First Person RPG (with link to download)

[Hvor]

Started developing first person rpg, inspired by Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah.
Made a test scene. You can download it and try it out.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E2diIF2KeCMwgUODR80_kCBjwMs4Z97x/view?usp=sharing
You can support me on Patreon.
https://www.patreon.com/AnatoliiArbatskii

 

[Redglyph]

Looking good so far, good luck!

Do you already have an idea of the story, the settings, the type of elements the game will have?

Patreon is a curious way to approach this, is that common with other developers? Won't you better off with Kickstarter?

 

[Ripper]

I think Patreon is an interesting option for an indie developer. If you get enough support, and build a good relationship with some backers, it could pay the bills while you build the systems, write the lore and the story, and so on. Then, if it goes well, you might get to a stage where you have a KS to hire some help for building out the content, and hit the ground running.

 

[Redglyph]

I think Patreon is an interesting option for an indie developer. If you get enough support, and build a good relationship with some backers, it could pay the bills while you build the systems, write the lore and the story, and so on. Then, if it goes well, you might get to a stage where you have a KS to hire some help for building out the content, and hit the ground running.

But will many be willing to pay a monthly fee for a long development? What happens if there is a delay (which is usually the case) or if the scope changes? I find natural to pay regularly to get new content, like videos, or to pay an initial amount knowing what I get in return and an estimation of when this will be. A monthly wage could be considered, but then we're talking royalties and a solid business plan.

That's why I have the feeling a Kickstarter would get a better reception, I may be wrong.

Moreover, I see no estimation of the duration, or not even a clear description of what it will be. So no matter what form it takes, I'd start by clarifying those points

 

[Ripper]

But will many be willing to pay a monthly fee for a long development? What happens if there is a delay (which is usually the case) or if the scope changes? I find natural to pay regularly to get new content, like videos, or to pay an initial amount knowing what I get in return and an estimation of when this will be. A monthly wage could be considered, but then we're talking royalties and a solid business plan.

That's why I have the feeling a Kickstarter would get a better reception, I may be wrong.

Moreover, I see no estimation of the duration, or not even a clear description of what it will be. So no matter what form it takes, I'd start by clarifying those points

Yes, it's hard to get crowd funding of any kind, and I think you'd need to put a lot of thought and effort into a strategy for attracting support, and incentivising donations. But it definitely goes on. Here's a small one I found with a quick google. This one is offering regular builds to the patrons, putting their names on cargo ships, etc.

1,322 a month is not very much, but for someone in a country with a low cost of living, or a young dev living at home, it might be enough to get by. Or maybe working part time on it, with another part time income.

Another option that occurs to me is to make the base rpg engine an open source project, for everyone to use, which might attract more support. Then customise it and add content for your own commercial game.

 

[Hvor]

There are difficulties in my country with the publication on kickstarter. But I'll get to it when the game has more to show.

 

[Hvor]

I'm not strong in Marketing, but I think I know how to follow through, I have 2 games in steam and I'll finish this one too.
I need $500 a month to do it full time. It's not much and I think I can raise that amount on Patreon. KS is hard to register from my country and it's hard for me to figure out how much money I need for the whole development.
I plan to do a Roadmap and improve the description of the game and add a story. Will this help me?

 

[Hvor]

I'm not strong in Marketing, but I think I know how to follow through, I have 2 games in steam and I'll finish this one too.
I need $500 a month to do it full time. It's not much and I think I can raise that amount on Patreon. KS is hard to register from my country and it's hard for me to figure out how much money I need for the whole development.
I plan to do a Roadmap and improve the description of the game and add a story. Will this help me?

 

[Redglyph]

Yes, it's hard to get crowd funding of any kind, and I think you'd need to put a lot of thought and effort into a strategy for attracting support, and incentivising donations. But it definitely goes on. Here's a small one I found with a quick google. This one is offering regular builds to the patrons, putting their names on cargo ships, etc.

1,322 a month is not very much, but for someone in a country with a low cost of living, or a young dev living at home, it might be enough to get by. Or maybe working part time on it, with another part time income.

Another option that occurs to me is to make the base rpg engine an open source project, for everyone to use, which might attract more support. Then customise it and add content for your own commercial game.

Yes, it's really about strategy, I'm not saying it's not possible.

It's nice to see there are new possibilities, in any case. The very idea of Kickstarter is not obvious, at least not for me. And it does work pretty well, considering its simplicity. This is great because it allows more of those indie games, which for me are the lungs bringing new oxygen in game features and styles.

A case that makes me wince is Star Citizen. I've seen people spend hundreds of dollars in ships, some even go further than that. It's really becoming comparable to patronage except it's for a product, so they're only spending that to support the developer and get some fun in the process (though there are cheaper ways to have better fun). But so many years after, it's not finished yet, and the scope has grown out of proportion, I'm not sure they're all happy about it. Granted, it's an extreme case.

It's really putting shades of grey on the old, well-defined patterns. And as you said, you can combine several of those new strategies, and not only make final products, but also intermediate tools (so for a completely different customer). Interesting times.