Author Topic: Would you play a Mustachian computer game? (GREENLIT)  (Read 50461 times)

Ian

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Would you play a Mustachian computer game? (GREENLIT)
« 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
Game's page
Game's forum

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.



The game is called Cubicle Quest and I previously mentioned it in this thread. 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.



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...



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.



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.



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.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2015, 03:51:27 PM by Ian »

mxt0133

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2014, 09:01:42 PM »
That looks awesome!  Sign me up for the beta.

Russ

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2014, 09:13:36 PM »

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2014, 09:33:56 PM »
That looks awesome!  Sign me up for the beta.
Thanks!

already exists
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.

nikki

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2014, 10:11:42 PM »
This is adorable and I'd totally be willing to give up hours of my life playing.

arebelspy

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #5 on: March 31, 2014, 10:25:03 PM »
I've never been one much for RPGs, but this looks neat.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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RealCanadianSavings

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #6 on: March 31, 2014, 11:07:17 PM »
Sign me up! I'd love to play it.

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2014, 01:35:29 AM »
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.

lizfish

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #8 on: April 01, 2014, 02:09:12 AM »
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.

marty998

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #9 on: April 01, 2014, 02:18:09 AM »
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 :)

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2014, 06:10:05 AM »
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.

arebelspy

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2014, 07:21:31 AM »
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!



;)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

BlueHouse

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2014, 09:16:00 AM »
Bleh.  not my thing. 

vespito

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2014, 10:00:11 AM »
I think it's a great idea.  I'd be interested to see/play it, and to help test it out too. 

swick

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #14 on: April 01, 2014, 10:28:04 AM »
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 :)

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #15 on: April 01, 2014, 12:43:52 PM »
This looks so cool. Let me know when it's ready to play. :)

libertarian4321

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #16 on: April 01, 2014, 04:02:02 PM »
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.

payitoff

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #17 on: April 01, 2014, 04:14:04 PM »
while youre at it, can you also do one for kids? it'll be great to start them early 

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #18 on: April 01, 2014, 06:21:07 PM »
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
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.

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #19 on: April 03, 2014, 08:41:49 PM »
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.

Mister Fancypants

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #20 on: April 04, 2014, 11:45:07 AM »
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

innkeeper77

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #21 on: April 04, 2014, 12:03:15 PM »
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.

FrugalZony

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #22 on: April 04, 2014, 12:25:45 PM »
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!




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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #23 on: April 04, 2014, 01:56:36 PM »
Very cute idea. I love RPGs, and this is right up my alley. Sign me up to help test it.

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #24 on: April 04, 2014, 03:09:09 PM »
I'm in!  Keep us posted.

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #25 on: April 04, 2014, 04:26:29 PM »
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.

Nancy

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #26 on: April 04, 2014, 10:15:10 PM »
Awesome! I'd love to test it

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #27 on: April 10, 2014, 05:44:16 PM »
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.

Caoineag

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #28 on: April 10, 2014, 07:54:16 PM »
Sign me up. Anything rpg makes me happy. :)

Emg03063

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #29 on: April 11, 2014, 08:00:33 AM »
I'll play.

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #30 on: April 16, 2014, 07:48:03 PM »
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.

Jappe

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #31 on: April 17, 2014, 12:42:06 AM »
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!

LibrarIan

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #32 on: April 17, 2014, 08:13:49 AM »
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.

arebelspy

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #33 on: April 17, 2014, 09:52:35 AM »
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 am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Ftao93

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #34 on: April 17, 2014, 10:12:41 AM »
I'm an avid gamer, I'd give it a whirl! 

Steam seems to like to work with indie games too.

NumberCruncher

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #35 on: April 17, 2014, 11:14:07 AM »
This sounds fun. I'll test! Though, I might wait around for the beta as my schedule's pretty packed until after May :)

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #36 on: April 17, 2014, 12:27:19 PM »
I'm happy to beta test as well.

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #37 on: April 17, 2014, 05:15:35 PM »
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.

Jappe

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #38 on: April 18, 2014, 04:54:32 AM »
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!

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #39 on: April 18, 2014, 06:43:00 PM »
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.

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #40 on: April 25, 2014, 09:46:15 PM »
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."

NumberCruncher

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #41 on: April 26, 2014, 05:33:42 PM »

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.

arebelspy

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #42 on: April 26, 2014, 06:05:03 PM »
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.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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NumberCruncher

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #43 on: April 26, 2014, 06:23:05 PM »
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.

Ian

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #44 on: April 26, 2014, 08:38:59 PM »
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.

arebelspy

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #45 on: April 26, 2014, 08:56:30 PM »
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 am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Dr. Doom

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #46 on: April 29, 2014, 12:20:23 PM »
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.

Theadyn

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #47 on: April 29, 2014, 01:47:51 PM »
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.  :-)

arebelspy

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #48 on: April 29, 2014, 02:31:47 PM »
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
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Theadyn

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Re: Would you play a Mustachian computer game?
« Reply #49 on: April 29, 2014, 02:35:43 PM »
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