KickStarter Kickstarter Watch.

[himmy]

Ladies & Gentleman, the Power of Fargo:

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1964463742/the-mandate/#chart-daily

(yesterday he Facebook and Tweeted it, today it was mentioned in the P:ToN update)

 

[BelisariuS.F]

Ladies & Gentleman, the Power of Fargo:

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1964463742/the-mandate/#chart-daily

(yesterday he Facebook and Tweeted it, today it was mentioned in the P:ToN update)

Or maybe the power of this guy...

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

As long as we are on the same side... at this moment.

 

[kaizoku]

Ladies & Gentleman, the Power of Fargo:

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1964463742/the-mandate/#chart-daily

(yesterday he Facebook and Tweeted it, today it was mentioned in the P:ToN update)

has he broadcasted about Lords of Xulima?
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1446315704/lords-of-xulima-an-epic-story-of-gods-and-humans

 

[Blaine]

Well, I backed The Mandate for $500, despite reservations about portions of its premise and the fact that Shadowrun Returns (or perhaps Shallowrun Returned Briefly) was shallow as fuck, even though Harebrained had a significantly larger budget to work with. Not to mention, I'm none too pleased with Perihelion's choice of a saturated World of Warcraft color palette ("o fug blaine y u like brown suk my dik nab"—no, fuck you, this shit is like a teenage girl's Day-Glo glitter lip gloss collection got spilled all over everything) and vaguely D&D-esque character aesthetic, but as you might be chomping at the bit to scream at me textually, there's more to a game than looks... and it doesn't look bad per se.

We'll see.

 

[almondblight]

Perihelion has such a strong track record as well.

 

[Spectacle]

Well, I backed The Mandate for $500, despite reservations about portions of its premise and the fact that Shadowrun Returns (or perhaps Shallowrun Returned Briefly) was shallow as fuck, even though Harebrained had a significantly larger budget to work with. Not to mention, I'm none too pleased with Perihelion's choice of a saturated World of Warcraft color palette ("o fug blaine y u like brown suk my dik nab"—no, fuck you, this shit is like a teenage girl's Day-Glo glitter lip gloss collection got spilled all over everything) and vaguely D&D-esque character aesthetic, but as you might be chomping at the bit to scream at me textually, there's more to a game than looks... and it doesn't look bad per se.

We'll see.

Kudos! Personally I'm not willing to spend any more than the minimum on a kickstarter untill the ones I've already backed heavily (WL2/Eternity/Torment) come out and prove that it's worthwhile.

 

[Destroid]

Nevermind the illogical nature of that behaviour.

 

[Skunkpew]

What about an updated 25th anniversary version of the classic HeroQuest? A double sided board, new high quality miniatures, and who knows how many stretch goals, considering they're already at $200,000 on their first day. These guys were able to buy the rights to license HeroQuest in Spain for cheap, allowing them to kickstart and ship it anywhere, even though Milton Bradley and Games Workshop own various licenses to it elsewhere.

 

[JudasIscariot]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/895349342/stalin-vs-martians-3

 

[Alex]

What about an updated 25th anniversary version of the classic HeroQuest? A double sided board, new high quality miniatures, and who knows how many stretch goals, considering they're already at $200,000 on their first day. These guys were able to buy the rights to license HeroQuest in Spain for cheap, allowing them to kickstart and ship it anywhere, even though Milton Bradley and Games Wokshop own various licenses to it elsewhere.

Nice, although the art is a lot worse than the original. Also, it is a pity they can't make the game more like Warhammer Quest.

 

[kazgar]

What about an updated 25th anniversary version of the classic HeroQuest? A double sided board, new high quality miniatures, and who knows how many stretch goals, considering they're already at $200,000 on their first day. These guys were able to buy the rights to license HeroQuest in Spain for cheap, allowing them to kickstart and ship it anywhere, even though Milton Bradley and Games Wokshop own various licenses to it elsewhere.

Nice, although the art is a lot worse than the original. Also, it is a pity they can't make the game more like Warhammer Quest.

Doesn't matter, mad cash, $440k now, but It looks more like a straight preorder system, long as the costs are calculated correctly, gonna make a motza.

 

[Alex]

What about an updated 25th anniversary version of the classic HeroQuest? A double sided board, new high quality miniatures, and who knows how many stretch goals, considering they're already at $200,000 on their first day. These guys were able to buy the rights to license HeroQuest in Spain for cheap, allowing them to kickstart and ship it anywhere, even though Milton Bradley and Games Wokshop own various licenses to it elsewhere.

Nice, although the art is a lot worse than the original. Also, it is a pity they can't make the game more like Warhammer Quest.

