Oh, I think the Ravensdale guys today announced the crappy half of the Shepards to voice act in their game as some kind of big surprise that turns that wonderful downslide of their DRM infested Kickstarter game into more of an uphill direction. Now aren't we glad no one noticed.
It's a much more refined Kickstarter now, but I still remain completely uninterested in this, despite them getting David Hayter to voice a character this time round in what's clearly a desperate grab to get more people interested.
Looks like I'm coming out of my own Kickstarter retirement for this.
Not looking good for making it's goal right now... but I've said that before too.
Good luck, Jimbo.
I'm definitely backing this one. I quite liked the Jim Walls Police Quests.
It's too bad he couldn't get the Police Quest license or at least use Sonny Bonds, since the original Police Quest trilogy had an interconnected storyline.
Although the Jim Walls Police Quests were known for realism, and Sonny Bonds would definitely be retired by now, so I guess playing as a new officer just adds to the realism.
New Quest!
Solve the mystery of Phil and the missing box of Skittles.
Really, Sonny might not be retired by now. He'd be 55-61(Even 44 by VGA, but forget that) depending on which birthday you go by. He could still be a desk jockey.
I don't know if this still counts, but: Star Citizen.
Chris Roberts who created the Wing Commander series is working a truly open world space game that promises something for anyone that is a fan of the genre in any way.
A reminder of Alice: Otherlands, which is currently at $142K. It needs to reach $200K within the next four days. I'm hoping it does - it's such an interesting concept.
I don't know if this still counts, but: Star Citizen.
I'm not an authority on what counts, but if we may mention games that are crowd funding through other means it's also worth mentioning Wayward Manor by Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series.
In the game you will be playing a ghost whose mission is to scare away the people who live in the house you haunt. The game is based on an idea Gaiman has had for a while, but never was able to work into a book.
The game will be developed by The Odd Gentlemen, the developers behind The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom. I really liked the style of that game, and I'm excited to see what they can do with this concept. Not to mention how excited I am to get a chance to play a game with Gaiman's writing.
If the name Neil Gaiman and the title Sandman doesn't ring any bells, he's also the writer of American Gods, Neverwhere, Coraline and co-author of Good Omens (with Terry Pratchet) among other things.
I'm not an authority on what counts, but if we may mention games that are crowd funding through other means
The title doesn't even say 'games'. But it now says 'crowd funding' as well. Because, frankly, we don't want Kickstarter to gain any kind of monopoly over crowd funded game projects, we really do not.
A reminder of Alice: Otherlands, which is currently at $142K. It needs to reach $200K within the next four days. I'm hoping it does - it's such an interesting concept.
The title doesn't even say 'games'. But it now says 'crowd funding' as well. Because, frankly, we don't want Kickstarter to gain any kind of monopoly over crowd funded game projects, we really do not.
True, and there's precedence for posting IndieGoGo campains already.
There's a campaign on IndieGoGo for a point and click adventure game called Fran Bow. The protagonist is a girl who is traumatized when her parents are brutally murdered and the game starts out with you trying to escape from a mental hospital.
I played through the demo a few days ago and the game looks very promising. There's a few minor issues in the demo, like the playable character facing the wrong way when interacting with objects, some typos and the interface being a bit clunky. Overall I really enjoyed it though, and I hope it succeeds.
The concept of being able to switch between a regular and "nightmare" version of each room, and have each version of the room contain items of importance is very cool. It's a bit like Lily Looking Through in that, only that LLT doesn't have a bunch of decapitated animals in it. Not in the demo at least.
The concept of being able to switch between a regular and "nightmare" version of each room, and have each version of the room contain items of importance is very cool. It's a bit like Lily Looking Through in that, only that LLT doesn't have a bunch of decapitated animals in it. Not in the demo at least.
That sounds passingly familiar to Trilby's Notes. Or possibly Silent Hill, but that's a stretch.
That sounds passingly familiar to Trilby's Notes. Or possibly Silent Hill, but that's a stretch.
