Star Citizen, November 2014

Started by Tsanten Eywa 'eveng, October 14, 2012, 06:33:46 AM

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Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

$25 million!!!!!

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13345-Letter-From-The-Chairman-25-Million

Last week, when we reached $24 million, I wrote that you must like Hornets. It turns out you REALLY like Hornets: Star Citizen's backers have propelled us to $25 million in crowd funding! This milestone also means that October has been our single biggest month for crowd funding yet... that's truly astounding.

At $25 million, you allow us to build a stronger infrastructure for the Star Citizen alpha test:

Enhanced Alpha – We will use additional funding to build a wider alpha test than we had originally intended for the first phase of Star Citizen's launch. The initial plan was to first launch servers in North America and then expand to areas such as Europe and Australia to decrease latency in these areas, perfecting the game as we improve the experience around the world. This funding will allow us to invest in a wider infrastructure for our early testing, spinning up remote servers earlier. Hitting this goal will also allow us to increase the number of remaining alpha slots. Extra alpha slots not only means more Star Citizens will travel the 'verse at launch, but that we will receive more feedback and more stress testing. This in turn will allow us to better balance and enhance the Star Citizen experience!
The tech team is already looking into the best way to make this happen! One immediate impact is that we can add 50,000 alpha slots to our test plan, which will be reflected on the site shortly. As usual, we are ready to unveil the 'next next' stretch goal, for the $27 million level. This is another goal that should interest everyone immediately because it allows us to expand the range of experiences you're going to find in Star Citizen.

$27 million
Banu Merchantman Unlocked – Banu traders are renowed for their merchant prowess, traveling the spacelanes and trading with everyone from humans to the Vanduul! Their sturdy, dedicated trading ships are prized beyond all other transports, sometimes passing from generation to generation of Banu. At $23 million we dedicated additional resources to making Xi'An spacecraft a unique experience. At $27 million, we will expand that same thinking to the Banu! Starting with the merchant ship, the design team will expand Banu technology to offer players a completely different way of experiencing their universe.
Even though we've fully funded the base game, every extra dollar helps to make the experience better. The content we talk about in these stretch goals isn't "feature creep"; it's elements we've been building and planning that will be all that more impressive with additional resources. In essence, you're putting things we've already discussed for the future into development now. The extra funding means we're secure in assigning resources to go ahead and begin developing that richer content we had initially planned to fund through the game's success upon release.

Thank you for your continued support of and trust in project. You have empowered the team to make Star Citizen something truly special... the Best Damn Space Sim Ever!

— Chris Roberts

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

There is a possibility that Star Citizen may come to the next-gen console PS4. Chris Roberts stated that there are no current plans to do so, and his conditions are all hypothetical. "As far as consoles go Star Citizen will never be on the PS3 or Xbox 360,"

"As for the next gen consoles, PS4 and Xbox One, we have NO CURRENT PLANS, but my stance remains open and is consistent with the many interviews I've given."

"IF the platform holders (Sony & Microsoft) allow us to update the code and data without restrictions and odious time consuming [quality control] procedures, IF they allow our community to openly interact with each other across platforms then I would CONSIDER supporting them."

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/19/star-citizen-could-theoretically-come-to-ps4-no-plans-yet

Tìtstewan

Star Citizen on console? Please no.
How SC would look on a Xbox One with a 1.75GHz CPU and a 850MHz GPU?

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Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Quote from: Tìtstewan on November 18, 2013, 07:56:06 PM
Star Citizen on console? Please no.
How SC would look on a Xbox One with a 1.75GHz CPU and a 850MHz GPU?

what about on a PS4?

Tìtstewan

Generally the same. The CPU clock isn't confirmed, but the rumor says something from 1.8 up to 2.0GHz and the GPU with ~800MHz...

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Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

#65
It has been going so fast now that fans have given in total over $33 million now. $8 million in a month :o :o :o

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13400-Letter-From-The-Chairman-33-Million







At $33 million, you unlocked the Anvil Carrack:

Anvil Carrack – The Anvil Carrack has been the vanguard of every UEE exploration effort in recent years. Featuring reinforced fuel tanks for long-duration flight, a highly advanced jump drive array and a dedicated computer core room that allows it to put the maximum processing power into jump charting operations. Originally a military exclusive, the Carrack is now available for civilian use as a pathfinder spacecraft. Features on-board accommodations to allow for truly self-sufficient flight, including crew medical and repair facilities, and a mapping-oriented sensor suite capable of always charting a route home!
Information Runner handily won the final ship role poll... so I am proud to introduce the latest in Drake Interplanetary's lineup!

