Starfighter Inc.

as somebody who grew up primarily playing the x-wing series over wing commander this is pretty exciting. that and the different focus of gameplay (session-based over PU) lends itself as a nice contrast to SC

i threw in, should be a fun one

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/impellerstudios/starfighter-inc

 

Yea just saw this 5 minutes ago, not sure, I may throw in but getting a little inundated with these, and I don't really like 'backer only' ships, unless they're really just cosmetic changes.

 

"Backer-only guns" worry me a bit more. I'll take a look at it when I get out of work, but I'm pretty happy with what SC is offering and don't think I need another space game.

 

it looks good, good references, there's only 3 'backer only' items and I suspect those will be more of a 'hey look, I made this happen' than some super ships that noone else can get, even if they are entirely unique in the ways of the game. The gun is probably going to be a powerful cannon that is slow firing, useful to those that like that style.

 

was skeptical of the backer-only stuff but posts on reddit from folks who apparently know more about the project than i do were indicating that, while these are backer-only items, they differ only from obtainable ones in pretty insignificant ways (like the Mustang Omega having 1 extra intake over the Gamma so it charges its boost just a teeny bit faster. helpful, yes. game changing, nah).

at any rate, with this aiming to be a full neutonian flight model and just quick session based i see it more as a muscle-memory-refining game for SC pvp. i still play some gungame/arms race CS:GO matches once a week or so, just a few until i can get a win, to keep my twitch skills up for other games. thats how i see me playing this game, as super condensed practice mode for the games i "care" about. that, and its only $15, i figure i'll get more enjoyment out of something like this over something like a fast food run or having a pizza delivered....

 

some quips from their KS Project Update email yesterday

Frequently Asked Frequently Asked Questions
Of our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) we're noticing a few Frequently Asked Frequently Asked Questions (FAFAQs). We want to post a few answers and a few extra details to those FAFAQs, as well as come up with an excuse to use the term FAFAQs a few more times.
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Are you going to have singleplayer/story content? We hope so! We have some stretch goals that have story and narrative elements that we're extremely excited about. We hope you'll be excited too.
That said, we want to make sure that we have the runway to make a great game at its core and that happens through PvP multiplayer. If we can build a great foundation via Multiplayer and then lay a singleplayer or co-op story on top of that, we'll be able to pair great gameplay with great story the way that so many of the X-Wing games did.
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What are you going to do with monetization? We think we have a really unique model that capitalizes on the benefits of both free-to-play and premium games.
The game itself is premium. You can buy it and then own it for life. We'll have DLC and new content packages that launch from time to time which you can buy, or not.
One of the things we love about free to play games is that there are always tons of people to play with. So, we want to offer a basic free access to the game. This will basically be a trial where players can jump in and use stock ships, but can't customize or level them up.
It'll take some balancing to get it just right, but we think it'll really appeal to players from both ends of the spectrum. To further clarify:
· We are a premium game. To buy this game when it launches, you have to pay money. We are not a free to play game.
· We are not a pay to win game. Wallet warriors will have no advantage over everyone else in our game. DLC ships, weapons and gear won’t be better, just different. Our goal is to have all ships balanced against each other.
· Are you going to have microtransactions? We’re exploring every option. Really, what’s going to determine our ultimate direction is what the community wants; what you want. So tell us! What do you want to see in the game?
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Are backer-only ships going to be OP? Isn't that Pay-to-Win?
The backer-only ships, just like every ship in the game, will be balanced against every other ship in the game. We don't want to have a dominant strategy for any ship, weapon or other gear, because then the game is just boring (see Tube, Noob).
What's cool about these backer ships is that they're pushed to the extreme for doing one thing.
The Shrike for example, is probably going to be one of (if not THE) fastest, most maneuverable ships in the game with stupid good IW gear. That said, it's got basically no armor, the weapons pretty much couldn't hurt your grandmother, and it's tiny. So, it's great for information warfare, it's a great scout, and its super fun to fly (also it looks badass), but you're not going to go toe-to-toe with a heavy fighter.
Part of the coolness is also that you'll see dozens of others ships all the time, but seeing a Shrike will be fairly rare, so you'll be the talk of the gritty mercenary town, so to speak.
What we want to do is reward our backers with weird, cool ships that nobody can get when the game goes live. Hopefully everyone is into that, but if you have any feedback, we're all ears!

 

I have to say, I find it encouraging that the creative director, Jack Mamais, is the same guy who was the creative director for Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries.

 

Looks like they've been working on the game and have launched a second funding campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/impellerstudios/starfighter-inc-0

 

backed it their first unsuccessful attempt...probably will again! xwing, tie fighter, and xwing vs tie fighter is enough of a pedigree for this guy

 

Looks cool in theory but just not sure I wanna buy down into what looks basically like a multiplayer, instanced combat arena ala warthunder in space.