Does being a part of the alpha ruin some of the surprise factor?

[Montoya]

As we sit here and scour through ever single step of the development process, I can not help but feel that some of the magical sense of discovery will be lost on us!

Just imagine you have never heard of Star Citizen before, you buy the game with a brand new shiny Aurora, get out into the universe and are suddenly met with so many planets, moons, ships and play styles!

Im not saying we will not have as much fun as the next guy, but I am a little envious of those that will only discover Star Citizen in 3yrs from now, the treat that awaits them is amazing!

Do you think you are spoiling some of this for yourself?

 

[Xist]

I'll be that guy who in 3 years helps the envied noobs discover PvP.

"Howdy, I'm here to repossess your shiny new Aurora." ;)

 

[Printimus]

I kinda like learning about the game in little chunks here and there. Discovering something new after its been out for 3 years is somewhat overwhelming (at least for me).

Example, I went to go play Black Desert Online recently for the first time, totally lost in everything cause there was SOOO much content.

 

[StdDev]

In 3 years time... I prolly wont remember.... what were we talking about?

 

[CosmicTrader]

.

Do you think you are spoiling some of this for yourself?

No....
Because I know that;
1. We are only getting a small teaser of what will be in the game.
2. Everything will be 'shuffled' & relocated throughout the unknown 'Verse prior to launch.
3. Even the Star Map will be changed - they have repeatedly told us this.
4. Content will constantly be added/deleted/moved after game launch.

Ex: Everything that we have experienced for 3+ years is about to change very significantly. It will change again before launch.

Someone has to help the noobies.
Besides, we are TESTies.....Thus we forget quickly.......
Relax & Chill out Glorious Leader @Montoya everything will be fine.
:laughing:

As we sit here and scour through ever single step of the development process, I can not help but feel that some of the magical sense of discovery will be lost on us!

If you honestly don't want the magical sense of discovery to be lost...........Then STOP SCOURING through the DAMN info. hehehe
What's the problem??????

 

[Lorddarthvik]

Interesting question, oh glorious leader!

I guess some of the discovery is lost, as we learn about all the things we can do, like certain game mechanics. I'm thinking here of stuff that will be the equivalent of pushing the bigbennys box into the freelancer to play "cargoship", or how to get to bennyhenge, and stuff like that.
From this very deep knowledge a lot of us, whom otherwise would've spent a lot of time "just playing the game" and enjoying it, will be constantly thinking about min-maxing every trip, every encounter, every exploration mission, and so on.

But I don't worry about the planets, ships, and other "big" stuff like that, as those will be mixed up before launch. Also those are things that new players will learn about very fast, probably while looking into purchasing the game, so neither later players nor we loose out!

sidenote: One thing that worries me a little is the fact that todays mmo "culture" demands that even newbies learn everything before playing a game. As literally everything about an mmo (leveling guides, game mechanics, best in slot items and so on) is readily available like a week after release, it has become a trend to just tell every newbie to sod off and google it, instead of letting them discover stuff in-game. With Star Citizen being as complex as it can get, I guess this demand for newbies to "learn to play" before they start will be even higher, and ruin the experience for those who just want to jump in 3 years from now.
Now that I'm properly depressed myself by thinking too much, I'll grab a beer and enjoy watching ppl crash their cars in the night at Le Mans. Not Auroras, but at least they got the crashing part right!

 

[Zenkata]

As @CosmicTrader has pointed out, we are only getting to experience a small portion of the Universe and I too believe there will be many "never before released" things to see and do once the full version is here. I agree with @Printimus that having the opportunity to experience this massive endeavor in small parts over time will help us to better appreciate and enjoy the finished product because we wont be "lost in space" like brand new Star Citizens will be.

So no, I don't think I'm spoiling it for myself. I look at it as a learning experience. A way to prepare myself to fully enjoy the vast universe once it is opened to us, instead of stumbling around without a clue....

