Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[nenjin]

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I wouldn't trust Kicktraq's estimates that closely.

I think my final number for this game is somewhere between $28k and $35k. It's already more than I thought it'd make, but I it's media push has finally occurred and passed. And I think it did pretty well for all that! If it's still pulling in ~$500 a day over the next couple days, it may make more. But generally there's the first spike due to media coverage, a steady but generally not significant increase toward the end, and then a final spike, usually to me dependent on what stretch goals are still reachable and how much people want them.

[Xantalos]

It's not like anything can make the game 'worse' at this point, since it reached two of its stretch goals.

[lemon10]

I don't think the media push is over. If no demo comes out, then there probably won't be much more coverage until the final few days of the kickstarter. I personally suspect that even without a demo it would manage mroe then $35k, but that isn't based on a huge amount of knowledge of kickstarter trends (although both kicktraq and kickspy estimating far more then $35k does make me suspect that it will substantially higher).

But there is going to be a demo coming out, and I am pretty confident that it will result in a hefty influx of media coverage and thus backers.

[Cthulhu]

We might see another big push when the demo comes but I guess we'll see where it goes.

When the demo comes.

When the demo comes >:o

[rylen]

I'd like to hear a bit more about religion, especially how it interacts with magic and with politics (1). Is there, potentially, a spiritual dimension to TWS magic? Can gods call for their followers to do things? Can religious hierarchies do things without word from further up?

You've said a few times that you will be polishing up for an "Early Access Release". This will be available for us folks in the sub-$50 seats, right? Just making sure I'm interpreting it correctly.

If you are looking for a post $53K goal, consider "Tiger by the Tail" mode. You take the role of one of the nations which is trying to secretly bridle and control a sleeping old one to help accomplish your goal. You get an expanded list the the nations regular actions to choose from and some protection from corruption by that old one. Bad things happen if your neighbors realize what you are doing. And extremely bad things should it get out from under your control.

(1) A necromancer and a psychopomp walk into a bar. Each places an order for his favorite spirit.

[Cthulhu]

An option to play as a hero or nation would also make for something interesting.  Obviously it'd be hard to wrangle considering you know there's an ancient evil awakening, but...

[KingDinosaurGames]

I'd like to hear a bit more about religion, especially how it interacts with magic and with politics (1). Is there, potentially, a spiritual dimension to TWS magic? Can gods call for their followers to do things? Can religious hierarchies do things without word from further up?

You've said a few times that you will be polishing up for an "Early Access Release". This will be available for us folks in the sub-$50 seats, right? Just making sure I'm interpreting it correctly.

If you are looking for a post $53K goal, consider "Tiger by the Tail" mode. You take the role of one of the nations which is trying to secretly bridle and control a sleeping old one to help accomplish your goal. You get an expanded list the the nations regular actions to choose from and some protection from corruption by that old one. Bad things happen if your neighbors realize what you are doing. And extremely bad things should it get out from under your control.

(1) A necromancer and a psychopomp walk into a bar. Each places an order for his favorite spirit.

Unfortunately playing as a leader/nation/hero would really need to be its own game, a lot of work would have to be done to make it playable inside That Which Sleeps and I'm not sure it would be that interesting (unless from a multiplayer perspective).  Heroes and Leaders spend a LOT of time simply "waiting for a task to complete", which is great for you as the Old One but wouldn't so fun controlling them.  That being said, what you describe is actually possible in game with a little bit of modding, it wouldn't truly simulate the leader experience but it could create, I think, a very fun Old One game with a focus on a particular nation.

Gods who have an interest in the world (many are rather apathetic) can give Quests much like Kings and Leaders can, but instead of giving a reward in gold it is simply a call to the faithful.  As for spiritual, there are miracles that can be requested by Priests of the religion - but all of these actions require "Faith" which doubles as the vitality of the God - a Priest may ask for a miracle and have it granted, only to see a now weakened God swallowed up by a rival. 

