Wonder if they'll reply.Regarding Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter
I've been waiting for a long time for Elite 4. But this is an absolutely atrocious kickstarter campaign.
The timing is poor - after putting out $125 for Robert's amazing crowd funding, I'm down on funds for another classic game in the genre.
Moreover, the kickstarter page is a logo and a text wall that I can't even be bothered reading.
Please, please, please, if you are at all serious about seeking crowd funding, don't destroy your credibility with such a poor campaign. Show the stuff you have worked on, show the concept development. Get people excited about it. What's the scope? What's the stretch goals? Is it going to be seamless planet to space to system action like the original Frontier? What's the combat going to be like? No don't tell me, show me. I know you guys have *something*. I saw it in the BBC video on the monitors in the background.
I can't fund this kickstarter in good conscience; because I want this thing to succeed wildly.
Look to previous successful kickstarter campaigns, look at Project Eternity, look at Double Fine Adventure, Wasteland 2, and yes look at Star Citizen (while learning lessons from its dodgy start). Figure out how to get a good front load on excitement while getting constant stream of updates to let people know that you're all actively working on it, and that you're serious.
I can't think of anything less impressive than a text wall and a non-commital attitude towards developing this; "Oh, it looked like it was about the right time, so we're throwing this thing up now. We'll need lots of cash, but we've got nothing to show you! Thanks!"
We need guarantees that this is actually the project upon which the studio is now focused, not just an attempted cash grab for a side project that's been in development hell for more than a decade. None of what's been shown assures us on any of this.
And realize that you're now asking for money in the context of a world that has seen Star Citizen. What am I going to see in this game that's not been shown in Star Citizen? Planets and seamless transition is what I'm thinking. Large ship control and management (show it, don't just hint at it). Are we going to get more than just an external 3D model and a stat line to differentiate ships with? That kinda cut-it back in 1996 (even then, it was getting a bit long in the tooth).
If we're not going to get something that is a logical extrapolation of the advances that nearly 2 decades of computing technology has given us, married to the soul of the game that we all loved from back then... then really, what's the point? There are already a variety of space action/trading games that have been released and are been released.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents. I just hope my concerns are premature, and that yes, you do indeed have something excellent to show. I just haven't seen anything that indicates it.
Just sent them a message regarding their kickstarter.
$2 million goal? Not even the effort expended to produce a video? Downright delusional.
on one hand I love procedural generation, on the other that is too much money and they have nothing to show...
Why didn't he just use his studio to make a new Elite years ago?
It is by far his most valuable IP.
My confidence: Very Low
Conspiracy Theory: He wants it to fail. Then he can throw up his arms and say: "The fanbase is no longer there for a new Elite, sorry guys!"
It is by far his most valuable IP.
My confidence: Very Low
Conspiracy Theory: He wants it to fail. Then he can throw up his arms and say: "The fanbase is no longer there for a new Elite, sorry guys!"
Probably. Dude is tired of been haunted by fans asking him about that space game he did when he was young.Why didn't he just use his studio to make a new Elite years ago?
It is by far his most valuable IP.
My confidence: Very Low
Conspiracy Theory: He wants it to fail. Then he can throw up his arms and say: "The fanbase is no longer there for a new Elite, sorry guys!"
"Look, I've moved on. Clearly you should too!"
I was 7 when Elite was released, mashing the "fire" key and relying on docking computers so insert your favourite "YES.gif" when I saw the article on BBC News. Definitely disappointing not to see any assets on the KS page except in the background of the news report, and the rewards need some work. This is *the* game I'd put a large chunk into but I'm not that fussed on my name being attached to various bits and bobs.
Regarding the timing, the UK arm of Kickstarter opened in the last week. That combined with the reaction to Star Citizen probably made it easier. £1.25m seems like a lofty goal for a game that's so UK-centric, hopefully there's enough of us 7 year olds to get it there.
Regarding the timing, the UK arm of Kickstarter opened in the last week. That combined with the reaction to Star Citizen probably made it easier. £1.25m seems like a lofty goal for a game that's so UK-centric, hopefully there's enough of us 7 year olds to get it there.
From a conversation with someone that was employed briefly there a few years ago I believe there has always been something called Elite 4 under development but no-one ever really knew what to do with it. It sounds as if it has some much needed direction now, but as much as I'd like to throw in for it I'm not paying 50 quid to beta test.Edit: Also, if the Kickstarter is to be believed, a small team at Frontier has been building this for a while now, or at least concepting it. Not even a demo video? Jeez.
What a crappy web page, outrageously high target and boring rewards.
