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[nenjin]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1184280206/ghostcontrol-inc

Several games have tackled the difficult and fun question of "What would it be like to play a ghost and haunt some people?" Games like The Haunting Starring Polterguy, and Ghost Master. However, fewer have covered the other side of the equation, that of the trials and tribulations of the ghost hunters.

So, what craves $7500 and goes bump in the night? This game, Ghost Control Inc.

For such a ghastly sum, the duo development teams of Application Systems Heidelberg Software GmbH and Bumblebee promise the following:

-Randomly generated levels, a buffet of locations across London to track ghosts through.
-Turn-based, X-Com-style gameplay in an isometric presentation.
-Manage a team of 5 Ghost Hunters with their own stats. Hire or fire as your needs require.
-In the best tradition of Ghost Busters, explore locations to trap ghosts while trying to NOT destroy the joint.
-Buy or acquire new equipment to help you in your missions. Load the gear up into your VW Ghost, but be mindful of the space requirements.
-Build a base for your business, expanding the building to allow you more equipment.
-Chuckle or groan at the regular news reports that will frequently appear in game, or, on your smart phone.
-Try to keep your business in the green. If you go bankrupt, you can start again and learn from your mistakes.

All the terrible yuck yucks aside, this looks pretty neat. I loves me some ghost games, from either perspective. While the game's humor is probably going to be hammy as shit, if not downright terrible, the rest sounds pretty sweet and I dig the retro isometric graphics.

This may be the cheapest Kickstarter I've ever linked here at the Bay, so I'd find it hard to believe that it won't be successful. $5 gets you the game on release, which is also pretty damn cheap compared to, like, every other Kickstarter evar. The rewards are.....well some of them are a little dumb. A ghostly ringtone, eh? A PDF for notes, with actual numbered pages?!?! Get the fuck out. You have to pledge up to $50 to get bog-standard "stick your name in the game somewhere" reward, something I thought given how cheap all the backer levels and such are, was a bit of a surprise.

I get the impression this is a dev house backed by a non-game software studio, if the exceptionally business-y name of Application Systems Heidelberg Software GmbH is any indicator. It might also explain why they're asking for so little money.

The delivery date is roughly, as it stands now, sometime in September.

[miauw62]

Sometime in September? In game ETA time measurements, that's late October at best.

[nenjin]

Sometime in September? In game ETA time measurements, that's late October at best.

It's always subject to exceeding their stretch goals. At the $7500 level worth of content, they expect September.

[burningpet]

What ticks me off in a wrong way is the feeling that their "game footage" is actually just animations.

If that turns out to be true, i refuse to back a game that starts its relationship with its backers by inflicting false impressions on them.

[nenjin]

What ticks me off in a wrong way is the feeling that their "game footage" is actually just animations.

If that turns out to be true, i refuse to back a game that starts its relationship with its backers by inflicting false impressions on them.

To be fair, a lot of Kickstarters do a demo mockup with some animations and call it gameplay. They claim what they're showing is their prototype, not a mockup. So you either believe them or you don't.

If they were wanting $10,000 or more, I'd be highly suspicious. But for the equivalent of a few months hourly pay for for one person (which is paying 3 guys), I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Like I said. I suspect these guys work full time in IT and are doing this as a sideproject, backed by the parent company. We basically have the same thing going here where I work.

[burningpet]

Are they showing a prototype or an Animations based on static screens? if its the latter, as i said, personally, because its not explicitly said as such, i find it unacceptable and on the verge of deceptive advertising.

And while other projects also used this technique, such as planetary annihilation, there it was specifically said that they are showing a mocked up footage, while these guys here actually maintain this is a game footage. its quite a big difference.

Look, i am not saying they are making a fraud here or they wont complete the game eventually (i do question their time estimations, though), i am just saying that they started their relationship with me, a highly likely potential backer, with the wrong foot.

[nenjin]

Look, i am not saying they are making a fraud here or they wont complete the game eventually (i do question their time estimations, though), i am just saying that they started their relationship with me, a highly likely potential backer, with the wrong foot.

Well, you don't like their prototype presentation because it looks too much like a mockup to you. That's fine. But you are, basically, implying they're being fraudulent. It's the difference between saying "what a crappy looking prototype" vs. "That 'prototype' looks suspicious."

That said, yeah, their time estimate does seem pretty small. Then again, if they're iterating on an already functional prototype, it's not.

[burningpet]

Their time frame, which can be considered a very decisive factor whether to back the project or not, is based around the notion that this is a game footage.

As i said, i don't dislike their presentation because it looks like their prototype looks like an animated screen, i dislike it because it doesn't look like an actual game footage.

look at the mouse movement, look at how it interacts, look at how the panels are being dragged. if that's real game footage, i'll eat my hat and throw down that 75$ pledge level down their way.

[nenjin]

That sounds like a dare for me to invite them to thread.

[burningpet]

Go a head. hell, i'll even raise my bet to the 150$ pledge level.

[Sonlirain]

I agree with burningpet.
The cursor moves kinda stiff and in straight lines.

Are the devs eastern germans?

[Krevsin]

Soooo... Ghost Busters: The Game As It Should've Been?

I like it.

[miljan]

This looks.. hmmm cute 

[Tassilo]

Hello everybody.

Sorry that it took me so long to come by – loads to do right now
Well, first of all thank you for your outstanding support. We are overwhelmed by this first day - 27% funded, that's incredible!
Regarding the question about the stiff cursor: It's actually both true – it's based on our prototype (that is for example used to generate 2d-rooms in a 3d-space (we are working in Unity)) but created using "animation techniques" – move there, do that. The prototype itself is not yet in the state to deliver all the functions showcased in the video. Equipment-purchase, map-view, save-games and several gameplay-feature like floor-grid, sounds and more, are not yet implemented or not beautified enough for public screening. It is, so to say, scripted – including the mouse (actually being just a sprite), to showcase what you can expect of the game, not where we're at right now in development.
All beta-backers will get a playable version of the game quite soon – as soon as the most important features are feeling and looking stable enough. Nonetheless, our time-frame is solid by now and we're very confident to have it ready in time.
Well spotted though! We'll probably add some more videos from the actual gameplay in an upcoming update.
Thanks for inviting us here and all the best,
Tassilo

[Xgamer4]

So, it appears that the correct answer is that you're both right and wrong, burningpet?