WIldman Kickstarter

Japhir

Hey guys/girls, my brother pointed me to this kickstarter campaign by Gas Powered games. It's a game about cavemen in an action-RPG setting .


I thought you guys might like to back it, I hadn't seen a thread for it yet.

Torch

Backed! Really like the art, almost reminiscent of Joe Mad's work...maybe the hard edges on the faces or something that reminded me of it. Cheers for sharing

StephenVyas

If that pic sums up the game perfectly, i'll be a backer

bounchfx

I plunked down $45.

They didn't give a great description of the gameplay, but enough to get me interested. They need to show some prototype footage though to give people a better idea what they're supporting.

3DKnight

asking over a million for an idea that has no previs gameplay? risky.... they mentioned a powerful new platform, but showed a few seconds of coloured squares clicking together

kickstarter has made be a bit skeptical with some failures i've backed

Japhir

They've released some gameplay footage, looks promising to me . I backed for 30$.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1NmN9_-KLE"]Wildman Video Update #1: Prototype Gameplay and Q&A - YouTube[/ame]

ebagg

Backed!

D4V1DC

F-ing new video f-ing lol greatest ending ever!

I wish I had money to back them with, hard times can't always back people especially ones with promise, damn!

Best of luck thanks for posting and if you could continue them updates.

Japhir

Ok I also changed it to 45 bucks . The update looks really interesting.

Seaseme

I wonder what happens here with the layoffs. Do they rebuild with this money? This isn't an investment in an "established" studio at this point - This is also going to be funding their rebuild as a company. That probably explains the price-tag on Wildman, though.

conte

message from Chris

Muzzoid

Well shit wow .

Mods- Can we consolidate these threads, seems silly to have two of them.

EDIT- hell it seems that video did a ton to get people back on board. Up 40K in the last few hours.

StephenVyas

It's early to say, but within 3 days and having 230,000+ isn't too shabby

Bigjohn

I've backed it, but I have my doubts about whether it's feasible. They need over a million dollars. And the price point is pretty low. That means that they need tens of thousands of backers. $230k isn't too bad, but it's from only ~4,500 people. They basically need another 15,000 people at least to come out and back it and I'm not sure that's gonna happen, as much as I want it to.

oXYnary

I backed it, but more because I don't want one of the better local companies to fall under and leave the jerks behind.

3DKnight

So basically it's now a kickstarter not just to make a game, but to rebuild the whole studio? I don't see how they could make this game with just a million dollars, when they don't have the cash to pay 40 people, which I assume they will need since they are promising a huge scope to this game.

Goeddy

i gues they would use the money as prove of their creditworthiness to lend themselves more money...
everyone seems to be doing that lately

ChaosEidolon

Yeah, investors get squeamish about lending to something that doesnt look like a good bet. Having some capitol, even if it's not enough to finish the project, will make it much easier for them to secure other funding.

Honestly, if you support the games industry, and are concerned about the job market or are trying to get a job, there's really no excuse to NOT support this project. It's helping to create jobs and feeding more customer demand.

Why not help grow the industry we depend on for work?

ebagg

Makes you wonder how many studios would have still closed had they been given a chance by the gaming community to keep going. The campaign is nearly a third of the way there with 24 days left, I certainly hope to see GPG continue to make great games.

Japhir

They just posted a pretty cool video of the guy explaining how the RTS element would fit in with the action-RPG game.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gaspoweredgames/wildman-an-evolutionary-action-rpg/posts/392874?ref=email&show_token=b5097f95a327cd42&play=1#video
(don't know if you can see it without backing first).

fmnoor

Here's an incredibly candid interview with Chris Taylor :

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zJdMRKBbLE"]Matt Chat 182: Chris Taylor on the Fall of Gas Powered Games - YouTube[/ame]

tottot

Thanks for pointing this out, backed. I hope they reach their goal, its a lofty one.

Japhir

Damn, just listened to that whole interview. I still have a smidgen of hope left for this project, but I doubt it'll get funded eventually.

ZacD

It'll come down to the last week, crazier things have happened.

Japhir

The latest update, regarding project Mercury seems very promising!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gaspoweredgames/wildman-an-evolutionary-action-rpg/posts/394335

slipsius

Watching that Chris Taylor interview... wow... Huge respect for the guy. I really hope it works out for him and his company.

