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Star Citizen's first module came out yesterday. The full game is still a long way off, but "Arena Commander," the game/flight simulator within the game lets you fly around a couple of maps, take part in a hoard mode, or play a few different online multiplayer modes (including deathmatch, team deathmatch and capture the flag). I thought I'd provide a few scattered impressions in case anyone was curious.

 

The game is really pretty. 

 

starcitizenarena_610.jpg

 

It can be hard to tell from screenshots, but the game looks really good in motion. Some of the animations are still a little rough, like the pilot's hands on the joystick, but the level of detail on the ship textures and the backgrounds is really impressive overall. Both of the included maps have a relatively similar look with lots of asteroids in an open field, but the map pictured above has some particularly shiny lighting effects going on. This isn't really surprising with all of the video of the game that has been around the Internet for a while, but I was still struck by how good it looked when I was actually in game.

 

It runs shockingly well

 

My PC isn't the most powerful thing around (Radeon 7870, AMD-FX 6-Core Black), but I've been running Star Citizen on high at a smooth framerate. From what I hear, this isn't consistent for all hardware. Particularly it sounds like people with Nvidia cards are having a harder time. Still, what I thought was going to be a game that would melt my mid-range computer is actually working with it really well. Maybe I'm not due for an upgrade after all.

 

I feel like a second-class Star Citizen

 

Reading other people's impressions of the game, I've been hearing how much some say the game's auto-aim ruins the game for them. I was really confused, because I was having a really hard time taking down enemy ships with my RSI Aurora (the game's entry-level, all-purpose ship). In part, this was because I haven't played a lot of space sims, and am just not very good at the combat, but after watching a few videos of people playing with higher-tier fighters, I started to understand what they meant. My ship is small, slower, and armed with only a couple of laser cannons. It can hold its own in a fight, but unless I have the perfect angle on an AI ship, it usually take a long time of chasing and chipping away at its shields to take down even the weakest enemy ship (this is in the Vanduul Swarm horde mode, not the deathmatch...I haven't tried the online mode just yet). Videos of players with the other two ships show them quickly dispatching a variety of ships using a range of weapons not available on my ship. These players pledged roughly $65-$125 for the game, while I backed for around $35. To some extent, getting a really cool ship up front does make sense as a backer reward, but it also stratifies the experience from the very start, making those of us who didn't want to place a larger bet on the game feel somewhat inferior. Part of the reason I haven't played online just yet is that I figure my cheaper ship doesn't stand a chance against the higher-level fighters.

 

This isn't to say that I don't like the game, or that I think the game is tuned to be impossible if you're flying the entry-level ship. It just is a strange feeling to have when playing the game for the first time. That said, it's an alpha, and the space-flight feels pretty awesome. I'm enjoying fighting against the AI and looking at the general majesty of space. 

 

PS: I thought there would be a thread for this already, but I couldn't find one. If there is, I'm sorry.

 

EDIT: I realized I didn't actually say too much about how the game actually feels. Flying around in space feels great, if a little slower than I expected. From what I've read this is because higher speeds make dog fighting actually really hard, with people just constantly zooming by each other. It can also be a little disorienting at first to chase someone who can move vertically so much more freely than in a regular flight simulator. It took a minute, but I started to find that kind of awesome rather than nauseating. After a while, I got used to the targeting system and learned to read the instruments (which aren't explained super-well in-game or in any documentation I could find), it started to me much easier to take out the AI, and I felt a little less under-powered. I still kind of wish I had one of the faster, sleeker ships, but that just means Chris Roberts' crowdfunding magic is sort of working.

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I spent a few minutes flying around in free flight and was impressed by how nice things looked, even on my older system. I'll have to try out the combat some time this weekend.

 

After a while, I got used to the targeting system and learned to read the instruments (which aren't explained super-well in-game or in any documentation I could find), it started to me much easier to take out the AI, and I felt a little less under-powered. I still kind of wish I had one of the faster, sleeker ships, but that just means Chris Roberts' crowdfunding magic is sort of working.

