The crowdfunding thread

[John]

I made a number of Kickstarter crowdfunding recommendations in this thread from September, 2012-June, 2013. The general feedback was that Kickstarter was too dicey a proposition to justify any significant allocation of dollars. After all, we're talking about a new business model where you're being asked to pay money for ... a promise? Maybe nothing at all? Why would anyone do that? Especially when you'll be able to buy said product at retail (if and when it hits retail) for less than the cost of supporting it through Kickstarter?

I suppose the telling word in that last sentence is "supporting." The notion behind Kickstarter is that this money being contributed - let's call it "speculative investments" - open the door for development that wouldn't have been practical or even possible under a traditional publishing format. How does this notion manifest itself practically? It means you might see a turn-based, isometric RPG, a breed of game abandoned by AAA video game publishers. It means a Stanford student can afford to take a year off of college to pursue his professional ambition full-time. It means a book gets a chance to break out in front of a much wider audience.

When looked at as a purchasing platform, Kickstarter is a terrible setup for consumers. Save your money and get the product cheaper upon release. (Or save yourself the misery of paying money and never seeing a product release at all ... it has happened.) But as a speculative investment platform, it's actually quite neat. It allows people to use their dollars to cast votes for the kinds of products that they want pursued. In that regard, even if a particular project fails to deliver as promised, you may still recoup value from your investment. Companies pay attention to Kickstarter. They note what kind of projects are receiving support. Over time, your investments may push influence these companies.

So how did those crowdfunding recommendations pan out ... ?

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to review how the particular projects recommended in this thread are shaping up. Starting with Project Eternity and working forward chronologically, we'll look at each project's overall progress, how active the developer(s) have been with updates, any applicable release delays, and more. Let's begin now with Project Eternity, which now has an entirely new name: Pillars of Eternity.

[John]

Kickstarter recommendation: Pillars of Eternity
(Formerly Project Eternity)

Category: Computer game

Backers (Kickstarter): 73,986
Backers (PayPal): 3,681

Pledge goal: $1,100,000
Pledges (Kickstarter): $3,986,929
Pledges (PayPal): $176,279

Total backers: 77,667
Total pledges: $4,163,208

Funding period end: Oct. 16, 2012, 9:00 p.m. ET
Last project update: July 9, 2014

Pillars of Eternity website

Pillars of Eternity updates

About Pillars of Eternity:

Eternity aims to recapture the magic, imagination, depth, and nostalgia of classic RPG's that we enjoyed making - and playing. At Obsidian, we have the people responsible for many of those classic games and we want to bring those games back… and that’s why we’re here - we need your help to make it a reality!

Eternity will take the central hero, memorable companions and the epic exploration of Baldur’s Gate, add in the fun, intense combat and dungeon diving of Icewind Dale, and tie it all together with the emotional writing and mature thematic exploration of Planescape: Torment.

John's report card:

• Update quality: A-. Obsidian has provided updates on a bi-weekly schedule, and those updates have been substantive, giving insight into the development and character of the game.
• Project progress: B-. Updates have delved deeply into background lore, character classes, art assets, and animations; actual gameplay footage has remained elusive, however.
• Release schedule: C-. Originally set for April, 2014 Obsidian announced in February, 2014 that the release would be pushed back until Winter, 2014.

• Overall vibe: B ... Positive despite no in-game footage.

I tend to expect delays, but it was a little disappointing that Obsidian waited until two months before the previously scheduled release date to announce a six-month delay. More concerning is the total lack of in-game footage; you'd expect that by now for a game that should be out before the end of the year. Hopes remain high in large part because Obsidian has been so visible with their excellent regular updates. I'm finding out how important it is for Kickstarter campaigns to maintain a line of communication to their backers not just during the pledge drive but afterwards, as well. You tend to give more slack to the communicative projects. It helps that Obsidian is a company with a long track record of CRPG success, and that they have featured prominently in online features and interviews. I'm still looking forward to this one.

[Lions]

I don't suppose you contributed to the Potato Salad did you, John?

[John]

I don't suppose you contributed to the Potato Salad did you, John?

I might have, but I'm not sold on the quality of the $250 "Better Mayonnaise" stretch goal.

