Information Lords of Xulima Indiegogo Campaign Begins

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Indiegogo; Lords of Xulima

Numantian Games have launched an Indiegogo campaign for their turn-based CRPG Lords of Xulima, which combines isometric exploration with first person ("blobber") combat.

In Lords of Xulima, we have set out to make a challenging, turn-based RPG in the vein of the old school classics. We're making a game filled with character development, puzzles and often difficult strategic combat. Our goal is to create an immersive environment and a challenging combat system; how you choose to play it will be entirely up to you.​

Here are some screenshots so you can get an idea of how the game looks like if you don't feel like watching the video (click images to enlarge):

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The basic goal is $10,000, with some more subtantial stretch goals starting from $50,000.

$15 gets you a digital copy of the game + a high resolution digital world map. Release is currently scheduled for beginning of 2014. This is a "fixed funding" campaign so if they don't reach the basic goal you get your money back.

Apart from contributing to the Indiegogo campaign, you can also support the game on Steam Greenlight.

 

[thesheeep]

Hmmm.. lockpick mini-game confirmed, interface designed so that casual gamers can use it, over-the-top epicness (might be intentional though)... there are some statements/issues here that I find a bit irritating. But the overall impression is not bad so I think for 15$ you can't go too wrong here. It certainly seems unique.

 

[InspectorRumpole]

Right, i'm off to make an Indiegogo account :D

 

[oldmanpaco]

They need a little help with the writing (could be bad translation) but otherwise looks good.

 

[mindx2]

Why no Kickstarter? I thought it was easier to do one from overseas now. They're limiting themselves and the money they could get.

 

[Volrath]

indiegogo? project failed in advance.

 

[Jack Dandy]

Well, it's nice to see IndieGoGo accepts Paypal at least.

 

[ghostdog]

Backed it. I hope they manage to get some net coverage.

 

[Wizfall]

Looks excellent.
I got strong a Wizardry vibe from the story and the blobber combat system.
Only thing i dislike is the awful blobber UI and in a lesser extent the character portraits.

 

[HiddenX]

They use Indiegogo, because they are based in Spain, a country not yet covered by Amazon Payments.

http://www.lordsofxulima.com/2013/08/15/crowfunding-for-lords-of-xulima/

Kickstarter or Indiegogo?
Our first intention was to launch our campaign on Kickstarter, which is the more famous cowdfunding portal where the majority of recent campaigns to raise money for video games have taken place.

However, because Numantian Games is a Spanish group, we were running into a lot of difficulties using Kickstarter for the campaign due to the payment method being through Amazon Payments, which only works if you are based in the US or the UK. This proved to be a complicated barrier to us using as there were too many legal and tax implications at play for us to try any work arounds.

So, we decided to use the second most popular crowdfunding portal, Indiegogo.

Really, both portals are virtually identical. Kickstarter is more restrictive in the projects that it allows on its pages, but, just like with Indiegogo, the responsibility for meeting the funding goals rests squarely in the hands of the team running the campaign. In both portals it is the contributors who must decide if they are willing to place their trust in those running the project. On behalf of the team, we hope that the choice of the portal is not a barrier for you to decide whether or not to support our project.

Cool game for $15.

 

[Krash]

interface designed so that casual gamers can use it

So a good interface is bad now. updated my edgycodex.txt

 

[Grauken]

I'm not sure it's smart to go free shipping on the higher pledge levels. That has gone badly for a number of kickstarters.

 

[thesheeep]

Why no Kickstarter? I thought it was easier to do one from overseas now. They're limiting themselves and the money they could get.

Wow. You'd make a good American.
Completely ignorant of the fact that the world outside of the US is far bigger (and more important) than the world inside of it. Same goes for money. Sorry to break it for you, but Kickstarter itself is a limit as most Europeans (not sure about Asians/Russians) simply do not have a credit card. But everyone can use PayPal.
Also, the platform does not generate the buzz. All other forms of media do. The platform itself is almost irrelevant. The only problem could be that journalists/bloggers/whatever always browse Kickstarter for news, but IndieGogo less frequently. But that's nothing you couldn't make up for with some nice emails to the right persons.

Sorry if I sound a bit grumpy, but most US inhabitants with their extremely self-centered and ignorant perception of reality just annoy the hell out of me.

interface designed so that casual gamers can use it

So a good interface is bad now. updated my edgycodex.txt

Interface designed for casual gamers != good interface. If you want to have a look at interfaces designed for casual gamers, I can recommend Facebook games. Or browser games, in general.
It is not necessarily bad, but when your UI goal is to cater casual players ("as well as" experienced gamers), something just sounds wrong. Also, how many casual gamers are going to play this kind of game? Not many, that's for sure.

