This isn't criticism or an attack of any sort, but it is an attempt to reconcile Star Citizen of the last decade with the product that's emerging now. I'm not speaking for anyone but myself here, just sharing some thoughts about where Star Citizen is headed and what it seems to be moving away from. "I say to you, reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. I am a PC game and I am a space sim" - SC Pitch video, circa 11 years ago. You can't ignore the past, it's the foundation on which everything we have is built. For this game, the SC pitch video is foundational, presenting a living universe with a broad range of opportunities for players, Yes, PvP was pitched right up front but no, it was not mandated, Combat always had a high profile, but other professions would play their part in shaping the game and leaving a mark, such as exploration naming jump points as the first practical example, weaving player endeavour into the 'history and lore of the universe'. As the game picked up steam and a wide range of professions emerged, along with their starship counterparts, it really felt as if you could pick a role in the verse, hone your skills in it and master that profession, feeding into the wider need of the verse economy which would be the thread that tied the game together. It also seemed to be a universe full of consequences, underpinned by high fidelity interaction and vision pieces like death of a spaceman. The game which would bring us closest to giving us that one-for-one experience of being a citizen living hundreds of years in future. As the funding success grew, so did the ambition. We were not getting a rehash of what had been done before, dressed up in a sci fi outfit. This game was different than all the others. The buzz behind this project was like nothing else I'd experienced before in gaming (and like a number of people here, I'm an 8 bit gamer with more hours in wire frame Elite than I care to count, so I've seen a fair amount of hype over the years). For the longest time, this sense of wonder was carried along by an amazing communications strategy, where shows like Around the Verse (which openly acknowledged subscriber support) talked openly with developers about how the tasks they were working on contributed to the vision Chris set out in his pitch. Every scrap of information offered up was another piece of the puzzle, slotted in so we could see the emerging picture take shape. This train was derailed, at least from my perspective, by two changes which happened in close proximity. We had a change in comms strategy, where ATV / RTV were wound up (other shows like Bugsmashers far behind us by this point) and replaced by ISC and SCL. The emphasis moved away from roadmaps, patches, features and tech - and pivoted to a more detached perspective, embracing discussion about the 'process of game development' rather than discussing project moving towards an end goal. One of these is destination focussed and the other is a continually rolling wheel. I think Jared has done an admirable job, so nothing personal against this man of many talents, but the new format did not feel like it was taking me to destination Star Citizen. The second change was the information blackout regarding SQ42. From the go-get, SQ42 and SC were wed as an item - it's in the pitch and, hence, foundational. Conversation dried up and then staff were migrated away from SC to work on SQ42 in airtight conditions. I imagine most of us know just how barren and long this period was. Copium hit an all time high on the stock market during this time and I think many content creators turned grey or lost hair entirely. There was always going to be a point where the rubber returned to the road though - there had to be because a project like this isn't sustainable without being able to demonstrate proper progress when backers get restless. To their credit, from a tech perspective CIG have demonstrated that they are capable of creating what's needed to move the project forward. The PES implementation and meshing demonstration should settle nerves in this area - but it's the direction of the game that's confusing to me. Star Citizen has become something I don't recognise. I'm not saying 'this is it' - just saying what seems to be prominent now is a world away from what I expected in year 11. Some of this will sound critical but I don't think it's without merit. Even as someone who was attracted by combat in the early days and not concerned of the implications, the combat dominance in the game now does seem so big that it makes anything else in the game a side show. People complaining about this in Spectrum are not whiners, they genuinely seem to feel disenfranchised and I think CIG need to respond. The move from a living, breathing universe to one which is heavily combat event based actually takes away from the magic of the game, whether you intended on doing any of these non combat professions of not. There's still a lot of work to do on professions and very little talk or visibility about delivering them. Less said still on the economy that they will be part of. Yet there's a huge amount of time and effort being put into combat events and locations - and they come in a very slick marketing wrapper that sells the associated combat ships to participate. Star Citizen professions, as previously envisaged, seem to be being stomped all over by the boots of the 9 Tails marauders. Even if you love combat, things are changing there. Master Modes is still highly contentious and even though I'm not a high skilled player, I am concerned about the long term impact of a mode which may turn out to have a low skill ceiling. e.g. I'm a classic player for putting down a thing once I feel I can learn no more from it. Other people will articulate those concerns far better than me. But even outside the cockpit there has been a shift, with FPS embracing much higher TTKs and player mini maps and radars. So it's not just that the game is failing to cultivate the seeds sewn in the earliest pitches or throughout the ATV years, but what is being delivered in abundance seems to be moving away from simulation and across to arcade. You can debate that all you want, but if the game ends up looking like an arcade shooter with all the accoutrements you'd usually see associated - what makes this game special? I just wonder if there needs to be some introspection, where the pitches of the past were reviewed against the development of today. Alternatively, if the delta is already known then maybe it's time time for a new pitch so everyone knows where they stand. All said with greatest respect to the hard working people doing their best to deliver SC.