back to article Ten... crowd-funded games from veteran devs

The world is awash innovative ideas and clever product blueprints, although the folk who come up with them are often too penniless to take things further. Which is why fundraising site Kickstarter has been such a success of late. But the site isn't limited to new inventors. We've seen a wave of veteran videogame developers …

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  1. jai

    too late

    why didn't you do this article last month? i'd have liked to back the Shadowrun reboot :(

  2. Sooty

    crikey

    A space combat sim, I haven't seen those for ages and I miss them... where's the modern version of x-wing v tie fighter, imagine what a modern pc/console could do with it"

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    A bit of balance please

    Crowd-sourcing isn't just Kickstarter you know. Infact, if you're trying to get a project underway and you don't have a US social security number it's pretty much a no-go.

    Indiegogo.com is an international alternative and just as good in my experience.

  4. Gil

    You missed one!

    Skyjacker:

    Our first priority has always been to transform a space combat game into the hot action that fills the player with adrenaline - the most important feature, lost in most games today. Playing other space sim. games we were always left wondering "why?":

    why can't I fly inside of the space station tunnels?

    why can't I use different methods of flight?

    why can't I do controlled asteroid collisions?

    why can't I destroy separate parts of an enemy ship to disable it?

    why can't I use other ships’ pieces to create my own craft?

    why can't I play the bad guy?

    And finally, why can't I reach and land the planet in front of me?

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitilus/skyjacker?ref=live

  5. MrXavia
    Thumb Up

    I am sure these games will be pleased for the advertising!

    I wonder how many people here will actually part with their cash to help?

    1. Putonghua73

      Parting with cash

      1. When I receive a return on investment / ownership

      2. Upon release

      My altruism extends to charity (but even that has a self-interest i.e. a better world) - it does not extend to acting as a form of free funding.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Multiplayer ELITE - where are you?

    Seriously. OOlite or Elite, whatever you want to call it if there are tm issues.

    This as a multiplayer game, either MMORPG or just the abiltiy to play up to several players at the same time over the net with a method of beaconing to allow for the fact that the distances are HUGE.

    I would back this.

    I would buy this.

    I think that there are a LOT of people who would.

    It has been too long. Even keep it basic as it is now...but you are missing a trick you 3d game devs.

    1. Emo

      Re: Multiplayer ELITE - where are you?

      You could try Eve Online ;)

      1. CraigRoberts

        Re: Multiplayer ELITE - where are you?

        Eve isn't a replacement for Elite. It's a replacement for Excel. </facetiousness>

        I don't want a point and click RPG. I want a real time space-flight-fight sim. We used to play Netwars across a Novell 4 network back in the early 90s - there's no reason we can't have an Elite: Frontier sequel where every other ship you meet (or most) is controlled by another real player... Eve isn't that by a long shot.

        I played Eve for about a year around 5 years ago - clicking on points in space isn't the same as desperately trying to pull the nose up and adjust thrusters while trying to catch a pirate in a full loop...

        1. The Indomitable Gall

          Re: Multiplayer ELITE - where are you?

          @CraigRoberts

          "I don't want a point and click RPG. I want a real time space-flight-fight sim."

          Erm... no. Space flight takes a Very Long Time Indeed, which is why Elite featured the "skip drive" -- it's just dull otherwise.

          And even if the observed time is short, remember that time at such velocities is relativistic -- it may seem like seconds to you, but it's years to someone else. Also, the time in a space station is massively truncated -- real trading time would be far higher.

          Real-time space flight sims are impossible until and unless you can play them in a simulator that spins at relativistic velocities and you're willing to spend a couple of days just because the fur trader on your destination space station has gone off to a family funeral.....

          1. Dave 126 Silver badge

            Re: Multiplayer ELITE - where are you?

            Hmmmm.... relativity worked into the multiplayer mechanic of a game - could it work?

    2. borkbork

      Re: Multiplayer ELITE - where are you?

      Maybe 0x10c? (.com). Early days though, not sure what it'll end up like.

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    5. AquaticPenguin

      Re: Multiplayer ELITE - where are you?

      Infinity: The Quest For Earth, sounds pretty close to what you're looking for, if I recall Elite is a large part of the inspiration behind the project. Developments slow, but there's some pretty pictures and videos to make you feel hopeful, the dev blog is quite an interesting read as well.

      http://www.infinity-universe.com/

      I'm interested to see whether these huge Kickstarter projects come to fruition or whether they lapse into vapourware. Hopefully we'll get some good games out of it, and maybe in the long term it'll shake up the publishers.

  7. davew_uk
    FAIL

    No mention of Project CARS?!

    Surely Project CARS (Simply Mad Studios/World of Mass Development) was fully funded via crowdsourced development before anyone had even -heard- of Kickstarter?

    1. Rich_Herds_Cats
      Thumb Up

      Re: No mention of Project CARS?!

      Not fully funded yet. but huge glaring omission, given it's now raised : 983,750 € from the community.

  8. markr555
    Facepalm

    6-8 weeks??

    Think you need to look at the planned development time again - don't care how good these guys are, a 6-8 week dev time is a little ambitious!

  9. xsist10
    Mushroom

    Carmageddon too

    I'm just going to leave this hear, since this one is still open:

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stainlessgames/carmageddon-reincarnation?ref=search

  10. Dave 126 Silver badge

    Big appetite for Space combat / sim / explore / trade game...

    "Grand Theft Auto - set in a galactic space port..." or "New X-Wing"...

    These desires have manifested in me as fanboi anticipation of Bungie's next game, now they are free of Microsoft and that Halo-shaped golden millstone.

    Clues appear to point at multi-system space trading/combat/exploring type game... but I may well be just projecting my own 'Elite reborn' wishes on it.

  11. P. Lee
    Linux

    Wingcommander!

    My vote goes to the one who does the space sim running on RPi using one or two Wii controllers.

    Ha, charge a bit more and bundle an Rpi with the game!

    Free console with every game!

    Put that in your ps3 and smoke it :D

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