David Crane Jungle Adventure Kickstarter

[cimerians]

Sad that people don't trust Kickstarter. But there is a small possibility an unknown developer can scam people but I doubt that will happen. I really do.

 

It's a shame really cause this is the BEST tool to get the kind of game you have always wanted directly from the source. Which I feel should be the way of the future.

 

I did my personal best to spread the word. Hopefully we see a surge....as David said, you never know.

[Parrothead]

We will be posting our RetroGamingRoundup interview with David from this month's CGE and will be posting that all over the place so hopefully it will help a bit too. When it goes live I will post a link here and you can all help spread the interview around Thanks again to you David for taking the time to chat with the three of us at CGE!

Edited August 30, 2012 by Parrothead

[Protoplasym]

A Revolution perhaps... supporting a company that is 'talking about making something' - I disgree entirely... sounds like the perfect scam to me. Are you telling me that these Kickstarter projects, these donations that y'all are making... they're non refundable If so, then I do not agree in the slightest with, "give me your money, I might make something for you with said money, if I don't you're sol, have a care"

 

If I'm missing something, pardon my ignorance...

With Kickstarter, you don't actually pay anything if the project you're backing doesn't meet its fundraising target in time. If the project is fully funded, it becomes like any other investment. Investors and venture capitalists don't throw money at anybody who walks in with a crazy idea; they decide based on the pedigree of the people involved, how well the proposal is presented and structured, how well the project has been managed to date, etc. The same considerations apply to Kickstarter projects.

 

Those who never take chances on anything unless they have a guarantee that they can always get all their money back would make poor investors. So would those who can't tell the difference between a serious project proposal and an unserious one.

 

right on... without those who take risks, we would have zero progression in this world

 

 

No breaking of eggs = no omelet and all that jazz

[+Random Terrain]

So Random Terrain, I hope that was a joke. (And yes, I recognize the reference to 'The Game'.)

 

Yep, that's mostly what I do (joke around). I was making fun of the Kickstarter paranoia.

[Crazy Climber]

Just got an email update showing some stuff about the game, this thing looks pretty cool man!!

[pitfall1982]

People have been having trouble making the decision to back the project without more detail on the game. As Crazy Climber mentioned I have just updated the project to show the “Living Jungle” art direction and a detailed description of the game.

 

tinyurl.com/JungleUpdate

 

Spread the word!

[Austin]

Well, it doesn't look like this is going to make it. Only 38 hours left. Bummer.

[Emehr]

I pledged. It's probably too little too late but I want to encourage Mr. Crane in any future Kickstarter endeavors. I am positive that David Crane can deliver a fun game, but I wasn't particularly taken by the pitch and I think that was off-putting to a lot of people. A little (hopefully constructive) criticism if I may:

 

- It felt like the pitch was "David Crane's new game! It's set in the jungle. Here are some drawings. We don't really have a game yet, but we will." instead of "Cool, innovative new adventure that takes place in the jungle. Be immersed like never before in a living, breathing jungle where death waits from under every unturned leaf, in the maws of every menacing beast, and from the bottom of every spike-lined pit. Oh, by the way, it just so happens to be programmed by the guy that brought you the original Pitfall!".

 

- The art direction. I found the character illustrations on the main page to be uninspired. I know there are only so many ways a person can draw a native, but the style was a bit too assembly-line-like. Plus, a native that looks like he's been working out at the gym is a bit much.

 

- The graphics. I was kind of hoping for more of an abstract representation of a jungle. The photorealistic background felt busy and exhausting. The main audience grew up with Atari so we are accustomed to abstract and having to use our imaginations.

 

- Having a clearer game design outline. Crude drawings on napkins showing main game elements would have gone a lot farther than the out-of-context illustrations of the explorer and his potential adversaries. In fact, it may have even sparked the imaginations of potential backers. I realize that part of the idea is to have funders help with the design process, but I think that may have been a little off-putting to many as well. Having the game mechanics established and maybe letting the funders have some input as to the art direction, graphic style, sound effects, storyline, and maybe some in-game items may have been a better trade-off.

 

Again, I have nothing but respect for Mr. Crane. Pitfall is one of my fondest Atari memories from the early 80s, having played it at my friend's house. I don't want to sound like I'm being overly critical or second-guessing, but I just wanted to share my personal thoughts on the campaign and hopefully add something constructive as well.

 

25 hours to go...fingers crossed...

Edited September 14, 2012 by Emehr

[jaybird3rd]

I'm sorry to see that this project didn't reach its fundraising target. From the most recent project update:

 

To quote Kickstarter, "backing a project shows your support for a creator's work. The value in that never expires!" My thanks go out to everyone who backed this project. Your enthusiasm was overwhelming, and appreciated.

