In the latest version, all these screens, instruments, and buttons work, fulfilling specific functions

To fully understand the title Star Citizen, one needs to have a powerful computer, a good joystick, and a head-tracking system (looking around the virtual cockpit in flight) like TrackIR or Tobii Eye Tracker. Only by having such hardware and delving deeper into the mechanics and simulation values and the enormity of the work done, it becomes understandable that it’s not a SCAM, but a systematically implemented plan and a brilliant financing model. Brilliant, because the company actually benefits from operating in an eternal “testing phase” and constant wiping. It is precisely thanks to wipes that players lose ships and money earned in the game, so they buy vehicles for real cash to avoid erasure in the future, because only paid products are not subject to this option.
Cloud Imperium Games (CIG), the company producing the title Star Citizen, has thus raised nearly a billion dollars to finance the project. However, Star Citizen has something that the vast majority of titles appearing on (and disappearing from) the market lack—an incredible replayability!

Is it just a game, or also a simulation?

If you overlook the bugs (and there are fewer and fewer of them) and add a bit of imagination, the title is already playable today. It’s an Alpha version, and bugs are present at every turn, but the more you play, the more you find ways to bypass the most common ones :) I’m not a hardcore gamer; I’ve just been returning to this space sim from time to time over the years. The game engine, charmingly named StarEngine, allows seamless transitions between outer space and the surfaces of planets and moons, without additional loading screens. This trick greatly enhances immersion and meets simulation conditions. On every planet and moon, different conditions prevail, and varying gravity is simulated. Below is a video presenting the capabilities of this engine:

The scale, level of advancement, and complexity of the gameplay do not resemble any other title and are more reminiscent of a world simulator than a computer game. A simulator still impaired in terms of physics, because more emphasis is placed on fun gameplay than on faithfully reproducing the rules governing the universe, but it’s currently the closest experience to the original :)

Owning a spaceship is like owning a black hole for your money

In my fleet, I have several objects purchased with real cash. These are:
 

 

Drake Corsair – a ship designed for exploration, but in reality, it’s a dream pirate set (I use it for peaceful purposes).

 

 

 

Anvil F8C Lightning – currently the best fighter, heavy and well-equipped.

 

 

 

 

RSI URSA Medivac – a six-wheeled terrain vehicle, which is both an ambulance and a respawn point.

 

 

I also bought several larger models with money earned in the game (through trading) – I spent my first earned million aUEC on the iconic Drake Cutlass Black ship. I was also able to test two currently available colossi, namely the Anvil Carrack and the Origin 890 Jump – both made with incredible attention to detail.

3D products, after being on sale for six months, hit the virtual market (available for purchase with virtual cash). However, in 2022, in the case of the Drake Corsair model, this period was significantly extended – this product turned out to be such a big success. It’s another beautiful in its ugliness, asymmetrical exploration ship from the (virtual) company Drake Interplanetary. It was appreciated by users and long drove support for the Star Citizen project. Below is a review of this model from the popular YouTube channel Morphologis:

I miss the future

and that’s probably where the fascination with space sims comes from. In simulation, the practical aspect is most important to me: flight simulation is useful in real aviation, sailing simulation at sea, battlefield simulation in dynamic shooting, but space sim is an exception – it’s not useful :) (yet). I hope that the development of AI will allow the completion of the Star Citizen project, and AGI will remove the bugs that plague players and allow the full realization of Chris’s vision – thus we will receive a “simulator of everything”, or the so-called “best game ever”. Over time, the research leap thanks to AI should reach a drastic peak, making it possible that even space travel itself will become commonplace :) Dreams, but everything starts with them …
 

 

A dozen or so interesting facts about Star Citizen

1. There is a separate store for those who have spent over $1,000 on in-game items, which opens up the possibility for players to purchase larger and much more expensive ships.
2. Those who have spent over $20,000 receive access to special ship skins.
3. Ships, despite being only virtual objects, are in many cases available for sale in limited quantities and then permanently removed from the website store. Such a ship may then be available for purchase in the game world and for money earned in the game, but all items and vehicles acquired this way are subject to wiping. Ships purchased with real cash are available on the player’s account forever (more on insurance below).
4. You can “melt” your ships – that is, convert them into store cash and use that cash to buy other ships or equipment. Players most often perform this operation WITH AN ADDITION of real cash to buy an EVEN BETTER ship – Star Citizen is a state of mind :) Upgrading a ship is another element of the brilliant business model.
5. There are special external sites where you can purchase ships and equipment somewhat “second-hand” – I have also taken advantage of this possibility.
6. Warbond Edition is a ship with a big discount, valid only when the entire purchase is made exclusively with new cash, without melting and using store credit :)
7. The mechanics are quite complex – deep understanding of the current version requires many months of gameplay. In Poland, there are specialists in ship weapons and equipment, knowing detailed statistics, their use in various situations, etc. I’m just a casual gamer :)
8. Ship insurance is available for the period mentioned at purchase – from 6 months to 10 years, and some even forever. An insured ship, upon destruction, is restored by the insurer – an uninsured one is lost. This mechanic is not yet introduced, and all ships are currently permanently insured, but it is to be implemented from version 1.0, so when purchasing, it is worth considering the specified insurance period.
9. You need to spend at least $1,000 to gain Concierge status, which grants the player access to an elite club. However, special club rooms in the game: The Million Mile High Club and VIP Lounges open only after exceeding the $10,000 level. The highest membership level costs $25,000. However, there are known cases of individuals financing the project with amounts exceeding a million dollars. Club members receive dedicated technical support and access to special events and to all ships and skins.
10. Occasional events, fairs, exhibitions, and ship premieres take place in the game world in specially prepared 3D exhibition halls.
11. Ships are “produced” by virtual companies (Drake Interplanetary, Anvil Aerospace, Crusader Industries, etc.) maintaining the original production style of each of these companies. From the interior design or the external style of the model, you can recognize the manufacturer. Ships have their own TV commercials, signed by each of these virtual companies – examples: RSI Scorpius, MISC Freelancer, Drake Vulture, Anvil Hornet.
12. In the cargo holds of ships, in addition to goods, we can place vehicles and other ships if the size of the hold or internal hangar inside the ship allows it. It is therefore possible to create so-called nesting dolls, i.e., vehicles inside a ship, which is inside another ship, etc.
13. Every year in various places (in the real) world, the CitizenCon conference is organized, where plans for the coming year are discussed and technological demos are presented. Unsurprisingly, admission to the conference is paid; the ticket price is $307.
14. The average age of Star Citizen players is much higher than in the case of other titles – you can often meet people in the 40-60 age range :)
15. Squadron 42 is the single-player offshoot of Star Citizen – I recommend the hour-long gameplay of the prologue of this game, or rather an epic battle (set to the appropriate fragment).

Want to join the world of Star Citizen?

By registering on the developer’s website as a new player with my code STAR-TRG6-GWNK, you will receive an additional 5,000 aUEC (in-game currency). Make sure your computer meets the minimum technical requirements and after logging in, make a purchase here of one of the starter packages along with the chosen first ship (I recommend the Avenger to start). The package entitles you to use the game; purchasing a ship outside of this list will not allow you to run the game. Then install the launcher, install the Star Citizen game from the launcher, and use this video guide. The latest guide, which is important because in the latest patch there have been many significant changes in game mechanics. If in the future you want to own a bigger/better ship, the funds already spent will not be lost, and you can purchase a new one by covering only the difference between the price of the starter package and the new acquisition on this page (the Ship Upgrades button). Additional ships assigned to one account are a separate topic and can be purchased on this page.