Star Citizen is the best funded CCU market simulation EVER.

Alot to think about.. personally, the money I've put in I have gained back memories, new friends and alot of laughter. I've played worse games.. alot worse.

My view is, as a backer since 2014 and over 5k invested, as long as they get Dynamic Server Meshing working, Replication Layer V2 working, get travel to/from Pyro working and continue to keep adding solar systems, and they at the very least round out and balance all the major gameplay loops, then I will be happy. Everything they add to the game, every enhancement in visuals and gameplay is to me, icing on the cake. Too many people get lost in the weeds and dont take a step back to look at where we are today compared to 2014 when we just had a hangar module.

i dont think of it as a game , but as a space to play your own games

The main draw to this particular game is how close they represent the feeling of being in space, flying a spaceship to anywhere we desire. The closer a game can truly offer this experience, albeit a Battlestar armada battle or a lonely outpost on a distant moon. We all want a small taste of what it might be like when we do eventually reach the stars.

Some play for the grind and the progression, while others play for the experience. I am too damn busy with real life to spend in game grinding to enjoy the experience I'm looking for in SC. So i'm in the camp of having a badass fleet of my favorite ships so that when i log in, I can enjoy the experience I have wanted since 2014 without having to deal with all the grind. I've grinded already since 2014 to own the fleet I have now, all with LTI so I don't have to worry about my fleet.

"More interesting with someone else" can be said of just about anything. I bought a starter Aurora pack back in 2015 or so, and have been waiting-and-seeing since then.

I jumped in about 2020 and the tech has come a long way. I was an Elite Dangerous veteran but there is more detail in every engagement in SC. I've sprung for a couple of ships because I'm a gambler at heart, but after the Wing Commander series, I could see Chris Roberts vision. After a lot of research, I can see more immersion in a couple of systems than the whole of the Elite galaxy. Fingers crossed that Roberts doesn't take his company public, it seems to be the point where a studio suffers the slow kiss of death.

As i understand it In future replacing ships quickly will require the ship to be insured using UEC unless the ship has LTI, otherwise the ship will be lost on destruction. The problem with the LTI model is that in a future battle of attrition fighting over territory over a period of hours or days where 1 groups ship replacements cost UEC and the other group have LTI fleets, Eventually 1 group will have to go off to grind to replace/Insure ships and the other group will have effectively infinite respawns. To me that is a clear and tangible strategic advantage and it worries me a little.

Great video. I do disagree when it comes to pay to win. If I want to do pvp and I start with a Mustang and someone else is starting with a Hornet mk II, who's winning the majority of those fights? If I want to do space trucking and I start with a Cutter and another guy starts with a C2 who's, getting the majority share of the available resources? And it's not just ships. You can also buy in-game currency and equipment. People who spend enough to become "concierge" members get access to pledge packages non-members can't even see. Calling it "pay to progress" doesn't change the fact that players who pay more have an advantage over other players.

I completely agree, this only really starts to feel like a game with friends and each major patch gives those friends more to do. Loving the direction and progress lately. Can't wait for the Carnival to make the jump to Pyro soon!(tm)

I really liked your take on that.

Pretty reflective stuff, and it aligns with a lot of what i think about SC. One of the things I keep trying to remind myself is that I'm not a player in the wild but a member of an unusually large group of testers, who have put money down to secure a slot with which to test from. That gives each of us the right to be constructively critical of CIG and the developers. Those are our primary roles. The entertainment that organically stems from that is the reason I've stayed since 2018.

i remember it being stated that starter packages could be used as A.I.

What would happen if there were robots you can buy inside the game with in-game currency? The robots walk and talk and is programmable by the player to serve all the functions on a ship including, engineering, security, ship's gunner, and even pilot duty. How would that change the game?

I view it as paying my money to help develop the kind of game I want to play. Other people are welcome to play or not, pay only the cheapest game package, or the biggest whale package if they want. It doesn't hurt me if someone follows either path, or chooses not to play at all. It only hurts me if they don't deliver at the end of it all.