 

This project was as much about bringing game players into the game design process as it was about the game itself. To back the project without a design and eye candy required a leap of faith - belief that my team and I could, and would, make a game that you would be proud to own. Every pledge was a vote of confidence, and I took each one as a personal compliment.

 

Re-kick it and market it better (as has been suggested)? Maybe. Complete the design and bring backers in for just the production? Possibly. Strip down the design and lower its quality? Never. For now all options (except for lowering my quality standards) are on the table. Making games is what I do, and I'll keep making them as long as you continue to enjoy playing them.

 

Thanks again.

 

- David Crane

[Greg2600]

Well I literally only found out about this now! Damn. 669 backers is actually pretty good for a kickstarter like this. The goal amount was totally unrealistic though. It would take tens of thousands of backers, and a campaign that reached many times that many. While many of us would consider buying the game, very few would go over $100 backing mark. I'm also afraid the big money levels weren't enticing enough for those amounts. I've seen kickstarters where hanging out with an actual hollywood celebrity is $5,000.

[Keatah]

Lots of thought here, and I pretty much agree with other users' responses.

I tend to recognize and associate David Crane with Pitfall!, Dragster, Canyon Bomber, Grand Prix, and Fishing Derby; on the VCS way back when. Those games and a few others. I don't associate him with modern-day PC programming. Why? IDK, I just don't. To be fair, I don't chase the modern-day PC-gaming scene much.

I'm tending to shy away from too-realistic-looking graphics these days. I grew up in a time where video games required you to engage your imagination. Today, with all these hyperrealistic graphics I feel my games are on rails again. I want to imprint my own imagination on the game action sometimes. Like naming the cities in Missile Command. Or training a co-pilot & navigator in Star Raiders. The way games are done today this is more difficult. The game structure effectively turns off your imagination.

Part of the allure of the early games was bringing something home from the store and watching it push against the limitations of contemporary hardware. We all knew our machines were extremely limited. And everytime something new was done on-screen, we took that as a big positive. A bit of Magic that sometimes made a bad game acceptable. Sometimes. Today, it is ho-hum.. boring.. For software (other than bloat) does not push hardware limitations whatsoever.

Regarding marketing: I feel this kickstarter failed because of lack of knowledge about it. I didn't learn of it till now, not saying that I'd have pitched in or not (I would not have) had I known about it. But I would have followed it.

What we seem to have here is an over-described and over-enthusiastic introduction on the page. Way too much information. I feel as if I've already acquired the game and played it somehow. My imagination isn't engaged here. I'm not inspired by the generic-looking characters either. Hate to say it, but you could've saved thousands in the art department by perusing Deviant Art and striking a deal with some of those artists. Incredible work! Passionate work! And different enough to have character and personality again. A little bit of toning down the details and you're in business for a fraction of the cost. Fancy that!

Videogames are supposed to transport you to an alternate reality. And if you detail that reality too much it becomes reality itself - and not an escape or adventure. You are held hostage and prevented from immersing yourself in the game world.

And it is not in an app-store. This style of game seems about right for that marketing channel. This would be better on a 3-inch widescreen, and should be priced appropriately so. Then you'd have thousands of backers! Or even if done as a bona-fide VCS game, that would've been nice too.

A million dollars (and more) to make a game today? Sorry guys I don't think it's necessary. Just work old-school. I don't think a 100 million dollar game would impress me any more than VCS Missile Command does! I've seen freeware that's far more engaging and thought-provoking than anything to come out of a big-time franchise.

[frank_c]

A million dollars (and more) to make a game today?

 

No. It was a million dollars to make a game a year ago...

[Greg2600]

Have you seen the "Mega-Man" kickstarter? They asked for 900K to start, $2.5 million at the highest, and will probably get it. Why? Because people want the product.

[Cybergoth]

Have you seen the "Mega-Man" kickstarter? They asked for 900K to start, $2.5 million at the highest, and will probably get it. Why? Because people want the product.

 

I'll never understand why anyone would want even more Mega Man games

 

Well at least Capcom stopped making them once they finally got rid of Inafune

[bomberpunk]

Mega Man games were popular because they were fun, challenging, and had great music. when the games were new, players had fun figuring out which order to tackle the stages in. plus look how cute (and sinister at the same time) the Robot Masters all looked.

 

but you can roll your eyes all you want because Mighty No. 9 is getting funded!

 

with enough real fan support, the only loser in this case is Crapcom.

[Crazy Climber]

Anyone have a link to the mega man thing for those of us that don't know anything about it (what platform/etc..) Thanks!

[Crazy Climber]

Never mind, found it...

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9/posts/593460

Looks cool!