Xenonauts Stretch Goal Poll & Voting!
EDIT - actually, as several people have pointed out, my sums are a bit dubious. The cost / shipping of the reward accounts for about half of the increase in each level above a $30 pledge, but the donations as massively weighted towards the $20 / $30 tier so we'll recieve a higher % overall (though that will fall if people up their pledge). Maybe 70-75% of the amount pledged?
We'll look if that means we can make the tilesets a bit cheaper.
OK, time for a new update! This one will explain in detail what new features have already been confirmed for the game, and allow you to vote on the stretch goals!
First, I need to stress that the demo on our page is an alpha version of the game. There are several major elements which are not in it, but have always been planned. You do not need to request these features from us – you were always going to get them, even if the Kickstarter had failed:
- Currently we have the Industrial, Farmyard and Western Town tilesets in the game. There will also be Desert, Tundra, Xenonaut Base and Alien Base tilesets in the game.
- The map randomisation code is already functional, but level design is time consuming so we’ve not put too much time into it yet. There will be many more maps in the final game.
- The demo has three alien species in it. In the final game, there are at least nine. Each alien species has up to nine different ranks / variants (though some only have one). Thus, there will be a lot more alien types in the final game.
- The AI is not finished either. Aliens will be a lot smarter in the final game.
Next, let’s talk about what you guys have already achieved! As a result of hitting our 100% funding goal on Kickstarter, we’ll definitely be implementing the following features:
- The new UI design will be rolled out across the whole game (ideally with the background art updating as you research new technology)
- Soldier combat medal system
- Battlefield suppression mechanics
- Animated tiles
- DRM free release of the game
We’re still looking at implementing more of the features listed on the front page, but we can’t confirm them for definite yet. Although it is very tempting to think we’ve made it big when you see the amount of cash that has been donated, the unpleasant realization has hit us that once we take into account Kickstarter / Amazon fees, plus the costs of manufacturing and shipping all the backer rewards, we’re not likely to be left with more than 50% of the total money raised for development purposes.
The new UI will consume most of those funds – it’s a lot of art, management time and will involve recoding the layout of almost every single screen in the game. We definitely think it will be worth it, though – it should make the game vastly more immersive and we’re really happy we’ve raised the funds to be able to add this in.
Next, stretch goals. These are the new features we’ll add to the game as the Kickstarter hits higher and higher levels – improving the experience for everybody!
These will come at $75k, $100k, $125k, $150k, $175k and $200k. We’ve set up a poll so that you can choose which features you most want to see in the game, with the top voted feature coming in at $75k and the next most popular one coming in at $100k (and so on).
Also, we’re in the process of costing out boxed copies. There’s a lot of interest in them, but we need to make sure that we’re not going to be losing money if we offer them! There’s a question on the poll where you can register your interest if you do want one.
OK, without further ado, here’s the available stretch goals. Vote for your favorites on the poll here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CBDTVPS
- Mac / Linux port – The game will be ported onto Mac / Linux platforms for release, and hopefully for beta too.
- Female soldiers – We’ll add female soldiers to the game, with 25-30 female portraits and modified Basic Armour soldier art. Battlefield sprites will remain unisex.
- Soviet Town terror tileset ($40k) – the current terror tileset is an American town. To fit with the Cold War theme, we’ll put in an alternate tileset for the Soviet bloc countries using Soviet-style architecture.
- Military Base tileset ($40k) – this tileset would allow us to put military terror sites in the game, where aliens have attacked a military base and you are sent in to deal with them.
- Indoor missions – these would be missions where combat squads are sent into large buildings or into underground bunkers to clear out an alien strike team. We can mostly re-use the Xenonaut Base tiles for this, so this will be a $25k item.
- Reaper (Chryssalid) Hive tileset ($40k) – in addition to the normal alien base missions, we will add Reaper (the Xenonaut equivalent of Chryssalids) Hive missions to the late-game. These would feature “nodes” that spawned infinite numbers of Reapers until destroyed. Yes, I have been playing Space Hulk.
