Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman and Gillian Anderson? It's crazy how far CGI has come that those actors are instantly recognizable in such brief clips... and also crazy how much money Cloud Imperium...
Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman and Gillian Anderson? It's crazy how far CGI has come that those actors are instantly recognizable in such brief clips... and also crazy how much money Cloud Imperium still clearly has despite 5 years of development with virtually nothing concrete to show for it yet.
p.s. I really hope this and Star Citizen lives up to at least a portion of the hype... I have been dying for a good space trading/combat game for ages. Elite Dangerous and the X series are way too complex and way too slow paced so just doesn't do it for me like Star Control, Wing Commander, Star Wars X-wing/TIE Fighter and Freelancer did back in the day.
Nothing concrete? We have the current iteration of their SC test, and clips from ongoing SQ42 development such as last years trailer and the vertical slice. And that's not even mentioning the...
Nothing concrete? We have the current iteration of their SC test, and clips from ongoing SQ42 development such as last years trailer and the vertical slice. And that's not even mentioning the hundreds of dev videos showcasing tech advancements, bugs, and upcoming features. Sure there are no release dates yet but their development has been pretty transparent so far, more so than any other game AFAIK.
I really, really like their transparency and development process but at some point I also stopped following the development and I've strongly been considering getting a refund on my account (I...
I really, really like their transparency and development process but at some point I also stopped following the development and I've strongly been considering getting a refund on my account (I have quite a lot of money in it). They're amassing features, refusing to cut things for release, and their fanbase is enabling that.
One of the difficult things in game devs is looking at everything the game could be, then looking at your planned release date, and realizing "I can't make the two meet. I have to choose what to cut.". What gets cut used to go initially in subsequent games, then in expansion packs, and nowadays we often enough get new content either as DLC or in subsequent free patches.
CIG doesn't have that. They dance around release dates and can just keep development going for ages. And it does benefit them, because they can keep crowdfunding (as they promised that side of monetization would stop after release).
I wish they'd get their act together and plan for a proper release, with proper post-release monetization. At least have an incentive structure where there's an actual core game in place and new content gets released over time.
I used to defend them because I felt they were bringing some good ideas and methodology to the game industry (especially in terms of transparency). But their cultish fanbase has been enabling the bad alongside the good, and now it's getting pretty sour.
For whatever it's worth, it's not too difficult to do so. I had something like $780 in up until maybe 18 months ago, and they weren't nearly as bad about doing the refund as I had been led to believe.
I've strongly been considering getting a refund on my account (I have quite a lot of money in it)
For whatever it's worth, it's not too difficult to do so. I had something like $780 in up until maybe 18 months ago, and they weren't nearly as bad about doing the refund as I had been led to believe.
Big MMOs take between five and seven years to develop before initial release. Given the scope Star Citizen is aiming for I'd expect them to land past the long end of that curve. That means they...
Big MMOs take between five and seven years to develop before initial release. Given the scope Star Citizen is aiming for I'd expect them to land past the long end of that curve. That means they should deliver the initial release within the next two years.
Frankly I think they let scope creep eat them alive. Creep is the deadliest enemy there is to development of any kind. It's very easy to get fixated on the 'best' way to do things, and then when later on you hit a snag, you want to go back and refactor to compensate. That means a ton of lost time/redone work. There are ways to plan carefully and take some of the pain out of this, but it takes real discipline to pull off - and that's why it's so rare.
There's also the temptation to keep adding new features, new gadgets, new concepts as the development process unfolds and suggests them. This is a mountain of work - that scope creep literally never stops coming on any project. There are always new things to add. It can only end when the team makes the conscious decision to stop it.
I think it's been pretty clear that Star Citizen is being dragged down by that scope creep. They are also trying to unify multiple genres of gaming into a single universe-defining engine which is an insanely ambitions starting point. I'm not surprised they haven't finished yet. I'll be surprised if they actually pull it off - that'll be a success story for the history books.
Yep exactly. I've just sent a concierge request talking about exactly this. Since I'm a day 1 backer with a lot of money on the account, maybe-hopefully they'll take notice. Or maybe they won't...
Yep exactly.
