# 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:** 43
**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 21, 2021, 5:07pm 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/734528/841 "2021-12-21T17:07:58Z")
Nearly $4 mil added in just two weeks! And 2.3 million new accounts in the past four months. > **[Star Citizen Video Reveals the Drake Cutlass Steel & More as Crowdfunding...](https://twinfinite.net/news/star-citizen-cutlass-steel/)** > > Today Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games released a new video about the growing space simulator, focusing on the past year and more. > [T]he [crowdfunding total](https://robertsspaceindustries.com/funding-goals)has just passed $422 million and it’s currently sitting on $422,308,680. > > The number of registered accounts has recently passed 3.4 million, and it’s at 3,433,955 at the moment of this writing. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2022, 4:42pm 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/734528/842 "2022-01-03T16:42:23Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Right. What if I only enjoy playing, like, five genres? Will I have to suffer through seven genres I don’t like in order to play the game? I wonder if it’s a game that allows [the sort of people who roleplay as NPCs](https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/npc-mod) to wander about storage bays arranging things for other players. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2022, 4:58pm 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/734528/843 "2022-01-03T16:58:09Z")
Dunno about _Star Citizen_ but there is a game close to that premise: > **[Wilmot's Warehouse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmot%27s_Warehouse)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Wilmot's Warehouse is a puzzle video game about storing and retrieving objects. It was developed by Richard Hogg and Ricky Haggett and published by Finji. It was released on August 29, 2019 for macOS, Nintendo Switch, and Windows platforms. The game was a finalist for "Excellence in Design" at the 2018 Independent Games Festival Awards. > The player controls Wilmot, a worker in a two-dimensional warehouse. Each level begins with a delivery of it... ---
**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:** [March 14, 2022, 4:47pm 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/734528/844 "2022-03-14T16:47:53Z")
Just how skewed are the priorities here? > **[Star Citizen improving character eyeball wetness](https://www.eurogamer.net/star-citizen-improving-character-eyeball-wetness)** > > The latest developer update video from crowd-funded sci-fi epic Star Citizen has focused in on improving character eyeb… > Just don’t expect this in the next alpha. > > “[As for] when it’s coming? This is still in discussion,” CIG said on the feature. “But the door is still open for possibly 3.18, 3.19 release of the first missions that might use this technology.” > Last month, CIG said it would [limit its roadmap for future features](https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-03-star-citizen-slimming-down-roadmap-to-stop-having-to-update-roadmap), as “passionate players” were getting upset over delays. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2022, 12:36am 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/734528/845 "2022-03-15T00:36:46Z")
> Last month, CIG said it would [limit its roadmap for future features](https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2022-02-03-star-citizen-slimming-down-roadmap-to-stop-having-to-update-roadmap), as “passionate players” were getting upset over delays. No shit. You mean the passionate players who actually want a finished product? ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 7:43pm 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/734528/846 "2022-04-16T19:43:33Z")
OK. I’ve been seeing a lot of YouTube videos lately with players saying, having played recently, that Star Citizen is “actually good to play” now. A little skeptical, but always on the lookout for space sims, I thought I might check it out. So a brief report to those on the fence about this one: 1. It’s not free to play at the moment. I installed the RSI launcher, but couldn’t log into the game because I hadn’t sent them any money yet. Sigh. I was hoping for a free-to-play experience with a crappy ship and many incentives to “pay to play” before having to fork over actual dough. 2. I laughed when I saw, under “how to play” and as noted by @Dr.Strangelove up-thread, that you’re supposed to get together with a veteran player to show you the ropes. My…what a bad idea. Yes, points to gameplay flaws. Also burdens someone with having to babysit you. Why not just point users to YouTube tutorials? And online Wikis? 3. However, as for online info, there is, in my experience, a terrible trap for games that have a long, slow development period: user burnout. As a game developer, you may be blessed with waves of passionate players who write, on their own time and dime, player guides, wiki pages and YouTube videos explaining all the difficult-to-understand aspects of the game. But the game changes over time, and this info goes stale…and nobody picks up the pieces years later when the game finally “launches.” So then the new crop of players come in, become frustrated and bewildered, and there’s nobody to help, and the online info is useless. Some of my favorite games are in this state, or close to it. 4. But, the videos showed me one thing about the basic flow of Star Citizen, and that it is largely similar to other space games, perhaps closest to Elite. And other players, up thread, have commented that they still prefer Elite. I stopped playing Elite just about the time that the ground combat system (“Odyssey”) came out. Given that the two are so similar, with SC perhaps beating Elite only in the ability to wander around your own ship and see more of its interior, should I spend money on Elite Odyssey or try SC? And if I give SC a try, what’s a good starter ship package? I prefer exploration to combat, but don’t know if the $95 for the “Nomad” starter exploration ship is worth it. Seems like selling “ships” is their way of making a lot of money but doesn’t necessarily force RSI to finish the base game (instead focusing on ships). Meanwhile, Steam reviews for “Odyssey” are Mixed / Mostly negative, and this upgrade is $24. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2022, 8:18pm 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/734528/847 "2022-04-16T20:18:27Z")
You absolutely should not spend money on SC. If it leaves alpha it will be a surprise. If it enters and then leaves a beta it will be a miracle. If it leaves a beta and is a game that actually delivers on its promises it will be the end of days. ---
