Star Citizen: Still a Long Way to Fly, But a Dream Worth Pursuing
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This saying, quite frankly, fits Star Citizen perfectly. It's been a long and winding path, but it's one full of excitement and, yes, some serious head-scratching along the way.
The Ambitious Vision
Star Citizen aims to bring a truly massive and detailed space simulation to our digital reality (aka, computers). The ambitious goals include everything from fully explorable planets to vast interstellar trade networks, and a rich fictional universe where players, well… basically play a HUGE part. You are a captain.
An Evolving Universe, or Just an Evolving Headache?
Many gamers rave about its extensive universe, populated with believable, human characters. A huge area, full of places to visit, systems to operate, tasks to do… but not everyone is convinced.
There's been a long wait, which for some folks translates into huge frustration (with long waits). The vast majority of players just want a playable, engaging universe, not one filled with theoretical exploration, or future theoretical expectations.
A Technical Deep Dive (sometimes just too deep!)
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Engine and Technology
Star Citizen boasts impressive graphics, from planets down to space objects. (At least in the trailer footage). Yet, for some it still isn't exactly intuitive; we need to play around with it ourselves to truly see the detail, but often its lack of immediacy discourages some, who look for speed in engagement rather than a technical display of the mechanics and universe's construction.
Progress, Measured and Measured Again
- Development often involves a lot of planning, trying stuff, testing again.
- Features are being consistently added, it's just a lengthy process that keeps adding to the journey itself.
The Community's Perspective: Mixed Reactions
Some reviews point to amazing atmosphere (some would say), while others describe confusing controls and gameplay elements that felt a bit too 'unfinished' compared to its impressive ambition.
A common theme amongst players is the initial 'Wow! Factor', and then "where are the things I saw? they aren't there yet", and some "I don't see the big deal" comments; which isn't really uncommon given long expectations!
Criticisms: A Look at Concerns
Many of the problems center on features missing in comparison to the grand scope that the developers advertised. For instance, many would criticize a lack of detailed space ship combat as advertised versus reality in the game.
Some questions keep popping up among players, about, say, are we paying enough for the experience? Is the price equal to the features?
Many question about if it is all worth it to the current price; whether a substantial sum of money is worth the long wait. Other players, of course, have great praise for its vast universe.
Source: redd.it
Funding and Milestones (and the Ongoing Funding Cycle!)
The whole story, a major appeal for many players, depends a lot on crowdfunding success, ensuring development keeps going strong, even with long development time involved.
Key Milestones and Subsequent Delays ( a real hurdle?)
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Early Stages: Initial hype, promising visions, lots of pledges and initial enthusiasm.
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Continued Updates: Adding features (some argue with little visible impact or engagement) , introducing different aspects, still no immediate "wow" element from players (or reviews)!
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Late-Stage Progress: Focus and vision remain solid (developers maintain), however still feels frustrating for players for a lot of users in need of clear and quick progress (or some progress at all!)
This pattern repeats over time: pledges/feedback (often criticized or questioned), wait and updates/release; followed by frustration.
Source: ytimg.com
Future Horizons: Glimmers of Hope
Current Developments
Star Citizen's team are working tirelessly. One of the key improvements from the first iterations are how clearly the community (fans) are interacting with developers, more so than in prior projects.
Potential Pitfalls (always watch out for that in long term projects!)
Star Citizen still faces many issues; players, and fans, are anxious, but the team does make a genuine effort to understand criticism and feedback. Maintaining community confidence will remain an ongoing task, despite having massive amounts of backers.
- How to stay engaged until the whole package works seamlessly remains the problem in sight, (and will require effort, attention, care and creativity from both sides)
Where to go from Here?
- Focus more on polish of currently present features. (Focus more on making existing features work correctly before making entirely new content in most projects)
- Enhance the game's story and character details (creating strong connections, for users and their experiences within the universe!)
Closing Thoughts: A Spacefaring Dream in the Making
Source: gnwcdn.com
Overall, Star Citizen has taken a long, often arduous journey towards its ambition.
One thing is clear to me (as a player) after reviewing so many comments: The vast majority who criticize are still hoping it's worth it. If one understands that this is a journey into an ambitious space (often an overly detailed experience, as well as in the details that it takes), then patience, or long-term commitment, or commitment that continues with the idea that 'a finished product is worth it', is likely worth having (although frustrating, there are indeed elements of greatness for some). For this and the ambitious project's long term hope for long-term goals, the work in itself is certainly worthy of attention.
Questions remain, for players who want answers that may make or break their future in this world… (are all our investments/pledges worth it?) Are developers trying to match their lofty ideals with realities? Is the wait truly worth the overall journey and expected experiences?
