFCS, flight mechanics, etc. love coming our way. AND A NEW RACE TRACK!

I'm definitely hyped for 2.6. I agree - not a lot of attention, but I can't wait for it.


Oh, and after watching the Dragonfly footage.....there MUST be racing for these things!
 
Last edited:
Feb 4, 2009
34,506
15,737
136
The graphic fidelity in Nyx is just superb. Lighting / environment, everything. And yay for NPCs!

I honestly don't know how anybody who is remotely paying attention to the progress of the alpha this year could possibly say this is still a "scam," (especially after watching that gameplay video). We're finally seeing all the back-end work pay off and content is starting to really move.



I'm definitely hyped for 2.6. I agree - not a lot of attention, but I can't wait for it.


Oh, and after watching the Dragonfly footage.....there MUST be racing for these things!

At the risk of starting something that could lead someone to a ban. I don't believe there are many shouting scam now. They've moved to feature creep & Duke Nukem Forever style perpetual development
 

Sabrewings

Golden Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,942
35
51
I know a lot of guys love it for strafe, but I never could get along with it - - I never could use it precisely enough, especially when doing precise things like landing. The biggest problem is when I wanted to strafe perfectly lateral or vertical, I had a hard time deflecting the stick straight enough not to have a little bit of the other input blended in.

I see. Too bad it doesn't have detents to keep you on an axis if need be. I really want a mini stick, but I don't think I can bring myself to buy an X56. I like CH's product line (their pedals have been good to me), but I'm still undecided.

Congrats on the Carrack! We'll have to go out on a deep space exploration venture sometime!

Hell yeah. I just couldn't resist it any longer. I knew I wanted it from the first time I saw it. With it coming up in development soon, I wanted to be right there with it as it is "born."

On a note back to the CH stick - - as much as I love the feel and movement, I'm not sure I'm going to like rolling with pedal axis well enough to stay with it (since the CH doesn't twist). I used pedal slide axis for roll before and I liked it just fine, but after about 40 hours of using a twist axis, I'm having a hard time going back.

It does take some getting used to. I used twist for a while, but it kills my wrist after the first hour of dogfighting. You just have to force yourself to get used to the pedal roll, and I absolutely love it. I thought it would get in the way of when I sit in an actual aircraft, but somehow my brain keeps the two separate.

They've moved to feature creep & Duke Nukem Forever style perpetual development

They move to whatever straw they can grasp that day.
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
At the risk of starting something that could lead someone to a ban. I don't believe there are many shouting scam now. They've moved to feature creep & Duke Nukem Forever style perpetual development

I'll take perpetual development....because unlike DN, we can actually PLAY the work-in-progress. People can line up their crows for me if they want, but I believe we're seeing the next "Crysis." The next evolution of PC gaming where a dev had enough guts to say "We're going to do THIS, and we'll push the tech to whatever limit we have to to make it happen." That's what they're doing. We're finally seeing PC gaming pushed to the next level....I'm just glad there's enough people onboard to help make it happen.
 
Feb 4, 2009
34,506
15,737
136
I'll take perpetual development....because unlike DN, we can actually PLAY the work-in-progress. People can line up their crows for me if they want, but I believe we're seeing the next "Crysis." The next evolution of PC gaming where a dev had enough guts to say "We're going to do THIS, and we'll push the tech to whatever limit we have to to make it happen." That's what they're doing. We're finally seeing PC gaming pushed to the next level....I'm just glad there's enough people onboard to help make it happen.

I agree its like 7 days to die. People complain about it being in alpha for 3 years but its quite fun, very playable for the last 2 years and twice a year there are big updates that change the game. I'll play for a few months, get tired of it load a mod play for a bit longer then put the game aside but shortly after a new big update comes out and I get interested again. Personally I really enjoy the cycle.
 

Sabrewings

Golden Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,942
35
51
The more I think about it, the more I'm stoked about the Carrack being worked on soon. After seeing how well the Starfarer turned out, I don't think I'll be anything but impressed. I also didn't notice the exploration pack I grabbed threw in the Dragonfly. I wasn't interested in it originally, but it does seem pretty dope.

