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[Kresnik258]

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What is Rogue Raiders Online?

Sci-Fi Action-RPG scheduled to release for PlayStation Vita exclusively in 2017.

From the press release:

Rogue Raiders Online is an action role playing game with up to four players and online cooperative gameplay.

The main idea of the game is a co-op experience in a hostile environment so it's not going to be the standard "let's be friends" approach but more of a "we need to cooperate in order to survive". You're not a knight in shining armor but rather a rogue with his own agenda.

You start creating and customizing your own raider, choosing between several alien races and classes, each one with unique stats and traits that may dramatically affect your gameplay.

Then you will be sent to a near space station which serves as a central hub for players to find each other, purchase better equipment, sell valuables, etc.

There will be job boards, which list available quests for you or your team. After assembling a crew, you will travel to a planet to do the job.

Planets will be handmade, no procedural or random planets that end up looking all up the same.

These jobs are a collaborative effort, although sometimes one of your crew can have a secret "rogue objective" than can jeopardize the current mission, so you never know up to what point you can trust the others.

After all you are all rogues so what can you expect!

In Rogue Raiders Online, there is no galaxy to save but a rent to pay.

Is the game online-only? Will it support offline play?

Yes, offline single-player will be supported.

The 'online' in the title seems to be a nod towards Phantasy Star Online, which appears to have influenced the game's design.

Who is developing this? Why are they making it Vita-exclusive? Will it come to other platforms?

The game is being developed by one-woman indie studio Dangerous Alone. She's a huge Vita fan and wants to make an exclusive game to help the console go out with a bang; as such the game is planned as a Vita exclusive and at present is not scheduled for release on any other platforms.

She has written a brief post about her ambitions and why she wants to develop for Vita here.

What experience does the developer have with Vita? Is the game already running on the console?

The developer is a previous employee of Virtual Toys, a Spanish-based studio who developed Muppets Movie Adventures; Looney Tunes Galactic Sports & Phineas & Ferb Day of Doofenshmirtz. She was lead programmer of the latter game so at least has a couple of years experience under her belt.

Due to previously working with Vita, she has access to a dev kit and has the game up and running on the console, but needs Kickstarter funds to buy her own dev kit (among other expenses).

What engine is the game using? What tech stuff can you tell me about the title?

The game is built using the Unity Engine at present. It's worth nothing this is the same engine Virtual Toys used for their Vita games which all ran well (despite slightly long load times).

Now here's some tech stuff I don't fully understand!

- The game uses lighmaps and custom solutions for player shadows.

- For networking, a Sony custom udp protocol and smart way of packing and compression is being used.

- Game will run at native res with vsync enabled.

What is the funding goal? How will the funds be used?

Base funding goal is &#8364;33,000, funds are broken down in the actual campaign.

Various stretch goals have been added such as ad-hoc support; PvP etc., but most of the stretch goals will be dealing with bringing additional hands in to help develop the game.

What classes will be in the game? How will their play-styles differ?

She's already confirmed a Mindwalker class and Sharpshooter, more details on these yet to be disclosed.

It's worth noting that she's said multiple times that you can approach the game in different ways - gung-ho style shooting everything or take a more stealthy, explore-the-environment approach.

When is the game scheduled to be released?

According to the Kickstarter campaign, the game is scheduled to release in February 2018.

What interesting information can you tell me about the game?

The dev is quite active on Twitter so there's some really interesting stuff on there. I found out she's a big believer in color theory, so expect a wide range of bright and beautiful colors in most levels.

She cites Darkmere; Lionheart and Shadow of the Beast from the Amiga days as part of the influence for her color design.

Interestingly, she mentions Faxanadu and Battle of Olympus as inspirations for the game.

As a final note, it's worth mentioning the origins of this project. The dev first asked on Twitter what Vita exclusive genre fans would most like to see, with 'western RPG' edging out the others. From here, she asked what type of RPG people like best in which action-RPG's (i.e. Zelda) beat open-world games. And from there, it seemed she tweaked the prototype she was already making into the project it is today.

Will the game be PlayStation TV Compatible?

Yes!

Is there any media?

Check out brief gameplay clips in the tweets below:

Combat Footage

Exploring your ship

Exploring an abandoned enemy ship

Trying to hack a droid

Is there any press coverage?

You can read a great interview with fellow GAFfer RK128 on 3Wirel here.

Gamershell article.

Madeforgaming article.

