$3.5 million – now that’s an accomplishment! We’re now firmly the second most successful video game crowd funding project… can we reach the $4.2 million needed to take the top spot? I think so! The $3.5 million level scores three major unlocks: the 45th star system (Orion), cockpit customization (bobble heads, dinosaurs and more!) and the ship-to-ship boarding mechanic!
What’s next? The additional star system every $100k has been such a success that we’re continuing it to $4 million… so you have a chance to unlock five more systems (and the final system is, we promise, a big deal!) There will be an additional ship (plus description) unlocked at $3.75 million. Then the $4 million goal is a big one! Hitting it will add free professional mod tools for players, monthly development team webcasts. Squadron 42 will get a richer storyline and more branching missions and Star Citizen will add another ship (to be revealed!) and ten additional systems (for a total of 50.) We’ll also expand the boarding mechanic, outlined below. So let’s get there before this campaign ends: the team wants to add these elements as much as you want to see them!
And be sure to check back in the very near future for the first pieces of pledge ship art; we’re making the final preparations now!
Orion System
Ownership: Abandoned
Planets: 8
Planetary Rotation (Orion III): 466 days
Imports: None
Exports: None
UEE Strategic Value Rank: Red
Description: The colony on Orion III (Armitage) began life in a celebrated fashion; it was the end goal of Project Farstar, a UEE initiative aimed at expanding mankind’s reach by establishing increasingly distant colonies. To this day it remains the single farthest human world ever colonized. Earth’s most distant colony evolved peacefully for six years… until the first attack.
Armitage was, it would later be established, an occasional Vanduul feeding world. Passing clans had marked the planet as a source of fresh livestock and would occasionally return for slaughter. The violent first contact incident occured in the system and it was followed almost immediately by raids against the colony. It isn’t clear whether the Vanduul were angered by the human presence in ”their” system or if they were simply eager for new victims… but raids began immediately and only increased in frequency and ferocity. Within six months, Orion had been raided fifteen times; casualties among the colonists were atrocious.
The UEE was faced with a difficult decision: deploying the Navy to such a distant star would have been difficult and expensive without an established supply chain. Ultimately, Orion was abandoned as a formal human colony, with refugees abandoning their homes and possessions for a long transport ride back to the Empire.
Today, Orion III is a destroyed world. Shattered human settlements and the remains of occasional Vanduul encampments remain on the surface, but it has been largely depopulated and defoliated. The planet’s surface, once largely inhabitable plains, is now pockmarked with impact craters and antimatter bombardment scorching.
There are few reasons to visit Orion today; the system is still in the distant reaches of space and offers no export… thrill seekers and anyone hoping to test their mettle against the Vanduul only.
Next, at $3.6 million: “Gas giant, used as a refueling planet. Floating settlements. Home of the Murray Cup, a high-speed racing competition.”
Boarding Information
As promised, we’d like to share the internal concept for ship-to-ship docking and boarding concept. Please note that this is the very early pitch–some details may change as we balance the game and build out/expand the mechanic!
Boarding Mechanics
The goal is to develop a system where player-to-player boarding is an occasional reward rather than something that becomes the focus of the game; we’re not building Grand Theft Starship. As such, we need a high cost of entry: players must dedicate both significant resources and skill to be able to put themselves in a position to board in the first place.
There are two major limitations on docking: 1) the target ship must be COMPLETELY disabled before it can be boarder and 2) docking requires the attacking player to dedicate credits and slots to several gate technologies, including a docking collar and a tractor beam.
Disabling a target ship is a much more difficult task than it was in Wing Commander, where leech weapons would simply wear down the target. In Star Citizen, the player needs to knock down the enemy ships’ shields and then (without causing a hull breach) pick off the individual thrusters. This is the skill barrier: if you can’t shoot well enough to take apart a ship piece by piece then you can’t board an enemy ship.
Tractor Beams are a dangerous technology. They take up a standard gun slot and are designed for collecting material significantly less massive than their host ship (escaped pilots, cargo pallets, bobbleheads, etc.) As such, there’s a constant danger of overloading when using them to dock, especially with cheaper models. Additionally, they require that the target ship be ABSOLUTELY DISABLED – firing a tractor beam at a ship that still has functional thrusters will overload it and severely damage the attacker.
