Homeward Bound
Firstly, a Happy St. Patrick’s Day to our wonderful backers! We definitely felt some green come in this weekend, THANK YOU!
NEW Stretch Goal for Text-Only FRIGS
So, we made a few changes to our stretch goals! Upon checking our quotes from localization services, we’ve made some adjustments and have added a new stretch goal at $180,000 for text-only FRIGS (French, Russian, Italian, German, and Spanish) translations. Behold, our modified stretch goals here.
While we were modifying stretch goals, we also decided to bump the bonus Large Demon and Biclops resin figures down a few reward tiers! (It's an end-of-Kickstarter Demon's Deal, if you will.) And if we do happen to gather enough pledges to offer fully-voiced localizations, we’ll introduce TWO more bonus figures, the Casipoisse and Skeltch monsters!
Demo Feedback
Thank you to all of our backers and non-backers alike for taking the time to review the recently-released Mage’s Initiation demo, we appreciate all of your honest feedback and the detailed reports. We noticed that a combat difficulty slider was one of the most strongly-demanded features, and a some people had suggestions to add support for 16:9 widescreen resolution.
Since it’s up to you to decide if you want to fight only the required boss battles, or devote entire days to roaming the forest (and newly-opened wasteland) to go monster slaying, we hadn’t initially planned on adding such a difficulty slider. However, in light of recent feedback, we’ve now decided to implement one, as the general response has been that combat could be made to cater to players who enjoy challenging battles AND those who prefer simpler combat.
Per adding support for 16:9 resolution, the game backgrounds were designed for 4:3 and, sadly, changing the game resolution to 16:9 dynamically isn’t possible due to current limitations of the AGS engine. However, if we meet our $120K stretch goal (porting Mage’s Initiation to various systems), 16:9 support will be guaranteed, as the smartphone versions will necessitate it. The funding will also be used to cover additional work required to tweak the graphical assets and make the game fully functional at the new resolution. Please be sure to visit our Technical forum to report bugs and crashes, and our general Mage’s Initiation forum for any additional questions, concerns, compliments, and feedback.
T-Shirt Designs
The time is nigh for t-shirt voting! We wanted to get an idea of which t-shirt design our backers would prefer. Alas, there can be only one. Some people really liked the full-color cover art displayed on the front, while others mentioned they would prefer something more subtle.
Do you prefer the full-color cover art? A plain white logo? Or the silver logo with a spell flare on the apostrophe? Please take a look at the three t-shirt images below and cast your vote by commenting in this update!
While we’re sticking with standard black short-sleeve t-shirts for the campaign, we’d like to gauge interest in hoodies and long-sleeve tees to sell in our store since our supplier carries them. (And hoodies make good substitutes for the Heat spell!)
Ear Candy
In celebration of surpassing our $95,000 "Four Quests goal", our composer Brandon Blume has revealed the Main Theme for Mage's Initiation for all to hear. This particular version may not make it into the game, but he considers it to be the leitmotif for this installment (and possibly, the full series). Check it out!
Also, check out more select musical picks from the game if you haven't already!
Mage's Initiation Select Music Themes
The Initiate’s New Clothes
Our supplier just showed us these newly-painted samples of the D’arc resin figure! We can’t wait to put them in full production, and create many more polyresin facsimiles! We’ve already got the Goblin, Bort, and Hawkain joining the resin figure party, Priestess Amun Cul is coming next if we hit our $100K stretch goal! Goblin, Bort, Hawkain, and D'arc are available at $100 and up!
Special Thanks to the Sierra Greats
We’re extremely honored and flattered that both Al Lowe and Scott Murphy gave us shout-outs and such kind words about Mage’s Initiation. Lori and Corey Cole then brought us a substantial amount of new blood by giving us a much-appreciated shout-out in their latest Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption update. We’d like to thank them all for helping us reach even more adventure gamers! It’s really something to see the very same folks who made the awesome games we grew up with, praising and promoting our work today!
