CalamityDrive

I thought the update was good and would like to read more like it. To be honest, this was actually the first PE update I can remember reading out completely and not just skimming through.

This is an idea that has a lot of merit, but I'm not sure if and how it could be implemented in Project Eternity. For something to be a meta-dungeon, it should be as removed from the normal game as the Steam meta-achievements are. It could be, for example, a completely independent, script-controlled dungeon dwelling game that takes its input from dungeon exploring events that happen in the main game. Any loot procured from this meta-dungeon could be mailed and delivered to the player character's stronghold. It should be interesting modding material, at least.

So are you the lead designer for Project Eternity, or what?

If it sells well, then the profits would be enough to fund the sequel, else another kickstarter would be the only feasible funding source.

If we can get 10k words of polished dialogue text for the same effort that goes to making voice-overs for 1k words, there's just no competition. I'm not sure if the ratio is 10:1, but I'd guess that the real difference is even greater.

I don't think stories are written starting from a long list of themes. If a large amount of themes gets put into the story just for the sake of it, it starts to resemble a hodgepodge of storyline pieces with no focus. In my opinion it boils down to the consequences of actions taken by the player -- How they're interpreted, stored, and recalled. Once that's in place, just about every interaction holds the qualities of a mature theme.

Perhaps the question we should answer is something like: Do the developers have to become rich by making a game? Do we measure success only by how much wealth was amassed? It's also possible to see this as just making a living while pursuing a passion that has been waiting on the sidelines for a long time.

I just recently bought a certain game for $15, but I can't play it at all because it requires Windows. I'm not going to install a system like that just for one game, so I'll just have to wait for support through wine. Supporting Linux is actually pretty straightforward if you do it from the ground up, but it's a serious pain to retrofit a working engine. Obsidian could outsource the multiplatform port of their engine with the extra money gained from hitting that stretch goal, giving also a leg up on future game development for the company. True, they could hire 10 more artists with that money, but I'm sure they can judge when to add more people to the project and when to do these kinds of things with it. Probably the biggest issue in Linux gaming is the lack of drivers, especially for the cutting-edge hardware. It's a vicious cycle where everyone makes Windows games and drivers because everyone buys Windows games as only Windows games and drivers are available, and all the workers have learned to code only Windows games and drivers. It's unfortunate that Windows is a system that tries to make multiplatform support as difficult as possible, presumably to maintain the status quo.

These recent Kickstarter campaigns that raised multiple millions for games that everyone (but the publishers) wanted made seem to me like a groundbreaking development. We've reached a plateau of sorts with the high-stakes AAA gaming roulette, where the publishing companies have incited a revolt from the people against maximizing profits with the cost of everything else that goes in a game. While Project Eternity raised a million dollars promptly, this kind of project would still be a very risky endeavour for a publishing company, and probably wouldn't make much if any profit. We have to realize that this game receives some of its money because of an emerging 'rebellion mindset' against the traditional publishing company model. That doesn't take away from the benefits of the crowd-funding model at all, and seems to be a more healthy way to organize a game project that requires this much creativity. Someone has to believe in the game creators to break new ground, to give them the time and space to work,and this time the people are the ones to do so. If this game was published through the regular channels, it would be very difficult to get as much interest focused in it as it has already been gathered in this short period of time. It's also a logical way of looking at your target market -- The generation that played these sorts of games first with their parents' money, and later scraping by as students, have grown up by now and piled up enough wealth that forking over monetary support for promising projects isn't that much of a strain on the budget. Lastly, Project Eternity has a huge responsibility carried on its shoulders, as does Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, etc. If these projects are favorably received by the audience, I think it will build an enormous momentum for the crowd-funding model of game development. The other option is that it will go the way of the US space program, and we'll have to take another look at it some 30-40 years down the road. No pressure though! Oh, and by the way, I checked the intro video on Kickstarter for Project Eternity, and Josh Sawyer (I think) mentioned that Obsidian wants to put more mature themes in the story. I will be extremely disappointed in everything you stand for, if this is not delivered. You can leave out the sex and the violence if you want, since they're mostly used for the scandal effect, but please do not shirk the mature themes.