 

[marcsand2]

As we sit here and scour through ever single step of the development process, I can not help but feel that some of the magical sense of discovery will be lost on us!

I missed the first few years, jumped in when AC and PU was ready to TEST, jumped in PU after a year of playing AC, got some good teamplay.... for me the game is ready, it only will get some more content and game mechanics before at official ready.

 

[Black Sunder]

It doesn't bother me.

 

[wafflesnbiscuits]

I much prefer this process. I've never had this much fun in a game, that isn't even really a game yet. The cool things that just happen, because people are actively trying to find things to do because of the current lack of content, are pretty incredible. I think its really fun to be part of, and create, emergent gameplay within the PU as it is. We're almost building our own lore just by playing the alpha.

I definitely don't feel this is spoiling anything, especially with how much they tickle my game dev nerd vein with the view into their development process.

 

[maynard]

SC will be so vast and complex that it will be intimidating to a lot of n00bs with no exposure to Alpha or Beta

especially if they haven't played a sandbox style game before

I'm content to have my mind blown one feature at a time vs. all at once

 

[Lockewood]

I think the surprises will be limitless with this game. Just gotta get that BETA!

 

[EpilepticCricket]

I can see how some people might feel like some of the magic is lost when the experience doesn't contain the same "surprise!" factor, but for me this is very much like preparing an excellent meal.

You know all of the ingredients beforehand. You understand what the marinade does as you make it the day before. You consume every new aroma or sizzle or splash of color as it happens. But, even knowing all of this, the actual taste of the final meal has eluded you! You've been tempted and teased the entire time, but the little tastes you've had (to check if it needs more salt obviously) don't satiate your hunger for the actual meal. Only once you get the final dish does it all come to that crescendo and you get the experience that no number of single parts can accurately convey.

 

[Tealwraith]

Tealwraith: "That's a cool skin on your Aurora. Where can I get one?"
Cool Testie001: "Oh, it was an alpha test thing, they aren't available anymore."
Tealwraith: T_T
Cool Testie001: "Hey, at least you get to experience SC all shiny and new for launch."
Tealwraith: "But, but, but I missed all the GOOD stuff!!1!" Q_Q

Yeah, that and LTI makes me happy to be an alpha backer. Besides, this is a Chris Roberts game and I've been waiting for PrivateerStarlancerFreelancerTurnedUpToEleven the MMO MY. WHOLE. LIFE.

 

[NaffNaffBobFace]

Don't know about you, but playing the alpha has taught me zero about Squadeon42 apart maybe what the controls may be like. Do you remember the days of he Playable Demo? Halo1 playable demo of the Silent Cartographer map didn't ruin it for me, it made me buy an xbox.

As for surprises in the PU, we have the bones of one system so far. There are going to be loads, potentially you could play the PU for a year and never visit Crusader.

I see Alpha more as a Proof Of Concept. Look, you can do it, we have had to spend 5 years building the tools to let you do it, but it does and can happen how.

Just because a hand full of ships may look like ships we have now does not mean they will be the things they are in the finished game. When the game is finally live I intend to fly my 350R through that donut hole in the middle of the Super Hornet with Ramming Shields and i expect it to explode instantly - That hole is a bonus for the hornet in terms of versatility but obviously totally a weak point in the design - pop the turret or cargo box out of it and you can bust it open from the inside out, so obvious to attack... If it is possible to do so! I do not expect the devs to tell us, I expect a lot of things we re going to have to work out for ourselves. Still surprises aplenty, we'll just have an advantage in knowing the controls and maybe a handful of systems although I expect them to change massively from Alpha to Beta to Live.

Chillax bro, they got you covered.

 

[I_MIKE_I]

I think Montoya has a very good point: In a normal MMO, you'd be sick and tired before launch even if they throw some new content at you.

However, as much fidelity and content as SC has, I think the real strenght lies in the "build quality" of the mechanics/gameplay itself.