A docking collar is needed to attach ships together. As with tractor beams, different levels are available which will allow connections to different sizes of ships; boarding something large like a carrier is much easier than something your own size, like a Constellation (disabling another Constellation’s thrusters will require a crack shot, to say the least, and a much more accurate collar.) If the game hits the $4 million mark, collarless external ship combat will be added with pilots in pressure suits wearing EMUs able to battle it out in space; explosive charges would be used to open the targeted ship’s airlock.
The standard VDU will not identify whether or not a ship is completely disabled; it will have a gut feel/skill element to it. Higher software upgrades will provide more in-depth scans of a target that will give you a better assurance that no maneuvering remains in place… for a price.
Also note that docking mechanics do NOT apply to ships with a single crewman or certain smaller bombers; the general rule is that if there’s not room to walk around then only the salvage mechanic can apply to it. You need a crewed ship to board in the first place and you can only board crewed ships which are larger than your own (in crew size.)
Combat
Once a ship has successfully tractored in a target vessel, it will dock at a pre-determined location on the hull (ie, you will always dock at one of the same doors on the Constellation.) There will be a 30-second period where the attacking player cuts open the target’s door. The defender can use that time to set up to fire back. Think an interactive recreation of the opening scene of Star Wars, with the Rebels nervously waiting to defend the corvette from Stormtroopers.
Players will have access to a variety of upgrades to help/hinder boarding operations. Armored space suits, hand scanners, explosives, more powerful (or functionally different) weapons and so on will be available to players on both sides of the equations.
Defending players will have upgrade options that can help put the battle in their favor: a self destruct process, a dead man’s switch, automated miniguns they can position in the cockpit and so on. It’s going to be a challenge to get onboard a targeted ship successfully, one that you’ll need to work with your friends to accomplish.
Finally, the cost to recover a boarded ship will ultimately be high. Since you’ve disabled and otherwise crippled it in battle (and cut into the hull to board) you must conduct repairs in deep space if you wish to keep the hull rather than simply looting it… during which the ship is in danger of being boarded by a third party. Boarding parties should plan to carry an advance repair bot with them or to suffer the difficulty of flying in a depressurized cockpit (limited life support time, less responsive controls.) Finally, only one ship can be flown at once: you will need to work with a partner if you wish to keep a boarded ship and your own craft.
$4.0 million Level Additions
- Melee & Heavy Weapons
- Zero-gravity Simulation
- Suit HUD Options
- Increased Customization
- Outside-the-ship combat (magnetic boots on a hull; think Moonraker)
Awesome ! Good job everyone !!!
I have a concern with the boarding mechanic. I understand the philosophy behind the high cost of entry. X3:Albion Prelude had a very high cost of entry to boarding as well. However, with PVP being a factor, and a relatively low death penalty, most players will likely just install self-destruct systems to deter boarders unless this voids your insurance policy.
Something to keep in mind… Otherwise the mechanic will be no fun if everyone just chooses to blow up their ship to keep you from getting it.
Agreed, with the self destruct how about it costs more on your insurance to have it installed and then negates your insurance only if activated? Otherwise spending money as well as time to develop the skills to take a ship only to have em blow it up because your about to take it, makes it pointless in being able to have the option of boarding and taking a ship in the first place.
Maybe a software virus you can purchase, that disables Self Destruct.
Nice just get home from work to some awesome news.
Come on guys! We can do that! WOOHOO!!
Oh hai, that was quick!
Of course, now that 4.0M goal got that much more interesting too… go go go!!
Keep it going guys. That $4m is within our reach!
Well four million sounds incredible
That…is…awesome!
Squee!
This is awsome news! Especially the docking and boarding info. Congrats to you Chris, the team and to everyone that made this happen. Looking forward to the ship art tomorrow Please
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This!!! please get to 4mil, I so want bording come into play.
