Vendetta Online Kickstarter

[Q]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/342/765/209caa824837928a4f26709cc9f7f26e_large.jpg?1358418 954

Vendetta wha? Vendetta Online (http://www.vendetta-online.com/) is a space MMO which has been around since about 2002. They have native clients for Windows (including RT), OS X, Linux and Android and are working on an iOS one now too. This MMO permits thousands of players to interact as the pilots of spaceships in a vast universe. Users may build their characters in any direction they desire, becoming rich captains of industry, military heroes, or outlaws. A fast-paced, realtime "twitch" style combat model gives intense action, coupled with the backdrop of RPG gameplay in a massive online galaxy. Three major player factions form a delicate balance of power, with several NPC sub-factions creating situations of economic struggle, political intrigue and conflict. The completely persistent universe and detailed storyline add to the depth of immersion, resulting in a unique online experience.

Now, with the introduction out of the way, the four-headed team that forms Guild Software, the company behind the game, has started a Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/guild/vendetta-online) to reach a sum of $100 000.

"For what?" you might ask. Well, the iOS version is one thing and will be coming soon. But there are more plans and a lot of these improvements will take months of programming work. To allow them this time, they'll need this amount of money so they can spend 2013 full time on coding, as opposed to playing a balancing act between coding and advertising/raising funds in other ways.

So, what have they been planning? You can read the full report on the Kickstarter page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/guild/vendetta-online), but I'll tease you with the videos that have been put up so far. We're talking about:

improving the graphics (at least for the desktop/laptop clients)[/li]
a grand updated 1.9 which includes drastic improvements on the current 1.8 client (scheduled for late 2013)[/li]
Major improvements to player-owned capital ships, like custom ship names, shields, shared ownership, and improved hangar access for captains.[/li]
More complex space stations, along with capship stations located at all Capitol sectors.[/li]
NPC's bots acting as "nations" in the game, with their own political agendas[/li]
Expansion of the dynamic economy to support more supply-side variability in cases where territory is conquered during Dynamic Warfare.[/li]
More tools for player created content, related to creating events and persistent NPCs.[/li]
And much, much more...[/li]


MKt_AKdU2_M

1UWdM8mbCOk

JND4_7EqBhc

691-NLeuhFo

So, what are the rewards for those who pledge?

$1 or more: Your name in our "Crowdfunding Supporter" list on the website. Access to reading our internal development ticketing system and design wiki, showing our day-to-day progress. Help the expansion of an indie space MMO![/li]
$15 or more: All previous rewards, plus a non-expiring four-month code for premium game access. Exclusive and limited on these tiers: a unique "Early Crowdfunding Supporter 2013" in-game achievement badge (also visible to supported social gaming networks, Apple GameCenter, Amazon GameCircle, etc).[/li]
$25 or more: All previous rewards (with Early Supporter Achievement), plus a non-expiring code good for six months of premium access to the game (this is in addition to the previous tier's four-month code, giving ten months total, or give one code to a friend!), as well as exclusive access to a special new ship variant, unique to this event: the EC-108KS.[/li]
$50 or more: All previous rewards (with Early Supporter Achievement), plus a non-expiring code good for ten months of premium access to the game (20 months total, or give codes to two friends!), in-game access to a rare fighter ship (the Vulture Anniversary Edition), as well as a digital copy of the musical soundtrack to Vendetta Online.[/li]
$100 or more: All previous rewards (with Early Supporter Achievement), plus access to a special new dark-colored variant of the Corvus Greyhound pirate interceptor ship, along with a digital copy of the updated backstory of the game ("The Chronicles of Exile"), and the undying appreciation of Guild Software.[/li]
$250 or more: All previous rewards (with Early Supporter Achievement), along with a special 20x30 poster for Vendetta Online, done in "movie opening" style, signed by the entire development team. Also, you can name an NPC pirate who will occasionally show up in the game! (names subject to our approval).[/li]
$500 or more: All previous rewards (with Early Supporter Achievement), along with a quality printed copy of a newly revised edition of the lengthy backstory of Vendetta Online, "The Chronicles of Exile", signed by the author, VO lead developer John Bergman.[/li]
$1000 or more: All previous rewards (with Early Supporter Achievement), plus "Lifetime" premium access to Vendetta Online via a code that will add 99 years of time to your game account. Also, a 30-minute video chat with lead developer John Bergman, where you can ask him any questions about the game.[/li]
There are even higher rewards for higher donations...[/li]

[Q]

I've pledged $50. Almost two years of free play is a pretty good deal :)

[Q]

Bump.

[#FF0000]

So, is this game basically a Freelancer MMO?

[Q]

So, is this game basically a Freelancer MMO?

I guess you could say so :)

This Kickstarter update video features a player's perspective on the game (no, not me :p ):

zWFGwPYGJ7o

[Red Commissar]

When I read it the first time the description reminded me of EVE. The economic end isn't as anal as EVE though, is it?

[Q]

When I read it the first time the description reminded me of EVE. The economic end isn't as anal as EVE though, is it?

I have little to compare with, because EVE doesn't work on Linux/Wine (and they're too asshole to even point to a right direction), but I like the economics myself. It's a much simpler model and you really get most credits by joining fighting missions.

I notice though that I didn't mention yet that you can sign up for a free account in which you can play eight hours for free (the clock only ticks when you're signed in). So, that gives you a good idea of the game I think :)

[BOZG]

Hello my name is Q. During the week, I'm a Mac fanboy dedicating to the spreading the Jobs-ite message far and wide. On the weekends I work as a fanboy for Vendetta hoping to raise them a shit load of money. That is all.

