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

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TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,701
60
91
The biggest thing it's missing right now is FPS AI.

Yela is beautiful, and pvp at the drug lab is pretty fun and unpredictable. Once the outposts get a bit bigger and they put in FPS AI, it'll take on a Far Cry like element that will really help with gameplay.

I like playing for an hour or so after the wife gets home and takes the kids. It's really helps me decompress to put on the headphones and listen to the AAA music and ambiance (almost meditative). It can take 5 or so minutes to fly to a destination so its a great to 'space out' to the music and visuals.
 

Whitestar127

Senior member
Dec 2, 2011
397
24
81
I'm considering getting in with a pledge on this, especially after I saw the E3 3.2 beta video.
Does it matter much which pledge level I get into? Can I start with just a simple ship? I was considering the Mustang Alpha or Aurora MR starter pack at $45. Will those have any disadvantages compared to say the Avenger Stalker at $75?
Also, what's the significance of the insurance? And what about the digital star map, do I need that?

Sorry for the many questions. :)
 
Feb 4, 2009
34,451
15,661
136
I'm considering getting in with a pledge on this, especially after I saw the E3 3.2 beta video.
Does it matter much which pledge level I get into? Can I start with just a simple ship? I was considering the Mustang Alpha or Aurora MR starter pack at $45. Will those have any disadvantages compared to say the Avenger Stalker at $75?
Also, what's the significance of the insurance? And what about the digital star map, do I need that?

Sorry for the many questions. :)

I haven’t followed the pledges much but in the past it didn’t matter much other than your in game gift ship(s).
If it has early access you should be good.
Wait for someone else to comment on the ship variants I don’t have much fly time.
Also at this point in time you ahould be well aware of the risks, do not buy something then complain.
 

rivethead

Platinum Member
Jan 16, 2005
2,635
106
106
I'm considering getting in with a pledge on this, especially after I saw the E3 3.2 beta video.
Does it matter much which pledge level I get into? Can I start with just a simple ship? I was considering the Mustang Alpha or Aurora MR starter pack at $45. Will those have any disadvantages compared to say the Avenger Stalker at $75?
Also, what's the significance of the insurance? And what about the digital star map, do I need that?

Sorry for the many questions. :)

First off, if you're absolutely certain about pledging for this, make sure you check out the pinned Referral thread here on Anantech in PC Games, use a referral code (mine is posted in the referral thread, but you can use anyone's) and get a free 5,000 UEC (in-game money) when creating your account.

Having shamelessly self-promoted my referral........I'm not sure I would pledge right now. That trailer was extremely mis-leading. The current state of the game code isn't even remotely close to what you saw. Much of what you saw in the trailer might not even make it into the 3.2 patch (which should be released June 30....CIG are on a quarterly patch schedule).

If the "idea" of this game appeals to you, and you're full of patience (I don't think this game will ever be finished but I think a lack of funding will force CIG to release what they have probably 2 years from now), and you don't mind gambling (I think there is a LOT of financial risk with this project right now - it could ultimately fail), then welcome aboard.

Regarding the ships, the overwhelming consensus will be that SC will have ship progression and that an Avenger Stalker will be "better" than a Mustang or Aurora MR. I say that's bullshit (and my opinion is controversial). I believe that every ship in the game will be the "best" at something. Ships are merely tools. You use the right tool for the right job. The Stalker is a bounty hunter ship. So it'll do a better job of bounty hunting than a Mustang Alpha. But a Mustang Alpha might be the best a delivering small loads of medical supplies to moon outposts.

Insurance in the game works like in the real world. You insure something. If you incur a loss, you make a claim, pay a deductible, and get your asset back. LTI (life-time insurance) is a perk CIG offers that has taken on a life of it's own. Most people believe that LTI will prevent you from losing anything that you paid money for....for free. Bullshit. All LTI is, is a free monthly insurance premium. You'll pay 0 UEC/month for insurance on a hull with LTI. Others will pay some small amount. But everyone will pay deductibles. And deductibles will increase based upon the number of claims you make. Just like in the real world.

Starter ships usually come with 3 or 6 months of free (0/month premium)....then you'll need to renew at a monthly UEC cost which should be a very minor expense.

Don't worry about the digital star map.....it's on CIG's website and also in-game, but currently there is only 10% of one system in the game code (no planets....just three moons and one planetoid). But these four locations are MASSIVE. For example, it takes like 20 minutes in real time to circumvent one of the moons.

Best of luck. It takes a ton of work to understand the state of this project and what they're trying to accomplish. CIG are masters at mis-direction when it comes to marketing. All they want you to see and hear is hype and pretty jpegs of shiny spaceships. They don't really want you to know about the 10 frames per second in-game, ships spawning with no doors on them, crashes to desktop every 10 minutes, tons of lag, a ship flight model that's not fun and horrible broken.....in short CIG has prioritized style over substance. They're now working very hard on delivering substance....but will the funding last to allow them to deliver. That's the $187 million question.
 

