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KickStarter Mechajammer (formerly Copper Dreams) - cyberpunk RPG from Whalenought Studios

Daedalos

Arcane
The Real Fanboy
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
5,610
Location
Denmark
What's the appeal of psychical rewards nowadays?

Throw me some convincing arguments. Because to me, the appeal of havin' some nerdy boxed shit on my shelves are way past. Maybe when I was 15 or maybe even 20. But I'm an adult now.

Seems to me it would just stand around and clutter up the house, without any real use other than "souvenirs".
Too much hassle, kind of boring. Meh
 

ArchAngel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
21,299
Hope some big youtubers back this game. That seems to be one of the best ways to get backers. Getting mentioned in another KS update seems to help as well (TTON, POE, or DOS telling backers about them).

Let's reach out to them. Who do you watch/respect?

Matt Barton of Matt Chat should be pushing this project.
(Edit: he did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh1gJ1zribo link in description).

Matt's wonderful, hope to do that with him soon. Need to get some rats in the game.
If you are willing to explore some of the recent media like live streams there are some popular streamers that you could contact:
#1 https://www.twitch.tv/dansgaming/profile - this guy regularly goes to KS and watches random KS pitches live on stream and comments on them. You could ask him to do that with your KS. He has a fairly large viewership.

#2 https://www.twitch.tv/cohhcarnage/profile - this guy behind another KS project (Project Resurgence) and likes to play (and sometimes stream) older RPGs. He also has a fairly large viewership
 

udm

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 14, 2008
Messages
2,901
Make the Codex Great Again!
We tried to be honest with the pricing and what it would cost us with resources/time. However we have an update planned to show off all the miniatures and will include a new tier that will have all of them, we've had some messages requesting that. I talked about our position with exposure right now in the Update# 3 thread, but that's what we're working toward at the moment.

Don't get me wrong as I'm glad it's "only" $250!! :lol:

Will you have an Add-on option for the extra figures to go only with my boxed copy tier?

Yeah me too. I feel you man. :love:
 

grimace

Arcane
Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Messages
2,084
What's the appeal of psychical rewards nowadays?

The code dial you hold in your hand will function in the game. This is an immersion aspect as well as giving the pen and paper feeling of using tangible items (and a manual).

Matt's wonderful, hope to do that with him soon. Need to get some rats in the game.

Need a variety of rats. Rat AI programmed subroutines.


Cybernetic robotic rats of some kind? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had mousers. How about ratters?

Or a rat pal we can use for infiltration.
 

veskoandroid

Educated
Joined
Feb 16, 2016
Messages
218
Animal cruelty and misdemeanor in corporate farming does not exist, cause there are laws against it. The average life of animals is green grass and sunshine. Thank god this is taken care of by the state, so there is no reason for me to waste a thought about the state of modern agricultue and take responsibility for where my food comes from, under what circumstances it is produced and what this entails.

And you think vegetarians, vegans and animal rights activists are badly informed, eh?
Lol that's a funny one. Crime amd murder dont exist, hey people we have laws against them! They do exist and in such a degree and scale that is unbelievable, but its hidden, people dont care, media don't publish etc. I was vegan awhile and its not for everyone. But it all depends how you treat life. All life is sacred. If you are thankful for the creature that gave its life for your food on the table, for the plants, veggies... You can have a different awareness on life itself. You can kill animals with less cruelty, put them to sleep before butchering them so they dont suffer, don't let fear, pain, anger, adrenalin into their bloodstream and body, meat. Those emotions, chemicals are what you eat, not to even mention all the steroids and chems to make them grow faster, cages, separations etc. If they were treated with love throughout their life, kept with their family, their meat woyld be healthy and much more delicious.
But because we are walking robots, unaware of ourselves, our own feelings, we cant have respect for other humans, let alone animals or plants.

