Kickstarter regrets

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1420158244/power-drive-2000

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1717469366/last-life


You know, I wouldn't mind if the games were crap. But when you don't release anything and disappear into the vacum then you have a problem. I feel I was literally mugged. They got 50k and 100k, it's ridiculous.

Even worse is kickstarter policy. I mean, they have these individuals bank information, there is certainly something more they can do (right now what they do is nothing). And don't even start with "it's kickstarter, you should know", it says in the contract that they are obliged to deliver a product. Kickstarter just doesn't care because they got the money.

PaulloDEC said:

Wait. You don't drink and you hate Harambe jokes, but you gave money to a campaign to produce Harambe-themed shot glasses?

How?

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Exactly.

this little shit. 60 bucks i never going to get back.

I've never backed anything so so I can't feel regrets per se, but 90s Arcade Racer hurts nonetheless, I was sooooo looking forward to it.

most of this thread can be summarized as "I really never understood how long it takes to make games before"

Tracker_TD said:

Drift Stage. Been like, 3 years (due date was Dec 2015) - first year was OK, backer builds went out. But they'd thrown out the physics engine to make a new one that barely anyone actually liked, and so as far as I can tell the bulk of development just went into unfucking those. And then backer builds stopped and shifted to a small amount of backers instead, and now a couple of years later a Steam build has finally been released to backers... and you can't even pass the track select screen in it without a lightning strike of luck. And the one time I did load in, the only new stage to be added in like a year was almost entirely a straight line. Every update was "Steam builds are nearly done!" and then they'd be saying the same a year later.

And one time when I was chatting with a friend about how I felt it'd been mishandled (they launched vinyl sales, apparel sales, some JP car event sponsorship barely a couple months after the Kickstarter 3 years ago) one of the two main devs blocked me, meaning I can't even ask about the issues with the game. And the day Slipstream (another Kickstarted racing title), got released, the dev in question put up a not-so-subtle tweet insinuating it was a Drift Stage rip-off.

Well damn, good thing Slipstream didn't rip off the "not releasing a functioning game" part then.

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That's what became of Drift Stage??
I was disappointed that I missed out on the Kickstarter, then forgot almost completely about it.

I say almost because I still listen to that soundtrack on Spotify. That OST is fire! What a waste.

I've only ever backed three kickstarters: Amplitude, Shenmue 3, and Rays the Dead. I wouldn't say I regret any of them (at least yet) but I am a little annoyed by how long they can take. Amplitude didn't seem to take that long and Shenmue 3 I'm fine with getting pushed another year as long as it's good. Rays the Dead on the other hand was announced on stage at Sony's 2013 E3 Press Conference and the game still isn't out and still doesn't have a set date. This is the main one I'm annoyed with.

Sadly, most of mine so I rarely back nowadays.
Mighty No 9. Several projects that just folded. The last game I backed was Dies Irae, and while the game is good, the campaign and updates was such a hysterical mess.... (wrong rewards sent to wrong people)

BoxManLocke said:

"Pas de récompense" means "no reward". I literally gave over 200 bucks and didn't even get the fucking console

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Sorry to tell you that but, that was your own fault, kickstarting a console is the last thing you want to do

I've backed a couple of dozen campaigns now, and while some failed to deliver I don't really regret any of them.

I've got a handful with 2014 estimated release dates that still aren't out! (Radio the Universe, A.N.N.E and Paradise Lost: First Contact).

Shin Bobo Dakes said:

Exactly.

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I'd suggest you did it while drunk, but I guess that's out!

DevilPuncher said:

Echoes of Eternea

It was a promising looking JRPG with really good artwork and sprite art. Last I heard, the creator used all of the money to put himself through college. Luckily I was only $15 in.

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Same, it was my very first Kickstarter before the site blew up but thankfully it's the only one that I've been burned on.

Dunnymeister said:

Muv Luv (Backed Vita physical tier)

• Physical releases sold to general public before being sent to KS Physical Tier Backers

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So, as somebody who was interested in Muv Luv and has it preordered on Amazon, I think this part is really crap for backers. It annoys me and I didn't even back it.

Amplitude turned out to be a really good game in the end, and I didn't back this particular tier, but it amuses me to no end that there was a tier you could back at to get the game and all future DLC they ever released for it.

They never released any DLC for it. I still wonder what the people who backed at that level got instead.

