I wonder, no actually I'm baffled about how CR managed this project. First the whole part regarding finances, next is how they launch each stage of the project.
They knew from the start that CE was not up to it, they knew they needed to do a lot of work regarding SC. Why not make SQ42 as this is a single player game, get it out of the door and then use the income to fund SC? And why not early in the project when they realize CE is not working, change to another engine or make a dedicated one for the project?
But then again I don't understand game development.
I gotta agree, if CRoberts didnt know the limitations of the engine himself (very probable watching him flopping around like a young duck all the time) I m sure some of his first hires would have approached him to clarify the situation. But as he doesnt take "no" for an answer (as he admitted himself) and simply replaces people who tell him that something cant be made he dug his own grave from the very beginning I m sure.
it's much harder to change that core after the fact, when it has been built over for years, than it would have been to do it at the forefront or immediately after launch. Frontier is now going to have to "pay that technical debt" that Chris talks about during the Beyond season
Until Chris Roberts proves that his method is more effective or even successful at all I assume that FD made the right decision and took the correct route whereas CiG is struggling to produce even a base version of its game while taking MUTLIPLE development times of competing released products without reaching the same degree of completion. Seriously, Chris Roberts really is not qualified to comment on development issues. He has shown that he is out of touch with todays technology (CEO gameplay video), doesnt understand the physics involved (physics interview) and currently demonstrates to the world that he cannot manage money nor a project AGAIN. Your argument is very subjective also.
Many people think that ED is barebone and resembles a "basic" game while at the same time many people are fascinated and enjoy it for hundreds of hours. As such its the exact same situation as every other released game out there. You have people who like it and you have people who dislike it or have their high expectations crushed. In hindsight everybody has a valid opinion about "how to make it better". I am pretty sure that competing game companies have made mistakes during their development or grossly underestimated situations and the playerbase's expectations but at least they managed to produce and release a working game that offers gameplay, they usually pay for those judgement errors with a reduced score rating or crushing reviews.
Those are at the same time the incentives and motivations to actually DELIVER a good high quality game. Because if they dont they wont receive money to recoup their expenses.
Now THINK about that last sentence for a minute and apply it to CiG. A company which is running for 6 years straight and has raked in 161million dollars
without even producing an alpha yet. I dont care what CR labels his own game (early access....rofl), the term "tech demo" is more suitable and I guess people who are not invested and judge other games so harshly will have far more crushing opinions about Star Citizen in its current form. What POSSIBLE motivation does Chris Roberts have to actually deliver a game at all besides being an upright and honest character who stays to his word? Ahh...scratch that seeing as he has gone back on his words so often already and moved the goalposts multiple times to stay in business.
The simple truth is that without a huge dose of koolaid Star Citizen really looks and feels like a turd at the moment. And while its under active development (still...) and all things are possible until an actual release will CRUSH all hopes the continuously unadressed highlighted issues and problems with it make the chances for a success nor being the BDSSE smaller by the week.
The only thing that I will grant Star Citizen at the moment is good looks. Not supreme or superior (that train has left 3 years ago) but "good". The realization that its current visuals absolutely challenge its engine already and cannot run at fluid framerates on the PTU without a monster computer or outside a controlled environment diminish that praise heavily tho. I m sure that if Star Citizen fails and collapses at least the community will be able to to enjoy superb wallpapers which cost 161 million dollars to produce.
The "omelette" reminds me of a personal anecdote. One year in my childhood I went on a school camping trip. We were supposed to bring some share food and my love of pancakes took me to mum. Mum walked me through adding all the ingredients for crepe style pancakes into a plastic milk bottle which I then dutifully took with me, along with a large tin of peaches in juice. Recipe for goodness you might think!
My inexperience with cooking pancakes and my desire to have the goodness led to a couple of failed attempts (pan too hot) and eventually youthful exuberance/inexperience led me to just dumping the whole lot of the mix into the frying pan and making a large part uncooked, part burned, mess. Suffice to say, some planning, a bit of knowledge and dare I say it some guidance from someone who knew better might've ended up in delicious pancakes.
One might parallel CR with me and the pancake mix with SC, all the right ingredients just an inability to make pancakes.
Chris Roberts while resembling you in your anecdote presented himself as the mother/master knowing everything there is to know to make good omelettes and pretty much
garantuee the most delicious pancake ever. This simple fact makes any criticism and disappointment directed at him deserved IMO while you were just an inexperienced child. I sincerely hope that nobody will smile and say "awww at least he tried" at Chris Roberts and actually MEANS it. People demand rolling heads for far less then whats already went into SCs development.
+rep btw as I have repped you in the near past already
This the problem with all game designs, in SC it's a flood of useless stuff, most of it is not even designed yet. They are putting lipstick on a pig, the problem is that there are no pig, and they are still dreaming.
Plus.....the sweat and dirt accumulated under all the make-up starts to stink up the room by now
