I have no recollection of this event! Perhaps you spoke with a doppelganger.
I probably didn't say how I knew so you just thought I was jabbering.
https://p.twimg.com/Al4MztkCMAAmizZ.jpg:large
Really has held fairly steady since it initially tapered off.
They'll probably hit around $3 to $3.5 million if the currently steady pace of about $1600 per hour continues.
Even at a $1000 an hour average, they'd be over $3.5 million. Of course it could fall off sharply, it's going to depend on if they keep posting updates and making headlines. Brings new eyes to the project.
Say they get $3 million, take out about $250,000 for the documentary and $250,000 for kickstarter/amazon fees, that still leaves like 2.5 million, which would be Double Fine's biggest budget since Brutal Legend, and enough to make a pretty bad ass adventure game. This project gets more and more exciting all the time.
I've been keeping my expectations in check, knowing that their budget was still pretty limited, and Double Fine costs are higher than independent German developer costs, but we're getting to the point where we might be able to actually expect something comparable in size and scope to a classic LucasArts game in HD. That's exciting!Yeah, I just mean that I posted on this thread, not that you actually read it and responded, I'm just joking around.
Oh good, I thought I was going crazy for a minute!
Tim seems to have gotten more wishy-washy about whether or not this will be 2D.
http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/...1&sd=1
Although I love 2D art, I'd probably be more excited for something a little more cinematic, and a little more in Double Fine's sphere as far as presentation goes. Hopefully those donations keep coming.
I think he should just make the game he wants to make, within whatever budget he ends up with. Most people don't really care about 2D vs 3D, just the more vocal forum trolls.
The instruction Tim Schafer should have gotten from this campaign is "We want a classic styled adventure game". He then makes the game he believes should be made within the framework of that idea, and doesn't spend time second-guessing himself.
Also, updating the Kickstarter now and then to nurture the thing along, rather than letting it drag like this. It really should have cleared $2,000,000 by now.
James
Just got a new update from Kickstarter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Double Fine
For any of you lunatics that are allergic to digital distribution, you can now get a disc release of the game+documentary for the low, low price of $100!
Also a soundtrack for $30, a digital art book for $60 and the same art book in physical form for $500. It's a steal, really!
edit: There's also a 30 minute Ron Gilbert interview by Tim Schafer.
Eh, that's kinda bullshit.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...r?ref=category
I see the side-effects of the Doublefine Kickstarter are already beginning.
James
I don't get it.
They're both seeking 400k?
I don't get it either.
Well I found it funny. "I created a different type of role playing game that was similar to D&D but more fun" so give me $400,000 with just this skull &... some kind of torch? Mace? Drum-bopping thingy? logo as a placeholder. Trust me, I'm legit, and you'd do it for Tim Shaefer.
James
I think it's a plunger. He's also retarded.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...itorium-2-duet
A much more appropriate and deserving side-effect of DoubleFine pulling off a kickstarter.
This too: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...light?ref=live
(this game sounds rad, BTW)
I'm really tempted by FTL. It's not normally my kind of game but the idea is very tempting. Nice to see that it doesn't need my help, though.
James
I liked that interview with the Monkey Island guy. I wonder what they would think about the Resident Evil series (at least, the ones before RE 4). They have a pretty strong rooting in adventure games with all the inventory management, reading text files for clues and solving lots of puzzles.
Pretty good long-form interview with Tim:
http://www.gamespot.com/double-fine-...ideos/6364084/
Watched it. That was pretty interesting.
Tim's IAMA:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comment...m_or_anything/
And video responses:
http://www.youtube.com/user/DoubleFineProd/videos
46 hours to go. Last chance to get in on the documentary or other rewards.
Now that the budget of this project has swelled so much, the $15 asking price is really seeming like a better deal. It's picking up some steam at the end now too, it'll be interesting to see if they can hit 3 million.
Soooo tempted to bump my donation to $100.00. I really want that boxed copy.
James
At $100, you get boxed copy of game and documentary, signed poster, and t-shirt. That's a good chunk of stuff.
The poster's not signed at the $100 level, and the signed posters are sold out. Still some nice incentives, but I could never pay $100 for a $15 game. I'm glad others are, though, this has really grown into a project worth getting excited over.
Finally pitched in for this. Glad I still had a chance!
68k away from 3 mill right now
It's not a $15 game any more, though. It was in the beginning and now it's probably more like $20. :)
James
46k now
904
Did what I could and threw in $15.
When it comes to Double Fine, I think their best assets are art direction and writing. Which has far more mileage in an adventure game than any other genre I can think of.
Three million.
Brian Fargo just launched the Wasteland 2 Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2
That probably deserves its own thread.
Ambitious goal on that one. I wonder if they can make it happen.
I hope so! Although I'm more interested in a potential Obsidian project.
I'm not that interested in either! But I recognize that Wasteland 2 is a real passion project while Obsidian seems to be doing ok pitching stuff the more traditional route. I'd like to see Wasteland 2 get made, even though I'm not sure I'll want to play it.
I wish this could be used to port games.
I really wanted US versions of the DS metal max games
There going to do a live stream for the last two hours of the stuff
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/double-fine-adventure
they had an error about 10 minutes ago. You could hear them talking around the office.
Finally backed this, I'm in for $30 since I'm really more interested in the documentary and seeing the process than anything else. Tim has definitely made some of my favorite games ever though, that's for sure.
I ended up taking a pass on the $100 boxed copy. I'm sure even if I changed my mind I could easily make my money back, but I've just got other thing going on right now. Somebody else can be crowned King of Ebay.
James
well, this live stream is a clusterfuck
Final total including some non-Kickstarter donations: $3,445,265
That's a lot of fucking money.
So the money part is done at last. Next up, the "Don't fuck it up" part. I'm looking forward to it quite a bit.
James
This is somewhat sobering if not too surprising:
I kind of think they're giving 2 Player too much here. If they were willing to do it for $100,000 for 6 months, $250,000 seems fair for the year, not a percentage.Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Rice, Producer
Still, it seems like they have plenty to make a good adventure game. 11 people is the size of the teams that made other Double Fine downloadable games, it seems like a budget they know how to work with.
Maybe they gave a % just to create some goodwill and help the documentary team get their head into the game?
Plus, if they are documenting it, won't they be the first to know he screwed them out of money? Why chance it coming off that way and killing that energy?
I don't think it's screwing someone out of money to pay them for their work and costs at a fixed rate. But I guess I'm oversimplifying it. 2PP did come up with the whole idea and they launched the project as partners, so...
I think 2PP deserves that extra money. Besides, now that Kickstarter has become A Thing, it's going to be doubly fascinating to see the development of the first game to really hit the big time on the site.
I'm sure this meant some big upgrades to their equipment which can add up very quickly.
So Double Fine officially "announced" this game to the public, with a title and synopsis and a piece of art (which is now my wallpaper).
Still no word on the new release date, but I'd imagine funding will prevent the delay from being too long.
Also, for any non-backers, they've released some condensed documentary episodes that show some of the stuff the the doc so far:
http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/6...enture--part-1
http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/p...enture--part-2
Shitty title, but the game will probably still be good.
Like most shitty titles I'm sure I'll think nothing of it in time. We all play Mega Man, no?
I haven't played a Mega Man game for 20 years, though not really because of the title. At least it tells you what the game is. It's about a man who is mega. What does Broken Age tell me? Something is broken... age? How can age be broken?
I haven't been following the development as closely as all that, but I assume that "age" means "era" in this case, because otherwise it wouldn't make sense. Therefore it's a story about a time that's broken in some fashion. A bit dramatic, sure, but it does convey some small level of meaning.
James
It's meant as a double entendre. It's a reference to both the fractured multiverse and to being a teenager stuck in that awkward time between childhood and adulthood.
Trailer!
Looks purdy. Not super crazy about the puppet/cut-out animation, but it sure does look nice in stills.
Yeah, I'm sad that it's all vectory but considering how rarely sprite animation is used at high resolutions, I'm not surprised. Nice music.
I like what I see! Killer music too.
Well that looks like garbage. Funding this was a mistake.
hahahahaha
I'm not particularly pumped. I mean, I'll try it, but aesthetics are sort of a huge deal in this genre and I don't like the look. Which was my first worry about this whole thing, even, yet I still went in lol.
I sort of wonder what people were expecting. They said it would look like a Nathan Stapley painting. And it does.
I really like the colors and the painterly rendering a lot, but the writing is really the make or break of an adventure games, so everything else is just kind of setting the stage.
For the record I think it looks cute!
I think it looks fine. Whatever.
Massive Game Informer article. Reveals a lot about the game, the controls, and the story. Be warned, it's a little spoilery.
Fuck the haters, I think this game looks pretty:
Click for full size
Click for full size
Click for full size
It's no Grim Fandango. Still excited.
Maybe it needs to be seen in motion, but I hate those characters designs.
The character designs are whatever, but the use of color and the painterly style are pretty exceptional, and the stuff they're doing with lighting is something I haven't seen in a 2D game before (maybe Skullgirls, actually. But definitely not an adventure game).
