Vapourware "Yasumi Matsuno may or may not be surprised his new game is being released" Unsung Story thread

[CryptRat]

To be honest, paying for a game which will never get realeased is always painful, but I guess this kind of drama is the price to pay to get some good games, particularly RPGs. The ratio of recent RPGs I enjoyed which came from crowfunding is actually very high (probably much more than 1/2).

 

[Hobo Elf]

To be honest, paying for a game which will never get realeased is always painful, but I guess this kind of drama is the price to pay to get some good games, particularly RPGs. The ratio of recent RPGs I enjoyed which came from crowfunding is actually very high (probably much more than 1/2).

You're lucky. I've yet to play a single RPG that I supported on KS that was anything beyond "meh" and the ones that I was most hopeful for seem to be dead (Barkley 2, That Which Sleeps). Dungeons of Aledorn is my last hope for an crowdfunded indie RPG to be good.

 

[CryptRat]

Well, you may be right, it's a complicated issue, and maybe I've got too low standards .
From the games I backed Divinity : Original Sin may be the only good one (Wasteland2 maybe?) but I have played a fairly decent amount of good games (Paper Sorcerer for example) which I didn't back but would maybe not exist without crowdfunding. Wasting money on trash projects is the way it works, I think I'm fine with this in the lack of anything better. But actually we also recently got some good games outside crowdfunding, so...well, I don't know, maybe I overrate KS, but as long as I can play a lot of good RPGs like those we've got recently, I'm happy.
I have got some faith regarding Barkley 2 and Dungeons of Aledorn too, Pixel Noir could also be good.

 

[CryptRat]

They'll resume the developement of the PvP version soon.

Hey everyone,

Fortunately we have cleared a few more company hurdles since our last update and have plans to share at this time concerning Unsung Story development. We have new agreements with our secured creditor in place that has enabled us to map out how we will continue progress on the previous development plan we shared. Our secured creditor has been tremendously supportive through our company financial and development struggles, and is a team player in our good faith effort to remain a viable company and fulfill our development commitments and company obligations.

Per the previous update, we have an immediate product to ship that will put the company into a stronger revenue position, and that revenue will allow us to continue the Unsung Story development plan. Before we cover the rest of that, some of you have been asking as to how funding for the project has gone up to this point, as it pertains to what has been developed so far with the money spent. To date, roughly $1,500,000 has been spent on various aspects of Unsung Story development, and the following are development features that are in a working state:

Programming – Game Play Systems

Grid system for turn based architecture; Activation system for character turn order; Character attribute and stats system; Unit movement and action system; Combat actions and reactions; A.I. system and actions; Game play cameras; In-game U.I.; Character jobs and job switching system

Design

GDD; Back story and plot; Historical timeline; Five game episodes – story, plot and scenario; Character schools, lineage and job types; Battle system; Controls (PC and tablet); Interface design

Programming – Online Architecture and Game Engine

Unity graphics engine fully integrated into the Playdek game engine; Particle system; Animation system; Billboard system; Asynchronous turn based system; In-game chat; Player profiles; Friends list; Tournament system; Notification system; Matchmaking

Art

Empire concept art; World map; 3D levels with textures, lighting and effects; Character models, animations and art Prototypes Functional prototypes on PC and iOS have been built.

After a challenging fiscal 2015 that saw our development capacity severely reduced, we have a plan that will enable us to move forward with development, targeting the goals that we previously outlined last year of an initial Beta release with PvP, and then expanding that release with A.I. offline game play, and then subsequently the first story scenario. With a smaller team and diminished finances, we came to a point where those two things combined made creating content assets that would lead to a playable version of the game, that we could deliver to backers, challenging to the say the least. With getting that behind us, the first major goal will be to further advance the prototypes, expanding on at least two class schools, and getting them into a fully playable state that can be released to backers as a first playable. Initially, we were aiming for that to be in June of this year, and with the development delay we just incurred, we are now moving that to Fall of this year, with the additional progress steps following from there. As to the near term plans, we will have the immediate product we are focusing on for revenue released in March, with some of the team refocusing on Unsung Story then and the rest in April. From there, we will work diligently to get the playable PvP beta out for testing, followed with a backer release and then A.I. offline play. As we make this continued progress, we will update you with all that is getting done on the programming, art and design front.

