Game News Spy DNA, a realistic tactical RPG featuring genetically enhanced super-spies, now on Kickstarter

[Infinitron]

Tags: Shy Snake; Spy DNA

Spy DNA is a tactical RPG from a husband-and-wife team who call themselves Shy Snake, that first came to the Codex's attention back in February. Set in the future of 2075, Spy DNA's highlight is its realistic combat model featuring genetically enhanced "super-spy" protagonists. Over the past few months, Shy Snake have been regularly posting development updates and gameplay videos, which made a good impression on our forums. Somehow, it escaped my noticed that they'd also talked about doing a Kickstarter campaign...which was launched yesterday without warning. Here's the pitch video and overview:

​

What is Spy DNA?

Spy DNA is a tactical squad RPG that combines turn-based game mechanics with realistic combat simulation.

The game puts you in command of a small team of super-spies. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to fight to preserve our way of life and stop those that want destroy it.

Using advanced genetic modification technology, you create and enhance your super-spy character to match your playstyle. You’ll lead a squad of spies with unique talents on missions around the globe.

We are greatly inspired by the RPGs of the past that made the genre popular in the first place: Jagged Alliance, Silent Storm, and the original XCOM.

Spy DNA will be available to play on Windows PCs.

Why you'll want to play Spy DNA

• Super-realistic combat and AI make you feel like a real super-spy on a mission
• Realistic weapons behaviour, aiming, and cover
• Hit points replaced with anatomical damage
• Dynamic turn duration based on character stats
• Turns execute at the same time
• Immersive story
• Deep branched dialog
• Rich character attributes and skills allow you to create and play a character based on your own play style
• High tactical flexibility creates replay value

A $15 pledge will get you a copy of Spy DNA if the campaign is a success. Unfortunately, even with the longer-than-usual 60 day funding period, I can't see it reaching its $150,000 goal. Still, the game shows promise, so I hope that by posting this I can help the developers find some other source of funding, or at least encourage them not to give up.

 

[Ninjerk]

Will watch thread.

 

[hivemind]

another boring turn based thing for dork loser

also what's up with this website that wants you to pay money without even giving you a game code? like lmao

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

$150k? Would have thought they would aim for something more realistic, given what other small scale crpg campaigns have achieved.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Most of the money is meant for mo-cap and textures.

If we reach our goal of 150k, we’ll be able to deliver the game, and its realistic combat system. The money will be used to pay for:

• Motion capture for character animation (budget 60k)
• 3D models and textures (budget 40k)
• Royalty-free music (budget 10k)
• Sound effects (budget 5k)
• Software and tools (Autodesk Maya, Motion Builder, 3DS Max, SpeedTree, etc.) (budget: 5k)

 

[Kalin]

Seems kinda cool, but I'm getting serious SJW vibes. Also don't get why they want to waste precious yehzah on some shitty 3D graphics.

 

[Feyd Rautha]

$150k? Would have thought they would aim for something more realistic, given what other small scale crpg campaigns have achieved.

yeah they ask for a bit too much. 35k would be more realistic

I will pledge, of course, but it will probably fail. but maybe they'll relaunch it once they know how much they can expect

 

[Severian Silk]

They should make the mo-cap open source when they're done if they're begging for money now. JA2: 1.13 could use some new animations.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Stretch goals are well thought out huh:
- for 200k on top of the prior stretch goals, he'll hire voice actors
- for 150k on top of that last goal, he'll "enhance" animations

And the 150k base goal of course, for a game that should cost 30-40k.

Not happening.

I'd say I'm going to watch this, but I won't cause it's dead on arrival.

 

[Bubbles]

Just scrap animations altogether and go for pogs instead - call it a KotC 2 homage.

 

[hivemind]

srsly tho this looks cool

hope it gets funded

 

[Kalin]

They should make the mo-cap open source when they're done if they're begging for money now. JA2: 1.13 could use some new animations.

You could use a bullet in the head you fucking sub-human.

Also, you STILL owe me 5k caps + interest.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Backed it to make a point for the devs that this game is still wanted and they still should pursue making it after this kickstarter inevitably fails.

 

[Endemic]

Seems a tad ambitious going for 3D with mo-cap, but I like the general concept.

 

[Alienman]

Screw mocap, just steal some animations from all the countless Russian tactical turn-based games out there. Or just license the Silent Storm engine! (Why is no one using that engine?)

 

[himmy]

Mom & Pop developers are the future of RPGs.

 

[Lacrymas]

Copper Dreams barely managed 40k and they had one game under their belt. 99% sure this won't make it. Why would you need mo-cap?

