#3840655 - 09/22/13 09:35 PM
Kickstarter goals updated again.
|
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 70
Tempered
Junior Member
|
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 70
|
It looks like Ilya has changed up the stretch goals due to a request from backers. The ME262 will now be made flyable if $150,000 is reached. This pushes the B-17 further away by another $50,000. He is also talking about a possible SDK for importing objects to the Edge engine. Update from Ilya
Last edited by Tempered; 09/22/13 09:43 PM.
|
|
#3840678 - 09/22/13 10:54 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,154
Silver_Dragon
Member
|
Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,154
Arafo, Canary Islands, Spain
|
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/508681281/dcs-wwii-europe-1944/postsHello everyone, We're almost there! We've almost reached the goal. That is amazing.
I think the backing pace slowed down a bit because everyone feels that the base goal is pretty much there, but the very next stretch goal is so far it's virtually unreachable.
We need smaller stretch goals, and we need to make them good. I've asked about this in the comments yesterday and received overwhelming support.
The thing is, after the base 100K we are hitting the no-internal-funding zone. Features begin to cost what they really cost. We need to raise a lot more money for individual line items. 150K seems like a very reasonable stretch goal to add, but we can hardly do anything for the extra 50K. Definitely not a map and definitely not a whole new plane. The only thing we can try to squeeze in for the 50K is a cockpit for the 262, and that's only because we are already doing the AI version.
So, the new stretch goals will be as follows:
100K: Base
150K: Flyable Me.262A-1 jet fighter
275K: Normandy map extended North to include Southern England (up to but without London)
425K: Flyable B-17
Moving the 262 up allows us to create an attractive stretch goal at the lowest cost possible of all. This pushes back the flyable B-17 by the same 50K, but I think it's worth it.
Please help us get there! If you've already backed the project, please consider increasing your pledge. If we all put together, everyone who pledged $40 or higher gets the Me.262 for free in the initial release!
And if you have not yet backed, please consider doing so. Even backing at the $1 level helps. That still gets us a little closer to our goals, and most importantly shows the overall level of support. This project is not just about the dollar amount, but about community support. The number of backers shown next to the project is extremely important! We're currently at 1,378 backers and $97,293. If we can get to 2,000 backers by the project's end, even if that means only adding a single dollar from these new backers, that is still going to be an amazing showing.
Please remember that backing at even the $1 level allows you access to backer-only updates, polls, and discussions. We will be interacting with the community a lot in the months between the end of the KS campaign and the initial release. We are currently discussing our 3rd party content development options internally. A decision will be reached next week as to the exact extents, but some level of involvement is virtually guaranteed. We will almost certainly do a backer-only something, perhaps an SDK, perhaps some other tools. So backing at even the $1 level will allow you to either get directly involved in modding and expanding the game, or just to access the internal updates on the progress.
Thank you everyone for your support and for your enthusiasm. Let's keep pushing forward!
PS Some of you noticed that the P-51s in the previous update had no weight with the gear struts fully extended. Everyone responsible has been dealt with. Struts have been compressed. Apologies extended.
More News to the Front
|
|
#3840703 - 09/23/13 12:02 AM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 8,771
Para_Bellum
Oberkriegkaboomführer
|
Oberkriegkaboomführer
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 8,771
Germany
|
I doubted we would actually reach the 375k $ goal for the B-17. 150k for the Me-262 OTOH is at least somewhat more probable.
So, I'm fine with that decision. Just... give me a flyable, DCS-level B-17 one day.
"...late afternoon the Air Tasking Order came in [and] we found the A-10 part and we said, "We are going where!? We are doing what!?"
Capt. Todd Sheehy, Hog pilot, on receiving orders during Operation Desert Storm
|
|
#3840707 - 09/23/13 12:28 AM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,806
Bearcat99
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,806
USA
|
I wish him well.. I have done all I am going to do till I see something more concrete.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
|
|
#3840729 - 09/23/13 03:39 AM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,231
HogDriver
Retired Flight Simmer
|
Retired Flight Simmer
Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,231
|
I haven't backed this or any other Kickstarter, but this is one of the things that makes me nervous about backing something. What else might get changed later on? Can they even guarantee what is in the initial goal range will be there at release? We're all really familiar with games and how features often get cut or delayed.
