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[Thorgal]

From the Square Enix Collective Thread.

As promised, here's due notification of the launch of the World War Machine crowdfund campaign!

Here's a couple of trailers:

Gameplay
Machine Pron

 

[Thorgal]

Lets try this again .

 

[JDSN]

Please note: featuring a game on the Collective campaign page IS NOT a guarantee on the part of Square Enix that Tuque Games will deliver what they say they want to – the developer is entirely responsible for raising and spending funds, and creating the game; but we have checked the team and believe that they have the capability to build the game they say they want to.

So why not back them themselves?

Such a weird initiative that at the end of the day only feels like a mild endorsement.

 

[SlyRebirth]

So why not back them themselves?

Such a weird initiative that at the end of the day only feels like a mild endorsement.

Well, if we funded the game, we'd most likely be the primary beneficiary in terms of sales, and likely also keep the IP.

What we're trying to do here is help small teams with visibility, while enabling them to be in control of their own destiny the whole time (because coming through the Indiegogo process, or having us distribute, is entirely the dev's choice). And even if we distribute the game, the developer keeps 90% of the net revenue.

Regarding the endorsement, the only person that can offer guarantees is the developer. They receive the funds raised, and they develop the game. What we're trying to do is provide added reassurance to potential backers that at least somebody who knows what to look for has checked out the team - our support through crowdfunding isn't the answer to all risks around the trust relationship, but we want to try to help that process if possible.

Of course, if people don't want that or see the value, we'll keep watching feedback and make changes accordingly - so thoughts are definitely welcome.

 

[Ingueferroque]

This looks terrible, and only giving the video half a chance I don't understand how the funding could make the game 'better', unless they built/programmed all these assets with the idea of starting over again to do it better.

 

[Poetic.Injustice]

Why not Kickstarter?

 

[OldRoutes]

This looks terrible, and only giving the video half a chance I don't understand how the funding could make the game 'better', unless they built/programmed all these assets with the idea of starting over again to do it better.

Wait... how does this look terrible?

 

[The End]

This looks... pretty great?

I mean, I'm in for the beta at least, and maybe I'll up it to prototype

i assume that $50k is just like... a goal to trigger matching funding or something, because it seems like this is a pretty ambitious project overall

 

[SlyRebirth]

Why not Kickstarter?

Kickstarter's a great platform, but unfortunately they don't work with partners. Indiegogo has a great depth, and they've been a fantastic team to work with.

Plus, one of our key ambitions is to support teams from all over the world. Since launching a month ago we've featured projects from 10 different countries, and they're all able to set up and manage the Indiegogo campaigns directly.

 

[SlyRebirth]

i assume that $50k is just like... a goal to trigger matching funding or something, because it seems like this is a pretty ambitious project overall

The development so far has been funded partly with their own money, plus support from the Canada Media Fund. The Indiegogo campaign is about getting them from where they are now, all the way through to full release.

 

[Apocryphon]

What will the money be used for? The page isn't loading for me for some reason. $50k doesn't seem like it's enough to build the game from the ground up.

I'm assuming the gameplay demo isn't what it will actually be like?

 

[SlyRebirth]

The gameplay demo trailer footage is taken from an early prototype build, but it's representative of the in-game action, yes.

 

[ArjanN]

Looks more frantic than I expected. Will keep an eye on it.

 

[The End]

You guys have been super responsive in answering questions here and on the IGG site and I wanted to throw another $10 in, but man, I forgot what a pain it was to change pledge levels on Indiegogo.

I'll try in the morning, I guess.

 

[Munin]

I fear it not being on Kickstarter will just not allow it to gain sufficient traction. Good luck anyways

 

[The End]

It's a pretty modest goal, their tiers are priced well, and there seems to be some decent media pickup because of the SE angle. I think they'll make it.

 

[SlyRebirth]

I fear it not being on Kickstarter will just not allow it to gain sufficient traction. Good luck anyways

This is an interesting point - in general, if you saw an idea for a game that you really liked, would the fact that it was on Indiegogo instead of Kickstarter actually be a deal-breaker?

 

[SlyRebirth]

Little content update today, in the form of some rather nice HD wallpapers taken from the CG trailer:

The funding campaign is here

 

[Raticus79]

Using a traditional keyboard and mouse setup, the W-A-S-D keys are used to navigate the environment, and the mouse is used to aim.

