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'Limit Theory' Game Cancelled Six Years After Its Kickstarter Raised $187K (rockpapershotgun.com)
AmiMoJo quotes Rock, Paper, Shotgun: Sandbox space sim Limit Theory has been cancelled, six years after a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, because main developer Josh Parnell is simply exhausted from working on it for so long. He's spent, he says: emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially. "Not in my darkest nightmares did I expect this day to ever come, but circumstances have reached a point that even my endless optimism can no longer rectify," Parnell said on Friday. He plans to release the source code for folks to poke around but makes clear "it's not a working game."
Though Limit Theory blew past its $50,000 goal, drawing $187,865 in pledges (and remember Kickstarter takes a cut), development has gone on years longer than anticipated. Costs have burned through that initial cash and started eating into Parnell's personal savings but, more than that, he's just exhausted.
Though Limit Theory blew past its $50,000 goal, drawing $187,865 in pledges (and remember Kickstarter takes a cut), development has gone on years longer than anticipated. Costs have burned through that initial cash and started eating into Parnell's personal savings but, more than that, he's just exhausted.
We're not perfect—we're just less likely to season your beverage with polonium than some folks are.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Just that this is not what happened here. At all.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
If he does release the source code, I don't even consider it a complete failure. There's nothing preventing anyone who's interested from picking up the project and trying to finish it. Maybe even the original developer will come back after some time off.
Though I am sad that he didn't finish the game, I rather feel more sorry for Josh Parnell than for me or my money.
He gave everything he got and it was not enough. Things like this happen. As far as I can see it, he did not spend money for things outside the project. Rather the contrary: my impression is that he poured is own resources and health into it beyond any reasonable expectation.
Other projects (e.g. Clang from Neal Stephenson) spent less effort for more money and tried to sell the sorry result (the game was less finished than Limit Theory by several orders of magnitude) as success.
As a result I am neither angry nor mad and wish Josh Parnell all the best.
I was a backer on the game, from me perspective, it was small money on a long shot cool idea. The guy didn't steal the money and run, he spent 6+ years of his life and got burned out. He's open-sourcing the project to see if the community will help continue it on, so at worst I just help bootstrap an open source game engine. It was a couple bucks, big deal. This isn't like these scam projects where the people disappear a few months after the project closes - this guy posted regular updates with screenshots and progress, etc.
Another AC diversion, eh? Let me make some attempt to intrude in a more constructive direction. Or has "constructive" become a dirty word on today's Slashdot? (Only your AC troll knows for sure?)
Project management is hard, but Kickstarter doesn't care. They just take their cut without regard to results. From the Kickstarter perspective it's great if the project blows past its goal.
In terms of a constructive solution, I wish there were a crowdfunding website that EARNED its cut by providing project management support. Please let me know if such exists, but I've visited LOTS of them and haven't detected such an approach.
Let me try to make that more concrete: The imaginary website would vet the proposals before seeking funding. The proposals would have to be complete in terms of schedule, budget, resources (including people), such oft-forgotten factors as adequate testing, and success criteria. I actually think the success criteria are the most important part of project management. In exchange for doing that work, the website would EARN a percentage for providing the project management support, which should include evaluating the finished projects against their success criteria and reporting the results to all of the donors and to the public.
This approach would actually relate to MEPR, in that proposals involving people who have earned high reputations should be more attractive for funding. However I've already spent too much time on this topic for now, so I bid you ADSAuPR, atAJG.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
The guy initially asked for $50.000. That doesn't seem nearly enough for a game even if it's partly a labor of love; after paying for licenses for a decent game engine that leaves you barely enough to pay a rather crappy wage to 1 (one) developer for a year. The fact that he stuck with it for 6 years is a testament to his dedication.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
I'm American. Do not trust us. Ever. About anything. We are either actively attempting to fuck you over or being so self-centered it happens anyway. It is our national character.