We know that as a backer supported project, our struggles with completing this project have been very trying for you, and we truly wish that development of this game had gone smoother. Unfortunately, there are unexpected financial hardships that companies sometimes find themselves facing, and as difficult as they may be, we are thankful that we have been able to work through them and can keep the company viable and Unsung Story development on track.

Due to the development struggles the project has been under, some have asked as to whether we would offer refunds for those who wish to have them. As a company, we wouldn’t want to hold anyone hostage so to speak to a project that they have lost faith in. This doesn’t help anyone, company or consumer alike. Before the company can consider any issuance of refunds, we need to first get to a position of stronger financial health, where more than just the immediate development costs for Unsung Story can be supported. Through this plan, if we are able to financially get there and can work out the support with our secured creditor, then we would certainly consider offering refunds in some manner, with that still to be determined. For now, we have the finances to continue development, and so will focus on what we can do, and get to that first playable state that can be put into backers hands.

We will do our best to try and answer any follow up questions you may have, and will update you again when our product release is done in March. Thanks again for your long suffering support of this project, and we are going to do everything we can as a company to make a wonderful game that hopefully we will all enjoy for many years to come.

Thanks.

Playdek

 

[Abu Antar]

Another update: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...dians/posts/1543109?ref=backer_project_updatehttps://www.kickstarter.com/project...dians/posts/1543109?ref=backer_project_update

Hey everybody,

We want to update everyone on our current development track and Unsung Story. We are nearing release this month of the product mentioned in our last update, and are close to wrapping up that product and focusing our development team on Unsung Story. We expect to have part of the team back on level design work, along with more game play design work and art, towards the end of this month. From there, we have some engine work to do on the animation system, and will extend the current prototypes with more character class work so that we can continue game balancing the various classes. In May, we should have another update that will have more game specific progress we can go into, and will start sharing more game specific features and design. At this time, we still expect to be on track for a beta playable release to backers in the fall, containing a few levels and two character schools, with each school having multiple class variations within it.

As we ramp up development progress on the game, there are a few outstanding points about our game focus and the development that we most recently worked on that we feel need additional addressing. We have explained these points before, but for some reason there still seems to be some backer confusion around what we have stated, and how it is interpreted. So to address that:

1) Unsung Story is a single player Tactics RPG, and has been since its inception. The game is centered on a single player campaign mode, with multiple episodes and scenarios. Hopefully that is very clear. Will the game have a mode that allows for players to play against each other in online matches if they choose to do so? Yes. Will we release a beta module that allows for players to play against each other online, in order to gather valuable game play data for balancing the game? Yes, and this does not change what the core of the game is, and always has been – a single player Tactics RPG.

2) Some have inquired as to the development costs for the current project we are releasing. The funds for that game were provided separately from any other source of development funds, apart from any earned Playdek revenues.

3) As previously stated, we anticipate having a first playable of a few game levels in backer’s hands in the fall of this year. It will have player versus player capability, followed by AI for single player. If possible, we will release both in the initial release, and will determine that as we get closer.

And so, we want everyone to know that we are close to being on track with our latest development plan, and should have some game specific development updates to start sharing in May. Over the summer, we’ll have new screenshots, videos and art to share, along with game play specific details about our progress on the character and battle systems, and the game world. Thanks for your support and be back with another update in a month!

Playdek

 

[Infinitron]

http://cliqist.com/2016/04/18/unsung-story-back-development-still-nothing-show/

UNSUNG STORY BACK IN DEVELOPMENT, STILL NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT

When Playdek raised $660,126 back in 2014 for their Tactical RPG, Unsung Story, they didn’t really have much to show to potential backers. The “trailer” on the Kickstarter page is just some Playdek employees talking about how much they love working on Tactical RPG’s and CEO Joel Goodman gushing about getting to work with Yasumi Matsuno. There were no screenshots, no gameplay teasers, nothing to indicate that the game was anything more than a whimsical idea, and yet they still managed to meet their $600,000 goal.