I waffle between "pay to win" because "win" is a little nebulous. Up until last year, there wasn't anything that was held behind real money (except for the AMD & Intel ships, which aren't functionally advantageous). However, with the latest F7A Mk II token, I'm wondering how that will translate to obtaining it in-game. When I first backed (in my late 30s), I was more interested in the grind and had time to do so. Now I'm in my 50s and have purchased more ships than I originally intended. As much as I call it pay to "convenience", I think I have to concede that this is still a form of "win". For me, I also find the memories made with friends my primary reason I log in. I don't remember the grind that earned me a ship, but I do remember the adventures I had with friends in the ship. But that's absolutely how I feel at this point in my life. As so many people have said, the best ship in SC is friendship and that isn't in the web store. [badum tss]

they are milking the production purposely, going as slow as possible while building the company up as they create an engine they want to sell.

How many employees did Enron have again?

i cant hear Content Creator Anymore

The game isn't a scam but that's not to say we don't have another THE DIVSION on our hands. A amazing looking concept that is just a veneer for the buggy mess hiding in wait.

I play Star Citizen for the freedom it allows (when not being hamstrung by bugs), and the shenanigans it lets me get into with other people. I find the auec grind is a bit slow for my liking though. Too many loops aren't profitable enough anymore. To be fair, they're focusing on S42, so combat is their most important loop - but my favorite loop is space trucker, and exploration. In the meantime, 9 mil to grind for a vanguard feels daunting as hell, when my profit maxes at about 30k auec per load of cargo...

Carrack life 4 life ;)

(rushing to the keyboard to respond to the pay-to-win)....So, here is my take - for what it's worth - I too have purchased a handful of ships (still no Carrack :) , and while some may say this is P2W, this is, perhaps, a more balanced view of it: I feel that if players, like SaltyMike and SMB are looking for a play-style that involves grind, living off-grid, etc., they need go no further - get a starter ship and have fun. Up until last year, I only ever had my original kickstarter Origin 315. However, if you are looking for gameplay that includes being able to play with a few friends together as a crew, hopping right in, then you can pool some money and get a bigger ship - to each his own. I own a handdful of ships that I have paid for and another handful that I have purchased in game. One's that I really want to keep (and insure for life), I purchase with real money. HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART: I have found that grinding and purchasing ships in game, costs less time/money than paying cash! I rented a FREE Drake Vulture during Invictus and was able to use it to grind enough salvage after two-three days that I paid for my own vulture in-game. That is way cheaper than purchasing one for $175. If you are paying $175, for a vulture that you are going to use to salvage, and don't want to grind salvage then why pay $175 for one? Because you want to support the devs to see this game through to completion (someday :) ... To each their own... Have a nice day. :)

A game like this will never come again so let's make sure it succeeds. It has the funding, therefore it will be finished but support goes a long way for the developers who work hard every making an awesome game instead leaving to make AI girlfriend apps :p.

A scam it is not; at least from the dev part, since you can see their passion at citizencon, but there's rampant incompetence in management and direction and we can attribute that to a certain person who thinks is a superstar and shipped only 1 game in the past 30 something years...

Here's some food for thought for you and your viewers. CR's dream was his ultimate space opera game. a game like freelancer etc in where he controls the narrative and uses A list actors to bring the story to life in a game. SQ42 is that game, not Star Citizen. SC was obviously a more popular idea and an easier dream to sell to the masses. SQ42 is now over the hump and its release is almost gaaraunteed at this point. With his dream seemingly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel he has backed off a lot. Im sure at least some of you noticed his absence from CIG communications with only a recent "letter from the chairmen" being the only time outside of the con that we have heard from him in years. He has since handed over the reins to Rich along with other like yogi and such. gone are many of the old that had been around since the early days(talking high level managment) now replaced with younger(cheaper) workers. many pillars of the games design have been changed recently with little to none or obviously BS excuses as to why. well friends CR got what he was after and now is just along for the ride. He'll give his speeches at the con like he always does but pretty sure he has taken a back seat when it comes to star citizens development now. PS we already know from Rich's own mouth that he worked on that "letter from the chairmen" and going by what I have noticed Id wager it was 99% rich with CR giving the final 1% nod to publish it.

