Turn-Based Tactics The Lamplighters League - turn-based tactics in pulp 1930s setting from Harebrained Schemes

[toro]

 

[mediocrepoet]

I'll admit that I'm somewhat bummed because I like the pulp adventurer type theme they've got going, but not terribly so, because I figured it was going to be crap gameplay wise. Oh well.

 

[Blutwurstritter]

Does someone know games(any genre) that were successful with a similar setting? I have a hard time thinking of anything.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Does someone know games(any genre) that were successful with a similar setting? I have a hard time thinking of anything.

30´s pulp?
Crimson Skies, anything with Indiana Jones maybe some others.

 

[negator2vc]

Does someone know games(any genre) that were successful with a similar setting? I have a hard time thinking of anything.

Since you did say any genre here is one boardgame that fit exactly
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/95103/fortune-and-glory-cliffhanger-game

 

[Blutwurstritter]

Does someone know games(any genre) that were successful with a similar setting? I have a hard time thinking of anything.

30´s pulp?
Crimson Skies, anything with Indiana Jones maybe some others.

Does someone know games(any genre) that were successful with a similar setting? I have a hard time thinking of anything.

Since you did say any genre here is one boardgame that fit exactly
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/95103/fortune-and-glory-cliffhanger-game

So we have point and click adventures that are ~30 years old, one arcade action flying game ~20 years old and one board game. I guess Clive Barker's Undying also fits the bill somewhat.

 

[HoboForEternity]

Damn, RIP HBS. I question the decision when this was revealed, but it turned out to be worse than I'd ever thought. I mean morty has 4090 and experienced performance issue ffs.

 

[negator2vc]

These days I no longer care or trust companies/devs even if those companies/devs made amazing games in the past.
In Harebrained Schemes case I enjoyed the Shadowrun Trilogy and that's good enough for me.
They can go boom for all I care!
Same thing for ex. with the Shadow Tactics / Desperados 3 devs and their latest (and last) shit game.
I wish I could care as I did in the past about the devs that made these games but I can't, just can't.
Unfortunately this is the world we are living now.

 

[ArchAngel]

These days I no longer care or trust companies/devs even if those companies/devs made amazing games in the past.
In Harebrained Schemes case I enjoyed the Shadowrun Trilogy and that's good enough for me.
They can go boom for all I care!
Same thing for ex. with the Shadow Tactics / Desperados 3 devs and their latest (and last) shit game.
I wish I could care as I did in the past about the devs that made these games but I can't, just can't.
Unfortunately this is the world we are living now.

Even worse people praise devs that have yet to make any good games like Larian

 

[Abu Antar]

Oof

OCTOBER 10, 2023

Paradox Interactive writes down MSEK 171 of capitalized development cost for The Lamplighters League​

Paradox Interactive has today decided to write down capitalized development costs for the game The Lamplighters League, in addition to the regular degressive amortization done during the game’s first three months. Overall, this will result in that all of the game’s capitalized development costs of MSEK 320 will be recognized as costs in the fourth quarter of 2023. The game’s impact on profit before tax for the fourth quarter is estimated to MSEK -248. The write-down stems from a revised sales forecast, which was established after the game’s release.
“The Lamplighters League is a fun game with many strengths. Even though we see cautiously positive player numbers in subscription services, the commercial reception has been too weak, which is frankly a big disappointment. Game projects are by their nature always risky, but at the end of the day we haven’t performed at the level we should. It is painful but makes us more eager to roll up our sleeves and do better,” says Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive.
This disclosure contains information that Paradox Interactive AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 10-10-2023 22:10 CET.

 

[Roguey]

They spent 30 million dollars on this.

 

[Lemming42]

Wonder how much it actually sold. I think a big barrier for a lot of people is the price - knock that down to like £19.99 (which is probably a fair price given what the game actually is) and a lot of people would have bought it.

The cost they're asking is just a total pisstake.

 

[Grauken]

Does someone know games(any genre) that were successful with a similar setting? I have a hard time thinking of anything.

I don't think it was very successful but I really enjoyed The Savage Empire, that Ultima World Adventure thing

 

[Axioms]

The price for this game was just bonkers. They were out of their damn minds. $25 and it woulda sold strong initially at least, even if it ended up being trashed later.

 

[Roguey]

Wonder how much it actually sold. I think a big barrier for a lot of people is the price - knock that down to like £19.99 (which is probably a fair price given what the game actually is) and a lot of people would have bought it.

The cost they're asking is just a total pisstake.

The price for this game was just bonkers. They were out of their damn minds. $25 and it woulda sold strong initially at least, even if it ended up being trashed later.

