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Star Citizen Pre-Alpha: Hangar Module

S

spindoctor

Member
kutthoat5150 said:
the forums are speculating that Illfonic maker of Nexuiz are doing the FPS part of the game as that studio was redacted in the update. Makes sense as they have experience with cryengine and already have a FPS out already, though I wonder why CIG is keeping the lid on the studio developing it.
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Maybe because being the developers of Nexuiz is more of a black mark than a positive thing?
 
D

Dictator93

Member
kutthoat5150 said:
the forums are speculating that Illfonic maker of Nexuiz are doing the FPS part of the game as that studio was redacted in the update. Makes sense as they have experience with cryengine and already have a FPS out already, though I wonder why CIG is keeping the lid on the studio developing it.
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Yeah, pretty sure it is them
spindoctor said:
Maybe because being the developers of Nexuiz is more of a black mark than a positive thing?
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Not sure why that would be a blackmark, Nexuiz on PC is actually quite impressive in a lot of ways. What do you have against it?
Broken_Moon_V2.jpg


I thought this section header they used for the update is so nice looking. Wonder if that is a screen from one of their latest builds. Those asteroids look awesome!
 
S

spindoctor

Member
Dictator93 said:
Not sure why that would be a blackmark, Nexuiz on PC is actually quite impressive in a lot of ways. What do you have against it?
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, we're talking about the same game right?

I played this game at launch and it was terrible. The performance was crap, they only had 4v4 and the game still had networking issues, P2P multiplayer, poor map design, uninteresting weapons, poor game balance, lack of content, poor design choices and probably other stuff I can't remember. And then there was also the whole Nexuiz/Xonotic drama which tells you what kind of people those devs were. It's telling that the game died within weeks of release on Steam.
 
T

Teknopathetic

Member
As someone who really wanted Nexuiz to be good...it wasn't. At all.

But, ultimately, CIG are likely the ones in control of the design of the FPS stuff, with the outsource team doing the legwork. So if it turns out less than stellar, it's not really (whatever) team's sole fault.
 
D

Dictator93

Member
spindoctor said:
Just to be clear, we're talking about the same game right?

I played this game at launch and it was terrible. The performance was crap, they only had 4v4 and the game still had networking issues, P2P multiplayer, poor map design, uninteresting weapons, poor game balance, lack of content, poor design choices and probably other stuff I can't remember. And then there was also the whole Nexuiz/Xonotic drama which tells you what kind of people those devs were. It's telling that the game died within weeks of release on Steam.
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I agree with everything you typed really except for the highlighted portions (which are very taste dependent). Some maps were better than others and I had no performance problems. Having got the game for under ten dollars, I cannot say I was horribly disappointed with it... perhaps because I did not have many expectations for it. I knew it was made on consoles first...

But some good points at its problems. I liked the art and sound in the game. THe music was cool.
Teknopathetic said:
As someone who really wanted Nexuiz to be good...it wasn't. At all.

But, ultimately, CIG are likely the ones in control of the design of the FPS stuff, with the outsource team doing the legwork. So if it turns out less than stellar, it's not really (whatever) team's sole fault.
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That is interesting. Somehow I thought it was console only so I completely forgot about it. haha. Then had 0 expectations when I got it at discount price.

I trust nexuiz under good game direction to make something nice. I mean, they have a talented artistic eye IMO, and given how the FPS elements are going to be rather realistic (with some sort of indepth cover system being developed), I think it is different enough from Nexuiz to allow for a quality.

But who knows I guess at the end of the day.
 
Z

Zabojnik

Member
I hope we get another dogfighting module video update before April. I'm dying to see how the HUDs development is progressing.

Monthly updates sound like a brilliant idea, now that production is ramping up. Not that I was complaining about what we've been getting so far, mind.
 
D

Dictator93

Member
Thought I would post the marine models/draw overs image that was part of the monthly update:

Marinresamples.jpg


Very high quality. Can only imagine what they will look like with scanned in faces/performance captures...
 
E

EVIL

Member
Dictator93 said:
Yeah, pretty sure it is them

Not sure why that would be a blackmark, Nexuiz on PC is actually quite impressive in a lot of ways. What do you have against it?
Broken_Moon_V2.jpg


I thought this section header they used for the update is so nice looking. Wonder if that is a screen from one of their latest builds. Those asteroids look awesome!
Click to expand...

These are some rough composed 2d concept art. The asteroids are just shapes with images of ice layered into them. Nothing ingame or what not, just a visual to give a sense of artistic direction they are going for.
 