AND REMEMBER

In Rogue Raiders Online you can create a space pirate cat and go explore new worlds. Really, not even COD or GTA can compete with that.

 

[SuperDowns]

A Vita game on kickstarter.... I don't even think we are likely to see Mighty No 9, much less this one.

 

[Kresnik258]

There's a lot more in the Kickstarter than I could've thrown together in the OP, some of the picture links don't work either. Hope this is sufficient for a thread!

If anyone has any questions I've been following the project pretty closely, but I'd encourage you to ask the developer either on her Twitter; Facebook page or by her e-mail address. She's been pretty vocal in responding to fan feedback and I'm sure she'd love to field any questions.

And in answer to the inevitable question - "is this really planned as a Vita exclusive?", the answer is yes. She's a massive fan is and is making the game as a labor of love for the handheld, rather than for profit!

 

[Tizoc]

How much do I pledge for a retail copy? I ain't got space on my OLED nowadays

 

[LelouchZero]

This looks very cool!

 

[ryseing]

What the hell, threw $15 at it.

I admire her ambition if nothing else. Hopefully we get one more good Vita game out of it.

How much do I pledge for a retail copy? I ain't got space on my OLED nowadays

.

I know she's a one woman studio, but not even having a stretch goal for physical copies seems like a huge missed opportunity, especially with how fervent Vita owners are.

 

[ChosenPredator]

Why ps vita that is going to be a tremendously hard one to get any money, i would love to see it on the PC though.

 

[Putosaure]

Fox, is that you ?

I'm curious to see how well it will run on the Vita, the graphics are pretty good.

 

[Zafir]

A indie Vita game in 2017, via kickstarter no less?

While the game doesn't seem bad, and while I do really like my Vita, I think that platform choice will just sink it.

 

[Croatoan]

Seeing Unity store assets in a kickstarter...

The fox character, gun and others can be found here https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/65747


I would be wary, this looks like an asset flip designed to prey on people who want games for their Vita. Doesn't mean that is their goal, just want people to be safe .

 

[PulseONE]

I like it, sure why not

 

[Shizuka]

I wish her the best, even if I'm not sure I'll back the project.

 

[GhostTrick]

Kickstarter, Vita only, online and solo, only 33 000 euros. Sounds like dubious.

 

[Ran rp]

 

[foobarry81]

I would like to know more about this publishing deal with Sony she says she'll negotiate.

The online part is an added difficulty, and requires lots of work in QA (beta testing), for that part, since this is a exclusive title, I will negotiate a publishing deal with Sony that warrants me QA from them. Worst case scenario, I will use part of the budget to pay a professional testing company. I want to release a good game.

Other than that, this is a pretty good pitch.

 

[Quonny]

Vita only.
Online.
35k goal.

Mmhmm.

 

[Croatoan]

Holy crap that is the default Unity Root motion animation too (like from their demo and tutorial stuff). Guys and Gals this isn't looking so hot....

I could be wrong but I believe Root Motion animations don't work in multiplayer either (or maybe that is just an UE4 limitation).

 

[valkillmore]

Vita only.
Online.
35k goal.

Mmhmm.

Believe.

 

[Im_So_Pringles]

Any time I see a game that uses those basic unity locomotion animations it makes my stomach turn. I would not expect much from this game at all, even if it manages to be completed at all.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Vita only.
Online.
35k goal.

Mmhmm.

Unity game engine.
One person studio.

 

[foobarry81]

Seeing Unity store assets in a kickstarter...

The fox character, gun and others can be found here https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/65747

I would be wary, this looks like an asset flip designed to prey on people who want games for their Vita. Doesn't mean that is their goal, just want people to be safe .

I believe she's been quite open about having used Unity store assets for the project so far.

And this is not some delusional person we're talking about. This is a former employee of VirtualToys (https://es.linkedin.com/in/crismartinr). Why would anyone like that want to ruin their reputation in the industry with a low budget asset flip? I mean, of course that is a possibility, you never know. But it seems unlikely.

 

[Croatoan]

Any time I see a game that uses those basic unity locomotion animations it makes my stomach turn. I would not expect much from this game at all, even if it manages to be completed at all.

I believe she's been quite open about having used Unity store assets for the project so far.

And this is not some delusional person we're talking about. This is a former employee of VirtualToys (https://es.linkedin.com/in/crismartinr). Why would anyone like that want to ruin their reputation in the industry with a low budget asset flip? I mean, of course that is a possibility, you never know. But it seems unlikely.