 

Have you seen the manual? It's really well done, especially for an alpha.

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I spent a few minutes flying around in free flight and was impressed by how nice things looked, even on my older system. I'll have to try out the combat some time this weekend.

 

 

Have you seen the manual? It's really well done, especially for an alpha.

 

I didn't initially, but I looked at it around the time I edited my post. It does explain things, but it is a little overwhelming, especially for people like me who don't play a lot of flight sim/space sim games. The crucial "how to play this game successfully" information is buried under quite a bit of technical detail and in-fiction justification for the module's existence which I suppose is fine since this alpha is geared toward people who are already super fans. Like they were saying on the podcast, the whole thing is a little hard to approach unless you are deep into Star Citizen already and have been following the development constantly.

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After initially being appalled by the controls and (lack of) sound design and feelling of movement, I am warming to this game :). It can look really gorgeous, and the damage modelling is fantastic.

 

There have been several interesting space games that were announced in the last couple of years: Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous come from people with ~30 years' game making experience who made their names on space games, while Limit Theory is a just one guy doing remarkable things, and No Man's Sky looks very interesting, but the 4-person team has a long way to go before producing anything tangible yet.

 

So there's been a lot of comparision between Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous. Many Citizens were of the belief that SC would be like ED but better, somehow, because they raised far more money. However, they are turning out quite different, with the flight model and combat of SC being more arcadey than that of ED; at the moment SC seems to be best played with mouse and keyboard, while ED is best served by HOTAS and either TrackIR or Oculus Rift. 

 

The SC experience has come as a shock for a lot of people, but in hindsight should have been no big surprise since it was billed as the spiritual successor to Wing Commander. However, a great many who didn't have such preconceived notions are loving it, and that's great. There are many many issues, unsurprising being in such an early state, but most should be fixable by the time the game comes out (late 2016 for the full experience is a current estimate). I've always said that there's room for both SC and ED, even though some people have got very tribal about it. Now we see that the goals are completely different, this is especially true :). I hope Chris Roberts takes charge of his vision, and really owns the direction he's taking SC In, and that everyone rallies around what the game actually is rather than clinging to what they thought it might be. Then it would have a real shot of being the best damn space sim ever. But for me, ED looks like the best contender to date, and is the one to beat.

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Don't forget X:Rebirth. Yes, it was a total flop, but it had quite the wave excitement before release.

I'm sad that the combat in these things is what I'm least interested in, but it's the part that both games are focusing on first.

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How do these games compare to Freelancer?  I was always more of a Mechwarrior guy and never got into a proper joystick space sim but this new trend is exciting.  Secretly I just want to fly to various planets and shoot a little bit with the keyboard and mouse.  (Dr Wookie's post about controls was actually a pleasant surprise)

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How do these games compare to Freelancer?  I was always more of a Mechwarrior guy and never got into a proper joystick space sim but this new trend is exciting.  Secretly I just want to fly to various planets and shoot a little bit with the keyboard and mouse.  (Dr Wookie's post about controls was actually a pleasant surprise)

 

From what I understand, Star Citizen will eventually be a lot like Freelancer, though right now, it is just a mini-space-flight-sim/AI-fighting hoard mode thing. I'm actually with Dewar in that the combat isn't what I'm excited for. I'm much more interested in the free-roam part of Star Citizen, but that is a long way out. 

 

X-Rebirth and Elite Dangerous might both have their merits, but the reviews on X and the current price tag on ED are keeping me away for now.

