Beta #1 is a go!
I just sent out the first beta of Rubicon to all eligible backers (in other news, I have just learned about the magic of bcc emails). It's a build that I feel like I can point to and say "That's what I want the game to be like." It's been converted from an asteroids clone that some college kid wrote over a couple weekends to... an asteroids clone that he wrote over the course of a month.
OK, so a lot of what I've been doing is under-the-hood prep to start churning out missions + content. But I've also made gameplay (I hope) feel a lot better. On-hit-tweening (stuff flashes white when you hit it), different sound effects, a shield system that isn't just a Halo-style regenerating health buffer, a nice smooth engine exhaust effect, and kickass original music. I even took a page out of a friend's physics particle simulation physics project, and everything bounces off eachother waaaay more efficiently than they used to.
(That nebula is actually a picture of the bottom of my water-coloring kit, I thought that it was pretty about a year ago and held onto it.)
Anyway, this is just a heads-up on where the game is right now. If you pledged $8 or above and don't currently have the beta sitting in your inbox, shoot me a message and I'll send one along.
Wick
278
Backers
$5,215
pledged of $2,000 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding period
May 3, 2012 -
Jun 2, 2012
- First created · 14 backed
- Joseph Perry 252 friends
- Website: wickworks.tumblr.com
Pledge $1 or more
15 backers
I will send you a personalized* e-mail, thanking you for your contribution! (* - It will have your name in it.)
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $2 or more
6 backers
The e-mail will contain a personalized* haiku. Or haiku-ish set of words. Or fortune-cookie predictions. Or just some words that you get that nobody else does. (* - It might have your name in it.)
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $4 or more
20 backers
The e-mail will NOT contain a bobcat.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $8 or more
80 backers
You get to be a beta tester, and will be listed as such in the credits!
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $16 or more
111 backers
Inputting a pilot name of your choice (nothing obscene!) will flip the game to SPECIAL EDITION, where you can choose extra ships in arcade mode, alternate color schemes, special missions, and a bunch more goodies. In other words: your name is a cheat code!
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $32 or more
22 backers Limited (102 of 124 left)
I'll snail-mail you a handsome stylized RUBICON poster that you can hang on the inside surface of your living space! You also get listed under "special thanks" in the credits!
Estimated delivery: Dec 2012Pledge $64 or more
9 backers Limited (23 of 32 left)
I send YOU ship art and stats. You can then name the ship, come up with flavor text/the story behind it. I'll then include said text into the game. Capiche?
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $128 or more
3 backers Limited (5 of 8 left)
You send ME a ship's doodle/scrawling/concept along with the name and flavour text you'd like it to have. I'll then make the art to fit it into the game. Capiche?
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012Pledge $256 or more
1 backer Limited (3 of 4 left)
The email *will* contain a bobcat.
Estimated delivery: Jun 2012Pledge $512 or more
1 backer All gone!
Become a character in the game! I will contact you once I reach the appropriate stage of development, and we'll work out exactly how this will go down.
Estimated delivery: Sep 2012
Comments
Creator Wick on July 31, 2012
@Charles -
You were, what, three dollars short of the beta? No problem, you're now added to the beta list. I won't be able to include you in the credits for it, but you should be getting beta #2 when I release it.
Which, incidentally, I'll be posting a teaser for hopefully tonight and actually sending out in the next couple of days. Stay tuned!
Creator Charles Smith on July 31, 2012
Is there a way I can pay more now to get that beta? I'm still playing the original demo, wishing the power-ups worked, and desperately waiting for the full release...
Charles.
Creator Arthur Santos on July 3, 2012
Wow that was weird I got the first and third email and the second was in my spam folder. I ran through the tutorial and so far so good. My only problem was the game screen doesn't fill my computer screen so I keep running the cursor off the game screen and then losing control.
Creator Wick on July 3, 2012
I just sent you both another email with the current host list.
@Daniel - The flaky free file service looks like it's still running, but just in case, I included additional links kindly mirrored by Levi.
@Arthur - I double-checked, and you're on the recipient list for both sent emails. Perhaps your spam filter has taken a disliking to me? In any case, I sent the list again.
Creator Arthur Santos on July 3, 2012
Never got the second email. My Mac is still sad. Hope this gets resolved I got the next two days off.
Creator Daniel Amos on July 3, 2012
I think the host is down again.
Creator Wick on July 2, 2012
I just resent an email with some links. Hopefully they'll work for a longer period of time than the hour the first ones apparently worked.
Creator Levi Watts on July 2, 2012
It was working for me earlier today. It's 404 across the board now though.
Creator Nathan Grass on July 2, 2012
PC link broken as well, getting a 404 file not found. Guess that's what we get for jumping on the beta download right away. Looking forward to the update when the Beta is available to download.
Creator Arthur Santos on July 2, 2012
Mac link broken. )-: