In October 2012, the crowdfunding campaign for Star Citizen began, which since then has raised more than $128.8 million for Cloud Imperium Games’ continued development of the ambitious space-faring game. Even though the game hasn’t even left alpha yet and it has only really been over the last year that we have seen some individual elements of the game come together in a playable form, the company mark this date by hosting CitizenCon annually. Their 2016 festivities saw fans descend upon Los Angeles and their online channels for a few days of previews, announcements and more.
The highlight of each CitizenCon is their annual presentation. After presenting an enticing vision for the next stage of Star Citizen during Gamescom 2016 – it was difficult (for myself at least) not to expect something even grander during their recent CitizenCon presentation. While Cloud Imperium Games did not deliver the Squadron 42 demo some were hoping for (the reason of which is featured in the video below), they did provide a new look at what players can expect to experience when landing on a planet in the Persistent Universe.
Above: Star Citizen: The Road to CitizenCon – A video which details the process in organising content presented (or planned to appear) during the main CitizenCon Presentation
Coming in at around 30 minutes in length, the Procedural Planet demo is also known as the “Homestead Demo”. It follows a Citizen who lands his Constellation Aquila upon the desert surface of Leir III in the Leir System. Across the half-hour, we get to watch as this player explores the not-so-safe planet by foot, Ursa Rover and Dragonfly to complete a mission – all the while avoiding biological and natural hazards. Rather than getting into too much detail about it, I encourage you to watch it via the video below.
Although the Homestead Demo does not offer the same “wow” factor as the GamesCom 2016 demo, it nevertheless provides an interesting vision of what players can expect when deciding to take a break from traversing the stars by landing and exploring a planet.
For the last few years, Star Citizen has been continuously crowdfunding through the sale of game packages, in-game ships and other items. It has currently raised more than $128 million. As the game stands at the moment, it is currently in its alpha phase, and it is currently unknown when the Persistent Universe module will actually launch in its final form. The game’s single-player campaign module – Squadron 42 – has also recently been delayed from a previously announced 2016 launch window. Just be aware that you are pledging towards an unfinished game at the moment, and like most crowdfunding campaigns, the usual risks apply in doing so.