**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:** [April 16, 2022, 10:56pm 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/734528/848 "2022-04-16T22:56:51Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Meanwhile, Steam reviews for “Odyssey” are Mixed / Mostly negative, and this upgrade is $24. I think a lot of that is from _Odyssey_ not supporting VR and being broken at launch; how broken and where depended on one’s hardware. It’s improved since then but still needs some work. I think the scanner for exobiology still isn’t working as intended; last time I played, the exact same scan results were displaying for different species. VR still isn’t supported but the devs will probably start working on that once they fix the rest. I haven’t really tried the ground combat yet, other than rolling up on small squads in my SRV and taking them out. IOW, no specific missions for ground combat zones. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 6:53am 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/734528/849 "2022-04-17T06:53:47Z")
> [@Limmin](#): > > Given that the two are so similar, with SC perhaps beating Elite only in the ability to wander around your own ship and see more of its interior, should I spend money on Elite Odyssey or try SC? Elite Odyssey exists. It’s out and fully released. Star Citizen is in eternal development. It may never fully release. > [@Limmin](#): > > Seems like selling “ships” is their way of making a lot of money but doesn’t necessarily force RSI to finish the base game (instead focusing on ships). That’s basically the business. They don’t have much of an incentive to release a game. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 2:14pm 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/734528/850 "2022-04-17T14:14:58Z")
I did just purchase Odyssey and am enjoying it. Nice to interact on foot sometimes. Am practicing planetary landings (well, these have been around before Odyssey, but I really need to learn now). Yeah, it really seems that over 90% of what Star Citizen aspires to be, is already offered by E.D. Time to dust off my brand new Asp Explorer, bought a year ago but not really used, and do some exo-biology missions. (I am no good at combat, but several years ago, when E.D. was new, I found a few Earth-like planets, and the game still remembers this.) ---
**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:** [April 17, 2022, 7:00pm 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/734528/851 "2022-04-17T19:00:15Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > They don’t have much of an incentive to release a game. And every incentive to not declare that development has come to an end. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 12:50am 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/734528/852 "2022-04-18T00:50:09Z")
Say o7 if you see CMDR Precambrianmollusc crashing into the mail slot. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 2:12pm 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/734528/853 "2022-04-18T14:12:55Z")
> [@Precambrianmollusc](#): > > CMDR Precambrianmollusc crashing into the mail slot. LOL I used to fly into / out of stations manually, but lately have been enjoying the automatic dock / undock. Partly because I’m lazy, and partly because I like to read articles while flying in E.D. If only my paying passengers knew. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 6:44pm 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/734528/854 "2022-04-18T18:44:17Z")
I spent ~$45 on SC and got the RSI Aurora ship with it. That was about the limit I was going to pay for a glorified tech demo, but at least I’ll have the game if/when it releases. The game tries to be very immersive and starts you off in an apartment in a city. You literally have to get up, leave your apartment, find elevators, find a train station, find a spaceport, figure out how to retrieve your ship, and figure out how to find the hangar and fly it. All that is pretty neat honestly, but the framerate is awful on my computer even on the lowest settings. Apparently part of that is my machine but part is the laggy SC servers. Once I was in my ship and out of the city the framerate was much better. With a lot of research and YouTube videos I was able to navigate to different planets, land on them and walk around, explore crashed ships, do missions, lose a few dogfights, and it ran decently most of the time. If they could just add a bunch of star systems and make it run smoothly they already have a good space sim. If they add a mod system or allow players to make missions it could be a great game. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 6:49pm 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/734528/855 "2022-04-18T18:49:07Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > RSI Aurora ship I was probably going to get that one. It does seem the least investment possible. But for a while, I will be playing ED Odyssey, as I, for one, am enjoying it. (Lots of howls from long term ED players, I guess Odyssey introduces issues for some of them.) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 7:09pm 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/734528/856 "2022-04-18T19:09:53Z")
Yeah I’m going to buy Odyssey the next time it goes on sale, I think it’s about as good as it will get for a while. There aren’t but so many space games to choose from that let you walk around and fly from planet to planet seamlessly. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 7:20pm 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/734528/857 "2022-04-18T19:20:21Z")
It was on sale (about 40% off) when I bought it the other day, and still is, from where I sit. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2022, 7:20pm 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/734528/858 "2022-04-18T19:20:34Z")
It’s Elite and No Man’s Sky. The latter is still very much a chill exploration game, but they’ve added a ton of content to flesh it out. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 7:21pm 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/734528/859 "2022-04-18T19:21:40Z")
Have you tried Empyrion? To me it’s like a low-budget Elite, in which you build your own spaceships and planetary vehicles, but the “story” and NPC interactions are not nearly as polished as Elite. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 7:34pm 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/734528/860 "2022-04-18T19:34:35Z")
Empyrion is excellent. It’s less of a game than No Man’s Sky, but the building is awesome. Sort of like Minecraft with buildable vehicles. And they added thousands of star systems to the game. Thanks, didn’t notice Odyssey was on sale, $24 is a decent price. [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=42) [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=44)