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Star Citizen cast: Gary Oldman, Gillian Anderson, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis and more

Getting all this talent seems like a massive waste of time if the new SQ42 footage is any indication. Putting aside the obvious problem of the tech not being entirely there yet, and assuming in the end the performance capture tech lives up to everything its being advertised to be, why bother if those performances are filtered through a cringeworthy sub-David Cage script and direction? The script appears to be the most complete thing about the game so far based on that massive tome Roberts hauled out. A cheesy as fuck sci-fi romp sounds like one thing but based on everything shown it looks dull and awkward, not something a few layers of polish is going to fix.
 
One thing I just realized about the investment required to get talent like this - isn't Star Citizen supposed to be this boundary-pushing visual experience for PC? Wouldn't that slightly limit the number of sales it can bring in - and thus the viability of getting A-list talent? Obviously tons of people will pay attention to this game because of the cast - but are those people equipped with a capable PC?
 

SparkTR

Member
One thing I just realized about the investment required to get talent like this - isn't Star Citizen supposed to be this boundary-pushing visual experience for PC? Wouldn't that slightly limit the number of sales it can bring in - and thus the viability of getting A-list talent? Obviously tons of people will pay attention to this game because of the cast - but are those people equipped with a capable PC?
That's the idea behind crowdfunding. Those people with strong PC's have paid for its development, they're the target market. The mass market isn't.
 
One thing I just realized about the investment required to get talent like this - isn't Star Citizen supposed to be this boundary-pushing visual experience for PC? Wouldn't that slightly limit the number of sales it can bring in - and thus the viability of getting A-list talent? Obviously tons of people will pay attention to this game because of the cast - but are those people equipped with a capable PC?

It's promised to run on even low spec PCs because there isn't much the developers haven't promised.
 
Well sorry that they don't have the same number of developers as Ubisoft over the course of 3 years.

I guess I should go tell Indie devs to stop making games because you can't make anything ambitious without a thousand developers.

Ubisoft also went on a hiring spree for AssCreed2 and hired more than half of their team, so your point there isn't applicable. Hiring talent is easy.

Star Citizen isn't a small indie game, and Star Citizen has planned features a hundred times bigger than Assassin's Creed 2.
 

aliengmr

Member
One thing I just realized about the investment required to get talent like this - isn't Star Citizen supposed to be this boundary-pushing visual experience for PC? Wouldn't that slightly limit the number of sales it can bring in - and thus the viability of getting A-list talent? Obviously tons of people will pay attention to this game because of the cast - but are those people equipped with a capable PC?

Well, first, at 1080 it runs fine with a 970 at ultra settings, so the hardware barrier is that steep.

Secondly, that $90 million came from the market that wants the game. They don't need to find that market because has already paid.
 

Haribi

Why isn't there a Star Wars RPG? And wouldn't James Bond make for a pretty good FPS?
Holy shit I'm fucking speachless man. I just hope the story will live up to the cast.
 

Haribi

Why isn't there a Star Wars RPG? And wouldn't James Bond make for a pretty good FPS?
One thing I just realized about the investment required to get talent like this - isn't Star Citizen supposed to be this boundary-pushing visual experience for PC? Wouldn't that slightly limit the number of sales it can bring in - and thus the viability of getting A-list talent? Obviously tons of people will pay attention to this game because of the cast - but are those people equipped with a capable PC?

I'm sure the game will scale very well, as in to play at max settings you'll need a very powerful pc but you'll be able to play the game on low to medium settings with a pretty low budget pc.
Every game should be like this, I shouldn't be able to play the newest games on max settings with 45+ fps on my 700$ pc.
 

Aces&Eights

Member
Gary Oldman is one of those actors that I could just watch forever and never get bored or tired with his performances. He's up there with classic DeNiro, Nicholson and Pacino in my book. Just superb at the subtle stuff.
 

Nzyme32

Member
Gary Oldman is one of those actors that I could just watch forever and never get bored or tired with his performances. He's up there with classic DeNiro, Nicholson and Pacino in my book. Just superb at the subtle stuff.

Yeah. In particular though I love that there have been so many movies where he has done characters so different that it is often hard to tell it's him.
 
That's the idea behind crowdfunding. Those people with strong PC's have paid for its development, they're the target market. The mass market isn't.

Well, first, at 1080 it runs fine with a 970 at ultra settings, so the hardware barrier is that steep.

Secondly, that $90 million came from the market that wants the game. They don't need to find that market because has already paid.

Perhaps I misjudged why they got such top-tier talent then. I saw this as an investment - a series of high-profile stars to get the mass audience interested in Star Citizen. But the more I think about it, Star Citizen has a massive barrier to entry purely on the hardware required. It can't be sold to the mass audience, unless they slap together a console version that compromises their grand vision.
 

tuxfool

Banned
Perhaps I misjudged why they got such top-tier talent then. I saw this as an investment - a series of high-profile stars to get the mass audience interested in Star Citizen. But the more I think about it, Star Citizen has a massive barrier to entry purely on the hardware required. It can't be sold to the mass audience, unless they slap together a console version that compromises their grand vision.