- Tileset-Specific NPC Allies – we do have friendly AI soldiers in the game, but only one type. This would add different variants – police on the Industrial tileset, farmers with shotguns on the Farm tileset, mujahedeen with AK-47s on the Desert tileset etc.
- Vehicle Combat Experience – soldiers level up with experience, vehicles do not. This would allow vehicles to increase their stats (not armour / health) by a maximum of 15% with combat experience.
- Pilot Portraits and Callsigns – at the moment, the aircraft are just aircraft. This would give each aircraft a pilot portrait and a callsign, so they seem less expendable. These pilots will not level up with experience.
- Human Psionics and Blaster Bombs – We’ve removed these from the game due to balance reasons, and we will not put them in Xenonauts. This stretch goal would bundle the game with a developer-made mod that allowed people to put them back in.
- Memorial Screen – This would be a tab on the UI which allowed you to view a list of all your dead soldiers, including the location and time of death, their portrait and number of kills etc.
- Proxy Grenades – These are fun. This would add a secondary fire function to all advanced grenades (Alenium grenades upwards) that allows them to be used as proxy grenades.
- Motion Detector – This would be a one-hand soldier item that, when equipped, will display a coloured overlay on the battlefield to show any AI movement in previous turn within range of the soldier holding it.
- Hire a Level Designer - we will add a lot more map variation to the game before release, but we don’t have a devoted level designer. This will let us hire one.
- Tall Grass – There’s waist-high grass in X-Com. This would put it in Xenonauts too, complete with the ridiculous (yet amusing) fire mechanics from the original.
The goals that involve the creation of a new tileset cost $40k instead, so if one proves most popular then it will arrive at $90k instead of $75k. This is because tilesets are surprisingly large and are EXTREMELY time consuming and expensive to make – they’re the most expensive component of the game by some distance.
Given we’re only going to get about 50% of the money pledged after KS fees and the costs of manufacturing and shipping the rewards, there’s no way we can put an extra tileset in the game for a $25k stretch goal, I’m afraid. (EDIT - turns out my sums weren't quite right, and we're looking to see if we can reduce the tilesets to $30-35k)
If you want to know why, it’s basically because you need a lot of tiles to make a convincing tileset that doesn’t repeat, and every single tile has to be modelled in 3D and rendered out, then hand-painted in three different variants (undamaged, damaged and destroyed) to support destructibility. Plus all the ground maps have to be painted too. It’s a LOT of work. We don't mind putting new ones in, but we can't afford to lose money on them!
Again, the survey is here – fill it in so we know what you guys want to see in the game!
4,668
Backers
$154,715
pledged of $50,000 goal
0
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Funding period
May 8, 2012 -
Jun 10, 2012
(33 days)
- First created · 5 backed
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- Website: xenonauts.com
Pledge $20 or more
3082 backers
Standard Pre-Order: A digital copy of Xenonauts on release (retail price $25), plus access to our development builds and beta testing until the game is complete! This also includes a special silver forum medal for our forums.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $30 or more
877 backers
Premium Pre-Order: As above, but includes a spangly gold forum medal, a digital copy of the Xenonauts soundtrack, official desktop wallpapers, plus a lengthy digital write-up of our development diary on release.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $50 or more
151 backers
Premium Pre-Order plus one of: a T-shirt, poster or digital copy of the Xenonauts Art Book. Please add $10 for international shipping if selecting the poster or T-shirt!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $50 or more
101 backers
Premium Pre-Order (as $30), plus a phyiscal copy of the game. This will be a standard black DVD case with a colour printed back and front, containing a 20-page manual and a printed DVD copy of Xenonauts. Please add $10 for international shipping.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $50 or more
50 backers
A Premium Pre-Order (as $30), plus an additional Premium Pre-Order copy of Xenonauts to give to a friend!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $60 or more
45 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus a physical softback copy of the Xenonauts Art Book (see FAQ for full details of the book - it's awesome)! Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $75 or more
18 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus two of: T-shirt, poster, digital copy of Xenonauts Art Book. Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $85 or more
21 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus softback Art Book and one of the $50 rewards (t-shirt, poster, physical DVD copy or a second digital copy to give to a friend)!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $100 or more
12 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus limited-edition hardback physical copy of Xenonauts Art Book. Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $100 or more
38 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus backer name will be added into the pre-generated soldier name database and will appear in the game as a soldier! (see FAQ for full details)
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $125 or more
6 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus limited edition hardback physical copy of Xenonauts Art Book OR backer name will be added to pre-generated soldier name database, plus one of the $50 rewards (poster, t-shirt, physical DVD copy, second digital copy for friend)! Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $125 or more
11 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus limited edition hardback physical copy of Xenonauts Art Book and backer name will be added to pre-generated soldier name database! Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $150 or more
85 backers
Premium Pre-Order, plus limited edition SIGNED hardback Xenonauts art book, plus poster and T-shirt. Backer name and nationality is also added to pre-generated soldier name database, and soldier portrait may be selected from the existing in-game portraits. Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $200 or more
70 backers All gone!
