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View Full Version : Well, this is bloody disappointing,...



Nightdare
May-13-2018, 17:20
So I basically kept an eye out on SC since its kickstarter in 2012

I managed to get into the public invite week in 2015 and apart from the servers overcrowding (leading to long wait times for ships) had fun,
even though there was not much content, except for putting comm arrays back online

Well, fast forward to late march this year, I had some spare cash, and figured I'd buy myself a starterpack and upgrade to a 325a and finally dive in

Unfortunately I failed to read the fine print
When I did the Public invite, I was running an I5 4440, 8 megs and 560 TI, only upgrading the 560 to a 970 in the time passed
But today, SC needs at least Quad Core (4790 and -you better go- up), 16 megs and an SSD to get more than a laggy unstable mess when wanting to play in the Public Universe (Arena Commander and Star Marine let you get away with less)
Though my 970 does manage top end FPS, it's processor running pretty constantly at 100%

Well, my fault I guess (though I'd wager demanding public testing on systems above average does not help the popularity)
So I grabbed more 'a little more' of that extra cash and upgraded to the specs in my signature

It was time to hit the "Verse"



....Well, I am Underwhelmed, to say the least!

Maybe its my self entitlement, too high expectations,...
Or my natural cynicism concerning software programming, when I look at the 5 years of development and 185 million dollars that have been put into this and what it shows for
I'm 6 weeks in, and done with the content, I mean there are only so many parcels to deliver, so many arrays to repair, so many pirates to kill, so many dead spacefarers to find until it gets stale

And the only reason it has taken that long was because of the bugs and lack of stability

"But it's only alpha" is a platitude I'll only swallow up to a certain point, sure, anything new is bound to cause some issues, you fix them asap so they don't remain PERSISTENT issues

Jumping throwing off the character coordinates getting you temporarily stuck. and speaking of jumping:
having to jump through hoops like a circus animal just to get a parcel in (if it doesn't end up 260m below the surface when doing so), in a ship that has been flying for 4 years already?
Unresponsive NPCs, missions that give no starting point, unstable connection and game crashes

And for the love of everything digital: The elevators at Levski are so bloody unreliable, it took me less than 2 weeks to nickname it "Gulagski", because when you go there, there is no way of telling when you ever are able to get out
(props to the players, there's usually a constant stream of guys willing to ferry stuck players to the other ship retrieval stations, of course no word from the developers so far)

Now after getting bored with the missions, I figured I'd try towards upgrading my ship, ...sure, the next patch everything will be back to zero, but it would give me something to do
So I had the option of going into Arena Commander and earn REC to rent gear/ships for 24 hours, or (what I thought) a more 'permanent' option: to buy components available in the PU
I figured I'd try that and at least enjoy the "fruit of my labors" until the next patch came along
Well, no such luck, after a repetitive grind with many bugs and crashes, I bought a shield upgrade, only to see it gone from my inventory the next day, a small round of questions:
Answer: "yeah the upgrades are currently bugged, better not bother with it
...well why keep it implemented at the moment if it doesn't work anyway!?!?! (mind you, this was on the volunteer helpdesk, I won't fault these guys for being bearers of apathetic news)


As it is, I suspect the developers suffer from "New Puppy Syndrome" where every new thing is hugged, shown off and lauded, until the novelty wears off and it comes to upkeep and it becomes a chore and they get tired of it real fast
Not only that, but I think that until the money coming in from pledges starts drying up, they won't be in much of a hurry to ever go live
(hell some people pledged on concept ships years ago and still waiting on a flyable result, I guess new money is better than old money)

Sure, maybe I've been spoiled by titles as World of Warcraft, that had tremendous amount of content and a vast open world after 4 years of development at release
(and early on switched to its own engine instead of the WC3 one, whereas SC only switched to another already existing engine) and only $63m budget
Or Cliffs of dover, where a bunch of enthusiasts turned a buggy unfinished mess (based on its OWN engine, to which they had no access I might add) into a working game for thanks and peanuts


But really, if this is what the SC developers can deliver in that allotted time and with a budget many AAA titles can only dream of, I'm having a hard time trusting this will end well for those backing it
and I feel that those that religiously keep defending everything are stuck in the "Sunk cost fallacy"

I'll poke my head back in after they redesigned my current ship end of the year (Filled with bugs, I'm sure), but for now, so much for "Exploring the game", because there's simply nothing left to explore
except perhaps finding out the breaking point of the amount of bugs and crashes needed before I melt my ship and free up 40 Gb of SSD space for Transport tycoon Savegames

QB.Creep
May-14-2018, 18:39
Join the club dude. I backed in March 2013 and was a subscriber for 3 years. Put a considerable amount of cash into supporting what I thought was going to be the spiritual successor to Wing Commander. The scope creep is absolutely horrid (dogfighting space game plus single player campaign plus persistent universe), the dogfighting is incredibly simplistic (interactive mode makes it a fancy point and click arcade game), and they have no completion date for a polished product. I do not understand how anyone in their right mind is still supporting the project.

