• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

STAR CITIZEN, Chris Roberts' (Wing Commander) New Game [$25 million funded]

Dead Man

Member
The Aurora Revealed

aurora_banner_post.jpg


Complete with another brochure like the Constellation reveal earlier.

This just got my payment. I've been following for a bit but nothing I had seen looked like better value than just buying the game when it was done since the lifetime insurance deal ended. I grabbed the advanced starter package: LX with lifetime insurance.

Link to the brochure here: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/cdn-rsi/brochures/aurora_brochure.pdf
 

zam

Member
Gave Chris Roberts another $5 for the Aurora LX upgrade (on top of the $40 for my initial pledge back during the first pledge phase, and the $225 for the Constellation). I really hope they make it to $10 million.
 
Decisions, decisions. Thinking about buying a starter package for my fiance so she can play with me, but it's also tempting to say screw it and get the add-on for my account (currently don't have an Aurora).
 

Keasar

Member
Just watched the new EVE Online trailer and boy, I really hope Star Citizen in the end becomes like that, but you know, actually fun to play.
 

garath

Member
I caved and put down $45 for the starter pack of the singleplayer and multiplayer with alpha/beta and lifetime insurance of my Aurora DX.

That's it. Ignoring the game till it comes out now. It's WAY too far out to be doing this. End of 2014 is likely going to turn into first quarter 2015.

I'm sure they'll do what they can to coax more money out of people but I barely know what it is I'm really getting for my $45 as it is other than the base game.
 

MrBig

Member
I just plopped down $45 on the aurora as well. I've kept as dark as possible so I'm not even exactly sure what I bought but I'll be going back into the darness as soon as possible.

e: I see there's a group section, is there a gaf group to join? Username is MrBig.
 

Rommel

Junior Member
I have all the skins and my hanger current stands at

1x Constellation
1x Aurora LX
1x Freelancer

Most stop spending money... lol
 

Rommel

Junior Member
Broke 9 mil... Which means all ships purchased past and until the new website launch (end of May) will have life time insurance.
 

garath

Member
Given that I haven't been following this too much other than being excited that Chris Roberts is thinking of us Privateer fans, it seems like Star Citizen is going to be a pretty micro transaction driven game with a f2p model of grind out items with time or pay to get them quickly. Does that sound like a fair assessment? It's a little concerning to me that there is so much stuff already being monetized 2 years before release lol.
 

d0g_bear

Member
I actually posted in another SC thread "they'll make 9 mil before the end of the month" and I am really happy to be correct (barely!).
 

d0g_bear

Member
Given that I haven't been following this too much other than being excited that Chris Roberts is thinking of us Privateer fans, it seems like Star Citizen is going to be a pretty micro transaction driven game with a f2p model of grind out items with time or pay to get them quickly. Does that sound like a fair assessment? It's a little concerning to me that there is so much stuff already being monetized 2 years before release lol.

I understand why you might have this impression just from seeing that they're pushing for pledges. In fact, you coudn't be more wrong! There aren't really microtransactions in the game. - you can buy credits with real money if you want, but that's no different from playing the game to earn money. Playing the game is fun! Buying credits just bypasses the fun.

Importantly, you're not "upgrading" from one ship to another, because one ship isn't better than another - just better at different things. The Aurora, for example is a jack-of-all-trades, (I think of it like a small pickup truck), the Hornet is a dedicated fighter. The larger ships - while they have more weapons - are less agile at dogfights.

MMOs often talk about "grind" becuase playing the game itself isn't fun. It's just a skinner box to earn better and better items. Star citizen is fully skill-based, there's no advantage to buying credits except that you can get different ships without playing the game.
 

Dead Man

Member
Given that I haven't been following this too much other than being excited that Chris Roberts is thinking of us Privateer fans, it seems like Star Citizen is going to be a pretty micro transaction driven game with a f2p model of grind out items with time or pay to get them quickly. Does that sound like a fair assessment? It's a little concerning to me that there is so much stuff already being monetized 2 years before release lol.

Seeing as they are talking about a solid SP campaign, and the game isn't f2p anyway, I'm pretty comfortable with that aspect.

