Yes, a subscription is required.
Yes, a subscription is required.
No subscription needed. Purchasing the base game gives you a basic starter ship, and you'll need to earn credits to acquire other ships. Buying a ship upfront provides it immediately (and possibly lifetime protection if purchased early). In the current game version, it seems you can only operate ships you already own, though I haven't logged in long enough to confirm details.
You don't have to purchase anything special—just grab a package that comes with one of the games, like Star Citizen or Squadron 42. (Squadron 42 isn’t available yet, so pre-ordering it won’t let you join the current alpha.) If you want to fly right now, you’ll need Star Citizen.
Note: Patch 2.4 will introduce real rewards, possibly letting you buy ships using those credits. There’s also a guide, rental details, and reference codes available.
to add some confusion, you can subscribe—it's optional but assists in supporting the creation of video material, and you also receive access to an online magazine along with some unrelated items for your storage space.