So I was landing at Bountiful Harvest to pick up a load of Pizza, Beers and Stims as Stanton set and as I switched to external view for the finer points of touchdown the pirate music came on, I thought nothing of it but noticed the distinctive silhouette of an Aurora in the distance, still thought nothing of it, until as I was touching down, in 3rd person, I heard shots fired and my shields started to light up.
Switched back to cockpit view, sure-enough, red-circle on the Aurora who was still shooting at my Connie - so I lined him up in my sights pulled the trigger and nothing, no shots, forgot gear down/weapons inhibit, so punched it to get some distance, retracted the gear, decoupled and swung around to get a good aim and he was not pursuing, instead was setting down at Bountiful, WTF?? Aurora was now a blue circle - should have noticed but was target fixated.
So I zoomed back in, big-ass main guns blazing, misjudged my pull up, and hit his ship and the big rock outside, bounced up no damage, turned around and opened up on the Aurora.
I was too close, the weapons converge farther out, so I backed up and tried again, long story short, surprisingly hard to do damage when flying gimbal-locked with dual-stick - disappointingly so, so I circled around and watched my hits on the ground and walked them up the ground like tracers until I was pretty sure at least one weapon would hit, opened up again the Aurora exploded, beautifully.
Job done, or so I thought, I circled back towards the front and what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a dude on the ground - now you think swatting an Aurora is hard, try hitting a guy - holy cow, 5 minutes later, and I 'think' he is dead (swear I saw his little limp body go flying over the outpost building) - but can't confirm it (no visible body on the ground - although in fairness the Connie main guns are pretty powerful, and it is full-on night time now).
I move off to the side where no-one who might still be alive but in the outpost could see me, set down, shut off the engines but leave power up, equip my P8 SMG, and carefully descend on the elevator, scanning left to right as it comes down.
I back off the elevator, crouched and immediately send it back up - at least he won't steal my ship if he is still alive and a better FPS player than I am (hint - I suck).
I advance and clear the space under the outpost, come around to the door and it is locked, uh oh, might still be alive, open the door from a crouch and scan the airlock, nothing, probably waiting inside, cycle the door again, taking as much cover to one side as I can, nothing, let door close, lather-rinse-repeat for other side, nothing. Advance into main room, shit, this one has 3 other modules.
I clear each of the other three modules solo SWAT style, nobody home - either he came inside and logged out or I got him when he was outside by the smoldering remains of his Aurora, OR (shudder to think) he is still, OUT THERE.
I figure I made it this far, I buy a Connie full of Beer, Pizza and Stims, equip the Devastator shotgun, and carefully proceed outside. No signs of life, I run over to under the elevator, clear the area one more time and then call the elevator, in my excitement/rush to get aboard I shoot the elevator floor trying to get it to go up fast - aaaaaand I made it.
Bring the engines back on-line, dust-off, set course for Port Oli, and climb straight up - get to 20,000m, figure no rubber band this time, advance the throttle and aim the nose at Oli, hit Afterburner aaaaaaaaand rubber-band back to the outpost.
No damage, vertical takeoff again, clean up the gear, select zone 5 and climb away - made it home, sold my cargo for a nice profit and logged off.
THIS.
THIS IS WHAT STAR CITIZEN IS ALL ABOUT FOR ME.
I was fully immersed, emotionally invested - there were no display stutters, no sound effect issues, because I was fucking there.
I was scared, I was excited, my heart rate was elevated and I was nervous in my belly.
I wanted to complete MY mission - MY objective that I had set for myself. Not a canned mission, not a scripted event - just two people competing for scarce resources in a deadly hostile environment.
I wanted to protect MY ship and earn my profit.
I wanted to survive, I wanted to live - I wanted to protect MY life.
Best damn hour of play so-far, even at only 10 FPS.
Fucking awesome.
'Gimp
Switched back to cockpit view, sure-enough, red-circle on the Aurora who was still shooting at my Connie - so I lined him up in my sights pulled the trigger and nothing, no shots, forgot gear down/weapons inhibit, so punched it to get some distance, retracted the gear, decoupled and swung around to get a good aim and he was not pursuing, instead was setting down at Bountiful, WTF?? Aurora was now a blue circle - should have noticed but was target fixated.
So I zoomed back in, big-ass main guns blazing, misjudged my pull up, and hit his ship and the big rock outside, bounced up no damage, turned around and opened up on the Aurora.
I was too close, the weapons converge farther out, so I backed up and tried again, long story short, surprisingly hard to do damage when flying gimbal-locked with dual-stick - disappointingly so, so I circled around and watched my hits on the ground and walked them up the ground like tracers until I was pretty sure at least one weapon would hit, opened up again the Aurora exploded, beautifully.
Job done, or so I thought, I circled back towards the front and what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a dude on the ground - now you think swatting an Aurora is hard, try hitting a guy - holy cow, 5 minutes later, and I 'think' he is dead (swear I saw his little limp body go flying over the outpost building) - but can't confirm it (no visible body on the ground - although in fairness the Connie main guns are pretty powerful, and it is full-on night time now).
I move off to the side where no-one who might still be alive but in the outpost could see me, set down, shut off the engines but leave power up, equip my P8 SMG, and carefully descend on the elevator, scanning left to right as it comes down.
I back off the elevator, crouched and immediately send it back up - at least he won't steal my ship if he is still alive and a better FPS player than I am (hint - I suck).
I advance and clear the space under the outpost, come around to the door and it is locked, uh oh, might still be alive, open the door from a crouch and scan the airlock, nothing, probably waiting inside, cycle the door again, taking as much cover to one side as I can, nothing, let door close, lather-rinse-repeat for other side, nothing. Advance into main room, shit, this one has 3 other modules.
I clear each of the other three modules solo SWAT style, nobody home - either he came inside and logged out or I got him when he was outside by the smoldering remains of his Aurora, OR (shudder to think) he is still, OUT THERE.
I figure I made it this far, I buy a Connie full of Beer, Pizza and Stims, equip the Devastator shotgun, and carefully proceed outside. No signs of life, I run over to under the elevator, clear the area one more time and then call the elevator, in my excitement/rush to get aboard I shoot the elevator floor trying to get it to go up fast - aaaaaand I made it.
Bring the engines back on-line, dust-off, set course for Port Oli, and climb straight up - get to 20,000m, figure no rubber band this time, advance the throttle and aim the nose at Oli, hit Afterburner aaaaaaaaand rubber-band back to the outpost.
No damage, vertical takeoff again, clean up the gear, select zone 5 and climb away - made it home, sold my cargo for a nice profit and logged off.
THIS.
THIS IS WHAT STAR CITIZEN IS ALL ABOUT FOR ME.
I was fully immersed, emotionally invested - there were no display stutters, no sound effect issues, because I was fucking there.
I was scared, I was excited, my heart rate was elevated and I was nervous in my belly.
I wanted to complete MY mission - MY objective that I had set for myself. Not a canned mission, not a scripted event - just two people competing for scarce resources in a deadly hostile environment.
I wanted to protect MY ship and earn my profit.
I wanted to survive, I wanted to live - I wanted to protect MY life.
Best damn hour of play so-far, even at only 10 FPS.
Fucking awesome.
'Gimp
