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Pathologic Remake Kickstarter [$250,000 - Win/Mac/Lin/PS4/Xbone]

Z

zkylon

zkylewd
-Deimos said:
There's still time and I'm confident that all the stretch goals will be met too.
Click to expand...

man don't get my hopes up like this

for reference, knock knock got 41k from the 30k they were asking for.

so maybe 320k? dunno if this is valid guesstimation or not
 
O

Ophelion

Member
As long as it gets funded, I don't give a shit what happens after that. The stretch goals would be nice, but I just really want this.

I want it so good, you guys.

I love their backer updates too. The mad, semi-poetic sprawl of every update is just so charming.
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
Ophelion said:
As long as it gets funded, I don't give a shit what happens after that. The stretch goals would be nice, but I just really want this.

I want it so good, you guys.

I love their backer updates too. The mad, semi-poetic sprawl of every update is just so charming.
Click to expand...
yeah, if you didn't back knock knock you really missed on some crazy ass updating

i kind of liked the whole ipl kickstarter experience even better than the game

-Deimos said:
Kicktraq puts it at $467,689, I'm optimistic.
Click to expand...
well i kinda think it was optimistic to think 250k already but i think it'll make the 300k stretch goal which is pretty decent already

i'm rooting for the 400k one, i love dream sequences
 
Denton

Denton

Member
Well finally. I am really looking forward to this.
I wish Action Forms got back together and created something new too. Their Cryostasis was stellar.
 
E

epmode

Member
I really like these guys. Their updates have been excellent and a little insane and we could stand to have a few more developers like Ice Pick Lodge. Considering upping my pledge.
 
N

NewGame

Banned
I can't believe it managed to reach 250k! I predict close to 300k by the end of the Kickstarter.

518884b48e96cea6fea2d1fa721bbc2c_large.jpg


Some of the developer updates are crazy. Just look at this art director:

28a978a03a9ceff8e3f840fc69f1ee01_large.jpg


Every time I see what your pledges amount to I am overwhelmed with emotion. On the one hand I want to climb an electricity pole, produce a custom-made rosewood-plated oboe and play a vigorous, no-nonsense sarabande. At the same time I feel a strange urge to take a train to the countryside, wait until nightfall, infiltrate a barn and strangle half of the cattle. I am genuinely touched and it is not at all unreasonable to expect me to thank you for supporting the project.
Click to expand...
 
N

NewGame

Banned
Shingro said:
finally got it, the archives just went back online http://squadronofshame.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=162

Edit: To anyone else, I highly recommend a listen, the first half is the non-spoiler territory, second half after break is the deep analysis which gets spoilery.
Click to expand...

They actually didn't spoil that much. The source of the disease is actually only explained in part but they didn't play Devotress so they don't know about the Steppe source or other elements of the 'Circus' and they didn't touch on the meta narrative going on with the children of the town nor did they touch on some of the more important relationships between the three men fighting for power and the three 'seers' who are fighting for the town. But like they said, it's easy to go off topic with the game, they talked for almost 2 hours and didn't even scratch some of the narrative going on.

But yeah, this is worth a listen to. I love their detail and relation of it to other games.
 
J

joey_bone_bomb

Member
Clevinger said:
I was with her until that whole "strangle cattle" thing.

o_O
Click to expand...

Same.
Animal cruelty is not a thing to joke about to make you sound edgy.

So glad this got funded. I've never had a doubt, though, since this game has always had a very passionate following. Deservedly so.
What a strange and special game this is. What a strange and special game this will be!
Can't wait!

Shingro said:
finally got it, the archives just went back online http://squadronofshame.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=162

Edit: To anyone else, I highly recommend a listen, the first half is the non-spoiler territory, second half after break is the deep analysis which gets spoilery.
Click to expand...

