Star Citizen reaches 1.5M Backers, $120M Funding

Ijuin

Admiral
As of this weekend, Star Citizen has now reached two new milestones: One and a half million backers, and $120 million in funds raised! At this rate, 2 million backers and $150 million seem reachable.
 
As long as they stop making more flyable ships and focus on getting the game done...


Well, not to be too snippy about it, but I should hope that you, particularly with all the excellent work you've done over the years on these fan projects (which I have absolutely enjoyed), would know well enough that, ships or no ships, these things do take time?
 
Writing my comment I didn't mean to sound like an ass... it's a genuine concern. I don't mind it's taking time to make the game, really.

I am glad they stopped adding more features into the game because the more complex it gets, the harder it will be to complete the project. As for ships, the flyable ships are little game levels in themselves, so it's very time consuming. I'd rather have that time and resources put to build more locations, bases, planets. Remember that Privateer was a great game, even if it only had 4 flyable ships. If you want to make space full with diverse ships, make non-flyable models which take much less time and resources modelling.

Call me cynical, but sometimes I do get the impression that new flyable ships are being made to keep cash pouring in.
 
Keep in mind that this is the game Chris has always wanted to make. The features being added are there because they are part of the overall design vision.

As for the ships, each of them represents a potentially different and unique way to play the game. Yes, Privateer was and is great fun, but also very limited in terms of professions. If Star Citizen is to succeed in attracting fans other than just us old school space simmers, it needs to offer a lot of variety in gameplay.
 
The sales continues because CIG has to pay over 330 People. It was in a Interview with the german PC Games Magazine.

My fleet is now finish. I don't pay anymore in another ship (say that already 10 times or so :D). In Merchandise - np.

Fleet Status:

Sabre - Medium Stealth Fighter
Vanguard Harbinger - Medium Bomber/Heavy Fighter (the same as the F-57 Sabre - my Favorite WC Ship of all time!!)
Dragonfly 2 Pack
890J - Jack of all Trades
Carrack - for a Little Exploration tour ;)
 
I've given up on it myself. I used to be excited for it back in 2012-13, before it became the bloated mess that it is today. They really should've stopped taking donations a long time ago imo. We'll see, but I'm not holding out much hope that it'll actually be fun. Runaway crowdfunding at its finest.

Of course the release of ships are to keep the cash flowing. Even before the game starts, it's already partially broken. People flying Idris and Javelin on launch day? I'll probably end up playing on a private server, if that's still a thing.
 
Oh and before you accuse me having succumbed to DerekSmartism (I have not :p), I've been expressing those concerns about the project scope getting too big a while back during the original crowdfunding campaign when new stretch goals were added all the time... Chris Roberts pitched a 6-12 millions dollar game at the time.

Anyway, I didn't really want to debate about it, and it's not like my opinion could influence the production anyway :D

No relation to the initial discussion: My only real beef is the updates are way to big to download for my internet data cap, it takes me like a week or two to update my client everytime a patch is out. Someone should teach the programmer in charge of the launcher about incremental updates ! :p
 
I've given up on it myself. I used to be excited for it back in 2012-13, before it became the bloated mess that it is today. They really should've stopped taking donations a long time ago imo. We'll see, but I'm not holding out much hope that it'll actually be fun. Runaway crowdfunding at its finest.

Of course the release of ships are to keep the cash flowing. Even before the game starts, it's already partially broken. People flying Idris and Javelin on launch day? I'll probably end up playing on a private server, if that's still a thing.

You really need to watch that video I linked...

As for balance, flying big ships takes a lot of work and a big crew. They will be expensive to insure and hellishly expensive to outfit. Then there's the risk that one guy comes along with a well-placed torpedo and blows your big investment to space dust.

It's been discussed to death, but there is no "win" in this game other than the goals you set for yourself. Owning a multi-crew or capital ship is simply a different way to play the game, not some huge insurmountable gameplay advantage.
 
Oh and before you accuse me having succumbed to DerekSmartism (I have not :p), I've been expressing those concerns about the project scope getting too big a while back during the original crowdfunding campaign when new stretch goals were added all the time... Chris Roberts pitched a 6-12 millions dollar game at the time.

Anyway, I didn't really want to debate about it, and it's not like my opinion could influence the production anyway :D

No relation to the initial discussion: My only real beef is the updates are way to big to download for my internet data cap, it takes me like a week or two to update my client everytime a patch is out. Someone should teach the programmer in charge of the launcher about incremental updates ! :p

Yes, he pitched a 6 million dollar game, and then suddenly ends up with way more than that. Most other people would have made the 6 million dollar game and pocketed the rest. Instead he decided to go all the way and make the game we funded. Having watched that Alpha 3.0 demo, I'd say it was worth every fracking cent.

