Support NeoGAF

[nubbe]

I seriously thought that was Kirsten Dunst. Woah.

Almost, that's Kristen Bell

 

[Shion]

Update #2

After less than 2 days, we are thrilled to have reached the halfway goal. This is just amazing! Thank you so much for your generosity. But we do still have the second half to go so please keep helping us spread the word. And if you are considering changing your pledge to go up a tier then now would be a great time to do it.

And thank you for your kind comments - it is humbling to read of people's affection for the Broken Sword games, and the reception to the project movie.

Some people asked about the visual look of the characters. They are initially created as 3D models, animated by an animator and pre-rendered to look cell shaded / 2D. When animated at 30fps they must look fluid and solid. We are pleased with the result so far, and this technique allows us scope to adjust until we're 100% happy. Please see Update #1 for a visual.

Others have asked about how we create the backgrounds. Backgrounds need to balance the mood that we require in that scene with the gameplay constraints. Our Art Director, Tori (Cat) Davis works closely with section designers. Tori, who has considerable experience of drawing layouts for cartoon features, has posted some screens that show the development on her blog - see: http://toricat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/broken-sword-5-is-officially-here.html

 

[Acheteedo]

Just pledged, my first kickstarter!

I like the art style approach, should allow a great variety of expression.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Just pledged $15, the first I've given money to and the last for a while unless Timesplitters 4 should show up. Might pledge more if I'm in a better financial situation in 25 days!

Grew up with the Broken Sword series, strangely had the first for GBA back in 2002. Played all except 4 since, and I'm more than happy to fund a back-to-roots sequel from an awesome British based studio. More excellent writing/music/story please Revolution.

 

[shas'la]

I was kind of hoping this would have smashed its goal by now, Kick starter fatigue or just no Broken Sword love?

 

[mclem]

I was kind of hoping this would have smashed its goal by now, Kick starter fatigue or just no Broken Sword love?

This is normal Kickstarter behaviour. Do not take the occasional explosive Kickstarter as the standard rate at which one increases - this Kickstarter is proceeding very healthily.

 

[CecilRousso]

$300 000

 

[Gully State]

I was kind of hoping this would have smashed its goal by now, Kick starter fatigue or just no Broken Sword love?

It'll explode again during the last few days..There are apparently tons of people like me that wait until the very last minute to pledge. Also, a lot of people end up upgrading their pledges as well...

 

[Acquiescence]

It'll explode again during the last few days..There are apparently tons of people like me that wait until the very last minute to pledge. Also, a lot of people end up upgrading their pledges as well...

Guilty as charged. I am torn on how much to pledge and just can't decide right now.

 

[Acosta]

It'll explode again during the last few days..There are apparently tons of people like me that wait until the very last minute to pledge. Also, a lot of people end up upgrading their pledges as well...

Yeah, that's me too. It´s a way to space a little the pledges (however I missed some KS that way good that they made it anyway).

It´s a bit overwhelming having a ton of pledges going at the same time.

 

[Waldo Lydecker]

Excuse me if it's already been stated somewhere but is this game PC only?

 

[HadesGigas]

Excuse me if it's already been stated somewhere but is this game PC only?

From the FAQ section:

What platforms will the game be available for?
Backers will receive the game on the following three platforms: Windows, Mac, and Linux.

When the game is finished, we will release it on PC, Mac, Apple iPhone/iPad, Android & Linux formats. We hope to add console versions to the list, but cannot promise this.

 

[Waldo Lydecker]

From the FAQ section:

Thanks! Well here's hoping for a Vita version. As we say cynically in Holland 'Estimate my chance!'

 

[Larsen B]

Is there any word about Barrington Pheloung coming back to make any of the music?

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Also, a lot of people end up upgrading their pledges as well...

Yeah, I may well do this. I really want to see this made.

Is there any word about Barrington Pheloung coming back to make any of the music?

Don't know, but if he's the guy that did the music for the first & second games, I really hope so. One of the best scores from a video game. Haunting and beautiful.

