David Braben will answer your questions at 4PM GMT/UTC

[SJT]

If they go bust, the server code will not be theirs to give.

[Turjan]

The good :
DB has allayed fears about the survival of the game should servers become an issue! We've all wroked out by now that singleplayer mode isn't 'impossible', just 'not possible if FD want to maintain the dynamic galaxy they envisage'. So should the worst happen, the game could be transformed into a singleplayer version.
(that's assuming this statement proves more solid than the one where he said "Yes! There will be an offline mode" of course... )

The bad :
Well, he sort of apologised about the offline debacle...except he didn't. All he actually said was he was sorry that people were upset which, while undoubtedly true, falls somewhat short of the apology the aggrieved are seeking. Presumably there's some legalese at work here. Which is understandable but looks bad nonetheless.

The ugly :
While DB mentioned that refunds are available, people are having little success so far in securing one it seems. Refunds are being refused on the grounds that downloading and testing a beta is somehow the same as paying for and playing a finished retail product. While I'm sure FD's legal department is merely attempting to cover their bases and minimise any loss of revenue, once again what we're seeing is a total failure on the part of FD's Public Relations department.

The...uh...Fistful of Dollars! :
Personally, I think it would've been much more profitable for them in the long run to simply suck up the loss of revenue from this disaster and chalk it all up to experience. Instead what they're doing now is actually the opposite of damage limitation : they're feeding a wildfire that will burn certainly until the game's release and quite possibly much further. Far from protecting the game's future for those of us who plan to play for as long as the game exists, what they're actually doing is jeopardising that future by fomenting so much negative publicity that a lot of potential purchasers might think twice before investing in "that company that gipped all those beta backers". And every future customer lost is another bump in the road for the game's long term survival.

Needless to say, this worries me...

[Glen Fiddik]

It looks like FD have won this months stupid award.

[Cmdr Kharma]

Saves Globus getting it again.......I Spose.....

[Jockgit64]

Saves Globus getting it again.......I Spose.....

Oh that's harsh Funny, but harsh

[Avago-Earo]

Is there no offline mode then?

[Zieman]

Is there no offline mode then?

What offline mode? There never was any offline mode (according to DB)...

Pffft, very disappointing Q & A session that. Basically, DB gives a significant portion of his dream's backers the finger, in a "I got your money - stop whining & give me more money" way , you know - "let the rabble grumble, throw 'em a few bread crumps, would you like another cup of sherry?"

[Philip Coutts]

I have to say I lost faith in the Q&A sessions a long time ago. Too easy to cherry pick the questions and answer how you want with no cross examination. What we need is an interview between David Braben and Jeremy Paxman.....