[John]

Kickstarter recommendation: Star Citizen
(Includes Squadron 42, the single-player offshoot)

Category: Computer game

Backers (Star Citizen website): 55,563
Backers (Kickstarter): 34,397
Backers (post-Kickstarter): 406.313

Pledge goal (Star Citizen website): $2,000,000
Pledge goal (Kickstarter): $500,000

Pledges (Star Citizen website): $4,125,013
Pledges (Kickstarter): $2,134,374
Pledges (post-Kickstarter): $41,507,151

Total backers: 496,273
Total pledges: $47,766,538

Funding period end: Nov. 19, 2012, 9:00 p.m. ET
Last project update: July 10, 2014

Star Citizen website

Star Citizen updates

About Star Citizen:

Chris Roberts is back! The man behind Wing Commander, Privateer, Strike Commander, Starlancer, Freelancer and more has assembled an elite team of industry veterans to build the Space Sim that we've all dreamed of: Star Citizen. With Chris at the helm, players can rest assured that they are supporting a game that will immerse them in a science fiction universe like nothing before.

Star Citizen takes you further than any other online game with an unparalleled level of immersion. Step out of the pilot's seat for the first time: traverse your cockpit, explore planets and cities and even engage in first person boarding actions to take over other ships, bases and orbital platforms. Play with your friends on your wing, watching your back or manning turrets on your ship all in a massive universe that evolves with players instead of against them.

At the same time, Squadron 42 will allow players to experience a single-player campaign in the grand tradition of Chris Roberts' Wing Commander. Progress through a pulse-pounding narrative whose outcome depends on your decisions and skills as a pilot. A branching storyline means you're never playing the same game twice. Optional drop-in multiplayer allows friends to join as wingmen during the story!

John's report card:

• Update quality: A+. Updates are posted daily to the Roberts Space Industries website, and a weekly news letter rounds up all the latest updates in on handy email. These updates range from development details to glossy mock spaceship brochures to lore-building and fan fiction.
• Project progress: A. Cloud Imperium recently released the Arena Commander dogfighting module for backers to compete in multiplayer deathmatches. Prior to that, they released the Hangar module that allowed backers to walk around their personal in-game hangars. A FPS / Ship Boarding module is expected later this year. There was also 12 minutes of in-game footage released at PAX 2014 in April.
• Release schedule: D. Both Star Citizen and Squadron 42 were listed as due by November, 2014 during the Kickstarter drive. March, 2015 is the new estimated release date for Squadron 42. Star Citizen now carries no official expected release date; reasonable estimates, however, suggest that the game will not be released until 2016.

• Overall vibe: A ... The single most exciting game currently in development on any platform?

Star Citizen has grown beyond a crowdfunding campaign into a cultural phenomenon. No other crowdfunded project of any kind that I know of has had the success enjoyed Star Citizen. Cloud Imperium has collected over $40M in pledges since the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign one and a half years ago. They have energized the Internet with lofty promises and amazing in-game screenshots and videos that seem to indicate those promises aren't all talk. Veteran Hollywood talent has signed on to the development crew, which now boasts over 200 employees working for multiple teams spread across the globe. A rabid fan base has built around the game, and they have created tomes of fan fiction that Cloud Imperium has been working into the game's lore. The game is truly becoming a cultural phenomenon.

And so the question becomes "Can it live up to the hype?" I'll answer that: no, of course not. I'm not sure if the Rapture could live up to this level of hype. Fortunately, the bar is set so high that Star Citizen doesn't need to live up to excel. I see no reason for anything other than unbridled optimism at this point. A strong case can be made for Star Citizen being the most exciting game in development today.

[Evas]

Whoa. I had no idea Star Citizen had reached those sorts of levels.

I passed on it initially, but it definitely warrants some attention. That is very impressive.

[Apollos]

Really enjoying the updates as I combed through all the recommendations you had previously provided for Kickstarter projects. Star Citizen certainly looks intriguing and I had no idea it garnered $40+ mil in donations. Assuming the project comes to fruition, which seems a pretty solid bet at this point, I'll def be purchasing the full version when it's released. Thanks for the updates, John!

[John]

Kickstarter recommendation: Limit Theory

Category: Computer game
Backers: 5,449
Pledge goal: $50,000
Pledges: $187,865

Funding period end: Nov. 19, 2012, 9:00 p.m. ET
Last project update (dev logs): July 17, 2014
Last project update (video): July 2, 2014

Limit Theory website

Limit Theory updates (dev logs)
Limit Theory updates (video)

About Limit Theory:

Each universe generated by the Limit Theory Engine has an infinite number of star systems to explore. As far as your journeys take you, you will never encounter the edge of space. Truly, you can never exhaust the possibilities of this universe.

