Vapourware Unknown Realm: The Siege Perilous - an 8-bit RPG for PC and Commodore 64

[Eli_Havelock]

Unless someone goes psycho on his ass but that'd be ridiculous just for a game. I guess no real legal action can be taken. I sure as hell haven't looked at the KS or other EULA.

An end-user license agreement or EULA (/ˈjuːlə/) is a legal contract between a software supplier and a customer or end-user, generally made available to the customer via a retailer acting as an intermediary. A EULA specifies in detail the rights and restrictions which apply to the use of the software.

What software? Is that his little golden ticket to fraud.

Meaningless compared to charges of wire fraud conspiracy.
This is why IRS Form 3949-A is fun for not only providing a free federal audit, but also potential criminal charges to be referred to the FBI/State AG's offices if they find anything that suggests they soaked the backers for a free ride.

I think living in San Fran until another backers-only update revealed much might count. (This is partial in jest, as the context of "donate to see the game next year" for the rest of the post just screams more bad faith.)

In 2019, we packed up Stirring Dragon Games and left the state of California and moved to a more affordable place– something we probably should have done a long time ago. We relocated to the state of Idaho, and our family is slowly adjusting to a different climate and culture. We had to make a difficult decision back in April when we learned our landlords were selling our house, to either shelf the game and look for jobs so we could afford to stay in the Bay Area close to friends and family, or move to a cheaper location in order to give Unknown Realm and SDG a fighting chance to succeed. So we packed up our kids and our Commodore 64s, said goodbye to our family and friends, and moved North in search of better odds for our fledgling indie studio.

As most of you can imagine, having our development timeline on U.R. extend two years beyond what we originally expected has had a severe impact on the operational cost of this game. In 2019, we tried a plan to raise financial support by selling custom made products on our website, but those have barely generated enough revenue to pay our internet & hosting bills and have not made a dent in our day to day operations costs. So yeah, not our best plan.

You see, it wasn't being financial retards losing all their money in cost of living that necessitated the move.
Nor was it their "development" became continued distractions of trying to scrape up money from kitsch tat that ate up time and money from doing anything else, like developing the game.

It was losing the lease on their rented house that prompted the move.

It truly is an Origin story!

 

[Eli_Havelock]

I'm going to have to guess shitty copy+paste of a pixelart C64 because the perspective is totally fucked compared to everything else in the room.

 

[shilence]

I'm going to have to guess shitty copy+paste of a pixelart C64 because the perspective is totally fucked compared to everything else in the room.

I like how the graphics degraded in the last eight years (yes, the kickstarter compaign was 8 years ago):

Note the black box around the tiles in the newer screenshot, hehe. Guess over 12 years of development (earliest version of the game was shown in 2012) aren't enough.

 

[Eli_Havelock]

They art like they update, a total mess that's all over the place to achieve looking like C64s also had Unity asset flips.

 

[adamantyr]

Well the new image is definitely PC-generated. You can see on the right a spreadsheet is opened to a "forge" tab with a list of assets.

It looks like updates to the wall artwork were done compared to the original Kickstarter. The bright "posts" at corners may be to make it stand out better on an actual C64 screen; luminosity matters as much if not more than color with the fuzz that old NTSC signals create.

Also the build "Alpha-1 2336" coincides with past screenshots on their game twitter account, going in an ascending order. In the past he'd just share older campaign screenshots and the version was always out of order.

Also, he posted the image in response to a challenege on Twitter. He could have easily dropped an older game image from the campaign, but chose instead to snap a pic of a new one. So I don't think this is a copy/paste job; that would actually be MORE work.

The real question (and HAS been the question for seven years) is WHAT is holding him up? I have my theories but that's all they are, best guesses. Runs fine on PC but won't on C64, feature creep from other games, who knows?

 

[shilence]

Well the new image is definitely PC-generated. You can see on the right a spreadsheet is opened to a "forge" tab with a list of assets.

It looks like updates to the wall artwork were done compared to the original Kickstarter. The bright "posts" at corners may be to make it stand out better on an actual C64 screen; luminosity matters as much if not more than color with the fuzz that old NTSC signals create.

Also the build "Alpha-1 2336" coincides with past screenshots on their game twitter account, going in an ascending order. In the past he'd just share older campaign screenshots and the version was always out of order.

Also, he posted the image in response to a challenege on Twitter. He could have easily dropped an older game image from the campaign, but chose instead to snap a pic of a new one. So I don't think this is a copy/paste job; that would actually be MORE work.

The real question (and HAS been the question for seven years) is WHAT is holding him up? I have my theories but that's all they are, best guesses. Runs fine on PC but won't on C64, feature creep from other games, who knows?

Yeah, I noticed the spreadsheet, too. But to be honest, at this point it means nothing to me. He just could've opened excel and put in some bogus data so people think he's doing something. I couldn't care less for any matching numbers or stuff.

 

[Viata]

PC-generated

What does that mean?

right a spreadsheet is opened to a "forge" tab with a list of assets

Not seeing that.

 

[Viata]

Oh, I see it now. I thought it was in the same monitor, but it's the one next to it.

 

[adamantyr]

PC-generated

What does that mean?

I mean generated on a modern PC system. Not, for example, an actual C64.

 

[adamantyr]

Well the new image is definitely PC-generated. You can see on the right a spreadsheet is opened to a "forge" tab with a list of assets.

It looks like updates to the wall artwork were done compared to the original Kickstarter. The bright "posts" at corners may be to make it stand out better on an actual C64 screen; luminosity matters as much if not more than color with the fuzz that old NTSC signals create.