Yeah, I mean, Unity assets are fine for prototyping and environmental stuff (because how many indie studios have an environmental modeling department?). But when it comes to character models/animations for a kickstarter I kind of draw the line. If you are releasing on mobile, or on steam, then go for it. Asking for money for dev? Well, you better come packing custom assets, I am not going to give you cash to buy up random stuff from the unity asset store.

I am not trying to badmouth her, but when it comes to kickstarter you have to put your best forward.

 

[theindieboy]

Woo a Vita exclusive in 2017 and this looks pretty cool too. Actually looks like one Kickstarter where the vita audience is not going to get screwed with the game never coming to the platform.

 

[Malyse]

Vita.
2017.

 

[soultron]

Looks neat but this seems like such a deathwish.

EDIT: budget seems so weak for 1 person. Networking and online is a huge risk, IMO.

 

[GhostTrick]

Woo a Vita exclusive in 2017 and this looks pretty cool too. Actually looks like one Kickstarter where the vita audience is not going to get screwed with the game never coming to the platform.

If it's ever coming.

 

[outunderthestars]

Woo a Vita exclusive in 2017 and this looks pretty cool too. Actually looks like one Kickstarter where the vita audience is not going to get screwed with the game never coming to the platform.

This time they will get screwed by getting their hopes up only to have the project not meet its goal.

 

[RK128]

While I will back this game later in the week (have little funds now ), I want to state that the developer knows what they are doing.

From my interview with her, she seems to have a clear vision for the project and is confident in making a successful Vita project. The reason for the usage of store-bought unity assets is to make development go a long at a faster clip I would image; not making your own characters and animations could let you focus on other areas of the game.

This is NOT an asset flip like some people fearing here. If it was, I wouldn't have interviewed her in the first place (not a fan of asset flips personally).

I trust that the developer will do a great job with is project and after reading the Kickstarter page, it is a good pitch honestly.

 

[Kresnik258]

While I will back this game later in the week (have little funds now ),

Kickstarter doesn't take payment until the project is successful funded (if it gets successfully funded).

 

[Shinriji]

February 2018? Nope, learned my lesson.

 

[AusRoachman]

Seeing Unity store assets in a kickstarter...

The fox character, gun and others can be found here https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/65747


I would be wary, this looks like an asset flip designed to prey on people who want games for their Vita. Doesn't mean that is their goal, just want people to be safe .

Combined with this

https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/68425

Not that using store bought stuff is bad , I use it a ton in my own games since I suck at art , I commend them for supporting the vita at least

 

[Possumowner]

Hmmmmm,i think no

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Some people will never learn.

 

[Father_Brain]

Even setting aside the asset-flipping, I honestly don't understand how someone can be so emotionally invested in a failed, dead system as to maintain exclusivity for it when it makes zero financial sense. (And yes, I'd say the same if this were a Wii U exclusive.)

 

[Shinriji]

Even setting aside the asset-flipping, I honestly don't understand how someone can be so emotionally invested in a failed, dead system as to maintain exclusivity for it when it makes zero financial sense. (And yes, I'd say the same if this were a Wii U exclusive.)

People make games for dead consoles, like the Dreamcast and Neo-Geo. It's nothing unheard of.

 

[Father_Brain]

People make games for dead consoles, like the Dreamcast and Neo-Geo. It's nothing unheard of.

I've never really understood the appeal of that, either, especially with games like Shovel Knight proving how easy it is to develop authentic-feeling retro games for modern hardware. But fair enough, I guess.

 

[Bolivar687]

Looks great

 

[2+2=5]

I hope all the best, the game looks interesting.

 

[The M.O.B]

Do not let your personal infatuations influence your business decisions, goes for pretty much everything.

She would get laughed out the door if she took this same pitch to a publisher.

 

[Steel]

As much as I like the vita, 2017 vita game? Seriously? I like the concept, though.

 

[2+2=5]

I missed this part:

"She cites Darkmere; Lionheart and Shadow of the Beast from the Amiga days as part of the influence for her color design."

Now i understand why i like the aestethics

 

[Kresnik258]

I would be wary, this looks like an asset flip designed to prey on people who want games for their Vita. Doesn't mean that is their goal, just want people to be safe .

