Support NeoGAF

[RubberJohnny]

I noticed all those problems are years ago and before erin roberts being made global head of productions.

Also guess who finished freelancer, erin roberts. While we are at it, chris delivered the Wing Commander series.

So you agree there's terrible management, overreaching and total lack of planning on RSI's part? Then why ask for proof?

Everything I linked was from the last year, so your claim that this stopped in 2013 when Erin Roberts came on board is false.

It's going to continue to be in development hell while Chris remains the head guy.

The editor would run worse though than a built version from the .exe. What do you mean exactly?

CIG's presentations make use things like other players controlling NPCs because the AI doesn't work.

They're also largely pitch videos, not indicative of actual progress - the 2014 Gamescom video is the best to see this because it includes numerous features that still aren't implemented three years later, which shows they never had them working and they were just smoke and mirrors for the video.

CIG in fact admitted recently, after hyping up showcasing a whole mission of SQ42 that would act as a vertical slice that was "just a mission from the game, not a scripted thing", they cancelled the showing and admitted it was a scripted showcase that the effort of continuing to work on was actually taking away from their ability to finish the game as nothing they would fix or change would carry over.

Twitch gameplay of what is actually available right now is the best judge of the project.

 

[Spuck-uk]

The editor would run worse though than a built version from the .exe. What do you mean exactly?

without knowing a huge amount about Cryengine, I would guess he means creating a runtime version with limited assets through the editor to demonstrate. Cut out everything you aren't going to show to get it running faster/

 

[Tertullian]

What's the selling point of this game over Elite? Just out of curiosity.

Let me introduce you to post #249 of this very thread.

 

[Effect]

What's the selling point of this game over Elite? Just out of curiosity.

As of right now? You can get out of your ship and walk/float around and shoot things with a gun. That's largely the only thing it has over Elite for now anyway. That and hanger system is pretty cool. I wish Elite had something like that. Other then that nothing else because nothing else is really in the game. All the trading, bounty hunting, mining, exploring, etc systems are in Elite and constantly expanding. SC has made a lot of promises of things to come and are appealing but that's what they are promises until proven otherwise.

 

[Peroroncino]

Let me introduce you to post #249 of this very thread.

Yeah but... is all this stuff currently available and playable as opposed to E?

 

[HMD]

Any stream on Twitch is the most accurate representation (good or bad) of what is available right now. Do not judge this based on the footage that CIG actually post as all of that is done offline with them largely moving very slowly to hide the frame rate issues. Actually I wouldn't be surprised if some of it was done in the editors they're using and not actual builds.

I watched a couple, but it seems like they're just playing around in a tiny FPS area, no ships or any exploration. They must be testing something new.

 

[Schlorgan]

NMS was usual pre-release hype, tho'. People just keep falling for (obvious) lies and unrealistic expectations. Beyond that, it's not like they were personally invested into the game.

Death threats when the game gets delayed is a little more serious than "usual pre-release hype."

 

[Vash63]

As of right now? You can get out of your ship and walk/float around and shoot things with a gun. That's largely the only thing it has over Elite for now anyway. That and hanger system is pretty cool. I wish Elite had something like that. Other then that nothing else because nothing else is really in the game. All the trading, bounty hunting, mining, exploring, etc systems are in Elite and constantly expanding. SC has made a lot of promises of things to come and are appealing but that's what they are promises until proven otherwise.

Yeah, it's almost like it's still in alpha or something and you're comparing it to a finished game.

 

[Cthulhu_Steev]

What a stupid comment.

If anything, this game is the Anti-NMS where the devs have made their fans updated from the start and the ones who are invested in it know exactly where their money is going and what they are getting out of it.

lol, you didn't have to pay for NMS until it was finished.

 

[RubberJohnny]

What's the selling point of this game over Elite? Just out of curiosity.

Selling you dreams.

It's a life simulation where everything is possible, you can do whatever job you want and have a full career doing just that, just don't ask us what that would entail.

If you don't like something in a game it's optional for those who do like it so no one ever has a bad experience or has to go out of their comfort zone, and everyone will be forced to roleplay and it'll be perfectly balanced and it'll be the biggest most ambitious game ever done to the most polished level ever not like those games by dirty publishers, despite CIG never putting out any polished content for us to actually judge any of this.

Basically instead of a game that's actually out and can be criticised, it's every wish fulfilment thing ever that can never be criticised because it's not implemented and even if it is implemented and bad, it's alpha, stop criticising it at this stage.

