The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Ian on March 31, 2014, 08:54:03 PM
-
FINAL EDIT: It turns out the answer to every question I asked in the title was "Yes." Thank you so much for all the support, but if you want to help one last time, here's the Steam page:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/349500/
OLDER LINKS:
Kickstarter Campaign (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/cubicle-quest)
Game's page (http://ianisaro.blogspot.kr/p/cubicle-quest.html)
Game's forum (http://z13.invisionfree.com/Ian_Isaro/index.php)
ORIGINAL POST:
Would anyone be interested in playing a game based on Mustachian principles? This is a side project I’d do just for the fun of it, but if other people are interested I’d welcome feedback.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/ianisaro/CubicleQuest_2sparkle_small544x416.jpg) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/ianisaro/media/CubicleQuest_2sparkle_small544x416.jpg.html)
The game is called Cubicle Quest and I previously mentioned it in this thread (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/sources-of-lifestye-inflation/msg165610/#msg165610). Since then I've gotten the majority of the work done. Now that I have free time at work again, I intend to finish it over the coming few months.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/ianisaro/Cubicle1.png) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/ianisaro/media/Cubicle1.png.html)
Meet Bob. He graduated a few years ago and is stuck in a dead end job with mounting credit card debt. Broken down and on the verge of depression, he reimagines his life in a fantasy framework to try to regain control.
The Kingdom of Bob is under siege! The Debt Alliance, a vicious horde of college debt monsters and credit card undead, has conquered Free Time Mountain and driven to the gates of Castle Sanity. Bob needs to do everything in his power to fight them back and destroy their master, somewhere within the Fortress of Discontent...
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/ianisaro/Cubicle2.png) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/ianisaro/media/Cubicle2.png.html)
You get the idea, I think. This is a light-hearted game about finances that has a lot to do with this forum. I'm hoping to make a legitimately fun game, not repackaged financial advice. Making the equivalent of good life decisions will help you win, but it's not going to browbeat you with advice - you're going to be fighting monsters that represent Bob's mental and financial weaknesses.
Many people here have written about how slow the road to financial independence is, because so much life happens in between paychecks. With this game, I tried to capture the fun side of the process, going from a financial wreck to stable or FI in hours instead of years. The core game mechanics beneath the surface reflect plausible finances, so you can view it as a financial simulator if you want, or you can ignore those and just focus on the fantasy quests.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/ianisaro/Cubicle4.png) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/ianisaro/media/Cubicle4.png.html)
Here are a bunch of examples of how the game works:
- The Kingdom of Bob's army has soldiers equal to Bob's salary (dollars = workers, after all).
- Most of your soldiers are busy fighting the Expense Monsters that plague your kingdom. Bob can defeat them himself, permanently freeing up soldiers, but only if he has the frugality muscle to beat the bosses involved.
- You can increase your salary by clearing new floors at the Dungeon of Work.
- You can set up mining operations at the Financial Mine. Based on how many soldiers you commit, you get monthly interest based on real savings account or investment numbers.
- A cast of characters is available to enter into a Roommate Alliance - or later on, a Marriage Alliance, if you want.
- Your friends and family fight in battle with you, but they bring different strengths to the table. One character might be strong against emotional enemies like depression, but less useful when you're challenging work or financial enemies.
- After you acquire a ship to sail the Sea of Ambition, you can do things like start a business.
- Instead of swords and shields, you equip ideas. You attack with your current goals and are shielded by your support communities. You can also equip books, virtues, and other items to provide other benefits.
(http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/ianisaro/Cubicle3.png) (http://s1201.photobucket.com/user/ianisaro/media/Cubicle3.png.html)
I'm wrapping up work on the game now. The basic mechanics are solid and I've finished almost all the dialogue and graphics. I still need to fine tune the enemies to create the right level of difficulty, and there's a page filled with minor things to be finished up. Once I've created a playable experience, I'll need some beta testers to help root out bugs and the like.
I'm having fun with this and I'd welcome any feedback. If people are interested, I'll keep you updated on my progress. If not, I’ll only mention the game again once it’s done.
-
That looks awesome! Sign me up for the beta.
-
already exists (http://www.cfiresim.com/input.php)
-
That looks awesome! Sign me up for the beta.
Thanks!
already exists (http://www.cfiresim.com/input.php)
Hah! If that's what you want, then I don't have anything to offer you. It was playing around with such simulators that motivated me to make this game. I actually used cFIREsim to improve some of my formulas, but it's obviously more complex and more realistic.
-
This is adorable and I'd totally be willing to give up hours of my life playing.
-
I've never been one much for RPGs, but this looks neat.
-
Sign me up! I'd love to play it.
-
Thanks for all the interest! I will keep you appraised of my progress and meanwhile I'm happy to take questions or suggestions
I've never been one much for RPGs, but this looks neat.
Right, I should clarify that this is very much an old school RPG and that's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.
-
I would definitely play this. Which is the reason i should have nothing to do with it what so ever. ;-) I love the library card accessory!
Also, you made a game. That is pretty cool. Well done. I'm a bookkeeper but I reckon I could have been a programmer in another life. Or perhaps even this one, who knows? It's all just code right? Numbers and letters.
-
This does sound kinda cool and I really really really really really do not want to be the one to point this out but HOWEVER
- After you acquire a ship to sail the Sea of Ambition, you can do things like start a business.
Most of us would facepunch someone who buys a boat. You're asking me to buy a cruiseliner so I can start a business?
Sorry for that nitpick, carry on, great idea regardless :)
-
I would definitely play this. Which is the reason i should have nothing to do with it what so ever.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with playing games unless you don't have enough time for the important things in your life. But I'm not exactly a neutral party here, so you probably shouldn't pay attention to me.
This does sound kinda cool and I really really really really really do not want to be the one to point this out but HOWEVER
- After you acquire a ship to sail the Sea of Ambition, you can do things like start a business.
Most of us would facepunch someone who buys a boat. You're asking me to buy a cruiseliner so I can start a business?
Sorry for that nitpick, carry on, great idea regardless :)
Heh, didn't consider that interpretation. It's only a boat on the metaphorical fantasy level. After you get out of your debt emergency, you gain access to a new region that includes an area called the Port of Possibility. There you have to defeat a boss that represents the fear of going outside your comfort zones - once you do that, you get the boat and access to everywhere in the Sea of Ambition. No money/soldiers necessary.
There are non-fantasy boats in the game. You can buy them, but they're status symbols that don't do anything. I don't plan to draw any attention to the fact, I'm just going to leave them in an optional area and let people come to their own conclusions.
-
There are non-fantasy boats in the game. You can buy them, but they're status symbols that don't do anything. I don't plan to draw any attention to the fact, I'm just going to leave them in an optional area and let people come to their own conclusions.
SPOILER ALERT!
;)
-
Bleh. not my thing.
-
I think it's a great idea. I'd be interested to see/play it, and to help test it out too.
-
This is awesome, I'd definitely help Beta test.
I see an amazing amount of potential here, not necessarily for mustachians...but for teens and young adults who are graduating without a damn clue how to budget or the vaguest idea of how much they pay in interest. I really like the idea of group/family play/questing. It could be a really useful mechanic for teaching the entire family at once without them even realizing it. I could totally see this on steam :)
-
This looks so cool. Let me know when it's ready to play. :)
-
I'll play, but only if my half-elf Warrior Monk (perfect for frugality- they don't need all that expensive armor that other classes need) can work from home.
I can't do cubicles. Too depressing.
-
while youre at it, can you also do one for kids? it'll be great to start them early
-
Thanks for the continued interest. I'll review all my files and get some kind of progress indicator up by the weekend.
I would definitely try it out. Btw, my favorite game as a kid (...which may explain a few things...) was Jones in the Fast Lane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_in_the_Fast_Lane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones_in_the_Fast_Lane)
Never played it as a kid, but in my previous thread I got linked to it and spent a while playing around with the flash version. Not sure the appeal will be the same, but interesting to see a precedent.
This is awesome, I'd definitely help Beta test.
