Obsidian Kickstarter

[Durothil Skyreaver]

Obsidian, which is comprised of most of the guys who made the original Fallout, started a Kickstarter for a new game. They have raised 1.1 million in the space of 1 day. Check it out if you liked Baldur's Gate, Planescape:Torment, or any of the isometric rpgs.

Link

[Drem]

kickstarter for a 2D game? better be a good for a change

i know i'm not gonna be giving obsidian any more of my money

[Zanchief]

Some I loved, like Fallout 1 and 2, and some I loathed like Icewindale 1 and 2. This one has me interested but cautious. I'll think about buying it when it comes out.

[Drem]

i think icewind dales were supposed to be more fighting, less story. that said, they're still pretty cool once you get tired of baldur's gate

i was talking more about KOTOR 2, alpha protocol, new vegas, and dungeon siege 3. nowadays they seem like a company that just gets hired to make horrible follow-ups to great games

[Durothil Skyreaver]

i think icewind dales were supposed to be more fighting, less story. that said, they're still pretty cool once you get tired of baldur's gate

i was talking more about KOTOR 2, alpha protocol, new vegas, and dungeon siege 3. nowadays they seem like a company that just gets hired to make horrible follow-ups to great games

Kotor 2 definitely was a pile. The funny thing is that I bought Alpha Protocol, and loved it. I must be the exception to the rule because I had ZERO problems with it. Worked flawlessly from start to finish and was a really entertaining game. New Vegas >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Fallout 3. Another game that I had no issues with (until I modded the crap out of it).

[Zanchief]

New Vegas was worse then Fallout 3 but it was still enjoyable. It was horribly buggy though. I give some benefit to Obsidian because the engine and source code they were using was flawed from the get go.

[Harrison]

New Vegas was just Fallout 3, but shinier, and more involved. (IMO)

Fallout 1 and 2 I still to this day load up, often. It never gets old. They're amazing games and when I show them to people who play Fallout 3 but have never seen the predecessors, they're wondering why Fallout 3 is missing so much of the cool shit.

I haven't tried Alpha Protocol because of the mixed reviews, but now that I know it's the same guys I will be picking it up.

I loved Icewind Dale for a lighter Baldurs Gate type experience.

In the end I guess you can say that I am easily pleased lol

[Durothil Skyreaver]

Bumping this up to the top. The Kickstarter is now hovering at around 3.9 million, which places it as the 2nd most funded video game project of all time.

[Lyion]

I don't quite get people supporting projects via this kickstarter thing. I understand the concept of 'crowd funding', but as someone who is miserly with their money I see it as a waste of my cash, personally. If someone has a good product, there's plenty of good venture capital out there. VC actually requires feedback and good accountability, as well. Crowdsourcing to me does not.

Maybe it's just me, as I roll my eyes whenever my girl buys lotto tickets as I equally consider that a huge waste of money. I don't agree with kickstarter anymore than I agree with prepurchasing vaporware, regardless of how cool it sounds.

tldr version: You kids get off my lawn, no treats for you.

[Menelvir]

So if the project is released and turns a profit, are the invested monies plus interest returned to those who bought in? Or do they get shares of Obsidian or ...?

I'm not seeing the advantage for the consumer by making a contribution to such an endeavor.

[Durothil Skyreaver]

So if the project is released and turns a profit, are the invested monies plus interest returned to those who bought in? Or do they get shares of Obsidian or ...?

I'm not seeing the advantage for the consumer by making a contribution to such an endeavor.

For most people, they are contributing 20-30 dollars and the end result is a type of game that is not made often or really at all anymore. Their contribution ensures them a copy of said game.

[Arlos]

For me for this, it was a case of the game they were pitching is one I can pretty much guarantee I would buy were it to be released on the market. Beyond that, it is, as Durothil said, a game type that just isn't made any more, and I have been itching for a new one to play. So, since I know I'll be buying it anyway, I have no problem doing what is effectively a pre-order now to make sure the game gets made, and when it does, I'll get a copy of it.

The companies will do it, because what they are putting on kickstarter might be something that is really risky, or where they don't have an idea yet about how much demand is really out there. Steve Jackson Games just did one like that, for a special huge anniversary edition of their old board game Ogre, just this time with vacuum molded plastic parts for buildings, and 3-D assembled pieces, etc. Initial costs to produce it were too high if there was no interest, so they put it up on kickstarter. Turned out they got so much response, that they were effectively able to double the amount of stuff that is getting put into the box, including more counters, more maps, higher quality pieces, etc. So, by spending the money I would have spent eventually anyway to buy the game, I am now getting a much better game than would have been produced if they had just gone with their original plans.

So, VC certainly has its place, I agree, but for a specific targeted item, especially when demand levels are uncertain, I think kickstarter has real value. By investing early in a product that you are interested in, you increase the chances of it getting made int he first place, and you can end up getting a far superior product to the original idea pitched, simply because they have enough proven demand to have the funds to put into those improvements.

To date, those are the only 2 items I've put money into, but I have no regrets about doing so.

-Arlos

[Griever]

You receive incentives depending on how much you donate. For games there is always a price point that will get you a copy of the game and sometimes early access. Usually that donation price is cheaper than the price the game will be at release. So, If you know that you'd buy the game anyway, why not donate $25 and get early access to a game that will be released with a $50 price tag?

[Zanchief]

This game will be $5 on steam within 6 months. Just saying. I don't mind the idea of Kickstarter though. I don't see it as a waste of money if it comes from a fairly credible source. I haven't really seen a project yet that has tempted me though.

[Durothil Skyreaver]

This game will be $5 on steam within 6 months. Just saying. I don't mind the idea of Kickstarter though. I don't see it as a waste of money if it comes from a fairly credible source. I haven't really seen a project yet that has tempted me though.

I've backed two other projects:

Wasteland 2

Shadowrun Returns

These are games that would not be made otherwise.