In it's current state it's about as cohesive as just about any open world survival game on the market. Meaning that while there are quests, it's an "undirected" experience. So, if someone doesn't like the type of game where you create your own experiences and stories then this isn't currently the game for them...just like almost all open world survival games.
It's not so much a Frankenstein as it is an unfinished machine. The machine can still perform many of it's intended tasks, many fully, some partially with some yet to be implemented. And like an unfinished machine it will often break although that becomes less frequent as more work is put into it.
When Star Citizen is "finished" (in the Warframe, still in BETA despite a retail release and being a full game but not finished, sense) the core gameplay loop is likely to be similar if not exactly the same as it is now.
I can see where people looking for a directed experience are disappointed. That's what SQ42 is for, and this is where Roberts Space Industries has failed the most.
But, that still doesn't mean that the current incarnation of Star Citizen doesn't have a ton of gameplay or working systems or provides a compelling and enjoyable experience for those people that really enjoy the open world "create your own" story type of games.
But it IS still a BETA, so things do still break, some things do still need polish, and there's still things yet to be implemented. But none of this is new to people who like these sorts of game experiences. As most of these sorts of games are still in early access and even the ones that have been released to retail can quite often be massively buggy (Conan Exiles was pretty trash WRT to bugs and partially working systems at launch as was The Forest).
Personally, this is what would be ideal
- Squadron 42 gets finished. Who knows if this will ever happen.
- Star Citizen never gets finished in the sense that Warframe will never be finished.
This way people that want their directed experience (like me) get a simulation set in space with a dramatic and hopefully satisfying story. OTOH - the people that enjoy open world game experiences can have an ever evolving and expanding universe to play in.
Regards,
SB
So, I haven't played many open world survival games, just a few, with Conan Exiles being the one I played the most.
And I have played SC only in their free fly events, just to check if there actually is there a game for me to buy.
Are you telling me that you can compare the two, objectively, and somehow find them offering, about the same?
Or are you telling me, that subjectively, what SC offers, is enough for you?
Cause I can kind of get behind the one, not so sure about the other.
And please, do not go around telling people that this game is in beta.
SC fans kill people for less.
It's an alpha, and an alpha it shall remain, until either it's ready (face it, we'll both be dead when that happens), or Roberts gets his retirement fund, and pulls a Houdini only to reappear in a non extradition country.
Besides beta means feature complete, and they don't like the sound of that.
How will they be able to justify Robert's next announcement of individually rendered intergalactic pasta noodles that you can actually throw at the wall, and, if they stick, they are ready!
And one last thing.
I played Warframe for ages. I still do sometimes.
And that game had a strange thing that some people might consider important for a game, from year (not day) one.
Fun engaging gameplay.
Star Citizen, not so much.
The FPS portion of the game, amounts to nothing, since it is not working with all the bugs and that abysmal AI (or lack thereof).
And even the ship flying, is lackluster at best.
Which is impressive considering the same person that makes this, made games that I, while playing them, wrecked countless joysticks.
Even truckers in space (Elite) has better flight mechanics...
Edit.
It just occurred to me, that this thing, somehow became a "survival game" in the middle of development...
I wonder how many times can they move the goalpost until it becomes a life simulator.
It's an unprecedented endeavor!