I see an amazing amount of potential here, not necessarily for mustachians...but for teens and young adults who are graduating without a damn clue how to budget or the vaguest idea of how much they pay in interest. I really like the idea of group/family play/questing. It could be a really useful mechanic for teaching the entire family at once without them even realizing it. I could totally see this on steam :)
Ah, sorry to oversell, I don't actually have multi-player functionality at this time. That'd require a different game and a different engine. You're limited to your virtual family, I'm afraid.
I'll play, but only if my half-elf Warrior Monk (perfect for frugality- they don't need all that expensive armor that other classes need) can work from home.
I can't do cubicles. Too depressing.
I'm going to assume that's snark, but in case anyone is wondering: you don't actually spend any time in cubicles. You see them at the Dungeon of Work, but the time your character actually spends in them is abstracted out of the game. Because that's not fun even in a fantasy setting.
while youre at it, can you also do one for kids? it'll be great to start them early
I'm going to stay focused on one game I can clearly finish, but it's been fun, so if things go well enough, I might try for more.
-
Alright, I’ve organized enough to give you guys a meaningful progress indicator. Most of these are approximations, but they give a decent sense of how much work is done vs yet to be completed. I’ll update it periodically as I finish large segments.
Current Progress
Scripts: 95%
Equipment: 98%
Characters: 99%
Maps: 75%
Enemies: 27%
Music: 5%
Fully Tested: 5%
You can see that most of the game is done, but the work is out of order. There are late areas entirely complete, middle areas not started, and lots of small gaps throughout. Some parts of the game can’t be tested piece by piece – the global variables that change throughout, stat progression, etc.
Now that the core financial mechanics are in place, I can start going through the game in a linear fashion, testing everything as players would encounter it. That means I need to fill in all the small gaps, and is a pretty good indicator of overall progress. The biggest part of the work will be setting up the enemies: they have graphics and unique attacks, but I’ll need to give them stats as I play so that they won’t be too hard or easy. How much of the game I’ve played this way is the “Fully Tested” counter, so that’s the bottom line if you’re not interested in the rest.
Of course this doesn’t account for the ever-changing list of things to do. It ranges from chunks of the game not begun (like getting a mortgage) to characters that need more dialogue or areas I think are boring. Right now I’m not going to bother representing this list, but if I finish the play-through, that will be the final countdown to game completion.
-
Alright, I’ve organized enough to give you guys a meaningful progress indicator. Most of these are approximations, but they give a decent sense of how much work is done vs yet to be completed. I’ll update it periodically as I finish large segments.
Current Progress
Scripts: 95%
Equipment: 98%
Characters: 99%
Maps: 75%
Enemies: 27%
Music: 5%
Fully Tested: 5%
You can see that most of the game is done, but the work is out of order. There are late areas entirely complete, middle areas not started, and lots of small gaps throughout. Some parts of the game can’t be tested piece by piece – the global variables that change throughout, stat progression, etc.
Now that the core financial mechanics are in place, I can start going through the game in a linear fashion, testing everything as players would encounter it. That means I need to fill in all the small gaps, and is a pretty good indicator of overall progress. The biggest part of the work will be setting up the enemies: they have graphics and unique attacks, but I’ll need to give them stats as I play so that they won’t be too hard or easy. How much of the game I’ve played this way is the “Fully Tested” counter, so that’s the bottom line if you’re not interested in the rest.
Of course this doesn’t account for the ever-changing list of things to do. It ranges from chunks of the game not begun (like getting a mortgage) to characters that need more dialogue or areas I think are boring. Right now I’m not going to bother representing this list, but if I finish the play-through, that will be the final countdown to game completion.
Personally I am not much of a gamer, but you have definitely peeked enough interest here for your game which I think is an awesome idea, when its complete someone should make sure MMM gets to see it, you might even get a blog post out of it.
As a software engineer, I might suggest you select a group of eager readers here for an alpha test while you are still building it, waiting for it to be completed and doing a full beta test will wind up giving you a lot more work in the end. Getting what you have in front of people now and getting feedback will help you a lot more, and this group of people is a great target audience.
You might find you need to adapt a bit more etc… before making it publicly available.
This could be a very valuable tool for the young, the financially inexperienced and the bored at work.
-Mister FancyPants
-
I enjoy the occasional game, and I would absolutely play this! Old school RPG's are fantastic, and this one looks like great fun!
I would certainly love to jump in onto a test as well.
-
Cute!! Totally reminds me of my favourites: Zelda!
That said, I have have not played in a long time, as I prefer not to make time for it.
I know I tend to get sucked into these things and the weekend is over in the blink of an eye without having accomplished anything.
Hubs gave me a DS a few years back to kill time on long international flights, but honestly
most times I try to sleep or prefer to read a book, because I know once I started, it's too hard to put it down!
-
Very cute idea. I love RPGs, and this is right up my alley. Sign me up to help test it.
-
I'm in! Keep us posted.
-
Thanks for the continued interest, guys.
As a software engineer, I might suggest you select a group of eager readers here for an alpha test while you are still building it, waiting for it to be completed and doing a full beta test will wind up giving you a lot more work in the end. Getting what you have in front of people now and getting feedback will help you a lot more, and this group of people is a great target audience.
My thinking has been trending in this direction as well. I've considered making a demo alpha available, but anything more than a basic demo will require a lot of work because the game is non-linear at times: I'd like alpha testers to get a sense for the full game instead of seeing "Under Construction" signs everywhere.
That said, I have have not played in a long time, as I prefer not to make time for it.
I know I tend to get sucked into these things and the weekend is over in the blink of an eye without having accomplished anything.
Yeah, that's not a good feeling. I find I enjoy games more when they only take up a controlled corner of my life, but that's not easy for some, so good for you knowing your limits.
-
Awesome! I'd love to test it
-
This week I saw a lot of scattered work come together into a decent chunk of playable game. My next objective is to create a complete alpha test – “playable” doesn’t include music or a few other cosmetic details. I’ll do those for the beginning of the game and see if I can’t release something for a few of you to test.
Current progress on the game:
Scripts: 96%
Equipment: 98%
Characters: 100%
Maps: 92%
Enemies: 42%
Music: 5%
Fully Tested 45%
Since a numbers-only update might be boring, here’s an example of the kind of thing I’m dealing with as I test the game. In the Savings Mineshaft, there’s a puzzle where you ride around in carts. It works fine – unless you quit the game and return midway in. The carts work in two different ways, one of which resets and the other doesn’t. That means that you can permanently lock off parts of the mine if you quit at the wrong time. Lots of little things like this keep popping up.
-
Sign me up. Anything rpg makes me happy. :)
-
I'll play.
-
I need one or two volunteers for the alpha version of the game.
It will be functional, but your progress will be artificially limited and your save file probably won't be transferable. So only people that are interested in playing around with the system a little while need apply. The content for the alpha is done, but I need to make and upload a proper executable. That will ideally happen around this weekend. I'll also report my overall progress soon; this has been another productive week.
-
I wouldn't mind testing a bit, as the game looks fun. However, I'm from West-Europe, meaning that communication would probably be rather difficult seeing I'm at work all day and only game / can communicate in the evening/weekends. So you might prefer people from the same timezone? :)
Also congrats on the progress, it looks really nice!
-
I'm excited for this. As a super n00b programmer, I'm always down to see what other devs are doing in their free time.
-
I wouldn't mind testing a bit, as the game looks fun. However, I'm from West-Europe, meaning that communication would probably be rather difficult seeing I'm at work all day and only game / can communicate in the evening/weekends. So you might prefer people from the same timezone? :)
Also congrats on the progress, it looks really nice!
The internet is a real good solution for this - Async communication. :)
-
I'm an avid gamer, I'd give it a whirl!
Steam seems to like to work with indie games too.
-
This sounds fun. I'll test! Though, I might wait around for the beta as my schedule's pretty packed until after May :)
-
I'm happy to beta test as well.
-
Key detail I should have emphasized earlier: this is a Windows game. Late in the process it can be ported to other systems, but the alpha and beta versions will just be raw .exe files.
