Topic: Kickstarter thread

[idolminds]

We all know about Double Fine Adventure, but that kicked off a surge of kickstarter gaming projects. Figured I'd make a thread where we can point out the new and interesting ones.

The Banner Saga - Turn based strategy Viking game. Looks cool.
Wasteland 2 - The original inspired Fallout, and now the original team wants to make a sequel.
FTL: Faster Than Light - Spaceship manager/roguelike thing? Sounds pretty awesome.
Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack - Tabletop game played with awesome Lego mechs.

The last one there is actually going to be released under Creative Commons, so you'll be able to download and share the PDF for free. Which is pretty awesome of them. I threw a little their way just because those mech designs are totally awesome.

[MysterD]

Tex Murphy will have a Kickstarter sometime in April.

[Cobra951]

Wasteland 2 is at $1.5 million right now.  Goal was $900K.  Not bad for a sequel to a game I never heard of.

[MysterD]

Dead State might join the Kickstarter club, as well...

[idolminds]

Leisure Suit Larry

I didn't end up funding FTL. I wanted to but have to watch my money a little. I'll but it when it comes out (hopefully the DRM free version wasn't KS exclusive, which was my only worry. And the devs never got back to me when I asked).

[MysterD]

Shadowrun Returns -> Single-player Turn-based RPG in 2D w/ Jordan Weisman (the original creator of Shadowrun IP) of HareBrained Schemes.

EDIT --> 4-5-2012: FUNDED! That didn't take long...
EDIT --> 8-20-2012: RPGWatch -> Concept Art; and planned 2D/3D mix of environments/character models.
EDIT --> 4-10-2013: Shadowrun Returns won't technically be 100% DRM-FREE...

Concept Art:

While this is concept art – not a screenshot – it’s representative of the fidelity and art style we’re shooting for.
For the uninitiated (or those seeking a quick refresher!) the concept above depicts the infamous Redmond Barrens* of the mid 2050s.
The game environment will be composed of painted 2D elements, so we should be able to deliver the level of detail, depth and expressiveness that you see here.
Characters in Shadowrun Returns, on the other hand, are being constructed in 3D – which allows them the fluid movement and wide range of character design and equipment options you’d expect from an RPG.
We’ve done a number of tests and the 2D/3D mix feels very natural.
We’re really excited about the direction we’re heading in and the progress we’ve made in the last 3 months.
We look forward to showing you more soon!

EDIT --> 3-9-2013: Shadowrun Returns - Alpha Gameplay Footage (19 mins 50 secs in length)

[MysterD]

"A Year Of Adventure Games" from Jane Jensen and Robert Holmes of Pinkerton Road Studios is up on Kickstarter.
Gamers will be able to vote eventually on 3 different Adventures, in which will come first:
Gray Matter 2; Moebius; and Anglophile Adventure.
They want to eventually do all 3 games.

[idolminds]

Grim Dawn, the new action RPG from the makers of Titan Quest.

[Xessive]

Grim Dawn, the new action RPG from the makers of Titan Quest.

Nice, that looks pretty!

[PyroMenace]

Crazy, its not even a Diablo clone, its straight up Diablo, same art, very close looking UI design, similar fonts... its a little too Diablo.

[Quemaqua]

Well, some of that can be forgiven because there's hardly anyone there and they seem to think all that stuff is just boilerplate and will be changed when it can. I don't think the art is too Diablo-ish. Seems to have its own spin. And I dig the Victorian stuff and the guns. It looks fun. I love the high contrast and how colorful everything is despite the world being dark. I think I may support this, and I haven't really bit on any game-related Kickstarter stuff.

[idolminds]

How about some officially licensed Battle Chess? They are asking for $100k to finish it up and get multiplayer in there. $15 nets you a copy of the game when done, with higher levels getting you a digital art book, boxed copies, and tshirts.

[gpw11]

Nay. Battlechess seems like a horribly outdated idea. I remember playing it once or twice, but I think the animations will probably get repetitive as hell and can't see the chess engine being anywhere near on par with something like Chess Master.  This one will probably have to squeak by purely on nostalgia.

[idolminds]

Thats what I was thinking. Like if they aimed it as an iOS game they might get somewhere, but just a general release...nah. Its chess with animations. It looks nice. I'd play it once or twice and that'd be it.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, that seems like a poor idea. I'd be surprised if they break $10k, let alone $100k. It's a nice idea and all, but it's just too much of a novelty item. Did the game ever really have "fans"? I mean, it's just chess. Except with goofy animations. I sort of get it, but that seems like a very 1980's idea. Maybe if they had something other than stock chess... like some weird gameplay variants or something.

