KickStarter Confederate Express - what is this I don't even

[Zombra]

And the Steam page, reviews, ABOUT THIS GAME have all been completely changed again.

 

[LESS T_T]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/771370/announcements/detail/1655511409921704390

Patch 1.2

- Starting HP reduced 4 -> 1
- Permadeath removed; restart by pressing Z
- Exploit ability removed;
- New item: Hardcore; +3 hp in exchange for permadeath
- Helmet cost increased 355 -> 650
- Vest cost increased 345 -> 750
- Medkit cost increased 680 -> 1200
- 2 new achievements added: Lucky; Untouchable;
- Scenes 02, 03, 04, 06, 08, 13 units rebalanced
- bounty attraction radius increased 3.25 -> 4
- Scene 02 tutorial sprite added
- ambient music is now shuffled
- misc bug fixes

These changes sound very radical for a game that will be "released" in few days.

Also, yet again, he added something in store description:

CAUTION: HARD DIFFICULTY.
Approximate completion time: 1-2 hours

 

[LESS T_T]

Also: http://steamcommunity.com/app/771370/discussions/0/1697169163409831948/

Backer keys?
Hi there,

Since the game is coming out in a few days and there are patch notes already, when will those of us Kickstarter backers who were supposed to get early access codes be receiving one?

There will be no rewards sent.
Instead, every backer will receive a refund - first round starts in Q4 2018.

edit: oops: https://steamcommunity.com/app/771370/discussions/0/1697169163412769564/

Wait, you're not giving out steam keys for people who backed you on kickstarter?

or

You're unable to fulfill higher tier kickstarter rewards?

edit: You're sending kickstarter backers refunds... starting in 6 months? Really? I think this is probably the first time in history a kickstarter game has been created where the creator didn't want to honor backer pledges. Hell, it doesn't even cost you anything to honor your pledge since steam keys for your game are free to give out.

I am unable to fulfill any of the pledges, even the lower tiers.

But... how are you unable to fulfil that? Steam allows you to generate keys for a game you've published on the platform. It's as easy as generating the keys and sending them to backers.

It doesn't cost you money, it simply takes time to click the "generate key" button and put it in a form-email.

You do not understand what I am talking about.
What was described on Kickstarter page had a budget of $400k - a project I cannot fulfill. After seeing the early demo (Sept 2017) the general consensus was people want a refund. You can follow the updates on KS to find more info.

 

[Zombra]

He must have read my recent kickstarter comment and decided refunding was the only solution. It's for the best, he really isn't going to provide a game that's anything like the pitch. Now he just has to sell 1000 copies at $40 each, or 10000 at $4, whatever, to pay us all back. I'll be waiting by the phone for my refund!

 

[LESS T_T]

Now he just has to sell 1000 copies at $40 each, or 10000 at $4, whatever, to pay us all back.

"10 USD; 200 RUB; 30 YUAN": https://steamcommunity.com/app/771370/discussions/0/1696043806565927285/

Considering the fees and tax, and that many of purchasers will be Russian, he should sell much more than 4,000 copies.

Also more comments:

That's a lot of lies packed into one reply, let me unpack them for you.

1. You've chosen to simply not honor your kickstarter backers who supported you in good faith. If you did intend to honor it, you would give keys to some backers and refund those who asked.

2. You're never going to issue refunds unless someone takes you to court. The fact that you're using language like "starting to issue refunds in 6 months" is clear evidence of this.

3. You never listed that the project had a budget of $400k. You listed that the project needed $10k, you received 4x that.

4. Your last update on the project was you begging for more money in September. You've posted no updates since then. You even end with the quote "Please join us next week for our Monthly Progress Report update, where we will showcase the work completed for the month of September as well as future plans." And it's been 6 months since that was posted with no updates.

