| 1 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/star_citizen_logo.png]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | ->''Strap into one of dozens of ships and embark on a life within the Star Citizen universe.\ |
| 4 | Unbound by profession or skill sets, you choose the path of your own life.'' |
| 5 | |
| 6 | ''Star Citizen'' is an upcoming {{Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing|Game}} space SimulationGame developed by Chris Roberts' company Cloud Imperium Games, and a SpiritualSuccessor to his earlier titles ''VideoGame/WingCommander'', ''VideoGame/{{Starlancer}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}''. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Roberts took about ten years off after ''Freelancer'' to make movies with mixed success (such as ''Film/LordOfWar''), and in 2012 he came back to pitch a space simulator with vast quantities of SceneryPorn, chiefly comprising two parts: |
| 9 | * A multiplayer '''Persistent Universe''' (PU) where players can interact with each other in a complex simulation of the galaxy set 930 years in TheFuture. |
| 10 | * '''Squadron 42''', a single-player campaign that shares the same setting as the PU, which puts the player in the shoes of a pilot serving the United Empire of Earth (UEE). |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Due to a lack of major publisher interest, Roberts turned to crowdsourcing the funding for ''Star Citizen'' through [[http://www.robertsspaceindustries.com his website]] and [[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cig/star-citizen Kickstarter]]. On October 17, 2013, the project achieved its full crowdfunding goal of $23 million (the gap between million-dollar milestones was sometimes as short as ''four days'') and has long since become the highest-grossing crowdfunding project of all time. Despite the delays, ''Star Citizen'' still receives several million dollars a month in new funding. It has received over $500 million dollars from a combination of public crowdfunding & private investment. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ''Star Citizen'' is also notorious for its [[ExtremelyLengthyCreation extremely long]] [[DevelopmentHell development time]], with the game still in alpha development as of 2023. ''Squadron 42'' was originally slated for a 2014 release, but once that year elapsed, a 2016 release was suggested; when even the projected 2016 release window was not met, no further release dates were given, although development concepts and footage are broadcast occasionally on the official [[https://www.youtube.com/@RobertsSpaceInd YouTube channel]] as well as via monthly email updates to all backers. The PU was initially launched on December 11, 2015, and continues to receive content updates on a near-quarterly basis. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | In 2023, it was finally announced that ''Squadron 42'' had entered [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtjzLzs7V8&t=806s&ab_channel=StarCitizen the final phase of development]] and was being optimized for release. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | %% The ship releases on November 26th, 2013 pushed ''Star Citizen'' to a new record: raising over one million dollars in less than a day. [[https://robertsspaceindustries.com/funding-goals The total broke 9 figures]] in late 2015, making it one of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_video_games_to_develop top 25 most expensive games]] and by far the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest_funded_crowdfunding_projects highest grossing crowdfunded video game ever made.]] |
| 19 | ---- |
| 20 | !!''Star Citizen'' provides examples of the following tropes: |
| 21 | |
| 22 | * AcceptableBreaksFromReality: In its current release (as of ''Star Citizen'' Alpha 3.20), all ships are given much more power to their main thrusters so that they can fly normally within an atmosphere or in space, regardless of whether the ship in question is a SpacePlane like the [=F8C=] Lightning, which is designed to be maneuverable in both atmosphere and space, or the brick-shaped Cutter, which relies on a pair of oversized rear swivel thrusters to move itself. This trope is expected to be averted once control surfaces are fully implemented, which will cause every ship to fly differently in atmosphere and space based on their profile and thruster configuration. |
| 23 | * AceCustom: |
| 24 | ** Several hand-carry guns have empty slots where equipment attachments, mainly optics, stabilizers, and scopes, can be mounted, slightly modifying the gun's performance. It is thus possible for two of the same gun model, carried by different players, to be different in terms of appearance and firing characteristics. |
| 25 | ** Beyond a change of paint, most ships can be customised with different weapons and internal systems. Some ships, like the RSI Galaxy, go one step further by having customisable ''ship modules'' that completely change the ship's intended role. |
| 26 | * AlienGeometries: The Banu employ [[OrganicTechnology organic-looking ship designs]]. |
| 27 | * AliensSpeakingEnglish: The Banu can speak English, though they do have some difficulty. |
| 28 | * AllianceMeter: A faction system is planned, but most details have yet to be revealed. |
| 29 | * AlmightyJanitor: Drake Interplanetary is one of the smaller vehicle manufacturers in the verse and generally proclaim that they cater to the SelfMadeMan, but due to their spacecraft being [[BoringButPractical cheaper than competitors while still retaining comparable levels of performance]], a significant portion of their revenue comes from business dealings with outlaws and pirates, which allows them to compete with much larger big-time manufacturers such as Aegis Dynamics and RSI. Two of their most prominent ship lines also have pirate-themed names (Buccaneer and Cutlass), while their Caterpillar freighter has an alternate paint scheme that is ''openly known'' as the "Pirate Edition". |
