KickStarter Apocalypse Now RPG by Monty Markland - terminated with extreme prejudice!

[Perkel]

Honest opinion.

Cancel this kickstarter and work on pitch, you won't even 300k with that pitch and you do have good material to get even 2mln+. There is no rule saying you have only one chance.

Things to do:

1. Change name. Apocalypse Now The game is terrible name for kickstarter. No one will treat it seriously. Frankly speaking when i saw pitch i thought this is scam until i saw Sawyer face and i was like WTF are you doing there mate. I only saw it because i was browsing Polish general news site because i was borred and somehow i saw Fallout new vegas name and all people in comments were saying another scam or fucking corpse (without even knowing this is kickstarter btw)

If you still don't know what name will your game have do something like PROJECT apocalypse now, or Project Napalm. People will understand it.

2. Who makes this game. Don't lie or try to hide it. Erebus LLC seems to be one man company according to corporatewiki that started in 2013 and has no project or game under their belt which belong to dude who has like 10+ companies all started in about last 9 years and most of them in 2013 and one of them is DRACO COLA.

https://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Tampa/jim-williams/26037149.aspx

Sawyer by your own word is just consultant and "helps" with game. So you have two dudes who actually worked in gaming business (including yourself), bunch of movie studios effects and FX and voice of copola.

I don't think i need to tell you that above screams like clusterfuck not a project. Convince people that you can make a game. If you would be kickstarting it for a movie short i would be convinced.

3. Game pitch itself. 0 concept gameplay art. 100% movie shoots and trailer that looks good with good theme but it has nothing to do with gameplay itself. Is this squad based ? Turn based ? Action RPG ? Driving game ? Does you companions are there whole game or they are just for cinematics ? 3rd person ? First person ? Isometric ?

When it comes to licensed games and kickstarter you need first to convince people it isn't bullshit or scam.

4. PR. Honestly... your PR is terrible. But i don't think a lot can be done once you shown you project to word now.

101 of big kicksters:
- contact first few gaming sites and talk with them about project. They live from news and kickstarter is like any other news.
- reddit/Games presence or other huge gaming forums.
- try to slip information to press you are working on project like this to gather attention before unveil


Idea doesn't seem bad but i don't see how it can go to even 300k at this moment. Unless you have fucking amazing updates that can prove this isn't scam.

5. Your strechgoals. Seriously. If your first stretchgoal is to have more old music it means:

- this is a scam and game will never be made
- you actually have all money or part of money and you are using kickstarter to promote game.
- you don't actually have single fuck how games are made and that 1mln isn't much especially if you make 1st person game which seems to be the case.

Either way you are fucked.

If you first stretchgoal would be to add new important NPC or add new area to game then it could prove this is actual game and not some voodoo project.

2. Is only good if you from start you say that you want to co-finance your game as partners don't believe there is demand or you need money to finish game. This isn't new things and there were multiple kickstarters that did this and they succeeded like Kingdom Come.
1&3. I am sure you know what this means.


5. Personal suggestion. Drop Apocalypse Now ip and do game without it. Lay out design for a game make some concept art of gameplay, make it psychodelic survival rpg in war theme and voila you will have 1mln+ as long as you show some prep work and your kickstarter will have hands and leg AND do not fuck up kickstarter PR 101.


And that is just at top of my head.

 

[pippin]

I haven't read the thread but that's because this project is seemlingly wanting to license Led Zeppelin music. To my knowledge, Led Zeppelin's management isn't really interested in licensing music for external projects, for some reason. They like the "uniqueness" of the band like that. In fact, when Almost Famous (movie from 2000) managed to license a LZ song it was seen as a major surprise, and they only managed it because the director was a friend of the band or something like that.

 

[Mustawd]

Almost Famous was a good movie. I wonder if they'll make an RPG out of it?

 

[Bester]

I haven't read the thread but that's because this project is seemlingly wanting to license Led Zeppelin music. To my knowledge, Led Zeppelin's management isn't really interested in licensing music for external projects, for some reason. They like the "uniqueness" of the band like that. In fact, when Almost Famous (movie from 2000) managed to license a LZ song it was seen as a major surprise, and they only managed it because the director was a friend of the band or something like that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_license
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_license

 

[insukk]

This project is the biggest WTF?! I had in years when it comes to the gaming. It came out of nowhere in the universe where there's no one who thought that he or she needs this game in his or her life. Like seriously: what the fucking fuck?

 

[Sigourn]

If you first stretchgoal would be to add new important NPC or add new area to game then it could prove this is actual game and not some voodoo project.

Not only that, but also "stretch goals" are exactly that: something that may or may not happen. People won't so readily start pouring money into the project if they first have to go through tons of music-related stretch goals before the good stuff shows up.

Moreover, changing a game's music isn't something that's particularly difficult, so there's even less of a motivation to fork out big amounts of cash for music. In other words: if I saw the project reach its funding goal, I wouldn't bother contributing a single dollar, not with millions of them going straight into music.

 

[Heretic]

7% on the first day. Uh oh...

 

[powell]

The project was just featured on "This Week In Kickstarter: Projects We Love," so it'll be in people's emails and on the front page. It might get a spike from that but I couldn't see myself backing this without more gameplay info.

 

[MLMarkland]

The project was just featured on "This Week In Kickstarter: Projects We Love," so it'll be in people's emails and on the front page. It might get a spike from that but I couldn't see myself backing this without more gameplay info.

We've added a brief blurb on gameplay. The next major update is coming soon and is on gameplay. And the post-Kickstarter site is launching shortly.

It's crowdfunding techno babble to some degree, but our trendline has moved up $250,000 in the past six hours. If we continue to experience / change the slope of the trendline at that pace for the next day, we'll be successful. If not, we won't. Life is simple sometimes.

1. Change name.

The game is named Apocalypse Now.

It’s not named Apocalypse Now - the Game -- we just need to differentiate somehow social media and pages and stuff because there’s already and Apocalypse Now movie page etc. It's an annoying compromise on the KS page and FB. I'm annoyed by it. But I don't see another option (aside from the Project Napalm thing I like that -- AND we actually bought the domain name napalm.am -- but I think we can't do that because DOW Chemical or something).

2. Who makes this game.

Erebus LLC is a special-purpose LLC setup specifically to make the game with American Zoetrope. You can find the corporate filings on California Secretary of State website. This was done to keep the game and movie stuff totally separate so they don’t interfere with each other in negative ways, only positive ways.

The name is from the actual name of the Patrol Boat Riverine commonly known by it’s codename PBR Streetgang. You see “Erebus” painted on the back of the boat.

Rob Auten, Lawrence Liberty, myself, Kevin McCann, and a dozen other non-public members of the team. Larry and myself and Kevin have all built entire game studios, game teams, etc. Between the core group we’ve probably got over 50+ credits? Sawyer is definitely a consultant. But we were, for a while the A-team at Obsidian. I was on the A-team at inXile. And Larry and I founded a game studio together and built it to 75 folks but we ran into the buzzsaw of 2008-2009 economic crisis.

There’s a lot of long-experienced practical game development experience here. And we’re happy to answer any questions about anything related to the team or the company.

I will answer anything that anyone asks here.

3. Game pitch itself. 0 concept gameplay art. 100% movie shoots and trailer that looks good with good theme but it has nothing to do with gameplay itself.

Agree 100%. We need to communicate more of our gameplay plans. We are, we will, we will do more.

4. PR. Honestly... your PR is terrible. But i don't think a lot can be done once you shown you project to word now.

I’m not a PR guy so I dunno. Press releases and social and whatever. I’m just trying to answer as many specific questions as fast as possible right now from as many people as possible.

5. Your strechgoals. Seriously. If your first stretchgoal is to have more old music it means:

I agree our stretch goals are weak and should be stronger. We’ve got time to change them.

