The Official Video Game Kickstarter Thread

TychoCelchuuu · May 2012

Jason Rohrer's new game needs money for manufacturing, because it's a DS game. It's a two-player, turn-based, simultaneous-decision strategy game about diamond traders operating in Angola in the year 2000.

Megamaniaco · May 2012

The setting seemed kind of weird, but it's actually a really nice idea for a pseudo board game. The most interesting part, of course, is that you can actually get information about you oponent without him knowing anything, which is of course impossible in a standard board game.

Iolo · May 2012

TychoCelchuuu wrote: »

Jason Rohrer's new game needs money for manufacturing, because it's a DS game. It's a two-player, turn-based, simultaneous-decision strategy game about diamond traders operating in Angola in the year 2000.

No single player? Is that right? Ugh, that's a deal breaker unfortunately.

EDIT: Thanks BUNMASTER. Reading is fundamental.

POKÉMON MASTER WT SHERMAN · May 2012

Iolo wrote: »

TychoCelchuuu wrote: »

Jason Rohrer's new game needs money for manufacturing, because it's a DS game. It's a two-player, turn-based, simultaneous-decision strategy game about diamond traders operating in Angola in the year 2000.

No single player? Is that right? Ugh, that's a deal breaker unfortunately.

To play the game against an opponent, you need two DS units, but you only need a single cartridge---the game works fine over DS Download Play from one cartridge. It's even possible to serve a whole Diamond Trust party or tournament from a single cartridge via Download Play. There's also an AI opponent provided for single-player practice games.

Mojo_Jojo · May 2012

Al Baron wrote: »

Pathfinder Online Technology Demo AKA the Class of Heroes 2 kickstarter failure for the Western set.

Except this one is already 30% funded so there's a good chance it could get funded. At least you can get a splat book out of this.

That is weird. It's for the MMO but you get Pathfinder books as rewards. Looks like it'll fund though.

Paizo's fanbase are a particularly rabid bunch though.

SteevL · May 2012

Republique has hit 400k with 27 hours to go. They might just pull this off.

Maddoc · May 2012

I'd really like to see Republique hit its target

I was afraid that unveiling PC/Mac versions came too late to make a difference

Xenogears of Bore · May 2012

I kinda want to see the blowback if it fails by a very little amount.

Al Baron · May 2012

They'll probably blame Touch Arcade for all their troubles.

C2B · May 2012

Xenogears of Bore wrote: »

I kinda want to see the blowback if it fails by a very little amount.

It won't. No popular project will fail with a "very little amount" to go (except with bad luck). Too many people involved that will raise their pledge at the last minute.

Themadcow · May 2012

Xenonauts has hit it's modest $50,000 Kickstarter target in 2 days. From what I've seen there's a hell of a lot of development work that could be done with a significant cash injection from Kickstarter, so my main concern is that the October 2012 release schedule is too tight. Clearly they need to be mindful of XCom's release date, but not miss a great opportunity to polish the game to a commercial level before release.

Iolo · May 2012

Grim Dawn (finally) laid down some stretch goals for their last seven days:

Crate wrote:

$350k - Dual wielding pistols (feature tech and new animation set)

$360k - 25 extra pieces of unique item art

$375k - Additional end-game boss monster (total of 2) lurking somewhere out there in the darkness for you to find...

$385k

25 more pieces of unique item art

$400k

A new environment set that you'll get to decide on. We'll create a thread on the Grim Dawn forums to discuss ideas with fans, then select the best ideas and create a poll for you to vote the one you want most.

$412k - 2 additional monster types (models and animations)

$425k - Three large, high-level dungeons, each with its own theme and named hero monster. The dungeon entrances will randomly appear in the world.

$450k - Savage two-handed melee weapons (includes animations and all the art required to create an entirely new item type)

$465 - Additional end-game boss (total of 3) to encounter in some dark and dangerous corner of the world.

$480k - New survivor town hidden in the remote wilderness for you to discover. Will include a new faction group and new quest-lines to unlock once you've gained their trust.

astronautcowboy3 · May 2012

There should be a rule again using Xeno is a game title unless you are the guy who makes Xeno games.