| 30 | * {{Antimatter}}: A dangerous and highly explosive form of starship fuel. |
| 31 | * ArmoredCoffins: There is a noticeable number of ships whose expected usage is to either engage in ship combat and/or fly through heavy fire but lack any immediate exits from the cockpit in the event the ship is likely to be destroyed. |
| 32 | ** A particularly egregious example with the Drake Buccaneer, which is a fighter. |
| 33 | ** The Crusader Mercury Star Runner {{exaggerate|dTrope}}s this trope by being a freighter-sized medium ship with only ''one'' entry point—the loading ramp at the back of the ship—and unlike the ''[[Franchise/StarWars Millennium Falcon]]'' that it draws a lot of inspiration from, the Mercury does not have escape pods. |
| 34 | ** {{Downplayed|trope}} with the RSI Aurora and MISC Prospector. In both cases, there is an airlock located very close to the cockpit, but it still requires the pilot to spend several seconds exiting their seat, getting to the airlock, opening it, and exiting the ship, as opposed to an ejection seat that instantly shoots the pilot out of the ship. |
| 35 | * ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The Writers' Guides, in fleshing out the universe in which the game takes place, list several technologies that are probably near-universally illegal: gene warfare, anything that can easily be used for genocide, genetic augmentation (vat-grown supersoldiers), balloon-animal engines, synthesizing black holes... |
| 36 | * ArtificialGravity: Present in all but the smallest single-seat fighters, as well as ships that have experienced a soft death. A general rule of thumb is that if there is room to walk around and the location has not experienced decompression or catastrophic hull failure, there is artificial gravity. |
| 37 | * AscendedMeme: The last 24 hours of the crowdfunding campaign were streamed from lent office space in Austin, TX. For about two hours, the team went out for dinner and left an IKEA table lamp with a paper sign taped to it perched in front of a camera as a makeshift, "We'll be right back" sign. The Star Citizen team returned to find that, in their absence, the silly, sleep-deprived fan community had begun building all sorts of weird lore around the lamp, jokingly deifying it, naming squadrons or guilds for it, giving it an imagined personality, addressing direct questions to it in the chat threads, and so forth. Some members of the development team joined in on the joke, and at least for the foreseeable future, the Lamp will continue to make appearances in some of the development team webcasts. As of the Hangar Module release, you can now buy the Lamp as an in-game decoration. |
| 38 | * AsteroidMiners: |
| 39 | ** Becoming one is a possible source of income for players. The scale of the mining ranges from player-carried multi-tools and mining charges that allow even players without a ship to mine and harvest valuable minerals from specific rocks, right up to giant ships that equip lasers designed to cut up huge asteroids in {{Asteroid Thicket}}s. |
| 40 | ** The first chapter of ''Squadron 42'' revolves around an active asteroid mining colony. |
| 41 | * AsteroidThicket: Played straight with many asteroid fields scattered throughout the verse, where dodging asteroids and careful ship flying is a must. |
| 42 | * AwesomeButImpractical: |
| 43 | ** Origin's 300 series of ships have a beautiful looking blue heads-up-display, which is great for deep space, but not so great when dogfighting against the backdrop of a blue planet that's almost the exact same color as the HUD. |
| 44 | ** The decision to pair largely fanciful, unrealistic starship designs with a realistic physics platform has led to quite a lot of interesting results. For instance, the Mustang's engines mounted above the center-of-mass has the effect of causing the craft to spin around forever due to the moment generated by off-center thrust, forcing the craft to continuously use its ventral RCS thrusters to counteract the moment to fly straight. God help a Mustang pilot—[[VomitIndiscretionShot and his stomach]]—who loses the ventral thrusters due to damage, resulting in them endlessly spinning in circles. |
| 45 | * BarbarianTribe: The [[MeaningfulName Vanduul]] are an entire spacefaring race of these-nomadic, piratical tribes with an inexplicable hatred of the UEE and love of stealing everything of theirs that isn't nailed down. Individual humans can negotiate with them though. |
| 46 | * TheBattlestar: The ''Bengal''-class carrier. One kilometer long and absolutely bristling with guns, the BeamSpam is quite a sight to behold when the Vanduul attack. Meanwhile its flight decks appear to run the entire length of the ship, with doors at both the rear and front, though no hard numbers on how many fighters it can carry have been provided. These won't be available for purchase, but players can still get their hands on them by finding an abandoned derelict ''Bengal'', then repairing and refitting it for use. |
| 47 | * BoardingParty: Players have the option of forming these to capture ships and space stations. |
| 48 | * BoomHeadshot: A shot to the head is more likely to kill someone than almost anything else during [[FirstPersonShooter FPS combat]]. |
| 49 | * BoringButPractical: |
| 50 | ** Drake Interplanetary ships fit the trope, with their extremely brutalist and shoddy-looking appearances countered by the ships doing whatever they are supposed to do really well, often at a price lower than their competitors. |