If it wasn't for this BBC interview, I would have thought this Kick Starter was a hoax.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20165344
This looks even crappier than David Crane's Pitfall kick starter:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...le-adventure-0
I see they took down the video that had "oh look I made this in 2 hours in Unity3D, 1.8 of those hours wasted on hunting down generic tree models on the internet. And they weren't even JUNGLE trees!"
If it wasn't for this BBC interview, I would have thought this Kick Starter was a hoax.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20165344
This looks even crappier than David Crane's Pitfall kick starter:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...le-adventure-0
I see they took down the video that had "oh look I made this in 2 hours in Unity3D, 1.8 of those hours wasted on hunting down generic tree models on the internet. And they weren't even JUNGLE trees!"
I'd love a new Elite on modern technology - but this is a poor show really and given how little he and his company have produced over the years and all the vapourware I just can't give to this particular KS (at least as it stands currently).
I consider the game one of the most influential from that period - but after the mess of Frontier, the games that never saw the light of day I just can't get enthusiastic about this. From the comments in general I guess I'm not the only one.
I consider the game one of the most influential from that period - but after the mess of Frontier, the games that never saw the light of day I just can't get enthusiastic about this. From the comments in general I guess I'm not the only one.
Really a bad kickstarter campaign. Even the single pledge tiers don't have a name.
This seems rushed for easy money.
This seems rushed for easy money.
I've a soft spot for Elite but I dunno about the pitch.
Ignoring all the practical aspects and the timing etc the concept, as described, needs to be a lot more ambitious.
God, I oft thought of a modern Elite and now this leaves me feeling a bit flat.
Ignoring all the practical aspects and the timing etc the concept, as described, needs to be a lot more ambitious.
God, I oft thought of a modern Elite and now this leaves me feeling a bit flat.
Well, I would have wanted to see more sceens, concepts, etc but I´m actually glad to see a project that doesn´t cover 2/3 of the project page with stretch goals and rewards.
I love Elite.
But I don't want multiplayer in the game. Am I alone in this? I want a single-player space exploration/trade game.
But I don't want multiplayer in the game. Am I alone in this? I want a single-player space exploration/trade game.
Haha, what a laugh. I always think of Braben as a delusional guy living off a fame long gone but this is just silly.
This is another "SHAKER" in the making... horrible pitch, no goal whatsoever and a HUGE lump of money required. Buzz off, man.
Project Eternity raised the bar soooo high for a good pitch I honestly don't believe that someone as Braben (or Brenda & Hall) think they can get away with this.
This is another "SHAKER" in the making... horrible pitch, no goal whatsoever and a HUGE lump of money required. Buzz off, man.
Project Eternity raised the bar soooo high for a good pitch I honestly don't believe that someone as Braben (or Brenda & Hall) think they can get away with this.
Developers outside of the US are forced to use their local currencies? Eh. I think that having to use £ is a pretty significant disadvantage, since people outside of the UK (aka the huge majority of people on Kickstarter) aren't really accustomed to the currency. Even if some brits would like to think that their currency is important...
With the original Elite, Braben and Bell really did capture lightning a bottle.
Unfortunately they have failed to reproduce that magic ever since.
It's pretty clear this is an opportunistic kickstarter with little or no chance of meetings fans expectations for the title.
Decades have passed now since Elite and Frontier. I can't honestly believe that there would be no publisher interest for the title if there was a reasonable prototype of the technology and a half decent game design document.
This leads me to believe that Frontier either has done very little work on it to date or that the quality wasn't high enough to get publishers reaching for their wallets.
Either way, it doesn't bode well for this kickstarter and the end product for those willing to (foolishly) back the title in the hope that everything turns out great (it won't).
Unfortunately they have failed to reproduce that magic ever since.
It's pretty clear this is an opportunistic kickstarter with little or no chance of meetings fans expectations for the title.
Decades have passed now since Elite and Frontier. I can't honestly believe that there would be no publisher interest for the title if there was a reasonable prototype of the technology and a half decent game design document.
This leads me to believe that Frontier either has done very little work on it to date or that the quality wasn't high enough to get publishers reaching for their wallets.
Either way, it doesn't bode well for this kickstarter and the end product for those willing to (foolishly) back the title in the hope that everything turns out great (it won't).
Last edited by SpinningBirdKick; 11-06-2012 at 04:46 PM.
Well, to be honest, Project Eternity succeeded because of the Obsidian love, not because of their pitch. They had a video with the developers talking about the goal with the project, but the content wasn´t really that much different from this at the start.Haha, what a laugh. I always think of Braben as a delusional guy living off a fame long gone but this is just silly.
