KS: Areal, Successor to STALKER *Update 2* Most likely a scam

[Bateluer]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1577656602/areal

Areal is a new video game that's being developed by the people behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Metro: Last Light. It features a massive and intricately detailed open world environment that is extremely varied and colorful, even though it's set in a post-apocalyptic setting. Areal depicts a future where civilization has fallen apart due to an unearthly material called Metamorphite, which eventually spreads, corrupts and infects the whole world. The source of Metamorphite comes from a meteor that impacted the earth long ago, and it is the site of constant conflict and bloodshed.

Areal's story is not linear – players can choose how their characters act and speak – everything from how you talk to who you kill changes the storyline of Areal. There is no morality system in Areal, so you are free to make choices that you think are best in any given situation, without being blinded and limited by a standard good/evil system. Ultimately, Areal is the culmination of everything that we want to see from a post apocalyptic game, and it's something that we can realize with full creative freedom because of the unique platform that is Kickstarter. All we need is your support!

 

[WiseUp216]

Looks a lot more promising than most Kickstarter projects.

 

[Bateluer]

Looks a lot more promising than most Kickstarter projects.

There's some concern about the validity of this project tho. 50K is not enough for what they want, and their team is missing a lot of talent.

 

[TheInternet1980]

 

[Fenixgoon]

they're planning to make versions for PC, xbox, playstation, wiiU, etc? honestly, there's no way in hell they can do all that for 50k unless they're 50k short of releasing the game.

 

[finglobes]

The first Stalker game was one of the more imaginative I have played. However I am tired of all the post apocalyptic dystopian stuff. I mean those games are endless. Dragons, zombies and broken rebar seem to make up 85% of games

 

[JamesV]

I'm sold by the pitch on the Kickstarter page, but their goal has me hesitant.

They say it's in pre-alpha, which is pretty much throw everything together we have and see what happens stage. How is $50k going to transform that into a finished AAA title? Fifty thousand isn't going to pay for Xbox/Wii/etc certification, let alone pay a staff or hire new people.

Maybe they are expecting the Kickstarter to bring in 500k, even though they only put the goal as $50k?

 

[sandorski]

I'm sold by the pitch on the Kickstarter page, but their goal has me hesitant.

They say it's in pre-alpha, which is pretty much throw everything together we have and see what happens stage. How is $50k going to transform that into a finished AAA title? Fifty thousand isn't going to pay for Xbox/Wii/etc certification, let alone pay a staff or hire new people.

Maybe they are expecting the Kickstarter to bring in 500k, even though they only put the goal as $50k?

Perhaps they are going to get a releasable Alpha, then release it through Greenlight?

 

[DownTheSky]

Can you scam through kickstarter?

 

[futurefields]

with 50k in RUssia you can do a lot of stuff lol

 

[DigDog]

Areal is a new video game that's being developed by the people behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Metro: Last Light. It features a massive and intricately detailed open world environment that is extremely varied and colorful, even though it's set in a post-apocalyptic setting. Areal depicts a future where civilization has fallen apart due to an unearthly material called TIBERIUM, which eventually spreads, corrupts and infects the whole world. The source of TIBERIUM comes from a meteor that impacted the earth long ago, and it is the site of constant conflict and bloodshed.

Areal's story is not linear – players can choose how their characters act and speak – everything from how you talk to who you kill changes the storyline of Areal. There is no morality system in Areal, so you are free to make choices that you think are best in any given situation, without being blinded and limited by a standard good/evil system. Ultimately, Areal is the culmination of everything that we want to see from a post apocalyptic game, and it's something that we can realize with full creative freedom because of the unique platform that is Kickstarter. All we need is your support!

nice;
i fixed some spelling mistakes i found. must be google translate's fault.

 

[Stringjam]

I hope it happens. I honestly don't have a lot of hope that it will, but I would do backflips if they could manage to get this game out with their current vision.

