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Dead State Kickstarter project by DoubleBear Productions [Ended, $332K funded]

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K

Kuraine

Neo Member
Getting close! 88% as of this morning, 16 days to go.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/70755535/dead-state-the-zombie-survival-rpg/posts

There's a couple new reward tiers that were added since this thread was posted in last. Namely, some tangible stuff:

Dead State Kickstarter Update said:
The “Save One for Yourself” Tier

A magnum bullet USB keychain that comes pre-loaded with the entire game.

DS%20bullet.jpg


(Note: The final appearance of this item may vary slightly from the example above.)

Includes a digital copy of the game (while you wait for delivery), a digital soundtrack, the digital book, special thanks in the credits, and a silver-level patron badge.

(Please add $10 for shipping to territories outside the US and Canada)

And finally, we have:

The Splendid Box: Deluxe Edition

It includes:

-A Large Collector’s Box for all the stuff.

-A DVD copy of the Game

-A CD of the Soundtrack

-The Special Edition Shirt

-The USB Bullet pre-loaded with the game

-The Signed Paperback of the Making of Dead State

-A Manual

-Collectible Game Merch, including an MMM,Bison! Kid’s Placemat, Splendid Police ID, a Splendid Evacuation Notice, Bargain Owl Mailer, Friggin Chikin Frequent Gorger’s Card, and more. (All sheets printed on high quality paper)

-A Signed Letter from the Devs.

But wait, there’s more!

We’ll also give you two digital copies, a gold forum tag, and special thanks in the credits.

(Add $15 for shipping outside of the US and Canada)

Secondly, we are adding the Splendid Box to all of the $350 and above tiers.

Thirdly, we are now offering an Executive Producer credit at the $5000 level. You will be listed as an Executive Producer in the credits for Dead State as well as receive all the other stuff, including the Splendid Box.

We’ll have more info and pics of the contents of the box shortly. If you have questions, we’re all too happy to answer them here or on our forums. Thank you for your continued support!
Click to expand...
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
Spectacular Dr Dawg said:
It's a shame that they still haven't hit their target. They haven't really done any updates and they don't seem to be promoting their kickstarter at all.
Click to expand...
Agreed, they need to self-promote more. So they fucked up with the stretch goals, so what? Get your pants on and make your game happen, Mitsoda! I'm 30 bucks in. Tempt me to go 50 darn it! Update!
 
K

Kuraine

Neo Member
Hey guys, Brian wanted me to post something on his behalf since his account isn't yet approved.

Brian Mitsoda said:
First up, thanks to all of the supporters. As for the updates, we have one ready to go and it's about new press/lack of press and what you can do.

Essentially, we need fans to help us get the word out - why is Dead State exciting to you? Why did you back it? Why should others check it out? This is an indie project and we rely heavily on a grass roots approach.

As for press, some of them will be covering us, but many mainstream sites think Kickstarter is "old news" and that Dead State is "just another zombie game". We are doing our best (night and day) to persuade them that we're doing some interesting things in our games, but they also need to hear that from their readers.

We'll have some new shots and interviews coming up this week, but nothing we do can rival the passion of fans to keep it in the gaming consciousness.
Click to expand...

I didn't mention it explicitly when I posted on the 1st page, but I'm the composer working on Dead State. I'll try and keep the communication open on the team's behalf, so let me know if you want to pass anything along (though I'm pretty certain Brian's got this thread bookmarked.)
 
D

Derrick01

Banned
I would be all over this if I worked at a big gaming journalism site. This looks far more interesting than many of the games coming out in the next full year. The word definitely needs to get out like it did with Wasteland.
 
P

pa22word

Member
Sounds amazing, I'm in.


Derrick01 said:
I would be all over this if I worked at a big gaming journalism site. This looks far more interesting than many of the games coming out in the next full year. The word definitely needs to get out like it did with Wasteland.
Click to expand...

They'd rather put out articles about how we should love our corporate overlords in EA than give press to the people who actually deserve it.
 
L

Llyranor

Member
Kuraine said:
Hey guys, Brian wanted me to post something on his behalf since his account isn't yet approved.



