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Post by AnDromedary on Jan 11, 2018 19:36:09 GMT
I feel it's a bit early for an article like this when Alpha 3.0 is the bare minimum as it is. We can fly around, do some very basic stuff but there is no actual game there yet IMO. It's a framework to test and improve the engine at this point, nothing more. In that sense, it already offers quite a bit IMO. I flew around for a few hours, did a very simple "grab a box and deliver" mission and generally just got used to the new interface. The whole thing runs on my machine with about 20-25 FPS on good days when the servers are not very busy, which makes me not want to try combat in the PTU yet. Here is a list of main improvements that need to happen in the next few updates to make this alpha playable for more than just a few hours for testing: - Performance improvements: At first I thought it was my fairly old machine that slowed the game but after checking my system load, I am now convinced that most of the framerate bottlenecks are on the server side. Updates and improvements for this are scheduled. A good thing IMO and I hope (and think) CIG makes it a top priority. High FPS and a minimum of lag and stutter is essential for all the combat gameplay (be it in space or on the ground). Without it, we are reduced to just flying and farrying cargo, which I am not that interested in. - A.I.: Are there NPCs we can fight on the ground yet in Alpha 3.0? I didn't encounter any and I think there aren't. Until that changes, anything we can do on the ground is pick up boxes and look at the horizon. Once we have ground based FPS battles and related missions in the game, things will pick up in pace as well. - Bugfixes: I encountered many many bugs during my few hours of play time already. Minor things like glitches and clipping issues are one thing but if I loose one my ships for an entire session because it spawns up side down in the hangar or I can't see half of my equipment in the load-out map, that's really annoying. Not to mention crashes of course. - Some balancing adjustments: While I haven't tried space combat in the PU, I did a few bouts in AC and I also read it on the forums: Ships are much too durable at the moment. I get that player death is a big deal in SC and therefore, ships cannot go down too easily but right now, dogfights are a drag. These issues should all be addressed IMO before adding new features (like the planned mining and repair) into the game. Once those things work (more or less) I think it would feel much more like a game already. But complaining now about the lack of content in an Alpha built is IMO a bit premature.
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Post by Pounce de León on Jan 11, 2018 19:51:32 GMT
... But complaining now about the lack of content in an Alpha built is IMO a bit premature. Yes, gotta cut them some slack. It's not like it was to be released in 2014, then 2015, then 2016 ...
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Post by AnDromedary on Jan 11, 2018 20:38:23 GMT
... But complaining now about the lack of content in an Alpha built is IMO a bit premature. Yes, gotta cut them some slack. It's not like it was to be released in 2014, then 2015, then 2016 ... The delays of SC have been discussed to death and that's not the point of the Eurogamer article. They do acknowladge that it's still an alpha but in their assessment they treat it like a finished game. That's the one thing I take issue with. otherwise, I agree that a lot of stuff still needs to happen (which I elaborated on). I get that people are upset about the delays (I would be as well if I were an early backer, anticipating a very different game than we get now). But that discussion has very little to do with the article.
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Post by Superhik on Jan 12, 2018 0:57:41 GMT
Yes, gotta cut them some slack. It's not like it was to be released in 2014, then 2015, then 2016 ... The delays of SC have been discussed to death and that's not the point of the Eurogamer article. They do acknowladge that it's still an alpha but in their assessment they treat it like a finished game. That's the one thing I take issue with. otherwise, I agree that a lot of stuff still needs to happen (which I elaborated on). I get that people are upset about the delays (I would be as well if I were an early backer, anticipating a very different game than we get now). But that discussion has very little to do with the article. When?Whole thing is like someone deciding to build a house...and instead of first building foundations right, goes about buying cool looking furniture. This guy really needs someone to reign him in ( considering his history).
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Post by AnDromedary on Jan 12, 2018 5:06:15 GMT
The delays of SC have been discussed to death and that's not the point of the Eurogamer article. They do acknowladge that it's still an alpha but in their assessment they treat it like a finished game. That's the one thing I take issue with. otherwise, I agree that a lot of stuff still needs to happen (which I elaborated on). I get that people are upset about the delays (I would be as well if I were an early backer, anticipating a very different game than we get now). But that discussion has very little to do with the article. When?Whole thing is like someone deciding to build a house...and instead of first building foundations right, goes about buying cool looking furniture. This guy really needs someone to reign him in ( considering his history). Hmmmm, first linking an article that complains about the fact that there are not enough features in 3.0 (which is just a foundation) and then complaining that there are too many features and it would be better to first build a foundation doesn't make much sense to me.
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Post by Pounce de León on Jan 12, 2018 10:44:04 GMT
When?Whole thing is like someone deciding to build a house...and instead of first building foundations right, goes about buying cool looking furniture. This guy really needs someone to reign him in ( considering his history). Hmmmm, first linking an article that complains about the fact that there are not enough features in 3.0 (which is just a foundation) and then complaining that there are too many features and it would be better to first build a foundation doesn't make much sense to me. I think he means "planned" features. Or features "thought about". SC vids are full of it. Like "persistent universe" taken to extreme. Facerig. 100 star systems. Tanks. Land claims. etc.
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Post by Superhik on Jan 12, 2018 12:23:14 GMT
When?Whole thing is like someone deciding to build a house...and instead of first building foundations right, goes about buying cool looking furniture. This guy really needs someone to reign him in ( considering his history). Hmmmm, first linking an article that complains about the fact that there are not enough features in 3.0 (which is just a foundation) and then complaining that there are too many features and it would be better to first build a foundation doesn't make much sense to me. Foundation as a working SP campaign with fleshed out gameplay mechanics, storyline, characters, quests...and then expanding upon it ( like say, GTA followed by GTA online) Instead they're working on both SP+MMO/Persistent Universe with massive scope/god knows how many features and they're still miles away from releasing either.
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Post by AnDromedary on Jan 12, 2018 16:21:07 GMT
Hmmmm, first linking an article that complains about the fact that there are not enough features in 3.0 (which is just a foundation) and then complaining that there are too many features and it would be better to first build a foundation doesn't make much sense to me. Foundation as a working SP campaign with fleshed out gameplay mechanics, storyline, characters, quests...and then expanding upon it ( like say, GTA followed by GTA online) Instead they're working on both SP+MMO/Persistent Universe with massive scope/god knows how many features and they're still miles away from releasing either. Not in this case. The foundation is what you see in 3.0. A relatively small part of one star system where they can test and iterate and their game mechanics and code. The SP campaign (SQ42) wouldn't work for this at all since - as a more linear cinematic experience - it has very different requirements and priorities. It wouldn't work as a foundation for the MMO type gameplay they are planning for SC. Sure they are miles away from finishing but IMO, it's fine as long as we are kept in the loop through the videos and game updates. I think SC is not going to see a definite release like your usual publisher driven game. It's going to evolve gradually. Personally, I like that approach, also because it give us players a rather unique glimpse behind the curtain of the development of a high budget project. Will they achieve absolutely everything they aim for? Maybe, maybe not. Some cuts are probably to be expected (like in most game productions) but I doubt the entire project will crash and burn, now that they have a foundation to add content into. Give the massive scope they were aiming for and the way they are financing it, I think they took a very sensible approach.
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Post by Kappa Neko on Jan 12, 2018 16:50:22 GMT
I'm worried this will be No Man's Sky all over again, just on a MUCH larger scope... Two creators whose ambitions have run amok. I have my doubts SC will ever be released as a full game. I personally have no interest in buying into a glorified tech demo, even when the stuff shown makes me drool and my own fantasies of what this game could be run wild as well. They'll never be able to cram all these ideas into a stable game. But I'll continue to watch their update videos in wide eyed awe .
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Post by Pounce de León on Jan 12, 2018 21:31:16 GMT
Sensible approach. lol.
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∯ Interjector in Chief
Staff Mini-Profile Theme: Heimdall
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by Heimdall on Jan 12, 2018 22:23:44 GMT
I’m probably not going to actually play this game in any significant way until SQ42 comes out. I like the universe, but sandboxes only hold my attention for so long.
Still keeping my eye on it though.