It’s been over 2 years since the campaign ended and Playdek still doesn’t have much to show the 15,824 people who supported Unsung Story, and backers are furious. Waving around an association with Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story veteran, Matsuno might have been enough to get people interested, but Playdek’s vaguely sparse updates and clear lack of focus seem to have burned any goodwill they had with their community. The February 2016 update where they mentioned they hadn’t even been working on Unsung Story certainly didn’t help.

The latest update on April 9th assured backers that the team was finally going to be getting back to work on Unsung Story. Playdek is finally nearing completion of a separate project they had taken on to help with finances. It seems that even with these assurances backers are understandably skeptical. Especially since, when asked how the funding for Unsung Story was being handled they were told that, “roughly $1,500,000 has been spent on various aspects of Unsung Story development,” but were given no screenshots or gameplay footage outside of a short combat demo to back up these claims. It’s worth noting that the combat in the video is using standard square-grids, when one of Playdek’s selling points during the campaign had been the unique use of triangular grids. Add to this the focus on releasing a PvP prototype before a backer release sees the light of day, and things aren’t looking too good for this project.

Backers have been asking for a refund for a while, some even going as far as to contact their local Attorney Generals to report the campaign as a scam. So far, there is no indication that Playdek plans to indulge them, or actually make the game they had promised. Ordinarily I’d include some updated screenshots to spice up the article, but there is so little material out there, I’ve had to reuse the ones from the original campaign. All I can offer is the combat video, which while not as terrible as some comments made it out to be, certainly isn’t anything special.

 

[ghostdog]

but I have played a fairly decent amount of good games (Paper Sorcerer for example) which I didn't back but would maybe not exist without crowdfunding.

Yeah, for me it was Lords Of Xulima (although I backed it on indiegogo). I had much more fun with it than with W2 and PoE.

 

[LESS T_T]

Another dragging update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/482445197/unsung-story-tale-of-the-guardians/posts/1616345

Hey Unsung Backers,

Here is an update on our current progress towards an Unsung Story beta release. First off, we have released the product spoken of in our updates, and have been getting resources onto making a beta playable version of Unsung Story tactics. The second platform release of the other product took a little longer than expected, so getting onto content work is behind about a month. We apologize for being off a month with this update, as we had hoped to have more specifics for you in May. We have fortunately been able to start getting some agreements in place for outside design assistance on the character classes and mechanics, and we will be able to update you on those specifics later next month.

We are also starting the process of getting additional concept art work contractors in place as well for world and level design, and look forward to sharing the new art work with you. Our beta game play and content goal still remains the same, which is two levels and two character schools, with each school having multiple class variations. We need to spend a bit more design time on the characters for the beta goal before we can provide an updated timeline estimate for the beta release, but we should have a good handle on that by August.

As of now, we estimate to have new art, screenshots and design details to show by September, and we will have another design update for you next month.

We know that we have one method of restoring faith in this project, and that is through delivering on a great tactics game, which we intend to do. Thank you again for your patience and support.

Playdek

 

[aeternalis]

Wish Matsuno had lent his name recognition value to a game that wasn't horribly mismanaged vaporware trash.

 

[80Maxwell08]

Wish Matsuno had lent his name recognition value to a game that wasn't horribly mismanaged vaporware trash.

I wish someone actually hired him to lead a game, not just come up with a first draft then never do anything else.

 

[Hyperion]

I wish someone actually hired him to lead a game, not just come up with a first draft then never do anything else.

Pretty sure Square Enix took care of him ever wanting to lead another game again after FFXII. I'm sure the shitvapors from this are trailing behind him and hurting his credibility a bit, too.

 

[Abu Antar]

He said he didn't want the stress of leading a big budget title again.

 

[Perkel]

I wish someone actually hired him to lead a game, not just come up with a first draft then never do anything else.

Pretty sure Square Enix took care of him ever wanting to lead another game again after FFXII. I'm sure the shitvapors from this are trailing behind him and hurting his credibility a bit, too.

?

