Kickstarting More PoE - When Should Obsidian Do It? And for What?

[Grape_You_In_the_Mouth]

Q1: When is the best time for Obsidian to Kickstart for more?

Q2: What should they ask for? Main features/fun stretch goals?

Something Obsidian might be about thinking right now is if they'll kickstart or self-fund, and if so when and for what. When would be the best time for them to Kickstart for expansions? For Sequels? What features would be best for them to ask for to excite the crowd? What should they ask for to make the game an undeniable 10/10??

When:

• I think they should kickstart it right now or during summer. Hype is high right now, and this is before a possible overshadowing by Witcher 3. If Witcher 3 has a more moving story that has much more C&C, a portion might be less excited. At the beginning of summer is the Steam summer sale, so no one has money then, so it should otherwise be after that.

What:

• It would be ideal (though maybe only practical for future KS games) to actually make a different kickstarter for each type of extra content offered. Bundling up the features which some people want and some people don't make it hard to create a package of features that people will be excited about. Romances, combat enhancements, extra C&C, more wilderness, new maps and quests, new item models---some people really want these things and some people couldn't care less. It's probably too early in their KS career to try this though, because if it fails it might make them seem more desperate when asking for PoE 2 funds.

If you answer for PoE expansions and PoE 2, divide the answer into sections noob!

 

[Trodat]

Q1: No future KS for PoE expansions or sequels. Less time allocated to fanfic means more time to make actual content, money is not an issue because PoE is selling nicely and will keep on selling.

 

[Kiste]

Q2: For licensing the Frostbite Engine from EA and going 3D and fully voiced in PoE2.

 

[Globbi]

There's no reason to make a kickstarter really. They can do a very early preorder that would kinda look like kickstarter but without giving them part of the money and not having to come up with so many backer rewards and multiple funding tiers. Possibility to order a nice physical copy with extras is nice, but there's no need for more. Backer NPCs and memorials are in game because the game wouldn't happen without backers, for expansion or second part it's simply not true and they shouldn't lie - they can get some savings, be eligible for loans and get distributors as investors for simply doing what they want (since it simply worked financially the first time). When you consider giving part of the money to kickstarter, having people work on the campaign, spending resources on delivering promises that were mistakes it may turn out that for the devs there is no real gain in kickstarting more POE.

The game has many flaws but it's a pretty damn good base for new content, whether they call it expansion, sequel or another similar game doesn't matter. They can use existing art and add new assets, make a lot of changes to the mechanics and focus a lot on writing. Programmers will continue to work on optimizing and making the game bug free, which should partly translate to the new content.

Yes, they should officially announce new content in a relatively short time, summer would probably be OK. Anything sooner wouldn't make sense:
- people who haven't finished the game don't care much for new content announced
- those who did will have enough time to distance themselves and remember mostly the good stuff about the game
- a lot more bugs will get fixed by this time, so it won't look like promising more broken games
- some people will get summer vacations and may buy POE then when new announcements remind them

All they have to promise is just list of obvious buzzwords: good story, more C&C, living world with people and things changing and reacting to characters, more variety in combat, less bugs. Thing is, we know they can deliver it, unlike some other mainstream developers. They made POE, if they simply admit imperfections and promise on doing everything better with this base and experience people can get behind it.

If they need a group to ask what would sequel need, they will still have POE backers/POE buyers/early preorders of new content.

 

[Shevek]

The money they have made from PoE can fund expansions and sequels for PoE.

Kickstarter should be used to vet new ideas. If you want to make something in a different universe or whatever, they can guage interest with KS before splurging cash on something that may not garner interest.

 

[Brutan]

POE expansion:

When:

The next few months would be great. But any time is great I guess. PoE is not really in competition the the Witcher 3.

What:

Mainly for stronghold expansion(more like total redesign), more companion NPCs (the options were few), some new classes and a couple of polls letting the backers in what region/country the expansion should take place.

It's too early to talk about PoE in my opinion.

What I would like to see is a KS campaign for a new RPG set in Sci-fi universe. No more elfs and dwarfs but new alien races and human colonies that have embraced modernity (or not) in different ways (cybernetic implants, ecology, mixing DNA with other races, women only communities, isolated religious communities, laissez faire, communist, neo feudal etc). Why have a stronghold when you can have a ship to travel around or a small planet (if they raise enough funds). Seriously, I'm tired of the fantasy genre. We could use a Sci-fi setting RPG.

 

[Bester]

They already took money from people for the expansion, they can't do it AGAIN.

 

[Brutan]

They already took money from people for the expansion, they can't do it AGAIN.

Of course they can, a lot of games get their second KS campaign. I don't understand why are people so against Obsidian doing another KS by saying they don't need the money. It's not like you have to be bankrupt to start a campaign. If the backers trust you can use KS every time you make a new game/expansion. Look at HBS and their Shadowrun campaigns.

 

[Starwars]

I wouldn't mind a kickstarter for PoE2 (after expansions and all that have been rolled out for PoE). But I would in that case hope it'd be a double funding effort like with SR Hong Kong, where they have a budget allocated to make the base game and additional funding would be used toward those awesome features and content that would make the game big.

