Today Cloud Imperium Games released the first gameplay alpha for space-based combat game Star Citizen.
The Dogfighting Module, known currently as Arena Commander, has had a rocky start in life. Originally slated for release last Christmas, it was subsequently held back until today due to “critical issues outstanding.”
Until now, backers have seen only the inside of their hangars and the ships they have bought. Now, they get to take some of those ships into action for the first time - with free flight and dog-fighting against the game’s AI on offer. For backers who were quick enough to get in on the action, multiplayer is also available to try. The release didn’t pass without incident, however. Early on, players realized that the module had launched without the required maps - prompting a speedy patch from Cloud Imperium to fix the issue.
So far, the the response to Arena Commander has been mixed. Youtube commentators have praised the game’s graphics and relative stability for an alpha build, but question the game’s control set-up and feel, both for using a mouse and a joystick. A 1,000 post thread has already appeared on the Star Citizen official forum, sparked by fears that Arena Commander has fallen into the Arcade trap. Others, however, have been more forgiving and were quick to point out that Arena Commander has delivered on far more than what was originally promised in December.
Star Citizen is yet another Kickstarter success story, managing to raise $2,134,374 during the length of its campaign back in 2012. Since then, independent donations made through the game’s website have since increased that total by a substantial amount - nearly $45 million, to be precise.
With games of a similar genre such as Elite: Dangerous already charging ahead in their Alpha and Beta stages, it will be interesting to see what happens next in the continuing saga of Star Citizen. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the game as it progresses further through development; in the meantime, take a look at the trailer below.
