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Star Citizen: FPS Module in 3-5 Weeks According to Roberts
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
GamersNexus.net has a comprehensive video interview with Star Citizen's Chris Roberts. The focus of the interview is on the first person shooter module that was recently delayed indefinitely. That has changed, however, with Roberts indicating that it will be out in three, four or five weeks, perhaps coinciding with Gamescom.
"When I made the [Letter from the Chairman] update -- when we showed it at PAX East, we said we hoped it was going to be out sometime in April, but 'don't hold me to that' was what I actually said. We did the update in May, and obviously people have been waiting a long time for it. A large amount of the company, especially now, has been working on it. We've got extra help from the German studio, which is a bunch of CryEngine experts. I've got a build on my machine with both the FPS and the Gamescom [presentation], so I'm actually helping out with the code a bit. But we didn't want to give a date because, well, we sort of don't want to get burnt by that.
"In reality, we're probably weeks off. We're shooting to have FPS on the PTU round-about Gamescom or slightly after Gamescom. We're really talking about people getting to play FPS in a matter of 3, 4, maybe 5 weeks."
Read the text summary of the interview at the link above and / or check out the video below.
Comments
Well, that's encouraging news. Always good to see "indefinitely" change to "a few weeks from now".
That usually indicates that the status has changed from "We have no idea how we're going to fix this" to "Cracked it !".
As i wrote in relevant posts, SC's fps aspect is something way more complex than simple fps combat. It will be the tissue connecting various game modes like multi crew ships, ship boarding, planet exploration, station boarding and exploring and on foot combat.
Also, nice to hear that arena commander gets upgraded to 8 vs 8.
If you're not familiar with Space Sims and the history with the genre, it might seem weird. Otherwise it's really not weird or surprising. It was the same with Elite, as well as now with No Mans Sky...
Think about Crpgs, and all of the hype and excitement over Pillars of Eternity, Divinity: OS, Wasteland2 etc...
Long story short these genres essentially died off in the early 2000's.. Aside from a few select titles mostly done on shoestring budgets with so so production value/ Programming... they were no where to be seen, especially if you wanted a good one. Really only one series filled that gap in terms of the Space Sim, with dogfight category ( not 4X strategy)... X , on top of that it's last iteration :Rebirth was a major disappointment to many if not most...
It's not surprising at all, that a game promising to be the biggest most innovative Space Sim ever, is going to draw a huge following, it's a dry untapped market. That history probably also plays a part in heightened emotional attachment.. Which inevitably leads to drama.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Still careful choice of his words,like saying "don't hold me to that" the last time.
This could simply mean he has a VERY small piece to show case,like maybe one zone one model couple weapons,who knows really.He can have 20 minutes of work to show for a Gamescon but not really have the module or even one zone FINISHED.
Not really a big deal as long as what he does show is finished work and not half assed just to say "see it's working".Anyone... a SMALL team can put together a zone a model and a few weapons,that takes about 2 weeks work meaning he could start from scratch right now.
So we will see if this looks like professional work or not,like something you could actually sell as a quality product.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Sounds like "DON"T audit us PLEASE!" From 10 months out to it's coming in 5 week? One month after saying 10 months?
Sounds like someone lit a fire under their arse. Good for the backers.
I have to wonder though.... Were they holding back the product to sell more ships?
Uh huh Chris, uh huh. Never heard that one before...
Meanwhile, back in the studio... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXbvryh46Is
If Roberts has any advisors with any sense, they'll come up with something to show, even if they have to fake it totally. (Didn't it come out that they'd faked some early footage quite a while ago?)
I'm sure Roberts believes this just as strongly as all those other examples of him giving out info on predictions and deadlines.
I do feel sorry for all the employees, who are already doubtless on permanent crunch, who will now have to redouble their efforts to meet some arbitrary deadline that made sense mostly in the CEOs mind.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
Isn't that what people want? I mean delaying it to get it right isn't acceptable. They want it now... so what's any company to do? If there's anything that makes crowdfunding a bad idea, it's this type of thing right here. An actual investor would understand the reasoning of a delay on one module in the middle of development. (if it makes for a better product, that's in their better interest as well) they can wait to see a demo of it... the public doesn't get it, or care about any reasoning, to them it means they're being scammed and the whole thing is a sham...
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
this was my sentiment exactly... something strange is afoot!
There's nothing strange at all about going from "right now we have no idea how we're going to fix this" to "Eureka !" in a week or two.
I have encountered that so many times on software projects that it's no longer a big deal.
when you make an announcement, THEN switch gears... looks bad from a project management standpoint.
Edit: from an engineering standpoint, I can see your point. Sadly, it's completely different when you're the lead on a project and you make announcements that are in contradiction to each other.
You win a Gold Star! (Isn't that a ship going on sale next week?)
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
An actual investor might have paid attention to the fact that this is one of Roberts modus operandi.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
There's nothing strange, it's a clear reaction to outside pressure... This is what leads to half-assed rushed projects in the publishing world, it will likely lead to the same here.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
What being rushed? Because all evidence you've pointed out yourself in his history says one thing, publishers didn't want to give him the funds nor the time to see his visions through...
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Mostly the delays. His 'vision' typically doesn't include any actual connection to the technical aspects of getting things done.
Endless delays, wasted work, tons of more money needed, and much more, due to poor conception and management. That probably does lead to rushed work when the investors finally put their foot down.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
21 year MMO veteran
PvP Raid Leader
Lover of The Witcher & CD Projekt Red
There is nothing 'clear' at all, unless you're working closely with CR, are in charge of the project, or are indeed the man himself. Everything else is speculative... everything.