I sure hope we reach the $4mil goal, hoping melee combat will be something incredibly skill-based like Mount and Blade or any other system I’m sure you can come up with. I’d see melee more of a testament to your prowess or a last ditch defence than the quick-knifing of CoD. Not that it matters though, this game is already my dream game!
Agree having a melee system in place would a be a nice touch, but this is the PC game of my dreams having a Multiplayer X / freelancer space sim and all the systems we have already it is now my top game to be released!
Hell yeah! This sounds awesome, let’s beat Project Eternity!
Absolutely stunning! I was worried about the boarding action previously, but this is really just awesome! Great work RSI!
Wow racing at $3.6M!!!
Btw there are few typos in this article, layers -> players; dam webcast -> dev webcast (at least I think it should be dev and not dam)
Increased Customization at 4mil?
Come on, we can do it! For virtual dress-up!!
Nice layout. I know what I’m getting for next Christmas. a nonalignment laser tripwire setup just to make boarding harder.
Absolutely Brilliant ideas for ship to ship boarding!! I especially like how the mechanics dictate that it would not normally be a preferable method of engagement, if you even have the skill to pull it off at all. I don’t know how you keep doing it, but the more I read the more excited I get!
Awesome, I can tractor in someones bobblehead
Quite a few typos, but it all sounds good. “Vanduul encampments remain on the service” is my favorite <3
Awesome, simply awesome.
Boarding sounds FANTASTIC.
I can not wait for this game.
Arrrrr, matey. This be a proper challenge =)
Sorry… took me a while to type a reply because I was busy putting my jaw back together. I will just say that it looks like Star Citizen will be the ultimate Space Sim that I have been dreaming off since I was a little boy. Best update yet (to me)!
Definitely sounds like a mechanic designed perfectly for guilds. Definitely would work best with a 10 man group for something like corvette or maybe a destroyer.
“boarding something large like a carrier is much easier than something your own size, like a Constellation” – “you can only board crewed ships which are larger than your own”
I am confusion… @_@
gnarly
If I could, I would donate €1,000,000.00 but currently I am on my limit.
At least I donated €860.00, so I am satisfied.
Guys, please donate, so we can reach at least the great goal at $4.000.000,00.
Don’t feel guilty about pledging “only” €860,-
If all RSI-pledgers (27.749 at this moment) would have pledged as much as you did, then we would be way above the 23Mio mark by now … so relax and lay back: you did your part of the share
Wow, its going to be very interesting
Teamwork is required to get it. I like it
Keep going CR Team “Thumb up”
I’m pretty sure there will be a significant pledge spike as soon as the Constellation art is released. Lets go for the 4.2 M !
Nice to wake up to, now to get to the >4.2 mark
I wonder if I’ll ever be chilling out on my ship one day, minding my own business, and then turn around and BAM it’s Jubal Early, telling me that people don’t appreciate the substance of things. Objects in space.
loved that episode,nice analogy
This was an inspiring bit of info!
Very nice, i especialy like the boarding to be hard and challenging.
outstanding, Outside-the-ship combat….
yeah I didn’t quite see that one, however I did notice crews outside the carrier right next to the fighters moored outside on top of the carrier in the trailer… hmmmm.
Zero gravity simulation? I’m thinking floating bobbleheads… 4 mil c’mon!
Can I have the Buddy Christ bobble head?!
ship-to-ship boarding: epic! <3
Take a look at Shattered Horizon. They nailed zero g first person combat.
Yeah, sadly it didn’t gain popularity and servers are empty now. But RSI should check it out for inspiration.
I wonder if ship boarding will be available in LAN and Singleplayer.
If they don’t use cool mechanics like this in singleplayer they are stupid
If you can’t use all mechanics when setting up a private server (for LAN) they are stupid aswell
I’m assuming both will be possible.
Oh wow, I was already super-excited about the boarding mechanic. Now, thinking about seeing it set up in an exciting way during the campaign!!!! I can see a famous mission in the making: Instead of save the Ralari it’ll be disable, board, and capture the Ralari before bad guy reinforcements can arrive! Can you imagine how intense it will be the first time you finish off the last defending fighter, pop your cockpit, and jump out into space towards the enemy capship’s hull?
