Anyone getting an Endeavor?  I was a skeptic at first, but looking at the release page, it looks pretty damned cool...and tempting....

It looks cool, but way way way out of my price range.

I think that the Endeavor is going to come in handy in the same way as the Retaliator: Org-sized actions. The likely cost of operating one (Capital class power plants HAVE to have a massive fuel cost) dictates that they won't be for the average joe to commute in.

Its use as a hospital ship/spawn point will be exploitable any time a decent sized fight breaks out, but more likely will be used to get Org members back to the fight faster during a battle over a persistent asset (Bengal, space station, etc.). I wouldn't be parking a 200 meter ship with only two turrets anywhere near a battle where I wasn't assured of having solid fighter cover throughout.

That telescope is going to get fitted to one whenever some guy with a 315p can't exploit the anomaly he detected, and opts to sell the coordinates to a group capable of doing so.

The biodome and meth science labs will be profitable out in the black, but the need for constant fighter patrols to ensure safety will likely prevent the average entrepreneur from operating alone.

I think the biodome is going to be profitable sitting at any remote port.  I'm not saying you'll be rolling in cash, but I think it will be a near-guaranteed income.  While not stated outright, the ship is being pimped as a money maker, and the level of risk you're willing to accept determines what kind of profits you'll be seeing.  Farming, the safest, is also the most expensive option, which is why I think it will provide worthwhile cashflow.  If I were rich I'd buy a dozen farm ships...as it is, I could maybe swing one, but I'm nervous enough about the mechanics of NPCs that I may hold off.

The whole issue of illegal goods makes me wonder what the mechanics for cargo inspections is going to be.  For smuggling, will one be forced to hack a digital cargo manifest, or recode individual cargo containers?

I wouldn't mind having one but I'm keeping my reclaimer. I love scavenging and salvaging.

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I missed out on that sale, otherwise I'd be in the same spot.  A Reclaimer will likely be one of my first goals in the PU.

I grabbed the medical-based one. Don't have a Cutlass red to go with it though

I wish they would say how research will be structured.... Will it be like EVE? Why would we want a research module?

Is anyone having issues with match making?  I cant seem to get a match as a party only when playing solo.

Well here's you problem in this order...  Aurora, Merlin, 315p, and a stock Ghost.  

So I haven't played much after the released the latest patches, but I wouldn't have considered any of these to be worth attention if they are stock. I honestly don't know too much about how the merlin flies but based on what I've seen I think it's a little overhyped.

Big question: are you running MK or HOTAS?  

If you're playing HOTAS (hell I'd try it even you aren't) tear off the wing and nose weapons and tear out the gimbals.  Go spend some REC on 3 Mantis GT-220s and mount the directly to the hard points.  During the heady days of missile commander the Ghost was nearly invulnerable to missile locks.  Since (from what I've heard) missiles have been beaten around with a nerf bat you might have been better off in a standard hornet, but the missile thing probably wont last anyway. Too many larger ships rely on them too heavily.  So add the 3 biggest guns available to you're little black box of hate, add a dash of OMFG fire rate, and then add the buff they gave to larger weapons.... Yeah it's pretty much murder on a plate.  Enjoy.

If you're flying MK I would probably hit the forums and find out what the best S2 weapons are, or hell even size 1s.  Don't listen to the people complaining about "monoboats".  I've seen some vids saying sawbucks are really good now, but can't speak from exp. Your other option here is to update the 315 with the racks from the 325 fighter.  That will let you rock some nice missile payload, just don't get overdependent on them.

I think that will give you at least a fighting chance.  Also try to keep in mind that none of your ships are really dedicated fighters, so you're likely to get chewed up by them. That's not really a hard fast rule and you can always swap out weapons and whatnot, but as a general rule of thumb I wouldnt expect a ship thats an explorer to last long against a Super Hornet.

Damn Chris Roberts to hell! Damn him!

I managed to ignore the liner... wasn't really interested in fetching drinks for my passengers.  I didn't manage to avoid the Glaive, but if you could get a token why would you.  It looks neat sitting in my hanger but never flown it...


But this damn thing... I never would have thought it but from the MOMENT I saw the biodomes I want to be a space farmer.  I know that sounds like a damn joke, but it's completely true. DAMNIT!  Sucky part is that it can carry 2 of the biodome racks AND another one, but the master set only gives you one rack (2 domes) so you have to buy the second one to add on to the supposedly complete set  

Obviously need the labs... and hanger... and at that point why not do it all! SPACE HEISENBERG THE FARMER SCIENTIST GUY! FML

Based on the measurements of the Cutlass and dev statements that the bay can hold 2 of them, the bay will hold 2 to 3 Freelancers, depending how they fit the Cutlasses in there.

