Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Orzo posted:

Can someone explain Hero-U to me?
I've pledged to Hero-U entirely because I really loved Quest for Glory. I hadn't even checked the video until I read the discussion here.

And yeah, from that, there's not much to pledge for other than being an ultra-rabid QfG fan. :smith:

Edit: (below) I'm keeping my pledge because I'm happy throwing a little money the Coles way to work on a project they love. Their project certainly sounds doable and personally I like the indie flash adventure game style they're going for. But their pitch is woeful and really does have nothing when you strip out the QfG nostalgia.

Trapezium Dave fucked around with this message at 00:32 on Nov 19, 2012

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Populous was a great old-school game, but I can't shake off that "reinvention of Populous" was exactly how Black & White was pitched before it succumbed to development hell and morphed into a half-baked pet simulator.

Now if they were pitching a remake of Magic Carpet, they would instantly have my money.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

I enjoyed the first two Fable games too, despite the constant nagging voice in my head pointing out how screwed up the core gameplay is. There's something about the aesthetics of Molyneux games that I really love. But he keeps coming up with core game ideas with potential and, when he gets to the part where he should be refining them down to the core essence of what makes them fun, instead buries them under an avalanche of bullshit gimmicks.

Something like Populous is an indie game developers dream concept; it's an elegant simple idea that a tiny team could whip together and polish in a short amount of time to be amazing if they focused on the core of what made Populous work. I'm not sure they're aiming for that ideal with a larger team and pledge rewards of in-game pets and novelty god powers.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

octoroon posted:

The success of a Molyneux game basically hinges on whether or not he hired someone with the power to tell him "no." He will feature a creep a game into the dirt if he gets his way; hopefully he's learned to surround himself with people who are capable of keeping that in check.
This is what should have been covered in the "Risks and Challenges" section. Just this, in large bold font, at least a dozen times. :colbert:

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

The Moon Monster posted:

I think the scenario of the project never being completed is just part of the risk/reward inherent to kickstarting any videogame project.
Both sides, developer and backer, are often not that great at calculating the risk in a project. I don't think any of the developers are trying to grab the money and run, but I'm sure a few of these backed games will run out of cash while only part complete.

After a few big name funded Kickstarters fail (and it's only a matter of time) it will sour the whole concept somewhat. In the long term I don't think that will be a problem - all it will mean backers will adjust their expectations accordingly. But it might mean we won't get as many million dollar Kickstarters beginning with nothing attached but a name with a dream.

Trapezium Dave fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Nov 25, 2012

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

octoroon posted:

I predict that this will always be the prediction and will never come to pass. A major Kickstarter failure will reflect badly on the big name behind it, but it's not going to shake the very foundations of crowdsourcing and poison the well for everyone. That's just not a realistic scenario.
A few big failures won't kill crowdfunding, but I think it will throw a bucket of cold water over the "Big Name X is making a new game! :woop:" reaction. Those project will still get a lot of attention but I think the tone of the backers will be more cautious.

quote:

If you want a test case for this theory just take a look at what happens with OUYA over the coming months/years.
I still don't get the buzz for that, or why so many Kickstarter indie game projects are falling over themselves to support it.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

octoroon posted:

Pet projects by famous people are still going to get a ton of attention, press, and they're going to be overfunded like crazy so I'm not sure this caution you speak of would ever have any effect.
Eh, you're probably right. After all, backers are queueing up to throw money at Molyneux despite his recent track record of buggy incomplete game ideas and GODUS being nothing but a concept at this stage.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

octoroon posted:

I too am skeptical of Peter Molyneux given his track record, which is why I haven't given him any money. It just seems a little disproportionate to be so angry at him for a game he hasn't even had a chance to fail at yet.
All the indicators I've seen so far suggest Molyneux is going to go down the same development spiral he has for every game he's worked on since leaving Bullfrog. But I can't feel angry about it because anyone backing his project should know by now exactly what they're getting themselves in to.

It looks like the project is going to be backed at this rate, so it might be worth a look when it's completed and it's clear whether it is going to be a great modern take on Populous rather than the expected bunch of half-baked semi-implemented prototypes frankensteined together.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

I checked out Godus's prototype video and it looks refreshingly Populous enough, but I'm still perplexed as to why they didn't have that to begin with. I'm still leery enough of Molyneux to trust him staying on task and not turn it into a virtual pet simulator with rhythym based pancake tossing minigames or something.

