A fake TV spot and brochure detail the qualities of the space sim’s top-tier spacecrafts.
After crowdsourcing $10 million dollars, Star Citizen is bringing space back to the masses. Robert Space Industries, helmed by Chris Roberts (of Wing Commander fame) has been hard at work on the ambitious new simulator. Similar to his classic Wing Commander: Privateer, Star Citizen will be a massive universe filled with combat, trading, and exploration. Owning a new virtual spaceship carries a certain thrill, something that Star Citizen is eager to exploit with its new, automotive-inspired ads.
The 300 series, lovingly crafted by the fictional “Origin Jumpworks” company, is displayed through a sensual tv spot and brochure. Featuring “beauty you can touch” and “looks that can kill”, they are the “BMW 3 or 5 series”, Roberts says. “It looks cool and it performs well, though it might be slightly over-priced for what you get.”
Just because the 300i is flashy doesn’t mean it’s automatically better. As Roberts says, “there’s no ship that’s like a 90-level character that’s always going to kill a 7-level character… There’s always an element of skill. “
However, RSI isn’t just designing slick looking ships, it’s also making them fully functional. As lead vehicle artist Chris Smith says, “The way we make these is a lot more high fidelity compared to other games… It requires a different building technique.” That difference comes from the fact that players aren’t just locked into a HUD. They’ll have to physically walk about the ship to access systems not at the cockpit. Each ship has a full interior, and is designed as if it existed in real life.
Star Citizen is currently looking at a late 2014 release on the PC.
