Community MetaSteam | January 2020 - Toss A Coin To Your Gaben

[MJunioR]

"Backed 585 projects".

Yeah, you are right.

Holy mother

 

[Deleted member 113]

Kickstarters basically just throwing your money over a fence and hoping a year+ later someone throws something cool back over to you

The worse thing I felt is not even that. I know there are risks, and projects may not materialize. Because let's face it, most campaigns ask for funds that are, in no way, enough to make a game.

But, I felt that many of these people simply forget about backers as soon as they got their money.
Like, rewards delivery. The majority of the cases, I was playing the game days, or sometimes weeks, after everyone else was already playing, because they couldn't even be bothered to send game keys on launch day to backers.
Or, keeping people completely in the dark. I frequently discover about the release date of some of the campaigns I backed through other channels, because they can't be bothered to come out and say "hey, we are launching in a week".

And then, came campaigns like Phoenix Point and Shenmue 3, where backers were promised one thing, and then, close to launch, we are told "nah, you are getting something else instead".
Both were really crappy. Phoenix Point had early versions playable as a download, and then, despite promising Steam keys or GOG keys, backers were told they would get an Epic Games Store key, or they would have to wait a full year to get what they paid for. I'm not unreasonable, and if they continued to provide the game as a download from their website (like they had up until then), I wouldn't mind to play the game at launch as a download, and get a Steam key a year later. But no, we were told it was an EGS key, or nothing. They even told backers, more or less explicitly, that their deal would cover refunds to all backers (in case everyone refunded), so they weren't particularly worried about the reaction of their backers.

With Shenmue 3, that was something. First, we were told we wouldn't get a Steam or GOG key, but an Epic Games Store key instead. Then, backers like me, who paid a decent amount for a physical copy of the game on PC, were told that we would simply get a blank disc, with the EGS software (no game files of any sort). And, to add insult to injury, backers wouldn't even get the pre-order in-game items (nor the Season Pass that was included for free with some editions), and we would need to also pre-order the game, in order to get that content.

So yeah, games like the Shadowrun "trilogy", Overload, the Divinity: Original Sin games, FTL, ATOM RPG, and a few more, we very positive experiences.
But, many of the rest were a disaster.

Like you say, at least with Early Access games, we get something for sure, even if the games are dropped.

 

[Madventure]

The worse thing I felt is not even that. I know there are risks, and projects may not materialize. Because let's face it, most campaigns ask for funds that are, in no way, enough to make a game.

But, I felt that many of these people simply forget about backers as soon as they got their money.
Like, rewards delivery. The majority of the cases, I was playing the game days, or sometimes weeks, after everyone else was already playing, because they couldn't even be bothered to send game keys on launch day to backers.
Or, keeping people completely in the dark. I frequently discover about the release date of some of the campaigns I backed through other channels, because they can't be bothered to come out and say "hey, we are launching in a week".

And then, came campaigns like Phoenix Point and Shenmue 3, where backers were promised one thing, and then, close to launch, we are told "nah, you are getting something else instead".
Both were really crappy. Phoenix Point had early versions playable as a download, and then, despite promising Steam keys or GOG keys, backers were told they would get an Epic Games Store key, or they would have to wait a full year to get what they paid for. I'm not unreasonable, and if they continued to provide the game as a download from their website (like they had up until then), I wouldn't mind to play the game at launch as a download, and get a Steam key a year later. But no, we were told it was an EGS key, or nothing.

With Shenmue 3, that was something. First, we were told we wouldn't get a Steam or GOG key, but an Epic Games Store key instead. Then, backers like me, who paid a decent amount for a physical copy of the game on PC, were told that we would simply get a blank disc, with the EGS software (no game files of any sort). And, to add insult to injury, backers wouldn't even get the pre-order in-game items (nor the Season Pass that was included for free with some editions), and we would need to also pre-order the game, in order to get that content.

So yeah, games like the Shadowrun "trilogy", Overload, the Divinity: Original Sin games, FTL, ATOM RPG, and a few more, we very positive experiences.
But, many of the rest were a disaster.