I didn't mention it explicitly when I posted on the 1st page, but I'm the composer working on Dead State. I'll try and keep the communication open on the team's behalf, so let me know if you want to pass anything along (though I'm pretty certain Brian's got this thread bookmarked.)
Click to expand...
Ask him to showcase example scenarios to emphasize the game's strengths. A quick foraging mission gone wrong as zombies or another human group looking for the same resources. Or an example of a council at your base; what decisions can you made? why are they important and how can they affect the outcome? what are the short and long term consequences?

It's hard to sell a game based on writing/C&C/turn-based combat without showing it off. You can't just list the features, show a trailer with cool animations/explosions/graphics won't work with this type of game. You need concrete examples, rather than just bulletpoints; imo that will sell the game to your targetted demographic.

There's only 2 weeks left. You need a big 'PR' push to sell this as much as you can. Some of the other Kickstarters I've backed updated every day or every few days.

Also, I suggest posting a few sample tracks of the soundtrack.
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
MasLegio said:
Day Z is immersive

this game is not immersive (due to the perspective)

bad title
Click to expand...
6/10

Kuraine said:
Hey guys, Brian wanted me to post something on his behalf since his account isn't yet approved.

I didn't mention it explicitly when I posted on the 1st page, but I'm the composer working on Dead State. I'll try and keep the communication open on the team's behalf, so let me know if you want to pass anything along (though I'm pretty certain Brian's got this thread bookmarked.)
Click to expand...
I can understand video game jurnalizm is shitty, but there's been little to actually report. Update like madmen. Get Chris Avellone to talk about how awesome you guys are and how VTMB was the best thing ever, since he seems to be in every Kickstarter these days. Sign up for BF's Kick it Forward thing. If you don't make yourselves newsworthy, I can't really fault major sites for not giving you coverage. If they declined on doing interviews or something like that, then they suck, because Dead State seems like the best thing ever, and I don't even like zombies.

Day Z + Turn Based Combat + Good writing. Would be criminal to undersell something like that.
 
G

Grayman

Member
Llyranor said:
Ask him to showcase example scenarios to emphasize the game's strengths. A quick foraging mission gone wrong as zombies or another human group looking for the same resources. Or an example of a council at your base; what decisions can you made? why are they important and how can they affect the outcome? what are the short and long term consequences?

It's hard to sell a game based on writing/C&C/turn-based combat without showing it off. You can't just list the features, show a trailer with cool animations/explosions/graphics won't work with this type of game. You need concrete examples, rather than just bulletpoints; imo that will sell the game to your targetted demographic.

There's only 2 weeks left. You need a big 'PR' push to sell this as much as you can. Some of the other Kickstarters I've backed updated every day or every few days.

Also, I suggest posting a few sample tracks of the soundtrack.
Click to expand...

Showing some writing is a good idea for the target fans of this game. A character profile or overview of one of the events and possible outcomes may get some coverage. I am not sure because I only really visit gaf and RPS, the later having given dead space a good amount of coverage.
 
wondermega

wondermega

Member
Looks good. No idea if they will make that stretch goal but they will definitely fund at this point. Congrats Dead Staters!As it gets closer to the goal I'll post on FB & Twitter, other folks should do the same (at least). It's hard to get much interest on KS campaigns anymore, but I imagine when something is pretty close to funding then most folks will at least perk up and give it a click.
 
D

Decado

Member
Shit. So you only control "your" character in combat? That sucks and was pretty frustrating in Fallout 1/2 (really the only thing I didn't like). IMO, they should have gone the Jagged Alliance route and gave us full (or at least basic) control, and provided "quirks" for each character. Would probably be easier to program and balance, too. Not to mention just be more fun.

I hope these guys aren't forgetting about the "fun" part.
 
B

bmitsoda

Dead State Dev
Decado said:
Shit. So you only control "your" character in combat? That sucks and was pretty frustrating in Fallout 1/2 (really the only thing I didn't like). IMO, they should have gone the Jagged Alliance route and gave us full (or at least basic) control, and provided "quirks" for each character. Would probably be easier to program and balance, too. Not to mention just be more fun.

