Smedley & Patrick Rothfuss Team Up for New ARPG -

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Smedley & Patrick Rothfuss Team Up for New ARPG -

John Smedley is ready to reveal what he's been up to for the past several months after leaving Daybreak Game Company last summer. He has formed a new studio called Pixelmage Games that is already hard at work on Hero's Song, a 2D pixel art action RPG. Pixelmage is hoping to raise $800,000 to complete development on Hero's Song and grow the team from the thirteen that currently are working on the game.

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jesteralways

1.8 million? for a 2D pixel art game? WOW!!! Maybe i should start a game developer company too. /sarcasm off

Billr00

Hey if you want something worth a damn it's going to cost money right? you think Patrick Rothfuss is going to come cheap? 

Don't get me wrong it does seem kind of expensive but also keep in mind quality doesn't come cheap. 

what is the old saying you can have cheap, fast or good but you only get to choose two.  That October deadline clearly shows one of their choices.

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jesteralways

Billr00 said:

Hey if you want something worth a damn it's going to cost money right? you think Patrick Rothfuss is going to come cheap? 

Don't get me wrong it does seem kind of expensive but also keep in mind quality doesn't come cheap. 

what is the old saying you can have cheap, fast or good but you only get to choose two.  That October deadline clearly shows one of their choices.

Quality? That shit looks like quality to you? HAHAHAHA....Hilarious mate.

Ridelynn

blueturtle13 said:

Awesome! Anything with Patrick Rothfuss involved with I am excited for. Very cool.

Yeah his books are awesome.

But man, Smedley... ugh...

Kefo

that's a pretty aggressive and/or stupid timeline. Jan-June prototype to pre-alpha then add on 1 extra month per phase to go from pre--> Alpha-->beta-->release.

I'll sit this one out thanks

ProfGetz

I was kind of "meh" bout the pixel art thing, but after reading up on what they hope to accomplish and watching the video, i'm intrigued.

Iselin

Ridelynn said:

blueturtle13 said:

Awesome! Anything with Patrick Rothfuss involved with I am excited for. Very cool.

Yeah his books are awesome.

Liked the Name of the Wind a lot but I thought Wise Man's Fear dragged on a bit...hope he returns to form with The Doors of Stone.

azzamasin

From the time it took me to sign in and back the game, 14 people and over $2k was pledged. Me thinks this will get funded easily and as a lover of all things ARPG's, I am totally looking forward to this game. Seeing as MMO's are dead to me ARPG's have become my new genre of choice.

Billr00

jesteralways said:

Billr00 said:

Hey if you want something worth a damn it's going to cost money right? you think Patrick Rothfuss is going to come cheap? 

Don't get me wrong it does seem kind of expensive but also keep in mind quality doesn't come cheap. 

what is the old saying you can have cheap, fast or good but you only get to choose two.  That October deadline clearly shows one of their choices.

Quality? That shit looks like quality to you? HAHAHAHA....Hilarious mate.

Don't get me wrong I hate "The Smed" as much as the next guy but I love Rothfuss .. so I'd consider enduring smed for Rothfuss .. granted I'm not going to run over and drop cash on the kickstarter but if it releases I'd play it, as long as it delivers.

Rusque

Eh maybe, conceptually sounds pretty cool, and I do like good pixel art - the though prototype combat was a little lackluster imo, of course I have no clue how it will play out as they work on the game. Duelyst has beautiful pixel art along with great animations, this game's animations were really really rudimentary.

I'm still a bit confused regarding what you would do in-game, does the game "End" if you ascend? There was brief mention that the game world your character is on continues to evolve based on stuff that happens, but what does that mean? Can you help one faction destroy another faction? Does it permanently alter the game world? Can I move my character from world to world? Just so many questions.

Also, that timeline seems a bit short, so I have a feeling what they're building is a set of blocks (background art panels, lore bits, pixel people) and then will have the game procedurally generate worlds by piecing together the blocks. God A = xyz background art panels, These particular art panels relate to these races = populate by these particular pixel people, this combination of God A + pixel people = this set of a lore bits, and lore bits = these skills are available to learn in this world. Then it just runs permutations at world creation.

I dunno, I hope they do an AMA, need more info.

Talonsin

I understand doing a 2D for a startup but needing 1.8 million for a 2D RPG is a bit silly unless Smed is trying to keep a large salary

gervaise1

What happens to the October date if they don't get the 800k?

A bit odd that they got $1M in equity funding but not the rest - maybe Smed is funding all/most of that (kudos if so).

Lobotomist

jesteralways said:
1.8 million? for a 2D pixel art game? WOW!!! Maybe i should start a game developer company too. /sarcasm off


Actually, as someone working in game development. If 1.8 million is all they have - we will get one real crappy game - or posibly jack shit.