To give you an example of a profession many "gamers" may find boring: Transporting.

I can pick up anything from a Aurora/315p/Avenger Titan and do small hauls inside a safe system... or blase eyes closed trough the most dangerous space for high risk / high reward jobs.

Or I can be more conventional with Ships like the Connie Taurus, Hull B, Freelancer Max...

Or I can go batshit crazy and go with a Hull D/E.

Or I can use a Starfarer, snatch fuel from gas giants and sell it with not upfront costs.

Or I can use a BMM, directly plant it on Planets and Trade.

I can do that alone, with escorts, in convoys, at the fear of getting intercepted by Pirate NPC or Players, hostile Aliens, upset tax collors or Space Whales.

And how much I make or lose from it depends on how well I do it, no handholding that will give you millions of credits to advance no matter how much you fail.

I know it's daring to predict the future of Games, but I'd say your "Truck Simulators" will not reach this quality in the next 20 Years.


To move to a more popular Genre: FPS.

Battlefield 1942 (2002) to Battlefield 1 (2016)
COD (2003) to CoD WWII (2017)
CS (2000) to CS:GO (2012)

We're looking at 12 to 14 years of progress in the most popular Genre, by the most renown publishers and all that really changed are the Graphics, which are set to ultra-low by the "pros" anyway.

Starmarine arguably does the same thing already.

The PU will allow a FPS Player to dropped in any place in a universe that's far bigger than every map of every FPS Game combined.

Not just that:
You can board or defend any kind of ship Ships, from Players or NPC.
You can fight, defend or just derp on Planets, Stations, Ships or wherever you want..
And there will be all kinds of suites between light and mechanized, ballistic and energy weapons.
You can be the evil pirate, good guy, mercanary, bounty hunter, assassin or futuristic monster hunter.

Or put simply: you can be whatever you want, doing whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want.

Again, I don't expect BF, CS, COD or whatever to get to such a level in the forseeable future.

 

[Takeiteasy]

As we sit here and scour through ever single step of the development process, I can not help but feel that some of the magical sense of discovery will be lost on us!

Just imagine you have never heard of Star Citizen before, you buy the game with a brand new shiny Aurora, get out into the universe and are suddenly met with so many planets, moons, ships and play styles!

Im not saying we will not have as much fun as the next guy, but I am a little envious of those that will only discover Star Citizen in 3yrs from now, the treat that awaits them is amazing!

Do you think you are spoiling some of this for yourself?

Good point. See you in three years guys!!

*logs out*

 

[Cynicism_FTW]

While I can see where for many it might ruin the game for them. For me having tried to get into mmos before it can be intimidating to learn all the mechanics at once. Being able to play the game and learn the mechanics as they are added are a benefit to me.

 

[Gneissnoggin]

Hrmm, I alpha tested drinking beer before it was legal for me to do so...I am still surprised quite a few years later when I open that first bottle of the day....so with that in mind, I think you and everyone else will still be surprised when the game releases.

 

[Jolly_Green_Giant]

Star Citizen is more than just a game to me, it's turned into an "experience" stretching across community, game development, technology and art. I have met amazing people, I love watching the game development process and the technology that is going into and coming out of this project, and the art behind the music, the lore, the graphic design, the modeling, the web of economy, the cause and effect.... Yes, it does somewhat "ruin" the surprise of some things, but in return I'm getting to go on an awesome ride. I'm sure others feel this way. I do wonder what it's going to be like for some kid in their early teens to stumble upon this game when it releases and get to explore the universe knowing nothing, and having all of the things we went through getting there to be accessible to them. Could you imagine? No responsibilities, you just got out of middle school and have the whole summer ahead of you and you stumble across Star Citizen, and someone like @CosmicTrader or the main man himself @Montoya meets you in game and introduces you to TEST and you begin to make new friends and crew in someones Javelin. Oh man. Oh man oh man oh man.