KickStarter Kickstarter Watch.

[JudasIscariot]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1829438086/ring-runner-flight-of-the-sages/?ref=kicktraq

Ring Runner has been released so it can get its color change :D

 

[Kz3r0]

Sorry the lack of response to some of the projects signaled, I will try to address them one by one now.

New RPG Kickstarter called Leige - at least it's turn based.

The problem lies in the amount of money requested that puts this project straight in hobby territory, and above all this part:

Liege is being built to feature high definition, hand drawn graphics, and complex, layered environments. You can see the early results of this effort in the in-game screenshots below: subtle lighting and a range of particle effects, layered over richly detailed environments containing proportional, smoothly animated inhabitants.

Such a lengthy and costly process can't be covered by the money they are getting, unless someone will strongly advocate the inclusion of this game in the list I will ignore them.

It is hobby level - one man team and each game will be ~10 hours. But I like the art style. Yes it's hand drawn, but I believe the art style allows cheap graphics. They have some videos on their Greenlight page

All right, I will add it.

 

[Kz3r0]

While we are on the subject of RPGs, here a project that packs quite a lot of external inspiration:

A love letter to J-RPG classics from the Playstation era like Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Suikoden, and Persona.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...nspired-by-playstation-classics/?ref=kicktraq

He forgot to mention Soul Calibur and some other.

 

[mindx2]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/772847014/the-history-of-sierra-on-line-through-a-documentar

Kickstarter for a documentary about Sierra.

WOW! They actually wanted $40k the first time they went on KS (and said a lot of the film was already done and failed to reach their goal) and now they want $125k for a documentary?!!! Heck, their tiers are aweful... they go from a $50 one to a $1,000 one?!! This is one epic fail on KS.

 

[Tolknaz]

So, it turns out, that Kickstarter is not exactly the savior of gaming, that it was touted to be. I guess FTL and Expeditions: Conquistador of all things are quite good games in their own right. Leisure Suit Larry remake is okay too, but it's a remake of 25 year old game and has a bit too much fan service built in (And the corners they had to cut are still visible, even though they also went far over their initial Kickstarter budget). There have been somewhat scaled back projects and outright failures before, but most of them were smaller projects. However, Ouya and now Broken age seem to be on track, to become the first massive Kickstarter failures. Let's hope, that the remaining relevant kickstarter projects (by Harebrained, InXile, Obsidian, Larian etc.) are better budgeted.

 

[Infinitron]

Warmachine: Tactics Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/409030043/warmachine-tactics

Apparently this is something famous because it's funding pretty fast.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

AFAIK, Warmachine is 40k without the fascist theocracy, Matt Ward, or Games Workshop.

 

[escom]

 

[JudasIscariot]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1166550020/humans-must-answer-an-explosive-2d-shmup

Humans Must Answer is officially released. :D

 

[kaizoku]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kortexstudios/tales-of-terrene

Play as an adventurer in this steampunk themed adventure RPG game! Discover the world of Terrene and unlock the power of steam.

This could have been great but it's horrible.

I mean, they want to make an RPG for 10,000$ ?!
And

Yes! The devs are hard at work creating the game for iphone/pc/xbox/ps3/linux/mac so that all can enjoy the various platforms of the game.

Nothing but a cash grab.
KIWF

A real shame, because you know... steampunk

 

[Infinitron]

Has this been in here yet?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1414498525/freebooter-an-open-world-seafaring-game

And yes, they will replace the blocky artstyle.

Cancelled: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/07/12/freebooter-sunk-sinks-kickstarter-stops-development/

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.destructoid.com/how-to-avoid-being-sad-about-kickstarter-projects-257598.phtml

A common sense guide to being a happy backer​

Kickstarter has proven itself to be a controversial method of funding your game. At once a promising liberator from corporate thralldom and a minefield of shattered expectations, the idea of crowdfunding is sound, but the realities are bitter pills.

Once the darling of the crowdfunding boom, Double Fine ran into trouble when it made more money than it expected, and subsequently forged bigger plans than its newfound wealth could stretch to. The studio is now trying to find ways to release its ambitious game, and make more money, while many who backed the original project are now angry at not getting what they expected when they plonked down the cash.

As a backer of Double Fine's, I've found it a fascinating thing to watch unfold, and, taking into account all the other Kickstarter controversies that have happened, I feel we could all learn a thing or two. There's nothing inherently wrong with crowdfunding, I don't think. However, we're all starting to learn that we need to go in with the right attitude.