 

[thesheeep]

Ugh, double post.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Why no Kickstarter? I thought it was easier to do one from overseas now. They're limiting themselves and the money they could get.

Wow. You'd make a good American.
Completely ignorant of the fact that the world outside of the US is far bigger (and more important) than the world inside of it. Same goes for money. Sorry to break it for you, but Kickstarter itself is a limit as most Europeans (not sure about Asians/Russians) simply do not have a credit card. But everyone can use PayPal.
Also, the platform does not generate the buzz. All other forms of media do. The platform itself is almost irrelevant. The only problem could be that journalists/bloggers/whatever always browse Kickstarter for news, but IndieGogo less frequently. But that's nothing you couldn't make up for with some nice emails to the right persons.

Sorry if I sound a bit grumpy, but most US inhabitants with their extremely self-centered and ignorant perception of reality just annoy the hell out of me.

First, there's been a number of successful European, including Eastern European (Belarus?) Kickstarters. It's not very easy, but quite doable.

Second, the platform does matter (think Steam vs the other platforms). Sure, the developers' effort is important, but so is the platform. The mere fact that KS has a shitload of members makes a huge difference. For example, I dislike entering all my info, creating an account, etc. It's a hassle. Kickstarter is a hassle-free experience for me right now. I can support a developer with one click. Plus, existing members browsing, linking to other projects, etc. It all adds up.

 

[theSavant]

Looks excellent.
I got strong a Wizardry vibe from the story and the blobber combat system.
Only thing i dislike is the awful blobber UI and in a lesser extent the character portraits.

I disagree by claiming the contrary: the only thing I dislike is the isometric view. Everything else would be perfect - even if every battle took place within the 2D blobber window, but I would like a 3D environment to walk around in. But whatever, it can't be changed. Lucky for all the isometric lovers, unlucky for the FP blobber lovers

 

[Clockwork Knight]

interface designed so that casual gamers can use it

So a good interface is bad now. updated my edgycodex.txt

Interface designed for casual gamers != good interface. If you want to have a look at interfaces designed for casual gamers, I can recommend Facebook games. Or browser games, in general.
It is not necessarily bad, but when your UI goal is to cater casual players ("as well as" experienced gamers), something just sounds wrong. Also, how many casual gamers are going to play this kind of game? Not many, that's for sure.

But it's an UI, its only job is to be easy to use. So if an interface is readily understood even by Bejeweled moms, then it's a good interface.

 

[thesheeep]

Why no Kickstarter? I thought it was easier to do one from overseas now. They're limiting themselves and the money they could get.

Wow. You'd make a good American.
Completely ignorant of the fact that the world outside of the US is far bigger (and more important) than the world inside of it. Same goes for money. Sorry to break it for you, but Kickstarter itself is a limit as most Europeans (not sure about Asians/Russians) simply do not have a credit card. But everyone can use PayPal.
Also, the platform does not generate the buzz. All other forms of media do. The platform itself is almost irrelevant. The only problem could be that journalists/bloggers/whatever always browse Kickstarter for news, but IndieGogo less frequently. But that's nothing you couldn't make up for with some nice emails to the right persons.

Sorry if I sound a bit grumpy, but most US inhabitants with their extremely self-centered and ignorant perception of reality just annoy the hell out of me.

First, there's been a number of successful European, including Eastern European (Belarus?) Kickstarters. It's not very easy, but quite doable.

First of all, you gotta have some trustworthy contacts in the US to open up a company (not sure if it was a company, some kind of legal entity anyway) there for you. Or fly there and do it yourself.
In any case, you need someone who knows the legal system in the US, or spend a lot of time of learning that.
But you are right, it is doable, but far from easy. Especially for really small teams. Shadowrun Online did it, but they are a rather large team in comparison. I find IndieGogo to be a far better platform for smaller teams/goals.

Second, the platform does matter (think Steam vs the other platforms). Sure, the developers' effort is important, but so is the platform. The mere fact that KS has a shitload of members makes a huge difference. For example, I dislike entering all my info, creating an account, etc. It's a hassle. Kickstarter is a hassle-free experience for me right now. I can support a developer with one click. Plus, existing members browsing, linking to other projects, etc. It all adds up.

