All The Way Open
We have a plan!
We’re going to finish developing Haunts: The Manse Macabre as an Open Source project. The source code has been open from the beginning, but now we’re going to fully embrace open development model and making the game entirely open source. We’ve had about thirty programmers from a variety of backgrounds, including many proficient in Go, who have stepped forward and offered to help finish the game. We’re still in the process of setting up the infrastructure for issue tracking, source control, documentation wikis, and other tools necessary before we can begin in earnest, but we hope to have that all up and running within the next week or two.
Today I sent out a survey to all the interested programmers who’ve contacted me to get a better idea of what people are interested in working on and how much time they’ll have. We’ll be appointing some interim release managers in the short run and then working together to elect those positions. If you’re interested in being included in the survey now, contact me through Kickstarter. But anyone will be able to help out once we get started, we'll need programmers with a variety of skills and interests, testers and more.
If you'd like to join the crew, just fill this survey out:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE1CVTVIOWJpSGZOX3plQURfV0ZzOVE6MQ
Art!
Austin is finishing up the inking on the caricatures and those should be out to backers this week.
Additionally, based on backer S.D.'s excellent suggestion, he's working up some cool Haunts themed wallpaper images for both desktops and mobile devices, which will be out for Halloween.
We've gotten a lot of press coverage, most of it in the general vein of, "Look, see, Kickstarter projects can go bad, so be careful!" I think that's a fair and useful point to make. But we're committed to being the follow-up story. You know, the underdog who comes back from the brink of collapse and proves a resounding success!
Here's one nice piece I wanted to share with you.
http://caffeineforge.com/2012/10/20/the-manse-macabre-only-mostly-dead/
I've also done a few interviews, including one for a radio show that podcasts their episodes. That should run next week, and I'll share the link with you when I get it.
1,214
Backers
$28,739
pledged of $25,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
May 7, 2012 -
Jul 6, 2012
(60 days)
- 2 created · 67 backed
- Rick Dakan 966 friends
- Website: mobrulesgames.com
Pledge $5 or more
699 backers
A code to download the finished game. For every $5 you donate, you get additional codes that you can freely transfer or even sell to other people
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $10 or more
214 backers
Your Initials in the credits (up to 3 letters).Two (2) copies of the game.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $25 or more
98 backers
Your Full Name in the credits (up to 40 characters). Five (5) copies of the game.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $35 or more
95 backers
BETA access to the game this Summer, which will let you both help guide the final game. Your full name in the credits, in the exclusive Beta Bosses section. And of course Seven (7) copies of the game.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2012Pledge $45 or more
20 backers
A Haunts T-Shirt! In the winning design, available in men's and women's styles. Shipped for free in the US, and for an additional charge abroad.
Estimated delivery: Aug 2012Pledge $50 or more
47 backers
All of the above rewards plus a copy of the sound track. Additionally, you get to put a Tweet-length personal message into the credits (Full name plus 140 characters - subject to editing for objectionable content at our sole discretion). Also, naturally, ten (10) copies of the game.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $100 or more
6 backers
All the above - beta, name, message, soundtrack - plus your picture in our Gallery of Generous Ghouls on our web site. And twenty (20) copies of the game!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $150 or more
2 backers
Your Caricature In the Game - your Gallery of Generous Ghouls portrait turned into a caricature of you by Austin and incorporated into our game, where it will appear in various rooms, halls, dungeons, libraries, and other terrifying locales.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $200 or more
0 backers
Your Caricature, in the real world! Austin will hand-draw a version of your caricature, sign it, and ship it to you. Suitable for real world framing as well as digital. Additional shipping fees may apply outside the US.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $250 or more
20 backers Limited (5 of 25 left)
A cameo role in the history of Tyree Manse! Your name will be given to one of the characters in the century-long saga of our haunted setting. Of course you also receive everything that has come before, along with a credit in you Gallery of Generous Ghouls portrait for which character is named after you. Oh yeah, and an insane FIFTY (50) copies of the game - enough to open your own online store!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $7,000 or more
1 backer All gone!