Doesn't matter, mad cash, $440k now, but It looks more like a straight preorder system, long as the costs are calculated correctly, gonna make a motza.

It matters to me, as a potential buyer.

 

[Spectacle]

What about an updated 25th anniversary version of the classic HeroQuest? A double sided board, new high quality miniatures, and who knows how many stretch goals, considering they're already at $200,000 on their first day. These guys were able to buy the rights to license HeroQuest in Spain for cheap, allowing them to kickstart and ship it anywhere, even though Milton Bradley and Games Workshop own various licenses to it elsewhere.

I'd be worried about legal action from GW/MB to figure out exactly how valid this license is, since they're shipping worldwide. The legal costs might consume all the kickstarter funds, leaving nothing for producing the game.

 

[Skunkpew]

Apparently, if they change the miniatures, the art and some of the rules (haha), they are allowed to sell the game in Spain. And then as a 'customer', you can buy it from their Spanish site and have it shipped to you. They say they intend to ship it like a personal gift, so as to avoid any legal action. But this means that shipping costs are $50 to North America and you still have to register in their storefront and 'buy' the game in Spain. The whole thing seems pretty slimy. Not to mention the stretch goals have been pretty lolzy, and there isn't a physical copy of anything at all so far.

They intend to have it in stores in Spain next year, so I'd wait till then anyways, considering the kickstarter orders probably won't even be fulfilled by then. If it ever gets that far.

People on BoardGameGeek have been emailing Hasbro and GamesWorkshop to see if it's safe, so I guess the truth will come out eventually.

 

[Spectacle]

They say they intend to ship it like a personal gift, so as to avoid any legal action.

Organized customs fraud? Great idea.

 

[Infinitron]

Iranian revolution popamole-ish thing: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1817380887/1979-revolution-black-friday

The gaming veteran that helped create the cinematic look and feel for Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, San Andreas, Max Payne I & II, Midnight Club Franchise, Manhunt, Red Dead Revolver, The Warriors, Alan Wake, and Homefront is now breaking new ground in gaming with the suspenseful action/adventure thriller 1979 Revolution.

Join the Revolution! Survive the uprising and betrayal. Based on actual events, 1979 Revolution delivers a deep narrative experience set in the gritty, tense underworld of revolution.

Starting its own revolution, 1979 Revolution pushes the boundaries of premium gaming. Offering mature narrative, with new media storytelling (historical assets, documentary content, graphic novel cinematics) and both suspenseful and engaging gameplay. All the while, natively designed for the touchscreen, 1979 allows wider audiences accessibility to the experience.

• Exploration, Stealth, Decision Making, Mini Games, Collectibles
• Graphic Novel Style Cinematics
• Console Quality Production Value
• iOS, Android, PC/MAC
• Based on Real Events. Real stories, Pictures, Recordings/Footage
• Award Winning Cast
• 2 Hour Experience per Episode
• Native Design for Touch Screen

You play Reza, a young photojournalist in Tehran, during the electric and tumultuous days of the Iranian revolution in 1979. Without political or religious motivation, Reza is impassioned by the idea of change and embittered by the brutal loss of his cousin. He enlists in the revolution and becomes a key player in the ground movement to overthrow the monarchy. Only months after the victorious revolt, Reza is betrayed by the new regime at the hand of his best friend.

1979 delivers premium console quality gameplay that is designed natively for touch screen design. In the PC/Mac version special attention has been deliberately given to ensure the high quality standard in both graphics and experience. Built in Unity engine, the ultimate development platform used for creating games on IOS, Andriod, consoles and beyond, 1979 is a game intended for multiple platforms.

When designing the gameplay in 1979, we didn't want to re-purpose the same experiences of other titles. We take great pride in the fresh immersive experience that our gameplay offers - all the while keeping the player in a first person experience navigating and orchestrating a revolution. Whether you are avoiding detection by authorities, in a city under martial law, or you are forging new alliances to ensure your mission, or just shutting down the power grid - gameplay has been developed with great attention to creating a world of jeopardy, emotion and suspense.

• Exploration - Explore a city under martial law and avoid detection.
• Narrative experience - Experience a deep immersive story.
• Stealth - Hide and take cover from imposing threat of being captured by the police.
• Mini Games - unique mini games such as Triage, Shutdown Power Grid,Navigate-a-Riot, Lead Escapes, Rock Hurling, Dark Room Processing, Graffiti Tagging and more.
• Critical Decisions - Make decisions that affect the outcome of your character's story.
• Collectibles - Collect Real photos, recordings and intelligence.
• 1979 Revolution is available on iOS/Android, PC/MAC with a target release of Spring 2014. However, as the funding grows, so can the game, with additional platform releases!!!!!!

