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Project GODUS (Populous reinvention) Kickstarter by 22cans [Ended, £526K Funded]
- Thread starter Minsc
- Start date
EdwardTivrusky
Member
It looks and sounds good, I have my nostalgia glasses on and i'm happy. I just wish there was a Campaign mode. I don't like playing with others too much.
*grumbles*
*grumbles*
Hater gonna hate meanwhile we can get new god game.
Bomber Bob
Banned
lol keep dreaming molineaux
Minsc
Gold Member
I take it you've never seen a kickstarter thread before? They generally work that way, copy/paste a bunch of the more notable info from the kickstarter, perhaps the reward tiers, and copy/paste a few of the bigger updates as they occur. There's really not much out of the ordinary here.
Edit: Here's the Project Eternity OP for example.
Sentenza
Member
Which mechanics were in place, exactly?
English isn't my native language, but let me try to suggest what I mean as I can.
Where are the "cause & effect" relations in game terms? The whole usual "Do this and obtain this, this other thing would imply that consequence" you would expect from a solid god/management game (i.e. mad TV, Dungeon Keeper, Populous II, etc)?
Black & White was like a contrived, mutilated "sandbox of pointlessness" (and I say "mutilated" because there was actually far less freedom than what was initially suggested) built around a (not too) evolved "Tamagotchi". And even in that aspect there were other titles that topped it (Creatures, to name one).
It doesn't help that, while somewhat cute, the creature was so random and unreliable in its behavior, regardless of any effort to "train it properly", and the combat system was... confused at best? I would almost go for "shitty", actually.
I don't know, I would almost guess that you are probably more in love with the concept (and to be fair who wasn't, back then?) than fond of the actual experience, which in retrospective has been greatly overrated at first, just to meet its fair criticism in the successive years.
Dreamwriter
Member
It doesn't really work that way. 22Cans uses a game engine called Unity, and in Unity you develop your game on PC (or Mac), and it only takes reimporting your assets and rebuilding your game to make it work on smart phones. You don't make two different versions, it's all one game. And really, these days the only thing smart phones might limit are fast-action games, because of their lack of physical controls. Other than that they don't limit gameplay at all.
Sounds pretty interesting, but I wish that 22 Cans would release something else first before asking for Kickstarter money. Because, quite honestly, Curiosity is a total failure. I ignore that it was kind of a questionable concept to begin with, but the technical execution was a complete disaster.
I can't say I have any goodwill towards the company at this point.
I can't say I have any goodwill towards the company at this point.
You know, I don't care if you don't like it or if you make flippant remarks about it having a Tamagotchi (what?) or if you compare it with Creatures (which is a completely different thing). Your "facts" are wrong (there is no cause and effect in B&W, really?) and your opinion is yours alone, perfectly respectable at it is. I'm ok with all that.
But that last part is silly. Stop assuming what the guy you are talking with knows so you can validate your own point. It´s rude and it makes you look like a doofus.
Believe it or not, there are people who loved the game for what it was. You can disagree of course and wonder why people liked it, but stop insulting us saying "we didn't love the game just the concept".
And now, back to my replay of B&W.
The_Player
Member
Kickstarters like this don't drive on developer fame, but developer credibility. Molyneux only has the first.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
also WTFFF :O:O
Yeah keep dreaming peter just keep dreaming
So making the exact same game forever is going to change the nature of gaming?
Ohh, I wish Molyneux was just humble and made and released his games without saying much like most developers.
This guy has run teams that produced many good games. And the games they released have all been at the very worst "solid".
I see talk from people that denounce some of his works as lower than garbage. It's very hyperbolic and it's ironic since Peter is the king of hyperbole so his detractors have become what they hate!
This guy has run teams that produced many good games. And the games they released have all been at the very worst "solid".
I see talk from people that denounce some of his works as lower than garbage. It's very hyperbolic and it's ironic since Peter is the king of hyperbole so his detractors have become what they hate!
Sentenza
Member
No, they aren't.
Enjoy your poor standards but don't even try to tell me I don't know the game I'm talking about.
Dreamwriter
Member
I dunno, just sounds to me like you hate the game because you weren't very skilled at training your creature. Some of us were able to train it very well. Sure it still did things on its own some times, that's where a lot of the game's fun came from.
And yeah, the genre is called "god game" in English, a game where you don't directly control the people who live in the game, but can use powers to affect their lives.
Sentenza
Member
As if skill was involved at any level.
Also, you hadn't exactly control over some of its erratic behavior (i.e. train a creature to always stand on the "good" side for the whole game and suddenly during a confrontation with the enemy it decides to pick up and eat your own peasants... Argh?).
