Author Topic: Time for some straight talk: Release Raptor is being pulled and refunded.  (Read 37689 times)

Offline Tolc

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Aw man, that was sad to read  :'( Sending best wishes your way!

Offline yllamana

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Sorry to hear Release Raptor didn't work out. Best of luck recovering and getting through to your next release!

Offline crazyroosterman

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I know this has already been said but I think you made the right decision its better to take a loss rather than be remembered as a company who went and sold an unfinished game to people and then ran of with the money.
even though that wouldn't be true a lot of people would remember it that way(a lot of the people who bought into probably wouldn't but that doesn't matter) I really hope the sequel works out for you though id hate for stars to have killed your carer permanently.
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Offline mrhanman

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I hate to hear this guys.  The similarities to Goat Simulator never occurred to be, but when I started seeing the comments everywhere tying the two together, I started to get a bad feeling.  For what it's worth, I was having fun with the game, and really thought it just needed more objectives and other content to be great.  Here's hoping y'all get to complete it one day.

In the mean time, I'll pour one out for Release Raptor and toast to your future success with SBR and AIW2!

Offline Shrugging Khan

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Haven't been around lately, and didn't really follow Raptor development, but I'm dropping by to give my personal approval for this kind of honest and public developer-customer relationship.

That said, I bought Raptor as soon as it became available, had no idea what to expect, played it for about two minutes, did not see the appeal - probably because I have no appreciation of velociraptors and no sense of humor. Still happy to have given some support to Arcen, so I don't even want a refund.

Good luck to whatever comes next, and even if reality struck again, please don't be disheartened.
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Offline Draco18s

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Ouch man, this was looking good too.

I will definitely point my friends towards the donate button if they did purchase this and still want to contribute to the war fund.

Offline Mánagarmr

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Well have you considered that a lot of people do not buy EA games simply because of EA? They wait for the full release and then make their judgement, as there is a legit strategy these days to release your EA game and keep it in EA forever. The survival genre pretty much exists there.
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Offline Steelpoint

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The only reason I knew the game even existed was because I keep up to date with the news posts here.

I saw no indication the game was released on EA on the Steam front page at all. No information or anything.


Offline Pepisolo

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Very sad to hear. RR is a lot of fun, and has a lot of potential. It's a shame that you're not going to be able to work on a project that you love -- at least for the foreseeable future. The AI War sequel should be a great project for you guys, though. I'm ready and waiting with my Kickstarter pledge. All the best.

Offline Aklyon

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Augh, I wasn't expecting to hear sad but reasonable news about this game. You guys need some good news for once! :-\

Nor was I expecting a kickstarter. But I certainly will support that for sure.

Offline Cyborg

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Thank you, I appreciate it.  I am now waiting for Cyborg to come in and remind me that he called this months ago.

Well this kind of bothers me a little bit, you really must not like me to think that I would drop a note and rub it in or something.

I suppose I should clarify. The reason I told you this wasn't going to work was because I actually care about what happens around here. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I cheer your success and prosperity, as well as your staff. I think you have a good crew, and I want the best for you and your team. Hundred percent truth and honesty.

I think where things get twisted is that I am honest and near incapable of social grace. I'm not good at it, I know that, and I know that it turns people off. Sometimes I think when people speak against the cheerleaders on this forum, we get labeled as "those people" and nonconformist, and then our opinions get ignored because fish that swim upstream get kicked out of the colony. I've never cared about colonies. Incapable of it. Probably some personality problem.

But believe it or not, I do care about other people even if I can't do what you do or say what you say in the way that you say it. I'm actually the same guy on this forum that I am in real life and not a lot of people can say that. I am a nerd, and I do like strategy games more than any other kind of game. I know who I am.

So I'm not here thinking "I told you so." I am about the same age you are. I don't feel good about it. I guess you could say, I regret your opinion and your loss with this title because I am a fan of your studio. You can count on me as a beta tester for AI war and hopefully you make a kickstarter tier for early access so I can do what I do well and that is strategy titles. And compensate you for the effort and putting up with my apparently abrasive personality.

Once again, sorry for your loss, and believe me when I say I'm 100% behind your studio even when I think one of your games isn't good. I hope that you don't make AI War 2 with anything less than the passion that you put into any of your titles, or resent your fan base for enjoying your strategy titles. Take a moment to mourn your loss, but please embrace your next project and know that you have a far greater community with you now that's ready for some kick ass space strategy title.
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Offline Mánagarmr

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For me, the lack of appeal wasn't in the gameplay, the graphics or anything such. It was point. Why did this exist? What was the purpose of the game? Was it just to kill robots for the fun of it? Was there any progression at all? Was there a deep and interesting combat system (A la Dark Souls) to keep me engaged? Was it a puzzle game?