Like you say, at least with Early Access games, we get something for sure, even if the games are dropped.

My worst experience for a kickstarter wasn't even a videogame one it was a boardgame one I backed.

I gave money towards one that had really cool looking artwork and one of the tiers gave a digital artbook and I was like "Thats cool I'll do that just to help out" so I backed it because it had like a 6 month time or whatever from when it ended and seemed realistic to when it would be done since they already showed off art.
It took them like 4? Years for them actually release the digital artbook to people that backed that singular tier and it wasn't an official announcement it was just a little blurb in one of their other announcements saying they were selling little time limited figures on their non kickstarter website so buy those quick!
What was a real kick in the teeth was it was just a direct link for anyone to go download the fucking thing.

I could of just not backed the thing at all and downloaded it. The reasoning behind waiting so long to release the artbook? It supposedly contained spoilers about the boardgame so they didn't want people to "spoil" themselves by peeking.

 

[lashman]

The reasoning behind waiting so long to release the artbook? It contained spoilers about the boardgame.

 

[Theswweet]

I almost backed Shovel Knight, but that's the closest that I've come. I wish I backed Muv Luv, though.

 

[Deleted member 113]

I almost backed Shovel Knight, but that's the closest that I've come. I wish I backed Muv Luv, though.

Oh, I did back Shovel Knight.
And Hollow Knight.

Those also worked out.

 

[Arsene]

I backed Freedom Planet, Hat in Time, Undertale & Tower Unite and those all turned out extremely well for me. I also backed a game that isn’t out yet that is also looking to be pretty good

 

[Deleted member 113]

For those that enjoyed the Dark Fall series of adventure games, the new game will launch soon on Steam:



But, it's already available directly from the developers, and direct purchases include the game (download + Steam key when available), plus a free download of the soundtrack, and an unreleased game from 1999 called "The Displacement":

The Official Store - For games produced by Shadow Tor and Darkling Room

www.shadowtorstudios.co.uk

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Really enjoyed the Dark Fall series, Lost Souls series and Scratches so i'm really interested in Ghost Vigil.

 

[Deleted member 113]

Speaking of point and click adventure games, here's a cool looking, and free game that recently launched on itch.io:

Metaphobia by Digital Mosaic Games

Mystery Adventure Game

digital-mosaic-games.itch.io

 

[Tizoc]

AGDQ is tomorrow
I will make a thread for it later.

 

[Alextended]

I backed Wasteland 2 on the physical copy tier. Nice box & cloth map, bleh game (even post-DC). 3 is looking like what 2 should have been. I also backed Shadowrun Returns. I got banned for calling out the scam that was that project of the dodgy mother pretending her little daughter is making a game and all bs surrounding it. Which in the long run I guess saved me some grief as I would have probably backed Shenmue 3 and other stuff. I also pledged for projects that didn't make it like Telepath Tactics (which the developer stuck with and released it anyway, it came out pretty good if not as good as it could have been).

 

[Theswweet]

Started playing Bloodborne again, since it's the only FromSoft "Souls" game that I still need to beat, and good lord - I completely forgot just how downright bad that game's image quality is. Why on earth did developers have a hard-on for Chromatic Aberration early this gen?

 

[PC-tan]

Did SD Gundam get taken down from GamersGate? Welp that sucks since they had the game for almost $20USD off and the early purchase offer expires in a few days.

 

[Knurek]

Started playing Bloodborne again, since it's the only FromSoft "Souls" game that I still need to beat, and good lord - I completely forgot just how downright bad that game's image quality is. Why on earth did developers have a hard-on for Chromatic Aberration early this gen?

Cheap anti-aliasing.
Also, it was this gen's lens flare.

 

[NarohDethan]

Started playing Bloodborne again, since it's the only FromSoft "Souls" game that I still need to beat, and good lord - I completely forgot just how downright bad that game's image quality is. Why on earth did developers have a hard-on for Chromatic Aberration early this gen?