[Q]

Hello my name is Q. During the week, I'm a Mac fanboy dedicating to the spreading the Jobs-ite message far and wide. On the weekends I work as a fanboy for Vendetta hoping to raise them a shit load of money. That is all.

Thank you and have a nice day.

[BOZG]

Thank you and have a nice day.

But yeah, seems pretty interesting and very nice range of OS support. I downloaded it last night and will give it a try this afternoon.

[Q]

Update #10 shows a preview of the coming iPad version of Vendetta (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/guild/vendetta-online/posts/406571). Can't embed the video here, but it looks pretty smooth.

But, nice as an iPad version is, the goal remains...:

For those existing players who are more interested in upcoming game changes, please remember that the main intent of this fundraising effort is the "1.9" gameplay goals for all platforms. The plan is to ship the iPad version as soon as we can, and then immediately focus all our attention on gameplay enhancements, to make the 1.9 goals a reality in 2013.

But have a watch!

[Q]

New update:


Vendetta Online for your TV!

We're now happy to announce that we will be targeting support for the new Android-based OUYA (http://www.ouya.tv/) game console! Our game is very well proven on Android, and especially on the NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip that powers the OUYA. The main development process for us will include adding support for some of the cool features offered by the OUYA's controller, as well as their purchasing system.

This will mark the first time we've targeted a console for a launch of Vendetta Online (http://www.vendetta-online.com/), largely due to the validation requirements and limited update options on traditional console platforms, making frequently-updated games like ours impossible. The open nature of the OUYA with the Android platform avoids this issue and allows us to deliver the same self-updating experience we currently bring to Windows, Mac, Linux and traditional Android devices. Unlike the usual "Application Store" type of game update, which re-downloads the entire game and data, our minimum-differential patching system can pack major game changes into only a few megs, making a better experience for the end-user and allowing us to frequently roll out new improvements.

While our game is not usually played on a TV, and as a result the title has not been built around a "10-foot user interface" (the distance from the player to a TV), we expect this challenge to be simplified thanks to the OUYA's touch-enabled controller and the configurability of our own interface system.

If you'd like to see the major game expansion (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/guild/vendetta-online) of Vendetta Online 1.9 come to your OUYA this year, please consider pledging to our Kickstarter!

John Bergman, Guild Software Inc.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/projects/430050/posts/410346/image-214667-full.jpg?1361400093

[Q]

And the Kickstarter failed with $57,366 raised :(


Project Update #16: Final Update, and iPad Beta Tester notice.

Hello Kickstarters!

We've had a tremendous run, and we can't thank you enough. Although this Kickstarter may not have brought us the funding we needed, it has been helpful in elevating the profile of our game, helping us describe some of our plans and goals in new ways (like videos), and bringing us new players.

Where will we go from here? Some people have emailed me, asking if certain content will still make it into the game, and here's about as much as I can say right now:


VO for iPad will launch, in some form. We'll focus on the iOS release, first and foremost, with the goal of using any income from that to help focus on gameplay improvements. The iPad version may not be as polished or pretty as it might have been with Kickstarter support, but we'll do what we can. If you're interested in Beta Testing the iPad version, be sure to follow our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vendetta-Online/112211466226), Twitter (https://twitter.com/VendettaOnline) and RSS feeds (http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/news_atom.xml), as we'll be announcing the limited beta program there.
VO for OUYA will launch. I don't know exactly when. Hopefully well before their retail release.


Beyond that, it's tough to say exactly. Without the capital to really focus on these development advancements for an extended period, we're going to have to give our attention to other ways of bringing in funds. This doesn't mean the company/game is going to die or anything, we have opportunities.. they're just usually opportunities that take us away from the work our game needs the most. Regardless of our timeline, the development goals for 1.9 will still remain more or less the same.. I just have no idea when they'll be completed.

If you would like to continue supporting us, please consider taking a look at the game (http://www.vendetta-online.com/), and potentially subscribing. If we can raise our recurring subscriber count enough, along with the iPad release, we might be able to fund some of the development targets we had planned for the Kickstarter. Plus, our $10/month subscription is a lot less than our average pledge of over $100 (thank you all for that, I think the KS average is $25, and we're over four times higher). Your subscription will work across any platform, including the upcoming iPad release.

We may also offer some of the planned rewards as part of a "subscription drive". So if some of the listed options were of interest to you, please keep that in mind all the more.

Beyond this, we may also offer our own direct crowdfunding options on our website. I'm not sure exactly what shape that will take, but we'll potentially take a look at it after the iPad version ships. Keep track of our social media outlets and potentially subscribe to our newsletter if you have a VO account, the announcements will go out there, and of course we'll have discussion about it in advance on our forums.

Another Kickstarter down the road is possible, but not immediately. Kickstarters are incredibly time consuming to run, and for now I need to focus on the iPad version and other immediate goals. Direct crowdfunding might also be a better fit for us, per the KS dashboard statistics, the vast majority of our pledges discovered us through our own sites, and we offer more international billing options.

Thank you all so much! As tough as this has personally been for me, in some ways, all of you who supported us have been a great source of inspiration. Every time someone new would support us, or increase their pledge, it buoyed my spirit a little more. To those of you who have been with us for many years and pledged (some of you in vast amounts).. thank you so much, you keep me going. To those who just discovered us for the first time and have sent me many kind messages: I am humbled by your support for our goals and belief in our odd little company.

I will continue to do everything I can to build and deliver the game vision I have proposed. Thank you all for your past, present, and hopefully future support!

John "Incarnate" Bergman, Founder & CEO, Guild Software Inc.