We’re heading into the homestretch now with just five days remaining on the Kickstarter clock! If we get a solid drive to the end, as we have been these past few days, we believe we can hit $120K and get Mages ported and rolled out to various platforms!
The campaign has been a real blast and we’re still amazed at the support we’ve received. We’d like to once again thank our wonderful community for pledging your collective hearts out. We’re just itching to throw the wheels in motion to get this epic show on the road! Please do continue to spread the word, tell others about the game who may not yet know about it. Help us bring this Kickstarter campaign home to a worthy conclusion!
The Himalaya Studios Team
3,157
Backers
$125,174
pledged of $65,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
Feb 19, 2013 -
Mar 23, 2013
- First created · 10 backed
- Has not connected Facebook
- Website: himalayastudios.com
Pledge $6 or more
500 backers All gone!
Early Bird: Times are tough and we couldn't get the Earth Mages to erect enough barriers to prevent Iginor from falling off the fiscal cliff (or even those lofty-headed Air Mages to cast a decent Float spell). But only so many can be saved from the abyss! So for just $6, if you're among the lucky 500, you'll get a digital DRM-free copy of Mages Initiation for the PC and access to the private backer forums!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $16 or more
1528 backers
Initiate: A DRM-free digital copy of the Mage's Initiation game on PC, plus a high-quality digital music soundtrack to accompany it. You'll be privy to some magical game art desktop wallpapers and acquire access to the private backer forums.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $20 or more
305 backers
Apprentice: Two colorful sheets of stickers so you can adorn various objects with your favorite characters. You’ll also get your name inscribed in a book in the Mage's Tower library. Includes all previous rewards, and the postage is on us no matter what corner of the world you're in.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $30 or more
202 backers
Spellcaster: Standard Edition physical copy of the game on DVD (Windows), in a plastic DVD case. Includes all previous rewards.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $5 to ship outside the USPledge $40 or more
59 backers
DABBLER: A Demon’s Deal deck in a collectible debossed tin case featuring high-quality monster artwork by John-Paul Selwood; a physical version of the minigame you play at the Iginor Tavern, plus all previous rewards!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $10 to ship outside the USPledge $50 or more
46 backers
Magus: A Mage’s Initiation t-shirt in full-color on black splendor: a bit more comfortable and suitable for everyday wear than robes and tunics! Available in mens’ S-3XL and ladies’ XS-3XL. You will also receive one foil pack of eight (8) trading cards, and all previous rewards!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $10 to ship outside the USPledge $50 or more
90 backers
Spellbinder: A special all-digital tier catered to international backers who don't want to get hassled by customs and/or don't have room for our physical items. You will receive all previous digital rewards (digital copies of the game and soundtrack, wallpapers, access to the private backer forums, and your name in the library book) but you will also recieve a PDF version of the art book available at higher tiers, a hi-res PNG of the cloth map of Iginor that comes with the Collector's Edition, the full set of character portraits by Karen Petrasko in digital format, and a digital DRM-free copy of Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman's Mine PLUS the Al Emmo soundtrack featuring 53 tracks by Tom Lewandowski of Quest Studios!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $60 or more
11 backers
Illusionist: Get your hands on a breath-taking 8.5" x 11" lithograph signed by game background artist, John Paul Selwood (suitable for framing) and all previous rewards!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $10 to ship outside the USPledge $70 or more
34 backers
Shaman: A bolstered version of the Spellbinder all-digital tier that includes all of the previous digital rewards in that tier, as well as hi-res digital versions of the poster and spellbook page, access to the closed beta build of Mage's Initiation (ESTIMATED BETA DATE: October 2013 and beta will be Windows-only), and a second digital copy of the Mage's Initiaton game!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $75 or more
7 backers
Conjurer: Snag a supreme 18" x 24" poster that depicts the game’s cover artwork on a glossy surface, and access to the closed beta version of the game and all previous rewards! (ESTIMATED BETA DATE: October 2013. Please note that the beta will be Windows only.)