Soul Saga. The updates just get more and more depressing to read.

AJx said:

Man, I called that guy out a bunch on GAF and both he and GAF flipped out on me. I big time doubted that game from the start and here we are five plus years later with nothing to show. Dude lived off of your money for years. He sent me a nasty PM.

I got bad vibes from him and tried to warn everyone. Well, just like 3.5mm aux jacks, I tried to tell you.

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Games take a while to make?

I backed the Ghost Song Kickstarter for a decent chunk of change, and have followed it closely along the way. He's completely transparent about the challenges he's faced, and posts fairly regular updates. If you're going to throw out a baseless statement like "he's just living off your money", there are countless other KS projects you could and should point the finger at before this one.

By the way, it looks absolutely amazing now... much better than it ever could have under the constraints of the original engine he was using. And it's the only project I've backed that's actually adding far more to the game than was ever promised. Yeah, that ambition is making it take more time, but at this point, who cares? I just want the best possible version of the game.

Star Citizen. It may end up being great, but at this point I fear I'll be dead before it comes out.

Hailinel said:

My biggest regret was a western-made JRPG that was pitched during the big Kickstarter boom. Totally my fault for falling for it, but it was the biggest waste of money, as the dev behind it vanished off the face of the earth.

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Looks like someone is talking about Soul Saga!

Right there with you Filipus and you know what? Power Drive 2000 actually looked really cool. The demo played pretty well for being so early.

Last updated was Jan 2017 and involved "chatting with lawyers" https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1420158244/power-drive-2000

I'm worried I'm never going to get Heart Forth, Alicia or Soul Saga.

Confederate Express ended up being a disaster. The creator was apparently a squatting douchebag and even though he finally released the game after years of silence, it was nothing like the original pitch. Honestly, I'm surprised he released anything at all. Maybe someone threatened to sue him if he didn't.

I backed Star Citizen when it was originally on Kickstarter. I'm pretty confident the game will be finished eventually. Will it live up to the hype? Probably not but if it has a decent SP campaign, that's good enough for me

Everything else I've backed, I've been happy with. Sure, there were plenty of delays and some features or content were either changed or cut but that's how game development works.

If you want to avoid crowdfunding disappointments, you should understand the following:
- Games get delayed (and the original release estimates are never accurate).
- Features and content from the original pitch may be altered or cut.
- If the developers have no actual game development experience, the first two points are guaranteed.
- If a game is being developed by a tiny team (5 people or less), it's at much higher risk because development is crippled if anyone leaves the team.
- Game development is expensive. If someone is pitching a 3D, open-world action RPG for $500k, it's probably not going to happen. Hell, it won't happen even if they're asking for $3 million unless they have alternate funding sources.
- If the developers haven't made a game in over a decade, it's probably not going to end well.

Still waiting on SpaceVenture, which looks absolutely fucking awful.

k701 said:

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...best-way-to-interact-with-virtual/description

Was supposed to be delivered 4 years ago. Still nothing.

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Same. Even if these do end up getting delivered they are already inferior to the current Oculus Rift Touch controls. They literally have no purpose from what I can tell. Oh well, lesson learned.

alexi52 said:

What are some games you regret donating money to?

For me it's Yooka-Laylee, what a disappointment that game turned out to be.

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I've great luck with KS backed games. Even Star citizen, I paid the bare minimum and seeing the behind the scenes of games development/updates the last few years has been worthwhile

The Stomping Land. Dinosaur survival game. What was released was fun, but out of nowhere the developer took off without a word. Left the modeler in complete darkness for months before he decided to just call it and walk away as well.

Complete disaster. That is the hardest I've been burnt so far because I REALLY wanted a dinosaur survival game. ARK came later, but then it focused far too much on the sci-fi and RPG angle...

sabrina said:

most of this thread can be summarized as "I really never understood how long it takes to make games before"

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From the backers or the developer side?

Bog said:

Games take a while to make?

I backed the Ghost Song Kickstarter for a decent chunk of change, and have followed it closely along the way. He's completely transparent about the challenges he's faced, and posts fairly regular updates. If you're going to throw out a baseless statement like "he's just living off your money", there are countless other KS projects you could and should point the finger at before this one.

By the way, it looks absolutely amazing now... much better than it ever could have under the constraints of the original engine he was using. And it's the only project I've backed that's actually adding far more to the game than was ever promised. Yeah, that ambition is making it take more time, but at this point, who cares? I just want the best possible version of the game.