Bubbleawsome

Diamond Member
Apr 14, 2013
4,833
1,204
146
Yeah, all you get different with the different ship packages is the actual ship in game. As long as you get a package that has early access to the modules you can play right now no matter what ship it comes with.

If you’ve got $45 you’re willing to gamble on this game and would be ok with never seeing again I’d buy it. I’ve been a backer for (I think) coming up on 3 years now, and I haven’t even installed the launcher in ~9 months. I mainly ordered because I’m willing to bet (quite literally bet) this game will either cost over $60 once released, or will be split into more than one $60 module, so paying for the cheapest ship ($35 at the time) was worth risking to get in.
 

kn51

Senior member
Aug 16, 2012
694
111
106
My advice...is wait for a free-fly weekend.

Then you can decide. But that 3.2 trailer...don't expect that type of experience.
 
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Whitestar127

Senior member
Dec 2, 2011
397
24
81
Yeah since I wrote that post earlier today I have checked around a little. I wasn't aware of most of what you guys wrote here. I think I will just wait for the final game and hope it's a success.
 

SLU Aequitas

Golden Member
Jul 13, 2007
1,252
26
91
Yeah since I wrote that post earlier today I have checked around a little. I wasn't aware of most of what you guys wrote here. I think I will just wait for the final game and hope it's a success.

Think that’s a smart decision at this point if you’re on the fence :)
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
110,481
29,051
146
Yeah since I wrote that post earlier today I have checked around a little. I wasn't aware of most of what you guys wrote here. I think I will just wait for the final game and hope it's a success.

Let's just say that there could never be a more appropriate match of user name for thread topic than what we have in this thread, with "Albatross"

;)
 
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WhiteNoise

Golden Member
Jun 22, 2016
1,074
184
106
When this game was announced on Kickstarter I immediately backed it and then proceeded to build a sim cockpit. After investing over $2k into this cockpit all told it has been collecting dust for years. One of these days I should clean it off and use it. Back then I thought I'd be playing this game after release...a long time ago.

I built the cockpit back in 2013. This cockpit has other parts that are still in the box that I have not touched yet including a very cool multi-panel. The cockpit also has butt kickers installed in the corners.

I wanted to make a motion cockpit but ran out of money.
 
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GoodRevrnd

Diamond Member
Dec 27, 2001
6,803
581
126
When this game was announced on Kickstarter I immediately backed it and then proceeded to build a sim cockpit. After investing over $2k into this cockpit all told it has been collecting dust for years. One of these days I should clean it off and use it. Back then I thought I'd be playing this game after release...a long time ago.
You go through all that to build a sim cockpit and don't at least play some Elite just to use it?
 

WhiteNoise

Golden Member
Jun 22, 2016
1,074
184
106
You go through all that to build a sim cockpit and don't at least play some Elite just to use it?

Well after building it we ended up selling that house and I packed the thing back up and now it is in my man cave and not put together. I just haven't had the time and I did play Elite on it. That was right before we moved.

I keep telling myself that I will set it back up. I have a full setup for car sim racing that swaps in place of the flight sim crap. I would use that more often but time...time is the enemy.
 
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Whitestar127

Senior member
Dec 2, 2011
397
24
81
I have an Obutto R3volution myself, which I'm using for sim racing (mostly Assetto CorsaI). :) Feel free to send me those buttkickers if you don't use them. :cool:

Just need to get one of those front arm mounts if I want to use it for space sims. Would be kinda cool to have Star Citizen on my triples. But from what I read about the framerate these days that would probably be a 3 screen slideshow. VR is probably the way to go anyways.
 

Seba

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,478
134
106
I'm considering getting in with a pledge on this, especially after I saw the E3 3.2 beta video.
Does it matter much which pledge level I get into? Can I start with just a simple ship? I was considering the Mustang Alpha or Aurora MR starter pack at $45. Will those have any disadvantages compared to say the Avenger Stalker at $75?
Also, what's the significance of the insurance? And what about the digital star map, do I need that?

Sorry for the many questions. :)
The E3 teaser is not an actual representation of the game.

Also, they are far from beta.

Between the "starter" packages, Mustang Alpha one is the better choice (the ship is worth $5 more, the Mustang Alpha ship has better cockpit view and it's faster), while the packages have the same price ($45 for the Star Citizen only / $60 for the Star Citizen + Squadron 42 Combo package).

Avenger Titan is better than both Aurora MR and Mustang Alpha ships (and an upgrade from Mustang Alpha to Avenger Titan is cheaper than from Aurora MR to the same Avenger Titan).

Avenger Stalker is too specialized (initially the Avenger ships were advertised as modular ships, but they lied about that and each Avenger is a separate variant, so you can't turn a Titan into a Stalker or vice-versa, by changing a ship module in game).

But do not buy anything. I don't think they can make this game work. They are struggling to make the game playable since 3.0 went live in December 2017 (1 year late) and they can't do it. With only 50 players per server. They sold ships with bigger crew than 50.
 

