In this video, Daniel Raymond, the voice behind Ray’s Guide, shares his reflections on the CitizenCon Direct watch party he co-hosted in Los Angeles. Despite the audience being highly motivated and committed, willing to travel long distances and financially support the event, their overall rating for the show was a modest 6 out of 10. The main disappointment stemmed from the lack of coverage on many anticipated topics such as engineering and passenger transport, with only 14 out of 75 bingo card items addressed during the event. This indicated that the audience’s expectations were not fully met, even though they were eager to engage with the content.
The event had some notable highlights, especially the focus on Nyx, which dominated the first quarter and was well received. Attendees were enthusiastic about the genuine carrier operations involving repair, refuel, and rearm missions, as well as complex mission sequences like Rockcracker. However, there was some reservation among solo players who felt these features catered more to group play. The audience also expressed excitement about planetary tech and large team organization, although they noted the absence of updates on dynamic economy models for interstellar cargo missions, which many had hoped to hear about.
Ship reveals generated mixed reactions, with the Paladin receiving the most interest, followed by the concept of the Gray Market Shiv, appreciated more for its potential in ship customization and kitbashing than the ship itself. Daniel suggested that the Gray Market could also serve as a mission giver for towing tasks, catering to solo industrial players. The Stinger was admired for its design, but alien ships faced skepticism due to the perceived “alien tax” on gameplay. The new weapons were seen as humorously bizarre, filling a niche since most standard weapon types are already covered, while the introduction of binoculars was praised as a practical addition.
Crafting was noted as interesting but currently limited to weapon customization, with attendees calling for better trading tools like secure interfaces and consignment stores to make crafting more viable and rewarding. Instancing was recognized as an important development, though there was a wait-and-see attitude regarding its effectiveness in addressing demands for PvE shards. The event also spotlighted the mechanical systems players will interact with, such as fixing power plants and activating lasers, which drew comparisons to the movie Brazil in terms of municipal services missions.
A significant concern among the audience was the lack of news about Squadron 42, with many hoping for updates or a save-the-date for future events. Despite this, a brief segment featuring a high-quality animation of “fake Jared” gave a glimmer of hope about the game’s progress. Daniel critiqued the event’s editing, noting that too much time was spent with people talking about content rather than showing it, and that some segments lacked visual engagement and focus. He suggested that a traditional sprint report, possibly hosted by virtual Jared, would have improved the event’s pacing and fan satisfaction. Overall, the watch party audience felt the event could have been much better, reflecting a desire for more substantial and visually engaging content.