As $150, plus our character artist will do a portrait of you from a photograph to accompany the soldier bearing your name. See the FAQ for full details. Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $500 or more
11 backers Limited (4 of 15 left)
As $200, plus you will recieve five (5) digital copies of the game to do with as you will plus your name will be added to the a special "With Thanks To:" section of the game credits. Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $1,000 or more
2 backers Limited (3 of 5 left)
As $500, but you will recieve ten (10) digital copies of the game and your name will also be added to the "Special Thanks To" section displayed in the intro credits that will be played over the game intro movie. Please add $10 for international shipping if required.
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012Pledge $5,000 or more
0 backers Limited (1 of 1 left)
As $1000, but Xenonauts Project Lead Chris England will fly out to meet you for lunch (available anywhere in the US or Western Europe). We'll also let you off the $10 international shipping, as we're nice like that!
Estimated delivery: Oct 2012
Comments
Creator Roger Burgess on May 17, 2012
@Gustaf: My objection was that WE were being asked to pay for THEIR oversight. Please allow me to draw your attention to the fact that the previous sentence did not reference art assets, or anything else but A) a mistake was made, and B) the wrong people were being asked to cover for the mistake. I was in no way trolling, you were just misreading what I wrote. No worries, this is an emotionally charged subject.
That said, the problem's been corrected (rather cleverly, I might add) and I've renewed my support at a higher level because of it.
Creator Mark Brill on May 13, 2012
Errm... sorry what? :D
Creator Andrew Easter - on May 13, 2012
@mark -force soldier: Mark Bril , Welcome to my Xenonauts team :)
Creator Mark Brill on May 13, 2012
Considering what the poll is for, you'd want to end it as soon as possible so the results of it can be available for the maximum possible time of this time limited venture (the kickstarter). The poll itself providing a soft limit was probably handy in deciding when to end it and act upon the results?
Creator miguelito on May 13, 2012
Wait, so you already have 15.000 in excess of your goal, yet don't want to spend 200 pound to offer you backers full representation?
Creator Oleg Tsarev on May 13, 2012
I use linux on my desktop last 8 years, and I fund you with hope to receive NATIVE linux version!
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 13, 2012
Sorry guys, we'd have to pay £200 to get access to any more than the 1,100 votes I'm afraid. We weren't expecting that many people to want to vote! The poll results update will be coming shortly.
Creator Martin Breiner on May 13, 2012
Poll did hit its limit of 1100 votes, but 1900 backers already... wanted to vote too. Well, seems like I was to late.
Creator Tim West on May 13, 2012
The poll's closed (hit the response cap), so for what it's worth my vote goes to extra tilesets, of any sort. I guess I'm most interested in the Soviet towns for terror missions. And then reaper bases, because I too have been playing the Space Hulk card game recently.
Incidentally, when I first played the alpha, I actually assumed the lack of female soldiers was a design choice, since this is set in the 80s and not in X-COM's near-future. They'd be a nice addition but I don't see them as essential (though I am a man, and therefore probably secretly hate women).
