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Kickstarter: Citizens of Earth - A Modern RPG. Earthbound-ish RPG by Eden Industries
- Thread starter RM8
- Start date
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Don't worry, there's a ton of ethnic variety! You can see many such examples in the art and video on the Kickstarter, but there's a ton more on the way too.
Some of the initial characters in the game (specifically the pasty-white, red-headed VP and his family) are meant to poke a bit of fun at the traditional American political landscape, or at least how we up here in Canada view it
But yes a big focus of ours with this game is on ethnic and gender diversity. So please expect to see characters from all around the world, from all walks of life.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
We sure hope it'll come to Wii U! We have that as a stretch goal on Kickstarter, but Nintendo seems to really like the game already and specifically sent us a dev kit to port it to Wii U. So we're working on that currently, and I really do hope we'll be able to release it on there
And yeah we knew it was risky to try something a bit different art-wise, but we hope there are people out there who like it
I think the risk with the art style you're taking is paying off. The fact that it's not anime / retro/ pixel/ Japanese/ medieval influenced is great. It's got it's own style that fits the game.
Everdred
Member
I had no idea about this... that puts a lot of stuff into perspective and makes me feel bad for the Takedown: Red Sabre team.Well let me break it down for you:
KS takes 5%
Payment processing takes 3% plus 20 cents per pledge
Canadian income tax takes ~17% right off the top
Adding it all up, it's about 25%. I think many people forget that the money you raise from Kickstarter is taxable, and the government demands their cut! Unfortunate, but true
frankie_baby
Member
after watching the video i'm even more impressed
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thanks! We definitely wanted to go with something unique, art-wise, and I do think that what we came up with fits the theme of the game pretty well.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Yeah it's a bit crazy when you think about it! As if it wasn't hard enough making games eh?
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Glad to hear it, thanks a ton! We're not professional videographers by any means, but we're pretty happy with the way it turned out.
Uncle0wnage
Member
I'd say it does, especially in the video in the kickstarter page when the show close ups of party members.
Really? The forrest doesnt look like much but the city part is basically Neo-Threed . It looks like a modern take on a very particular game, and it does a great job while avoiding the usual pixel retro crap that plagues this projects.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Interesting point! If you'll indulge me, allow me to explain the ways in which we were inspired by Earthbound:
- Modern setting. This one is pretty obvious, but I think is important since for some reason there still aren't many RPGs made with a modern setting.
- Art style. Certainly there will be folks who disagree, and obviously we weren't going for an emulation of Earthbound's style. But the light-hearted, cartoony nature was something we were very inspired by, even if we took it in a bit of a different direction.
- Parody-inspired theme. It's been said of Earthbound that it's a Japanese-viewpoint on American culture. Whether that's true or not, that idea certainly inspired us (as Canadians) to explore our perception of the landscape of Americana as we see it.
- Overworld gameplay. Borrowing heavily from Earthbound's innovations in the overworld, enemies will join in battles if you begin an encounter nearby and you can autowin against weak enemies.
- Humorous characters. One of my personal favorite things about Earthbound are the awesome characters. We tried to really breathe and lot of life and personality into our characters as well.
Now this list may do nothing more than show how we were inspired by Earthbound, and do little to convince you that we've captured the Earthbound vibe. If you'll indulge me once more, let me share a quote from a recent hands-on preview article of the game:
"Citizens of Earth has successfully drawn inspiration from the past, and specifically Earthbound, to create a modern update that could potentially live up to its epic muse." (source: http://www.gamezebo.com/news/2013/09/20/hands-citizens-earth)
Anyway, long story short, if you like Earthbound, I really do think you'll like Citizens of Earth. But I won't belabour the point any longer. And so I'll just say, thanks for checking out the game, and I hope you don't give up on it yet!
terrisus
Member
(Not cutting out the middle part to ignore it, just didn't want a big huge quote block)
I suppose it's mainly the charcters which are giving it a much different feeling from Earthbound. Especially the main character, who just seems too over-the-top and obnoxious. I suppose that's not too out-of-the-ordinary for politicians (certainly has a stereotypical politician feel to him), just that it's in rather stark contrast to the much more demure Ness.