M

MrBig

Member
mutatedwombat said:
I have no trouble running it at 2560 x 1440. Wasn't able to previously, but they fixed it in the drop before last, if I recall correctly.
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The post you quoted is from many months ago, but the problem here is still not fixed: the game has a list of resolutions that it fronts to the user rather than dynamically detecting them. I addressed this by editing the config file and added this information to the OP.

Dictator93 said:
I thought this section header they used for the update is so nice looking. Wonder if that is a screen from one of their latest builds. Those asteroids look awesome!
Click to expand...

Looks like explorative concept art for crafting the feel of that sort of area.
 
C

calder

Member
Zabojnik said:
Wow, some (potentially) great gunship concepts/designs this week. Can't wait to see the refined versions of some of these based on the judges' feedback.
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Damn, those are amazing! Some are a bit reminiscnet of some of the concept art I love by Tim Cameron, basically if someone makes a ship like this I will buy it at almost any price. ;)

tim_cameron3wa7q.jpg


It would need to be beefed up though, this concept mostly just works as a carrier based interceptor or something, it's pretty tiny (which I love).
 
C

CitizenVectron

Member
Zabojnik said:
Wow, some (potentially) great gunship concepts/designs this week. Can't wait to see the refined versions of some of these based on the judges' feedback.
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Just to clarify - That 6th one (bottom right) is not a submission, it was just an example of their art guy's previous work.
 
E

Echo Six

Neo Member
I really like Shimapan and Four Horsemen's fuselage designs. That said, I feel like they should both reduce the size of the engine nacelles in relation to the fuselage, they come off as overexaggerated to me. Also FH should ditch the 'pincer' engine concept, I don't think it really fits in SC.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
Iced_Eagle said:
So this is pretty interesting...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_video_games_to_develop

Star Citizen is currently the 20th most expensive video game developed. Once we cross 40 million, it will have cost more than Half-Life 2 (of course, that's just a best estimate from Valve). I can't believe that a crowd funded game is in the top 20.

By the time it actually releases it will surely be in the top 10. This is insane.
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I have a hard time believing those numbers as the Assassin's Creed titles and, says, Destiny, have 500+ person development teams.

40-60 million is around the low end for AAA development at this point.

tl;dr take that list with a massive grain of salt.
 
D

Daedardus

Member
Don't take that list as granted though. Many of those budgets are rough estimates and they may have cost significantly more or significantly less.

And I'm pretty sure there are hundreds of games out there whose budgets don't get revealed, making it a pretty barren list. When companies want to sell four millions copies to break even, you can be sure the game costed more than 40 million to produce and advertise.
 
M

MrBig

Member
Note that those numbers are not development funds, those are total project cost estimates, including development but also marketing, licensing costs, oversight, etc. The SC project is probably only behind GTAV and TOR in actual development funds at this point. CIG should be spending $1-3m per month at their current size.

Articles, threads like this, and the subscriber money being spend on Wingman's Hangar and 10FtC is the games entire marketing.
 
B

Blizzard

Banned
MrBig said:
Note that those numbers are not development funds, those are total project cost estimates, including development but also marketing, licensing costs, oversight, etc. The SC project is probably only behind GTAV and TOR in actual development funds at this point. CIG should be spending $1-3m per month at their current size.
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Just imagine if the dogfighting module comes out at that expense and is not very good. :p

The expense boggles my mind, but I'm hoping that it's being used in good ways. I am somewhat concerned that there is too much focus on high-poly models and not enough on engine and game mechanics, but I'm not in the inner circle, certainly.
 
M

MrBig

Member
Blizzard said:
Just imagine if the dogfighting module comes out at that expense and is not very good. :p
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The dogfighting experience will surely be extremely rough, lacking, and lead to a lot of people being quite upset. Those that would dwell on such things would do best to not enter this thread and instead wait until 2015 to invest their time or money.

Blizzard said:
The expense boggles my mind, but I'm hoping that it's being used in good ways. I am somewhat concerned that there is too much focus on high-poly models and not enough on engine and game mechanics, but I'm not in the inner circle, certainly.
Click to expand...

Pretty things are what people like to see - showing off design meetings or a programmer sitting at his desk doesn't bring a lot of attention, their information drops do not focus on it.
 
I

Iced_Eagle

Member
Grief.exe said:
I have a hard time believing those numbers as the Assassin's Creed titles and, says, Destiny, have 500+ person development teams.

40-60 million is around the low end for AAA development at this point.

tl;dr take that list with a massive grain of salt.
Click to expand...

Oh I know. Plus, some of those numbers likely don't include marketing, while others do.