This is another "SHAKER" in the making... horrible pitch, no goal whatsoever and a HUGE lump of money required. Buzz off, man.
Project Eternity raised the bar soooo high for a good pitch I honestly don't believe that someone as Braben (or Brenda & Hall) think they can get away with this.
Well, I'm conflicted.
On one hand, any mention of Elite makes me excited, on the other, for such a huge Kickstarter goal, that was one of the most poorly put together pitches I have ever seen.
Sorry Braben, after Star Citizen shown how a space sim should be pitched, this is going to bomb, which is a shame.
On one hand, any mention of Elite makes me excited, on the other, for such a huge Kickstarter goal, that was one of the most poorly put together pitches I have ever seen.
Sorry Braben, after Star Citizen shown how a space sim should be pitched, this is going to bomb, which is a shame.
Yeh, this looks pretty darn shady from the outside. There was that story a year or two ago that was posted on GAF where an ex Frontier employee said that Braben uses elite 4 to tempt Dev's to sign up, then they never really get to work on it. I know he has shall we say a little bit of a reputation in regards to the business side of gaming development.
They're a UK company and kickstarter has only just started to accept UK projects, so that might have something to do with the timing, but still...
They're a UK company and kickstarter has only just started to accept UK projects, so that might have something to do with the timing, but still...
Excellent post. Especially the [B] part.Originally Posted by SpinningBirdKick
With the original Elite, Braben and Bell really did capture lightning a bottle.
Unfortunately they have failed to reproduce that magic ever since.
It's pretty clear this is an opportunistic kickstarter with little or no chance of meetings fans expectations for the title.
Decades have past now since Elite and Frontier. I can't honestly believe that there would be no publisher interest for the title if there was a reasonable prototype of the technology and a half decent game design document.
This leads me to believe that Frontier either has done very little work on it to date or that the quality wasn't high enough to get publishers reaching for their wallets.
Either way, it doesn't bode well for this kickstarter and the end product for those willing to (foolishly) back the title in the hope that everything turns out great (it won't).
I have to disagree. Their pitch video was nothing special, on that I agree but the sheer amount of text, graphics, subsequent videos by Tim, JE Sawyer and Chris were amazing. Even if someone didn't know Obisidian, they could have been "pulled in" just after reading all about the project on the project page. It was clear from that that PE was planned a while ago and pitched around because they had tons of material to show. That's not the case here. They have nothing to show.Originally Posted by CecilRousso
Well, to be honest, Project Eternity succeeded because of the Obsidian love, not because of their pitch. They had a video with the developers talking about the goal with the project, but the content wasn´t really that much different from this at the start.
Yikes at all the criticisms. I came across this kickstarter earlier and was interested in contributing but became frustrated with how poorly the project was presented.
Another British kickstarter that frustrates me is The Ship: Full Steam Ahead. I loved The Ship but they're really not giving me much to go on with their kickstarter page. It's like they're expecting blind loyalty from The Ship fans.
Another British kickstarter that frustrates me is The Ship: Full Steam Ahead. I loved The Ship but they're really not giving me much to go on with their kickstarter page. It's like they're expecting blind loyalty from The Ship fans.
This honestly deserves to fail. And I loved Elite and Frontier.
There really does seem to be a trend of awfully pitched but big-named UK Kickstarter projects. Wonder if it's a culture thing.
So social gaming isn't the future now Mister Braben ? ;)
Still will throw a buck to subscribe to updates stream.
Still will throw a buck to subscribe to updates stream.
Good luck, I guess. They'll need it for this piece of shit kickstarter.
PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 XBOX PS4 PS4
(11-06-2012, 10:40 AM)
Needs a little more proof reading.
Pledge £20 or more
Reserve a digital copy of the game, plus all rewards above.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
Pledge £30 or more
Reserve a digital copy of the game, plus all rewards above.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
It's the same. Why pay £10 more?
Pledge £20 or more
Reserve a digital copy of the game, plus all rewards above.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
Pledge £30 or more
Reserve a digital copy of the game, plus all rewards above.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
It's the same. Why pay £10 more?
the £20 tier is limited.Originally Posted by cyberheater
Needs a little more proof reading.
Pledge £20 or more
Reserve a digital copy of the game, plus all rewards above.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
Pledge £30 or more
Reserve a digital copy of the game, plus all rewards above.
Estimated delivery: Mar 2014
It's the same. Why pay £10 more?
PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 XBOX PS4 PS4
(11-06-2012, 10:43 AM)
Eh, I wanted The Outsider.
