KickStarter Kickstarter Watch.

[Studio Fawn]

As planned, Raindrop failed with $61,249 out of the $144,000 it asked.

It is sad Raindrop actually looked pretty neat.

 

[tindrli]

what about this one??? .. seems like our beloved abandoned prospector in a way...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...infinity-a-space-adventure-roguelike?ref=live

 

[himmy]

And now for something completely different:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/graphic-novel-based-on-interview-with-noam-chomsky

 

[JudasIscariot]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dreadlocks/dex-cyberpunk-2d-rpg?ref=category

Quote:

A story-driven action/stealth sidescrolling RPG with a fresh new vision of cyberspace.

Explore the dark alleys of Harbor Prime and a host of diverse locations in both physical reality and the wild reaches of cyberspace. Discover the truth behind an enigmatic AI striving to reach the Singularity, a theoretical “event horizon” in which artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence and all bets about the future will be off. How will you play your part in the story?

 

[Infinitron]

New scam: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/11/12/kickstarter-project-canceled-amid-fraud-accusations/

Kickstarter Project Canceled Amid Fraud Accusations
By Evelyn M. Rusli

On Kickstarter, the crowd is your best friend — or your worst enemy.

On Monday night, the creators of Luci, a device that induces lucid dreaming, abruptly pulled the plug on their Kickstarter funding amid a flurry of fraud accusations. Former backers celebrated on the project’s Kickstarter comments page, calling it a “happy happy ending” and a “great result.”

More than $363,000 Canadian dollars will be returned to 2,569 backers.

The story of Luci both highlights the vulnerability of crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, where virtually anyone can raise money, and the power of online crowds as a regulatory force.

On Nov. 1, Amine Barnat, a student in Paris, pledged $175 Canadian dollars to Luci. For such a donation, GPX Technologies, the Montreal-based company behind Luci, promised to give backers a product that would help induce lucid dreams.

After spotting some red flags, Barnat lowered his donation to $1 – just enough to continue commenting on the Kickstarter page—and accumulated and shared data that, he believes, showed that Luci was a scam. He says his mission then became to “warn people about the oddities I found in their campaign.”

GPX did not respond to requests for comment.

Barnat and other backers used the comments page to point out perceived discrepancies, such as a lack of information available online about GPX and its founder, Wayne Kendall. He found what appeared to be modified images of the components of the Luci device, and a lack of video of the device in action.

In the comments page, GPX’s Kickstarter account sternly defended its status as a registered business and said its photos were legitimate. The account also accused Barnat, under the handle “Manoko,” of harassing Kendall’s wife via Facebook, an accusation Barnat denies. (He responded by posting a video of his Facebook messages to YouTube.)

The skepticism chipped away at Luci’s funds.

After hitting more than $400,000 CAD in funds on Sunday, the project lost more than $38,700 CAD on Monday night before the project was canceled, according to Kicktraq, a site that tracks the funding progress of Kickstarter projects. A separate post on Reddit also pointed to possible red flags and attracted 42 comments.

This is not first time Kickstarter has wrestled with fraud allegations. Last summer, funding for a project called Kobe Red (a Kobe beef jerky startup) was suspended amid scam accusations — but not before the group attracted more than $120,000 worth of pledges. Critics of Kickstarter have argued that such sites will attract more bad actors, as they rise in popularity.

Kickstarter has some basic controls in place. It verifies the identity, address, bank account, phone number and email for the project creators. It also tries to verify that the project submitted is indeed a creative project (not for instance, a project to fund a personal vacation). Projects must have a distinct beginning and end.

Kickstarter warns backers to carefully review a project’s materials before pledging money. Users can also alert Kickstarter if they suspect a project is inappropriate or fraudulent

Meanwhile, Kickstarter also warns creators that they may face legal action (from backers) if they fail to fulfill their promises.

