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Republique Kickstarter by Ryan Payton - NOW FOR PC AND MAC! [Ended, $555K funded]

kyubajin

Member
Kicked 10 in, the concept video and gameplay really appealed to me. I do get some super star vibe from the guy but, if the game is good, it doesn't really matter.
 

boingball

Member
hHow do they plan on releasing the game to the backers? I may be wrong, but I thought the App Store limited on how many codes the Dev's get for promotion? I guess they can just gift it to everyone manually?

We do not know yet. From the FAQ:


How will we receive the game for my iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch?
While we can't get into details just yet, Apple representatives were kind enough to sit down with Alexei and I and explain a few distribution options to us. Ultimately, the distribution method will be decided post-funding, but we can assure you that you will get the game for your iOS device at launch!
 

Quote

Member
We do not know yet. From the FAQ:


How will we receive the game for my iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch?
While we can't get into details just yet, Apple representatives were kind enough to sit down with Alexei and I and explain a few distribution options to us. Ultimately, the distribution method will be decided post-funding, but we can assure you that you will get the game for your iOS device at launch!
Whoa, should have checked. I didn't think they'd be that transparent about it already.
 
Touch Arcade are the absolute worst. So glad more people can see what morons they are :l Anyway, Payton's concept looks and sounds interesting. Might chip in later if I've got scratch
 
Toucharcade shits themselves over crap flash games with low framerates yet they won't touch this? Seriously? Now all of the sudden they have standards?

Yeah, wonderful double standards there. It's a shame, because the concept looks pretty good. If this game was being aimed at PC, it wouldn't have a problem getting funding at all. But unfortunately the Kickstarter-iOS combination is not boding well for this one.
 

Jonnyram

Member
I have a feeling Ryan's got some tricks up his sleeve to give this more momentum further down the line.
If it maintains its current pace, it will make it, but it definitely needs a couple of tricks to keep that pace going.
It needs some more big spenders too... those high brackets need more love.

Also, a mockup of the iPhone case would be appreciated, so I can decide whether to upgrade or not :)
 
Yeah TA guy apparently got some vendetta against kickstarter

Kickstarter is everything that is wrong with the "millennial" generation, wholly concentrated into a single web site. Back in my day, if you wanted to open up a lemonade stand, you did everything you could to get the funding together to make that happen. If you couldn't finance it personally, you'd borrow money from whatever family, friends, and fools you can drum up, and be personally responsible for its repayment. You'd then take that money, open your lemonade stand, hopefully turn a profit, then pay everyone back. Alternatively, if you didn't turn a profit or couldn't get your lemonade stand off the ground for one reason or another, you still needed to worry about the money you owed everyone. This caused you to only ask for money when you really believed in your lemonade stand, or, at least, enough to risk your neck for it.

In this crazy Kickstarter-laden world we live in now, the scenario is totally different. You decide on the vague idea that you want to start a lemonade stand, you don't have the means to do it, so you jingle around a change jar with a line on it. You sucker people into giving money to you because they like lemonade, and you offer them some sort of commemorative sticker as "thanks." Meanwhile, while people might be filling up your change jar, you're free at any time to up and decide that you don't want to run a lemonade stand anymore, and instead you're going to sell Kool-Ade, fruit punch, or any other number of derivative things.

In fact, you don't even have to open anything at all. What's stopping you from actually fulfilling your promises? Not Kickstarter, that's for sure.

From their own Help pages:

-Kickstarter does not investigate a creator's ability to complete their project.

-Because projects are usually funded by the friends, fans, and communities around its creator, there are powerful social forces that keep creators accountable.

-At the end of the day, use your internet street smarts.

So, essentially, you don't have to do anything you say you're going to do. Kickstarter gets their 30% rake, and as someone who donated you're left with "powerful social forces" such as complaining on Twitter when things don't pan out.

We're not posting about Kickstarter stuff anymore because of how silly it's getting. Here we have someone looking for half a million dollars based on a four minute video with no gameplay, and three concept images. Anything we post about games in this stage is little more than a post that says "Hey give these people money and cross your fingers."

I appreciate what they're trying to do, but, how many paid games out there that target a hardcore audience even gross half as much money as these guys are asking for on Kickstarter?

I guess you'd eventually get fed up with this stuff, especially when every big name ks game has a supposed iOS version as well.
 