Also that I'm not too much of a fan of enlarged portions of characters appearing at the bottom of the screen when they're talking - always feel that they're rather ostentatious, and just further intensifies that I'm not getting a good feeling from the characters - and of course was something that Earthbound doesn't do either.
I mean, the game looks interesting - and I'm definitely in favor of more turn-based RPGs, which I love, since so many games now seem to be "Action-RPGs" - and I'll probably end up checking it out/pledging toward it. Suppose I'm just kind of desensitized by so many games saying "Inspired by/In the style of Earthbound!"
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thanks for going into a bit more detail about your thoughts! It's true that our characters are very over-the-top in a lot of ways. That was a purposeful design choice to make regular characters (Baker, School Teacher, etc.) come alive and be more than a simple caricature. So in that sense, you do have a point that it deviates from Earthbound. Or at least, possibly the main characters of Earthbound. The supporting cast can sure be over-the-top at times!
And yeah I am aware that the "Inspired by Earthbound" line is a commonly used one. But I'm confident that if you love Earthbound, you'll find a lot to like in Citizens of Earth. If you're interested, I'm happy to test that confidence by hooking you up with our demo. Just let me know!
It's funny, the game is obviously heavily inspired by Earthbound, but still feels really unique compared to basically any other kickstarter I've seen. Earthbound isn't a game that's been copied very often itself, and most "heavily inspired" games don't change their artstyle much from the game they're comparing it too.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thank you! The "inspired by Earthbound but still unique" vibe is something we were really hoping would come across.
Ninja Scooter
Member
People on the team who have worked on Guacamelee?
airmangataosenai
Member
Eh, I dunno about this one. Earthbound was great for the writing and with all the characters seemingly being generic classes I am not filled with confidence.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Well a huge part of the game (and maybe this deserves further explanation) is that while the characters are inspired by generic caricatures, they're actually full of really unique personality and charm! It was done like this to create a contrast between the seemingly-run-of-the-mill characters and the reality of their personalities.
But I do see your point, it's possible that isn't really explained very well...perhaps an update to the KS page is in order! Thanks for mentioning this.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thanks a ton! I'm glad you're liking the Conspiracy Guy, he definitely is a pretty interesting character
Took a look at the page, and this looks fun! I love the Mother series and you've captured a bit of that really well.
I seem to be in the minority here, but I actually really like the art style. It reminds me a bit of the Hector point-and-clicks that were on the IOS/PC.
I also like the overall presentation and writing, from what I can see. I'll be looking out for this, and when I get some extra funds I'll try to back it!
I seem to be in the minority here, but I actually really like the art style. It reminds me a bit of the Hector point-and-clicks that were on the IOS/PC.
I also like the overall presentation and writing, from what I can see. I'll be looking out for this, and when I get some extra funds I'll try to back it!
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thanks! I'm really glad you're digging the game. And yeah the art style definitely seems to be polarizing, but I don't think you're in the minority. Different strokes for different folks I guess
Anyway thanks for your support, and if you do get a chance to back it, well I thank you very much now in advance!
Hero of Legend
Member
So Waveform is Eden's other game? Why not bring that to Wii U and 3DS as well?
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Yes Waveform is our last game. And we are actually hoping to bring it to Wii U and 3DS too! The main trouble is just finding the time. It's hard enough trying to develop one game, let alone keep up with ports of the other
But it is something I really do want to do. Hopefully, somehow, either Waveform will be successful enough to help fund Citizens of Earth, or Citizens of Earth will be successful enough to allow us to push Waveform out to new platforms.
Hero of Legend
Member
Yes Waveform is our last game. And we are actually hoping to bring it to Wii U and 3DS too! The main trouble is just finding the time. It's hard enough trying to develop one game, let alone keep up with ports of the other
But it is something I really do want to do. Hopefully, somehow, either Waveform will be successful enough to help fund Citizens of Earth, or Citizens of Earth will be successful enough to allow us to push Waveform out to new platforms.