I read that on the Internet and haven't confirmed it, but nobody is mocking the numbers yet, so it's worth checking.  If it will hold just one MAX, that's another point in the Endeavor's favor.  Maybe I can sell a kidney.

 
Wow, can you spare some? I've gone more than a little overboard with this damn game already.


On this I figured what the he'll. I melted an extra Redeemer, a core retaliator, and my Hull D. That at least gets me into a range where I can afford the master and a second biodome.


Don't know what it is about this ship that has me, but the non-combat focus and modularity really struck a chord with me.


When I saw the Liner I was convinced I was over buying ships.

How does this game compare to Eve Online?

I have a Logitech X3D which is good for 30 bucks but inadequate for dogfighting in my opinion.  Its great for racing though!  Im saving up for the Saitek x55 because I really like the controls.  Seems its perfect for this game, my friend has one for his setup and I'm super jelly.  Since I posted this I got some other ships and just have been messing around alot.  I've got a good deal of REC saved up now from racing etc so Ill try out the mantis later.  I got exams coming up so I wont have a great deal of time to dedicate to it but ill try it.  Thanks for the advice!

Dude, if you can unmelt the redeemer, I'd give you some extra cash/RSI credit for it

I'm pretty excited after watching these videos where Chris Roberts talks about and goes into detail about what you can expect to see and do in the official Star Citizen alpha or "baby persistent universe" that is dropping "at the end of October." I honestly wasn't expecting this until December:
Goto 22:00





https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1320&v=VGTj2iWkS-8
Goto 3:17





https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=197&v=yLjk2UvfFRA




 

That is definitely good to hear.  I'm most excited about what they're going to show at CitizenCon next weekend, specifically SQ42.  That game is the whole reason I started funding this endeavor.  Hopefully they'll blow my socks off with whatever they show.  I'm cautiously optimistic.

Well, Jaster, myself and a few others went to CIG Austin this week. Even though we already saw the big reveal (least that we know of) for citizen con, I'm still looking forward to seeing it in its entirety, was that awesome.

More pew pew pew and less coporate backstabbing. Leave your spreadsheets at home.

Rubic my dear boy,


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Doesn't look like I could get into this seriously for less than $1,200 for a new gaming rig. So tempting. Must resist.

This exactly. This is why I'm a fan of Destiny and yet am emphatically not an MMO person.

It doesn't matter if I have what is the best gear by stats and spreadsheet, I'm still smarter at FPS engagements and aim than the vast majority of the gaming community, so I can drop in and wreck face without having to devote addict levels of time to it and min-max everything, all without having to pay subscription fees. If I want to go crazy playing only that for two weeks I can do that. If I get tired of it and stop playing for two months, I can still come back and not be horribly behind everyone or have lost anything. This seems to be the direction Star Citizen is going in as well, and all I have to say to that is, "Hell yeah!"

All power to MMOs for the gamer who hates traditional MMOs.

Well, following that response to the Escapist from CR, I cracked open a beer and joined the 4-digit backer club.  Honestly, I don't care about the timeframe, I want the game I'm envisioning, that CR is building, and if he goes down in flames for reaching too far, well damn it that just means the backers let him down.

I put a lot of thought into it, and the Olympic class just makes sense for what I want to do...I can grow crops, and shuttle them to market in the Freelancer.  I really want some of the other modules, but based on the remarks about NPCs in 10FTC Ep.68, I think the farm ship will be the best set-it-and-forget-it configuration.  Bought the landing bay pod to fill the 3rd row, and because I don't know how the mechanics of transferring cargo from an Endeavor to a Freelancer will work out.

 
How on earth did you reach this conclusion?

My conclusion was that CR is awesome and I threw $600 at him to keep up the good work.  The part you highlighted was essentially saying I think it and he will succeed as long as we keep him funded.  It's a complex thought, I understand, is there something specific about it you want me to address?

Speaking of awesomeness, I'm looking for a good mass-produced configurable keyboard.  Something along the lines of http://www.amazon.com/CH-Function-Windows-Applications-Gaming/dp/B000KBIBR8/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1443811944&sr=8-1&keywords=ergodex.  Any suggestions?

My software dev professional opinion based on the work they have shown so far is that they are making a good faith effort to deliver on all of their promises.

Basing the quality of a work environment on the opinions of the people who were fired or voluntarily left is like asking anti-gunners what guns are good for.

Lots of people probably have unrealistic interpretations of their promises.  If you are expecting privateer/freelancer with better graphics, multiplayer, and the ability to walk around you will be happy.  