I hope these guys aren't forgetting about the "fun" part.
Click to expand...

Hey Decado. Just to clarify, it's not actually "just like Fallout" in combat. You can give group commands such as "rally here", "heal this ally", "prioritize humans/zombies", and a lot more options. We don't want people to get Sulik'd by their allies. The reason for non-group control is that combat goes a lot faster and we preserve the feeling that your allies are individuals, sometimes with their own quirks or fears (like not rushing into a huge group of zombies or making a friend's safety a priority.) You can influence their behaviors through dialogue interactions, which can give them perks that make them better at certain tasks.

Btw, I'm the Project Lead, so if you have any other questions, let me know.
 
S

Snuggles

erotic butter maelstrom
Ooh, I've been following this one for awhile. This will be the first Kickstarter I've contributed to. Looks like they're already about to reach the goal.
 
D

Decado

Member
bmitsoda said:
Hey Decado. Just to clarify, it's not actually "just like Fallout" in combat. You can give group commands such as "rally here", "heal this ally", "prioritize humans/zombies", and a lot more options. We don't want people to get Sulik'd by their allies. The reason for non-group control is that combat goes a lot faster and we preserve the feeling that your allies are individuals, sometimes with their own quirks or fears (like not rushing into a huge group of zombies or making a friend's safety a priority.) You can influence their behaviors through dialogue interactions, which can give them perks that make them better at certain tasks.

Btw, I'm the Project Lead, so if you have any other questions, let me know.
Click to expand...
Oh, thanks. That's not too bad as long as you can give directions. Would still prefer to have something like a modified version of what JA did, but since you're working with civies (mostly, I assume), not mercs, what you describe makes sense.
 
Minsc

Minsc

Gold Member
bmitsoda said:
Hey Decado. Just to clarify, it's not actually "just like Fallout" in combat. You can give group commands such as "rally here", "heal this ally", "prioritize humans/zombies", and a lot more options. We don't want people to get Sulik'd by their allies. The reason for non-group control is that combat goes a lot faster and we preserve the feeling that your allies are individuals, sometimes with their own quirks or fears (like not rushing into a huge group of zombies or making a friend's safety a priority.) You can influence their behaviors through dialogue interactions, which can give them perks that make them better at certain tasks.

Btw, I'm the Project Lead, so if you have any other questions, let me know.
Click to expand...

The idea that your team members will be afraid or unwilling to carry out your orders in certain situations or if you mismanage them is great. I think in this type of setting, where the game is as much about surviving encounters with other humans going after the same resources as it is about surviving the impending zombies it will add an extra element of tension and give your teammates more of a personality as they develop different tendencies. As long as the AI can be controlled within reason and isn't a source of unnecessary frustration of course. :)
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
bmitsoda said:
Hey Decado. Just to clarify, it's not actually "just like Fallout" in combat. You can give group commands such as "rally here", "heal this ally", "prioritize humans/zombies", and a lot more options. We don't want people to get Sulik'd by their allies. The reason for non-group control is that combat goes a lot faster and we preserve the feeling that your allies are individuals, sometimes with their own quirks or fears (like not rushing into a huge group of zombies or making a friend's safety a priority.) You can influence their behaviors through dialogue interactions, which can give them perks that make them better at certain tasks.

Btw, I'm the Project Lead, so if you have any other questions, let me know.
Click to expand...
That sounds great. I've been following Dead State for as long as it existed, it looks as everything I want from a zombie game.

Which engine are you using?
 
B

bmitsoda

Dead State Dev
zkylon said:
That sounds great. I've been following Dead State for as long as it existed, it looks as everything I want from a zombie game.

Which engine are you using?
Click to expand...

We're using Torque 3D, although it has been modified a bit by our lead programmer. We have some internal tools to make putting an RPG together a lot easier.
 
Z

zkylon

zkylewd
bmitsoda said:
We're using Torque 3D, although it has been modified a bit by our lead programmer. We have some internal tools to make putting an RPG together a lot easier.
Click to expand...
Cool. If you guys ever find the time to do programming updates, I'm sure people would like it. In fact, they're my favorite thing about the Double Fine Adventure updates (well, apart from the documentary, of course), since I'm also trying to start off as an indie developer and it's always comforting to know we share some of the same bumps in the road.