I've just sent a concierge request talking about exactly this. Since I'm a day 1 backer with a lot of money on the account, maybe-hopefully they'll take notice. Or maybe they won't because scope creep is too tempting in their current funding model... We'll see.
I agree with much of what you've posted and felt similarly for quite some time too. Their PR mishaps and questionable decisions along the way hasn't helped. However, I would say I'm reinvigorated...
I agree with much of what you've posted and felt similarly for quite some time too. Their PR mishaps and questionable decisions along the way hasn't helped. However, I would say I'm reinvigorated after CitizenCon yesterday. They showed off some great planet tech with foliage and a city the size of Austin, Texas, an improved flight model was available on the floor for people to try and feedback was very positive, and they demonstrated one of their core technologies, OCS (object container streaming) , actually working and providing a larger performance boost than they anticipated. The best part? Many of those things are available to some testers right now.
At the end of the convention last night, Chris gave a presentation of where they are currently and what other hurdles they needed to accomplish before release, before showcasing the trailer I linked here. He also stated OCS was the last remaining hurdle for the completion of SQ42 and that it caused the team much more trouble than anticipated. What he thought was going to take a few months turned into 18 months to build, test, and implement. They're planning on providing a SQ42 release roadmap in December to everyone. I think a release in 2019 is likely as they polish SQ42 and hone gameplay.
I am not shitting on them as devs... you're right that they have been pretty transparent but more than enough games/studios have been shut down even after years of development, tech demos and...
I am not shitting on them as devs... you're right that they have been pretty transparent but more than enough games/studios have been shut down even after years of development, tech demos and gameplay videos were released that until they actually do release a full game I can actually buy and play, everything from Cloud Imperium is all just vaporware as far as I'm concerned. Maybe that's just my way of mitigating the hype so I don't get too invested and ultimately disappointed if/when anything is finally released... but that's the way I feel about it thus far. :P
I definitely don't think CIG is in any danger of shutting down. They're coming up on 200 million in crowdfunding that will likely be hit either next month or December. I can understand not wanting...
I definitely don't think CIG is in any danger of shutting down. They're coming up on 200 million in crowdfunding that will likely be hit either next month or December. I can understand not wanting to back or really follow the game until it's a finished product., but that doesn't mean the game and development they have thus far is vaporware.
Nope, I have not. The only space combat game I have played recently was Everspace. It was okay but I didn't like the Roguelike aspects of it that much since dying over and over and over again...
Nope, I have not. The only space combat game I have played recently was Everspace. It was okay but I didn't like the Roguelike aspects of it that much since dying over and over and over again after 10-15 min to absurdly hard and overpowered enemies you have absolutely zero chance of actually defeating until you fully upgrade all your stuff, no matter how good you are as a pilot isn't a whole lot of fun. But Rebel Galaxy Outlaw looks really interesting! I added the original to my Wishlist and will definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequel, so thanks for the heads up.
Woah, I have followed their progress casually over the years from their Reddit posts. I didn't realise they were already in Alpha, it's been a long time coming. This is really exciting, even if...
Woah, I have followed their progress casually over the years from their Reddit posts. I didn't realise they were already in Alpha, it's been a long time coming.
This is really exciting, even if this game only lives up to half the hype its built over the years it still will be amazing.
I have high hopes for Star Citizen and Squadron 42. I keep a close eye on Cloud Imperium, because I am so excited to see a studio doing it the right way. Regardless of whether one agrees with the...
I have high hopes for Star Citizen and Squadron 42.
I keep a close eye on Cloud Imperium, because I am so excited to see a studio doing it the right way. Regardless of whether one agrees with the way they raise money, they use that money to develop the way most AAA developers would choose to if they had the freedom to. Their work is also feeding the industry with better workflows and tools, which is already benefiting small studios. I hope their work sets a new bar for gamers as well, fueling a demand for better tech that powers storytelling and gameplay.
The (subjective) downside for me is that I've never been all that impressed with Chris Roberts' storytelling, it always feels super campy to me. I hope his lore team fills that gap..
Finally, the evolution of their transparency with the backer community has been glorious. To see them balancing their vision with feedback from backers is encouraging. It's also been clear that Chris Roberts himself had a strong tendency to blow up scope and make classic EP / Visionary mistakes like committing to delivery dates without alignment with his team and adding features independent of his team. The past year has been great, as they've implemented an open roadmap and release schedule, which has helped curtail some feature creep (in that anything added publicly impacts the roadmap), and CR seems more disciplined.