I do still think the Aquila will be my favorite ship overall, but they're all so interesting. To me the Aquila is that perfect size I was looking for. I'm concerned with how expensive the Carrack will be to operate.
 

Sabrewings

Golden Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,942
35
51
Just noticed this on Reddit. Lots of interesting tidbits:

https://www.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/4yugzv/chris_roberts_interview_from_twitch_yesterday/

  • They ran the demo presentation close to 22 (perhaps closer to 30) times to various parties at the con. Two crashes happened and one hard hang.
  • Unlike a lot of other games, including those with PG'ed planets, there is no specific draw distance. In 3.0 the curvature of the planet is the horizon.
  • Plans for Citcon are to show off "the next level" of the PG tech. Vegetation, water, oceans. A "Crysis style" planet.
  • The checkpoint on the way to Delamar is a QD beacon that also provides your EDL assisted "flight tunnels".
  • The 40 stations quoted at the demo are not all planned for 3.0. We'll see more duplication and modularity of the existing stations to build it out. They are working on a modular set for stations at the moment.
  • The tech allows for IRL scales but is being reduced for gameplay reasons. We're looking at a 1/10th scale of distance between planets. Planets are 1/4th scale in size.
  • 40 minutes to cross Stanton. Discussed here.
  • Emphasis on ship maintenance for large haulers making long trips. Coming with items 2.0
  • Jobwell is coming in 3.0 along with more hand-crafted missions and those provided by actual characters.
  • Some elements of the PG'ed mission system coming in 3.0.
  • The last day of the shoot at Imaginarium was for the PU, not SQ42. Another shoot planned for PU mission content later in the year.
  • Lots of work still to do on facial capture. Eyes, hair, skin specifically.
  • Work on live facial capture (!). The plan is to release news reports in-game as quickly after the events as possible.
  • The plan is for player driven events to be reported on to create a more dynamic, living game.
  • Items 2.0 inlcudes ageing, wear and tear.
  • Player characters are supposed to age as well (?)
  • The mocap rig owned by CIG is in the UK. It was used to shoot the 3.0 stuff in the demo but at Imaginarium. The plan is to get this set up in the LA studio with smaller mocap sets at each studio as well. They might keep using professional sets in Ealing for the larger scale shoots.
  • SQ42 Ch.2 planned for about two years after Ch.1 comes out.
 
Last edited:

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
Thanks Sabrewings......I'm really excited about Item 2.0.....aging, wear and tear, components. They're going to bring a new dynamic to the game. And I agree with Stringjam....we're likely witnessing some video game history here. It's nice to be a part of it.
 

Sabrewings

Golden Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,942
35
51
More interview goodies. From CR:

  • Ship prices in game: Hard to determine the disparity between IRL costs of a handgun worth hundreds of dollars and a carrier worth billions. The emphasis is on running costs and upkeep. The Connie will cost more relative to UEC in game than it does on the pledge store now.. Emphasis on bigger ships earning more and progression from one ship to the next.

  • PvP slider: PvP more likely to happen outside of monitored (meaning active comm-array) space. The slider may effect interdiction chance.

  • VOIP: Coming in Citcon (!)

  • SataBall: Coming after 2.6

  • Next system planned for design: Not finalised. Work continues on other systems (Terra mentioned) but the next one should be a system within jump range of Stanton.

  • Favourite controller of CR's: For flight, HOTAS. For FPS, M/Kbd. Gamepad for demos.

  • CR's career in SC: Between exploration and piracy.
https://as.reddit.com/r/starcitizen/comments/4yuhro/a_collection_of_chris_roberts_interviews_from/

The bold above is apparently a pretty big bomb drop, but I've been expecting it. Ships will be much more expensive in UEC than their associated dollar amount would indicate.

Edit: And I'll just leave this here: http://imgur.com/1b85o92

Edit 2: Through a little melting/package-fu, I just upgraded my Aquila to LTI, upgraded my 300i to a 315p with LTI, and added an LTI Freelancer DUR for $20 of store credit I had in my account. Not a bad trade. I think all of my ships are LTI now. No, scratch that. Forgot about my Taurus and Phoenix. Phoenix has 3 years, though, which might as well be lifetime.
 
