Planetary Annihilation: Total Annihilation IN SPACE

[chemical_art]

This should serve as an example to game developers of how to try to present ideas for kickstarter.


[Very imcomplete, but things I noted that helped lead to success]
*Clearly explain your idea and concept, demonstrate a clear plan for success and the goals of the game
*Make the game idea unique yet familiar
*Explain why the game makers are suited to their goal
*Make the initial seed money for success less then you need to break even if the made game is bare bones, with the expectation you will break it somewhat quickly [This is tricky]
*Add very numerous stretch goals that you hoped to do eventually anyway. Thus promote to add more money, making it so that you make the money you need anyway, but now you are dangling tasty treats encouraging upgrades from the current pool of players.

Yeah, makes me wonder if Defense Grid 2 had done that, would it have been a better outcome for them.

I've had an internal monologue of how DG2 was such a failure, yet PA was a success, and I've found a thread of similarity.

The first goal, the funding, needs to be the most universally appealing goal.

DG2 had what in some ways seemed to be a good concept: esclading rewards leading to a sequel.

There is a problem though. Almost everyone wanted the sequel, not everyone wanted the extras. On paper that is ok in some ways, but not with a kickstarter.

Case in point, me (not scientific of course)

1) Do I want to pay 15$ for a sequel.
>Yes!
2) Do I want to pay 15$ to make DG1 playable on other non pc platforms?
>No!
3) Do I want to pay 15$ to make DG1 get a level editor?
>Maybe
4) Do I want to pay 15$ to make DG1 get 8 new level!
>Hell no!

>Shall I fund the game before it almost hits the 500k mark? NO!

And this is the problem. Many may have wanted to fund the end goal, but not the goals in-between, leading to little funding to begin with which leads to little funding at all.

It's very psychological, these kickstarters. Will respond more with the other post later.

[keith.lamothe]

>Shall I fund the game before it almost hits the 500k mark? NO!

Ah, yes, that would be a problem with one like that.  Because past the initial funding line there's no more "if they don't hit the goal, you don't lose the money"; they're gonna get the money either way, but you only get the sequel if they hit 500k.

Yea, definitely make the initial funding goal the one everyone at-all-interested in your project will want, to avoid that problem.

[chemical_art]

This should serve as an example to game developers of how to try to present ideas for kickstarter.


[Very imcomplete, but things I noted that helped lead to success]
*Clearly explain your idea and concept, demonstrate a clear plan for success and the goals of the game
*Make the game idea unique yet familiar
*Explain why the game makers are suited to their goal
*Make the initial seed money for success less then you need to break even if the made game is bare bones, with the expectation you will break it somewhat quickly [This is tricky]
*Add very numerous stretch goals that you hoped to do eventually anyway. Thus promote to add more money, making it so that you make the money you need anyway, but now you are dangling tasty treats encouraging upgrades from the current pool of players.

That definitely explains the 200k for planet types.

Kickstarters follow stock somewhat in that both are very psychological.

<A new kickstarter is made, a potential investor comes along>

Even knowing that if the kickstarter funding isn't met, would I want to spend the effort making a pledge for a game I know won't make it's goal? No.

However, there is a flip side to it. I come back a week later, and the game is 2/3 toward its goal already! Now I want to fund it, for I know the game will succeed!

<Later customer comes along.>

Wow! I like this game, and it is already funded! Now my money is just a preorder, and with my preorder I'll probably get a discount over buying it retail! I'll fund it now!

<The two above now think this with stretch goals as the game is now funded fully, and now tasty treats from the dev are now dangled>

Well, I know I'll get my game. But now more snazzy features are coming. Well, I'll go ahead and pay almost full retail...but I know I'll get the game I want...but now I'm getting extra stuff and getting cool things like beta access and extra features!

<Late in the kickstarter process for people who have already pledged>

Wow, this game is doing great! I feel so proud supporting this game! Wait, you've found something to make this game go from GREAT to EPIC?!? WOW! I want to support this! I might regret spending this much later, but I don't care, I'm SO PSYCHED!

...