To avoid disappointment in future, take on board these handy rules for dealing with crowdfunded projects. Follow them, and you'll be a happy little backer in no time!

You are making a 'donation', not a pre-order

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that, when you back a project on Kickstarter, you're not preordering a game as you would at GameStop. You're making an investment of ideas, and as such, you take everything that comes with it. Investments are a gamble, ostensibly. You put money into something, you hope it pays off, but you have to be prepared for the possibility of it failing completely. It's absolutely crucial to understand that, whether you forked over $10 or $10,000, you are not guaranteed a product at the end of it. You are certainly not assured of getting the exact thing you expected.

That in mind, you also have to be prepared to accept that you're not even making areal investment. You're not due a monetary return on your funds, instead claiming whatever rewards were offered and, most likely, the product upon completion. Nothing wrong with that, but you need to know what you've agreed to -- you put down money for the trinkets you selected, andthe possibility of helping a thing get made.

Welcome to the wacky world of not-quite-investing!

If a game developer isn't asking for a million dollars, they might be asking too little

Game developers are, for the most part, artists. Artists are not, for the most part, businesspeople. As such, they tend to underestimate exactly what they need in order to realize their visions. We've seen this enough times in the world of mainstream videogame development -- budgets skyrockets as ambitions get ahead of reality, and developers sink tons of money into making the prettiest, most explosive games they can. Just because a studio's going the indie Trent Reznor route, doesn't mean they've scaled back what they want to do.

We saw this exemplified with Double Fine. It made more money than it could have dreamed of, millions of bucks compared to the original $400,000 projection, and still it's over budget. You give an artist more money, and all they'll do is scale up their idea, like that guy in the live-actionPopEye movie who kept kicking his hat when he tried to pick it up -- constantly pushing the goal forward so it remains just out of reach.

Not to mention, it's tempting for a studio to deliberately lower the bar in order to make it more appealing to potential backers. Telling gamers outright that you need $300,000,000 is a lot less encouraging than saying you only need $30,000. You lower the goal, you make it appear more attainable, and everybody wants to back a winner!

What this all means is that, just because you've hit a Kickstarter goal, or even well exceeded it, there's going to be a damn good chance that it's not enough cash. Do not be surprised in the least if you see a company you backed going cap-in-hand to other investors, or doing what Double Fine did and selling an "early access" version to make more money. In fact, be surprised if you don'tsee that.

If a project has amazing backer rewards, it's killing its own budget

Backer rewards are ways of offering extra goodies to people, in order to encourage them to sink more cash into a project. You donate $15, you may get a digital version of a game. You donate $50, you may get a boxed version. You donate $250, you may get a statue or a vinyl record or whatever other dazzling artifact the developer's dreamed up. While it's a great idea on paper, many studios still don't consider exactly how much it's going to cost to produce and ship those rewards.

If a project you're backing has a lot of lavish physical rewards on offer, the money it's earned thus far is going to be significantly unrepresentative of the money going directly to game development. A lot of that cash is now going to be tied up in shipping costs, and since these rewards werespecifically promised, a developer has more obligation to deliver them than even the project being backed.

To be more confident that you're money is going to the game you want, peruse the backer rewards to see if they're predominantly digitally distributed content. It's a good sign that a developer isn't going to get bitten hard in the ass by exterior costs.

What you see is not what they got

Even if the developer is reigning in its ambition, and even if the rewards are sensibly distributed, one must also remember that, no matter what happens, part of what a project's made is already accounted for, and it can be huge.

Take, for example, Star Command. These guys ended their funding drive with $36,967. Awesome! Except for the $2,000 lost due to "no show" backers, and the slice that Kickstarter itself took, not to mention the taxes that had to be paid for making such a princely sum. Then the rewards had to be paid for -- another $10,000 lost -- and a PAX appearance, alongside the iPads needed to showcase the game, setting the studio back another $4,000.
All told, the project ended up $55,000 in debt.

They still forged ahead on the game, but backers were angry at the "misappropriation" of funds, which brings us to ...

There are many things a project is before it's a 'scam'

The online gamer community thrives on outrage and hyperbole. I'm as guilty of that as anybody else, and can happily cop to it. Kickstarter is no exception, with backers and (more likely) non-backers crying "scam" at any project that doesn't exactly conform to their expectations. A project is late? SCAM! A project needs more money? SCAM! A project has a rich person involved with it? SCAM!