FFXII was reworked because Square backdown on mature plot. It was supposed to be Tactic Ogre like writing but Square changed it because kids wouldn't like it.

Arguably best part of FFXII plot are related to his work while new ones like Vann and Panelo are easily the worst.

Look @ FF13 and FF15 with its jpop characters to see that they wanted to change FF direction while FFXII was developed.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I wish someone actually hired him to lead a game, not just come up with a first draft then never do anything else.

Pretty sure Square Enix took care of him ever wanting to lead another game again after FFXII. I'm sure the shitvapors from this are trailing behind him and hurting his credibility a bit, too.

?

FFXII was reworked because Square backdown on mature plot. It was supposed to be Tactic Ogre like writing but Square changed it because kids wouldn't like it.

Arguably best part of FFXII plot are related to his work while new ones like Vann and Panelo are easily the worst.

Look @ FF13 and FF15 with its jpop characters to see that they wanted to change FF direction while FFXII was developed.

They've always been dipping in and out ot of jpop shit with Final Fantasy tho so I wouldn't say it's a recent phenomena. Squall was heavily inspired by Gackt:

And I can see Tidus being influenced by some strange Japanese fashion sub culture model as well, although I've found no information. Tidus looks decidedly asian, though. Kinda Okinawan.

Then there are all the Amano designed FF characters who are complete fuccbois, although that didn't translate well with pixel art.

 

[Perkel]

yeah but FFXII wasn't supposed to be like that in original design. There wouldn't be Vaan or Panelo main plot would be bash and main plot was vengence as he was rickrolled by his brother.

 

[Hyperion]

That's exactly what I meant by Square Enix led to Matsuno not wanting to direct a big game anymore. They got all afraid their audience wouldn't be able to relate to the fact that the protagonist was so old. It was the straw that broke Sakaguchi's back as well that caused him to take all of their best employees to Mistwalker to my knowledge.

Basically too Western, which is what EVERY Matsuno game had been up to that point, except for maybe Ogre Battle 64. Not sure what they thought they were getting from the guy, heh.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Matsuno was too beautiful for neo-Square. I mean back in the day, even if they did have fuccbois, they still gave chances for smaller and more niche games like Vagrant Story and Parasite Eve. Unfortunately that isn't really possible in the current climate. The real tragedy, however, is that Matsuno is probably never going to make his own big budget project anymore. Not that I blame him. Guy is in his 50's now, I doubt he has any will left to put up with all the bullshit hoops you have to jump through to make games.

 

[Viata]

It was the straw that broke Sakaguchi's back as well that caused him to take all of their best employees to Mistwalker to my knowledge..

And know he is releasing android games.

 

[Hyperion]

Yeahh.....

Why waste the money, frustration, and risk on Lost Odyssey 2 when you can make Terra Battle and make tons from the Japanese market.
However, they're supposedly developing a game with the Bravely Default development studio. 3DS is the best we'll be getting out of that, I'm sure. And it'll probably be using Chibi-style for the characters as per usual.

 

[Zombra]

Vapor update. "EXCITING"!

Update #53

Sep 21 2016

EXCITING COLLABORATION UPDATE...

Hey Unsung Backers,

Though it took a little longer than anticipated, we are happy to tell you that we have entered into a strategic agreement with a major company, who will be providing design work for the tactics game, as well as other Unsung branded games in the future. We have begun the collaboration process with them, and will start to see the fruits of those efforts over the next few months.

We will coordinate with them and make a formal announcement in the near future, but want you to know that this is in place and will have a positive impact on the gameplay, mechanics and overall delivery timeline for the beta and full release. We had hoped to have some design and art progress to show by this month, but we are just now getting the time we need to spend with our partner on the core mechanics and the game world and need to do this before providing updates with visual content progress. Rather than making estimates as to when we think content updates will be ready, we will stick to updating on the design progress more regularly, and then update you when we have a good step forward with some content progress, whether it be concept art or screenshots of in-game progress.

Again, look to get a formal announcement on our partner as soon as we can all coordinate on public messaging for that. Hopefully, it won’t take longer than a few months, but announced or not, it is happening and is a huge plus for Unsung Story development.

