Will you ever crowdfund another MMO?

MightyUnclean

Will you ever crowdfund another MMO, or have you given up any hope that this funding method works?  I won't be funding again.  I put a bit of money (not much, thankfully) into SotA, Shards Online, Camelot Unchained, and The Repopulation, and learned my lesson.

MightyUnclean

Robokapp said:

Seriously. where are they??? None made it???

SotA made it, technically.

Palebane

Another? Lol. Let me preorder something while I’m at it.. I love putting money into a malfunctioning vending machine. I’d be better off in Vegas.

MightyUnclean

Palebane said:

Another? Lol. Let me preorder something while I’m at it.. I love putting money into a malfunctioning vending machine. I’d be better off in Vegas.

Yeah, there was a time when I was hopeful that it would save a dying genre.

immoralthang

Unless it's in open beta, hell no. 

I also funded the Repopulation OP and that was my first taste of "early access". I did help fund Path of Exile which is a fantastic game. 

Raquis

No never again!
fool me once shame on you
fool me twice shame on me 
fool me a third time well them you just a F**KING idiot,lol.

MightyUnclean

immoralthang said:

Unless it's in open beta, hell no. 

I also funded the Repopulation OP and that was my first taste of "early access". I did help fund Path of Exile which is a fantastic game. 

Yeah, RPG's and ARPG's and other games without the huge scope of an MMO seem to stand a much better chance with crowdfunding.

Hatefull

Mehh most likely not...I think a lot of the crowdfund Devs have great ideas, just absolutely no clue how to manage a project. There is a reason PM's get paid real decent money, someone has to write the schedule, budget, set milestones and enforce it and artsy types don't do well under pressure even less so when left to their own devices.

So, probably not.

Amaranthar

Only if someone were actually making a game I want. And I'd want details. 

skeaser

I'll let you know once I see if my Pantheon backing pays off...

Kyleran

skeaser said:

I'll let you know once I see if my Pantheon backing pays off...

This. I decided long ago I wouldnt fund anymore MMOs until I saw the results of my initial foray into it, CU.

Still waiting....and saving myself lots of money. 

delete5230

Something people don't understand..... All your doing is funding someone that is creative in web design.

A game and a great looking web site are two different things !

""""""People get easily tricked"""""""   


Stormhaven Studios for Saga of Lucimia
Allows people to play as they are developing.  This is giving people prof..... I'm backing this game "not" because I get to play it, instead I know its real !

Visionary Realms for Pantheon
People were giving thousands when it was just a cool web sight full of promises. Now even with many videos as prof something is being developed we still need to be concerned.  All were seeing are test zones. 

I have a good feeling, but the thing is it's JUST A GOOD FEELING.  Even if my FEELING is right how many promises will come true at launch.  

Come on people be smart   

Vrika

Yes.

But not on Kickstarter's terms. I was ok with their old terms where the business had to either deliver a product or full refund (or as third option go bankrupt), but I'll never crowdfund anything on their new terms.

Dibdabs

Never have, never will.

Scot

No but then I don't pre-order and wait for reviews to be completed. If you saw my thread I get a lot of my games cheap as chips in sales. But that is partly down to playstyle and what I am playing. When I was in my twenties many of my games were shooters, which I played with mates, we would wait for reviews but pay full price. As time has gone on most of my multiplayer became MMORPG's in guilds which would sometimes only step in after the game had been out a few months (or even years).

Most of the marketing is aimed at those of us playing with mates, who feel a need to be there at launch for the latest thing. If you are more solo or your mates are not bothered when they start a game now, you free yourself to play on your terms. It is a lot like fashion really, do you want your clothes to suit you sir, or do you want your clothes to run your life?

Maurgrim

Last MMO I crowfunded was Ashes of Creation, mainly because back then they looked more competent and had some heavy names in the crew, So I'm still hopeful that the game will launch, at least they put out a workable alpha a year ago and progression seems to go in the right direction although kinda slow due to their BR sidetrack, at least they use their BR to test out PVP.

meddyck

Never say never but CU had special appeal to me as a long time RvR in DAOC. It's hard for me to envision another MMO that I would want to back and go through the same endless development hell that I've experienced with CU. I doubt I'd even back a DAOC 2 KS at this point.

