KickStarter Shroud of the Avatar - Lord British's Not-Ultima Online 2

[Tommy Wiseau]

Fucking BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21714906

FFS, what connections did he pull to line all of this up?

"It's just a shame to see so many already wealthy industry old-hands making hay with all these old-fashioned role-playing games when so many dramatically more inventive and ambitious ideas from smaller studios are failing to reach their targets," he added.
^ No comment necessary

All these groups of old-school gamers funding outdated game development ideas are really holding the industry back. Rock Paper Shotgun, putting ambition and innovation on the forefront of game developers' minds, where they belong.

 

[Ozma]

Fucking BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21714906

FFS, what connections did he pull to line all of this up?

"It's just a shame to see so many already wealthy industry old-hands making hay with all these old-fashioned role-playing games when so many dramatically more inventive and ambitious ideas from smaller studios are failing to reach their targets," he added.
^ No comment necessary

All these groups of old-school gamers funding outdated game development ideas are really holding the industry back. Rock Paper Shotgun, putting ambition and innovation on the forefront of game developers' minds, where they belong.

This except unironically

 

[Ozma]

Why are people giving this fucker money
Also hell yes I can pay rent in a bideo game, that's what I always wanted

 

[Average Manatee]

Because he likes the design possibilities that MMO elements allow, it 's that simple.

In much the same way that EA likes the design possibilities DRM and DLC allow.

 

[Infinitron]

mindx2 That Zep Zepo guy is doing a great job heckling in the Kickstarter comments. A true bro - I wonder who he is.

Yeah, I started reading that this morning and decided to jump in a few times myself. So far everyone has ignored me.

Haha, he's shitting on Unity now and asking why they don't roll their own engine. I think it may be a Drog-like.

 

[Blackthorne]

"It's just a shame to see so many already wealthy industry old-hands making hay with all these old-fashioned role-playing games when so many dramatically more inventive and ambitious ideas from smaller studios are failing to reach their targets," he added.

This.

I mean - really? It's been said already - but the fact that this motherfucker went to motherfucking SPACE, and then asks for a million dollars to make a game? Blows my mind. I just don't know how you can do that... it would be one thing if MAYBE he said he'd match the amount raised from his personal money, in order to make the best game possible, but this man is putting up ZERO risk on his own part, and everyone who pledges is putting up all the risk. Average people, who are throwing above average sums of money at him. It's pretty despicable.


Bt

 

[Aeschylus]

Damnit, why do game devs keep trying to make me interact with people while playing video games? I am forced to do that shit enough in real life.

 

[Ozma]

"It's just a shame to see so many already wealthy industry old-hands making hay with all these old-fashioned role-playing games when so many dramatically more inventive and ambitious ideas from smaller studios are failing to reach their targets," he added.

This.

I mean - really? It's been said already - but the fact that this motherfucker went to motherfucking SPACE, and then asks for a million dollars to make a game? Blows my mind. I just don't know how you can do that... it would be one thing if MAYBE he said he'd match the amount raised from his personal money, in order to make the best game possible, but this man is putting up ZERO risk on his own part, and everyone who pledges is putting up all the risk. Average people, who are throwing above average sums of money at him. It's pretty despicable.


Bt

Also he lives in a castle
And he made Tabula Rasa
Maybe he was changed by the bad game aliens

 

[IDtenT]

Godus looks more promising, even given the people involved...

Also, how does everyone figure he has put no wealth of his own in the company? Maybe he should just comment that he'll put in more of his own money and everyone will be fapping. Really, this criticism is retarded.

 

[Runciter]

I mean - really? It's been said already - but the fact that this motherfucker went to motherfucking SPACE, and then asks for a million dollars to make a game? Blows my mind. I just don't know how you can do that... it would be one thing if MAYBE he said he'd match the amount raised from his personal money, in order to make the best game possible, but this man is putting up ZERO risk on his own part, and everyone who pledges is putting up all the risk. Average people, who are throwing above average sums of money at him. It's pretty despicable.

You might say the same about any Kickstarter computer game campaign. Any business endeavour normally starts with an investment in the hopes that it will pay itself off and make a profit. If you don't have that money, you take out a loan or find investors. But if you get the investment money from Kickstarter donations, then sell the game and cash in the profits, you're exploiting the backers regardless of whether you're a downtrodden Fargo underdog or an evil space tourist.

 

[Alex]

Godus looks more promising, even given the people involved...

Also, how does everyone figure he has put no wealth of his own in the company? Maybe he should just comment that he'll put in more of his own money and everyone will be fapping. Really, this criticism is retarded.

Actually, I understand he already did. But either way, is this really relevant? I think people should pledge because they think the game is worth it, not because they think the dev is poor. The guy's finances are his own, and what he decides to do with that really shouldn't affect whether someone pledges or not.

 

[groke]

My Ultima series did some great pioneering work in the creating of interactive literature

[footage of U9]

Fuck you, British.

He's obviously been replaced with a replicant by the same shadowy hand that kidnapped the real Molyneux.