Drake Herald – Knowledge is power, and one of the most valuable commodities is pure information: the 1s and 0s behind everything from UEC ledgers to Citizenship ratings. Whether it's colonists struggling to stay in contact with the UEE's central worlds or criminals trading in illicit data, there will always be a need to securely move data. The Drake Herald, small, armored ship, is designed to fit that need and safely get that information from Point A to Point B. Featuring a powerful central engine (for high speed transit and generating the power needed for effective data encryption/containment), advanced encryption software and an armored computer core, the Herald is unique among personal spacecraft in that it is designed to be easily 'cleaned' when in danger of capture. The Herald includes an array of heavy duty internal options for data protection, including redundant power subsystems and EMP shielding, and a high-powered broadcast array for data transmission.
I hope you've liked having this additional input into Star Citizen's development. We've enjoyed following the discussions related to the ship choices so much that we'd like to keep this process going! For the next five stretch goals, we'd like to add an additional system to the game... and you're going to pick the major feature! Remember: the system, like the new ships, is simply symbolic of what's being added to Star Citizen with the additional money. Each stretch goal system represents additional artists, tools, programmers and new technologies that will make the finished project even better!

— Chris Roberts


Funding goals for Star Citizen: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/funding-goals

$28 million: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13382-Letter-From-The-Chairman-28-Million
$27 million: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13368-Letter-From-The-Chairman-27-Million
$30 million: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13391-Letter-From-The-Chairman-30-Million
$31 million: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/tk7vrvj46saz6r/post_section_header/Borea_MagnusII.jpg
$32 million: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13398-Letter-From-The-Chairman-32-Million


Tìtstewan

Awesome pictures and nice spaceship! :D

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archaic

The gloss detail where it just reads police is a nice detail.
Pasha, an Avatar story, my most recent fanfic, Avatar related, now complete.

The Dragon Affair my last fanfic, non Avatar related.

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

I have tested the alpha version of Star Citizen. It looks pretty good looking :)
I am only available to get an inside look of my hangar with my 2 spaceships, and i can walk freely around the hangar.

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

$34 million



https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13420-Letter-From-The-Chairman-34-Million

Greetings Citizens,

We have reached $34 million in crowd funding... without any special promotion, new ship releases or even LTI! Much of this is because new users are finding Star Citizen and the community you've helped create every day. I know that we have loyal backers to thank for that: in addition to making the game possible with funding, you're introducing your friends and families to Star Citizen.

At $34 million, you unlocked the penultimate fan-voted ship role, the MISC Hull C:

MISC Hull C (Discreet) – Scaling from small "box trucks" to massive supertankers, the MISC range of cargo hulls (A-D) are the standard goods transporter in human space. Extremely configurable, MISC Hulls can be adapted for most any type of transport job: from standard bulk shipping on the patrolled spacelanes to armored cargo hauling on the frontier. While these pre-configured hulls are primarily used for legitimate purposes, the MISC Hull Cs have recently become the favorite for criminals who modify the ship with advanced sensor shadow technology, quick-decompress holds and a variety of hidden compartments without modifying the ship's body so it will appear to onlookers as standard everyday transports.
Last time, you were asked to vote on a major feature of the next Star Citizen system. The audience resoundingly chose a location on the event horizon of a black hole. As a result, the $36 million stretch goal is the Tamsa System:

Tamsa System – Located near the fringe of Banu space, Tamsa System features a massive central star that has collapsed into a black hole. Evidence suggests that there were at least two more planets in the system when the star collapsed before the ensuing black hole engulfed them. Only two planets remain in the system, a chthonian world and a gas giant located far from the black hole's event horizon. Initial surveys indicate that the two outer planets are slowly being pulled towards the black hole, leaving the two as a risky proposition at best for any sort of colonization.
We look forward to showing you more about this system as the locations develop... and the countless others you'll be exploring in Star Citizen. In the meantime, you can vote on the next location. As with the ship polls, we've removed the highest and the lowest options from the previous poll. Now tell us what kind of location you'd like to see next!