The nice thing about the PC is that hardware refresh cycle occur more frequently than Consoles, so if a person doesn't have what it takes this year, they may be good next year.

They don't have to aim for a mass market the way something like COD does. But they do want to appeal to people beyond the backers.
 
The nice thing about the PC is that hardware refresh cycle occur more frequently than Consoles, so if a person doesn't have what it takes this year, they may be good next year.

They don't have to aim for a mass market the way something like COD does. But they do want to appeal to people beyond the backers.

Still, the mass market is moving away from PCs in general. Unless this thing's gonna run on the next Macbook or Surface, the average casual gaming enthusiast (who will buy the occasional COD or Batman, etc) won't be able to access it. The people who own hardware that can run Star Citizen already know about Star Citizen. If the goal in casting Gary Oldman was to get their attention, it was a waste of money.

The only way this game becomes mainstream is if it's compatible with the next generation of console hardware.

I'm sure Oldman will give a solid performance, but I do wonder if it was the wisest use of that money. Delivering promised 'celebrity voice talent' is one thing, but this is arguably the highest profile cast ever assembled for a videogame.
 

aliengmr

Member
Perhaps I misjudged why they got such top-tier talent then. I saw this as an investment - a series of high-profile stars to get the mass audience interested in Star Citizen. But the more I think about it, Star Citizen has a massive barrier to entry purely on the hardware required. It can't be sold to the mass audience, unless they slap together a console version that compromises their grand vision.

Well its not like every single PC gamer has purchased it yet. Or even really followed its progress. You also have to consider the split between Multiplayer and Singleplayer markets. There's some overlap there, but also quite a significant divide. A lot, including myself, were waiting to see this before buying.

As for the hardware, if you have to buy an entire PC, then its a barrier, otherwise its just down to settings.

EDIT: Also the salaries involved here were likely no astronomical. Significantly less than a movie. Roberts mentioned the rates were standard.
 

Haribi

Why isn't there a Star Wars RPG? And wouldn't James Bond make for a pretty good FPS?
As excited as I am about the game, I'm still a bit sceptical of the cryengine tbh.
Maybe it's just me but I think the world and characters in this engine look so sterile and cold and lifeless if you get what I mean. What do you guys think?
 

Nzyme32

Member
Perhaps I misjudged why they got such top-tier talent then. I saw this as an investment - a series of high-profile stars to get the mass audience interested in Star Citizen. But the more I think about it, Star Citizen has a massive barrier to entry purely on the hardware required. It can't be sold to the mass audience, unless they slap together a console version that compromises their grand vision.

The nice thing about the PC is that hardware refresh cycle occur more frequently than Consoles, so if a person doesn't have what it takes this year, they may be good next year.

They don't have to aim for a mass market the way something like COD does. But they do want to appeal to people beyond the backers.

Yeah but more to the point, lots of people are happy about playing with lower settings and plan for building / getting a better system at a later point to enjoy it at a higher fidelity. Crysis was very much the same. I'd be fairly sure the goal wouldn't be to sell like crazy from the start, but to have a very long term plan and additional content over time

Still, the mass market is moving away from PCs in general. Unless this thing's gonna run on the next Macbook or Surface, the average casual gaming enthusiast (who will buy the occasional COD or Batman, etc) won't be able to access it. The people who own hardware that can run Star Citizen already know about Star Citizen. If the goal in casting Gary Oldman was to get their attention, it was a waste of money.

The only way this game becomes mainstream is if it's compatible with the next generation of console hardware.

I'm sure Oldman will give a solid performance, but I do wonder if it was the wisest use of that money. Delivering promised 'celebrity voice talent' is one thing, but this is arguably the highest profile cast ever assembled for a videogame.

This really has nothing to do with "mass market" or "becoming mainstream by being compatible with next generation consoles". The idea would be to have this going in the long term, since the game (outside of Squadron 42) is not something that simply ends. Similar to Crysis, it becomes a matter of steady sales while more and more people have compatible PCs, but also additional content over time

It's such a console gaming mentality to assume a game is attempting to go for the "mass market" and that the solution is "consoles", disregarding they dynamics of what can happen on the PC in terms of audience, and hardware changes over time. I'd almost wonder if many console gamers would have had an interest in things like this game if it weren't for the graphics, or if they would even enjoy playing something like Wing Commander
 
Not sure if this ever got resolved, but any update on the FPS part of the game?

I might be wrong, but it sounds like they are just putting everything together and releasing the PU some time soon, and just building on that.

FPS module is still coming. You can see status reports every Friday. They just didn't give it any stage time since we've seen it a lot and there isn't anything particularly new to show.

2.0 alpha which they showed today is slightly further out.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Weren't the old Wing Commander games about trying to be movie-like experiences with big-name actors in their day as well? I think that's what Wing Commander 3 and 4 were trying to do, but that was at around the dawn of CD-ROM gaming.
 
