Wombat hatches Kickstarter schemes, Shipwreck looks to take home the gold, and CheapyD doesn't have to sniff underwear. Also, Kingdoms of Amalur talk and discussion on the worst job in the gaming industry.

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Best way to start a Friday when you sit in a cubicle for 8 hours

Dude, Wombat, you've got to think about the timing of this Double Fine Kickstarter project. It launched while Tim Schaefer was attending DICE. It's pretty clear this was intended to be some kind of experiment/proof of concept. It doesn't really have anything to do with whether they could have independently funded the project themselves. It was about discovering how viable crowd-sourcing could be as a potential avenue to obtain funding for themselves, and other developers of a similar size and pedigree.

Maybe next time they won't have to sign an exclusivity deal with Microsoft to get something like Trenched made, or need a wealthy fan to make PC ports of games like Stacking and Costume Quest.

With fans basically acting like venture capital, big questions remain about whether "contributors" ought to in fact be considered investors with the right to share in potential profits, but this particular project has clearly gone far past everyone's expectations. Over time Kickstarter will probably have to evolve into something like Kiva with funding caps and returns on investment, but this is a really fascinating first step down this road.

Hey wombat,

In regards to Double Fine's Kickstarter; I would say they have a lot of incentive to produce a good game. The immediate financial risk may not be there but there would be a monumental backlash from fans who contributed money to this project if they did spend $100K making a shit game.

I would also consider that the reason this is working for Double Fine is because they have a reputation (to their fans) of making good games and people trust them to make this point and click adventure game. If they mess up it could very well cause the demise of Double Fine, loss of jobs and certainly loss of any trust or enthusiasm people hold for the company. I'm sure Tim Schafer would pull through but things would definitely take a turn for the worse.

Just my thoughts. I think it's pretty good that they're doing this as my current understanding of the industry is that publishers may have too much influence on certain parts of game production.

Man, I would love to see Shippy coaching in action.

About Kickstarter, I think it was a combination of experimentation and also seeing the interest in the game as well. We have to remember that they're doing this for a point-and-click adventure game which isn't hugely profitable these days. And asking fans to back them, allows them a lot more freedom without pressure from the publishers. I understand Wombat's point but maybe he was too critical about it. I don't think Double Fine knew they would get such a huge amount of money for it. Their original goal was $400k after all.

I think other companies have done something similar. For example, Telltale allows people to preorder their adventure games on their site when they're not even made or completed. Remember that they allow you to preorder full seasons like their Monkey Island and BTTF games and you'll get bonuses like DVD versions and special packaging. It's not all that different than the bonuses offered from people on Kickstarter.

Btw, I think Cheapy should check out KoA: Reckoning. While I agree that the game isn't quite as charming or funny as characters in Fable or Skyrim, I really enjoy the combat and some sidestories. It's a pretty game too. I love the look of it. Oh yea Shippy, the game allows you to experiment with different powers and weapons so if you find the combat a grind, switch up the weapons, they're a lot of fun. I've been messing around with various skills and they really mix them up quite well.

Here is a good site for XBL whiners:

http://whywasibanned.com/

What exactly do you mean by categorizing the Internet celebrities? Almost everyone I saw on the thread did. Not giving the DLC away when you said you were is kind of a dick move.

Also, sorry the show thread didn't please you Wombat. I don't know what you expect in a feedback thread where you're giving shit away. Of course people are going to hear that and just bullshit it to try to get free stuff. Posting a new thread for a giveaway is probably your best bet.

On a slightly leas negative note I do indeed want to see a montage of Shipwreck coaching, ideally narrated by you three.

Finally, yes to Tiny Wings Wombat. I love that shit.

To Wombat's views on the Double Fine Kickstarter project:

I think the key thing to keep in mind is that this shows that crowd-funding a game is entirely possible. If you look out across the landscape of gaming today, you have a handful of well-funded AAA titles and a bustling indie scene, but "the middle" is becoming increasingly sparse. The risks of making games is all too clear, with reports of studio closures and publisher woes becoming more and more common. Granted, Double Fine is an established studio with a well-known studio head, but the most intriguing element of this experiment is that it shows that games can be made without publisher involvement. Seems like a pretty promising proof of concept to me.

Another thing Wombat should keep in mind is that the entire studio most likely won't be working on this single crowd-funded adventure game. The past year or two has made it pretty obvious that Double Fine's staff breaks into smaller teams and works on multiple titles concurrently.

Just picked up Kingdoms of Amalur today - before listening to the podcast. Dammit - I'm still looking forward to it!

Just downloaded!

Originally Posted by pete_brasler Just picked up Kingdoms of Amalur today - before listening to the podcast. Dammit - I'm still looking forward to it!

It's a good game, it just needs a little extra to make it great.

Originally Posted by shipwreck It's a good game, it just needs a little extra to make it great.

If it just had awful combat and tons of bugs it could be as good as Skyrim.

Wombat, the game double fine was trying to make is a classic adventure game so of course its going to be risky. That alone is great justification to kickstart the project so those who are interested can fund the niche game they want. I thinly Wombat may be a tad jealous :\

Great a new show! HAND DOWN! MAN DOWN!

Great show, great show. I get Wombat's point on DF, but I think the response is that going to Kickstarter has advantages *besides• the fundraising. It's almost like having a focus group that pays you to respond to pre-release gameplay descriptions.

And Cheapy, be a mensch and go help your boy clean up after a mess. I think Wombat and Shipwreck can hold their own for a few minutes while you go help him out.

/pause cagcast

Wow, only Wombat would bitch about something as awesome as the Double Fine kickstarter news. Wombat, why do you think dev studios even go to publishers in the first place? Because they need funding. That was seriously like 10 minutes of Wombat ranting out of his ass. I feel dumber now for listening. An iconic dev literally making a game for the fans and you still have to find something to complain about. You small bitter cynical man.

/resume cagcast

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Originally Posted by polly /pause cagcast Wow, only Wombat would bitch about something as awesome as the Double Fine kickstarter news. Wombat, why do you think dev studios even go to publishers in the first place? Because they need funding. That was seriously like 10 minutes of Wombat ranting out of his ass. I feel dumber now for listening. An iconic dev literally making a game for the fans and you still have to find something to complain about. You small bitter cynical man. /resume cagcast

He raised some good points. Wombat I mean.

I think Double Fine and maybe Valve would be the only companies that could pull this off. Could you imagine Activision doing this for MW4?

I agree with most everything Wombat said about Double Fine. I do think it's a good way to raise money, but it does feel a tad desperate. That's just my opinion.

All the Wombat hate tells me this is going to be a good episode (they always are), can't wait to listen.

My main problem with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is that it plays like a fanfic. It takes a bunch of pieces from other RPGs and doesn't really build anything on top of it. In fact, they were so insistant on mimicing their favorite games that they didn't bother to try and evolve with the genre like those other franchises have. For example, they still use the antiquated item repair that Elder Scrolls has dropped; and interacting with people is not dynamic, you have to wait for them to stand up before they start talking. It just makes the game feel dated.

And Ship, why didn't you talk about what you did for your birthday? Now I have to make something up for the Boatcrash Chronicles, and who knows how that will turn out...