 

[DOA]

Update #3

We're into Day 5 and the pledges are already well over 65% of the target. We were slightly overwhelmed with messages and questions and are only now catching up - apologies if we haven't replied to you yet - please don't think that it's because we don't care.

We grabbed Charles to give a quick update. Although still cautious, with some way still to go, he did address some of the questions about possible stretch goals, if we are fortunate enough to exceed our target. But in particular we want to hear what you would want if we do go over our goal. What would you like to see in the game? What would you like more of? Locations? Characters? Puzzles? Easter Eggs? Perhaps you would like to see the game released on console? More languages? Please leave a comment on this update - we will go through them really carefully and publish a list if we get close to our target.

Many thanks to Georg, a fan who compiled and sent us a list of feedback from fans. The main comments were that most of you want the original point-and-click Broken Sword experience, with death sequence, overworld maps, and of course a colourful cast of characters! It's just was well that this totally encapsulates our vision for Broken Sword: the Serpent's Curse.

And finally, we just want to say: Thanks a bunch guys! Without you none of this would be possible. The fact that Broken Sword: the Serpent's Curse has been received with such passion and enthusiasm is incredible, and we really can't wait to deliver an amazing game for you and with you!

 

[mclem]

Is there any word about Barrington Pheloung coming back to make any of the music?

There hasn't been any mention. Stretch goal, perhaps? That preserves the integrity of the game if it doesn't make it, but still enhances the game if it does.

 

[CecilRousso]

RPS published the second part of their interview with Charles Cecil today, where Cecil explained the reasons for them choosing to use 3d models.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/30/charles-cecil-on-broken-sword-kickstarter-and-3d-models/

RPS: There’s been an interesting reaction to the 3D models converted to 2D shown in your trailer. A lot of people saying they love it, and a lot of people reacting quite negatively. I’m guessing with the 3D you can use motion capture to get the animations? Is that the method behind it?

Cecil: No. No, we don’t use mo-cap. We use traditional animation. But the main thing was we wanted to go to HD. The original animations were done in 640×400. On an iPad 3 we’re talking about a resolution that’s three times as much along the X, and three times along the Y. So we’re talking about ten times as many pixels. It would be possible, probably, to hand animate that many pixels, but it would be a massively complicated job. When we wrote the Director’s Cut, we spent so much time trying to stop sprites pop, etc. The massive advantage of rendering and then modelling is that obviously the data is much more manageable, we can connect animations much more smoothly, we can continue to tweak to optimise the 2D look which we’re in the process of doing, and you can hand-touch them at the end.

A lot of people have said that we should be doing 2D, and I totally respect their comments, but my opinion is that it’s just not feasible. I’m also very pleased with the way the sprites are looking anyway. What we probably need to do is communicate that the end result is they look like they’re sprites, they look like they’re 2D. So I don’t regret the decision at all, and I’m absolutely convinced it’s the right one. I just don’t think we’ve communicated as well as we should have done that the end results will look like cartoony 2D sprites.

 

[inm8num2]

Hopefully that will quiet down the armchair experts who've been clamoring and complaining about the animation. I think it looks great and I'll trust in Cecil's team to do what's best any day.

 

[heringer]

This is exciting. I loved the first two, but haven't played the rest. Hopefully I won't miss much on the story, because I really don't want to go back and play the 3D games.

 

[CecilRousso]

New update, with a new updated look of the character model for George:

Update #4 · Aug. 31, 2012 · 39 comments

We are absolutely thrilled to have passed 85% of our goal – a mighty $340,000. And we have been blown away by the generosity and enthusiasm of your comments.

We have received so many requests from Spanish and Italian fans asking about full voice recording that we have been convinced - so are delighted to confirm that voices will be recorded in Spanish and Italian. We can also confirm that we will translate the text into Russian and Polish. Thank you for your lobbying!

Thank you also for all your feedback on Stretch Goals. The overwhelming feedback was that you want a bigger, longer game rather than content that’s exclusive to Kickstarter backers. We don’t want to tempt fate – so will only publish the Stretch Goals if and when we do hit the goal of $400,000. We can’t wait!