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Thanks. :)

Yeah, it's been a long road, and, again, I hate that I've disappointed anyone with the timeline failures -- but this game is my entire life. I look forward to being able to finally share it again with the new demo and eventual release.

Jobbs said:

I literally have no idea what you're talking about. I've never sent you a PM. I don't even know who you are.

And the game IS coming. I recently started a discord.

recent gif I took to demonstrate something:

Game is still pre-alpha, but I had to restart its development in Unity about 6 months ago because the engine was fucking up so bad. I'm working on it full time.

Please don't spread lies about me. If you have questions or concerns feel free to hit me up and I'll do my best to respond, but this is just weird.


Anyway -- I'm actually getting semi-close to posting new video(s) and soon after that a new backer demo. I think that'll go a long way to renew peoples' faith in the game since I so strongly feel the new build is so much better than the old one. Making a game is really difficult and time consuming, and for various reasons I ended up having to work on this thing alone. It's a tremendous burden, but I take it very seriously and it's still my only job. I've completely displaced my life to work on and finish this thing. I understand and deserve criticism, and I'm here to listen to and answer it, but what I don't understand this level of vitriol. I'm doing this because I love and care about it. I'm deeply embarrassed that it's taking years beyond the original projected release, and I fucking hate that I've disappointed anyone -- But I'm never giving up, and finally delivering a good game is what I look forward to more than anything else in the world.

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The gif looks incredible. I am really happy you aren't giving up - you have been completely transparent with your backers (and myself) as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for your hard work and I look forward to the finished game!

Alastor3 said:

Sorry to tell you that but, that was your own fault, kickstarting a console is the last thing you want to do

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I know. Read my post in the previous page

Drift Stage or Combat Core.

Drift Stage was at its best as the pre alpha when the kickstarter launched. Nothing has been added of value and it has actually gotten to play worse where drifting isn't even necessary to get around the track. I can't believe it.

Combat Core is play, but just never got the polish from the playable demo you'd expect.

Polish and finish just seems to be elusive to a lot of these project.

Project Phoenix. This shit will never ever come out.

This crap: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/14214732/kaiju-combat-giant-monsters-awesome-fighting-onlin

All that every came of it was a shitty demo, a pile of statues and trading cards no one asked for, and a massive headache.
The devs seems to think it was still the PS2 era, where they could just shit in a box and they'd sell a few thousand turds before anyone realize there was a problem.
It was a mess of big ideas that kept getting bigger with a team that was, frankly, not talented enough to even come close to backing it up.

binarymelon said:

I'm worried I'm never going to get Heart Forth, Alicia or Soul Saga.

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3 weeks ago, the developer of Soul Saga posted a Kickstarter update where they said that Soul Saga will be going up on Early Access this month. Don't know if it'll be worth the wait, but the developer seems determined to actually release it.

Heart Forth, Alicia is taking forever, but when I played the E3 build a couple years ago, it was really promising. When it finally comes out, it should join Hollow Knight as a top-quality Metroidvania.

Laughing Banana said:

From the backers or the developer side?

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Certainly both, but primarily backers. It can be hard for developers to sell backers on a game that won't come out for four, five or six years. Even the universally lauded Shovel Knight, which had much of its primary content completed at the beginning of its campaign, still hasn't fulfilled all of the stretch goals they agreed to do. Nor has Hollow Knight, for that matter. So you either stagger your release like they did, or you end up making people wait a ton of years before it's done.

I've backed only two projects. Bloodstained which based on the initial pitch video and playable demos has lived up to what was initially promised, nevermind the excellent stretch goal of Curse of the Moon.

The other one is Indivisible, which also from the playable previews is also turning out to be excellent.

I haven't been disappointed...yet.

I certainly regret donating to Jeremy Soule's vacation and company startup, or rather the "Northener" symphony it was supposed to be for. It will never come out.

Been quite happy with nearly everything I have kickstarted,

Dragon Fin Soup - that was my one "bad" project so far. They did deliver I guess, just a game with a lot of issues.

I dont really mind though. Kickstarter is a way to support someones project, if I wanted guarantees I would not throw money at their mere ideas and dreams.
Been some time since I backed anything, feels like there isn't that much interesting anymore, or maybe I am just missing it.