Looks shitty to me.
looks like a whimsical kids book.
And i'm pretty sure I mean that in a bad way but i'm not sure yet.
I'd totally pay to play a game that looked like a Dr. Suess book.
I don't think this looks especially childish, though, but I have heard others make that complaint. Like Machinarium, I think it's more fine-artsy than anything, and I've always liked that.
I don't care for the stick-figure animation and I don't get why the two main characters are the least visually interesting characters in the game, but overall I like it. Looks like playing a painting.
Kickstarter cancelled.
Ruh roh.
So apparently this has been pushed back until April 2014, but the first half will be released in January. The one caveat there is that they will be funding the remainder of development with sales from the first half, which is giving me bad memories of Sin Episodes and countless others.
Yeah, that's really bad. I'm not sure this game has a chance of living up to the money poured into it, considering the kickstarting and private investing that's taken it this far, plus the way way longer development time.
RIP Kickstarter
Haha wow. As skeptical as I have been of KS, I always thought Double Fine would play it straight. I never anticipated they would turn it into some sort of crappy ponzi scheme. Are they going to use money from their new Kickstarter to pay for this? I know they say they won't, but developers do that all the time...
BTW this is why publishers meddle with developers. because developers apparently don't know their ass from a hole in the ground. Tim Shafer has been making games for over 20 years! He should be above this nonsense.
That's the dumb thing: They already got like an extra $2.5 million, which is how they're even extending development as far as January. But then that means they really only need like another $500k to just ship the whole goddamn thing in April. It seems like a desperate, risky move to pull just because your game is $500k short of its $6 million budget.
Yeah, I always thought people backing KS to be anti-publisher were retarded. Publishers can be (justifiably) too conservative with their investments at times, and I think KS is a great way around that, but I'd still rather a game get made with the support of a publisher than without in most cases where that's a viable option.
I'm pretty sure Broken Age also already got some outside investment on top of the kickstarter monies. It's just a poorly scoped and managed project.
In the beginning I thought industry vets would fare better than independent nobodies on KS but I think I was wrong.
KS has worked out well for the nobodies who have been living in a cave for 2 years and just need a small cash infusion to get over the hump and feed their children before they starve.
Unfortunately the era for that may have already passed as independent guys are hitting it up earlier.
Funny how they didn't mention these issues before the end of the Massive Chalice Kickstarter...
So Act 1 hits tomorrow for backers. I'm still pretty excited, the latest trailer really looked great.
They got millions of dollars and made up a cheaper-looking Machinarium? Haha nice show, Double Fine.
It's got a lot more going on than the static backgrounds of Machinarium, which also had not much in the way of cut scenes, special case animation, lighting, and a fairly small total number of screens.
That said, Machinarium was fucking gorgeous for what it was and the best adventure game of the last 5 years.
Without saying too much, ... HOW IS THIS?!? I should have backed this.
This seems like a nice looking adventure game and I like Double Fine but I don't really get all the hype for it and considering how weirdly managed their Kickstarter was that additionally casts a dark cloud over it.
I don't get how it was weirdly managed. They collected money for a game, had too much money to make the thing they planned on, got over-ambitious, trimmed things into shape, and tomorrow the first half comes out. Then later on the second half comes out. Everyone gets what they paid for, and all is good. The game isn't even Early Access any more, but just Broken Age Part 1. The Kickstarter was managed as it should, with backers educated on the process every step of the way.
Just watched the Vella trailer (can't link it, locked to backers) and I love the way the game looks. I really can't wait to dig into this.
James
It was really just a strange experiment in the first place, because they intentionally put the cart before the horse in order to film the creative process from the very beginning.
I don't know if it's a case of "mismanagement" or if trying to design a game exactly for a certain budget (rather than coming up with a design doc, budgeting the game, and raising that budget) is just an insane thing to do. When they started out they had no engine, hadn't worked out the art process, and hadn't done any writing. Of course they didn't know exactly what it would cost.
Yeah, and they were also only planning on 7 months development. Do a quick adventure game with a full gaming studio's resources and film the process. Then things got out of hand due to sheer fan enthusiasm blowing the scope out of the water, and seeing as the nature of the project is it's all on film we got to see things that would normally be behind closed doors. The only difference between Broken Age and any other game was we got to see the project wobble its way to completion. Feature creep and scope management are normal problems on most games.
James
It's out. Assuming your KS and Humble Bundle accounts are the same email, you can redeem it in your HB account, and then activate it on Steam. Downloading now!
Same. I've been watching the excellent documentary series all night and getting ramped up. The game concept sounds very interesting.