Yeah but more to the point, lots of people are happy about playing with lower settings and plan for building / getting a better system at a later point to enjoy it at a higher fidelity. Crysis was very much the same. I'd be fairly sure the goal wouldn't be to sell like crazy from the start, but to have a very long term plan and additional content over time


This really has nothing to do with "mass market" or "becoming mainstream by being compatible with next generation consoles". The idea would be to have this going in the long term, since the game (outside of Squadron 42) is not something that simply ends. Similar to Crysis, it becomes a matter of steady sales while more and more people have compatible PCs, but also additional content over time

It's such a console gaming mentality to assume a game is attempting to go for the "mass market" and that the solution is "consoles", disregarding they dynamics of what can happen on the PC in terms of audience, and hardware changes over time. I'd almost wonder if many console gamers would have had an interest in things like this game if it weren't for the graphics, or if they would even enjoy playing something like Wing Commander

My point is that the only reason I'd consider this cast a justifiable expense, is if it brought attention to the project that would otherwise not exist. I first understood this announcement as a PR play. But that doesn't make sense, since the overwhelming majority of people simply cannot play this game next year without buying new hardware. I'm sure the game is perfectly enjoyable at the lower end of the spectrum, but even that isn't currently in the hands of most potential players.

Do you honestly believe that in the next year, millions of people are going to decide to purchase a new desktop PC? When most of their computing use is adequately covered by a phone, tablet, and laptop? I'm sure the overall PC market is growing, but not at that sort of rate.

I don't think it's a purely 'console mentality' (whatever that term means), to assume that assembling the highest profile cast in the history of gaming is a means of growing awareness. That's been the rationale behind most 'big name' castings.

I understand getting a star to do mocap in your cinematic game, but this is an extremely high-profile collection of talent. It can't have come cheap, and if that cost isn't recoverable through sales directly attributed to that cast - that feels like a weird investment. Especially for such a mechanics-heavy game, that most people aren't even playing for the story. That's the source of my confusion.
 
Weren't the old Wing Commander games about trying to be movie-like experiences with big-name actors in their day as well? I think that's what Wing Commander 3 and 4 were trying to do, but that was at around the dawn of CD-ROM gaming.

Yeah they even made a Wing Commander movie and the games (3 and 4?) had a bunch of FMV stuff.

My point is that the only reason I'd consider this cast a justifiable expense, is if it brought attention to the project that would otherwise not exist. I first understood this announcement as a PR play. But that doesn't make sense, since the overwhelming majority of people simply cannot play this game next year without buying new hardware. I'm sure the game is perfectly enjoyable at the lower end of the spectrum, but even that isn't currently in the hands of most potential players.

Do you honestly believe that in the next year, millions of people are going to decide to purchase a new desktop PC? When most of their computing use is adequately covered by a phone, tablet, and laptop? I'm sure the overall PC market is growing, but not at that sort of rate.

I don't think it's a purely 'console mentality' (whatever that term means), to assume that assembling the highest profile cast in the history of gaming is a means of growing awareness. That's been the rationale behind most 'big name' castings.

I understand getting a star to do mocap in your cinematic game, but this is an extremely high-profile collection of talent. It can't have come cheap, and if that cost isn't recoverable through sales directly attributed to that cast - that feels like a weird investment. Especially for such a mechanics-heavy game, that most people aren't even playing for the story. That's the source of my confusion.

It's a $91 million dollar project at this point, that's goal is to make a no compromising PC video game, spending an large amount on the cast of half of their game is an entirely justifiable thing to do. The SQ42 part is the part of the game that will most easily be used to attract new players, it's big, it's a spectacle and it's most easily explainable and recognizable to new players. If hiring big name actors is what will help pull some people into buying the game once it's released than that's a win for all people involved.

You say are millions of people going to buy a PC next year when their computing needs are covered by a phone or tablet... absolutely not. If said person simply wants a PC for computing then Star Citizen isn't for that person, what I do believe is that thousands maybe even tens of thousands of people will be building PC's to play this game, and will continue for years to come as the game continues to grow.

The console mentality that he is referring to that a game needs to sell gang busters day one until the new hotness comes out then sales drop, PC gaming is different than that, games have much longer legs than the typical console game. Slow and steady growth is the way I see this game is going, especially one that's as future proofed as this game in terms of performance, like an MMO, World of Warcraft didn't become a juggernaut in the matter of months or even years. The performance requirements between are different but the growth model is something to compare it to.

Okay, NOW they have me. I will preorder the moment there is a firm release date for S42.

Case in point lol
 

Nete

Member
Weren't the old Wing Commander games about trying to be movie-like experiences with big-name actors in their day as well? I think that's what Wing Commander 3 and 4 were trying to do, but that was at around the dawn of CD-ROM gaming.

Yep. Now they just have tons more of money, so more and better actors.

There are actually "movie" videos on YT of the Wing Commanders. 2 hours of cheese FMV scenes each.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qYItb4g6qg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc7xZulpJGI
 
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