Thanks.

Playdek

 

[Siveon]

THQ Europe, Square Enix (Collective?), what else...Playism? I dunno, I like guessing. Who would waste more money on this vaporware?

 

[Abu Antar]

Whoever it is, they probably won't know what hit them.

These updates keep me amuzed, at least.

 

[LESS T_T]

Again, look to get a formal announcement on our partner as soon as we can all coordinate on public messaging for that. Hopefully, it won’t take longer than a few months, but announced or not, it is happening and is a huge plus for Unsung Story development.

After a few months, no "exciting" announcement but a "new" agreement kicked in: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/482445197/unsung-story-tale-of-the-guardians/posts/1771364

UPDATE: Design progress and next step development goal to share

Hi Unsung Backers,

We have some design progress and next step development goals to share, with the plan to keep updating you all more consistently going forward with our progress towards those goals.

Up first is news on support from our secured credit bank for next year. We have a new agreement in place with them that allows for us to continue development and maintain our progress towards releasing playable builds to you the backers and follow that with a solid beta version. Without this support, we would not be able to continue as a company, so we are very thankful and sober-minded about this agreement. We have revenue to continue game development, but no more beyond that, and therefore our only option is to allocate our revenue to operating costs and development. What we can do for the backers of this project is deliver on the game and the rewards, and we have an agreement now with our financial overseer to do what we can to make that a reality.

We are working towards completing a playable build, that we will release first to the design backer’s tier for feedback. We will be looking for feedback on UI and controls, character movement and basic combat. This build will have one arena, and character specializations from two of the planned Schools. These specializations function as a job system. We will go into more detail on the Schools in general in future updates, and for now here is an overview of what will comprise this playable:

We will feature 2 Schools, War and Divine, with three Specializations (Jobs) with character XP and upgraded items from each. Specializations function as a job system, with specific abilities. Each job will have starting XP and stats that are balanced for that type of job. The Specializations/Jobs will be grouped under the different schools, but both combatant sides, Alionne and Jheksal, will use jobs from the different schools. Each side will provide a specific bonus that is unique per empire. For example, playing with a Soldier on the Alionne would could give you +1 to movement, while playing with a Soldier on the Jheksal side would give you +1 to damage.

The following Specilaizations will be included in the playable, three from each school:

School of War Specializations/Jobs:

Soldier: These front-line units employ weapons and tactics that emphasize dispatching the enemy as quickly as possible. Soldiers use weapons such as Straight Swords, Thrusting Swords, Axes and Maces, and wear Light to Medium Armor.

Lancer: These units specialize in the use of melee weapons with increased range such as Spears and Halberds. Lancers wear Light Armor.

Ballast Knight: Hailing from the ranks of Nobility, a Ballast Knight's wealth allows them access to powerful weapons, shields and armor that are imbued with special abilities, such as Great Swords, Ultra Great Swords, Great Hammers and Great Axes. Ballast Knights wear Heavy Armor.

School of Divine Specializations/Jobs:

Priest: Uses Divine abilities that support and bolster the defenses, mana and health of their allies. Priests use Staves, Daggers and Chimes, and wear Light Armor.

Paladin: These holy warrior knights invoke divine magic to enhance the abilities of themselves as well as their allies, and to smite their enemies. A Paladin's armor and physical training allow them to absorb a great deal of punishment and remain standing. Paladin’s can wield Curved Greatswords, Great Scythes, Great Hammers and Great Bows, and wear Heavy Armor.

Necromancer: The Necromancer has the ability to raise and control the undead, commanding them to do their bidding in battle. They use Talismans, Staves and Daggers and wear Light Armor.

The arena for the playable will have Line of Sight obstacles, interactive objects, environmental and natural effects, and height variations added to the gameplay mechanics. We will go into more detail on the environmental aspects to gameplay in later updates that show the arenas visually.

The early iterations of the playable will be head to head multiplayer, with options for choosing which specializations to play with against your opponent. After getting feedback on the flow of combat, as well as the stats balancing for the specializations, we will apply that to our A.I. trainer and roll out the option for players to play against an A.I. opponent.