The 3.3 patch is really good. I'm getting close to 60 fps on an aging CPU (i7-3770k). The 3.3.5 patch on the PTU is really neat, but has been kind of hit or miss so far for testing to me. Today...
The 3.3 patch is really good. I'm getting close to 60 fps on an aging CPU (i7-3770k). The 3.3.5 patch on the PTU is really neat, but has been kind of hit or miss so far for testing to me. Today they started spawning players in Lorville directly instead of Olisar, and my frames in Lorville are closer to pre-3.3 levels, around 20 at best. With so many assets in the area it kind of makes sense but coupled with some of the ship spawning issues at the spaceport and, well, it's PTU. I didn't experience any crashing or hitches though, so they're definitely improving on that front. Just a lot of weird gameplay issues so far.
Mark Hamill, Gary Oldman and Gillian Anderson? It's crazy how far CGI has come that those actors are instantly recognizable in such brief clips... and also crazy how much money Cloud Imperium still clearly has despite 5 years of development with virtually nothing concrete to show for it yet.
p.s. I really hope this and Star Citizen lives up to at least a portion of the hype... I have been dying for a good space trading/combat game for ages. Elite Dangerous and the X series are way too complex and way too slow paced so just doesn't do it for me like Star Control, Wing Commander, Star Wars X-wing/TIE Fighter and Freelancer did back in the day.
Nothing concrete? We have the current iteration of their SC test, and clips from ongoing SQ42 development such as last years trailer and the vertical slice. And that's not even mentioning the hundreds of dev videos showcasing tech advancements, bugs, and upcoming features. Sure there are no release dates yet but their development has been pretty transparent so far, more so than any other game AFAIK.
I really, really like their transparency and development process but at some point I also stopped following the development and I've strongly been considering getting a refund on my account (I have quite a lot of money in it). They're amassing features, refusing to cut things for release, and their fanbase is enabling that.
One of the difficult things in game devs is looking at everything the game could be, then looking at your planned release date, and realizing "I can't make the two meet. I have to choose what to cut.". What gets cut used to go initially in subsequent games, then in expansion packs, and nowadays we often enough get new content either as DLC or in subsequent free patches.
CIG doesn't have that. They dance around release dates and can just keep development going for ages. And it does benefit them, because they can keep crowdfunding (as they promised that side of monetization would stop after release).
I wish they'd get their act together and plan for a proper release, with proper post-release monetization. At least have an incentive structure where there's an actual core game in place and new content gets released over time.
I used to defend them because I felt they were bringing some good ideas and methodology to the game industry (especially in terms of transparency). But their cultish fanbase has been enabling the bad alongside the good, and now it's getting pretty sour.
For whatever it's worth, it's not too difficult to do so. I had something like $780 in up until maybe 18 months ago, and they weren't nearly as bad about doing the refund as I had been led to believe.
Yeah, I've seen them react pretty well to refunds overall. I also... want to believe they'll eventually get there.
Big MMOs take between five and seven years to develop before initial release. Given the scope Star Citizen is aiming for I'd expect them to land past the long end of that curve. That means they should deliver the initial release within the next two years.
Frankly I think they let scope creep eat them alive. Creep is the deadliest enemy there is to development of any kind. It's very easy to get fixated on the 'best' way to do things, and then when later on you hit a snag, you want to go back and refactor to compensate. That means a ton of lost time/redone work. There are ways to plan carefully and take some of the pain out of this, but it takes real discipline to pull off - and that's why it's so rare.
There's also the temptation to keep adding new features, new gadgets, new concepts as the development process unfolds and suggests them. This is a mountain of work - that scope creep literally never stops coming on any project. There are always new things to add. It can only end when the team makes the conscious decision to stop it.
I think it's been pretty clear that Star Citizen is being dragged down by that scope creep. They are also trying to unify multiple genres of gaming into a single universe-defining engine which is an insanely ambitions starting point. I'm not surprised they haven't finished yet. I'll be surprised if they actually pull it off - that'll be a success story for the history books.