As for hierachies, it's a complicated question - the way we trigger events is either from an AI Entity, which for religion can be "the head of a religious institute" or "the God themself", or from a POI looking for its "random event".  I put that in quotes because they are in great part predictable, so for instance if a POI contains a temple to a God it may have for its event something to do with the temple, which is as close to the hierarchy as you get.  We do not simulate elements below the Leadership or the structures.  However, more than one cult or religion of a God can be formed - so you may have a militant arm of a God's faith as well as a more peaceful interpretation.  They rarely get along however.

Everyone who has pledged $10 or more will get Early Access, which will be launched in part by the determination of the Beta testers.

[i2amroy]

Multiplayer maybe? I'm not sure on your exact turn/event handling system (which makes a huge difference in how feasible multiplayer is), but it might be fun to run multiple ancient evils with each one being controlled by a different player, leading to either conflict or possibly alliances to crush the rest of the world together.

(Course that is assuming you end up with so much money you don't know what to do with all of it. )

[Jalak]

Well, it's been officially a week since the start of the kickstarter and two stretch goals are already done with. Even if it craps out now, at least we have a guarantee of a solid game, right?

[lemon10]

Heh, if it capped out at $12k I think we would have had a guarantee of a solid game. Anything after that just made (and will make) it better.

[Majestic7]

I hope infiltrating and controlling religions will be a valid way to win the game and maybe the focus of some specific Old One. It would be an excellent way to a) gain power, b) cause chaos and c) weaken gods. Maybe some Old One could have a victory condition of killing all the gods? That is, removing their influence from the world. You could then achieve it by suppressing and destroying the religions or subvertni them or whatever. Likewise, I hope your agents can form up false religions worshipping your tentacular greatness!

[Jalak]

I'd imagine the "wipe out religion" goal would be a mixed bag, since it looks like it's entirely possible to have no religions or gods whatsoever, especially since they're not even going to be in the first demo. Creating your own religion, I could see as one though. It would be interesting if the cults you could form end up spreading your word in such a way that is actually detrimental to your efforts, as it would draw attention to yourself and your "efforts".

[Majestic7]

Well I could see there being two kinds of cults, supersecret conspiracy cults seeking to brainwash important individuals with promises of immortality and whatnot, Illuminati-style and then mass movements. Either could be disguised or naked cults; disguised ostensibly worshipping something else than you, but naked ones giving more direct influence and power. So the disguised cults would be suspicious and warrant investigation by heroes etc, but wouldn't directly reveal you.

[Sartain]

Well, it's been officially a week since the start of the kickstarter and two stretch goals are already done with. Even if it craps out now, at least we have a guarantee of a solid game, right?

I was hoping we'd hit the religion mark but so long as it got funded I'm happy.

[KingDinosaurGames]

I hope infiltrating and controlling religions will be a valid way to win the game and maybe the focus of some specific Old One. It would be an excellent way to a) gain power, b) cause chaos and c) weaken gods. Maybe some Old One could have a victory condition of killing all the gods? That is, removing their influence from the world. You could then achieve it by suppressing and destroying the religions or subvertni them or whatever. Likewise, I hope your agents can form up false religions worshipping your tentacular greatness!

The base victory conditions revolve around either significant Control of the Map or Reducing the World Into Anarchy, with the former usually accompanied by a healthy dose of the latter - though these are the base there are also other methods to win the game.  With Gods and Religions we also introduce the Ascension path, which sets the Old One on a path through the heavens to absorb enough Aspects to be the one true power.  It is definitely a less common path to victory, and changes the "Crisis" point of the game to revolve around the Gods defense of their very existence.  Note that isn't just usurping faith and religions that accomplishes this, it would be your choice to begin attacking the Gods directly that forces their hand.

Cults are hidden, whereas religions are not - but cults can usurp Religions (Temples) of the God they are formed off of, supplanting the type of worship with their own.  Cults have less Aspects then a Religion, but gain a more "extreme" power from it - which can range from your traditional brainwashing to ritual sacrifices to demon summonings.