1. I am not sure what good faith you are talking about. Follow KS comments. Also see Knuckle Club witch hunt + suspension.
2. This sort of slanderous speculation is why I abandoned KS herd altogether. You put a label on me, I get it.
3. Yes, that is true. I asked for way too little and that was my mistake. I tried to salvage the situation with side project (Knuckle Club) but that got suspended because of my label.
4. Yes, I needed more money. I came back but was not well received. I understand it is hard to look past my label. Why would I stick around?

 

[Infinitron]

Make backers buy the game again so you can afford to refund them! Brilliant!

 

[LESS T_T]

That's a lot of lies packed into one reply, let me unpack them for you.

1. You've chosen to simply not honor your kickstarter backers who supported you in good faith. If you did intend to honor it, you would give keys to some backers and refund those who asked.

2. You're never going to issue refunds unless someone takes you to court. The fact that you're using language like "starting to issue refunds in 6 months" is clear evidence of this.

3. You never listed that the project had a budget of $400k. You listed that the project needed $10k, you received 4x that.

4. Your last update on the project was you begging for more money in September. You've posted no updates since then. You even end with the quote "Please join us next week for our Monthly Progress Report update, where we will showcase the work completed for the month of September as well as future plans." And it's been 6 months since that was posted with no updates.

1. I am not sure what good faith you are talking about. Follow KS comments. Also see Knuckle Club witch hunt + suspension.
2. This sort of slanderous speculation is why I abandoned KS herd altogether. You put a label on me, I get it.
3. Yes, that is true. I asked for way too little and that was my mistake. I tried to salvage the situation with side project (Knuckle Club) but that got suspended because of my label.
4. Yes, I needed more money. I came back but was not well received. I understand it is hard to look past my label. Why would I stick around?

And whoever is this brave one Terkala, banned: https://steamcommunity.com/app/771370/discussions/0/1697169163412769564/

I am not interested in anything Kickstarter-related.

 

[LESS T_T]

Oh hell, it's out:

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Zombra]

I am not interested in anything Kickstarter-related.

 

[Doktor Best]

He also updated the "ABOUT THIS GAME", even more amazing than before:

ABOUT THIS GAME

AUTHOR'S NOTE
In the era of Fake News and deceptive media, my game is a poster child of a witch hunt gone wrong.

The video game journalists said this game was a sure scam.
The news media slandered me for exercising my legal rights.
And the backers, given up on me years ago, were happy to fuel the fire.

But the thing is, these tricks didn't work. Against all odds, Confederate Express is finally here, and it is simply superb.
With unmatched visual fidelity and state-of-the-art rendering technology, there are no analogues available anywhere. Confederate Express is a pinnacle of technological advancement in 2D gaming, 5 years in the making.

GAMEPLAY
Featuring MOBA-like tactical gameplay mechanics - Confederate Express is a serene visual experience with a tranquil atmosphere. As it starts off with a relaxing stroll - the game progresses - and you are faced with an ever increasing challenge, at times seemingly impossible to overcome. Difficulty was meticulously tweaked and balanced, making it fun to play and challenging at the same time. Reaching the last level 50 is an achievement on its own, as the game features unforgiving permadeath.

LORE
Set in dystopian future, you assume a role of a brutal exterminator trying to deliver a mysterious package. Navigate through 50 seemingly impossible scenarios, obliterating your enemies into an explosive waterfall of blood and gore, all while your skills are constantly being challenged by an increasing number of vicious enemies using deadly tactics.

TECHNOLOGY
Confederate Express boasts an unmistakable visual style - "aliasing" - powered by a proprietary extreme-performance rendering framework - False2D™ API. This technology allows for an unparalleled visual fidelity, transforming a collection of over 50,000 hand drawn animation frames into a spectacular masterpiece of visual storytelling.

Someone bought "The Art of the Deal" from that sweet KS money.

 

[FritzedProcess]

What a fucking cunt.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Another kickstarter success story.

 

[LESS T_T]

And it's oh so quiet. Peak concurrent player: 1.