Agreed. They're just bad at organizing and reeling in scope creep. It's only PTW if CIG continues this model once the PU goes Gold/Live. In which case, yea, BS. IMO, SC is at least 2, 3 years away to Gold still.

Every ship is different. There is for sure ships that are solo that are way stronger then a starter that is P2W. It's just using those proper examples. Not some multi crew ship that requires players. Then consider at some point there will be obvious P2W in that category where some multi crew ships are obviously OP. But tbh opinions should be based on what SC is now. Not some bs future that CIG can't even hit a target. Cough Master Modes.

If people want to zero to hero, cool. If people want to pay to play, cool. Sometimes, I just log in to see the sun rise on Ita while I drink my coffee. I think I'm in the middle somewhere. There's no defending the hawt mess this game is, but it's still hawt. Outside of that, I don't believe anything CIG puts out or has stated. They have no qualms about going against or changing established narrative. Most of the times it's harmless. Sometimes it's not cool.

I was part of SC when it was just an idea on a scrap of paper. When it was all said and done I walked away. IMO Money grab, and from what i have seen nothing has changed. They just keep a slow slog to milk more and more, slow and steady wins the race. Too the bank. If your having fun go with it, I walked away

I used to be a hater based on all the coverage on youtube, started playing it 3 weeks ago out of being intellectually honest, felt bad about judging it without having experienced it, and I gotta say, with the appropriate expectations, and if you extract yourself from the drama surrounding it (and the other side of the medal, the hype for what it could be), it's a great game that is lacking most of its content and is barely playable due to glitches, but I still find myself drawn to it. People really overplay the monetary aspect too, a ship that costs 200bucks like the connie is farmable within a week in game, even with the updated ship prices in 3.23, and you can definitely get taken down in a connie by smaller ships ? I also think it helps to have played Chris Robert's previous games to understand SC ? I'm a huge fan of freelancer and I immediately saw this game's origins when I got in. I heeeard somewhere that chris roberts wanted to make star citizen with freelancer, but he was shackled by publisher and budget, so SC makes a lot of sense in that context, if that is true. I haven't put in money beyond my starter ship, and like, I had a conversation with a guy that pledged like 30 ships in chat. I mused on why, kinda, because I feel they're ruining their experience, the game for me is working towards the next ship ? But I also understand that part of why I can play this with a 60$ package without feeling constantly pressured to spend more is thanks to people who pledge 48,000$ on a ship bundle. :P Think it's really, really important to emphasize that the guy who put in 48,000$ on that ship bundle really doesn't automatically "beat" you either ? Like, maybe except most starter ships, every ship has its place in your roster, there's some misses, but most can be relevant in most stages of the game. I still use my C1 a fair bit despite my connie having 3 times the cargo hold. :D

If I could afford it, I would buy the Legates pack. I'm that crazy guy. But when the game is 'released' I would start with a Prospector on an alt account. I have $1300 in SC over 7 years and starting with a Prospector is still my plan. The point is that the money I have put into my hanger is to fund the development, not 'win' the game.

I have 4 c2s, i have 2-3 of almost every ship. i've given away 200m so everyone could buy a Carrack. Buy one if you want, it looks and acts just like mine does (paid for my eggs and drugs). Its a rough verse, no one cares about fair.

I enjoyed it a lot, till i started having expectations.

In its current state , the only goal is to acquire more ships. After that, what else?? So in that grind, yes it's pay to "win". However who is winning? Chad that bought the ships or the guy that played and bought them all in game? I'd argue currently that anyone that pays to get ships is losing technically. People can "win" in SC currently for $45. Also, without the backers buying ships, this project would have folded years ago, so without ship sales there would be no conversation about P2W. It would all be past tense retrospective lament.

scam is the wrong word. fraud is the proper one. is it fraud? yes it is. they changed what the game way AFTER people gave money for it.