All of the content that populates each universe is generated by the computer, using a technique known as procedural content generation. This means that next time you start a game, not only will the universe be different - but all things therein as well, including factions, goods, weapons, ships, mission opportunities, stations, planets, AI pilots, and more. Each universe is a totally unique experience without end.

The Limit Theory economy is dynamically driven by supply and demand. Moreover, events that occur in the universe - raids, blockades, factional takeovers, and so on - may change the entire dynamic of a region's economy. Your actions are no exception. As you become more influential, you may find your operations to have a significant impact on the surrounding systems.

John's report card:

• Update quality: A+. Star Citizen also received an "A+" for its updates, but then Star Citizen has a team of hundreds behind it. Limit Theory is a one-man show. Do you want a window into how to succeed in this world? Witness developer Josh Parnell's commitment to accountability. Not only does we receive monthly substantive and informative monthly videos entirely comprised of in-game footage, but Josh updates his dev logs daily, no exceptions. And he never sugarcoats his failures, a fact that will make him better at his craft, I'm certain. This is how you grow, folks.
• Project progress: A. Backers at the $75 tier and up have had access to the Limit Theory Prototype since April of last year. The rest of us can enjoy watching the video updates and seeing for ourselves how well the game is shaping up.
• Release schedule: C-. Limit Theory was originally listed with a January, 2014 date. That date was changed to "Mid-2014" during the Kickstarter campaign, when the adoption of stretch goals increased the game's scope. At the start of this month, Josh announced that he won't be able to meet that date and gave a new date of "Early 2015." So the project has suffered either one or two six-month delays, depending on how you want to look at it.

• Overall vibe: A ... Star Citizen may be the most exciting game in development, but Limit Theory is the most impressive.

I really can't express enough my admiration for one-man-band Josh Parnell. Though I have no ambition to be a computer game developer, watching the dedication with which Josh pursues his craft inspires me when it comes time to pursue my own craft. Here is a young man who took a sabbatical from his classwork at Stanford University to pursue his dream, and he's making the most of this opportunity.

Through the monthly video updates, I have seen for myself just how well Limit Theory is coming along. We have gone from boxy procedurally generated tin cans to sleek procedurally generated starships. We have gone from dumb-as-nails AI that sits around waiting to be exploited to a whole virtual ecosystem where everything and everyone is subtly interconnected. Every month brings a handful of new little wonders. Josh has been so regular that I have begun to set my own clock against his: It's almost time for Josh's monthly video update ... have I accomplished as much as he's sure to have?

Between Limit Theory, Star Citizen, and Elite: Dangerous, the free-form space simulator genre is about to explode on the PC. We're heading back to the glory days of Wing Commander: Privateer, X and my all-time favorite game in this genre, Freelancer. Of all these new games, it's Limit Theory that seems best poised to take over Freelancer's mantle. It's ironic since Star Citizen lead developer Chris Roberts created Freelancer, but Star Citizen is aiming for loftier goals, leaving room for Limit Theory to carve out a place as the true successor to one of the best games of all time.

[John]

Kickstarter recommendation: ROAM

Category: Computer game
Backers: 3,526
Pledge goal: $40,000
Pledges: $102,518

Funding period end: Feb. 24, 2013, 3:14 p.m. ET
Last project update: July 23, 2014

ROAM website

ROAM updates

About ROAM:

The one thing that is lacking from a lot of mainstream zombie games, in my opinion, is the ability to build and defend. I found myself constantly wanting to build! I wanted to take all the stuff lying around in a game world and make something useful out of it.

Like in real life, the world is not a static board upon which you move. Buildings can be barricaded shut, fortified, and used to craft various things to help you survive. Structures are a great way to defend your allies and stockpile, but be careful because the scarcity of resources and unwanted attention will make you think twice about staying in one spot for too long.

We have created a system for zombies in such a way that they behave with a hive mind mentality. Alerting one can turn into a horde as it grabs the attention of surrounding zombies. As night falls, it is important to find a way to defend yourself as zombie activity is much higher at night.

You are not alone! In your travels, you will encounter various people and interact with them however you wish. You can recruit, ignore, or destroy upon discovering them.