I wonder if Matthew Smith is feverishly digging through his old boxes for Megatree documentation given recent developments?
They really need to revaluate this kickstarter, their target budget now is way too high. I say scale it back, see how it goes and then ask for more.
"We’re using Kickstarter both as a means of test-marketing the concept to verify there is still interest in such a game that extends beyond the individuals who regularly contact me about the game, and raising the funds to do so. There is also the fact that as long as we hit the threshold, it commits us to making the game."
Ridiculous.
Ridiculous.
It succeeded because they're a known developer who have produced solid games recently. There's a reason why most of the old developers who haven't produced anything since the game they're remaking fall on their ass. People aren't complete suckers.Originally Posted by CecilRousso
Well, to be honest, Project Eternity succeeded because of the Obsidian love, not because of their pitch. They had a video with the developers talking about the goal with the project, but the content wasn´t really that much different from this at the start.
Who says I have to decide between Braben and Chris Roberts?Originally Posted by thelatestmodel
Hate to break it to you, but I'd trust Chris Roberts' track record way more than David Braben's at this point. This might not be the Elite you remember, and Star Citizen is looking like it's going to be fucking incredible.
Plus, as others have pointed out, the timing is so sketchy.
I am going to back both projects.
And BTW, I don't trust Roberts more than Braben, must I remind you that he has been years outside of the videogames industry doing shitty films?
I back them because they are responsible of some of my greatest gaming experiences and because I want more of that, and if there is a even a tiny chance of getting that, I want it.
Braben can sod off. Dudes been claiming Elite 4 is on its way for years. I have zero faith.
It probably helped enormously that DB got his buddy Rory Cellan-Jones at the BBC to give him some free publicity. That is actually quite a surprising amount of money for just one day's worth of what is, as acknowledged elsewhere in this thread, a rather lacklustre looking pitch.And hmm, it's up to £105,084 now, as I guess Europe woke up.
I played Frontier: Elite II so much that my friends hated that game and me :D
But this kickstater is pretty bullshit... it just says "give me monies plz"
Star Citizen on the other has has me really exited.
But this kickstater is pretty bullshit... it just says "give me monies plz"
Star Citizen on the other has has me really exited.
My worry about Star Citizen is that my computer will even run it. For all the problems Elite II and III had, they ran pretty well, while I had to return Strike Commander because of poor performance (back in the days you could return software). Then again, Chris Sawyer wrote Frontier in assembly for the PC version. Maybe he could be a stretch goalI played Frontier: Elite II so much that my friends hated that game and me :D
But this kickstater is pretty bullshit... it just says "give me monies plz"
Star Citizen on the other has has me really exited.
And dang, it's up £113,140 since I last looked
£120k already, seriously this is gonna get funded
You can name a frontier star system! Seems to me that would be a really fitting tribute to Scorcho if we could somehow get together and make that happen.
What say you, GAF?
What say you, GAF?
Seems like a good pace so far, but unless he puts in some decent updates in the next 59 days, I can't see it keeping this pace. I mean a BBC Online article on day one is bound to draw some attention, but he's not gonna get one of them everyday.
Yeah, it's still a million (!) pounds to go. But if it gets up to 300-400k by this time tomorrow, it probably does have a shot, considering the 60 daysSeems like a good pace so far, but unless he puts in some decent updates in the next 59 days, I can't see it keeping this pace. I mean a BBC Online article on day one is bound to draw some attention, but he's not gonna get one of them everyday.
Braben, I love you, I love Elite, but there's just no way, sorry
You actually, you know, produce a game, and it's good, I'll buy it! How about that!
You actually, you know, produce a game, and it's good, I'll buy it! How about that!
Elite is not "any". Some of you are understimating the weight Elite has on the collective conscience of gamers from that generation.o.O that's like another £15k in just 30 minutes. I guess people will give money to any old thing on Kickstarter these days.
I have no doubt this project will be backed way before those 60 days. However I hope the long KS is set that way so Braben can show something, if he has it. This is by far the poorest KS I have ever seen for a big project.
It's funny, Chris Roberts started with a blast, tons of info, real time footage, plans all settled. Some weeks later he was lamenting it because people wanted "new stuff" even if he had released a ton already. Now here we are with a project so poorly detailed that we are wondering if Braben has even a concept for it. So hard is to reach a medium point?
Last edited by Acosta; 11-06-2012 at 01:00 PM.
I expect he'll make the goal if he paces out reveals and PR for this KS over the 60 days, despite the bare bones nature of its start.
Nothing to show and not even a pitch video....
All the dinner with David have sold out
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