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I feel like a second-class Star Citizen

 

Reading other people's impressions of the game, I've been hearing how much some say the game's auto-aim ruins the game for them. I was really confused, because I was having a really hard time taking down enemy ships with my RSI Aurora (the game's entry-level, all-purpose ship). In part, this was because I haven't played a lot of space sims, and am just not very good at the combat, but after watching a few videos of people playing with higher-tier fighters, I started to understand what they meant. My ship is small, slower, and armed with only a couple of laser cannons. It can hold its own in a fight, but unless I have the perfect angle on an AI ship, it usually take a long time of chasing and chipping away at its shields to take down even the weakest enemy ship (this is in the Vanduul Swarm horde mode, not the deathmatch...I haven't tried the online mode just yet). Videos of players with the other two ships show them quickly dispatching a variety of ships using a range of weapons not available on my ship. These players pledged roughly $65-$125 for the game, while I backed for around $35. To some extent, getting a really cool ship up front does make sense as a backer reward, but it also stratifies the experience from the very start, making those of us who didn't want to place a larger bet on the game feel somewhat inferior. Part of the reason I haven't played online just yet is that I figure my cheaper ship doesn't stand a chance against the higher-level fighters.

 

I backed at the same level as you, I think, and I suspect this is the thing that'll make me end up not playing the game.

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I haven't followed SC at all.  Is it not possible to eventually unlock other, more powerful ships?  Not necessarily during the alpha/beta, but once it's further along in development?

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I haven't followed SC at all.  Is it not possible to eventually unlock other, more powerful ships?  Not necessarily during the alpha/beta, but once it's further along in development?

 

I really hope so. I cannot imagine anything I would be less likely to buy than a pay-to-win space combat game.

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I haven't followed SC at all.  Is it not possible to eventually unlock other, more powerful ships?  Not necessarily during the alpha/beta, but once it's further along in development?

As far as I understand it, everything will be unlockable in the persistent universe (ETA late 2016 onwards). Prior to that will be the single player Squadron 42 campaign (the true spiritual successor to Wing Commander), which may unlock other ships based on your progress. I think that if you go down the Squadron 42 path with your character, you can muster out of the military with a decent amount of cash to buy a new ship. Having said that, the military path (Squadron 42) is apparently only one of several ways to earn citizenship.

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My enthusiasm for this game is mostly for the single-player campaign, where I'm hoping my second-class citizen status won't be an issue. I might try out the MMO stuff out of curiosity, but it's not the draw for me and I don't expect to spend more than an hour or two with it.

 

Earn...citizenship? To Space America?

 

They're trying for Space Rome.

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My enthusiasm for this game is mostly for the single-player campaign, where I'm hoping my second-class citizen status won't be an issue. I might try out the MMO stuff out of curiosity, but it's not the draw for me and I don't expect to spend more than an hour or two with it.

 

They're trying for Space Rome.

 

I wish it was Space Egypt.

 

OWC04PW.jpg

 

From what I understand so far, the second-class citizen stuff matters mostly at this point since people who pay more have access to the nicer ships now. Eventually in the single player and persistent universe parts, you can buy everything with in-game money. It all will come down to how easy it is to just play the game and work up to having a bigger ship. If I can enjoy my time earning enough money to buy the in-game equivalent of a Firefly, I'll be happy. 

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The citizenship thing sounds like Starship Troopers.  I know ideas like earning citizenship through things like service pre-date that by many centuries, but I can't see any modern sci-fi application of the idea without assuming that Heinlein influenced it somehow.

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A bunch of new stuff came out of Star Citizen's gamescom event. The 2945 RSI Constellation commercial:

 

 

An upcoming update that adds racing:

 

 

And the hangars are getting updated, aside from the visual update, they'll no longer be referred to as discount, business and deluxe, but will have

associated with it. I'm not sure, but that might also be the update where people get to decide the layout of their hangars and rooms themselves? Finally a really short
.

 

Everything continues to look really good and I need a new PC in order to play all this, because the current Arena Commander runs at about 20 frames per second.

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Lifetime insurance for early backers will create a perment second class consisting of all those who dont have it.

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But that's kind of impossible to say, since we don't know the importance of lifetime insurance and the effects it'll have?

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Well it will definitely effect the economy as some people will have free replacement of ships. also might change how they behave because they will never risk losing the ship when it is destroyed. You are right that we don't know right now, but considering the Devs are no longer offering lifetime insurance, I think its safe to say they don't want it to be too widespread.