 

[MRY]

I have a key if anyone wants to install malware.

 

[MRY]

Or, I should say, I have what purports to be a link to generating a key, which link I will also not click.

 

[Zombra]

Yeah ... "Kilobyte" (?) sent me an email with a "download link" too. Thoughtful after he declared that no backers would be getting anything.

KS comments page has a couple people who talk about it ... one says the game is crap, the other says the link gave him a key that didn't work :D

 

[agentorange]

"AUTHOR'S NOTE
In the era of Fake News and deceptive media, my game is a poster child of a witch hunt gone wrong."

So not like those witch hunts gone right, where they killed all those real, actual witches.

 

[Bigg Boss]

This makes me want to rush to Kickstarter with a project only to kill myself 5 to 10 years later.

 

[Grauken]

"AUTHOR'S NOTE
In the era of Fake News and deceptive media, my game is a poster child of a witch hunt gone wrong."

So not like those witch hunts gone right, where they killed all those real, actual witches.

Best response ever

 

[LESS T_T]

Also: http://steamcommunity.com/app/771370/discussions/0/1697169163409831948/

Backer keys?
Hi there,

Since the game is coming out in a few days and there are patch notes already, when will those of us Kickstarter backers who were supposed to get early access codes be receiving one?

There will be no rewards sent.
Instead, every backer will receive a refund - first round starts in Q4 2018.

Ha, he edited the post.

If you haven't received and e-mail from itch.io with your Steam Key - please let me know at maxpashanin@gmail.com, I will email you one ASAP!

Every backer will still receive a refund - first round starts in Q4 2018.

Last edited by mpashanin; 3 hours ago

I guess he realized it's better inviting backers even if they're going to leave negative reviews. Since (reportedly) player activity and count matter to Steam's store exposure algorithms.

So the backer reviews!:

Kickstarted this game five years ago. For a while it looked like nothing was going to get made, and then all of a sudden this game appeared. This is not the game I kickstarted. The game I kickstarted was supposed to be tactical RPG. This is a two-button clicking game where you shoot in the direction you are facing. I'm hesitant to even call it a game. I played about a dozen "scenes" and it's just so bad. Don't waste your money on this.

Is this in alpha?
This is, most certainly, not the game that I supported on Kickstarter - oh, sure, it is similar, but, this is a clunky, VERY shallow, action shooter (not an in-depth RPG, or, ARPG).

BTW, the gameplay is ABSOLUTE garbage!
:-O

 

[FritzedProcess]

I saw this coming. It was a matter of days before this dumb fuck realized that paying back some $40K would mean going back to squatting and giving head for mac-n-cheese, or borrowing from loan sharks.

Still a better outcome than The Mandate.

 

[taxalot]

ABOUT THIS GAME
AUTHOR'S NOTE
In the era of Fake News and deceptive media, my game is a poster child of a witch hunt gone wrong.

The video game journalists said this game was a sure scam.
The news media slandered me for exercising my legal rights.
And the backers, given up on me years ago, were happy to fuel the fire.

But the thing is, these tricks didn't work. Against all odds, Confederate Express is finally here, and it is simply superb.
With unmatched visual fidelity and state-of-the-art rendering technology, there are no analogues available anywhere. Confederate Express is a pinnacle of technological advancement in 2D gaming, 5 years in the making.

(...)

This technology allows for an unparalleled visual fidelity, transforming a collection of over 50,000 hand drawn animation frames into a spectacular masterpiece of visual storytelling.

Glad to see that Cleve is still doing ok.

 

[Zombra]

Yeah, he's not sending out refunds. He'll point to his homemade EULA ... since so many people activated their keys, obviously they feel they got the product!

 

[Abu Antar]

I'll take a spare key.

 

[Zombra]

The one positive review up so far states almost directly that it was a paid review:

This review made possible through the consideration and contribution of Review Experts(REXnetwork) and the developer.