Yeah, it's almost like it's still in alpha or something and you're comparing it to a finished game.

DING DING DING! Y'see?

 

[faridmon]

I dont know where the fuck MY money has gotten into and I wish I did like Roberts initially promised people that funded them during that period. I genuinely want them to follow up on their promise to audit the company after delaying the game for this long. It would eradicate any distrust I have in their management if their books show they have 80m+ left in the bank to finance at least the next 2 years of development that would represent the bare minimum needed to release the title.

Hahah, no they dont. What ridiculous nonsense.

They have missed every single release date they have given. A game that was supposed to be out 3 years ago still hasn't had a single bit of gameplay shown for it. Meanwhile, despite promising no more feature creep people are still being hit up for new ships money in an incredibly aggressive way that makes it seem like the main point of RSI is selling spaceships.

The idea that RSI has been really transparent and everyone knows where the money is going is objectively false. We don't have a clue where the money has gone because nothing they have shown off comes close to justifying that amount of cash, and theyve consistently missed their own deadlines for literally years.

For one, you can still ask for a refund and most likely get one. If you are not happy about this game then you still have the chance to make it up.

I still believe, while they have missed their deadlines, they have been quite apparent on why the did so. Their overhaul of their engine have come a long way, and their ambitions have also followed fans request for something grander and more epic. Thier FPS game is still scheduled to come after 1 delay and the notes they have released have been understandable. Not to mention the engine changes and whatnot.

 

[Akoi]

This game better not flop.. If it does say good bye to space Sims for a long time.

 

[Effect]

without knowing a huge amount about Cryengine, I would guess he means creating a runtime version with limited assets through the editor to demonstrate. Cut out everything you aren't going to show to get it running faster/

Sorry that kinda what I meant. I wasn't really sure how to word that correctly. For example there was a video they put out to show off the shooting system before Star Marine was released. That area looked like one of the sections in the station they have. However how they moved and how everything responded was not like anything else they showed. It wasn't in their universe or even testing build because things didn't react the way it does nor were the details the same. It was filled with tiny bottles and objects for them to shoot. It was design specifically for that video with nothing else around. Like a small box they decorated with nothing outside those windows, behind the walls, etc. Not a normal build at all and gives a false impression of what their work is really like.

 

[dumbo]

Yeah but... is all this stuff currently available and playable as opposed to E?

No, virtually none of that stuff is currently available.

 

[Chev]

This game better not flop.. If it does say good bye to space Sims for a long time.

Not as long as Elite is still there. Heck, for all the grumbling, No Man's Sky raked in the big bucks on Steam.

 

[Vash63]

Sorry that kinda what I meant. I wasn't really sure how to word that correctly. For example there was a video they put out to show off the shooting system before Star Marine was released. That area looked like one of the sections in the station they have. However how they moved and how everything responded was not like anything else they showed. It wasn't in their universe or even testing build because things didn't react the way it does nor were the details the same. It was filled with tiny bottles and objects for them to shoot. It was design specifically for that video with nothing else around. Like a small box they decorated with nothing outside those windows, behind the walls, etc. Not a normal build at all and gives a false impression of what their work is really like.

If you're talking about the video from last summer all of that landed in the 2.6 patch in December. The debris he was shooting at was placed for demo purposes and that's a no-fire zone but that map is there and all of the shooting, movement and camera mechanics that were demoed are now in the game as of 2.6.

 

[Spuck-uk]

This game better not flop.. If it does say good bye to space Sims for a long time.

Nah, Eliteangerous is doing just fine, and seems to be continuing to add content nicely after release.

Probably the end of 100 million dollar game kickstarters though.

 

[shootfast]

So you agree there's terrible management, overreaching and total lack of planning on RSI's part? Then why ask for proof?

Everything I linked was from the last year, so your claim that this stopped in 2013 when Erin Roberts came on board is false.

It's going to continue to be in development hell while Chris remains the head guy.

Did I agree? No. Most of those points are straight up false

Documented lying to backers about funding, specifically the cost of the lavish furnishings for CR's building which does the least work for the project.

or putting your spin on the kotaku's investigation. Everything you linked was 2014-2015 so not last year. There is a difference between problems that occur in game development and terrible management.

