Star Citizen - Space Combat Sim built with CryENGINE 3 (by Chris Roberts)

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

If you've already backed them do you still only have until the 6th to get other ships with LTI or is it extended until the game is at some sort of release stage? I took a Colonel package last year and am interested in the bombers but they haven't revealed them yet, I don't want to buy something that's a POC when released like the Avenger!

No. If you already backed, then you're either an original backer (backed before November 26th 2012) or a veteran backer (after November 26th 2012). The July 6th deadline is for a limited number of ships (Aurora LX, 350r, M50, Starfarer, Caterpillar, Gladiator and Retaliator) and lifetime insurance for new backers. Original and veteran backers have nothing to worry about for LTI. They can buy any ships they want minus the ones that won't be available after July 26th until November 26th 2013.

 

This image explains it well:

 

 

Source: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/12986-Lifetime-Insurance-Clarification

 

From what I understand the July 6th date relates to a specific set of limited edition ships but you'll still be able to upgrade to other ships after that if you're already a backer. It's all a bit convoluted.

That's correct. However, the July 6th deadline is important for people that haven't backed already. After that date, they won't be able to get ships with lifetime insurance.

[SirEvan]

oh man.  freelancer, privateer, wing commander...all those games from the ~90's were AWESOME.  may just donate to this.

 

Edit: just donated 65$.  Can't wait.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

oh man.  freelancer, privateer, wing commander...all those games from the ~90's were AWESOME.  may just donate to this.

 

Edit: just donated 65$.  Can't wait.

Nice. You're a veteran backer now so you can purchase more ships with LTI up until November 26th 2013. You can also buy ships for your friends and send it to them as a gift. The cool thing about doing that is transferring lifetime insurance to them.

[MillionVoltss]

Looks interesting. Little confused about it, I click buy package and get More ship purchase options. If you crash + Die, do you lose your ship ?

[FunkyMike]

Looks interesting. Little confused about it, I click buy package and get More ship purchase options. If you crash + Die, do you lose your ship ?

 

 

If you get LifeTimeInsurance you get your ship back free of charge. Normal users that don't have LTI can buy insurance for their ship in game. (Missions give you credits etc.)

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Looks interesting. Little confused about it, I click buy package and get More ship purchase options. If you crash + Die, do you lose your ship ?

If you don't pledge before July 6th, you'll only be able to get ships with Standard Hull Insurance. This will last for a set period of time (e.g. one, three, or six months). If you pledge before July 6th, you'll gain veteran backer status and any ship you buy will have Lifetime Insurance (LTI). Also, any future ships you buy after the deadline will also have LTI.

 

If your ship is uninsured and it gets destroyed or stolen, then it's gone. It's not as bad as you may think though. All ships will come with Standard Hull Insurance so you'll be good for one, three, or six months. After the insurance expires, you'll have to renew it using in-game currency (credits) which you can earn in missions or through trading/selling.

 

You can read more about the insurance here.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

So what is the monetization story on this game?

 

I'm not a fan of crowdfunding so I probably won't partake, but I'm curious as to how this is designed to shape up for "backers".

 

So if you purchased one of those expensive ships >$100 what does that net you in addition to the ship and LTI (before 7/6)? Will you have paid that $100 and still be saddled with a monthly fee (similar to EVE Online)?

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

I've been interested in this game for a while, but IMO the funding options are a mess. And everything seems to be timed limited edition pre-orders.

[xendrome]

So I'm reading the estimated release date is Q4 2014 or Q1 2015 for this game... And it's being built on Cryengine 3. But then that will be outdated and I foresee them "rewriting the game on a different engine" by then half of the developers will have departed for other companies/projects, revenue will trickle because of a lack of a launch and the entire project will suffer and eventually disappear without a release. Or a third party will snatch up the 75% completed game/code, throw in a ton of in-game app purchase add-ons and DLC to buy and release it with bug ridden issues but cash out on it as quickly as possible, drop support after the first 2 patches and then abandon the servers shortly after.

 

Am I pretty close to how anyone else feels this is going to end up?

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

So what is the monetization story on this game?

 

I'm not a fan of crowdfunding so I probably won't partake, but I'm curious as to how this is designed to shape up for "backers".

 

So if you purchased one of those expensive ships >$100 what does that net you in addition to the ship and LTI (before 7/6)? Will you have paid that $100 and still be saddled with a monthly fee (similar to EVE Online)?

