http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1461411552/elite-dangerous
Surprised people arent all over this - given its reputation.
Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to check it out...
They rely a bit too strong on the reputation of the game. there are no vids, no screens nothing besides text.
that's not much of an effort if you ask for 1.25 mio
it even made the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20187897
Quote from: Keunert on November 06, 2012, 07:30:43 AM
They rely a bit too strong on the reputation of the game. there are no vids, no screens nothing besides text.
that's not much of an effort if you ask for 1.25 mio
Well he's definitely got some history with that type of game (
Elite and
Frontier: Elite II), but I agree, ~$2,000,000 to start and the buy in price seems a bit high at ~$32, ~$80 just to be part of the beta...the 2nd round! I'd like to see more before I took the plunge...
Yeah - some of the reward tiers look a bit odd - different prices for same reward. Never been a fan of paying to get a beta access. Why should I pay to help them make sure their game isnt a steaming pile - they should be gratefull for my help.
I see the £5000 reward level is sold out. Man - I thought the world was supposed to be screwed financially ?
Mind you - coming from someone who did this ...
The original "Elite" fitted into around 22K of memory, out of a total of 32K on the BBC Micro Model B computer on which it was launched (8K was needed for the screen, 2K for the system). This is less than a single typical email today. In it were eight galaxies each with 256 star systems. Each planet in those systems had its own legal system, economy and so on.
It may be something special.
Save your money and buy Evochron Mercenary instead. :)
I certainly enjoyed Elite back in the day. But, as mentioned, I dunno what to think of a new one. It sounds great, theoretically.
But what's with all these retro remake kickstarters wanting millions of dollars before they even start? It's been making me very wary, especially as the targets keep going up. Something bad will happen in kickstarter world, and it'll be a damn shame when confidence is ruined. Mine already wavers.
With the amount of games that have been released over the last 12 months that sounded great in theory and were going to be the next big thing (particularly in the 4X genre) or the successor to a classic and then turned out to be somewhere between unplayable and a huge disappointment I've forsworn pre-orders let alone kickstarters.
It seems very easy to make something sound or even look fantastic with a whole list of brilliant features, it seems very very very difficult to actually deliver on what is promised or expected.
Yeah, I have yet to back a single Kickstarter (although I wish I'd backed FTL now). It's difficult not to be excited about a new Elite though, obviously. However I also agree that a page without a single screenshot is taking the piss.
Plus it won't be out until March 2014 (so perhaps by the end of 2014 if we're lucky). My enthusiasm is definitely tempered at this point. I'm sure I'll get more excited as time goes by.
Quote from: Nefaro on November 06, 2012, 12:02:42 PM
I certainly enjoyed Elite back in the day. But, as mentioned, I dunno what to think of a new one. It sounds great, theoretically.
But what's with all these retro remake kickstarters wanting millions of dollars before they even start? It's been making me very wary, especially as the targets keep going up. Something bad will happen in kickstarter world, and it'll be a damn shame when confidence is ruined. Mine already wavers.
Well, yes and no. to me that is the unique thing about kickstarter. When things go bad no one loses a huge amount of money - so people dont get scared in the same way a publisher might if he has sunk in millions of dollars.
Secondly - the recent relaunches I have seen on kickstarter have been by the people who made the originals - personally I think that bodes well for the prospects of the games being good and delivered. These people made games people still talk about today in 32k of memory, there is a reason people still talk about them.
I dont think this is the same as say XCOM - although a great game in its own right.
I think the elite kickstarter is the only one I have seen with that little content - and I think its trading on peoples memories and reputation. Secondly - the other remakes such as total anihilation and baldurs gate have not only met their targets but far exceeded them so there is obviously demand for them.
Lastly - I think kick starter removes the publisher pressure to release. The notable failures of late are due to pressure to release before they are ready. I think kickstarter removes that pressure if the people mamage what they have raised properly.
Personally if I put 20 bucks down on a game that is sheduled for release in 2014 and it doesnt appear I am not going to be that pissed. I prefer that to developers flogging games they know are broken before they release.
That's correct.. it's just off-loading investment risk to the end consumers. The model has it's advantages, but there is also plenty of room for abuse and where there's opportunity to make big bucks with no guaranteed outcomes, people will eventually start abusing that trust.