ATAG_Flare
May-14-2018, 20:21
Me too guys. They've left what the base of the game is (space dogfighting) and while if it is ever finished it will be super cool but I haven't touched it in a while, just not that fun. And people put way too much money into it.

Nightdare
May-15-2018, 17:01
Join the club dude. I backed in March 2013 and was a subscriber for 3 years. Put a considerable amount of cash into supporting what I thought was going to be the spiritual successor to Wing Commander.

I'm pretty glad, since I was only interested in the "MMO Space-Sim" part, I didn't also plunk down cash for SQ42 which, as I only recently found out, is ALSO (still) not available
By the time they finish the first part, half the actors that played in it will be dead


The scope creep is absolutely horrid (dogfighting space game plus single player campaign plus persistent universe)

They got so much money in that first run, they literally didn't know what to do with it all (My guess would be "Put it in the game where people gave you that money for", but I'm not a sensitive artist, who's brilliance can't be focused and rushed and put under deadlines, so what do I know?)
From there the new puppy syndrome came in


the dogfighting is incredibly simplistic (interactive mode makes it a fancy point and click arcade game), and they have no completion date for a polished product. I do not understand how anyone in their right mind is still supporting the project.

I was laughing myself silly when they mentioned 'realistic G reactions in space combat', and the only thing they put in there is Positive and negative vertical G's giving an effect
As if when yawing 180 degrees within seconds at 600 mph, inertia DOESN'T have any effect on the human body/brain

It almost looks like "Space War Thunder", ...and I don't mean Simulation battles
They even jumped the gun and started with land vehicles (OH I GOT AN IDEA: BOATS!!! they should implement naval vessels as well, there are bound to be a few ocean planets in the future)


Me too guys. They've left what the base of the game is (space dogfighting) and while if it is ever finished it will be super cool but I haven't touched it in a while, just not that fun. And people put way too much money into it.

This year they 'plan to finish' the crusader system,... and they got 109 systems to go
When you hear that they plan to go out of Alpha only somewhere 2019-2020, and realize that means BETA will follow before (ever) going "Live" ....ugh, man....


Somehow this pops to mind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkwhRmMaxm8


When I look back, I feel like I've been betting on the wrong horse. Elite Dangerous didn't appeal to me back then, because of the clunky trash-can looking ships and the short cuts they made in programming
But currently, although being visually a little less pleasing, they got everything that I'd want from Star Citizen, hell, it even has VR
And 'delivering' also means they can upgrade WHILE supplying the product

ATAG_Highseas
May-15-2018, 17:22
Hmm..

Ive been following Star Citizen.. on and off.. for a while. (In dog years)

The relaunch of Elite is the reason I got a flight stick... and that purchace ultimately lead me here after i loooked at what else I could do with it.

I kinda like elite... its very relaxing to kick back and "fly" in a (sometimes) tranquil environment...

Space sims ! oh yeahhh !! I'm 12 again !!


I'm not sure where Star Citizen is going.

Looks impresive though. And I really hope it get there... where ever that is.

QB.Creep
May-15-2018, 19:48
The relaunch of Elite is the reason I got a flight stick... and that purchace ultimately lead me here after i loooked at what else I could do with it.

Hah, similar story here. SC is what led me to buy my Warthog HOTAS. After I finally threw in the towel on SC, I found Cliffs :)

Vlerkies
May-16-2018, 02:37
It is probably the only game I ever bought that I regret spending money on.

Dunno about the rest of you folks but I find the controls setup as well to be an absolute nightmare.

ATAG_Vortex
May-16-2018, 03:27
Just about the same story here. All SC is doing now is taking up space (sic) on my HD.

Just google Star Citizen Scam or Star Citizen Review and the links all tell their own story.

What amazes me is those who jump to its defence and those who have chucked so much money at it in the belief that RSI will come through, hmmmmm.....!

Nightdare
May-16-2018, 08:25
It is probably the only game I ever bought that I regret spending money on.

Looking back, and I have been a PC Gamer since '92,... I think that counts for me as well


Dunno about the rest of you folks but I find the controls setup as well to be an absolute nightmare.

I find most control setups in games clunky, where the only thing that makes things more of a chore is the amount of controls you have to map (which is a lot in SC)
best I ever came across was War Thunder, which simply gives you step by step instructions with visuals

SC isn't the worst when it comes to key/button binding (If one keeps in mind 1 key/button can be used in 5 different environments Ship/On foot/E.V.A./Wheeled/Turreted)



What amazes me is those who jump to its defence and those who have chucked so much money at it in the belief that RSI will come through, hmmmmm.....!

Some of them I would describe as "Religious", as if they know the bible better than any other Christian, and since they also believe and sacrificed more than anyone else, they must surely have earned a spot in heaven,... right?
Not that I can totally fault them, looking at the total amount time and money that has gone into it, a finished product, of which PC Gamers the likes of which have never seen, would almost be a guarantee


But the community in general is pretty ok, lately had more fun in the chat than in the game

"I can't get in"
"You have to go in through the rear, I'll turn around and open my backdoor"
"Don't move yet, I'm stuck,.. Ok, I'm in. My, that's pretty roomy"
"Yeah it can take a big load"
"Do you take a lot of guys?"
"Usually a few each day"
"Do you sometimes charge people?"
"No, I do this purely for fun"
"They must be pretty grateful to you for picking them up"
"Yeah, its quite a satisfying way to spend the time"

:)

ATAG_Highseas
May-16-2018, 08:45
Just about the same story here. All SC is doing now is taking up space (sic) on my HD.

