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I think that critics should take a closer look at what they really are trying to achieve and what they have done so far. This is not a typical AAA game; the sc

I think that critics should take a closer look at what they really are trying to achieve and what they have done so far. This is not a typical AAA game; the scope is closer to that of a metaverse-level space sim. At this stage, nobody can tell if they are on the path to succeed or to fail. I've seen what development hell look like from the inside and the outside, and I think they had a lot of issues but they somehow managed to solve many of them. Even if they fail to achieve all their goals, I think the development process they used and the technical and organizational lessons they gathered along the way are going to be extremely valuable for the future metaverse building projects.

smoldesu 4y ago
A lot of these critics didn't invest in a metaverse, they paid for a hardcore space MMO that still doesn't exist, 10 years later. If Cloud Imperium wanted to make a metaverse, they should have finished their other projects first and then focused on it afterwards. As it stands, conflating this 'metaverse' concept with the idea of Star Citizen has only threatened it's development status and jeopardized the original investors of the game. > Even if they fail to achieve all their goals, I think the development process they used and the technical and organizational lessons they gathered along the way are going to be extremely valuable for the future metaverse building projects. I really hope future projects don't follow their example. The way their communicated with their community/investors was disgusting, their monetization model is abhorrent, and most of all, their time estimation skills are terrible. They're developing a proprietary product, none of their 'technical and organizational' lessons will benefit the public, not that they'd be useful in the first place. These are the same people who claimed Star Citizen was so big that it needed a custom engine, I don't think many educated, pragmatic developers will be studying their development philosophy in the years to come.
- Ekaros 4y ago
  To me it looks like an other vaporware product with moving goalpost and ever inflating budget. Think of Duke Nukem Forever... Haven't followed it to deeply, but what I have understood it is rather disjointed pieces. With some of the meat for actual game missing.
  - stephc_int13 4y ago
    I've closely followed both Duke Nukem Forever and Star Citizen and the development process and transparency level has been completely different. Star Citizen is regularly updated with improvement, content and features, and it is slowly becoming something.
    - cybrox 4y ago
      Yes. Something. Some tech demos that showcase simple gameplay loops similar to other games might satisfy the common backer to keep waiting or throw more money at them but everyone who's got any experience in the industry knows, that this is hardly indicative of anything. Pretty textures and shaders is not the main problem a game like SC must solve, neither are FPS or Dogfighting mechanics. These are important parts but don't bring you any closer to a tightly knit, interconnected universe, which is their main selling point. In the past 10 years, I've seen nothing from them that indicates that they have made any progress on providing a stable multiplayer experience, even on something like sharded servers. Let alone one huge, interconnected universe.
      - smoldesu 4y ago
        Come on, give them some slack. Their latest update adds incredible new features like "AI Coffee Shop Vendor" and "New Ship: MISC Hull-A". It sounds like they're making major strides towards a completed metaverse! https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link//18636-Star-Citizen-Alpha-3170 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link//18636-Star-Cit...
      - stephc_int13 4y ago
        As someone who has been working in the videogame industry, I have to agree that pretty graphics is almost the easiest part, even if this is also a very difficult job it can be done mostly on the engine side and be disconnected from the game problems. The most difficult part is the world simulation, and in this case, a distributed, extremely complex and high-fidelity simulation.
- stephc_int13 4y ago
  Again, you should take a closer look and talk with people in the community. I am not a backer, but I've been regularly following this project for a long time, and my intuition is that they are going to succeed. At least, IMHO they are much more likely to succeed than Meta, with much less money.
  - smoldesu 4y ago
    I have talked to people in the community, the friend I used to play with had backed it since 2015. He stopped playing around 2018, mostly frustrated by the lack of progress and repeatedly pushed-back release date. Maybe you mean the new community though, I'll admit that I have no idea what their sentiment is towards the game. If it's anything like the 'metaverse' investors of Solana and Terra though, they probably wouldn't know a metaverse if they lived in one. It's been 8 years since they said Star Citizen (the game, not the metaverse) was originally going to release. Until they actually finish one of their products, I'll have a hard time believing in any "success" of theirs, especially when their technical progress only reflects ineptitude and inexperience.
- Semaphor 4y ago
  > they paid for a hardcore space MMO Uhm, no. I’m a backer of the Original KS and IndieGogo campaign, you know what the campaign says? > Real quick, Star Citizen is: > A rich universe focused on epic space adventure, trading and dogfighting in first person. > Single Player – Offline or Online Literally the second bullet point is about single player, multiplayer is only mentioned a few more points down.
sshine 4y ago
> This is not a typical AAA game; the scope is closer to that of a metaverse-level space sim. It is convenient to compare it to something that no company achieved yet. Rather than say it's a failed game, it is an aspiring hard-to-define thing. > Even if they fail to achieve all their goals, [...] lessons they gathered along the way are going to be extremely valuable [...] That's what I tell myself if I have a job that I don't believe in, but don't want to tell myself I'm wasting my time.