C2B · May 2012

After getting some 10'000 backings republic is now over 470'000 with 10 hours to go. So, its pretty much a sealed deal now.

Decoy · May 2012

While I did back it, the quality of the PC version and the implementation of its control scheme are something I'm kinda concerned about. I liked the idea enough though, and I've spent more on (what turned out to be) less.

Donnicton · May 2012

C2B wrote: »

After getting some 10'000 backings republic is now over 470'000 with 10 hours to go. So, its pretty much a sealed deal now.

What's funny is that if they were a mere one or two days more stubborn about making that PC/MAC port, they probably never would have gotten this funding.

Decoy · May 2012

Donnicton wrote: »

C2B wrote: »

After getting some 10'000 backings republic is now over 470'000 with 10 hours to go. So, its pretty much a sealed deal now.

What's funny is that if they were a mere one or two days more stubborn about making that PC/MAC port, they probably never would have gotten this funding.

It's now up to "$492,592 PLEDGED OF $500,000 GOAL" with seven hours to go. I have to agree with C2B, with it getting this close, it'll make it. Someone will make sure of it.

SteevL · May 2012

And Republique has met its goal!

C2B · May 2012

Decoy wrote: »

While I did back it, the quality of the PC version and the implementation of its control scheme are something I'm kinda concerned about. I liked the idea enough though, and I've spent more on (what turned out to be) less.

I'm iffy on the entire project to be honest. It's a prime example of a project that could go either way and theres nothing really safe about it so far. The feature list and story don't really help as its all stuff that could go horribly, horribly wrong. Or right if done competently.

Unco-ordinated · May 2012

C2B wrote: »

Decoy wrote: »

While I did back it, the quality of the PC version and the implementation of its control scheme are something I'm kinda concerned about. I liked the idea enough though, and I've spent more on (what turned out to be) less.

I'm iffy on the entire project to be honest. It's a prime example of a project that could go either way and theres nothing really safe about it so far. The feature list and story don't really help as its all stuff that could go horribly, horribly wrong. Or right if done competently.

Republique? Yeah, I didn't back it because I don't really have faith in them to deliver. The only real proof of Ryan Payton's ability to design games are MGS Portable Ops' controls and they were fucking awful.

Jam Warrior · May 2012

I too am glad Republique made its money without me. For me, interesting enough to keep an eye on but in no way safe enough to invest in.

lowlylowlycook · May 2012

This little tidbit explains why indie devs find Kickstarter so very interesting.

Xenonauts Kistarter wrote:

We've officially hit 100% funding, having raised $50,000 in 56 hours! The response to our Kickstarter has been astonishing, so we'd again like to thank everyone who has backed us or spread the word! To put things in perspective, that's roughly half of all the pre-order revenue we've taken over the past 18 months of development...raised in barely more than two days!

Axen · May 2012

lowlylowlycook wrote: »

This little tidbit explains why indie devs find Kickstarter so very interesting.

Xenonauts Kistarter wrote:

We've officially hit 100% funding, having raised $50,000 in 56 hours! The response to our Kickstarter has been astonishing, so we'd again like to thank everyone who has backed us or spread the word! To put things in perspective, that's roughly half of all the pre-order revenue we've taken over the past 18 months of development...raised in barely more than two days!

This does remind me of a question I have about Kickstarter. If a project reaches it's funding level long before the 30 days are up can the people working on the project "close it out" so to speak and get their funding right away instead of having to wait until all the 30 (31?) days are finished?

I ask because while some Devs say if we hit X then we will add this and if we hit Y then we will add this. Which is cool, no doubt. However for some of these projects it just seems like there would really only be so much they could do and suddenly having, say, double their funding goal would make them feel obligated to change their plans and come up with new stuff.

I mean if I was an indie dev and I needed X amount to completely fund my project (and then some), but the backer turnout was amazing and now I have three times what I need I'm not sure I'd know what to do with it all.

Hookers and blow?

Arivia · May 2012

Axen wrote: »

lowlylowlycook wrote: »

This little tidbit explains why indie devs find Kickstarter so very interesting.