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $100 or more
163 backers
Elementalist: Your very own boxed Collector's Edition that comes with top-notch Kickstarter-exclusive swag! (NOTE: This is the same Collector's Edition package listed on our website's pre-order page.) Includes: a retail-quality box with matte/spot UV and cover flap featuring D'arc in your choice of Mage attire (Fire, Earth, Air, or Water) containing a Windows game CD and audio soundtrack CD, an 11" x 17" old-school cloth map of the land of Iginor, two foil packs of collectible Mage's Initiation trading cards for sixteen (16) total, and an ancient spellbook page. You will also get an awesome limited-edition 4" x 3" x 3" full-color polyresin figure of D'arc, the game's protagonist, depicted as the element class of your choice! (Fire, Earth, Air, or Water) PLUS all previous rewards (Note: the deluxe box replaces the standard DVD case you’d get at the $30 Spellcaster tier).
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $150 or more
68 backers
Cabalist: A jaw-dropping hardcover book of the game's beautiful art on glossy pages to show off alongside your Collector's Edition. You will also get all previous rewards, and to sweeten the deal we'll throw in another foil pack of trading cards, so you'll get a total of 24 cards!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $150 or more
11 backers Limited (19 of 30 left)
Augurer: Be a star in the trophy case in Priestess' palace! A severed head sprite will be made in your likeness. This is a special digital reward for our international and cramped-housing backers; it builds on the Shaman tier with all previous digital rewards but contains no physical items.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $175 or more
12 backers
Pyromancer: Channel the elements with an ancient bronze Order of the Severed Circle pendant as seen in the game, plus four foil packs of trading cards for a total of 32 and all previous rewards!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $200 or more
62 backers
Thaumaturgist: All four of the full-color, polyresin D'arc figures are yours (Fire, Earth, Air, and Water classes). You'll also get the FULL set of trading cards (five foil packs for all 40!), plus all the previous rewards!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Add $15 to ship outside the USPledge $400 or more
15 backers Limited (15 of 30 left)
Evoker: An “extra” sprite to appear standing around in the game as a depiction of yourself (or your own design), as the Mage class of your own choice, plus all previous rewards! (And once you reach this level, you don't need to add extra for shipping.)
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $500 or more
1 backer All gone!
WRAITH: Your likeness will grace the featured missing persons' poster that D'arc pieces together in order to solve a major quest, and all previous rewards!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $800 or more
1 backer Limited (1 of 2 left)
Beastmaster: The forests of Iginor wouldn’t be so great to explore without interesting monsters to fight: you get to design a monster at this tier plus receive all previous rewards except Limited quantity tiers!
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $1,250 or more
1 backer All gone!
Flame Warlock: Craft a Fire-themed combat spell of your own design for use by D'arc in battle. This spell will become lore in the game universe and any sequels! Includes all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $1,250 or more
1 backer All gone!
Water Warlock: Craft a Water-themed combat spell of your own design for use by D'arc in battle. This spell will become lore in the game universe and any sequels! Includes all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $1,250 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Wind Warlock: Craft an Air-themed combat spell of your own design for use by D'arc in battle. This spell will become lore in the game universe and any sequels! Includes all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $1,250 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Earth Warlock: Craft a Earth-themed combat spell of your own design for use by D'arc in battle. This spell will become lore in the game universe and any sequels! Includes all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $3,000 or more
1 backer All gone!
Archmage: For the true collector, awaits a stunningly vivid 16" x 20" original canvas painting based on Mage's Initiation lore. The artwork depicts D'arc as a child, being lead towards Iginor's Mage Tower by his new Magical Masters, Gurdet and Aranea. This painting is one-of-a-kind, and is signed by the artist, John Paul Selwood. It will arrive to you professionally framed and matted with acid-free materials, and museum glass. You'll also get a prominent Associate Producer credit within the game, a total of five (5) digital copies of the game, and all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $5,000 or more
1 backer All gone!
