Star Citizen funding passes $33 million

Impressive....most impressive.

I need my Wing Commander itch to be scratched. It's been hard enough for me to pass-up the modules and wait until final release. I want to experience this completed with the Rift and at full graphical settings. I'm guessing it's going to be my first real taste of real decent VR. REALLY looking forward to it and I'm glad crowd funding has come through so strong and made it known how desired the space sim genre really is. This can only bode well for the future.

no evidence of that yet. other than graphics.

Haha, I was just thinking this. This might be the biggest flop of PC gaming history.

Probably a mix between Ryse and Killzone.

From the creator of Freelancer ?
Oh, it's gun B good.

I hope your right, but I'm not pledging a dime until I see PROPER player gameplay of spaceships, first person shooting on the ground and alot more on the gameplay mechanics.

Because as of yet, there is nothing. $32 million shoved into graphics hype and a man.

For the ammount of money he now has, I wish this game would think "bigger" again, so far it seems just like another freelancer GREAT, but with the budget and techonology now and the fact that its a persistant world. I would of expected the whole concept to evolve... not just add a new ship with each million.

Ideally for launch, a fleshed out space fight with an EVE-like persistent universe, economy and depth ... with decent on-foot combat that actually servers a purpose (i know he kinda hinted at this, but its all talk until shown) not to mention balancing it. no player is gonna like being boarded and have they best ship taken just by being shot by some guys.

But I was expecting better additions ... different races perhaps? (and ships that reflect the races) and being able to fly across planets/atmosphere ect.

Basically with this budget, hype and team ... I want a multiplayer Mass Effect. I would love it if he made it happen. a proper SCI FI sandbox. not just spaceship porn.

but we will see.

It seems like they've really had a resurgence in fundraising this fall. Didn't they JUST hit $31m the other day?

Anyways, its very impressive and all, but I'm still a little put off by their pricing model, and even if that weren't the case, I'm not putting down a cent until I see some solid evidence of good gameplay. This game has me worried because it doesn't seem like it will be able to land in the middle in terms of quality. It's so ambitious and has so much momentum that it will either be impossibly good or highly disappointing. And I just don't see how they can possibly achieve what they are setting out to do.

Would love to be proved wrong though...

There are different races and ships for them. Vanduul, Bannu, Xi'an, Tevarin, and Kr'Thak have been announced, and there have been a few ships already revealed that players can obtain.

I don't really understand why we have these nay-sayers. To my knowledge Roberts and CIG haven't done a thing that would imply they aren't deserving of the funding they're getting, or that they aren't using all of that money to improve this game in every way, shape and form.

It's your loss, really. I enjoy supporting a developer that is so open to its playerbase. I mean, they're asking US which ships we want to see in the stretch goals and what added celestial features we want. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Thankfully, the game doesn't need those of you. And you're welcome to pledge once you see the videos you want. Though I suspect even then you'll have something to complain about.

I met a guy at PAX East who dropped $20k on this game. He bought the completionist package for his guild and then spent 5k on other things for himself.

the 315k people who have pledged have payed for the game. plus its mostly online only. you fail as a tool again.

no need to be so grumpy about it, its called having common sense. this isn't a return investment, this is a DONATION. they had the amount of money they needed to make the game LONG ago... everything now is ridiculous, thats simply the reality, it maybe used further down the line. whatever, but people are paying ridiculous amounts for virtual ships that may suck.

Why should I donate money to graphical pictures and videos with no gameplay? I don't do it with normal games, I won't do it for this.

Nobody misses out because nothing is proven. and they can vote to buy the game when something is actually shown. the world doesn't NEED consumers who DONATE their money to developers like him who can afford his own way in either, but its happened. bordering on nearly 20x what he needed infact.

is each million worth one ship? REALLY? no.