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Roberts Space Industries have introduced a new starsystem, part of their massive upcoming game Star Citizen

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13475-Concept-Art-Geddon-System

Geddon System



Larger image: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/xgsjydn4r5dcdr/source/Geddon-TatKo03low_thumb.jpg

Ownership: Banu Protectorate
Planets: 1
Planetary Rotation: 299 SED
Import: Food
Export: Black Glass, Gray Oil
Crime Status: Low
Black Market: Chemicals
UEE Strategic Value: Green

Geddon is a system of a Banu Protectorate, located two jumps behind the Perry line. It is home to a single planet, Tat'Ko. Tat'Ko is a barren, windswept mass of volcanic rock. It's no place for a human being—certainly not one without a light pressure suit—but it's the ideal environment for the Banu.

The planet's churning, underground volcanoes help produce the system's main exports: black glass for producing circuitry and a gray oil, the so-called 'planetblood' which is used as a high-end space engine lubricant. Both products are exceptionally pure; the "Tat'Ko Seal" graphic which confirms their place of origin is the mark of highly respected products.

The weather patterns on Tat'Ko are turbulent at best, lethal on the average day. Therefore, the cities are massive enclosed arcologies driven deep into the planet surface. Nicknamed Spires by UEE travellers due to their resemblance to massive spikes driven into the planet. Docking at a spire can be exceptionally difficult, starship accidents during landing here are common.

The polar regions of Tat'ko are a source of bad-ice, a highly illegal frozen combination of water and refinable poisons.

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Here are some interesting news.. A first look of the Asteroid Hangar.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13497-First-Look-Asteroid-Hangar


We've had a number of backers write in to ask what the status of the Asteroid Hangar. Also known as the Pirate Hangar, the Asteroid Hangar is the upcoming fourth environment type for the Hangar Module. Citizens who have purchased the Drake Cutlass will have access to the hangar as soon as it launches.

To answer your question, the Asteroid Hangar is still in the works! It has been concepted, as you see here, and is currently being built by the Hangar Team. The Asteroid Hangar has been designed in such a way that it can expand to support larger ships, like the Drake Caterpillar, as needed. Expect to see it in action in a future update.



Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

This is my video of early gameplay in Star Citizen. I am just showing my hangar.
Star Citizen - My hangar

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Funds of Star Citizen is now on $37,955,721, about soon to reach $38M.
When it is reaching $38M, this will be unlocked:
Cano System is home to a G-Type Main Sequence Star that's almost identical to Earth's. Of the four planets in the system, only one is inhabited: Carteyna. Located on the edge of habitable zone, Carteyna is a classic waterworld. Fortunately, its planetary axis constantly keeps the northern hemisphere away from the sun, which allowed for the water to freeze into the landmasses used as the initial landing zones in 2587. Multiple attempts have been made to try to convert the thick atmosphere into something breathable, but the process never seemed to stick. In fact, over the years, every time there's a new technological development in geo-engineering, they test it out here on Carteyna only to yield the same result. Almost fifty years ago, scientists discovered microscopic organisms in the very early phases of life in the depths of the oceans. This caused a massive uproar throughout the UEE at the prospect that they had been attempting to terraform a developing world. Carteyna was immediately placed under the Fair Chance Act. Unfortunately, Humans had been living here for almost over three hundred years and the families that had been here for generations felt that they had earned rights as residents. After years of debate in the political and scientific community, the population was allowed to stay, but only under certain conditions: future terraforming attempts have been outlawed and the Human population has been consolidated to a single arcology to minimize their impact on their environment and the development of whatever species is growing in the deep.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/funding-goals

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Funds of Space Engine has now officially reached $38M.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13550-Letter-From-The-Chairman-38-Million



We've hit the incredible $38 million mark in our crowd funding campaign. It's exciting seeing the Organizations feature flourish: backers are inviting more and more people into this world, and in the process they're making even more possible for Star Citizen's development. The $38 million unlock is the Cano System, home to a fully aquatic planet:

Cano System is home to a G-Type Main Sequence Star that's almost identical to Earth's. Of the four planets in the system, only one is inhabited: Carteyna. Located on the edge of habitable zone, Carteyna is a classic waterworld. Fortunately, its planetary axis constantly keeps the northern hemisphere away from the sun, which allowed for the water to freeze into the landmasses used as the initial landing zones in 2587. Multiple attempts have been made to try to convert the thick atmosphere into something breathable, but the process never seemed to stick. In fact, over the years, every time there's a new technological development in geo-engineering, they test it out here on Carteyna only to yield the same result. Almost fifty years ago, scientists discovered microscopic organisms in the very early phases of life in the depths of the oceans. This caused a massive uproar throughout the UEE at the prospect that they had been attempting to terraform a developing world. Carteyna was immediately placed under the Fair Chance Act. Unfortunately, Humans had been living here for almost over three hundred years and the families that had been here for generations felt that they had earned rights as residents. After years of debate in the political and scientific community, the population was allowed to stay, but only under certain conditions: future terraforming attempts have been outlawed and the Human population has been consolidated to a single arcology to minimize their impact on their environment and the development of whatever species is growing in the deep.
Our final star system poll was the closest we've ever run, with only a few votes separating the Tevarin Ghost World and the Lost Human Colony. Since it sounds like Star Citizen's backers are equally excited about both concepts, we've decided to break the rules and include both concepts!

Kabal System – The discovery of a new system is always an exciting time. Even the most jaded NavJumpers can't help entertaining the possibilities for scientific understanding or new species or even a new home that could await them on the other side of a new jump point. The discovery of Kabal was certainly something new. By all outward appearances, the system seemed empty. It was only during when a UEE Surveying team began to assess Kabal III, did they find something disturbing; old uninhabited Tevarin cities. How could an entire Tevarin system escape detection all these years? Did the Tevarin that were assimilated into the UEE know about it? How was it kept a secret? The questions multiplied when a detachment of Marines, sent to secure the planet ended up discovering a cache of old Tevarin war machines. Among the rows and rows of weapons, they made an even more disturbing discovery; some of the technology was made in the last ten years...
Oretani System – Oretani was just one of many systems that were being discovered during the rapid Expansion era of the 25th century. The surveyors noticed nothing in the system's six worlds of immediate importance. Only one planet seemed to be a viable candidate for terraforming. The terraforming Corp that won the bid sent a mid-level team (and their families) into the system to start processing when the only jump point into the system collapsed. Scientists scrambled to figure out a solution, but it was the first time an incident like this had occurred. As years stretched into decades, people studied the area around the former jump point, hoping for a sign that it had reopened, but after time they gave up. After all this time, Oretani is only ever debated among select number of historians. Most believe that without support, the initial terraformers probably died out, but no one really knows what to expect on the other side if that jump point ever reopens.
That's it for the additional star system stretch goals. At $39 million, we'll announce a new goal that will help chart the course for the future of Star Citizen in a different way... and it's one I'm personally very excited about, so be sure to check back then and learn more!

As always, thank you for your continued support of Star Citizen. It's hard to properly express how grateful we are to the community for letting us pursue this dream. I know that everyone is eager to see more of Star Citizen as quickly as possible—more ships, more systems, more gameplay—and I promise you that we're just as eager to get that out there. Stay tuned: big things are happening in the 'verse!

— Chris Roberts

P.S. – Everyone curious about how the Banu Merchantman will land should check out the attached concept art. Please remember that this is an early WIP and shape, form and function can change as we drill down on the inner workings of the Banu Merchantman!

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/media/t95qr0owcvk33r/source/Banu_merchantman_side_Version_A_callout.jpg

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Next funding goal for Star Citizen, $39M. When it is reaching $39M it will unlock:

UDS-2943-01-22 System – Breaking news: UEE astrophysicists based at the famed Klavs observatory station have utilized advanced telescopy and other remote sensing technologies to identify a truly unusual star system on the fringes of known space. The object, once thought to be a single massive star, is actually a trinary star consisting of two white dwarfs and an active pulsar orbiting one another. Because of the complex gravitic factors at work, it is now believed that a jump point leading to the system likely exists in or near explored human space. Beyond the bizarre stellar makeup, the composition of the system is all but unknown. Could planets exist in this carefully balanced web? What else might have been drawn there? One thing is certain: the first Citizen to travel to UDS-2943-01-22 will have one hell of a view!
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/funding-goals


Star Citizen funds has reached now: $38,175,983
There are 384,713 users that have signed for an alpha slot
There are only 9,826 seats left for an alpha slot, where you will be part of the launch of Star Citizen that will happen sometime in November this year.