Japhir

Have you guys seen the new video on their main page? Very cool! They've reached 4k now, I hope they'll somehow still make it!

ambershee

They won't. People are aware that the company is no longer adequately staffed to bring the title to fruition and that the KS campaign isn't capable of generating enough capital to sustain a development team long enough to see the product to fruition.

reverendK

ambershee wrote: »

They won't. People are aware that the company is no longer adequately staffed to bring the title to fruition and that the KS campaign isn't capable of generating enough capital to sustain a development team long enough to see the product to fruition.

While I agree that it doesn't look like they'll make it, that logic sounds like the american news media's effect on Ron Paul's presidential campaign.

The news said he was unelectable, so people decided not to vote for him so as not to "waste their vote" on something that stood no chance...which made him unelectable.

so...sad day

Justin Meisse

really, a Ron Paul comparison in here? sigh...

reverendK

just pointing out the circular logic. It's amusing and unfortunate how common it is.

skankerzero

He also said some things in this interview that really made me lose confidence in Wildman
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zJdMRKBbLE"]Matt Chat 182: Chris Taylor on the Fall of Gas Powered Games - YouTube[/ame]

I understand being realistic about things, but you still have to maintain a positive outlook on things to instill confidence in your investors.

skylebones

I went back and doubled my donation. But I don't have a lot of hope it will pull through. It's more than have way over with much less than half the money. Not a good sign.

Joseph Silverman

Rev, im pretty sure the same media called Romney unelectable for a long time, and he won the primary and came pretty close in the popular vote -- group-think only works if it's an idea that's palatable to the group. It was easy to believe RPaul was unelectable because 30% of the country was horrified that he wanted to strip away entitlements and federal spending, and 30% was horrified that he wanted to take away military bases and legalize drugs. It's easy to believe wildman is doomed because the more you hear about it from Chris Taylor, the more doomed it sounds. There has been nothing coming out from GPG to dissuade fears.

I mean, groupthink and media spin is scary because it does have real measurable effects on reality (Hyperstition is a pretty, spooky word that I have a lot of love for) but there's a reason they still call it 'spin' -- you can only tilt the course so far. IMO it's totally unfair to blame a kickstarter hanging at only 30% of it's goal on a couple of blogs' bad press.


All that said: After a lackluster initial few updates, wildman is starting to actually sound like a game I want to see exist. A shame they aren't doing well, hopefully something big happens near the end. Frankly, this concept alone would have earned a pledge if i had 20 dollars to give this week.

It feels like GPG laid off their marketing guys AND their accountants though -- I frankly have no idea what kind of an image they're trying to put forward. Garage studio chic? I don't see any traction or even mention of them on TIGsource and other indie forums. It comes across as a shoddy, unprofessional version of thr 'big studio' pitches we've come to see lately. Hard to want to fund.

BoBo_the_seal

Love the new update of the main video. The idea is great and sounds like a lot of fun. I hope they pull through.

- BoBo

Bigjohn

Project does seem awesome. My hope is that they'll go Valve on it, and let people sell art in the game. It seems like they have pretty comprehensive mod tools. I'd love to see more games adopt the Valve mod-selling philosophy.

skylebones

That would be pretty awesome. I love the art I've seen so far, it would be a blast to create assets in that style.

MattyWS

Well I backed. Also this is another great chance to get some revenue and show off your work, like Dota or TF;

Modding: We want to release “friendlier” versions of the tools we use to make the game, with Wikis on their use. With additional support, we can get these in your hands faster, letting you get started making your own worlds and game modes that you can give away or sell from within the game. Get paid for your own hard work!

But the project needs to make it's money first. It's not doing well at the moment and it would be a massive wasted chance if it wasn't backed.

ambershee

reverendK wrote: »

just pointing out the circular logic. It's amusing and unfortunate how common it is.

It's not circular logic, it's reality; GPG do not have the muscle to complete this title, with or without getting their desired Kickstarter investment, so people simply aren't going to back them.

The game is DOA if funded, backing the project is just throwing your money at an impossible ideal.

skylebones

ambershee wrote: »

It's not circular logic, it's reality; GPG do not have the muscle to complete this title, with or without getting their desired Kickstarter investment, so people simply aren't going to back them.