Last edited:

vshah

Lifer
Sep 20, 2003
19,003
24
81
if I melt my carrack, I could get the UEE explorer pack and add a terrapin and a dragonfly for not much more....
Or melt my 315p and freelancer, and carrack and then get the explorers pack which would add a dragonfly, freelancer dur, aquila, and terrapin for much less than they'd be otherwise...

must resist.
 

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
Yeah, I think it's been alluded to before that ships will cost a lot more in game than now in the pledge store. I've seen 75,000 UEC for an Aurora ES quoted many times (which doesn't make it true).

Personally, I'm hoping we get a free market system with prices determined based upon supply and demand (and obviously since CIG controls the modes that make the hulls, they control the supply side somewhat).
 

GoodRevrnd

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
6,803
581
126
SQ42 Ch.2 planned for about two years after Ch.1 comes out.
Hold up, this doesn't concern anyone? Why would chapter 2, which should essentially just be new mission scripting and shooting new video on a "complete" engine, take another 2 years? That makes me concerned for SC. I had pegged 2 years after SQ42 as a fair release expectation for SC.
 

Sabrewings

Golden Member
Jun 27, 2015
1,942
35
51
if I melt my carrack, I could get the UEE explorer pack and add a terrapin and a dragonfly for not much more....
Or melt my 315p and freelancer, and carrack and then get the explorers pack which would add a dragonfly, freelancer dur, aquila, and terrapin for much less than they'd be otherwise...

must resist.

That's pretty much the direction I went. Melted Aquila package, UEE Exploration pack, and my 300i. However, I have to wait 24 hours so I can melt it and do it again. I forgot to use my 10% off coupon.

Personally, I'm hoping we get a free market system with prices determined based upon supply and demand (and obviously since CIG controls the modes that make the hulls, they control the supply side somewhat).

From what I've heard, that's essentially where they'll be going. The market can be left to govern itself and they can control it through banks and the goods production.

Hold up, this doesn't concern anyone? Why would chapter 2, which should essentially just be new mission scripting and shooting new video on a "complete" engine, take another 2 years? That makes me concerned for SC. I had pegged 2 years after SQ42 as a fair release expectation for SC.

There's nothing that says they have to finish all of the SQ42 episodes before SC comes out. A lot of the assets are shared, so as SQ42 progresses so does Star Citizen. Meanwhile, you have people at almost all locations who are dedicated to one side, the other, or shared assets. It's fine.

The two years is a bit surprising at first glance, but not when I think about it. Scripting, mocap, close-in asset generation, QA, release all take time.
 

Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
33
91
2 years between SQ episodes doesn't surprise me at all, especially for a supposed 20-hour campaign.
 

the1truelegend

Junior Member
Oct 4, 2015
10
0
11
The latest 3.0 demo looked unbelievable. I'm still in shock that it is really at that level of detail. I personally play the PTU and the things they are delivering all the time is incredible.
 

SLU Aequitas

Golden Member
Jul 13, 2007
1,252
26
91
I'm thinking the 2 years stems primarily from a shift in focus back to star citizen. Also the scope for chapter 2 is more ambitious than what's supposedly in store for chapter 1.
 

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
I'm thinking the 2 years stems primarily from a shift in focus back to star citizen. Also the scope for chapter 2 is more ambitious than what's supposedly in store for chapter 1.

From what I've read, the production schedule for Squadron 42, Behind Enemy Lines and the third (unnamed episode) are heavily dependent upon the actors' schedules. Having BEL take 2 years after the release of SQ42 might have something do to with the fact that Mark Hamil might be busy with some silly little Star Wars movie and unavailable to shoot BEL. Or Gary Oldman, or Gillian Anderson, or John Rhys Davis or that Game of Thones guy or.....:D
 

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
2 years between SQ episodes doesn't surprise me at all, especially for a supposed 20-hour campaign.

Even though it's only 20 hours (supposedly), I'm thinking SQ42 is going to have huge replay value. Tons of different NPC interactions that could be different depending numerous things.