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Well it will definitely effect the economy as some people will have free replacement of ships. also might change how they behave because they will never risk losing the ship when it is destroyed. You are right that we don't know right now, but considering the Devs are no longer offering lifetime insurance, I think its safe to say they don't want it to be too widespread.

 

From what I've read, lifetime insurance is more of a luxury than a necessity for the persistent universe part of the game. Devs have said that the game will offer insurance for in-game currency, and that this would be a relatively small cost. Basically, those with LTI (if it works as currently advertised) are avoiding a small tax on in-game earnings rather than gaining a huge advantage over those without it. That said, I totally understand your skepticism. They very well could screw up their game's economy by making insurance costs too high or making it too hard to replace an uninsured ship. 

 

Then again, I'd be much more concerned about how a significant number of players are going to start with the in-game equivalent of a star destroyer while most of us will be using what amounts to a space-faring Smart Car.

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From what I've read, lifetime insurance is more of a luxury than a necessity for the persistent universe part of the game. Devs have said that the game will offer insurance for in-game currency, and that this would be a relatively small cost. Basically, those with LTI (if it works as currently advertised) are avoiding a small tax on in-game earnings rather than gaining a huge advantage over those without it. That said, I totally understand your skepticism. They very well could screw up their game's economy by making insurance costs too high or making it too hard to replace an uninsured ship. 

 

Then again, I'd be much more concerned about how a significant number of players are going to start with the in-game equivalent of a star destroyer while most of us will be using what amounts to a space-faring Smart Car.

 

It just makes me think of playing Skyrim Vs playing previous Bethesda games. Skyrim removed item degradation and I was able to save up money so much faster than when I constantly have to repair and replace items. It also changes how I played because I never had to worry about items breaking while I was out fighting. 

 

The starting with better ships will also be an issue, but I think the effect of that is that some players will be able to advance though the early game much faster than others. Might make PvP really unbalanced for a while as well.

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I'd rather start with a smart car and work my way up. That's the fun of it.

 

Yeah, it actually mystifies me why so many people would want to buy instant upgrades for the game.  I was uncomfortable just getting starting gear in Dark Souls 2, and put the stuff away for the opening few hours, before realizing that it's mostly cosmetic (except for one shield that is pure gold in mid-level PvP).  The building and progress element of a game is the part I love the most.

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A bunch of new stuff came out of Star Citizen's gamescom event. The 2945 RSI Constellation commercial:

 

 

An upcoming update that adds racing:

 

 

And the hangars are getting updated, aside from the visual update, they'll no longer be referred to as discount, business and deluxe, but will have

associated with it. I'm not sure, but that might also be the update where people get to decide the layout of their hangars and rooms themselves? Finally a really short
.

 

Everything continues to look really good and I need a new PC in order to play all this, because the current Arena Commander runs at about 20 frames per second.

 

I really want this game to be great when it comes out, but I am sadly unimpressed with the racing and FPS teasers. The Constellation commercial made me laugh, but not as much as the price of the ships in store: $225-375! I still quietly boggle that people are willing to buy this stuff, especially since they could forget to insure it in game and lose it forever.

 

As I am most interested in Squadron 42, I'm not too worried about the current state of affairs though :). I'll just sit out Arena Commander unless it improves significantly; I'll definitely check in after they update the model to 6 degrees of freedom and increase the top speeds of everything.

 

Elite Dangerous is more my jam, but there have been fair number of people lured to ED by the videos and coverage, that have been disappointed that they can't easily find other players for a quick fight, or with the slow pace, or the nerfed yaw (a conscious design decision to promote a particular style of flight); I definitely think that they would be a lot happier with Arena Commander (who knows about the Persistent Universe of Star Citizen?). These games are definitely horses for different courses :)

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I have not been following star citizen at all, but since I started playing Elite Dangerous and loving it, I was thinking about SC. I've no plans to get into it now, but have they/anyone said anything about how the game will be priced and sold when it is a finished thing (if that ever happens)? Will ships still be up to hundreds of dollars each?

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