I find that both sad and impressive at the same time

while I don't agree with the individual ship only sales and many of the prices, I'm perfectly know why people are throwing money into this game, majority of them including me are older gamers who grew up with space/flight sims and have played at least one of wing commander, elite, x-wing, freespace, i-war, freelancer, or even x, etc.

discounting X3 series which while were fine but more of a space tycoon sim than the usual spaceship pew pew games, we hadn't had any AAA quality spaceship games since what... Freelancer, Freespace 2 or I-War 2? that's more than a decade ago... also many of the big names like CR, DB, 'vanished' for a long time, so when CR suddenly reappeared with such superb presentation and a huge spaceship game lovers wet dream project, the hype just skyrocketed through the atmosphere...

Well actually, it is a return investment. Buying ships, buying credits, buying items, those are tangible benefits that you will receive in-game.

But there is gameplay. It's called the hangar module. It showcases some of the things the game is capable of. The dogfighting module comes out within the next couple of months as well. Will you discard that too?

You actually are missing out. You will not receive some of the things backers have.

He's already clarified on that. One million does not buy one ship. One million adds even more developers to the pool and allows them to do other things with the money. The ship is a symbolic stretch goal.

So, really, I'm not sure what your gripes are.

80% will be used on marketting.

I kid, I kid. I'm one of the people who backed it up as soon as I saw it on Kickstarter. I cannot for the game.

Do they even have the means to spend all the money? Do the creators have experience overseeing such a large, high budget project? It's not like they're paying huge amounts of money on actors like Uncharted 3, The Last of Us, or Killzone. These games have a multitude of "money-sinks" that drain the significant portion of the money purely for cinematic effect. Star Citizen isn't looking to be a scripted, cinematic game - so where's all that money going? Shouldn't they be able to speed up the production of the game's release with all this money?

@KHAndAnime:

you know so little about this project :p

does the creator have experience? lol, the creator created the world's 1st AAA game back then in 1994! when even the likes of Rockstar was still nothing!

Star Citizen will have AAA quality singple player part under the name of Squadron 42

and the game is an MMO with hand crafted world and simulation element rather than arcade

And they tried to tell me a year ago that the interest in space sims were dead. This game is either going to be a smash hit or be one of the biggest bombs in video game history.

In 1994, games were made with small teams. How does that translate to this project? So they basically have no experience making a big budget game?

@KHAndAnime:

obviously you don't get the refference, in 1994 Wing Commander 3 was released as the world 1st AAA gae with record brealing budget unheard of at the time when consoles were still dominated with 16 bit 2d machine called SNES

Ahh system wars strikes again...

Just post after post of people arguing their opinion and being wrong because they have not even bothered to research what they are commenting on.....classic.

Also more videos posted in the last day:

As always I'm cautiously optimistic.

I've been looking into this game more recently. 33 million is a shit load of notes. I'd like to make a pledge or contribution, but I can't bring myself to doing it. Instead, I'll be watching with high hopes that it turns out to be a fantastic game. I need to see something tangible outside of a downloadable hanger. Once it passes alpha stage and the beta drops, I'll likely make my decision then. The premise and graphics look incredible though.

I dont get why people like games like this, hate space.

I love space. Mostly, I like when people create a new fantasy within space, like Mass Effect.

But, if you think about it, Star Citizen is somewhat of a 'combat fantasy'. Since we have yet to actually experience combat within outer space, games like this and EVE are mostly based on theories. So you also have some leeway when you want to get creative. After awhile I'd grow tired and want some emotive interaction, like I get with space operas such as Mass Effect and Battlestar Galactica.

I hope the story portion, Squadron 42 is good. I fear it'll be an afterthought and the main focus will be the MMO portion.

I've been dreaming of games like this ever since Elite.

I hope it's great.

Have some faith.
The creator of the best space sim ever made is working on this.

It couldn't be in more capable hands.

the SP portion will be most likely just like Wing Commander and Strike Commander with modern element.

I've read up extensively on this game, and don't delude myself something this ambitious will even begin to barely live up to its promise on release. But I do believe the starting foundation will be very strong and will be continually improved throughout the years to eventually fully realize its vision.

