Star Citizen has far exceeed its initial funding goal of $500,000 on Kickstarter, with a total of 34,397
backers pledging an impressive $2,134,374.
As previously discussed on TG Daily, Star Citizen is space sim developed by the talented mind behind Wing Commander.
After the first official trailer went live, the project was launched on the crowd-sourced website Kickstarter, where Star Citizen easily passed its its original $500,000 goal, prompting Cloud Imperium Games Corporation to formulate a number of stretch goals to encourage additional pledges.
Fortunately, it appears that a number of stretch goals will be met, as Cloud Imperium presented a model that easily scaled up based on pledges, all the way from $2-$4.5 million.
As I’ve previously noted, Star Citizen certainly looks like it will be one of the coolest PC games ever when it launches, with an estimated delivery date of November 2014. If you missed our previous project coverage previously, be sure to check out the official trailer above to see what the game offers.
Basically, the photos from the game are very cool, but the truly impressive thing about the official trailer is that the footage is rendered by the game engine. It might look like an animated cut scene, but it’s not. The space simulation has reportedly been in development for about 12 months, and isn’t finished yet. The title will have a massive scale and will actually have a game within a game – allowing players to sign up as part of Squadron 42 for space combat.
Star Citizen is set in the year 2942 and the player is part of a decaying cosmic empire. The game will be free to play, so odds are micro-transactions will be the only way to get ahead. Players have to earn citizenship in the game by fulfilling certain roles. There are multiple ways to earn citizenship, including becoming a merchant and generating sufficient cash to purchase citizenship or performing civic duties that lead to citizenship.
The route many PC gamers will undoubtedly take is to sign up with Squadron 42 and serve in the Star Citizen military. The detail on this game is incredible and the visuals are built on top of a modded version of CryEngine 3. Playing as Squadron 42 warriors will allow players to be able to fight hostile extraterrestrials and trade with friendly extraterrestrials.
“What we want to do with Star Citizen wouldn’t be possible on console,” project head Chris Robert explained. “No one’s really carrying the PC torch anymore, except maybe Valve or Blizzard. It used to be in the ’90s that the coolest stuff you could see was on the PC.”
Roberts promises micro updates with fresh content, including unannounced solar systems to explore. Missions will be based on in-game events, with some possibly being focused on swinging the balance of power from one faction to another.
Roberts also says there will player-hosted servers open to mods and an emphasis on creation tools. Personally, I can’t wait for this game to be finished, as it’s one of the most intriguing game concepts I’ve seen for the PC in a very long time.
