Information Betrayal at Krondor Sequel Petition by Neal Hallford

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Betrayal at Krondor; Kickstarter; Neal Hallford

If you enjoyed the original Betrayal at Krondor - considered by many one of the best CRPGs of all time - and been waiting for a sequel ever since, you'd definitely want to sign the online petition for a "spiritual sequel" to Krondor, started by none other than Neal Hallford, the person who wrote and designed the original game:

Alright folks, previously I've had a handful of people who have said they'd be "in" for a sequel to Krondor. As I explained before, the rights to Midkemia are tied up for the foreseeable future, but there's nothing that prevents us from building the spiritual sequel. Before we start down the daisy path of doing a Kickstarter campaign, I first need to know if you're in. I mean REALLY in to make this happen. It's a lot of work to build a game...​

And here's the text of the petition itself:

Over the past year, I've received several e-mails about whether I might Kickstart a sequel or a remake to the award-winning hit role-playing game, "Betrayal at Krondor." Over the years, it's still the game I am the most contacted about, and the title which seems to have been the most beloved by fans.

Following the release of Betrayal at Krondor, John and I had designed an unreleaesd sequel to BAK called "Thief of Dreams". Due to some unfortunate politics between the upper management of Dynamix and our parent company Sierra Online, it never was placed into production, a mistake they later regretted bitterly. "Betrayal at Krondor" became one of the highest grossing games ever produced by Dynamix, and won numerous best RPG of the year awards.

Earlier this year I chatted both with John Cutter, the original producer and my co-designer, and of course Raymond E. Feist who owns the universe in which Krondor was set. Unfortunately Midkemia is tied up for the foreseeable future, but there's really nothing that prevents us from creating another Krondor-like game with the same great gameplay, the same great storytelling, and with the same creative team behind the original. Imagine BAK now with better graphics, a fully orchestrated score, a next-generation puzzle system, and lots of cool enhancements to the original combat system. Would that be a game you'd like to see? Are you willing to go in to help us make it happen?

Today we're asking all of you to throw down and show your love for BAK. Help us gather at least 5,000 signatures of fans who will pledge to either give $200 apiece, or raise $200 from among their friends, to go towards the production costs of a "spiritual" sequel to Krondor. There is no money obligation right now. All we want is proof that there are enough die-hard fans out there who really want this game. If you can meet that goal, we will initiate a Kickstarter drive to make it happen. Right now, it's all up to you.​

Be sure to sign that petition. Make it happen!

Thanks Charles-cgr!

 

[MicoSelva]

Should I sign it, if I know I'm not going to pledge any more than $20-$25 to this?

 

[abnaxus]

Signed.

Also Hekateras might be interested in this.

 

[Suchy]

As I wrote in the other thread - signed of course. I'm up for $50 - $100 and I know a bunch of guys who could pledge to Kickstarter.

 

[Rhuantavan]

Shut up and take my kidney!

 

[Haba]

As I wrote in the other thread - signed of course. I'm up for $50 - $100 and I know a bunch of guys who I could blow to get the rest of the money for this Kickstarter.

KKK!

In before multi-platform popamole with a bunch of QTE's and high quality cinematics with voiceovers.

 

[villain of the story]

When you attempt to sign it, it takes you to PayPal. WTF? I'm not committing to shit like that. I'm no The Brazilian Slaughter, Jose.

 

[villain of the story]

As I wrote in the other thread - signed of course. I'm up for $50 - $100 and I know a bunch of guys who I could blow to get the rest of the money for this Kickstarter.

KKK!

In before multi-platform popamole with a bunch of QTE's and high quality cinematics with voiceovers.

Anything of the sort would require at least $5M (and assistance from The Brazilian Slaughter for he excels in popamole). No, if this happens, it will be just another low budget indie game and it could be solid. But I would have to hear more details regarding their design philosophy.

 

[Pelvis Knot]

When you attempt to sign it, it takes you to PayPal. WTF? I'm not committing to shit like that. I'm no The Brazilian Slaughter, Jose.

You lost 73 kodex kool kredits

 

[villain of the story]

There is no money obligation right now. All we want is proof that there are enough die-hard fans out there who really want this game.

 

[Johannes]

When you attempt to sign it, it takes you to PayPal. WTF? I'm not committing to shit like that. I'm no The Brazilian Slaughter, Jose.

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So the petition hosting site is just trying to fuck with you.

 

[SuicideBunny]

while this is relevant to my interests, gotta say that that kickstarter oldfag dev trend is getting redonkulous.

 

[Infinitron]

As I wrote in the other thread - signed of course. I'm up for $50 - $100 and I know a bunch of guys who I could blow to get the rest of the money for this Kickstarter.

KKK!

In before multi-platform popamole with a bunch of QTE's and high quality cinematics with voiceovers.

Got to admit, the original BaK actually had an interface that was relatively console-friendly.

 

[Irxy]

Never played it, the thing with prerolled characters swapping every chapter kind of discouraged me.

 

[Grunker]

while this is relevant to my interests, gotta say that that kickstarter oldfag dev trend is getting redonkulous.