----


That was a very scattered brained example, but I'll try to present my ADD more objectively:

-People would rather support things they know will succeed over things they think might fail
-People like to feel with effort, no matter how small (work of doing a pledge), they know they will get what they want, and they like to know their funding matters
-People like to feel proud over supporting something they know is great
-People like to feel they are making a difference over development
-People like to feel that at the worst they either lose nothing or get what they paid for
-People like excitement of escalating rewards

Arcen does a few of these things themselves (feeling pride over supporting something, players feeling like they make a difference)

[Volatar]

So, the question is: was the real goal 1.5 or 1.8? Was the Galactic War part of their original plan or an actual stretch goal?

[chemical_art]

>Shall I fund the game before it almost hits the 500k mark? NO!

Ah, yes, that would be a problem with one like that.  Because past the initial funding line there's no more "if they don't hit the goal, you don't lose the money"; they're gonna get the money either way, but you only get the sequel if they hit 500k.

Yea, definitely make the initial funding goal the one everyone at-all-interested in your project will want, to avoid that problem.

Exactly, except in the case of DG2 that 500k was for a maybe. Yet the money was committed at 250k. The "YES!" reaction didn't come till 1 million dollars.

Following the PA model, they should have halved the needed money for the sequel, then make goals for extras like 600K being the 8 extra levels, 800k for cross platform support, 1 million dollars for the level editor...for reasons I cited above.

[chemical_art]

So, the question is: was the real goal 1.5 or 1.8? Was the Galactic War part of their original plan or an actual stretch goal?

That is a great question. They made it a hard rule that if they didn't make 900k, the game wouldn't be made, yet after that they add that paypal donations could be made for stretch goals, and since they hid the strentch goals you don't know.

This actually drew up an internal monologue of mine that was unique: I had my optimism and my cynicism unite in thinking the full orchestral score is probably in the bag already...

The cynicism side of me though that over the weekend, that when the company was quiet when galactic conquest was pretty much in the bag, the company talked with the orchestra and worked out a deal...so that when they announced "At 2 million dollars, we will do the orchestra" that I thought:
"Well, they worked out a schedule to book the orchestra already, and they think they'll make enough to cover the extra expense anyway, they just want to milk more money"

Yet my optimism side agreed for a different reason:
"They have already made almost 2 million dollars if you count kickstarter and the paypal amounts, so they went ahead and booked it, so we'll get it regardless!!!"


And a marketing department of anything is very good in my books if both my optimism and my cynicism agree for the same outcome.

[Wingflier]

I hate to say I told you so, so I wont.

But in all fairness:

I TOLD YOU ALL.

[Bossman]

Only $10k until the orchestral score, and they've added the ability to get the game on a USB stick for an extra 20 dollars. Said stick will probably be shaped like a commander. I think I know which was the cause and the effect.

Oh, and a shirt with a galaxy-eating head on it was added too. But there's absolutely no way anyone would want that. Totally absurd.

[Wingflier]

What a win.

Faith in humanity:  Restored.

[Volatar]

[RCIX]

Funded at 100k > the documentary!

[keith.lamothe]

They're done; 2.33M counting the paypal donations.  Pretty good

I've gotten an email about the funding happening (the "Thanks to you, Planetary Annihilation - A Next Generation RTS by Uber Entertainment Inc has been successfully funded!" email from [email protected]), but I haven't seen notice of my card actually being charged yet (the "Your Payment to (whatever) has succeeded" email from [email protected]), have any of you seen that?

Just hoping some part of the payment processing pipeline didn't get a wrench in it.

[orzelek]

I'm not exactly sure about that amazon payments.
They don't allow you to enter the CVV code and it says on web page that if your bank doesn't accept transaction without it it won't work. I have no idea if it will work with my card.

[keith.lamothe]

I'm not exactly sure about that amazon payments.
They don't allow you to enter the CVV code and it says on web page that if your bank doesn't accept transaction without it it won't work. I have no idea if it will work with my card.

I've done a couple other kickstarters and it's worked fine.  Looking back at one of the other ones there was about a 30 minute delay between the emails so it's probably just the same thing.

[doctorfrog]

Will PA have a procedural campaign/map generator, or are these campaigns going to be a series of handmade, closed-circuit maps? The idea of a war spiraling out of control from planet to planet, eventually engulfing the galaxy is a compelling scenario, even though it is tempered by emotionless robots doing the fighting.

But having an entire unique campaign generated from the word go with interconnections of supply running from smoldering former battlefields? You've definitely got my attention at that point.