I wouldn't mind testing a bit, as the game looks fun. However, I'm from West-Europe, meaning that communication would probably be rather difficult seeing I'm at work all day and only game / can communicate in the evening/weekends. So you might prefer people from the same timezone? :)
Also congrats on the progress, it looks really nice!
Thanks! Time zones aren't a problem, since this game has no online component. All I'm looking for is someone to play through and send me an email/PM about their thoughts.
This sounds fun. I'll test! Though, I might wait around for the beta as my schedule's pretty packed until after May :)
I'm hoping the beta will be basically the full experience, just a little less polished. The alpha will be more like a demo.
-
I wouldn't mind testing a bit, as the game looks fun. However, I'm from West-Europe, meaning that communication would probably be rather difficult seeing I'm at work all day and only game / can communicate in the evening/weekends. So you might prefer people from the same timezone? :)
Also congrats on the progress, it looks really nice!
The internet is a real good solution for this - Async communication. :)
Hehe obviously. I just meant for the following: Let's say I test it in the evening and find a bug. I send a mail/pm with info. Ian reads it a couple of hours later when he wakes up and can't figure out what I meant or where I encountered the bug and therefor asks for more information. I only see this mail after work the next day to clarify.
It's still doable, however if it always takes about 24 hours between the next reply, things go rather slowly. 3 mails each back and forth is half a week gone.
So I just wanted to give a heads up. Else I'd be happy to give it a go!
-
Status update as promised:
Scripts: 97%
Equipment: 98%
Characters: 100%
Maps: 92%
Enemies: 82%
Music: 90%
Fully Tested: 81%
Probably a week or two more of development, then I'll need to start looking to more practical concerns of distribution and the like.
-
Current progress on the game:
Scripts: 98%
Equipment: 98%
Characters: 100%
Maps: 94%
Enemies: 91%
Music: 90%
Fully Tested: 87%
Satisfying week, as I finished a number of major elements: the marriage and mortgage systems, the final dungeon and boss, and the ending scenes. What remains are the post-game areas. I've tried to balance the main game to give a decent challenge for casual players, but there's optional stuff for people who want more difficulty. Winning the game represents becoming financially stable, whereas the post-game content is more FI. That means it's time for...
RELEASE DECISIONS
There is balancing and bug-fixing to do, but the majority of the creative work will be done soon. That means it’s time to think about releasing this. I have some clear ideas, but I’m open to suggestions, comments, or criticism.
My thought was to do a Kickstarter to finish off the game, covering costs for art and other finishing touches I can't do myself. The costs aren't high, but a successful Kickstarter campaign is a good way to attract interest to a project (or gauge the lack of it, if that’s the case).
I was thinking the game itself might be $5, but the higher reward levels would include opportunities to beta test or be included in the game. However, I don’t want to go back on anything I’ve said here: if you’ve already posted in the thread, you can receive a copy of the fully-playable beta free of charge.
Here are the issues I'll be considering next. I'll figure them out on my own given time, but if anyone wants to volunteer their expertise, I'd be grateful.
1) Running a successful Kickstarter
2) Cheap hosting options
3) Good methods of selling things online (the only one I know is Plimus)
Now back to work.*
*By "work" I mean "play."
-
Here are the issues I'll be considering next. I'll figure them out on my own given time, but if anyone wants to volunteer their expertise, I'd be grateful.
1) Running a successful Kickstarter
2) Cheap hosting options
3) Good methods of selling things online (the only one I know is Plimus)
Now back to work.*
*By "work" I mean "play."
Super awesome!
For selling online - are there many barriers to entry for Steam?
Wish I had experience with Kickstarter - I have had a single marketing class, so of course I'm an expert ;)
Make sure you account for the Kickstarter cut (something like 5-10%) and any other taxes or fees involved in simply getting and distributing money. You don't want to end up with less money than you expect.
-
You don't want to end up with less money than you expect.
Money is going to be more a function of number of sales than fees. Word of mouth will be important for something like this. See if you can get it featured on big personal finance blogs, sites like Lifehacker, etc.
-
You don't want to end up with less money than you expect.
Money is going to be more a function of number of sales than fees. Word of mouth will be important for something like this. See if you can get it featured on big personal finance blogs, sites like Lifehacker, etc.
Definitely good to get exposure on Lifehacker and the like, but for Kickstarter there's a goal amount and a deadline - if you set your goal too low, you may need to pay out of pocket for art, etc, before you can sell the final product (which may or may not be a problem for Ian). If you get a huge response and blow past your goal, it doesn't matter, of course.
-
I've done a reasonable amount of research on Kickstarter now. I have a fairly clear vision in mind for the pitch and rewards, but I'm uncertain what goal to set. There are a lot of variables in mind, as some of you have discussed here. I'll have to run some numbers.
For selling online - are there many barriers to entry for Steam?
There's a $100 fee, I believe, and you have to be among the top percentage of titles on the site among voters to be accepted. My impression is that Steam Greenlight is something you want to roll into after you've already gained some popularity and reviews elsewhere, or your title will just sink into obscurity.
Make sure you account for the Kickstarter cut (something like 5-10%) and any other taxes or fees involved in simply getting and distributing money. You don't want to end up with less money than you expect.
5%, but there can be payment fees on individual donations as well from other parties. I don't plan to include lots of things that need shipping (just focus on the game itself), but it will probably cost something to distribute it and set up a site.
Money is going to be more a function of number of sales than fees. Word of mouth will be important for something like this. See if you can get it featured on big personal finance blogs, sites like Lifehacker, etc.
Yeah, word of mouth is key. I'm not really comfortable promoting my own work, but I've made something I like and this thread has given me a little confidence that there's a niche of people who would be interested, so I'll try. Not sure I have the guts for a big site like Lifehacker, though.
Definitely good to get exposure on Lifehacker and the like, but for Kickstarter there's a goal amount and a deadline - if you set your goal too low, you may need to pay out of pocket for art, etc, before you can sell the final product (which may or may not be a problem for Ian). If you get a huge response and blow past your goal, it doesn't matter, of course.
Given the nature of this site, I have enough money to finish the project one way or another. But I'd like to at least break even on this kind of thing.
-
Money is going to be more a function of number of sales than fees. Word of mouth will be important for something like this. See if you can get it featured on big personal finance blogs, sites like Lifehacker, etc.
Yeah, word of mouth is key. I'm not really comfortable promoting my own work, but I've made something I like and this thread has given me a little confidence that there's a niche of people who would be interested, so I'll try. Not sure I have the guts for a big site like Lifehacker, though.
You should. All it takes is a short email blurb saying "Hey, created this game, it's a financial rpg, blah blah blah, check it out, thought your readers might be interested" - keep it short, a paragraph (two max) and provide a link and cut and paste it to Lifehacker and personal finance blogs. It's definitely worth doing. Small amount of work for a decent upside.
-
I'd love to play this game, provide QA testing, file bugs and give feedback.
It looks like an old school RPG with updated graphics... very interesting.
-
Sign me up! I've been playing the same streaming online game (that I won't mention to avoid facepunches) for six years now. Would provide good feedback. :-)
-
Sign me up! I've been playing the same streaming online game (that I won't mention to avoid facepunches) for six years now. Would provide good feedback. :-)
It's ProgressQuest, isn't it?
http://www.progressquest.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_Quest
-
Sign me up! I've been playing the same streaming online game (that I won't mention to avoid facepunches) for six years now. Would provide good feedback. :-)
It's ProgressQuest, isn't it?
http://www.progressquest.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_Quest
WoW. (Or World of Warcraft to non-players). *runs from facepunches* lol
-
Yeah, that's what I said.
;)
-
I'm waiting for a quote on an art-related thing, but I think I'm close to knowing how much money this will take. Anyone in this thread, sound off if you would be willing to pledge and/or whether you want to be part of the free alpha. Here are the pledge tiers I was considering:
$5: You get a digital copy of the game before it's publicly released, and a copy of the game when it appears on any other channels (like Steam).
$10: Digital copy of the game, plus an opportunity to play the beta. Your name will be in the credits and you'll have a chance to influence the game! (limited)
$25: Super Beta! All the rewards of the previous level, plus a personal touch added to the game: a new item, character, or quest - designed by you! (limited)
$100: Be a part of the game! You or your character get a house in Societyville, populated by family, or challenges, or bonus items to be found by the player.