And finally… we are hugely grateful for the feedback that so many people have given. A few have commented that George’s face looked slightly different from what you expected. The model used in the movie wasn’t totally finished – we thought that you might now like to see an updated George. We hope that you agree that he looks great – we certainly think so. We will show you how he looks in the environment in a later update.

Thank you, once again, for your fantastic support. You guys are absolutely brilliant.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/165500047/broken-sword-the-serpents-curse-adventure/posts

 

[LiK]

New update, with a new updated look of the character model for George:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/165500047/broken-sword-the-serpents-curse-adventure/posts

 

[Dog Problems]

I've been sitting here for almost five minutes try to see what's different with that updated model. All I'm seeing is that he's less tan?

 

[LiK]

I've been sitting here for almost five minutes try to see what's different with that updated model. All I'm seeing is that he's less tan?

lol, his cheeks are altered.

 

[Dog Problems]

lol, his cheeks are altered.

Ah, alright. I see it a little in the middle picture.

 

[LiK]

Ah, alright. I see it a little in the middle picture.

it's subtle but it makes it look more like the old George.

 

[storafötter]

There is a subtle difference when you look closer. He does look better with a more "sharper" feature as he appeared a bit "soft". It could always improve more but it is a little improvement. Not surprising that this would hit easily the target but I am glad to support it.

 

[iceatcs]

I think it's getting there. The face shape now more of old George.
The eyes could have something to improve. Something look off.

 

[Dog Problems]

it's subtle but it makes it look more like the old George.

Yeah, I'm comparing it to older pictures of him and it's definitely closer.

 

[mclem]

Also gentler boundary lines; look like they've been working on a nice soft-edged look to be closer to the original pixel art. It's definitely less obviously a 3D model.

 

[randomwab]

The new George looks great. God, so hyped.

 

[inm8num2]

Looks great.

 

[Acquiescence]

The new model is a definite improvement. The differences are subtle, but worth it. His face isn't as long now.

Yup, that's George Stobbart alright.

 

[Shiggy]

RPS published the second part of their interview with Charles Cecil today, where Cecil explained the reasons for them choosing to use 3d models.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/30/charles-cecil-on-broken-sword-kickstarter-and-3d-models/

That interview is explaining really well why they need this Kickstarter project.

 

[Messofanego]

Revolution Retrospective - 8/8

Highly recommended read, did not know they made a Road to El Dorado game, and that THQ was the publisher that Cecil butted heads with to then say "adventure games are dead".

I really should finish Broken Sword 4, at least by the end of the year to get a better perspective on the whole series. My memory's fuzzy, but I remember liking the QTEs in Broken Sword 3, was it the first adventure game to have those? At least it's good to know that 4 sold well too. But I didn't know there were critics who called it the best of the series.

 

[inm8num2]

Funding and new backers per day have slowed down a bit, as expected. Ignore the "trending toward" amount. That's just based on the daily average which is heavily skewed due to the opening few days.

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/165500047/broken-sword-the-serpents-curse-adventure#chart-daily

$500k seems like a reasonable result. I imagine stretch goals will be announced right after we hit $400k.

 

[Messofanego]

UPDATE #5 Great news! We'll be giving you the Android version!

Many of you have been asking for an Android version of 'Broken Sword - the Serpent's Curse'. So we are pleased to let you know that we are now adding the Android version of the game to all rewards from $25 upwards. Of course that's in addition to all the other goodies!

We are not allowed to update the reward structure in the right-hand box (it is locked once the project goes live), so please check the details on the main page. Any key differences will be highlighted in the 'Update Summary'. This will be updated regularly - we do hope that you will find it useful!

Many of you have also asked for an iOS version. Unfortunately we still have not been able to find a way to gift the iOS version to our backers, though we are talking to Apple about how this can be done. We're doing our best to find a solution soon!

Just finished BS 1 Director's Cut on Android, it was a really good experience. This is great news.