As such, aiming and movement are independent which allows for more dexterous core combat than traditional point-and-click Action-RPGs: more control over your Machine, and no more ‘miss-clicking’ into enemies.

Twin-Stick Shooter Mech Diablo. (or, at least it would be if they added controller support - posted that as a suggestion since people were asking for that all the time for Diablo III PC)

 

[SlyRebirth]

Twin-Stick Shooter Mech Diablo. (or, at least it would be if they added controller support - posted that as a suggestion since people were asking for that all the time for Diablo III PC)

Yeah, that's a pretty good summary. Actually feels very natural.

 

[Raticus79]

Yeah, that's a pretty good summary. Actually feels very natural.

Yeah, Blizzard said it worked fine on consoles and would have just required too much rework of the skill mechanics on PC. It really is a better control scheme I'd say. Some people made macros to assist with the mouse movements involved in kiting enemies because it's such a pain. WASD+mouse is still an improvement, but there are some who would prefer the controller.

If controller support is doable, I'd recommend getting it on the campaign page early since people really like that comfy couch gaming playstyle and it's a good selling point.

I'm in there for the prototype tier. Go Canada!

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

May contribuite. Machine-only fictional worlds are nice.

 

[Vigilant Gambit]

Yo, this game looks SICK.

 

[SlyRebirth]

Yeah, Blizzard said it worked fine on consoles and would have just required too much rework of the skill mechanics on PC. It really is a better control scheme I'd say. Some people made macros to assist with the mouse movements involved in kiting enemies because it's such a pain. WASD+mouse is still an improvement, but there are some who would prefer the controller.

If controller support is doable, I'd recommend getting it on the campaign page early since people really like that comfy couch gaming playstyle and it's a good selling point.

I'm in there for the prototype tier. Go Canada!

This from the game's Lead Designer, Matt Jackson:

@Raticus79 – thanks a lot for your interest! I’m glad you raised this point because controller support will definitely be a feature come the real launch of the game.

We wanted to nail the keyboard and mouse controls first, because they are harder to make feel fluid in this type of game than with a controller. Now that we have done that, we have already started work on controller support. It already works, but needs refinement and improvement before it’s ready for public consumption

 

[Raticus79]

This from the game's Lead Designer, Matt Jackson:
[...]

Cool, glad it's on the radar.

 

[Wiktor]

Looks like a nice concept. Shame the campaign might fail because of Indiegogo.

 

[ChosenPredator]

Looks like a nice concept. Shame the campaign will fail because of Indiegogo.

I think so as well.

 

[Silky]

I hope this gets funded in time. :c

 

[Rizzilio]

First off, let me say that I am excited for a game like this. Done right I could enjoy this more than I enjoy Diablo 3 right now. I really like the idea of making your machine 'age' from doing battle over time until you die, makes not wanting to die more enjoyable

With 34 days left of funding time, I think they can hit the 50k mark. I went in at the prototype tier, hopefully others do the same so we can test the game out and help contribute to making the game better.

 

[SlyRebirth]

I think so as well.

I'm really interested in this feedback - I'd like to know how much difference GAF thinks this actually makes; and is that because of resistance to signing up to a different platform? Or because fewer people will come across the pitch?

Appreciate all thoughts/opinions on this.

Meanwhile, we're continuing to help the team with driving awareness, and we're by no means finished yet. This first campaign may not run in the same way as others in the future, because we need to experiment with different activities.

So don't give up on this just yet ;-)

 

[Rizzilio]

Glad to see this game received a bit more coverage from Kotaku , I've been appreciative of the updates they have done so far, especially on their forums where they had an actual gameplay video

 

[Raticus79]

I got a key for the demo today and tried it out. Pretty solid! I think it'll do fine once people find out about it.

The "combat feel" is good. The looting workflow with auto-pickup for most types and hitting a key to loot gear in range is nice. The mech-style combat system with overheating makes for interesting stats.

 

[Rizzilio]

Well there's 3 days left and only 11k (23%) funded. I'll be sad if this game doesn't end up getting fully funded, as this team really does deserve every bit of $ they can get. I really enjoyed the prototype, played about 3 hours so far.

 

[Raticus79]

Yeah, they'll have to try again on another service. Shouldn't be a problem otherwise.