As satisfying as it always is to level accusations at somebody, and as enjoyable as it is to feel like you've stopped the world getting one over on you, screaming "scam" at everything just cheapens the word. Fact is, most Kickstarters earn nowhere near enough to be worth destroying a reputation and development career over. This is especially true if the studio in question is still maintaining a public face, still talking about its project, and still has a very worthwhile future. Here's what would happen if a developer was scamming you -- it would pocket the money, and you would never see that developer again.

This is not to say scams have not been attempted, but they've more or less all been caught out before they reach the finish line (most likely because people trying to use Kickstarter to steal money are idiots). Basically, until Tim Schafer buys himself a private plane and disappears off the face of the Earth with your money, he's not conning you.

A project may not be what you expected. It may change for creative or financial reasons. It may need more money from elsewhere. That does not make it a scam.

If you're unhappy about any of these rules, DO NOT FUND ANYTHING ON KICKSTARTER!

These little rules are not here to exonerate projects. It's not a good thing that Double Fine got carried away with its plans and spent itself into a corner. It's not awesome when a studio stupidly offers hundreds of special alarm clocks and wastes half the budget paying off FEDEX. It's sad that games can become financial black holes, and it's dishonest to say you need $50,000 when you need a million.

It is, however, what happens in reality, and if that makes you uncomfortable, your best bet is simply to ignore Kickstarter entirely. Crowdfunding requires a level of trust that, even for the most scrupulous of developers, can be broken for any number of unfortunate reasons. There's a good chance they're not deliberately trying to screw you, but through either their own silliness or simple bad luck, there's so much that can go wrong. You having made a lot of money is absolutely no guarantee of smooth sailing, and you paying into some of that money is no guarantee you'll get everything you wanted.

If that's not cool with you -- and nobody should blame you if it isn't -- don't back anything.

Then you will not be sad about Kickstarter.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

Has this been in here yet?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1414498525/freebooter-an-open-world-seafaring-game

And yes, they will replace the blocky artstyle.

Cancelled: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/07/12/freebooter-sunk-sinks-kickstarter-stops-development/

Oh, well...

 

[J_C]

http://www.destructoid.com/how-to-avoid-being-sad-about-kickstarter-projects-257598.phtml

A common sense guide to being a happy backer​

AKA The truth.

 

[Dexter]

You are making a 'donation', not a pre-order

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that, when you back a project on Kickstarter, you're not preordering a game as you would at GameStop. You're making an investment of ideas, and as such, you take everything that comes with it. Investments are a gamble, ostensibly. You put money into something, you hope it pays off, but you have to be prepared for the possibility of it failing completely. It's absolutely crucial to understand that, whether you forked over $10 or $10,000, you are not guaranteed a product at the end of it. You are certainly not assured of getting the exact thing you expected.

Actual courts of law and the first few test cases kindly disagree with that interpretation though: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-...ckstarter-made-an-average-guy-bankrupt-2013-1

I'd say they likely have more bearing in the end than your average "game journalist".

KickStarters ToS that every project creator has to agree to before making a project also tells a different story: http://www.kickstarter.com/help/faq/kickstarter basics

Is a creator legally obligated to fulfill the promises of their project?

Yes. Kickstarter's Terms of Use require creators to fulfill all rewards of their project or refund any backer whose reward they do not or cannot fulfill. (This is what creators see before they launch.) We crafted these terms to create a legal requirement for creators to follow through on their projects, and to give backers a recourse if they don't. We hope that backers will consider using this provision only in cases where they feel that a creator has not made a good faith effort to complete the project and fulfill.

Now they could make projects where essentially all they are allowing is "donations" to make a project happen without any Rewards and they wouldn't be obligated to do anything in that case aside from likely getting considerably less money, but so far “I give you money, you give me product at promised date” counts as a binding transaction where it is either money back or rewards delivered in the eyes of the law.

 

[Ulminati]

Hello RPG Codex,

My name is Cipto and I'm with Ekuator Games. We'd like you to know that we've launched a Kickstarter project of our newest game titled Celestian Tales: Old North.

We'd love to attach some pics and vids, but the contact form is quite limited. You can find out about our game on its project page (http://kck.st/1ddXiuG) or our website (http://ekuatorgames.com/oldnorth).

We'd be very thrilled if you find our game interesting enough to write and spread the news. If there's any question, please reply to the email specified on this contact form.

Thank you for reading!

More RPGMaker games who cannot into this thread.

 

[Cosmic Misogynerd]

They probably want to appear in a main page piece or something, like that thing that Crooked Bee sometimes post.

