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[Perkel]

It's not a scam, no. This game has indeed been in development for many years, and is a real game. Well, it's a "scam" if you think that giving money to Herve Caen is him scamming you, which is a debatable point I will admit, but the game IS real. If Interplay hadn't lost that lawsuit to Bethesda, I think we'd have seen more of FOOL (aka PV13) by now, but losing the Fallout name can't have helped...

Anyway, as much as I dislike Herve Caen for what he did to Interplay, I am interested to see if PV13 is actually any good. Actually making this game has been his goal for so long now, and it has some pretty nice concept art from before they lost the lawsuit, too... I hope it actually releases eventually, I really do.


They definitely have a sense of humor, at least...

Except you missed that they outright lying. Their pitch even contradict itself in many places and in many places don't even make a sense.

1. They are using Black Isle name which was killed many years ago to capitalize nostalgia where there are probably no people from old blackisle on board. 1st part of scam
2. They said they have in mind creating V13 prototype. In the same pitch they say that project have been in development for many years. So why are they trying fundraiser to make prototype ? If project was many years in development this game should be in alpha already. What we know is that Fallout MMO (V13) was canned few years ago. Which point that they are lying.
3. Their whole pitch program gives you freaking forum titles and they say in the same text that they will refund pledges -their costs of running fundraiser.

I don't know who is involved this is scam and people who are involved should be ashamed. There is nothing worse than lying and making false claims to your community,

If they would pitch project without this Black Isle/eliteForumbadges/pseudoprototype madness but just postapocalyptic RPG with proper project sheet, design work concept art and for most of all truthful i would fund project without hesitation.

Such a shame instead of proper pitch we have scam.

 

[Lancehead]

Some juicy details, thanks to RPG Codex.

Here's the comments section from the youtube video on their site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV1GH_ZTs90

Searching this Christian Querou results in this: http://querouchristian.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/open-letter-from-christian-querou.html

and this: http://loyal-touch.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-christian-querou-erase-his-shameful.html

How Christian Querou erases his shameful past,
and the 200 millions lost by his friends, its shareholders and stakeholders.
.
Dozens of insignificant pictures on Flickr, new job as CFO on LinkedIn, followers on twitter ... All traces of the bankruptcy of Loyaltouch are cleared, the only remaining press releases on the group companies suggest that he could have been an usual and smart executive. After escaping to the United States, and a year of silence, he manages his online reputation, helped by his lawyers.

 

[Zarx]

this smells dirty to me, and Forum access is what you get for investing WTF?

Edit: Holly shit I just read the FAQ that is bloody disgusting.

 

[Perkel]

this smells dirty to me, and Forum access is what you get for investing WTF?

Elite Black Isle forum badge.

 

[Justinian]

We should all be flagging the Youtube video as "Scam". This is an insult to Black Isle Studios and these idiots deserve all the shit they are getting.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Except you missed that they outright lying. Their pitch even contradict itself in many places and in many places don't even make a sense.

1. They are using Black Isle name which was killed many years ago to capitalize nostalgia where there are probably no people from old blackisle on board. 1st part of scam

There are several people from the old Black Isle at the current Interplay, though.

2. They said they have in mind creating V13 prototype. In the same pitch they say that project have been in development for many years. So why are they trying fundraiser to make prototype ? If project was many years in development this game should be in alpha already. What we know is that Fallout MMO (V13) was canned few years ago. Which point that they are lying.

Given how Interplay's been near-broke for like eight years now, it's no surprise that they haven't gotten far enough in such a big, expensive production as an MMORPG... and particularly when they must have had to abandon some work not long ago when they lost the rights to Fallout (because they could not get enough funding to meet the terms of the deal with Bethesda when they sold the Fallout name to Bethesda but kept MMO rights) and have to redesign the game as a non-Fallout title.

Should they be farther along? Sure, probably. And yeah, asking for money without saying that the people giving money will actually get the game isn't nice. But the game IS a real title.

