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Richard Garriott, Ultima Creator returns with a Kickstarter project [Complete, $2M]
- Thread starter bedlamite
- Start date
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
Is it that bad to basically preorder the game for $25? Facepalm away. This isn't charity. I'm getting the game if it's funded.
And there is that.
1. Pledge and get the game
2. Not pledge and not get a game.
Need updates.
GenericUserName
Banned
And absolutely nobody is at anyone's house with a gun to said individual's head demanding they back this game.
This. You pay for an actual copy game, or not. It's really that simple.
Power Glove
Member
Just think of it as a pre-order.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Yes, it says that, yes, the Witcher 3 dudes said that, it's not what I spoke of however. An over time improved engine with better effects, lighting, shadows, AA, etc, won't change the models, textures, terrain and animations if they don't make all new stuff...
Dreamfall, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, all have alpha footage that looks way more accomplished and have no need to announce it's all placeholder content, just the token pre-alpha moniker, which doesn't usually mean 100% content will change.
This was only true for Ultima I - V tho. Ultima VI and especially VII were gorgeous albeit hardware-hungry games back in the day. My poor 386DX was sweating like a motherfucker trying to run Ultima VII.
Plus interest and attorney fees: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/richard-garriott-wins-lawsuit-against-ncsoft-again/
Neko Mimi Mode
Member
This and the fact it looks absolutely hideous are keeping me from pledging for now. The woeful pitch doesn't help much either.
D
Deleted member 47027
Unconfirmed Member
VII was such a step up. My 386 at the time was crunchin U6 to the point where I had to deselect the Turbo button to make it run right, but VII was a beast.
This stuff pisses me off.... kickstarter was meant for people without funds but ideas...
Its essentially just being used to make games risk free.
morningbus
Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
The game is pretty ugly looking and made by a guy who could afford to fund a dozen of these and not have it affect his quality of life.
I'm not against the advanced pre-order model, but this is beyond the pale.
I'm not against the advanced pre-order model, but this is beyond the pale.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Eh, is this really always going to boil down to "this guy could fund it himself"? Even in the case that he did, he would still ask money for the completed product. At some point, it is necessary to get money...whether it is in front or behind, it's roughly the same situation. At least, in front, there is more opportunity for feedback and for getting it at a discount on top of getting fan-driven chotchkies and for those wanting physical versions. I agree that the game isn't pretty and that, maybe, they should have focused on concept art like most KS RPG pitches, instead.
Ultima was also over 20 years ago and it's been 16 since Ultima Online first came out.
Edit:
Perhaps to harsh thinking about it more. Hmm.
dragonelite
Member
This. Im probably sure it will cost more then 1 mill to create this franchise.
If you can kickstart it and it shows there is enough interest it seems a saver option to invest your own money in this ip. Because of the interest generated.
And rich people become rich because they dont spend their money on stupid things.
Oh, I think it's at least an iteration of the final art, and I have expressed my dislike of the artstyle upthread, it's just that I am sceptical that it'll end up looking quite like that. There's still lots of scope for effects, for lighting. What they've got right now is the crucial development stage of enough to test stuff with!
...it's also not impossible that that is all we're getting, of course!
Was I editorializing? Spare me your memes.
Kickstarters can be treated like a preorder, yes, but usually the intent is beyond that. In most cases a game is unlikely to be made or completed in the desired form without a successful Kickstarter -- like the current Torment 2 campaign.
In the case of Ultima Returns: Shit Mountain here, Richard Garriott has the personal wealth to self-fund a project much larger in scope and probably hire one of those pesky art making humans that don't seem to be involved despite their usefulness.
People should be aware of the author's extreme wealth before deciding whether to pledge, since they're not making something happen that couldn't happen otherwise. Not at all.
GenericUserName
Banned
Err, no... He asks $25, like pretty much anyone else.
I don't think its a bad idea but what they have shown looks like it was made 10 years ago. The models, the animations, and the UI are terrible. Dreamfall Chapters' pre-alpha footage looks way better than this.