 

[Kz3r0]

Hi guys, in a week or two I should return to post regularly, thanks to all the people that continue to signal projects in this thread.

 

[Skunkpew]

So there it goes for now, the HeroQuest kickstarter has been suspended. Of all the potential issues, a company called Moon Design sent a cease and desist order against HeroQuest, as they say they have the rights to the name in the US. Who knew. They say their working out a deal, and the kickstarter will eventually continue exactly where it left off, but what a mess. This is like figuring out who had the rights to System Shock, and why System Shock was allowed to disappear for so long.

 

[Infinitron]

Comments from various devs: http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/29/5131286/kickstarter-developers-in-the-age-of-crowdfunding

Not every developer has experienced egregious issues in managing their campaigns. Thomas Beekers, line producer at inXile Entertainment, told Polygon that in the time during and since the studio's two Kickstarter campaigns — for Wasteland 2 andTorment: Tides of Numenara — there have been no issues within the community with disruptive backers. The studio also has had no trouble navigating the community using the tools already available them.

"Our backer community is made up of passionate RPG fans that love and know this genre very well," he said. "They're engaged and critical, but in constructive and supportive ways. We haven't really heard any horror stories to be honest."

LIES

Kickstarter is still in its relative infancy, with Double Fine calling the crowdfunding platform into the spotlight in early 2012. Since then dozens of video game developers have turned to the method to circumnavigate signing up with a publisher. But what many small studios may not acknowledge is that with its audience directly funding a project, they are many more expectations and demands involved in keeping them happy. A publisher can be demanding, but an audience can be fickle, and according to Obsidian Entertainment's Feargus Urquhart, you have to be careful not to promise too much.

"Part of it is, you take the gamer mentality and take more of an investment — part of it is money," he said. "Some have given much more than what they would pay for a game, and they feel – and they should feel — much more of the process. So their expectations of what it's going to be are even more important to them."

But there's a fine line between management and controlling: finding the ideal amount of face time with backers is like balancing on a sliding scale, depending on what's currently happening with a project.

"We've had to manage that, and 'manage' is the wrong term in some ways," Urquhart added. "A lot of it is just having ourselves available to talk to people whenever there's an issue."

Gamers back Kickstarter projects because they want them to succeed and want to help make it happen. Backers can jump into a project with a positive goal, but that passion can sometimes cloud judgment in terms of what is and is not an acceptable way to make themselves heard. Urquhart said Obsidian always strives to keep things positive, taking negativity with a grain of salt and working through the situation to diffuse it. Ignoring the situation or sharing less project updates because of sticky backer situations is not the way to go — in doing so, you risk alienating the rest of your community.

"It's like your 401K — you don't want to not look at it for six months because if you don't look at it for six months you're like oh, it's 20 percent and I'm happy," Urquhart said. "But if you lose one percent, you're really mad and you want to know why you lost it. So we're pushing updates all the time.

"Some backers can take it too far and how you deal with that is hard," he added. "But you know, everyone has an obsessive personalty to an extent."

Obsidian's Urquhart believes that ultimately the developer running the Kickstarter should be responsible for maintaining a positive atmosphere among the backer community.

"Whether it's Kickstarter or Indiegogo, ultimately, if it'm going to people asking for money I'm putting myself out there and I have to deal with it," he said. "I can choose how much of myself is out there and that's on me, and I look at Kickstarter as facilitating this relationship with an audience. But it's ultimately my relationship to maintain.

"There are tools that would make it easier for us to communicate with the community and that would help a little bit... but that wouldn't help with the 1/100th of people who get so engaged that it turns bad," he added. "Are they part of the equation? Yes. Is it a lot of their responsibility? No. I'm the one putting the project up there. I'm getting 95 percent of the funds that come and I choose whether I put my face and name up there or not.

"You can't win the internet," Urquhart said. "We have to remember that. But you can try to correct them respectfully."

 

[Burning Bridges]

I wonder who they've gotten to "ghostwrite" the game.

Brenda Romero obviously.

