Support NeoGAF

[~Kinggi~]

I think they will get 4 million, so they might go and put Chris Avellone AND/OR 2D-art there to ensure they reach that amount.

Depending on if the last day bump is as big as PE, PE at like 5 days left was at the place Torment is now with 15 days left. So im hoping 4.5 or more. All depends on what the 10 days bring.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

 

[TrutaS]

So... Patrick Rothfuss is a new stretch goal... that is pretty amazing. Turns out he is a Planescape Torment fan too.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Personally, I don't mind more writers in a game like this.
Because it is a text-heavy RPG, the more text you have the better imho.

 

[~Kinggi~]

I think its commendable they are putting a focus on talent for writing for what is sure to be a text-heavy game. They just need to manage consistency well.

 

[Mikeside]

I've really enjoyed the updates so far... I started out in for $45 for the extra Wasteland 2 (which I missed out on), but I've upped to $80.

I still haven't actually played Planescape.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

I think its commendable they are putting a focus on talent for writing for what is sure to be a text-heavy game. They just need to manage consistency well.

Definitely.
I think this should be it in terms of number of writers.

 

[Synth_floyd]

Have any of these big fund raising kickstarter projects launched yet? I hope that one or more of the high profile ones don't bomb and then kill the kickstarter boom.

 

[ZoddGutts]

It should reach 4 mil easily without a Chris Avellone or a 2D 4 mil stretch goal. That should be saved for 4.5 mil or 5 mil final stretch goal. Don't forget the project will get 200k from that super fan when they hit 3 mil. Also Project Eternity did 800k+ in the final two days.

 

[~Kinggi~]

It should reach 4 mil easily without a Chris Avellone or a 2D 4 mil stretch goal. That should be saved for 4.5 mil or 5 mil final stretch goal. Don't forget the project will get 200k from that super fan when they hit 3 mil. Also Project Eternity did 800k+ in the final two days.

Its actually 100k from Fargo and 100k from a fan.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

It should reach 4 mil easily without a Chris Avellone or a 2D 4 mil stretch goal. That should be saved for 4.5 mil or 5 mil final stretch goal. Don't forget the project will get 200k from that super fan when they hit 3 mil. Also Project Eternity did 800k+ in the final two days.

Yeah, but those aren't counted towards the total, and are just "improve the game" monies.

And Rothfuss is okay. His first book was good, if flawed. Second book was mediocre but could have been good if he had an editor that did their job.

 

[Brother None]

At least he'll hopefully have a minor influence of the main character.

He won't really have any influence on the main character (other than suggestions).

7-8 writers is not an extreme amount for a game this scope and a lot of them are not working fulltime on it either. I'm not particularly concerned about coherency because we have a pretty good system for internal review and revision in place, it's not like writers can run around throwing in ideas willy-nilly.

It should reach 4 mil easily without a Chris Avellone or a 2D 4 mil stretch goal. That should be saved for 4.5 mil or 5 mil final stretch goal. Don't forget the project will get 200k from that super fan when they hit 3 mil. Also Project Eternity did 800k+ in the final two days.

The 100K additions are not included in stretch goals, and Eternity did 800K for a specific reason (showing a mock-up and getting huge pledge $ per backer increases), something closer to WL2's 400K in final 3 days is more realistic.

 

[~Kinggi~]

He won't really have any influence on the main character (other than suggestions).

7-8 writers is not an extreme amount for a game this scope and a lot of them are not working fulltime on it either. I'm not particularly concerned about coherency because we have a pretty good system for internal review and revision in place, it's not like writers can run around throwing in ideas willy-nilly.



The 100K additions are not included in stretch goals, and Eternity did 800K for a specific reason (showing a mock-up and getting huge pledge $ per backer increases), something closer to WL2's 400K in final 3 days is more realistic.

Well then you will have to make up for it with continuing to post interesting updates. Also live nude girls.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

He won't really have any influence on the main character (other than suggestions).

7-8 writers is not an extreme amount for a game this scope and a lot of them are not working fulltime on it either. I'm not particularly concerned about coherency because we have a pretty good system for internal review and revision in place, it's not like writers can run around throwing in ideas willy-nilly.