AlBQuirky

No.

The one I backed is not looking like what I thought it may be (City of Titans). I'm a patient man and can wait for games to release now. That one was more of a "mercy donation" to see if they could deliver a game like City of Heroes

Mikeha

I backed 1 mmo but it will be very hard for me to do it again. I am just not a fan of how long the development process is and the way they show off early pre alpha builds of basically nothing. It does not create any kind of excitement for me but shows just how far away the game is. 


My mmo faith is completely in the East now looking forward to  to G-Star in a couple weeks where I am going to see new AAA mmos for the 1st time in a near complete state. Thats the way mmos are supposed to be reveled. 

bartoni33

My first Kickstarter you ask? Greedmonger.

My second one? SotA. 

So what do you think?

Marcus-

A lot of factors to consider.  

I backed CU because of Jacobs and what he was making. I’m not backing anything if I’m not pretty confident in the developer. I hear Koster is dipping his toes back in, so that has potential.  

It was worth the cost for me to see behind the scenes development process, and of course watch backers be backers and lose their minds over a video game. 

delete5230

About 5 years ago Visionary Realms made a "water colored map of the world". 

The game wasn't even in development yet !!!!.....People started to throw money at them like crazy.

It's amazing the power of web site design, where a game is not even started yet.

I'm willing to bet people assumed the game was almost finished because of a map !! 


People do silly things  

ultimateduck

Yup. Even if backing a game ends in vaporware, it shows the money that would be possible for a game with certain elements. It's kind of like voting Libertarian. You don't do it because you think the candidate will actually win. You do it because everyone else sucks and you hope the party gets enough votes to make the requirements to be able to enter debates to spread new ideas.

flguy147

Hatefull said:

Mehh most likely not...I think a lot of the crowdfund Devs have great ideas, just absolutely no clue how to manage a project. There is a reason PM's get paid real decent money, someone has to write the schedule, budget, set milestones and enforce it and artsy types don't do well under pressure even less so when left to their own devices.

So, probably not.

Totally agree,  they are basically running a business.  Its not just about a gaming Dev having passion for their dream MMO which is great.  But a lot more to it from a "business" side than just making a great game.  

Kyleran

delete5230 said:

""""""People get easily tricked"""""""   

Come on people be smart   

Boiled your post down to it's two best points.

Don't be fooled.  CU let alpha one backers into their test ends about a year or so post kickstarter.

I never bothered to go look even once for "reasons" but here's the thing, five years later that's all they still do, let people into their controlled tests (no persistent test env, much like Pantheon)

Just the other day MJ went from "might launch this year" to maybe by the end of 2020 (when the money runs out) but if so, won't be feature complete. (What the Fk!)

Pantheon is on the same track.  Their current Project Farthewhatever is really to pull together something which is MVP playable so when they run out of money, (which they clearly are) they can ship what they have as EA and continue development....just like SotA did.

Crowfall let's backers test continuously but guess what,  few do because who wants to see progress always wiped, same with SC?

CF  has already said they'll do a final wipe at some point, (when the money runs out) start selling the game and accepting subs and while it will be a "complete" game, it won't be "marketing ready" so they'll then take 6 months (yeah right) to polish it up before marketing it.

What a load of horsecrap, it's just another way of saying we're doing an EA release and will fix it all up afterwards... just like SotA. (Who launched...when the money ran out)

All of these indie MMOs are on the same track, keep developing until the funding is gone,  the launch what they've got and pray the suckers...err I mean gamers buy it.

Which when you think about it.. is exactly what the AAA developers usually do / did, but the players didn't have to fund the development for many years beforehand.

  

Lithuanian

Never.
For me, it's like - "oh, we don't have bread right now, but do give us $100 for the best bread in the world that could arrive tomorrow (*)".
(*) Conditions apply, no refund, may not be actually bread, may be dangerous for your life.