Still a sore point with me...the myopic view of the focus group who were responsible for EDO. They could have made Star Citizen practically irrelevant for the majority of ED fans who invariably tried out SC (however briefly) after the disappointment with EDO's release... Had they included ship interiors and EVA gameplay on release, they may not have...from someone who enjoys both flavours of game... for different reasons
They could indeed! The main question is why didn't they?
If it was because of budget reasons:
It's hard to think how the shareholders will approve the funding required for a full ship refactor after Odyssey release fiasco.
If it was for technical reasons:
If Odyssey, which could very well be another game by how disconnected it is from the game, brought up so many technical problems, I can't imagine what something like Ship Interiors and EVA gameplay would bring since it touches everything, and specially the crown jewel of Elite, the flight/exploration experience. Doubt Frontier can afford another reputation hit.
I'm afraid Braben is now caught between a rock and hard place trying to catch up to their promised features that already exist in SC. The comparisons will inevitably be done and the flaws amplified by the fact that SC was made from the ground up with those mechanics in mind while Frontier ones an afterthought like usual.
After this expo free-fly it became clear though why one just keeps going back for more. Even with all the frustrating bugs (box why do you wait disappear?), performance issues (single digits FPS in harsh weather conditions) and even hard crashes (3k error) there's just something about that universe that keeps pulling you in.
Can't quite explain it but it's much more than just the graphics. There's a sense of believability and that there's always new stuff happening when you log in.
If this universe all from the head of the micromanaging maniac CEO like many claim, Hat's off to him. He clearly knows what makes the heart of a sci-fi nerd tick.
Every game session I'd find some little detail that unconsciously connected with another I'd seen days ago and that keeps on adding up. Don't even get into the toys department. Ships, armour, weapons, lot's and lot's of them and 0 grind needed to experience them (thank you rental system). Simple coop play: general chat, who wants to kill capital ship, accept invitation, share quest, boom lot's of phew phew and good credits.
The community feels hype like in the Elite Beta days, buzzing and excited about new features and ships and places to discover. I seriously doubt but secretly hope that Frontier can turn it around ,specially after the financial blunder they've gotten into. They sure have a lot of catch up to do, oh boy if they do.
Kate made a lot of great videos of the expo and a bunch of ships but the cake has to go to the volumetric clouds of the ice planet, it's like I've read, "a religious experience" and something that as a young chap who played Elite II and some flight sims always wanted to experience in ED. SC provided and, at least for me, that experience is worth the 45$ alone.
Also, seems Drew is another CMDR moving to greener pastures and joining the refugee camp after hardware checks.
o7
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