Quite possible. I only played up until 7 Days a Skeptic of the Chzo Mythos so far and never played Silent Hill, so I wouldn't know. I recommend playing the Fran Bow demo though. It only takes about an hour and is a nice teaser.
And now, Broken Age is only the second most mismanaged public project on Kickstarter. It takes a very special kind of mismanagement to waste all the money, cancel the project, and then have some other company finish your job for you.
Only another $27,000 or so needed through PayPal backers to get the voice actors from Madness Returns onto the project (although quite why they needed an extra 50 grand for two voice actors is beyond me).
A couple weeks ago someone here posted info about the Kickstarter "Precinct", a new police-themed game planned to be developed with the involvement of former Sierra designer Jim Walls of the Police Quest series: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/precinctgame/precinct?ref=banner
Things haven't been going swimmingly for this campaign, and, with a couple weeks left, it remains far from its ambitious $500k goal.
Apparently today there is going to be a major announcement about the campaign that will supposedly (according to people in the game's KS comments who have inside knowledge) mention a development that will drastically improve its chances of getting funded.
Anyone here have any guesses as to what the mystery announcement could be? Perhaps they're canceling the campaign and relaunching with a smaller funding goal?
Anyone here have any guesses as to what the mystery announcement could be? Perhaps they're canceling the campaign and relaunching with a smaller funding goal?
What about getting the additional devs on board whom you've been craving?
What about getting the additional devs on board whom you've been craving?
Whom do you mean?
Honestly, I think they're going to cancel the campaign, announce that they have PQ license and funding from elsewhere, and then launch a new campaign with a smaller goal. I have no inside info, but that would be my best guess, since people in the comments seem to claim that the update will be a huge game changer.
I hope so. The game may end up pretty mediocre and there's nothing that really promises otherwise, but I absolutely loved PQIII. I have never been so satisfied in my gaming as when I finally beat that game. It holds a very special place in my heart and now I have the opportunity as an adult to help some of these people out in return(same reason I've backed a couple other projects that I wasn't overly enthusiastic about). I really want them to succeed.
1. We will release a DRM-free version of Ravensdale
If the Kickstarter succeeds all you DRM haters out there can rejoice! Along with our PC and Linux versions, we will also release one that is DRM-free. There may be some difference in how the multiplayer works in the DRM-free version (such as how matchmaking works etc.) but those will be clarified later.
Although it's not yet clear if the DRM free version is available to backers as well as buyers, I will now officially cease to tell people they can't back this project without pissing on the Kickstarter spirit.
Interesting that this announcement comes after their 9$ day.
It's still very, very late for that. They're not even at 10% with 11 days to go. Miracles do happen, and I would kind of like if donations would skyrocket the second a DRM free version is announced, but this still looks like a major dud of a Kickstarter.
Precinct pulled out after a poor showing of support(I blame you people) in favour of going the private crowd-funding route. I'm assuming they have some other kind of plan for this because it seems like a less-than-ideal option to me. Basically, you're backing to a stage of development from prototype to finished game. The only real pluses I see is that it doesn't have an end-date and it allows for more than just single person backing. They emphasized the latter in their explanation so I'm assuming they have companies interested, but you never know.
No reward tiers, no minimum, no maximum. Any amount will get you a DRM-free version if it is successful(although, said amount could just end up getting you a prototype if the project only gets funded so far). A very interesting approach, I must say. They must have something up their sleeves. I'm keeping an eye on it.
I also enjoyed Police Quest 3. However, I believe that Jane Jensen and Josh Mandel did most of the writing for that. In a recent online chat, Mandel, who never disappoints as an interview subject, mentioned that, during the PQ3 development, Walls took a rather, shall we say, hands-off approach. I'll try to find the exact quote.