John's report card:

• Update quality: C-. ROAM updated didn't start coming with any level of frequency until April. Prior to that, updates were quite sporadic. Thankfully, communication has remained better over the last three months, and I must credit the team with showing video of in-game footage. The footage is very raw at the moment, but it still gives backers something to work off of.
• Project progress: C+. Through the video updates, we can see how graphics and design choices are shaping up. The progress itself is reasonably promising. Less promising is that it has taken so long to get to where they are right now.
• Release schedule: D. January, 2014 was the estimated date set during the Kickstarter campaign. Continuing a theme we've seen with all these Kickstarter catch-ups, ROAM has slipped significantly from it's first scheduled release date. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any update on a new estimated release date. In fact, the ROAM website's FAQ still says, "More information regarding this will come as we get closer to the tentatively estimated January 2014 date." So how about that information, guys?

• Overall vibe: C- ... ROAM is ever so slowly shambling towards becoming something interesting.

It's probably a good thing I'm writing this catch-up now and not six months ago, or ROAM might be giving a failing grade. Back then, we were getting hardly any updates on the game at all. Worse, ROAM lead developer Ryan Sharr got into a very public scrap with the developer of another game that Mr. Sharr felt had copied ideas from ROAM (Mr. Sharr later retracted this accusation and issued an apology). When this kind of pub is pretty much all we're hearing about your game, that's not so good.

Fortunately, things have turned around over the last three months. Updates are coming with greater frequency, and they often include videos featuring in-game footage. I can see why the team may have wanted to hold back on releasing videos. The game clearly has a long way to go before it's ready for release. That's disappointing given the originally announced January, 2014 release date. But at least we can see the progress is being made, and you can begin to note the potential in the project. It's just going to take time, and probably not an insignificant amount of it. I doubt ROAM will be ready until 2015.

[John]

Kickstarter recommendation: Torment: Tides of Numenera

Category: Computer game
Backers: 74,405
Pledge goal: $900,000
Pledges: $4,188,927

Funding period end: Friday Apr 5, 8:00pm ET
Last project update (Tumblr): July 22, 2014
Last project update (Kickstarter): June 12, 2014

Torment: Tides of Numenera website

Torment: Tides of Numenera updates (Tumblr)
Torment: Tides of Numenera updates (Kickstarter)

About Torment: Tides of Numenera:

Torment: Tides of Numenera™ continues the thematic legacy of the critically acclaimed Planescape: Torment™. Set in Monte Cook's new tabletop role-playing world, Numenera™, the newest Torment asks: What does one life matter?

Torment™ is a game of complex and nuanced morality, deep and reactive choice and consequence, and immersion into a new and strange vision. You will chart a course through bizarre dimensions, across the face of a vastly different world. You will earn companions along the way, and discover their value - perhaps through their strengths, perhaps more literally by selling them. Throughout it all, you will choose a path that will lead inexorably to an ending that stems naturally from your actions, facing adversaries who harness powers beyond your comprehension, and who will ultimately force you to face yourself and answer the question: What does one life matter?

John's report card:

• Update quality: C+. Whenever we get a Torment update through Kickstarter (which arrive every 1-2 months), it's practically overflowing with text. There's almost too much to read at once. The Tumblr updates come more frequently and aren't quite so ungainly, but they are often just reposts of interviews with various video game websites. I think the real problem here is that there are two sources of news instead of one. Personally, I'd rather see all the updates filtered through Kickstarter.
• Project progress: D+. Considering that the game has been in development for over a year, I would expect to be seeing some in-game footage. But aside from a few seconds of in-game animation, nada. The massive Kickstarter updates are long on lore and information about the Numenera campaign setting, but short on Torment development updates
• Release schedule: D. The Kickstarter-set release date of Dec., 2014 seemed reasonable. It gave inXile over a year and a half after the Kickstarter's conclusion to finish the game. But the project has suffered two delays since then, the latest pushing the release date to Q4 2015. So we're looking at the likelihood of the game being at least a year late, and given that we're still a year and a half away from the new date, don't be surprised if it slips again.

• Overall vibe: C- ... It's encouraging that Torment has a talented team behind it, but until inXile ships Wasteland 2, it's going to be a torment for backers of this game.

Over a year after the campaign ended, there's little new to be said about Torment. It feels like the game is in limbo. Developer inXile is busy with their other, earlier Kickstarter-funded game, Wasteland 2. One gets the feeling that we're not going to start seeing progress on Torment until after Wasteland 2 ships in August.

