Slashdot Mirror


Star Citizen Video Game Launches $27,000 Players' Pack (bbc.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: Crowdfunded space simulation game Star Citizen has launched its $27,000 Legatus Pack, which includes nearly all its spacecraft plus extras. Only players who have already spent $1,000 in the game can access the pack. Cloud Imperium, the creators of Star Citizen, has received more than $200m in crowdfunding since launching a Kickstarter campaign for it in 2012. According to its website it has more than two million players, although the game itself is still in development. Star Citizen aims to create a vast science fiction universe that can be explored in dozens of spaceships, with first-person space combat, all online and multi-player.

25 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. Or that money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Can fund a deposit of an apartment outside of your mom's basement instead.

    1. Re:Or that money by AlanBDee · · Score: 2

      I'm surprised how many people think that is what's going on. Of the rich people I know not one of them were/are like that. It's a great narrative to get all heated up about but I don't think it's a true as many think it is. I think the "engineer at a tech company, earning six figure" is far more likely and perfectly fine if that's what that hard working individual wants to spend their money on.

  2. In real dollars? by mnemotronic · · Score: 2
    $27,000 in real-world dollars? What exactly does it buy someone?

    ...purchases like this can bestow special status on buyers within Star Citizen's community, as well as offering extreme shortcuts to a more advanced role within the game itself.

    So it's just like American politics. Hell. America in general.

    --
    The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
    1. Re:In real dollars? by gnick · · Score: 2

      It buys you WIN

      If "winning" costs $27k, I'm OK with "not losing" for free.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    2. Re:In real dollars? by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 3, Funny

      Step 1. Buy game.
      Step 2. Buy $27K pack to win game.
      Step 3. Put game away because you've already won.

      Wow, that is a time-saver!

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
  3. this is what's killing mmo games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    200m poured in, still in development. Of the games that actually make it to release after crowdfunding a good chunk come out looking nothing like what was advertised or even what was shown in testing.

    If this game comes out worth playing it will be the exception not the rule

  4. Re:woah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    And that would be still more than what the developers of Star Citizen have delivered in 6 years.

  5. How long before this is recognized as a scam? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think it's been seven years since I first sent them money, and there still isn't a release date.

    1. Re:How long before this is recognized as a scam? by dave562 · · Score: 2

      I think that's the point of this $27,000 option. They are testing the waters to see how many extremely stupid people are still out there and interested in throwing money down the SC hole.

      I think it is a great strategy. It takes some real intelligence and drive to accumulate $27,000 in play money that you can spend frivolously on a "product" that does not have any real world value and does not even exist in finished form yet.

      If they can scam someone like that out of that much money, I would say that is a pretty good litmus test as to how many suckers are out there in the general population.

  6. step up you F-in' PLEBS! by Thud457 · · Score: 2

    I heard Martin Shkreli bought two.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  7. Everybody's got problems by OrangeTide · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That's individual freedom for you. We each get to decide how our personal property is used.

    Where the system kind of breaks down is in two ways. When some people don't have any property and can't even survive. And when well meaning people want to use force to redistribute wealth by denying individuals their rights.

    And if you think pissing away $27k on a video game is terrible you need to take a look at how the 1% and 0.1% live.

    P.S. I'm for spending tax dollars on things that improve life for everyone, even if only indirectly. (i.e. I'm not a Libertarian) One example that has a big pay off is when women are educated to a high school or college level. Their children tend to grow up with a higher standard of living and the next generation has fewer problems with addiction. Living in a community where there aren't a bunch of drug addicts committing property crime would improve my current situation. (putting junkies in prison doesn't work, in my experience they get out and repeat the same crap and cost tax payers millions)

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  8. Re: Chris Roberts isn't a finisher by sinij · · Score: 2

    Why wouldn't he if people keep dropping all kinds of cash on this without it getting released?

  9. Re:people are starving by alvinrod · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't think the people who are starving were going to be spending money on $27,000 digital purchases. You may as well complain about the fact that there are hundred million dollar yachts, hundred thousand dollar cars, and hundred dollar steaks while you're at it. You yourself probably have some luxury device that you overpaid for too. Possibly the very same one you're using to post your comments here.

    Also, North America has an obesity problem several times larger than it does with undernourishment. I believe that even the rate for morbid obesity is twice as large. If you're starving in the U.S. or Canada it's either because your out in the sticks and completely cut off from most support systems (and probably your immediate neighbors) or because you're mentally ill and wandering the streets.

    There's such an abundance of food here that no one need starve. The real issue is that people would rather lament about it online instead of actually doing anything in the real world themselves to solve even a tiny part of the problem.

  10. Re:Huge Ambitions With This Game by Pinky's+Brain · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm sure Chris appreciates you helping the propaganda cause as they go whale hunting. I'm not sure the whales will be as sanguine in the end though, they're in it for slightly more than 45$.