Also, did you guys play Jim Walls' Codename: Ice Man? Exquisite EGA graphics, animation and Roland MT-32 sounds... but terrible design and writing. Seemed so uninspired and lazily written. You could hardly examine anything in the scenes. Writing-wise, it was so far beneath the usual Sierra fare, which was always delightful, polished and well-executed, even with the occasional dead-ends. Point being, I'm not sure Walls was the brightest jewel in the Sierra crown. I feel terrible saying that, but hello?! I did play Codename: Ice Man, a game that is nearly impossible to beat, even with the walkthrough. What was Walls thinking with that submarine simulation from hell?
At the end of that chat. I can't copy and paste the excerpt for some reason. Mandel pointedly mentions that Walls was one of the first to bolt Sierra for Tsunami. Also says that Walls wasn't too interested in being involved in PQ3's development.
I had a chance to look at Precinct's new, non-Kickstarter fundraising page, which was linked here earlier by someone: http://fund.precinctgame.com/
It seems they've added no new information about the game. Apparently they felt that the main thing needing fixing was the funding deadline. This new fundraising effort doesn't have any real deadline. Don't think that's a good idea. Doubt they'll even get close to the $80k they got on Kickstarter before pulling the plug there.
I'd like to highlight a couple of projects that look interesting, if I may.
Alum purports to be a classic Sierra/LucasArts style P&C adventure game. I can't say I'm entirely enamoured with the facial animations of the main character, but the story sounds interesting and they're not really asking for all that much, so it's a little curious they're just over halfway through their goal with a week to go. Hey ho.
Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope is a heavily Metroid-inspired style game that's already passed its goal, but has some interesting stretch goals that could be VERY interesting. I'll let you discover more.
Legend of Iya is a fantasy-styled Metroidvania game, complete with completely outdated demo, should you wish to see what it's aiming for. They're so close to their target it hurts - JUST over two grand to go - and with 6 hours left it'd be a shame to see them come so close and not cross the finish line.
EDIT - Legend of Iya has been successfully funded! Yays.
They claim that you can play this with the starter edition of StarCraft II.
But for how long? Isn't the starter edition at leased limited by time?
Even if it isn't. They are creating an MMO here. It will most probably fail. And if it doesn't I don't think Blizzard will not accept them mass-using their servers free of charge.
Of course, I've been craving my butt off for something like this. But until they clarify the DRM situation satisfactorily (dowload from their website = DRM free???), they get nothing from me. If they do, however... they might get 50$ or more from me. I mean, the PayPal option is probably around the corner for them. :rolleyes:
/edit:
Ohhhhhh found something in the comments.
Creative Intelligence Arts, Inc. about 15 hours ago
@Sabin Stargem
There are currently no plans to distribute the game via GOG, but we have heard the concerns about DRM; it will be one of the many topics discussed at tomorrow's Dev meeting.
Do the right thing, guys... seriously.
No reason to commit to gog immediately, but seriously every reason to commit to DRM free distribution. Preferably fast. They can't still suffer the Ravensdale fate, but I do believe the decision has a significant effect on the funds they will receive.
My big problem is that $100,000 goal. that can't be paying for the game's production, so I feel like they're asking people to give money to something they've already been set on doing. I'm not putting my money in because I don't feel like the Kickstarter money is needed.
My big problem is that $100,000 goal. that can't be paying for the game's production, so I feel like they're asking people to give money to something they've already been set on doing. I'm not putting my money in because I don't feel like the Kickstarter money is needed.
You're right to assume that 90,000$ (= actual money they get from 100,000 on Kickstarter) can not be the whole deal.
However, recent Kickstarter projects as well as the Project Phoenix guys themselves are blurring the perception a little.
First, while 90K would bring i.e. Tim Schafer nowhere at all, this money can bring you pretty far in different hands, different company structures and especially different countries (here: Japan and, I believe, Germany).
Second, this looks like a project that's really scalable depending on its budget. The "super deformed" characters in battle sequences scream opportunist, low polygon and cheap, not so much conscious design choice. And even some basic things you'd simply expect in a proper JRPG are announced as stretch goals (most notably the "fully explorable overworld" only if they reach 1,025,000$).