I’m curious about character deaths; One thing is losing your ship, but what if you actually die, either in your ship, or while boarding or being boarded? How will it be handled (I’m assuming some form of resurrection will be available), where will we find ourselves. What happens if we’re just lost in space outside a ship, but with a suit to keep us alive? If we’re not picked up, will we die? What then? I think somewhat plausible mechanics are needed for this (in the persistent world).
I would like something like the kind of resurrection described in the Commonwealth Saga (Pandora’s Star, Judas Unchained) by Peter F. Hamilton. Have a quick memory dump in some safe memory storage and if you die, you get yourself a clone grown and the stored memories transferred. Any kind of new experiences after the last memory dump would be lost, of course.
In game both memory storage dump and the growing of a new clone should cost you, which would probably be similar to ship insurance.
I think I read somewhere on this site – in text qualifying as game design and not lore backstory – that you’d be considered physically incapacitated and will wake up in like the nearest space port hospital.
Can we make it to 4 mil??
Woohoo! I also think that we can get the goal of $4 million.
But did I get something wrong?
Quote:
Then the $4 million goal is a big one!… …and ten additional systems (for a total of 50.)
/Quote
I thought we got 40 Systems with the goal of $3 Million. Then with a new System every $100k till $4 Mil there should be 50 Systems + 10 Systems of the $4 Mil goal.
in terms of big stretch goal,it’s correct,because at 3m you have 40 star system and at 4m you have 50
So if i get boarded and loose the fight, will i permanently loose my ship?
Sounds like i will cuz the boarding team can keep that ship?
Insurance matey, you better have that covered. Unless you like to share of course hehe ^^
well, you can always try to re-take your own ship…
great stuff, ship to ship boarding will require some teamwork
)
Great stuff – and a lot of it – not so easy to understand everything at once as a foreigner with 30 years old School-English
I think to decide to pledge a MISC Freelancer was a good decision – I think I will more explore than fight … 
Hello greaser…
if you are a german, maybe i could help you. we build a news and info site for all germans, which have problems to understand all what were posted here…
so, if it helps, go to:
http://werde-star-citizen.de
thank you for your attention
Fantastic! I think 4 million is within range now, maybe even 4.5 or so… These guys must be working like dogs trying to keep up with pledge goals. I think we can forgive them a few typo’s and an inadvertent contradiction or two. After all, putting in 18 hour workdays can make a person a little addled…
How do you suggest handling the potential exploit of pledgers ships being boarded for profit ( since they are(?) insured against loss.. )
A role as an insurance fraud agent may be up for grabs
Looks amazing. Lets get to 4 million everyone!
Would love to have a goal where you have a retail release as well.
Grats btw
out sanding guys. If you are going to engage in ship to ship boarding you better have a crack team. And that team, you better know pretty well. I think friends are a good thing in this game. thank you RSI Team we love you.
i’m surprised people are only thinking about combat applications for this. i would totally board someone constellation and hang out! do you HAVE to cut the hull? could they choose to just open it and let you in? two constellations dock…those fat-cat 10k backers can have their planetside penthouse; we’ll have our own mini space station (with two “jetskis”)! bring chips; i’ll bring the beer!
hmmmmm actually this is a pretty good idea, here’s hoping RSI sees it
also, mini games you can play (like chess / checkers) and a simulated weapons option for the p52 so you can have mock duels while the other crew members spectate!
This is an awesome idea. Would love to do a mack duel with my friends to keep me on my toes.
I like the way you guys think ^^
I will bring mine along for the party
Sounds awesome!
You could have trade work with this too.
Open up your dock in space (or when on the ground) and have people come visit your cargo hold to buy stuff.
