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[Column] Star Citizen: Commoditizing the Development Process
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
In a new look at the crowd-sourced juggernaut, Star Citizen, we examine the phenomenon of this new funding model as well as take a look at what backers get for their hard-earned dollars. Read more after the jump before heading to the comments to leave your thoughts.
In video game history, the name Chris Roberts looms large and that's because back in the 90s he made a name for himself as director and co-designer of the popular Wing Commander series. This year, after having given Hollywood a go (as director of the Wing Commander movie and producer of various projects, among them the divisive Nicolas Cage vehicle Lord of War) Roberts returns to his roots in the video game industry with a new project called Star Citizen. This online massively multiplayer space trading sim has already drummed up an incredible amount of buzz and if pre-release anticipation is any kind of indicator, it's going to be big.
Read more of Neilie Johnson's Star Citizen: Commoditizing the Development Process.
Comments
There comes a time when you need to stop dipping into people's pockets and use that hand to do something useful.
The kickstarter was for $500k and they got $2m and yet the focus seems to remain on fundraising rather than development $30 odd million later. Instead of wasting resources on trailers for ships for sale they should get the hanger module working well and get the promised and now delayed dogfighting module actually built.
Star Citizen might well be suffering from mission creep.
On the plus side I will be able to play Elite:Dangerous for a year or more before it releases.
Did you watch the lives stream over the xmas, there was very valid reasons why it has been delayed and also they want to add other features into the dogfighting module before its pushed out.
The stream showed the dogfighting module live and from what i seen i am pleased how it has progressed, its also a pre-alpha so its technically not delayed just pushed back on the terms they want a better alpha and have other features in it...
They collect money and show starship models. They already have much much more money then they anticipated and yet, they only do hangars and starshipmodels. A game has to show more. And as time passes I am more and more happy not to have paid anything. This kickstarter project will hit the whole kickstarter market either way and it will be Chris Roberts name connected to utter kickstarter failure or glory.
I am still waiting for more than mere models and some dogfighting to come... Just now I seriously doubt this will become a good game.
Can't understand how anyone thinks this is a good thing.
This is just a hidden price bump for games, and a huge one at that. Heck even big companies like EA already are looking at crowdsourcing their future products. And this is only because (stupid) people agreed to pay huge sums on top of the 50-60$ usual price tag for games, and sadly even more for "free to play" games.
In no other industry would any one agree to this kind of BS, it's like HBO asking for money to make another season of the Sopranos while charging 50$ a month for your cable sub.
Sure some "kickstarter" projects give perks, and even copies of the game, but in pretty much every case you need to pay double if not more the actual consumer price to get them. And unlike actual investments which is the traditional way that companies used to collect seed and operational funds you get absolutely nothing in return.
I rather invest 1000$ in EA or any other publisher and get even 1% return on investment than throw 10$ on a kickstarter project.
The economy works because people get return on their investments, and crowdsourcing programs change all that. Now you're expected to waste money on the development of a product, then purchase it for even more money.
Thanks but no thank.
It's delayed however you look at it, they even had to explain why.
Funny, I´ve been researching if there is some truth to this plan or not, and I didn´t find anything to confirm it.
I wish it would be true though.
Star Conflict has interesting combat, kind of an EvE action hybrid with abilities like WoT
Star Citizen will have fun old school Wing Commander combat with less gear grind focus (hopefully)
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
I'm like you in that I pledged for what I thought was good for me, and now am eagerly waiting. I am not giving any more; I don't think they need it! haha. But people will spend their money as they see fit. They're not interested in spending more, less or the same as the final retail version. They want what's offered now to backers. That benefits you and I since that money is apparently used to further enhance the game that we're already getting. Not a bad deal!
Am I the only one completely freaked out by this game's progression.
I backed this game, now I fear the impact it could have on the entire gaming industry.
Firstly, I wonder how much fun "progression" in game will be, if by ponying up 200 bucks you have the slickest looking and best ship you will ever get. How quickly will that get boring? Are people ruining their own long term potential experience?
Secondly, micro-transactions were already causing games to be very expensive. Look at F2P Planetside 2 as an example. Owning all the content in that game would cost thousands of dollars or require tens of thousands of hours of playing to obtain. Now, a game not even released, would cost thousands to own all the content in.
Even a sub for WoW for its entire duration and all its expansion wouldn't have cost more than about 1800 bucks. And that's 10 years worth of gaming. Ten YEARS.
Anyone remember a time when we got all the content of a game for 40-60 bucks?
Game developer or ...?
Has anything actually been developed? Are you sure?
It's not delayed its only in Pre-Alpha as we speak...
Yeah I understand where you're coming from but when is enough enough? Further "enthusiasm" on the part of spend thrift supporters starts to effect the line of thinking in the developers.
"Well if we hit 30 million so easily and so quickly we have to brain storm a new goal since money is still flowing in." instead of "Ok we hit 30 million, let's meet some of our original goals as well as set some new ones since enthusiasm is not tapering off."
My problem is twofold:
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
Running a Cash Shop years in advance of the game, with a Hollywood style PR campaign! Selling the fantasy! Brilliant!
Sadly, Roberts is not the genius he and his cult of personality present him to be. But the whole Star Citizen funding thing will be a boost to space gaming and the space genre. You are being played, though. Hope the game ends up better than his track record in film.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
As long as people keep giving them money why not? If you feel they are not releasing a product, well that could happen without asking for another penny.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
Why not you say? How about like I said, as long as money is coming in up front, nothing will get finished. Why stop raising money by releasing a product? Right? What kind of thinking is that? At the very onset of this endeavor the release date could have very will have been 2014. I mean just look at these dates:
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
I have bought some alpha games to support small developers. I might play this game and then again I might not. However, I certainly wouldn't be forking over large amounts of cash to be 'in' on the development process. The only control you have over any product as a consumer is by voting for it with your money. Paying early essentially casts your vote before you have seen anything and to me that is plain stupid.
I wouldn't say this is a scam but if the game turns out to suck then the early adopters will get completely burned without any recourse. Hell, this guy could retire with this type of cash rolling in and not do another day's work on the game. I don't blame him though. If people are this desperate for this kind of entertainment, then he is the smartest guy in the room. Anyone paying a sub for a video feed is literally crazy though.
Actually this business model with new ships resembles exactly Riots business Idea.
They also sell new Heroes and skins. The same goes with those Battleships.
Nothing new here. THe only difference that the game wont be in final even 2015, because the thing they make money with is peoples "hope" for a better game.
Yes, it's still pre-alpha, according to the developers released timetable it should now be in Alpha.
therefore it is delayed.