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Not that concept art, screenshots, or videos ensure success, but the complete lack of all three seems quite odd these days. Especially for a $2 million goal. Th
by jere 14y ago
Not that concept art, screenshots, or videos ensure success, but the complete lack of all three seems quite odd these days. Especially for a $2 million goal. That's fricking nuts.
If I'm counting correctly only 5 projects (out of thousands) have made that much and their project pages were insanely snazzy and detailed: http://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/games/most-funded#p1 http://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/games/most-fu...
Also, the pitch seems like something someone wrote on a napkin. "Raw performance" doesn't make a game gorgeous.
>Imagine what is now possible, squeezing the last drop of performance from modern computers in the way “Elite” and “Frontier” did in their days? It is not just a question of raw performance (though of course these elements will make it look gorgeous), but we can push the way the networking works too – something very few people had access to in the days of Frontier.
All of this compels me to post the obligatory PA comic: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/05/04 http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2012/05/04
- wmf 14y agoThe most successful game Kickstarter campaigns (Double Fine, Eternity) have shown nothing[1], allowing donators to project their own desires onto the project instead of being constrained by the game's actual direction. Time will tell whether this is brilliant or foolhardy. [1] They tend to update the pages after they get the money, so you can't judge them by what they look like now.
- Semaphor 14y agoI'm pretty sure at least P:E had a video.
- mladenkovacevic 14y agoExcept this is Elite. People who've been waiting for this game do not follow reason, logic or any such nonsense.
- jere 14y agoYou know what? You're absolutely right. I had a vague sense that this was once a popular game, but didn't understand how so. >Elite is one of the most popularly requested games to be remade,[42] with some arguing that it is still the best example of the genre to date, with more recent titles—including its sequel—not rising up to the same level. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_(video_game) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elite_(video_game) Still, it seems criminally lazy to put such little effort into asking for $2 million.
- petercooper 14y agoMinimum Viable Crowdfunding ;-)
- primitur 14y agoElite was such a popular game that its still being implemented on the old 8-bit systems by dedicated fans, just for the love of doing it (and also for the love of old hardware): http://1337.defence-force.org/ http://1337.defence-force.org/
- danielbarla 14y agoExactly. If this is indeed David Braben, all he had to say was "I want to make a game", and I would throw money at him.
- whiskers 14y agoIt is indeed David Braben :) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20165344 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20165344
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- jmitcheson 14y agoIt's probably related to a recent change in policy - http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-is-not-a-store http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/kickstarter-is-not-a-store "-Product simulations are prohibited. Projects cannot simulate events to demonstrate what a product might do in the future. Products can only be shown performing actions that they’re able to perform in their current state of development. -Product renderings are prohibited. Product images must be photos of the prototype as it currently exists."
- necubi 14y agoThose guidelines only apply to hardware and product design projects, not games.
- jere 14y agoI considered that briefly but they made sure to clarify that it only applied to certain categories: >The new guideline prohibiting renderings applies only to projects categorized as Product Design or Hardware. Other categories, including Games, are not affected. Besides, that wouldn't at all explain why there is a complete lack of pitch videos or artwork (even like reward tier artwork).
- leoc 14y agoThe difference is that in this case the project leader really is John Videogames, or close enough.
- tacoe 14y agoHow is that a difference?
- prof_hobart 14y agoIt's not random person off the street. It's someone with a well known and well respected history of delivering high quality games.
- 89a 14y ago> well known and well respected history of delivering high quality games. Someone is forgetting how Elite 2 turned out
- leoc 14y agoFrontier was fine, a good Elite sequel. Even First Encounters was okay after extensive patching. And the problems with First Encounters at launch were apparently down to deadline issues with the publisher, just the kind of thing that a Kickstarter launch ought to avoid.
- anigbrowl 14y agoIf you're of a certain age, then Neither Elite nor David Braben need any introduction. As soon as I saw the HN headline my response was 'shut up and take my money.' 30 years after its release I still consider it one of the best computer games ever made. This what it looked like in its original form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIuOjEqY8Hk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIuOjEqY8Hk
- primitur 14y agoSeen the recent new implementation for the Oric-1/Atmos machines? http://1337.defence-force.org/ http://1337.defence-force.org/
- anigbrowl 14y ago8-.
- junto 14y agoOn my "original" on the BBC B Micro, it was in black and white, not colour? Or is my memory failing me?
- to3m 14y agoNo, you're right, the version shown is the second processor edition. The pick of the bunch is probably the Master 128 edition, as it sports colour AND double buffering, though it won't be as fast as the second processor edition on account of the missing processor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEbhsXIL8a8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEbhsXIL8a8 (I don't think there's a Master 128 second processor edition, sadly, but if there actually is, that one would be even better.)
- ralph 14y agoYour memory's going, I'm afraid. The original version, the BBC Model B one, used a novel split-screen technique. The upper larger portion showing space was Mode 4, 1bpp at 320 × 256 if it was the whole screen, the bottom flight-deck portion was Mode 5, 2bpp at 160 × 256. Here's a screenshot, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c4/BBC_Micro_Elite_screenshot.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c4/BBC_Micro_Elit...
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoI'm sorry - you make excellent rational points - but I don't care. I lost four months of my teenage life to this damn game and I want more. Make it better than eve and you can have a kidney to sell, the dodgy one on the left.
- adrianhoward 14y agoOnly four months? ;-) I think I played Elite nearly every day for a year or so... I'm almost afraid of what would happen if a new one that was any good came along.
- regularfry 14y agoMake it EVE+"spitfires in space" and I think an entire generation will be lost.
- SeanDav 14y agoEVE is not a bad take on Elite with one huge show-stopper, EVE is all about coop and team playing. In EVE you cannot dominate without huge corp backing, Elite was all about the single player.
- jere 14y agoI guess I'm just too young to get it. I wasn't yet born when Elite was released. I have a lot of respect for older games and I'm usually the first to say graphics don't matter, but looking at screens and videos... I don't get the appeal. It's hard to even tell what is going on.
- ergo14 14y agoGet a copy of Frontier First Encounters - the last part of franchiase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKTTB95JlY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXKTTB95JlY
- 89a 14y ago> Not that concept art, screenshots, or videos ensure success, but the complete lack of all three seems quite odd these days. Especially for a $2 million goal. That's fricking nuts. I found this utterly pathetic. He asks for so much from the fans but hasn't even done the most basic of legwork. Seems like a total cash grab to me, prepare for disappointment