(Only one, though I have room for two or three $100-level rewards based on the same concept.)
$1000: Personal financial advice and career counseling from the creator! I will seriously analyze your financial situation and then give you thorough personal advice. The advice will be "Don't spend $1000 on Kickstarter."
I'd love to play this game, provide QA testing, file bugs and give feedback.
It looks like an old school RPG with updated graphics... very interesting.
Other than all the financial mechanics and a less linear environment, it is definitely an old school RPG. Thanks for your interest.
Sign me up! I've been playing the same streaming online game (that I won't mention to avoid facepunches) for six years now. Would provide good feedback. :-)
I don't know how similar it will feel to WoW, but thanks for your interest.
It's ProgressQuest, isn't it?
http://www.progressquest.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_Quest
Man, that takes me back. I discovered Progress Quest when I was working in an IT department and for a week or so we were all running it behind our work, sharing some of the funny randomly generated things.
-
Those tiers seem reasonable, especially the rewards for the highest two. 9)
-
I'm waiting for a quote on an art-related thing, but I think I'm close to knowing how much money this will take. Anyone in this thread, sound off if you would be willing to pledge and/or whether you want to be part of the free alpha. Here are the pledge tiers I was considering:
$5: You get a digital copy of the game before it's publicly released, and a copy of the game when it appears on any other channels (like Steam).
I'd be in for the alpha, and more then likely chip in if you kickstart. I am wondering though, would you be allowed to offer a copy of the game if it goes onto steam? They want their piece of the pie to, would they let you give out however many games are backed?
-
I'd love to help if you're still looking for testers.
I've done beta and alpha testing for path of exile... and some other smaller games.
-
I'd be in for the alpha, and more then likely chip in if you kickstart. I am wondering though, would you be allowed to offer a copy of the game if it goes onto steam? They want their piece of the pie to, would they let you give out however many games are backed?
I'll have to check - I know other project creators have been able to send backers promotional codes lowering the price of the game to free, but I don't actually know if that applies to Steam or a few other channels. I should probably change the pledge text to be more generic, since I can't promise it for everything. Thanks for bringing it up.
I'd love to help if you're still looking for testers.
I've done beta and alpha testing for path of exile... and some other smaller games.
I will be looking for a few alpha testers, yes. Your interest is noted, but I'll announce the official request in the thread later once that phase of the project is organized.
-
Regarding the tiers, I'd call the 3rd something different than "Super Beta". Perhaps also just permit the naming or creation of an item or character, and leave the quest off for the higher levels.
Also, maybe I'm just not enough of a gamer (although I too did play that streaming game for 2-3 years...), but what's the difference here in copies of the game mentioned in tier 1? A digital and electronic? Just seems one would be all that is necessary to offer. And for the last tier, if you are seriously offering it, don't forget "all of the rewards of the previous levels" and maybe offer something additional game-wise (e.g. A special set of challenges inspired by you, and take that off the $100 level).
-
I'm waiting for a quote on an art-related thing, but I think I'm close to knowing how much money this will take. Anyone in this thread, sound off if you would be willing to pledge and/or whether you want to be part of the free alpha. Here are the pledge tiers I was considering:
$5: You get a digital copy of the game before it's publicly released, and a copy of the game when it appears on any other channels (like Steam).
I'd be in for the alpha, and more then likely chip in if you kickstart. I am wondering though, would you be allowed to offer a copy of the game if it goes onto steam? They want their piece of the pie to, would they let you give out however many games are backed?
I backed Banner Saga for $10 (which IMO was a great deal, as I now get all three games in the saga for free) and they were able to offer it through Steam for free for backers.
-
Regarding the tiers, I'd call the 3rd something different than "Super Beta". Perhaps also just permit the naming or creation of an item or character, and leave the quest off for the higher levels.
Also, maybe I'm just not enough of a gamer (although I too did play that streaming game for 2-3 years...), but what's the difference here in copies of the game mentioned in tier 1? A digital and electronic? Just seems one would be all that is necessary to offer. And for the last tier, if you are seriously offering it, don't forget "all of the rewards of the previous levels" and maybe offer something additional game-wise (e.g. A special set of challenges inspired by you, and take that off the $100 level).
Thanks for the suggestions. You're right that it's probably better to focus the third tier.
As for the different versions, I don't understand either, but this is something people seem to want. The gameplay experience will be exactly the same anywhere, but apparently some people like to have another copy sitting in another account - perhaps for organization purposes, perhaps because there are perks to the system. It would probably be easier to move the game to a different computer from a Steam account, for example.
The last tier is a joke. If someone actually selected it... I'd have to talk to them about their motivation, I guess.
$1000: Personal financial advice and career counseling from the creator! I will seriously analyze your financial situation and then give you thorough personal advice. The advice will be "Don't spend $1000 on Kickstarter."
Bwahaha! I know someone who needs this financial advice, I'm pretty sure he's spent this much on other Kickstarters.
I would probably pitch in at the $5-25 range however, which would be the first Kickstarter I've contributed to :)
Thanks! I'm trying to produce a game that will be worth your money, at the reasonable levels.
I'm waiting for a quote on an art-related thing, but I think I'm close to knowing how much money this will take. Anyone in this thread, sound off if you would be willing to pledge and/or whether you want to be part of the free alpha. Here are the pledge tiers I was considering:
$5: You get a digital copy of the game before it's publicly released, and a copy of the game when it appears on any other channels (like Steam).
I'd be in for the alpha, and more then likely chip in if you kickstart. I am wondering though, would you be allowed to offer a copy of the game if it goes onto steam? They want their piece of the pie to, would they let you give out however many games are backed?
I backed Banner Saga for $10 (which IMO was a great deal, as I now get all three games in the saga for free) and they were able to offer it through Steam for free for backers.
Good to know, thanks.
-
Alright, everyone, it's alpha testing time. I need a handful of volunteers.
It would be more accurate to call this the first round of the beta, because almost everything in the game is in place. What I can't guarantee is that I didn't introduce any game-breaking bugs while I was adding and fixing other things. The balance may also be a little rough, because I was constantly tweaking as I played and I haven't run another full game to see how well those tweaks add together.
No expertise is needed at this stage, though familiarity with the genre would probably improve your experience. All you need is some free time you want to spend here (there's no real deadline) and a willingness to jot down your experiences as you play. Once I have a few volunteers, I'll PM everyone the link.
-
Alright, everyone, it's alpha testing time. I need a handful of volunteers.
It would be more accurate to call this the first round of the beta, because almost everything in the game is in place. What I can't guarantee is that I didn't introduce any game-breaking bugs while I was adding and fixing other things. The balance may also be a little rough, because I was constantly tweaking as I played and I haven't run another full game to see how well those tweaks add together.
No expertise is needed at this stage, though familiarity with the genre would probably improve your experience. All you need is some free time you want to spend here (there's no real deadline) and a willingness to jot down your experiences as you play. Once I have a few volunteers, I'll PM everyone the link.
I'm In!
-
Alright, everyone, it's alpha testing time. I need a handful of volunteers.
It would be more accurate to call this the first round of the beta, because almost everything in the game is in place. What I can't guarantee is that I didn't introduce any game-breaking bugs while I was adding and fixing other things. The balance may also be a little rough, because I was constantly tweaking as I played and I haven't run another full game to see how well those tweaks add together.
No expertise is needed at this stage, though familiarity with the genre would probably improve your experience. All you need is some free time you want to spend here (there's no real deadline) and a willingness to jot down your experiences as you play. Once I have a few volunteers, I'll PM everyone the link.
Meeeee!
-
Add me in please
-
Okay, between here and other forums, I have plenty of people. As I said, other people in this thread can still participate if they really want to play the alpha instead of a later version, but it may be tricky to juggle everyone's feedback.