But I also think the soundtrack is important for this game and 60s music can be had at reasonable prices (Lawrence Liberty has a ton of music licensing experience particularly on F:NV) and so we can get a good, long soundtrack of both Carmine Coppola ambient-synth insanity and top 100 tracks from 1966-1968ish. Zombies, The Animals, lots of great bands in there. Some other expensive or hard bands, but there’s 400 available songs from the top 100 billboard charts for the four years leading up to the moment in the river on the boat with Clean and his radio.

I also think they make more sense once you see the main site go live at apocalypsenow.com and it’s not just the Kickstarter.

And that is just at top of my head.

Thank you, I think all your points were cogent. Some are things we can address and some are just limitations we have to live with.

 

[Zombra]

1. Change name.

The game is named Apocalypse Now.

It’s not named Apocalypse Now - the Game -- we just need to differentiate somehow social media and pages and stuff because there’s already and Apocalypse Now movie page etc. It's an annoying compromise on the KS page and FB. I'm annoyed by it. But I don't see another option (aside from the Project Napalm thing I like that -- AND we actually bought the domain name napalm.am -- but I think we can't do that because DOW Chemical or something).

An obvious 'nother option would be to make the page titles descriptive. "Apocalypse Now - an RPG based on the movie" would still be concise, while shedding the stink of terrible merchandising as in "Dostoevsky - the Action Figure!"

 

[MLMarkland]

1. Change name.

The game is named Apocalypse Now.

It’s not named Apocalypse Now - the Game -- we just need to differentiate somehow social media and pages and stuff because there’s already and Apocalypse Now movie page etc. It's an annoying compromise on the KS page and FB. I'm annoyed by it. But I don't see another option (aside from the Project Napalm thing I like that -- AND we actually bought the domain name napalm.am -- but I think we can't do that because DOW Chemical or something).

An obvious 'nother option would be to make the page titles descriptive. "Apocalypse Now - an RPG based on the movie" would still be concise, while shedding the stink of terrible merchandising as in "Dostoevsky - the Action Figure!"

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fringerider/apocalypse-now-the-game

That does look better you are right. We should have hired you a week ago. I'll see if roleplaying game fits (it might fuck up everyone's social posts I dunno)

 

[Perkel]

It's crowdfunding techno babble to some degree, but our trendline has moved up $250,000 in the past six hours. If we continue to experience / change the slope of the trendline at that pace for the next day, we'll be successful. If not, we won't. Life is simple sometimes.

PROTIP. Do not trust trendline. You seem to be new to kickstarters. Trendline only is accurate when you about 75% into kickstarter.
PROTIP2. Most of funding comes from first 3 days and last 3 days.

This is like golden rule of kickstarters. If you can do math you already see this is going to be hard. So be doubly sure your updates aren't empty words. Contant gaming sites etc. Do interviews and talk about game. Not "we are doing that game" but already talk about what this game is, what player will be doing etc..

The game is named Apocalypse Now.

It’s not named Apocalypse Now - the Game -- we just need to differentiate somehow social media and pages and stuff because there’s already and Apocalypse Now movie page etc. It's an annoying compromise on the KS page and FB. I'm annoyed by it. But I don't see another option (aside from the Project Napalm thing I like that -- AND we actually bought the domain name napalm.am -- but I think we can't do that because DOW Chemical or something).

This sucks. Like i said. Imo you have good idea for the game it just needs better organization. If your kickstarter fails now, reorganize and prepare and for gods sake do not use name that places you at the same place as all shovelwhare games.

Because your project name does that. It imminently tells people who actually follow gaming (and are donating their money) that you will be doing some licensed game and from get go they assume it is shovelware because frankly this is true. Most of licensed games bar few are shovelware games and those who are not are not named THE GAME.

Project Napalm on other hand would be be cheeky and you would show from start that your team "get it". It would be a bit harder to get headlines but this is where PR comes in and where gaming sites explain it to their readers.