So far, Kickstarter has hosted more than 100,000 projects, and of these, less than a dozen have been shut down because of fraud concerns, according to the company

Alexandre Dubé-Pakenham, a college student in Quebec City, Canada, who initially pledged $150 Canadian dollars to Luci, says the experience has made him more skeptical about Kickstarter projects. But Dubé-Pakenham, who has funded nearly a dozen projects, says he’ll keep spending. “There has to be some faith that the project creator is honest and trustworthy,” he said.

Luci: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/caluka/lucitm-advanced-lucid-dream-inducer
Kobe Red: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kobered/kobe-red-100-japanese-beer-fed-kobe-beef-jerky/

 

[Infinitron]

lol

 

[Spectacle]

Aww, and they were so close too! The scammers must be kicking themselves for not running a 20 day campaign now

 

[Blackthorne]

Shit. I better not launch my Super Penis Pump Enlarger/Occulus Rift combo machine I made in my basement and have been testing on my dog.


Bt

 

[kaizoku]

After Reset - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2146421095/after-reset-rpg - "After Reset RPG is a sci-fi post-apocalyptic role-playing game. Inspired by original Fallout 1/2, Baldur's Gate and Planescape:Torment."; asking for $900,000

The artwork looks good, everything looks intriguing up to the point when you start to ask yourself "Who are this guys? Do they have a snowball's chance in hell of delivering?". And then the other shoe drops:

"FOUNDER, GAME DIRECTOR:
Richard Nixon, mrnixon@afterreset.com
I'm 31 y.o. Born in USSR. Served in army (Mission Controll Center). Used to be a merc (Asia Region). Have an MBA of Strategic Marketing (Durham University Business School and Synergy University Business School). Built my own international furniture business (UK/Germany/Russia/China) from the ground. I've been working on the After Reset as a hobby but if our campaign succeed I will pass control of the business and dedicate my entire time to gamedev. I know how to create and finalize the project and have a strong experience in business operations as well as fiery passion for the task in hands." [emphasis mine]

Hilarity ensued. I suggest the LULZ list. If this KS would be a Codex thread, my first instinct would be to say "inb4 retardo".

oh man

wtf


He really spent a lot of time in preparing that snake oil.
Did he really thought he could get $1M?

The sad thing is that if he had asked for 10k or 20k he might had been able to run away with the money.

 

[kaizoku]

some PnC adventure games, although there isn't a single one that convinced me; would need to see more

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236117571/her-majestys-spiffing?ref=category

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-a-tribute-to-90s-adventure-game?ref=category

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/510736733/the-slaughter?ref=category

 

[Zed]

I browsed the Codex inbox and I saw that Unwritten is up on KS again.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/594743529/player-driven-rpg-unwritten-echoes-of-twilight

 

[Excommunicator]

I browsed the Codex inbox and I saw that Unwritten is up on KS again.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/594743529/player-driven-rpg-unwritten-echoes-of-twilight

Don't you like their 11th stretch goal. Paraphrased "If we make it to 250,130 we will keep the extra money and give you nothing in return"

 

[Ninjerk]

I browsed the Codex inbox and I saw that Unwritten is up on KS again.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/594743529/player-driven-rpg-unwritten-echoes-of-twilight

Don't you like their 11th stretch goal. Paraphrased "If we make it to 250,130 we will keep the extra money and give you nothing in return"

That is strange.

Why so generic, though? Bearguy is the most unique thing about this crap.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Interstellaria looks interesting: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11/19/space-sims-get-in-ter-interstellaria-it-looks-stellar/

It's like FTL except with (even more) indie graphics, but also with planet exploration.

 

[Alchemist]

Interstellaria looks interesting: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11/19/space-sims-get-in-ter-interstellaria-it-looks-stellar/

It's like FTL except with (even more) indie graphics, but also with planet exploration.

That does sound very cool at first glance (I'm a huge fan of Starflight)...

Interstellaria is a 2d space SIM/RPG/Sandbox game by Coldrice Games LLC created in the same vein as the best space exploration games of the past. Inspired heavily by games like Starflight or Star Control, Interstellaria is all about allowing the player freely explore space. Every star has something interesting to see, and every planet has it’s own unique feel. In addition, each alien race follows its own culture and moral values.

