Morkar Left
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Let's see, maybe another 15$ just to help keep them afloat. I really wouldn't want them to fail.
Same here. Just didn't like their first KS or how it looked but since then... well, it will open my wallet this time.Oh well, I'll probably back it this time.
Recap:
They already fulfilled physical accessories from the first campaign.
They must have wasted a lot of dough on the revolving doors of programmers and artists.
They have changed direction in engine, gameplay, arts, it's just crazy.
They have been regretting about their low goal set in the first campaign a long time ago.
Now I feared that they may fail the all-or-nothing nature of Kickstarter during the supplemental campaign.
They need to be better at campaigning than last time.
I wish them well. All I can say, though, is - man - what WE could have done with 400k. That's all. I hope this game comes out and is fun to play; QFG was an obvious influence on us.
Bt
I gave them $275 in October 2012, around the time I discovered the Codex. Let's see how much I can cough up for the same game 2 and half years later
Rogue to Redemption Latest News
We are still targeting game release date on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015. We have successfully added three new contract programmers to the team, and it is looking good. Cidney, Joshua, and Robert are all very talented and familiar with our previous games. We are thrilled to have them on the team.
Lori and I personally promise that we will complete and deliver this game. We are using personal funds and loans to make sure it gets done. This is our major commitment for the next year and we keep our commitments.
Shawn Goes Green
Shamrock Shawn
As you might suspect from his name, Shawn O’Conner’s roots are in Eire, the Emerald Isle, a place suspiciously similar to our Earth’s Ireland. The major difference is that magic in Eire is real – There are leprechauns, banshee and other Sidhe, and much more.
Eire is beautiful, but sometimes circumstances force people to leave the Emerald Isle. Among these emigrants was Shawn’s father. Shawn doesn’t remember much about his missing father, but he will learn much more during his time at Hero-U. Shawn has the Luck of the Eirish, but that isn’t always good luck.
An important way for Shawn to learn the secrets of Hero-U is to talk to other characters. Conversation is a big part of Hero-U game play.
Talkin’ about Most Anything
In Hero-U, conversation “is the thing”. Choices you make in dialogue affect the flow of the game, and determine the story you get from the game; change your choices and the story changes. Although dialogue is menu-driven as in Quest for Glory and Secret of Monkey Island, Shawn’s conversations are designed to feel more natural and less scripted because our system does not repeat any lines Shawn has already “heard”.
Let’s say you’re in your dorm bedroom talking with your roommate, Aeolus. You’re back there every night, so you’ll get a lot of chances to talk to him. You innocently ask, “What’s new?” and Aeolus launches into a new song he’s written. He wants to know whether you like it, and you might have a chance to “Answer Politely (use Charm)” or “Answer Cleverly (use Smarts)”.
Once you choose to be clever, you can’t go back and be charming on the same topic - That conversation wouldn’t make sense. Also, when you talk to Aeolus the next day, you will have completely different dialogue choices. This is not a game of “go down the menu and try everything”.
As in most films with strong storytelling – let’s say a Woody Allen rather than a Michael Bay film – dialogue is the main way the story is expressed in Hero-U. When Shawn talks to the other students and school staff, he learns more about them and the mysteries at the school. He also develops relationships, making both friends and enemies, and occasionally finds out about a “quest”. These are not MMO quests – “Go fetch me a pristine conch shell.”
Rather, as in Quest for Glory, Shawn learns about another character’s problem, and can decide whether to help them solve it. One of the students is having troubles with assignments; is it worth taking the time to tutor them? Another is searching for a lost treasure, but their map has been stolen. Help them or go after the treasure yourself? Each choice has its own consequences and rewards.
Writing ever-changing dialogue that expresses our story and character personalities is Lori’s biggest challenge on the Hero-U project. A single scene might have 20 or more conversations, each with multiple branches. Lori has designed them so that there are no “essential” branches, but each path reveals a different part of the story or character arc.
Upcoming Demos and Events
We will have some exciting progress to show over the next two months. The combat system is coming along nicely, and we will make a stand-alone playable combat scene in the beautiful – and now fully 3D – wine cellar. Of course, the demo won’t reveal all the secrets that will be found there in the game, but it will give you a feel for our major combat features including traps and throwing weapons.
Shawn Meets an Angry Dire Rat
We’ve also completely redone the “breakin room” that we showed as our first prototype. As it will be the first scene in Hero-U, we don’t mind “spoiling” actual game text and play in the new demo. The art is all new, and I’ve added a considerable amount of text including a few of my trademark puns.
The new demos, along with a revamped web site and more frequent Facebook updates, are the prelude to a supplementary Kickstarter campaign we plan to start in mid-April. It is unusual to run two campaigns for the same project, but it makes a lot of sense for Hero-U. Two years ago, we had only concepts to describe, and very little artwork. We also planned to make a relatively primitive game based on the assets we had at the time. Our optimistic project estimate of Oct. 2013 was based more on what we could build with the Kickstarter funds than on what it actually takes to do a high-quality game.
