Kickstarter

Hey Backers and Backers-in-Waiting,

John here. In case you missed it, David did a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) yesterday, covering everything from questions about this project, his past work, his semi-pro Foosball career and the always hard-hitting and controversial pancake vs. waffle debate. We managed to hit the front page of Reddit, so a huge thanks to everyone who helped upvote the thread!

I wanted to share a few of the questions and answers, but also encourage you to go check out the AMA for yourself. David is still dropping in to answer questions, so feel free to post some new ones or put them in the comments here.

--

Question: I didn't read anything about what the gameplay will be like exactly. So will it be really linear, or can the world become a small labyrinth? Will it be small or big levels? Will it be hard? What will the combat be like, if there is any? Will you strive for a style or just fantastic graphics?

Answer: This is probably the harshest critique given to my Kickstarter project to date. I don't show enough of what the game will be. Here's the thing... The game is currently in the design phase. One school of thought was to design the game before bringing it to Kickstarter. And I certainly could have done that. But I have felt that overwhelmingly the coolest thing about a Kickstarter game project is that the backers get to be a fly on the wall during the process.

If that is so, then it shouldn't be limited to the production process. It should include the design process itself. I put together a design team - people whose opinions I respect - and set the stage. The actual game design work is next. I assume you want to see that process unfold as backers.
If I'm wrong, the project may not get funded. And since I have gotten so many requests for more information, I am working on some of the details. As I put them together I will put updates on the Kickstarter page.

But one thing you can count on... My emphasis will first and foremost be on game play. You will have fun playing this game or my name isn't David Crane.

---

Question: The concept art looks very nice. Will the final release have models that are visually more stylized like the art, or are the graphics planned to look more photorealistic?

Answer: Thanks, but you are correct - this is just concept art. It is like the "making of" on the Shrek DVD showing the iterations the characters go through before they become final. The final game will be more photorealistic. I plan to make the Jungle into an environment that sucks you in and hopefully get a visceral response from the player.

---

Question: What is your daily buisness [sic] day?

Answer: I write game code every day, often into the night, and at least a little on weekends. There are very few people who have been at it as long as I have who still write code. But I find that it is the only way to get the last little bit of game play out of a concept.

One of the reasons that so few do it is because it is not easy. Processors and consoles keep changing, and I have to master a console to make a great game. I have programmed in some 25 different programming languages and published products on more than 15 different consoles or gaming systems. 

That hard work is rewarded when people tell me they enjoy playing my games. After all, I am at heart an entertainer.

---

Question: Are you a breakfast person? If so waffles or pancakes?

Answer: My wife makes fabulous waffles, but I don't get them often.

---

With that key question out of the way, we bring this update to a close. As always, thanks to everyone for the support you've shown so far! More updates are on the way. We have a long way to go, though, so don't be afraid to extort... er... suggest your friends join you on the ride.

If you're itching for more Q&A, head on over to the Reddit thread.