The 100K additions are not included in stretch goals, and Eternity did 800K for a specific reason (showing a mock-up and getting huge pledge $ per backer increases), something closer to WL2's 400K in final 3 days is more realistic.

Thanks for your input!
I personally don't mind more writers, never hurts to have more written material to work from and designing gameplay from.

 

[arkon]

Anyway, about magic systems, I'm not a huge fan of Brian Sanderson's work overall (though I usually enjoy reading it), but he managed to introduce several novel and interesting magic systems so far. I'd like to see at least one of them in a game at some point.

I can tell you're not a huge fan. You got his name wrong

It's Brandon.

 

[Madouu]

I can tell you're not a huge fan. You got his name wrong

It's Brandon.

I just grabbed one of his books, "The way of kings" yesterday. Never read any of his material but a friend recommended it to me a while ago. Hard cover was like 10 bucks so I thought I might as well grab it. Funny seeing his name mentioned the same day.

 

[Dresden]

Yeah I still don't get this, the book has some bizarre pacing problems and is often too jargon-ey for my tastes. Enjoyable yes, but classic fantasy it is not. The dude has imagination, but imagination only makes up for so many problems in execution. I seem to be in the minority on that though

So yeah, I'm fine they didn't get China. And I'd be fine with Rothefuss

That's because Perdido is heavily flawed.

The Scar is where it's at.

 

[Gattsu25]

Mieville is on a different level from the others.

The City & the City was a fantastic little book.

Very interesting setting, character, and central mechanic behind it.

 

[Darryl]

So... Patrick Rothfuss is a new stretch goal... that is pretty amazing. Turns out he is a Planescape Torment fan too.

i didn't care about this game at all until i found out about this, now i'm pissed at it. Patrick Rothfuss is a top-notch author and should be spending more time writing books. the wait between them is long enough as it is.

everything about this game is looking great. gonna stick with my best interests and avoid pledging to force pat into writing, but i'll undoubtedly pick this up when it comes out.

Yeah I soured on the Name of the Wind pretty fast.

Main character now feels like a meandering Mary Sue (Penny arcade had a great sendup of how Kvothe gets to fuck everything in sight). The series is too long and so what were endearing quirks in the character are now just annoying and tedious (we get it. Kvothe hates poetry. God).

Plus he makes the same mistakes over and over and over. Once is fine, twice is pushing it, third time you want to strangle Kvothe for being an absolute dumbass.

the mary sue nature of the character is essential to the overall story, it isn't a cheap trick thrown in to appeal to certain audiences

 

[O.DOGG]

Finally, Avellone stretch goal. Can't say I wasn't expecting it. Great news nonetheless!

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Time for the internet to lose their shit.

 

[Des0lar]

There we have it folks

 

[mclem]

Love how it sums up the essentials right at the start of the update:

TL;DR: Chris Avellone @ $3.5M.

 

[SkyandSun]

It'll be at 3.5million within 4 hours I think.

MCA's role does seem quite limited, though - and I am curious how it works with his commitments to Eternity - but - yeah.

 

[Durante]

I can tell you're not a huge fan. You got his name wrong

It's Brandon.

I know that! (I'm embarrassed now)
I must have been subconsciously thinking about the Mitsoda stretch goal or something while typing that

 

[subversus]

I'm afraid Chris will have a burnout.

 

[mclem]

I'm afraid Chris will have a burnout.

It sounds like it's not a *massive* role, and they might be close to the stage on PE now where design can take a backseat for a while while the coders go nuts trying to implement every damn thing, so I can see how it'd fit in.

 

[Basileus777]

Avellone being a higher stretch goal than Rothfuss is kind of amusing.

Though it does make me wonder if these writer/designer stretch goals are really anything more than symbolic. If they end up at $3.4 million are they really going to say, sorry Chris, we can't afford you now?

 

[subversus]

Fargo talks about Avellone's involvement

 

[Snapshot King]

I'm afraid Chris will have a burnout.

We need to make more of him. Let's get this cloning shit on the road.