What confuses me the most is the limits placed on the pledge levels. Godus still needs about 33,000 pounds, and there are only 660-odd places left at the 15 pound "get the game" level, or 670-odd places at the 30 pound double game level. That only nets 30,000 pounds. They're going to need several of the higher tiers in these last couple of days. I think they'll still get them but I don't know why they're hamstringing themselves so needlessly.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Orzo posted:

I'm not sure how I feel about that. I think they're way underestimating the amount of work and money that'll need to get that to completion. I've seen the alpha footage of the game, and it looked like something that could be thrown together in a few days (the programming, not the art). They give their programmer almost no recognition at all in their video, which makes me think they don't understand just how difficult making games is. There's just way too much emphasis on fancy concept art and story for my tastes.

Of course, they'll make their goal: $20,000 and the first day isn't even over yet. God drat.
Despite the anime-twee setting I would back a Secret of Mana style game with art and animation like that, but you've pointed out what was bugging the back of my mind throughout the video - there isn't any actual game in there yet. Not only wasn't there anything in the in-game footage, I can't remember them saying anything about what you do in the game.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

I'm not into the online co-op zombie apocalypse genre so I may be ignorant on this, but aren't there already a dozen games out there that are almost the same as ROAM? Is there a unique take to the whole zombie thing I'm missing?

Original_Z posted:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/projectbc/vacant-sky-awakening-a-pre-apocalyptic-rpg

Any of you guys checked this out? The artwork is pretty bad but for some reason the ideas kind of appeal to me. Haven't backed it yet but I keep looking at it for some reason.
The pitch seems to be "If you're a fan of our previous work, we're doing something new" which is a fine approach to a kickstarter. The entry ten buck pledge is for the first episode of a whopping eight though, which is disconcerting if you aren't already into their games.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Dr. Video Games 0031 posted:

Instead, you should be looking at the $30 non-early-bird price for the game. $30 for a simple 2D platformer on the PC. That's the objectionable part. It's honestly ridiculous.
$30 for a 2D platformer creation kit may or may not be a reasonable price - it depends on the features. At a glance it looks like he's going for something dead simple to use, which might be unique enough to stand out. It does have this unfortunate shareware indie game from 2000 look to it though, neither retro nor modern; I'd have loved it if it felt closer to the retro PC platformer age of Commander Keen.

Orzo posted:

Re: Cryamore, yes, but will the game ever get made? They have a team of like, what, 11 people now (didn't they have nine, and then added 2 more programmers?) They're going to need every bit they can get. Plus they still haven't demonstrated an ounce of programming-related competency, so I'm skeptical that the game will even get made. The gameplay in their video could quite literally be mocked up in 4 or 5 days using a homegrown engine, and 4 or 5 hours using Game Maker Studio, which is what they were using before switching to Unity.
Cryamore has this weird vibe of being talented and rookie at the same time. I think they've got the artistic chops to make a nice Secret of Mana style game in Game Maker Studio or Unity if they keep to a sensible scale, but there's all these danger flags like the large team size while not asking for that much money, and throwing in large amounts of game design wish list ideas without having an early gameplay demo. They should be able to make the base of the game but they might have pledged themselves for more than they can deliver.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

BenRGamer posted:

Hey, random question about Kickstarters, since I'm still new to 'em, how do addons work, do I just add the extra cash to my pledge or what? I want to get the $15 Numenera Novella add-on
It's up to whoever is running the kickstarter, but for all the extras not in the description I've pledged for, it's just that simple as adding it to the total. Usually when the survey gets sent around after the kickstarter is over you can specify what you pledged for (but again, it's up to whoever is running it how that is done).

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

SupSuper posted:

I don't know what everyone's getting all hung up about, I'm pretty much sold. On its core Road Rash was just a bike racing game, but it was its silly over-the-top violence setting and gameplay that really made it unique and hilarious, and they seem to be building up on that.