Uhm... IndieGogo is just as hassle-free. I can do what you describe there as well. Not sure what you try to claim here.
What difference does the the number of users make for a campaign platform? It's not like you're getting pledgers from the platform directly. You get them from everywhere else. Also, it's not like being registered at a campaign platform makes you check that platform regularly for new projects to back. You only do that when you have a hobby/(semi-)professional interest in that (journalist). And people that regularly check Kickstarter most likely also regularly (though probably less frequently) check IndieGogo. I'd say that 90% of people backing any campaign heard from it not by checking the platform, but by checking their favourite community sites (like the Codex), friends, etc.
Of course, if a platform does not seem trustworthy, it will make the campaign a failure. But I certainly do not see that with IndieGogo. Many projects were already successfully funded with it.
Though I have to admit that Kickstarter has a nicer design and some features that IndieGoGo lacks. But who knows for how long.

But still, I really think that the platform's influence is minor in comparison to all the other factors.

And the comparison to Steam is not a valid one. Steam is a shopping platform, like Amazon. People very actively look there for new stuff and deals. IndieGogo/Kickstarter/Gambitious/etc. are very, very different from such a thing.

 

[dnf]

I like the Blood Omen-like perspective.

 

[Vault Dweller]

But you are right, it is doable, but far from easy. Especially for really small teams. Shadowrun Online did it, but they are a rather large team in comparison. I find IndieGogo to be a far better platform for smaller teams/goals.

From memory:

Sui Generis - a couple of UK guys
Legends of Eisenwald - a small Belarus company
Conquistadors - small Denmark company
Divinity - a Belgian developer
Some Russian company that was making a space sim that we all laughed at.

I'm sure there is a lot more.

Uhm... IndieGogo is just as hassle-free. I can do what you describe there as well. Not sure what you try to claim here.

Once you make an account. My point is that the US gaming market is the biggest and people who have one account have it on KS. For them it's much easier to throw twenty bucks at a new project on KD (takes no effort) than open a new account, which requires personal investment into the project.

 

[tuluse]

It's not like you're getting pledgers from the platform directly. You get them from everywhere else.

The actual statistics disagree with you.

 

[mindx2]

Why no Kickstarter? I thought it was easier to do one from overseas now. They're limiting themselves and the money they could get.

Wow. You'd make a good American.
Completely ignorant of the fact that the world outside of the US is far bigger (and more important) than the world inside of it. Same goes for money. Sorry to break it for you, but Kickstarter itself is a limit as most Europeans (not sure about Asians/Russians) simply do not have a credit card. But everyone can use PayPal.
Also, the platform does not generate the buzz. All other forms of media do. The platform itself is almost irrelevant. The only problem could be that journalists/bloggers/whatever always browse Kickstarter for news, but IndieGogo less frequently. But that's nothing you couldn't make up for with some nice emails to the right persons.

Sorry if I sound a bit grumpy, but most US inhabitants with their extremely self-centered and ignorant perception of reality just annoy the hell out of me.

interface designed so that casual gamers can use it

So a good interface is bad now. updated my edgycodex.txt

Interface designed for casual gamers != good interface. If you want to have a look at interfaces designed for casual gamers, I can recommend Facebook games. Or browser games, in general.
It is not necessarily bad, but when your UI goal is to cater casual players ("as well as" experienced gamers), something just sounds wrong. Also, how many casual gamers are going to play this kind of game? Not many, that's for sure.

Disregarding the obvious trolling aspects of your post (inferior sensitive much )... but the platform does "generate the buzz" which in turns generates more money. All you have to do is look at the amounts generated via KS vs Indiegogo. http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/30/kickstarter-owns-indiegogo-with-around-6x-more-total-dollars-raised-average-success-rate-much-higher/

Indiegogo campaigns were found to have raised far fewer successful dollars than Indiegogo, with around $98 million total all-time, while Kickstarter had about six times that, or $612 million. Kickstarter has had 40 projects cross the $1 million threshold, with only 3 doing the same on Indiegogo, and Kickstarter’s average success rate is 44 percent, while Indiegogo’s is around 34 percent (which doesn’t take into account the many delisted projects that failed to raise at least $500. Including those delisted efforts, the previously reported 9.3 percent success rate on 142,301 total campaigns matches up nicely.

Case closed.

 

[SwiftCrack]

JFC why is this on IGG? I greenlight voted positively for it for now though.

 

[HiddenX]

They expect most backers coming from Spain, a country not yet covered by Amazon Payments -> no Kickstarter possible. Case Closed.

 

[mindx2]

They expect most backers coming from Spain, a country not yet covered by Amazon Payments -> no Kickstarter possible. Case Closed.

Comprehension check: FAIL
I'm pointing out to him that my original post has nothing to do with :patriot: but purely a "one is better than the other" crowd-funding method. One will make you more money, the other... not so much. Many other European game makers have found a way to get on KS as Vault Dweller has pointed out. Good luck to them but there's no way they'll get close to those stretch goals using Indiegogo (or perhaps even their initial goal?).