Chat with the minds behind the Death Machines
April 13, 2012 9:38 AM Subscribe
Wasteland 2 has become a certainty due to the massive outpouring of fan support. At this moment on Reddit, two of the big names in the project - Brian Fargo and Chris Avellone - are having a live QA session about the upcoming project, as well as the state of the game publishing industry in the Kickstarter era and similar subjects.
OGRE is finally getting a new release? How did I miss that?! Oh sweet googly moogly, this time of wonders we live in...
posted by FatherDagon at 9:55 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by FatherDagon at 9:55 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
As cool as it is to fund remakes and sequels through Kickstarter, there are some great original projects on there as well: The Banner Saga, FTL, The Dead Linger, and Valdis Story A.C.. There are some talented people breaking into indie development through kickstarter, and that is super great.
Less great (but still entertaining) is watching the huge failures failing. Your World (a lottery winner trying to make an MMO), Class of Heros 2 ($500,000 for a translation of a terrible JRPG for a dead system), and Tempus Chronicle (terrible looking episodic oldie school rpg).
posted by The Devil Tesla at 10:06 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
Less great (but still entertaining) is watching the huge failures failing. Your World (a lottery winner trying to make an MMO), Class of Heros 2 ($500,000 for a translation of a terrible JRPG for a dead system), and Tempus Chronicle (terrible looking episodic oldie school rpg).
posted by The Devil Tesla at 10:06 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
The Wasteland 2 pitch video is especially amusing and full of world-weary game industry veteran pathos.
Also, Shitstarter is an amusing worst-of collection.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:18 AM on April 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also, Shitstarter is an amusing worst-of collection.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:18 AM on April 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
I backed both FTL and Banner Saga. Also Wasteland, just because I'm a huge sucker for post-apocalyptic stuff. Brb, backing Ogre...
posted by adamdschneider at 10:22 AM on April 13, 2012
posted by adamdschneider at 10:22 AM on April 13, 2012
My mind just exploded like a blood sausage.
AWESOME.
posted by hecho de la basura at 10:29 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
AWESOME.
posted by hecho de la basura at 10:29 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
@robotvpower
looking at this tumblr, it occurs to me there is probably a direct correlation between schadenfreude and economic depression and probably regular old depression depression
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 10:34 AM on April 13, 2012
looking at this tumblr, it occurs to me there is probably a direct correlation between schadenfreude and economic depression and probably regular old depression depression
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 10:34 AM on April 13, 2012
Please keep posting awesome games that I will waste my waking hours on in the comments.
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:57 AM on April 13, 2012
posted by RolandOfEld at 10:57 AM on April 13, 2012
It's fantastic how Kickstarter has created a renaissance of old games.
All of us who grew up on this stuff now have a lot more disposable income, especially in aggregate.
posted by ODiV at 10:57 AM on April 13, 2012
All of us who grew up on this stuff now have a lot more disposable income, especially in aggregate.
posted by ODiV at 10:57 AM on April 13, 2012
Star Command looks pretty awesome too.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:20 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:20 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
I was hoping that Ogre was for a computer version. But I donated anyway because, OGRE!
posted by Splunge at 11:21 AM on April 13, 2012
posted by Splunge at 11:21 AM on April 13, 2012
CHRIS AVELLONE. (fangirl squeal).
It is embarrassing how much I want some of these games.
posted by Justinian at 11:29 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
It is embarrassing how much I want some of these games.
posted by Justinian at 11:29 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]
I wish they had sold the 3M tier better because I'd loooove a modding system for Wasteland 2, but it's still great news that all these guys are making a game with full creative freedom. Hopefully this Reddit IAMA will help them raise more money.
Less great (but still entertaining) is watching the huge failures failing. Your World (a lottery winner trying to make an MMO), Class of Heros 2 ($500,000 for a translation of a terrible JRPG for a dead system), and Tempus Chronicle (terrible looking episodic oldie school rpg).
Ugh, all the games mentioned on the Tempus Chronicle page (Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana etc.) ooze character compared to that generic screenshot.
There is also a Leisure Suit Larry Kickstarter and another by Jane Jensen.
posted by ersatz at 11:32 AM on April 13, 2012
Less great (but still entertaining) is watching the huge failures failing. Your World (a lottery winner trying to make an MMO), Class of Heros 2 ($500,000 for a translation of a terrible JRPG for a dead system), and Tempus Chronicle (terrible looking episodic oldie school rpg).
Ugh, all the games mentioned on the Tempus Chronicle page (Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana etc.) ooze character compared to that generic screenshot.
There is also a Leisure Suit Larry Kickstarter and another by Jane Jensen.
posted by ersatz at 11:32 AM on April 13, 2012
Star Command looks pretty awesome too
Yeah, pretty bummed I missed that one.
posted by adamdschneider at 11:41 AM on April 13, 2012
Yeah, pretty bummed I missed that one.
posted by adamdschneider at 11:41 AM on April 13, 2012
CHRIS AVELLONE. (fangirl squeal).
I'm especially proud of the fact that I used to bother Avellone about pen and paper gaming stuff in AOL chat rooms, before he was nerd-famous. I've still got his Champions sourcebooks kicking around here somewhere, probably with Warren Spector's TOON! ...
posted by Amanojaku at 12:18 PM on April 13, 2012
I'm especially proud of the fact that I used to bother Avellone about pen and paper gaming stuff in AOL chat rooms, before he was nerd-famous. I've still got his Champions sourcebooks kicking around here somewhere, probably with Warren Spector's TOON! ...
posted by Amanojaku at 12:18 PM on April 13, 2012
Ha, the trailer for Star Command is pretty sweet. FWIW, project backers don't get the game, though, because it's launching for Apple and Android and they want to maximize day 1 sales.
posted by whir at 12:33 PM on April 13, 2012
posted by whir at 12:33 PM on April 13, 2012
I donated yesterday because I am a huge fan of the original game and its design team. Also because I have a massive turn-based isometric boner at the thought of a sequel.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:22 PM on April 13, 2012
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 1:22 PM on April 13, 2012
Heh. I knew Chris in college, and even helped with some of his Champions sourcebooks. (Of course, the ones that I helped a little bit with were the ones that never got published because the company went belly-up. If my memory is correct, at least. Brain no so good no more.) That he is now NERD-FAMOUS is hilarious and awesome. He deserves it. A great guy.
posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 1:31 PM on April 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 1:31 PM on April 13, 2012 [1 favorite]
I hope KickStarter is something that can get SJG classic games some new life. I've never seen any game company whine so much about being unable to get products into the hands of so many willing customers.
posted by fleacircus at 2:13 AM on April 14, 2012
posted by fleacircus at 2:13 AM on April 14, 2012
Man, I have pledged to some of these, but never at below the lowest level: They have a decent low level (Usually $15 for a game, which is great) but then $30 for a soundtrack or artbook? Hint: For $15 I can go to the store and buy a CD by my favourite band that I know will be good.
It annoys me that a lot of people seem to assume Kickstarter is a dontation: I don't see it that way, it is a financial transaction. I'm buying a copy of the game or X from you. You are selling me it at a huge discount because I'm A) Going to have to wait months or years to get the product, and B) buying it sight-unseen, so I have no idea if it will suck or not.
SJG Ogre is very bittersweet to me. I've read all the Ogre stuff on the SJ games site, and I love the idea and would love to play it, but it is so obvious they are targeting existing fans. The lowest tier at which you actually get a playable game is $100, and even that doesn't ship to Canada, so I'd have to pay more to ship it to a freind in the US, then have them ship it to me. I'd love it if they had a cheaper version for a reasonable price so us people new to the game or without constant incomes could try it.
I wouldn't say SJG whines; they've just been burned on products before and are careful about listening to fans. They put out two Lost Transmissions compilation books, a hugely demanded product, then sold something like 30 copies. Steve Jackson is a businessman; it is why SJG is one of the few games companies from that era left standing; pretty much everyone else from that era, even TSR, went under.
posted by Canageek at 11:11 AM on April 15, 2012
It annoys me that a lot of people seem to assume Kickstarter is a dontation: I don't see it that way, it is a financial transaction. I'm buying a copy of the game or X from you. You are selling me it at a huge discount because I'm A) Going to have to wait months or years to get the product, and B) buying it sight-unseen, so I have no idea if it will suck or not.
SJG Ogre is very bittersweet to me. I've read all the Ogre stuff on the SJ games site, and I love the idea and would love to play it, but it is so obvious they are targeting existing fans. The lowest tier at which you actually get a playable game is $100, and even that doesn't ship to Canada, so I'd have to pay more to ship it to a freind in the US, then have them ship it to me. I'd love it if they had a cheaper version for a reasonable price so us people new to the game or without constant incomes could try it.
I wouldn't say SJG whines; they've just been burned on products before and are careful about listening to fans. They put out two Lost Transmissions compilation books, a hugely demanded product, then sold something like 30 copies. Steve Jackson is a businessman; it is why SJG is one of the few games companies from that era left standing; pretty much everyone else from that era, even TSR, went under.
posted by Canageek at 11:11 AM on April 15, 2012
For people curious as to what a graph of these project's progress looks like, some kind soul has put together graphs for Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, and even the backchannel Wasteland 2 Paypal contributions (Hairbrained Schemes is also accepting pledges via PayPal for Shadowrun, but hasn't made those numbers public). No charts for Ogre, but he does give a tutorial for how to roll your own.
posted by radwolf76 at 7:35 PM on April 15, 2012
posted by radwolf76 at 7:35 PM on April 15, 2012
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posted by zamboni at 9:44 AM on April 13, 2012 [2 favorites]