The video critiques Star Citizen for drifting away from its original promise as an epic space simulation, with current gameplay focusing heavily on repetitive space missions and ground-based FPS events rather than engaging space combat. While hopeful for upcoming features like ship engineering and a dynamic economy to revitalize the space sim experience, the creator urges patience as development priorities currently hinder progress in the persistent universe.
The video discusses the main problem with Star Citizen as perceived by a long-time player who has been involved since the game’s inception in 2012. Initially, Star Citizen was pitched as the ultimate space simulation game, promising epic space adventures involving flying ships, combat, trading, and exploration. However, the creator expresses disappointment that the game has drifted away from this original vision, with the current flight model and spaceflight experience feeling less elaborate and engaging than in earlier versions, particularly the 2.x branch.
The current space content in Star Citizen is described as thin and repetitive. The player highlights that many classic space missions and events, such as bounty hunting, mission chains like those involving Maart or Tessa Bister, and combat beacons, have disappeared. The main space-related activities now revolve around grinding similar types of missions, mostly involving asteroid field fights, which the creator finds monotonous and less enjoyable compared to more dynamic combat scenarios around stations or planets.
A significant shift in focus has occurred within the game’s development, moving away from space simulation towards ground-based first-person shooter (FPS) events. The video notes that most recent content, including events like Align and Mine and the Lazarus Complex, centers on fighting NPCs on foot rather than engaging in space combat. While the creator appreciates FPS gameplay, they emphasize that it should be a secondary feature rather than the main focus, as it detracts from the core space sim experience that Star Citizen originally promised.
Despite the current shortcomings, the video acknowledges that there is hope for the future. Upcoming features such as ship engineering, which would allow players to repair their ships mid-battle, and the Star Sim system, which aims to introduce a dynamic, simulated economy with NPC traffic, PvE piracy, and smart mission spawning, could revitalize the game’s space simulation aspect. However, these improvements depend on the game’s development speed and priorities, which are currently hindered by the focus on the Quantum 42 single-player project.
In conclusion, the creator urges patience from the community, recognizing that the current state of Star Citizen may be a temporary filler phase while bigger systems are developed. However, as long as the persistent universe remains stagnant and secondary to other projects, the game will struggle to fulfill its promise as the best space sim ever. The video ends with a call to viewers to share their opinions, participate in a giveaway, and support the channel.