Since then, we have made enormous progress. We now have artwork for most of the game, professionally modeled and animated 3D characters, music, combat, and a significant amount of writing and game content. This time we have much more than concepts to show! We hope we will gain many new backers and that many of our current backers will find project rewards worth having. We’ve also spent a lot of personal money on the project; having more backers and presales will make it easier to complete the project without worrying about how we are paying the developers.
The new demos, along with a revamped web site and more frequent Facebook updates, are the prelude to a supplementary Kickstarter campaign we plan to start in mid-April. It is unusual to run two campaigns for the same project, but it makes a lot of sense for Hero-U. Two years ago, we had only concepts to describe, and very little artwork. We also planned to make a relatively primitive game based on the assets we had at the time. Our optimistic project estimate of Oct. 2013 was based more on what we could build with the Kickstarter funds than on what it actually takes to do a high-quality game.
Since then, we have made enormous progress. We now have artwork for most of the game, professionally modeled and animated 3D characters, music, combat, and a significant amount of writing and game content. This time we have much more than concepts to show! We hope we will gain many new backers and that many of our current backers will find project rewards worth having. We’ve also spent a lot of personal money on the project; having more backers and presales will make it easier to complete the project without worrying about how we are paying the developers.
Corey Cole 4 days ago
Sebastian: Wait until you try out the playable combat prototype. A still screen shot does not do the game justice. We think it looks great, and the reason is that our camera is much closer in on the action than in other isometric games. Hero-U has a much more "personal" feel than, say, Dungeons of Dredmor or even Tides of Numenera. This isn't a role-playing game where you're looking on your party of tiny little characters from a distance - It's one where you are up close, personal, and *being* Shawn O'Conner.
That said, this is absolutely the best art we can make with Unity, our talented team of artists, and our limited budget. The 3D characters were created by the same art house (http://www.conceptarthouse.com/portfolio/) that does character art for League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and many other high-budget games. We love it, and we could not have done better with 10X the budget. Maybe with 100X (a typical AAA game budget).
Of course, we hope that most players won't even "see" the art - Instead you'll be immersed in the game and Shawn's story, with the art providing a backdrop to help you feel that you *are* Shawn.
The last time someone complained about our game art, I asked for examples of games with better art. He showed us Fez, Diablo 1, and Project Zomboid. All I can say is that his idea of beautiful art is definitely not mine or Lori's. Those games are fine for what they do, but they don't have semi-realistic, immersive, close-in on the character art as we have in Hero-U. Our game would look terrible with any of those styles. Taste varies, but we'll stand by ours... for *our* games.
Coming Real Soon…
We are making some fantastic changes to Hero-U in the next few months. We’re in overdrive mode to get the game out this year. But there’s more to releasing a game than writing, coding, debugging, and art. There’s more debugging, for one. Budgeting and marketing also affect schedules.
And Money. Or more precisely, lack of money…
It’s our third year of development and our first Kickstarter money got us through 1 1/2 years of it. We’ve been racking up debt and ransoming our home to bring Rogue to Redemption to you. The game development is going great, but this is a large project and we still have several months before we will be ready to start beta testing.
We promised to create the best possible Adventure Role-playing game we could make. We will keep that promise, but we still need time and funding to do it right. Therefore, we are going to hold another Kickstarter in order to give you the game you deserve – a beautiful, rich, rewarding, and intriguing experience that you will treasure.
With this Kickstarter we need to attract new friends and fans to Rogue to Redemption. At the same time, we want to reward all of our current loyal supporters with treats. We want to thank you for your faith in our abilities and your support.
The first treat is a brand new website design.
[...]
Previews of the Premiums
Here on www.hero-u.net, we will showcase the most exciting and special rewards from the original Kickstarter along with the upcoming one.
”The Art of Hero-U” is a virtual book filled with examples of the gorgeous art done by our artists for the game, along with brand-new pieces created especially for this book. You’ll learn more about the art process and the talented people who are making Hero-U a beautiful game. This is just one of the premiums we offer for our Kickstarter backers.
We’re also offering the limited edition boxed edition of Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption. You’ll see the first preview of the box cover real soon now.
These are just a few of the unique items we will be offering for our fans.
But what about the game, you ask? We have a full team of programmers around the world working night and day to put this together. They are all dedicated, talented, and passionate about making Hero-U great. You’d be amazed to learn just how much better a game can be when it is developed by people who care enough to do their very best. Synergy will make this game extra special.
We’ve recently added another talented 3D artist to the team – Aaron Martin from Australia.
It Has to Be U
So with all of these changes and progress being made on this game, we need your support more than ever. Tell your friends and connections how amazing Hero-U is going to be. Brag about how you have supported us from the days of Hero-Ewe to the days of Hero-Unicorn and encourage people to share the Hero-U experience.
To get this game out, we need all the help you can give to let others know about our upcoming Kickstarter. We’ll need your love and support to get us through the long hours of work and polishing to make this game sparkle. We also want to make sure the game and our message reach as many fans as possible – So many players who loved Quest for Glory still have not heard about Hero-U.
We can’t do this without U.