The cheapest package ($30) comes with a digital download of the full game but I read that it will launch at $60. It won't use a traditional MMO subscription model like Eve Online. Instead, it'll be like Guild Wars 2 where you only pay for the game once.

 

After the initial $60 for the game, it'll be supported by micro-transactions to purchase in-game currency (credits) which can be used to buy ships, weapons, upgrades, and more. The benefit of supporting the game now is having the opportunity to by limited edition ships, lifetime insurance for any ship you purchase, and basically getting the full game for as little as $30.

 

I've been interested in this game for a while, but IMO the funding options are a mess. And everything seems to be timed limited edition pre-orders.

You have to understand that the game is still in the funding phase. People have an opportunity to support the game and because of that, they're being rewarded with the opportunity to buy some stuff that players won't have access to in the early stages of the game. Of course, not everything is time-limited.

 

So I'm reading the estimated release date is Q4 2014 or Q1 2015 for this game... And it's being built on Cryengine 3. But then that will be outdated and I foresee them "rewriting the game on a different engine" by then half of the developers will have departed for other companies/projects, revenue will trickle because of a lack of a launch and the entire project will suffer and eventually disappear without a release. Or a third party will snatch up the 75% completed game/code, throw in a ton of in-game app purchase add-ons and DLC to buy and release it with bug ridden issues but cash out on it as quickly as possible, drop support after the first 2 patches and then abandon the servers shortly after.

 

Am I pretty close to how anyone else feels this is going to end up?

The estimated release date is Q4 2014 (November). CryENGINE 3 isn't as outdated as Unreal Engine 3. And they can't use Frostbite 2/3. A game like this takes time to build so using current tech is absolutely necessary. Also, Crytek updates CryENGINE 3 and I'm sure the Star Citizen team will incorporate those updates. As for the development team, I'm sure there will be a few that will stay to the end. The rest may be temporary. With that said, the team is dedicated and what they've told (and shown) us so far is good. I have the utmost faith in them.

[theyarecomingforyou]

The estimated release date is Q4 2014 (November). CryENGINE 3 isn't as outdated as Unreal Engine 3. And they can't use Frostbite 2/3. A game like this takes time to build so using current tech is absolutely necessary. Also, Crytek updates CryENGINE 3 and I'm sure the Star Citizen team will incorporate those updates. As for the development team, I'm sure there will be a few that will stay to the end. The rest may be temporary. With that said, the team is dedicated and what they've told (and shown) us so far is good. I have the utmost faith in them.

Exactly. I mean, Titanfall is based on the Source engine it has been five years since the last major update and nine years since it was first released. CryEngine 3 is an advanced engine and by the time the game is released more people will be able to run it at quality settings. Quality depends on how the game is built and Roberts was talking about polygon counts far in excess of current games, so I don't foresee any concerns with quality. The engine will also be expanded upon just like so many games did with Unreal Engine 3.

 

Or a third party will snatch up the 75% completed game/code, throw in a ton of in-game app purchase add-ons and DLC to buy and release it with bug ridden issues but cash out on it as quickly as possible, drop support after the first 2 patches and then abandon the servers shortly after.

Roberts already has private investors and countless backers through crowdfunding, so there isn't any need to sell out. If he runs short on money then he can simply sell the game on Steam through the Early Access section, as is being done with Double Fine's KS project. Further, the various ship options are the equivalent of DLC except people are purchasing them before release, making it even more successful than traditional DLC. The biggest concern is how the various tiers will be balanced as if it turns into a pay-2-win title then that would annoy a lot of people but Roberts has been a vocal critic of pay-2-win so it is reasonable to be optimistic.

 

As a huge fan of games like Tie Fighter, Wing Commander and Starlancer?the latter two being developed by Roberts?I am excited about Star Citizen and am happy to have backed it. The support for the Oculus Rift is just the icing on the cake and Star Citizen looks to be one of the few games to justify such a purchase. Now I just need to find a quality left-handed joystick / flightstick.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Well said, theyarecomingforyou. They've raised $2.8M over the last 2 weeks bringing the total to $13M. And $1M out of the $2.8M was raised in four days (July 1 - 5). They've already posted the stretch goals for $14M and $15M and I'm confident that they'll raise at least $18M by the end of the year.