I could never make out what it was about Raptor that was supposed to get people, and once it released on EA, I still couldn't find that "thing" that is supposed to carry the game. I'm not the sort of person that buys Goat Simulator just to fool around. I see no point in that. I need a game to have a clear purpose. Raptor seemed, to me, to lack that.
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Offline KingIsaacLinksr

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For me, the lack of appeal wasn't in the gameplay, the graphics or anything such. It was point. Why did this exist? What was the purpose of the game? Was it just to kill robots for the fun of it? Was there any progression at all? Was there a deep and interesting combat system (A la Dark Souls) to keep me engaged? Was it a puzzle game?

I could never make out what it was about Raptor that was supposed to get people, and once it released on EA, I still couldn't find that "thing" that is supposed to carry the game. I'm not the sort of person that buys Goat Simulator just to fool around. I see no point in that. I need a game to have a clear purpose. Raptor seemed, to me, to lack that.

I was going to type something but this bascially is what I'm asking too. I just didn't see much of a hooking reason to pull me into the game.
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Offline Misery

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For me, the lack of appeal wasn't in the gameplay, the graphics or anything such. It was point. Why did this exist? What was the purpose of the game? Was it just to kill robots for the fun of it? Was there any progression at all? Was there a deep and interesting combat system (A la Dark Souls) to keep me engaged? Was it a puzzle game?

I could never make out what it was about Raptor that was supposed to get people, and once it released on EA, I still couldn't find that "thing" that is supposed to carry the game. I'm not the sort of person that buys Goat Simulator just to fool around. I see no point in that. I need a game to have a clear purpose. Raptor seemed, to me, to lack that.

This to be honest is what I personally was worried about, though I didn't really speak of it much; the sudden leap into EA at the time it was done seemed like a "cant avoid it" thing, after all.

The problem to me is the state the game was released in.   It really doesnt seem to have a point other than smash things.    The real meat of things just wasnt there yet.   What it was supposed to be was the game constantly putting you in all of these complicated tactical situations versus the robots; the sorts of situations where you were going to have to think your way out, and do things like lure the robots into specific positions, or use their talents against each other... you werent going to be able to just smash them by leaping all over the place.

All of the bots were designed with this in mind.   They have concepts and mechanics unique to each that would mingle together in interesting ways, and when combined with the terrain, would make complicated stuations for you.    For example, one bot was something that ran on the ground, and would charge at you like a bull; when it hit an obstacle, it would spray tons of fast bullets in all directions; you would want to hide behind something when it does that, and then attack while it's stunned.   Another bot was one that had no attack of it's own, but instead had the ability to pick up other bots and throw them in your general direction, getting them close to you fast.    So,  room idea:  a tall room with a central pillar, and a platform up above.   The thrower bot starts grabbing those chargers and dropping them down onto the player, who has to react to their position and use the pillar to take them out safely as they keep landing. 

That's just one example, but that's what the gameplay was meant to be like. All sorts of room ideas were possible even just with the bots that are currently on paper. Helping to come up with bots and then placing them into positions in rooms to create these situations was my part in this.   But while the bot concepts were made (as well as traps and various things the player would interact with), it just didn't get far enough along to show off any of that stuff.   The version of the game you've seen just plops the occaisional bot down randomly.


My opinion of the game having high potential is still the same, but even I cant deny that it just wasnt in a state where it could REALLY be shown off for what it was meant to become.   In such an early state, it did seem mindless.   But if I recall, the situation was that it *had* to be stuck into EA because time was up, so.... yeah, nasty bit, that.  The whole situation sucks... very frustrating.   

Offline chemical_art

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Chris, these words are hitting me far to hard too fast fast to give a meaningful input.

My first input is to hide, hard, into proven entities, such as AI Wars.

Secondly, all of my fond memories were of strategy games of some sort.

Thirdly...is to be conservative. Truly, if the odd venture fails, then to go to the most successive venue usual works.

I will not deny that I am drunk off my ass tonight, but hearing Chris being so raw as brought down my defenses as well.

But as much as I loved them...I do wonder how popular really dinosaur games are. And, in a harsher light, how survivor games are. The genre is becoming glutted...fast.

Continuing from my drunken firing from the the hip, I will say this: The acknowledgement that a project will not succeed is very mature and painful. It is something every game producer must face, and you are facing it with great maturity.
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