  11. Re: Chris Roberts isn't a finisher by Revek · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It has been many years since this project was started. The current game play is terrible and he keeps changing things to keep up with current hardware. In short he can't finish since he can achieve his perfection. In the interim, several games with similar game play have been conceived and released. Some people are good at concepts and other are good at implementation. He is the former and what this project needs is the latter. He has the money. He needs to hire someone to take over and let them get a product out there. He has a history of this kind of thing. Check Freelancer

  12. Re:woah by cfalcon · · Score: 2

    With no guarantee of how those pieces will eventually be integrated into a final product.

    Right now, the pvp sim part is pretty fair. Do you really think it will be fair if I spend a hundred bucks and you spend ten thousand bucks? They aren't going to want to screw over whales of that magnitude.

  13. Re:for 28K you can buy a REAL CAR! by greenwow · · Score: 2

    Or the "road tax deluxe" as my friend calls his HOV lane violation tickets.

  14. Fuck you video game industry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    Shit I know it's always been about money but for fuck's sake it's like it's not even a legitimate game anymore it's just an arms race fuelled by whoever has the most disposable income to blow on so-called 'in game purchases'. Why stop there? Why not just sell a God Mode upgrade for $1,000,000 that makes you omniscent, omnipotent, immortal, and gives you everything there is to get in the so-called 'game'?

  15. Re:people are starving by Luckyo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Who's starving to death in North America?

    The only cases I know of are those of "starvation due to self-neglect" (i.e. elderly with no family, young children neglected by their parents) and starvation as a result of a crime (someone literally holding someone prisoner and starving them). And those are very rare cases.

    Starvation due to lack of funds hasn't been a thing in North America is something close to a hundred years at this point. It's so good that even relevant charities trying to collect the funds now have to mask the numbers under arbitrary definition of "food insecurity" as to mask the fact that starvation due to lack of funds has been all but eliminated outside a few regions in Africa and Asia. And we're well on the way to eliminate those soon.

    The food related problem that is actually acute in North America is the exact opposite. Far too much food. People are too fat.

  16. Re:$200M in funding? No. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, but they have been collecting donations from devoted cult members ever since, and it's on the order of $200M total that's been raised through all funding channels. 7 years on, the insanity continues with no end in sight.

  17. Re:$1000? by AlanBDee · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Some games are worth it. Most people would consider me cheap and I wouldn't disagree. But I've spent well over that on Rocksmith DLC, much more if you count equipment. But that's more a hobby then a game so it's a little different. I would have a hard time justifying it for most games.

  18. Re: Chris Roberts isn't a finisher by Sumus+Semper+Una · · Score: 3, Informative

    Oh man, I loved Freelancer. Probably my favorite space combat game. I'd love to find a game like it that runs on Linux.

    No idea if all of these work on Linux (some, like X2 and X3 definitely do), but other games similar to the Freelancer genre:

    X2 (I know it's old, but it was still quite good if you could get over the terrible voice acting)
    X3 (in its many forms. Just stay away from X: Reunion)
    Rebel Galaxy (simplified combat and trading, but pretty fun)
    Independence War 1 and 2 (these are really old, but classic - you can find them on Good Old Games)
    Endless Sky (top-down only and somewhat simple, but it's free!)

    It's a pretty stale genre unfortunately. There are some games in the genre in early access right now that could end up being good, but I'd pass on them all at the moment.

  19. Vaporware by duke_cheetah2003 · · Score: 2

    Star Citizen has been 'in the works' for what, 5 years now? Longer? VAPORWARE. And those of you forking over money for this never-will-be-completed game... a fool and their dollars are easily separated.

    Gotta hand it to Cloud Imperium, they're duping everyone out of money and already litigating in courts (VERY EXPENSIVE.) Fools. This has to be the greatest thing ever for Cloud Imperium, they're making tons of money and have NEVER delivered a product. Amazing.

  20. Re:people are starving by Smidge204 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Because they know poor people are _fat_ on average.

    Citation needed.

    Turns out something like hunger is a complex subject, and isn't as clear cut. That's why several tiers of "food security" exist; to better understand the problem. If you can only afford things from the dollar menu at McD's three meals a day, that's not good food security. You might not be starving but your diet is garbage, and your health and quality of life will likely suffer for it.

    If you are making a choice between paying your utility bills or going grocery shopping, you're in bad shape... and by that definition, that's about 6 million people in the US.
    =Smidge=

  21. How much do people spend playing golf or fishing? by Nocturrne · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How many thousands of dollars do people spend on golf gear and green fees every year? How about fishing boats? Gaming is not the most expensive or retarded hobby, by a long shot.