YAY! Looks trippy, hope to see it!
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
YAY! Looks trippy, hope to see it!
Thanks! It's very, very different from Citizens of Earth
. But we're very proud of both!EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thanks for your support! I'm really glad you're liking the game. Any help you can provide to the Kickstarter (via pledging or even just sharing the link around) would be very much appreciated!
Hours Left
Member
Watching this one closely, I love the concept.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Fantastic, thanks! If you can share it with some other folks you think would enjoy it, I'm hoping we can get it funded!
Hero of Legend
Member
Space should've been the final Stretch Tier.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thanks! I really hope we're able to make it to Vita. I know it's a lot to ask, but if you were so inclined to support the Kickstarter currently, you always have the option of backing out if you don't feel it's going to hit where you want it to. And that way we get the support now, which helps to drum up future support (specifically through the popular list on Kickstarter) but you don't lose out in case it doesn't go the way you want. Anyway, just something to consider! Either way though, I'm really glad you're interested, and very appreciative of your support!
Celeryface
Member
Hope you guys do well on your KickStarter. I wish you the best of luck. I'm glad that KickStarter is now available in Canada, so more devs like yourself and Hinterland Games can create new experiences through self publishing.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Thanks for your support! And yes I'm very glad Kickstarter has finally arrived in Canada too
Cameron122
Member
Love the title, looks great. When I have some spare cash I'll back it.
All of my design documents are basically "I liked the ideas of these games right here even though they were pretty bad." I don't anyone in their right mind would say that during a crowdfunding effort.
I am not of my right mind
All of my design documents are basically "I liked the ideas of these games right here even though they were pretty bad." I don't anyone in their right mind would say that during a crowdfunding effort.
I am not of my right mind
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Love the title, looks great. When I have some spare cash I'll back it.
All of my design documents are basically "I liked the ideas of these games right here even though they were pretty bad." I don't anyone in their right mind would say that during a crowdfunding effort.
I am not of my right mind
Right on, thanks! And actually a lot of bad games can have very good design lessons. In fact, sometimes bad games have more to teach than great games in a lot of ways
Cameron122
Member
Right on, thanks! And actually a lot of bad games can have very good design lessons. In fact, sometimes bad games have more to teach than great games in a lot of ways
I definitely agree! Hard to make a good UI if you haven't seen some bad ones, for example
Going to second this. I'm tired of the typical pixel/retro/blocky (think Minecraft) art style. Give me something that feels like it's doing it's own thing even if it's influenced by things of the past, instead of 1:1 copying previous games. I'm really liking the visuals here. Backed quickly after watching the video.
Poltergust
Member
The art style is so far my favorite thing about this game. I love how expressive all of the characters are.
Before I pledge anything, though, I'd like this question to be answered: if I pledge $15 to get a copy of a game and the Wii U stretch goal is reached, can I specify that I want to get the Wii U version? I can't really play games on my PC, so...
Before I pledge anything, though, I'd like this question to be answered: if I pledge $15 to get a copy of a game and the Wii U stretch goal is reached, can I specify that I want to get the Wii U version? I can't really play games on my PC, so...
Can't really pledge more than $15 at the moment, gonna wait a bit and pledge more later! Good luck!
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
Phew, thanks guys It's great to hear that. Sometimes it's hard to gauge the result of trying to do something different, but I'm glad it's sitting well with some!
And yes, Poltergust, you're absolutely able to specify which platform you want. I unfortunately didn't think to specify that when initially writing the rewards (and now I'm not able to change the description) but I have added it to the FAQ at the bottom of the page.
EdenIndustries
Neo Member
There's actually a video right at the top of the Kickstarter page! Reposted here for your convenience: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499609193/citizens-of-earth-a-modern-rpg
LiquidMetal14
hide your water-based mammals
You guys should tweet Shahid or find the right number to get a hold of the Sony folks. They've contacted far less prominent indies. They aren't impossible to reach.