Creator Slippery Jim on May 13, 2012
Ah thanks Chris. I feel stupid now ;)
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
You can only vote for one at each level - you have to rank them in order of preference.
Creator Slippery Jim on May 12, 2012
Poll doesn't seem to be working properly for me using Firefox. Some of my previously answered "checkmarks" disappear.
Creator K on May 12, 2012
I just want to say that I finally got around to playing the Alpha Demo. Game is incredibly fun and everything I ever wanted in an X-Com game. Your work is incredible and I can't wait to play the finished product.
Creator David How on May 12, 2012
Tilesets, Tileset specific NPCs, Motion Detector, Pilots then memorial wall in that order is my preference! :)
Creator Archon - Obsidian Order Illusive Man on May 12, 2012
:D great commentary.
Reaper Hive would be awesome. Space Hulk reference bring so much good memories.
Creator Starmaker on May 12, 2012
I don't care about third-party rewards, they eat into the budget like crazy.
How much would the women cost anyway? One doll, recolors of it, ~20 portraits. Indie digital painting commissions go for $300 apiece, with detailed specs and other fancy stuff. "Paint some women's faces" is bound to be cheaper than that, especially if we're talking reference shops. $10k?
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
By popular request, the first update on the poll results (183 votes cast) will be done in horse racing commentary style:
"Level Designer rounded the first corner in the lead but has stumbled at the first hedge and Indoor Missions is practically alongside him into the second corner. Soviet Town in third is a couple of lengths behind, just a nose in front of Military Base. Still in touch but trailing a little behind the front four is Female Soldiers, fighting it out with Reaper Hive in sixth.
Blaster Bombs / Human Psionics has taken a tumble at the first and is limping badly. His owner didn't want to him to race; judging from the noise from the crowd it seems like they don't either... "
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
Yeah, I can't edit it without wiping all the results so far. Just leave out one you don't have any strong feelings about either way.
Creator Tequila on May 12, 2012
Arkadiusz, yes, it doesn´t add up. Needs 15 levels...
Creator stefanod on May 12, 2012
I don't care at all about female soldiers and level designers :) i would forget about female soldiers after 5 minutes, as they don't modify in any way the gameplay.
And given the high amount of missions you need to finish to complete the game I am not sure you could really exploit a level designer's work.
Also a linux/mac port, even if really welcome, would be a waste of resources and focus since you are a very small team. We already love your game, I think everybody could find a way to have a pc or VM to play it, after all you don't need a monster to run it well
I am all in favor of things that can give us more gameplay elements or variety, and that can allow us to play longer without getting the feeling of a repetive or small game.
therefore:
1)indoor missions
2)new tilesets (all sounds awesome)
3)even more aliens/weapons/items/vehicles and structures
4)/type of missions like : different type of alien bases, colonies, research centers, huge ufos. Different goals like save human VIPs (like the USA president), or defend an important city/factory from a planned alien attack, allowing yourself to place your forces before the alien arrives and have a different type of defensive gameplay
5)the blaster and EMP mode would be awesome
6)everything else, even small things, that can influence in a better,deeper, more diverse gameplay
Creator Joshua Ouille on May 12, 2012
Voted for a level designer, hope it wins!
Creator Martin Kramer on May 12, 2012
Bug reports are welcome at http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/12-Xenonauts-Bug-Reports :)
Creator Michael on May 12, 2012
@Goldhawk: Having put some 10 hours into the demo today (seriously, it's brilliant), do you want us to report bugs somewhere or is that too early in development?
Creator Richard Eaton on May 12, 2012
My top votes go for Female soldiers and a level designer. It would add so much more flavor and depth to the game!
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
But the short version is that it effectively doubled the number of sprites in the game, which adds something like half a million more frames of animation to the game (the sprites are why the build is so big, even with only the basic stuff in the build). So we didn't do that. Using unisex sprites and having the new art is the workaround that we've agreed that means we can have them without adding a ludicrous number of new animations to the game.
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
Roger, do some reading. I've explained it about 3 million times already.