MP might turn into that, depends how they balance it out.
 

zam

Member
Given that I haven't been following this too much other than being excited that Chris Roberts is thinking of us Privateer fans, it seems like Star Citizen is going to be a pretty micro transaction driven game with a f2p model of grind out items with time or pay to get them quickly. Does that sound like a fair assessment? It's a little concerning to me that there is so much stuff already being monetized 2 years before release lol.
It's not f2p, they are using the Guild Wars model; pay for the game and then no subscription fees.
 

garath

Member
Cool cool. Mind you I have nothing against f2p. I'm a very good customer of League of Legends and I appreciate everything the game offers and am happy to spend some money on some fun content that doesn't directly impact the balance and competitiveness of the game.

I am most looking forward to the single player aspect of Star Citizen but I'll admit to being intrigued by the multiplayer. I'm definitely getting an EVE vibe from it. Which is a good thing. I played that for a solid year and enjoyed it as well.

Too long. Need to unsubscribe to this thread and forget about it (it's in community now anyways so it'll be easy to forget).
 

Perkel

Banned
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

9mln 82k of $$$ in this pace by end of the year they will get 12-13mln and that is dev cost of Gears of War 2
 

gamma

Member
All the promotions etc. are pretty overwhelming lol

I backed the original campaign with $60 which includes the 300i. Is there any other useful thing to get other than additional ships?
 

Minsc

Gold Member
I agree it's a lot, but people seem to really like it I guess. I haven't following the game much since release is so far away, but from time to time I do wonder if I'm missing out not getting some additional stuff before it's "gone forever" (at least in the form that includes the insurance so you don't have to grind 2 weeks of credits to rebuy the ship everytime you're killed).

The main issue I have with investing in these kind of ships (well, besides wondering if it's really worth it since the game hasn't released) is if they're just going to release more unannounced ships a few months later that are better in every way or more in line with what I wanted to get. Was there some sort of indication or overview of everything they were making for the game?

There's the ship dev docs, but have they said if it covers everything the game ships with? There's only ~9 ships across 5 different venders, so that doesn't seem so bad to weigh out the differences in them if so.

Edit: I'm curious too now how it will be balanced, I think it was mentioned at some point, but someone without insurance has to earn enough credits to buy a new ship if they are killed, while someone with insurance gets their high-end ship back without a large payment. But something was in place to keep it balanced so the people with the AAA ships aren't just continuously re-spawning on suicide runs killing dozens of people who don't have insurance re-spawning in C or D level ships which can't compete?
 

Nickiepoo

Member
Edit: I'm curious too now how it will be balanced, I think it was mentioned at some point, but someone without insurance has to earn enough credits to buy a new ship if they are killed, while someone with insurance gets their high-end ship back without a large payment. But something was in place to keep it balanced so the people with the AAA ships aren't just continuously re-spawning on suicide runs killing dozens of people who don't have insurance re-spawning in C or D level ships which can't compete?

They've mentioned that unsurance is for the hull, not the equipment.

EDIT: Unsurance? Derp.
 

Xane

Member
They've mentioned that unsurance is for the hull, not the equipment.

This is correct.
The Life Time Insurance (LTI) you get included with your pledge ship does only cover the basic hull and basic loadout that came with the package (Aurora LX only for the time being).
There will be separate insurances to cover equipment and cargo, but it's not part of the LTI.
 

Dead Man

Member
I agree it's a lot, but people seem to really like it I guess. I haven't following the game much since release is so far away, but from time to time I do wonder if I'm missing out not getting some additional stuff before it's "gone forever" (at least in the form that includes the insurance so you don't have to grind 2 weeks of credits to rebuy the ship everytime you're killed).

The main issue I have with investing in these kind of ships (well, besides wondering if it's really worth it since the game hasn't released) is if they're just going to release more unannounced ships a few months later that are better in every way or more in line with what I wanted to get. Was there some sort of indication or overview of everything they were making for the game?

There's the ship dev docs, but have they said if it covers everything the game ships with? There's only ~9 ships across 5 different venders, so that doesn't seem so bad to weigh out the differences in them if so.

Edit: I'm curious too now how it will be balanced, I think it was mentioned at some point, but someone without insurance has to earn enough credits to buy a new ship if they are killed, while someone with insurance gets their high-end ship back without a large payment. But something was in place to keep it balanced so the people with the AAA ships aren't just continuously re-spawning on suicide runs killing dozens of people who don't have insurance re-spawning in C or D level ships which can't compete?