Thanks again!
When you first mentioned this, I spent a good few hours looking for this episode. Everywhere - iTunes, their site, internet media archives, torrents, without any luck. Made me furious haha
 
C

Clevinger

Member
3 days left, it's up to $287,250

I wish it'd at least get up to $300,000. This sounds nice:

The Town Extended ($300,000). This stretch goal seems pretty self-explanatory, and yet it’s the toughest one to explain. We’ve launched this whole campaign to make an extended version of the game after all, didn’t we? Thing is, it’s always possible to add more. More unique objects, more dialogue options, more questlines, more events happening around you. And it won’t be filler content either. Say, there are plot-dependent areas planned in the warehouse district; but what if you could also find caches and hideouts there? What if street NPCs had additional reactions to your activities? What if there were simply more questlines? You would become even more hard-pressed for time, sure, but we’ll balance it. The Town is a finished place, but we can always improve it intensively, adding more small locations, hidden corners, nooks and crannies. Also: more quests, more NPCs—more content in general.
Click to expand...
 
N

NewGame

Banned
I'd really like to see the 'Lucid dreaming' goal. Pathologic could have some really cool imagery like some sort of Russian Silent Hill.
 
C

Corsick

Member
I just backed this, the $25 tier was impressive in regard to value so I bit. Ice-Pick Lodge is one of those developers that genuinely strives to deliver unique experiences that are fun games as well. They aren't just art pieces to be admired, but something many people can enjoy if they give them a fair shake (which is the issue with buggy games like Pathologic). I want to reward developers with visions as odd/creative as theirs, especially when they came so close to realizing them the first time.
 
N

NewGame

Banned
Wow 27k in the past 10 hours or so. We just might make to to extended Steppe...

The new update is interesting.

We’ll do our best to make sure anyone who plays Pathologic for the first time feels no falsehood. We’ll do our best to make sure anyone who’s already played the original Pathologic exclaims: “Now I know how it really happened.”
Click to expand...

I liked how things were left ambiguous. I guess some people got turned off from the 'child' ending or something, I don't understand why the concept that the game is producing is marvelous and nothing like what most games do today.
 
E

epmode

Member
GAF, Ice Pick Lodge's last few Kickstarter updates are incredible. They describe their post-Kickstarter progress in play format:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1535515364/pathologic/posts/1042879
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1535515364/pathologic/posts/1079060

Ayrat: I know the best way to spend the money.

Ivan: Making Pathologic?

Ayrat: We need to get the best rig possible.

Peter: Yeah, that’s exactly what we need!

Ivan (after careful consideration): I guess we do need a good rig for the development.

Peter: It’s a D-word now.

(A development rig is brought onstage. It’s monstrous and shiny.)

Ayrat (enthusiastically): Trying the original Pathologic out in Unity!

Peter (enthusiastically): Far Cry 3!

(They run to the rig together, bump into one another, and eye each other with poorly hidden distaste.)

Peter (hopefully): We can take turns?..

(Ayrat pushes him aside with determination. The original Pathologic runs quite well in Unity. The look of genuine entrancement on everyone’s faces.)

Peter (in a cranky tone): The trees suck. We need new trees.

Ivan: We need new everything, that’s what all this Kickstarter business was…

Peter: Trees.

(Trees are brought onstage and inserted into the game. It does indeed look completely different now—seems that the trees were infected with the spirit of modernity.)

Ayrat (after a pause): Okay, I’ll admit it, they’re great.

Peter (enthusiastically): Yes! So, I guess our job here is done. Far Cry 3!
Click to expand...
 
N

Nordicus

Member
I only just now read the New Year's Eve update. These are amazing
Act II, Scene II½

PERSONS REPRESENTED

Peter, 3D Master. In a party hat.
Meethos, Art Director. Directly into your soul he stares.
The Community Manager Community™. Masha, Nikita, Gorn, and Artyom. United.
Igor, Igor. Fills awkward emptiness.
Liu, Tabletop Master. Has learned something this year.
Alphyna, Chief of Localization. Has once said “Entschuldigen Sie, bitte” while meaning to say “Sorry” (while being in Russia).
Mushroomer, Composer. In mushrooms (as a life form) he trusts.
Anna, Artist. Still new here. Ayrat, Managing Director. Where did that incredible tan come from?
Nikolay, Creative Lead. Also present for some reason.
Ivan, Game Designer. Is in for a surprise.
Master of Ceremonies, offstage. Highly unlikely to have been drawn by Gerald Scarfe.