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Post by AnDromedary on Apr 9, 2018 16:07:07 GMT
Here is a bit of an update on Star Citizen: I hadn't really played the alpha in a while. 3.0 had such bad performance that I couldn't run it properly and 3.1.0 wasn't much better. However, last week they got a patch out, 3.1.1, which really made a difference on my rig. FPS just about doubled and are now averaging around 28-30 FPS in PTU (60 in Arena Commander) and lags got much less (though they are still common). All in all, finally, the game is playable again, so i spent a few hours to mess around and see what's new. The procedural planets/moons look pretty cool so far. Unfortunately, I didn't have much luck using my ground vehicles yet. The levitation bikes are really wonky and glitchy and have a tendency to either get shot into low orbit for no reason or crash into the ground and explode. But just flying low over the moon's surface with a ship, it all looks good. Can't wait until they implement more elaborate ecosystems. One issue at the moment is that they do have outposts and wrecks scattered across the surface but AFAIK, the only way to locate those points of interest is visually. That's a real challenge with so much area to cover, so I am looking forward to the implementation of scanning, so we can actually detect those POIs, go there and find things. The current mission types already include quite a bit of variety from deliveries to searching wrecks to combat missions and some criminal stuff. I've only done 2 missions so far and I haven't gotten to the point where I get to talk to the mission giving NPCs yet but now that the game runs half way decently, I plan to keep fuzzing around until I do. That's if my (in game) money lasts. profit margins are so tight at the moment, doing almost anything is going to loose you money. You can do independent cargo runs, buying trade goods at one station and selling them at another but that's a gamble at the moment since the economy is still kinda random. Also, there are random crashes that can loose you all your cargo, so it's a risky move as well. Oh, bugs: Of course, there are still bugs. I already talked about the levitating ground vehicles but there is of course plenty of other wonkiness going on, from weird physics to things getting stuck to clipping issues, to you suddenly being transported into a random point in space and so on and so on. But if you take it all with good humor and don't expect anything more than you possibly could from an early (haha) alpha build, it's fine. I was on the same server for over 4 hours yesterday without a crash and I did quit on my own in the end, so that's a new record for me in any build I have tested so far. All in all, after about a year or so of a pause where I couldn't play the game, Star Citizen is back on my radar.
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Post by AnDromedary on Apr 9, 2018 17:19:33 GMT
All in all, after about a year or so of a pause where I couldn't play the game, Star Citizen is back on my radar. Is there any indication at all in regards to a possible release date for any of the game mods? Not sure what you mean there. Currently, the road map is that they will release major patches every 3 months with new content and/or game mechanics. For example, mid 2018 I think they plan to release a patch that includes the first iteration of the mining mechanic. later this year, I think scavenging and repairing is supposed to come in. End of 2018, early 2019, the scanning mechanic is coming, and so on. But there is no final release date for the game yet. My guess is that it will be 2020 before we get something akin to a real launch. Keep in mind that this is still alpha, they need to have a beta phase as well. As for the SP part, Squadron 42, we are getting regular updates once a month now and the vertical slice they showed around christmas looked pretty good but there as well, even if they made significant progress on the content, it looks like there is a lot of polishing and bits and pieces to finish there as well. I wouldn't expect it before late 2019 (but that's just my personal guess, there is no official info and I had to revise my own guesses more than once in the past as well). If you are asking about mods as in player created content and tools to make mods? The devs have said ages ago that they do plan to release modding tools and will allow private servers to run modded versions of the game. However, all this was said to probably happen quite some time after the release of the game. So if the game itself releases 2020 at the earliest (and will need quite a bit of dev attention after that as well since even if they finish the core mechanics, they'll never finish all the planned content until then) you can imagine that anything related to mods will take significantly longer. So mods are really not a thing at the moment at all AFAIK. Conclusion: No idea, expect everything to take longer rather than shorter with CIG. That said, if the alpha runs half way decent for you and if you don't mind the lack of polish, the content that is already there is not bad. Seeing how other games (cough, Sea of Thieves, cough) are released with barely more content than SC has in this early stage, I don't mind them taking their time as long as we get to playtest what's already there over that time span.
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Post by AnDromedary on Apr 9, 2018 19:17:39 GMT
Tbh I'm reluctant to buy any game before it comes out of an "early access" (which SC seems to be in, whether they call it that or not) state, I only try games that have come out officially, as I find that state highly frustrating. As for SC, I like the *idea* of the game, but I'm not going to buy it until it comes out given how questionable their work process is. (and how bizarre their monetization strategy) At this point I think that the game will come out at some point (for awhile I doubted even that), but I couldn't say in what state and if the final version will be what I hope it will be. Hence my question. *shrug* I guess I'll have to wait and see. I totally get that. Usually I am in a similar boat. Never did get into kickstarter or early access stuff and you are right, SC is kind of a super long early access project. So SC is a bit of a peculiar case for me. It just combines a lot of elements I really like, be it the lore heavy sci-fi scenario, all the new tech they put in, the art design or the "procedurally assisted hand made" approach to content creation. I just like it, even in it's current state. But I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone at this point. I am mostly writing these posts to keep people who are interested or who have already backed but not checked it out for a while in the loop. As for you, yea, from what you've written, I'd also not recommend jumping in just yet.
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Post by Qui-Gon GlenN7 on Apr 9, 2018 21:29:26 GMT
Thanks for the update AnDromedary, I appreciate your insight.
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Post by Gileadan on Oct 12, 2018 16:42:37 GMT
Who knows when it will be released, but I still have hope left for the Squadron 42 single player experience. They sure know how to make a trailer. See how many familiar faces you can spot.
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Post by AnDromedary on Oct 12, 2018 18:39:21 GMT
Oh yes, Citizen Con ... didn't get around to watch the stuff yet or check out the new release since my computer is haveing some serious hardware trouble that I just sorted out last night . But to anyone interested, I think 3.3 is in PTU and has the first iteration of object container streaming. First reports suggest that frame rates and lag is much better (but as I said, I haven't been able to confirm that myself). I recommend trying the PTU as in there, you can try everything (even ships you don't own) and get lot's of credits to buy weapons and stuff. Here is a link where it's explained how you can get in (check the section for "How is the PTU accessed"): robertsspaceindustries.com/faq/faq-ptu
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Post by CHRrOME on Oct 12, 2018 20:23:26 GMT
The trailers alone look pretty damn impressive. The game, or the build rather, not so much. Still lots of work to do, but it is to be expected. I think they need to better focus on what they have right now, they tend to just try to add, add, add, and add more stuff, it never ends. Potentially it can be bad, especially for a not so patient audience, plus the more you add, the more potential bugs. They have a pretty big team now, if they focus on what they have and leave the rest for later, we can foresee a horizon where the game is being released not that far down the line.
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Post by AnDromedary on Oct 12, 2018 23:17:28 GMT
The trailers alone look pretty damn impressive. The game, or the build rather, not so much. Still lots of work to do, but it is to be expected. I think they need to better focus on what they have right now, they tend to just try to add, add, add, and add more stuff, it never ends. Potentially it can be bad, especially for a not so patient audience, plus the more you add, the more potential bugs. They have a pretty big team now, if they focus on what they have and leave the rest for later, we can foresee a horizon where the game is being released not that far down the line. Yea, I think the problem here is that they already promised a lot early on, so now they have to add add add all that stuff that they already promised. On the other hand, just because (or even even especially when) you have 450 people on the team, I don't think it's very effective, to focus too many on one particular thing. It's probably better to devide them up in smaller teams and have those work on parallel projects within the whole. That means using some teams to already do new stuff because you already filled up the capacity on all the stuff that's here already.
In any case, we'll see. I'll hopefully be able to try the current PTU next week, then I'll form an opinion and get back to y'all with it.
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Post by Vortex13 on Oct 17, 2018 13:24:55 GMT
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Post by Kappa Neko on Oct 17, 2018 14:16:54 GMT
Cannot unsee...
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Post by AnDromedary on Oct 17, 2018 21:39:18 GMT
Hehe, yea, the VOIP seems to be a constant source of hilarity and sheer terror in equal measure. BTW, just played a little Alpha 3.3 in the PTU yesterday night and framerates are fantastic, compared to 3.2. I used to have about 15 to 25 FPS in 3.2, Anything more than just flying around was not really viable (forget dog fighting). Now I've got around 50 FPS most of the time, including a small space battle I had with 4 NPCs. Lot's of fun! I am seriously impressed by OCS. It seems a little less stable now, my game crashed once on load-up and after a restart it crashed after 1.5 hours but I guess that's to be expected this early in with the new streaming system. Fingers crossed that it will get better again from here on out.
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Post by AnDromedary on Dec 21, 2018 6:11:51 GMT
Well ladies & gentlemen, as of today, we have a projected release timeframe of Squadron 42 in mid 2020. Also, quite interesting: CIG gives us a little insight into SC finances over the past years. Quite the interesting week for those interested in the game.Here is today's ATV summarizing it all (if you can call CR's elaborations a summary ):
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