| 51 | ** The Consolidated Outland Nomad is a {{meta|game}}-example among all starter ships. It gets a lot less mention than other starter ships because its cost makes it a borderline non-starter ship, and between the Syulen and Avenger Titan—the other two starter ships with a slightly lower price tag—it lacks the [[FlyingCutlerySpaceship flashiness]] of the Syulen or sheer stopping power of the Titan's [[{{BFG}} Size 4 nose-mounted gun]]. However, it is the only starter ship that has a tractor beam, 24 SCU of cargo space, and an open-top back that is large enough to accommodate a Greycat ROC-DS, on top of a ship interior that includes local inventory space, a bed, and a bathroom. In terms of combat, the Nomad is no slouch, with its three Size 3 guns backed by a remote-controlled turret that can fit two Size 2 guns, and missile racks holding up to eight Size 2 missiles. The Nomad's three Size 1 shields also make it the tankiest starter ship. These features combined allow the Nomad to cover all major gameplay loops, including delivery missions, cargo running, bounty hunting, and mining, making it ideal for players who need a single ship that can do a bit of everything. |
| 52 | * BrandX: Mixed with RecycledInSpace and {{AKA47}}. Several ships and weapons are inspired by real life equipment. The Vanguard is an oversized, science fiction P-38 Lightning interceptor from World War 2, though it has the top turret typically seen on light bombers like the A-20 Havoc (also a CallBack to the fact that heavy fighters in World War 2, whether purpose-built or converted from light bombers, were often equipped with additional trainable machineguns to defend themselves against enemy aircraft not directly in front of them). The concept art for a ''Star Marine'' assault rifle is a G36 that has been greebled up with some sci-fi touches like an LED ammo counter and a ludicrously huge scope. Origin Jumpworks Gmbh is an expy of BMW, down to the alphanumeric naming system (Origin ships even includes the "i" fuel injection ArtifactTitle seen on [=BMWs=]!) and the German trappings. |
| 53 | * BreakableWeapons: Guns will need regular maintenance after getting bombarded by other players constantly, and so will your ship. But if they're kept well-maintained you'll never lose them outside of combat. |
| 54 | * BribingYourWayToVictory: {{Subverted|trope}}; in its current development phase, some high-end ships, such as the [=F8C=] Lightning, are available only via a limited-time sale. However, players can buy most ships using only in-game currency, and some of the best personal equipment are obtainable only by looting bunkers and dead characters in-game. One of the stated end-goals of ''Star Citizen'' is for every player-owned ship and equipment to be available without having to pay real-world currency. |
| 55 | * CardboardPrison: {{Subverted|trope}} with the Klescher Rehabilitation Facility, which serves as a prison for players who get caught engaging in criminal activity. While it is possible to escape, the only way currently is through a complicated maze of caves with several difficult jumps across pits, and even if you do successfully escape the facility you're not in the clear yet, as the outside temperature on Aberdeen is about 220 degrees Celsius, meaning you will quickly die of heat exposure unless another player comes to pick you up in their ship or [[spoiler: you input the right passcode to unlock a rover garage]]. |
| 56 | * CentrifugalGravity: The Orion mining vessel has a trio of centrifuges, two of which spin clockwise and the third counter-clockwise. Bizarrely, the centrifuges are for the ''ore'' rather than the crew compartment, which uses ArtificialGravity. |
| 57 | * ColonyDrop: It's suspected by Parker Terrell, that Ellis XI's moon being knocked out of orbit and [[EarthShatteringKaboom shattering the planet]] was not a natural occurrence, and the government was testing working [[LostTechnology Hadesian weaponry]] they had found. This is probably a subversion, as Terrell is ''nuts.'' See his entry below. |
| 58 | * {{Conscription}}: The Xi'an Empire enforces mandatory military service for ''fifteen years''. |
| 59 | * ConspiracyTheorist: Parker Terrell, an investigative journalist for New United and all-around paranoid, anti-UEE nut. Unlike most conspiracy theorists in fiction, most of what he sees seems to be a product of his own mind (to the point of him suddenly vanishing after he had an anxiety attack due to a particularly suspicious...vent repairman. Not even one who followed him too, from what he says it sounds like the guy was just a normal working stiff). |
| 60 | * CoolHelmet: Outlaw Heavy armor sports a skeletal, utilitarian gas mask-esque helmet with [[GlowingMechanicalEyes glowing red lights near the eyeholes]]. |
| 61 | * DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: Intended to be {{subverted|trope}} with future development. The developers have stated that eventually Player Characters will have a set number of "lives" before they eventually die for good and have to be replaced by a new avatar who will inherit some of their assets. Somewhat {{justified|trope}} in that it's stated that medical technology has come such a long way that people can often be resuscitated from situations that would've been fatal centuries ago. |
| 62 | * DesignItYourselfEquipment: The planned customization system is this when used to its extremes. You can pick a basic model and modify it to such an extent that it barely resembles the default model you normally receive. |
| 63 | * DiegeticInterface: All ships have flight-simulator-esque cockpits that update based on the current status of the ship. Conventional HUD elements will also appear only if your character is wearing something, such as a helmet, to project them. |
| 64 | * EjectionSeat: Most fighter craft come with an ejection system. In Arena Commander, ejection functions like a suicide button. |
| 65 | * TheEmpire: The UEE during the [[TheEmperor Messer]] Era is this especially, and [[CrapsackWorld unfortunately not in any enlightened way]]. SecretPolice, [[HeKnowsTooMuch people going missing]], [[HumansAreBastards extreme xenophobia]], and more. It should come as no surprise that anything involving the Messers is usually followed by an apology on behalf of the human race, and it is outright stated in the Lore that every major undertaking of the post-Messer imperial government has the ultimate purpose of making amends for all the sins committed by the Messers against not only Humanity but also aliens. |
