181
Backers
$5,121
pledged of $5,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on May 16, 2011.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
A free copy of the game for PC when it's available. (Other versions aren't definite yet.)
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
The above, plus: Occasional access to new alphas or betas, including the "falling sand" mode depicted in the videos.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
The above, plus: Mention in the credits under "Special Thanks."
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
The above, plus: A PDF of a special comic story about the game, done in the art style of the "artsy" video. This will be poster-size and wide format (like, 19x19 inches) and in the form of a PDF. You can read it as-is, or print it out at your local office supply store.
Pledge $75 or more Pledge $75 or more
The above, plus: Optionally, and with your permission, your name or an alternate text of your choosing may be used in some of the random text generation the game does, for example: planet names, substance names, monster names, random jokes. I'd email you and ask for a word or name or two to add to the game's lists. Names of people, aliens, liquids, gases, planets, or maybe other things.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
The above, plus: Throughout the game your character is seeking a variety of lost treasures hidden deep underground. You can name one of these treasures yourself, and I will work your treasure into the game. I must retain final approval over the treasure's name (nothing mood-breaking please), but generally I'm fairly easy going about this. Your treasure may not appear in every game; in fact, it might be a super-rare thing, only showing up once in a blue moon.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
The above, plus: A color, printed, signed and numbered edition of the comic mentioned above, printed as a poster.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
The above, plus: A physical realization (courtesy of a friend's 3D printer) representing one of the treasures of the game, that you can actually hold in your hands, use stop papers from blow away, or use to perform dark and complex rites to the elder gods! The object should be about the size that can fit in one hand. Own a fragment of In Profundis' ancient lore made real!
Project By
Has not connected their Facebook account.
John Harris has been writing computer games since the days of the Commodore 64 (a very few may know him as "The Mad Gamer"). More recently he's been hanging out on Metafilter, writing columns for GameSetWatch, and articles occasionally for Gamasutra. Because he likes defying expectations, he also maintains the comics blog Roasted Peanuts.
I should mention that the project's blog is at:
http://coindoorinterlock.blogspot.com/
It's not, it's just slow.
It would be pretty easy to assume that this project is DOA at this point.
Hey! Leaving an update here emails all the backers so I've been trying to confine general updates to the COIN DOOR INTERLOCK blog, at http://coindoorinterlock.blogspot.com/
I agree though, it's been too long since I made an update here. I'll try to put one together soon.
Any news? Time for an update?
Congrats! Just got back online after moving from one apartment to another. I had NO clue this was going to make it! I'm so happy you somehow pulled it off, John! Can't wait to see what you can do with it!
Woo-freakin-hoo! Congrats! Looking forward to what you do with this game.
Yay, John, so glad you made your goal! Very heartening!!
Wow, that's amazing. I really didn't think this project would make the goal, and then in the 11th hour blasts up to 5k. Incredible. Looking forward to this game! :)
Fantastic! Out of the blue indeed...
great news, congrats!
Congrats, John! I can't wait to see the finished product!
Wow - I was kind of sad that this wasn't going to get funded, but apparently someone decided to make it so. Congrats!
Hory shet, awesome save!
Got scared when I recieved the payment notice on the mail, I was like "wait wasn't it kinda out of the question?".
Congrats to John!
Now gimme game XD
Woah! John's gonna be happy when he sees this :)
Awesome last minute save!
Wow, congratulations John!
Holy shit!
Woohoo, made it! Heard about the project in the last 30 minutes and pledged $250... Glad I got here just in time :)
amazing finish, congrats!!
Scrap that it's there, congratulations!
I meant donate more just now btw.
Oh come on $40 left... I would donate if I could afford to...
Reiterating what Mr. Weeks said. Definitely give more details on the game itself will be like.
Grr...line-breaks are all botched.
Next time, talk about the game more. You're demonstrating a geeky, neat CA toy. But not much of a game. You know how the longer bottom video shows some slide-show cartoons in the first person about what it's going to be like to play? Do more of that. What are the goals? What are treasures? What can the player do? Make it clear that it's going to be fun, not just neato.
Also, I'd suggest setting your goal as low as possible and then include a bunch of contingencies for if you get *more* backing than you expect. And tell us what you're using it for. Something like:
"
I need $2500 to pay rent while I work on this full time for three months. I've got enough done to know that that's the kind of push I'll need to make it for real.