Erebus LLC is a special-purpose LLC setup specifically to make the game with American Zoetrope. You can find the corporate filings on California Secretary of State website. This was done to keep the game and movie stuff totally separate so they don’t interfere with each other in negative ways, only positive ways.

The name is from the actual name of the Patrol Boat Riverine commonly known by it’s codename PBR Streetgang. You see “Erebus” painted on the back of the boat.

Rob Auten, Lawrence Liberty, myself, Kevin McCann, and a dozen other non-public members of the team. Larry and myself and Kevin have all built entire game studios, game teams, etc. Between the core group we’ve probably got over 50+ credits? Sawyer is definitely a consultant. But we were, for a while the A-team at Obsidian. I was on the A-team at inXile. And Larry and I founded a game studio together and built it to 75 folks but we ran into the buzzsaw of 2008-2009 economic crisis.

There’s a lot of long-experienced practical game development experience here. And we’re happy to answer any questions about anything related to the team or the company.

I will answer anything that anyone asks here.

This sort of thing should be on kickstarter site. This is something which speaks loud to people who think about your kick-starter funding. This type of description outright says you have skills and experience to make this game.

I don't see it from what you wrote in kickstarter. Just 2 guys, and some no name collaboration between movie fx studios.

Agree 100%. We need to communicate more of our gameplay plans. We are, we will, we will do more.

You NEED to do it now. Fuck schedule for your first update, release first batch of info right now. Right now people are looking at your kickstarter and they can't even see how you game plays in broad strokes. Yes you do have some information like talking with companions or some food mechanic or survival but this is waaay to vague.

Is it like Spec Ops: The Line ? Is it isometric ? Fps, turn based, choose your own adventure. or maybe like mentioned by you STALKER type of game ? Is it open world game or level based etc.

Potential backer needs to "get" what this games actually is.

From your description it seems to be combination of Thief/Stalker but with focus on narrative

I’m not a PR guy so I dunno. Press releases and social and whatever. I’m just trying to answer as many specific questions as fast as possible right now from as many people as possible.

Good. Because you seem to be only one that does care about this project from what i gather in social media.
I don't need to explain you that this is not good. Backers aren't stupid. If they don't see developers themselves passionate about project then they also won't be passionate about it and they will think this is scam or amateur project.

Backers also work as PR. IF you get one backer that same backer can inform other people and those people other people. Which is why community involvement is important.

PROTIP. Contact whoever does PR there and make them do AMA(Ask me Anything) on r/Games. This is huge kickstarter and i am 100% sure mods will allow it. This will imminently put your game on crosshair of many people as long as PR team won't convince everybody that they don't have a fucking clue how to make game. Only honest answers. If you are caught with bullshit people will 100% sniff out bullshit and basically dig you grave on social media.

Our exchange here is essentially AMA. This is how you should be talking with them. Honesty = respect = backers.

I agree our stretch goals are weak and should be stronger. We’ve got time to change them.

No you streatchgoals right now aren't weak. They are legitimately ruining your campaign. They are actively pushing away people from donating money to you because they look like you are either trying to scam people or you are just using kickstarter for promotion.

They are like stripers in church.

But I also think the soundtrack is important for this game and 60s music can be had at reasonable prices (Lawrence Liberty has a ton of music licensing experience particularly on F:NV) and so we can get a good, long soundtrack of both Carmine Coppola ambient-synth insanity and top 100 tracks from 1966-1968ish. Zombies, The Animals, lots of great bands in there. Some other expensive or hard bands, but there’s 400 available songs from the top 100 billboard charts for the four years leading up to the moment in the river on the boat with Clean and his radio.

I also think they make more sense once you see the main site go live at apocalypsenow.com and it’s not just the Kickstarter.

And i agree. But for Christ sake do not set it up as 1st streatchgoal. Move it away. People do not care for music to game that never will be released. It is like you are trying to sell me additional CD with music to boombox i don't have right now.