 

[SparkTR]

It looks like their forming an RPG dream-team for this project. All I need to know now is if it's turn based and if they're going for pre-rendered environments.

 

[Madouu]

Time to measure up the Avellone effect!

 

[Durante]

Though it does make me wonder if these writer/designer stretch goals are really anything more than symbolic. If they end up at $3.4 million are they really going to say, sorry Chris, we can't afford you now?

I do think they are mostly symbolic at this point - also because everything up to and including 3.5 million is almost certain to be funded. At that point we'll be up to 8 companions. That's a good number I feel, I was a bit disappointed by the initial count.

 

[TrutaS]

i didn't care about this game at all until i found out about this, now i'm pissed at it. Patrick Rothfuss is a top-notch author and should be spending more time writing books. the wait between them is long enough as it is.

The link I posted refers to his blog post on the matter. He says work on book three has been going slow and feeling like a chore and this project might give him back the interest in writing. I for one think this commitment is not so bad. It's not like George Martin who is now developing an all new series for hbo, while his fans await 5 years for each book.

 

[Basileus777]

It's not like George Martin who is now developing an all new series for hbo, while his fans await 5 years for each book.

It's not that far off. Rothfuss took forever to write his 2nd book and is a notoriously slow writer who spends years revising. And he isn't even old and lost mid-series like GRRM is/was.

 

[Mister_Bubbles]

Avellone-written companion?! Nice.

The 4 mil. stretch goal has to be 2D, then. I really hope we get a mockup screen P:E style before the end of the campaign.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

There we go!

Our $3.5M Stretch Goal will add Chris Avellone to our team. You’ve probably heard of him, as he was the lead designer for Planescape™: Torment, the game that inspired us to create this project. Chris will be the first to say PS:T was a team effort, but he was its creative visionary and wrote the lion’s share of the game. He later cofounded Obsidian Entertainment, where he is the Creative Director. Chris was the lead designer for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, and has contributed his design expertise to every project Obsidian has developed. He also worked with inXile on Wasteland 2 last year, including designing the area showcased in our gameplay first look video.

Of course, from the start, we hoped Chris could contribute to Torment as well. But as recently as a couple weeks ago (16 days to be precise), we didn’t know whether Torment would even fund. And besides, Chris’s commitment to Project Eternity made it unclear whether he’d have the time. Given his key role in Planescape™: Torment, and the respect he has earned from the game’s fans, we didn’t want to even hint that Chris might be involved unless we were certain it would be possible. Our unexpectedly strong start – because of you – made it an option we could explore. So explore we did. We’ve been able to work out the scheduling matters so that Chris can contribute to Torment without impacting Project Eternity.

At $3.5M, Chris will be joining our design team. He’ll have two primary roles. First, he will be reviewing and providing feedback on all creative elements of the game, including the story, characters, and areas. His input will be invaluable as a resource to Colin in further detailing the creative vision for the game. Second, he’ll be designing and writing an eighth companion for the game, working with Colin and Monte to craft a companion ideal for both Torment and the Ninth World of Numenera.

We are truly excited at the possibility that Chris could collaborate with us on Torment.

Other Things

We have a few other things to mention.

$2.85M Stretch Goal – Achieved!

Thanks to you, we’ll be implementing the Extensive Epilogue to give each playthrough a more thorough conclusion. (See our Stretch Goal information on tumblr for more information.) You surged us past this Stretch Goal less than a day after we announced it!

$3.35M Stretch Goal – Castoff’s Labyrinth gains new feature: Lacunae

Not everyone in the Labyrinth has a living counterpart. Lacunae are figments of your mind that represent parts of yourself (or do they?). Through conversing with a Lacuna, you'll discover puzzles and quests, and might even enhance your own abilities. As we delve to deeper fathoms, you’ll be able to find more Lacunae with whom to interact. (The Fourth Fathom is less than 2000 backers away!)

Signed Items

In case you were curious, both Chris and Pat will be signing the Collector’s Edition game boxes in the Artifact Collector and higher Tiers.

Graphical Approach

We'll be speaking to the topic of graphics next week.

