# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2015, 1:53pm 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/734528/41 "2015-10-14T13:53:48Z")
I have never heard of this game and now I’m glad I had. This reads like a giant clusterfuck. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 6:41pm 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/734528/42 "2015-10-20T18:41:41Z")
[_Star Citizen_ blows yet another release date…](http://www.polygon.com/2015/10/12/9509827/star-citizen-release-date-citizencon-star-marine-chris-roberts)but Roberts says he’s just going to turn it into a 400 quadrillion cubic kilometer expansion of the main game. By the time this guy is done, he’s going to have a vaporware too large for one universe to hold. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 7:26pm 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/734528/43 "2015-10-20T19:26:05Z")
And OP never came back. Spam seagull. Flew in, crapped all over everything, and flew away.:mad: In a sane world, this thread would have been throttled in its cradle, but I guess since it attracted some commentary it has to stay. Apparently, as a warning to the uninformed. I guess that’s a form of fighting ignorance. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2015, 7:28pm 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/734528/44 "2015-10-20T19:28:35Z")
The referral links got removed, which is good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 7:30pm 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/734528/45 "2015-10-20T19:30:29Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > And OP never came back. > > Spam seagull. Flew in, crapped all over everything, and flew away.:mad: > > In a sane world, this thread would have been throttled in its cradle, but I guess since it attracted some commentary it has to stay. Apparently, as a warning to the uninformed. I guess that’s a form of fighting ignorance. Actually, in this case, it’s exposing what a total cock-up the game and company are and maybe some potential customers will find this thread. Sometimes, spam bites back. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2015, 7:40pm 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/734528/46 "2015-10-20T19:40:18Z")
At the end of the day, I’m glad Star Citizen is a thing. The game’s ridiculously successful Kickstarter helped popularize the idea of crowdfunding, and _that_ has led to a lot of great products being put out. Star Citizen itself has been circling the drain for so long and in such spectacular fashion that its inevitable demise will not be an indictment against crowdfunding, but against mismanaged game design (not new or surprising in any respect). And if it does end up producing a game that matches its own hype? Well, good for them and good for the rubes who have spent thousands of real life dollars chasing a digital dream. Me, I’m happy spending 60 bucks on _No Man’s Sky_, which will likely also be a letdown in comparison to its hype. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 7:44pm 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/734528/47 "2015-10-20T19:44:38Z")
Actually, I’ve been meaning to start a thread asking what the hell other people here thought about a [long post by Derek Smart](http://www.dereksmart.org/2015/09/star-citizen-the-long-con/) about what a boondoggle Star Citizen was turning out to be. I didn’t ever get in because everytime I checked in it seemed like the price of a decent starting configuration had gone up and it had a whiff of pay-to-not-suck. But now it’s looking like the problem is a lot worse than that. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2015, 7:49pm 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/734528/48 "2015-10-20T19:49:57Z")
Smart is looking a lot less loony after The Escapist’s expose, no doubt. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2015, 7:54pm 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/734528/49 "2015-10-20T19:54:14Z")
Somebody should turn the (non?)-making of this game into a movie. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2015, 8:15pm 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/734528/50 "2015-10-20T20:15:45Z")
Yeah, I suspect that some really interesting stuff will come to light if/when the game crashes and burns. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 8:20pm 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/734528/51 "2015-10-20T20:20:01Z")
I would love to know how much of the investor’s money he spent on celebrity voice-overs instead of actual game development. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2015, 9:19pm 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/734528/52 "2015-10-20T21:19:03Z")
We all remember Duke Nukem Whenever, right? Seems like Star Citizen is the next one. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 3:56pm 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/734528/53 "2015-10-21T15:56:05Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > From the sound of it, the criticism about Star Citizen seems to be the enormous amount of money they’ve taken in but not really “justified” via results. Maybe that’s part of the sausage making process of video games but there’s also enough failed games that it’s legitimate to question it, especially as they continue to pass the hat for more funding via what may be virtual swampland. The thing about video game crowdfunding is that most games that crowdfund don’t crowdfund anything near their full budget. “Big budget” video game kickstarters are getting like 6 million (Shenmue 3) and 5.5 million (Bloodstained). And the backers look at them and go “These games made a fortune!” when in actuality, they are getting the lion’s share of their funding from other sources, and the 5/6 million they got is more of a “let’s see how interested people are” measure than an actual attempt to fund the entire game. Other games that are Kickstarted/crowdfunded whatever are often very small teams working on relatively manageable projects, and even they often are doing a sort of “Welp, our team of four lads will be working on this in their spare time, because there’s no way that the money from this Kickstarter would keep us fed for the amount of time we need to make this game.” arrangement. Star Citizen, on the other hand, seems to be trying to fund themselves, a fairly large studio, full