Clarify what game is, pain backer a picture what game is about. Scrap those streatchgoals and refocus them to be ALL about expanding game in proper way. Like adding new regions to the game, expanding scope, adding NPCs, and then you can place music you want.

Thank you, I think all your points were cogent. Some are things we can address and some are just limitations we have to live with.

Honestly name at least for this kickstarter isn't important right now.

Things to do ASAP:
- change first and second strechgoal to something tangible TIED to gameplay. Like adding new NPC to game, weapons, anything that proves this is actual game.
- you need seriously to describe what game is about.

"This game is kind of like Fallout new Vegas in jungle based on AN! world. You play from first person and you will have companions with whom you will takle different quests like rescuing prisoners, tracking down Kurt etc. We really love psycho thrillers and world of AN! is ideal place for game setting with this type of theme so you as player will shape your own actions often leading to conficts in your squad. Game is also heavy on narrative so you can expect some proper drama and people going insane.

You are no hero though. Not in both mental and physical state. You will need fight for resources like food behind enemy lines, you are no rambo either so you will have to stealthy take our your targets rarely going for full combat, you will also have to use your charisma to change outcome of different events in game"

Voila. And everybody knows what is going on with you kickstarter and what game is about. Backer have clear picture what he is signing on.

 

[Perkel]

1. Change name.

The game is named Apocalypse Now.

It’s not named Apocalypse Now - the Game -- we just need to differentiate somehow social media and pages and stuff because there’s already and Apocalypse Now movie page etc. It's an annoying compromise on the KS page and FB. I'm annoyed by it. But I don't see another option (aside from the Project Napalm thing I like that -- AND we actually bought the domain name napalm.am -- but I think we can't do that because DOW Chemical or something).

An obvious 'nother option would be to make the page titles descriptive. "Apocalypse Now - an RPG based on the movie" would still be concise, while shedding the stink of terrible merchandising as in "Dostoevsky - the Action Figure!"

Apocalypse Now ! - RPG set in inside twisted world of a movie.

With this type of kickstarter name you would already be talking about 300k+

 

[MLMarkland]

PROTIP. Do not trust trendline. You seem to be new to kickstarters. Trendline only is accurate when you about 75% into kickstarter.
PROTIP2. Most of funding comes from first 3 days and last 3 days.

This is like golden rule of kickstarters. If you can do math you already see this is going to be hard. So be doubly sure your updates aren't empty words. Contant gaming sites etc. Do interviews and talk about game. Not "we are doing that game" but already talk about what this game is, what player will be doing etc..

For sure on all that, I figure the trendline needs to be about 150% of the actual goal for it to be reliably positive. I'm pushing to schedule a Reddit AMA before the end of the first three days. Hopefully that happens so we can get more direct communication between the team and people.

Project Napalm on other hand would be be cheeky and you would show from start that your team "get it". It would be a bit harder to get headlines but this is where PR comes in and where gaming sites explain it to their readers.

I changed the Kickstarter page name thanks to you and Zombra.

Agree 100% re the Napalm thing -- that's why I liked it. It's part of the attitude of the original motion picture. And I think we do express that attitude and vibe pretty well in other materials.

This sort of thing should be on kickstarter site. This is something which speaks loud to people who think about your kick-starter funding. This type of description outright says you have skills and experience to make this game.

Great point, added it.

You NEED to do it now. Fuck schedule for your first update, release first batch of info right now. Right now people are looking at your kickstarter and they can't even see how you game plays in broad strokes. Yes you do have some information like talking with companions or some food mechanic or survival but this is waaay to vague.

Is it like Spec Ops: The Line ? Is it isometric ? Fps, turn based, choose your own adventure. or maybe like mentioned by you STALKER type of game ? Is it open world game or level based etc.

Potential backer needs to "get" what this games actually is.

From your description it seems to be combination of Thief/Stalker but with focus on narrative

Agreed.

No you streatchgoals right now aren't weak. They are legitimately ruining your campaign. They are actively pushing away people from donating money to you because they look like you are either trying to scam people or you are just using kickstarter for promotion.

