Vapourware Scam Citizen - Only people with too much money can become StarCitizens! WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?

[Xenich]

So three years on how close are they to actually producing a game?

Lets see, they have the Hanger, Arena Commander (Space flight/combat portion of the game), and Planetside (glorified chat room) apparently ready. They still haven't finished the FPS, Squadron 42 (single player game), and Persistent Online position of the game.

Considering that the original schedule for the game was to release Squadron 42 in 2014 and the release of the persistent online universe in 2015 with it being likely fully implemented by 2016, I would say they are using the Mr. Blakemore development system.


I know they added more things to the game (ie FPS, Planetside, etc...) but they aren't even finished with all those yet either, in fact the main things that were advertised (Single player game, Online servers) aren't even close to finished yet. Add in the fact that they have no excuse (they have a budget that is along the lines of many AAA budgets), there is no reason they shouldn't be much further along.

Something is up here, what? Who knows, but something isn't right.

 

[Hellraiser]

The thing that is up here is the scale of the project versus the know-how on how to run such a large project, scattered across the globe. I wouldn't be surprised if half of the manhours are wasted on communication between the studios alone and organizational meetings (possibly with hookers and blow). It sounds like an organizational clusterfuck, which is why I am not surprised they're laying off somebody. So no surprise about the delays.

Then there is the issue of the mythical man-month itself. Design, planning and problem solving capability are the bottlenecks (which are hard to measure), not how fast code can be typed. It is not about how much money and how many people are working on this, it is what they can do.

 

[Ulminati]

Meanwhile - for all its faults - ED has been out for a whiel with working space flight, multiplayer and exploration. We're getting planetary landings before the end of the year and they're adding multi-crew ships that can launch player-controlled fighters. By the time SC is out, ED will have a bigger feature list already implemented

 

[Duellist_D]

I love this shit.

Either I'll get a decent-to-good Spacegame in 2017, or this Bubble will burst in a huge bang, buttraping all those drones and shills spending fucktons of money on game as an investment.
No matter the outcome, I'll have had my fair share of amusement.

 

[Xenich]

The thing that is up here is the scale of the project versus the know-how on how to run such a large project, scattered across the globe. I wouldn't be surprised if half of the manhours are wasted on communication between the studios alone and organizational meetings (possibly with hookers and blow). It sounds like an organizational clusterfuck, which is why I am not surprised they're laying off somebody. So no surprise about the delays.

Then there is the issue of the mythical man-month itself. Design, planning and problem solving capability are the bottlenecks (which are hard to measure), not how fast code can be typed. It is not about how much money and how many people are working on this, it is what they can do.

With the money they have, it isn't like they couldn't hire on a crack project development team with the experience and know how of how to see such a large project to fruition. Their disorganization "appears" to be at the hands of CR himself if any of the rumors are true. A singular micromanaging entity who is obsessed with perfection can set a project into an indefinite circular spin.

 

[Hellraiser]

Hire such a crack team where? You can find freelance artists, programmers etc. but where the hell will you find an entire freelance game development team? Why would one be available instead of, you know, working on some other project in the first place?

 

[Xenich]

Hire such a crack team where? You can find freelance artists, programmers etc. but where the hell will you find an entire freelance game development team? Why would one be available instead of, you know, working on some other project in the first place?

I didn't place the contingency of it being the entire team at once (ie they are all previously a team). I meant you can hire people with specific skills focused on project organization and development. Hire several to form a team, then have them assess the requirements, select the best development methodology and create that organization, etc....

Are you honestly saying there are not people out there with those specific skill sets for software development? Are you saying they are all working on projects already and CR would have no means to hire such skill sets?

 

[Hellraiser]

That's probably what should have been done. I think Roberts overestimated his experience as a manager, especially considering how much the industry and tech/tools changed since he last made a game.

 

[Metro]

All these semi-failed Kickstarter projects show that sometimes publishers are a necessary evil.

 

[Grotesque]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4497650/15-09-03_rsi-response-to-demand-letter.pdf

 

[Night Goat]

Refusing to cash your refund check, so you can keep complaining about not getting it? That's so Smart!

 

[Crispy]

If I had $90 million, I'd buy this entire project then proceed to rename it Star Schadenfreude.

 

[OndrejSc]

Reading Derek Smart's blog posts about Star Citizen, I agree with him wholeheartedly. I hope this ends with Chris Roberts in prison, to send a clear signal that stealing money is not OK.

 

[J_C]

Reading Derek Smart's blog posts about Star Citizen, I agree with him wholeheartedly. I hope this ends with Chris Roberts in prison, to send a clear signal that stealing money is not OK.