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

1st episode of The Next Great Starship
The Next Great Starship, the modding competition that gives fans a chance to create a space ship for Chris Roberts' upcoming epic space sim game, Star Citizen™, is about to get real for 24 teams!
The Next Great Starship . Episode 1.1

2nd episode of The Next Great Starship
The Next Great Starship Episode 1.2

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Roberts Space Industries has revealed some gameplay at the PAX gaming festival.
They revealed a demo of Star Citizen called "Arena Commander".
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13827-Arena-Commander-PAX-East-And-Beyond


Reserve your slot for "Arena Commander" here, it will cost you only $5.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/store/403-arena-commander-pass

Arena Commander-PAX East and Beyond

Tsanten Eywa 'eveng

Great news. The alpha version of Star Citizen has officially launched. It is called as the Arena Commander.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13909-Arena-Commander-Launched

We are very happy to finally share with you the first public build of Arena Commander!

The build we are releasing today is what we're calling Version 0.8. You can download it by either updating your existing Hangar through the launcher or by accessing the Star Citizen Download page. V0.8 will give every qualified backer access to the Vanduul Swarm and Freeflight modes and includes the ability to fly the Aurora, 300i and Hornet. If you haven't pledged for one of these ships, we'll give you a loaner that is the closest in class to what you fly; we want everyone with Alpha access (or an Arena Commander pass) to get their first taste of spaceflight!

Star Citizen - Dogfighting Module Launch Trailer

WARNING: the updated version of the Star Citizen launcher will replace the USER folder when it patches. If you have any saved screenshots or other content, please move them before downloading Arena Commander.

Arena Commander V0.8 also includes multiplayer functionality for the Battle Royale and Team modes. These modes will be available for a small number of players today. As we hunt down lag and synch issues and spin up servers, we will open these modes up to more and more players in the coming weeks.

Remember: V0.8 is just the beginning. It's the start of a hard push for the development team as we head towards V0.9 and finally V1.0, at which point Arena Commander will be 'feature complete' with the modes, maps and options promised at PAX. By the time V1.0 drops, we aim for the entire community to have access to the multiplayer game modes!

As we move forward to Version 0.9, we will focus on adding the following improvements:

Improved client and multiplayer server stability
General performance optimizations and fixes for hardware specific issues discovered during community testing
Audio improvements with additional SFX, music, mix, and improvements to the dynamic music system
Improvements to the HUD to better differentiate the manufacturers, improve ITTS, and add mouse control functionality
Additional character animations to add immersion to the cockpit and resolve outstanding animation issues
Further flight model upgrades to better handle unique thruster power combinations and refine the control of each ship
Additional ship, weapon, item, and thruster tuning to improve the balance of Arena Commander based on community testing
New multiplayer game mode for public testing along with AI improvements and updates to Vanduul Swarm.
Hangar bug fixing along with enhanced visuals and animations.
Cockpit polish with improved damage effects and more dynamic lighting that responds to gameplay events and ship status.
Some additional weapons and items for use with Arena Commander.
Update player breathing sound effects and responses to incoming impulses and g-forces

I'm also excited to announce that we've created some special extras to go with Arena Commander. Click here to check out the Arena Commander manual, which teaches you how to play the game and gets you further into the Star Citizen 'verse. There's also a cool new trailer available below! And stay tuned: the manual and other content will be updated as the game evolves.

It's been a longer wait than many of you would have liked, and the team and I share your impatience as we all wanted to have this in your hands a lot sooner. I can assure you though, it has not been from lack of effort or focus. A significant portion of our world-wide teams have been working around the clock to finish off the first set of features and get the build stabilized enough that we feel comfortable in releasing it to a wider testing pool.

I have heard the sentiment from portions of the community that indicate a desire to have the build in their hands sooner in order to help with testing efforts. The team and I appreciate the eagerness to help out, but I want to take a few minutes to explain why we have been following our present course.

Normally in game development you have staged testing. When you have a build that already has far more issues and instability than can be easily fixed, it's inefficient to open it up for quality assurance testing as you consume a lot of extra management and team bandwidth sifting through the issues, many of which will already be known and be duplicates of previously reported issues, or issues the team just can't get to because there are higher priority problems that have to be addressed first. Once the build becomes more stable and has most of the intended features in place, you then open it up to full QA to really hammer on it and find issues that aren't immediately obvious or provide gameplay feedback now that the game isn't crashing every five minutes.