Yep exactly.
I've just sent a concierge request talking about exactly this. Since I'm a day 1 backer with a lot of money on the account, maybe-hopefully they'll take notice. Or maybe they won't because scope creep is too tempting in their current funding model... We'll see.
I agree with much of what you've posted and felt similarly for quite some time too. Their PR mishaps and questionable decisions along the way hasn't helped. However, I would say I'm reinvigorated after CitizenCon yesterday. They showed off some great planet tech with foliage and a city the size of Austin, Texas, an improved flight model was available on the floor for people to try and feedback was very positive, and they demonstrated one of their core technologies, OCS (object container streaming) , actually working and providing a larger performance boost than they anticipated. The best part? Many of those things are available to some testers right now.
At the end of the convention last night, Chris gave a presentation of where they are currently and what other hurdles they needed to accomplish before release, before showcasing the trailer I linked here. He also stated OCS was the last remaining hurdle for the completion of SQ42 and that it caused the team much more trouble than anticipated. What he thought was going to take a few months turned into 18 months to build, test, and implement. They're planning on providing a SQ42 release roadmap in December to everyone. I think a release in 2019 is likely as they polish SQ42 and hone gameplay.
I am not shitting on them as devs... you're right that they have been pretty transparent but more than enough games/studios have been shut down even after years of development, tech demos and gameplay videos were released that until they actually do release a full game I can actually buy and play, everything from Cloud Imperium is all just vaporware as far as I'm concerned. Maybe that's just my way of mitigating the hype so I don't get too invested and ultimately disappointed if/when anything is finally released... but that's the way I feel about it thus far. :P
I definitely don't think CIG is in any danger of shutting down. They're coming up on 200 million in crowdfunding that will likely be hit either next month or December. I can understand not wanting to back or really follow the game until it's a finished product., but that doesn't mean the game and development they have thus far is vaporware.
Nope, I have not. The only space combat game I have played recently was Everspace. It was okay but I didn't like the Roguelike aspects of it that much since dying over and over and over again after 10-15 min to absurdly hard and overpowered enemies you have absolutely zero chance of actually defeating until you fully upgrade all your stuff, no matter how good you are as a pilot isn't a whole lot of fun. But Rebel Galaxy Outlaw looks really interesting! I added the original to my Wishlist and will definitely be keeping an eye out for the sequel, so thanks for the heads up.
Woah, I have followed their progress casually over the years from their Reddit posts. I didn't realise they were already in Alpha, it's been a long time coming.
This is really exciting, even if this game only lives up to half the hype its built over the years it still will be amazing.
I have high hopes for Star Citizen and Squadron 42.
I keep a close eye on Cloud Imperium, because I am so excited to see a studio doing it the right way. Regardless of whether one agrees with the way they raise money, they use that money to develop the way most AAA developers would choose to if they had the freedom to. Their work is also feeding the industry with better workflows and tools, which is already benefiting small studios. I hope their work sets a new bar for gamers as well, fueling a demand for better tech that powers storytelling and gameplay.
The (subjective) downside for me is that I've never been all that impressed with Chris Roberts' storytelling, it always feels super campy to me. I hope his lore team fills that gap..
Finally, the evolution of their transparency with the backer community has been glorious. To see them balancing their vision with feedback from backers is encouraging. It's also been clear that Chris Roberts himself had a strong tendency to blow up scope and make classic EP / Visionary mistakes like committing to delivery dates without alignment with his team and adding features independent of his team. The past year has been great, as they've implemented an open roadmap and release schedule, which has helped curtail some feature creep (in that anything added publicly impacts the roadmap), and CR seems more disciplined.
The 3.3 patch is really good. I'm getting close to 60 fps on an aging CPU (i7-3770k). The 3.3.5 patch on the PTU is really neat, but has been kind of hit or miss so far for testing to me. Today they started spawning players in Lorville directly instead of Olisar, and my frames in Lorville are closer to pre-3.3 levels, around 20 at best. With so many assets in the area it kind of makes sense but coupled with some of the ship spawning issues at the spaceport and, well, it's PTU. I didn't experience any crashing or hitches though, so they're definitely improving on that front. Just a lot of weird gameplay issues so far.