| 66 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 67 | ** In the backstory, as UEE Merchant Navy mobilizes to make humanitarian runs to and from a system that recently experienced a Vanduul raid, they've noted that pirate opposition is about a third of what they expected there to be. |
| 68 | ** According to the lore, some pirates diametrically disapprove of the act of shooting ejected pilots or escape pods. |
| 69 | * {{Expy}}: ''Galactic Gear/Galactic Tour/Whitley's Guide'' host Jax [=McCleary=] is [[Series/TopGear Jeremy]] [[Series/TheGrandTour Clarkson]] [[RecycledInSpace in SPACE]]. |
| 70 | * FashionableAsymmetry: The Vanduul Scythe fighter is *very* asymmetrical. It has a very large reinforced starboard side wing that can be used for {{ramming|alwaysworks}}, but only a stub wing on the port side for weapons. A symmetrical version, the Glaive, is used by elite pilots, however. |
| 71 | * FasterThanLightTravel: Via Jump Points, wormholes used for interstellar travel- most established ones are stable, others not so much. Combined with the fact that even stable jump routes can be hazardous enough to be heavily dependent on computer-assisted flight (based on data gathered by explorers who scanned and charted those jump routes) for safe travel, this makes "info runners"- essentially couriers [[RecycledInSpace in space]]- a vital profession within the Human society as a whole. |
| 72 | * FixedForwardFacingWeapon: |
| 73 | ** The Ares heavy fighters feature a massive off-center gun that only fires directly forwards. |
| 74 | ** Ship guns that are mounted directly on ship weapon hardpoints play this trope straight, as they only fire forwards with zero spread. Gimbal mounts are a workaround, which gives any fixed weapon mounted on them a firing arc but also restricts compatible weapons to one size lower than the gimbal mount (except for size 1 gimbal mounts). |
| 75 | * FlyingCar: "Hovers" are the main form of transportation within the atmospheres of more populated planets, whereas ground transportation still exists but is primarily used for utility and industrial purposes. Hover traffic is regulated with "traffic planes", local altitudes where air travel is allowed in a specific direction. For spaceships, there are routes leading to landing zones and exits to merge with traffic planes. |
| 76 | * FragileSpeedster: Origin ships are generally very agile at the cost of durability. The M50 Interceptor is flat-out the most agile ship in the game but melts under return fire and can only fit two Size 1 fixed guns and a Size 1 missile pylon; its primary purpose is racing, with the weaponry being somewhat of an afterthought. The 300 series is a more general-purpose ship but is still skewed towards agility at the cost of durability and cargo capacity. |
| 77 | * GatlingGood: Ballistic gatling guns are this trope in form and function, having a spin-up time before unleashing a relentless torrent of lead, making them a devastating weapon against unshielded hulls. Their longevity in battle is limited by them requiring physical ammunition. |
| 78 | * GenesisEffect: {{Deconstructed|Trope}} by the UEE with the [=SynthWorld=] Project, which was originally meant as a show of scientific progress and good will after the HostileTerraforming the [[TheEmpire Messer Era]] used. The [=SynthWorld=] was a logistical nightmare and a financial disaster, leaving the Empire hemorrhaging money until they began selling planets in the Stanton System to [[MegaCorp supercorporations]]. Development of the [=SynthWorld=] is ongoing, but mostly for publicity at this point; promises of "new advances" come year after year, but the [=SynthWorld=] has remained a shifting unstable planetary mass showing no signs of improvement for 70 years. |
| 79 | * GunPorn: |
| 80 | ** Towards the end of the official [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0gZES2pTWk Anvil Aerospace Hornet Commercial]], the pilot of the eponymous light fighter unloads all ''six'' guns on a hapless pirate that he had [[DodgeByBraking dodged by braking]], complete with close-up shots of the ship's laser repeaters and ballistic gatlings blazing away. |
| 81 | ** Most in-game weapon stores have several personal and ship guns up on prominent display shelves/mounts/cases, allowing players to walk right up to them and inspect every detail. |
| 82 | * GhostPlanet: The Hades system is the graveyard of an ancient civilization thought to have destroyed themselves in civil war. Three of the four planets in the system have been devastated by weapons unlike any mankind has seen before, while the fourth planet was cracked entirely in half. Traders claim the system is haunted and tell stories about the ghostly visage of the "blue man." |
| 83 | * GrapplingHookPistol: This is an improvised use of the gun-shaped multi-tool's TractorBeam attachment. Just as the beam can be used to move lighter objects around, the beam can also be fired against an immovable object to ''pull'' the user towards it. |
| 84 | * HollywoodAtheist: According to the Writer's Guide, the Vanduul society is centered around the selfish individual, because the idea of a higher power aiding or guiding life never caught on. |
| 85 | * HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: The inside of jump points, known as interspace, has been described as a smear of sight and sound. Movement is both fast and slow. There are bodies of unidentified mass in interspace that can damage or destroy your vessel. |
| 86 | * InertialDampening: Nonexistent in fighter craft, indirectly in large craft. Fighter pilots ''will'' blackout during high-acceleration maneuvers. In large craft, the pilot is still susceptible to G-forces but the crew and anyone walking around in the ship's ArtificialGravity are not; the ship could be spinning wildly at 3000 RPM while pulling 30 g's and the crew (sans the pancaked pilot) will be none the worse for wear. |