3. Their whole pitch program gives you freaking forum titles and they say in the same text that they will refund pledges -their costs of running fundraiser.

I don't know who is involved this is scam and people who are involved should be ashamed. There is nothing worse than lying and making false claims to your community,

If they would pitch project without this Black Isle/eliteForumbadges/pseudoprototype madness but just postapocalyptic RPG with proper project sheet, design work concept art and for most of all truthful i would fund project without hesitation.

Such a shame instead of proper pitch we have scam.

It is a real game, and I hope that it gets finished. And yes, actual Interplay veterans, including people who worked on the original two Fallout games, ARE on the team. However, will I donate? No, and I don't think doing so is a particularly good idea when they are not promising any finished product, or even saying how much money they want.

 

[LumpOfCole]

Am I misinterpreting this? This seems to be crowdsourcing to fund a pitch for more money from actual investors to then attempt to actually make a game.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Am I misinterpreting this? This seems to be crowdsourcing to fund a pitch for more money from actual investors to then attempt to actually make a game.

No, that's pretty much what they seem to actually be doing.

... Yes, it still amazes me sometimes that Interplay actually has managed to stay in business over the past eight years...

 

[Aquamarine]

No, that's pretty much what they seem to actually be doing.

... Yes, it still amazes me sometimes that Interplay actually has managed to stay in business over the past eight years...

From the website:

We need to raise money to put together a prototype.

The prototype will be a "proof of concept". It won't have the entire world or a finished game.

We can then use this prototype to raise the additional funds necessary to complete the game.

What a mockery of the crowd-sourcing model. If they're not actually going to use the money to develop a game, don't even bother pledging. You're going to get absolutely nothing with your pledges except "a proof of concept" from a bunch of random people who are using the famous Black Isle name to give themselves credibility.

 

[Arcteryx]

Sounds like simVault to me. Building up a little vault community, making sure they have enough supplies, oxygen, electricity an shit, and then managing them as the world burns...sounds fun.

 

[Aquamarine]

If PV13 "has been in development for years" according to "Black Isle Studios," why on earth do they need Kickstarter funds to produce a proof of concept?

Surely they must have the capital to make one themselves...if they've been developing the game for years?

Something doesn't quite add up here.

 

[Sax Russel]

Umm

Pass?

lol

-_-

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Sounds shady. They would have a playable build if it was really years in development for prototype v13. Don't give them anything.

 

[Perkel]

There are several people from the old Black Isle at the current Interplay, though.


Given how Interplay's been near-broke for like eight years now, it's no surprise that they haven't gotten far enough in such a big, expensive production as an MMORPG... and particularly when they must have had to abandon some work not long ago when they lost the rights to Fallout (because they could not get enough funding to meet the terms of the deal with Bethesda when they sold the Fallout name to Bethesda but kept MMO rights) and have to redesign the game as a non-Fallout title.

Should they be farther along? Sure, probably. And yeah, asking for money without saying that the people giving money will actually get the game isn't nice. But the game IS a real title.


It is a real game, and I hope that it gets finished. And yes, actual Interplay veterans, including people who worked on the original two Fallout games, ARE on the team. However, will I donate? No, and I don't think doing so is a particularly good idea when they are not promising any finished product, or even saying how much money they want.

They should:

- provide concept of their game and show some design sheets or assets created
- provide concept art
- tell that Chris Tylor is involved and few members of Black Isle with their position @ BI
- talk about game concept, what are they will try to do and why they need fundraiser in firstplace
- talk about risk their skills their track record

I would gladly fund that with tears in my eyes

What they did:

Fundraiser to prove someone that they can make V13 project reality by creating prototype, they claim they worked on it for years and they have absolutely nothing beside few concept art, they revive BI studio shamelessly to bank nostalgia of BI fans (without core members). And if you pay even 60$ you will get forum access but not final game (assuming they create it). And best part is that this whole thing is presented by con-artist which already is proven to be shady.

How this is not a scam ?

EDIT:

I forgot best part from their pitch video:

"The Black Isle team is getting together once again to save the planet."