Not that using store bought stuff is bad , I use it a ton in my own games since I suck at art , I commend them for supporting the vita at least

I think it just comes down to the reality of what this project is.

If you look at her history as a developer, she'd been working on Vita exclusives for the past 3 years in Virtual Toys, where I'm guessing she grew very attached to the handheld. Then she was put on PS4 projects before the studio ultimately massively downsized due to being unable to find work, so she's looked into going indie.

She wants to make an exclusive title, something impressive, but she's limited both by time and money. She's a programmer, she can clearly make soundtracks as well, but assets are a whole other ball game. Sure, she could pay someone to make them, but she'd need money for that. She'll need money for anything and she's effectively a one-woman team making a vanity project for a console she loves.

In that framing, her Unity Asset store stuff makes perfect sense. If she has access to the things she needs in order to make a game, she can program it all herself, hopefully in order to get the game out in a reasonable timeframe where the Vita isn't completely extinct.

Any other way, she's limited by time (making the assets herself) or money (paying someone to make them for her), neither of which she has.

The goal is loftier than I was expecting and I'm struggling to believe she'll make it, but I really hope she does. If there's one thing I can't fault her for, it's her passion. I've followed her for a while, even before the RRO Kickstarter, and it's clear she loves the handheld and wants to make something special. Whether she can or not is the gamble you make with Kickstarter, but for me it's enough that she's shown her skill on this platform with this engine before (Virtual Toys) to give me enough faith to pledge.

 

[CamHostage]

I'm usually very concerned and wary of Kickstarter projects over-promising on its budget and using common assets/effects to look better than its current state is and generally preying on a needy audience like the Vita crowd ... but this is a rare case where I actually like the connected company (Virtual Toys produced some nice titles, though never anything spectacular, and never got much credit for any of its work) and I do actually understand a bit the circumstances this falls under.

So while I don't advise anybody else follow me, I may back this at an affordable tier in good faith. I can afford a loss if the project inevitably falls apart, and if it actually comes to fruition, I'll be happy to have been part of it.

 

[Kresnik258]

Even setting aside the asset-flipping, I honestly don't understand how someone can be so emotionally invested in a failed, dead system as to maintain exclusivity for it when it makes zero financial sense. (And yes, I'd say the same if this were a Wii U exclusive.)

She's definitely, definitely not making this game for the profit lol. If she was, like you say, it wouldn't be a Vita-exclusive game.

She's doing this as a vanity thing. She loves the console; knows how to code for the console and is part of the fanbase.

As for emotional investment, that's a difficult one for me to answer on since I myself am emotionally invested in the handheld. People can like things I guess and it drives them to produce content for those things.

 

[Lagamorph]

I'll.....think about it.
I do love my Vita, but I'd go in knowing the online probably won't pan out, certainly not run for more than maybe 6 months tops.

 

[maouvin]

Eh, threw 15 bucks.

Btw Kresnik, the estimated delivery on the KS page is Feb 2018, so maybe she changed her end of 2017 plans?

 

[Kresnik258]

Eh, threw 15 bucks.

Btw Kresnik, the estimated delivery on the KS page is Feb 2018, so maybe she changed her end of 2017 plans?

Sugar, you're right, I'll change that - thanks for the heads up!

Feb 2018 is probably a little optimistic too, but we'll see

 

[Kresnik258]

Checking Kicktraq for this is kinda amusing, it's showing the project as on target for 207% of its goal. I don't think it accounts for the fact that lots of people pledge at the start and fewer pledge in the middle.

https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/saffron/rogue-raiders-online-action-rpg-4-player-co-op-for/

Still, it's off to a decent start, though I saw a similar trend with another recent project I followed (Light Fairytale) which started with a bang and faded out.

Side note, PlayStation Lifestyle gave it a bit of coverage here:

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net...on-rpg-rogue-raiders-online-hits-kickstarter/

I'll update the OP with some media articles tomorrrow.

 

[Kresnik258]

https://www.reddit.com/r/vita/comments/59appd/im_the_developer_behind_rogue_raiders_online_ama/

Developer is doing an AMA on reddit at the moment, if there's anyone out there who wants a question about it answered.

 

[Lagamorph]

Reading more into the description on the Kickstarter I think I'm going to pass. It doesn't sound like there's any real plot, so probably not my kind of game at the moment if all there is to it is "Complete mission to kill X/Collect X"
Individual missions might have their own mini-plots, but for me a game like this needs characters with personality and an overarching plot.