| 87 | ** Since partially averted; while inertial dampening still exists in the sense that high-G maneuvers won't reduce passengers to paste, sufficiently strong G-forces will now knock them off their feet unless properly seated. |
| 88 | * InformedAttribute: The Origin [=300i=] is claimed to be an all-purpose luxury tourer (a Space BMW, essentially), but has a cramped, spartan, and poorly laid-out cabin. On the other hand, it fulfills its touring designation pretty good, being agile and having a good top speed. |
| 89 | -->'''Jax [=McCleary=]:''' A ship that brags about its extra comfy beds isn't exactly what you want when you're looking for a ''racer''. |
| 90 | * InterfaceScrew: Pulling excessive negative or positive G's will cause your screen to turn red or black, respectively. Due this for too long and you will black out for a few seconds, losing all control of the ship. |
| 91 | * {{Kayfabe}}: The numerous official ship commercials are ''always'' portrayed as genuine advertisements for the feature ship, with only the wording in the last few seconds of most commercials indicating that they are trailers for ''Star Citizen''. |
| 92 | * LatexSpaceSuit: Most undersuits are form-fitting and offer minimal protection and limited carrying slots versus armor sets and exploration suits. |
| 93 | * LawEnforcementInc: While the standard United Empire of Earth penal code technically applies in the Stanton System, the UEE does not police the region. Private squadrons and hired mercenaries belonging to the inhabiting [[MegaCorp supercorporations]] enforce their own laws there. |
| 94 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In the ''Galactic Gear'' review (a parody of the ''Series/TopGear'' series), as the host is careening at top speed in the new M50 racer/interceptor designed by [[MeaningfulName Origin Jumpworks]], he screams "Origin, do you hear me?! Apology accepted! [[OhCrap APOLOGY ACCEPTED!!]]" |
| 95 | * LegacyCharacter: The final version of ''Star Citizen'''s death and resurrection mechanics are intended to be this. Players can sustain a limited number of lethal events, which are repaired with advanced medicine tech and cybernetics. When the player sustains too many lethal injuries and die, the player designs their next-of-kin and will retain all of their belongings, minus estate taxes, allowing them to continue playing. |
| 96 | * LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: {{Zigzagged|trope}}; ''Star Citizen'' is one of the first video games where its system requirements outright state that installation on a solid-state drive is recommended. If it is installed on a hard disk drive, the game can take so long to load that the server will kick you out for timing out while still loading; upwards of five minutes is not unheard of. Optimizations to the game have since reduced the load times, especially when the game is installed on a solid-state drive. Within the game, however, there are no loading screens when moving between ships and locations (even though some assets may occasionally fail to load fast enough). |
| 97 | * MacrossMissileMassacre: |
| 98 | ** It's not clear how many it can fire at once, but the RSI Constellation mounts a ''lot'' of missile racks - two on each side that swing out from the hull and then two more that rise up out of the roof. If it can fire all of them at once (or at least fire them very rapidly) it'll fit this trope perfectly. |
| 99 | ** The MISC Freelancer-MIS variant features missile racks that can be retracted and reloaded from inside the cargo hold. The Freelancer is nominally an armored light cargo ship. |
| 100 | ** In the ingame "commercial" for Cutlass by Drake Interplanetary, a Scythe pilot tries to pull a small one off against the titular ship, only to see it [[MisguidedMissile lured back to him and blowing up in his face]]. |
| 101 | * {{Microtransactions}}: Of the "buy in-game currency with real money" variety, as well as in game content like ships sold either individually or in packs. Originally there was a cap on how much currency you could have, but it was removed and replaced with a cap of how much you could buy, limited by real time as a countermeasure against PayToWin. |
| 102 | * MileLongShip: The ''Bengal''-class carrier, largest known ship of the UEE is 1km in length. The [[http://i.imgur.com/Pqubhe1.jpg Vanduul Kingship]] is a literal MileLongShip. |
| 103 | * MiniMecha: Snub-sized fighters and vehicles fall into this trope, but Aopoa's Nox and Origin's X1 series of hoverbikes take the cake—they are small enough to fit through the doors of bunkers and be carried in some of the larger land vehicles. Excluding the X1 Velocity, both bikes come equipped with a Size 1 ''ship gun'', but the X1 Force also has a {{Deflector Shield|s}} in addition to the gun, essentially making the latter [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill a ground-borne ship in a gunfight.]] |
| 104 | * MotionBlur: Early versions of the Hangar Module had sickening amounts of motion blur that could not be deactivated, though the current version allows it to be disabled via a console command. |
| 105 | * NationalWeapon: The entire alien civilization of Vanduul seem to be fixated with knives, which can be seen across all of the limited cultural information that humans have about them. |
| 106 | * NitroBoost: Ships have both a boost and an afterburner, tied to the same key and fuel source. Tapping and holding the key will boost, ramping up the thrust of all of the ships thrusters for faster acceleration. Double tapping and holding will kick on the afterburner, temporarily overriding the top speed. Fuel regenerates at a moderate pace when not in use, allowing fairly frequent boosts and burns. |
| 107 | * NoBiochemicalBarriers: |
| 108 | ** {{Averted|Trope}} for the Vanduul, who do not breathe oxygen. While it's not clear what they do breathe, we know humans can't survive in it. |
