Kickstarter and Elite 4

[Styggron]

I don't think using kickstarter was a bad approach, actually it makes sense - its easy for people who have fond memories of other elite games to just assume that everyone has heard of them, played them, and wants to play a new one.... I mean why wouldn't they? But some just don't.

This is a chance to see if there is a wider audience for this new game and I hope there is and I suspect there is - but we'll soon find out. It's time for everyone to pull their fingers out and start buying lottery tickets so if the target isn't quite there by January, someone can step forward and top it up (maybe we should all tweet Richard Branson and tell him to do the right thing, he likes space...)

I'm all for the high ask on kickstarter too.... the last thing I'd want from a new elite game is for it to be made on the cheap and disappoint, it deserves to be an AAA game up there with the likes of anything else. Aside from the enjoyment of playing it, if DB pulls it off it can be no bad thing for Frontier as a business either, it would put it right up there with the biggest names.

Kickstarter targets the audience that actually WANT the project PLUS it gives money to the developers EXACTLY when they REALLY need it. Win win.

 

[Sir.Tj]

just had a look on the Kickstarter page and we're over a third of the way to target.

Not too shabby for the first week

 

[Alien]

The only reason it is that high is due to the massive influx of pledges on day 2.
Right now we are barely meeting the daily target
(when we hit £300,000 I worked out what we'd need to make each day to hit the target, £16,500)
Yesterday, we failed to reach that daily target by £2,000

So I think it is very worrying at the moment, and Frontier need to put more media out there.

 

[CatInSpace]

Hopefully the project will get funded, because I am *really* looking forward to a brand new official Elite experience. With about one-third having been funded and 50 or so days to go, I can see it working out well. I do agree that it would be good for the project if more material and updates could be shared. While the video, screenshots, basic summary and David's enthusiasm were enough for me to draw my credit card, I would love to see more cool updates in the very near future.

Here's hoping for a successful new Elite! :smilie:

 

[Sci-Fi Gene]

It is a bit worrying, but I would imagine so far it is mainly existing fans of the previous games that are pledging. Nice to see there are a fair few of us!

What's needed next is more publicity: for example, I would hope Frontier are working hard to get coverage in the gaming and computer magazines. The BBC covered it - right now that may be the only thing they are doing right Publicity should bring in a few new waves of interest.

Speaking of publicity, didn't Ian Bell's brother write a musical?

 

[Marcus]

I think that its fairly typical for there to be a lull in funding for most projects on Kickstarter, especially one as long as this one.

Theres the 'Hockey Stick' effect, that as new media comes out and the buzz surrounding a project intensifies toward the end of its funding period, you see an upswing off pledges in the last week or two.

The best thing that Frontier can do is keep releasing new media and at least one really cool gameplay video.

I think Star Citizen did this very well by knocking out a fantastic impact video right from the off. Not all projects are in the fortunate position to do that however!

 

[nats]

I am very relaxed about this project now. DB has promised a lot of stuff coming and he has started being a lot more communicative lately. We will easily make the target now. But I hope we will get double the target funding. Elite: Dangerous deserves at least that.

 

[Steve O B Have]

My own concern is based around what we saw in the numbers bounce when the first bunch of info made it onto the KS page. It wasn't huge and it wasn't sustained. In my mind there needs to be a combination of a continuous regular influx of discourse from the Frontier representatives and plenty of eye candy to keep the interest peaking. Unfortunately it becomes a game of one upmanship and the returns will diminish as the time goes on. The focus both from the KS page and the media feeds should have a real teaser pattern to it. i.e. Looks here's this great stuff but wait till you see what we've got for you next!

I agree Nats - this game deserves to, at the very least, double its goal. The scope and the potential for turning this into a highly profitable and hugely popular series exists. I'll continue to do what I can through the mediums that are available to me. Imaginations need to be fed and clearly the younger generation doesn't have the same attention spans for this stuff as some of us do

Maybe Frontier needs to get all John Lee Hooker on them - Boom Boom Boom!

 

[Capt. Hook]

Completely agree that marketing of E.D needs to be maintained with an extra big push close to the Jan Kickstarter deadline.

I only became aware of the Kickstarter campaign though the BBC website, quite by chance. I would hope a more targeted campaign to raise awareness can be launched asap.

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

Completely agree that marketing of E.D needs to be maintained with an extra big push close to the Jan Kickstarter deadline.

Frankly the "big push" so to speak should be a continual push from now to the end of the campaign. There has been enough data now for Kicktraq to project potential outcomes based on min / max pledges. We all know that nearing the end of a campaign pledges drop off so I am skeptical of the validity of the graph anyway, but suffice to say the project should scrape through.

I am not surprised btw ... todays generation wants instant action; social media tie ins; flashy bells and whistles; etc combined with a shortened attention span ... is Elite the right game for them ? (I hope so and it's up to FG to demonstrate that it is)

 

[Styggron]

This is what David Braben said just recently. (Nov 12).

"Thanks for all the support, and I hear the concerns too - apologies for not being on here as much as I should. More updates are planned, as are pledge upgrades, and info on multiplayer, procedural techniques to be used, ships and ship design; essentially there is a lot to come."

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

Oh this I have to say this is starting to become a hard thing to do ...

Before the announcement Elite was a fancy thing of dreams - After the announcement all I can think about now is Elite. Add to that the fact that (in my opinion) not enough is being done to get this project going - it's annoying the hell out of me. Yes, I appreciate that FG have a battle plan even if it is a poor one, and we will either smash the required level of just scrape through it, but damn .. the waiting is hard.

Quote from a Segal film : "The anticipation of death is worse than death itself"

Oh .. so .. true

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

Shameful email sent to UK Gizmodo team Kat and Sam (Editor and News Editor) pointing out that the Australian Gizmodo had run a feature on Kickstarter in the UK with DB on the cover but they themselves had missed an opportunity to report the release of Elite: Dangerous - THE game of 1984 inspiring all other space sims.

Let's hope they bite

 

[Alien]

Shameful email sent to UK Gizmodo team Kat and Sam (Editor and News Editor) pointing out that the Australian Gizmodo had run a feature on Kickstarter in the UK with DB on the cover but they themselves had missed an opportunity to report the release of Elite: Dangerous - THE game of 1984 inspiring all other space sims.

Let's hope they bite

I'm going to get all technical on you now ... I hope you don't mind ...
Elite: Dangerous wasn't released in 1984 ... "Elite" was

and a question, why do you say FG? do you mean Frontier Developments, which I would say as FD?

 

[Geraldine]

I am very relaxed about this project now. DB has promised a lot of stuff coming and he has started being a lot more communicative lately. We will easily make the target now. But I hope we will get double the target funding. Elite: Dangerous deserves at least that.

Now that's the right attitude! Your faith does you credit nats

 

[Sir.Tj]

Yep, keep positive, I can't believe we won't reach the target and I've got total faith in DB & FD in creating a amazing game.

I waivered in recent months that the game would ever be made, just goes to show

 

[jefferytony]

DB's popped up on KS the last day or so and reassured everyone /explained a few points about ED. Also KS has only been going 8 days with 52 days left and we already have nearly £450K.

I'm not worried at all now either - too many people care about this for it not to reach its goal.

 

[Aewarin Jameson]

I'm going to get all technical on you now ... I hope you don't mind ...

Don't mind in the slightest ... As for FG - that's a mistake - The forum is called "Frontier Games" as in the games that Frontier Developments do (FD) - I need a holiday

 

[cassius]

10,000 backers!!!! Woohoo!

 

[nOmArch]

Flipping eck!! We'll be at half a mil by Thursday!