time, on crowdfunding dollars. They’re doing it, for now. > [@Simplicio](#): > > Chris Roberts has been basically making variations of this same game since the mid-90’s. So its not totally crazy to give him money and expect him to make a game out of it. I feel obliged to contest this - Chris Roberts has been basically making failed (at least, financially) versions of this game for a good long time. So it IS completely crazy to give him money for it. Yeah, Starlancer and Freelancer did eventually come out, but it would be unfair to call them successful. And now we have Mr. Roberts coming back promising everything bigger, better, biggerer, more impressive, more shiny, and WAY BEYOND the scope of any previous projects. I honestly don’t think he can deliver. I looked at this project back when it was on Kickstarter and said “Yeah, this is WAY too ambitious. Especially for a brand new studio.” Nothing I have seen since leads me to believe I was incorrect in that assessment. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 4:54pm 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/734528/54 "2015-10-21T16:54:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I would love to know how much of the investor’s money he spent on celebrity voice-overs instead of actual game development. IIRC celebrity voice overs was one of the stretch goals that was met so they kinda have to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 5:30pm 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/734528/55 "2015-10-21T17:30:12Z")
Did anyone here actually take part in the free weekend? If so what was there to do and how was it? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 5:36pm 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/734528/56 "2015-10-21T17:36:50Z")
> [@Airk](#): > > I feel obliged to contest this - Chris Roberts has been basically making failed (at least, financially) versions of this game for a good long time. Do you have numbers? For profit and loss, that is. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 5:47pm 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/734528/57 "2015-10-21T17:47:21Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > 1. Create concept pieces to establish a visual target. > 2. Create a crude set of gameplay assets for development and testing > 3. Get the foundations of the engine sorted, particularly with regards to server/renderer/physics. This gives you a sense of polygon/texture/effects budgets. > 4. Iterate on the game to make it fun to play. Use this information to iterate your gameplay assets. Do ships have distinctive silhouettes? Does your damage model look right in-game? > 5. Execute a vertical slice. Build out a narrow bit of the game to high quality. Verify your previous assumptions. Get production metrics for asset production. Adjust scope accordingly. > 6. Ramp up to full production. Hire a bunch of artists or bring an outsourcing house into the picture. Start building the game for real. That order surprises me somewhat. I would have thought that the gameplay mechanics would have come first with only concept work being done on audiovisuals until the mechanics were fully worked out, up to and including making every level using programmer art. As an analogy, I saw it as starting and finishing the frame, plumbing and wiring of a house before you get started on the drywall, fixtures and finishes. In your experience, what do neophyte developers tend to spend too much time on? How about not enough time? > [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > IIRC celebrity voice overs was one of the stretch goals that was met so they kinda have to do it. Indeed, it was a stretch goal and they have to deliver it, as much as they have to deliver any of the promises they made. [Stretch Goals - Roberts Space Industries | Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/funding-goals) ( 5M$) However, it doesn’t need to be a high priority. It’s also a vague enough promise a few celebrities would have been enough. I don’t know how others feel about it but as long as the voice actor is competent and suited to the role, I don’t care who it is. So, voice acting should be at the tail end of priorities in terms of resources and time of delivery. Unless, of course, their goal is to attach big names to generate publicity and more funding. Is nepotism common within game developers? Chris Roberts making his wife a member of the team reminds me of John Romero doing the same with his girlfriend Stevie Case. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2015, 5:50pm 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/734528/58 "2015-10-21T17:50:22Z")
I just spent a bit of time looking at various Wikipedia pages connected to Chris Roberts, and they’re kind of funny. None of the posts are breathlessly worshipful, but they’re all written in the best possible light, even when discussing his failures. The cult of personality around this guy is strong. ---
**Author:** ![Airk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 6:05pm 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/734528/59 "2015-10-21T18:05:59Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Do you have numbers? For profit and loss, that is. I don’t (though it’s probably worth taking a read over [the wikipedia page for Freelancer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freelancer_%28video_game%29)) but my general feeling from my lazy research is that while Starlancer/Freelancer were reasonably well received, they were never popular. I’m curious if anyone here has ever played either of them, and how many people had HEARD of them prior to this Star Citizen stuff. To put it another way: Chris Roberts is a man with big visions, but he hasn’t had a “hit” since the Wing Commander series ended. I’ll bet if you asked anyone what he was known for before Star Citizen, they’d tell you he was the “Wing Commander guy” not “The Starlancer guy” ---
**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:** [October 21, 2015, 6:08pm 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/734528/60 "2015-10-21T18:08:43Z")
I played Freelancer quite a bit. It’s actually a good game in the free spaceflight genre, although there is a definite story and it’s not as open as any of the Elite games. [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=2) [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=4)