They are like stripers in church.

A compelling case for deletion. They are nuked from orbit. It was the only way to be sure.

 

[MLMarkland]

Etc.

Perkel, the game design and writing team liked your blurb about the gameplay and what it's like.

Website live -- a complement to Kickstarter so we can crowdfund the entire time and make a game right for the movie and the Players (and in success scenarios start shipping non-game rewards in Year 1).
https://apocalypsenow.com/
https://apocalypsenow.com/

 

[Azrael the cat]

Kickstarter? I'm pretty sure FF Coppala (or his daughter, Sophia Coppolla, given that she seems to have taken over the family biz) could find that kind of money down that back of his couch cushions. Yeah, Francis Ford Coppalla is 'excited' to bring this to us, I'm sure

Still, glad the old geezer was willing to give someone the rights to it. I wouldn't take that as a mark of quality though. He's 77 and never had any interest in the gaming business. He probably just asked them 'do you have someone that's made a game before? Yes? Alright, why not, just make sure the cheque clears before the weekend so I can spend the money on something I actually give a shit about.'

 

[Perkel]

Your pitch already looks a lot better. Still no concept gameplay art.

 

[Drax]

I just watched a segment on FUCKING CNN about this project. WTF.

 

[Perkel]

I just watched a segment on FUCKING CNN about this project. WTF.

I read about it on POLISH GENERAL NEWS site (like politics and other bullshit no gamer cares about).

Imo clearly have PR company working in old channels. Which explains a lot why their social channels are so behind.

 

[Bester]

Still won't get funded.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fringerider/apocalypse-now-the-game/posts/1792921

Update #3 - The Game's the Thing
Rob Auten, Lead Writer
26 January 2017

The Game’s the Thing

We’re hearing from the community that there’s some confusion as to what kind of game Apocalypse Now (AN) is going to be. This is understandable; I’m reminded of the posters for Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Nabokov’s Lolita that read, “How did they ever make a movie out of Lolita?”

AN is a nominally a war movie and game. The film and the game have no shortage of helicopter-borne missiles, service revolvers, spears, and Lance on the forward .50s. The first shot of the film is a treeline being blown back by a phalanx of Northrop F-5 Tigers. On the other hand, AN is considered to be one of the greatest anti-war movies ever made.

It achieves this reputation not by embracing peace but by depicting war as a beast that drives men insane. While the characters and scenario contain their share of hyperbole, a veteran may find an uncomfortable amount of truth within the film.

The game will preserve this balance and create a narrative experience that is about war but that also demonstrates what war does to the human mind.

The game will be played from what we call a “subjective” first-person perspective. This means that Willard’s view is your view, but that you also observe changes in that view due to Willard’s mental state.

Taking drugs or drinking will change this view. In the jungle, Willard’s situational awareness will indicate the origin of sounds. In periods of intense stress, the field of view may narrow, simulating the fight or flight response.

The key activities of the game will be similar to exploration-driven RPGs such as Fallout: New Vegas, but set in the film’s hyperreal Vietnam War setting. You will be assigned to travel up the Nung River in order to terminate Colonel Kurtz’s command. You will be joined by the crew of the PBR Streetgang and tasked with a variety of different missions in service of your overall goal. From there, your choices are your own; you are not bound by what Willard does in the film.

As you proceed through the overall narrative, the decisions you make will affect how your squad feels about you. Choose to do something dangerous and they feel you don’t respect their lives. Lie your way through a situation and they start to distrust you.

Stress, fear, disgust—these emotions will be tracked within each of the game’s characters in order to present you with a reactive simulation that is responsive to your actions and capable of presenting moment-to-moment consequences for the decisions you make.

While character and exploratory narrative are our key pillars, we are not attempting to make a war game that does not include combat, but very often the best way to continue your mission and serve your ultimate goal will be to avoid conflict at all costs.