I think it's great that these oldies are getting funding directly from the people who want them. It certainly allows for flexibility, and a chance to get it right as opposed to "get it out". Right now it's raining wonderful, but how long will that last before a project goes under or is still forced to release before it's done? Or releasing a supposedly "finished" version, then re-releasing it with all the previously needed updates a year later, at full price? Cutting promised features should be expected, which is fairly common in the industry, along with these other examples?
I would have to tell myself that whichever one I funded, out of nostalgic love, wouldn't turn out as wonderful as the proposal and certainly couldn't rival that nostalgia. And that I may have to buy-in a second time in the future, for an updated version, too. I'm a jaded gamer, I suppose, but between regularly poor/rushed releases and charging full prices for re-releasing them shortly afterward, and some of the frustrating DRM schemes, the industry has made me that way. Oddly enough, it's fortunate that the recession has pushed much of it into low priced sales, so that has in turn driven me to wait most of them out quite awhile after release. I just don't get all that excited about them pre-release lately, and I was always a huge game purchasing addict in the past. It's almost cured me of my weakness for constant game impulse purchases on release, and I'm thankful for that, despite the depressing expectations for upcoming titles. :-\
Sorry for the rant. I just saw the $1.3 Million kickstarter target and realized how financially large these things are getting, and when such things get so big on promises I expect some drama, somewhere. Wasn't there some other recent kickstarter aiming for two or three million?! :o
At least one project I know of has already failed, incidentally, after having been fully funded. It does happen.
Quote from: Huw the Poo on November 07, 2012, 01:39:54 AM
At least one project I know of has already failed, incidentally, after having been fully funded. It does happen.
I guess that I'm just concerned about this route being used to fleece people out of a quick load of cash. It's obviously an open opportunity for such. I'm not seeing the creator of Elite is going to do that, in this example. Just that it will happen, and with increasing frequency, once some less scrupulous characters decide to cash out early.
Quote from: Nefaro on November 07, 2012, 03:44:32 AM
Quote from: Huw the Poo on November 07, 2012, 01:39:54 AM
At least one project I know of has already failed, incidentally, after having been fully funded. It does happen.
I guess that I'm just concerned about this route being used to fleece people out of a quick load of cash. It's obviously an open opportunity for such. I'm not seeing the creator of Elite is going to do that, in this example. Just that it will happen, and with increasing frequency, once some less scrupulous characters decide to cash out early.
Yes - totally understand what you are saying. But I think if it was joe bloggs coming along asking for 1 or 2 million then he would end up whistling dixie - its precisely because this guy - and others - have a reputation that they are able to target that sum. I believe the large target projects are more the exception than the rule (and a lot of those have generally exceeded the target sum they originally asked for so its not like they were unrealistic in the first place) - and I wonder what mileage someone out to con people who had no rep would actually get. I think the "public" are more cautious and savvy than that - even though the amount they are risking is so small.
And the project that I think huw referred to as failing - generally bought about an incredibly responsible approach from the developer and an equally adult response from those who had backed it. I know of one maybe two projects that were iffy tried to get funding on kickstarter and they were sniffed out very quickly.
I still think that those projects who have raised millions are exceptional - and mostly come about because of nostalgia for an earlier game. Given how long kickstarter has been going I am suprised more projects havent fallen on their face and that bodes well. I guess in the end if projects do start to fail then what may be seen is the need for a higher standard of "proof" for the concept before people start funding it - either in the pitch - or from kickstarter themselves as they need to defend their IP if it happens.
All in all though I think kickstarter is a boon for indie developers and projects. For me the less suits involved in gaming the better.
Quote from: Zulu1966 on November 07, 2012, 05:11:20 AM
All in all though I think kickstarter is a boon for indie developers and projects. For me the less suits involved in gaming the better.
Yes, indeed. That makes it all worthwhile.
I really don't think Braben's helping (or making) his case...
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/11/16/look-its-a-real-bigfoot-no-wait-elite-iv-footage/#more-132036
Yeah, this campaign is thus far evidence of why developers use PR firms...he seems completely clueless about how to sell this.