how does ED compare to SC ?

[Variform]

I have no time to play more than one such involving games as these. I am beginning to doubt SC can be compared to ED. It seems to be swinging in a very different direction.

To me the main difference that matters is the scale. We have freedom to go anywhere, where SC starts with a very limited amount of planetary systems. I think it will bore people to tears before long.

So I won't buy SC. It doesn't feel right to me where first I was excited by the interview featuring both Braben and Roberts. The stretch goals are ridiculous, a new solar system for a million dollar?

 

[Ixnatifual]

There seems to be a pretty long window between release of the two games, so I would guess a lot of people, after playing ED for a year or more, may be ready to try out something new at that point, at least for a little while

Of course expansions will be trying to draw us back, and will probably succeed in many cases. Perhaps we just need to get rich so we have to work less and have more time for games?

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

I've noticed a lot of people trying to defuse debate over the merits of both games by saying that people can/should buy both games.

However, given the demographics of the Elite Dangerous backers, many don't have much free time and so buying / playing two games isn't an option. Therefore, discussing and contrasting the two titles is actually worthwhile.

very good point I suppose.

In which case I would say, Elite is out (or hopefully should be out) 12 months before Squadron 42 (and probably longer before the full Star Citizen)

So I guess the simple answer is buy Elite and then wait and see what SC brings to the table. Personally I am not expecting S42 to be the 100hr+ time sink that either ED or the full SC persistent universe game are meant to be. I think S42 will be the sort of game you can pick up and play for a couple of missions whilst you have a spare 20mins, and in that view is a very different beast to either ED or SC.

Funnily enough most of the arguments are often about the SC persistent universe, where as personally I backed the game for a new wing commander type game (Squadron 42), so the part I am looking forward to most almost seems to be the secondary part of Star Citizen now. I see the persistent universe as a (very nice) bonus.

If I could change my pledge in star citizen to ONLY be squadron 42, but that I got any and all S42 DLC updates for free, I would probably take it.

 

[Voyager_NL]

So I won't buy SC. It doesn't feel right to me where first I was excited by the interview featuring both Braben and Roberts. The stretch goals are ridiculous, a new solar system for a million dollar?

Variform, the "new solar system for a million" has been milked on the SC forums as well for quite a while. SC in the form of Chris Roberts and the weekly newscast "Wingman's Hangar" have discussed this however. They've explained more than once by now that it is not only the solar system is funded by that million. It's more than that: e.g. Expanding the team to speed up and broaden development. So much more is done than just the stretch goal mentioned. Have faith and be patient.

 

[Slawkenbergius]

Squadron 42 is the biggest merit of Star Citizen for me. As much as it sounds like sacrilege for Elite, I'd quite like to see a single-player campaign set in the Elite universe.

For the open-world part though, the size and the underlying simulation of the Elite galaxy is what excites me. With Star Citizen it seems like the devs will hold the reigns tighter and have more control over how the gameworld changes, whereas Frontier are trying to create a less authorial system. The fact that CIG are going to incorporate stuff from modding communities does sound exciting though.

 

[ZeeWolf]

Well there will be missions in ED undoubtedly for single player and DB said in one of the updates we may find areas of the universe closed for later updates which might involve campaigns. Undoubtedly they won't be as cinematic/scripted as Squadron 42, and will involve far less whooping/high five-ng and locker room Top-Gun hijinks and will probably be darker more mysterious and everyone will probably die at the end....like the end of Blake's 7.

 

[Beachlight7]

I would love a Top Gun simulator, and i'm not gay.

 

[ZeeWolf]

multi-player Top-Gun towel flicking shenanigans





...not gay

 

[Jezzah]

Variform, the "new solar system for a million" has been milked on the SC forums as well for quite a while. SC in the form of Chris Roberts and the weekly newscast "Wingman's Hangar" have discussed this however. They've explained more than once by now that it is not only the solar system is funded by that million. It's more than that: e.g. Expanding the team to speed up and broaden development. So much more is done than just the stretch goal mentioned. Have faith and be patient.

in fairness to SC the recent stretch goals on choosing planets. the say they are going to eventually build ALL of these worlds the vote is to choose which ones get built first.

i personally also think that its lame as a "stretch" goal as far as it goes but maybe that's a reaction by the devs there to the feature creep they may be feeling whilst still offering the community something for million made.