No other racer led to such absurd situations as an oncoming car suddenly knocking down half the racers, an AI opponent suddenly kicking you off a cliff, or managing to steal a cop's bat and beating him with it. Although my nostalgia comes from the PC version which I hear wasn't as popular because it felt really dated, but I liked its arcadey graphics and silly caricature style.
I'm nostalgic about the PC version of Road Rash too, but I didn't get the same vibe from their teaser video. What I remember being so fun about Road Rash was the cartoonishness of it all - your biker could get kicked into an oncoming truck, fly a mile high in the air, crash down, dust themselves off, run back to their bike and get back in the race. But the teaser video of Road Redemption, bikes that hit trucks explode and katanas slice necks. It's a whole different tone from the Road Rash I remember.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

At least Penny Arcade is kickstarting an actual creative project this time. The goal target is total bullshit, but that's more a problem with how Penny Arcade conduct themselves than Kickstarter.

Honestly, these figures look more embarrassing than anything else:

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

TychoCelchuuu posted:

This game took one look at Penny Arcade and said "hey that sounds pretty good, I'd love to keep all my crowdfunding money but I want to use Kickstarter because IndieGogo seems sketchy to people."
I hope this isn't the next trend on Kickstarter. I can understand the commitment to releasing the game regardless, but at least put down the amount to cover all the extra features you want to do. At best this looks like laziness in working out a proper budget; at worst a cash grab.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

I'm really glad I decided to wait to see what Godus was going to turn out to be before dropping any money on it. A modern reinterpretation of Populous that stays true to the simplicity of the original would have been cool, but just as expected, the Molyneux happens.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

ghouldaddy07 posted:

I love all 3d platform games from the N64 generation. I may have to give them all my money.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonaskaerlev/a-hat-in-time-3d-collect-a-thon-platformer
What the have so far looks amazing, like all the personality of 90s 3D platformers rolled into one, but distinct enough to stand on its own.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

fatedtemp posted:

Do you really think they'll deliver half of what they've promised? It's like they boiled down Peter Molyneux and have been getting high off the fumes. Maybe I'm being overly cynical, but they wouldn't be the first to promise the moon and fall short.
I'm throwing them a few bucks because I like the concept and their art direction and I think it will at least make an interesting tech demo, but I'm not going to be surprised if it turns out to be a dog's breakfast. I've only loosely followed their updates; the main concern I'd have is if they chase a whole bunch of fanciful gimmicks instead of focusing on what is critical to complete the game, which is dangerous if you've only got a certain amount of money to work with.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Pavlov posted:

I'm not too worried. I mean, they're making it in the tradition of Minecraft, which is pretty much just "building blocks + a whole bunch of gimmicks" the game, and that seems to have worked out pretty well for it.
I'm hoping for something vaguely Minecrafty done in that art style with some backstory to the world - as long as they deliver that, then I'm happy. Mainly I'm concerned about whether they feel obligated to include all those little elements they've been listing in their update posts. It's one of the concerns I have about the openness of the Kickstarter model of game funding - sometimes a game developer might promise X and then later find both that it's harder to implement than they thought plus the game would be better with Y instead, but now they're in the position where they promised a whole bunch of Xs when asking for crowdfunding with an obligation to provide them.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Wezlar posted:

Shadowrun Returns comes out in the next couple weeks and I'm pretty excited for it. It's sort of funny to me though. If you kickstarted it you paid 15 bucks at least for the game. Now a year later I can preorder for 18 dollars, after seeing in depth gameplay, and knowing it has full Steam Workshop support.
This is why I'm cooling off on the bigger name game Kickstarters. They tend to be geared around offering $20+ preorders, and if it looks like they are going to be funded with a squillion dollars anyway then I might as well wait.

Although dammit, I do love Double Fine and turn based tactics games. :ohdear:

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Saoshyant posted:

I'm not familiar with those comments you mention, but I believe there's a correlation. The lead guy in this project goes by the alias of Mecha the Slag and has been involved in a lot of modding projects, including Wind Waker hacks. Thing is, it appears the guy has also stolen other people's work and directly profited from it, including playing Internet Detective when said people who got ripped off tried to fight back. Basically, I went from being excited about the game to a feeling akin to a balloon deflating, and I assume those comments you read are related to this.
Oh dammit, that doesn't sound good. Do you have a link that sums up what this guy is alleged to have done, because if confirmed I'll need to pull my pledge as I can't condone plagiarism. It's a pity because that game looks pretty sweet.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Saoshyant posted:

P.S: consider backing Nelly Cootalot. That guy's cool.
Thanks for recommending this. I've just finished the freeware original adventure which was fun and charming, so this looks plenty worthy of funding.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Unguided posted:

Didn't Sohmer take the money from his LICD animated series kickstarter and use it to buy something stupid or was that just a rumor? Either way, giving him money is a horrible idea.
The LICD animated series is still a thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3eZY2_Di1c

(So if the money went on that then yes, he used it to buy something stupid.)

