AfterDawn: Tech news

'Star Citizen' game reaches $40 million in crowd funding

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 11 Mar 2014 10:23 User comments (6)

'Star Citizen' game reaches $40 million in crowd funding 'Star Citizen', the upcoming combat simulator game for Windows, has reached another crowd funding milestone: $40 million.
The game, which will feature space combat within a MMO universe, and single player action, as well, has been hugely popular since word of its development began in 2012. The game will be one of the first to support the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. Developed by 'Wing Commander' creator Chris Roberts, the game has seen 405,289 backers averaging nearly $100 each, much more than an average gamer spends on games.

As part of reaching their goal, the chairman has posted a message explaining what features will be added now that the milestone has been hit.

We've done it again! The Star Citizen community has pushed us to another incredible crowd funding goal: $40 million, a number that would have been an impossible dream at the start of the game's development. I'm constantly amazed by the continued support we receive and how this community manages to grow every day. Since the last milestone we've added over 10,000 new citizens! Some say that space sims are niche. I'm not so sure!



At $40 million, you unlocked the last of the backer-voted star systems. Since the results of the last poll were so close, we decided to include both of the top two options:

Kabal System – The discovery of a new system is always an exciting time. Even the most jaded NavJumpers can't help entertaining the possibilities for scientific understanding or new species or even a new home that could await them on the other side of a new jump point. The discovery of Kabal was certainly something new. By all outward appearances, the system seemed empty. It was only during when a UEE Surveying team began to assess Kabal III, did they find something disturbing; old uninhabited Tevarin cities. How could an entire Tevarin system escape detection all these years? Did the Tevarin that were assimilated into the UEE know about it? How was it kept a secret? The questions multiplied when a detachment of Marines, sent to secure the planet ended up discovering a cache of old Tevarin war machines. Among the rows and rows of weapons, they made an even more disturbing discovery; some of the technology was made in the last ten years...

Oretani System – Oretani was just one of many systems that were being discovered during the rapid Expansion era of the 25th century. The surveyors noticed nothing in the system's six worlds of immediate importance. Only one planet seemed to be a viable candidate for terraforming. The terraforming Corp that won the bid sent a mid-level team (and their families) into the system to start processing when the only jump point into the system collapsed. Scientists scrambled to figure out a solution, but it was the first time an incident like this had occurred. As years stretched into decades, people studied the area around the former jump point, hoping for a sign that it had reopened, but after time they gave up. After all this time, Oretani is only ever debated among select number of historians. Most believe that without support, the initial terraformers probably died out, but no one really knows what to expect on the other side if that jump point ever reopens.


In addition, the developer has added another goal, $42 million, with numerous new features if hit.

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6 user comments

112.3.2014 15:38

This game looks very good, even in this early stage of development. I'm not much of a gamer anymore, but this one could pull me back in!

212.3.2014 23:44

Well a friend of mine bought into this. $100 may be the average contribution but you can buy starships (many still to be built) at pretty exorbitant prices and pre-orders for them are also adding to the 40 mill.

It's a one time membership fee so no subscription. Also note that $40 mill is only the crowd funding part. Pretty sure more millions are coming in from private interests too.

The specs are high... deliberately. High-end PC only. Running on Crytek 3. It's meant to be one of the first true quad core games too.

Having just seen a segment devoted to Eve Online on Good Game last week I'm not sure I can tell the difference between SC and that spreadsheet spacer... anybody know?



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This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 13 Mar 2014 @ 11:25

313.3.2014 21:43

Well if this is anything like the wing commander games (Of which I am a HUGE fan) count me in!

414.3.2014 10:38

Originally posted by Jemborg:
Well a friend of mine bought into this. $100 may be the average contribution but you can buy starships (many still to be built) at pretty exorbitant prices and pre-orders for them are also adding to the 40 mill.

It's a one time membership fee so no subscription. Also note that $40 mill is only the crowd funding part. Pretty sure more millions are coming in from private interests too.

The specs are high... deliberately. High-end PC only. Running on Crytek 3. It's meant to be one of the first true quad core games too.

Having just seen a segment devoted to Eve Online on Good Game last week I'm not sure I can tell the difference between SC and that spreadsheet spacer... anybody know?



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Crytek 3 doesn't push PC systems, it was made for the consoles so it'd barely push today's GFX cards to the limit or the last lot.

SC has you run around the ships and the space stations EVE just has a 3 person view.

It's newest update is supposed to do something with 1st person view but not sure what.

514.3.2014 10:41

While the game looks good so far there's just a hanger and the ships you can partly run around in.

other than that you have to wait for it to be added.

You can't fly in space yet. so it's not looking great as far as putting money in.

I think people are only dumping money in because it's got the head guy from wing commander, doing it.

614.3.2014 11:55

Originally posted by xtago:
Crytek 3 doesn't push PC systems, it was made for the consoles so it'd barely push today's GFX cards to the limit or the last lot.

SC has you run around the ships and the space stations EVE just has a 3 person view.

It's newest update is supposed to do something with 1st person view but not sure what.

Regardless of whether CryEngine 3 pushes PC systems... from:
https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.c...un-star-citizen

Quote:
The Minimum system requirements are: ( Source: "Windows 7 or 8 64-bit, Dual Core CPU (Intel: Core2 Duo 2.4Ghz, AMD: Phenom X2) 8GB of RAM, NVidia Geforce 460GTX, AMD Radeon HD5850 (DirectX 11 only)".)

The Recommended system requirements are: i5 2500, i7 2600, 2700 or better with a GTX 670 or greater.

You can play it sure... but I DON'T recommend running games on their minimum requirements as they usually look pretty shit Xtago. Anyway, check out the forum page, see what you reckon. My guess is if you had a high-end laptop with good non-Intel gfx then there's a chance.

I was told that it was meant to be a four-core game but obviously that's not necessary.

You mean it does internals of ships and space stations and Eve doesn't?

I got shown around the hanger and his two ships, I think it was in 3rd person and went into 1st when you sat down at the controls.

I think the game will happen but it's got a long ways to go yet to fulfil its promises.

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