The first release of Star Citizen’s Social Module is now available on the live server! We would like to thank the thousands of backers who helped stress test this release on the PTU early in the week; now we’re excited to make it available to everyone. You can access the complete patch notes for today’s release, Star Citizen Alpha 1.2, here.
The Social Module represents our first step into Star Citizen’s Persistent Universe. In the coming months, you will begin to see Star Citizen’s formerly-disparate modules come together into our long term vision for the game. Today, you can enter your Hangar, load up Arena Commander and take the elevator to explore ArcCorp with other players. From here, expect to see the universe expand!
Read on for word directly from Tony Zurovec, Star Citizen’s Persistent Universe Director. Tony has written an introduction to the Social Module and an outline of what’s coming next. We hope you enjoy your first steps outside your Hangar, and now we can truly say: we’ll see you in the ‘Verse!
dsmart wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 08:36:
...Since the law doesn't prevent them from continuing to raise money, the Feds can put a stop to it if during their investigation they find anything wrong with what they're doing over there.
{PH}88fingers wrote on Sep 4, 2015, 20:13:
when do we get to see the letter CIG sent to you?
Bundy wrote on Sep 4, 2015, 14:52:dsmart wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 20:27:
So I got a response to the demand letter. And of course I have a response up on the blog now.
Also, how soon we forget. It was barely THREE YEARS AGO.
lol, i tried to read this at work. But our company's cloud based web proxy (websense) classified your domain (www.dereksmart.org) as promoting marijuana use. Great, now I'm gonna get reported to HR!
dsmart wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 20:27:
So I got a response to the demand letter. And of course I have a response up on the blog now.
Also, how soon we forget. It was barely THREE YEARS AGO.
jdreyer wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 12:56:
At one point, Chris said "No more stretch goals" and all the fanbois (pronounced "fan-BWAH" from French) complained, so he continued adding them, so it's not entirely his fault.
Kxmode wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 20:24:
@CJ_Parker - Another documented lie.
There's a scene from the movie Minority Report when Detective Danny Witwer viewing the crime scene of Leo Crow's murder says to Officer Fletcher, "I worked homicide before federal. This is what we call an orgy of evidence. You know how many orgies I had as a homicide cop?" Officer Fletcher replies "How many?" Danny Witwer, "None."
This is an "orgy of evidence" of a pure scam completely orchestrated from the beginning.
Kxmode wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 18:49:
Derek I read your "response to my legal demand letter" from CIG.
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1snct8k"your client is now asking for a "forensic accounting" to be made available to him. . . . Secondly, the ample information provided regularly on our extensive website, including monthly progress reports from each studio, published headcounts and the like, would enable any person familiar with the cost of game development to assess the proper spending of the funds raised.
When I was a Backer I had no idea (and still don't today) how to "assess the proper spending of the funds raised" based on Bugsmashers, Around the Verse, 10 for the Chairman, Wingman's Hangar and Meet the Devs. The monthly status reports told me nothing about how much money was spent on X and how much on Y. How much this costs and how much that costs. Is he serious?
I think this classifies as a brand new irrational response.
35. OBTAINING FINANCIAL FACTS BASED ON MARKETING INFORMATION
"The ample information provided regularly on our extensive website, including monthly progress reports from each studio, published headcounts and the like, would enable any person familiar with the cost of game development to assess the proper spending of the funds raised."
It's interesting we had this conversation on your blog and in private and the conclusion was made that there were just too many variables and not enough information available to figure out how much money CIG has spent and how much remains. We came up with a ballpark of 2-3 million per month that CIG needs to make in order to meet obligations, but that was based on pure conjecture. And all of our discussions was based on, as Mr. Freyermuth calls it, "ample information provided regularly on our extensive website".
No one can understand CIG's financials based on anything they've published. The conclusion is Mr. Freyermuth is lying, which isn't surprising given Chris Roberts' rampant misleading statements.
Kxmode wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 18:49:
When I was a Backer I had no idea (and still don't today) how to "assess the proper spending of the funds raised" based on Bugsmashers, Around the Verse, 10 for the Chairman, Wingman's Hangar and Meet the Devs. The monthly status reports told me nothing about how much money was spent on X and how much on Y. How much this costs and how much that costs. Is he serious?