My father is passionate fisherman, he said once said fish dont feel. Its just a showing that he himself isnt in touch with his own heart. Try an experiment, put a hook in your mouth and pull hardest the line, im sure you'll feel something. ;-)

Bottom line, inform yourself, dont talk mis/disinformation whichever side you are on. Eating meat is fine, but at least thank the animal that gave its life for you. Thats the least you can do. :)
Nor pixel art or RTwP.
Hey Sensuki just wanna thank you for all the great videos on PoE, im just watching them. :)

Sent from my Xperia ZR using Tapatalk
 

Alienman

Retro-Fascist
Patron
Joined
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Messages
18,221
Location
Mars
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Codex Year of the Donut Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Nice. But how is it looking kickstarter experts? Is it on the way on being founded? Don't seem to increase that much per day.
 

udm

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Aug 14, 2008
Messages
2,901
Make the Codex Great Again!
If it's past the halfway mark, there's a good chance it will be funded. However it also depends on how Whalenought sells the Kickstarter. As others had pointed out, a large chunk of funding comes from the more expensive tiers. There have definitely been upsets before where the KS almost made it. One was just a few hundred dollars short of the $40k or so mark I believe.
 

Sensuki

Arcane
Joined
Oct 26, 2012
Messages
9,831
Location
New North Korea
Codex 2014 Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong A Beautifully Desolate Campaign
I would ideally like to do some guide-type vids similar to the ones I did for Pillars of Eternity provided I have the time around release, whenever that may be. Perhaps some stuff in between.
 

CyberWhale

Arcane
Glory to Ukraine
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
6,734
Location
Fortress of Solitude
What's the appeal of psychical rewards nowadays?

Throw me some convincing arguments. Because to me, the appeal of havin' some nerdy boxed shit on my shelves are way past. Maybe when I was 15 or maybe even 20. But I'm an adult now.

Seems to me it would just stand around and clutter up the house, without any real use other than "souvenirs".
Too much hassle, kind of boring. Meh

I generally agree with this line of reasoning, but Whalenought Studios are making exceptional boxes that don't look like generic schlock other companies produce. Hell, even their figurines look stylish enough that putting them in my living room wouldn't be an embarrassment.
 

SausageInYourFace

Codexian Sausage
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Dec 28, 2013
Messages
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In your face
Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit. Pathfinder: Wrath
Harebrained shouldve really given them a shoutout when they sent their BattleTech update around today, there is probably a lot of overlap between Copper Dreams and Shadowrun audience. Bit of a disappointment.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Patron
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
99,628
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Harebrained shouldve really given them a shoutout when they sent their BattleTech update around today, there is probably a lot of overlap between Copper Dreams and Shadowrun audience. Bit of a disappointment.

They're both in Seattle, too. Networking fail.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Patron
Staff Member
Joined
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Messages
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
UPDATE: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1649838104/copper-dreams/posts/1582395

Setting Part 2: Role-playing and Keyword Dialogue



82cf2a5c323d466f105661becf7540ca_original.png

We wanted to talk a little bit about events and how they are organized, the branching paths of your syndicate, and the flexibility of dialogue.

Branching quests, extended replay value and event density make up what is largely meant to extend the game from our base game plan, and what most of the Kickstarter funds will be used for.

Quest Design Overview
Copper Dreams features a very open-ended campaign that is filled with intrigue, combat, puzzles and bureaucratic bookkeeping. (Minus the bookkeeping, your agent has the Operations Department take care of that.) As we’ve said in the main page, we are holding true to our philosophy behind Serpent in the Staglands to give you a very hands-off experience. We find that this is the most rewarding type of game to play, which means no quest markers or auto-populating journals to coach you into what to do. There is a joy to following street addresses to mysterious locations that just isn’t the same with a pop-up patting you on the head for your orientation skills.

12bbab1dcf276a6ea51b503ebb7f570d_original.png

Copper Dreams is ripe with corporate espionage, conspiracies, and mysteries hidden throughout the city. Without a narrator or journal telling you what clues you found, you get the reward of actually piecing together the puzzle that is the city of Calitana and discern how you want to frame your findings.

Your reports influence how your syndicate operates, and the fate of the characters you meet will begin branching very early on and determine how Wolffz Bay plays the game of corporate warfare.