Supreme Air Archmage: Become a NPC combatant in Mage’s Initiation! Fight toe-to-toe with D’arc himself in the Training Hall with the winds of war on your side. This includes having your own lip-synced dialog portrait drawn in the game and voicing your own lines and battle grunts. A complete range of fighting animations will be exclusively animated for your battle sprite, including attack moves, spell-casting, injury recoils, knockdowns, running, walking, and more! You'll also get a prominent Associate Producer credit within the game, a total of 10 digital copies of the game, and all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $5,000 or more
1 backer All gone!
Supreme Earth Archmage: Become a NPC combatant in Mage’s Initiation! Fight toe-to-toe with D’arc himself in the Training Hall, summoning the powers of all things rock and loam. This includes having your own lip-synced dialog portrait drawn in the game and voicing your own lines and battle grunts. A complete range of fighting animations will be exclusively animated for your battle sprite, including attack moves, spell-casting, injury recoils, knockdowns, running, walking, and more! You'll also get a prominent Associate Producer credit within the game, a total of 10 digital copies of the game, and all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $5,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Supreme Water Archmage: Become a NPC combatant in Mage’s Initiation! Fight toe-to-toe with D’arc himself in the Training Hall, backed by the crushing waves to quench your thirst for victory. This includes having your own lip-synced dialog portrait drawn in the game and voicing your own lines and battle grunts. A complete range of fighting animations will be exclusively animated for your battle sprite, including attack moves, spell-casting, injury recoils, knockdowns, running, walking, and more! You'll also get a prominent Associate Producer credit within the game, a total of 10 digital copies of the game, and all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014Pledge $5,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
Supreme Fire Archmage: Become a NPC combatant in Mage’s Initiation! Fight toe-to-toe with D’arc himself in the Training Hall, calling on the great inferno to aid you in battle. This includes having your own lip-synced dialog portrait drawn in the game and voicing your own lines and battle grunts. A complete range of fighting animations will be exclusively animated for your battle sprite, including attack moves, spell-casting, injury recoils, knockdowns, running, walking, and more! You'll also get a prominent Associate Producer credit within the game, a total of 10 digital copies of the game, and all previous rewards except the Limited quantity tiers.
Estimated delivery: Feb 2014
Comments
Creator Devon Rampe on March 19
Ohhh I sooo much hope they blast past the $120,000 goal... I needs me some 16:9 please!! <3 This game is looking great! :)
Creator Ido Gordin on March 18
I would prefer the design #1 t-shirt
Creator Bryan Allen on March 18
I like how the first one is so colorful, but also how clean and focused on the title the second one is. If I had to pick only one, I'd go with #2 - the silver logo with a spell flare on the apostrophe.
Creator Matthew Steigerwald on March 18
Definitely prefer the second shirt. Understated but still very nice
Creator Jason Parachoniak on March 18
I strongly prefere the full-color cover shirt. It looks awesome.
Creator Denise Segelstrom on March 18
I like Design #2. Just the words with the splash of color.
Creator Andy Seymour on March 18
*art
Creator Andy Seymour on March 18
Yes I agree with Design#2 color logo on the front and full cover rt (Design #1) on the back!
Creator joaniegecko on March 18
While I absolutely adore the cover artwork, I have to say my vote goes for the third option, the plain silver logo. It really pops on the black background and I bet it would start a lot of great conversations wearing it around the office! :) "Hey, what's that for?" "An awesome game that you should play!"
Creator deonast on March 18
Definitely the full colour artwork shirt, why go part way when you can go the whole hog. I can honestly give my opinion as I've put in the tier to get one. Normally I go digital for kickstarter pledges but this time going for something more tangible. I hope that doesn't hurt too much the funds needed to develop the game.
