Star Citizen Megathread - Fly FREE thru Dec 14th! Link in OP - Games

[QUOTE=Thom12255;48878834]Mark Hamil and Chris are quite close apparently going off one of Mark's twitter posts yesterday. Frankly, everything about the project is fine by me so far except Star Marine and that has been a clusterfuck for the past year and it's also the part of the game I care least about and wish they weren't bothering with as it reminds me far to much of X-Rebirth. The 10-hours of cutscenes thing might be good, I don't know. I really want SQ42 to be fun and hopefully even if the acting is bad and the writing a bit dull that the missions themselves are fun to play through, I need a Freespace 2 fix.[/QUOTE] Star Marine is just as important as the rest of it, though. It's not like they just decided to have an FPS mode stuck on, it's a core aspect of the game. Without the FPS gameplay stuff like EVA, boarding, planetside combat and lots of other things wouldn't be possible, which is half the game really. Star Citizen is a first person game where you have an actual character, you're not just a ship. Why do you think it isn't important?

[QUOTE=nightlord;48878899]Star Marine is just as important as the rest of it, though. It's not like they just decided to have an FPS mode stuck on, it's a core aspect of the game. Without the FPS gameplay stuff like EVA, boarding, planetside combat and lots of other things wouldn't be possible, which is half the game really. Star Citizen is a first person game where you have an actual character, you're not just a ship. Why do you think it isn't important?[/QUOTE] The scale of the FPS that was first presented 3 years ago wasn't up to the level that they are now trying to achieve (and failing at), I expected a Freelancer-esque walking about to different areas of a station or big ship sure but since the revelation of how boring that can be with X-Rebirth I've come off it a bit. It's hard to shake the feeling because they are trying to combine two very different genres that we are really just going to get an average presentation of both instead of focusing heavily on the spacesim part and getting it down right. I still hear quite negative things about the space combat and the things we have seen from Star Marine don't look fun to play in comparison to other AAA-shooters. If they can get Star Marine up to a good standard then great but right now there is little evidence over the past year of that happening.

[QUOTE=Thom12255;48879008]The scale of the FPS that was first presented 3 years ago wasn't up to the level that they are now trying to achieve (and failing at), I expected a Freelancer-esque walking about to different areas of a station or big ship sure but since the revelation of how boring that can be with X-Rebirth I've come off it a bit. It's hard to shake the feeling because they are trying to combine two very different genres that we are really just going to get an average presentation of both instead of focusing heavily on the spacesim part and getting it down right. I still hear quite negative things about the space combat and the things we have seen from Star Marine don't look fun to play in comparison to other AAA-shooters. If they can get Star Marine up to a good standard then great but right now there is little evidence over the past year of that happening.[/QUOTE] That's not entirely true. The FPS gameplay was always something that was going to be part of the game via ship boarding, what was expanded with it were the locations for it. The FPS gameplay went from only boarding, to being able to fight on space stations and on planets. People thinking the FPS and out of ship gameplay aren't important is something i've seen mentioned so many times and it seems like its a misunderstanding of what the game was always going to be. The game has always been about immersion, things like walking around stations were always part of that. In a way it's more appropriate to call it a FPS where you can get into ships, rather than a space combat game where you can occasionally get out. The problem with other games like this is that they take the latter approach - gameplay outside of ships is not a focus of the game in those, it's more like a side feature just stuck on. Being able to get out your ship and do things has always been out of the main aspects of Star Citizen and it's been that way from the start. Without Star Marine there would still be ship boarding, but that's all the FPS combat there would be (although there's still be the walking around stuff) How it is now is a meaningful addition to the game that allows a lot more gameplay and player freedom. Being able to get out of ships and Star Marine/FPS gameplay are just as important as other parts of the game. Without it, things like this wouldn't be possible: [quote]...allow you to seamlessly go from foot, to boarding a fully realized spaceship with your friends, take off, fly thousands or millions of km in space, exit your ship in EVA and explore derelict space stations or wrecks, engage in FPS combat, return to your ship, engage in space combat and return to your home base to share the tales of your adventures with your other friends. All with no leading screens, all at AAA first person fidelity that you can’t even get on a next gen console.[/quote] This is not a space sim with an optional first person walking around stations part, it's a first person universe where you're not a ship, you're an actual character. The game is being built around that, what you do outside of the ships is just as important as the ships themselves. This is far more than just a space sim.