So although names are big, it's as of yet a pretty small project, one that certainly 'needs' your money.
When you think of usual developing fees, USD100,000 is definitely not enough to create a video game. However, as each of our members are professionals in their own field, they do not require a salary right now, and so, are donating their time and effort into developing Project Phoenix.
Their reward will come in the fans’ evaluation of the game and a %-based royalty of all sales.
This is the reason why our project will never fail due to lack of finance after we reach our goal. It is possible to release our game with just our developers' work, but there is one cost that we just cannot ignore in order to make the highest quality video game. Our pledge, USD100,000 will be used for one of the best 3D modeling out there. This figure is the most minimum cost required.
But don't you dare give 'em any until they announced DRM free for all.
Just a heads up of the Project Phoenix DRM situation...
$300,000! Thank you so for helping us reach our first stretch goal! The additional models, and extended music will allow us to create a better gaming experience for you, and all future gamers of Project Phoenix. As an additional treat, we've discussed your concerns over DRM, and have decided on the following two modes of play:
Online Play - internet connection required
Players will use their login ID and password for their account to log in. However, you will have access to the following online services:
1) Claiming Kickstarter Reward Items
2) Online profiles (more to be explained in coming weeks)
3) Gain Achievements
4) Accessing your saved games from any operating system on any machine
5) Access to Updates and Bug fixes
6) Multiplayer - if the upcoming stretch goal is reached
Offline Play - no internet connection required
After entering the activation key, the game will be able to play in Offline Playwithout requiring an internet connection or you to login.
You may install the game onto multiple computers. The save data will be stored locally and is transferable between different computers. Only the single player feature will be available of the game.
* Offline Play saves will not be able to access Online content .
** Online Play will not be affected by internet shortages during single player play, as it will continue to sync until successful - we are currently working out the details to prevent abuse if this happens.
So the good news is that you can choose between Online and Offline styles of gameplay, and between these different styles for each save that you create. We hope we have answered our backer's calls for a DRM free version of the game!
-Cronus
While that is a whole lot better than just shoving the thing on Steam, I will still have to ask "who do they think they are?". I mean, this DRM system is pretty darn OK for a 30$ game you buy at a store. But do you want this on your fucking 120$ archive DVD for which you paid two years in advance?
I think I hate Kickstarter now. :mad:
I'll buy this off gog.com for not more than 20$ one day, and should it never emerge there or as an otherwise completely DRM free product, I will not buy it at all.
Comments
It's a much more refined Kickstarter now, but I still remain completely uninterested in this, despite them getting David Hayter to voice a character this time round in what's clearly a desperate grab to get more people interested.
BACK THIS PLEASE. I want a new police game! D;
Looks like I'm coming out of my own Kickstarter retirement for this.
Not looking good for making it's goal right now... but I've said that before too.
Good luck, Jimbo.
It's too bad he couldn't get the Police Quest license or at least use Sonny Bonds, since the original Police Quest trilogy had an interconnected storyline.
Although the Jim Walls Police Quests were known for realism, and Sonny Bonds would definitely be retired by now, so I guess playing as a new officer just adds to the realism.
New puzzles!
Check receipts with items in cart.
New Tasks!
Retrieve carts from the parking lot.
New Quest!
Solve the mystery of Phil and the missing box of Skittles.
Really, Sonny might not be retired by now. He'd be 55-61(Even 44 by VGA, but forget that) depending on which birthday you go by. He could still be a desk jockey.
Chris Roberts who created the Wing Commander series is working a truly open world space game that promises something for anyone that is a fan of the genre in any way.
I'm not an authority on what counts, but if we may mention games that are crowd funding through other means it's also worth mentioning Wayward Manor by Neil Gaiman, author of the Sandman series.
In the game you will be playing a ghost whose mission is to scare away the people who live in the house you haunt. The game is based on an idea Gaiman has had for a while, but never was able to work into a book.