7000% more immersion then a global instant “Auction House”.
hmm…”stuff” could be contraband, or slaves…a smuggler and shady merchant meeting behind closed doors in the depths of space, away from prying eyes. after all, we wouldn’t want to just use tractor beams to transfer the cargo and risk someone to seeing the stuff in plain sight…
this is a great idea,maybe you are the owner of that private club and people can join you to buy very rare stuff
Aye, in fact, there is another interesting option for boarding with or without combat: INSPECTIONS. The High Advocacy could empower some UEE officers or even eventually hire mercenaries, freelancers, etc. to inspect cargo transported in suspectious vessels. Moreover, a ship transporting “delicated” cargo and planning to jump to a UEE heavily controlled system (or Vanduul, pirate, etc.), should be interested in making some agreements with other ships to deliver part of the cargo and minimize risks. I am thinking on UEE Anti-Smuggler operations and so on. There is a lot of potential in boarding. Even banning ships that avoided an official boarding could be possible: you do not open the gates to the Advocacy agents, but fight’em, then you are banned in several systems (you can travel to them, but there is a high risk of being pursued and chased). This also paves the way for CORRUPTION (advocacy officers or hired mercenaries can look to other side if you bribe them adequately…). JUST SOME IDEAS…
I just say one thing:
Hidden cargo hold modifications big enough to hold a few humans…
Luke: “Boy, it’s a good thing you have these compartments”
Han Solo: “I use them for smuggling. I never thought I’d be smuggling myself in them, This is ridiculous.”
O.O think of a cruiser acting as mobile space station. That would be awesome =)
well, they kind of are. cruisers are larger capital ships and typically carry a fighter compliment.
It was said that the ship that is to be boarded must have completely disabled thrusters, so it and the boarding ship can be positioned to each other. That would be kind of a drawback for a non-combat application.
A connection of two (or more) ships on friendly terms would probably only need the collar – and of course the implementation for such a transaction in the game.
“we’re not building Grand Theft Starship” 8((((((((((
good stuff overall, i just wish we hit more goals on KS
Where’s my boarding insurance agent?
Thats definitely a gread guild mechanism.
Love it!!
Will be so nice when the unsuspecting law abiding PvE guild ventures out into border space with their shiny new top of the line Cruiser for the first time…
Epic battle as the pirates catch wind of it and do everything in their power to take it over pvp style!
Lol i see organized crime. Mafia. Undercover / sleeping agents in Big guilds. And a lot of highly Sold Guild secrets like Cruiser flightplans etc.
True, mate. A lot of potential in those issues. Ship specific blueprints could be a resellable item. If you friendly board a ship (contraband operations between unlawful clans and so on), then you could inspect it with discretion and identify several specific issues (that is customizations adopted by the owner) and get full or partial blueprints. That should be valuable in the black market (or even for the Advocacy agents). For instance, let us imagine a pirate ship never boarded: High Advocacy would pay for obtaining from someone (without caring about who and why) blueprints of that ship. That means a bounty for stimulating friendly boarding to that ship
and later, the UEE ships can board it securely.
Wouldn’t be the first time in the history of man ^^ *chuckles*
oh, awesome news again!
I just hope that Chris knows what he promises, because to create such a complex game will be very difficult
Aye, sire, that’s right. But Roberts and many people in his team created the most incredible space sim opera of all times (aside from the Wing Commander and Privateer series): FREELANCER. Star Citizen is the next evolution step and they have been 10 years in the backyard. If someone can bring this awesome game to the real day-to-day world is Chris Roberts and his mates. As it was said in X-FILES, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE
Best update by far. Boarding mechanics (at their current pitch stage) are incredibly immersive already.
My favorite for some reason though.. the ability to exit your ship in a space suit with mag-boots. WTF!! INCREDIBLE!
But what would Zero Gravity Simulation mean? In the ships when totally disabled? For floating around outside your spaceship trying to collect bobbleheads from a massive recent destructive battle?
I CANT SLEEP ANYMORE – GOING TO SELL MY CAR
Chris Roberts – Destryoing lives and making life more enjoyable at the same time
.
I should’ve known, take a look at the RSI trailer and look closely at the hornet fighter moored outside on top of the carrier, there’s a crew/pilot standing outside in space (obviously using mag-boots too).
AHA!!!
Allright… I’m impressed with the whole boarding concept, very well thought out.
YOU ARE A PIRATE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEBbu-wkKrs
Awesome.
I am speechless. This is absolutely fantastic. Congratulations guys.
I’m gettin so freakin excited about this game by the day!
