I think this song says it all...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3vCB3YBMUo

Dev wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 12:57:
Anyone know what melting/unmalting is and the tokens for it?

Sort of, yes.

You can melt pledge packages by refunding them for store credit and then you can use the store credit to buy something else. You will in some cases, especially with older packages, lose some privileges, however.

So lots of tards went and melted packages every time a new ship was announced. They changed their pledges like their underwear and now they are having regrets about e.g. not having LTI (lifetime insurance) anymore.

That's why CIG introduced unmelting now, i.e. you can look at a list of all of your past pledges and repurchase the package for the original conditions, i.e. for example with LTI. What I am not sure about is whether you also get the original price because many packages were a few bucks cheaper in 2012/2013 than they are now.
To repurchase an old pledge you can, however, NOT use store credit so you got to whip out your wallet and buy with real cash EXCEPT if you have an unmelt token (every account got ONE of these AFAIK). So you have a one-time chance to correct a pledge for "free" (store credit from melting) and then after that it's $$$ time.

TL;DR melt/unmelt is a system to further milk impatient and indecisive ADHD retards who jump on every new ship hype bandwagon

Another Duke Nukem Forever, HL3 and the list goes on and on.

Anyone know what melting/unmalting is and the tokens for it?

El Pit wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 12:29:
So, basically a Star Citizen thread is as successful as a thread with a title like "Terror Hitler Fucking"?

It really all depends on whether Cutter shows up or not...


=-Rigs-=

So, basically a Star Citizen thread is as successful as a thread with a title like "Terror Hitler Fucking"?

RedEye9 wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 12:18:

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 11:53:

El Pit wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 11:38:
Or, to put it in other words: I'm not sure it's appropriate to compare the guy behind some very cruel murders to a blown out of proportion computer game. And this is coming from somebody who for sure is not really politically correct, guys.

Appropriate? Probably not. Funny as hell? Yes.

It's just nice to see that the usual suspects aren't blaming the usual suspects, ie hitler and stalin.

Just give it time, we're only at 50 comments...SC threads almost always go over 100...I'm sure Hitler or communism your favorite scapegoat will show up soon enough...


=-Rigs-=

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 11:53:

El Pit wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 11:38:
Or, to put it in other words: I'm not sure it's appropriate to compare the guy behind some very cruel murders to a blown out of proportion computer game. And this is coming from somebody who for sure is not really politically correct, guys.

Appropriate? Probably not. Funny as hell? Yes.

It's just nice to see that the usual suspects aren't blaming the usual suspects, ie hitler and stalin.

Is Chris Roberts the Jeffrey Dahmer of gaming, only time will tell.

CJ_Parker wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 10:17:
So they need to rename episode 3 Squadron 43 or 44 or 45 or Squadron Rip-Off or whatever the fuck they fancy but they better deliver Squadron 42 in its entirety free to all backers who pledged before it became known to be an episodic game.

Also, we were promised 50 missions WITHOUT the expansion alone. So they first need to deliver a 50 mission campaign (it is very unlikely that the first two episodes will include that many missions) and then a reasonably sized expansion after that and ONLY THEN are they even allowed to BEGIN considering the milkage of their backers who pledged early enough to get Squadron 42 *and* the expansion for free.

Ok, hold up right there for a second!

Let me first state that I have really no opinion either way on SC anymore. I sold my OB account (with a 'Golden Showe-..I mean Ticket', for whatever that was worth) just a few weeks ago for a whole measly $25. I've played during the 'free' weeks and really, while total time I've spent was about two hours, I wasn't impressed by any means. My system isn't even close to top-of-the-line so just walking around in the 'Social Module' was an exercise in frustration. (Every ten seconds things grind to a halt while textures stream from my poor overworked hard drive). Whether they make the next Freespace/Xwing/TieFighter or it all comes crashing down, I don't really care either way. This game looked impressive in 2012, bit it's now 2016 and we have very little to show for it.

That all being said, I have to say that when I see someone saying they were 'promised' this or 'they have to do that'...um, no. You seem to forget that Kickstarter is not a store. Promises mean nothing for Kickstarted projects. They can have expectations, but like Elite: Dangerous's supposed 'single-player' option, things change. Sure, people get pissed. But they aren't obligated to follow through on the features they listed at the start of the project. Shit happens. SC obviously took a somewhat different path than was originally intended. As a Kickstarted project, they have every right to do that. They don't owe you anything. You took the chance when you backed them. If it didn't come out the way you wanted, then the only thing you can do is tell yourself to be more careful next time. You're not owed refunds, they don't have to change anything to make you happy. If you feel that you're being 'milked' for what they eventually put out, that's just too damn bad. I realize it's harsh but that's the reality of it. These people that put in thousands...tens of thousands of dollars are fucking insane! You know it and I know it. So if they're crazy to put in that much, you're crazy to put in whatever the minimum amount is if you expect the same thing they do! You have almost no recourse if this project doesn't go the way you want. But you should have known that in the beginning.