 

[Wallach]

Interplay, the herpes of the video game industry. Black Isle deserved better.

 

[Tanolen]

Am I misinterpreting this? This seems to be crowdsourcing to fund a pitch for more money from actual investors to then attempt to actually make a game.

Also you still have the buy the game at full price if everything goes as they predict.

 

[nubbe]

Obsidian + inXile = Black Isle

 

[Dipswitch]

So I pay you money and you give me access to forums? How about NO??

It's shit like this that will ultimately spell doom for the concept of crowd funding. That and people making promises they can't keep.

 

[Tallshortman]

Yeah this looks like a worse scam than WarZ

 

[Aquamarine]

From their project updates:

This is a real effort at creating a game.

What happened to the "real effort" that you've been doing already? You've been "developing it for years," and only now it's a real effort?

This initial funding method does two things. For one, it gives us an idea of who's actually interested in a new post apocalyptic - noted by their donation.

So by giving money...all you're doing is helping "gauge interest" in the genre? What about the massive success of Wasteland 2? People love traditional CRPGs like Fallout and the success of that Kickstarter is proof of that.

People are free to make any comments they want. But that doesn't help make something new. Those that aren't interested in a new game can sit on the sidelines and gripe.

But you're not MAKING a new game. You're making a "proof of concept" with NO guarantee we'll actually see a game at the end of this.

 

[storafötter]

Yes... they seem to be doing... a.... thing. I think that's the only way anyone familiar with the background of Interplay can really react to this. Lolz.

I watched a mini web series documentary about Interplay one time (Machina I think) and the new owners seemed very shady. This crowd-funding just seems to clarify that.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

This is definitely a thing. I don't believe it can be described any other way.


"You don't know who Black Isle is (well was)?"

I think the point is that because all of the major known creative forces behind Black Isle are no longer there, this is ???????

Pretty much.

And the notion of a Fallout MMO always struck me as odd. One of the core ideas behind a post-apocalyptic wasteland is that it's a WASTELAND, mostly devoid of life, with the player striking out essentially alone into the unknown. While the core Fallout aesthetics and accoutrements could still be put in place, you're gonna lose a bit of that dread and gloom which neatly wraps the atmosphere when there are a couple thousand other players lounging around.

 

[Lancehead]

Their second update is wonderful, full of spite: http://www.facebook.com/BlackIsleStudios/posts/324568060990821

*highlights by me.

Why you shouldn’t donate.

Something you should think about before donating or telling your friends to donate. You might be the cause of a small number of people sitting in their cramped, dark f****** shelter depressed because they’re not sitting in their cramped, dark f****** for real because the world didn’t really end.

Got that? Some people won’t be happy you’re helping.

So, if you have no compassion for those apocaleptics who want it all to come down around our ears (but not theirs), then you probably shouldn’t put in a contribution. But if those people, sitting in their ivory dungeons, annoy the hell out of you with their barrels of water, stacks of freeze dried, and smug attitudes, then maybe you should just empty the bank account on this project. Just to spite them.

Create some apoplectic apocaleptics. (Yeah, try saying it out loud.)

 

[Trigger]

I'm not sure why the guy is so bitter. Did he really expect this to go over well with actual Black Isle fans?

 

[duckroll]

This entire thing is like a bad joke. Lol.

 

[speedpop]

The gaming industry continues to make me laugh in a multitude of ways.

 

[nubbe]

Their second update is wonderful, full of spite: http://www.facebook.com/BlackIsleStudios/posts/324568060990821

*highlights by me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oziOq8NJvv4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Pooya]

this can't be real

Black Isle Mayan Apocalypse Replacement (BIMAR)

LOL

 

[zkylon]

So just heard of this.

What the fuck.

 

[Boerseun]

I want to play Project V13. But I'm not backing this. Give me a Kickstarter and I'll think about it.

 

[fastballspecial]

This absolutely reeks of the worst possible scam. I really hope people realize this and it somehow implodes.