Chris Roberts Back in your wallet - STAR CITIZEN

[HaemishM]

That seems really unlikely.  I've seen a lot of game business models, and "give the finger to people who gave you millions of dollars in the hopes that the people who haven't given you anything will change their minds" has not come up very often.

Star Wars Galaxies: The FPS Edition. 

[Khaldun]

Look at it this way. Some games have gotten away with RMT-type transactions that confer little advantage in direct combat but enormous advantage in in-game cultural prestige. But for that to work you generally need a base of people who aren't paying and don't care that much about who has housing or the Blade of Enormous Foozle-Death or whatever. Unless that means you can be a drooling dumbfuck and still get invited into the top powerraids OR it means that the powers that be, such as they are, bow and scrape to you. Otherwise, most of your playerbase are chill enough. But if you have Death Leviathan #23 (owned by Douchnozzle #10) who gave back $$$$ in the campaign constantly materializing and blowing the shit out of you while you're rescuing some dumb bastard from Dominica, I am guessing you won't stick very long.

[Samprimary]

This isn't new at all.  This is - literally - business as usual.

I would think so if this were just the latest incarnation of traders or fighters. But this whole deal is such an arcane shovel-in of different gameplay shit that beggars all reasonable anticipation of what kind of gameplay you can build around it.

[tmp]

I would think so if this were just the latest incarnation of traders or fighters. But this whole deal is such an arcane shovel-in of different gameplay shit that beggars all reasonable anticipation of what kind of gameplay you can build around it.

Ehh, they can probably build the Farmville gardening module easier than the FPS part

[Malakili]

Minecraft gardening/farming works pretty good and is simple.

[Fabricated]

I don't see a scenario where this game gets released in a form resembling what they're selling and a gigantic goonfleet or something doesn't form and own the shit out of all the whales and their godships.

[HaemishM]

Design Doc - onboard Science activities by Tony Zurovec (nice ideas, we'll see how they will actually translate to a realistic gaming system, just like everything else. Gardening Commander Organics and Medical sound very cool):
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/engineering/14974-Design-The-Endeavor

Holy shit. I just read this bit about the Medical Module (i.e. the respawn points that can be in player ships):

The Medical Module outfits an Endeavor with all of the equipment necessary to heal any injury or cure any illness that one might encounter while traveling from world to world. That alone guarantees that an enterprising player maintaining a presence in a popular area of space ignored by other Endeavors will see a brisk demand for their services. Medical Modules, however, fulfill an even more fundamental role within the service ecosystem – they act as remote spawn points for both players and some smaller ships.

When a player dies, they have the option of respawning at any landing zone equipped with a hospital for a minimal charge. Alternatively, one may inspect the prices being offered by all nearby Endeavors equipped with a Medical Module that have activated their ID Beacons to determine whether a remote spawn into that ship – a concept that will often allow you to get back into the action a lot faster – is warranted. After a player has respawned into the hospital section of an Endeavor, they are granted access to a waiting room where they’re able to order any of several smaller ships that will fit within the Medical Module’s Hangar Bay. The Endeavor’s owner has to pay a premium for the rapid and remote delivery of such ships, and in turn is able to dictate the amount of profit that they require. Upon arrival of the ship, the respawned player – and any of their party members that are also residing within the waiting room – may enter the Hangar Bay, board the new ship, and continue on their way.

Most organizations will want at least one Endeavor in their armada, and will want to keep it nearby – but at a safe distance – when combat looms.

Is it just me, or does this sound like one of the greatest Goon grief potential modules ever? Set up a fleet around a highly trafficked area, blast the shit out of whoever comes in, offer them respawn in your medical module for a ridiculous amount but then don't allow them to respawn their ships. Suddenly, you have a ship full of respawned avatars who are stuck there. Do you have the option to respawn somewhere else if you aren't dead or did I just think of the Star Citizen equivalent of a slaver ship? 

[Khaldun]

I think it's a sure bet that if the game ever does go live, they will have thought of nearly zero percent of some of the potentiality of various things in the design in terms of griefing, misuse and mischief. And if they ever do go fully live, there will be plenty of Goon-ish players who take special pleasure in messing around with it.

[jakonovski]

It'll probably just crash the server. Which doesn't exist. And never will.

[Falconeer]

This just out, and NOT from Serek Dmart:

Star Citizen Employees Speak Out on Project Woes

From inappropriate managerial conduct to fund mismanagement, here is the story from those who lived it. Nine people reached out to us - two were completely anonymous and were used to corroborate information. The seven quoted below identified themselves, but will be referenced by number (CS1, CS2, etc.) at their request."

[...]

"I realized it was affecting my health, my home life. I needed to get out. So I left. I had no job lined up. I just had to get out. I looked at my situation, I had enough in savings, so I left," CS3 told me. "I couldn't take it. It was by far the most toxic environment I have ever worked in. No one had clear direction about how to do their jobs well. No one was empowered to do their jobs well. Everything was second guessed, and the default reaction to everything was blame and yelling and emails with all capital letters and curse words."

If you are into this soap opera, worth a click.