The game will be developed by The Odd Gentlemen, the developers behind The Misadventures of P. B. Winterbottom. I really liked the style of that game, and I'm excited to see what they can do with this concept. Not to mention how excited I am to get a chance to play a game with Gaiman's writing.
If the name Neil Gaiman and the title Sandman doesn't ring any bells, he's also the writer of American Gods, Neverwhere, Coraline and co-author of Good Omens (with Terry Pratchet) among other things.
The title doesn't even say 'games'. But it now says 'crowd funding' as well. Because, frankly, we don't want Kickstarter to gain any kind of monopoly over crowd funded game projects, we really do not.
Wait, whoa, wait, what, wait, why, TSUI HARK!?
True, and there's precedence for posting IndieGoGo campains already.
There's a campaign on IndieGoGo for a point and click adventure game called Fran Bow. The protagonist is a girl who is traumatized when her parents are brutally murdered and the game starts out with you trying to escape from a mental hospital.
I played through the demo a few days ago and the game looks very promising. There's a few minor issues in the demo, like the playable character facing the wrong way when interacting with objects, some typos and the interface being a bit clunky. Overall I really enjoyed it though, and I hope it succeeds.
The concept of being able to switch between a regular and "nightmare" version of each room, and have each version of the room contain items of importance is very cool. It's a bit like Lily Looking Through in that, only that LLT doesn't have a bunch of decapitated animals in it. Not in the demo at least.
Come to think of it, I think here is where I first heard of it, looking at your post. I should really pay attention to the finer derails.
Quite possible. I only played up until 7 Days a Skeptic of the Chzo Mythos so far and never played Silent Hill, so I wouldn't know. I recommend playing the Fran Bow demo though. It only takes about an hour and is a nice teaser.
I'm over the moon to say that Alice: Otherworlds has been successfully funded, with a good $22 grand to spare.
Only another $27,000 or so needed through PayPal backers to get the voice actors from Madness Returns onto the project (although quite why they needed an extra 50 grand for two voice actors is beyond me).
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/precinctgame/precinct?ref=banner
Things haven't been going swimmingly for this campaign, and, with a couple weeks left, it remains far from its ambitious $500k goal.
Apparently today there is going to be a major announcement about the campaign that will supposedly (according to people in the game's KS comments who have inside knowledge) mention a development that will drastically improve its chances of getting funded.
Anyone here have any guesses as to what the mystery announcement could be? Perhaps they're canceling the campaign and relaunching with a smaller funding goal?
What about getting the additional devs on board whom you've been craving?
Whom do you mean?
Honestly, I think they're going to cancel the campaign, announce that they have PQ license and funding from elsewhere, and then launch a new campaign with a smaller goal. I have no inside info, but that would be my best guess, since people in the comments seem to claim that the update will be a huge game changer.
Although it's not yet clear if the DRM free version is available to backers as well as buyers, I will now officially cease to tell people they can't back this project without pissing on the Kickstarter spirit.
Interesting that this announcement comes after their 9$ day.
It's still very, very late for that. They're not even at 10% with 11 days to go. Miracles do happen, and I would kind of like if donations would skyrocket the second a DRM free version is announced, but this still looks like a major dud of a Kickstarter.
Precinct pulled out after a poor showing of support(I blame you people) in favour of going the private crowd-funding route. I'm assuming they have some other kind of plan for this because it seems like a less-than-ideal option to me. Basically, you're backing to a stage of development from prototype to finished game. The only real pluses I see is that it doesn't have an end-date and it allows for more than just single person backing. They emphasized the latter in their explanation so I'm assuming they have companies interested, but you never know.
No reward tiers, no minimum, no maximum. Any amount will get you a DRM-free version if it is successful(although, said amount could just end up getting you a prototype if the project only gets funded so far). A very interesting approach, I must say. They must have something up their sleeves. I'm keeping an eye on it.
