It's certainly not going to be like Freelancer. Here is my understanding of the game:
- Squadron 42: Single combat player campaign
- Star Citizen Persistent Universe: ~150 Star Systems; in which we can pursue various careers and specializations including; exploration, discovery, fighting, trading, pirating, bounty hunting and mining.
- Be a crew member (with a job?) onboard another players ship.
- Hangars which we can 'personalize' (ideal for the type of player that enjoyed player housing in Ultima Online and similar games).
- Planets: Walking around bars, stores, stations and ports on planets. Interacting with other players.
- First Person Combat: FPS sections, used for boarding and hijacking other players ships.
I'm sure there is more.
Don't get me wrong, I've plenty of doubts about this game - and I am actually looking forward to Elite far more. But Star Citizen can't be accused of lack of ambition...and it seems it has plenty to offer (though it certainly may not appeal to all people).
Thing is though... You still haven't explained why it's not like freelancer.
From your description... I still see SC as being Freelancer with those features added in. That's great if you enjoyed Freelancer. Not exciting at all if you didn't.
Granted... Elite: Dangerous is still just Elite and Frontier with updated graphics and sound... difference is I enjoyed those games