[idolminds]

So there is probably some fun marketing data being generated at KS. It seems like something either gets way over what they ask for, or they don't meet it at all.

So I wonder if the optimal plan is to "sell yourself short." Lowball your goal a little, then add on the stretch goals the more you go over to keep people piling in.

Starlight Inception asked for $150k, and with 21 hours to go they need a little less than $40k to reach it. I'm doubtful they will. Yes thats a third of the total, but if they had asked for $100k they would be all set, plus getting people in now that its a sure thing. It would also be interesting to see statistics of backers based on completed/uncompleted goals. Like right now for Starlight...do I back it in hopes of pushing it to its goal even though thats unlikely (and I wouldn't be out any money if it fails), or do I just ignore it because it wont make the goal anyway? What happens more often? Did people pile on the Double Fine or Wasteland projects because they were sure things and already funded where more money meant a better product?

I'm sure smarter people than I are looking into this.

[idolminds]

The Doom That Came To Atlantic City

Board game by some dudes that brought you Gloom. Would you like a Monopoly parody Cthulhu game with awesome pewter sculpted pieces?

[idolminds]

So, everyone wanted a new Carmageddon, right?

[Xessive]

Tempting... The original Carmageddon was fun and inappropriate for all ages.

[idolminds]

Starlight Inception met their goal, amazingly. They were $8k shy with only an hour left, and they ended up $8k over by the time it actually ended. Strong push to the finish.

[Quemaqua]

Cute British girls on the dev team is always cool. Is there a tier for taking advantage of that?

[idolminds]

I wish.

Another cool looking project: Haunts: The Manse Macabre. PC game influenced by boardgames, one side plays explorers of a haunted mansion and the other plays the horrible inhabitants of the mansion. Thing is lots of things are set up in secret: Neither side knows exactly what the other side chose for their team. The explorers have a goal (out of several) that they also choose in secret, so the haunted side has to try figure out what the other side is even trying to accomplish and stop them.

Anyway, sounds neat. $5 gets you a copy of the game, and in fact every $5 gets you another copy. $10 level gets you 2, $25 level gets you 5 copies, etc.

[Quemaqua]

I backed it for $5. Looks fun!

[gpw11]

So there is probably some fun marketing data being generated at KS. It seems like something either gets way over what they ask for, or they don't meet it at all.

So I wonder if the optimal plan is to "sell yourself short." Lowball your goal a little, then add on the stretch goals the more you go over to keep people piling in.

Starlight Inception asked for $150k, and with 21 hours to go they need a little less than $40k to reach it. I'm doubtful they will. Yes thats a third of the total, but if they had asked for $100k they would be all set, plus getting people in now that its a sure thing. It would also be interesting to see statistics of backers based on completed/uncompleted goals. Like right now for Starlight...do I back it in hopes of pushing it to its goal even though thats unlikely (and I wouldn't be out any money if it fails), or do I just ignore it because it wont make the goal anyway? What happens more often? Did people pile on the Double Fine or Wasteland projects because they were sure things and already funded where more money meant a better product?

I'm sure smarter people than I are looking into this.

That's a really good point I've never thought of.  It seems it worked out huge for Shadowrun.   I guess there is a risk involved though.  I mean, set your goal too low and what happens if you make it, but don't hit your real, internal goal?  If you can't finish the project because you run out of funds are you on the line for the money given to you?

[Cobra951]

That's the $64M question.  This way of getting funded is so new that everything is still in process, so nothing has outright failed after funding (that I know of).  After a couple of years, I have no doubt we'll see some huge errors and outright shenanigans.

My take:  Once the money is gone, it's gone.  No one who invested in a bad project is going to see their contribution again.  It's all based on trust.

[idolminds]

Yeah KS is worded in such a way that you are simply giving the money to the other party. If they don't come through on it its not like KS is going to get you your money back. There are risks involved with this method.

Which leads to its own problems. Who do you trust? Big names? They aren't the ones that KS is really for.

[Quemaqua]

It's a leap of faith. Help someone do something they want to do if you think it's just as awesome as they do, and some people are obviously going to have a better chance at pulling that off than others. It's really just charity with "thank you" gifts, just you're giving to something that isn't a non-profit. You're helping someone make a product you want to buy, usually with the promise that if it pans out, you get the product for your contribution, plus maybe some other shit. But it's still charity, really. You're giving a few bucks to keep something going, but instead of a charitable organization, it's maybe someone's dream, or the work of a few passionate people trying to create something.

[Pugnate]

Maybe it is self charity for 'investors' too. Let's some people feel they are a part of something big too. 

