Camelot Unchained: The Final Countdown for a Kickstarter, and an Industry

Mkilbride

 

 

 

Camelot Unchained, The Lighthouse in a Bleak Ocean

If you follow OnRPG you may have heard of a little project I’ve been backing since the early days of its announcement. From the proverbial dark ages for Fantasy MMORPGs came a shining light when one of the Pre-WoW Innovators of the online gaming industry emerged from his retirement to announce a title so full of risky untested features, major publishers like EA wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. I’m talking about Mark Jacobs and his newest venture, City State Entertainment, now finished with their mobile title and ready to push the limits of what defines an MMORPG with Camelot Unchained’s kickstarter goal.

 

So tell me, does it make me a hero to put my money behind a project I truly believe in for my personal enjoyment? Not in any way. But if someone who doesn’t even want to play Camelot Unchained sees the bigger picture and throws a small donation behind it anyway… then something bigger than ourselves begins to occur. This game has the power to make a statement. To change everything. To bring back gaming communities the way they were known in the late 90s and early 2000s. A return to indie studios like the original Mythic Entertainment forged by 80s style game devs uniting to accomplish their vision of fun. The original Cryptic Studios formed by two guys that just “wanted to do an online role-playing game… with superheroes.” Risk takers like Origin Systems that will put their company name on the line for an untested experiment like Ultima just because a handful of developers knew they could make it work. CCP games that weren't daunted when everyone said copying World of Warcraft was the only way to make it in the online world, and stuck to their SciFi guns until it paid off.

Read the rest here:

http://www.onrpg.com/articles/editorial/camelot-unchained-the-final-countdown-for-a-kickstarter-and-an-industry/

 

Really inspiring article and well done. Gets your blood pumping!

 

 

 

Wickedjelly

I don't think it is even remotely a countdown for the industry but I wish you backers the best. I really do hope it pans out for you guys much as I disagree with how this campaign was run and the main backer behind it.

Good luck and here's to hoping you make a fool of me. Wouldn't be hard anyways.

CKPlayGame

I am a big daoc fan but I would not wish to see CU get funded.

The failure of CU KS project has nothing to do with the future of the industry -- there are already sucessfully funded projects, and indie made online games are already blossoming.

 

CU is merely using the name of daoc to try to grab money.

Mkilbride

Question on that

 

Why would you NOT want to see it funded? I can understand...if you don't like the idea, don't wanna play it, but why would you be against it funding?

RefMinor

I just want one kickstarter begging thread allowed per game, how have you with your interest in this game not noticed every CU kickstarter thread bar the main one being closed.

Mkilbride

Begging thread?

 

Ok, god damned MMORPG.com trolls, cmon. This is a link, to an article. Not a begging thread. ORPG is a respected website. As much, if not more so than MMORPG.com. It's an interesting article.

 

But no, of course, it's postive about CU, and we all know on the CU Forums, we can't have positive things.

WhiteLantern

"CCP games that weren't daunted when everyone said copying World of Warcraft was the only way to make it in the online world, and stuck to their SciFi guns until it paid off."

 

Didn't Eve come before WoW?

RefMinor

Originally posted by Mkilbride

Begging thread?

 

Ok, god damned MMORPG.com trolls, cmon. This is a link, to an article. Not a begging thread. ORPG is a respected website. As much, if not more so than MMORPG.com. It's an interesting article.

 

But no, of course, it's postive about CU, and we all know on the CU Forums, we can't have positive things.

I have not made any negative posts about CU, I am watching its kickstarter with curiousity, however there were far too many posts designed to ask people to donate and it became annoying, your OP talks about even those who have no interest in the game donating. Why not post it in the stickied kickstarter thread.

Wickedjelly

Originally posted by Mkilbride

 

But no, of course, it's postive about CU, and we all know on the CU Forums, we can't have positive things.

Hah...in the immortal words of the band BTO if this does KS? "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"

Mangroowe

True, but you know how WoW is, everything before and after WoW should look like WoW to be successful, according to the industry.

Wickedjelly

Originally posted by Mkilbride

Begging thread?

 

Ok, god damned MMORPG.com trolls, cmon. This is a link, to an article. Not a begging thread. ORPG is a respected website. As much, if not more so than MMORPG.com. It's an interesting article.

 

But no, of course, it's postive about CU, and we all know on the CU Forums, we can't have positive things.

Yeah...may be news to you and apparently some mods around here but when you make a new thread it headlines the home page. Hence, not every response is someone trying to bastion or lampoon your game specifically.

tawess

Well... You know how there is a saying "this is not your father/mothers (inser product here)" well this is your fathers MMO... And i love the whole idea of making something "retro" in a market that is not old enough to even begin to smell like retro.

 

Now i am not supporting the game because i am not all that interested in it and even if i were i would be much more keen on getting on the bandwagon once the game enters open beta... Or if it have a nifty CE or something. But i do not think it will change much in the industry either way, funded or unfunded something else will just take it's place. But it would be interesting to see it funded just for the sheer fact of getting to know if it was big bad EA and evil Mythic the messed up. Or if mr Jacobs was part of it too (trust me.. that is a debate that have been going on in some of the circles i hang out within and it is getting old)

 

Well best of luck to everyone involved. Just five days to go an 500K... i have seen others do it.

erictlewis

Originally posted by Mkilbride

Begging thread?

 

Ok, god damned MMORPG.com trolls, cmon. This is a link, to an article. Not a begging thread. ORPG is a respected website. As much, if not more so than MMORPG.com. It's an interesting article.

 

But no, of course, it's postive about CU, and we all know on the CU Forums, we can't have positive things.