Dreamwriter
Member
Here's a good site for tips on training your creature, that shows a lot of how complicated its AI really is. Yes it took skill and experimentation to do a good job training the creature, finding the right mix of reward and punishment, when to reward or punish and how much to, etc. Of course, the game's controls kinda sucked (especially using the leashes) - it's definitely not a perfect game. But me and my friends had a lot of fun with Black and White.
Or you just didn't understand how it worked or what it was trying to do, which is perfectly valid considering how vague and uncommunicative the game was most of the time. If you actually read Dreamwriter's link, it's an excellent overview of how the game worked under the hood, speaking as someone who was left cold by B&W at release but went back and dug into it with the help of FAQs and guides years later and ended up appreciating it on a much deeper level in the end.
I still think B&W would have been better and more enjoyable if it wasn't so impenetrable in terms of how the creature AI worked, as it was pretty counter-intuitive much of the time, but I don't think the other posters are wrong in saying you're grossly mischaracterizing the game due to your bad experience with it.
The one thing I really like about Peter is his constant enthusiasm for the games industry. He has lofty ideas for sure and very rarely ever sees the true fruits of those visions, but he does make good games. But I won't hate on the man because of this and I think a few of the reactions in this thread over really over the top. I genuinely believe he tries his best to get his team to build and fit in all the features he promises, he just aims too high or has been constrained due to publisher pressure (I'm guessing). Remember, he made a public apology a few years ago because he promised more than he could deliver. How many other developers has done the same?
I'll be honest, I'm a bullfrog fan through and through and I loved EVERY SINGLE ONE of the games they released. If Peter says he is wanting to make a game that harks back to those golden years then I'm willing to throw in a pledge.
I'll be honest, I'm a bullfrog fan through and through and I loved EVERY SINGLE ONE of the games they released. If Peter says he is wanting to make a game that harks back to those golden years then I'm willing to throw in a pledge.
Sentenza
Member
Yeah, but it's POINTLESS, because beside raising your creature there was no game at all.
And "the complex system" behind your creature's training in practical terms turned out in said creature doing the same four fucking actions in different percentages ("If you abuse it a lot it will be violent, if you pet it a lot it will be cheerful". WOW!!1!). Which as far away from "fun" and "compelling" as I could think of (at least until Far Cry 2 and Assassin's Creed were published).
Castor Krieg
Banned
PC and mobile devices? Screw it then, I want Molyneux to cry and beg for forgiveness all PC gamers, then we can talk.
Not for many years now, no. The example of Fable 3 shows how his ideas translate to terrible gameplay mechanics, which he insists to put in his game in the name of higher "gaming philosophy".
Not for many years now, no. The example of Fable 3 shows how his ideas translate to terrible gameplay mechanics, which he insists to put in his game in the name of higher "gaming philosophy".
I think the RPS comment I read was pretty spot-on. Basically Molyneux and the other developers would easily be able to either fund this game themselves, or get some funding for it. Besides, 500k is a tiny goal for such a game. No way Kickstarter alone could fund it. So what is it then? Basically just a way to do pre-release marketing and build an audience around your game before it's out.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
I don't trust Molyneux, so I won't be backing.
Having a look at the project page, the tiers are surprisingly bad too.
Having a look at the project page, the tiers are surprisingly bad too.
Team of 22 at 2000 pounds each per month, can even pay the rent for those nine months. I don't see why that shouldn't be enough to fund it.
Psychotext
Member
Fuck it, I'm a believer.
I'm in for £30.
I'm in for £30.
Haunted
Member
B&W hasn't aged as well as I remember it.This thread inspired me to install B&W again!
Not really no.
Surely it wouldn't hurt to put a tiny little bit of distance between yourself and the official party propaganda. Reading the following,
It sounds as if you have personally played the game and it's all kind of fuck-awesome.
Oh, will be developed? How did he know that it's (for instance) "instantly accessible, easy to learn but immensely deep"?
Oh, right, that's a notorious mythoman he's quoting without quotes, that's how.
I'd love to see Molyneux make a great God game and come back to PC gaming, where he once had almost God-status (a looooong time ago... and no pun intended lol). This is the main guy behind some of the greatest PC games in history, and I want to see what he can do without the pressures/expectations of a huge budget and a 'casual' target audience.
Saying that, I really wish this game was PC only for now. Design that interface with the mouse in mind, not half way between touch screen and mouse. This is his chance to regain some of his lost reputation, but if PC gamers get a sniff of simplification or compromise because of either touch screen controls or tablet hardware, then its going to be a tough sell, imo.
Saying that, I really wish this game was PC only for now. Design that interface with the mouse in mind, not half way between touch screen and mouse. This is his chance to regain some of his lost reputation, but if PC gamers get a sniff of simplification or compromise because of either touch screen controls or tablet hardware, then its going to be a tough sell, imo.
Gordon0Freeman
Member
I've never played populous. Can it basically run on any shit computer or laptop?
If your computer can't run Populous it is literally an antique.
