I'm much more excited about this "Stars of Barathrum" than the game discussed in the original post.
Why? Well, Valve has been on fire lately. The past 3 games they've developed: DotA 2, CS:GO, and Portal 2, have not only been cheap and affordable, but at the top of their respective genres.
And I don't mean at the top of their genres by a margin, I mean leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in terms of skill, balance, and most importantly fun. CS:GO rivals the COD and Battlefield series, for $15? You've got to be kidding me! DotA 2 unlocks all of the game content for free, when you would have to play tens of thousands of hours to do that in their main competitor?
Valve is just a step above any other company right now in my opinion. This is because they stay true to their principles, and they haven't become a corporation in terms of putting profits before their people. I think they are a very tight knit community that is extremely passionate about making games. We seem to have lost that "home made" feel in much of the gaming world, especially the businesses with money. Valve is like a bridge between the incredibly rich companies, and the incredibly innovative indie designers.
I bet this "Stars of Barathrum", whatever it turns out to be, will be a hell of a lot better than Star Citizen (selling power LOL).
I'm not a fan of in game benefits. I feel PA did this much better with unique backer-specific commanders that were just skins. Having actual gameplay benefits just makes the game easier, and thus detracts from the experience. It's...no, I do not approve.
I'm quite sure you misunderstood Planetary Annihilation's Kickstarter Model. I don't think those commanders you unlocked at higher tiers were just skins, those are actual different commanders you can play in game.
Look at the differences:
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One guy has ROCKETS WHERE HIS HEAD SHOULD BE. I'm not sure how to make it any more clear that these are two different commanders. How could the Progenitor (blue) even shoot rockets, it doesn't have a rocket "bay"?
Finally, it was already clear they were making different types of commanders before the Kickstarter even began with this tier:
Pledge $1,000 or more
91 backers
We create a custom unique commander just for you, that only you can play! Working with you, we'll design and conceive of the ideal commander to best represent you on the field of battle. You send us some source inspiration and we’ll make it look cool. Includes all previous tiers.
Does it say we create a custom unique commander
skin just for you? No, that's ridiculous, nobody would pay for that. I think on release you'll have several different types of commanders to choose from (all balanced with each other hopefully), and a couple more types for the Kickstarter folks.