Just google Star Citizen Scam or Star Citizen Review and the links all tell their own story.

What amazes me is those who jump to its defence and those who have chucked so much money at it in the belief that RSI will come through, hmmmmm.....!

Maybe they will though. I haven't written it off. But I haven't paid anything or played it at all either.

It could still be amazing.

Foul Ole Ron
May-16-2018, 18:27
I got caught up in the early KS excitement and put in about $300. The scope creep that followed was just horrific to watch - absolutely terrible project management. Feeling quite fortunate that I was able to sell my ships for $300 2 years ago and not get burned.

thee_oddball
Jun-24-2018, 20:07
I read a post a while back referring to SC as a ponzi scheme, however like the rest of you I have fond memories of playing Privateer and I bought into SC, my first attempt at playing was lagtastical...I just reinstalled the game today to see if my R1700/VEGA56 and 16GB will help.

I really due hope that SC b becomes EVE on steroids :)

Nightdare
Jun-26-2018, 14:07
I read a post a while back referring to SC as a ponzi scheme, however like the rest of you I have fond memories of playing Privateer and I bought into SC, my first attempt at playing was lagtastical...I just reinstalled the game today to see if my R1700/VEGA56 and 16GB will help.

That 16Gb will help, and an SSD is another big one for smooth playing, though I heard you can make due with a large pagefile
GPU and CPU are woefully underemployed


I really due hope that SC b becomes EVE on steroids :)

The past few weeks I've been flying in Elite Dangerous, if I see what they did with a much lower budget and shorter Devtime, there's a big chance some big studio can pull a World of warcraft-like move
and throw something so immense on the market, that the "Dream" of SC becomes obsolete in an instant (and it would be poetic justice if they did it in less time and budget than CIG)

Now, I'm not hoping SC fails, the concept still appeals to me, but one would almost think it deserves to

thee_oddball
Jun-30-2018, 12:28
Now, I'm not hoping SC fails, the concept still appeals to me, but one would almost think it deserves to

Neither am I but after having 160 million plus invested I have....concerns, I appreciate this guy making this video but I'm fairly certain he has raisins in the brain case , he is 8K into the game already...:stunned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo8oU5WX0Lo&t=106s

ATAG_Vortex
Jun-30-2018, 16:36
Just freed up 30 odd gb of space on my hard drive. :thumbsup:

Can't believe that guy invested $8k in it, that would have bought one hell of a rig to run it ;)

Nightdare
Jul-01-2018, 18:40
Neither am I but after having 160 million plus invested I have....concerns


160? Make that 185 million, I consider that quite a bit more than just "plus"

One video I saw previously, a guy put it very well, where it concerns the "vision" of the game
"They are chasing the horizon"

darkside3/4
Nov-23-2018, 19:37
You boys need to try elite, I own SC and will revist upon release. You have a fully fleged space sim in Elite on sale for 25.00 right now during the autumn sale that works with vr and track ir. If you wanna wing up and make 500 mil to 1 billion a night in wing missions friend me, Cmdr Jar Head. More than welcome to join our discord, please pm if interested. The background sim and player factions breath life into the game.

Nightdare
Nov-24-2018, 07:45
You boys need to try elite

Already am, got many LY's AND some unexplored systems on my name already
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like SC going live. :D


I did escape the open server though, the moment you're stuck in a Community Goal Station because the griefers are ruling the area, apart from your hard earned credits, sucks the fun right out of it
I went to Mobius EurAsia Private PVE server


Currently I'm waiting for the 300 series redesign, and it isn't looking good
I paid €70 extra to fly my Space DeLorean 325a, and now it seems they're turning it into a Space Beluga abortion
I may have no leg to stand on, but if this goes live, I'm gonna try everything to get that extra spent cash back, to hell with store credit, I became a backer because of that ship
(though I'll settle for a free Saber)

Helenawe
Sep-30-2020, 17:31
Trying to pick out the best PC space games is a galaxy-sized question.

Being a game funded by microtransactions, you can also buy loads of tat

The Milky Way is the setting of Elite Dangerous, built to terrifying scale.

Nightdare
Oct-14-2020, 13:15
Trying to pick out the best PC space games is a galaxy-sized question.

Being a game funded by microtransactions, you can also buy loads of tat

The Milky Way is the setting of Elite Dangerous, built to terrifying scale.

I hear people complain that E-D is empty, well, last I checked, the only time SC is visited is with public invites


Currently parked the whole game on a backup drive, last time I logged in to try out my 'fixed' 325a, I died in the exit animation every time
and no, I didn't immediately try it our when the redesign went live, this was weeks later
...when the whole claim of the redesign was to get the bugs and kinks out, it should be clear I was not a happy camper