It got away with it because when it was released there was barely anything worth playing on a PS4

 

[Le Pertti]

Only game I've backed ever is Divinity: Original Sin 2, maybe the safest bet haha, I just saw that as a cheaper preorder. Think it was 28 euro or something for the lowest tier to get the game and I assumed it would be higher when it comes out.

 

[Rando10123]

Only game I backed was Indivisible. I like Lab Zero because of Skullgirls and how amazing that was, and I wanted them to put out more work, but man, that game at certain points shook my complete trust in them... I did not like the story and characters at all to the point that I played. I'm just waiting for the patches and all the DLCs to be available and then restart again. I wished I backed many other projects though, like Bloodstained, Pocket Rumble and Hollow Knight. I think kickstarters nowadays are very hard to succeed because of the stigma from failed projects like MN.9 and Project Phoenix or even what FunktionJCB said about developers screwing over their backers for more extra funds. It's just a gamble at this point and unless they have playable demos or put out and finished games on kickstarter like The Banner Saga trilogy or the first divinity, then the projects will have a hard time to get their money.

 

[FunnyJay]

I backed FTL, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns and Shadowrun Hongkong.

FTL was a nice game, but way too hard for me.
Wasteland 2 seems interesting but I've not played more than a few hours of it.
Finished Shadowrun Returns, which really nailed the theme of Shadowrun but the gameplay was a bit lackluster.
Still haven't touched Shadowrun Dragonfall or Shadowrun Hongkong.

Maybe kickstarter just wasn't for me?

 

[Wok]

Humble should update their emails.

If I come back on March 6, it will be too late, and I will have been charged for the content of the February Humble Choice.

 

[Eferis]

Still haven't touched Shadowrun Dragonfall or Shadowrun Hongkong.

I loved both games and they were greatly improved compared to Returns (which I also really enjoyed, to be honest), you should give them a try.

 

[sk2k]

For those that enjoyed the Dark Fall series of adventure games, the new game will launch soon on Steam:



But, it's already available directly from the developers, and direct purchases include the game (download + Steam key when available), plus a free download of the soundtrack, and an unreleased game from 1999 called "The Displacement":

The Official Store - For games produced by Shadow Tor and Darkling Room

www.shadowtorstudios.co.uk

A steam key is not mentioned on the official store page.

EDIT: Is the dev holding back the Steam release just to get a bit more money via their own store from early buyers?

 

[Kvik]

Still haven't touched Shadowrun Dragonfall or Shadowrun Hongkong.

You really should. Dragonfall (Director's Cut version) is a massive improvement compared with Returns. Hong Kong is also quite good, The story might not be as expansive as Dragonfall, but it's a good game all the same.

Funnily enough, I backed all Harebrained Schemes games and I ended up happy at how everything turned out. I backed a couple of failed VN Kickstarter as well, but I figured limiting myself to 2-3 campaigns a year for niche VN/RPG isn't so bad.

 

[Eferis]

I used to back an insane amount of stuff but kind of stopped recently (with a few exceptions) due to the whole Epic thing that really took away a lot of the magic from crowdfunding, displaying how at the end of the day it's just business.

I can't say I was particularly satisfied with how the games I backed turned out to be (with Bloodstained being the biggest disappointment) but I'm still waiting for those I anticipate the most (Renaine, Backbone, Flynn, Realms Beyond among others).

I'm currently a backer here:

And I'll be definitely backing this one when it starts on Jan 7:

 

[Joe Spangle]

Ive never kickstarted anything as i didnt really know much about it. I read more about it and was thinking about doing so until all the EPIC nonsense happened. I read about the Phoenix Point switcheroo and that has put me off to be honest.

 

[Deku]

All my backed projects

Project Phoenix is the only game that I haven't received anything

 

[madjoki]

I read about the Phoenix Point switcheroo and that has put me off to be honest.

Yeah, same. Before Epic store I never was in financial position to back anything, And now that I'm, I no longer have any desire to be involved with any of that.