Also, insurance costs in game currency. Better more expensive ship, more expensive insurance. Except for the pledge ships, none of which seem overpowered yet.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
Also, insurance costs in game currency. Better more expensive ship, more expensive insurance. Except for the pledge ships, none of which seem overpowered yet.

It does sound like insured ship + cargo + weapons will give you a big advantage over someone without it. Wonder if there'll be monthly premiums (to balance over-insuring everything) in the game, and if your insurance policy rates increase the more times you file a claim, which would be a funny way to balance people blindly flying insured ship after ship in to their deaths lol.
 

Dead Man

Member
It does sound like insured ship + cargo + weapons will give you a big advantage over someone without it. Wonder if there'll be monthly premiums (to balance over-insuring everything) in the game, and if your insurance policy rates increase the more times you file a claim lol.

LOL, maybe.
 

garath

Member
It does sound like insured ship + cargo + weapons will give you a big advantage over someone without it. Wonder if there'll be monthly premiums (to balance over-insuring everything) in the game, and if your insurance policy rates increase the more times you file a claim, which would be a funny way to balance people blindly flying insured ship after ship in to their deaths lol.

If it's anything like EVE, you'll have to rebuy the insurance after it's used. And for EVE, insurance only gives a percentage of the value depending on the tier purchased. We'll see how Star Citizen handles it but I imagine they are going to do something similar. The idea will be encouraging people to buy credits with real money.
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
I think it might finally be time for me to throw some money at this. I haven't been following it closely, but with the days I've lost playing Freelancer mods online 10 years ago or so, it would probably be in my best interests to get in on this.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
I guess my fun's over now that I've read the FAQ a bit more... insurance does require regular payment of fees with the in-game money or the policy will lapse, resulting in no payouts for lost ships (I guess kickstarter pledge ships get lifetime insurance and don't have to worry about monthly insurance fees). It seems there's tiers of risk levels built in, depending on which system you're in, with 1 being the safest/cheapest and 5 being the most expensive/riskiest, and any system over 5 being uninsurable. I'm not sure if this is variable, like when you fight in a risk 1 system and die you pay less than dying in a risk 5 system, and dying in an uninsurable system would result in no payout even if you are insured? It's a little unclear to me.

As for the blindly suiciding worry, there is an increasing delay in the time you have to wait to claim a new ship with insurance policies, if the claims fall too close together. There's even an insurance fraud system in place too, to deal with stolen ships that are insured, and if you're caught trying to game the insurance system with other players, you risk losing your lifetime insurance policy for good and being marked a wanted criminal in the game, which costs a lot of money to fix.
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
I guess my fun's over a little now that I've read the FAQ a bit more... insurance does require regular payment of fees with the in-game money or the policy will lapse, resulting in no payouts for lost ships (I guess kickstarter pledge ships get lifetime insurance and don't have to worry about monthly insurance fees). It seems there's tiers of risk levels built in, depending on which system you're in, with 1 being the safest/cheapest and 5 being the most expensive/riskiest, and any system over 5 being uninsurable. I'm not sure if this is variable, like when you fight in a risk 1 system and die you pay less than dying in a risk 5 system, and dying in an uninsurable system would result in no payout even if you are insured? It's a little unclear to me.

As for the blindly suiciding worry, there is an increasing delay in the time you have to wait to claim a new ship with insurance policies, if the claims fall too close together. There's even an insurance fraud system in place too, to deal with stolen ships that are insured, and if you're caught trying to game the insurance system with other players, you risk losing your lifetime insurance policy for good and being marked a wanted criminal in the game, which costs a lot of money to fix.



Yeah, I just read about insurance myself. Also worthy of note is that the current Aurora event provides lifetime insurance, which is one of the reasons now seems like a good time for someone like me to become a backer.
 
finally jumped in on this game. I'd been holding off because of how far off the release is, and honestly crowd funding such a large game had me worried. But if this succeeds and means that more devs can bypass shitty publishers then I'll be very happy.

Plus, you know, the game does look fucking awesome.