FWIW....S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is not "post-apocalyptic" in the sense most games are. The rest of the world outside the Zone is largely unaffected, and the zombies per se aren't flesh-eating. They're Stalkers who have lost control of their brains due to exposure to psy-emissions.

They story itself is far more interesting than the typical OMG zombie / aliens / disease fare.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Yep, as a huge fan of Stalker, I'm not going to be holding by breath for this.

Spiritual Successors are usually anything but.

 

[Face2Face]

I will donate $25 bucks for a copy. Some of the talent that developed Stalker and Metro LL, seems good enough for me. This is getting me pretty pumped!

EDIT: It's already doubled from yesterday. They will have no problem meeting 50K.

EDIT: Just made a $25 pledge.

 

[werepossum]

Perfect.

Perhaps they are going to get a releasable Alpha, then release it through Greenlight?

Or maybe get it far enough along to get a publisher on board?

Or maybe even more likely, they need $50,000 to make a kickass Kickstarter site asking for $5,000,000 . . .

 

[sandorski]

Perfect.


Or maybe get it far enough along to get a publisher on board?

Or maybe even more likely, they need $50,000 to make a kickass Kickstarter site asking for $5,000,000 . . .

hehe, or that I suppose.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

STALKER only came out a few years ago.

Games don't get to have spiritual successors for at least 20 years. Just ask XCOM.

 

[Stringjam]

STALKER only came out a few years ago.

Games don't get to have spiritual successors for at least 20 years. Just ask XCOM.

7 years ago. That's pretty ancient in PC gaming.

 

[Bateluer]

Might want to pull those pledges guys, this project may get shutdown by Kickstarter before too long.

http://www.vg247.com/2014/06/25/s-t-a-l-k-e-r-2-areal-vostock-sparks-legal-and-fraud-threats/

 

[sandorski]

ahh, good thing I don't pledge to Kickstarter.

 

[Artorias]

Yeah I don't think 50K is nearly enough to make a PC game these days.

I wish 4A would buy the STALKER licence or get some partnership going with them as this series really deserves another entry. Metro Last Lights' outdoor section were so good and atmospheric and I yearn for what a STALKER game could look like if they made one.

 

[futurefields]

I thought Survarium was the spiritual successor to Stalker?

 

[Stringjam]

I thought Survarium was the spiritual successor to Stalker?

Survarium is an MMO that has almost nothing to do with S.T.A.L.K.E.R. but rusty stuff and mutants.

 

[ibex333]

I wouldn't go as far as to scream "Fraud!" just yet. They say it themselves. Most artists and writers whose art was stolen are in fact members of the team. So they clearly understand that their work is being used and agree to it.

As for $50,000 being modest, the devs clearly state on the Kickstarter page that they already have most funds for the game and were about 50k short.
Sure, a few annoying legalities may have been overlooked in the creation of the kickstarter page, but lets give these people a friggin break. They are programmers, not lawyers!

In the end its all about money. The guy who owns rights to STALKER doesn't want anyone to benefit in any way from his property. Cant blame him, but I wish he would just shut the hell up and let these people make the game.

 

[Face2Face]

I pledged, and this what I received in my inbox this morning. We should have a video soon. The fraud stuff going around is just fud..

Project Update #3: New Mini Update:
Posted by West Games

Check out our previous updates:

Massive first Update

Addressing Vostok Games

We're in our second day and already, we have more than 760 backers! Huge thanks to all of our current and future supporters. The video we promised is going to be posted in the next update, which should appear roughly on this Thursday morning/afternoon in the U.S.

As we've mentioned before, a former S.T.A.L.K.E.R. modder and current creator of a similar post apocalyptic Kickstarter project has been flooding our comments with negativity and misinformation, and then using various accounts to promote his game, called Project Seed. This is what we in the industry call guerrilla PR... We are taking appropriate measures to combat this.

We hope that this negativity stops, and we want to be supportive as well as constructive towards our peers and colleagues. Stay tuned for the video update!

EDIT: They are already at 30K