 

[Jav]

I used to back quite a bit of projects, 2018 and beginning of 2019 I backed around 20 but since the EGS shenaningans I backed... 0.

To be fair if I see a project I'm really interested in I'll probably back it but the suspicion and trust issues are real for me now.

 

[beep boop]

I would maybe back a convincing F-Zero style game. That is perhaps the one thing. Haven’t backed anything so far, and I probably won’t ever. Hasn’t seemed worth the risk or wait, even before developers flip flopped on PC platforms.

 

[Hektor]

Project Phoenix is the only game that I haven't received anything

Fun fact: It's always been a year now since their "Gearing up to finish Project Phoenix" update and no updates since again.
Yet another pointless "we are totes still working on this for realsies" update afterall to the surprife no one.

The only shocking thing is that they don't even feel shame lying like that repeatdely.

 

[Deku]

Fun fact: It's always been a year now since their "Gearing up to finish Project Phoenix" update and no updates since again.
Yet another pointless "we are totes still working on this for realsies" update afterall to the surprife no one.

The only shocking thing is that they don't even feel shame lying like that repeatdely.

And it has been 6 years, 3 months and 24 days since the kickstarter ended.
My daughter wasn't even born yet. Time sure flies

 

[Nabs]

I backed Shovel Knight, There Came an Echo, Skullgirls PC, and Double Fine Adventure. I'm glad I backed those, but I've held off on others because I just hate waiting.

I do love completing ETS2/ATS events. Lots of holiday related items.

 

[Knurek]

Mine:

Muv Luv still needs the second fandisk, not sure why Dies Irae is sitll not closed.
I hope I'll live to see the day Sharin no Kuni and Clockwork Ley-Line deliver their promised games.

 

[FunnyJay]

I loved both games and they were greatly improved compared to Returns (which I also really enjoyed, to be honest), you should give them a try.

You really should

Yes yes.... They are in the endless backlog

 

[ZKenir]

Sharin no Kuni and Clockwork Ley-Line deliver their promised games.

give up

 

[lashman]

Opinion - Your 1996 GOTY (Duke Nukem 3D, Mario 64, Quake, Civ II, Red Alert)

The were significantly fewer votes in the 1995 thread compared to previously, so I'm going back to the original voting system this time to see if it matters. I do think a single choice is a bit harsh, especially as the latter half of the 90s has a ridiculous amount of PC classics. I'll keep an...

metacouncil.com

 

[Ge0force]

I only bought 2 games during the latest sales: Yooka Laylee and the impossible lair and My Big Sister. I've also paused my humble classic subscription, so I'll be cleaning my backlog the next few weeks!

 

[Deleted member 113]

A steam key is not mentioned on the official store page.

EDIT: Is the dev holding back the Steam release just to get a bit more money via their own store from early buyers?

A Steam key is definitely confirmed.
A few others had obtained this info before, but just to be sure, I asked again, and they confirmed one will be sent:


As for holding back the Steam release, I'm not sure it's that. Like they mention above, the game will launch on Steam in the next few days, they just made it available on their website slightly before, because they probably are waiting for Valve's "ok".

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Well if we're doing more lists, the games I've backed are:

Kickstarter:
Wasteland 2
Shadowrun Returns
Republique
Torment
Shadowrun Hong Kong
Yooka Laylee
Bloodstained
Shenmue 3 (fuck you Epic)
Divinity Original Sin 2
System Shock 1 remake
Dies Irae
Banner Saga 3
The Good Life

Fig:
Wasteland 3
Consortium: The Tower
Pillars of Eternity 2
Phoenix Point (fuck you Epic)

And yes I have pretty much stopped backing stuff cos of Epic's shenanigans

 

[Deleted member 113]

Since we were talking about a few crowdfunding (good and bad) experiences, allow me to share the latest one from the bad ones, because it's sadly hilarious.

I backed an old-school RPG in January 2017 called Unknown Realm.
This one:



The delivery date of this project was December 2017.
Naturally, the game wasn't concluded by then (nothing unusual about that, barely any campaigns don't end up highly delayed).