Don't expect any more ships in a single battle instance than we have right now, and you'll be happily surprised if they optimize some stuff and get up to a 20 or 30 player controlled ship cap (with a higher total player cap based on how many people fit in those ships).  There's already more people than I can concentrate on so I don't know that it matters.

Gonna take a whole lotta rutabagas to keep that tub operational



 

Those of you that visited the offices recently: did you see anything that gave you the impression something bad was about to happen to CIG or Star Citizen couldn't be completed?  Asking because of the recent Escapist article.

That all depends on the price of rutabagas and the cost of a complete NPS crew.    The fact that they even offered the Olympic class tells me that it will either make money, or food will be enormously beneficial.  I just don't think rutabagas are going to be that huge an advantage, so I'm going with this will pay for itself.

All indications are that Derek Smart is fucking mentally ill. That guy cannot simply shut up and fade into obscurity like the failure he is.

 

Escapist EiC has stated none of their sources were DS.  I agree with your statement, however.  I am, though, still interested to hear what the guys that have toured a studio recently thought of the team and their morale or dedication?  Just as an outsiders perspective.  I know that's going to be extremely subjective and not worth much when you're not there everyday.  If things are as bad as the article lets on, I would guess it would have been apparent.

Okay, I just went and read both articles-- the original and the followup.  I will admit that it gives me some doubts.  



I, too, remember how the stretch goals were supposed to go wide, not deep, in that the extra money would allow them to do concurrent development.  



I, too, remember pangs when they kept moving to better and better offices.  I, too, thought that they were spending a whole lot of time essentially advertising.  I, too, goggle at the prices of the new ships-- despite having purchased more than I'd care to admit of them.



Some thoughts, though, first on the article.  On the one hand, they accuse him of spending too much money, and on the other, they tell us that he's all about the money and not the game.  ?  



The hiring practices.  How old is Huckabee?  Or Lesnick for that matter?  I'd guess that neither will see forty again.  And I could swear that I've seen at least one black girl in their videos.  ALthough, having been married to one, I can see where somebody might not have to deal with that shit on a day to day basis.



Working with smart guys and/or visionaries is hard.  They tend to be pricks.  Roberts has made NO bones about how he wants the game HE wants to play.  We agreed with him and showered him with dollars.  Seems about natural that he might not look kindly upon the inevitable smart guys who want to change that vision and sparks will assuredly fly.  Yeah, he's full of himself.  Nobody who's seen more than ten minutes of anything he's in  can help but see that.  So what?  Granted, I'd not want to work for him, but that's me.



CR being married to SG clears up a whole lot!  I could never figure out how she got that gig.  Every time I look at that shelving forehead, I have to ask myself, "Who picks that as the face of public relations?"  But the way she's portrayed in that article?  I mean, it's possible, but watch a couple of episodes of "Reverse the 'Verse".  The random people who gather for that thing (at least one of whom who appears regularly sure does look black to me) seem comfortable around her.  I've been around the type of person she's described as in the article, and you don't relax around those bitches.  But she comes in and jokes and they joke back, and nobody tenses up.  Kind of telling.



Do they spend all the backers' money exclusively on producing the game?  Define that.  Really, what exactly delineates 'toward the game' as opposed to 'not about the game'?  Talk to 100 people who work the lines in any given industry and ask them what the scope of what constitutes that business, and none of them will be able to tell you.  Outside of their purview.  They see what's in front of them, but from where they work, they can't even SEE the curtain, let alone what's behind it.  Before I started my own business, I had no freaking idea, and I'd always thought of myself as kind of smart.



Do they waste money?  OF COURSE THEY DO!  The shindigs, the offices, the trips to the cons...  A good, solid chunk of that is, I'm sure, preening and unnecessary.   OTOH, a lot of what might seem to a code monkey to be wasted effort is legitimately business related.



Crowd funding-- as I've been learning from watching this whole thing unfold-- is as much about placating and reassuring as it is about building the end product.  Roberts thought originally that he'd found the holy grail.  He thought that life away from the triple A's was gonna be free range.  I know, because he's said this on video.  THEN he learned what it means to have millions of bosses instead of just a few.  People who go ape shit at the least (or even imagined) provocation.  We learned this with the delayed release of Arena Commander.  It was reinforced when Lesnick (I think it was) mentioned the dick punching machine that they'd set up for anybody stupid enough to give out hard dates.  We learned it with the SOON (tm) meme.  They don't dare say anything lest it explode in their faces like a juicy turd bomb.



The commercials and the cons and the rest are a pretty necessary part of keeping things going.  Shit, just visit the RSI forums for a taste of the bile they have to deal with every day.  



Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to absolve RSI, CIG, or CR (or SG) from all blame.  They've fucked up several times, and will probably fuck up some more.  We were supposed to be in Beta PU by now, remember?  Even by pessimistic estimates.  I can only imagine the pressure the upper echelons must be under.  The whole world is waiting, much of it so eager for them to fail that there are cum stains involved with each misstep.