 

[kaizoku]

metroidvania game
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/523651724/legend-of-iya?ref=category

Nice artwork, but the playable character and gameplay didn't convince me.

 

[Ulminati]

More people who cannot into this thread. Mobile phone crap ahoy

Dear Gamers,
By this email we are pleased to provide you with more information on our new video game Wars and Battles.
WARS AND BATTLES IS ON KICKSTARTER NOW! WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1966970044/wars-and-battles
Wars and Battles is a revolutionary turn based strategy game allying the sophistication of tabletop wargames with an easy gameplay. This project is supported by veteran French wargamers such as Nicolas Stratigos, chief’s redactor of the Vae Victis Magazine and Frédéric Bey, author of the ‘Jours de Gloire’ wargames.
Wars and Battles will be available on all platforms: PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone and Android tablets and smartphones.
Our game first will be launched through a Kickstarter on July 15th, 2013. For more information, feel free to check our website www.warsandbattles.com, our Facebook page (/warsandbattles) and our Twitter account (@warsandbattles). We need your support!
We thank you in advance for your interest and we hope you will enjoy playing our games.
Annie Steck, President and the Wars and Battles

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Ulminati, I don't see a reason to post shit from people who are unable to register and don't even customize their message towards our sublime tastes. "Dear Gamers", seriously? "pleased to provide you with more information" - did we any info before, did we ask for it? I think "French wargamers" translates to pretend surrendermonkeys. Fuck their spammy, cheese-eating ways.

 

[Ulminati]

The lulz and boycott section needs entries too

 

[Kz3r0]

earthbound type of games

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1825122831/heroes-of-mother-3-0?ref=live (ongoing)

I don't consider a thousand dollars projects unless they are really something special, sorry.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1002143342/undertale (mentioned by Bee on the codex news)

Added.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tylerowen/lacuna-passage?ref=category (Miasmata on Mars type of thing)

Added.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...-space-combat-sim-for-windows-pc?ref=category (wing commander with anime characters, but they say they may be fixing the portraits)

Added.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lexisgames/taxi-journey?ref=category (charming adventure platformer)

It was added, canceled unfortunately.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...on-moonbase-an-indie-game-for-pc?ref=category (sim city on the moon type of thing)

Too little to show.

hiking simulator... or maybe something more
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/railboy/frontiers-explore-discover-survive

Added.

roguelike
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/56637190/dungeonmans-the-heroic-adventure-roguelike?ref=category

Added.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kortexstudios/tales-of-terrene

Nothing to show.

Warmachine: Tactics Kickstarter http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/409030043/warmachine-tactics

Apparently this is something famous because it's funding pretty fast.

Added.

metroidvania game
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/523651724/legend-of-iya?ref=category

Nice artwork, but the playable character and gameplay didn't convince me.

Over a decade in the making, and I can't see anything metroidvania related in there.

More people who cannot into this thread. Mobile phone crap ahoy

Dear Gamers,
By this email we are pleased to provide you with more information on our new video game Wars and Battles.
WARS AND BATTLES IS ON KICKSTARTER NOW! WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1966970044/wars-and-battles
Wars and Battles is a revolutionary turn based strategy game allying the sophistication of tabletop wargames with an easy gameplay. This project is supported by veteran French wargamers such as Nicolas Stratigos, chief’s redactor of the Vae Victis Magazine and Frédéric Bey, author of the ‘Jours de Gloire’ wargames.
Wars and Battles will be available on all platforms: PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone and Android tablets and smartphones.
Our game first will be launched through a Kickstarter on July 15th, 2013. For more information, feel free to check our website www.warsandbattles.com, our Facebook page (/warsandbattles) and our Twitter account (@warsandbattles). We need your support!
We thank you in advance for your interest and we hope you will enjoy playing our games.
Annie Steck, President and the Wars and Battles

The lulz and boycott section needs entries too

Not shitty enough, Tacticular Cancer covered it, people don't like it.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548824192/the-good-guys-blood-over-everything?ref=category

Added to the proper section.

 

[Excidium]

metroidvania game
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/523651724/legend-of-iya?ref=category

Nice artwork, but the playable character and gameplay didn't convince me.

Looks clunky as fuck

 

[trustno1code]

Precinct - "a new police adventure video game from Jim Walls, creator of the classic Sierra series Police Quest”.

 

[Spectacle]

Precinct - "a new police adventure video game from Jim Walls, creator of the classic Sierra series Police Quest”.

This looks very interesting. Not a standard point-and-click adventure, but not a popamole akshun-adventaa either.