But, in this case we are now 3 years later, and backers still weren't show anything about the game. No screenshots, no playable builds, nothing.
The developers did create a C64 screensaver, which they were selling on their website last month (which backers naturally didn't get), but as for the actual game, nothing. They posted 2 or 3 updates per year, with not much info or details, and that was it.

On January 1st, 2020, they posted an update that is one of the most ridiculous things I remember reading.
They were like "we had a 7 page update full of information and screenshots of the game's development, but since we know no one will read a wall of text, we aren't posting it". "Oh, and last year we had some troubles, and had to move to another state. We thought about abandoning the project, but instead we have a plan: if all our backers make a $5-$10 recurring Paypal donation each month, we can continue working on it".

I kid you not, check what they posted at the address below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stirringdragongames/unknown-realm-an-8bit-rpg-for-pc-and-commodore-64/posts/2683065

So yeah, after people dropped quite a bit of money on the game ($126k+), with some paying big amounts for physical copies (thankfully I was at a low tier ), they expect a further $60 to $120 a year from each backer, in order to make a C64 RPG, while not showing a single thing from their supposedly 3 years of non-stop work (outside of a small piece of music from the composer they hired for the project, Chris Huelsbeck).

It's like I previously said, some developers think of backers as walking piggy banks, and nothing more.

 

[lashman]

On January 1st, 2020, they posted an update that is one of the most ridiculous things I remember reading.
They were like "we had a 7 page update full of information and screenshots of the game development, but since we know no one will read a wall of text, we aren't posting it". "Oh, and last year we had some troubles, and had to move to another state. We thought about abandoning the project, but instead we have a plan: if all our backers make a $5-$10 recurring Paypal donation each month, we can continue working on it".

holy shit ... THE BALLS!!!

 

[fantomena]

I hope that the competition AMD had brought with the new (great looking) Ryzen CPUs will push Intel to lower the price on the i9-10900k.

 

[kafiend]

I've backed some games, all of which have delivered with the exception of Witchmarsh.
Game is still on it's way after many years of delay but updates from the devs are unreliable in timing and when they do decide to speak to backers it's just a load of useless hot air babble which never fills me with confidence.
I'll never ever actually buy an Inglenook developed game in the future because of the extraordinarily poor way they've handled the development of Witchmarch. The dev's have done that to themselves, so I have no sympathy with them.

I mainly kickstart retro-game books or similar things and have always had a good time with them.

 

[Spookyfriend]

I kid you not, check what they posted at the address below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stirringdragongames/unknown-realm-an-8bit-rpg-for-pc-and-commodore-64/posts/2683065

Hi,The post is a backer only. Able to post the whole post?
I wonder what other backer post in the comment in kickstarter,if there was any

 

[Taborcarn]

Things I've Kickstarted:

Video Game:
Divinity: Original Sin 2

Board Games:
Tiny Epic Western
Yokohama
Thunderstone Quest
Brass - Lancashire & Birmingham
Flow of History

Other:
GameTek - the Book
Kira Mechanical Keyboard


The video game worked out and I love the keyboard, but sadly I went overboard with the board games and a lot of them went unplayed before I needed to sell them off again.

 

[Deleted member 113]

Hi,The post is a backer only. Able to post the whole post?

Sure

Spoiler

Winter 2019: Are You With Us?