Creator Gustaf Carstam on May 12, 2012
@Roger Burgess: Please stop trolling. Or if you are really serious go check out the forums for an explanation as to why sprites are different from 3D models.
Creator Roger Burgess on May 12, 2012
Why weren't female soldiers included in the first place? That's a serious oversight bordering on unforgivable. Really. It would have been trivial to put them in at the beginning, and asking the your backers to cough up extra cash for some equal representation is simply not acceptable.
Seriously, put them in. I'm withdrawing my funds until they appear because I will not support this sort of thing.
And just to anticipate the 'but it costs money' response: So? You're correcting a mistake, that's on you, not on us.
Creator Arkadiusz Lozewski on May 12, 2012
OK, Indoor mission are now visible, but there are still 14 levels (should be 15).
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
Actually, you're right. My sums are seriously off.
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
Also, the 50% is based on KS / Amazon taking 10% immediately, and the fact that all the $10 extra pledges for shipping are included in the amount raised too. So I figure about 35% of the money raised is used for manufacturing / domestic postage of the physical rewards. I think a third is a reasonable sort of guess. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm playing it safe in my estimates!
Creator Indoclone on May 12, 2012
Reading the updates one thing really bugs me, so are you guys saying that for people that are pledging above 30 bucks are actually only giving half of their pledge to this game? Because of the 10% cut and then around 40% is gone in T shirts and shipping? I'm sorry but I'm speechless here.
Creator Goldhawk Interactive on May 12, 2012
Indoor missions added on the poll - my mistake!
Creator Martin Kramer on May 12, 2012
Indoor Missions are included now, right below the Reaper hive...
Creator Gustaf Carstam on May 12, 2012
@Daniel: it's not going to be excluded but the survey is going to influence ( not determine but influence) where the linux/mac ports are placed.
Persoanlly I don't need the port but I voted for vehicle exp as lowest (since it doesn't carry over after the vehicle becomes obselete and you trade it in for another)
Creator Arkadiusz Lozewski on May 12, 2012
Indoor missions are missing from survey!
Creator James Knight on May 12, 2012
I too would have ranked indoor missions high on my list
Creator Daniel on May 12, 2012
Problem with linux/mac port as far as voting is, as I see it, this: Those needing a port to play it rates it highest, those not needing it rates it lowest as it literally only takes away from stuff they could have gotten instead.
So while I see the logic of including it in the survey, I do feel it's a problematic part of it, being heavily slanted in what opinions people would have towards it.
Creator Nori on May 12, 2012
Yeah, I've gotta wonder at that 50% number... I mean more than half of the money pledged so far is in the first two reward tiers with are all digital...
Anywho, I'm hoping we'll hit all the stretch goals!
Creator Michael James on May 12, 2012
Oh man, in door missions a la X-Com Apocalypse or dedicated level designer for various maps..you made this poll too hard! So many great options, I want option 15) all of the above.
Creator Joseph Mendez on May 12, 2012
Other than Mac/Linux support, having a dedicated level designer sounds like the most bang for the buck. You mention a developer-made mod for readding psionics/blaster bombs, any chance of adding level/mission creation tools?
Creator Cody Durham on May 12, 2012
Where are the indoor missions? I'd have liked to put those first.
Creator kdragoset on May 12, 2012
50%? Really? That's pretty absurd. Developers need to be way more careful about the rewards they promise. Kickstarter takes 5% and Amazon takes 5%. Don't make your rewards more than about 15%, and probably even less for smaller projects like Xenonauts. That would put you at 75% which is much more reasonable.
Creator Gustaf Carstam on May 12, 2012
Note that the soldier operating the vehicle does not get the experience and stat boost. When you trade in your veteran vehicle for a new better vehicle you start over from zero.
Creator Rob Beckett on May 12, 2012
Survey completed, waiting to raise pledge. ;)
Creator Evgueni Baldin on May 12, 2012
essential of course :(
Creator Evgueni Baldin on May 12, 2012
You should remember that more content is a good thing, but Linux/Mac port is nonessential for Linux/Mac users.