Also your hatred of chris is crazy, it's like you have a vendetta against him. You realise nothing you say matters cause rsi is a private company. Must grate you that so much in every thread about star citizen you have charts, lists pages long of star citizen ready to go on how much a failure of a game it is while chris is happily making his dream game.

 

[Anoregon]

Probably the end of 100 million dollar game kickstarters though.

That's not a bad thing. I love kickstarter for allowing things like Pillars of Eternity to happen, but it was never a great fit for these AAA behemoths.

 

[Lothars]

Because some of what they are trying to do is literally impossible. There are reasons no-one has ever attempted what they are doing before, and it's not because he's some grand visionary and everyone else is stuck in the mud.

Because Chris Roberts hasn't successfully launched a game without someone else intervening and bailing him out in decades.

Because the model they are using to fund their game looks like a scam operation, and the clear focus they have on selling ships over anything else is a warning sign.

Because they have slipped release and info deadlines constantly, often without warning.

Because they are more obsessed with mo-capping expensive actors lip syncing than they are showing us an actual interesting, functioning game.

So in others words again no proof other than you are trying to shit on the game without providing proof of what you are claiming.

You're shifting the goalposts further and faster than the SC kickstarter, lol.

The only ones shifting goalposts are you and guys like rubberjohnny.

Did I agree? No. Most of those points are straight up false or putting your spin on the kotaku's investigation. Everything you linked was 2014-2015 so not last year. There is a difference between problems that occur in game development and terrible management.

Also your hatred of chris is crazy, it's like you have a vendetta against him. You realise nothing you say matters cause rsi is a private company. Must grate you that so much in every thread about star citizen you have charts, lists pages long of star citizen ready to go on how much a failure of a game it is while chris is happily making his dream game.

Exactly. I really don't get posters like him that seem to have a vendetta against this game.

 

[RubberJohnny]

No. Most of those points are straight up false or putting your spin on the kotaku's investigation.

They're all confirmed by Chris Roberts own statements, the project lead.

Everything you linked was 2014-2015 so not last year. There is a difference between problems that occur in game development and terrible management.

Nope, Hurston pitch was 2016, lying to backers was 2016, synced animations was 2016, Streamline Studios was a few weeks ago, missed targets was nine days ago, the video of changing scope was after Gamescom 2016, expanding designer points is ongoing, and cash only sales started in 2016.

How much are you in for shootfast? Must be a lot to be this defensive.

The only ones shifting goalposts are you and guys like rubberjohnny.

What goalposts have I moved?

 

[Grief.exe]

If SQ42 releases in 2017, that would actually be a typical development length.

 

[shootfast]

They're all confirmed by Chris Roberts own statements, the project lead.

Time to show the receipts, I want direct quotes from chris on all your allegations. Put up or shut up.

 

[RubberJohnny]

Time to show the receipts, I want direct quotes from chris on all your allegations. Put up or shut up.

I already gave the sources in the original post - did you even read it?

I want your citations that they're false, that'd be interesting to see you dodge!

 

[shootfast]

I already gave the sources in the original post - did you even read it?

I want your citations that they're false, that'd be interesting to see you dodge!

OK.

• Working on final art assets before stuff such as whiteboxes, greyboxes, or technical requirements for gameplay have been nailed down, resulting in endless redos of ships to support their functions, and requiring further more redesigns to come to support promised but absent features (docking, breaking fighters into components that can be fit into cargo containers for shipping). They have gotten better at this, but only when backers called them out on their process being arse-about-face.
• Misleading backers by pushing internal "pitch" videos as evidence of progress (damage states, Pupil to Planet, Hurston)
• Documented lying to backers about funding, specifically the cost of the lavish furnishings for CR's building which does the least work for the project.
• Poor communication between studios resulting in large quantities of work being thrown out (Illfonic, confirmed by CR)
• Prioritising technical features with no effect on end user experience that result in endless redos and huge amounts of wasted work (eleven character rigs to get matched animations)
• Throwing out work because it's fallen behind the technical curve (Streamline Studios work thrown out mentioned in Anniversary livestream)
• Failure to evaluate internal progress and set realistic targets (Chris Roberts actually referred to this as "development hell" in the Kotaku article, judging by their off-by-18 month deadlines, they're still firmly in it)
• Complete absence of technical targets, polycounts, or artistic direction (source: letter by entire UK character art team that walked out, confirmed by CR)
• Chris Roberts wanting new features based on seeing them in other games (as confirmed in the Kotaku article about The Orders character clothing)
• Public videos showing CR changing scope within short deadlines, endless crunch, and treating staff like shit because he set them up to fail (acknowledges being a bully in Kotaku article)
• Constantly changing the scope, every ship Q&A or 10 Questions for the Developers adds some new feature that requires specific programming (too many to mention).
• Widening the entrances and narrowing the exits, i.e. pushing cash-only sales, general inflation of ship concept prices, while changing the TOS to avoid giving backers financials or refunds as promised (typically something you try and do before the whole place closes shop).

