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[puke]

I think youre numbers are basically right.  1 million should cover a team of four for about a year, assuming they are fairly high quality assets.

But I also think you're coming from a position of anger and aren't willing to consider that he might be doing something good.  I mean, there's this thing called a pipeline, right?  It isnt a convention that he is inventing here, its not a scandal.  A healthy business should have a pipeline, and also a variety of projects for people to move between.

I mean, Boeing has a TWENTY YEAR backlog of orders.  This is considered good business.  Should they only build one plane before taking an order for the next?  Sure he isnt building airplanes, but maybe its not so bad to have a second game in the pipeline?

[nenjin]

If you consider video game production just like a factory production line, I think your analogy fits.

And yes, I've argued with my own developers about staging your next game, pipelines, etc....

I don't think it's necessary. It may be "good business" but when you've generally not been impressed with their offerings so far, it doesn't make me want to run out and throw yet more money at them. I thought the whole difference between indie guys on Kickstarter and AAA was they weren't just going to release it, drop it and move on to the next money-making scheme like video games ARE made on a factory production line. Is that we said we were sick of? Shallow games that just meet the mark of acceptability and developers don't care because "it's not good business to do otherwise"?

It doesn't say good things to me that the "rockstars" of kickstarter have basically moved on from their games as soon as they're within 6 months of completion. That's not a development philosophy I want to back with my dollars, because it's exactly like the AAA studios, only the devs are "nice guys" who "really deserve your money."

And no, putting out some DLC 3 months after release doesn't really count as supporting or sticking with your game in my mind.

Take another example: Shadowrun Returns. That thing reeked of a rush job, and while people were still laying into DMS for being a watered down Shadowrun, HBS was already trying to get us to buy into Golem Arcana. If I'm underwhelmed by your first effort, why in fuck would I run out to give you more money for the second.

[Neonivek]

I do have a lot more faith in this then the other game.

Wasteland 2 is getting a rerelease with a lot more fixes and content attached to it. So it isn't like the company has abandoned their old products.

I just have hesitations based around what areas of the game they seem to be focusing on... AKA: The Graphics and everything else that isn't important

As for "Why don't they produce this themselves" They are... partially.

What they are doing is using the kickstarter funds to entice producers to fund the product. Which is a smart idea.

[puke]

And yes, I've argued with my own developers about staging your next game, pipelines, etc....

I don't think it's necessary. It may be "good business" but when you've generally not been impressed with their offerings so far, it doesn't make me want to run out and throw yet more money at them.

Well, I guess we're done here then. 

I am pleased with their previous efforts.  I have no desire to replay bards tale or even a 'faithful remake' of it, but I respect what they're doing with their company.  If you dont, that's cool enough.

[Virtz]

Writers can always have something to do. Concept artists, you don't need to start pulling in a million+ funding to keep them working.

I probably wouldn't care as much, were it not for the fact he's dangling his war chest out there like it's a stretch goal. That makes my blood boil.

Like what? What can concept artists and writers do that'd make their employment worthwhile and wouldn't produce more work for all the departments which are supposed to be polishing the game to a finish?

Not all departments are involved in all stages of a game's development.

[nenjin]

Whatever they do, if they have a million to throw around at a whim, I'm pretty for goddamn sure they can keep their artists (or more likely artist) from not starving.

[Virtz]

A project that'd give them a return on investment in the range of millions is hardly a whim. It'd be a whim to maintain a department of thumb twiddlers until the company's current project is completely done (which could take over half a year). It ain't good business practice, and not following good business practice is how you end up with people like Schafer.

[PrimusRibbus]

Bear in mind that the practice for many AAA game studios is to layoff staff as their portion of the project ends (as my buddy who worked at EA for a couple projects put it, "Great job, team! You're all fired!"). What they're trying to do here is stagger projects so that don't have to do the layoff/rehiring circus.

There's still plenty of debate as to whether this results in the best game possible, but their reasons behind it are likely so they don't have to lay people off.

[Retropunch]

Not to go back on myself, as it still really, really pisses me off, but it could be that there are investors which are only willing to get involved if it hits a certain level of financial success. I know that's been the case in previous titles, although if it is the case I wish they'd say so.

Really though, I just feel this isn't what Kickstarter should be about. It should be about kickstarting a business - not using it to fund every product because you don't want the risk.

[Moghjubar]

Added in-engine preview and some pics to op:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVB6dSckvJI

Its too bad games always overhype the engine and it ends up looking almost nothing like it.

[nenjin]

.....if this wasn't in a thread called Bard's Tale, I'd have zero idea this was supposed to be about Bard's Tale.

This just further confirms my suspicions that this isn't a Bard's Tale remake. It's a new fantasy game with the Bard's Tale name. They already did one of those, and it was terrible.

[Neonivek]

I actually like the atmosphere and humor more then the actual graphics.

I WISH the game was like that preview. Weird and Fantastic with some humorous moments... where your magic actually has some use outside combat.

Man I want to fund this project so bad!

[nenjin]

To be fair, I don't think I played any of the original Bard's Tale sequels. Which is why none of that seems familiar to me at all.

[Retropunch]

...That actually looks incredibly impressive. Just for graphics and atmosphere alone I'm going to fund it. They sold it pretty terribly on their kickstarter - and I completely agree that it's going to be nothing like the original bards tale (which to be honest, I was never a huuuuuuge fan of), but if they can keep keep the atmosphere going and also make the game mechanics good it'll be fantastic.

Still pissed off they're doing the funding matching thing.

[Neonivek]

Still pissed off they're doing the funding matching thing.

I am actually happy they outright told us.

A LOT of kickstarters do this... in secret.