EDIT: Sorry, forgot the standard controls aren't well-known everywhere:
Z - select/interact
X - menu/cancel
Shift - run
EDIT JR: Well, it didn't take long to find a serious bug. Don't use the Shrine of Patience for now, or your expenses will be permanently screwed up - I missed a single conditional statement that causes the mortgage variables to do weird things. This shouldn't affect the beginning of the game, since the Shrine isn't unlocked until a ways in. I've fixed the problem and it will be uploaded in a future version.
Still, just to be sure, watch your expenses like a hawk. You should be running a deficit of $600 at the beginning and it should change to a surplus of $250 after the second month, then only change in response to individual actions.
-
If you need one more, I'm in, but if you've got so many it's too much to process/handle, I can wait till the Beta.
-
Alpha testers, I'm going to try to catch you all here. Please download the game again, or you'll run into a game-freezing bug at the Fortress of Discontent. This version will also fix the Shrine of Patience, a sidequest, and some cosmetic things.
All your save files are still valid! Look for the files named "SaveXX" in your folder, make sure they get into the new folder, and you should be able to pick up where you left off. You do need to see the formerly bugged scene at the Fortress in order to unlock everything in the game.
I didn't expect you guys to get this far so quickly. I should have known people on this forum would wipe out the high interest loan immediately...
-
I didn't expect you guys to get this far so quickly. I should have known people on this forum would wipe out the high interest loan immediately...
4-day weekend during which I crossed the threshold of my apartment only to hang laundry on the rooftop clothesline + love for RPGs + love for financial prowess = duh. I'm almost debt-free, actually. ;-D
-
I've only had a chance to scratch the surface - first impression? Awesome! With RPGs the dialogue is uber important and you nailed it, at least for this target audience :) If kids or those unfamiliar with old school RPGs were playing they might not appreciate it to the same extent.
As far as game play, is there any chance you can stop the music if you minimize the window? This seems fairly standard, I think.
Also, when you are fighting multiple monsters, you have to select which monster you want to hit every single time. Is there any way for the game to remember who your fighting and make that the default unless you select another opponent?
Will you be including a basic tutorial for those who might not be familiar with RPGs and the movements/actions?
Ohh, and is there any way we can see the name of the monster before we engage? They have great names, and the names also hint at how hard they will be. Having that info would be awesome!
-
As far as game play, is there any chance you can stop the music if you minimize the window? This seems fairly standard, I think.
Also, when you are fighting multiple monsters, you have to select which monster you want to hit every single time. Is there any way for the game to remember who your fighting and make that the default unless you select another opponent?
Will you be including a basic tutorial for those who might not be familiar with RPGs and the movements/actions?
Ohh, and is there any way we can see the name of the monster before we engage? They have great names, and the names also hint at how hard they will be. Having that info would be awesome!
Thanks for the feedback, I'll address them in order:
1) The continuing music is a problem with the engine, but I can look for a fix.
2) There's no easy way to remember enemy targeting, but I'll see if anyone else has worked on this.
3) While it wasn't my initial plan, I'm thinking I'll have an optional tutorial at the beginning. I'll definitely cover the controls - how many RPG basics do you think I need to cover?
4) Boss names I can do, but most battles are randomized, so there's no good way to do that. Or if you just mean getting the names at the beginning of combat, I'll look into the configuration.
-
Thanks to all the people giving feedback. I've fixed every single bug that has been sent to me as of the time I'm typing this and I've uploaded a new version. It doesn't fix anything critical, but definitely download it if you haven't played much yet so you don't report bugs that have already been fixed.
There are also some cosmetic changes from the suggestions of Swick and Dr. Doom, most noticeably that enemies announce themselves when combat begins. Complain if you especially dislike this.
-
Room for one more player?
-
I just want to check before I move forward (tomorrow--sleepy now): after completing the Fortress of Discontent and the chaotic content that follows, will I still be able to play and return to other areas? Asking here because I other alpha testers could answer if they see this before Ian does!
-
Room for one more player?
This round is pretty full, but I'll want another set to make sure none of the current fixes/improvements break anything.
I just want to check before I move forward (tomorrow--sleepy now): after completing the Fortress of Discontent and the chaotic content that follows, will I still be able to play and return to other areas? Asking here because I other alpha testers could answer if they see this before Ian does!
Some general guidelines on the subject:
- There is not a point of no return beyond which some content is locked.
- Finishing the Fortress of Discontent will unlock post-game content that will unbalance previous challenges.
- You'll know you've reached the "true" end when you're returned to the title screen with no chance to save.
-
Anyone else have their boat bug out? Mine is stuck at the very beginning of the Port of Possibility (didn't have a chance to go and explore, I thought it better to turn around and get healed up first.) I exited not on one of the slots on the water but right up where the dock meets the ground and can't seem to get myself unstuck. I can get out of the boat, but when I go in it it can't move anywhere.
Anyone else have a problem?
-
Amazon Payments isn't the greatest system, but their customer service is nowhere near as awful as I've seen reported. After some communication there, my account is approved and so I think I'm close to ready. Check out this preview link and provide comments/criticism:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/902261418?token=c8a92e25
I know I'm not great with audio/video, but I did what I could to put together an intro. I'd like to launch my campaign this weekend, so criticism is welcome sooner rather than later.
Anyone else have their boat bug out? Mine is stuck at the very beginning of the Port of Possibility (didn't have a chance to go and explore, I thought it better to turn around and get healed up first.) I exited not on one of the slots on the water but right up where the dock meets the ground and can't seem to get myself unstuck. I can get out of the boat, but when I go in it it can't move anywhere.
Anyone else have a problem?
Someone on another forum had this problem and it should be fixed in the next version. Meanwhile, using any of the teleport rings will bring your ship back to harbor. I included that because I was afraid it would be easy to get the ship stuck, so tell me if it occurs anywhere else (as of the next version, anyway).
-
Amazon Payments isn't the greatest system, but their customer service is nowhere near as awful as I've seen reported. After some communication there, my account is approved and so I think I'm close to ready. Check out this preview link and provide comments/criticism:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/902261418?token=c8a92e25
I know I'm not great with audio/video, but I did what I could to put together an intro. I'd like to launch my campaign this weekend, so criticism is welcome sooner rather than later.
Anyone else have their boat bug out? Mine is stuck at the very beginning of the Port of Possibility (didn't have a chance to go and explore, I thought it better to turn around and get healed up first.) I exited not on one of the slots on the water but right up where the dock meets the ground and can't seem to get myself unstuck. I can get out of the boat, but when I go in it it can't move anywhere.
Anyone else have a problem?
Someone on another forum had this problem and it should be fixed in the next version. Meanwhile, using any of the teleport rings will bring your ship back to harbor. I included that because I was afraid it would be easy to get the ship stuck, so tell me if it occurs anywhere else (as of the next version, anyway).
The boat eventually showed up at the other dock....not sure if I did anything to make it happen. Seems to be working ok now.
Kickstarter ideas - looks good! I would collect some testimonials from testers that you could put up. It'll give people confidence that it is indeed a real game and people are enjoying it.
Also, the rewards are good, you might want to make some spots open for characters based on real people. For example the adviser, or supporting characters...or even one of the main ones - stick a high price tag on it and see if anyone bites.
It might be worth checking out Habut RPG's kickstarter if you haven't come across it.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lefnire/habitrpg-mobile (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lefnire/habitrpg-mobile)
-
The boat eventually showed up at the other dock....not sure if I did anything to make it happen. Seems to be working ok now.
Vehicles always teleport back with you so they aren't abandoned.
Kickstarter ideas - looks good! I would collect some testimonials from testers that you could put up. It'll give people confidence that it is indeed a real game and people are enjoying it.
Also, the rewards are good, you might want to make some spots open for characters based on real people. For example the adviser, or supporting characters...or even one of the main ones - stick a high price tag on it and see if anyone bites.
It might be worth checking out Habut RPG's kickstarter if you haven't come across it.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lefnire/habitrpg-mobile (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lefnire/habitrpg-mobile)
Some good ideas there. Testers, object if you don't want me to use lines you've sent me while beta testing. I wasn't sure how effective a reward for characters would be, but the idea is worth considering - it definitely worked for the project you linked, but that obviously had a lot of support behind it. I will add some more rewards if there's enough interest.
