# 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:** 32
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2020, 6:42pm 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/734528/621 "2020-11-04T18:42:03Z")
There is a reason no one uses the Ultima Online death rules any longer. They prevent people from having fun because everyone is paranoid about losing their stuff. ---
**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 23, 2020, 10:49pm 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/734528/622 "2020-11-23T22:49:00Z")
Jeez. It’s getting to the point where there are more free weeks than there aren’t. > **[Star Citizen will let you fly over 100 ships freely for the next 2 weeks](https://www.pcgamer.com/star-citizen-will-let-you-fly-over-100-ships-freely-for-the-next-two-weeks/)** > > Time to see what $300 million worth of spaceships looks like. ---
**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 2, 2020, 3:48pm 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/734528/623 "2020-12-02T15:48:10Z")
Oh, look: a new ship. > **[Star Citizen's New RSI Perseus Ship Will Cost Players 600 Dollars](https://screenrant.com/star-citizen-rsi-perseus-ship-cost/)** > > Star Citizen is offering the RSI Perseus Ship for $600. > According to an update from [Roberts Space Industries](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPO7lm84LWc&feature=youtu.be), and the price of its RSI Perseus ship, it’s clear that they can make phenomenally well-crafted ships, but unclear as to what’s going on behind the curtain that merits the price tag of $600. > CIG did recently announce that it would be [launching a new Montreal-based game studio](https://screenrant.com/star-citizen-new-studio-help-build-worlds/) to help develop the universe’s many star systems, so could this high price tag indicate some sort of major push to help finally get _Star Citizen_ around the bend? It’s hard to say, but _ **Star Citizen** _ still seems to have no release date over the horizon. ---
**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 2, 2020, 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/734528/624 "2020-12-02T15:56:37Z")
That new studio in Montreal? They expect it to be fully staffed _in three years!_ ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 4:03pm 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/734528/625 "2020-12-02T16:03:59Z")
Well, if they can afford it. Keep buying the ships, 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:** [December 2, 2020, 8:14pm 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/734528/626 "2020-12-02T20:14:54Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/star-citizen-alpha-311,3362440.html](https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/star-citizen-alpha-311,3362440.html) > > German translation via Google: > > > Chris Roberts himself defends the Star Citizen, which is often criticized because of the long development time. He assures that the game is »not a castle in the air« and that it will be finished soon. It will take at least two years to fully staff the Montreal studio; two years is not “soon” unless Roberts is making a comparison with the decade he’s taken so far. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 5:35am 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/734528/627 "2020-12-05T05:35:17Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > According to an update from [Roberts Space Industries](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPO7lm84LWc&feature=youtu.be), and the price of its RSI Perseus ship, it’s clear that they can make phenomenally well-crafted ships, but unclear as to what’s going on behind the curtain that merits the price tag of $600. Well crafted? Well crafted for what? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 5:48am 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/734528/628 "2020-12-05T05:48:07Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Well crafted? Well crafted for what? Well, for a working space ship I assume. I mean, a REAL one 😄 . Because at this point I wouldn’t be prepared to accept anything less. I almost would want to meet the person who would shell out for one of those things at this point. I mean, the stupidly rich aside I have hard time imaging the kind of person who would. But I’m sure any actual meeting within one of those (hopefully mythical) people would be less fascinating than sad. ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2020, 4:07pm 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/734528/629 "2020-12-05T16:07:48Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > That new studio in Montreal? They expect it to be fully staffed _in three years!_ More evidence for my cargo cult theory. Ubisoft has a studio in Montreal; Chris Roberts thinks that therefore merely having a studio in Montreal is what makes a game company successful. To those who think this game is an outright scam at this point and Roberts knows it, the [Forbes article linked upthread](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2019/05/01/exclusive-the-saga-of-star-citizen-a-video-game-that-raised-300-millionbut-may-never-be-ready-to-play/?sh=6216f8985ac9) makes it clear that as of May 2019, Roberts seemed to genuinely believe he was working on a real game that would be released someday and the office was staffed with developers who were going to work every day and doing development work. And when this thread started in October 2015, there were people _already_ saying the game must be nothing more than a scam. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 3:50am 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/734528/630 "2020-12-06T03:50:36Z")
> [@Arcite](#): > > To those who think this game is an outright scam at this point and Roberts knows it, the [Forbes article linked upthread](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2019/05/01/exclusive-the-saga-of-star-citizen-a-video-game-that-raised-300-millionbut-may-never-be-ready-to-play/?sh=6216f8985ac9) makes it clear that as of May 2019, Roberts seemed to genuinely believe he was working on a real game that would be released someday and the office was staffed with developers who were going to work every day and doing development work. And when this thread started in October 2015, there were people _already_ saying the game must be nothing more than a scam. I am still convinced Roberts is at least mostly sincere, at least consciously, but that doubts are starting to seep in. These sorts of things don’t switch from being legitimate businesses to scams overnight. ---
