OMG Wheels - its you! Long time man. Hope you're well. 
Well, there IS always a certain amount of risk with these sort of projects, particularly considering the scale CR has promised with SC. Add to this the fact that SC is not really a "pure" sims but includes FPS elements as well and one does get the feeling that things are being stretched a bit far. I don't know what YOUR personal expectations are from SC but I believe the game will have succeeded (in my eyes) based on the fact that the flying/trading/fighting (in ships) portion works. If the FPS elements work as well, then I will take that as a definite bonus.
That's a balancing act that a lot of people are apprehensive about, so you're not alone there. How the game balances this out is what will decide whether people will play on the PU or are pushed out the DOOR to go and run their own private servers where they will be able to fly whichever ship they want from the get go without any sort of wait/grind.
If you are particularly interested in the Idris, there are quicker ways of obtaining one in-game without the usual grind, provided you have the gumption to do so. Become a pirate (or join a guild) that wants to hijack one. Of course this won't be easy but its always an option.
In any case, why on earth would you want an Idris? Its the last of the ships I would ever consider getting in SC. True, its big and powerful but you can't fly it alone unless you want to lose it quickly. See my analogy above regarding the X-Wing and the Death Star. Different ships serve different roles. There is no "kill everything" player controllable ship in SC and probably never will be.
The total stands at $34 Million actually - SC just added another mill!
All the below points are speculation by me and should be treated as such, but I would say yes and no.
It wont be "Falcon 4 grade", less than 0.5% chance of that level of complexity.
To be fair though, SC has always stated itself from day one as a game made for space sim fans. Therefore, some amount of complexity is to be expected. However there are sure to be some players for whom SC will be their first space sim ever (or are simply "casual simmers"), so they will be looked after as well. I think SC will (hopefully) be fairly deep, enough to satisfy "sim nuts" while sporting a fairly shallow learning curve so that other casual, non-sim type players aren't immediately overwhelmed.
Plus, don't forget that SC also has a "Squadron 42" that supports a full SP campaign! This campaign will go a long way in helping players new to the genre to come to terms with flying, dog fighting, controls etc. in a much more sterile, user controlled environment where they can take all the time they want to learn the intricacies of space combat.
Coming to your point on controllers. SC will support advanced stick setups (HOTAS and the like) as well as the Occulus rift!! Having said that, it will also work with a mouse/keyb and (most likely) a game pad (this is what CR actually used to demo the game initially).
Will one control system be superior to another? Hard to say, but I would imagine yes, there would be advantages to say a RIFT/HOTAS setup versus just about anything else. Not necessarily because of the controllers themselves, but rather because of how they would allow players to use that setup and not have to bother with a keyboard or mouse at all. How much of an advantage (if any) a setup will have over another is hard to say. We'll only get some idea when the SC Alpha/Beta are released and things are actually tested.
I played Freespace with a Stick so I can't comment on mouse controls in that game but if you were referring to "Freelancer" type of "mouse flight" controls, well then yes they will be there but don't expect them to be like they were in Freelancer. Freelancer's controls essentially converted a "space sim" into a "FPS" using a mouse and keyboard. It didn't even support any sticks. I hated those controls because it was the first sim (and thankfully the last) where I was "forced" to play using a keyboard/mouse with no stick support whatsoever. I do however understand that not everyone wants to "invest" in a joystick, let alone a HOTAS or Rift, so there should be options aplenty.
Personally I don't think simply using a key/mouse combo would be a problem in SC. Nowadays you can get a VERY DECENT STICK for just $30. Its all you will need. That's 1800 bucks and it will last you for YEARS and YEARS across many games - much more than your existing mouse will for that matter.
Please get LOCKED into the game. Get the entry level package (trust me, its ALL YOU NEED) and join the SC bandwagon!
Well, there IS always a certain amount of risk with these sort of projects, particularly considering the scale CR has promised with SC. Add to this the fact that SC is not really a "pure" sims but includes FPS elements as well and one does get the feeling that things are being stretched a bit far. I don't know what YOUR personal expectations are from SC but I believe the game will have succeeded (in my eyes) based on the fact that the flying/trading/fighting (in ships) portion works. If the FPS elements work as well, then I will take that as a definite bonus.
That's a balancing act that a lot of people are apprehensive about, so you're not alone there. How the game balances this out is what will decide whether people will play on the PU or are pushed out the DOOR to go and run their own private servers where they will be able to fly whichever ship they want from the get go without any sort of wait/grind.
If you are particularly interested in the Idris, there are quicker ways of obtaining one in-game without the usual grind, provided you have the gumption to do so. Become a pirate (or join a guild) that wants to hijack one. Of course this won't be easy but its always an option.
In any case, why on earth would you want an Idris? Its the last of the ships I would ever consider getting in SC. True, its big and powerful but you can't fly it alone unless you want to lose it quickly. See my analogy above regarding the X-Wing and the Death Star. Different ships serve different roles. There is no "kill everything" player controllable ship in SC and probably never will be.
The total stands at $34 Million actually - SC just added another mill!
Btw Ricky, how 'sim-ey' will this be? Full on Falcon 4.0 grade where you have to have the best HOTAS setup and a double PhD or will it be like Freespace where a mouse setup works just as well?
I can only support 1 expensive hobby
All the below points are speculation by me and should be treated as such, but I would say yes and no.
It wont be "Falcon 4 grade", less than 0.5% chance of that level of complexity.
To be fair though, SC has always stated itself from day one as a game made for space sim fans. Therefore, some amount of complexity is to be expected. However there are sure to be some players for whom SC will be their first space sim ever (or are simply "casual simmers"), so they will be looked after as well. I think SC will (hopefully) be fairly deep, enough to satisfy "sim nuts" while sporting a fairly shallow learning curve so that other casual, non-sim type players aren't immediately overwhelmed.
Plus, don't forget that SC also has a "Squadron 42" that supports a full SP campaign! This campaign will go a long way in helping players new to the genre to come to terms with flying, dog fighting, controls etc. in a much more sterile, user controlled environment where they can take all the time they want to learn the intricacies of space combat.
Coming to your point on controllers. SC will support advanced stick setups (HOTAS and the like) as well as the Occulus rift!! Having said that, it will also work with a mouse/keyb and (most likely) a game pad (this is what CR actually used to demo the game initially).
Will one control system be superior to another? Hard to say, but I would imagine yes, there would be advantages to say a RIFT/HOTAS setup versus just about anything else. Not necessarily because of the controllers themselves, but rather because of how they would allow players to use that setup and not have to bother with a keyboard or mouse at all. How much of an advantage (if any) a setup will have over another is hard to say. We'll only get some idea when the SC Alpha/Beta are released and things are actually tested.
I played Freespace with a Stick so I can't comment on mouse controls in that game but if you were referring to "Freelancer" type of "mouse flight" controls, well then yes they will be there but don't expect them to be like they were in Freelancer. Freelancer's controls essentially converted a "space sim" into a "FPS" using a mouse and keyboard. It didn't even support any sticks. I hated those controls because it was the first sim (and thankfully the last) where I was "forced" to play using a keyboard/mouse with no stick support whatsoever. I do however understand that not everyone wants to "invest" in a joystick, let alone a HOTAS or Rift, so there should be options aplenty.
Personally I don't think simply using a key/mouse combo would be a problem in SC. Nowadays you can get a VERY DECENT STICK for just $30. Its all you will need. That's 1800 bucks and it will last you for YEARS and YEARS across many games - much more than your existing mouse will for that matter.
Please get LOCKED into the game. Get the entry level package (trust me, its ALL YOU NEED) and join the SC bandwagon!
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