See no citiations in your post at all. So you have nothing

 

[KKRT00]

Instead of quote'ing RubberJohnny, there is a special button designed for people like him. You click on the nick on the left and select from the list "Ignore RubberJohnny" and you dont have ever worry about him again.

He is a troll with agenda, just ignore him.

 

[WalTech]

Come on Rubber Johnny, what's the matter? Just spend a long time combing through an old article I refuse to read to prove a point that I refuse to consider or shut up. Please add further citations to your post which already points to the exact article you're sourcing your information from so that I can refuse to read it again, but more conveniently.

 

[shootfast]

Instead of quote'ing RubberJohnny, there is a special button designed for people like him. You click on the nick on the right and select from the list "Ignore RubberJohnny" and you dont have ever worry about him again.

He is a troll with agenda, just ignore him.

Thanks! I guess cya later RubberJohnny, never talking to you ever again.

 

[Burny]

The "LALALA" is strong in some people, I guess.

Thanks! I guess cya later RubberJohnny, never talking to you ever again.

Please, ignore me as well while you're at it. If you haven't already, that is. I'm also a filthy troll regularily hating on Star Citizen and an Elite fanboy on top! Don't bother to actually investigate the sources RubberJohnny gave you.

 

[Lothars]

Come on Rubber Johnny, what's the matter? Just spend a long time combing through an old article I refuse to read to prove a point that I refuse to consider or shut up. Please add further citations to your post which already points to the exact article you're sourcing your information from so that I can refuse to read it again, but more conveniently.

Considering he keeps posting information that doesn't actual have a point and refuses to back it up. he's the one needing to back it up with actual information.

 

[RubberJohnny]

Instead of quote'ing RubberJohnny, there is a special button designed for people like him. You click on the nick on the right and select from the list "Ignore RubberJohnny" and you dont have ever worry about him again.

He is a troll with agenda, just ignore him.

I think I've got a better track record of being right at the moment, from August 2016:

Thats a lie. They stated it multiple times that mining and salvaging is almost completed.

They plan to have fully fledged solar system with procedural planets and most meaningful systems at the end of this year. This means with item system 2.0, new netcode, mining, salvaging, exploration, progression, trading etc.

That sounds fun, how is the full star system, procedural planets, mining, salvaging, trading and exploration?

Problem is that people wont admit that they were wrong, they dont make a reflection about how stupid was everything they wrote. Its so pathetic ;/

Pathetic indeed.

 

[staticneuron]

See no citiations in your post at all. So you have nothing

It really isn't worth it.

 

[Lothars]

I think I've got a better track record of being right at the moment, from August 2016:

You don't though, None of the things you posted have anything to back them up other than you posting them.

Also to answer your question regarding how much I've spent, I am in for 30 dollars from the kickstarter.

 

[TheLostBigBoss]

I don't think they realized the realities of splitting up development into playable chunks for crowd funding purposes would negatively impact game development.

Constantly readying these chunks into playable demos removes employees from future workflows in order to get these demos into a playable state, beyond that much of that work has to be thrown out during subsequent development stages.

Hindsight is 20/20, but this has lead to the bulk of the delays. Stretch goal creep also contributes a significant amount to the development extensions.

Basically this.

You take a game with an initial goal/budget of $500,000, balloon it to $141 million, say you will deliver two games while also developing gameplay demos (that aren't actually part of the games), and well it's not shocking to see why the development has been rather "troubled" to say the least.

 

[Maledict]

So in others words again no proof other than you are trying to shit on the game without providing proof of what you are claiming.


The only ones shifting goalposts are you and guys like rubberjohnny.

Exactly. I really don't get posters like him that seem to have a vendetta against this game.

It's like a fucking cult. And like cults, when presented with evidence to the contrary, people double down on their mistakes rather than admit they are being taken for a ride.

