# Star Citizen is the Future of PC Gaming, and it \[was\] Free to Play this week (Edit: No Longer Free) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [October 13, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528 "2015-10-13T06:29:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/261 "2017-08-05T00:03:57Z")
The two-year anniversary of this thread was slated for October, but we’ll probably have to push it back to Q1 of 2018. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/262 "2017-08-05T09:09:18Z")
The problem for Star Citizen is that it’s falling off people’s radar. Noone cares anymore, except the people who’ve invested a lot already. 3.0 isn’t going to create a game yet, until they go persistant it’s still just a glorified tech demo. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/263 "2017-08-05T14:51:06Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > This is why I don’t PvP. I work for a living and don’t have time to “git gud”. True, it’s why I like to read all those articles about the grand schemes and battles that take place in Eve online, but I’ll never jump in and try them for myself. Even Elite threatened to be too much for me, so much so that I sold my xbox to ensure it stayed that way. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/264 "2017-08-05T17:46:41Z")
To me, SC represents a fascinating ongoing case study about Kickstarters, consumer expectations, the cult of personality around Chris Roberts, and the rabid supporters/detractors on both side. Every few months, I am somehow reminded of the game and I look up its progress, relevant news stories, etc. Then I forget about it again. If the game ever launches and if it delivers on its promises\*, it’ll be one hell of a game. Until then, the primary way to enjoy it is as a spectator. I happen to be a spectator who feels that Chris Roberts and co. have no particular reason to worry about deadlines when they’ve managed to secure a reliable revenue stream through the sale of virtual goods that, generally, can’t even be used virtually. But, unlike how some folks (here and elsewhere) were gleefully cheering on the crash’n’burn of _No Man’s Sky_, I’m not actively hoping for failure. More like I’m expecting it based on what I read. Too bad. It could be great. \*Since one of the promises is that the game won’t be pay-to-win, I’m not confident that they’ll be able to deliver. If/when the game launches, it’ll launch with millions upon millions of real dollars worth of capital ships floating around. The idea that an entry-level player will be able to catch up becomes less viable with each passing year and each dollar ‘donated.’ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/265 "2017-08-05T17:55:50Z")
As always when this thread gets bumped, I’m interested to hear from any Doper backers on how things look from inside the game. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/266 "2017-08-05T18:15:05Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Even Elite threatened to be too much for me, so much so that I sold my xbox to ensure it stayed that way. I play in a private group dedicated to PvE that has a presence on the consoles as well. No need to “git gud”. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/267 "2017-08-05T18:57:16Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > To me, SC represents a fascinating ongoing case study about Kickstarters, consumer expectations, the cult of personality around Chris Roberts, and the rabid supporters/detractors on both side. Every few months, I am somehow reminded of the game and I look up its progress, relevant news stories, etc. Then I forget about it again. Same here, I just happen to post what I find to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/268 "2017-08-05T23:14:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > To me, SC represents a fascinating ongoing case study about Kickstarters, consumer expectations, the cult of personality around Chris Roberts, and the rabid supporters/detractors on both side. Every few months, I am somehow reminded of the game and I look up its progress, relevant news stories, etc. Then I forget about it again. > > If the game ever launches and if it delivers on its promises\*, it’ll be one hell of a game. The hell of it is, if this ever happens, which I doubt, someone else will create a better game like it that will blow it out of the sky, so to speak. WOW wasn’t the first MMORPG. Not even the first one that really worked. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/269 "2017-08-08T15:25:53Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > If/when the game launches, it’ll launch with millions upon millions of real dollars worth of capital ships floating around. Some likely with 100% accuracy due to aimbots. Another reason I don’t play Elite: Dangerous in Open. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/270 "2017-08-15T22:57:23Z")
CIG has [removed ‘aim dates’](https://www.pcinvasion.com/star-citizen-aim-dates-removed-production-schedule) from its production schedule. Probably a good move. Concrete public timelines only hurt them at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2017, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/271 "2017-11-04T02:25:58Z")
[_Star Citizen_ is looking less and less possible with every new feature promised.](https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/43n3k3/star-citizen-cities-planets-citizencon) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/272 "2017-11-30T01:49:42Z")