Creator ☜☆RSF☆☞ MGT470 Virtuous Duck Merchant on March 18
Sounds good, looks good, and yes that's from RSF, so that should mean something. haha
Those Polyresin figures look pretty awesome - couldn't leave without specifically mentioning that. :D
BTW: T-shirt #2 FWIWs. ;-)
Creator Russell Deitch on March 18
I have a suggestion for after the KS so as not to interfere with the current tiers.
There are currently 23 Augurer slots left. However many remain when the campaign closes,
make into a limited edition add-on at $80 per head (the difference between Shaman and Augerer).
You could probably set that up as a Paypal exclusive.
Creator Gonchi on March 18
@Gavin; I won't hit you... if you raise your pledge to get a t-shirt!
Hmm, would Kickstarter look the other way on extortion? I mean, we really need to hit those stretch goals...
Creator Gavin Lambert - Tormented Dreamer on March 18
@Gonchi: I would vote for the full colour one too... but probably aren't going to be getting a shirt, so I won't. :) (Don't hit me.)
Creator Gonchi on March 18
@Dablue; ... you're not getting a t-shirt but you're voting anyway? Bad dog! I hope you realize I'm going to find you and smack you with a rolled up newspaper if I end up getting stuck with a dull logo t-shirt.
Creator Ignacio Ferreyra on March 18
@Rachel, Russell and Anaxphone That's OK, I can understand that. I thought it was a little rough to just answer "Buy the two of them!" since, after all, I'm looking for an incentive to actually give more money. The hardcover book is not the kind of thing that would make me go the extra mile, but the in-game head is. I thought maybe there could be some kind of win-win agreement, but I have no problem if that won't work for Himalaya. Thanks for your answers, cheers.
And BOT, definitely my vote is for #2.
Creator Steven Nelson on March 17
Definitely the silver logo with a spell flare on the apostrophe (t-shirt 2). The full cover art one just seems a bit too busy to wear on a normal basis.
Creator Dablue on March 17
Defenitely t shirt 2 (eventho i am not going for a t shirt ;)
Creator Himalaya Studios, Inc. on March 17
@Ignacio Russell and Anaxphone pretty much said it. You would still still get all of the same digital rewards that come with the $150 tier, it's not just a pixellated severed head. You'll also get multiple digital copies of the game and all the other digital goodies laid out in the infographic. The Augurer tier was created to provide something exclusive to all-digital backers who wanted to spend more than $70 and also have a shot at something in-game that didn't involve physical items. Ultimately though, it's up to your preferences. The $175 and $200 tiers get more physical swag, but no in-game representation.
-Rachel
Creator twincast: Eternally Tormented Mangy WOOS on March 17
None of the T-shirt designs are particularly wearable if you want to blend in among non-nerdy people, so IMHO one may as well go all the way and proudly display the full cover art.
On a different note, I find it odd that the Fire Mage outfit is the only one with grey accents instead of yellow ones. Call it a pet peeve if you will, but truth be told it actually bothers me. :-/
Creator Steven W Wilkinson on March 17
I believe the silver with the spell flair on the apostrophe would be great. I really enjoyed the music, great for this game!
Creator Anaxphone on March 17
@Ignacio- As Russel said, the severed heads were added as a digital-only tier reward for those of us who want to remain with no physical goods, but wanted a higher level to pledge to. It's the only digital-only level with an ingame representation, as opposed to Evoker, Wraith, Beastmaster, the four Warlock, and the four Supreme Archmage tiers.
Creator Russell Deitch on March 17
Ignatio, the severed head is a digital reward. It's an incentive for an all-digital tier beyond Shaman.
If you want physical and digital, you'll have to pay for both. The head isn't an add-on.
Creator timestamp on March 17
I'd be happy with either #2 or #3
Creator Marcio Araujo on March 17
#2 for me!