***

(The stage is dark and silent. The silence takes quite some time—if anyone was to watch it, they’d probably feel uncomfortable. A glaringly bright spotlight is turned on after a while. There is a single chair in the middle of the stage. Peter is seated upon it.

Peter is quiet.)

Master of Ceremonies’ Voice (from offstage): Well?

Peter: What?

MC’s Voice: Speak up!

Peter: About what?

MC’s Voice (annoyed): Do you know what day it is today?

(Peter is silent.)

MC’s Voice: Okay, let me give you a hint. It’s the day when everything you’ve been doing, everything you’ve worked hard to achieve is summed up and analyzed. The day when you can finally relax and spend some time with your friends and family. The day when miracles are in the air, and even the most unlikely is bound to happen. A day of joy and peace.

(Pause.)

MC’s Voice: So?..

Peter (confused): I thought the campaign ended some time ago?

(The spotlight is turned off. When it’s finally on again, Meethos is seated on the chair. He glares silently. The silence is getting more awkward by the minute.)

MC’s Voice: ...Yeah, doesn’t work like that. Next!

(The spotlight is turned off. When it’s on, the Community Manager Community is onstage. They’re standing around the chair as if to show that someone more important is supposed to be sitting there. Volunteers are noticeably lacking.)

The Community Manager Community (in unison): Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle… something something…

MC’s Voice: Finally someone’s making sense here. (Calms down.) So, what has this year brought you?

The Community Manager Community (in unison): Ayrat has learned that managing a pre-planned project is way smoother than improvising every day. Ivan has made a great presentation about shark love. Liu has become a master of maintaining office mood. Nikolay…

MC’s Voice (interrupts them): That’s all fine and good, but what about you?

The Community Manager Community (in unison): “You” who?

MC’s Voice (irritated): You! You four! You personally!

(The chair is somehow vacant again. To be precise, it has been vacant for some time, The Community Manager Community standing around it, but now it’s, like, very vacant. When Igor enters and sits down, it’s once again simply vacant. Liu enters next, looks around in slight confusion, sits down.)

Liu (cheerfully): So, it’s resolution time, right?

MC’s Voice (a bit angrily): No, it’s “tell a heartwarming story summing your whole goddamn year up” time! You’re supposed to show the audience what you’ve learned, how you’ve improved, and how that’ll help you improve their experiences!

Liu: Well, I want a pony.

MC’s Voice: What?

Liu: I want a pony. That’s what I’ve learned. (Agitated.) Resolution time! I promise that next year I’ll find a way for someone to gift me one!

MC’s Voice (exasperated): What? No! This is wrong on so many… That’s not how resolutions… And you were supposed to switch places when the spotlight is off!

Ayrat’s Voice (from backstage): I’ve always wanted to ask. What if we just dressed someone as a pony? That’d be cheaper.

Liu (curious): Will they neigh and touch my palm gently when eating cookies?

Ayrat’s Voice (from backstage): Ponies don’t eat cookies.

(Liu is shocked. The MC takes advantage of her state to call for stage workers. Hesitant to touch a lady in need, they just carry her away with the chair. The MC suddenly notices that the spotlight is still on. It’s off now. When the light is shining once again there’s Alphyna onstage, standing without a chair or any sign of awkwardness.)

Alphyna (in a well-rehearsed tone): С Новым годом!

MC’s Voice: Wrong language. Next!

Mushroomer (somehow present in a second): Merry Christmas!

MC’s Voice: Wrong timeframe. Next!

Anna (also miraculously present): I, uh… I’m new here… Happy birthday maybe?

MC’s Voice (desperate): Wrong!!

(The spotlight is off. The pause is long. When it’s on again, Ayrat is onstage. He’s wearing a fancy suit, looking neat as a pin.)