Edit: VV That's great news, and the first few stretch goals are very achievable.

Trapezium Dave fucked around with this message at 09:37 on Jun 24, 2013

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

This reads like a parody of an American McGee game idea. What is it with him and making grimdark versions of children's stories?

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

I never played McGee's Alice because I have a pet peeve against "darker and edgier" Alice in Wonderland attempts - they all take what is a warped and twisted setting to begin with and try to make it more "adult" by stripping out all the political and social satire of the original and replacing it with violence, sex and/or overwhelming dark grimness. This Oz based thing looks the same - Disney's Return to Oz film looks like a better take on the idea.

Asking for almost a million is a really big ask too. I'll be very surprised if this is funded.

Edit: VV @Accordian Man: It sounds like I gave the game a disservice then; I'll keep it in mind if I get the opportunity to check Alice out.

Trapezium Dave fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Jun 25, 2013

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Grilox posted:

I took a risk on Hat in Time because I don't see anything awful about the rest of the team, and "lead designer" is kind of a job that makes me think that even if he goes nuts, the rest of the team would be able to pick up the slack.
I am the reverse; I'm afraid he's got entirely the wrong sort of personality to be project manager and can't trust it won't fall apart. I'm hoping it won't because Hat in Time looks potentially a lot of fun, but I'm waiting until it's actually finished and everyone involved makes it out without any horror stories before wanting to risk any of my money on it.

Edit: Also everyone really should be checking out Nelly Cootalot so do so if you haven't.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

The Double Fine game was one of (if not the?) kickstarter to start the trend, so it's disappointing to see it flounder. I hope the inXile and Obsidian RPGs pull through because otherwise that might be a death knell for crowdfunding studio-style games.

It's also disappointing because I like Double Fine's work and I understand why they want to be free from a publisher but they can't rely on crowdfunding if they operate like this.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

AxeManiac posted:

Doublefine has ALWAYS had problems getting ideas to turn into actual games, no matter where the source of money came from. Most of their games are usually carried over the finish line by another company after the first one ran out of patience. DF is great at making games, just not great at... well, actually making them I guess. I think they would benefit more from following a publisher's business plan instead of trying to make their own.
It's the scope of how bad the pit they seem to have fallen in that baffles me. They raised over eight times the amount they were asking for and now they're in the hole by that much again?

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

KozmoNaut posted:

You really should play it, if you can find a copy. It's such a great game, the voxel graphics are staggeringly beautiful at times and it just feels big in a way that very few other games do.
Outcast is on sale at GOG for three bucks right now. It's been on my to-play list for ages; unfortunately said list is so long it's taking me a while to get to it.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Shalinor posted:

If and when that breaks down will depend on how many big-name Kickstarters totally collapse (and neither of the given examples constitutes that - I mean full on "whelp we took your $4mil and oh darn we can't make the game at all, bye!").
I'm a little surprised I haven't seen a major project in total collapse yet; just a lot of delays but all still soldiering on. It might be because everyone knows if they had a total collapse it would be a permanent black mark on their reputation.

monster on a stick posted:

This is a big part of it and why I left the industry. I was tired of working 60-80 hour weeks because someone made impossible promises that the game could ship by Christmas.
My feeling was this was a big part of the problem too. Game development was/is for the young, there was barely anyone who stayed for more than ten years, so there weren't enough veterans to develop strategies for sensible development. Plus since everyone was always working flat-out they didn't have the time to reflect on how to be effective.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

monster on a stick posted:

I don't think he's intentionally lying, rather he's someone who is so in love with his vision that everything would be terrible if he couldn't execute on the whole thing. I feel a little sympathy but not much because every game I know of has the exact same problem of too many ideas and not enough budget.
Yes, I also empathise with him and can easily see how he's in this position. But on the other hand, unlike most kickstarters which are locked into a whole bunch of promises, Double Fine had the extreme flexibility to make whatever adventure game they wanted with the only restriction being their budget.