Stirring Dragon GamesCreator
January 1, 2020
Greetings Friends!
We wanted to get you an update before the end of the year, which on our side of the world is now about an hour away and the fireworks have already started. Happy New Year to all, especially those of you who have already entered the next decade!
Full disclosure: the original version of this update was 7+ pages long, and included a lengthy recap of our progress over the last few years. Even though you’re all RPG fans, we knew we couldn’t expect you to read that much text. Here’s the short version. Make sure you read to the end for two small gifts! ;-)
In 2019, we packed up Stirring Dragon Games and left the state of California and moved to a more affordable place– something we probably should have done a long time ago. We relocated to the state of Idaho, and our family is slowly adjusting to a different climate and culture. We had to make a difficult decision back in April when we learned our landlords were selling our house, to either shelf the game and look for jobs so we could afford to stay in the Bay Area close to friends and family, or move to a cheaper location in order to give Unknown Realm and SDG a fighting chance to succeed. So we packed up our kids and our Commodore 64s, said goodbye to our family and friends, and moved North in search of better odds for our fledgling indie studio.
As most of you can imagine, having our development timeline on U.R. extend two years beyond what we originally expected has had a severe impact on the operational cost of this game. In 2019, we tried a plan to raise financial support by selling custom made products on our website, but those have barely generated enough revenue to pay our internet & hosting bills and have not made a dent in our day to day operations costs. So yeah, not our best plan.
Needless to say, the last year or so has been very bumpy for us, personally and professionally. That said, we have a plan to release Unknown Realm in 2020 – but we are asking for your help to make it a straighter path for us to release.
Here’s how you can help us get the digital version of Unknown Realm out in 2020: If each of our backers will go to our website, click the blue donate button, and pledge a $5-$10 recurring monthly donation to support SDG, not only can we spend all our time focused on the game instead of trying to find other revenue streams to keep the lights on; in exchange for your ongoing support, we will provide you with behind-the-scenes video updates each month. We think video updates will be a fun way to share more of what we are doing on the game and hopefully be a faster update format for us than typing up 7+ page updates and bickering over what to take out or leave in. ;-)
In order for this plan to work, we have to meet a certain threshold– we need at least 50% of our backers to pitch in. We are relying on each of our fans to let us know that you’re with us on this.
If we can’t get our community to band together and pave a more direct path forward, then we will embark on the final stretch of this journey alone, and we will forge our own way to finish the game, but it will take longer, and will involve a lot more twists and turns, and less interaction with this community as we try to find other ways to fund development.
We would obviously love to have all of you share in this part of the journey with us, and be able to show you more of the behind-the-scenes part of our work on this last leg, but we know realistically this plan won't make everyone happy. However, the reality is that small indie dev teams like us don't have access to the same funding options that larger studios have, nor the financial safety net of other revenue streams coming in to help us weather the storm.
We’ve been working on this game since the day our Kickstarter campaign ended in 2017. We haven’t really taken a day off except for illness, injury or moving (and Kickstarter funds were not used for any of those things). I think it's safe to say we have shown our commitment to this game and to all of you by the fact that we are still here, doing what we can to carve a path forward. Someone once said "No plan survives contact with the enemy," and that has certainly proven to be true with this project, as it has with many KS projects before us. Many of our plans and estimates, which were made in good faith with the information we had available to us at the time, have not panned out the way we expected... so we persist and we make new plans. And that is exactly what we intend to keep doing until we ship this game to you.
We’ll report back in about a week to let you know how things are going with this plan. If all goes well, our first video update will come out in mid-late January where we will start sharing some behind-the-scenes game development in a format that will hopefully be more dynamic and fun for everyone.
In closing, here are two New Years gifts for you...
1) We have a special New Year's Version of our 8-bit Yule Log disk for the C64, just for our kickstarter backers. This is something we hope you will enjoy for years to come. This program will work on C64/C128's (PAL/NTSC) or via an emulator. You can download it from our website for free by using the coupon code: (removed code) You can watch a preview of the 8-bit Yule Log here.
2) For your listening enjoyment, here is a sample of one of the modern tracks for the PC version of Unknown Realm, composed by Chris Huelsbeck: Unknown Realm OST-Mystic Landmark
Happy New Year everyone! We wish you health and happiness in 2020 and we are grateful for the role that each one of you has played in our journey so far. We have great hope for the future of this game no matter what path lies ahead. We hope you will be with us. Thank you for your continued understanding as we navigate all the challenges we've faced in bringing this game to life!
Until next time,
Bruce & Laura

I wonder what other backer post in the comment in kickstarter,if there was any

Well, as you may have guessed, people aren't very happy.

