Wasteland 2 Kickstarter Progress

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http://ruinedkingdoms.com/wasteland2/

What annoys me about Kickstarter by the way, is i can never find a master list of kickstarter projects. It seems like they only show you a few and it's hard to look at a list of them all, even by category.

Bothers me too, maybe we're both missing something. Otherwise it's quite poor design.

Getting close to $1.5 Mac and Linux here we come!

Let's keep this going. I just pledged 65 for the boxed version. The promise of a cloth map drew me in, I miss the days of large boxed pc releases. The special edition sounds great too but I better keep some money in my pocket for more awesome Kickstarter projects.

It's at $1,614,213 now with 32,187 backers.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2

Same as me lol, damn international shipping. I shal post an interview 

Kickstarting the future of game publishing: An interview with Brian Fargo

Tell us about the game. How true to the original do you plan to make it?

I want this game to be comfortable for either a Wasteland of Fallout 1/2 player to be able to step into like a comfortable pair of shoes. Obviously the graphics need to be updated, and it will have different combat systems, etc., but there is a tone, stats, and interface that come with the RPGs from that era. People are very clear about wanting that experience and none of this "re-imagining" business. The game will initially take place in the (American) southwest as you are controlling a band of desert rangers like in the first game. The game will have scope and scale like both Wasteland and Fallout; it will be open-world in the sense that we don't lead you around by the nose; it will have multiple approaches to most things to avoid the moralistic "right" solution; it will be skill-based; NPCs will join the group and not always behave like you want; and it will not require hand-eye coordination. Oh, and there will be tons of weapons so people can shoot their way through situations instead of charming anyone.

Will there be a way for fans to submit ideas on what they'd like to see in the game, or is the foundation already established?

We already have the forums up and will be using them primarily for the broad strokes, but if we see some clever, specific ideas, we will integrate them. Nothing is in stone yet, and the fan input is key. Some people have raised concerns that it will be a free-for-all, but my job is to act as the editor and help to harness the ideas and serve up the appropriate decisions. I have the writers and designers scoping out the locales and dialogue, but we will greatly rely on input for interface, combat system depth, and graphical tone. But once things are agreed on, we stay consistent with the consensus of direction. It is no different than when I used to make my producers create vision documents at Interplay, only this time the fans will sign off on the vision. On top of this, we will open up gameplay for feedback to make sure we are hitting the right notes.

The goal for the Wasteland 2 project is $900k to get the game started, combined with a $100k investment from you, for a total of $1 million. Amazingly enough (but not surprisingly), that $900k goal was reached after fewer than two days. Do you have plans set up for what you'll focus on expanding first if the funded amount goes to $2 million or $3 million or beyond?

Assuming we go way beyond the goal, we will continue to balance adding more content and other formats. We have already committed to Linux/Mac at $1.5 million, so I imagine there could be a tablet version after that. But the most important thing is that we don't compromise the PC version in any way shape or form for other formats. The fans have trusted us to create the right kind of game. This truly was the best way for this game to have been funded.

Do you see Kickstarter campaigns as the future for indie developers at some point or mainly for well-known and trusted names?

That is difficult to answer as a large part of it depends on the budget request. I have seen some smaller, unheard-of indies doing quite well, but once you request budgets of this size, it becomes a whole other conversation. I would assume it would be difficult for an unknown, but you never know these days. Every week I get up, there is a paradigm shift or new business model that seems to have appeared. Running Interplay was child's play compared to the knowledge base you need today.

Do you think funding campaigns like this will spell the end for big game publishers or cause them to re-evaluate their business approach in the future?

Well, it would certainly be overstating the cause to expect it to spell the end for them, but it should be some sort of wake up call. There are fans who are going unnoticed, and there is a treatment of developers that is abysmal. I hope all the talented developers find a niche audience that allows them to make games with the purity of a direct relationship with their fans.

Do you have a classic game (not developed by you!) that you'd like to see resurrected or given a sequel through Kickstarter crowdfunding?

I don't even want to hint at what other things might be interesting to me. I am laser-focused on Wasteland 2, and it is all-consuming for me... in a good way.

Thanks for your time, Brian! Massively readers, If you'd like to help Wasteland 2 become the greatest sequel to the greatest RPG of all time (in my humble opinion, of course), head over tothe game's Kickstarter page for more information.

some others

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/03/12/post-post-nuclear-roleplaying-brian-fargo-on-wasteland-2/

http://www.gamezone.com/editorials/exclusive-interview-brian-fargo-talks-wasteland-2

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=8005

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=8023

http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=8046

!!! Obsidian Joining Wasteland 2 – On One Condition…

Here’s a big, bouncy ball of unexpected good news for you. Brian Fargo and his studio inXile Entertainment are, as you well know, working on a sequel to the seminal RPG Wasteland, and have successfully Kickstarted it to the tune of $1.6 million. Since exceeding their initial target of $900,000, they’ve been able to add Mac and Linux versions to their masterplan for the post-nuclear roleplaying game. But that’s not all. They’ve just been in touch to say that, if they can reach $2.1 million during the 17 days remaining on the funding schedule, they’ll be bringing in Obisidian Entertainment, including Planescape: Torment mastermind Chris Avellone, to help them make the game.