This makes some aspects of AN similar to games like Alien: Isolation or SOMA and we will design conflict in a manner that feels visceral and frightening.

Resource management unites these pillars into a cohesive experience. Food, fuel, ammo, drugs, booze, and meds are in short supply. Squander your resources and you will find yourself forced to take on a dangerous mission to resupply. Horde the good stuff and your crew will resent you. Barter judiciously and you can get better gear.

You can earn a reputation as a hard charger or a yellow mother; this will influence your conversations and negotiations.

Like Willard, you’re no hero. Like the film, the story always ends with Kurtz. But what you discover along the way will be up to you.

 

[vonAchdorf]

It's an interesting premise and I'll surely look forward to more info on the actual "game" content. I don't like "horror" games, but this doesn't seem like a standard "horror" game. It's a fresh setting. I'm just amazed that they did this Kickstarter out of nowhere, normally you'd want to have your core audience sitting there with their credit cards, refreshing the KS page on launch day.

 

[Zombra]

I don't like "horror" games, but this doesn't seem like a standard "horror" game. It's a fresh setting.

Yeah, when I hear "horror game" I think of zombies and cthulhoids, creepy old mansions and jump scares. This looks like "just us" - humans doing horrible, insane shit; no ghosts, no demons possessing them ... the dark side of humanity not processed into a metaphor or justified by the ancient evil of some stupid macguffin.

 

[MLMarkland]

I don't like "horror" games, but this doesn't seem like a standard "horror" game. It's a fresh setting.

Yeah, when I hear "horror game" I think of zombies and cthulhoids, creepy old mansions and jump scares. This looks like "just us" - humans doing horrible, insane shit; no ghosts, no demons possessing them ... the dark side of humanity not processed into a metaphor or justified by the ancient evil of some stupid macguffin.

Yeah that's definitely the idea from a vibe/narrartive POV. It's a narrow window. It's easier to make The Deer Hunter and have it be successful, than to make some of the same points in a video game which must be enjoyable to play as well. You can't have a "rough watch" in a game really. But we think we've got the right foundational material in the motion picture, just like it had in Heart of Darkness.

 

[Zombra]

MLMarkland, I'm curious about something that may be difficult to "get at".

Having just watched the film - and forgive me if this is obvious - I feel a major theme is the arbitrary, uncaring nature of the world. Things aren't always random - there are some things you can count on - but even the reliable things are irrational, e.g. Kilgore's invulnerability (and Willard's intuition of it), Roach's unerring instincts. As the film goes on, any sense of security Willard has erodes to nothing. Certainly, although he continues to pursue his mission with authority, there is almost no sense of power or control even at the beginning and by the end there is absolutely none. It never occurs to him to try to sneak into Kurtz's stronghold, or fight his way in. He submits immediately, unquestioningly, inevitably - as so, later, does Kurtz himself. At no time is there a sense of anyone imposing their will on the situation (with the awful exception, at the beginning, of LTC Kilgore). This is the opposite of a story of empowerment.

It strikes me that this disempowerment, so essential to the core of the film's horror, is outright antithetical to the nature of a video game. In a game, the player begins unsure of himself, not certain how the systems work, having to figure out (for example) enemy vision cones during stealth sections, which character stats are important for which actions, even how to get the most out of scripted dialogues, and so forth. As the player plays the game more, he feels more in control. Even as the levels add more enemies and bigger challenges, the player gets more comfortable and more confident that he can manipulate its systems to produce the desired results. This may be particularly true in an RPG as character growth gives the player more tools and abilities to control the situation. Things become less arbitrary as the player learns the game, and a good game then tests the player on what he's learned, granting a sense of accomplishment and closure.

Has the team considered this contradiction? Is it possible for a game to maintain the (in my opinion) central theme of helplessness from the film? If so, is it a good idea to make a game that takes away power from the player and risk being a "bad game"? On the other hand, if the player is given the power to impose his will, and tell the story how he likes, is the game then true to what makes the film so powerful?