The game is wildly, wildly overdue. It has feature creep like nothing ever seen. It is attempting things no-one else has ever attempted for a good reason. It has spent a large amount of money mo-capping famous actors whilst at the same time not able to show us a single gameplay section from the game they are appearing in. Chris Roberts dismal failure as a producer is objective fact that's public record.

I *loved* Freelancer, and would pay good money to get another. This game isn't that. This is a wild crazy dream by someone who is two decades out of practice working with games, attempting something that isn't possible, and stringing people along with repeated broken promises and lies about what they is doing.

 

[WalTech]

Considering he keeps posting information that doesn't actual have a point and refuses to back it up. he's the one needing to back it up with actual information.

Someone said to him, "Those are just words, show me how it's terrible management, overreaching and total lack of planning on RSI's part!" and he answered with a list of examples. He even says the sources of the information, and while they aren't technically cited in proper citation format, they're in there. It's a games website, not a peer-reviewed journal.

 

[Outrun]

This thread is surreal.

I wish we could get Disney and Larry Holland together to make a new X-Wing vs. Tie-Fighter.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Yeah, it's almost like it's still in alpha or something and you're comparing it to a finished game.

In a lot of ways, ED is in Alpha as well. It has lots of areas that appear to be placeholders for more interesting content. Lots of core things remain a WIP, reflecting the challenge that these sandbox games represent in general. It's probably a year away from CMDRs having legs to walk around, for example.

It's just further along with promise delivery happening on a more regular basis. And its flight mechanics don't suck like SC's do right now.

 

[Gai Murakumo]

Part of me wants this game to deliver on all fronts but there is still a part of me that is skeptical that it will never live up to people's expectations. I have no stake in Star Citizen but I hope it is enjoyable for those that do.

 

[Outrun]

In a lot of ways, ED is in Alpha as well. It has lots of areas that appear to be placeholders for more interesting content. Lots of core things remain a WIP, reflecting the challenge that these sandbox games represent in general. It's probably a year away from CMDRs having legs to walk around, for example.

It's just further along with promise delivery happening on a more regular basis. And its flight mechanics don't suck like SC's do right now.

Flight Controls: Another example of doing work, only to redo work again.

Yet, some will call what CIG did, minor tweaks... HOTAS is pointless, the way things are now.

 

[RubberJohnny]

It's like a fucking cult. And like cults, when presented with evidence to the contrary, people double down on their mistakes rather than admit they are being taken for a ride.

The game is wildly, wildly overdue. It has feature creep like nothing ever seen. It is attempting things no-one else has ever attempted for a good reason. It has spent a large amount of money mo-capping famous actors whilst at the same time not able to show us a single gameplay section from the game they are appearing in. Chris Roberts dismal failure as a producer is objective fact that's public record.

I *loved* Freelancer, and would pay good money to get another. This game isn't that. This is a wild crazy dream by someone who is two decades out of practice working with games, attempting something that isn't possible, and stringing people along with repeated broken promises and lies about what they is doing.

staticneuron up there even stalked my accounts on other forums and went through my posts because I was critical of Star Citizen, and posted them in the NeoGAF SC OT's Discord.

You've got to realise these guys have huge amounts of money in the project and they get very defensive because of sunk cost.

 

[Aztechnology]

What's the selling point of this game over Elite? Just out of curiosity.

As of right now? You can get out of your ship and walk/float around and shoot things with a gun. That's largely the only thing it has over Elite for now anyway. That and hanger system is pretty cool. I wish Elite had something like that. Other then that nothing else because nothing else is really in the game. All the trading, bounty hunting, mining, exploring, etc systems are in Elite and constantly expanding. SC has made a lot of promises of things to come and are appealing but that's what they are promises until proven otherwise.

I'd like to add as someone who backed ED, has bought some ships in SC and played the PTU's for SC. That saying you can get out of your ship and shoot things with a gun is very much underselling what is offered. I know you're saying as of right now. But the point is not what's available right this second because one is in Alpha and the other is a released title.

https://youtu.be/GucYhhLwIxg watch from 33 minutes or so on.