[Margalis]

I guarantee this is what's going to happen:

The game will be shelved or come out with major features shelved, and CR will claim that the reason is that they ran out of money because Serek Dmart and his dastardly allies turned people off of the project.

Of course the idea that Serek Dmart can somehow tank a game (other than by making it or endorsing) it is ludicrous, but that's pretty clearly the end game here.

[Falconeer]

Which would be like admitting that 90M (which is the amount they already had when Serek jumped in) weren't nearly enough. Anyway, yeah, I agree with you.

[Montague]

The "Chairman's" response:

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/14979-Chairmans-Response-To-The-Escapist

Glorious.

[jakonovski]

Whoa, Roberts is responding specifically to that article and they edited it accordingly. That's pretty much guarantee for me that shit is going down.

edit: too late!

edit2: also this is fucking great, such a glorious mess.

[Falconeer]

"You have to ask 'at what point are you taking advantage of someone?' There's a certain responsibility," CS3 said in regards to the backers who have contributed large sums of money. "Like, I felt like we should have gone to their homes and made sure their kids were eating and dressed. It starts to feel like a gambling addiction after a certain point. It was hard not to feel guilty."

"Fans would come into the studio, and I wanted to be like 'Dude, run. Take your money and run.' I felt like I was part of a con," CS2 added.

[Falconeer]

I’m also pretty concerned that your reporter on this is compromised and pursuing her own agenda. For someone who is a self-acclaimed Gamer Gate supporter, which last I checked was about ethics in video game journalism, she’s not been behaving or going about her business like an ethical reporter.

 

[jakonovski]

The way Roberts goes all in on the drama is really damning. There's no game, so the only thing to do is play for time. And this thing will be entertainment for months and nobody will be asking for game updates.

[Falconeer]

I honestly think he's panicking. His "as quick as possible" response to the Escapist looks like a Serek Dmart wall of text with some Sir Bruce added, included with some piss poor internet detective work  <with pictures!> to try and discredit the "journalist" who wrote the piece. From here, it looks pathetic.

[jakonovski]

People say we will not deliver the game we’ve promised. So? Shouldn’t you just let us get on with it? If it falls apart they will be vindicated, if not we will be.

 

[schild]

It was never about ethics in gaming journalism.

Chris Roberts sucks.

Not an ounce of this is surprising. He never didn't suck.

[Malakili]

This is all really just great.

[Trippy]

Not enough hookers and blow -- still waiting for revelations about sex parties paid for with donors' money.

[schild]

Yea, I want interoffice fucking, adultery, and trips to Mexico.

[Montague]

I would like to point out that ever since I got your email from David I have been working on this response. I worked on this until 5am last night, and a couple more hours this morning in the UK, where I am currently am in preparation for CitizenCon in a week from Saturday. Conservatively it’s taken me about eight hours to write. This is time I could have spent working on the game instead of dealing with a Serek Dmart instigated drama. And this is really what annoys me – that his silly rantings occasionally gain traction and pull me away from the very thing I prefer to do and the very thing everyone wants me to do and the very thing Serek Dmart accuses me of not doing – FINISHING THE GAME! By constantly tweeting, writing blogs and soliciting journalists in the background to report his “findings” he’s waging guerrilla warfare on my time, the time of other key executives, and the peace of mind of our employees and backers.

 

[Lucas]

I think the way Roberts is going 'all in" in the drama is quite genuine and just shows he's fed up. And rightfully so (company trying to keep things afloat with a draconian attitude? Incredible, never heard of that in the history of business, both successful and unsuccessful).

But don't mind me, I'm just a "white knight" that can't think straight and without a mind of his own, apparently.. And Roberts, beside some hiccups here and there (see Digital Anvil: still, Freelancer is still considered a very good game, last I checked), IMO always put his name on great products (your opinion might differ, sure).

EDIT: "your" is meant for everyone but Schild. He's always right, in the end. Sorry for omitting that part in the first place.

[Ironwood]

 

[schild]

I think the way Roberts is going 'all in" in the drama is quite genuine and just shows he's fed up. And rightfully so (company trying to keep things afloat with a draconian attitude? Incredible, never heard of that in the history of business, both successful and unsuccessful).

But don't mind me, I'm just a "white knight" that can't think straight and without a mind of his own, apparently.. And Roberts, beside some hiccups here and there (see Digital Anvil: still, Freelancer is still considered a very good game, last I checked), IMO always put his name on great products (your opinion might differ, sure).

Website has been here 13 years, you should be used to the fact I don't give opinions, I state facts. Yeesh.

[KallDrexx]

I think the way Roberts is going 'all in" in the drama is quite genuine and just shows he's fed up. And rightfully so (company trying to keep things afloat with a draconian attitude? Incredible, never heard of that in the history of business, both successful and unsuccessful).

But don't mind me, I'm just a "white knight" that can't think straight and without a mind of his own, apparently.. And Roberts, beside some hiccups here and there (see Digital Anvil: still, Freelancer is still considered a very good game, last I checked), IMO always put his name on great products (your opinion might differ, sure).

