Star Citizen - Did you pledge & what do you expect?

[AndyH]

Does that mean that if I purchase a package now I will not be able to play it for the next 5 months. Is this essentially something like a pre-order? Any comments would be appreciated.

Most of the packages used to come with both full Alpha and Beta access, but this was only for a set number of expected alpha players. This was rather underestimated, so the Alpha access is now separate for the most part. The Arena Commander Pass is about 5 US dollars to cover the expense of adding more server infrastructure so no one is left out. This pass will grant access to the playable Arena Commander (alpha dogfight module), but you will still need a game package so you have a ship to fly. However, I do not know if this will make only the dogfight module accessible, or includes all future Alpha Modules such as First-Person-Shooter, Social/Planet-side, and Persistent Universe Alpha modules. Be prepared for either case.

There are two packages that come with an Arena Commander Access Pass. Aurora MR AC Starter & Mustang Alpha AC Starter. All others will require adding the Arena Commander Pass to your cart (found under Extras in the store). Not to mention that you only need one package to serve as your character slot. Any other ships you may want to add at later dates may be found under Extras -> Stand-alone ships. But all ships and gear can be earned in-game for in-game credits once SC is publicly released.

Also BEFORE you spend any actual money, make sure that your system meets the game's requirements. These are the latest minimums listed, but be prepared for the RAM and Graphics demands to increase as more features are released over the next year:

Windows Vista (64 bit), Windows 7 (64 bit) – Service Pack 1, Windows 8 (64 bit)
DirectX 11 graphics card with 1GB Video RAM
Quad core CPU
8GB Memory