 

[mclem]

$500k seems like a reasonable result. I imagine stretch goals will be announced right after we hit $400k.

One rule of thumb that I found worked *reasonably* well for high-profile Kickstarters with a big initial push is "The last 24 hours earns about half of what the first 24 hours do". I'd tentatively suggest $60k for the last day, therefore, which if it keeps ticking like this I think would put the total on $600k.

Early days, though, I don't think we've settled to a natural pace yet.

 

[Shiggy]

Almost funded. Also great that the Android version will be included.

 

[mclem]

Looks like George is comin' back.

 

[Acquiescence]

I wonder how much the project can exceed its goal by come the finish line.

 

[Messofanego]

Congrats!

 

[Shiggy]

Love this!

 

[Fox318]

I just hear about the kickstarter.

defiantly gonna pledge

 

[randomwab]

Update #6 Hurrah! We made it! Time for stretch goals!

Great news everyone! We managed to smash through our target in just two short weeks. The whole team is dancing around the room in celebration. We are so excited. For the first time ever, we have full creative control of a Broken Sword game, and it's all down to you. We cannot thank you enough for your generous support!

It has been a thrilling ride, and we still have two whole weeks to go. So we are delighted to be able to announce our stretch goals. When a Broken Sword game is conceived, Charles' vision is inevitably too expensive and too ambitious to make. With your help, we'd like to rip up the rulebook and add more content, more characters, and more gameplay to bring you the most epic Broken Sword adventure yet!

Here's our plan:

Our cutting room floor is littered with characters, puzzles, Easter eggs, art, and dialogue - we'd love to bring them back. Reaching this goal will allow us to sweep these up and enrich the game with hours of extra gameplay!

When Charles first proposed the Serpent’s Curse he devised a whole swathe of adventuring in the exotic cradle of civilisation, exploring lost ruins and uncovering long forgotten secrets. We thought this was far too ambitious, but when we reach this goal, we can take George and Nico to these thrilling locations packed with fun, danger, and monkeys! (Pick two.)

The Broken Sword universe is full of colourful, beloved characters, and we are already bringing many of them back for the Serpent's Curse. However, we would love to do much more! If we reach this goal, we can add dastardly antagonists and bring back old favourites such as Pearl, Duane, and many more. Do you want to see the return of the infamous goat? If we reach this target, you can! Of course these characters will come with lively dialogue, intriguing puzzles, and hidden Easter eggs that we know you love. Furthermore, we will add a Director’s commentary option. Reaching this goal would allow us to stretch beyond what we thought was possible. With your support, we will be able to realise our wildest ambitions for Broken Sword: the Serpent’s Curse!

So where can we take you after fulfilling our ambition? For many years we have wanted to write a sequel to our 1994 classic adventure. If we reach this goal we will start work on this exciting, much-demanded project, and implement Easter eggs in Broken Sword: the Serpent's Curse, offering a glimpse of this futuristic dystopia.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK WE NEED TO HIT ONE MILLION

 

[dmr87]

Just about to post about the stretch goals, I almost fell off my chair when I saw the 1 million mark, hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnghhhh.....

 

[Dynoro]

Update #6 Hurrah! We made it! Time for stretch goals!



FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK WE NEED TO HIT ONE MILLION

Why didn't they say "Beneath A Steel Sky" from the start? Would be so amazing if they could reach that.

 

[Fox318]

holy shit

 

[kurahador]

They should extend this kickstarter.

 

[StarEye]

At this point, I actually believe a Beneath a Steel Sky 2 would sell better than Broken Sword, considering how tainted the series have become with the last two games being so lackluster. I'm a huge adventure game fan, yet I never even played BS4 for more than 30 minutes. I did finish BS3, but I would probably not have had the genre not been so dried up at that point.

Still, I gave them 25, despite hating the graphics and design in the new game. Why can't they just make it all 2D? Why use horribly ugly 3D characters?

Not having high hopes for the game, but I want it to be good and I want to see a Beneath a Steel Sky 2. I'd love to see Lure of the Temtpress 2 as well, but that's highly unrealistic.