Limit Theory - the space sim with no limits!

[Steelgrave]

^Stuff like this is why we love ya, Bawb   :dreamer: :dreamer: :dreamer:

[steve58]

Well, at least people can play around with the source code now.  Maybe something will come of this one yet...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshparnell/limit-theory-an-infinite-procedural-space-game/posts/3564318

[FarAway Sooner]

I hope so.  Such an enormous effort to develop code by an 18-year old (if that report is true) is wildly optimistic.  There's a reason that professional developers get paid more than non-professional developers.

That last letter of his seems sincere and heartfelt.  Were he a sleazebag, he wouldn't have bothered, I don't think.

I've always viewed Kickstarter campaigns as the equivalent of giving a friend money but never really expecting anything back.  The Internet just doesn't lend itself to building authentic human relationships with people you've never known.

[ArizonaTank]

I hope so.  Such an enormous effort to develop code by an 18-year old (if that report is true) is wildly optimistic.  There's a reason that professional developers get paid more than non-professional developers.

That last letter of his seems sincere and heartfelt.  Were he a sleazebag, he wouldn't have bothered, I don't think.

I've always viewed Kickstarter campaigns as the equivalent of giving a friend money but never really expecting anything back.  The Internet just doesn't lend itself to building authentic human relationships with people you've never known.

The world of gaming software has changed so much just in the last 12 years. In 2010, Stardock got skewered by the gaming public for releasing "Elemental" in a flawed, but still playable state. The pitchforks and torches mob nearly took Stardock down for sins that would seem very minor by today's standards.

These days devs can take all the time they want and in the end just release source code... I suppose someone could sue the guy for fraud; even though he is a "sincere" fraudster...but really, who wants to bother...and I am not a lawyer...given the vagaries of Kickstarter, it may not even be possible to sue...

But by the 'old standards,' he took money to produce a product. The folks giving him that money had every right to expect something that was fit for purpose when he was done; instead, the investors got source code. It would be like me asking for money to build furniture. Then after 10 years I point to a pile of furniture parts and say; "sorry, I just can't make furniture...but here's a table leg."

....looking for the 'old guy yelling on the lawn' emoji, but cant find it...

[Jarhead0331]

I hope so.  Such an enormous effort to develop code by an 18-year old (if that report is true) is wildly optimistic.  There's a reason that professional developers get paid more than non-professional developers.

That last letter of his seems sincere and heartfelt.  Were he a sleazebag, he wouldn't have bothered, I don't think.

I've always viewed Kickstarter campaigns as the equivalent of giving a friend money but never really expecting anything back.  The Internet just doesn't lend itself to building authentic human relationships with people you've never known.

The world of gaming software has changed so much just in the last 12 years. In 2010, Stardock got skewered by the gaming public for releasing "Elemental" in a flawed, but still playable state. The pitchforks and torches mob nearly took Stardock down for sins that would seem very minor by today's standards.

These days devs can take all the time they want and in the end just release source code... I suppose someone could sue the guy for fraud; even though he is a "sincere" fraudster...but really, who wants to bother...and I am not a lawyer...given the vagaries of Kickstarter, it may not even be possible to sue...

But by the 'old standards,' he took money to produce a product. The folks giving him that money had every right to expect something that was fit for purpose when he was done; instead, the investors got source code. It would be like me asking for money to build furniture. Then after 10 years I point to a pile of furniture parts and say; "sorry, I just can't make furniture...but here's a table leg."

....looking for the 'old guy yelling on the lawn' emoji, but cant find it...

I don't think your example translates precisely to these circumstances. I think payments on kickstarter or more akin to an investment. If the investment is realized, your return is the receipt of some product, be it physical or digital. However, as with any investment, there are risks and there is never any guaranty that an investor will not lose his/her investment capital. This is the risk one takes. As they say, Kickstarter is NOT a store and it does not issue refunds. "When you back a project, you're supporting a creator's right to try to make something new—and agreeing to go along for the ride..."

There are pros and cons to crowdfunding. The most obvious pro is that by investing, you are generally helping the developer create a new product that would otherwise be impossible without the seed capital. You also typically get the chance to participate in the development by having access to early builds or to private avenues of communication with the developer. The obvious con is that the project may fail and never be completed and depending on the extent of your investment, you may be out some money with little or nothing to show for it. Them's the breaks, brother.