Xenonauts Kistarter wrote:

We've officially hit 100% funding, having raised $50,000 in 56 hours! The response to our Kickstarter has been astonishing, so we'd again like to thank everyone who has backed us or spread the word! To put things in perspective, that's roughly half of all the pre-order revenue we've taken over the past 18 months of development...raised in barely more than two days!

This does remind me of a question I have about Kickstarter. If a project reaches it's funding level long before the 30 days are up can the people working on the project "close it out" so to speak and get their funding right away instead of having to wait until all the 30 (31?) days are finished?

I ask because while some Devs say if we hit X then we will add this and if we hit Y then we will add this. Which is cool, no doubt. However for some of these projects it just seems like there would really only be so much they could do and suddenly having, say, double their funding goal would make them feel obligated to change their plans and come up with new stuff.

I mean if I was an indie dev and I needed X amount to completely fund my project (and then some), but the backer turnout was amazing and now I have three times what I need I'm not sure I'd know what to do with it all.

Hookers and blow?

Guess what you now have that wonderful thing known as profit. Or seed capital for future projects, etc.

Turkey · May 2012

If I had a project that ended making twice the amount I expected, I'd put that money in my "for when shit breaks" fund.

Because shit breaks at the worst of times.

Slimcea · May 2012

Skipped Republique too and spent the money on Jane Jensen instead.

Just not convinced by Republique so far. The story and protagonist, for all the playing up, don't seem to exactly stand out as something unique. Dystopian totalitarian futures aren't that rare in gaming, and the female protagonist doesn't strike me any notes with me at all. Also, from the demos and pitches, this is pretty much an adventure game. I didn't really see anywhere where there was action.The part whereby the project suddenly flips on its head and offers a "unique PC & Mac version" also sounds very fishy. I mean, the stated goal is still the same, but somehow, they can suddenly squeeze out "new features, gameplay and story elements" for another platform without negatively impacting the iOS version. Not to mention bringing in heavyweight voice actors.

Also, I'm just not convinced that he couldn't get publisher funding. Ryan seems very well-connected, surely he has enough friends to the industry who are willing to take a punt on this? The last minute social media push didn't help also, it seemed that basically he was getting his backers to spam every major gaming site and Twitter in the hopes of getting enough funding.

Contrast that to the Pinkerton Road kickstarter - no sudden flip flops and tons of steady updates with insights into the development processes. Realistic stretch goals as well. Gives me a heck load more confidence.

Xenogears of Bore · May 2012

Bringing those two up right next to each other is pretty funny. Both in my opinion are Kickstarters that will succeed despite many flaws at the outset.

Mojo_Jojo · May 2012

Slimcea wrote: »

Skipped Republique too and spent the money on Jane Jensen instead.

Just not convinced by Republique so far. The story and protagonist, for all the playing up, don't seem to exactly stand out as something unique. Dystopian totalitarian futures aren't that rare in gaming, and the female protagonist doesn't strike me any notes with me at all. Also, from the demos and pitches, this is pretty much an adventure game. I didn't really see anywhere where there was action.The part whereby the project suddenly flips on its head and offers a "unique PC & Mac version" also sounds very fishy. I mean, the stated goal is still the same, but somehow, they can suddenly squeeze out "new features, gameplay and story elements" for another platform without negatively impacting the iOS version. Not to mention bringing in heavyweight voice actors.

Also, I'm just not convinced that he couldn't get publisher funding. Ryan seems very well-connected, surely he has enough friends to the industry who are willing to take a punt on this? The last minute social media push didn't help also, it seemed that basically he was getting his backers to spam every major gaming site and Twitter in the hopes of getting enough funding.

Contrast that to the Pinkerton Road kickstarter - no sudden flip flops and tons of steady updates with insights into the development processes. Realistic stretch goals as well. Gives me a heck load more confidence.

Well, apparently they were offered funding from a publisher for a PC version, but they wanted to try and do this big first production value iPhone game rather than that.

The Kickstarter went to show that people were interesting up until they saw the platform they were aiming for, so they ended up going backwards. Without knowing when they determined they wanted to make this game exclusively for the iOS devices it's hard to know how much of a design they have that is compatible with more traditional platforms.