Just cause he's being genuine doesn't make it less of a retarded thing to do.  If your issue is DS starting drama you just let the drama die on it's own because that retarded response he made definitely isn't going to quiet things down once and for all.  

[Hutch]

Bad publicity is still publicity.

Now, can I interest you in purchasing your very own virtual spaceship?

[Lucas]

Website has been here 13 years, you should be used to the fact I don't give opinions, I state facts. Yeesh.

Whoops, edited 
----

And, yes, let me add: IT IS NOT what you would call a typical, professional reply by a CEO (that is why most official replies by CEOs are conceived and written by advisors/lawyers etc.).

Still, while it is definitely not advised to go outside certain PR boundaries when it comes to this kind of communications, I'm not totally against the idea of breaking those rules from time to time (ok, I'm probably wrong, since I've never been a CEO of a company, nor a PR advisor/lawyer).

While I find the first (and longest) part of the reply unneccessary when it brings up DS and other people in a repetitive manner, in the second part I think he provides a decent amount of clarification for a lot of the accusations brought up in the article.

Finally, yeah, it's unfortunate that one has to give the impression that he's "taking sides" for this whole mess, infact I actually have a more "wait and see" attitude (after the leaked letter and the firing of two employees I liked, I immediately looked up posts detailing how to get a refund, just in case).

And by the way: I spent $1.217,40  since October 2012.

[jakonovski]

And by the way: I spent $1.217,40  since October 2012.

 

I really hope you get your money's worth (or get it back), but you do realize that it's not you speaking in your posts, but the $1.217,40?

edit: and to clarify, I'm not talking about wasting money on frivolities, which I do so much I'm constantly broke. I'm talking about gambling on things you are emotionally attached to.
 

[tmp]

And by the way: I spent $1.217,40  since October 2012.

Unlikely as it sounds I hope one way or another you will get your money worth out of this mess, Lucas, because ouch, that is quite a chunk :/

[Lucas]

And by the way: I spent $1.217,40  since October 2012.

 

I really hope you get your money's worth (or get it back), but you do realize that it's not you speaking in your posts, but the $1.217,40?

edit: and to clarify, I'm not talking about wasting money on frivolities, which I do so much I'm constantly broke. I'm talking about gambling on things you are emotionally attached to.
 

Sure jakonovski: I did that with the (maybe vain...Wait, was it "vain" or "vein" in that infamous Ortwin's reply to DS demands?  ) intent of being more transparent and, through my posts, try to show that, actually, some of my thoughts and related posts about this project might actually be detached from the money I wasted on virtual ship.

Again, it's probably a vain enterprise, but I'll try (not that I need to prove anything in this adorable hive of scum and villainy that is F13 and that I've been loving more and more through the years, although I wasn't here from the start) 
-----------

Oh, and by the way, it still doesn't detract from the fact that I could have spent that amount of money in much better way, yes, but I just wanted to state that, in my case, that amount didn't damage myself nor anyone around me in any way. Lucky for me, no drama stories to tell here (nor for the foreseeable future. I've stopped my virtual ship business quite a few months ago, actually).

[HaemishM]

A CEO should NEVER EVER NEVER fucking respond to stories like this with anything more than a 1 or 2 line PR flack regurgitation. That he responded with a wall of text as large as something by The Good Doctor is very telling. It makes all those "Chris can't ever be told he's wrong or you'll get reamed" stories sound oh so much more plausible.

[Khaldun]

The inevitable Daikatana-ish stories about what they wasted it all on are coming, never fear.

But holy fuck, yes, you can feel the panic pouring off Roberts in those replies.

"the company uses additional sources of funding such as tax incentives, marketing and product partnerships". This is truly Serek Dmart-worthy. Honestly, Smart should be excited to see someone else using lines like this. We are heading very quickly for "there is a company AT STEAK!!!!" when we see a line like this.

" Now that most of the base technology is in place we will be able to get with the Large World and MultiCrew milestone a game experience that will allow you to seamlessly go from foot, to boarding a fully realized spaceship with your friends, take off, fly thousands or millions of km in space, exit your ship in EVA and explore derelict space stations or wrecks, engage in FPS combat, return to your ship, engage in space combat and return to your home base to share the tales of your adventures with your other friends". This is straight out of Penny Arcade's "John Videogames" strip. Frighteningly so.

" I have a very strong executive management and design team with huge experience in AAA titles that all contribute to the decision making of the company. I listen to everyone - from our top level all the way through to our QA testers and community giving feedback on gameplay and features. I care and want to build the best game possible. Now that doesn't mean I agree with everyone's opinions and feedback as a project director I owe it to the community to stay true to my vision and pick the things that I think will make the game better which can occasionally lead to people feeling disgruntled, which I suspect is the root of this "concern"." Translation: I am just now beginning to realize that most of my employees hate my guts and realize that I am so far in over my head that I make "Lord British" look like Steve Jobs.

"Multiple sources from within the company stated that the Pacific Palisades mansion that Chris Roberts shares with Sandi Gardiner is being paid for with funds from the company, along with the couple's personal vehicles and personal vacations". Hello, burn rate! If it's true they're down to $8 million, the end is nigh.