Star Citizen, The Game That Will Last!

I am an enthusiast of a specific genre of online games, as I am sure are many of you as well. We like what we like and naturally what we like reflects in how and where we invest ourselves. The time we invest applies not just in day-to-day life, but in our free time as well. Part of the problem we face is how much investment there is online and individually around the world. It seems as though there are so many games out there, that entire communities have been split across all the different titles. While this in itself is fine it creates a social gap in online gaming. The space between games just keeps getting wider with each new game that gets released. I like to have a choice, a selection, a variety as much as anyone, but there's always that initial hype of something new pulling us towards something else. That two week rush of head start followed by several months of grinding. Eventually we start to see phrases like "dead game" or "dead server", which generally trigger some kind of response like "go play something else". Although it may not be at those specific moments, many people actually do and ultimately we are left with a choice.

• Ignore it and continue loyally with our invested time

• Engage the troll and sustain it by feeding it our words

• Accept the fact and ween our way to the next great title or maybe just something to pass the time until we can really apply our self again.

I enjoy the diversity of populated games because it removes predictability of the artificial intelligence we see in single player and many offline games. When things become predictable they become boring and we lose interest, as is such with many console games. Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), has created something truly diverse, a game that will last. One of the core elements Star Citizen beings to the table is the integration of a shooter, a flight SIM and an MMO inside unique universe. That's three popular genre's all rolled into one game each of which is capable of sustaining it's own category of consistent game play. It is for this reason I feel Star Citizen will not only develop an in-game community much more rapidly, but it will hold onto that community for many years to come after it officially launches. Not only has CIG been able to seamlessly make these very different play styles work well together, they have broke past bottlenecks of restricted development. A heavily modified source code for the CryEngine software allows CIG to create game code never before seen. What do they do with it? The answer is simple, do what was said couldn't be done and they have. You really have to experience the development first hand to see what that really means, words and game play footage will do no justice here.

I was skeptical when I first became aware of the Star Citizen title some years ago. I completely put it out of my mind until mid 2016 when the game started to grow it's advertising from the crowdfunded population. Even then I just couldn't get past the flight SIM portion of the game. The shooter element held zero appeal for me. It wasn't until the concept of entire planets was introduced that my attention swayed in the other direction in favor of the game. I imagined myself flying through space carrying precious cargo in a ship that I captain. I pictured what it might be like to interact with actual ship components in a multi-crew environment while being rewarded for my efforts after landing at a trade post or some alien world. It was at that moment I was sold on the whole deal and not hindered by the other two less favorable play styles offered by the game.

If the attention and loyalty of a person like me can be acquired it can undoubtedly be acquired from others as well. This is one reason why Star Citizen is a game that will last. The audiences are not being specifically targeted, they are being drawn in from a variety of likes and dislikes. One individual can enjoy a specific aspect of the game while another individual will despise that same aspect. Regardless of the love hate relationship both individuals can exist in a world where they both find something about it enjoyable. By drawing audiences from multiple genre's into one place a foundation is being laid which will stand for years. A larger foundation means more structure, more structure means more content and more content means more people coming back.

Star Citizen has 1,494,323 citizens as of August 25th, 2016 and rising. The population is already massive and laying in wait for a game that isn't even finished and probably won't be for several years. Who knows how many people will be ready at launch.

Additionally Star Citizen is themed in space. With a large number of planets already appearing on the star map and the vastness of space, the only limitation to future content is the human imagination. There will always be new planets with unique environments and atmospheric conditions. There will always be the possibility of new alien races both hostile and friendly. Let's not forget about the amazing space ships, massive or miniscule it doesn't matter because there will always be something new. Your ship isn't just some mount you hop on to take you from point "A" to point "B", or some silly cosmetic pet. Your ride is highly interactive, each ship offering multi-crew functionality ranging from weapons, shields, tractor beams, piloting and co-piloting, loading & unloading cargo, engines, scanners, power distribution and much much more. Each ship is uniquely different and offers it's own unique purpose, appealing to very different styles of game play. Maybe you're a dog fighter, there's a multitude of ships for that. Perhaps you prefer exploration in deep space, again you have a selection to choose from. Maybe you're just plain chatty and you want to hang back on a massive carrier in space capable of housing hundreds of smaller flyable space ships inside. These are just a few examples of how different roles and play styles can work together and that's just the ships.

One thing if for certain, Cloud Imperium Games has definitely raised the bar with Star Citizen. If anyone is to compete it stands to reason the competition must also raise the standards for design and development. Simply raising a level cap, adding a new cinematic, introducing new skill animations or lighting effects and taking advantage of cash shop perks may no longer be the standardization for content and expansions.