With all the time I spend reading thru this website and forums, I’m beginning to wake up in the mornings, open my front door and wonder where I parked my Origin 300i before coming back down to Earth (pun intended!) and realising “Oh yeah – it’s just a game!”
A deep sigh follows before I get into my car and drive to work.
I know cockpit mini-guns were mentioned, but I’d also like to suggest a pair of motion-tracking tripod machine guns set up in the ship’s corridor(Think Aliens Director’s Cut). Make it REAL painful to board a ship, maybe cutting the attacker’s air hose, so he can watch himself slowly black out as his air streams out into the void.
Every new update, I get excited all over again.
re-read the post; this was mentioned!
Although the ammount of money for the game is great and i’m really happy about it.
I do have a small concern when it comes to the ammount of players RN.
50000 players is not a lot. Although we spend a lot it is, in my opinion, better to have a large community that pays a little for a long time then a small community that pays a lot for only a little while.
Maybe im wrong (I hope I am) but i think a potential investor might be hessitent to invest for that reason.
In other words I think we should focus on getting the player numbers up too.
There is a 2 year window to increse the player pool, what you have now is eager fans of Space Sims (mostly) willing to put money for a game that still has 1 year just to hit alfa.
I’m sure when the game is close to be finished there will be a crazy ammount of people whiling to buy the game so on final release we will have a very populated universe, no doubt about it.
I agree with you: 50.000 players is not a lot, since Chris Roberts games sold millions of copies, as he already said. However, we are 50.000 early-supporters, not players! We are the ones believing in this game when it is not even developed! (just a wonderful prototype). We are the ones helping a highly professional game industry team to launch this dream. We are those who replace those investors defending the “I put 1 cent and I want at least another one back tomorrow” motto. Once Star Citizen gets the market in 2015, many gamers will be amazed and will contribute to make the whole space-sim gaming ecosystem grow. But we will be the ones: the seed that made the plant
Many of my friends do not believe in this, they see just ideas (wonderful ones, but ideas) and are reluctant to spend money in a “who-knows-what-and-when”. But I have chosen to believe: I am a proud FREELANCER player and I am eager to see what comes next!
Amen!!!
Well, you should not consider my messianic point of view hehehe, but some topics make me passionate
In Chris we trust.
We need to get to $4 Million the rewards are so awesome.
Wow… im surprised! Usually when I get up and check the first time its 10k more to go to another unlock… and now we are already 17k over!
Nice work!!!
Next system “Home of the Murray Cup, a high-speed racing competition.” Awesome! Can’t wait to set up my racer, also some great boarding mechanic details so far as well! Not sure if I can bare waiting a whole 2 years for this! This just gets better and better!
The option of customizing the cockpit with plastic dinosaurs is a nice nod to “Firefly”. Could they be clickable so we could see our pilot playing with them in first person view?
http://www.faithandgeekery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/wash-dinosaurs.jpg
Really belive we can get to 4M… 4.2? possible!
Great information about the boarding start process! but would love to know more about the fight itself. Fps combat? maybe something more tactical strategic “minigame”?
I bope its something more strategic than counter strike ships. Nothing bad about it… but not my first choice.
Boarding sounds AWESOME.. This is incredible!! It reminds me somewhat of Raiding in WOW.. This is sooooooooooo COOL
sweet
AWESOME!
This is absolutely amazing! Now let’s hit 4 million goal!
I LOVE the Boarding part ! just frakking amazing
Scenario: So I could pretend to be a sitting duck, floating dead in space. Some clueless person after an easy score comes in my already open airlock, I have a friend go EVA, plant a bomb on the other ship’s hull. If I kill the incoming intruder then I have a free ship. If somehow the pilot escapes my cluthes and manages to fly off, I blow the ship up.
Scenario: So I could pretend to be a sitting duck, floating dead in space. Some clueless person after an easy score comes in my already open airlock, I have a friend go EVA, plant a bomb on the other ship’s hull. If I kill the incoming intruder then I have a free ship. If somehow the pilot escapes my cluthes and manages to fly off, I blow the ship up.
