Star Citizen (Wing Commander successor)

[Maniacal]

Link to video.

One hour recording of the (formerly) live GDC Panel & gameplay footage.

http://robertsspaceindustries.com/star-citizen/

TheVerge article

Star Citizen is a modern successor to games like Wing Commander, Privateer and Freelancer featuing an extensive open ended universe, dynamic economy and so on using CryEngine 3. From what I can tell it is going to be an MMO space sim sort of like EVE Online but without a subscription fee (like Guild Wars). It has a flight model and physics simulation so you will actually be flying your ship around and there is a huge amount of detail for individual parts of the ship (ie maneuvering jets/thrusters, multiple interactive objects in the cockpit) and character models (possible more than enough detail, but it seems they will be selling a lot of cosmetic items, also you can walk around in a station and look out and wave to someone flying by and they will see you).

The game is already privately funded, but there is a $2-4 million crowdfunding goal with lots of pretty cool pre-order options on their website.

I'm more than a little hesitant about it being an MMO, I'd vastly prefer a modifiable SP game with a separate MP mode but it does sound really cool. Hopefully it will be nowhere near as intensive as EVE Online is with the game being dominated by people (or groups with enough people) who can spend all their time playing it to the detriment of those who cannot or will not.

EDIT: PCGamer article with a lot more information.

- Game is going to be a persistent open world but battles will be instanced with the goal of having 60-100 players in them.
- Large enough ships can have multiple players on board (ie manning turrets).
- Support for private servers and modding private servers.
- Singleplayer (with optional co-op) campaign will be a spiritual successor to Wing Commander featuring the fall of a galactic Roman-esque empire.
- EVA activities ("spacewalking").
- Crowdfunding is to show his investors there is indeed interest in the game. When the crowdfunding goals are reached he will get their full funding.
- Chris Roberts seems extremely dedicated to this game.
- No specific details on microtransactions yet.

 

[Rub'Rum]

And it seems he will spend time on cockpits, ship interiors, character models, and immersion too... Something that is often lacking in other games of the genre.

 

[History_Buff]

I will be very stoked if this game becomes anything, so long as I can pilot my little fighter in first person mode.

I've been waiting for something like Freelancer for a very long time.

 

[Rubin]

I watched Mr. Roberts live yesterday when it got announced. I was in a state of disbelief--sort of. I think I still am. This sounds absolutely amazing!

Unfortunately, I've never managed to play any of the Wing Commander games nor Freelancer. I fear it's too late now to really appreciate those titles. But because of Mr. Roberts' pretty awkward "sales pitch", I believe this new space game may actually become a reality. He's a dreamer, a passionate dreamer; and that's exactly what the industry needs!

It looks like anyone wanting to play the game needs a 2014/2015 high end PC. Ouch.

Some thoughts and speculation:

• The game has to be an MMO in order to succeed. A game with a scope like this risks becoming stale pretty quickly, even with scripted dynamics. Singleplayer works for sandbox games like Egosoft's X series, but Squadron 42 or Star Citizen or whatever the final game is called definitely does not look like a sandbox game.
  
  
• If the MMO model is anything like EVE Online, I definitely won't be playing. However, I don't see any indication that the game will be cutthroat PvP, and EVE Online already exists, so why do a similar game?! PvP has to be forgiving. Considering this site and forum, I'm actually really interested in MMO and PvP thoughts and opinions.
  
  
• I get the impression that there are aliens in the game. I would love to play an alien race! But I also get the impression that players are resticted to playing as humans... Ah, if so, then maybe let me play as the bad guys. (Or at least allow me to pilot a badass looking alien ship.)
  
  
• There's a huge potential for cosmetic microtransactions, if my understanding of the game is correct. For example, I am not that hooked on the "Star Wars"-like red and blue lazers, so maybe I could pay for a cosmetic replacement and get some green plasma pulses instead. This could also go for ship model variants, skins, etc. A more intrusive option could be to unlock additional ship slots, so that you could have your own fighter docked at your own carrier. Without extra slots, you'd of course be limited to flying and owning just a single ship.
  
  
• In the presentation, Mr. Roberts described an example where an explorer finds a new "jump point" in the universe. This suggests an insanely huge universe! I struggle to see how this is going to work, unless the size is dynamic. That is, the known universe expands if more players join the game, and parts of the universe gets destroyed if fewer players play. I see plenty of ways to implement dynamic size.

Oh, has anyone found a way to register without pledging? And where are the forums?