The project's development is kinda fishy, but agreeing with the vomit Derek Smart writes is another type of retarded.

 

[:Flash:]

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4497650/15-09-03_rsi-response-to-demand-letter.pdf

Oh man, this is going to be great. This Ortwin Freyermuth guy is the legal representation of RSI? And in response to a demand letter by an attorney he sends a rant that is equivalent to the ones posted by Derek Smart on his blog, including personal insults and statements that are easily proven wrong (e.g. Smart has never released a working game?). This is like the Usenet flame wars, only with paper and one side claiming to be a lawyer.

BTW, the letter by Freyermuth claims that the "second" cheque was sent the same day as the letter, dated Aug. 26th, whereas the Fedex thing Smart posted says it was sent Aug. 24th.

 

[J_C]

(e.g. Smart has never released a working game?).

You call Smart's bugfested shitty games "finished"?

Oh man, this is going to be great. This Ortwin Freyermuth guy is the legal representation of RSI? And in response to a demand letter by an attorney he sends a rant that is equivalent to the ones posted by Derek Smart on his blog,

I don't know about you, but the RSI lawyer's letter was not ranting, insulting or trolling in any way. It was cynical at some points, but other than that, it was spot on.

 

[Crispy]

J_C, if you can't see that letter for what it is then no wonder you're such a confused and easily manipulated person.

 

[J_C]

J_C, if you can't see that letter for what it is then no wonder you're such a confused and easily manipulated person.

Why, what is that letter? Because I think it is a cynical "Smart Derek is an idiot who has no right to ask financial forensics" letter. There is a difference between raging and trolling, and telling about somebody's idiocy in a calm, cynical way.

Also, everything directed against Dumber Smart is A OK in my book.

 

[Crispy]

Maybe English isn't your first language or something but I'm telling you right now, that's an extraordinarily unprofessional letter which, as :Flash: pointed out, is so full of personal insults, empty rhetoric and frankly downright butthurt that Derek's own lawyers, as silly a man as he certainly is, are going to laugh off with such gusto as to warrant a trip to the local bar with beers on him.

In fact, once SC comes crashing down, I hope that letter's resurrected to show the folly of these morons. Delicious.

 

[Night Goat]

Who gives a fuck whether the letter is professional? It's funny, and that's what matters.

 

[justincz]

Why, what is that letter? Because I think it is a cynical "Smart Derek is an idiot who has no right to ask financial forensics" letter.

funny you should mention it.

CIG`s TOS:
(original)
"Accordingly, you agree that any unearned portion of the deposit shall not be refundable until and unless RSI has failed to deliver the pledge items and/or the Game to you within 12 months after the estimated delivery date.”"

(new one)
“For the avoidance of doubt, in consideration of RSI’s good faith efforts to develop, produce, and deliver the Game with the funds raised, you agree that any Pledge amounts applied against the Pledge Item Cost and the Game Cost shall be non-refundable regardless of whether or not RSI is able to complete and deliver the Game and/or the pledge items. In the unlikely event that RSI is not able to deliver the Game and/or the pledge items, RSI agrees to post an audited cost accounting on the Website to fully explain the use of the amounts paid for Pledge Item Cost and the Game Cost. In consideration of the promises by RSI hereunder, you agree that you shall irrevocably waive any claim for refund of any Pledge that has been used for the Game Cost and Pledge Item Cost in accordance with the above.”

frankly, in a debate DS would make a damn fool out of any backer at any time. and you know it! not a single one of them has any valid arguments, and their version of the facts are highly distorted, then he corrects them and they go silent.

 

[Alienman]

If the company behind Star Citizen goes under, do you guys think that will spell the end for crowd-founding games?

 

[Night Goat]

I'm really surprised that the crowd-funding bubble hasn't burst already. The fall of Star Citizen could be the kind of high-profile failure it needs, OTOH gamers have shown time and again that they're too dumb to learn from their mistakes.

 

[justincz]

people are still human :D if you think people will ever learn then research the political elite. doing massmurder overseas while preaching freedom and democracy.
snakeoil works, cons work, evanglicalism works, healers work.. and will work in the future.

 

[Country_Gravy]

This is going down in flames. I love watching it. I get some emails for SC, so it is funny to contrast those with what Dr. Smart has to say. The guy is like a classier, less melanin deficient Cleve...which isn't saying a lot.

Bring on the neckbeard lawyers!!!!

Studios like InXile and Obsidian are going to have to slow their roll on their next crowdfunded games. Bards Tale is a good example, I think.

D:OS2 seems to be doing OK, though, so crowdfunding in the future will probably be more based on "what have you done" and less on "what are you promising to do"