Um, Chris & Team. Could you please add in magnetic hull bombs. Pretty please?
whoopsie. Sorry for double (now triple post):(
Amazing! It’s exactly like I thought/wanted it to be with few nice additions, it’s like you stole ideas from my head
.. Boarding will be mostly for bigger groups/skilled small groups so it won’t be a problem for individual player in most of the situations I suppose.
$4 mil …Pleeeaasse.. We need it.
GUYS, for one Freakin`day = 200,000 Dollars xDDD
we will reach about 4,5 milion
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SALUT
o7
AWESOME , i hope we reach 4 million target so AWSESOME.
awww man… If I won lotto,
Man, I’m salivating already. How am I gonna keep up if this game is 2 years out… dehydration
Just wondering…who/which video game is #1 crowdfunded?
I’m pretty sure it’s Project Eternity by Obsidian.
It sounds like there would be added risk of losing your own ship if the boarding attack fails. I assume there is nothing that prevents the crew of the boarded ship from pressing forward into the attacking ship if they win the gun fight?
if insurance is not implemented and loss of a boarded ship is permanent, this boarding mechanic will be an awesome way for guilds to chase lone explorers and new players out of the game. Piracy is a given aspect of the game, I just hope we don’t end up with a universe where everyone is either a pirate or a victim.
Keep it up people. We are really making this happen!
I so tatoally hope, that we can make it 4 million and more. This sounds awesome
This is Awesome!
I see you liked and integrated many of the FPS boarding suggestion we provided
I can hardly type, I’m so excited. ON TO 4 MIL
Wow, great update!! We need to expand personal comabt to Zero-G…come on 4.0 million!!
Any pirate better think twice about stealing MY ship. I won’t give up that easy.
After a long arduous battle in zero-g the remaining pirates, wounded from fearce hand to hand combat, breaks into the now deserted pilot’s cabin. The lead pirate notices a flashing red light on the console. His heart is now racing as he drifts toward the console, his stomach knots up as the onboard computer announces,
“SELF DESTRUCT IN 5…4…3…2…1…”
“OH CRA…!”
As my escape pod wisks me to the nearest starbase I place a call to my RSI insurance agent.
If the game hits the $4 million mark, collarless external ship combat will be added with pilots in pressure suits wearing EMUs able to battle it out in space; explosive charges would be used to open the targeted ship’s airlock.
This is awesome! Everything is but this add-on would make the game so much more fun and engaging!
Well…
money is empty
WOW!!!! this sounds insane!!!! I really wish your team was using the Frostbite 2 egine opposed to the cry3…looks better and more FPS>….
Boarding plans sound outright awesome and very well balanced. It’s such a relief to hear dev ideas that were seriously thought through instead of being barely more than bussword dropping to create a hype.
THX A LOT.
To my fellow Citizens: Let’s do this. Anyone who has not yet should upgrade their pledge. WolvenX has done the maths in the forums. Just an additional pledge of 25$ by everyone that has pledged already are enough to make it to the 4 mil goal and close to the 4.5 mil stretch goal.
IN CHRIS WE TRUST!!
Awesome job, I plan to pledge more ASAP.
Hope we get all this stuff eventually regardless of crowdfunding term. Lots more can be added after release even.
Everything about this game is a dream come true.
Dinosaurs.
Fuck yes, now I can be Wash.
And I can be Jane!
What the hell… Were are those damned wingmen?
Old vets are throwing all their possible cash, but it is becoming difficult to grab extra bucks right now… I upgraded my pledge yesterday and I will use any buck left in my pocket for another upgrade once the new options are available in RSI website (sorry, I am not used to Kickstarter). That would be on Nov 19th? The campaign is ending! WERE ARE THOSE DAMNED WINGMEN? Let us kick in the ass those big fishes in the game industry investing their budgets in consoles, tablets and similar garbage that never believed that we got a chance for achieving the 4 M€ target! LET US MAKE THE PC SPACE SIM COME BACK TO THE SCENE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! :O
I’m getting the feeling too much is being promised to finish in 2 years.
I was thinking the same thing. But more money means bigger dev team, tools, resources etc. Here’s hoping.
“Outside-the-ship combat (magnetic boots on a hull; think Moonraker)”?!
