Author Topic: Wing Commander 6: The Undiscovered Release Date (Star Citizen Thread)  (Read 589092 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Lorric

  • 212
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Star Citizen is strange at times. Take this video:


I frequently find some things impressive and some things like "huh?" when I watch a Star Citizen video.

Like I think the senate building is impressive, and I love the music.

Then Bishop steps up to the platform. What's with his mouth? I can open my mouth quite wide. But I looked in the mirror and my mouth opened wide is about the same as his mouth talking normally. That just isn't right! And his hair just looks wrong. The rest is very good though.

But the speech, I don't know Gary Oldman. I know he's a big deal and he's front and centre of the list of names they reel off. I looked at his filmography, there are a handful of films I've seen that he's been in but his roles don't jump out at me, he wasn't the main man in any of them.

But I thought the speech was just bad. I thought it sounded more like generic politician than great war leader. I thought the speech was just boring, with weird pauses and stop starts in it. Then they all give him this huge ovation and it just doesn't feel like they earned that. It looks great when they're all applauding him, but it doesn't feel like it merits it. I don't know how the rest of you feel, I'd be interested to know.

Like, I honestly feel the reaction here is more believable and the speech more interesting:


I watched the video where they show you around the ship:


The opening I liked a lot. And I'm definitely impressed with the interior of the ship. But the characters are just boring. Delivering uninteresting dialogue in a flat way. That guy taking you around the ship, I honestly can't tell whether the face is just wrong or the character is meant to have a disability. So while I enjoyed being walked through the ship, the characters were just uninteresting to me. Though I did like the woman you meet at the end. And it leaves me wondering, are these people voiced by some of their star studded cast of characters? Are these lines the final cut? It's really not working for me. I'm talking most games I've played with voice acting are better in that regard for me right now. Including stuff here on the site, heck, Wing Commander Saga beats Star Citizen with a stick right now in the voice work and dialogue department imo.

So I'm curious what the rest of you make of this stuff.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2015, 11:37:48 am by Lorric »

 

Offline Luis Dias

  • 211
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
That speech video has terrible music. It's just too much. And the camera work. Dizzier than The Lord of The Rings stuff. It's a shameful usage of Gary's talent, which I'm a big fan of.

Of course, the mocap is terrible, but the only bearable I've seen is from LA Noire, that sacrificed visual fidelity and "realism" in order to get more emotional expressiveness. I've yet to be amazed by any facial mocap.

Regarding the boringness of it, I've addressed that point. It's a feature, not a bug. The point is to be "immersive", and there's nothing more believable and "immersive" than boringness.


 

Offline Lorric

  • 212
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
That speech video has terrible music. It's just too much.
Oh I agree it doesn't fit, for the same reason I said the applause didn't feel earned. That music doesn't feel earned. But just by itself I really like the piece. It would work if they managed to put a genuinely impressive speech in there.

 

Offline 666maslo666

  • 28
  • Artificial Neural Network
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Star Citizen's original KS goal was 500,000$. This was to make the basic game without too many bells and whistles; however, the amount raised on KS was over 4 times that, forcing them to literally make up new stretch goals. At this point they basically made a promise to make the game of every scifi fan's dreams for 2 million $. Whether or not that was realistic, this is what they promised.

Again, this is not true. Star Citizen original crowdfunding goal was at least $2 million, raised mostly through their site. Kickstarter was added later as a means to pledge for those who did not want to use the official site, that $500k KS goal doesnt really mean anything significant.

Then in addition to these crowdfunded $2 million, there were supposedly investors lined up to fund the game up to $20 million in total. This sum of $20 million is what SC development was originally supposed to cost. And you can realistically make quite a good AAA game with that kind of money. Maybe not good enough for Chrises ever rising ambitions, tough..
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci

Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you are still retarded.

 

Offline 666maslo666

  • 28
  • Artificial Neural Network
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
And his hair just looks wrong. The rest is very good though.

Devs have stated that new hair shader is not yet in.

That mouth tho. Star Citizen face mocap is done by 3Lateral, so I expected something like this:

https://vimeo.com/64639747

Dialogue sounds fine to me, these are soldiers off duty in routine situations talking, so the lines should be delivered in a bit of a flat and boring way.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2015, 02:14:16 pm by 666maslo666 »
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci

Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you are still retarded.

 

Offline Lorric

  • 212
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
And his hair just looks wrong. The rest is very good though.

Devs have stated that new hair shader is not yet in.

That mouth tho. Star Citizen face mocap is done by 3Lateral, so I expected something like this:

https://vimeo.com/64639747

Dialogue sounds fine to me, these are soldiers off duty in routine situations talking, so the lines should be delivered in a bit of a flat and boring way.
Fair enough about the hair.

But the dialogue, surely not when you first meet them! You only get one chance to make a first impression. Compare this to when you meet people for the first time in WC3 and WC4 and even WCP. It falls well short of that.

Another thing I noticed from the speech which I want to mention which leaves me scratching my head, that's the first I've heard about the Vanduul. So we've been fighting the Vanduul for 200 years. And in all that time we've only called the attacks "raids, skirmishes and incursions." That is a terrible thing to say about them. It makes them seem so weak. It's like we've spent the last 200 years treating them as nothing more than a nuisance, and they've not done much to prove otherwise, well, until this Vega engagement in the start of the video. So it's took them 200 years to do something to make us sit up and take notice of them. It seems more like this is going to be pest control than a war for the survival of the human race. Compare that to how we get introduced to the Kilrathi and the Nephelim.

 

Offline Mikes

  • 29
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
And his hair just looks wrong. The rest is very good though.

Devs have stated that new hair shader is not yet in.

That mouth tho. Star Citizen face mocap is done by 3Lateral, so I expected something like this:

https://vimeo.com/64639747

Dialogue sounds fine to me, these are soldiers off duty in routine situations talking, so the lines should be delivered in a bit of a flat and boring way.
Fair enough about the hair.

But the dialogue, surely not when you first meet them! You only get one chance to make a first impression. Compare this to when you meet people for the first time in WC3 and WC4 and even WCP. It falls well short of that.

Another thing I noticed from the speech which I want to mention which leaves me scratching my head, that's the first I've heard about the Vanduul. So we've been fighting the Vanduul for 200 years. And in all that time we've only called the attacks "raids, skirmishes and incursions." That is a terrible thing to say about them. It makes them seem so weak. It's like we've spent the last 200 years treating them as nothing more than a nuisance, and they've not done much to prove otherwise, well, until this Vega engagement in the start of the video. So it's took them 200 years to do something to make us sit up and take notice of them. It seems more like this is going to be pest control than a war for the survival of the human race. Compare that to how we get introduced to the Kilrathi and the Nephelim.

/shrugs

I'll withhold judgement until we know more about the storyline.

It's all too easy to imagine several scenarios that make total sense ... like the Vanduul being some kind of society with a clan / nomad structure that has no central government or leader .... until such a leader suddenly arises and a large amount of small unorganized clans is quickly turned into a deadly threath to any other civilization .... 

Such a storyline would also allow for a main antagonist with a face.

As I said, who knows. I'd say it's way too early to tell. For all we know Squadron 42 could be some nightmarish behind enemy lines reconaissance gathering mission to find out why the Vanduul are suddenly so much more organized, aggressive and deadly than before.

It was hinted at that some part/parts of the storyline were inspired by Apocalypse now after all. /shrugs.

 

Offline Lorric

  • 212
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Yeah, something like that would make a lot more sense. If in the past it had always only been but a fraction of the Vanduul, then suddenly you're either dealing with the entire race or a massive alliance of Vanduul nations / factions.

 
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
As I said, who knows. I'd say it's way too early to tell. For all we know Squadron 42 could be some nightmarish behind enemy lines reconaissance gathering mission to find out why the Vanduul are suddenly so much more organized, aggressive and deadly than before.

wasn't the entire plotline leaked a few months ago
The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell.

 

Offline newman

  • 211
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Star Citizen's original KS goal was 500,000$. This was to make the basic game without too many bells and whistles; however, the amount raised on KS was over 4 times that, forcing them to literally make up new stretch goals. At this point they basically made a promise to make the game of every scifi fan's dreams for 2 million $. Whether or not that was realistic, this is what they promised.

Again, this is not true. Star Citizen original crowdfunding goal was at least $2 million, raised mostly through their site. Kickstarter was added later as a means to pledge for those who did not want to use the official site, that $500k KS goal doesnt really mean anything significant.


You're right, I forgot about their own crowdfunding before KS. Still, I believe my point still stands - other sources of funding on the side, they did crowdfunding efforts and promised certain results if the community gives them this amount of cash. Community gave them even more, did not receive a game, but did receive the online store and more promises. The thing is still several times over it's projected budget with nothing playable in sight.
You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with 'til ya understand who's in ruttin' command here! - Jayne Cobb

 

Offline Luis Dias

  • 211
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Also, if Chris did manage to get more funding aside from the crowdfunding, that means he's already over 100 million dollars.

 

Offline newman

  • 211
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Also, if Chris did manage to get more funding aside from the crowdfunding, that means he's already over 100 million dollars.

For that kinda money he should start sending the high tier backers to the ISS :D
You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I go get and beat you with 'til ya understand who's in ruttin' command here! - Jayne Cobb

 
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
On the SA thread they are currently investigating the possibility that Star Citizen is in fact a giant money laundering operation run by the Swedish mafia.
The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell.

 

Offline Luis Dias

  • 211
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Something Awful is aptly named... but still that looks hilarious. Got a link?

 
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell.

 

Offline 666maslo666

  • 28
  • Artificial Neural Network
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Also, if Chris did manage to get more funding aside from the crowdfunding, that means he's already over 100 million dollars.

As far as I know, the investors were turned down after crowdfunding campaign reached $23 million, so it is all crowdfunded now.

Quote
It's all too easy to imagine several scenarios that make total sense ... like the Vanduul being some kind of society with a clan / nomad structure that has no central government or leader .... until such a leader suddenly arises and a large amount of small unorganized clans is quickly turned into a deadly threath to any other civilization ....

Id say that is not far from the truth.

http://starcitizen.wikia.com/wiki/Vanduul
"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return." - Leonardo da Vinci

Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win you are still retarded.

 

Offline Luis Dias

  • 211
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Totally not anything to do with the Vandals and Attila the Hun, then, a quite original backstory then. Impressive writing material.

 

Offline Lorric

  • 212
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Totally not anything to do with the Vandals and Attila the Hun, then, a quite original backstory then. Impressive writing material.
That's what I thought as soon as the horde thing came up. But hey, it does make it better than the alternative, which would mean we've gone from kill-wrath to petty crime. :p Which would just reinforce the weakness image.

As for the story, it is possible to write a predictable and unoriginal story and still do it well, but I'm certainly not impressed so far.

Though with me, gameplay will be the real determining factor. I won't care if the story sucks if the gameplay is great.

 

Offline Aesaar

  • 210
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Just on names, I think it would have been so much better if they'd just called them the vandals and said that was the codename for them because we've got no idea what they actually call themselves (or we can't pronounce it).  Would also show a bit of self-awareness.  But no, they've just got a name that coincidentally sounds insanely close to Vandal, and they fill the same role.

SC tries so hard to be the fall of the Roman Empire in space, but it manages to do absolutely nothing interesting with that.  It doesn't look at how the Roman Empire was a colossal supernation that, by the time it died, had culturally assimilated everyone around it (which eventually spread to all of Europe) and destroyed nearly everyone who resisted that assimilation (as in Sassanid Persia and eventually the Muslims were the only ones it didn't).  It doesn't look at how the Empire wasn't destroyed from outside.  Oh no, it copy-pastes the most basic explanation: the Empire was destroyed by barbarians. 

There's absolutely nothing interesting about the setting.  What interesting things exist were taken from other, far better science-fiction.  It's like Star Citizen's setting was built by using TVTropes as assembly instructions.  It's one of the most derivative settings I've ever seen.

No part of Star Citizen is original.  Everything they've done or want to do has been done before.  They don't want to do something that hasn't been done before, they want to do as many things that have been done before as possible.  Putting it all together in one game hasn't been done, but it probably won't be successfully done by SC either.

« Last Edit: October 13, 2015, 11:33:21 am by Aesaar »

 

Offline Luis Dias

  • 211
Re: Derek Smart might be taking legal action over Star Citizen
Yep, it's the word "Vandalism" taken seriously as a legitimate source of historical meaning and reinserted as main canon lore of your "best game evah". I mean, there's so much richness you could distill and get out from this period in time, and instead you do this. I do understand why: it's simple, it's basic. It's "James Cameron" level of hitting you in the head with basic **** so you never confuse yourself. It's like when George Lucas names his villains as "General Grievous". The point is to use these references as basic starting points that you catch on very quickly and without further investigation, so you can focus on the core story, the core characters, etc.

It's very effective, I guess, it's just incredibly boring and stale.