I have worked on 2D game for mobile and our expanses got to 2.5 million , and it was nowhere as complex as what they promise here.

The cost is mostly paying all the people for 2-3 years + office space + billls. Its sad but true.

gervaise1

Talonsin said:
I understand doing a 2D for a startup but needing 1.8 million for a 2D RPG is a bit silly unless Smed is trying to keep a large salary


A salary sure, large salary doubt it. More likely to own some (a large) percentage of the company and then who knows.

What would $1.8M get?

Well if you were to ignore stuff like an office (assume folks are in a garage!), legal paperwork, PCs etc. then maybe 15 people for a year @ $100k (salary + employer taxes etc.) Or 20 people for 9 months etc.

Now maybe the team starts smaller, gets bigger and then could shrink again if people are contracted for just their bit but is this enough for what might be an online book with pictures along the lines of King's Quest maybe? (Patrick Rothfuss could be on some sort of royalty deal of course.)

SEANMCAD

wait...he just left H1Z1 a copy and paste disastrous mess?

seriously?

Sovrath

Lobotomist said:

jesteralways said:
1.8 million? for a 2D pixel art game? WOW!!! Maybe i should start a game developer company too. /sarcasm off


Actually, as someone working in game development. If 1.8 million is all they have - we will get one real crappy game - or posibly jack shit.

I have worked on 2D game for mobile and our expanses got to 2.5 million , and it was nowhere as complex as what they promise here.

The cost is mostly paying all the people for 2-3 years + office space + billls. Its sad but true.

Yeah, I suppose some people don't realize that a person's salary isn't the only cost in paying them. It could be an additional 40% or more above that with benefits, taxes, etc.

Wizardry

Lobotomist said:

jesteralways said:
1.8 million? for a 2D pixel art game? WOW!!! Maybe i should start a game developer company too. /sarcasm off


Actually, as someone working in game development. If 1.8 million is all they have - we will get one real crappy game - or posibly jack shit.

I have worked on 2D game for mobile and our expanses got to 2.5 million , and it was nowhere as complex as what they promise here.

The cost is mostly paying all the people for 2-3 years + office space + billls. Its sad but true.

Well he already said one year and likely carries with it an early access like every developer is doing now a a days.Sad  they used to beg us to test their games now people are paying for that.
Concept is great,graphics are not and implementation will not be either.

I know 12-18 months used to be common place for console or mobile games but those were still large teams ,therefor high costs.18 months would still not be out of the question but developers now a days see a VERY easy gamer base,just quickly get something out and many will come with open wallets.

To me this game belongs back in 1995,i would play it then,but 20 years later this is simply not going to be good enough.

PottedPlant22

Seriously?  Smed is a millionaire.  Does anybody invest their own money into a game anymore?  This is no chance in the nine levels of Hades that I will ever back this project.  All the best to them.

PottedPlant22

Lobotomist said:

Actually, as someone working in game development. If 1.8 million is all they have - we will get one real crappy game - or posibly jack shit.

I have worked on 2D game for mobile and our expanses got to 2.5 million , and it was nowhere as complex as what they promise here.

The cost is mostly paying all the people for 2-3 years + office space + billls. Its sad but true.

Explain Project Gorgon then.  You hit the nail on the head.  Start up teams shouldn't have a lot of people. 

laserit

PottedPlant22 said:

Seriously?  Smed is a millionaire.  Does anybody invest their own money into a game anymore?  This is no chance in the nine levels of Hades that I will ever back this project.  All the best to them.

Why risk your own money when you don't have to.

Crowdfunding FTW

SEANMCAD

GUYS!

I am asking a question.

did he abandoned H1Z1

jonp200

They could just save some money and do a game where your character is a stick figure who is hungry all the time. His quest is to find a body and and color so his normally bland existence is elevated to the next level and he ascends to a near to 1990 era video game worth of your limited attention. Seriously, this is a joke.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with graphics less than bleeding-edge if the story is there but the description on Kickstarter for this turd in the making is just comical; tactical, skill-based, blah blah...I'm sure... Your little pixelated guy will be blocking and moving just like a fully realized model in Tera.... :)

And, I'm sorry if I hear "Rogue-like" one more time. How about doing something original? Almost $2 Million for this?

Pass...passs..pass..pass..... No thanks... Nope... Pass...and I wasn't even a Smed-hater.. Color me reborn...

SEANMCAD

this is silly.

7 Days to Die first kickstarter was $200,000 
not to mention John needs to finish H1Z1

Eldryth

He can't work on H1Z1 anymore. He left Daybreak a while ago- was presumably let go for his comments against Lizard Squad after they made bomb threats on his flights.