Funding is being done through their website using WePay.
Also, did you guys play Jim Walls' Codename: Ice Man? Exquisite EGA graphics, animation and Roland MT-32 sounds... but terrible design and writing. Seemed so uninspired and lazily written. You could hardly examine anything in the scenes. Writing-wise, it was so far beneath the usual Sierra fare, which was always delightful, polished and well-executed, even with the occasional dead-ends. Point being, I'm not sure Walls was the brightest jewel in the Sierra crown. I feel terrible saying that, but hello?! I did play Codename: Ice Man, a game that is nearly impossible to beat, even with the walkthrough. What was Walls thinking with that submarine simulation from hell?
Ok, here's the Mandel quote:
http://pastebin.com/ktzRV5FU
At the end of that chat. I can't copy and paste the excerpt for some reason. Mandel pointedly mentions that Walls was one of the first to bolt Sierra for Tsunami. Also says that Walls wasn't too interested in being involved in PQ3's development.
http://fund.precinctgame.com/
It seems they've added no new information about the game. Apparently they felt that the main thing needing fixing was the funding deadline. This new fundraising effort doesn't have any real deadline. Don't think that's a good idea. Doubt they'll even get close to the $80k they got on Kickstarter before pulling the plug there.
Alum purports to be a classic Sierra/LucasArts style P&C adventure game. I can't say I'm entirely enamoured with the facial animations of the main character, but the story sounds interesting and they're not really asking for all that much, so it's a little curious they're just over halfway through their goal with a week to go. Hey ho.
Ghost Song: A Journey of Hope is a heavily Metroid-inspired style game that's already passed its goal, but has some interesting stretch goals that could be VERY interesting. I'll let you discover more.
Legend of Iya is a fantasy-styled Metroidvania game, complete with completely outdated demo, should you wish to see what it's aiming for. They're so close to their target it hurts - JUST over two grand to go - and with 6 hours left it'd be a shame to see them come so close and not cross the finish line.
EDIT - Legend of Iya has been successfully funded! Yays.
A Kickstarter... for a Starcraft 2 mod.
...hmm.
They claim that you can play this with the starter edition of StarCraft II.
But for how long? Isn't the starter edition at leased limited by time?
Even if it isn't. They are creating an MMO here. It will most probably fail. And if it doesn't I don't think Blizzard will not accept them mass-using their servers free of charge.
/edit:
Ohhhhhh found something in the comments.
Do the right thing, guys... seriously.
No reason to commit to gog immediately, but seriously every reason to commit to DRM free distribution. Preferably fast. They can't still suffer the Ravensdale fate, but I do believe the decision has a significant effect on the funds they will receive.
You're right to assume that 90,000$ (= actual money they get from 100,000 on Kickstarter) can not be the whole deal.
However, recent Kickstarter projects as well as the Project Phoenix guys themselves are blurring the perception a little.
First, while 90K would bring i.e. Tim Schafer nowhere at all, this money can bring you pretty far in different hands, different company structures and especially different countries (here: Japan and, I believe, Germany).
Second, this looks like a project that's really scalable depending on its budget. The "super deformed" characters in battle sequences scream opportunist, low polygon and cheap, not so much conscious design choice. And even some basic things you'd simply expect in a proper JRPG are announced as stretch goals (most notably the "fully explorable overworld" only if they reach 1,025,000$).
So although names are big, it's as of yet a pretty small project, one that certainly 'needs' your money.
Also:
But don't you dare give 'em any until they announced DRM free for all.
While that is a whole lot better than just shoving the thing on Steam, I will still have to ask "who do they think they are?". I mean, this DRM system is pretty darn OK for a 30$ game you buy at a store. But do you want this on your fucking 120$ archive DVD for which you paid two years in advance?
I think I hate Kickstarter now. :mad:
I'll buy this off gog.com for not more than 20$ one day, and should it never emerge there or as an otherwise completely DRM free product, I will not buy it at all.