[Pangaea]

It's rare to have actual in-game footage at this stage though, so they are actually pretty far ahead already. Most games show concept art or some pictures an artist has worked on. It looks like they have most of the building blocks in place already, and can now steam ahead if they get the money to do so.

The developers have said there is very little animation, that it's based on physical movement. That's quite groundbreaking, and perhaps a bit difficult to wrap our heads around at the minute. The system sounds a lot more dynamic than mostly animation-based systems. It's obviously an early alpha stage at the moment, but considering they have developed more than most Kickstarter campaigns, it's a little unfair to criticise them for aspects of how characters move and so forth. I've seen plenty of comments in that direction on their KS, so it's not just comment on reactions here.

[freakie1one]

@Pangaea

Exactly right! I'm seeing the potential that this type of mechanic can bring. I'm not concerned about the clunkiness of a game that is in a pre-alpha state. Simply that one developer was able to program these types of mechanics (and get them working efficiently) in a prototype is quite amazing, and I don't think its been done in a game before.

[Aver]

I see potential too and it looks interesting. That's why I used "so far". I will stop saying that animations look clunky when they gonna stop looking so. Now, I'm stating the fact. Same with those kickstarters that show only concept. I never said for example that Project Eternity will be amazing. It look promising, but I won't say anything else.

[Pangaea]

Dang. This game is sailing up as one of the most interesting I've seen for a very, very long time. Seems like they've put a lot of thought into all aspects of it. Two latest updates are great. Will quote some of it. I recommend reading it all though, because it gives a better insight into what they are planning than the partial quotes show (although I decided to quote a lot).

Update 4

Quote

Yes, our world is under duress, you won't be picking daisies. As for a looming threat, you may have no idea what it is until it's too late. Nothing is as it seems. There is no evil in our world. There may be lack of scruples, ruthlessness or just genuine oversight, but motives are often complex and valid to those who hold them.

We have not given you a story. We have intentionally lured you into thinking of this as a fairly typical fantasy RPG. Guess what? We don't like those either. We are of a skeptical nature and when faced with the usual fantasy claptrap, much like an inquisitive child, our answer is simply "but why?". There is lots of because in our world. We have taken what appears to be generic fantasy and given it a whole new twist. A lot of effort has gone into this and to reveal it would be to throw it all away. We hold it more dear than the funds we are trying to raise. If by not revealing it we fail in securing your support, then so be it.

We have been asked about character interactions and such. Well, sometimes we want to chat and sometimes we just want to kill stuff. Must be those hormones. Thing is, when the latter mood takes us, and some whining NPC decides to illustrate their sensitive nature to us, the solution is clear: smack 'em in the gob, throw 'em in the river, then perhaps evaluate whether their home looks to be a suitable place to store our booty. If this errant behaviour should upset someone, well, let them come. That, to us, is role playing. What we tend to be presented with in "games with choices" is something like this:

1) Help the distressed peasant now
2) Help the distressed peasant later
3) Help the distressed peasant reluctantly

That is not role playing. We don't know what it is, but we don't like it.

Our game will certainly feature moral dilemmas and ambiguities.

Update 3

Quote

These are the skills planned for Sui Generis:

* Light Weapons
* Heavy Weapons
* Ranged Weapons
* Shields
* Armour
* Insight
* Concentration
* Meditation

Skills have the following major expertise levels:

* Inept
* Aspirant
* Novice
* Expert
* Adept
* Master

The forms of thaumaturgy currently planned are:

* Displacement
* Energy
* Light
* Body
* Mind
* Force
You will initially have a basic command of your power, using it in its simplest form. With time you will learn more elaborate ways of shaping its outcome, refining its use and combining your individual insights into completely new effects. As a basic example, you may learn to turn Force Blast into an omnidirectional effect, pushing things away in any direction; you may also learn to make the force highly coherent, thus turning it into a shield. The two things combined may lead you to make a bubble that shields you from all directions.

Sui Generis does not feature attributes as seen in many RPGs that can be advanced over time. Innate qualities such as your strength, dexterity or toughness are affected by your initial choice of physique. Currently we do not have specific mechanics planned for altering or improving these though they may be introduced. There are also no health points but simply resistance to various forms of damage which may be partly natural and partly conferred by equipment and various effects.

£150,000 is a big goal for a game with people we have never heard about before, but it sounds so intriguing and groundbreaking that I really hope they make it. They were given a feature article on the bigger gaming site in Norway today, so hopefully things like that happen elsewhere too, which should given them some much-needed PR to boost their funding.

Simply, it sounds like they want to take role-playing to a new level. In one sense taking it away from table-top games (no attributes for example) but in other aspects making it more in line with tabletop games, where you have great scope for actual role playing than the typical mission setup where you at the end of the day usually just have one choice when dealing with people you run into, although there are different dialogue options.

They're almost up to £30,000 now so they have some distance to go, but they've gotten a fairly good start as well.

[freakie1one]

Well, I gave in and put down a pledge for this game too (making it my second pledge after Star Citizen). The more information they give about the game the more amazing it sounds! In fact, quite a few of their goals remind me of The Witcher games and CDPR's philosophy when it comes to game design.

[Pangaea]

They've come out with more updates now. Another video showing combat, and they've hired a writer. Still well short of the goal though, and I must say I doubt they can get there, even with solid media coverage the last week. £60,000 is a lot of money ofc, but I guess if they don't make the full goal it's all returned anyway.

Looks like such a promising game and gameworld that I hope they make it.

As for other Kickstarters, a game I didn't know about until after it got funded looks pretty good: Timber and Stone. Apart from the highly creative title it looks like a mix between the good old Settlers (sort of) and Minecraft. I really like building games, so I hope this turns out good. Developer writes a lot about his progress, and there are some videos on his site too (plus on Kickstarter ofc): http://www.timberandstonegame.com/

Strange how really small projects like this can get funded with good margins, while bigger projects with genuine new ideas like Sui Generis find it hard. Some simply just get that tidal wave drive, while others don't.

[freakie1one]

Pangaea said:

They've come out with more updates now. Another video showing combat, and they've hired a writer. Still well short of the goal though, and I must say I doubt they can get there, even with solid media coverage the last week. £60,000 is a lot of money ofc, but I guess if they don't make the full goal it's all returned anyway.

Looks like such a promising game and gameworld that I hope they make it.

As for other Kickstarters, a game I didn't know about until after it got funded looks pretty good: Timber and Stone. Apart from the highly creative title it looks like a mix between the good old Settlers (sort of) and Minecraft. I really like building games, so I hope this turns out good. Developer writes a lot about his progress, and there are some videos on his site too (plus on Kickstarter ofc): http://www.timberandstonegame.com/

Strange how really small projects like this can get funded with good margins, while bigger projects with genuine new ideas like Sui Generis find it hard. Some simply just get that tidal wave drive, while others don't. ›››

Well, I think one of the reasons an innovative game won't get as much hype as a tried-and-tested formula is because there is already a fan base established for the tried-and-tested method. This is why generic games tend to sell very well while more innovative games tend to struggle. Sui Generis is trying so many new and innovative ideas that people can't comprehend how significantly these innovations will impact gameplay. All they can see is that "combat in Sui Generis looks like they're drunk". Until the game is actually released (and it's blatantly obvious how awesome these innovations are) most people will only notice insignificant details while missing the bigger picture.

EDIT: It's going to get confusing on their forums since the new writer they hired uses the forum name Tony Dye and my forum name is Tony

[Pangaea]

Time to start impersonating him with false news

You're probably right. Just frustrating to see a game with such fresh ideas struggle to get funded. I hope they make it, but it's a long way up to 150,000. I wonder if it's harder for the Brits actually. Have heard it can be awkward due to being in pounds, something about Kickstarter, but I don't know why that would be.

Wish they would say more about the story as that is what is always the most interesting to me, especially in this case as they seem to want to create a game with new ideas in that department too. Understandable they don't want to spill the beans, but it's probably *the* factor that can ensure funding at this stage.

Would love to play this game, so even if it doesn't get funded I hope they manage to make it. They've worked on it for years already and seem pretty interested in making it, whether that is with Kickstarter's help or not.

[freakie1one]

I'm honestly not sure why people would be confused about the currency being in pounds instead of dollars. When I pledged it converted the pounds to dollars for me using the current exchange rate so I was aware of exactly how much I'd be pledging. It was pretty straightforward and simple.

About the story, I actually made a suggestion (both on their Kickstarter page and on their forums) that they write some fiction describing an event that takes place in their game world. It doesn't have to be something that actually will be part of the story in-game, but it would give people a general idea what their overall goal is. This would be a great way for them to not give away any spoilers while simultaneously making people care about their vision.

Someone also asked what their plans were if the Kickstarter campaign doesn't succeed and Madoc replied with, "we take to the streets and riot" But like you said, they've been working on this for quite a while (hell, Madoc even learned to program just to make this game) so I doubt they'll give up if the campaign doesn't succeed.

[Pangaea]

I can see the news reports, and the baffled reporters

That's a good suggestion btw, and I hope they take it up (not the rioting ). It would give us a little insight into what kind of gameworld they are creating. Think I quoted it above somewhere, but there was a bit of info on their forum about a possible scenario involving getting a quest and then various ways in dealing with that. Something like that, but perhaps expanded upon, would be good to have in an update. They don't have to lay out the core elements of their story, but something that gives us a sense of the universe would be excellent. It will help them stand apart from the rest as well, which can only be a good thing in this case.

[Sirnaq]

http://www.youtube.c...d&v=WqaRqih7Cuw

Dunno if new, but this is some nice game footage.