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[Zangi]

Hmm. Yeah, I've been reluctant to back anything else lately too. But this might need to be an exception.

Yes, this is pretty much mandatory.  Plus Banner Saga made me all excited about backing games again.

Banner Saga is like... one of the first, if not the first kickstarter that we saw 'explode'.  So it has been a long time coming.

[hermes]

Yes, it's been what, almost two years??  But the wait is nice, provided you don't mind the email junk you get from kickstarter.  I like knowing nothing at all about what's going on with development and just getting the finished product 18 months later.  Makes me feel like a kid again, before the internet, when you read about games in magazines and imagined how they would be and then it blew your mind when you finally played it.

[IronyOwl]

I dunno. The premise is of course interesting, but there's a couple things that worry me.

For one, their whole pitch sounds very... used car salesmany. Talking about how their refreshing, immersive take on complex and rich game worlds through their immersive player controlled camera will involve YOU, the player makes me cringe and wonder exactly how hard they feel they need to sell this thing. Backer classes aren't helping either.

For another, the overarching pivotal-but-forgotten thing sounds interesting, but I have to wonder what that means about your guys. Do levels, classes, and ability decisions carry over from one chapter to the next, so you're basically playing with the same squad in all but name, and maybe even that? Or do you start over every few stages, possibly even with entirely handcrafted minions to begin with? I tend to greatly prefer gameplay to story concerns, but this sounds like it might be swinging the exact opposite direction; we know a fair deal about the story and almost nothing about the mechanics, and one of the things we know about the former sounds worrisome for the latter.


I'd like to be excited, but knowing almost nothing except "it's a tactical RPG, by this guy who's done other tactical RPGs" just doesn't tell me enough, and the rest makes me nervous.

[nenjin]

For one, their whole pitch sounds very... used car salesmany. Talking about how their refreshing, immersive take on complex and rich game worlds through their immersive player controlled camera will involve YOU, the player makes me cringe and wonder exactly how hard they feel they need to sell this thing. Backer classes aren't helping either.

I found this annoying as shit as well. Dear reader, if you're going to run a Kickstarter, observe the following maxim: don't be a douche. Don't fellate the potential backer with CAPS about how THIS CAN'T HAPPEN without THEM. This is because Kickstarter is no longer new. Anyone who has backed a project has had that line thrown at by every. single. game that wants their money. It lacks sincerity when you say it 150 times in one pitch.

And in the case of Unsung, when you bold half of every sentence it robs the formatting of its power to draw attention. It makes it look like you don't know what you're doing, or you're 12 and seconds away from turning on capslock and spewing gibberish. Don't do it.

For another, the overarching pivotal-but-forgotten thing sounds interesting, but I have to wonder what that means about your guys. Do levels, classes, and ability decisions carry over from one chapter to the next, so you're basically playing with the same squad in all but name, and maybe even that? Or do you start over every few stages, possibly even with entirely handcrafted minions to begin with?

Played Final Fantasy Tactics? You should be familiar with the technique if you have. You'll start as a character, play some known amount of scenarios and their story is going to end. There will be another chapter, with an entirely new character and supporting cast, either playing the same battle from the other side or playing new battles that fill in other parts of the story. Your previous characters will probably make an appearance either as enemies or recruits.

The way it's pitched it definitely sounds less like having one persistent army, and more about a series of episodes made up of battle and story arcs. So while it may not have the obsessive joy of micromanaging the same troops for 40 hours like FFT, it'll probably change up gameplay a little bit more.

[nenjin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seD0iU0d-Vo

Well it should surprise no one this didn't pan out. Something like $660,000 dollars down the tubes. The developer has bailed, and turned development over to another dev studio, Little Orbit, whose main claim to fame is making....Barbie games. They say they're starting from scratch.

Glad I decided not to back this one. Chalk up another one for "dev heroes from your childhood that let you down in the 21st century."

[h3lblad3]

Very disappointing. I didn't remember this thread, so I entered and read the OP and was like "Awesome!"

And then I saw your post and realized I'm 3 years later to the party and would be let down even if I'd been there.

[Mephansteras]

Yeah...there is a slim chance we'll get something decent out of it, but I'm not expecting much.

[PrimusRibbus]

Glad I decided not to back this one. Chalk up another one for "dev heroes from your childhood that let you down in the 21st century."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[IronyOwl]

Unfortunate. I look forward to the unfolding drama and varying estimates of what exactly went wrong.

[Mephansteras]

Well, no idea how well this is going to turn out in the end but I have to hand it to Little Orbit, they seem to be making an honest attempt at it. Lots of backer updates on what they are doing and how they are handling things, including some new concept art today.

They seem to be going back to the idea of making a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy Tactics, which I'm all for.

So, who knows, they may not be a disaster after all.

[Damiac]

If they can turn out a decent FFT-like nostalgia trip with a story no more ridiculous and nonsensical than the original, then it might be worth grabbing on sale.  Better than nothing.

Hell, maybe they'll even turn a profit.

[Mephansteras]

So, looks like this thing is moving along. I haven't been paying too close attention, but for anyone who is interested there is a stream of the first 3 missions.

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/638353323

I haven't watched it, since I prefer to go into games like these unspoiled. But figured people might be interested.

[nenjin]

While visually it looks nice, I'm not sure I like the overall style.