We need to hit 4 million!
Don’t make it retardedly hard to board ships though! Make it realistic!
i think docking in space is “retardedly hard” in real life! lol!
Agreed, lol. I think it’s perfect the way it is described.
good job!
also, need to update the stretch goal graphics again! (rsi pledge page and “stretch goals” page).
It’s updated here: http://www.robertsspaceindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/stretch-goals-main.png – it’s just that we use Cloudflare to handle load, and so it takes awhile for CloudFlare to ‘spin up’ any updated images.
I’m so excited at the detail regarding the boarding mechanics as well as the tractoring mechanics. I am also happy to hear of the next unlock being the gas giant. I really hope that we get to at least 4 Million in the fundraising. I have faith in the vision of our development staff and all at RSI. We can do it!
I know you want to make boarding difficult so it indeed does not become the game’s primary focus, but, given all the other barriers already in place in the preliminary design doc; i think we should have a in game mechanic that does tell a player when the opposing ship is, in fact fully disabled (make it another module in a ship that takes a slot).
You wat to make boarding difficult, not virtually impossible.
Wow…just wow. So essentially, 4 million is a must-have. Sounds absolutely incredible. We can do this!
This is amazing. One thing I would like to see is, the ability to play dead. If there is no way to be sure the other ship is totally disabled. What if the other ship were to turn off thrusters, back down a bit. If the tractor beams on a ship can be so heavily damaged by connecting to an active ship it would be an interesting mechanic.
My ships attacked by a group. I play dead. Their bigger ship comes in to tractor me, I hit thrusters (i take some damage of course) and their bigger ship is disabled. Now Im down to fighting off their hornets, maybe I had a fighter ship nearby and have called in friends who are on the way. The battle just turned in my favor cause they got greedy.
Great addition, great for immersion and almost every time a new post comes out I start getting more antsy to play the game.
Very cool stuff! Boarding sounds amazing, but very hard to do (as it should be) which would make the reward feel that much better! We are right on track to hit 4 mil, lets hope there is a nice surge near the end to hopefully pass the 4.2 mark!
I just wanna peacefully board on their ship to visit… (@_@)
and MAYBE loot some stuff on the way out~ XDD
So, am I mistaken or boarding and capturing an enemy ship “intact” is pretty much “useless”??
I don’t want to look too “negative” but with a higher number of defenders than attackers, the defenders can “rig” their ships with automated internal turreted guns, arm themselfs with explosives and all sorts of weaponry and armour and on top of that the cost of recovering a captured ship (if you manage to achive this since with all the advantage that the defenders that seems extremelly dificult or even almost impossible) being HIGH, I don’t see anyone trying to board any ship (perhaps except for a few “kamikaze style” players)!
Don’t get me wrong but I don’t see the purpose of this otherwise great feature. But if the devs change their minds and allow ships that have a higher number of crewmen to board ships with a lower number of crewmen than I believe that this feature would or could become more usefull – Afterall in real life, attackers usually attack/assault with a much higher number than the defenders.
Hi
Can we have more detail about planets, are they stupids spheres with texture on it or will it be possible to live an atmosphere-entry to the ground ? will it be possible to be shaked with turbulences, cross clouds in a slept by sun…This part of the game could be awesome in giant gaz planet like jupiter.
( and please, give translation for France and other countries who support the game. Thanks )
So, if someone tries to board my ship and I kill them, does that mean I can just waltz over to their ship and take over now?
Sounds fair to me…you takes your chances and you lives with the consequences…
Some really great details here! I’m all tapped out financially, so I can’t contribute any more, but I hope the community manages to rally to $4M!
Great job everyone! now lets make that last push to $4million!
I am completely sporting wood after reading the boarding mechanics
I wonder if there will be boarding actions in Squadron 42
I’m really liking this kind of gameplay. If we hit the $4M, and he have the mag boots, could we have a way to try and board a moving ship (as long as it’s not moving too fast), that would be really cool in my opinion.
Please Localize in Korean !!!
The Old wingcommander fans are equipped with Korea!
Perhaps some sort of in-game betting between players could be introduced?