| 109 | ** Played straight for fish so far though, fish and crustaceans from around the galaxy can live happily in the same tank. |
| 110 | * OldSchoolDogfight: {{Averted|Trope}}—while many of the ships are {{Space Fighter}}s armed with {{Fixed Forward Facing Weapon}}s, the game uses Newtonian physics, which allows ships to spin around and blast targets "behind" them without affecting their direction of travel. |
| 111 | * OutlawTown: |
| 112 | ** The "planet" ''Spider'', a titanic collection of shipwrecks in an otherwise planetless system run by SpacePirates. |
| 113 | ** The [[https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/13093-System-Unlock-Fora Fora System]] and its single inhabited world Hyperion is home to "pirates, smugglers, and worse, who are largely ignored by the local police garrison." |
| 114 | * PhotoprotoneutronTorpedo: Neutron cannons, particle guns and proton torpedoes |
| 115 | * PlanetOfHats: The Banu are [[SpaceJews benevolent traders]], the Xi'An are [[SpaceElves wise, long-lived diplomats]] and the Vanduul are an [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy agressive species who solve all of their problems through brute force]]. Only time will tell if the mysterious Kr'Thak will also get their own hat. |
| 116 | * PlanetTerra: Separate from Earth and named for its Earth-like qualities. |
| 117 | * PortalNetwork: [[OurWormholesAreDifferent Jump points]] are a series of interstellar gateways. Each time a new one is discovered it has to be [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace carefully mapped]] by an explorer, who records and (usually) shares a clear path, allowing other ships with the data to safely autopilot through. |
| 118 | * PoweredArmor: Class IX space suits are somewhere between a space suit and the power loader from Aliens. These repair the outsides of large ships, move heavy objects in hangars, etc. |
| 119 | * ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Tevarin fought two wars against the UEE. The first was a simple land grab, which ended in their home planet being occupied. The second was led by an aspiring warlord, which ended [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled when their remaining forces dove into their homeworld's atmosphere without heat shields.]] |
| 120 | * PsychoKnifeNut: A Vanduul's knife is their most treasured possession. While it is possible to legitimately gain one through personal combat, if the Vanduul discover that someone has obtained a knife through theft or sale, they will take it back in the most excruciating way possible. |
| 121 | * RandomEncounters: You drop out of [[ZipMode autopilot]] if you come within a certain distance of another ship. |
| 122 | * RamScoop: Every ship in Star Citizen has at least one to scoop unrefined hydrogen with, which is not as effective as the fuel you find at refueling facilities. Upgraded intakes can increase the effectiveness of the hydrogen, at the cost of increased heat and radar signature. Ships can scoop from gas giants to fill their tanks, but spaceborne hydrogen will be enough to keep a ship from ever running entirely out of fuel; a ship will be able to rely on it to slowly scoot its way back to a refueling point. Some ships (like the ''Starfarer'' fuel tanker) can be equipped with machinery to refine hydrogen into proper starship fuel on the go. |
| 123 | * RuleOfCool: |
| 124 | ** Drake Interplanetary was not named after a specific location or person. The name was chosen because its founders hoped that adding "Drake" in front of all their vehicles would increase their appeal to potential buyers. |
| 125 | ** Origin jumpwiorks manufacture vehicles that appear to {{Thrill Seeker}}s and {{Speed Demon}}s and are sometimes criticized for going with form over function. |
| 126 | ** The Xi'an build ships that have ''anti-grav'' ramps for no other purpose than looking cool. |
| 127 | * SandWorm: Large sand worms are planned to be added to a distant future release of the game. |
| 128 | * SceneryPorn: |
| 129 | ** Along with the beautiful space backgrounds common with the genre, Roberts has said that objects in the game have about ten times the detail of most current gen games. The player character has 100,000 polygons (over 10,000 in current games), the Hornet fighter 300,000 (up from 30,000 for most normal vehicles in games today), and the Bengal carrier? Seven MILLION. Fortunately, Lumberyard is capable of culling polygons that are not visible, so the player's PC doesn't have to render them all at once. |
| 130 | ** The cities are even more breathtaking. In addition to being gorgeous, such as the currently visit-able location of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDFrihwMMjc Orison]], they are also huge and hand-crafted. |
| 131 | * ShinyLookingSpaceships: Origin Jumpworks [=GmbH=] make sleek, shiny and expensive vessels. WordOfGod compares them to BMW (hence why they use numbers as names for their ship models). |
| 132 | * ShoutOut: |
| 133 | ** Many shout-outs and callbacks to previous series involving Origin and/or Chris Roberts in the 5-minute ''Squadron 42'' demo video. |
| 134 | *** The ''Squadron 42'' reveal video introduces ''Hornet''-class light fighters, a ''Bengal''-class carrier named the UEES ''Paul Steed'' (named after a game designer with ties to Origin who passed away), and is set in the Kurasawa System of Vega Sector. In the original ''Wing Commander'', the first fighter you fly is a "Hornet" class light fighter, your carrier is the ''Bengal''-class TCS ''Tiger's Claw'', your missions take place in Vega Sector, and the second mission in the Kurasawa series is infamous for its difficulty (the Ralari escort mission, which has been known to invoke a mild form of gamer 'PTSD' in videogaming veterans). |