CJ_Parker wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 11:06:
A two years delay for only a fraction of the content is not giving me any confidence that they can all of a sudden somehow magically start cranking out those levels. Besides, they are going to have to go back, do more mo-cap, schedule the actors etc. etc. etc...

If you think they're going to go back and do more mo-cap with the actors just because what they have 'isn't satisfying enough for what the backers want', you're seriously fooling yourself. They've completed what they plan to do, now they only need to finish it up. There'll be 1000 fanboys lined up to tell you that you should be thankful for what you do get and that it's, of course, the most awesomess thing in the world! Your only choice is to drink the Kool-aide, be disappointed and bitter, or just get out now while you still can and move on (like I did)...


=-Rigs-=

This comment was edited on Jan 31, 2016, 12:29.

El Pit wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 11:38:
Or, to put it in other words: I'm not sure it's appropriate to compare the guy behind some very cruel murders to a blown out of proportion computer game. And this is coming from somebody who for sure is not really politically correct, guys.

Appropriate? Probably not. Funny as hell? Yes.

El Pit wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 11:38:

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 10:59:

Kxmode wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 00:45:

The Half Elf wrote on Jan 30, 2016, 14:29:
Is it me or is Star Citizen the Donald Trump of gaming?

Worse. Star Citizen is the Charles Manson of gaming. Cult-like and bat-shit crazy.

lol -- you sir have won the Internet for the day. Congratulations.

Roman Polanski to his wife: And stay away from anybody who calls himself Chris Roberts. This guy is DANGEROUS. I know what I'm talking about.

Or, to put it in other words: I'm not sure it's appropriate to compare the guy behind some very cruel murders to a blown out of proportion computer game. And this is coming from somebody who for sure is not really politically correct, guys.

But Chris Roberts murdered my dreams...

Mr. Tact wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 10:59:

Kxmode wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 00:45:

The Half Elf wrote on Jan 30, 2016, 14:29:
Is it me or is Star Citizen the Donald Trump of gaming?

Worse. Star Citizen is the Charles Manson of gaming. Cult-like and bat-shit crazy.

lol -- you sir have won the Internet for the day. Congratulations.

Roman Polanski to his wife: And stay away from anybody who calls himself Chris Roberts. This guy is DANGEROUS. I know what I'm talking about.

Or, to put it in other words: I'm not sure it's appropriate to compare the guy behind some very cruel murders to a blown out of proportion computer game. And this is coming from somebody who for sure is not really politically correct, guys.

Mikus_Aurelius wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 10:35:

CJ_Parker wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 10:17:
Also, we were promised 50 missions WITHOUT the expansion alone. So they first need to deliver a 50 mission campaign (it is very unlikely that the first two episodes will include that many missions) and then a reasonably sized expansion after that and ONLY THEN are they even allowed to BEGIN considering the milkage of their backers who pledged early enough to get Squadron 42 *and* the expansion for free.

Designing single player missions for space sims doesn't take very long if you have the right tools. I used to code missions for X-Wing and Tie Fighter that were much more complex than anything the games shipped with (and way beyond what Freespace and Wing Commander ever contained). I probably cranked out and tested 50 missions in the course of 6 months, and that was on top of school and homework every day.

If the tech is done, 50 missions in 11 months is a cakewalk for a real games studio.

I know. You are talking about normal development studios though. CIG is anything but.
And with their self-imposed FIDELITY, they have painted themselves into a corner here. Just building the levels for the missions is going to take ages with the level of detail that they are aiming for.

For example, the first (or one of the first) missions is supposed to take you to a super-detailed HIGH FIDELITY mining platform that is several kilometers long. This thing has already taken them frickin' ages to build and continues to do so apparently.

So unless they front load the game by giving us three awesomely detailed missions (environments) and then just recycle everything over and over, they are going to have more than their hands full to ever get to 50 missions. Normally you will not want to have a noticeable drop in quality in a game, right?

I mean just look at the recent videos on YouTube, like the one where Tony Zurovec of the Austin studio talks a bit about the PU roadmap and how they plan to bring new systems (= levels) online with months apart because it is so much work with all the complexity they have piled upon themselves.
Unnecessary complexity if you ask me because there are clearly diminishing returns for all the FIDELITY. This level of polish and detail is something they should have done post-release of the game.

