Will there ever be a free beta?
Nope. I guess Gamma technically will count since you'll be getting it with the standard game.
Honestly, I don't feel like 1:1 planets are a necessary or even desirable feature.
I mean, if you've used Outterra, you'll understand what I mean - that's a non-game that provides a google map interpretation of the planet... but even as rich and varied as our planet is, the impression you get from floating around a planet with so much fauna and rolling hills and ocean... is that it just blends together. Hardly any unique features of note.
I prefer a much shrunken map that has a much better density of interesting features compared to flats and plains and gentle forests and hills. Assuming we can land and explore in some future expansion.
Only sim heads that care about the bullet point of 1:1 rather than the practical aspect of the experience could get angry about 1:100 scale planets (which is still way too huge IMO).
OTOH, been able to relate the heavens skybox to the planet you're actually on is pretty cool.
If you watch the video, it doesn't only concern the size of the planets, but the distance between planets themselves. They mention the example of the distance between Earth and Pluto being 1:100 scale.
Only thing is that's not even a guarantee with SC clearly having trouble moving to double bit precision. 1:100 is the most they can hope for in terms of scale.
And I feel like for some, yes, it's just another bullet point. But for others like me, it just says a lot about what Frontier has already accomplished this early on.
I don't want to keep on riling on SC, but all they have done so far is a broken AC with a broken flight model that allows people to turret. It's basically an FPS in space. The recent planetside module they demo'd seem no farther than the video they showed last year. It was basically a diorama with Cry Engine models in T-Poses.
The concerns are valid when the big monumental task ahead of them is transferring to double bit precision that'll practically wipe all their current work so far and all they keep on talking about is the next shiny ship that people can buy.
It's no coincidence that they announced the Gladius when they're daily pledge numbers hit an all-time low.
I'm still personally hoping they're able to fulfill on the promises they've made because what it's aiming to do is incredible and something I want to experience. I'm just wondering though if they've bit off more than they can chew and will have to scale back on all their promises.
I can't help but harker back to Freelancer where Chris Roberts made all these amazing promises that he eventually had to scale way back.