Anyway, best of luck to them.
I refuse to buy a flight sim that I have no interest in playing, on the off chance that MAYBE someday they'll make the one I really want to play.
|
|
#3840849 - 09/23/13 02:37 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 138
TheBlackPenguin
Member
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 138
|
Their kickstarter was very disorganized. If they had done a little bit of research on the process and had everything ironed out at the get go, it would have gone much smoother. It probably would have brought in more donations as well. They could have informed the community of their intent for a kickstarter a month before they actually launched it.
Let's just hope that this will get the ball rolling for further flight sim goodness.
No battle plan survives contact with the enemy, and its pretty much the same with most Kickstarter's I have backed over the past year, its not disorganization, rather its re-organizing the goals based on feedback. They raised 100K in just over two weeks and hit the funding goal, that's pretty impressive, a lot of other kickstarters would have loved to be in their position. Most Kickstarters have a big initial rush in the beginning with another one at the end, not sure how much will be raised, but its always exciting to watch .
|
|
#3840853 - 09/23/13 02:56 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 102
Michiel
Senior Junior Member
|
Senior Junior Member
Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 102
The Netherlands
|
Well they reached the 100k mark
a very senior junior member ;-)
|
|
#3841235 - 09/24/13 11:58 AM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Koriel]
|
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,231
HogDriver
Retired Flight Simmer
|
Retired Flight Simmer
Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,231
|
I am a backer. But not happy at all with the rewards as they are.
All I want is to back the whole thing with Alpha and Beta access without any T-Shirts, Manuals or the likes. Once you go over $40 they start including manuals and other stuff. I don't want that. When I donate I want my money to go to the sim development. I figure $100 with complete access and DCS codes for all planes should be a cool reward. I have a similar point of view. I wouldn't need a printed manual, or a t-shirt for a game I'm not even sure I'd like yet. And I definitely wouldn't want my money spent on 2 programmers going on a working holiday to Duxford. I'd rather have something with slightly less fidelity, but with another plane to fly, or somewhere other than just Normandy to fly it.
I refuse to buy a flight sim that I have no interest in playing, on the off chance that MAYBE someday they'll make the one I really want to play.
|
|
#3841236 - 09/24/13 12:01 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Georgio]
|
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,231
HogDriver
Retired Flight Simmer
|
Retired Flight Simmer
Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,231
|
Even though I think stretch goals are a good idea as it keeps the incentive going once the main project is started, I must admit I don't understand the relative cost of some of them, i.e. 100k base map Normandy then 275k for some of Southern England.
Forgive me, but 125k to add Some of England seems a little odd if Normandy is already included in the base. Ok I know map making can be labourious but to be honest the airbases in Southern England played such a major part of the Normandy campaign that they should be included in the base otherwise all flights will have to be air-starts which isn't really realistic.
One suggestion to get round this would be to have Southern England up to Sailsbury included in the base, but only have detail in and around the enclosed air bases. For the stretch goal then simply add in more detail up to what the budget allows. Glad you brought that up, because that was something else that bugged me. Where do the Allied planes start and finish from if England isn't included in the base game? Little things like that really shook my faith in this project too much to back it. I'm still interested in the development of course, just not confident enough to drop money.
I refuse to buy a flight sim that I have no interest in playing, on the off chance that MAYBE someday they'll make the one I really want to play.
|
|
#3841283 - 09/24/13 02:29 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Koriel]
|
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 138
TheBlackPenguin
Member
|
Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 138
|
I am a backer. But not happy at all with the rewards as they are.
All I want is to back the whole thing with Alpha and Beta access without any T-Shirts, Manuals or the likes. Once you go over $40 they start including manuals and other stuff. I don't want that. When I donate I want my money to go to the sim development. I figure $100 with complete access and DCS codes for all planes should be a cool reward. You should post that to the Kickstarter page, its not likely to get seen here. In essence you're asking for a digital only version and it should be doable.
|
|
#3841288 - 09/24/13 02:37 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Georgio]
|
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,705
Pizzicato
Asleep at the Wheel
|
Asleep at the Wheel
Member
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,705
Vancouver, BC
|
Even though I think stretch goals are a good idea as it keeps the incentive going once the main project is started, I must admit I don't understand the relative cost of some of them, i.e. 100k base map Normandy then 275k for some of Southern England.