With those numbers they'd have to sell 1.5 million at full price just to break-even. At the current price it needed 750,000, which is delusional, but not an unreasonable number to try to hit.

 

[Mortmal]

The price for this game was just bonkers. They were out of their damn minds. $25 and it woulda sold strong initially at least, even if it ended up being trashed later.

High price, the aesthetic appeal of a phone game, nothing new, look mainstream, and available on Game Pass from day one. What could go wrong? I used to buy a lot of stuff like this, but I am getting tired of all the shovelware, i could take one month trial gamepass someday and finish them all. Anyway, with the recession we are already in, many of those studios will shut down, no matter if we buy it or not.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Well that's a bye2 for HBS I guess

I was hoping they would do another SR or take one of the WoD stuff but I guess that's it for now

 

[Abu Antar]

Maybe Microsoft will buy them, and tell them to do a FP Shadowrun RPG.

 

[Gromoer]

I know this is unpopular of an opinion, but I liked their Battletech. They really had very good chances to make the sequel better, especially given they received the much needed experience and feedback. It could have been space merc sim we always wanted ffs.

I was so surprised when they announced that they’ve finished with Battletech. Why on earth? And then they’ve announced this to my further puzzlement. Fucking bonkers.

 

[GhostCow]

I know this is unpopular of an opinion, but I liked their Battletech.

I agree with this. The writing was woke trash, but the gameplay was fine.

 

[Axioms]

Wonder how much it actually sold. I think a big barrier for a lot of people is the price - knock that down to like £19.99 (which is probably a fair price given what the game actually is) and a lot of people would have bought it.

The cost they're asking is just a total pisstake.

The price for this game was just bonkers. They were out of their damn minds. $25 and it woulda sold strong initially at least, even if it ended up being trashed later.

With those numbers they'd have to sell 1.5 million at full price just to break-even. At the current price it needed 750,000, which is delusional, but not an unreasonable number to try to hit.

I mean if they spent $40mil to make this that is the real problem. Mainline Paradox games sell ~5-7mil copies. PI published games almost always sell less. Battletech had a budget of like 3mil or something after all the Kickstarter stuff. Didn't even sell 1 million copies total. And that was with an iconic IP and a widely well reviewed game.

There's no way in hell LL sells more than 500k regardless of pricing.

 

[HoboForEternity]

Wjat happens to the shadowrun ip anyway? In microsoft purgatory because they are owned by paradox now?

 

[koyota]

Wonder how much it actually sold. I think a big barrier for a lot of people is the price - knock that down to like £19.99 (which is probably a fair price given what the game actually is) and a lot of people would have bought it.

The cost they're asking is just a total pisstake.

The game’s impact on profit before tax for the fourth quarter is estimated to MSEK -248.

Back of the napkin MATH!

$ 23 Mil losses on Dev costs of $29.5 Mil

$6.5 mil~ Revenues
Not sure if Dev costs include marketing, but even without seem negligible probably in the multiple 100k range?


Based on Microsoft leaks: Launch Day Gamepass min is around $5 mil. (https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...rs-gate-3-are-obsidian-inxile-screwed.148336/)

So assuming Gamepass deal was min price, probably $1.5-2 mil in sales at most.

 

[thesheeep]

I know this is unpopular of an opinion, but I liked their Battletech.

I agree with this. The writing was woke trash, but the gameplay was fine.

I don't even think it was overly woke, but it sure was weak. Then again, writing in that setting always seems to be rather weak and needs some wonderful B-tier acting to make interesting.
But the main issue wasn't writing or gameplay (which was lacking, too, but with mods you could make it adequate).

It was the tech. The game performed incredibly sluggish with frankly no looks to justify that even remotely.
Add to that absurdly long loading times, no way to speed up the sloooooooooow gameplay, bugs of course and you got yourself a very shaky foundation for any game.
Which AFAIK all of their games have shown - they just don't seem to have the best coders to put it nicely, or they don't give them the time needed.
Blame Unity? Nah, other devs manage to do much better with Unity.

Why they decided to go with a setting for their new game that lost its appeal 20-30 years ago is a mystery to me.
Even with a less divisive look, this wouldn't have attracted massive amounts of people.
It works for horror games, but that's really about it.
And then the asking price, of course - if you don't have anything to really lure people in, you can't put such a price on your product.

 

[koyota]

Does someone know games(any genre) that were successful with a similar setting? I have a hard time thinking of anything.

30´s pulp?
Crimson Skies, anything with Indiana Jones maybe some others.

If undying - horror pulp - counts, then all the cthulu-inspired games?


30`s Pulp: Call of the Sea, Nocturne
20`s: The Sinking City, Call of Cthulu. Pathway