Still, it helps to put it in perspective just how crazy high the amount is!
 
E

epmode

Member
MrBig said:
The dogfighting experience will surely be extremely rough, lacking, and lead to a lot of people being quite upset.
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I dunno, Elite Dangerous released its own dogfighting alpha a few weeks ago and most everyone is very happy with it. It's incredibly polished even if it only hints at what the game will eventually become. I'm sure CIG is using Elite's alpha as reference and they're trying hard to release something comparable.
 
I

Iced_Eagle

Member
epmode said:
I dunno, Elite Dangerous released its own dogfighting alpha a few weeks ago and most everyone is very happy with it. It's incredibly polished even if it only hints at what the game will eventually become. I'm sure CIG is using Elite's alpha as reference and they're trying hard to release something comparable.
Click to expand...

Elite also has lot smaller scale than SC for its first release, and isn't as MMO-like as SC. Just an example, you can't get out of the seat and walk around your ships, so that's a huge amount of ship animations and detail they don't need to work on yet. Those are things that are coming afterwards in expansions (I backed at the level which got all expansions for free). Elite is also a bit further in development since the final version is this year.

I think the first release will be a bit more unpolished than Elite's alpha, which is okay as long as CIG is pretty quick on updates.
 
M

MrBig

Member
epmode said:
I dunno, Elite Dangerous released its own dogfighting alpha a few weeks ago and most everyone is very happy with it. It's incredibly polished even if it only hints at what the game will eventually become. I'm sure CIG is using Elite's alpha as reference and they're trying hard to release something comparable.
Click to expand...

Don't get your hopes up. I don't wont it to be a poor experience, but if you go in expecting it to be great, or even to have any fun at all you'll be setting yourself up for a bad time - and that would be the users own fault.

I don't look forward to playing the DFM, or any of the modules for that matter. I view it as work and intend to give plenty of feedback to help SC eventually become something I can enjoy.
 
E

epmode

Member
Iced_Eagle said:
Elite also has lot smaller scale than SC for its first release, and isn't as MMO-like as SC. Just an example, you can't get out of the seat and walk around your ships, so that's a huge amount of ship animations and detail they don't need to work on yet.
Click to expand...

You won't be able to do that in the dogfighting module either. Not for the initial release, anyway.

The early stages of both alphas are actually pretty similar in scope.

MrBig said:
Don't get your hopes up. I don't wont it to be a poor experience, but if you go in expecting it to be great, or even to have any fun at all you'll be setting yourself up for a bad time - and that would be the users own fault.
Click to expand...

They're not treating this like a traditional alpha. The DFM is as much an ad as it is a technology milestone. It's going to be pretty good from the get-go. Reasonably polished but with a lot of missing content.

I'm not just assuming things here. CIG themselves talked about how the DFM has to be more polished than tradional alpha code. Wingman's Hangar/10 for the Chairman, etc.
 
M

Mister_Bubbles

Member
MrBig said:
Don't get your hopes up. I don't wont it to be a poor experience, but if you go in expecting it to be great, or even to have any fun at all you'll be setting yourself up for a bad time - and that would be the users own fault.

I don't look forward to playing the DFM, or any of the modules for that matter. I view it as work and intend to give plenty of feedback to help SC eventually become something I can enjoy.
Click to expand...

Indeed - this is why I will only be using the Hangar Module until the game is actually released properly. I want my first flight to be god damn perfect.
 
I

Iced_Eagle

Member
epmode said:
You won't be able to do that in the dogfighting module either. Not for the initial release, anyway.

The early stages of both alphas are actually pretty similar in scope.
Click to expand...

Won't be able to do what? Walk around your ship? Sure you will. The DFM starts by you walking into your ship from the hangar, and sitting down, and it then your ship will start the VR simulator, aka dogfighting module.

The Hornet doesn't have the ability to walk around your ship because there's nothing to walk around since it's just a canopy. However, the Aurora is going to be there for the initial release, and potentially the 300i. Both of those should allow you to get out of your seat and walk around. With that said, it won't have much of a point really, but it should be possible.

I do think that in terms of gameplay, they should be somewhat similar. Initially they won't have the multi-person ships in there (my Connie weeps), but once they get that in there, it's going to be glorious. However, I'm also incorporating the tech work into the scale. The DFM will include the backend server code that CIG had to write essentially from scratch, and it's going to be the same backend used for the persistent universe. That's an extremely tough task. I'm glad they are taking the time to do that now though because that should give them additional time to polish based on everyone's feedback. :)
 
D

d0g_bear

Member
Mobiglass, galctopedia, a new ship and... a south park reference?