Your Role
We’ve structured the experience by having your character being employed as an Agent of Asset Inquiries at Wolffz Bay Shipping and Services. As an agent of one of the more ambitious (if worse off) syndicates on Calitana, you benefit from a headquarters to rest at in their district, frugal amount of supplies, other agents to convince to come with you and intel for tracking assets. You’ll also be provided living quarters for you and your companions: a cozy little shipping container near the Wolffz docks! It's no log cabin, but it has a terminal, lights, a cot, and ample room to toss inventory items around, what more does an agent need? Don't get soft.

6c3f2eee4699df2992168da4dccd9c77_original.gif


Timing
At your job, you’re assigned assets to inquire about throughout the campaign that change depending on the outcome of previous missions, your extracurricular work, or how you’ve decided to frame the information you’re giving back to Wolffz Bay. Your syndicate starts the game providing you with large, open-ended events, which aren’t time based (or are long durations you don’t have to stress too much about).

During these syndicate events you may find smaller tasks to do, and those can have timed elements. There's a day/night cycle which coordinates Calitana happenings you'll want to be savvy to. Timed missions vary in scope and are mechanically meant to only allow a certain number of rests before they can be completed, or are instead altered in a larger way that changes the nature of the mission and potential outcomes.

This also reflects a more realistic and sensible world where time exists for NPCs as well. For instance if you are dropped off in an enemy compound searching for an asset and must leave before morning, you can’t afford a rest. If you have 24 hours to detain an asset, you have time for one rest. Going beyond that time, that asset may be captured by another syndicate, move to another location you need to discover, or be killed.

Non-syndicate quests range from large scale mysteries to solve, to ones with urgent timing, and inter-company issues like giving traitorous employees a severance package. A Wolffz Bay Agent can also be a source of aid in their district and you might find yourself aiding the civilians under your protection. You have a range of events that keep your agent busy in an open city and island to explore at your leisure - just make sure to bring some hardware if you're treading in hostile districts.

Dialogue
From a role playing perspective, keywords give you the freedom to choose dialogue choices without an authored tone of the conversation guiding you. From a mechanics perspective, keywords turn dialogue into a puzzle. While sometimes your conversations are trivial, asking directions or reporting results of a mission, at other times you'll be trying to gather much needed information and can use items or saved keywords to open up new conversations paths.

If there is a rogue agent that needs intel and you would like to help him, dragging confidential data diskettes into the dialogue screen (literally handing them over) will turn the flow of your current conversation. NPCs retain their personality and character to drive the conversation.

85cf217cc3fffea007ed57d0823e7048_original.png

In a nutshell, a keyword-based dialogue system will involve conducting conversation through keyword prompts while the person you are talking to is discussing in detail their responses or questions. There are mid-conversation keywords that adapt to the conversation at hand, and also global keywords that are stored which you can ask different people about (more on that below). If you’re having a conversation about Agro-Fax with another agent and he says something along the lines of “Agro-Fax supply routes are something we’re gunning after," “supply routes” would be a keyword that would appear to continue the conversation in that direction.

This system works by always making the keywords generated in tangible ways, not just being somewhere or watching something happen. Instead you need physical evidence or spoken evidence to generate those keywords to be used.

Your Camera
On Calitana, you are both a victim of the surveillance system as well as an active part of it. At the start of the game you'll receive a camera that will allow you to snap polaroid-size screenshots of objects and people as you're exploring. The camera acts like any other usable item, allowing you to click on a target to take a picture. After taking a picture, it renders it in your terminal and is tagged with the name of your target and the location.

84e7ba27ec68c285acf47944f6423358_original.gif

This photo essentially acts as a keyword: target name + location. In dialogue, pictures can be accessed from the terminal to be dragged into the dialogue screen. Suppose you’re tasked with finding a rogue agent and see a Wolffz Bay employee at an Agro-Fax building. You can inconspicuously snap a picture of the employee with that location keyword attached, and then be able to convey and initiate that dialogue path.