 

MMORPG has already stated that there was suposed to be one thread for the kickstarter discussions. If you can't understand that then you need to quit calling folks trolls.

You are the one starting yet another thread beggign for money,  and quite honestly there been a lot of them, and  that is why the folks at MMORPG.COM have been trying to put them all in one thread. 

 

Joekra

Originally posted by CoNk3r

[mod edit]

Well Kickstarter works that way that it's either fully pledged and the backers get charged or its not and nothing happens financially. They don't want or can't make the game without an additional 2 mill and so they wont start and waste money on it before it does get funded.

Phry

Originally posted by WhiteLantern

"CCP games that weren't daunted when everyone said copying World of Warcraft was the only way to make it in the online world, and stuck to their SciFi guns until it paid off."

 

Didn't Eve come before WoW?

WoW was released in Nov 2004, Eve was released in 2003, been playing it myself since feb 2004, so yeah.. quite a bit before WoW .

Fraid as far as CU is concerned, im pretty much of an opinion, that if i have no interest in a particular type of game, to the degree that its a game i wouldnt consider playing no matter how well designed it is, then i definitely wouldnt put up money to help fund it

In a way, Kickstarter can perhaps be seen as a 'crucible' where ideas are 'tested'  those that pass muster so to speak, end up getting funded, and those that don't.. well it happens, and its not a bad thing in any way, sometimes failure can inspire developers to bigger and better things.

Scalpless

CU could be a good game, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. It's not even 2013's hottest MMORPG, because apparently Scarlet Blade is. At best, CU will be a solid PvP MMO, but it's very unlikely to change the industry even if it succeeds.

Unknown

I think it's great for all of us if more non-WoW model theme park MMOs come out, but even if a project like CUs gets off the ground, that only puts you halfway there. The game being funded is no guarantee it'll actually be a good game when it's finished. Most games are pretty mediocre, if you ask me. Still, I'd like to see CSE try.

Hersaint

Great article. I donated to the idea of bringing back DAoc style with updates to buildings and trirealm warfare. Stealth batttle in the Veil sounds unique as well. Innovation is good for all the consumers.

Silax

I don't know how people put up $1000 or more dollars supporting a kickstarter game.  I can see $5-$50 if the price includes the cost of the game at release, but five people dishing out $10000?  On a "possible" game 2-4 years out from release?  And as far as I can tell, that comes without stock options or any sort of tangible economic benefit.  That's either brave or stupid.  (I'm being generous here).

Unknown

I'm guessing it must be rich people for whom that kind of money is just pennies. Same thing when you see someone donate $10,000 bucks to some random nerd who happens to be streaming something on Twitch.

Loktofeit

Originally posted by Wickedjelly

I don't think it is even remotely a countdown for the industry but I wish you backers the best. 

Same here. Good luck with CU!

 

RefMinor

Originally posted by Grimbor

Originally posted by RefMinor

Originally posted by Mkilbride

Begging thread?

 

Ok, god damned MMORPG.com trolls, cmon. This is a link, to an article. Not a begging thread. ORPG is a respected website. As much, if not more so than MMORPG.com. It's an interesting article.

 

But no, of course, it's postive about CU, and we all know on the CU Forums, we can't have positive things.

I have not made any negative posts about CU, I am watching its kickstarter with curiousity, however there were far too many posts designed to ask people to donate and it became annoying, your OP talks about even those who have no interest in the game donating. Why not post it in the stickied kickstarter thread.

Because some of us don't want to have to dig through a single kickstarter thread to find a link to an interesting article just because you enjoy trolling games in which you have no interest.  God the moderators here are terrible.

I am not trolling, I posted about kickstarter in a thread about kickstarter, pointing out that there was a thread for CU kickstarter discussions. It says something about the CU community that you openly accuse me of trolling for that.

Grimbor

Originally posted by Onomas

Originally posted by Mkilbride

Question on that

 

Why would you NOT want to see it funded? I can understand...if you don't like the idea, don't wanna play it, but why would you be against it funding?

Would you want to come to my house if i sat outside and begged for money from you every 5 seconds? made up a fake identity so i could beg you some more? Call you bad names because you dont like what i like? Go somewhere else and disrupt the norm to promote something i like without care for you? Would you want to join my household full of childish and obnoxious people?

Thats exactly why i didnt fund this game. If people are like that here, i can just imagine how they will be in game. These forums were a mess due to these people.

 

And its sad really, i wanted this game. i like the features, developers, and game mechanics.

 

Perhaos in the future these people will act a little more mature and respectable.

This makes absolutely no sense.  You are crying a river over people excited about a game posting in a forum _for_ that game.  Seriously?  Wow, what evil people.  I couldn't care less what you spend your money on, but I find trolls who come to a forum for a game then bitch and moan because people are supporting that game on that forum to be the lamest form of troll.

vgamer

Ok you convinced me. I'll be donating my life savings of $30000. Who's with me?

Unknown

I must say it's geting a tad over the top with posters coming into the CU forums and complaining there are posts about CU in it.

tawess

Originally posted by Tierless

The problem is if it fails it gives all the corporate people that keep ruining our games more sway to say "see, they dont want innovation".

Well i have to say this...

 

CU is not about innovation... it is if anything the exact opposite. It is about conservative thinking about a age of games that are pretty much by now.. gone.

 

It is more advanced but that is not the same thing and if their engine can do what they claim it will be able to do. That might be a innovation... but this is not a kickstarter for a engine...

 

So i would not worry about that. If anything it will prove to all the companies that follow in the wake of Blizzard they they did the right thing to move towards a"safe" PvE centric experience.. But i do not think it will be held up as a beacon of innovation.