GoG is the best way to play right now as they have DOSBox built into their installation.
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/populous
I'm responsible for those being put in the OP in the first place. I just copy / pasted the "marketing" stuff since I thought people have enough media reading capability to comprehend that this game has not yet been released and as such the bullet points are goals. Of course you came along and thought it's the OP's opinion but surely you are alone in that...
Sentenza
Member
I think they make wristwatches that could run Populous, today.
You likely joke, but I wouldn't be surprised lol.
Sentenza
Member
Yeah, I was joking
but just because no one makes wristwatches anymore.
Minsc
Gold Member
I certainly can add in the quote tags, just as you (most likely) certainly could frame the request nicer.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
Don't know if posted but HOLY SHIT, ICE COLD AND BRUTAL. Written by the infamous Rab Florence:
http://effingarcade.tumblr.com/post/36277287313/molyneux-and-fucking-kickstarter
http://effingarcade.tumblr.com/post/36277287313/molyneux-and-fucking-kickstarter
Rab Florence said:Molyneux and Fucking Kickstarter
They will kill it.
Be in no doubt. These established industry veterans, who could achieve their goals through traditional paths, will kill Kickstarter with their greed.
Greed might seem harsh. But here we see Peter Molyneux, as established a figure as you can find in the games industry, asking his audience to take on all the risk associated with his new product. Here is a man who has over-promised and under-delivered for over a decade, asking people like me and you to pay up front for his latest venture.
Do you believe for even one second that Molyneux couldnt find that financial backing elsewhere? I dont.
Kickstarter has shown us many cases where creative people who cant find the funding to realise their unique vision have been saved by like-minded people who want to see those projects happen. Thats a good thing. Im not talking about those people. Small teams, great ideas, outsiders. Thats all good.
But these capitalist animals, Molyneux and Braben to name but two, are transforming Kickstarter into a shopping website for products that dont yet exist. They package their products with ridiculous bonuses that the gaming audience are paying small fortunes to secure. This is the same game audience that, just a few years ago, was laughing Bethesda out of the room for charging a small amount of cash for horse armour. And we at least knew something about that game.
We are being exploited.
Molyneux and Braben have both used the same marketing trick too. Braben goes back to the space games we always wanted him to return to. Molyneux returns to the god games. Theyre both saying HEY GUYS, WERE GIVING YOU WHAT YOU WANTED! NOW LETS DO THIS THING TOGETHER! Its a trick. Or maybe Molyneux would call it an experiment. What happened to good old fashioned investment, guys? You know, where we gave you some money and shared in the risk and maybe actually fucking GAINED from it somewhere down the line? What happened to THAT experiment?
What is going on is cynical, and its ugly. These established game designers have recognised that people have started to use Kickstarter as a thing that helps them to define who they are and what they love. When someone backs a project, its not entirely about the specific project. If you back a point and click adventure game, youre telling the world that you love that genre. Youre saying that it matters to you. That makes you easy to exploit. Its the easiest thing in the world for a cold fuck in a suit to exploit someone with heart.
Its great to have people who like your stuff. Its great to have support. Whats even better is you appreciating that THEYRE the ones that YOU should be trying to pay back for that support. If people enjoy what you do and have made you in any way relevant in our culture, then YOU owe THEM something.
HEY YOU LOVE ME PAY FOR ME TO RECORD MY ALBUM!
HEY YOU LOVED ME YEARS AGO PAY FOR ME TO RE-DO MY OLD IDEAS!
HEY IM KINDA SORTA FAMOUS PAY FOR ME TO DO SOME SHIT MAYBE I DUNNO WHATEVER!
You think I havent ever considered running a Kickstarter? You think I havent thought to myself - Hey, I could Kickstarter this games blog, raise money to film stuff, raise money for better equipment, raise money so that I can spend more time on it all, raise money to indulge my own ego!
But then you stop and ask yourself if you can do it on your own.
And if you can? Even if its a struggle? And you STILL start a Kickstarter?
Then FUCK YOU, Molyneux. And all who came before you.
And, depressingly, all those yet to inevitably fucking come.
Psychotext
Member
...and yet, none of us are being forced to kickstart it. I for one don't actually expect it to hit its target, in part because I think most people realise that at the end of the day Molyneux is probably capable of getting funding from elsewhere.
Hell, I wouldn't be if I didn't think that £30 is a reasonable deal for two copies.
Hell, I wouldn't be if I didn't think that £30 is a reasonable deal for two copies.
Of course it will get funded. Will Peter man up and answer his critics and reassure his funders? That's not gonna happen until people stop cutting him some slack.
I've got interest in his games. I played Populous when it was new. However, I'm sick of his hyperbole and just want to hear from the man himself, preferably, or even one of the devs on the team, that this wont be the case here. Is that so much to ask?