In next month’s update, we will cover the specific specializations from the Schools of War and Divine that will be in the first playable, and will also go over some of the weapon types associated with each class. Future updates will cover the magic system and environments. We appreciate the support and patience the backers have shown towards this difficult development cycle, and we look forward to demonstrating the progress we are making throughout the new year.

Playdek

 

[Hyperion]

The descriptions of the gear that each class uses really just makes it sound like they took Dark Souls' equipment system and haphazardly threw some shit together and called it a playable build. Can't imagine how much it must suck to be one of the sorry bastards who backed this.

 

[Abu Antar]

Posted by Playdek (Creator)
To All Unsung Story Backers,
Thank you for the support you have shown to make this project happen. Through the trials we have had as a company over the last few years, Playdek has strived to keep the project alive, as we believe in the game and the story that Yasumi Matsuno designed to set it in. To that, we want to let you know that the project is going to continue forward, but our involvement is coming to an end.

Effective immediately publisher/developer Little Orbit has taken over all the rights and assets to Unsung Story from Playdek, and is now the project creator. They believe strongly the game can be an amazing Tactics RPG, and they are excited to carry on and bring Matsuno’s story to life. They will be bringing you project news from this point on to update everyone on their plans for the game.

Again, we want to thank you for your support of this project, and though we are sorry that we were unable to complete it for you, we believe the project is in good hands, with people who have the same passion for the game. Please send all questions concerning the project, backer inquiries and development discussions to support@littleorbit.com. Thank you.
Playdek

Here's another update:

Dear backers,
At this point, I’m sure you have a bunch of questions, and I can already see a flood of comments coming in. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to answer all of your questions today.
Please know that we are sincere in our effort to help, and we working as quickly as possible to get you as much information as possible. I realize that this has been a frustrating journey, and I'm asking for just a little more patience as we get going.

I would like to start by taking a moment to introduce myself. My name is Matthew Scott, and I am the CEO of Little Orbit. We started as a small game developer in 2003, and have grown into a small publisher in the last 7 years. To date we have primarily focused on retail with 20 titles on many different platforms working alongside Cartoon Network, Dreamworks, Warner Bros, and Mattel.

Inevitably many of you will google us, and you may have your doubts - which is okay. This project has struggled. But give us a little time, and hopefully we'll surprise you.
I am a gamer at heart, and my first love has always been turn-based tactics games. I met the Playdek team a couple months ago and got a firsthand look at the amazing work from Yasumi Matsuno. Simply put, this game needs to exist, so I am excited to be taking this project over and helping deliver it to the community.

I am also a huge fan of Kickstarter, and its ability to directly connect people with the creators they want to support. Since 2009, I have followed and personally backed many video game projects. I know each of these teams worked long and hard to live up to their campaign promises. Many of them managed to create amazing games that likely wouldn’t have been possible in the traditional system.

As we have seen this is a difficult business. There are so many things that can go wrong to sabotage even the most seasoned teams. But despite all the challenges, making games is what I love to do.

I recognize that this project is now more than 2 years late from when it was originally supposed to ship, but rather than jump into lofty promises, I want to level set expectations with a bit of both bad and good news.

First the bad news.. Little Orbit is starting from scratch. We have spent hours going through the Kickstarter comments and researching all of the project materials, and I feel the backers have made one thing clear – we need to focus on the original single player game and Matsuno’s design that was promoted during the campaign. And that is exactly what we are going to do. At this point, our primary goal is to separate the years of modifications and changes that were made while Playdek attempted to deliver something to their backers.

Second the good news.. And I want to make this absolutely clear - Little Orbit will honor the Kickstarter backer rewards at no extra cost. I can't know how frustrating this has been for the many fans of this game. But over the coming weeks we will be reaching out to make sure we have all the current information for each of you, so that rewards can be delivered properly as we make progress.

That’s all I can share for now, but we will be following up as soon as possible with more details on the game and our progress.

Thank you for your continued patience and support.
Sincerely, Matthew Scott

Who's Little Orbit? Look at this: