Alex "Raoom" Sukhanov Imagine a game where you can live. A vast, seamless world with space adventures, planets, vibrant cities, infrastructure, and society. This is a game where you can literally lead a full second life! This is Star Citizen. Or rather, this is what we were promised and what didn’t happen...
After 12 years of development, like a comet, a trail of promises and release delays follows. 12 years... Star Citizen was born, grew up, and has already gone to school! But in all seriousness, the project is still crawling on its knees and can’t stand up. At this point, you may rightfully ask: "Why is the game still in development, and why do people play its alpha version? Why do people pay money for this"? The answer will be paradoxical, and you might want to sit down.
The best "space game"
Image: youtube.com
Yes, such is the paradox! At the moment, Star Citizen is the best comprehensive "space game". We are talking specifically about atmosphere and simulation, so don’t rush to judge me. Let’s look at the closest competitors that come to mind.
Elite Dangerous — an engaging simulator of a space truck driver. Huge potential, vast space, and very few interesting mechanics. Nevertheless, for now, it’s the leader among similar games.
X4: Foundations — a project with a huge and living world that develops even without your involvement. A stunning sandbox, but halfway through the game, it turns into an economic strategy. You can’t call it an atmospheric star citizen simulator.
No Man’s Sky — a sandbox with an endless open world and quintillions of planets. Currently, one of the most popular space games, but there’s a catch. The fact is, there’s very little actual space in the game. I’ve spent hundreds of hours in No Man’s Sky, and most of that time was spent on planets.
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Meanwhile, Star Citizen blows the mind of any space fan from the first seconds. Incredible detailing and immersion in the atmosphere overwhelm the senses, and soon I’m mesmerized by how the stairs on my ship are animated. You can walk anywhere, touch everything — it’s paradise. The first trip to space shows just how far ahead this "game" is compared to its competitors. I felt my ship, I believed in what was happening. It’s like watching the series The Expanse after the notorious Star Wars (Star Wars fans, forgive me!).
So, let’s summarize. Why do people buy Star Citizen instead of taking the developers to court? Because it’s a dream project for dreamers. This is a "game" not for gamers but for space enthusiasts. There’s simply nothing like it on the market.
Does Star Citizen even exist as a game?
Until now, I’ve intentionally used the word "game" in quotes, because Star Citizen isn’t a game. The entire project, which has been in development for 12 years, is a set of mechanics that work with varying success. Imagine a patchwork quilt sewn with uneven, unraveling seams — that’s Star Citizen.
If you dream of a space adventure, then entertain yourself. No one will smoothly introduce the player to the gameplay or present the content in an interesting way. There’s a set of tools, so use them as you see fit.
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Here’s a vivid example. You take a cargo delivery mission and set off on your journey. The route from one planet to another is mapped out, everything looks and sounds great. And… that's it. Even Euro Truck Simulator 2 would seem like a thrilling action game compared to this trip between planets. The only danger you’ll face will be countless bugs and nothing more. The reason is simple — there’s no gameplay. There’s a flight mechanic, a landing mechanic, a walking mechanic, shooting mechanics, and so on.
And here’s the paradox again — in Star Citizen, you can flush the toilet, the ship animations are intricately detailed, but there’s no concrete gameplay. Everything we see there can be imagined as a museum. It’s pleasant to look at, it’s nice to interact with, but that’s all.
What are the developers doing, and what’s in store for us? Let’s start with the fact that the developers' promises and their actions differ greatly. According to them, we should have been playing a finished Star Citizen for several years now, building a bright future there, but what we have is a set of mechanics, terrible optimization, and questionable updates.
So, you’ve purchased access to the game and spent a lot of money. At first, you’re amazed and shocked, but then… characters standing on chairs and stuck in textures. They’re everywhere, and they’re broken. But that’s not all. For instance, doors might not open, and you’ll get stuck in your room or ship. Or my favorite — the player can be thrown into open space through textures while flying on a ship or riding in an elevator.
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In a recent update, players were given a personal hangar. Cool, except some users had their ships taken away. Yes, they simply disappeared! Star Citizen is in a horrible technical state, but what are the developers doing during this time?
Let’s take a look at the upcoming patch 3.24.2. It’s a whopping 44 GB! Surely, there’s something really cool and useful in there. No. The only useful thing is an updated HUD and screens for ships. And what else? Hmm, according to the developers, it was very important to add piercings in the character editor.
Bring the game closer to release and stop producing side content? No. Instead, after piercings come dozens of new pants, hats, spiked jackets, and flight suits. And also new color schemes for the "Zeus" ship.
The developers are already selling gigabytes of side content — that’s the reason Star Citizen isn’t being released. Dozens of ships, clothes, cosmetics, and piercings are already paying off. Why release the game and face criticism when you can remain in alpha state and keep adding bathroom towels to the locations.
Image: youtube.com
In patch 0.40, they promise to introduce engineering, which will completely change the gameplay. Again... Yes, it sounds cool, but how can you change something that doesn’t exist? Maybe it's time to stop changing things and finish what’s already there.
Should you play Star Citizen now and buy it? If you’re as obsessed with space as I am, then yes, it’s worth it. Try the game during the free weekends — such events happen quite often. For sci-fi and simulation fans, there’s simply no alternative.
But if you’re expecting an actual game and entertainment, the choice is yours. I think after reading this article, you’ll know what to do. Honestly, we don’t even know if the release of Star Citizen will ever happen, or if it will remain a dream unfulfilled for gamers.
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