For the longest time, I've (somehow) convinced myself that parts one, two and three of Squadron 42 will be where CIG takes the player on a military journey through some war with some alien race, and that Star Citizen was an MMO sandbox game set in the same universe. Two completely different products.
Spent a bit of time on Star Citizen's subreddit, and after much insane and obstructive debate came to the conclusion that sandbox gaming is definitely not where star citizen is going.
What appears to be going on is CIG is making a NARRATIVE-USE UNIVERSE that the player can experience in the S42-mil and SC-civ flavours. The civ version following on from the mil pre-cursot. They're going to be prototyping game mechanisms in S42 and use assets and tech (and war-referencing narrative) across both. The WAR and the PEACE releases, if you like. And you'll play minor roles in either. CIG's been very quiet about the story element of Star Citizen. It's not in the production timeline.
"S42 is the historical military campaign itself, and SC is some sort of aftermath narrative with ongoing incursion from defeated foe storylines," my paraphrase.
In sorrowful summary then, Star Citizen is not a sandbox game but (the equivalent of) Squadron 42 part four. Sad, sad day.