 

[humbleton]

Wonder if there is any volleyball cutscenes in Squad 42?

 

[ianw]

Squadron 42 is the biggest merit of Star Citizen for me.

Agreed - I think that could turn out to be something special - they've kept details to a minimum so far but the hints have been very interesting.

 

[blibbka]

To be honest, I think the most useful thing the SC community can do right now is hound CIG for a clear aesthetic vision. ... snip ... If he could say for example "Star Citizen is about mighty space captains marking their name in the sky" ... snip ...

I basically agree with you. I should add that for all I know the dev team may have a crystal clear vision for the game - maybe I just aren't informed enough to divine it.

I like your attempt to sum up the Star Citizen "idea". My impression of it would be something like:

"Mighty space captains marking their name in the stars of a Galaxy bursting with hi-fidelity, hi-testosterone, block-busting Hollywood wander".

Star Citizen has a very Hollywood sci-fi feel to it. The aesthetic reminds me of a James Cameron film whereas I feel Elite has a look that is more distinctive.

Nothing inherently wrong with James Cameron - I used to be a massive fan - but I guess I'm just looking for something different.

Perhaps that's why SC doesn't grab me.

 

[blibbka]

Well there will be missions in ED undoubtedly for single player and DB said in one of the updates we may find areas of the universe closed for later updates which might involve campaigns. Undoubtedly they won't be as cinematic/scripted as Squadron 42, and will involve far less whooping/high five-ng and locker room Top-Gun hijinks and will probably be darker more mysterious and everyone will probably die at the end....like the end of Blake's 7.

Ha - in my previous post I was about to reference Top Gun. Good to know it's not just me who picks up on that.

 

[ZeeWolf]

Ha - in my previous post I was about to reference Top Gun. Good to know it's not just me who picks up on that.

Every game that Roberts has ever made is Top Gun inspired though. Quite blatantly in the case of Strike Commander. Interesting that Squadron 42 is the part being developed in the UK though, hopefully a bit of healthy British cynicism and dark humour should creep in to balance the power-saluting-high-five-ing-towel-flicking-not-gay stuff out a bit.

 

[Amos]

My theory is why limit your games collection to just 1.

from what I can tell, both will offer slightly different experiences and all being well both will be essential additions to the space game enthusiasts collection.

I agree with you on the part of they are essential addons for the space sim genre, but for me nothing came close to elite and frontier, I tried eve and I lasted 30 mins 1st time 2nd time I lasted 3hrs, freelancer was the closest, the freelancer community was the best about that game always re-inventing the game years after the official servers were shut down, If Mr Braben delivers with eveything he is saying then I wont need to venture to another space sim as ED will have everything I need.

 

[Viking]

Undoubtedly they won't be as cinematic/scripted as Squadron 42, and will involve far less whooping/high five-ng and locker room Top-Gun hijinks [...]

How do you know what Squadron 42 will be like?

i personally also think that its lame as a "stretch" goal as far as it goes but maybe that's a reaction by the devs there to the feature creep they may be feeling whilst still offering the community something for million made.

The devs don't think stretch goals are feature creep?

If I could change my pledge in star citizen to ONLY be squadron 42, but that I got any and all S42 DLC updates for free, I would probably take it.

No DLCs in neither Squadron 42 nor Star Citizen, AFAIK. Only expansion packs for Suqadron 42, where the first one is free for backers.

 

[ZeeWolf]

How do you know what Squadron 42 will be like?.

I have seen the Wing Commander movie!

 

[Viking]

Yeah, that one is representative for what Squadron 42 will be ...

And please don't edit my quotes by adding punctuations or anything else. Thanks.

 

[ZeeWolf]

Yeah, that one is representative for what Squadron 42 will be ...

And please don't edit my quotes by adding punctuations or anything else. Thanks.

I didn't edit your quote, your paranoid. Maybe it was the government. Did you think about that? Maybe the government edited your quote.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

No DLCs in neither Squadron 42 nor Star Citizen, AFAIK. Only expansion packs for Suqadron 42, where the first one is free for backers.

OK you have me completely lost here.

what is the difference between an expansion pack and downloadable content?

To me they are the same just with a different name, and, my understand is that all extra content will be available for free in the PU part of star citizen, but there will be paid extra content for S42.