Remember: you ARE our full QA department! Thus far, we've been testing Arena Commander with a team of seven dedicated QA testers (plus anyone else in the company with time to dogfight.) We're releasing today because we feel the game is at a point where it's stable enough to go out to a wider audience. That's not because it's done, but because it's ready for testing on a bigger scale. There are still plenty of known issues we're working and there are likely many you will discover that we haven't seen yet. What you play today will crash, it will have slowdowns, installation issues and other problems.

You can help make sure we get this right by reporting your bugs on the forums. We've added two new bug reporting forums, one for the single player modes and one for multiplayer (visible only to users with access to those modes.) I'm including the list of known bugs at the bottom of this post so you know what we're already tracking internally. These are the issues we know about but don't consider big enough to block the release. We're working to fix them right now, and then we need to know what you're running into! Don't just report crashes and animation errors, though; let us know in the general Arena Commander area what you think of the flight model, how you'd improve balance and so on. You're helping to build this game!

Please post everything to the forums; the Customer Support team isn't able to assist with Arena Commander bugs with you at this time (remember, this is pre-alpha!) We're working on expanding this process, too: the team at Turbulent is building an external bug tracking system; in future builds, you'll be able to submit bugs that will go right to the team instead of via the forums!

Your part in testing Arena Commander is the heart of what I think makes the approach to how we are building Star Citizen so strong for the long term health and fun of the game. We are deliberately sharing the game at a much earlier stage than any traditional AAA game and also much earlier than a lot of other crowd funded games. We want to get aspects of the game, even if they only represent one facet, into the hands of the people who made this game possible in the first place. These builds are early enough that the feedback from people who love this genre so much they've been willing to put their money up way in advance of getting the finished product can be actioned on, allowing us to build a better, more stable game in the long run.

So I encourage you all to have patience and if there is something that you like or don't like, voice your opinion on the forums. I can't promise we will act on every comment but like all things with Star Citizen we actively listen to the community's feedback, both positive and negative, and then act on the issues that resonate with us. You just don't get this opportunity in the traditional publisher model when a Beta release is really a pre-release marketing ploy!

We are deliberately making our development process much more open and transparent. This is why we started the monthly reports from the numerous studios working on the game. There are now more than 250 people working on all aspects of the game of which Arena Commander is only one facet. The level of ambition with Star Citizen is unprecedented in the independent world and has only been made possible by your commitment and excitement. Not everything will go smoothly or on time, as a project of this size and complexity will always present unforeseen issues, which is why we have been endeavoring to share information with you that anyone in the traditional publishing model would not. The dates that we shared are a good example of this.

As soon as we had an internal target that we were hopeful of making, we shared it with you, with the caveat "if everything goes according to plan." In ordinary development, such dates would never be shared with the public. Publishers take these dates from their teams and build in large lead times. And even then, unforeseen issues can still arise that cause further delays. But we view you, the community, as part of the team. We know how keen you are to get your hands on Arena Commander and so we've decided to share our current projections with you.

My question to you is: should we continue to do this? I'm given pause not by internal cricisim from frustrated backers who really just want to get into space (which we completely understand!) but by sensationalistic headlines that imply we're not working hard or that the game is some sort of scam. I can assure you that the whole team is committed to making the best game possible, so it is disheartening when our attempts at transparency are used against us to paint a negative picture of this amazing project.

Since we're a community driven game, I'm going to leave it up to you whether you want the same level of visibility with regards to dates (knowing that they are estimates and are subject to change) or would rather just be given hard, long-term dates like a publisher. If you choose the former, we'll just have to put the word "TENTATIVE" in caps for the benefit of everyone that doesn't follow the project as closely as all you. You can vote to decide in the poll below!

I hope you all enjoy Arena Commander V0.8. I'm very proud of what the team has achieved with all of their hard work. Despite being pre-alpha and a build that's earlier than anything I've ever shared with the public before, I think it looks spectacular and that it's a great foundation to build on. There will be many updates over the coming months adding features and content — We're going to be adding in all the ships you pledged for... and plenty you haven't seen yet. There will be new game modes, environments and equipment. We're going to work on performance, stability and improve the technology: the loading screens you see today won't be present in the finished game!

For now, though, enjoy your first taste of space combat in Star Citizen's developing world; I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Together we will follow our collective dream: to build the BDSSE!

— Chris Roberts