This is kind of wild to me haha but you have a similar sounding voice and an identical speaking patter to this channel called AI DRIVR who discusses Tesla Full Self Driving. You should check it out and see if you agree haha

Project , yes that's the word . I just wanted PC games to get better . EA and the big boys kept giving me reskinned garbage , nothing new , then they gave up and went Console .I never bought a console and I refused to buy my kids a Console . I've been a gamer since I was 4 and played with my moms giant bottle full of buttons and stuff . I spent many a paycheck on Arcade ,Pool , pinball and all those old game machines in the 70's . Then Antares games , wow Space Invaders was a solid year or two of my life . Then Commadore and then I got my 1st IBM 286 . Year after year it got better and better until it STOPPED . I was searching for a few years for something ,anything to return my PC back into a gaming machine .CR seemed to feel the same way I did. He seemed to want to return to the "old days" when PC games were king . Well I bought into His dream , not exactly what I would build if I had a Billion and knew what I was doing but he at least is heading in the right direction . I put in all I can afford ,if I get a game great , if not I'm chasing the dream at least . At least there is a project to follow and hope .

Personally, I'm enjoying some of the old bugs appearing again, like lost friends i spent so much time with during 3.18😊

F2P games, means there is ALSO no upfront cost. You're only describing a game without a subscription fee. Not a free to play game. Also, while I also want SC to 'succeed' - in that I have no other game that aspires to do exactly what it intends to, so I have no other choice - it literally is P2W. People always think P2W means you literally don't have to play at all in order for it to qualify. That isn't the negative point of "P2W." The negative point is that you can opt out of P-L-A-Y-I-N-G some amount of the G-A-M-E. You know, the whole point, of playing a game. Grinding shouldn't really be an excuse to start paying money. I get why all of us don't want to grind. Because, we SHOULD NOT have to. That's bad game design. But, that shouldn't be a reason to start throwing money at a game. Think about it. That's a great opportunity for a company to come along and make a game that is not as good as they could and should make it, specifically so you get irritated. And then, knowing that you'll pay money to not deal with the grind, they offer you an option to pay to skip some. It just opens the door up to us all getting fleeced and a game that should be better. Again, I like SC. I want it to be a good game. I just also don't like how far the pledging system has gone.

i would join you with a BMM but you prob have several on your team :) side note: we may have to pay NPCs but we will also have to pay PC for their assistance. Gotta pay the crew either way.

Star citizen is pay to lose. You spend money to receive the main reward of playing the game.

Great video and to be honest pay to win is more about accessibility to certain ships and vehciles.....can't count how many times I've killed pilots in better ships in the PU. There is a limit to what money can buy and skill is not one of them. This game has so much skill ceiling elements and look at how many people are complaining about MM when they said it would kill skill....now they are getting smacked around still XD

my issue is with pricing, it always will be. thats the scam part, if they didnt waste hundreds of millions of dollars on movie stars for the single player that a small handful of people will play the game might be in a good state right now, its like the game is in a never ending tech demo development hell, i laugh when i buy ships in game or buy rare founder paindts for a few dollars when i know a guy that has spent over ten thousand dollars on the game, thats his problem and his money but at the same time, i can have just as many nice things from just playing. i paid for a drake cutter rambler Halloween edition and i own that forever, its mine, the grind for me to start the game, do bunkers to save up enough to rent a vulture for a day or few and then buy one, this wipe so far (i dont play often) i have my cutter, a vulture and about 6 million on me right now, ill be buying a drake corsair soon and then im pretty much done until they release the zeus mk2 and then ill buy that, my friend has paid for all that, im not made of money but i dont mind working for what i need, they get bored with the game often and i dont, when i play, i enjoy it (unless the patch is broken) i think its a scam to those that are easily scammed because of the ship pricing, the game should have a solid price with a subscription to play like world of warcraft and ship skins be a transaction, that alone would have nipped all this "scam" business. the issue with multicrew ships would be nipped in the but with 1.0 release and the game goes free to play for all. that way the whales get players to fill ships and that alone would make things amazing as by 1.0 free to play the large spending players WILL be able to pay those players for working for them and maybe by then org banks will be a thing and you can set up a pay roll for hours spent in game for working for them. the sky is the limit and thats a curse.