Omikaru

Member
His argument basically devolves into a generational entitlement thing. What an ass. He's intentionally misrepresented the game on offer, and the entire Kickstarter model, all in the name of personal biases.

I wonder what crawled up his ass for him to take that line? I can understand not covering every Kickstarter, but this particular one seems newsworthy to me, just from the sheer ambition of it. Even if he laces any story about it with cynicism or a warning about Kickstarter, it's his job to cover big events relating to iOS whether he likes them or not.

But hey, gaemz jernalizm, lulz.
 
How can someone that runs an iOS site start an argument with "Back in my day...".

His analogy is a little flawed. Even without Kickstarter you could change your Lemon-aid stand to a Kool-Ade stand if you wanted too. Nothing is really stopping a person from unfulfilling their promises regardless of what method they use (Unless of course you're dealing directly with a Bank... or a crime lord).

I don't see Kickstarter (Or Indiegogo) being much different from sticking a Paypal link on a website. Other than the fact you have to do much less leg work to get your project noticed.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Yeah, wonderful double standards there. It's a shame, because the concept looks pretty good. If this game was being aimed at PC, it wouldn't have a problem getting funding at all. But unfortunately the Kickstarter-iOS combination is not boding well for this one.
I still can't get over the attitude from Toucharcade. I mean, they really DO cover and praise so much shit on that site. I'm always surprised by how excited they seem about terrible games to the point that I sometimes wonder if the staff started gaming with the iPhone. They have such little taste.

With something like this I would have expected tons of coverage as it looks significantly more interesting than many other iOS games.
 

Haunted

Member
Is touch arcade a huge deal or why are we giving so much attention to that one guy?


I still can't get over the attitude from Toucharcade. I mean, they really DO cover and praise so much shit on that site. I'm always surprised by how excited they seem about terrible games to the point that I sometimes wonder if the staff started gaming with the iPhone. They have such little taste.

With something like this I would have expected tons of coverage as it looks significantly more interesting than many other iOS games.
Well, that actually seems to line up. Young staffers who started out with the iPhone praising shit games probably wouldn't be interested in a high profile effort that more closely resembles the values of traditional games.


disclaimer: I've never been to the site before
 

Omikaru

Member
Is touch arcade a huge deal or why are we giving so much attention to that one guy?

A lot of people go there to get opinions on iOS games.

Personally, I think the site is awful. Writing standards and quality are barely above mediocre (at best), and some of the generic turds they call golden is quite staggering.

I'm not exactly one to harp on about games journalism (I think it's shit, but I'd rather be more constructive than bitch about it), but the iOS gaming sites do come across as bush league. And that's me comparing them to the likes of Kotaku and IGN.
 

mclem

Member
It has a chance, but it will be difficult. The first two days and the last two days are the busiest Kickstarter days.

I think the 'first two days' part might depend on the specific project. Not all projects burst out of the blocks; Jane Jensen's has had a very slow start, but has had fairly steady progress beyond that point.

I'd expect a peak on the last two days from any project that has either achieved the goal by then (people buying in to the bonuses at the last minute) or is extremely close (people trying to just push it over), though; I think that's still true.
 

SovanJedi

provides useful feedback
This game looks really slick, and I hope they make it, but I don't feel the emergency in funding the Kickstarter for this as I think the emphasis on "proving" that the audience is there on iOS isn't needed in light of games such as Infinity Blade. If the game gets made and comes out, though, I'll definitely snap it up.


Eli Hodapp's response to all this is really uncalled for, and full of fallacies too. What a twat.
 
Disheartening to see TA shit on these Kickstarter projects like that. Instead of putting their personal views on it I'd like them to just post these kind of projects on the site and let people decide for themselves.
 

CrunchinJelly

formerly cjelly
Disheartening to see TA shit on these Kickstarter projects like that. Instead of putting their personal views on it I'd like them to just post these kind of projects on the site and let people decide for themselves.

The site would end up being nothing but Kickstarter projects.

If people want to see what is on KS, let them go to the site themselves.
 
The site would end up being nothing but Kickstarter projects.

If people want to see what is on KS, let them go to the site themselves.