I'm not super concerned about all the promotions - I just bought the cheapest pack that let me get the game and alpha/beta access (think it was 40 bucks). The warranty and ship are nice, but since you can get everything just by playing the game, I'm not really worried. So I payed 40 bucks for early testing, a lifetime warranty on an in game ship and the game itself. Not a bad deal, is it releasing at 60 bucks?

I sincerely hope that these guys can deliver on such a huge idea.
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
I'm in for $45. Fancy Aurora and forevers insurance on it. Time to forget all about the game until it comes out.
 
I'm in for $45. Fancy Aurora and forevers insurance on it. Time to forget all about the game until it comes out.

You can get the LX with in game currency, but am I to understand that if I upgraded in the game to the LX, the lifetime insurance I have from the pack would only cover the regular, not the LX? So does upgrading for 5$ get me the lifetime insurance on the LX??

I have the 40$ digital mercenary backing pack, for reference.
 

Mindlog

Member
Debating jumping from Aurora to Hornet.

Ugh. I need to try to forget this is a game. The wait is a killer.
I've been able to keep from splurging on ships, but the real test will be November 25th. That's the last day for lifetime insurance.

There are some new shots up on the recent blog celebrating 9 million.

Aurora
More Beijing
Space Station

You can get the LX with in game currency, but am I to understand that if I upgraded in the game to the LX, the lifetime insurance I have from the pack would only cover the regular, not the LX? So does upgrading for 5$ get me the lifetime insurance on the LX??

I have the 40$ digital mercenary backing pack, for reference.
Yes, the $5 LX upgrade comes with LTI. Right now that package has LTI on the basic Aurora. The basic ship can be upgraded with credits, but that would be treated like all other equipment and would not be covered by insurance.
 

Anoregon

The flight plan I just filed with the agency list me, my men, Dr. Pavel here. But only one of you!
The concept art and overall aesthetic direction of this game is pretty god damn fantastic.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
Probably old, but the Q&A on dying is pretty interesting. Basically when your ship is destroyed in space, or if you're shot and killed during a boarding sequence your character dies and when they're reborn they have cybernetic parts or visual scars. After dying enough times they're past the point of recovery and a funeral is held and they're gone forever. Even ejecting from a ship to escape death isn't necessarily safe as the escape pod can be targeted and destroyed too (though shooting down escape pods is heavily frowned upon and quickly gets you on a criminal list with similar treatment being acceptable when you eject). Apparently trying to disconnect mid battle or similar can also result in your death if the AI can't navigate through it and you don't reconnect in time, in effect to prevent rage quitting and not have some sort of auto-save every 2 minutes handicap to the game, the Squadron 42 portion of the single player only will save after mission completion, so don't die at the end or leave early!

The idea of a semi perma-death is interesting since you don't really lose much as your ship and equipment are the bulk of the actual character, while the avatar is more or less interchangeable, with a minor hit on your reputation when moving to a new one, and I guess being required to create a new person.
 
More art posted.

Tyrol

New picture of Beijing

Beautiful.

I do wonder what your options are walking around on the ground, and also now when I think about it, can I start a firefight planetside?

Doubtful. As it was originally described, planets are simply hubs where you're relatively limited in your actions.

Probably old, but the Q&A on dying is pretty interesting. Basically when your ship is destroyed in space, or if you're shot and killed during a boarding sequence your character dies and when they're reborn they have cybernetic parts or visual scars. After dying enough times they're past the point of recovery and a funeral is held and they're gone forever. Even ejecting from a ship to escape death isn't necessarily safe as the escape pod can be targeted and destroyed too (though shooting down escape pods is heavily frowned upon and quickly gets you on a criminal list with similar treatment being acceptable when you eject). Apparently trying to disconnect mid battle or similar can also result in your death if the AI can't navigate through it and you don't reconnect in time, in effect to prevent rage quitting and not have some sort of auto-save every 2 minutes handicap to the game, the Squadron 42 portion of the single player only will save after mission completion, so don't die at the end or leave early!

The idea of a semi perma-death is interesting since you don't really lose much as your ship and equipment are the bulk of the actual character, while the avatar is more or less interchangeable, with a minor hit on your reputation when moving to a new one, and I guess being required to create a new person.

Wonderful! I thought the ships were tied to the character.
 
Top Bottom