Clott said:
You got my money.

But I still am not clear on one thing, can you play this online?
Click to expand...
Singleplayer-only AFAIK.
 
L

Llyranor

Member
I quite like the Shelter theme.

Also, Mr Mitsoda, Sir, please include an option to speed up all animations! The video shows them as possibly being a bit slow
 
B

bmitsoda

Dead State Dev
Clott said:
You got my money.

But I still am not clear on one thing, can you play this online?
Click to expand...

It's a single-player RPG with a branching narrative that tells your story as a leader. Like a lot of the bigger RPGs such as Skyrim, we spend most of our time creating content for the single-player experience - branching dialogue and game balance for just the core game takes a significant amount of time.

Multiplayer/co-op is a bit out of our scope, though we will consider possibly doing some kind of MP-focused mini-campaign or expanded content at some point after we release. Basically, it would require a bigger team, more money, and more time to do multiplayer properly. If you check out our video, you can see why it might be difficult to slot MP into our current game.
 
B

bmitsoda

Dead State Dev
Llyranor said:
Also, Mr Mitsoda, Sir, please include an option to speed up all animations! The video shows them as possibly being a bit slow
Click to expand...

They're pre-alpha, AKA a work in progress. Art and animation tend to get much more polished toward the end of development.
 
C

Clott

Member
bmitsoda said:
It's a single-player RPG with a branching narrative that tells your story as a leader. Like a lot of the bigger RPGs such as Skyrim, we spend most of our time creating content for the single-player experience - branching dialogue and game balance for just the core game takes a significant amount of time.

Multiplayer/co-op is a bit out of our scope, though we will consider possibly doing some kind of MP-focused mini-campaign or expanded content at some point after we release. Basically, it would require a bigger team, more money, and more time to do multiplayer properly. If you check out our video, you can see why it might be difficult to slot MP into our current game.
Click to expand...


Sounds good, I am all in.
 
A

Azih

Member
Are there endings?

The interviews make it feel like a play till you inevitably die just like in zombie movies kinda vibe.

Edit: Ignore me, answered in PcGamer interview.
 
T

Trigger

Member
Azih said:
Are there endings?

The interviews make it feel like a play till you inevitably die just like in zombie movies kinda vibe.

Edit: Ignore me, answered in PcGamer interview.
Click to expand...

I think that sounds like a cool idea for some kind of expansion or alternate play mode.
 
S

Slair

Member
Does anyone know if they're doing a backers store where you can upgrade your pledge? I'm not the biggest fan of digital items, i prefer to have a box with all the cool shit that comes along with it but i doubt i'll have $250 to put down on the game before the kickstarter finishes.

Edit: Congrats to them on getting funded also!
 
C

charsace

Member
bmitsoda said:
Hey Decado. Just to clarify, it's not actually "just like Fallout" in combat. You can give group commands such as "rally here", "heal this ally", "prioritize humans/zombies", and a lot more options. We don't want people to get Sulik'd by their allies. The reason for non-group control is that combat goes a lot faster and we preserve the feeling that your allies are individuals, sometimes with their own quirks or fears (like not rushing into a huge group of zombies or making a friend's safety a priority.) You can influence their behaviors through dialogue interactions, which can give them perks that make them better at certain tasks.

Btw, I'm the Project Lead, so if you have any other questions, let me know.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of your games and love what you said in this post. I like that characters will also be individuals in combat and not just out of it.

What do you think about project Zomboid? Its another zombie survival game. Though Zomboid from what I played of it will be different from your game.
 
D

Deleted member 47027

Unconfirmed Member
Huge congrats to DoubleBear! Great to see it succeeding! Can't wait for the finished version :3
 
L

Labadal

Member
2013 will be a crazy year for PC rpg's. I'm so happy this got funded.

Hope it reaches $200.000 when all is said and done.
 
B

bmitsoda

Dead State Dev
Thanks everyone! We are celebratin' tonight!

Stretch goals just went up. And, of course, I'll be popping in here from time to time if you have any questions.
 
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