Ideally they'd be able to fund PoE2 themselves of course. But if it a kickstarter means they can expand upon it even further, I'd gladly drop my money into it.

 

[Blackguard]

I'm guessing Obsidian KS campaign for a completely new IP in the next few months to capitalize on the PoE goodwill and hype. Then PoE expansion #1 late 2015, PoE expansion #2 spring 2016, after which follows KS for PoE 2.

Think the PoE 2 KS, if they do it, will be more like the SR: HK KS though.

 

[Grape_You_In_the_Mouth]

I assume they need the profits to keep the company alive as well, which means they don't have enough money for a $4m Eternity II. They fulfilled all of their Kickstarter promises and have people to feed. If they need more money for POE2, I'd give it to them, especially if it was to make the game a $10m project rather than another 5m.

 

[Kel]

Pillars was too short in terms of hours, and the cities were let downs. Defiance Bay felt like a glorified town not a metropolis as they claimed.

For the sequel I won't pay a dime unless it has:

a) a proper 100+ hour game
b) cities that deliver on promises

 

[Kiste]

For the sequel I won't pay a dime unless it has:

a) a proper 100+ hour game
b) cities that deliver on promises

Clearly, you were shortchanged.

 

[Brutan]

Pillars was too short in terms of hours, and the cities were let downs. Defiance Bay felt like a glorified town not a metropolis as they claimed.

For the sequel I won't pay a dime unless it has:

a) a proper 100+ hour game
b) cities that deliver on promises

100+ hours is an unrealistic expectation IMO. I spent some 30+ hours on PoE and I rushed through act III. I could have easily spent 40+ hours on it. That's a lot for an RPG and it's an hour a buck. Now a 100+ hour game will have to be sold at around 60-80 $ range. That's too much and it makes more sense to split in two.

 

[Dragoon]

Q1: When is the best time for Obsidian to Kickstart for more?

They should do like inXile. When their writers are done with their part, and the only work left is for the programmers and artist, then it's time to start the next project. So you can keep the team together and already know each other, Instead to be split like it's usually done.
I mean writing a design paper and the story outline etc takes a lot of time. My guess is designers and writers have at this point already finished work on the first expansion, and could possibly working already on a potential second expansion if the game is a financial success.

 

[Bester]

Q1: When is the best time for Obsidian to Kickstart for more?

They should do like inXile. When their writers are done with their part, and the only work left is for the programmers and artist, then it's time to start the next project. So you can keep the team together and already know each other, Instead to be split like it's usually done.
I mean writing a design paper and the story outline etc takes a lot of time. My guess is designers and writers have at this point already finished work on the first expansion, and could possibly working already on a potential second expansion if the game is a financial success.

Inxile = 40 ppl. Obshitian - at least 100. Obshitian is constantly busy with some other projects for some publishers and that's how Feargus likes it, and that's also how it should be, considering the incompetence of their QA and some other departments. They should be always under constant surveillance cause they're incompetent on their own.

 

[Dragoon]

Q1: When is the best time for Obsidian to Kickstart for more?

They should do like inXile. When their writers are done with their part, and the only work left is for the programmers and artist, then it's time to start the next project. So you can keep the team together and already know each other, Instead to be split like it's usually done.
I mean writing a design paper and the story outline etc takes a lot of time. My guess is designers and writers have at this point already finished work on the first expansion, and could possibly working already on a potential second expansion if the game is a financial success.

Inxile = 40 ppl. Obshitian - at least 100. Obshitian is constantly busy with some other projects for some publishers and that's how Feargus likes it, and that's also how it should be, considering the incompetence of their QA and some other departments. They should be always under constant surveillance cause they're incompetent on their own.

Let me first say I play RPGS primarily for the stories they tell (and hopefully take my action into count) than for the game mechanics.

I'm almost inclined to think it's very important that their (Obsidian) QA team blows for an equilibrium. To balance off their wonderful writers skills. Because so far I always enjoyed their games more than others. Even when still at Black Isle, their games always had wonderful writing, but where bugged disasters. This tradition continues with Obsidian. I loved NWN 2 and would praise aloud Mask of the Betrayer, but the NWN 1 campaign from Bioware was boring as hell. I really like Kotor. It's a good game, but I remember vividly with joy the long talks I had with Kreia from Kotor2. Almost like the ones from PT.
Beyond any doubt I prefer Fallout NV, especially Old World Blues over Fallout 3.
If their games would not be such bugbears, there would be perfection, and I utterly believe the universe would destroy itself since it has no reason to exist anymore.

Oh gosh, is there an emoji for a spanked fanboy? I just realized I need therapy.

 

[Jezal_k23]

If they did it, it would earn them a significant amount of money, of course. However, I think it would save them a lot of time if they didn't do it. I think it would be best if they have absolute control over the sequel to PoE, without having to work on backer content.

 

[Mexi]

I'm not sure I like the idea of another Kickstarter. It irked me a bit when InExile launched another Kickstarter so soon. I didn't back Torment because of that. Plus, with all the bad press Obsidian is getting with gamergate or whatever, I'm not sure it's time yet.

 

[Trash]

They've already (kinda) announced two possible expansions. Let's just see how that pans out.

Do hope they'll keep producing games like this. Willing to pledge for all I'm worth to keep that going.