The 'crowd funding' experience

I'm so happy that the space-sim is back big-time. We have two developers, in Frontier and CIG, with massive credibility delivering current generation visions in line with their prior work. Both are relying on 'crowd funding' from passionate fans eager to see space sims back in triple-A land. It's a great time to be a space-sim fan.

As a KS backer of SC and an ED Beta participant I'm finding it really interesting to watch how both companies are delivering features incrementally and 'managing' their fans/backers expectations.

CIG has been intensely engaged with their backer/fan-base. Frontier is much more circumspect.

What has prompted this post is the latest SC update. Promoted as a major step forward my experience has been mostly negative, the flight model for example is still a white-hot-mess. CIG appears to continue to focus on developing stuff that fans can buy and hence drive revenue, like hangers and ships, and has so far, imho, failed to deliver even a basic space-sim.

I'm sure time will solve this problem at CIG, both games are at different points in their development, it's not apples-to-apples feature wise. I want to enjoy both games and respect both companies track records.

For now Frontier is delivering quietly, while CIG is loudly delivering ho-hum. As a dedicated fan of both companies work I prefer the former approach.

Has anyone else supported both games? I'd be interested in your perspective.
 
I have pledged for both games and honestly I am pretty satisfied with the developers of both.

I don't really have a problem with the flight model in SC but then again I have only been playing the racing module this week. It has been awhile since I tried the combat module.

I think both games are coming along nicely.
 
As a fanatic space sim lover, I too was overjoyed by SC and ED concepts. But I did not want (and could not afford) to back both games. After quite some time spent observing both, I thought that Elite was the good horse for me. And indeed, so far, I extremely pleased with the way it goes. Exactly as you said: no big annoucements, no over the top previewed feature that smells fishy, and (to me at least) a far more realistic approach in terms of delivering. Not to mention that I don't have to pay to win. Frontier is, after all, a seasonned game developing company. They certainly know the boundaries between sweet dreams and actual possibilities.

I'd love both games to succeed. But I must say I can't take those SC stretch goals ("for 1000000 bucks more we'll add a coffe machine in the space garage") too seriously. It does look like insane money grabbing. I have, however, not tried the Arena module, so I can't comment on the gameplay. All I know is that for far less money, right now, ED delivers what I've dreamed of.
 
I've backed both, but I'm pretty patient. I have neither installed currently, although may take a look again now the long nights are drawing in :)

I would like to see CIG batten down the hatches and focus on some core engine polish for a while, but really, it's very early days, impossible to draw any conclusions about where it will end up.

ED is obviously getting pretty close to release now, I played PB plenty so I may take a look when B2 comes out, if they have got the multiplayer into some kind of usable state.
 
I've backed both and other games (Pillars of Eternity, Torment, The Mandate, Should of the Avatar, Destiny: OS, Satellite Reign) with KS :)
 
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