If I can squeeze another $500 out of you, I'll take the game to (some venue) where I can compete and get more publicity -- getting into more hands and getting feedback from more players will help make the game better for everyone.
If I get another $1000 I'll be able able to purchase a Mac Mini and the dev environment and network membership for the iDevices and port it over. Because I'm writing the original in C++ (or whatever) it'll port to Objective C fairly easily.
If I get another $1000 ...
"
Etc. End it at the max that you think would be valuable, but if that's higher than $5k, consider a high-end goal where you'll be able to code up some extra stuff for a version that you make available only to your Kickstarter supporters.
I also think your incentives above $25 are kind of weak. Maybe they're enough for people with a lot of cash or people who want to support you anyway, but if you can think of better stuff that doesn't eat up all the cash they give, that might help. (Putting references to the backer, through planets, monsters and inside jokes is great -- but pretty expensive.)
And obviously, this is all just my opinion. I /would/ like to see you make this thing.
I like what you wrote about cellular automata on Gama and you seem to have Linux under control (if you need help, it's totally out there :), so I'll cast my lot in with this. Maybe you can pull the 1800 you need in the next 40 hours? Here's to hoping.
Good idea. Keep working on it and try again! I'll back you again. I love niche games (it's pretty much everything I create too), though they can be difficult to get support for.
I'll probably restart it at $3,000 once the deadline passes. It's heartening that it's made it this far, at least!
Bummer this project missed. Keep working on it!
Couldn't hurt. Publicity is really the thing the project needs right now, I think.
Sincerely hope we get you to the final mark then. I'll talk to a friend about this, he writes articles on a french game web-site : maybe he'll do one.
Might get you a few backers - who knows ?
I am aiming to complete this fairly quickly once the goal is met. The money is to enable me to focus on getting it done; I have a solid idea of what the game will be like, and that's what I'm aiming for. There is room for adding more things, since part of the fun of the game I think is in finding new substances and treasures, but I hope to finish the game completely within maybe three to six months of the goal being made, after which maintence
On updates: The $5 backers, as well as people who buy the game later, will get all updates free of course. That's the only fair way to do it. Android and iOS versions it's too early to think about, and I'm not sure how their app stores work in this regard, but if such versions prove to be in the cards I would greatly like to give those versions free to backers and PC purchasers as well. I do not think it is good to sell the same game to the same person over and over for different platforms.
What's your time-frame for releasing the game assuming the goal is met?
What's your vision in the longer term about updates once the game is considered "done" (for the $5 backers)?
If the project doesn't make the goal I am not sure yet. I work delivering pizza, and it's a very poor energy-to-money ratio for me. It takes a lot of my energy and drive to do it. I suspect, honestly, that the project would continue, but I wouldn't be able to devote the intensive resources to it as I have the past few weeks. I did that with Mayflight, for like three solid months, and the result, while nice in some ways, was eventually sabotaged by the hard time goal for completion, which in the end was tremendously discouraging.
I can't say for sure that In Profundis would definitely get finished if it doesn't make goal.
Yeah, I understood that health/death was yet to be implemented : as it is, your are working quite fast anyway !
But I was intrigued about the jumping height, thanks for the answer.
This is looking cooler and cooler. Like Michael, I can't back you up right now but I will as soon as I can. Meanwhile I'll follow and comment !
Just one question - in the eventuality you do not reach the 5000$ what would happen of the project ? Would it go on, but with a smaller scope ? Or stop altogether ?
Oh and yes, you will consume air eventually. The oxygen model produces a little carbon dioxide. It's very small, but it accumulates. Fires will probably produce more.
Yrael: Yes, there is no character death yet, or indeed health, and getting caught in a collapse currently works like getting embedded by the platforming engine.
High jumping at the moment is a bit of a compromise for the fact that equipment hasn't been implemented yet.
Michael Robertson:
Thanks, every bit helps!
Barry Pitcher:
Setting: The caves are on alien planets, which helps to explain the (forthcoming) random properties of some of the fluids and gases.
Realism: The mood is intended to be more realistic, but it's not intended to be a RW caving sim. Not sure about how common monsters are yet, they may have random properties and some may be friendly. Species unsure, but for some reason I keep imagining them like the Yetis from Spelunky.