-
The boat eventually showed up at the other dock....not sure if I did anything to make it happen. Seems to be working ok now.
Vehicles always teleport back with you so they aren't abandoned.
Kickstarter ideas - looks good! I would collect some testimonials from testers that you could put up. It'll give people confidence that it is indeed a real game and people are enjoying it.
Also, the rewards are good, you might want to make some spots open for characters based on real people. For example the adviser, or supporting characters...or even one of the main ones - stick a high price tag on it and see if anyone bites.
It might be worth checking out Habut RPG's kickstarter if you haven't come across it.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lefnire/habitrpg-mobile (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lefnire/habitrpg-mobile)
Some good ideas there. Testers, object if you don't want me to use lines you've sent me while beta testing. I wasn't sure how effective a reward for characters would be, but the idea is worth considering - it definitely worked for the project you linked, but that obviously had a lot of support behind it. I will add some more rewards if there's enough interest.
You can use any of my feedback...I'll even write you a glowing warm and fuzzy testimonial if you give me a hint as to where I can unlock that darn airship...
-
You can use any of my feedback...I'll even write you a glowing warm and fuzzy testimonial if you give me a hint as to where I can unlock that darn airship...
Heh, I'd take that testimonial, but the airship is only unlocked in the post-game, after you've beaten the final boss.
(Any players who want to give me a testimonial more formal than your comments so far, add it to a PM.)
-
Alright, everyone, the Kickstarter is LIVE (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/cubicle-quest) and counting down!
(url: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/cubicle-quest)
I wish I'd had a little longer to get everyone's feedback on the project pitch, but weekends are good times to launch and I don't want to delay this any further. Feedback is still welcome, and obviously the alpha testers will continue to iron out various bugs. (Alphas: there's a new version of the game at your link, with an assorted collection of improvements and a few necessary fixes in the post-game.)
Any of you who are interested in pledging to this project, it'd be great if you did so sooner rather than later. This stage with less than 30% backed is the stage where most projects fail, so it would be nice to get over that obstacle early. My offer to play the game early and for free is still valid for anyone who has posted in this thread before, though you might want to wait until the alpha testers have polished it up a little more.
I think that's all I have to say for now. It begins...
-
Hey if you need another alpha tester, I'm in. I've got a lot of experience with JRPGs. :)
-
Alright, everyone, the Kickstarter is LIVE (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/cubicle-quest) and counting down!
(url: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/cubicle-quest)
I wish I'd had a little longer to get everyone's feedback on the project pitch, but weekends are good times to launch and I don't want to delay this any further. Feedback is still welcome, and obviously the alpha testers will continue to iron out various bugs. (Alphas: there's a new version of the game at your link, with an assorted collection of improvements and a few necessary fixes in the post-game.)
Any of you who are interested in pledging to this project, it'd be great if you did so sooner rather than later. This stage with less than 30% backed is the stage where most projects fail, so it would be nice to get over that obstacle early. My offer to play the game early and for free is still valid for anyone who has posted in this thread before, though you might want to wait until the alpha testers have polished it up a little more.
I think that's all I have to say for now. It begins...
Backed it $5, first one :)
The game looks awesome, I'm sure you'll get plenty of people interested.
-
Backed and shared:) good luck!
-
Def post this to reddit financialindependence group (if you haven't yet) --- reddit loves them some kickstarter
-
Many, many thanks to those of you who have already pledged! It's too bad this is a busy weekend for me, but I'll be checking in when I can. Expect future project updates on the Kickstarter page, though I won't abandon this thread.
Hey if you need another alpha tester, I'm in. I've got a lot of experience with JRPGs. :)
If you want to get in on it right now, send me a PM. I'm juggling a number of different testers, but they're all a ways into the game, so there's a fair bit of polished game to play.
Def post this to reddit financialindependence group (if you haven't yet) --- reddit loves them some kickstarter
Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn't considered reddit because I haven't participated much in those communities (and I'd like to avoid being spammy with this if at all possible).
-
I despise kickstarted and have boycotted but I love the idea. If you get close but don't get all you need please PM me.
-
Def post this to reddit financialindependence group (if you haven't yet) --- reddit loves them some kickstarter
Thanks for the recommendation. I hadn't considered reddit because I haven't participated much in those communities (and I'd like to avoid being spammy with this if at all possible).
Stop being so doggone shy about promoting it!
Especially to an audience that you think will LOVE IT! You are doing them a favor.
Yes, you should be emailing Lifehacker, posting on reddit, etc.
Say "I created this computer game, a financial RPG (it's cooler than it sounds), and I think your readers will like it" or something like that.
-
Especially to an audience that you think will LOVE IT! You are doing them a favor.
+1
I'd be kinda peeved if someone made something I wanted and then didn't tell me 'cause they thought they'd hurt my feelings
also, nothing to lose, soooo much to gain
-
Backed and shared! Good luck, Ian.
-
Thanks to everyone who has backed so far! Conventional wisdom is that 90% of projects that reach 30% of their goal will complete it, so you've helped get things off to a good start. Starting to get some decent non-referral numbers.
I despise kickstarted and have boycotted but I love the idea. If you get close but don't get all you need please PM me.
I know a lot of people who aren't fans, but you're the first person I've met boycotting Kickstarter. For my edification, what's your issue with them?
Stop being so doggone shy about promoting it!
Especially to an audience that you think will LOVE IT! You are doing them a favor.
Yes, you should be emailing Lifehacker, posting on reddit, etc.
Say "I created this computer game, a financial RPG (it's cooler than it sounds), and I think your readers will like it" or something like that.
+1
I'd be kinda peeved if someone made something I wanted and then didn't tell me 'cause they thought they'd hurt my feelings
also, nothing to lose, soooo much to gain
Okay, I'll try to dedicate a good chunk of today to promotion and we'll see what comes of it.
-
Alpha testers: a new version has been uploaded and I think this one is 100% free of critical bugs. I was able to do a test run through everything - it's possible that your game might require a more specific fix because of the idiosyncrasies of playing across multiple versions. I'm sure there are things to be improved, but I think we're closing in on a solid beta.
Everyone else: okay, you were right to push me to go promote places. While the response hasn't been universally positive, more people have appreciated it than not. I'm open to future suggestions, and if anyone feels inspired to share the game with people they think would enjoy it, I'd be very grateful.
-
Congrats on being almost 70% funded, Ian! Might be time for an update or some stretch goals to get people excited?
-
Alpha testers: a new version has been uploaded and I think this one is 100% free of critical bugs. I was able to do a test run through everything - it's possible that your game might require a more specific fix because of the idiosyncrasies of playing across multiple versions. I'm sure there are things to be improved, but I think we're closing in on a solid beta.
Everyone else: okay, you were right to push me to go promote places. While the response hasn't been universally positive, more people have appreciated it than not. I'm open to future suggestions, and if anyone feels inspired to share the game with people they think would enjoy it, I'd be very grateful.
Out of curiousity, where did you promote it?
-
Thanks to everyone from the forum who pledged!
Congrats on being almost 70% funded, Ian! Might be time for an update or some stretch goals to get people excited?
It might be. One of my instincts says to hold out for getting 100% funded so the first update can be unveiling the next phase, but that's not necessarily the best strategy.
Out of curiousity, where did you promote it?
I plan to try for some of the bigger sites once I reach 100% and I'm not sure when it might be wise to think about asking MMM. Does he read PMs or emails?
-
Hello
Your project looks great.
If you are willing to do some kind of french release, i'd love to help with traductions and even advertising this in my own yt channels and such.
-
I plan to try for some of the bigger sites once I reach 100% and I'm not sure when it might be wise to think about asking MMM. Does he read PMs or emails?
Well he probably reads them from the mods -- are any of them beta testers who liked it? You could certainly try sending him an evaluation copy.
-
Backed at the $10 level. Best of luck to you!
-
Thanks to everyone from the forum who pledged!
Congrats on being almost 70% funded, Ian! Might be time for an update or some stretch goals to get people excited?
It might be. One of my instincts says to hold out for getting 100% funded so the first update can be unveiling the next phase, but that's not necessarily the best strategy.