Every person who ever played a game with mods is a cheater. Every person who ever looked up hints on KZfaq is a cheater. Every person who pays to win is a cheater. People want to play their games the way they want to play them. The problem comes from pvp competition where one person's cheating (KZfaq hints) doesn't equally compare to someone's p2w cheats and they immediately whine and complain without looking at themselves first.

I hope they never create NPC crews, it would ruin the game. I love the idea of having multiplayer crews, so I think they should improve that process a bit... maybe make Mobiglass app for Crew Signup. I'll have to disagree with you though, for me it's a game. A weird messed-up-development-work-in-progress game... but still a game. To call it a Tech demo is a bit unfair, because at this point I feel that its more advanced than that. "The Orville, Interactive Fan Experience" is a Tech Demo. In the end, this is the best space game I've *EVER* played, and I've played lots: ED is very close, but too repetitive... every base is exact copies of each other and first person is just terrible. NMS is amazing with loads of content and first person, but is seriously lacking on multiplayer. STO has first person and space, but doesn't have the level of detail and has a very generic MMO feel. X4 doesn't have first person at all nor multiplayer.

What I try to tell folks is you are making an investment in this very ambitious project. The reward for backing the project is the incentives (pledges). Even Live is a test bed. I think people get short-sighted in what we are supporting. Love tour content! Keep up the good work!

overblown tech demo to sell software to ACTUAL game developers. It's not vaporware, it's a sophisticated tech demo to show what their engine and tech can do before trying to sell it to other studios, aka the real customers. The players are not their customers and never were, they are the funds, sell them ships for a game that will exist, but never be good, to fund the development and iron out the kinks in the real product. The software and tech. other studios will be renting this to make their games, and that will be the long term stable income of CIG. Unity does not make games, they rent out the software and rights to use their engine TO make games. Same thing will happen with CIG, and your all paying for the development of the real product. EDIT: To be fair, you could see this as investing in the future of many many games that might be awesome, so it's not ENTIRELY a loss no matter how you look at it unless the whole thing goes tits up and no game is ever made from this tech.

get a batter card it seem to be out of date lol you are not the only one there wake up with knife in our backs or a GUN lol

The amount of people that treat this as a fully released game is astonishing. I hate to break up everyone but it's not a game. It's a tech demo. made an account in 2016 started following everything, I started playing at the very end of December of last year. When I decided that it was finally playable enough, it's literally the only "game" I've played since. If you're convinced that it's a scam don't play it I'm not here to force it to you. move on and go do something else. I here starfield was a huge success... And it's only $15 more to own. The systems that they are trying to create and implement are going to have lasting repercussions for the gaming industry when it works.

You lost me at F2P but you need to pay 45 bucks to get the game.... Not sure which tribe you are part of but you just made your own at this point

Starcitizen is not a scam. and people who call it a scam are haters watching from the outside and have never actually loaded it up and tried it. It is an extremely ambitious project led by yes men who greenlight ALL ideas, no matter how impossibly hard they are to implement in a video game. It will be completed... one day. if funding holds out and they can get the feature creep under control and stop adding new things long enough to polish up whats already there. as the game sits, it is more feature complete than other space games, like Elite, etc. you can already do more in SC than you can do right now in Elite: Dangerous. the only thing missing is the thousands upon thousands of empty procedurally generated worlds to "explore" SC is also an extremely frustrating experience with no hand holding or explanation at all. right now, your more likely to die to a bug or glitch, but with each progressive patch and hot fix the balance tilts toward more death to mechanics than glitches, and you start to see that the game as intended is not a friendly experience, much like reality, maybe too much like reality.

It's a tech demonstrator for a game that MIGHT be made EVENTUALLY propping up a gigantic scam.

Bro saying this isn't a game is one of the dumbest takes I've ever heard. No this isn't just a tech demo and it's barely early access. If it was truly just a test environment then we wouldn't have the ptu and eptu. This is an extremely complicated and large scale live service game that hides behind the alpha tag to avoid criticism

Brother.. did you just say it’s not pay to win because you need crew? Do you know what pay to win mean or are you defending your space game… I also enjoy the game but let’s call a duck a duck. The game is pay to win there is no argument. So disingenuous of You.