**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 7, 2020, 10:30pm 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/734528/631 "2020-12-07T22:30:02Z")
New article shines a bright light on how messed-up the development has been. > **[Star Citizen's Development Outlasted An Entire Console Generation](https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/12/star-citizens-development-outlasted-an-entire-console-generation/)** > > Star Citizen began development before the PS4 and Xbox One were released, and it's set to continue long after their departure. > But it’s funny – and historically worthwhile – reading back how optimistic many of those early updates were. Back in 2015, we reported how the game’s scope had already blown well past the original 2014 release date. And at that time, developers were already starting to talk anonymously about how some of their time had been wasted building out features that were scrapped shortly after. > > For instance, here’s a tale from early on in _Star Citizen_ 's development about having to find an in-game helmet to access the Arena Commander menu: > > > _As an example, one high-level ex-employee shared the story of the Menu Helmet. At one point, according to that employee, Roberts decided he wanted players to have to find and wear an in-game helmet in order to gain access to the menu in Arena Commander. Some developers tried to shoot down the idea, noting that players would grow frustrated if they couldn’t find something as essential as a menu, but Roberts insisted, so a team of developers spent weeks making it work. Then, according to that source, Roberts tried it, only to realize that it wasn’t actually fun. So they scrapped the whole thing and went back to a regular menu system._ > > > > _Roberts’ account of the Menu Helmet is quite different. In an e-mail this week, he said it had come about because Star Citizen’s main menu UI wasn’t far along enough, and players needed a way to select what ship from their hangar they wanted to fly in Arena Commander. Problem: the hangar is also intended to function as a ship gallery, where you can hop into ships and have a gander at all their immaculately rendered buttons and knobs. Solution: have them wear a helmet to designate that they want to play Arena Commander, not just look around in their ship._ > > > > _Ultimately, Roberts said, once CIG decided they wanted to be able to launch Star Marine from the hangar too, the helmet method started making less sense. So they switched over to an in-game VR Pod. They also added a quick launch menu option for people who’d prefer to bypass all of that. So, according to Roberts’ account, it was still a lot of time and effort expended on a feature that didn’t stay in the game for long, but it wound up making sense in the long run._ ---
**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 7, 2020, 10:41pm 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/734528/632 "2020-12-07T22:41:27Z")
Those italics refer to an article which was published two months before this thread was started: > **[Why Star Citizen Is Taking So Long](https://kotaku.com/why-star-citizen-is-taking-so-long-1724835913)** > > On September 17, 2013, Star Citizen director Chris Roberts wrote a public letter in celebration of a milestone achievement: He and his team had raised a whopping $19 million from fans, significantly more than any other crowdfunding project in... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2020, 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/734528/633 "2020-12-07T23:14:30Z")
To those saying that he “seems sincere”: All successful scammers do. Being able to seem sincere even when you’re not is what makes a scam successful. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2020, 12:19am 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/734528/634 "2020-12-08T00:19:51Z")
For the amount of money they have raised, they could have built an actual rocket. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 10:26pm 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/734528/635 "2020-12-09T22:26:57Z")
Looks like even Cyberpunk is releasing before Star Citizen! Unless we hear about another “delay” in the next few hours. ---
**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:** [December 29, 2020, 12:04am 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/734528/636 "2020-12-29T00:04:08Z")
> **[Star Citizen’s single-player campaign misses beta window, doesn’t have a...](https://www.polygon.com/2020/12/28/22203055/star-citizen-squadron-42-release-date-beta-delayed-alpha-testing-funding)** > > ‘Squadron 42 will be done when it is done, and will not be released just to make a date,’ says Chris Roberts > [@](#): > > In the note to donors, Roberts said “ _Squadron 42_ will be done when it is done, and will not be released just to make a date.” He also said RSI would not show any of _Squadron 42_ ’s “gameplay, locations, or assets” in lieu of a beta, because the game is too far from a full launch to begin a marketing campaign. “If we show the non-spoiler gameplay now, that’s prime footage and gameplay that could have been used closer to release,” Roberts said. > > “Because of this I have decided that it is best to not show _Squadron 42_ gameplay publicly, nor discuss any release date until we are closer to the home stretch and have high confidence in the remaining time needed to finish the game to the quality we want,” Roberts added." So not only did they miss the beta window (nobody is surprised), but the game is **so far** from completion that they won’t even release gameplay footage. ---
**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 29, 2020, 12:15am 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/734528/637 "2020-12-29T00:15:34Z")
[Yet _Squadron 42_ is close enough to release to be called in “close out” mode.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-citizen-is-the-future-of-pc-gaming-and-its-free-to-play-this-week/734528/583) 🤪 It’s Zeno’s Computer Game! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2020, 12:19am 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/734528/638 "2020-12-29T00:19:41Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > He also said RSI would not show any of _Squadron 42_ ’s “gameplay, locations, or assets” in lieu of a beta, because the game is too far from a full launch to begin a marketing campaign. Jesus wept 🙄. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2020, 12:19am 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/734528/639 "2020-12-29T00:19:46Z")
I’m not a gamer, but I’ve been following this thread and the whole _Star Citizen_ saga with fascination. At what point do players stop throwing good money after bad, and admit that this game is never going to come out? I say players, because it’s obvious that Roberts still believes that he’ll be able to turn lead into gold _any day_ now! ---
**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:** [December 29, 2020, 12:24am 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/734528/640 "2020-12-29T00:24:13Z")
The more you continue to support what is wrong, the harder it is to admit it. I guess it works pretty much like a psychological addiction. [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=31) [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=33)