You can now buy [land claims](https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/29/16714976/star-citizen-selling-plots-of-virtual-land) for 50 or 100 bucks a pop. Each claim “will entitle the purchaser to a single four-kilometer square plot zoned for either commercial, residential or industrial use.” ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/273 "2017-11-30T01:53:45Z")
They’ve raised over $150 million and are barely past EVE Online’s spinning ships? Where can I find all these gullible people? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/274 "2017-11-30T06:17:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > You can now buy [land claims](https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/29/16714976/star-citizen-selling-plots-of-virtual-land) for 50 or 100 bucks a pop. > [@](#): > > Pledging for these claim licenses now allows us to include deeper features in the Star Citizen game, and is not required for starting the game. Can you say “bloatware”? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/275 "2017-11-30T19:07:18Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Can you say “bloatware”? Hasn’t this been their problem since Day 0? They haven’t finished any damn thing; they keep starting new things. [del]Adding[/del] Promising features and delivering none seems to have always been their MO. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/276 "2017-11-30T21:35:05Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Hasn’t this been their problem since Day 0? They haven’t finished any damn thing; they keep starting new things. [del]Adding[/del] Promising features and delivering none seems to have always been their MO. Yeah, but now they’re explicitly saying that they want to bring in more money with the goal of “deeper features”. _Squadron 42_ was supposed to be their way of building up funds for _Star Citizen_ but that game isn’t showing signs of a full release any time soon, either. This harks back to a post by **Johnny Bravo** : > [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > In 2012, somebody backing the game could reasonably expect that he would be able to run it on a good 2014 rig, since that was when the game was supposed to be released. > > Look, is Chris Roberts a development veteran-slash-genius who understands that ambitious games have 5-6 year development cycles? If so, then he lied to his backers when the Kickstarter was created because he knew the game wouldn’t be done in 2014. > > Or did he honestly believe he could deliver the game in 2014? If so, then he knows less than every SC fanboy on the internet who waves a hand and says “it’s totally normal for game development to take this long, literally everybody knows that and should have known that from the moment they backed the game.” And if that’s the case, if he misunderstood such a fundamental concept, then he can’t be much of a veteran-slash-genius. > > We’re into CS Lewis territory here. Either Chris Roberts is a fraud, delusional, or the messiah of gaming. We’re into classic swindle territory here, selling deeds to land that currently does not exist and may never will. Plus there’s that whole “more features likely means more impossible” thing in that article linked five posts up. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/277 "2017-12-05T16:17:22Z")
[More microtransactions on the horizon?](https://www.tweaktown.com/news/60014/star-citizen-3-introduces-microtransactions/index.html) > [@](#): > > [S]ome might even raise eyebrows at whether they actually need this further funding or not. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/278 "2017-12-05T16:30:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > You can now buy [land claims](https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/29/16714976/star-citizen-selling-plots-of-virtual-land) for 50 or 100 bucks a pop. > > Each claim “will entitle the purchaser to a single four-kilometer square plot zoned for either commercial, residential or industrial use.” It is now beyond any reasonable question that Star Citizen is more a pyramid scheme than a game. Before I thought Roberts was just misguided. Now I think there is actually a chance me might end up the subject of a class action lawsuit and/or under criminal investigation. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/279 "2017-12-14T00:13:47Z")
Star Citizen is the Future of PC Gaming Lawsuits, and the entertainment is Free to See this week. This is going up on all the gaming news sites, so take your pick, but try [Crytek sues Star Citizen studio over breach of contract and copyright infringement | PC Gamer](http://www.pcgamer.com/star-citizen-crytek-lawsuit/) for some details. If you’re not aware, Crytek is a major graphics engine developer, one of the last in the game due to the expense involved. (CryEngine is so named because it’s an engine devoted to making even the most powerful PC’s cry. 😃 ), and was the initial engine used in Star Citizen. Crytek is alleging that they licensed their engine on the cheap to Cloud Imperium, mostly in exchange for some branding. However, Star Citizen was then ported to Lumberyard. That in-and-of-itself might have been alright, but CI removed all the publicity for CryEngine. (See one of the the stories to see how complicated the whole mess is, because it does not stop there.) I actually have nothing against Star Citizen, and it would be very nice if the game came out. That said, the weird ongoing saga is probably more fun for me than playing the game, as I don’t really do space sims. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528/280 "2017-12-14T06:08:08Z")
Hell by this point you would think Crytek would be glad to be disassociated from this train wreck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-it-was-free-to-play-this-week-edit-no-longer-free/734528.md?page=15)