[idolminds]

Republiqe has $50k to go and only 15 hours left. Guess we'll find out tomorrow afternoon what happens. They might actually make it!

An interesting one just popped up. Diamond Trust of London is a game about the diamond trade made by Jason Rohrer (Sleep is Death, Inside a Star-Filled Sky, Passage). Its a DS game, its done and ready to manufacture. They are using KS as a sort of preorder program to judge demand so they don't order way too many carts. $35 gets you a boxed copy of the game, $55 a special edition (only 1000 made, 769 sold on KS). The game sounds really cool so check it out. I'm tempted to grab a cart since this is going to be a rare bird, I'm sure.

[PyroMenace]

I went ahead and backed Republique, hope they make it.

[idolminds]

Republique is going well past their goal now. It does seem to be a huge surge, especially once it was a "sure thing". They are at $540k+ with an hour and a half to go.

Some project that looked interesting.

Tentacle Bento, a trick taking card game about tentacle aliens in an all girls school. I mean, obviously.
Xenonauts is an X-COM clone that looks pretty cool. Looks like its going to stay closer to the original than the new remake is.
Tahiti board game sounds pretty cool. And even at the $1 level you get a PDF print-and-play copy.

[Cobra951]

Double Fine Adventure Episode One // A Perfect Storm for Adventure

[idolminds]

Huh, weird. I checking in on how some of the projects are doing, even if I'm not giving money to them myself. I just find it interesting. Anyway, I check out the progress of Tentacle Bento and find out that funding was canceled despite being well over their original goal (asked for $13k, were over $30k).

It turns out that after a couple articles that said the game "trivialized rape" (huh?), KS must have got a ton of complaints and decided to cancel the project.

The creators of the card game are simply running their own kickstarter now. Same prices, same rewards. Of course now they won't have to pay KS their cut so this may end up being better for them. Still...it doesn't seem like this should have been pulled.

[idolminds]

Diamond Trust of London is fully funded with 3 days to go. Man I want a copy.

[MysterD]

Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox.

The Quick Run-Down

If you're just having a quick look, here are the key things that make this game what it is:
    The game is an homage to classic RPGs such as Eye of the Beholder, Might & Magic, Dungeon Master, Stonekeep, etc
    Movement is grid-based and turn-based
    It is set in an infinite, persistent world (yes, persistent, too!)
    The world is rich and full of dungeons, crypts, forests, cities, vast oceans and more
    World is NOT randomly generated, but it IS infinite, so you can share what you find with friends
    Items, weapons, quests, locations, maps, NPCs, even dialogue are generated by the game
    Even some graphics such as weapon images are generated procedurally
    The game is nearly finished, but we need some extra funds to add the final layer of polish to make the game as good as it can be

[idolminds]

Dead State

We are so sick of most zombie games. Yes, we get it, killing zombies is fun. But that’s not what the zombie genre is about. It’s about survival, first and foremost – the struggle of the survivors faced with adapting to a world that has succumbed to an unfathomable event.

This is your story – you’re the leader and it’s up to you to force the lucky, the traumatized, and the selfish to work together for weeks and months after society has collapsed. Zombies are the least of your problems – you need to keep morale high, mouths fed, and your shelter safe. You will lose people. You will make enemies. You will have to make tough decisions. And you might not make it.

[Quemaqua]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang

Probably the best KS video I've seen. Had to stop by and share. Neal Stephenson is an amusing guy, and this seems like a pretty interesting project. Check it out.

[idolminds]

Yeah seems like a neat project, though I think its going to run into the same problem as the Wii sword fighting games: you swing, swords clash but your arms keep moving. Now the sword position on the screen and in real life are out of sync.

[TheOtherBelmont]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang

Probably the best KS video I've seen. Had to stop by and share. Neal Stephenson is an amusing guy, and this seems like a pretty interesting project. Check it out.

Haha, I was just fixing to post this.  That pitch video was pretty funny.  I don't really have interest in playing the actual game but I would still like to see where it goes.

[MysterD]

Dead State

Bluesnews -> Dead State = FUNDED.
Here's what they aiming for, if some of their new goals are met:

$180,000 - The Weapon Pack
$210k - New Areas (Military Base, Regional Airport, County Fair, Mall)
$240k - More Attack Animations, 2 New Allies, 2 New Shelter Upgrades.
$260k - More Character Creation Options, More Zombie Variety, Post-Release Game Modifiers
$300k - The City Area (High risk, high reward), 1 New Ally
$330k - Animals Added, Dog Allies Added
$360k - Mini-Expansion For Backers After Release (Adds military-grade weapons and zones of control)