EDIT: As an aside if anyone wants to know more about the game's current state here's a Neogaf post with a bunch of people talking about everything that went wrong and one person whose curiosity about the abyss proved too great.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=640243
I really can't help but feel sorry for those kids. Her sons painted as a couple of women haters so their mother could make money off their sister. Disgusting.

http://gamingtrend.com/2013/04/02/kickin-it-special-edition-the-susan-wilson-saga/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWY5iPQ9fno

So we have a mom running a campaign to send her daughter, who doesn’t seem very interested, to RPG camp. How does this raise over $20,000 dollars and why should you care? Although Susan told Kotaku that the campaign “was never meant to be a gender thing”, the Kickstarter page itself suggests differently. A picture of MacKenzie “versus” her brothers is adorned with a call to “support girls in tech”, and STEM is frequently used as a buzzword to describe the camp. The text of the page, along with Susan Wilson’s Twitter spam, focuses on Kenzie’s “mean brothers” (who will apologize for the low, low price of $10,000!). There’s a play on outdated stereotypes: because she likes games, it should be “clear” that MacKenzie is not a “girlie girl”. Everyone knows that girls don’t play games!

Trying to connect an $829 camp bill to gender politics is manipulative, as is Susan’s use of pictures of a much younger MacKenzie on the Kickstarter page to tug at your heartstrings (and hopefully your wallet). It also shelters Susan Wilson from media criticism. No one wants to be seen as not supporting girls in tech, or as criticizing a 9 year-old’s dream. Even those who voice legitimate concerns are lumped in with the “trolls” and abhorrent morons issuing threats and personal attacks, or used as proof of just how much resistance there is to getting more female voices involved in technology.

This is ridiculous. The lack of women in science and technology is a serious issue that should be addressed, but is giving one family $20,000 the best way to do it? If video game development is MacKenzie’s dream career path, then we have that in common. I know what it’s like to walk into a programming class and be one of the only girls there, or to get strange looks because I’m female and yes, I like math and play video games. That’s why it makes me so uncomfortable when Susan says the “support girls in tech” message was only “between her [MacKenzie’s] brothers and her” and that the girls vs. boys rivalry is used “in a joking way”. Oh, I get it…not.

Maybe that’s because the goal of Susan Wilson’s campaign wasn’t to help a little girl make a video game. It wasn’t to start a website with kid-friendly information about game development. It wasn’t even to settle a sibling rivalry. The goal of Susan Wilson’s campaign was to benefit Susan Wilson, to help her finally achieve her long sought after desire of the money and publicity that comes with a successful crowdfunding campaign, even if it means exploiting her children and manipulating the public in the process. She somehow managed to turn the heartwarming story of a little girl with big ambitions into the saddening story of an ambitious mother with little shame.

I wish MacKenzie the best of luck, but she now has more than enough money to attend RPG camp. If you were considering contributing to this Kickstarter, perhaps your money might be better spent by donating to a charitable organization dedicated to helping other girls get involved in STEM.

 

[Blackthorne]

Yeah, that woman made off with a bundle for sure.


Bt

 

[Kz3r0]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1183462809/paradise-lost-first-contact

Added.

I don't know about you, but the driving games created by Bugbear are among the best IMO, whether we talk about Flatout, or Rally Trophy (god bless its name). Their new game is already on on Steam Greenlight, but they also launched their kickstarter campaign.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1470493497/next-car-game-a-motorsport-with-attitude

Canceled, anyone interested enough for supporting its inclusion despite that?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bischoff/stasis-2d-isometric-scifi-horror-adventure-game




show your patriotism by pledging to this one

Added.
It's all for now.

 

[Kz3r0]

1. [RPG] Space Shock is listed as successful when, in fact, it was canceled.

Corrected thanks.

2. [RPG] Paper Sorceror has just been released

Moved to the appropriate section.

3. [Strategy] Battle Worlds: Kronos has just been released

Moved to the appropriate section

4. [Strategy] RimWorld was funded... 1300% even

Moved to the appropriate section

5. [Space] Universum: War Front was funded

Moved to the appropriate section

Also, I would like to report some new interesting projects that haven't been reported yet (or that I missed having been reported):

1. Bullet Bros ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1022212678/bullet-bros ) - "Bullet Bros is a modern day "Contra" style shooter with an emphasis on vehicle linking and over the top game-play."

Added to Platformers.

2. Windforge ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/snowedinstudios/windforge ) - "CONTRA meets MINECRAFT in a building-block RPG! Explore an ever-changing steampunk world featuring Airships & Sky Whales!"

Added to RPGs.

and some that have been reported but that are missing from the list:

1. Next Car Game ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1470493497/next-car-game-a-motorsport-with-attitude )

See my previous post.

2. Paradise Lost: First Contact ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1183462809/paradise-lost-first-contact )

Added in Action adventures.

3. The Mandate ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1964463742/the-mandate )

Actually this was already on the list.

 

[Kz3r0]

Cinemaware is taking a second shot at Kickstarter with Wings Remastered

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/850516062/wings-remastered-edition?ref=recently_launched

Added to Retro Gaming.