Also the build "Alpha-1 2336" coincides with past screenshots on their game twitter account, going in an ascending order. In the past he'd just share older campaign screenshots and the version was always out of order.

Also, he posted the image in response to a challenege on Twitter. He could have easily dropped an older game image from the campaign, but chose instead to snap a pic of a new one. So I don't think this is a copy/paste job; that would actually be MORE work.

The real question (and HAS been the question for seven years) is WHAT is holding him up? I have my theories but that's all they are, best guesses. Runs fine on PC but won't on C64, feature creep from other games, who knows?

Yeah, I noticed the spreadsheet, too. But to be honest, at this point it means nothing to me. He just could've opened excel and put in some bogus data so people think he's doing something. I couldn't care less for any matching numbers or stuff.

Yes, well, the sense I get with many here is that they won't be satisfied until Bruce comes to their door, shows them the running game, the code base, the git history, all of it.

Which, incidentally, is what happens when you completely fail to manage your project publicly in a way that doesn't kill the trust of your backers.

 

[shilence]

Yup. All I care to see is some footage on the C64 (since I paid for a cartridge version of the game) and just what he is up to/where current hurdles are, etc. They said in the campaign that they'll deliver monthly updates but oh well :D

 

[Viata]

Yes, well, the sense I get with many here is that they won't be satisfied until Bruce comes to their door, shows them the running game, the code base, the git history, all of it.

Nah, man. Just the finished game being released would be nice. Not like I expect it to happen, anyway.

 

[adamantyr]

Yes, well, the sense I get with many here is that they won't be satisfied until Bruce comes to their door, shows them the running game, the code base, the git history, all of it.

Nah, man. Just the finished game being released would be nice. Not like I expect it to happen, anyway.

Released I could see happening. Finished, not as much.

 

[Eli_Havelock]

Yes, well, the sense I get with many here is that they won't be satisfied until Bruce comes to their door, shows them the running game, the code base, the git history, all of it.

Which, incidentally, is what happens when you completely fail to manage your project publicly in a way that doesn't kill the trust of your backers.

When you shit the bed on milestones that hard by a measure of years then most publishers would have already been long done with you.

There are tons of non-spoilery things he could show of the game working in action. FFS, even the Corven dipshit fraud did better than that with a demo.

 

[shilence]

They're currently at 397 followers. So I paid for a game that is seven years overdue and know I have to bang my drum so they'll get 1000 followers to get an update? Like wtf.

 

[Eli_Havelock]

1246 backers > 1000*

Update on KS imminent...

* - Unless they're using the new and improved math there at SDG, which may be why nothing is working but a screenshot generator.

 

[adamantyr]

Also, does he know that Laura's account is still locked from public access?

So no screenshots on her page can be viewed unless you're part of their little echo group of sycophants.

Update: Ah, there we go, unlocked.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Also, does he know that Laura's account is still locked from public access?

So no screenshots on her page can be viewed unless you're part of their little echo group of sycophants.

Well he will now.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Laura his alter ego?

 

[Eli_Havelock]

They're currently at 397 followers. So I paid for a game that is seven years overdue and know I have to bang my drum so they'll get 1000 followers to get an update? Like wtf.

Ooooh, they got one (1) more! 398!

1 follower per 3 days and 602 followers to go
Just under five years until next real update confirmed!

 

[ERYFKRAD]

If this ever gets released I'm pretty sure someone will just upload it for everyone. Cracks shouldn't be needed, since the game will be drm-free.

Well done you gave him an excuse to never release, lmao.

 

[Eli_Havelock]

If this ever gets released I'm pretty sure someone will just upload it for everyone. Cracks shouldn't be needed, since the game will be drm-free.

Well done you gave him an excuse to never release, lmao.

I think most are to now doubting SDG are able to fulfill even that much if they were into desperate kitsch tat and subscriptions to their non-updates to keep the website up while they can't afford to make a real update in years. Any manufacturing agreements SDG might have once had are now the better part of a decade old and would have to be renegotiated. Until there are sales any "big box" will be on par with Underworld Ascendant's jewel case, maybe not even that.

UK will most likely be a Steam download, if anything at all.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

UK will most likely be a Steam download

Which means it'll be full of hot air, if anything.

 

[Eli_Havelock]

UK will most likely be a Steam download

Which means it'll be full of hot air, if anything.

They did have a Steam Greenlight page for Unknown Realm with info they could update like they once updated their KS.

KS updates:
6 updates in Dec 2016
23 updates in Jan 2017
17 updates in remainder of 2017
3 updates in 2018
2 udpates in 2019
4 updates in 2020
0 updates in 2021
0 updates in 2022
0 updates in 2023
0 updates in 2024

 

[shilence]

Also, does he know that Laura's account is still locked from public access?

So no screenshots on her page can be viewed unless you're part of their little echo group of sycophants.

Update: Ah, there we go, unlocked.

They noticed, her account is unlocked.

Laura his alter ego?

Mate, she featured you in a post!

https://twitter.com/IndieLauraSDG/status/1754748821530395050

archive: https://ghostarchive.org/archive/E91kq

yo what.. most people just want to see that you're doing anything at all. Do the devlog you've talked about in the campaign.


@Laura & Bruce: Your screenshots don't look like too good to be true. They look like you've been doing no development for the last few years. The game looks exactly like in the 2016 trailer. You even show the same locations. If you want any crdibility, show what you've been working on; what hurdles you took and stop shitting on the people who believed in you.