 

[Jaesun]

Richard Garriott ‏@RichardGarriott
Don't forget, we're hosting a LIVE Developer broadcast today at 3pm CST at our Portalarium Studio. You can steam... http://fb.me/1hebdn26s

 

[random_encounter]

Or perhaps he should hit up Ellwood "Bunky" Bartlett for some of his lottery millions. That guy wanted to Kickstart his own MMO, too.

 

[Jaesun]

Richard Garriott ‏@RichardGarriott
We just passed the halfway point of our Kickstarter funding, but Lord British still needs your help to make it... http://fb.me/2g3eM0bPV

 

[Gurkog]

I am waiting for him to announce a partnership with his friends at EA to make the game an Origin exclusive so that 'marks players will be able to rely on EA's esteemed server infrastructure to maintain a quality reliable experience in multiplayer for the lifetime of the money-grabbing scheme MMO.'

 

[Gozma]

I mean - really? It's been said already - but the fact that this motherfucker went to motherfucking SPACE, and then asks for a million dollars to make a game? Blows my mind. I just don't know how you can do that... it would be one thing if MAYBE he said he'd match the amount raised from his personal money, in order to make the best game possible, but this man is putting up ZERO risk on his own part, and everyone who pledges is putting up all the risk. Average people, who are throwing above average sums of money at him. It's pretty despicable.

You might say the same about any Kickstarter computer game campaign. Any business endeavour normally starts with an investment in the hopes that it will pay itself off and make a profit. If you don't have that money, you take out a loan or find investors. But if you get the investment money from Kickstarter donations, then sell the game and cash in the profits, you're exploiting the backers regardless of whether you're a downtrodden Fargo underdog or an evil space tourist.

The difference is that midbudget single player games genuinely have no other way to get funded without patronage. There is not a publisher or venture capital out there that is just dying to give Obsidian or w/e money so they can make just enough profit on a 3-4 million dollar game that looks like something from 2000 so they can triumphantly make another 3-4 million dollar game that looks like something from 2000 until they fuck up a couple games in a row and the company implodes. Quasi-MMOs for tablets/android/iOS with addiction-exploiting microtransactions can exist without Kickstarter.

 

[Runciter]

The difference is that midbudget single player games genuinely have no other way to get funded without patronage. There is not a publisher or venture capital out there that is just dying to give Obsidian or w/e money so they can make just enough profit on a 3-4 million dollar game that looks like something from 2000 so they can triumphantly make another 3-4 million dollar game that looks like something from 2000 until they fuck up a couple games in a row and the company implodes. Quasi-MMOs for tablets/android/iOS with addiction-exploiting microtransactions can exist without Kickstarter.

You're probably right, but that doesn't mean that a game funded on Kickstarter shouldn't be owned by those who funded it, or at least profits should be shared with those who funded it, or maybe even it should be freely licensed for all to use. Currently developers on Kickstarter get away with having the cake, eating it and selling it too.

 

[Xavier0889]

I wonder if a physical copy of Akalabeth is worth that much money. I mean, it's a museum piece, but on the other side it's a floppy disk and you're also supporting this game.

 

[Mabuse]

Is it only me or is this shit looks and has the same feature like Ultima IX (plus multiplayer)? That piano-playing bit is like a creepy deja vu. This rich bastard is soon going to party like its 1999, i guess. FFS.
I wonder how long has he been in space and what kind of brain-damaging potions were the Russkies giving him.

 

[Jaesun]

You know. I KINDA can see what Garriot is doing with this:

Imagine you are playing Fallout 2 (since the entire world is the single player game). You then head into The Den. And you need to go buy some supplies. You hit up a vendor except this time the vendor is an actual person, who is crafting and or possibly resource gathering (like reagents, since this is using a reagent magic system). And possibly while playing the game you run upon someone who challenges you to a duel. And then you continue on playing the single player game (with or without friends).

Imagine Basically Fallout. You run around and play out the full game of Fallout, kill the master (or join him). And have these "social MMO" mechanics PvP and Crafting, Housing in place. Then Fallout 2 comes out which then unlocks a new area and a story. Basically a modular cRPG, with social elements.

Does this make the game better?

 

[Broseph]

It could be an interesting component if it was part of an already GOOD game. That's assuming that this will be good, though.

 

[Mortmal]

You know. I KINDA can see what Garriot is doing with this:

Imagine you are playing Fallout 2 (since the entire world is the single player game). You then head into The Den. And you need to go buy some supplies. You hit up a vendor except this time the vendor is an actual person, who is crafting and or possibly resource gathering (like reagents, since this is using a reagent magic system). And possibly while playing the game you run upon someone who challenges you to a duel. And then you continue on playing the single player game (with or without friends).

Does this make the game better?

Except the vendor is a chinese farmer, selling items you need at outrageous overinflated prices requiring you to exchange real money for in game gold in order to just get the magic reagents . You dont want to farm those reagents for hours. There's a also popup window offering you extra xp potions in the exclusive portalarium shop and today theres a special offer on some avatar 's horse armor . Then a kid is folllowing you for 30 min, insulting you all the way till you accept his duel offer ( something like this did happen to me on wow ), forget playing with friends, they think it look like shit, staying in wow, and anyway they are so ashamed about you backing this they are not even your friends anymore...

 

[Jaesun]

Of course.

 

[Broseph]

Yeah, not sure how this will work out given that RPG players don't have friends.