The largest problem with X: Rebirth's walking on ships and stations was that Egosoft had neither the budget, time, or workforce to make it as good as it should be. There's about 4 station interior designs per system (so 16 designs, or 20 with the expansion pack) with maybe 16 uncanny valley NPCs in them, and the only thing to do is talk to NPCs. This was, naturally, a big point of criticism so Egosoft just made it so you could use your comms to talk to NPCs on stations while still flying and trade via freight drone. The walking on stations feels completely disconnected from the rest of the game, aggrevated by the fact that on almost all station sets there are no windows. Shores of Hazeron has everything that Star Citizen is planning on having in regards to on-foot movement, viewed through 1997-esque graphics. It's a pretty neat game but heavily flawed. I'm looking forward to a game properly implementing walking and flight, but what is going to annoy the fuck out of me when SC launches is having to watch all these slow startup sequences [I]every time[/I] I get back in my ship after trading on a station, versus the four seconds it takes me to dock at a station, trade, and then change ships in X3.

[QUOTE=MI_Junk;48878137]Three years and $90 million and all they can show for it is a bland space hallway simulator with lip syncing that doesn't even line up. They spent more time gushing about the motion capture studio they bought than showing gameplay, and what little canned gameplay they did show wasn't groundbreaking in the slightest to justify any of the hype. If this game ever does come out the way they've advertised it, I will eat my own shit.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=MI_Junk;48878160]Sure. In the meantime I've got a jpeg of a spaceship to sell you for $500 if you're interested.[/QUOTE] Recorded for :toxx: - we have someone willing to eat their own feces if SC actually succeeds. That alone is worth the price of pledging. [QUOTE=MI_Junk;48878211]But that's not what someone who has already sunk thousands into this idea wants to hear, so I guess that makes me a shitposter.[/QUOTE] Ah yes, positioning opposition as bought-in fanboys. You'll make a lovely contributor to this thread. [QUOTE=MI_Junk;48878295]If you've paid as much into this as it seems like you have, you should be worried.[/QUOTE] FUD straight from dickspittle's mouth. I never understand what people hope to gain except for being on their high horse whenever they swing by to bash Star Citizen like that. I guess you can tell who learns about the game strictly by lurking around Goons talking shit about it. DS clearly does. A reminder for the new page and for anyone who wants to talk shit about Star Citizen but hasn't actually ever played it: [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/promotions/citizencon2k15"]There's a free trial going on right now with all flyable ships unlocked in Arena Commander[/URL] (except maybe the Vanduul Scythe and Glaive). The code is CITCONFLIGHT2K15

I kinda want to pick up this game, but I only have 50GB left on my tiny hard drive and I dunno if I'm willing to put $45 into a game that isn't finished. Is it really worth it? or should I wait until the game is actually finished / not in Alpha?

[QUOTE=Toro;48879531]I kinda want to pick up this game, but I only have 50GB left on my tiny hard drive and I dunno if I'm willing to put $45 into a game that isn't finished. Is it really worth it? or should I wait until the game is actually finished / not in Alpha?[/QUOTE] If you have to ask, the answer is no. Come back in a year or so.

[QUOTE=Toro;48879531]I kinda want to pick up this game, but I only have 50GB left on my tiny hard drive and I dunno if I'm willing to put $45 into a game that isn't finished. Is it really worth it? or should I wait until the game is actually finished / not in Alpha?[/QUOTE] Ever preorder a game before? There's plenty of people willing to put $60 into a game with about the same chances of being finished. Think of it as a really early preorder, except you get to see a significant portion of the development process. Right now, you're more or less buying into a dream. The current game isn't much, just a ship based shootemup. There's a shit ton more on the horizon if you're patient, but if you really cant afford just tossing 45 bucks away, better off saving your money. But it's not gonna get cheaper.