I'll just quote the latest comment from the comment section:
«If you believe there is a game in the works and feel like giving them more money, there may be some nigerian princes waiting to get in touch with you.»

 

[Stone Ocean]

I have returned from the depths of hell, what did I miss?

Why do I have a Kiwami 2 coupon that gives me a the best discount it ever had a day after the winter sale is over? I mean not complaining since at that price its a no brainer even if I havent finished Kiwami yet but thats an oof timing SEGA, if I had bought it on the sale as I intended to I'd be slightly peeved.

I'll forgive you this time since the discount makes it exactly 69 BRL. Hehehehehhehe i'm 5

 

[gabbo]

Well if we're doing more lists, the games I've backed are:

Oh yes, we are indeed, it seems, doing this

Kickstarters that met their goal:
AWAY: The Survival Series - An animal adventure game
Lust from Beyond
Where the Bees Make Honey
Deadly Premonition: The Board Game
System Shock
RiffTrax Live 2016: MST3K Reunion, Time Chasers Live & More!
Bring Back MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Perception
On a Roll
Power Drive 2000
Wipebook 3 | The reusable whiteboard notebook
Pathologic (Мор.Утопия)
Kôna - A Survival Adventure Game
Wipebook
Tangiers - Stealth driven by dark 20th century avant-garde.
Satellite Reign
The Veronica Mars Movie Project
Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey
Knock-knock
Spirit of the Century Presents: The Dinocalypse Trilogy
Nekro
Starlight Inception
MANOS: The Restoration

Of these twenty four, 2 are from last year and still in verified development (Lust and AWAY). Hopefully On A Roll keeps progressing slowly as it has thus far.
The only one I really hope finishes but am worried about is Tangiers, as the dev has gone through a lot in the last couple years and they've had long bouts of radio silence in the past. They apparently had a hand in Paratopic as I understand it, and it's of similar style, so I hold out hope.

Only two have been rip offs, Power Drive 2000 and Nekro. PD2K, the guy went completely silent after some cryptic tweets about legal troubles, and in Nekro's case one of the devs locked the other dev out of every account - code and money- relating to the game and held the game hostage looking for more money. This only came to light due to a steam community post from said locked out dev about the game's then current status and was quietly deleted by the other dev and that was that.

Everything else I've gotten my moneys worth out of at the very least (one day I even plan to play Divinity OS2! I can only do 1 rpg at a time). To speak nothing of the 12 other cancelled/unsuccessful campaigns I backed. - of which two ended up doing special deals for backers anyway (Scorn and Consortium: The Tower )

I was tempted by Skatebird recently, but nothing else has really piqued my interest in the game space and the Epic cherry picking doesn't help.

 

[freshVeggie]

My two cents about backing games, I have yet to do one.

Opinion - Your 1996 GOTY (Duke Nukem 3D, Mario 64, Quake, Civ II, Red Alert)

The were significantly fewer votes in the 1995 thread compared to previously, so I'm going back to the original voting system this time to see if it matters. I do think a single choice is a bit harsh, especially as the latter half of the 90s has a ridiculous amount of PC classics. I'll keep an...

metacouncil.com

Just as a I said there, Red Alert baby! I'm not even an RTS guy but the early C&Cs are ingrained into my nostalgia.

 

[Mivey]

I have returned from the depths of hell, what did I miss?

Why do I have a Kiwami 2 coupon that gives me a the best discount it ever had a day after the winter sale is over? I mean not complaining since at that price its a no brainer even if I havent finished Kiwami yet but thats an oof timing SEGA, if I had bought it on the sale as I intended to I'd be slightly peeved.

I'll forgive you this time since the discount makes it exactly 69 BRL. Hehehehehhehe i'm 5

I noticed that too, held me off from buying Kiwami 2 during the sale. Not sure what the thinking there was, since you also couldn't combine the coupon with the existing discount during the sale. They basically told a lot of potential customers to hold off on their purchase during a sale