I suppose if you have a shot at getting the money without publisher control though, you have to try, and that is what they did.

So yes, it is a bit odd, but I'm pretty interested in how it turns out.

Soralin · May 2012

Axen wrote: »

lowlylowlycook wrote: »

This little tidbit explains why indie devs find Kickstarter so very interesting.

Xenonauts Kistarter wrote:

We've officially hit 100% funding, having raised $50,000 in 56 hours! The response to our Kickstarter has been astonishing, so we'd again like to thank everyone who has backed us or spread the word! To put things in perspective, that's roughly half of all the pre-order revenue we've taken over the past 18 months of development...raised in barely more than two days!

This does remind me of a question I have about Kickstarter. If a project reaches it's funding level long before the 30 days are up can the people working on the project "close it out" so to speak and get their funding right away instead of having to wait until all the 30 (31?) days are finished?

I ask because while some Devs say if we hit X then we will add this and if we hit Y then we will add this. Which is cool, no doubt. However for some of these projects it just seems like there would really only be so much they could do and suddenly having, say, double their funding goal would make them feel obligated to change their plans and come up with new stuff.

I mean if I was an indie dev and I needed X amount to completely fund my project (and then some), but the backer turnout was amazing and now I have three times what I need I'm not sure I'd know what to do with it all.

Hookers and blow?

Nope, can't end it early or anything like that:

What happens if a project reaches its funding goal before time expires?
Nothing really. Projects continue to accept pledges until the funding deadline. There is no option to end a project early.

Can I change my funding goal after I launch?
No. Once a project launches, the funding goal cannot be changed.

Can I change my deadline after I launch?
No. Once a project launches, the end date cannot be changed.

Although apparently you can add limits to certain rewards after the fact. Pebble did that, and changed every reward to sold-out once they had reached some maximum number of watches they wanted to commit themselves to or such. You could still contribute if you wanted, but you couldn't select any rewards that are already filled.

C2B · May 2012

http://www.ripten.com/2012/05/10/storybricks-will-make-you-rethink-the-word-game/

Closer look at Storybrick. Imo one of the most interesting Kickstarters at the moment

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/storybricks/storybricks-the-mmorpg-storytelling-toolset?ref=users

The team at Storybricks comes from different backgrounds in the gaming world, from all over the globe. CEO Rodolfo Rossini brought the talented group together after a World of Warcraft gave him an epiphany. After destroying a major boss and saving the world, he and his party returned to town, only to hear the same words of dread from the NPCs. For all of that monumental effort, the world was unaffected by the removal of the menacing, malevolent godlike being. It was jarring and destroyed the immersion for him. He wanted more: more realistic NPCs, more immersion and more involvement in the story. He wasn’t going to get it elsewhere, so he called on people like MMO Architect Brian Green to help make it a reality on his own.

Much like bricks used to build a house, Storybricks is working from the bottom up. It will eventually be a game, but not in the sense that we traditionally think of that word. Eventually, it will be an MMO, but not in the sense of a tab-target or even an action-based title. Expect higher concepts that we typically find in pen-and-paper RPGs, where players shape the experience as much as they are bound to the wishes of the game master. The goals will be more organic, and the example of the traditional “kill 10 rats and bring me their tails” quest became the focus of conversation.

pushed Green and Heckman with a specific scenario about a guard that wants to kill the king. Using the bricks, players (storytellers?) could set up a faction motivation that instructs all royal guards to be loyal to the king. The wolf in sheep’s clothing would have additional bricks affixed to make him want to murder the king. Additionally, there will be bricks to determine self-preservation. Is he planning on killing the king at any cost, thereby committing suicide by guard in the process? Will he wait for the stealth of night and only strike when he is alone with the king or in the presence of only one or two other people? The possibilities are endless for creating robust and complex tales. Many of these things aren’t available in the alpha version, now available to users at play.storybricks.com, but they will be added along the way.