Despite the lack of substantive updates, I'm not totally down on Torment yet. There is an undeniably talented team behind the game, and Wasteland 2 seems to be shaping up well. What's happening right now is frustrating because I'm a Torment back, not a Wasteland 2 backer, and I want to see progress on the game I backed. I'd be more worried if I felt that the team was incapable of completing their pitched design, though. So I'm staying patient and remaining cautiously optimistic. Still, it's hard to define the last year-plus as anything but a disappointment for Torment backers.

[John]

Kickstarter recommendation: Divinity: Original Sin

Category: Computer game
Backers: 19,541
Pledge goal: $400,000
Pledges: $944,282

Funding period end: Friday Apr 5, 8:00pm ET
Last project update: n/a (game released on June 30, 2014

Divinity: Original Sin website

Divinity: Original Sin aggregate review rating (GameRankings): 86.58%
Divinity: Original Sin aggregate review rating (GameRankings): 88

About Divinity: Original Sin:

Divinity: Original Sin goes back to the values of memorable cRPGs: isometric, party based, turn based, gripping dialogues, choice and consequence, deep story, profound character and party development, a big interactive world filled with characters and items, systemic elements that create surprising behaviors, free exploration rather than linearity... There is only one main goal, and how you get there is completely up to you.

And Divinity: Original Sin does all these things with a modern, state-of-the-art 3D representation.

John's report card:

• Update quality: A+. Larian ran a flawless post-Kickstarter update schedule. Backers received constant video updates that were informative, humorous, and included plenty of in-game footage. Of course, Divinity: Original Sin was already well underway when the Kickstarter began (the crowdfunding was to put "polish" on the game), so there was more to show here than with some other projects. Still, Larian's communication was impressive. Extra kudos to Larian head Swen Vincke for regularly maintaining an excellent blog where he often came clean about challenges and poor decisions. That kind of insight tends to create sympathetic followers.
• Release schedule: C-. Originally scheduled for release in November, 2013, Divinity: Original Sin didn't come out until June 30, 2014. There was some launch-week anger when the GOG version of the game was not ready to go at the same time as the Steam version. The initial report was that GOG was going to hold off releasing the game until their new Galaxy service came online (which isn't supposed to happen until September). That had some backers alternately pointing fingers at GOG and Larian. Fortunately, the game became available on GOG about a week after release.
• Post-release reception: A. Divinity: Original Sin has received near-unanimous accolade since its release. Reviewers seem enamored with the game's modern take on old-school CRPGs. The combat system, which incorporates elemental combinations to interesting effect (e.g. cast a fireball on a pool of water to create a wall of fog that obscures vision), gets particular kudos, as does the rock-paper-scissors conversation system that allows the two protagonists to role play and argue over preferred courses of action. The few complaints tend to revolve around a poor inventory management system and a more lighthearted tone than seen in most games of this ilk.

• John's post-release take: A- ... From my limited playtime, Divinity: Original Sin makes a solid case for being the best turn-based strategy game released in the last 15 years.

Larian proved that you don't need to ask for or collect the most money to produce one heck of a product. While other games were seeking (and receiving) millions from backers, Larian asked for only $400K and pulled in just short of $1M. That's not nearly the haul of other ambitious Kickstarter CRPGs like Pillars of Eternity or Torment: Tides of Numeria, but while those games are still languishing in development, Divinity: Original Sin is out right now on Steam and GOG. And it's arguably the best PC game released this year.

As you see, I'm giving the game an A-. That rating only accounts for a few hours of play, just enough to get through the starter dungeon and begin exploring the large first town. I probably would rate it higher if I had spent more time with the game, but I want to be conservative for now. Everything I have seen so far has impressed me (short of the antiquated inventory system). I particularly love the way the conversation system encourages me to role play with my two protagonists. This game must be an absolute blast to play co-op, and I think I would make time to play with one of you who had the interest.

Seriously, buy this game. It's awesome.

[roncollins]

These are great updates. Very interesting to go back and look at a collection of projects and how they've progressed.

[Cole]

It is a neat thread, although none of these titles really interest me too much. No sports-related crowdfunding tites in there?

[John]

It is a neat thread, although none of these titles really interest me too much. No sports-related crowdfunding tites in there?

I never posted one myself, but fortunately, it's not too late to get in on the "Great Moments in Cleveland Sports Coloring Book" Kickstarter.

It looks like it's going to get funded, too!

[Apollos]

I never posted one myself, but fortunately, it's not too late to get in on the "Great Moments in Cleveland Sports Coloring Book" Kickstarter.

Wait a second.... Cleveland had those?