Ayrat (calmly): It’s been a good year. Our biggest success is quite obvious—if it wasn’t for the Kickstarter campaign, you wouldn’t be reading this. Or maybe watching, postmodern jokes aren’t my strongest suit. I’m better at managing people and devising programming. That, perhaps, is the reason why I also notice smaller, less obvious successes that are nevertheless very important and that define our day-to-day life and work.

(The MC allows for an awed sigh. Ayrat allows for a dainty smile, continuing confidently.)

Ayrat: We’re living through a great time now. Technology is at its best, having become accessible but not mundane. You can achieve anything—seems like now for the first time it only depends on will and skill.

Nikolay (somehow present): But it’s also a trap. Ice-Pick Lodge has always been a collection of lunatics and artists shouting out the things on their mind—and those things have sometimes come out as gibberish. But this gibberish is also the most important thing we have, it’s the most “us” thing we can offer to the world. Smoothing out the pipeline, improving technologies, maintaining a working business are all essential—but so is preserving identity. Which is hard when you’re just a bunch of loonies.

Ayrat: I think we’ve found the right balance this time.

Nikolay (misty-eyed): We did, yes. We can finally work and argue at the same time.

Ayrat: I mean, until you disappear once again.

Nikolay (cluelessly): Yeah, yeah.

Ayrat (sternly): Leaving behind the people whose schedule and work depends on you.

(Nikolay is for some reason still present, but quite obviously incapable of human speech. Ayrat sighs. He still looks painfully genteel though.)

MC’s Voice: Finally! I knew there must be someone coherent among you. Thanks. And for that I’ll grant you a miracle—the season demands it, after all. Ivan, you can now come back to life!

(Everyone’s confused. Everyone’s onstage together, by the way. Probably another miracle.)

Ivan (alive): Hooray! It’s me! Finally back to life! Action beckons!

Peter (quietly): Who is this?

Ayrat (quietly): Probably the guy…

Liu (unbearable sadness in her voice): The guy we were supposed to dress as a pony!

Ivan (unperturbed): I’m still here, you know. Neigh.

Liu: Well, yeah, but now you’re moving!

(The scene is also moving. As in touching. As in it’s supposed to finally warm hearts. Confetti flying all over the place.)

Peter (seems to remember something): Oooh, I get it now! (Gathers a handful of confetti.) I’ve seen this stuff when I was a child! I know what it means!

(Everyone stares at him.)

Peter: It means we need a janitor.

(He revels in the reaction, maintaining the pause a bit longer than is advised by the good taste. Quite a bit longer. For, like, ten minutes straight.)

Peter: Oh, and Happy New Year!
Click to expand...
 
N

Nordicus

Member
Oh finally, Paypal option, awesome! Will likely back the $25 tier

The update
“Is it a dog?”

“No.”

“Is it a horse?”

“No.”

“Is it a pseudo-absurdist play that tells you basically nothing about the development of the actual game?”

“Nope, not that either.”

“Well, what is it then?”

“It’s a website. A rather useful one, too. We’re calling it the Pathologic Backer Portal. Today’s the big day: it finally goes fully online and is fully useable.”

“Oh. You mean that one you’ve promised to launch in December.”

“Yeah. That one.”
Click to expand...
Love these people
 
N

NewGame

Banned
Everyone should be backing it! This game is x10,000 times better than anything on kickstarter at the moment. （；¬＿¬)

I WANT that Lucid Dreaming stretch goal. Please. Please...

sad-baby-o.gif
 
S

Sumio Mondo

Member
Niiiice. Been wanting to play this for almost a decade now. Was waiting on the fan retranslation in to English for a few years but this is making the wait more worthwhile for sure. Love the aesthetics of this game, so desolate and weird.
 
N

NewGame

Banned
Looks amazing. I expected no less.

Did they end up working 'lucid dreaming' into the game? The way I pictured it in my head it would be the 'Russian rendition of silent hill'.

I don't mind the delay, I've already waited a decade.
 
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