Oh my word. The minds behind Fallout and Planescape, together. A veritable RPG supergroup. This has to happen.

Says Chris Avellone, “Wasteland is one of my favorite RPGs of all time, and when Brian asked if I wanted to work on the sequel, I jumped at the chance. While I’ve worked on Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, getting the chance to work on the spiritual successor to the Fallout franchise is a honor.”

Brian Fargo observes that “I have a history with the guys at Obsidian that dates back to the days of Interplay’s Black Isle studios. Together we created some of the greatest RPG’s of all time, from Fallout 1 & 2 to titles like Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment. It is great that we now have a chance to reunite on a project like Wasteland 2.”

It’s about tools to speed up and ease development as much as it is bringing in addition talent, apparently. “Obsidian has an incredible library of story, dialog and design tools that they have used to create hits like Neverwinter Nights 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, and of course, Fallout: New Vegas. Regardless of the tech we use to develop the game, experience with these tools will help us efficiently design the game without wasting time and resources on the tools needed for development.”

This is also good news for Obisidian, potentially, who recently suffered a round of lay-offs. Hopefully this can help get them back to fighting strength.

So, you know what to do. 2012 really is the most extraordinary year for PC gaming, isn’t it?

I’ve also just finished a quickie interview with Brian Fargo, talking more about what this (hopeful) collaboration means, how the whole crowdsourcing thing’s gone and his plans for the Kicking It Forward philanthropic reinvestment scheme, which I’ll get to you as soon as possible.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/03/30/obisidian-to-co-develop-wasteland-2-on-one-condition/#more-102171

Wow, this seems to be really paying off for them!

It certainly gives me hope as a indy dev that studios like these and indeed like myself will be able to develop games that they otherwise could not have done if this type of sourcing did not exist.

Mount and Blade was funding with Beta Keys, so I see no reason why it couldn't.

The trick is of course, you'll likely have to produce a proof of concept demo or cheaper "free" games.

Or... depending on if one or two well known developers are feeling particularly adventurous.... they could create their own kickstarter studio, leading their name, oversight and popularity to sign aspiring programmers to make games they want to make while using their name to draw in the donations.

Of course such a think would take quite a bit of work... but chances are the first ones to the game could make a killing while better bringing fans the game they want.

What's exciting about Kickstarter is that it creates a whole new criteria for creating games. ENTHUSIASM.

Niche games get ignored because, while a small segement of a population is DYING for a game, this larger population feels generally positive about this other type of game, and therefore more people have passed the "Enthusiasm" gap for the game nobody is super excited about.  Even though the level of enthusiasm is higher with the other game.

In a donation based system, enthusiasm and a "How much are you willing to pay for this" model appears... allowing the chance for more high enthusiasm games to be made.

It's essentially the perfect tool to deliver games to small niche groups who are extremely in to their games.

Like for example games that are 4-8 years old with no sequel but still have a decent following even with some modders trying to add stuff to the game.

Last week’s wonderful shock news was that Brian Fargo and his team at inXile hope to recruit Chris Avellone and his team at Obsidian to work with them on the successfully startkicked sandbox RPG Wasteland 2. If funding for Wasteland 2 can reach $2.1 million (it’s currently at $1.8m, with 14 days left to go), it means a sort of dream team of ex-Black Isle staff would be working on a game that consciously harkens back to that golden age of cRPGs. I had a quick chat with Brian Fargo about what the potential partnership actually means, his thoughts on the wildly successful crowdsourcing of the game to date, whether the hiring of Planescape brain Avellone means a more fixed rather than freeform RPG, how his Kicking It Forwardscrowdsourcing reinvestment initiative is going, and how he’d love to out-Kickstart Doublefine.

continued http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/04/02/back-to-black-isle-fargo-on-obsidian-joining-wasteland-2/

Wasteland 2 – New designers to help at $2.5 million, mod tools at $3.0 million

inXile Entertainment has revealed some new details about their future plans for Wasteland 2. According to a recent update in their Kickstarter page, the developers will bring some new designer to help them if they hit the $2.5 million goal. Let us remind you that Obsidian’s Chief Creative Officer, Chris Avellone, will help in the development of the game if the Kickstarter campaign hits the $2.1 million mark.

Moreover, inXile Entertainment is planning to add mod tools to the game if they hit the remarkable milestone of $3.0 million dollars. To create these kinds of tools is time consuming and requires a separate team of guys to do it and that’s why they will not be included otherwise. At least not at launch.

As inXile Entertainment said:

“While we are not ready to commit to that feature yet, we can say that if we were to hit 3 million dollars,  it would be possible to do a mod kit  without cutting into the plan for the main game.  In fact, IF we ended up making the mod kit we would not release it until after Wasteland 2 shipped as our hands will be quite full to ensure things are done well.  The game will also increase in scope as well so this is not a binary equation.”

Those interested can visit its Kickstarter page and back it up. There are 12 days left and $1.9 million dollars have been pledged so far.

http://www.dsogaming.com/news/wasteland-2-new-designers-to-help-at-2-5-million-mod-tools-at-3-0-million/