Oh, I meant just relevant iOS projects such as this or maybe mentioning a iOS port of something like the Double Fine adventure. Or even better doing a weekly post about current and new iOS projects. Nice and organized and wouldn't flood their main page.
 

Keio

For a Finer World
Funded. Although I wonder how they will distribute the game on iOS to backers. They won't have enough promo codes for all the people contributing.

edit: just read previous pages, seems a lot of us are wondering about this. Best suggestion has been manually gifting this to every backer. What. A. Job.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
The site would end up being nothing but Kickstarter projects.

If people want to see what is on KS, let them go to the site themselves.
There's a difference between mentioning any old KS project and posting information on a particularly high profile one.

This particular game represents something that the platform lacks and could help pave the way for more ambitious projects in the future. I think it's important that the game be known.
 

DaBuddaDa

Member
I like how "millennial" is the new boogeyman people can point to as if you can make sweeping generalizations about entire generations consisting of millions upon millions of people of diverse backgrounds, races, genders, etc. It's reductive ignorance at its worst. Go choke on one, TA.
 
There's a difference between mentioning any old KS project and posting information on a particularly high profile one.

This particular game represents something that the platform lacks and could help pave the way for more ambitious projects in the future. I think it's important that the game be known.
Exactly, if a game like this succeeded on iOS it could have huge implications for the future of the market. It's not exactly your average iOS game.
 
Kickstarter is everything that is wrong with the "millennial" generation, wholly concentrated into a single web site.

As part of the Millenial Generation (had to Google to see if I qualify) I am proud that I'm not main target for shit like Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and OBNOXIOUS iOS development. Also, if he shits on Millenials - is he older? That makes him a dinosaur running iOS website. Younger? That makes him little shit, plain and simple.
 

Minsc

Gold Member
Is touch arcade a huge deal or why are we giving so much attention to that one guy?

They're the biggest gaming iOS site afaik, and many of the developers of games people like here, post there. Like Ravenmark, Star Command, etc... in fact the majority of app developers have accounts and post there. We have a handful here too, but there's hundreds there. The site tends to get news a little quicker sometimes because of that.
 

painey

Member
Game looks interesting, but iOS is an absolute turn off. I just don't want to play 'proper' games on my iPod touch. Would think about it for PC or XBLA but really rigt now I can't even think about backing it even $1.
 

tim.mbp

Member
I still can't get over the attitude from Toucharcade. I mean, they really DO cover and praise so much shit on that site. I'm always surprised by how excited they seem about terrible games to the point that I sometimes wonder if the staff started gaming with the iPhone. They have such little taste.

One of the writers use to work for Giant Bomb.
 

Crub

Member
If this doesn't use touch screen in a way that would make the game impossible with other input devices I think it's stupid for them to only make the game for iOS.
 

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
I think the story is gonna be integral to the device used to play the game. That might get lost if it's ported? I dunno.
 

Salaadin

Member
I think the story is gonna be integral to the device used to play the game. That might get lost if it's ported? I dunno.

If played on an iPad, it sounds like the whole phone call thing will be different so theyll probably handle it the same way on other devices. Personally, Id rather play it on a phone for the extra element that it brings.
 
Game looks interesting, but iOS is an absolute turn off. I just don't want to play 'proper' games on my iPod touch. Would think about it for PC or XBLA but really rigt now I can't even think about backing it even $1.


This is probably why the KS will fail. I don't agree with this... but it is a pretty big mentality right now.

And to be fair, I felt that way for a long while until sword and sworcery and Game Dev Story. Both games that I've had 2+ hour play sessions.
 

Ulairi

Banned
THey should have announced it for the three main mobile platforms and PC. I don't think iOS will support something like this at all. I hope it breaks $100,000 but I don't see that happening.
 
THey should have announced it for the three main mobile platforms and PC. I don't think iOS will support something like this at all. I hope it breaks $100,000 but I don't see that happening.
It'll break $100,000, but it's meaningless if it doesn't reach $500,000.
Because you don't get a penny unless you reach your goal with KS.
 

Aaron

Member
I like how "millennial" is the new boogeyman people can point to as if you can make sweeping generalizations about entire generations consisting of millions upon millions of people of diverse backgrounds, races, genders, etc. It's reductive ignorance at its worst. Go choke on one, TA.
It's so odd to mention when I'm pretty sure Ryan Payton isn't an millennial.
 
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