 

[Endemic]

Screw mocap, just steal some animations from all the countless Russian tactical turn-based games out there. Or just license the Silent Storm engine! (Why is no one using that engine?)

Yeah, especially considering they list themselves as Silent Storm fans...

 

[OracleX]

+1 for not going to make it.
Would have pleged if the amount was doable.
Anyhow game looks really interesting, hope this (failing) KS won't influence the development to much

Isn't launching a KS when you know its going to fail like a nice methode to check how much money to expect for a second run? We have seen those before.
Maybe its all a "tactical" move

 

[DarkArcher]

There's the kernel of a good game here, but I agree that $150,000 for a game that is touting too many realistic guns and mo-cap isn't what we need. Having your character show signs of being injured is interesting but may not make for fun gameplay.

Clearly they have a lifestyle burn rate, and are trying to make this project. Although, if they hired contractors for half the price it might actually get done.

 

[ikarinokami]

this is called being honest about what the game will cost, instead of giving a number you know won't be enough.

they really shouldn't have gone all in though, keep the day jobs.

 

[daveyd]

this is called being honest about what the game will cost, instead of giving a number you know won't be enough.

they really shouldn't have gone all in though, keep the day jobs.

But it's only what they think it would cost if they pay for features they don't really need like mo-cap animation (est. $60K). Sure that'd be nice, but it is the kind of thing that should be a stretch goal. They should've realized there's no way an unknown indie studio is going to raise anywhere close to $150K.

Ah well. Hopefully they come back to KS with a more realistic goal; perhaps with a playable alpha demo.. I doubt they possibly get more than $50K and even that would require far more visibility than an unknown indie KS game is likely to get.

 

[FuriousGamer87]

It does not seem that the devs are interested in tactical gameplay that much and they are more focused on "realistic effects".
Hence the desired for mocaps.

I think they should concentrate on making a playable demo of their own gameplay for themselves so they can focus more on making good gameplay than pursuing realism.
The road for realism for indie devs end with Jagged Alliance: Flashback devs' fate.

If they truly are interested in realism, then turn-based is the wrong path to take considering the simplistic tactics realism offer.
Real Time With Pause is the best way to go about it.

 

[shysnake]

It does not seem that the devs are interested in tactical gameplay that much and they are more focused on "realistic effects".
Hence the desired for mocaps.

I think they should concentrate on making a playable demo of their own gameplay for themselves so they can focus more on making good gameplay than pursuing realism.
The road for realism for indie devs end with Jagged Alliance: Flashback devs' fate.

I'm going to take a stab at answering the question about gameplay.

We have a playable development build we were showed publicly last Saturday in San Jose. This was actually our third public play test.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/433035186/spy-dna-super-spy-for-a-day/posts/1614309

Concurrent turn based vs RTwP vs TB:
The reason we invented a new term is we wanted to avoid the pre-conceived notions about the gameplay if we used one of the existing terms. I'll try to explain the subtle differences from our point of view.

Spy DNA has the pacing of a traditional turned based game and gives the players the traditional total control of the party. However, as FuriousGamer87 points out that traditional TB has a mechanical limitation that makes it impossible to have a realistic combat simulation. That is time is broken into segments which are disconnected. For example a character that uses their turn to attack is then helpless against melee attack. In a RTwP game they would have stopped/aborted the attack to deal with the threat.

RTwP also has good and bad aspects. The good is you can create a more realistic and intuitively understandable environment. The downside, and it can be a huge one, is it's easy to overwhelm the player with information and chaos. If the camera isn't pointed in the right place when something happens the player can outright miss important things. Also characters can be executing orders which you need to change in response to enemy action. It gets difficult to get the pause points right without turning downright annoying.

What we are trying to do with Concurrent turn based is mix the aspects of the two. The combat simulation is 100% real time. We present it as slices or time to the player so that it feels like turn based. The slices get varied in time so characters don't sit idle. From watching the play testers we are in great shape keeping the players in control of the party. We have a few things to fix on the side of making sure the players sees everything that happens (within their FOW). This is the point of early and often play testing. In the last two sessions we have not seen a play tester have the "chaos" issue common with RTwP.

Hopefully someone from rpg codex can make it to one of the play tests (Bay Area, CA). I don't yet have a date for the next one but if there is real interest we could probably create a demo event.

 

[daveyd]

Everything sounds good. It's just hard to get to excited about a KS game when the goal isn't realistic, and consequently I'm not as motivated to spread the word. I hope there's a back-up plan.