You do not get it. Go to Kickstarter and read their explanation of what they offer and then come again. And no, it is not fraud in any way.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
About half of all IT projects fail. This is a long-term observation. Making games is no exception and nobody guarantees any delivery with Kickstarter. So, no deception, no assurances, no fraud. Sure, if somebody just takes the money and runs, that may be actionable, bit if somebody (like this guy here) tries and fails, that is what Kickstarter is about: To try projects were conventional funding is not available or comes with unacceptable strings.
There is just too many people that are incapable to understand a simple explanation of this really not complicated business model. Idiots thinking it is fraud does not make it fraud at all.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Yes, so? He got in over his head, he tried his best to deliver, he failed. It happens. Everyone funding anything on Kickstarter was warned this can happen and anyone funding this particular game should have known it was a long shot. It would probably have been better for everybody if this campaign had failed to fund. Bit there most certainly were no criminal acts, and this guy apparently went far beyond what could be expected from him.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
You have no clue what "fraud" is. You are not buying a product on Kickstarter. You are buying the potential of a product. Apparently that simple thing is too difficult for you to understand. Makes you the "fucker" here.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
Not fraud, but idiocy (or perhaps youthful naivete). You can make a retro indy game for $50k, with 3 people in an extended "game jam", but a game with physics and modern graphics? Not reasonable, even at 180k.
What you could do, and what guys like this should do, is spend 6 months with a small team (usually dev, art, and sound) making a very limited game with a fun basic gameplay loop. Set aside your grand visions at first, and make something tiny but actually fun to play. Get that right, and people will pay more for content. (You can find a couple dozen GDC videos making this exact point.)
Heck, all the stereotypical Ubisoft game is these days is a fun basic gameplay loop, and endless "open world" filler. Get that basic gameplay right, and have great ideas for actual content and story? That's a breakout winner, but you have to give your funders something fun with the understanding that more funds will be needed for more content. In the moder gaming world of stupid cosmetics and loot box DLC, people will jump at the chance to fund actual content!
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
That's not fraud, asshole.
Fraud requires INTENT. (or at least negligence beyond reason)
Trying and failing is not fraud. Edison tried/failed hundreds of times to get the light bulb working (and burned through a lot of investor cash). Are you implying that had he ultimately failed, he'd have been guilty of fraud?
Now, fuck off back to your basement.
I'm curious what you call a platform where you give someone money in the expectation that they will give you a product in return, if not a store.
In big business, perhaps a convention of startups and venture capitalists?
The startups want money but cannot give an absolute guarantee of delivering, as they may run into unforeseen problems with their unconventional products.
The venture capitalists are aware of that, but they have enough hope of getting something valuable that they accept something like a 50% failure rate (for example).
C - the footgun of programming languages
I call it a store if I know exactly what the product is and said product is already finished, ready to sell.
I call it an investment if I give money in the HOPE that I will get something out of it that I want - be that planting carrots in my back yard or financing the production of a game that sounds like it might turn out interesting. In the end I HOPE to have carrots or a game I'll like, but there is NO guarantee.
-=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
Kickstarter is a Donation platform, to support cool ideas.
I gave a small amount to both:
Carpool DeVille - The World's Fastest Hot Tub - https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...
and
Potato Salad - https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...
But PEOPLE are scum.
FTFY.
You're welcome.
Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
APK harasses the entire site and deserves every bit of harassment he receives in kind.
Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
I dunno.. Your option of #2 would tell me that these people haven't learned any valuable lessons.. I'd actually choose #3 over #2.
You make it sound like something new. Been this way since McCarthyism. Along with the Cold War, Reagan's Evil Empire and Trumps embracing of BFF Putin.
The Ruskies are EVIL turns up at least once a generation.
Every government needs a boogeyman.
Donald Trump, on a crusade to make Nixon look respectable
There is no need to swat a fly that isn't actually buzzing around your head.
And, by the way, have you stopped beating your wife?
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Z^-1
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.