Out of curiousity, where did you promote it?
I plan to try for some of the bigger sites once I reach 100% and I'm not sure when it might be wise to think about asking MMM. Does he read PMs or emails?
Sorry Ian - I had a technology fail and accidentally tried editing your above comment instead of quoting, one of those days.
Yes he does check his PM's. I'd send him a few screen shots of "Frank"with his abilities or advice for following the way of the beard. I think he'd get a kick out of it and enjoy seeing what members of the forums are up to.
-
I'm not sure when it might be wise to think about asking MMM. Does he read PMs or emails?
Jesus christ just do it. If you're not sure, ask him what he thinks about the best time to post the reveal. I bet he'd even post once for the kickstarter and once again when it's actually released.
yes he reads PMs and emails, and even if he doesn't get it right away late exposure is better than no exposure. make sure it has a catchy subject if you're really worried.
-
I plan to try for some of the bigger sites once I reach 100% and I'm not sure when it might be wise to think about asking MMM. Does he read PMs or emails?
There is no need to wait. Stop being shy! :)
Yes, PM MMM. If you don't get a response after a few days, let me know. He's a very open, approachable guy.
-
In my defense, guys, I've looked over a lot of data and it's amazing how trivial details can make a big difference in campaigns. Of course, that's why I need you people to pull me out of my detail obsession. In the end, I'm not in control of most of what happens.
Hello
Your project looks great.
If you are willing to do some kind of french release, i'd love to help with traductions and even advertising this in my own yt channels and such.
Interesting. I don't want to underestimate the amount of work a translation would be, but I think this is worth considering. I don't speak French and I probably won't get enough money to afford professional translation, but I'd be happy to do whatever I could to help a translation project. If all the text is translated, I can definitely put out a French version. (Any language, really, though some character sets aren't supported.)
Backed at the $10 level. Best of luck to you!
Thanks!
-
Hah, was just reading ERE and saw a banner ad for it in the lefthand sidebar. :D
-
I can do that, sure.
Just send me text on whatever support you'd like, and i can do that on my loose hours.
-
What platform does this run on? Can I run it on my wimpy little Linux netbook?
-
What platform does this run on? Can I run it on my wimpy little Linux netbook?
It doesn't seem to use any significant graphics/cpu power so I'm sure you can
-
Goal passed!
This is a busy day to have this happen at work, so I haven't even written the announcement on Kickstarter yet. There will be some new information about platforms, new backer tiers, stretch goals, and other things. But I wanted to let you guys know first.
Hah, was just reading ERE and saw a banner ad for it in the lefthand sidebar. :D
Yeah, that was nice to get. I don't have referral data for clicks, but I do know some backers are coming from there.
I can do that, sure.
Just send me text on whatever support you'd like, and i can do that on my loose hours.
There will be a few things to figure out, so I'll send you a PM with the details once I do (everything else is a little busy at the moment).
What platform does this run on? Can I run it on my wimpy little Linux netbook?
Unfortunately, the engine only supports Windows by default. If you have Wine or any kind of Windows emulation, the graphics/CPU requirements are very low, so I'm pretty sure that part wouldn't be an obstacle.
I'm seriously considering a port to Mac/Linux as a stretch goal, because you're far from the first person to ask about this.
-
I just backed at $20. Really looking forward to the full game, the pre-release version has been a lot of fun. Reminds me of FF on the SNES but much, much funnier. The swearing really helps.
Best!
-
Since we've passed 200% funded and hit $1000, I'm happy to announce...
This project has grown out its 'stache!
I'm overwhelmed by the amount of support shown. I'm also happy that based on my referral numbers, that support isn't just from Mustachian-minded people. A solid chunk is from here or the banner ad from people already reading ERE, but the majority are people with no apparent exposure to the idea. If I play a small role in convincing any of them to live their lives a little more efficiently, I'll be satisfied.
Having said that, I'd like to see if I can keep up the momentum and get Linux/Mac supported as well. This is the last stage of the campaign, so it can be critical for total numbers. If anyone has any spendthrift relatives with more money than sense...
More seriously, if anyone is moved to share the project, now is a good time. I've been doing some cross-promotion that's seen some results (and we can cross our fingers that MMM's timing on his software post will match the campaigns) and I'll be putting up new pledge tiers to see if I can appeal to any of the big fish on Kickstarter that only back winners. For a money-free way to help, if anyone here uses Wine or another Windows emulator, send me a PM and we'll do some testing.
-
Bravo! I'm so happy for you, Ian! The alpha was awesome--can't wait to see what else you're adding ^__^
-
I'm here to announce that the campaign has entered its final four days (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1017913658/cubicle-quest/posts). If it stays at this level I can make the game I intended, but I'm hoping for a final surge since that's the traditional pattern on Kickstarter.
I've also opened up alternate payment options if anyone doesn't like Kickstarter or Amazon. All pledge levels are available via alternate methods as well.
-
Hello
Your project looks great.
If you are willing to do some kind of french release, i'd love to help with traductions and even advertising this in my own yt channels and such.
Interesting. I don't want to underestimate the amount of work a translation would be, but I think this is worth considering. I don't speak French and I probably won't get enough money to afford professional translation, but I'd be happy to do whatever I could to help a translation project. If all the text is translated, I can definitely put out a French version. (Any language, really, though some character sets aren't supported.)
I can do that, sure.
Just send me text on whatever support you'd like, and i can do that on my loose hours.
I am a native French speaker as well, I can help translating on my free time.
Pol
-
Thanks, more translators are always good. I haven't figured out a way to give you a complete text dump of the game, but I'll do what I can to help in terms of variations, hidden text, and whatever else isn't obvious. From you translation volunteers, I'm open to suggestions about how to coordinate that project - we could make a little forum, perhaps?
-
Yeah,
Doing a forum or anything where you could just split up every language you gotta translate seems a good idea.
From that, we can figure out a way of transtlating in an efficient way.
I believe with more informations on how you developped the game, retriving all texts can be easier to do & manage.
-
Final 48 hours! Meanwhile, two questions:
1) I'm going to set up a little forum to coordinate translators - does anyone have a strong preference for which free forum provider is best?
2) Does anyone here use WINE on Mac? I have a very simple/short test I'd like to run.
-
And the campaign is done. Many thanks again to all of you.
There's more fallout than I expected after the campaign. It would be fine if I didn't have a full week of work ahead of me, but as things stand I'm a little swamped. Apologies if I don't get back to anyone in a timely fashion.
-
Dangit, just missed my chance to contribute. I would love to purchase a copy when the game is done, though--how will it be distributed once it's completed?
zt
-
Good question about distribution. As of right now, I'm planning three basic methods:
- Direct sales from my blog.
- Major channels (definitely Desura, probably not Steam).
- Specialized indie gaming sites.
Between those, anyone should be able to get the game. But first I need to fulfill backer rewards and polish the final product.
-
Good question about distribution. As of right now, I'm planning three basic methods:
- Direct sales from my blog.
- Major channels (definitely Desura, probably not Steam).
- Specialized indie gaming sites.
Between those, anyone should be able to get the game. But first I need to fulfill backer rewards and polish the final product.
Why not steam?
-
Why not steam?
Nothing against it; Steam is one of the biggest and best platforms. But I've been doing research on the Greenlight process and it's brutal - comparable games with much bigger fanbases have put in a lot of effort and not gotten in. Considering the cost and time commitment are not insignificant, I'm not sure it's worth the effort.
-
First launch the game on a standalone outside of steam.
If the game skyrocket, you can start the greenlight process. I helped a friend going through, it was hard as hell.
But we made it.
-
Since I last posted in this thread, Desura has accepted the game. That's nice, because Desura is a fairly large sales platform and offers support for beta releases. Click to see the beta in their storefront:
http://www.desura.com/games/cubicle-quest
Those of you who backed for the beta, try it out at your leisure and I'll send you a product key any way you like. Still working out a few kinks with updating the file on their website, but the basic process seems to function fine.