Have there been any notable game kickstarters who have promised a key feature that they ultimately had to drop because they couldn't implement it? It's a thorny issue that is going to come up sooner or later. A non-crowdfunded game can drop features and (if revealed) all the most they can be is disappointing; with Kickstarter there's the problem that the backers have pledged money based on the expectation that all those promised features will be there.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

BexGu posted:

I just noticed that I got a email from the Mercenary Kings Kickstarter that all backers should now have a beta/early access copy available on Steam. Has any one else tried it yet? It was one of the first kickstarters I pledge too that didn't have a demo and supported mostly on artstyle/2d gameplay so I'm curious to hear how it turned out.
I've given it a brief spin for a few minutes and so far it seems like it's shaping up very solid. It's got a strong feel of a really good 90s shareware game, souped up with better pixel art.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Bobbin Threadbear posted:

Doesn't even matter, prices should convert to your currency.
Fluctuations in currency exchanges make that problematic, whereas an explicit pledge of twenty pounds sterling at the beginning of a kickstarter will still be twenty pounds sterling when it closes.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Dr. Video Games 0031 posted:

Wow, that's an incredibly bad pitch video. Holy crap.
Seriously. Sorry skindepth, quite frankly that is the worst Kickstarter video I've seen, and I keep tabs on the Awful Kickstarter thread.

Skimming through your page, the biggest question I have is that you don't say what you need the money for. I've backed a beginner project or two that are along the lines of "I'm a broke student with a mostly complete game and need a grand to buy a Mac Mini to get my game on iOS." but your plan seems to be to divvy up the cash between your team for - reasons?

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

skindepth posted:

The main thing I need the money for is to pay my team for their work and pay for web hosting, maybe buy an ad or two, I think that was made clear on the page. And it's not as though everyone is going to be rolling in the dough from this. 300 dollars and part ownership for programming a functional game isn't that much, and they're getting paid either way, so it's not like I just promised them free kickstarter money. I value the work my team does, and I want to recompense them for that, whether I have to do it from my own pocket in installments or whether I can get the funds with the KS campaign, I'll see it done.
The red flag for me isn't that you're asking for too much, it's that you're asking for too little. For example, $100 contracted out to music might get you a simple one minute boppy sound track to loop for a platformer demo. I can understand the desire to give out some cash to friends who are helping you out on a game, but it's not something that you can base a Kickstarter around.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Dr. Video Games 0031 posted:

That doesn't seem just inspired by Disciples, that practically IS Disciples.
That was exactly what I was thinking. For me it's got the same problem as Disciples too; it looks like a perfectly fine and well polished game, but there's such a strong air of generic fantasy around it that I can't feel excited about it. It's the sort of title I could see possibly getting for iPad when its released, but there isn't anything about it that makes me feel I have to back it.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Bieeardo posted:

Man, I completely forgot about Hero U. I think I was interested at first, but got cold feet when I began to suspect that the Coles, nice folks that I'm sure they are, really didn't have much idea of what they were doing this time around. :(
I backed it although I felt the same way from their pitch, but I was a huge fan of Quest for Glory and didn't mind donating a few bucks to see what the Coles would do even if the end result turned out to be a mess. The last few updates seem way behind schedule though and I'm feeling a sense of doom about the whole thing. At this rate I doubt Hero-U is being released before 2015, and if the Coles have staked their house on it with the possibility of losing everything I'm feeling a little bad for encouraging them with my pledge.

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

Stonehearth just released an update. They've got five people on staff now, will have a sixth on Monday to do audio, and are on track for a December release of the playable alpha.
With the way nearly all the games I've backed tend to go, it's a pleasant surprise when a playable version with "Estimated delivery: Dec 2013" actually turns out to be December 2013.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Trapezium Dave
Oct 22, 2012

Lprsti99 posted:

So, played a bit of Rimworld, I'm really enjoying it so far. My first colony failed when everyone just up and quit on me (I guess they won't eat raw food anymore? :shrug:). My second was going well, had a battery farm fed by a geothermal vent and some solar panels, captured the first raider and added him to my colony, good supplies, all was well. So the game decides to drop five raiders on me next, four equipped with Uzis and the fifth with a pump shotgun, when I have two pistols. It's okay, though, because I have a couple autoturrets in the direction they'll be coming from... except the turrets exploded, killing both of my drafted colonists :gonk:. I'm going to bed now, but I'm already pleased with backing the game.
How solid is Rimworld in pre-alpha? I was holding off backing this right now because it was already way over funding and asking for a fair bit for the alpha, but if it's very playable now I may reconsider. Base-builder sims are awesome and I'm curious about the storyteller AI.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply