Star Citizen: A Galaxy of Promises, or Just Hype?
Source: simulationdaily.com
"The future is now, but it's not what you expected…" – Star Citizen might have promised us that, but what have we actually got, a space of expectations or an exciting reality?
What is Star Citizen?
Star Citizen is an MMO spacefaring sim. (that's an online game where you fly around in the stars and do other space stuff). It's aiming to be "next-gen gaming," the cream of the crop (but is it? we'll see!). People talk a lot about it, and it certainly does hold its place on gamers' dream boards, no matter how many issues people point out!
Gameplay and Features
Source: dualshockersimages.com
- Spaceships: Tons of different spacecraft, big and small.
- Space exploration: Visit other planets, see interesting sights, find out mysteries.
- Trade and commerce: Buy and sell goods in the market, build your career.
- Space combat: Battles, wars, adventures in the cosmos.
- Community features: Meeting new players, joining crews. (forming communities)
Star Citizen's Uniqueness (or So They Say!)
Star Citizen tries hard to bring immersive simulations that take hours to finish to fruition! Is it all fun? The players feel the experience and the game-developers are also aiming to bring a living and growing experience in every detail, in every part of their design.
- Large-scale narrative: Star Citizen is more like an ongoing narrative that involves all the gameplay that you enjoy. You might also explore the background and the plots to the side missions!
- Free-exploration design: You might wander aimlessly and meet friendly (or not-so-friendly) characters or animals! The feeling is like an open-world game with spaceships to do crazy adventures in the stars.
- Massive Scale: There's so much stuff to do, it's probably never-ending. It looks like the developers haven't settled for anything!
The Reality vs the Hype: My Take (as a Player)
I started playing Star Citizen a little while ago. It took me time to sink in to this space experience because the whole world seems complex and enormous! But honestly, it's worth it in the end.
Positives:
- Impressive visuals. They make you feel like you are genuinely in another world (but it is a bit buggy, you will see a few glitching visuals)
- Tons of things to do: you could easily waste all your days doing different stuff. This takes you a while before realizing there's a lot of content. (It's not everything that shines…)
Negatives:
- Performance issues: Sometimes, the game is so slow, you're in slow-mo mode (yes! like in real life!)
- Still a work-in-progress: A whole lot more has to be added for it to meet the promises (yes! They have to make improvements). The game still lacks (needs things)!
Player Experiences and Reviews (From Various Sources)
"A lot of promising but lacking a bit!" – Peter
"I tried this game, it's alright for the most part, lots of impressive things here (especially, the spacecraft). There are just quite a few aspects missing!"
"A beautiful world but glitches remain." – Jenny
"Really cool for a massive MMO! I think they have to do a lot to improve it further. (they just have to fix a few glitches here and there)"
"Huge, stunning experience but…" – Mark
"It does get boring (honestly!) The vastness is the beauty and also the burden! The game is quite vast!"
"Great graphics, but still too bare." – Susan
"I really enjoy the futuristic space environment. It seems it still needs a whole lot of love! (needs improvement). Too simple! "
Is it worth your time?
Source: alphacoders.com
Absolutely, but with an important but… This game offers many different worlds (planets), massive worlds of games and activities that may never fully match expectations. If you are fine with a great concept but with not all of the perfect execution details… you might find it's worth giving Star Citizen a shot! Also, you may be spending some extra hours getting through this because some tasks require some thinking before doing and navigating in the spaceship environment. (Patience is key!)
Star Citizen vs Other Space Simulators (Comparison Table)
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Source: mmorpg.com
Conclusion
Star Citizen is a space MMO with a LOT of potential. While it's still under development, it already delivers an awe-inspiring view (beautiful!) The visuals can make you want to go further out there in that world, the sounds… the entire space! However, it's still (and I mean still!), plagued by performance issues and (not fully) completed systems. It requires patience and love from the player to enjoy the space it's given us. If you love the big picture idea… go in, go out. Make sure that it has what you're seeking, that's worth keeping an eye on. Give it a go (like some others), and enjoy the exploration, the thrill. You are a part of something BIG (like really really BIG), one might argue!
FAQs
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Is Star Citizen a scam? Absolutely not! There's just an important waiting period. The potential is undeniable! (in a long term)
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When will it be finished? Who knows for sure! A few promises made that might take more time than people may like! (we have to just wait and see)
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What does Star Citizen need? (In short):
- Optimized performance across more powerful hardware
- Improved systems
- Fixing minor bugs and major design flaws
Are the expectations the biggest hurdles for the project, or are there simply real world (engineering) constraints that must be satisfied?
