Nightrise
Member
Hello !
Having followed and invested in various kickstarter projects, particularly computer rpgs, I've become somewhat familiar with what makes or breaks a kickstarter campaign. Given the amazing potential of Sui Generis, I'm a bit saddened that it hasn't captured the traction that it deserves - with 21 days remaining and only about 21% of funding completed as of this moment.
I've noticed that this team seems very much in tune with its community, as small as it currently is, so I'd like to advance some suggestions to incentivize investment.
Presentation Video
Pros:
- Great in game footage
- A very fun combat system
- A truly compelling toolset
Cons:
- Lacks a cohesive vision beyond non-linear gameplay
- A bit slow to capture the viewer's attention
- Doesn't introduce the team or make a case for Bare Mettle as an entity
- A bit of a flat tone
Potential improvements
Some of the best kickstarter videos I've seen have made strong cases for their teams in a passionate and humorous way. Many people who invest want to feel part of the story, and introducing the family is a great way to break the ice, and breed some familiarity. That is the beauty of kickstarter, it gets rid of the middle-man and allows two passionate groups (players and developers) to interact directly. This should come out in the video, and encourage impulse investment.
In the same way, given that this game is attempting to be crowd-funded, it should express openness to the community's feedback, bringing them into the fold of the development process. I'm not saying betray your vision - sometimes players don't really know what they want, but its important to convey a sense of unity via the presentation video in an effective manner - that this is also their project.
Also, it's important to emphasize your strengths and the features that get you (as developers) excited, and convey these to the community. This was done well in the combat, but its important to give examples or scenarios of how this will impact gameplay in mind-blowingly amazing manner.
Finally, you are now competing with even seasoned game development companies who are bypassing their publishers to create games directly, companies with a backlog of successful games and well known teams. You can't afford to have a low production value when it comes to your kickstarter page. Your video needs to be top notch, and your project thoughtfully presented. Concept art is cheap to get commissioned or purchased these days - and you already have a talented composer, I would encourage you guys to truly make use of such assets to boost the attractiveness of your project.
Great kickstarter videos:
- Planetary Annihilation
- Project Eternity
- Wasteland 2
- Oculis Rift
- OUYA
Sure, these are massive successes - some of them with serious resources behind them. But they all do a lot of the same things: introduce the team, make a case for themselves, show off their strengths, show off their vision, and do it with passion and humor. Its not enough to list the team members at the end, its important to build a story players can subscribe to.
Information (Text part)
Pros:
- Lots of great information
- A more in depth explanation of the vision
Cons:
- Too much text
- Not enough relevant images
Potential improvements
Once viewers have seen the video, and hopefully are now feeling infused with passion (I know I was), they will be eager for more information about your project. This is your chance to fuel that passion and get them even more excited (to the point of investment) by anticipating their questions and offering short and meaningful answers while still preserving your freedom of modification.
The text component is basically the logistical part. In the video you'll have exposed your vision, your aspirations, your passion, and your ambitions. Now is the time to give an overview of how you plan on getting there, and what you consider a priority. This is also your chance to convince the viewers that more is better. In essence, incentivize them to put in as much cash as they are comfortable with rather than the bare minimum.
Stretch goals are very important. It was not sufficient to just say "we don't really have stretch goals because we just plan on making the project better". It is, however, important to say "once we get this core functionality up and running, here will be our next priorities if we get additional funding". This will encourage those who are attached to the next priority features to invest as much as possible. This is where you address what it will take for you to provide such features as Multiplayer, Linux support, Toolset, Languages and so on. Expose a clear logistical vision - it will motivate people.
Rewards
Pros:
- Some compelling rewards
Cons:
- Not enough compelling rewards
- No "immediate" gratification
Potential improvements
For many of us, rewards come in three categories:
- Those who want to get more for less (pre-order model)
- Those who want to get their hands on something asap (instant gratification)
- Those who are enraptured by the game and can afford to donate A LOT
It's important to cater to all these crowds to maximize investment. For those who want more for less, offer various tiers (limiting the lower tiers to x investors to create a sense of urgency) which allow for digital distribution (specifying DRM-free options such as GoG doesn't hurt), boxed versions of the game, collectors editions, and so on.
For those who want instant gratification - allow early access to alphas, betas, but also perhaps allow them a stripped down demo version of the toolset to create and showcase their content to the community shortly after campaign's end. This simultaneously raises money, and increases publicity and community cohesion - leading to more investment for people who want to toolset or other.
Finally, for those who can afford it and want a compelling reason to donate at the upper tiers - make sure you spoil them. One hour-long discussion is perhaps not gonna cut it for some - but perhaps regular skype conversations giving exclusive updates to that group, and offering them a variety of privileges might do the trick. This requires some experimentation.
FAQ
This section is currently under-developed. I know all of you have jobs and a lot on your plates, but lack of information to your community and investors isn't really an acceptable alternative. I saw plenty of answers to frequent questions that haven't been updated on the kickstarter page - this shouldn't be. I recommend at the very least to appoint a community manager who would update those answers as you get them. Certain urgent ones are:
- Localization: what languages will the game come in?
- Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows ?
- Development time: You said 18 months, this should be in the FAQ
- Singleplayer/Multiplayer ?
- Minimum Requirements (again, it seems you have a general idea, this should be conveyed even if its early)
- Digital distribution option (Steam? Gog? Direct2Drive ?)
- What about DRM ?
In any case, I do hope this helps, we all want to see Sui Generis be a phenomenal success and I hope you won't see this as trolling criticism but the genuine attempt it is to help. Thank you for taking the time to read !