Forgive me, but 125k to add Some of England seems a little odd if Normandy is already included in the base. That's not how it breaks down. Ilya's pointed out that the $100k is for extended beta testing and polish. The core of the project was already funded from elsewhere. That's why subsequent goals are significantly more expensive. This makes perfect sense. I don't know about wages in Minsk, but the games industry in the US and Canada usually runs at somewhere between $11k and $14k per man month. That means that the average cost of employing one employee for a month is between $11k and $14k. In those terms, $100k will get you 7 or 8 people for 1 month and you're done. In industry terms, $100k is nothing. For the purposes of comparison, the last two studios I've been at have have single-team staffing costs of around $1m per month.
--------- Pizzicato
|
|
#3841339 - 09/24/13 05:08 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,024
Chivas
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,024
B.C. Canada
|
I'm quite sure people will still get access to the alpha/beta's even if they don't click the rewards button. Then all your cash goes directly to the development.
Intel core I7 4790K @ 4.4 Asus Maximus Hero VII Motherboard 16 gigs DDR3 2133 EVGA GTX980Ti Oculus Rift LG 37" LCD BLack Mamba III Joystick Cougar Throttle/X55 Throttle/Saitek Levers Saitek Pro Rudder pedals Voice Activation Controls
|
|
#3841343 - 09/24/13 05:11 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,024
Chivas
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,024
B.C. Canada
|
I'm also concerned with the availability of Allied airfields. I suppose the Normandy map can be divided enough for both sides, but it would hardly feel much more realistic than airstarts. I find it hard to believe that DCS, Oleg, Luthier, and Flying Legends, would not be very concerned with this issue.
Intel core I7 4790K @ 4.4 Asus Maximus Hero VII Motherboard 16 gigs DDR3 2133 EVGA GTX980Ti Oculus Rift LG 37" LCD BLack Mamba III Joystick Cougar Throttle/X55 Throttle/Saitek Levers Saitek Pro Rudder pedals Voice Activation Controls
|
|
#3841413 - 09/24/13 09:20 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,024
Chivas
Senior Member
|
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,024
B.C. Canada
|
It may not be a big deal to the furbal crowd, but its a very big deal for those that like to fly more realistic missions. We haven't heard from the developers yet if the initial release is to have airstarts for Allied forces. I'm hoping to get a response from the developer and lobby for a diversion of resources from detailing portions of southern Normandy too a small strip of the English Coast. There are definitely pitfalls to this strategy as even small portion of the English Coast will be far more work than the rolling country side of Normandy. It also lays open to a lot of criticism in the forums about the areas of lesser detail from people who don't realize that the development hopes to add detail and size as the sim grows. Or they just like to speak critically of any Luthier project,every chance they get.
edit.. I may withhold any further lobbying until the kickstarter is over, as I'd like to avoid to much controversy at a time when the development needs as much support as they can get.
Last edited by Chivas; 09/24/13 09:23 PM.
Intel core I7 4790K @ 4.4 Asus Maximus Hero VII Motherboard 16 gigs DDR3 2133 EVGA GTX980Ti Oculus Rift LG 37" LCD BLack Mamba III Joystick Cougar Throttle/X55 Throttle/Saitek Levers Saitek Pro Rudder pedals Voice Activation Controls
|
|
#3841419 - 09/24/13 09:35 PM
Re: Kickstarter goals updated again.
[Re: Tempered]
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 273
Logan
Head Tater peeler
|
Head Tater peeler
Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 273
|
The one thing I can't get is how can you have 1944 without a B-17 that can be flown? Yeah 262's are very cool but the B-17 is one of the icon's along with the P-51 and the 109 that everyone knows even if they do not know the WW2 history. I said it on my squads forum IF we get a B-17 I doubt I'd fly much else or any other game. I'm sweet on the fort's though. I'm just glad this game/module with be built.
Logan, Head Tater peeler,OIC of nothing
|
|
|
|