| 135 | *** The Vanduul Scythe looks a lot like the old Dralthi series of Kilrathi starfighters, including a forward-swept wing, overall copper/bronze and iron color scheme, batlike shape, and pronounced asymmetry. Notably, upping the ante on the shout-out, the old Kilrathi starfighters were once described as being shaped like 'ornate cutting weapons,' whereas the Vanduul Scythe actually IS an ornate cutting weapon. |
| 136 | *** The company name '''Origin''' Jumpworks --> Creator/OriginSystems Inc., a scrappy, award-winning small game company once located in Austin TX where such game industry luminaries as Richard "Lord British" Garriott, Chris Roberts, Creator/WarrenSpector, David Ladyman, Stephen Beeman, Dallas Snell, and others worked on classic titles including the ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series, ''Wing Commander'', ''Privateer'', and others. Not only that, but the game's logo is also very reminiscent of the logo used by Origin Systems, which isn't surprising to those who have played Origin games in the past. |
| 137 | *** The maker of Arena Commander is '''Original Systems'''. |
| 138 | *** The online store to rent equipment is now called: '''Electronic Access''' |
| 139 | *** The company name '''Anvil''' Aerospace --> Digital Anvil, a game company Chris Roberts founded after leaving EA in order to to develop ''Starlancer'' and ''Freelancer''. |
| 140 | *** One of the freighters in the game is actually ''called'' the Freelancer, and there's even a Freelancer title to go with it. |
| 141 | ** The single player part of the game, ''Squadron 42'', combines two different shout-outs. "Squadron" was the WorkingTitle[[invoked]] for the proposal that eventually became ''Wing Commander'', while "42" is a nod to the Creator/DouglasAdams work ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. |
| 142 | ** As mentioned above, there's the ''Series/TopGear'' expy ''"Galactic Gear"'', replaced in later videos by ''[[Series/TheGrandTour Galactic Tour.]]'' |
| 143 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvKS70FDZV8 The 890 Jump]] commercial is an in-universe example of this, parodying ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' in 2949. |
| 144 | * ShowsDamage: Spacecraft have advanced damage states; it's possible to blast off wings or even everything behind the cockpit, leaving the pilot spinning wildly through deep space. |
| 145 | * SingleBiomePlanet: |
| 146 | ** CityPlanet: The Stanton system is filled with these, in the form of planets owned by (and named after) corporations. |
| 147 | ** Cloud Planet: Crusader, an unusual world in the Stanton system formed midway between a telluric world and a gas giant. |
| 148 | ** Farm Planet: Luk'shi in the Tal system has a fully cultivated surface that makes the planet look especially beautiful when viewed from space. |
| 149 | ** Ocean Planet: Ergo is a terraformed planet in the Nemo system that is covered entirely in water, so its inhabitants build their cities on the water instead. |
| 150 | ** Volcano Planet: Tat'Ko in the Geddon system has massive underground volcanoes, giving it extreme weather patterns and a harsh atmosphere. The conditions are suitable for the Banu to live, so they have built arcologies into the planet's surface to harvest its resources. |
| 151 | * SinkTheLifeBoats: Shooting a pilot after they have ejected or left in an escape pod is viewed as something so low [[EvenEvilHasStandards even some pirates will turn on you for it]]. It will also put a high bounty on your head if anyone catches you doing it. |
| 152 | * SleeperStarship: The ''Artemis'', a human colony ship launched before the discovery of [[FasterThanLightTravel jump points]]. And now the ship is [[LostColony missing]], and it's been over 700 years since anyone's heard from it. |
| 153 | * SlowLaser: All the energy weapons revealed so far are fired in bolts rather than beams. |
| 154 | * SpaceBattle: ''Squadron 42'' opens with a big battle and is used as a sort of tutorial. |
| 155 | * SpaceColdWar: One ended between the UEE and the Xi'an shortly before the game's setting, but things are still a bit tense and many Xi'an still hold a grudge. |
| 156 | * SpaceFriction: Generally absent. However, ships have an arbitrary maximum speed depending on the model. The speed limit can temporarily be exceeded by using the afterburner, but as soon as the burner goes offline the flight assist will begin to slow you down. |
| 157 | * SpaceIsAnOcean: Massive carriers complete with a highly visible and dangerously exposed bridge from which nimble {{Space Fighter}}s launch. Concept art has also shown that large ships do have escape pods as well. On the plus side, Roberts has said that the game uses full Newtonian physics unlike his previous games. |
| 158 | * SpaceIsNoisy: To be expected. But there will be an option to turn off all unrealistic sounds and only hear what's in or hitting your ship. |
| 159 | * SpaceMarines: The United Empire of Earth Marine Corps, [[BoardingParty ship boarding specialists]] and [[ItsRainingMen drop pod soldiers]] only called upon in extreme situations. They are weapons of war, nothing more; they never handle diplomatic escorts or pull guard duty, they dust things. When not needed, they sequester themselves to their underground bases on [[DeathWorld the frozen planet Corin]] and train for the next conflict that will require their services. |
| 160 | * SpaceNavy: The United Empire of Earth Navy, in charge of the UEE's many fleets. |
| 161 | * SpacePirates: Plenty, and players have the opportunity to become them as well. |
| 162 | * SpacePlane: Most {{Space Fighter}}s, as well as ex-military fighters such as the Aegis Avenger Titan line, feature a streamlined nose as well as wings. This will give them an edge in atmospheric maneuverability over non-combat ships once control surfaces are fully implemented. |
| 163 | * SpacePolice: The Advocacy, essentially the Space FBI. They keep track of intersystem criminals and exceedingly dangerous outlaws. |