Best,
Nightrise
Having followed and invested in various kickstarter projects, particularly computer rpgs, I've become somewhat familiar with what makes or breaks a kickstarter campaign. Given the amazing potential of Sui Generis, I'm a bit saddened that it hasn't captured the traction that it deserves - with 21 days remaining and only about 21% of funding completed as of this moment.
I've noticed that this team seems very much in tune with its community, as small as it currently is, so I'd like to advance some suggestions to incentivize investment.
Presentation Video
Pros:
- Great in game footage
- A very fun combat system
- A truly compelling toolset
Cons:
- Lacks a cohesive vision beyond non-linear gameplay
- A bit slow to capture the viewer's attention
- Doesn't introduce the team or make a case for Bare Mettle as an entity
- A bit of a flat tone
Potential improvements
Some of the best kickstarter videos I've seen have made strong cases for their teams in a passionate and humorous way. Many people who invest want to feel part of the story, and introducing the family is a great way to break the ice, and breed some familiarity. That is the beauty of kickstarter, it gets rid of the middle-man and allows two passionate groups (players and developers) to interact directly. This should come out in the video, and encourage impulse investment.
In the same way, given that this game is attempting to be crowd-funded, it should express openness to the community's feedback, bringing them into the fold of the development process. I'm not saying betray your vision - sometimes players don't really know what they want, but its important to convey a sense of unity via the presentation video in an effective manner - that this is also their project.
Also, it's important to emphasize your strengths and the features that get you (as developers) excited, and convey these to the community. This was done well in the combat, but its important to give examples or scenarios of how this will impact gameplay in mind-blowingly amazing manner.
Finally, you are now competing with even seasoned game development companies who are bypassing their publishers to create games directly, companies with a backlog of successful games and well known teams. You can't afford to have a low production value when it comes to your kickstarter page. Your video needs to be top notch, and your project thoughtfully presented. Concept art is cheap to get commissioned or purchased these days - and you already have a talented composer, I would encourage you guys to truly make use of such assets to boost the attractiveness of your project.
Great kickstarter videos:
- Planetary Annihilation
- Project Eternity
- Wasteland 2
- Oculis Rift
- OUYA
Sure, these are massive successes - some of them with serious resources behind them. But they all do a lot of the same things: introduce the team, make a case for themselves, show off their strengths, show off their vision, and do it with passion and humor. Its not enough to list the team members at the end, its important to build a story players can subscribe to.
Information (Text part)
Pros:
- Lots of great information
- A more in depth explanation of the vision
Cons:
- Too much text
- Not enough relevant images
Potential improvements
Once viewers have seen the video, and hopefully are now feeling infused with passion (I know I was), they will be eager for more information about your project. This is your chance to fuel that passion and get them even more excited (to the point of investment) by anticipating their questions and offering short and meaningful answers while still preserving your freedom of modification.
The text component is basically the logistical part. In the video you'll have exposed your vision, your aspirations, your passion, and your ambitions. Now is the time to give an overview of how you plan on getting there, and what you consider a priority. This is also your chance to convince the viewers that more is better. In essence, incentivize them to put in as much cash as they are comfortable with rather than the bare minimum.
Stretch goals are very important. It was not sufficient to just say "we don't really have stretch goals because we just plan on making the project better". It is, however, important to say "once we get this core functionality up and running, here will be our next priorities if we get additional funding". This will encourage those who are attached to the next priority features to invest as much as possible. This is where you address what it will take for you to provide such features as Multiplayer, Linux support, Toolset, Languages and so on. Expose a clear logistical vision - it will motivate people.
Rewards
Pros:
- Some compelling rewards
Cons:
- Not enough compelling rewards
- No "immediate" gratification
Potential improvements
For many of us, rewards come in three categories:
- Those who want to get more for less (pre-order model)
- Those who want to get their hands on something asap (instant gratification)
- Those who are enraptured by the game and can afford to donate A LOT
It's important to cater to all these crowds to maximize investment. For those who want more for less, offer various tiers (limiting the lower tiers to x investors to create a sense of urgency) which allow for digital distribution (specifying DRM-free options such as GoG doesn't hurt), boxed versions of the game, collectors editions, and so on.
For those who want instant gratification - allow early access to alphas, betas, but also perhaps allow them a stripped down demo version of the toolset to create and showcase their content to the community shortly after campaign's end. This simultaneously raises money, and increases publicity and community cohesion - leading to more investment for people who want to toolset or other.
Finally, for those who can afford it and want a compelling reason to donate at the upper tiers - make sure you spoil them. One hour-long discussion is perhaps not gonna cut it for some - but perhaps regular skype conversations giving exclusive updates to that group, and offering them a variety of privileges might do the trick. This requires some experimentation.
FAQ
This section is currently under-developed. I know all of you have jobs and a lot on your plates, but lack of information to your community and investors isn't really an acceptable alternative. I saw plenty of answers to frequent questions that haven't been updated on the kickstarter page - this shouldn't be. I recommend at the very least to appoint a community manager who would update those answers as you get them. Certain urgent ones are:
- Localization: what languages will the game come in?
- Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows ?
- Development time: You said 18 months, this should be in the FAQ
- Singleplayer/Multiplayer ?
- Minimum Requirements (again, it seems you have a general idea, this should be conveyed even if its early)
- Digital distribution option (Steam? Gog? Direct2Drive ?)
- What about DRM ?
In any case, I do hope this helps, we all want to see Sui Generis be a phenomenal success and I hope you won't see this as trolling criticism but the genuine attempt it is to help
. Thank you for taking the time to read !Best,
Nightrise