I've been planning the cave as the kind of thing you return to over multiple expeditions, persisting between them, each taking one day of game time. (So, returning to base advances the clock and charges you an expedition maintenance fee.) But I don't know if that's the most interesting play style yet, there are still many prototypes to construct. I've actually considered making the game "deathless," in that if you get crushed or trapped you could call for help from an automated probe, but at a huge cost. Don't really know if that has legs though; maybe as an alternate mode. A "hardcore" mode is a definite possibility. All of your questions here I have thought a lot about.
The cave does have boundries and is not, itself, infinite. I think this is important because the location of base is in a set location and you really need access to it to progress in the game. There might be multiple caves eventually.
Character development will be mostly equipment based. There may be permanent equipment but it'll have to be found.
Fire? Yes, the beginnings of support are already in the game.
Explosions? Definitely!
Gas/oil? Yes. (Basic gases are already in (no properties yet though) and oil has been shown in previous videos -- it's not in this one because the cave generation has improved and now it only appears deeper.)
High scores: Probably.
Achievements: Possibly.
Rivers: They are already possible in a way, water falling off the world is recycled in through the top.
Scott Tykoski:
Thanks!
I'll just start by saying how great this project looks, and now i will bombard you with lots of questions about the direction of this project. Obviously you are busy; and some you won't know yourself, so don't feel you have to answer them all. Any extra info will help me to sell it a lot easier to the communities i use.
What is the setting of the game world? Is it completely based on real life, or with sci-fi/fantsy twists? i.e with the talk of monsters, what were you thinking on their species?
How will the levels work? Will it be randomly generated from scratch each time you enter the cave, or will it be persistant? Will the cave be infinite, or have bounderies? Will the caves have difficulty ratings? Will the caves have levels like angband/nethack (i.e looking for a staircase type thing)?
How will you deal with death and charcter development? Will you have lives, will dying cost money/resources or will there be a "hardcore" mode? Will there be charcter development (hold breath longer, run faster, jump higher etc.)? Will your charcter need food and fresh water? Will there be a high score table or achievements?
And finally some questions about details. Will there be fire and explosions from gas/oil? Will there be running rivers (i suppose they would need to flow off the edge or into bottomless lakes for them to work)? And, last one, will there be oxygen depletion within air pockets in the cave?
Had to namedrop your project in a Dev Diary :) hope it brings some excited players to your project!
http://forums.elementalgame.com/408083/page/1/#2928557
This project looks great, I really like the direction it's going in already in terms of communication. You might want to check out Rock Paper Shotgun as a place for getting eyeballs on the project as they are usually into indie projects like this.
Thanks for the pointer, I wasn't familiar with that one. Checking it out on YouTube reveals a game with some similarity. I think the similarity is mostly superficial, although it is interesting how many mining games there are lately.
Not digging games, like Dig Dug, which are enemy avoidance games on a playfield revealed ahead of time, but *mining* games, where you have only limited information on your surroundings and have to explore to find interesting treasures and/or ores. I remember Tarn Adams mentioning Dwarf Fortress was inspired by another mining game whose name escapes me. They're kind of a burgeoning genre.
Theres an XBox Indie game called 'Miner Dig Deep' that this kinda reminds me of...has a bit of a following, so hopfully this can appease that market as well (though, obviously, appeasing ANY part of the minecraft crowd would be more lucrative) :)
I've actually played a good bit of Minecraft myself. Hopefully before long, working on the platforming engine now. Keep in mind, Minecraft is a game of building and construction as much as exploration. Building really isn't the point of my game, it's more figuring out the best ways use equipment.
Being a Minecrafter (seemingly the only one around here...), I'm rather intrigued by this game. Any clue as to when we'll get to see some gameplay?
That's good enough. I'm backing.
Linux version: I actually have access to a Linux development machine. It's too early to say absolutely for sure, but I'd rate the chances as quite high. The prototype runs on Python/Pygame/Psyco, which are all perfectly capable on Linux.
Let me put it this way: I will try my damnest to make a Linux version, and the prototype at least poses no obstacles. Good enough for you?
Will there be a Linux version and/or will the source code be available for me to recompile for Linux and/or will it run well on WINE?
I hope you guys will be able to see the beginning of it panning out before long, dot dot dot
This is looking really cool, can't wait to see how it pans out!
Non-lethal monsters are a good idea, but I really think lethal ones could be a "nice" plus. I'm all for improvised weapons : let the players use their wit and inventiveness ! ^^
Well, I think I've run out of questions... For now :P