So, amidst all this, and now that I have a decent PC I made for Space Sims:
Is this a game for someone who's a more casual player? Like just fly around and enjoy Space?
I love the models and the ships. Maybe just plunge in with the $40?
Is that stand-alone game gonna be worth it as well?
Thanks...
So I've been playing the Alpha 2.5 for about a week, and I can give you this advice:
Re: casual player -- I would say "Yes, BUT":
i. It is alpha quality -- good, but still alpha, so it crashes occasionally
ii. There isn't any coherent manual (that I can find), but watching some YouTube videos (STL Youngblood is recommended) will give good advice
iii. The fly around and enjoy space bit can get old quick, but there are currently 2 "games" to play
-- Arena Commander, which has a Racing Track to play, in, a Free Flight mode (in 2 areas, an asteroid belt and a dying star -- small areas), and then combat with AI ships in the same two areas. Then you can also race against drones or other players, or do combat against other players
-- Crusader, which is the start of their multiplayer persistent universe, in a small solar system setting with a limited number of missions and open to other players. There is a lot of FPS shooting going on at the space station Kareah, but Port Olisar (where you start off at) is no-fire zone (all weapons are de-activated).
In the 2.6 release, they will release Star Marines, which is their FPS component. Obviously, this will be limited as well.
You can probably get the game at any time for $35-40 dollars, it is only if you want to play Alpha-quality stuff now that you would want to spring for it...is it $60 to get in on the alpha? I can't remember...
[doublepost=1473209216][/doublepost]
Just a little reminder how trustworthy such presentations are:
If the actual SC Alpha 3.0 looks and plays anything like this (apparently highly scripted and rehearsed) demo, we can talk again.
I don't disagree. However, I've been playing Alpha 2.5, and so far, the quality is quite good. Here's how I look at it:
1) Chris Roberts has an extensive track record,
2) he has been delivering stuff quiet regularly,
3) the alpha quality stuff is quite good, and
this may be harder for people nowadays to understand, but
4) the game is the vision of the game he has always wanted to make, and for which he now has the tools. Since he is independently funded, he doesn't have to "stop now" or "split this off into 2 games to make double the profits" or even "yeah, we could release this, but we could make even more by releasing it as day one DLC & charging people another $25"
I will admit, I followed SC regularly after pledging, but got so worked up, I consciously decided to "forget" about it in 2014...happened to see the preview of the Alpha 3.0 and saw the game I've been waiting for, all my gaming life. I'm stoked!
BTW, if you remember, Gearbox didn't allow anybody to review that crap game before it was released...With SC, the on-going releases of alpha products, while not ready for official release, shows that there is actually a game that holds promise. Whether that promise will be realized is, I will agree, a question that can only be answered by the actual released game.
It looks fragmented now and all over the place but there is definitely a plan going on.