[Alera]

So I'm reading the estimated release date is Q4 2014 or Q1 2015 for this game... And it's being built on Cryengine 3. But then that will be outdated and I foresee them "rewriting the game on a different engine" by then half of the developers will have departed for other companies/projects, revenue will trickle because of a lack of a launch and the entire project will suffer and eventually disappear without a release. Or a third party will snatch up the 75% completed game/code, throw in a ton of in-game app purchase add-ons and DLC to buy and release it with bug ridden issues but cash out on it as quickly as possible, drop support after the first 2 patches and then abandon the servers shortly after.

 

Am I pretty close to how anyone else feels this is going to end up?

 

That's wrong, yes the game has an estimated release date between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015, but you have to be aware they are using the latest builds (and update every few weeks to the latest build) of CryEngine 3, it's more like CryEngine 3.5, they're helping Crytek develop CryEngine 4 by asking for new features to be implemented to the engine etc.

 

They currently have $13 million USD pledged to the game by over 200,000 people, and with what I said above, I don't think it will be outdated by release, nor do I think it'll be snatched up by another third party so you're nowhere close to how I feel this is going to end up.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

So I bought the Bounty Hunter tier, just to see that I had completely missed the tier with the 315p.

Now I'm thinking of upgrading to the Freelancer, what is wrong with me.

[Caleo Global Moderator]

I've been trying to ignore the game since I contributed back in October.. the more I hyped I get, the more I'll be disappointed.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

So I bought the Bounty Hunter tier, just to see that I had completely missed the tier with the 315p.

Now I'm thinking of upgrading to the Freelancer, what is wrong with me.

Haha! The MISC Freelancer is a beautiful ship. I have the Bounty Hunter package too plus the 325a upgrade and I'm already eyeing the Pirate package for $110 USD ($75 of which can come from my current package + upgrade):

 

 

Drake Interplanetary Cutlass:

 

 

The 315p and 325a upgrade are no longer available; however, you can buy a package that contains those ships. They have different names: Arbiter (325a) and Pathfinder (315p). If you want to get those, then you'll need to reclaim your Bounty Hunter package and use the store credit towards one of the two packages. They're the same in every way except for the ship (325a or 315p instead of 300i).

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

I ended up upgrading to the 315p, couldn't justify basically doubling my pledge for the Freelancer.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

It's not a bad ship. I had a hard time deciding on which upgrade to go for: 325a or 315p. I chose the 325a because its better for dogfights. I'd love to explore though so I might get a 315p in a couple of months.

 

 

 

Also, an explanation of the game's economy:

 

[SirEvan]

dumb question but i couldn't find it on the site.  Is the "lifetime insurance" basically if you r ship gets damaged in combat or something, the hull is repaired free?

[yxz]

dumb question but i couldn't find it on the site.  Is the "lifetime insurance" basically if you r ship gets damaged in combat or something, the hull is repaired free?

http://starcitizen.wikia.com/wiki/Lifetime_Insurance

[Patrick831]

The Hangar Module has been released.

 

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/hangar-module

 

 

 

Please remember that this is an extremely early build intended as a reward for our dedicated backers. 

 

[Forjo]

Just replying mainly to get this in my content list. I couldn't find a traditional forum "subscribe" option.

 

I've very much looking forward to this -- and the Freelancer looks great in the hangar. I wish I could afford more, but I can wait to get the other ships in-game.

 

They've passed 19 million, by the way. Amazing interest in this one!

 

-Forjo

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Almost $26 million.

 

Also, this:

 

[spaceelf]

The one thing I can't respect about this game is how much they're pushing people to upsell, like some sleazy hotel chap.

 

...

 

...No.  **** off.  I bought the game, I'm not going to spend hundreds more for tiers that shouldn't even exist.

[HawkMan]

This is my problem with this game atm.

 

pay a 100 to 150 dollars to get your ship... I mean WTF. people are paying hundreds of dollars for this game, why...

 

I as a regular gamer can't get these fighters ? If I just buy the game I can't get the hornet ? or I can get it, but with unreasonable restrictions like, ship permadeath while those who pay to win with hundreds of dollars get respawned at the nearest starbase with a brand new freshly painted one ? what's the deal ...

 

Either way. I love the game... I think, to little is known of the game to say that yet, or to even spend money on it. but all this money whoring and pay to win stuff is putting me off the game more and more...