I 100% trust in Roberts. His games speak for themselves, his insights from interviews are sensical and well explained, and he has the means and then some. I've never held more confidence in a game before, and by the amount this has accrued through KS it seems many others feel the same.

What features? I've watched hanger videos.... nothing happens. its an empty 3D shell where you can walk around your ship... a nice first look of the engine. but thats not the point, again thats just wowing you with graphics, its Cryengine 3 something anyone can play around with... we haven't seen how many ships the game can handle in a fight (I don't believe 1000 on cry engine.... no way. not with their detail and added phsyics/effects) but again, if he proves me wrong then I will back.

Although I refuse to pay that amount for a Hornet (I love it though) will have a basic starter one just to get the game.

NOTE: I am not insulting what is shown, what is shown is fantastic, it looks like Freelancer/X series/Eve online meets gran turismo of spaceships (spaceship/car porn) which is a fantastic idea and I love the graphics and art style. but still understand that is pointless if the gameplay sucks, which is what I'm waiting for.

IF the dog fighting module looks and plays great, then I will back. that is my MINIMUM requirement. if the FPS element and if the game is like one big EVE online but with proper space combat.... I will buy that $125 hornet.

Everything the backers have as far as i can see can be earned in game, minus things like credits (which I dont care about) ... but the ship packs and hangers can all be earned.

my gripe is, giving money to a company for digital items before i even get to play the game... cant you see how simple that is? its like buying DLC or starter packs for a game that has no gameplay yet. most people here don't like doing it for a complete game!

haha, you cracked me up!

Can you explain what the overall business model is, I've tried to suss it out myself but information (unless your a back i guess) is splintered. is this the guild wars 2 style business model? a buy to play mmo? with possible microtransactions? (hopefully non-balance breakers) .. so it will be an MMO with expansions and content patches?

or is this simply a SP + online sandbox server that will be updated for a year or 2 then abandoned for Star Citizen 2?

Kinda gutted its just humans tbh.... the level of creativity and feeling of universe if more races existed.

the website is open to anyone, not just backers, if you're interested, the lore, races, ships, and business model are all explained in-depth. It also has links to articles which ask the same questions you have. It's something that gamers have been without for too long, and the reason this kickstarter is so successful is the fact that a lot of people are willing to get out their wallet and pay to have something developed that hasn't been in a long time. Read that twice because I said people are paying to have it developed, they are paying for the expenses involved in making something like this. Every time their funds have increased, they have invested in things that are development related, more people, motion capture studios, external development studios for certain parts of the game, an orchestra for recording music, ect.

Yea I have read most of it, and watched the videos, I'm not THAT ignorant to it, I just want to see some gaurentee that I won't be investing in a tech demo but a fantastic gameplay game (or both) hence my wait. I probably will pledge when the dog fighting alpha comes out.

I will look for those articles, just not sure what direction the game is actually taking atm.. a project like this I would hope it will remain one project constantly update for 10+ years instead of moving on. with this kinda support its more than doable.

The movement and U.I look fantastic that video is new to me, although maybe abit overbearing (though apparently that is if you have a visor on?). my initial cynicism has gone way down, but like I said... still a waiting game.

A lot of weight on the developer's shoulders.

I wonder how publishers look at this.

I really should back this thing. I even know what package I want.

I'm just concerned I may need to upgrade my rig. I also lack a good flight stick - any recommendations?

if this and other kickstart projects and project eternity and wasteland 2 are successful;they will begin to fear the idea of crowdfunding.

Im sure publishers are quietly watching star citizen

1. The business model: you pay for the game, and that's that (right now you can get it for 30$. 40 if you want to also take part in the alpha/beta). After that, you can play the game (both the single player campaign à la Wing Commander and the MMO persistent universe) fot ten years withtout spending any more money if you like. To pay for server costs and additional development (new systems, missions, races, etc) CIG will sell items in the Voyager DIrect store. Theses items aren't pay-to-win (you can get them by playing the game) and won't include ships once the game has launched. You will also be able to purchase game credits, but with a weekly limit (a way to counter "gold sellers" and avoid excessive inflation). Btw, speaking of inflation, there's no loot in this game.