-
In case you missed it, the game has been released. Mostly I'm responding to Kickstarter backers playing it, but I'm also getting the game up on sales channels. Right now it's available directly from my website as well as from Desura (see the above post). I hope to make it on too more specialized channels as well. The process is a little more work than I'd like, but I hope that soon I'll be able to set it aside (and see how quickly the passive income dwindles).
The reason I'm posting now is because I've gotten a fair amount of interest on Kickstarter to try a Steam Greenlight campaign. That's a hard market, but I'd like to respond to people as best I can. Does anyone here have a Steam account?
-
Good Job Ian!
I haven't downloaded the Kickstarter version yet, hoping to get some game time in this weekend :)
I have a steam account. Also a friend of my Hubby's went through greenlight and was successful for his game "Life Goes On" I't'd be awesome to see your game on steam
-
I just downloaded the kickstarter copy, and I'm loving it. Although I accidentally saved over my game after going into the promotion dungeon, and it is too overpowered for me, so I think I have to start over
-
I just downloaded the kickstarter copy, and I'm loving it. Although I accidentally saved over my game after going into the promotion dungeon, and it is too overpowered for me, so I think I have to start over
I definitely did that when I was testing the game. Oops. Be careful with the saves!
-
Oh, and Ian - I have a Steam account. My user name is 'That_One_Girl' (maybe _ or maybe spaces, I forget).
-
Thanks for the votes of encouragement, everyone. Greenlight will take a little while to accept me, but when it's done we'll give this a shot. I've read articles suggesting that it currently takes around 5-10k votes to get in, so we have a difficult campaign ahead of us, but it's worth trying since so many players want the game on Steam.
I just downloaded the kickstarter copy, and I'm loving it. Although I accidentally saved over my game after going into the promotion dungeon, and it is too overpowered for me, so I think I have to start over
I definitely encourage players to use the many save slots provided, though most of the game lets you teleport to safety.
-
Hey, I'm getting more notifications on Desura (http://www.desura.com/games/cubicle-quest), but I won't know your profile unless you tell me via another channel (ideally Kickstarter). Just a general notification for people who want a Desura key.
For everyone else: if you're already a Desura user, I'd be much obliged if you gave your thoughts on the game in a review, as I don't have any yet. No need to go out of your way, but I think a few people here have accounts.
-
Still loving the game.... but I'm stuck on the floor of society. Where do I get a fetch quest??
:) I was telling a friend about the game, and she was wondering where she can go to buy it. Is Desura the only place right now?
-
Ian, I have a steam account.
I'm also fairly involved in a competitive gaming scene, so I might be able to farm some votes for you from sympathetic gamers who are in my circles if your game shows up on Greenlight.
I'd rather not put my steam info here because I normally keep these online personas separate, but if you'd like mine I can send you a PM.
-
Update: Steam is not accepting my payment and their help processes move slowly.
Still loving the game.... but I'm stuck on the floor of society. Where do I get a fetch quest??
The Fetch Quest isn't found on the Floor of Society - this is one of the subtler puzzles of the game, perhaps too subtle. You've probably gotten everything you can get from that floor for now.
:) I was telling a friend about the game, and she was wondering where she can go to buy it. Is Desura the only place right now?
Nope, you can also purchase it directly with this link:
https://secure.bmtmicro.com/cart?CID=8734&PRODUCTID=87340000
I'm hoping to get on at least two other stores, and Steam if we can successfully manage it. I'll always update this page with the newest channels:
http://ianisaro.blogspot.com/p/cubicle-quest.html
Ian, I have a steam account.
I'm also fairly involved in a competitive gaming scene, so I might be able to farm some votes for you from sympathetic gamers who are in my circles if your game shows up on Greenlight.
I'd rather not put my steam info here because I normally keep these online personas separate, but if you'd like mine I can send you a PM.
Thanks for the offer of support. How about when I get on Steam, I'll announce it here and you can help out if you want? PM me your info if you think that's necessary.
-
The Greenlight campaign has finally begun:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=303370285
Please vote for it if you have an account and feel led. Unlike Kickstarter, a Greenlight "campaign" never ends - it just usually climbs the ranks enough to get accepted or drops to the bottom and gets ignored. This will be a hard campaign, much harder than Kickstarter, but since I promised everyone I would give it a shot, here it is. Everyone who has already backed by one method or another will get a free Steam key if we get accepted.
-
Voted yes and got another 10 or so people to say yes. I'll keep hitting up friends in my gaming circles.
-
Will inform the husband (who has a steam account) to vote. :D
I have not had a chance to play, but I am hopeful I will soon.
-
Done!
-
Many thanks to everyone supporting. Greenlight doesn't give enough information to be sure whether or not we're doing well, but unless this strong start fizzles, I believe it's going better than expected.
-
Many thanks to everyone supporting. Greenlight doesn't give enough information to be sure whether or not we're doing well, but unless this strong start fizzles, I believe it's going better than expected.
Got the husband to like it!
-
Thanks. We've passed 1000 yes votes, so unless the rate drops off massively, things don't look as impossible as I thought at first.
-
Nice!
And I have to say, I love Jacob's house.. plus the idea of actually getting to make stuff like a bike is pretty damn cool.
-
Bought the game (direct) and voted on greenlight. Looking forward to this!
-
Just downloaded the demo. Seeing as I've never played an rpg before, I thought that was wise before buying. Currently battling unsuccessfully to get my promotion. Enjoyed it so far. Any tips for a newbie appreciated!
-
PS a female character would be awesome. But I understand the reasons. Shame that boys are the default is all. :-) Good luck on your green light campaign.
-
Just downloaded the demo. Seeing as I've never played an rpg before, I thought that was wise before buying. Currently battling unsuccessfully to get my promotion. Enjoyed it so far. Any tips for a newbie appreciated!
Save lots :) Also, if something to just too difficult, it usually means you aren't suppose to be doing it yet so you should just explore more and get stronger.
-
As a general update, Steam votes have slowed to a trickle. My yes/no ratio continues to be better than average for this type of game, but I need a way to get a lot more views to the project. Right now it looks like it will be a (very slow) race between yes votes and Steam's eventual closing. If anyone wants to get a Steam copy, this is where to send people:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=303370285
Just downloaded the demo. Seeing as I've never played an rpg before, I thought that was wise before buying. Currently battling unsuccessfully to get my promotion. Enjoyed it so far. Any tips for a newbie appreciated!
Swick gave good recommendations. The number one thing I've found that trips up people unfamiliar with RPGs is this: you need to find each enemy's weakness and exploit it. Many players pick their strongest special attack and use it repeatedly, but some enemies are practically immune to all special attacks (and weak to normal ones). And of course, use "Work" element attacks on enemies that represent work and so on.
PS a female character would be awesome. But I understand the reasons. Shame that boys are the default is all. :-) Good luck on your green light campaign.
Yeah, I'm sorry I couldn't include any more options, but that's the way it goes.
-
I managed to get promoted, and that seemed to be it, so I bought the full version and lost quite a lot of yesterday! Was using a notebook to record things and record what I'd done before each save. I think I'm level 4 and got the dodgy flat mate and visited my parents who are not that happy with me.
I wish of paid more attention to which enemies have a weakness for what. But it's all learning.
I do like it though. Especially as it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's kind of like playing a little life except you get to go back and do it differently if you die.
I will share with a couple of people I think might play games and get them to vote on steam. Nice work though!
-
Thanks, it's always nice to hear someone is enjoying the game.
-
+1 Greenlight!
-
It took a long time, but eventually we worked our way into the top ten games on Steam Greenlight, at which point it was accepted by Valve, and now the game is released on Steam:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/349500/
If you enjoyed the game and have a Steam account, I'd much appreciate if you left a review of your thoughts on the game. It doesn't have to be long or in-depth, just honest.
-
First I'm hearing about it right now, but I'll be sure to check it out when I get home. :)
-
already exists (http://www.cfiresim.com/input.php)
So did search engines when Google was founded ;)
-
Congrats Ian, that's awesome!
-
Thanks, everyone. It's a relief to have this out and be done with campaigning.
-
Almost reminded me of zelda.... the graphics i looked at quickly... id totally play but no money to buy anything aatm... sorry