[QUOTE=Toro;48879531]I kinda want to pick up this game, but I only have 50GB left on my tiny hard drive and I dunno if I'm willing to put $45 into a game that isn't finished. Is it really worth it? or should I wait until the game is actually finished / not in Alpha?[/QUOTE] Well, first of all, you won't be able to install the game even right now with that much room, since the game's about 30GB and requires double that amount during installation (for extracting from the installer files), so you'll need to make some room. And when the game does finally ship, it's probably going to be substantially larger than 30GB, but let's be honest, this is the kind of game you build a new computer for and it's a long way off from releasing so that's not too much to worry about just yet. However, the builds are only going to get bigger over time. If you do manage to make some room, you can try the current build of Arena Commander (dogfighting) for free for a week with the code and link in my post just above yours. It's only offline single-player access, but it lets you fly around in space, race, and fight against single-player AI, and we can help you learn how to fly. There should also be a tutorial for helping you with the basics of flight and combat. The $45 you spend now will get you development access to Arena Commander and ArcCorp (the planetside experience, which currently is only a map to explore and chat in), as well as the retail game - which will go for $60. So, right off the bat you're getting in for 25% off. Even if the game isn't worth playing right now, during alpha, you're getting in for cheaper than you will if you wait until retail. This may or may not be worth it to you, and I'll let you decide that. Buying in now means having the patience to deal with the pace of game development at a studio that isn't being whipped to meet impossible holiday deadlines a la Ubisoft. Some people can handle the "when it's done properly" mentality, others don't have the patience. You won't be losing out a [I]ton[/I] by not buying in now, but it's a way of getting to play the game as it's being built in pieces. You can also watch from the sidelines without buying in, and if you have [I]any[/I] doubts after playing the free trial, it's what I would recommend.

i have a scout package (aurora MR model and game) from back when the kickstarter and inital rsi funding stuff is going on should i upgrade it or convert to store credits to buy something, i also have a lightspeed lti package (350r) so i won't lose anything if i convert except for lifetime insurance for that aurora ship

I get my new SSD in an hours or so, so I will be d/l'ing / installing SC on it.

[QUOTE=Wii60;48881255]i have a scout package (aurora MR model and game) from back when the kickstarter and inital rsi funding stuff is going on should i upgrade it or convert to store credits to buy something, i also have a lightspeed lti package (350r) so i won't lose anything if i convert except for lifetime insurance for that aurora ship[/QUOTE] It depends entirely upon what you want. The Aurora ships are the absolute starting point for the game, no need for extra crew members and I can only assume super cheap running/insurance costs. You can always swap (for free!) to a Mustang if you want something different. Otherwise the next tier of single seaters (Hornet/Avenger/3XX Series) will incurr bigger costs but feature much better firepower/armour. Otherwise go balls out and get a multicrew ship, so long as you can afford to crew and run the thing!

I finally got around to watching the CitizenCon. I am crying. There's just so much beauty.

[QUOTE=Wii60;48881255]i have a scout package (aurora MR model and game) from back when the kickstarter and inital rsi funding stuff is going on should i upgrade it or convert to store credits to buy something, i also have a lightspeed lti package (350r) so i won't lose anything if i convert except for lifetime insurance for that aurora ship[/QUOTE] Upgrade, you'll keep the bennies on both packages. Unless you really need that extra $15 or so for a standalone ship purchase. The new upgrade system is now any-ship-X to any-ship-more-expensive-than-X instead of the convoluted as fuck system of SKU paths they had before.

[QUOTE=Wii60;48881255]i have a scout package (aurora MR model and game) from back when the kickstarter and inital rsi funding stuff is going on should i upgrade it or convert to store credits to buy something, i also have a lightspeed lti package (350r) so i won't lose anything if i convert except for lifetime insurance for that aurora ship[/QUOTE] Upgrading them is fine but DO NOT MELT THEM. Last time I checked Scout packages sold for $130 on grey market, so you could sell that and upgrade the other or something.

[QUOTE=elixwhitetail;48879611]And when the game does finally ship, it's probably going to be substantially larger than 30GB, but let's be honest, this is the kind of game you build a new computer for and it's a long way off from releasing so that's not too much to worry about just yet.[/QUOTE] I'm kind wondering when the perfect time would be for a new machine, taking into account price drops and new stuff etc. Best plan for me is to just set aside $50 a week. After a year adds to what, a $2000 machine? A $1500 machine with Oculus and new periphs? Sounds like the best plan for me, a low-end $800 2013 game machine should easily survive the first episode of Squadron 42.

[QUOTE=ScottyWired;48883269]I'm kind wondering when the perfect time would be for a new machine, taking into account price drops and new stuff etc. Best plan for me is to just set aside $50 a week. After a year adds to what, a $2000 machine? A $1500 machine with Oculus and new periphs? Sounds like the best plan for me, a low-end $800 2013 game machine should easily survive the first episode of Squadron 42.[/QUOTE] I would time my build for about a week before Star Citizen leaves beta + however many weeks it takes Aussie internet to preload 2TB or whatever size the game ends up being. Aus bandwidth jokes aside, I'd wait as late as possible for/after SC launch to build, because unless Moore's Law ends before SC releases, that's what you're really competing with when you plan a build around a release date beyond the near future.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/jglLB0t.png[/IMG] :why:

[QUOTE=Thom12255;48878834]Mark Hamil and Chris are quite close apparently going off one of Mark's twitter posts yesterday. Frankly, everything about the project is fine by me so far except Star Marine and that has been a clusterfuck for the past year and it's also the part of the game I care least about and wish they weren't bothering with as it reminds me far to much of X-Rebirth. The 10-hours of cutscenes thing might be good, I don't know. I really want SQ42 to be fun and hopefully even if the acting is bad and the writing a bit dull that the missions themselves are fun to play through, I need a Freespace 2 fix.[/QUOTE] Seriously im an FPS-nut but i feel that the FPS part of Star Citizen may be too much, i could live without it no problem.