2. The game won't be abandoned for Star Citizen 2. Chris Roberts explicitly said numerous times that he wants this game to go on for years, that he plans on updating it with lots of content (and graphical overhauls once in a time). They will be selling expansions for the single player campaign (REAL expansions, old school full-fledged campaigns with loads of missions).

3. This isn't just humans. Though you will only be able to play as a human at first, there are many alien races (and it has been hinted that they could become playable after the launch of the persistent universe) already known: the Xi'An (powerful empire, humans had a long Cold War with them), the Banu (our first contact, mercantile race), the Tevarin (our first agressors, which we ultimately defeated after two wars that nearly wiped them out... Now they have no worlds, and the surviving Tevarins are often associated with crime), the Vanduul (nomadic warrior culture... Presently our greatest foes, extremely agressive and elusive). You also have the Kr'tak, though humanity knows next to nothing about them beyond the fact that they are the Xi'An's worst enemies.

You could complain that up to now, all intelligent alien species are humanoid. It isn't due to lack of imagination, it's a deliberate design choice. The devs don't want to waste time and resources right now creating ships that we, as humans, can't fly. Moreover, they want to have great animations (they now have their very own mocap studio) and it's much easier to animate a human dressed up as an alien than to create a giant octopus species' animations.

4. I think you should read the following articles. They are some of the most in-depth explanations we've had until now about the game, and will give you a good idea of the gameplay they're shooting for.

Ship components: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/12936-Engineering-Ship-Components-Systems

Instancing: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/12770-Chris-Roberts-On-Multiplayer-Single-Player-And-Instancing

The economy: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/13128-The-Star-Citizen-Economy

Hope this will let you understand why people like me are ready to give this Chris Roberts guy loads of money. His vision and ambition is huge, and he needs both the budget AND artistic freedom to achieve it.

So making a small game back in 1994 for a floppy disc means you have experience handling 33 million dollar projects?

I wasn't aware they were even remotely similar situations...

They know what they are doing guys. This is not their first big project. It's like questioning if cliffy b knows how to make a big budget game if he started a project on his own. You guys are just being asinine

Good read, multiplayer like Dark Souls but while playing a freelancer type game with an economic system like the X series.... can't ask for more really.

I'm pretty much sold. I can't justify buying the hornet though, will go a few steps lower :P

EDIT:

so, you run missions for money? I'm abit confused, if there is no loot... is it only mission payments/trade payments? when they say "more lucrative parts of space" can you not find rare items ect? what reason do you have to explore?

Also PvP.... any player looting?

how is death/destruction even handled?

You can find rare items in space, there are certain items that can only be found by exploring like alien artifacts or military exclusive weapons. They are even going to place a few derelict bengal class carriers that you can find and repair.

You can loot cargo or ship parts from other players if they weren't destroyed, and even take the ship if you are careful enough.

You usually need a ship equipped to do that stuff though, like a tractor beam and docking collar.

You can read about the death mechanic here. For ships, you pay for insurance(or have lifetime insurance) that covers the base ship, and can purchase extra insurance for cargo/upgrades. It is possible to lose normal insurance through fraud or becoming a known pirate, and if you ship is destroyed without insurance you lose it. Pirate companies can offer pirate insurance.

Good to hear, I hope it turns out well. Maybe I'll even contribute as a Digital Mercenary. It's nice to see gamers funding games…and with someone who actually makes games running the show.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13408-Giving-Thanks

We are not building Star Citizen to turn a quick profit, or satisfy shareholders at the some big Publisher, we’re building Star Citizen because we want to make this dream a reality.

Ok I caved in to the hype (mind you I havnt kept up to date in the last few months) , got me a origin 325A "The Arbitor Pack"