Or let us remember what is really happening here: Squadron 42 in its entirety(!) was originally supposed to be released at the end of 2014. We're now in 2016 and they plan to (maybe) deliver the first episode some time this year, i.e. a mere fraction of what was promised to be done by the end of 2014.
And once again: If you look at recent videos there is plenty of reason to doubt that they will make it this year.

A two years delay for only a fraction of the content is not giving me any confidence that they can all of a sudden somehow magically start cranking out those levels. Besides, they are going to have to go back, do more mo-cap, schedule the actors etc. etc. etc. - comparing this to doing missions for X-Wing or TIE Fighter, well, no offense, dude, but...

Kxmode wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 00:45:

The Half Elf wrote on Jan 30, 2016, 14:29:
Is it me or is Star Citizen the Donald Trump of gaming?

Worse. Star Citizen is the Charles Manson of gaming. Cult-like and bat-shit crazy.

lol -- you sir have won the Internet for the day. Congratulations.

CJ_Parker wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 10:17:
Also, we were promised 50 missions WITHOUT the expansion alone. So they first need to deliver a 50 mission campaign (it is very unlikely that the first two episodes will include that many missions) and then a reasonably sized expansion after that and ONLY THEN are they even allowed to BEGIN considering the milkage of their backers who pledged early enough to get Squadron 42 *and* the expansion for free.

Designing single player missions for space sims doesn't take very long if you have the right tools. I used to code missions for X-Wing and Tie Fighter that were much more complex than anything the games shipped with (and way beyond what Freespace and Wing Commander ever contained). I probably cranked out and tested 50 missions in the course of 6 months, and that was on top of school and homework every day.

If the tech is done, 50 missions in 11 months is a cakewalk for a real games studio.

BadIronTree wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 02:46:
Just to clear the confusion....

EP. 1 is the normal Single game they said in Kickstarter...

EP 2 is the former Mission pack expansion that the early Kick starter people got for Free.
Instead of making some random missions like wing commander expansion... It will continue the story of EP. 1... (after the game ships)

EP.3 TBD a lot later

So if you have the "mission disk " in your account ... the EP2 is free

Well, those fuckers better make episode 3 free for KS (or initial RSI site) backers, too, because the Squadron 42 I pledged for was NEVER ever supposed to become an episodic release. It's not my fault and not my problem if they are too retarded to deliver a full game in one piece as promised.

So they need to rename episode 3 Squadron 43 or 44 or 45 or Squadron Rip-Off or whatever the fuck they fancy but they better deliver Squadron 42 in its entirety free to all backers who pledged before it became known to be an episodic game.

Also, we were promised 50 missions WITHOUT the expansion alone. So they first need to deliver a 50 mission campaign (it is very unlikely that the first two episodes will include that many missions) and then a reasonably sized expansion after that and ONLY THEN are they even allowed to BEGIN considering the milkage of their backers who pledged early enough to get Squadron 42 *and* the expansion for free.

Just to clear the confusion....

EP. 1 is the normal Single game they said in Kickstarter...

EP 2 is the former Mission pack expansion that the early Kick starter people got for Free.
Instead of making some random missions like wing commander expansion... It will continue the story of EP. 1... (after the game ships)

EP.3 TBD a lot later

So if you have the "mission disk " in your account ... the EP2 is free

jdreyer wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 00:35:

BIGtrouble77 wrote on Jan 31, 2016, 00:09:
So what is the total investment now to get both "games"?

Right now the starter package is $45.

That's... not bad.

I even see that there are actually four different packages (one of them time-limited) that get you both games for $45 (link). Hmmmmmm...

Edit: Although, after February 14, who knows...?

This comment was edited on Jan 31, 2016, 01:52.

Man, is this Roberts guy the world's largest used car salesman?

What a shit show this thing is..

Here's why RSI is really doing this...
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08703814

They were suppose to file their accounts and annual review (basically taxes) with the UK Government by 31 December 2015 which is somehow delayed until 31 December 2016. By UK law they HAVE to report something. Since Foundry 42 is part of CIG the annual report is going to contain some information pertaining to CIG. They want to get SQ42 done BEFORE that date so that they can dissolved Foundry 42 and bring bug fixes and patching into the main Santa Monica office. Once dissolved they likely will not need to file an annual review. In principle they can hide their financial health and keep fooling backers with this pipe dream.

BTW Once Squadron 42 is released CIG doesn't have to finish Star Citizen. They could pull a Spacebase DF-9. See if DF-9's cancelled development sounds like Star Citizen.

This comment was edited on Jan 31, 2016, 14:12.