[QUOTE=Orki;48884052]Seriously im an FPS-nut but i feel that the FPS part of Star Citizen may be too much, i could live without it no problem.[/QUOTE] There's plenty of people who'd disagree with you. I'm not much for PvP, but I appreciate that it's there for those who like it.

[QUOTE=Orki;48884052]Seriously im an FPS-nut but i feel that the FPS part of Star Citizen may be too much, i could live without it no problem.[/QUOTE] Same, I wouldn't be upset if for whatever reason it were cut. But at the same time, it [i]is[/i] awesome that they're doing it. It's one of those crazy ideas we all had when we were kids. "They should make a game where it's like X-Wing vs Tie Fighter but then you can get out of your ship and it's like Quake!" But then as you grow up you realise the limitations in technology preventing stuff like that. Except now it's happening.

I'm not sure why people think FPS elements are irrelevant to your position in the game as a player character instead of a ship with a pilot model in it, unless you're just looking at it as a totally isolated e-sport multiplayer deathmatch function. The premise of a lot of roles and situations would feel pretty hollow without legit FPS components in small helpings

It makes me think people think Star Citizen is still merely a space sim with some space station fps levels tacked on as an incredibly time-consuming afterthought, and not a fully-integrated first-person experience. [QUOTE=FlakAttack;48883082]Upgrading them is fine but DO NOT MELT THEM. Last time I checked Scout packages sold for $130 on grey market, so you could sell that and upgrade the other or something.[/QUOTE] I just remembered: additional to this, Wii60, you'll keep the LTI when you upgrade the Aurora MR into whatever. For example, with the $0 lateral swap to a Mustang Alpha, you would be one of the very few people with an LTI Mustang Alpha, since Mustangs were [I]never[/I] offered for LTI concept sale (by backer vote).

I don't think you can swap to the mustang for free any more since they fixed the price discrepancy

[QUOTE=krail9;48884500]I don't think you can swap to the mustang for free any more since they fixed the price discrepancy[/QUOTE] Balls. You're correct. However, [URL="https://robertsspaceindustries.com/fly-now"]the starter package is still $45 for either Aurora or Mustang[/URL]. [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/HhTDctZ.png[/IMG] Wish I'd grabbed a few more of these, since they're technically worth $5 each now when used on MRs.

[QUOTE=Orki;48884052]Seriously im an FPS-nut but i feel that the FPS part of Star Citizen may be too much, i could live without it no problem.[/QUOTE] If you think it isn't important, then i don't think you quite understand what Star Citizen is going to be. As you have an actual character and will be carrying out all actions via that character, the FPS/first person gameplay is the core of the entire game. They haven't just suddenly decided they'll let you occasionally get out your ship and do FPS stuff if you want to, instead it's pretty much the whole premise of Star Citizen and it's been that way from the start. You can't go without it, because then there would be no game. It is not some optional FPS mode they've stuck ontop of a space sim.

I want to see the results of this in video format Automatic Generation of Photorealistic 3D Inner Mouth Animation only from Frontal Images [url]https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ipsjjip/23/5/23_693/_article[/url]

[QUOTE]We’re going replace all the level loading code with a new ZoneContainer system which consolidates everything within a level, and also the prefabs as well, into its own new structure. It also shows the power of the zone system our friends over in Frankfurt have been writing, which as you can tell by the name each container is its own zone as well. So almost everything becomes its own ZoneContainer, systems, planets, ships, space stations and so on. It allows us great flexibility as we will be able to now have levels within levels, or [B]levels orbiting levels[/b] and, with the new seamless background loading of the ZoneContainers, a practically infinite playfield as well. Happy days![/QUOTE] bug where planets orbit around the player calling it now

[QUOTE=ScottyWired;48885473]bug where planets orbit around the player calling it now[/QUOTE] Sounds like a bug Derek Shart would be right at home with :v:

That sounds like a lot of sleepless nights for the bug smashers