WhiteNoise

Golden Member
Jun 22, 2016
1,074
184
106
I have an Obutto R3volution myself, which I'm using for sim racing (mostly Assetto CorsaI). :) Feel free to send me those buttkickers if you don't use them. :cool:

Just need to get one of those front arm mounts if I want to use it for space sims. Would be kinda cool to have Star Citizen on my triples. But from what I read about the framerate these days that would probably be a 3 screen slideshow. VR is probably the way to go anyways.

Can you see my pictures? You said you have an Obutto too so I assume you saw mine above? No the butt kickers are awesome. I have a SimVibe and it works through the butt kickers. Makes it feel like you are really driving down a road. It is a strange but wonderful feeling. The feedback using this software is just wow.

SimXperience SimVibe is an advanced, multi-dimensional audio based feedback software (for racing simulators and cockpits) that utilizes one to eight bass transducers (ButtKickers, Bass Shakers, etc..) to provide the correct physics based vibrations at each corner of your simulator and throughout the simulator. This greatly enhances immersion and drivability. It's a great companion to our already immersive motion simulators but can be applied to motionless simulators as well.


You'll feel every available detail of the road surface, engine and transmission in the correct placement on your simulator via 3D spatial vibrations and reverberations.

I tested this out when I first built my cockpit and as of now is the only reason I even want to get it all set up again.

I think VR would be awesome for car racing and it really is from what I have seen so far but for a game like Elite or SC it would be more a pain than it's worth. There are so many controls that it would be tuff not being able to see my cockpit layout while in VR.
 

TechBoyJK

Lifer
Oct 17, 2002
16,701
60
91
cough cough crash recovery and persistence is working much better in the new 3.2 evocati build... even cross region.

And the 600i is awesome. Plus you can land your ship planetside, get in bed, log out, and log back in without issue, even cross region.

Apparently.. I can't say for sure cough cough
 
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Whitestar127

Senior member
Dec 2, 2011
397
24
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Can you see my pictures? You said you have an Obutto too so I assume you saw mine above?
No sorry, didn't mean to formulate it like that. I can't see your images.
About the VR thing and not being able to see the controls: I use a program called Voice Attack, which you can train to recognize spoken commands. Works fantastic! Costs a few bucks but well worth the investment.

cough cough crash recovery and persistence is working much better in the new 3.2 evocati build... even cross region.

And the 600i is awesome. Plus you can land your ship planetside, get in bed, log out, and log back in without issue, even cross region.

Apparently.. I can't say for sure cough cough
You still believe this game could live up to it's potential? :)
I mean, I want to believe but the things I read make me very sceptical.
 
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WhiteNoise

Golden Member
Jun 22, 2016
1,074
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No sorry, didn't mean to formulate it like that. I can't see your images.
About the VR thing and not being able to see the controls: I use a program called Voice Attack, which you can train to recognize spoken commands. Works fantastic! Costs a few bucks but well worth the investment.


You still believe this game could live up to it's potential? :)
I mean, I want to believe but the things I read make me very sceptical.

I actually used software like that for Elite. Its been awhile but I remember setting it up and using it. I completely forgot about it!
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
No sorry, didn't mean to formulate it like that. I can't see your images.
About the VR thing and not being able to see the controls: I use a program called Voice Attack, which you can train to recognize spoken commands. Works fantastic! Costs a few bucks but well worth the investment.


You still believe this game could live up to it's potential? :)
I mean, I want to believe but the things I read make me very sceptical.
What I’ve seen is so spectacular that I think someone will release it, maybe after Roberts crashes and burns like Duke Nukem Forever. Only problem is all the people who are owed ships; that might well tip the balance from finishing the game to purchasing only the tech rights and using those for a new IP where they owe no one anything.
 

Skel

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2001
6,214
659
136
What I’ve seen is so spectacular that I think someone will release it, maybe after Roberts crashes and burns like Duke Nukem Forever. Only problem is all the people who are owed ships; that might well tip the balance from finishing the game to purchasing only the tech rights and using those for a new IP where they owe no one anything.

Would those ships be considered actual debt for the company?
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
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Guys your friendly mod reminder that this thread is only meant for game discussion and developments.
Discussions about CIG / and Ethics go in another thread.

Lets keep that line visible and clear.

Moderator Aigo.
 
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Stringjam

Golden Member
Jun 30, 2011
1,871
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I played today for the first time in several months.

Smooth framerates, very little stuttering, and no crashes. This is a completely different build experience than any I have had since I last played.

I had a total blast. Talked to people in-game, traveled with them in some incredible ships, visited all the new locations. Even watched a sunset after setting out in my Avenger, which was an almost surreal experience (for a video game).

I've never had so much fun not shooting at anything. This universe is amazing...I have become increasingly less interested in PC gaming in general, but there is really something compelling about this game.

The last time I was this enamored with a PC game was STALKER ShoC. When the environment just pulls you in, and you look down at your clock and see that you've been playing for 8 hours and didn't even notice... ;)
 
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