Additionally, emotions will be “contagious,” with actions toward one NPC having the potential to influence others in the relationship chain. Smack someone and you may enrage his brother. Treat someone kindly and watch his friends warm up to you while his enemies begin to question your motivations. While some of this might not sound brand new, the mechanism for this ripple effect is fresh. Because of it, the interplay of factions becomes more organic.

You can test out a Alpha Build here

http://play.storybricks.com/play.php

Mojo_Jojo · May 2012

It's hardly an epiphany that MMOs tend to have utterly static worlds.

C2B · May 2012

Mojo_Jojo wrote: »

It's hardly an epiphany that MMOs tend to have utterly static worlds.

It's hardly everyday that someone actually does develop systems to work against that. And that was just a recount on why the guy decided to do something against it in the first place.

Clevinger · May 2012

Realm Explorer: A procedurally generated RPG that sounds almost like a mixture of Gothic/Risen and Minecraft

Yougottawanna · May 2012

C2B wrote: »

http://www.ripten.com/2012/05/10/storybricks-will-make-you-rethink-the-word-game/

Closer look at Storybrick. Imo one of the most interesting Kickstarters at the moment

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/storybricks/storybricks-the-mmorpg-storytelling-toolset?ref=users

The team at Storybricks comes from different backgrounds in the gaming world, from all over the globe. CEO Rodolfo Rossini brought the talented group together after a World of Warcraft gave him an epiphany. After destroying a major boss and saving the world, he and his party returned to town, only to hear the same words of dread from the NPCs. For all of that monumental effort, the world was unaffected by the removal of the menacing, malevolent godlike being. It was jarring and destroyed the immersion for him. He wanted more: more realistic NPCs, more immersion and more involvement in the story. He wasn’t going to get it elsewhere, so he called on people like MMO Architect Brian Green to help make it a reality on his own.

Much like bricks used to build a house, Storybricks is working from the bottom up. It will eventually be a game, but not in the sense that we traditionally think of that word. Eventually, it will be an MMO, but not in the sense of a tab-target or even an action-based title. Expect higher concepts that we typically find in pen-and-paper RPGs, where players shape the experience as much as they are bound to the wishes of the game master. The goals will be more organic, and the example of the traditional “kill 10 rats and bring me their tails” quest became the focus of conversation.

pushed Green and Heckman with a specific scenario about a guard that wants to kill the king. Using the bricks, players (storytellers?) could set up a faction motivation that instructs all royal guards to be loyal to the king. The wolf in sheep’s clothing would have additional bricks affixed to make him want to murder the king. Additionally, there will be bricks to determine self-preservation. Is he planning on killing the king at any cost, thereby committing suicide by guard in the process? Will he wait for the stealth of night and only strike when he is alone with the king or in the presence of only one or two other people? The possibilities are endless for creating robust and complex tales. Many of these things aren’t available in the alpha version, now available to users at play.storybricks.com, but they will be added along the way.

Additionally, emotions will be “contagious,” with actions toward one NPC having the potential to influence others in the relationship chain. Smack someone and you may enrage his brother. Treat someone kindly and watch his friends warm up to you while his enemies begin to question your motivations. While some of this might not sound brand new, the mechanism for this ripple effect is fresh. Because of it, the interplay of factions becomes more organic.

You can test out a Alpha Build here

http://play.storybricks.com/play.php

This is the sort of thing I always wondered if Dwarf Fortress would move towards... I want to see if they can even come close to pulling this off.

eobet · May 2012

Realm Explorer.

Storybricks.

Holy shit.

What can I say? The publisher model is dead to me. Distributed power rocks.

But my wallet is feeling the hurt right now. There are too many project happening at once.

Cantido · May 2012

TychoCelchuuu wrote: »

These guys want to basically bring back Battlezone.

ALL MAI MONEYS

November Fifth · May 2012

I wonder if it's possible to run a Kickstarter project as an actual investment scheme or if it is against their TOS.

A donation of $1 would get you a "share" of the net profits from the eventual release. It would be a great affinity scam.