Creator Ignacio Ferreyra on March 17
@Rachel I'm not sure I quite understand. Does this mean I'd had to pay twice? $100 for the game plus all the swag that comes with it and $150 just for having the head reward? Sorry but this is way off my posibilities and doesn't sound like a real solution. In fact I'd be actually paying more than the 175 and 200 tiers and getting less. Hardly fair.
If you could come up with a better solution, I'd be paying 50% more than what I'm pledging now (and maybe many more would do so as well) but as it is, I'm sticking to my current pledge. No hard feelings, but I think you should reconsider. Cheers.
Creator StromIV - Mangy Weresheepdog of Sin on March 17
First vote would be number 2, and if you made others available number 3. Too much going on with number 1.
Creator Christoffer Ronander on March 17
#2
Creator mihilo on March 17
2nd shirt, colour logo
Creator Jim Holmes on March 17
My vote would go to #3
Creator Luke Jensen on March 17
I prefer the second shirt option; having the box art on the shirt is just too "busy."
Creator Darren on March 17
I vote for the 2nd one.
Creator Mary Harden Rudisill on March 17
Another vote for #2, the color logo.
Creator Starganderfish on March 17
I like the second option, the silver logo with spell flair. As nice as the full colour cover art is, it's way to busy for a T-Shirt.
Resin figures look great!
Creator Michael Gulick on March 17
I love the simplicity and the awesomeness of the #2 logo (silver into gold), but the image on #1 does rock quite nicely. I would agree with Serena. Having the #2 logo on the front with the #1 image on the back would be very cool! Otherwise, I think I would just go with the silver into gold logo as my choice, then hope that the #1 image becomes available in the store eventually :).
Creator Swagger on March 17
I like the minimalist, silver logo the best. I love the box art, but I think it's too busy to use for the t-shirt.
Creator Dave Hopman on March 17
I definitely prefer the full color art to be on the front, and the color logo to be on the back!
Creator Chaz the Paladin on March 17
I'm torn on the t-shirt design. I think #2 would be nicer to wear, while #1 is nice to display/look at. I think I'm basically abstaining. I'll be satisfied with whatever the majority chooses.
Creator Serena Nelson - Hero of the AGRM on March 17
My vote is for one of the logos (really doesn't matter to me which one) on the front and the full color cover art on the back.
Creator Himalaya Studios, Inc. on March 17
@Gonchi If there's enough interest in multiple designs, I think we could definitely offer other t-shirts in our store!
@Ignacio Hmm, a few other people asked this-- I think the easiest solution if you'd like the severed head reward + swag would be to place the severed head pledge here, then grab a Collector's Edition pledge via PayPal.
-Rachel
Creator jh on March 17
Colored logo looks the best to me.
Creator Ignacio Ferreyra on March 17
I also like the color version of the logo.
On another topic, I'm tempted to up my pledge to 150 in order to have my severed head in-game, but I wouldn't like to give up on my collector's edition box and all the swag that comes with it. ¿Is it possible to pay 150 and receive both, the $100 physical prices PLUS the head likeness?
Creator Chun-Che (Johnny) Shih on March 17
I cast (pun intended....? Happy coincidence - Sheldon Cooper/ Big Bang Theory) my vote for the silver logo with spell flare apostrophe logo.
Creator Mika Flinkman on March 17
My vote for the colored logo.
Creator Gonchi on March 17
@Chris; Will different t-shirts be available in the store too?
Creator Chris Warren on March 17
@Jack H R: Yeah, the figures will all be available in the store later on.
Creator Jack Hepburn Raine on March 17
Full colour t is cool or silver with spell effect cant decide, will figures be availble as add on's or in store afterwards.
Creator Gonchi on March 17
I really prefer the full-color cover art. Maybe a tiny Himalaya Studios logo on the back below the collar?
Creator Benjamin Yunker - Proud member of AGL589 on March 17
I second Anaxphone's idea :)
Creator Blake Cross on March 17
I love the full-colour cover art. It looks terrific!