Updated Observist Guide – Additional funding from the $42 million level will go to expanding the website area of the Galactapedia: expect to see holographic ships, items and navigation interface in 3D! Imagine admiring your ships or planning your loadouts right here at the RSI website.
ExoGlas Concept Art
ExoGlas Concept Art
Explorer-class mobiGlas Rig – Every player who backs before we hit $42 million will start the game with their own, visually distinctive mobiGlas “ExoGlas” rig which can be used to access the Observist at any time. I’ve charged the mobiGlas team with a very difficult task: creating a realistic interface that will help keep your affairs in order in an expansive galaxy that we hope players will expand in unknown directions. It’s almost like building our own in fiction operating system for an imagined future, and it’s very different task than building spaceships. This backer-exclusive mobiGlas kit will come pre-loaded with additional galactic information that new players would ordinarily need to explore or barter to fill out; it’s our way of honoring the information you’ve collected about the Star Citizen universe through the RSI site and community over the past year!
Gladius – The Squadron 42 team will develop an additional fighter for the game, the Aegis Dynamics Gladius-class light fighter. The Gladius will be the first fighter built entirely from concept to CryEngine in the UK! Here’s the official description: The Aegis Gladius is the UEE’s reigning light short-range patrol fighter. A single-seat ship with no room for expansion, the Gladius is fast, maneuverable and capable of punching far above its weight. The main advantage to the design is simplicity: cheap to produce, easy to repair and outfit and quick to train new pilots on. The Gladius is an aging design nearing the end of its life-cycle, although iterative updates have kept it the most nimble fighter in the active fleet.
Towel – And of course, everyone who backs before we hit $42 million will also receive a towel for their hangar. Don’t explore the galaxy without it!
Click to expand...

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13626-Letter-From-The-Chairman-40-Million
 
D

Dictator93

Member
androvsky said:
I like how the 42 million goal is basically a Hitchhiker's Guide, in addition to the towel. What's the South Park reference?
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It is a hitchhiker's reference... it is just the guy above is mixing it up with the "towel" joke from south park.

Those goals are awesome. Mobiglas is soooo cool
 
M

MrBig

Member
Space plant is interesting. I may be interpreting it different than intended, but allowing their concept artists to play around with space-borne organic designs could be really fun
 
M

Mister_Bubbles

Member
MrBig said:
Space plant is interesting. I may be interpreting it different than intended, but allowing their concept artists to play around with space-borne organic designs could be really fun
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It would be cool. But, sadly, it is the UEE Marine combat armour that is leading the vote. Over things like another Hangar Room and advanced scanning software too!

Edit: This looks awesome:

Mobiglas_temp03.jpg
 
I

Iced_Eagle

Member
B

br0ken_shad0w

Member
MrBig said:
Don't get your hopes up. I don't wont it to be a poor experience, but if you go in expecting it to be great, or even to have any fun at all you'll be setting yourself up for a bad time - and that would be the users own fault.

I don't look forward to playing the DFM, or any of the modules for that matter. I view it as work and intend to give plenty of feedback to help SC eventually become something I can enjoy.
Click to expand...

I can understand where you're getting, but honestly CIG has a lot riding on the DFM if the users want them to justify the $40 million since right now all we have are concept arts and their word. The delay is so they can get something at least decently playable. If it's at least on par with Elite's alpha, then that should be good enough for the insatiable fanbase.
 
D

Dictator93

Member
From the Crytek website:

http://www.crytek.com/news/conferen...ngine-updates-and-much-more-at-crytek-s-booth

During presentations and hands-on demos at Crytek's GDC booth, attendees can see for the first time ever full native Linux support in the new CRYENGINE. The CRYENGINE all-in-one game engine is also updated with the innovative features used to recreate the stunning Roman Empire seen in Ryse – including the brand new Physically Based Shading render pipeline, which uses real-world physics simulation to create amazingly realistic lighting and materials in CRYENGINE games.
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This means an Open GL renderer and Linux support. AKA, Star Citizen on Linux and using open GL (probably having great CPU optimizations there as well).

This also means of course that Crytek's next PC games will be Open GL as well. Sick.
 
K

Keasar

Member
Mister_Bubbles said:
It would be cool. But, sadly, it is the UEE Marine combat armour that is leading the vote. Over things like another Hangar Room and advanced scanning software too!

Edit: This looks awesome:

Mobiglas_temp03.jpg
Click to expand...

Snazzy. Would be sweet if you could customize it, like change color, add a skin, hang a small dangler on it or something. Just for fun. Still looks great in any case.
 
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