| 164 | * SpaceRomans: The UEE itself seems to be Rome in its later stages. Ruled by an Emperor and a senate, and complete with a Rome[[labelnote:*]]Earth[[/labelnote]], a Constantinople[[labelnote:*]]Terra[[/labelnote]], The Vandals[[labelnote:*]]The Vanduul[[/labelnote]], and an overextended empire. |
| 165 | * StandardHumanSpaceship: Human non-combat capital ships are, for the most part, off-gray boxes of varying complexity with gratuitous greebling. Purely human fighter craft are all straight angles with sheet metal hulls. On the other hand, Origin ships and hybrid alien designs have sleeker hulls. |
| 166 | * StandardSciFiFleet: Nearly the entire standard fleet is present in Star Citizen. |
| 167 | --> '''Chris Roberts:''' In Star Citizen you can go from a single seater ship 15 meters in length to a huge capital ship over 1km in size crewed by many players. |
| 168 | * StarfishAliens: The Osoians, the developing species in the Oso System that [[CargoCult worship a damaged human colony ship]] that landed hundreds of years ago to make repairs. Strong leg-like limbs attached at the "shoulders", with two pairs of arm-like limbs below attached to the torso, the upper pair being the more developed "prime" arms. They are covered in coarse fur that collects water, and the plate on their bug-like head [[StarfishLanguage changes colors to communicate.]] |
| 169 | * StealthInSpace: Reducing radar signature, done by getting specialized (and power hungry) variations of parts like thrusters and guns, will help keep your ship hidden. There is no [[InvisibilityCloak cloaking tech]] though, you'll always be able to spot a ship visually. |
| 170 | * SubsystemDamage: Taking hits to your maneuvering thrusters decreases your maneuverability. It has been revealed that ''every'' component and system is planned to take damage separately ''and'' the pipe system that transfers the necessary stuff from one place to another, and the results from the damage are modeled accurately. |
| 171 | * TechDemoGame: |
| 172 | ** According to ''[[http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/10/17/star-citizen-system-requirements-modding-and-potential-microstransactions-detailed/ PC Gamer]]'', the minimum requirements would bring an Xbox 360 to its knees. The ''recommended'' requirements could easily run ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' at maximum graphics settings. Brave souls wishing to test motherboard-based graphics against the initial alpha releases were advised to "[[ExplosiveOverclocking keep a fire extinguisher on standby]]". |
| 173 | ** ''Star Citizen'' runs on [=StarEngine=], a heavily modified version of Amazon Lumberyard, which in turn is an upgraded version of the same engine that powers ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'', in part because at the time of funding, ''Crysis'' was ''the'' Tech Demo Game. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen Chris Roberts admitted that he'd have developed a new engine from scratch if he had foreseen just how much funding he would get for this one game, considering how extensively the CryENGINE had to be modified for this game's ambitious requirements.]] |
| 174 | * TechnologyPorn: |
| 175 | ** Each vehicle is broken down into hundreds of sub-components, a large number of which are animated and will respond to player input. Thrusters rotate and spew exhaust, landing gears deploy, missile bays open and close, cockpit displays move in and out of view as needed, and so on. |
| 176 | ** The examples in the above bullet point can also be done inside ships ''as they are flying'', with almost no rubber-banding around the ship interior. |
| 177 | * TractorBeam: Used to move objects of significant mass without having to use physical means to do so. The first implemented version of the tractor beam is as an attachment for the player-carried multi-tool, which also incidentally doubles up as a GrapplingHookPistol. A ship-sized version is in development. |
| 178 | * {{Tuckerization}}: RSI is the oldest ship manufacturer -- and also the name of the lead developer and studio. |
| 179 | * UniversalDriversLicense: Averted, you'll need special training to get a license to fly overly large or specialized craft. |
| 180 | * UniversalUniverseTime: SET, Standard Earth Time. |
| 181 | * VestigialEmpire: The UEE is increasingly looking like one due to the money sink that is the SynthWorld project. |
| 182 | * VideoGameStealing: Averted. Piracy is in the game, but it's far from simply taking flying up and pushing a button that says ''steal''. Taking someone's ship is a long and difficult process involving completely disabling the target's ship, boarding it and fighting the crew, then hauling the wreck you won to an unlawful sort of place to have it repaired and have its Hull ID wiped and replaced. And even after that, the Advocacy will still be on the lookout for any suspicious activity involving that particular ship. |
| 183 | * VirtualPaperDoll: A very extensive clothing system is planned, with the ability to mix and match almost every article of clothing. |
| 184 | * WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture: The various currencies once used within human space were replaced with ''United Earth Credits'' in 2528. They are known as ''UEC'', ''credits'', or ''imperials'' depending on where you are. |
| 185 | * WideOpenSandbox: Very, very wide. Ultimately 115 star systems are planned, with each one taking an estimated average of 30 minutes to cross ''with autopilot enabled.'' |
| 186 | * ZipMode: Autopilot accelerates your ship to ridiculous speeds too fast for manual control to get you relatively quickly from one point to another, though you can fly from point to point at slower manual speeds if you want. Fast travel is done at speeds up to 0.2c (20% of light speed, or 60 thousand kilometers per second, or a little over 37 thousand miles per second), an arbitrary limit based on how fast the 64-bit [=CryEngine=] can handle. Systems will also not necessarily reflect real world distances/scale. |
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