"your client is now asking for a "forensic accounting" to be made available to him. . . . Secondly, the ample information provided regularly on our extensive website, including monthly progress reports from each studio, published headcounts and the like, would enable any person familiar with the cost of game development to assess the proper spending of the funds raised.
dsmart wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 09:43:
It's up. I added some of mine to the end
http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sncr3n
31. FAILURE TO UNDERSTAND WHY RULES DON’T HAVE EXCEPTIONS
Example: It should be legal to crowd-fund as long as you don’t spend too much on frivolous items like pixel ships for a game that doesn't yet exist.
RedEye9 wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 14:45:Scheherazade wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 13:00:
However, times have changed, and I think that if DNF were to begin dev these days, with how slowly graphics are changing, I bet they would have finished just fine with the engine they started with, and still meet the 'latest and greatest' requirement.
Sets in darkened corner, muttering to self "If only there was a Duke Nukem re-imagined like Black Mesa's Half-Life."
Scheherazade wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 13:00:
However, times have changed, and I think that if DNF were to begin dev these days, with how slowly graphics are changing, I bet they would have finished just fine with the engine they started with, and still meet the 'latest and greatest' requirement.
RedEye9 wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 11:00:
SC does not fall under the definition of either ponzi scheme or pyramid scheme. We need a new term.
Feel free to add your own.
Roberts Scheme
Kickstarter Scheme
Cig Scheme
BDCSE (Best Damn Crowdfunding Scheme Ever) frequently confused with
BDKSE (Best Damn Kickstarter Scheme Ever)
Kosumo wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 05:59:
Thanks for your reply.
So you would agree that so far there has been no particular exceptional gameplay of any kind?
To me, that is what he should have been aiming for and could have done at a much more lower level of 'fidelity' in line with his original pitch for the game. (by lower level, it still would have been graphical nice, just not over the top - his making this for the future PC as apposed to the current PC)
By him talking this up, he has only boxed himself into a corner.
The whole getting out of you ship and walking to the bar will most likely get bland very quickly no matter now much 'fidelity' it has. He is shooting for a movie like experance when really he should be try to make a great game experience (of which he has shown nothing of so far)
The whole 'fidelity' thing is totally over blown, it's now a rod for his back that is really not important for a BDSSE - it's more a sign of how he wish he was making movies.
Minecraft, Team Fortress 2, Papers Please, Hotline Miami and many other games show that it's the gameplay that rules.
I'm don't really care that much either way because although I don't really get into space sims, I have enjoyed some over the years because I'm a gamer and like to try diffent game. (Elite, Freelance). What I don't like is how I believe that he has put getting more money form promising thing to people which I don't believe he can delivied. (It's Faith based)
It's like other game makers form the past who made great games but can't repeat it now. Times have changed and just because people have nostailga for your old games, does not mean that you can make something as relevant again. There is a whole list of those people whom I can't really be bother listing but I'm sure you know the type.
Duke Nukem 3d was a great game, the same guys with all that money could not make anything close to it as time went on.
Kosumo wrote on Sep 3, 2015, 02:42:
Why can't Chris Roberts estimate the time that this project will take with any kind of accuracy?
The fact that you agree that they need to keep getting in more funds only goes to show how Derek is right when he points to it being like a Ponzi scheme - they have use early backer money to make/make concepts of ships to sell to get more money. A very scummy way to fund development. He should have taken the early 20 - 50 million and made a more simple, lest 'fidelity' game to show that he can make a fun game. As it is, all he is really doing is making pretty graphics with not solid gameplay to back any of it up.At one point, Chris said "No more stretch goals" and all the fanbois (pronounced "fan-BWAH" from French) complained, so he continued adding them, so it's not entirely his fault. As I said in a different thread, I am sure they'll "finish" it, just at a greatly reduced scope than they've been trumpeting thus far.
Can you point to him having shown any great gameplay yet?Meh, AC is fun for what it is.