The game is DOA if funded, backing the project is just throwing your money at an impossible ideal.

I'm looking at it as a chance to potentially save a studio that has given me many awesome games. Wildman is just a bonus. If I could have donated to save vigil I would have.

ambershee

Yeah, I love some of their games

Drav

Just backed 25 dollars. I have nearly no interest in his new game, but I loved Total Annhilation and Supreme Commander, and think he is a decent and honest guy.


Heres a question. How many studio frontmen can ramble in front of a webcam for an hour and not end up appearing like a total dick? Not many I bet....


Anyway, hope it does well, the industry really need studios like this imo.


Go Gas Powered Games!

Joseph Silverman

Long article/interview on the subject of GPG's apparent swan song. Anybody who's in the industry or would like to be ought to give it a read, and maybe a pledge.

http://www.pcgamesn.com/indie/wildman-bay-inside-chris-taylors-fight-save-gas-powered-games

In Washington state, Taylor explains, it’s very hard for a company to break from its own precedents. Gas Powered has given laid-off employees cash for their paid-time-off (PTO) in the past, and so it would have to do so with a larger layoff as well. With so many long-term employees at the studio, Taylor was looking at a lot of severance and a ton of PTO compensation. If layoffs had to happen, best they happened while there was money to discharge those obligations.

Taylor knew he needed to be decisive about this. “If you waffle and you don’t do it,” he explains, “you just become another statistic. You just become another video game company that put everyone in a room and said, ‘Oh, by the way, today’s your last day and thank you very much.’ And I can’t let that happen.”

But he didn’t think it would. He admits now that he went into the Kickstarter full of optimism and high hopes. He wasn’t thinking about raising $1.1 million for Wildman, he was already figuring out what they’d do with extra money the received. He was nervous before the Kickstarter, but compared the mix of worry and self-deception to when a mother sends her child off to war. They both know it might be the last time they ever see each other, but neither really believes that it will be.

oXYnary

ambershee wrote: »

It's not circular logic, it's reality; GPG do not have the muscle to complete this title, with or without getting their desired Kickstarter investment, so people simply aren't going to back them.

The game is DOA if funded, backing the project is just throwing your money at an impossible ideal.

Yea, no. GPG does know what they are doing. The 1.1 would have been more used to get more backers. That and unless you are some cfo, and know exactly the team needed to finish, you have no idea if they could accomplish the goal even if relying solely for 1.1 to fund the entirety.

You have a negative neally >opinion<. Don't play it off as fact.

-message ends-

Bigjohn

I'm thinking they should have gone with Indiegogo instead of Kickstarter. Since it looks like they're not going to hit the goal, at least with Indiegogo they could have got some of that money, which out of $500k or so is not too bad.

eld

Bigjohn wrote: »

I'm thinking they should have gone with Indiegogo instead of Kickstarter. Since it looks like they're not going to hit the goal, at least with Indiegogo they could have got some of that money, which out of $500k or so is not too bad.

Problem there though is that if they don't have enough money for the entire project it'll end up wasted money.

In kickstarter it's a safeguard for both the kickstarter project and the people supporting it.

System

chris literally said he wouldnt want to do it if he didnt get the total, he addresses that specific concern in the video skank posted.

my heart goes out to him, watching him discuss the companys decline in the video is exceptionally humbling.

ZacD

I hope there is some serious social media buzz about this kickstarter game the last 7 days, I'd love to see the studio saved. And this guy is one of the humblest and honest people I've ever seen talk about their studio.

ebagg

Hmmm 11 days and 430k out of 1.1 million... not looking good.

Sadly they probably shot themselves in the foot with the concept for the game. If they had gone for a straight forward game that was GPG's strength, something similar to their previous titles, they probably could have gotten a lot more backers on, more easily saved the studio, and developed Wildman on the side. Personally I think the Action RPG meets RTS idea for the game is awesome, and obviously it is two genres they are very well versed in, but it definitely requires a lot more explanation than they had in the original intro video. Most of the wildly successful KS game campaigns were more about making games in older genres that aren't as popular to publishers as they used to be but had been popular with gamers in the past, not genre-mixing titles.

Japhir

Damn their new CONCEPT ART updates are looking yummi!

ebagg

Yikes, 4 days to go and they've just passed 500k.