Darian · May 2012

That's against the kickstarter TOS, and also was against the law until last month.

http://www.developingconcerns.com/tags/kickstarter/

The JOBS Act: Game Changer for Start Up Games Companies?
Last month the President signed into law the JOBS Act - the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act. This bill received broad bipartisan support, and a lot of commentary has been written about it since its enactment. But you might be wondering, "what does it really mean for games companies?"
Potentially a lot. Here are my initial thoughts as to the new law's most important provisions for games companies:
The ability to sell securities via crowdfunding sites. This could be a big one, especially as crowdfunding is becoming an ever-more important financing source. One need look no further than Double Fine's $3.3 million Kickstarter campaign to see how important crowdfunding can be. If companies are able to sell securities via a Kickstarter-like site, rather than sell tangible goods or simply ask for donations, the result may be more funding going into making a game. After all, companies won't need to put that money towards making and distributing the goods sold via the campaign, and more people may be willing to pony up some cash to take a cut of the game's proceeds rather than simply donate the money.

Of course, the SEC is only now beginning the process of rulemaking about this, so we'll have to wait and see how the final details shake out.

Donnicton · May 2012

Darian wrote: »

That's against the kickstarter TOS, and also was against the law until last month.

http://www.developingconcerns.com/tags/kickstarter/

The JOBS Act: Game Changer for Start Up Games Companies?
Last month the President signed into law the JOBS Act - the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act. This bill received broad bipartisan support, and a lot of commentary has been written about it since its enactment. But you might be wondering, "what does it really mean for games companies?"
Potentially a lot. Here are my initial thoughts as to the new law's most important provisions for games companies:
The ability to sell securities via crowdfunding sites. This could be a big one, especially as crowdfunding is becoming an ever-more important financing source. One need look no further than Double Fine's $3.3 million Kickstarter campaign to see how important crowdfunding can be. If companies are able to sell securities via a Kickstarter-like site, rather than sell tangible goods or simply ask for donations, the result may be more funding going into making a game. After all, companies won't need to put that money towards making and distributing the goods sold via the campaign, and more people may be willing to pony up some cash to take a cut of the game's proceeds rather than simply donate the money.

Of course, the SEC is only now beginning the process of rulemaking about this, so we'll have to wait and see how the final details shake out.

More than likely something is going to happen with one of these projects that will make the SEC force some kind of guarantee with the Kickstarter projects that they must legally deliver what they promise one way or another. How effective will it be? Who knows.

On a side note, I plan to launch a Kickstarter project to raise funds to buy one share of Facebook stock.

Reward tiers can include a photo of the stock certificate, a scan of the stock certificate, and a signed photo of the stock certificate!

mrt144 · May 2012

Donnicton wrote: »

Darian wrote: »

That's against the kickstarter TOS, and also was against the law until last month.

http://www.developingconcerns.com/tags/kickstarter/

The JOBS Act: Game Changer for Start Up Games Companies?
Last month the President signed into law the JOBS Act - the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act. This bill received broad bipartisan support, and a lot of commentary has been written about it since its enactment. But you might be wondering, "what does it really mean for games companies?"
Potentially a lot. Here are my initial thoughts as to the new law's most important provisions for games companies:
The ability to sell securities via crowdfunding sites. This could be a big one, especially as crowdfunding is becoming an ever-more important financing source. One need look no further than Double Fine's $3.3 million Kickstarter campaign to see how important crowdfunding can be. If companies are able to sell securities via a Kickstarter-like site, rather than sell tangible goods or simply ask for donations, the result may be more funding going into making a game. After all, companies won't need to put that money towards making and distributing the goods sold via the campaign, and more people may be willing to pony up some cash to take a cut of the game's proceeds rather than simply donate the money.

Of course, the SEC is only now beginning the process of rulemaking about this, so we'll have to wait and see how the final details shake out.

More than likely something is going to happen with one of these projects that will make the SEC force some kind of guarantee with the Kickstarter projects that they must legally deliver what they promise one way or another. How effective will it be? Who knows.

On a side note, I plan to launch a Kickstarter project to raise funds to buy one share of Facebook stock.

Reward tiers can include a photo of the stock certificate, a scan of the stock certificate, and a signed photo of the stock certificate!

Brilliant!

Penny Arcade

The Official Video Game Kickstarter Thread

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