The point is the seamless transition of getting out of your pilot, gunner or whatever other seat you're in. Or you're just walking around the ship during flight and combat. Opening a cargo bay door, or airlock and launching yourself out into space with your EVA suit. You and all your friends pulling up alongside another ship and boarding them. Or just trading goods etc. Or landing on a planets surface, dropping off some crew or a rover etc. All of these things in a more hand crafted world (once or if it's finished). The potential for a group of friends playing together is IMO so much higher than Elite. I love Elite for what it is, and it's undeniably more polished. But it's a mile wide and an inch deep. SC plans to have a much smaller universe with more intriguing locations and events as it's a limited system. Elite is for all intents and purposes endless space. It's very cathartic going out and exploring, but it's by no means enticing nor do you really care about why planet 49486 is cool to dock at the station compared to 4848494 beyond the goods they trade/need. You generally just do the same things over and over again in a massive universe that is largely homogenous because there's not much setting it apart.

In short, Star Citizen offers the potential feeling of really being In a controlled section of space with more interesting locales. Switching from ship to on foot in seamless and you can have multiple crew member friends on board with you.

 

[GearDraxon]

Part of me wants this game to deliver on all fronts but there is still a part of me that is skeptical that it will never live up to people's expectations. I have no stake in Star Citizen but I hope it is enjoyable for those that do.

The fact that these sentiments ("I am skeptical, but hopeful for those who want to enjoy the finished product") seem to be in the minority here is a sad statement on how fandom manifests.

 

[Aztechnology]

Part of me wants this game to deliver on all fronts but there is still a part of me that is skeptical that it will never live up to people's expectations. I have no stake in Star Citizen but I hope it is enjoyable for those that do.

People even after backing have different expectations. I'm wierd I know, that I don't necessarily care 100% if they accomplish everything they set out to complete. I'd be happy if I can get the single player experience and get a multiplayer that essentially allows Arma Like co-op scenarios in space. I know they have talked about allowing people to mod and setup tools to create missions potentially. We'll see if that happens in the future with the engine. But I'd be happy with that if they can't deliver the whole universe shebang.

I still believe it's in a better state than many of the critics here believe though. I don't really care how long I think takes them if they release a solid project. They've been quite transparent in development too, it's obvious their timelines are BS. Yet they continue to slowly add the features they've promised. Baby steps. It may not be until 2020+ but it's a game I don't mind waiting for.

 

[Outrun]

We know the dream that CIG is selling.

Can they reconcile all games systems, economy, and a PU, in one functioning package?

That is the question.

 

[Dictator93]

We know the dream that CIG is selling.

Can they reconcile all games systems, economy, and a PU, in one functioning package?

That is the question.

That is a great question, and a place for reasonable skepticism IMO. I find some of the technical criticism regarding engine stuff or even regarding the conviction / honesty of the devs to be rather troubling as we have had hugely in-depth Kotaku or other magazine sources which only attest to the high ambition and drive of the devs working on the game.

 

[owlbeak]

I hope it is a good game when/if it finally comes out. I love space sims and have been really enjoying Elite for the last couple of years. I've not bought into the hype for SC yet, but I've watched the tech demos and presentations and it looks super impressive. I'm not a fan of the selling ships and insurance for money and the SC community is quite off-putting and toxic from an outsider's perspective (seems very cult-y), but I'll definitely buy the game and jump in if it ever gets released! I just hope that's sooner rather than later!

 

[KKRT00]

Flight Controls: Another example of doing work, only to redo work again.

Yet, some will call what CIG did, minor tweaks... HOTAS is pointless, the way things are now.

Are you sure? Out of top25 people playing PVP in Arena Commander, 12 are playing on Joystick.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/community/leaderboards/all?mode=SB

So almost 50% of top pvp players are playing on pointless devices you mean?

----

And its flight mechanics don't suck like SC's do right now.

Yeah, no. SC flight mechanics do not suck. They are fun as hell even right now. Needs some tweakings with afterburner, but they are getting there.
I wonder how fun will be atmospheric flights.

 

[SmoothRunningGun]

If people keep giving them money they will never finish it. Why would they?

 

[KKRT00]

If people keep giving them money they will never finish it. Why would they?

Think about that for a second. Do you really think people like to work on never ending projects? Especially big talents? They go out and seek for very ambitious projects to do something that was not done before or in a way that was not achieved before.
They are not there for a constant flux of money, they could do it in any company and probably for better money, they are on those projects, because they want them to be realized.

Do you think people go to Naughty Dogs to work 15 hours per day for money or because they love what ND is doing? Same goes for any other high end companies with high-end projects.
People take salary cuts, relocate even if they dont like, when they believe in projects or want to do something completely new, in just emerging technology.

No, sustaining this project in alpha state is not a goal for anybody there.