Bard's Tale Kickstarter

[DigDog]

Personally, I very much enjoyed Wasteland 2. Never played Wasteland 1.

InXile DID use proceeds from Wasteland 2 to develop the Bards Tale IV. Unless you think Brian Fargo was lying when he said they (InXile) would add their own monies to whatever was raised during the Kickstarter. If he was lying, that was pretty bold to do it straight-faced in the pitch video.

.. how do you reckon that works?

if you create a game and it is successful (i dont mean 10 million copies .. just average market success for the budget), you surely would have PLENTY of earnings to put towards a new game. More so because they come off of your taxes. So i'm not sure why he needs more.

 

[rivethead]

.. how do you reckon that works?

if you create a game and it is successful (i dont mean 10 million copies .. just average market success for the budget), you surely would have PLENTY of earnings to put towards a new game. More so because they come off of your taxes. So i'm not sure why he needs more.

Honestly, I think that's clearly explained in the pitch video. They pitched the game on Kickstarter to see if there was viable interest (there was). And then added their own monies to the development budget to make sure the game was developed successfully. That's how they fund and it's smart - if the KS campaign fails, they know there isn't a market for the game.

And to be honest, I think InXile did a great job financially of managing BT IVs development budget. Moving the studio for that game to New Orleans and getting the associated tax incentives was a smart move. They did the same thing with Wasteland III and Detroit. It shows me that this is a company that actually cares about getting the most out of their (and our) development dollars.

 

[DigDog]

there's a wasteland 3 ??

 

[Worthington]

Yup. They released some early game play footage back late last year. Looks a lot more dynamic that W2.

 

[rivethead]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/the-bards-tale-iv/posts/2121489

Momentum starting to roll. We should see a lot more in the coming weeks.

 

[DigDog]

anyway, i maintain that in this day and age, having a RPG that does not allow for user-content is just wrong.

 

[rivethead]

First look at the alpha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cRBiaUOtXw

InXile has told alpha backers to go ahead and post videos, stream, and monetize.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Man, I got this Wasteland 2 when I backed Tides of Numera and I've yet to play either one :/ lol

 

[rivethead]

https://bards-tale-4.l.xsolla.com/

Pre-order time. This gives me hope that release is just around the corner.

 

[WhiteNoise]

Looks cool.

 

[rivethead]

Release date is September 18. They've released a beta with up to seven hours of gameplay. There are now tons of reviews (IGN, Eurogamer, Polygon) out and they all seem consistent in being overwhelmingly positive.

I think this Kickstarter is going to be a success. I'm pretty pumped for the game although I'm trying NOT to read too many review articles as they all seem to have beta footage.....and I'd rather remain surprised at certain events.

Here's one video that doesn't give away too much.... https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/...has-a-release-date-and-its-coming-to-consoles

 

[Midwayman]

Good news, but I'm staying away from spoilers. I was sort of wondering if this one was ever coming out. Almost a year past the original kickstarter date.

 

[rivethead]

So for those following this it's been a interesting week:

1) They released a remastered version of The Bards Tale I-III on Steam and GOG. Haven't look lately, but earlier this week the game was in the top 5 at both Steam and GOG. People are going bonkers over the remaster of a 30 year old game. I guess nostalgia gaming is a niche that's alive and well.
2) They started a unique marketing campaign for BTIV. Depending on the number of wishlists at Steam, GOG, and Humble (combined), InXile will do the following: at 100K they'll lower the full price and add a torch from Darkest Dungeon, at 300K they'll lower the price even more, and at 500K they'll lower the price even more AND add a DLC Dungeon.

That's an interesting approach I haven't seen before.

Here's a video of the remaster version compared to the 2004 and 1985 versions of BT I. Honestly I had no interest in playing BT I because Apple II/Commodore graphics are not my thing but.....damn this thing looks nice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gVOtBBOHoU

 

[Midwayman]

Wow, it looks like they didn't even try in 2004. Basically a palette change.

 

[Worthington]

The remaster looks a lot better. I'm enjoying playing it. A little buggy but worth the price of entry, for me at least.

 

[rivethead]

The remaster looks a lot better. I'm enjoying playing it. A little buggy but worth the price of entry, for me at least.

You were a BTIV backer right? The price of entry was free

I am too. I have my key. Just not sure I want to spend time on a 30 year old game known for being notoriously difficult. I also heard there is no manual for the game and people unfamiliar with the orignals have no idea what to do. As such, I think I'll wait until next spring. By then BTII and BTIII will be added as well as bug fix patches....and maybe some instruction.

I still think it's very cool that 1) BTIV backers were given the remasters for free and 2) all three games are being packaged together for just $15.

Major respect for InXile. They're passionate about RPGs. Really looking forward to BTIV in a month!

 

[Worthington]

Yup, I backed BTIV. From what I've read they've normalized the required XP for levels so the game isn't nearly as brutal as the original versions. I can't say for sure though as I've only played for a little while. I did play the originals at the time though, and yeah they were far from easy.

I'm just going to goof around with it until I get bored.

 

[kn51]

The remaster looks amazing. Havent had much time to play it.

 

[Craig234]

Once again have to pick gog or steam. Does gog get some money if I get keys for products on their site?

 

[rivethead]

Once again have to pick gog or steam. Does gog get some money if I get keys for products on their site?

Yes, I imagine either Steam or GOG gets a fee for processing the transaction.

 

[TheELF]

Wow, it looks like they didn't even try in 2004. Basically a palette change.

Amiga version,it's still from 1985.

 

[Craig234]

Yes, I imagine either Steam or GOG gets a fee for processing the transaction.

I imagine they do also, but was looking for confirmation.

 

[shortylickens]

I saw the video.
Looks pretty damn cool.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Here's a video of the remaster version compared to the 2004 and 1985 versions of BT I. Honestly I had no interest in playing BT I because Apple II/Commodore graphics are not my thing but.....damn this thing looks nice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gVOtBBOHoU

Thanks for that. I had no idea that there was a modernized remaster available. Back in the old Apple II days the original Bard's Tale was a great party-based dungeon crawl, one of the best of the era. The interface didn't age well though, so even though it ran on DOSBOX on modern systems it wasn't worth playing. Now this has me jonesing to fire the new one up.

 

[kn51]

It's pretty good. I've spent quite a while with it yesterday.

There are some complaints that it doesn't have "legacy mode" but screw that (there will be a legacy mode later). It was great when I was like 9 or 10 when the original came out but I don't have time for that crap. My days of using graph paper are over. The automap is fantastic.

Even with that, still fairly grindy type game. I thought it was cool when sitting in the street waiting for my spell points to crank up the sun actually casts a shadow and you can see the shadow move.

There are a few other nitpicks (such as gold/healing) but all in all...I'm amazed what they did with it.