I look at it as, I'm paying $25 for this game. What other people decide to do with their money is not my concern. With other projects, where funding is not as likely, I might go in for more, but this is strictly a 'I just want to play his game' funding for me, and I do.
After the initial 5000 run out, and they will, it will be 40.
I've not seen one other gaming kickstarter that goes beyond $25, no matter when you pledge, for just the game.
This whole thing rubs me the wrong way.
comments section is interesting. It shows that people are not stupid. Most of those people who commented now waits for updates which will state what game is really about. People are confused. Most of them say that if it is MMO or iOS game they will back out.
Everything now is in Richards hands. If he will say right things and proove that this is no sham then i am all aboard even if dude has 400mln$ on his bank account.
Everything now is in Richards hands. If he will say right things and proove that this is no sham then i am all aboard even if dude has 400mln$ on his bank account.
Pachterballs
Banned
I wouldn't hold garriot's wealth against him.
/shrug
/shrug
GenericUserName
Banned
Yes, because rich people have no right to be frugal, or fund things that they're pretty certain people will buy (with KS being a reasonably good indicator of that).
This.
Wow you actually understood Gargish? That's hardcore! Also, I never knew that Ultima VI was underappreciated. It was my first RPG on the PC and I was totally addicted to it. I would even spend time decorating Avatar's room in the castle by moving furniture and other objects from various places and arranging them nicely.
It's too bad most of the items would just disappear later...Anyway, maybe I should pledge $10.
I played the pirated version of Ultima VI back then when I was a kid...
GungHo
Single-handedly caused Exxon-Mobil to sue FOX, start World War 3
I loved Ultima I - Ultima VII.5. Ultima VIII was horrible. Ultima IX broke my heart. I know from whom he got the idea of Ultima Online. The art he is showing in his pitch is hideous. It looks like a step back from Neverwinter Nights 2. I have zero faith in this guy as a game designer.
Furthermore, I've seen this guy's house(s) in Austin, along with all the extra features he's put in because I know several realtors in that area. I know what he does for fun. I have zero belief that this guy actually needs a Kickstarter for a business venture.
This seems like an ego thing to me. I don't think he needs my money to help him there. I pass.
Furthermore, I've seen this guy's house(s) in Austin, along with all the extra features he's put in because I know several realtors in that area. I know what he does for fun. I have zero belief that this guy actually needs a Kickstarter for a business venture.
This seems like an ego thing to me. I don't think he needs my money to help him there. I pass.
The hell are you talking about? Straw man harder.
Alexios
Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Got an early answer to my question...
We'll see what I think of that when they give details, for now I'm not impressed by that.Portalarium said:Buying the adventurer's pack is all that will be required to play through the full game. There will be some "Fair shake" micro-transaction options that do not involve selling power, that will be aimed more at the multiplayer experience to support on going server costs. Not planning a monthly fee. Houses will be maintainable through in game actions but we'll offer players with more money than time to maintain them through fees.
We'll get a FAQ together clarifying all this stuff ASAP.
Game looks like ass but we must be clear on something here.
If it will be real Ultima like VII they must go with shitty graphics there is no other way.
You can take any RPG in therms of content and compare it to VII and those RPGs will be simply murdered.
And yet Curt Schilling is an example of someone who put all their eggs in one basket. Just because he has the money doesn't mean he is obligated to put it towards his creation. The same can be said of Molyneux and his Kickstarter campaign.
I think it's kind of sad we're starting to treat kickstarter as a preorder service instead of what the original goal was...funding games that would not exist any other way.
I would like to think with most of the games we've backed on here that their creators wouldn't have done a KS for a $1 million game (usually what the bigger ones ask for as a goal) if they had $100 million or a billion in the bank.
I would like to think with most of the games we've backed on here that their creators wouldn't have done a KS for a $1 million game (usually what the bigger ones ask for as a goal) if they had $100 million or a billion in the bank.
GenericUserName
Banned
How am I straw-manning? Honest question.