Incremental patches are in the works and have been for some time. CryEngine is a bit stubborn, apparently.
 
You really need to watch that video I linked...
I watched it several days ago. Yes it does look good, but I'm looking at it from an objective viewpoint here, this is not the game I backed. C'est la vie.

We'll see how the balance pans out when the game is released. Anything before then is just speculation.
 
I watched it several days ago. Yes it does look good, but I'm looking at it from an objective viewpoint here, this is not the game I backed. C'est la vie.

We'll see how the balance pans out when the game is released. Anything before then is just speculation.

I'm curious, what game did you back?
 
Personally I think many of the new stuff/stretch goals rewards were fine. Orchestral music ? Yeah ! More star systems ? Hell yeah ! Motion/facial capture ? Humm ok, nice addition ! More SQ42 missions ? Hurray ! Fictional languages designed by a real linguist ? Wow, nice ! Procedural systems/planets ? Yeaaaaaahhhhhh !

But some other additions we didn't originally backed for are problematic because they make the game hugely more complex to design, code and balance. Originally when we backed the game there was no player-flyable capship, no multi-crew, no boarding system (makes it a requirement that every ship in-game be modelled inside), no FPS mode (required for boarding), etc. I am not saying it's impossible to do, just waaaaaay more complex, and more likely to fail.

I am still confident SQ42 will be great. SC ? Worried.
 
Yes well, time will tell I suppose. I'm confident that if anyone can pull this off, the CIG team can. Besides, you don't push the boundaries of gaming by playing it safe. Chris did stuff in the past while making Wing Commander and Strike Commander that few thought was possible.
 
I don't care about Chris Roberts at all, and I neither have a positive nor negative opinion of him as I don't--or have the desire to--know him personally. Remember the cult of Garriott and the resulting Tabula Rasa. Roberts isn't the only person involved in the project.

My opinion on the subject is this. I'll wait and see. Hopefully they improve on the dog-fighting model though, as I don't find it very fun in it's current state.

And a clarification "[T]his is not the [vision of the] game [that] I backed." Happy?
 
I don't care about Chris Roberts at all, and I neither have a positive nor negative opinion of him as I don't--or have the desire to--know him personally. Remember the cult of Garriott and the resulting Tabula Rasa. Roberts isn't the only person involved in the project.

My opinion on the subject is this. I'll wait and see. Hopefully they improve on the dog-fighting model though, as I don't find it very fun in it's current state.

And a clarification "[T]his is not the [vision of the] game [that] I backed." Happy?

You saw something in the original pitch that was worth backing though, right?
 
You saw something in the original pitch that was worth backing though, right?
Yes I did, and it's still there. Squadron 42. It's even expanded in a positive direction since I backed it back in 2012.

I'll give you an analogy though. I go through the drive through and order a hamburger. It comes normally with ketchup, mustard, and pickles. When I get my hamburger, it has both cheese and mayo on it. But this isn't a hamburger is it? And I can't just remove the cheese and mayo can I? Cheese I can stand, but I find mayo revolting. How much mayo will this game contain? Only time will tell.
 
I think I see what you're getting at. Fair enough. At least we agree that SQ42 should be worth the wait, regardless of how the rest of the game turns out.
 
Oh and before you accuse me having succumbed to DerekSmartism (I have not :p), I've been expressing those concerns about the project scope getting too big a while back during the original crowdfunding campaign when new stretch goals were added all the time... Chris Roberts pitched a 6-12 millions dollar game at the time.

Anyway, I didn't really want to debate about it, and it's not like my opinion could influence the production anyway :D

No relation to the initial discussion: My only real beef is the updates are way to big to download for my internet data cap, it takes me like a week or two to update my client everytime a patch is out. Someone should teach the programmer in charge of the launcher about incremental updates ! :p

Oh, no worries about that. I am a fan of self-responsibility and the tempering of one's expectations. There are plenty of examples of late delivery, feature creep, and overhype when it comes to game development, so it's a rational concern as long as it's informed by information and experience as opposed to hysteria and fearmongering.

I certainly wasn't worried about you succumbing to ds-ism, as I believe you are a better game developer than he is and are better situated to appreciate (and critque) the whole thing. Your track record is better ;) Hence I actually do respect your opinion, because I at least know it's your own opinion.

As opposed to someone adopting someone else's unqualified opinion out of sheer laziness or gullibility.
 
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