After seeing that I was all

But then I saw this...

I guess I'm still waiting for a proper Starflight successor....

Maybe I can struggle through the platforming if the rest of the game is really good. Aside from the platforming and over-used elongated pixel characters, it does look intriguing.

 

[almondblight]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dreadlocks/dex-cyberpunk-2d-rpg?ref=category

Hmm...

• Create a living 2D city with shops, NPCs, markets, corporate headquarters, slums, etc. Everything you expect from a cyberpunk world.

• The city is open to exploration. Yes, there is a story and there are side missions, but there are also locations no one will guide you to – no GUI markers, no quest markers. Some of these locations are hidden in the city or in the underground; some are simply side exits or rooftop entrances. Explorers, enjoy!

• Storytelling is mostly linear, with several possible endings. However, you can choose to do missions in your own order (where applicable), plus there is a large selection of side missions, most of which are independent of the main storyline. The levels themselves are linear in the sense that there is one clear goal, but non-linear in the sense that there are multiple possible approaches (mainly action/stealth/hacking, as addressed before).

Not sure that they'll pull it off, but their vision sounds pretty great. Worth the $10 they're asking for, at least.

 

[Grauken]

another Starflight (and Star Trek obviously) inspired game that has platforming sequences from what I can see

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2064021040/tiny-trek

 

[Alchemist]

another Starflight (and Star Trek obviously) inspired game that has platforming sequences from what I can see

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2064021040/tiny-trek

Thanks for the heads-up! I'm in for $10 - the Atari 2600 visuals / sound + procedural everything got me. I think a procedural approach is probably best for a game like this - endless exploration! And the platforming looks possibly less annoying than Interstellaria. I still wish for top-down planetary exploration though (a la Starflight).

 

[Grauken]

ever played Planet's Edge?

 

[Alchemist]

ever played Planet's Edge?

Not yet, but that's something that has been on my radar - I need to check it out sometime.

 

[Abelian]

I recently created a Kickstarter account. Is there a way to order multiple copies of the same reward tier? I would prefer an extra digital order to give as a gift rather than getting a soundtrack or other bonus materials.

 

[skuphundaku]

I recently created a Kickstarter account. Is there a way to order multiple copies of the same reward tier? I would prefer an extra digital order to give as a gift rather than getting a soundtrack or other bonus materials.

There's no way to order multiple copies of the same tier... unless you use multiple KS accounts. However, depending on the project, the people running the project can offer add-ons (i.e. you pledge extra money and get more stuff), but that depends on the project. And even if they don't list add-ons on the pain page, you can always send them a message and ask.

 

[himmy]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1871839191/the-diviner/

A text-based single-player roleplaying video game with dynamic storytelling and gorgeous illustrations, where every line carries weight

They do have "romance & relationships" as their first stretchgoal, though :/

 

[Zed]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/171497873/festival-of-magic

Norwegian take on harvest JRPGs.

 

[kaizoku]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/astrobasecommand/astrobase-command?ref=category

Astrobase Command is a character-driven survival and building simulation in a 70's sci-fi setting.

Astrobase Command combines elements of Base-Building, RPG Sandbox, and features AI-generated stories.

We're inspired by our favorite sci-fi TV series and films (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Stargate Universe, Alien, etc.); as well as our favorite video games ranging from Star Control lI to Startopia.

Sandbox -- You can actually go anywhere and do anything, and as a core premise the game is built around making this as true as possible.

Actions have Consequences -- Your choices fundamentally shape the world, and also how the world informs your future actions in a feedback system which extends into all aspects of the game.

RPG -- The game encourages attachment and emotional investment in characters by imbuing them with personality, which is expressed during the moment-to-moment gameplay.

Immersion -- You feel like you're inside the game-world to such a degree you forget you're playing software. The world is credible and the characters behave not as scripted plot devices or bags of stats, but as individuals that live and exist in that world.

Science Fiction -- A setting that explores how technology creates novel predicaments for characters, but can also yield the solution to those same predicaments.