Too Many Writers?

A few of you have asked whether we're bringing too many writers on the project. Will it be difficult to manage? How will they all agree? Rest assured that more writers only helps us. Colin is in charge of the overall story, and will define the constraints required for each area to connect with the larger story. Each writer will then have one or more specific areas (and/or companions in some cases) to flesh out. There will be considerable creative freedom, especially for areas that are less central to the core storyline, but the result will be a cohesive whole.

We’re also developing conventions that all writers will follow, ensuring consistency in design and also how the Ninth World setting is conveyed. These will include writing style conventions, though not any so rigid as to constrain each writer’s talents.

The result is a very modular design, with a single creative lead to make sure everything ties together (and having Chris Avellone review the creative elements will only strengthen the vision). Managing a team of writers is how many story-driven RPGs are made, including Planescape™: Torment. Chris Avellone was the lead on PS:T, but there were seven designers working with him to make the game as deep and rich as it was. We’ll be following the same approach on Torment, as well as having Ray Vallese as a dedicated editor to further bolster consistency.

I like the sound of the new intermediate stretchgoal, which we'll for sure reach now.
I'm really digging the look of the sample comic they got up:

Kicktraq stats

 

[Zeliard]

Once everything is settled they should record a Skype session with all of the writers discussing the project and how they'll approach it.

 

[Perkel]

welp it is time for Avellone effect. Though it won't be full avellone effect because he will only do small part of game.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Once everything is settled they should record a Skype session with all of the writers discussing the project and how they'll approach it.

.... that's exactly what they should do.

 

[Labadal]

I know the actual kickstarter page says $2,57 million, but we've actually reached the $3 million stretch goal thanks to paypal and Fargo's $100k. When we hit $3 million, Dengler contributes with $100k.wich means that the next stretch goal will automatically be reached.

 

[Azih]

the mary sue nature of the character is essential to the overall story, it isn't a cheap trick thrown in to appeal to certain audiences

I can see how the two different timelines that the story follows could do really interesting things with the Mare Sueness of one of the timelines, but it still remains true that Kvothe passed from being interesting to me to being annoying about halfway through the second book and I just don't have the patience for something like that like I did when I was struggling through the dull middle Wheel of Time Books.

 

[Durante]

I know the actual kickstarter page says $2,57 million, but we've actually reached the $3 million stretch goal thanks to paypal and Fargo's $100k. When we hit $3 million, Dengler contributes with $100k.wich means that the next stretch goal will automatically be reached.

As I understood it, the 100k donations don't contribute to stretch goals.

 

[Mikeside]

I know the actual kickstarter page says $2,57 million, but we've actually reached the $3 million stretch goal thanks to paypal and Fargo's $100k. When we hit $3 million, Dengler contributes with $100k.wich means that the next stretch goal will automatically be reached.

Do the 100k contributions count towards the goals?

 

[SquiddyCracker]

I know the actual kickstarter page says $2,57 million, but we've actually reached the $3 million stretch goal thanks to paypal and Fargo's $100k. When we hit $3 million, Dengler contributes with $100k.wich means that the next stretch goal will automatically be reached.

Actually, $2,858,433 pledged of $900,000 goal.

 

[Zeliard]

Do the 100k contributions count towards the goals?

They do not.

 

[Durante]

Avellone effect seems to be quite pronounced. Currently the pace is >4k$ / hour.

 

[Zeliard]

If nothing else there isn't likely to be dearth of creative ideas on the team.

 

[The Kid]

I like Avellone's role here. He is probably too busy to do significant writing and it may be hard for him to write a lot for something that is not his exact vision. But he knows what people expect from a Torment game and can make sure the game as a whole is meeting that. Plus, with all the writers, oversight will be really important

 

[Zeliard]

I like Avellone's role here. He is probably too busy to do significant writing and it may be hard for him to write a lot for something that is not his exact vision. But he knows what people expect from a Torment game and can make sure the game as a whole is meeting that. Plus, with all the writers, oversight will be really important

I agree, and he is still creating a new companion, which also happens to be where he truly excels.