The way I see it: guy has money. Guy's been away from the industry (especially the old-school branch) for a while. Guy wants to make a game that people will want/buy/play, and not bomb (especially since it's been ages from the last full-sized/proper game of the sort by him). Simple/easy way to do this is KS. Sum asked is (estimatively) about 1/4 of total game costs (rest will be covered from pocket). KS is mostly for PoC, with some consumer metrics thrown in.
Is using KS for PoC unethical/evil/whatever? As I've stated, there's no obligation on the potential backer's part. You chip in, or you don't.
I dunno, maybe I've lived in the corporate world for too long, but I really don't see what the whole "but he haz teh m0nayz" hubbub is all about.
I don't mind playing with nostalgia, that's not a bad thing necessarily. But games like wasteland 2 and PE would not have existed without kickstarter, because Fargo and Obsidian couldn't fund it by themselves. If they could have they would (I hope).
With this you may as well let EA on to the service to ask for funding for something.
Personally I don't find important how much money Garriott has or hasn't, I just judge the game from my personal viewpoint of wanting it or not. I don't need to judge the merit of a KS, I just need to check if I'm interested or not and how much money I want to put on it.
That said (just my viewpoint, I understand others feel other way), I 'm not in love with the pledge. Some really interesting stuff but showing the in-game stuff actually put me off.
That said (just my viewpoint, I understand others feel other way), I 'm not in love with the pledge. Some really interesting stuff but showing the in-game stuff actually put me off.
Yep, they ask stupid people to spend money on stupid things.
This guys is purely cashing in on nostalgia. His last game wasn't good, he hasn't made a game in years and this looks like shit. What makes people think that this will turn out to be a good game? Nostalgia, guess I answered my own question.
Demon Lizardman
Banned
Alright Garriott, I just submitted 25 bucks for your kick starter project; you better atone for your recent Ultima games or else man... OR ELSE!
notworksafe
Member
Isn't Lord British a multi-millionaire who lives in an actual castle? And he wants a million dollars to make this ass ugly game? Fuck off and fund it yourself.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Why is this some kind of serious sticking point? It isn't just about getting something funded, it's about getting the game that people who will fund it actually want to play based on the aim of the pitch. Ultimately, that's the thing that gets people to pledge.
I'm sure that they're perfectly allowed to, but they likely won't because it will require a level of transparency and disclosure that public corporations cannot easily live with due to concerns of competition and strategic value. Besides, it's not an issue of funding for them. KS isn't just about the money, it's about the direct connection to the consumer before and during production that gives them more or less what they want compared to accepting things that get put into the trough, like standard hands-off products we have the ability to buy, day in and day out.
You do NOT invest your own money into your businesses like this. I'm sick of seeing people say this shit, that is just a stupid idea.
Personal to business income is a terrible mix, and if it fails he lives in poverty versus a few dollars from everyone that doesn't hurt or a publisher. There is a reason why bands like Metallica who are rich still go through a record label, because you just don't do it.
How would you like it if your boss goes "Well I pay you 100K a year you buy your own work computer, and pens, and paper"? Probably not. That isn't the way the world works and the dumbest idea anyone can do is dump their own cash into a project of any form.
I bet Trump still takes out business loans as well.
Ding ding.
Pie and Beans
Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Looks terrible. I guess the problem with game aficionados is they want to hurl money at known names regardless of if the whole team that made those games theyre famous for are back and in play. Nope, its clearly all this one dude, he'll make good on these promises with a totally visually shoddy game on show, and while he's super rich now, he needs your help and couldnt have possibly developed this thing a little more before asking you to pre-order!
Forget the fact that Garriott is crazy rich and could easily fund a project of this scope.
The game looks like dogshit and half of the page is him trying to appeal to our pockets through his past fame. The other half is filled with cliche RPG pitches such as "You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want, but you'll have to live with the consequences"
The game looks like dogshit and half of the page is him trying to appeal to our pockets through his past fame. The other half is filled with cliche RPG pitches such as "You can be whatever you want and do whatever you want, but you'll have to live with the consequences"