 

[Maniacal]

Its not too late to appreciate Freelancer despite the aging graphics, but yeah I haven't played any of the Wing Com or Privateer games because they do look a little too old

My worry about the naming thing though is that we're going to end up with a lot of really stupidly named jump points.

 

[History_Buff]

Yeah, I fired up Freelancer again last year, still super fun. And still surprisingly good at it, or least as good as you could be at single player.

First time through I didn't know how to kill my engines and drift, which made it so much harder. The AI is just not prepared to deal with that. You can just orbit them continuously if you know what you're doing.

 

[ArneHD]

Curse you kickstarter and this and crowdfunding for making me spend all my money! I really can't keep going on this rate.

 

[Maniacal]

A FAQ was posted yesterday, and it addresses quite a few questions like the payment model (buy once, microtransactions a possibility, but everything can be earned in-game normally), gameplay modes (SP wing commander-like campaign, and the MP mode with mod support for private servers). It doesn't go into much depth though (not surprising since it is still early-ish).
http://www.robertsspaceindustries.com/draft-faq/

 

[Rubin]

After a genuinely thrilling last three hours of the crowdfunding campaign, Star Citizen managed to raise more the 6.2 million dollars. It was crazy to watch the total go from ~4 to ~6 million in less than 24 hours. Mr. Roberts and his staff looked very unorganized, tired and absent-minded--unlike Mr. Schafer from Double Fine Productions when they finished their 3.3 million campaign (as I recall it). A little disappointing and anticlimactic.

When I just checked the Roberts Space Industries site, I was greeted by this message:

The battle is over and we - PC gamers, space sim fans, WingNuts, Lancers and the rest - have won. You've not only met every goal we set, you've exceeded them. Star Citizen will be released because of your dedication and your willingness to put your money where our mouths are. Our gratitude is immeasurable; we owe you our livelihoods and will not soon forget it.

The question is: what happens next?

Our intention has always been to make Roberts Space Industries YOUR site. It's not a public advertisement for the game; it's a private community for those who are making the game happen. We want your input on what we're doing and we want to share our plans with you; the occasional passer-by doesn't concern us. The plan was initially to immediately switch on a wall that would allow only you, our backers, to access features like the Comm-Link and the Spectrum Dispatches. Kickstarter has thrown something of a wrench in this plan: we can't change the site until the Kickstarter backers are integrated, which may take up to two weeks, otherwise we would be blocking thousands of backers from participating.

Updates and features will continue, returning to a regular schedule in the next few days. The team needs a few days to collect ourselves and reform before jumping into the immense task ahead (after the last month, our husbands, wives, children and yes, pets, miss us!) We will also be launching new sections which have been in the works for some time: the Galactapedia will tell you more about the Star Citizen world, Engineering will introduce you to game mechanics that are being planned and Holovids will offer you video footage from the game as it takes shape.

What about pledges? Good news: those of you who got in on the ground floor are covered. Your ships have lifetime insurance policies and for the next year you will have the ability to purchase further tiers or upgrade existing ones at the initial prices. That's not true of everyone else: if you want to back Star Citizen and participate in this amazing community, you still can. but it's going to cost you a little extra as of now, and you aren't going to have as many extras (no lifetime insurance, for example.)

One issue which concerns us is what to do with the funding tracker. So we're going to throw the issue up to you: in two weeks, when the wall goes up, what do you want to see done with the tracker? Without the 'push' of the campaign it probably won't update very dramatically. but it's always possible it will go up enough to reach future stretch goals anyway. Should we keep it, remove it or put it somewhere else? We'll let the community decide.

We also have previously outlined the 'behind the screens' subscription plans available now. They're designed for users who simply want to give us a little extra support during the development - you're getting the whole story, regardless - but we will have some extra fun for our monthly contributors.

We can't thank you enough for everything you've done for this project. Please see the next update on 'The Pledge' for our promise to you. The next two years are going to be incredible for all involved and we're thoroughly happy that all of you are along for this exciting ride.

(my emphasis)

I'm a bit shocked, honestly. A wall between a "paid" community and potential customers? I don't see how this is a win for PC gamers, and being one just became a little less attractive (Same for being a space sim fan ) Perhaps it's just the wording of the message, I don't know. But my excitement definitely dropped, although I'll probably buy the game when it's released.

What do you make of it?

 

[Rub'Rum]

I'm a bit shocked, honestly. A wall between a "paid" community and potential customers? I don't see how this is a win for PC gamers, and being one just became a little less attractive (Same for being a space sim fan ) Perhaps it's just the wording of the message, I don't know. But my excitement definitely dropped, although I'll probably buy the game when it's released.

What do you make of it?

I agree with you.