Items
You can physically drag an item from a backpack or quick slot into the dialogue screen to get a reaction for it. This would be used for items you retrieve, but also to learn about something foreign in your inventory.


Dragging a diskette into the dialogue screen.

For example, if you’re tasked with discretely searching out empty lots that could be used for weapon storage for Wolffz Bay, one way to do it is finding a business in charge of the lots, sneaking in at night and copying a data diskette of all existing lot entries. That’s something you could turn in, but if you are trained in Hacking, you could also break into protected files and print correspondence with other syndicates that could be added to the conversation. Doing this could prevent tension with another syndicate who might have been planning on buying all the lots, or allowing your syndicate to act first.

Saved Keywords
In that same scenario, talking to an employee of the lot business during the day could also get you that info, or the location of another free lot depending on how convincing you are. In situations like these you don’t get items, but saved keywords. If he talked about “Lot A16”, that would become a global keyword you can use from that point on.


Thanks for the keyword, buddy.

Conversation Skills
Some keywords can be augmented with your aptitudes or virtues to act as a pip-count check. Keywords can also be actions relevant to the conversation also augmented with aptitudes or virtues. For example, the Streetwise skill will help you in all forms of deceit, while Mercantile will give you an edge when speaking with merchants and cybernetic artists, as well as anyone you're trying to bribe. We’ll have an update diving into the character creation process of distributing virtue points through backgrounds and how you train to improve your skills and aptitudes.

Cheers!

Joe and Hannah
 

ArchAngel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
21,299
Quest Design Overview
Copper Dreams features a very open-ended campaign that is filled with intrigue, combat, puzzles and bureaucratic bookkeeping. (Minus the bookkeeping, your agent has the Operations Department take care of that.) As we’ve said in the main page, we are holding true to our philosophy behind Serpent in the Staglands to give you a very hands-off experience. We find that this is the most rewarding type of game to play, which means no quest markers or auto-populating journals to coach you into what to do. There is a joy to following street addresses to mysterious locations that just isn’t the same with a pop-up patting you on the head for your orientation skills.
Copper Dreams is ripe with corporate espionage, conspiracies, and mysteries hidden throughout the city. Without a narrator or journal telling you what clues you found, you get the reward of actually piecing together the puzzle that is the city of Calitana and discern how you want to frame your findings.
All good and cool but I didn't find SitS to give me this freedom. I cannot remember a name but there is a village run by Lord Rehmus or something and he has slaves there. Apparently if you murder him and his guards nobody cares, his slaves act like you didn't just kill their captor.

You cannot just say you want players not be lead by the game but then also make the game ignore such obvious actions of the players. Every important NPC needs to have some action and reaction if you kill them or their family/friends.

I hope these situations will not happen in Copper Dreams.
 
Self-Ejected

Bubbles

I'm forever blowing
Joined
Aug 7, 2013
Messages
7,817
All good and cool but I didn't find SitS to give me this freedom. I cannot remember a name but there is a village run by Lord Rehmus or something and he has slaves there. Apparently if you murder him and his guards nobody cares, his slaves act like you didn't just kill their captor.

You cannot just say you want players not be lead by the game but then also make the game ignore such obvious actions of the players. Every important NPC needs to have some action and reaction if you kill them or their family/friends.

I hope these situations will not happen in Copper Dreams.

The startling lack of reactivity and basic character interactions outside the main plot is one of the reasons why I was dissatisfied with SitS as well. Even Daggerfall had a more believeable social ecosystem than SitS.

I'm pretty sure that the scope of the game world was simply too large for the devs to handle, but I've seen little evidence that CD will be more modestly and rationally confined. The Kickstarter rewards already offer 70 unique NPC/companion portraits, and I don't believe that there are 70 NPCs with unique dialogue in all of SitS.
 

Durandal

Arcane
Joined
May 13, 2015
Messages
2,117
Location
New Eden
My team has the sexiest and deadliest waifus you can recruit.
So will conversational skills give you additional keywords to use in dialogue for each corresponding skill? I'm curious how they'll make conversational skills work with keyword-based dialogue.
 

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