smoldesu 4y ago

A lot of these critics didn't invest in a metaverse, they paid for a hardcore space MMO that still doesn't exist, 10 years later. If Cloud Imperium wanted to make a metaverse, they should have finished their other projects first and then focused on it afterwards. As it stands, conflating this 'metaverse' concept with the idea of Star Citizen has only threatened it's development status and jeopardized the original investors of the game. > Even if they fail to achieve all their goals, I think the development process they used and the technical and organizational lessons they gathered along the way are going to be extremely valuable for the future metaverse building projects. I really hope future projects don't follow their example. The way their communicated with their community/investors was disgusting, their monetization model is abhorrent, and most of all, their time estimation skills are terrible. They're developing a proprietary product, none of their 'technical and organizational' lessons will benefit the public, not that they'd be useful in the first place. These are the same people who claimed Star Citizen was so big that it needed a custom engine, I don't think many educated, pragmatic developers will be studying their development philosophy in the years to come.

Ekaros 4y ago
To me it looks like an other vaporware product with moving goalpost and ever inflating budget. Think of Duke Nukem Forever... Haven't followed it to deeply, but what I have understood it is rather disjointed pieces. With some of the meat for actual game missing.
- stephc_int13 4y ago
  I've closely followed both Duke Nukem Forever and Star Citizen and the development process and transparency level has been completely different. Star Citizen is regularly updated with improvement, content and features, and it is slowly becoming something.
  - cybrox 4y ago
    Yes. Something. Some tech demos that showcase simple gameplay loops similar to other games might satisfy the common backer to keep waiting or throw more money at them but everyone who's got any experience in the industry knows, that this is hardly indicative of anything. Pretty textures and shaders is not the main problem a game like SC must solve, neither are FPS or Dogfighting mechanics. These are important parts but don't bring you any closer to a tightly knit, interconnected universe, which is their main selling point. In the past 10 years, I've seen nothing from them that indicates that they have made any progress on providing a stable multiplayer experience, even on something like sharded servers. Let alone one huge, interconnected universe.
    - smoldesu 4y ago
      Come on, give them some slack. Their latest update adds incredible new features like "AI Coffee Shop Vendor" and "New Ship: MISC Hull-A". It sounds like they're making major strides towards a completed metaverse! https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link//18636-Star-Citizen-Alpha-3170 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link//18636-Star-Cit...
    - stephc_int13 4y ago
      As someone who has been working in the videogame industry, I have to agree that pretty graphics is almost the easiest part, even if this is also a very difficult job it can be done mostly on the engine side and be disconnected from the game problems. The most difficult part is the world simulation, and in this case, a distributed, extremely complex and high-fidelity simulation.
stephc_int13 4y ago
Again, you should take a closer look and talk with people in the community. I am not a backer, but I've been regularly following this project for a long time, and my intuition is that they are going to succeed. At least, IMHO they are much more likely to succeed than Meta, with much less money.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  I have talked to people in the community, the friend I used to play with had backed it since 2015. He stopped playing around 2018, mostly frustrated by the lack of progress and repeatedly pushed-back release date. Maybe you mean the new community though, I'll admit that I have no idea what their sentiment is towards the game. If it's anything like the 'metaverse' investors of Solana and Terra though, they probably wouldn't know a metaverse if they lived in one. It's been 8 years since they said Star Citizen (the game, not the metaverse) was originally going to release. Until they actually finish one of their products, I'll have a hard time believing in any "success" of theirs, especially when their technical progress only reflects ineptitude and inexperience.
Semaphor 4y ago
> they paid for a hardcore space MMO Uhm, no. I’m a backer of the Original KS and IndieGogo campaign, you know what the campaign says? > Real quick, Star Citizen is: > A rich universe focused on epic space adventure, trading and dogfighting in first person. > Single Player – Offline or Online Literally the second bullet point is about single player, multiplayer is only mentioned a few more points down.

sshine 4y ago

> This is not a typical AAA game; the scope is closer to that of a metaverse-level space sim. It is convenient to compare it to something that no company achieved yet. Rather than say it's a failed game, it is an aspiring hard-to-define thing. > Even if they fail to achieve all their goals, [...] lessons they gathered along the way are going to be extremely valuable [...] That's what I tell myself if I have a job that I don't believe in, but don't want to tell myself I'm wasting my time.