Pre 2012: OMG WHY ARE THE OLD DEVELOPERS NEVER MAKING GAMES RELEVANT TO OUR INTERESTS

Post 2012: OMG ALL THESE OLD DEVELOPERS MAKING GAMES RELEVANT TO MY INTEREST TIRE ME

There's just no satisfying some people, man

 

[Grunker]

Also, I'd gladly pledge around 20$ to this, but I'm a really poor student, so I can't afford more. So I shouldn't sign the petition? That premise is weird.

 

[Roguey]

This is an odd way of determining interest for a Kickstarter thing. Cause
a) People lie
b) the idea of 5000 people willing to pay/raise $200 each for a game is just bizarre. For proof of this, look at the previous game kickstarter campaigns and count the number of people willing to pay $200+.

 

[Crooked Bee]

When you attempt to sign it, it takes you to PayPal. WTF? I'm not committing to shit like that. I'm no The Brazilian Slaughter, Jose.

That's an optional donation to the site that hosts the petition, vots. To sign the petition itself, you only need to input your name and email.

 

[villain of the story]

So few people. This needs to get shouted around.

 

[Cosmo]

This is an odd way of determining interest for a Kickstarter thing. Cause
a) People lie
b) the idea of 5000 people willing to pay/raise $200 each for a game is just bizarre. For proof of this, look at the previous game kickstarter campaigns and count the number of people willing to pay $200+.

a) The idea is also to make noise and raise awareness (money as a pretext to both take a commitment and talk to people around you).
b) Who knows, maybe this will serve as some sort of backup business plan in case some publisher approaches them...

 

[circ]

while this is relevant to my interests, gotta say that that kickstarter oldfag dev trend is getting redonkulous.

Pre 2012: OMG WHY ARE THE OLD DEVELOPERS NEVER MAKING GAMES RELEVANT TO OUR INTERESTS

Post 2012: OMG ALL THESE OLD DEVELOPERS MAKING GAMES RELEVANT TO MY INTEREST TIRE ME

There's just no satisfying some people, man

Yeah well, none of said games has actually been completed yet and in most cases were barely in planning stages. So um maybe throwing money at people constantly without really seeing anything yet might get tiring? I don't know.

Also, sort of related. I'm sure some people are elated to get toiletbowls named after them in these projects, but I'm kinda creeped out by this trend as I don't play games to see my minimal immersion broken every five steps by weird objects. YOU SEE A GIANT EEL EATING CUP NOODLES, WITH AN INSCRIPTION HANGING AROUND ITS NECK: JIMBOB DEEPTHROAT DONATED $1000, HE REALLY LOVES NOODLES.

 

[Grunker]

I don't think that's going to happen. Keep in mind all of these offers have disclaimers "you will work this out with the devs etc etc" meaning "this shit only goes in the game on our terms."

I see a lot of other pitfalls with Kickstarter, but I don't see an alternative to bringing back the games I like to play.

 

[SuicideBunny]

Also, sort of related. I'm sure some people are elated to get toiletbowls named after them in these projects, but I'm kinda creeped out by this trend as I don't play games to see my minimal immersion broken every five steps by weird objects. YOU SEE A GIANT EEL EATING CUP NOODLES, WITH AN INSCRIPTION HANGING AROUND ITS NECK: JIMBOB DEEPTHROAT DONATED $1000, HE REALLY LOVES NOODLES.

devs always bring shit like that (references to friends, family, pets,w hatevs) into their games, and you barely notice it because they are insider references while you're an outsider. the only difference is that now the customers get to pay the devs for shit that essentially improves the quality of a game by making the gameworld seem more alive. so if anything, this trend will continue and grow.

 

[Kahlis]

I've signed, although I don't know how this will work out. Feist wasn't particularly involved in the design of the original BaK, but even then the original games and that oldschool, kitschy medieval 1970s/80s fantasy feel of all the source material and inspiration they used back then is kind of disconnected from today. I'd love to see another game in the first-person party-based open-world hands-off story format, but so much of the novelty of BaK was that it was one of the only games of its time in that style.

Today I would fear the developers attempting to draw upon such "contemporary" titles as Skyrim and Two Worlds, which could sort of dilute the special feeling that the original had. I'm not asking for a new Krondor-style game to effectively be Betrayal at Krondor with a 21st century presentation, but I also don't want them to drift so far from the original that it ends up just kind of being "Krondor in name only." Then again, I guess BiA sort of feels that way, and this would basically be a spiritual sequel in the way BiA is. But they better keep the battlegrid combat. It's amazing how much simple strategy there was to be had in the mere positioning and blocking of enemies in the original game's combat encounters, almost like puzzles. Certainly already miles more sophisticated than the combat in newer games.

Also, production costs probably wouldn't be terribly high if they just used photographed actors for the graphics again.

 

[Kosmonaut]

I won't sign that stupid poll. But for a BaK spiritual sequel I indeed would pledge $200 or even more. But as I lost one of my jobs, and I also plan to get rid of several debts before the year ends, I can only afford to donate $100 or less.