MAKE IT HAPPEN reward pledge. This will put us over the top and make the game happen, so it has to be special! Everything listed above plus: 1) YOU are the Seventh Intruder - a version of you as a playable character in the game. 2) YOUR Story - you get to script TWO scenarios for the game - one from the Intruders POV and one from the Denizens. We'll do the hard work of implementing it in the game, all you have to do is come up with the story (with our helpful input of course). 3) A hand-made, suitable for framing Deed to Tyree Manse, in your name. 4) An appearance on the Pod Macabre to ask us whatever you want. So come on, let's make this happen!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012
Comments
Creator S.D. on October 25, 2012
Austin is a brilliant artist, by my measure, and Rick's new enthusiasm and transparency are inspirational. I'm honored that the team liked my idea enough to implement it! I hope other backers will join me in proudly displaying a nifty wallpaper on their device of choice when it is delivered on Halloween... actually, just the fact that they are committing to delivering *something* awesome on their original release date shows how committed the team is to securing the best possible outcome for us. Thank you, Mob Rules :-)
Creator Rick Dakan on October 24, 2012
@Seumas
What I meant by "fully open source" (which looking may be an idiosyncratic use) is that not only the code is open, but the development is too - open to lots of people contributing and voting on decisions rather than open source code developed behind closed doors.
We will still release a retail product, all packaged up to download and install - someone with the know how would still be able to go and compile the code on their own if they wanted, but I don't think that most people can do that. I'm not sure I could do that. So the backers will get download codes for those retail versions of the game. Does that make sense?
And yes, I think this means we'll have more time to expand on the single-player elements.
Cheers,
Rick
Creator Seumas on October 24, 2012
Can you elaborate on "going completely open source"? Presumably, the project was originally open-source in a way that you could still monetize the game's distribution beyond just selling a copy of the game that has already been compiled -- so what is the difference between that point and where we are now? If it's going "fully open source", then what have backer's actually paid for (besides back-pay of guys who left the project)? Or are you applying an open source license that will facilitate this as a deliverable product with cash-value while still maintaining open-source principals?
I'm not looking for my $25 back and as I've mentioned in a few places, I suspect the project will ultimately be delivered even if it's far delayed (something that is understandable and not of much concern to me, anyway). I would have backed it as "this is a totally open source project, but we need some financial help", anyway. I'm essentially just posing the same kind of Devil's Advocate question you're sure to be asked by anyone writing an article in the future that covers the furthering developments of this project.
.
PS: I hope you would consider using these newly contributed resources and the additional time that the community will surely be willing to handle to re-focus on the single player aspect again, too!
Creator Avarchillion on October 24, 2012
You see? All is not lost.
Humanity has to help each other.
Creator PinkPiggy on October 24, 2012
I'm glad you've got something rolling! Well done!
Creator Barac Baker Wiley on October 23, 2012
Well, I do think it's important that people realize that they are not putting their money down on a complete or almost completed game most of the time. Haunts, alas, stands as example that sometimes, despite good faith and best efforts, game development can hit major, often irrecoverable setbacks. Hopefully it will be an example of one that ends up surmounting those setbacks and coming out to popular and critical acclaim, but if not...well, these things happen. Game development is littered with the bones of cancelled projects. The difference is that usually gamers haven't had a chance to put their own money into the process and don't hear details of what went wrong. Not infrequently, there's not even an announcement that the project has been cancelled.
Creator mike mcdrunk on October 23, 2012
Although I've only invested $10 in the game I still have faith in it being completed. Keep up the good work, ignore the naysayers and stay positive!
Creator Stavros Tsiakalos on October 23, 2012
Will be great to see this turned around. Hope the media will cover that as well and not just jump eagerly on the prospect of kickstarter "failing" .
Creator John Au Coin on October 23, 2012
I don't consider this a project gone bad, you simply had the integrity to turn out a better game than meet the deadline. More talent means more creative options, ultimately refining the final product. Are t-shirts still available? Christmas is coming up ;-)