Unsong Story which is the only game I ever backed on kickstarter. All I wanted was a successor to Final Fantasy Tactics but I guess that was to much ask for.

And oh yeah, Project Phoenix, the funds went to make another game and they won't offer refunds.

Well, let's just say th-FUCK YOU INAFUNE I WANT MY $ BACK

I've donated to two gaming related Kickstarters. The first was for an English translation of The Lost Cities of Gold. The game was virtually completed so it was a safe bet and it delivered just a few minutes later. The game was pretty boring though. But I donated purely out of nostalgia and in that regards it paid off.

The real disappointment though was Nites and the Lights. It was a cool looking stop motion game that had a very Nightmare Before Christmas vibe. it kept getting delay after delay with very little progress, but after two years they finally put together a trailer. Finally the developer tapped out and said it wasn't going to be able to happen. I had already given up on it at that point, but it's still sucked to hear.

C-Wars.

A grid based action strategy game, think mega man battle network. Really great sprite animation.

Title came out but changed so much in the course of development and took forever with sparse updates.

Other projects I backed I was happy with. River City Ransom, Shovel Knight and Rimworld.

Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove losing its publisher seems like a bad omen. I still have hope.

Godus

secretanchitman said:

The gif looks incredible. I am really happy you aren't giving up - you have been completely transparent with your backers (and myself) as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for your hard work and I look forward to the finished game!

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Thank you. :) I really appreciate it. Around the turn of the year (which was around the time I committed to rebuilding the game in Unity) I resolved to be more interactive and transparent -- So I've been posting monthly updates and running a fairly active discord where anyone who wants to can chat with me any time day or night. I also sometimes share things I'm working on on a given day and interact with members to get feedback or discuss design concepts.

There was only one game I've backed on KS. I can't remember the name but it had kind of a cutesy artstyle, was 2D, and had you flying around to different planets where you walk around the perimeter of them, and I think you may have planted stuff, I can't remember. Regardless, it didn't end up coming to the platform that I bought it for, so that combined with the negative experiences people have had with a lot of other KS games meant I was never going to pledge to a game again.

I've never Kickstarted a game before, I would though if the right one came along. Unrelated but I did make over 2 grand by flipping a Kickstarter item I got a year after I received it. I felt like I won Kickstarter after that so I've been afraid to touch it since haha.

Starbound.

Played the hell out of the early builds, but the "1.0" update gutted the game by removing a ton of things, and the "story" progression is really weak and feels like a detriment. Miss being on a cold planet and seeing my characters' breathe, that was such a nice detail that I still miss after years :(

Kyoufu said:

Mighty No. 9 the thread.

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MN9 is bad, but the track record for Kickstarter games in general is far worse.

Pancoar said:

Starbound.

Played the hell out of the early builds, but the "1.0" update gutted the game by removing a ton of things, and the "story" progression is really weak and feels like a detriment. Miss being on a cold planet and seeing my characters' breathe, that was such a nice detail that I still miss after years :(

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Aw this is really sad to hear, haven't played it in forever but I was really into it when I was on my Terraria Kick

Gundam said:

MN9 is bad, but the track record for Kickstarter games in general is far worse.

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I'm not so sure about this. If Stumpokapow still posted here, I'm sure he would have brought up some relevant data that shows in terms of crowd funded projects there are more success stories then failures.

The last spreadsheet I could find was from back in 2016, but I don't know if a newer one exists, but the list is pretty conclusive for the time - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...4g-7cls8cpg/htmlview?usp=sheets_home&sle=true

Pancoar said:

Starbound.

Played the hell out of the early builds, but the "1.0" update gutted the game by removing a ton of things, and the "story" progression is really weak and feels like a detriment. Miss being on a cold planet and seeing my characters' breathe, that was such a nice detail that I still miss after years :(

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The most recent updates have really turned the game around for the better. I mean sure story bits might be a bit weak but they were just a framework so there wasn't some aimless traveling for the sake of it as it was in pre-1.0 when you just needed upgraded parts to get to the different tiers.

Of course I don't play the game without the Frackin' Universe mod which list of changes is very, very extensive to the point it's akin to expansion pack, but graphical effects of characters having cold breath on Ice worlds still there. It's just they only show on Ice Planets and not so much the somewhat warmer Snow Planets (yeah they added different temperate biomes)