Here's a thing I remind myself, though, based on my experience wandering the high up Rocky Mountains away from trails.  When you're in uncharted territory, sometimes you have to backtrack.  Sometimes what seems like a clear way ends in a cliff.  Sometimes, you have to sleep under a tree well away from your main camp because you thought you could make it back following that "shortcut" over the pretty camelback ridge.



They're keeping us informed, they're making progress, they're even telling us when they backtrack.  But they ARE wandering around in the wilderness where none has gone before, and what many of you guys knew in 2012, and that I've come around to knowing, is that blazing a brand new trail through the wilderness takes however long it takes.



Will the game be released?  At this point, I'm pretty confident.  Will the game be all we hope it to be?  Well, then...  At this point, I'm not sure that meeting the high hopes of some of the backers is possible or even rational.  I think that there are people expecting the holodeck (without all of the life/existence threatening malfunctions).  That tech isn't here yet.  Maybe later.  



I do know that I'm not selling my accounts.  I'll stick it out, and if I lose the money I put in, it won't be the largest gamble I've ever made that didn't pay off.  And, face it, we all went into this with our eyes open, didn't we?

Shouldn't crowd funding software projects be open source?

By what metric?



 

Are you asking me to define open source or that I need to justify the logic that crowd funding should be open source?

 


If the later, I believe that crowd funders are defacto stock holders and should have rights. If a developer is promising the moon, open sourcing the code allows investors to see the quality and consistency of work being done.


 

If that were promised pre-funding, then you'd be right.  As a blanket statement?  No.



 

Crowd funders are absolutely not stake holders or anything near that.

"A person, group or organization that has interest or concern in an organization. Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the organization's actions, objectives and policies."

 

Just because an investor doesn't stand to gain monetary reward in a company or project, doesn't mean they are not a stakeholder.

I have no idea why I typed stake holders other than a bad case of jet lag.  

Crowd funders are definitely stakeholders that need to be informed.  They are not share holders or anything like that.

Cool. I hope you guys who are invested are able to get some kind of satisfaction from this project. Big risk, big rewards. Sounds amazing if they can actually get a playable game released and then add content.

I pretty much agree with all of this.  I'm slightly concerned but still cautiously optimistic.  They've changed the latest big patch from AC to SC alpha, which to me shows a ton of progress.  I also hope that SQ42 is starting to reach a point where it requires fewer devs to support and finish.  They mentioned, for example, that they're working on the Caterpillar now and it has nothing to do with SQ42.  

Regarding SG and how she got the job, I honestly don't care.  If what CR said is true, that the marketing and kickstarter and everything else is her baby, then she's done a fan-fucking-tastic job.  Also, regarding them and their money, I feel like some people don't believe they should be paid during this time.  In my mind, that's bullshit.  They're still the head of the company and the head of marketing and should both be paid similar rates as anyone else in those positions for comparable companies.  Everyone should be aware that CR is wealthy and has been for a long time.  Nice houses, cars, trips, etc are a result of success.  Those accusations sounded like mere jealousy.

Anyways, still interested to hear from Rubic, Jaster, or anyone else that went on a tour recently.  Other than that, I'm waiting for CitizenCon to see what they have to show.

I just have a hard time believing that the accusations about Sandy are true and that she could be THAT fucking stupid as to send emails to people with such language and insults and acting like a supposedly vile cunt. I don't know the lady and don't give two shits about her, but that just sounds like a load of crap. And if that is suspect then the whole thing is.
 

I assume they signed some sort of limiting or non disclosure agreement.



 

hmmm. so I read up a bit on the derek smart thing

My take:

1. drama queen
2. they refunded his money because he was a huge PITA and would not STFU and let them work.
3. in court he has no standing
4. likely he will be sued for  slander, libel and defamation of character.

As an aside. If I were a conspiracy theorist I would suspect that ol derek is being paid by  EA etc.... to destroy the best, well funded and successful  non- game developer developed game. A shake-up of the nice world EA etc have made for themselves, and they paid him to lead the charge.

Actually Derek Smart will apparently sue you for uttering his name.



 

 
He posted on his own blog and NEVER posted on CIG's forum.  They had absolutely no basis or standing to refund his money.


And if he is so irrelevant, how would he alone destroy SC?

Apprently he has a voice somewhere enough to get it in print. Tell a lie  enough times.....etc.

Oh I don't want specifics of what they saw, just how they felt the mood of the building seemed.  I know it's subjective, but as you pointed out with Sandi on RtV, if something were up, you'd be able to sense it.