This project will only be funded if at least £20,000 is pledged by .
It's been quite a ride, and I really appreciate all the thoughts, feedback and encouragements I've received over the last few weeks. When starting the Kickstarter I didn't know what to expect, and I've be overwhelmed at how great this community has been to me. I'll definitely be back!
Whilst I'm obviously disappointed not to get funding this time round, I truly believe in the game idea and want to see it released. Therefore I'll keep plugging away at the game whenever I can. I'll post updates to the campaign so that you can keep track of what's going on, and will run another campaign to raise funds for a big release at the end of the project's development.
How can I support this project anyway?
There will be a few ways of doing that in the future:
Thanks again for all your support!
Chris
I've replaced the main Kickstarter trailer with the new one: here's the old one for reference:
Hello: I'm Chris Parsons, a former AAA games developer turned software consultant and entrepreneur. I've recently come back home to my love of making indie games, and I'd love to introduce Sol Trader to you, the game I've been working on for the past three years in my spare time.
Sol Trader is a space game for PC and Mac. It combines the immersiveness of Elite and the fun of Asteroids with the depth and intrigue of an RPG and the generated histories of Dwarf Fortress.
It features a complex procedural history generator, inspired by the adventure and legends mode in Dwarf Fortress. Each new game is already two centuries old, with a living history full of characters that are born, live and die before you even exist.
When you create a character in this world, you face the same choices as all the computer-controlled citizens did. The decisions you make in your character's early life set your starting skills and attributes, and your family connections and business contacts. The game generates two centuries of characters, events and interactions to set the scene: as a player, you are born into this world and form relationships in it before the game starts.
You'll then be able to create your own legend within this world: explore the known (and unknown) solar system, trade goods, run missions, leverage your contacts, and avenge members of your family as you see fit.
When playing the finished game, you might find yourself:
Regions are very large, and with powerful scanner equipment installed on your ship, you never know what you might find far from the busy jumpgates. In certain regions travel is very unsafe: pirates are known to hang out near the major gates, and discerning traders are well advised to travel with hired escorts.
Control of regions are divided between four main factions. The regions and factions start each game with the same setup, two hundred years before you come on the scene. The history generation will then take these factions and create organisations and individuals within them. Individual actions trigger inter-faction events which cause the relationships between factions to thaw or grow colder, and forms the unique universe which you are then born into.
The Old Federation: The remnants of Earth's original government control the four inner planets, with Earth as the capital. Ancient and proud, they see themselves as the true guardians of human culture and civilisation.
The New Order: The Order rebelled from Federation control about 300 years ago due to the imposition of heavy taxes and a catastrophic breakdown in relations. Despite enormous losses in the Century War with the Federation, they remain powerful and a force to be reckoned with. They control the most important moons of Jupiter, with their influence stretching as far as the Uranus Rim - beyond this is uncontrolled and largely unexplored space.
The Galileo Alliance: Disillusioned with the broken promises and the gradual dilution of the once strong ideology of the New Order, the Alliance seeks to form a new egalitarian partnership of equal governments. Many of the moons of Saturn have joined the Alliance, but due to the lack of a strong navy their power to exert control on their territory is limited.
The Pirate Belt: The long asteroid belt which forms the gateway between the New Order and the Old Federation was long deserted and ignored by both governments after the bitter and inconclusive war resulting from the New Order's indepedence. Between the rocks, gangs of those rejected by both of the great empires, began to gather, and today exert much power and influence. It's hard to escape their influence should you wish to travel from the inner to the outer system...
You'll be able to purchase a variety of ships in Sol Trader, and be able to own more than one at once.
Ships can be fitted with a variety of equipment, depending on what their hulls are designed to take. Weapons will come in all shapes and sizes, from standard bolters firing depleted uranium shells, to tracking missiles, to powerful mining and attack lasers. You can defend your ship with power hungry shields or by buying special armour coated hulls. Ship scanners of various types are available, with different sensitivities to smaller and larger objects.Equipment and engines must be powered, and a player is free to choose the types of reactors used to provide power to the ship: choose from a range of types, from responsive yet inefficient fission engines to solar panels which provide a weaker steadier power supply.
You can purchase a regulator which allows you to adjust power to certain ship components whilst in flight. This allows you to boost shields to ram enemy ships, weapons and maneuvering thrusters in a dogfight, and redline your main engines when it's time to leave...
Different components receive damage and can be repaired by mechanics that you will meet on your journey. Making friends with a good mechanic will make all the difference when you return half-alive from the Callisto salt run.
Yes, the game will be fully moddable. It's already possible mod all the art and the solar system layout, rewrite the whole AI and retune all the ships and components.
The game is currently playable and in late Alpha. Whilst it has come a long way, there are several large pieces I need to finish:
This is the game I always wanted to make. I've been working on various versions of it since childhood, musing, honing and perfecting the ideas, drawing influences from other games that I've played along the way.
I've been live streaming development on Twitch: here's a recent video from just before Christmas:
I built lots of momentum in 2014. I was able to manage my finances to the point where I was able to spend a day a week focused on the game for six months. I used part time contracting to fund myself last year, but I want to commit as much time as possible from the remainder of the project to focus on it and give it the dedicated attention a project this rich and deep deserves, and keep up the excitement and momentum.
That's where this campaign comes in and your pledge makes this possible. Will you support me and join the adventure?
I have lots of experience working on games and large software projects:
£30,000: LINUX SUPPORT
The game is currently building and working for Windows and Mac. The libraries I'm using are all available for Linux, too: it just needs some time invested in getting it working. I'd love to be able to support Linux: help make it happen!
£40,000: COMPOSER
We'd love to get a great composer involved in the project. We have an idea of who we'd like to approach, and if we come close to hitting the stretch goal we'll reveal more details about this.
£60,000: ALIENS
The technology discovered in 2060 which led to jump gates didn't just usher in a new age of fast travel through the solar system: it unknowningly opened up a pathway for those far distant to learn and interact with our solar system. Most of humankind has no idea that there are those who have known about our fledgling race for three centuries, and are biding their time...
Want to interact with alien cultures and technology? I have plenty of ideas to bring more richness to the world in the form of secret Alien subterfuge - this goal gives me enough time and money for artwork to make it happen!
£100,000: MULTIPLAYER
Multiplayer is the holy grail of a game like Sol Trader, although I never want it to compromise the single player game, so it would need carefully thinking about. It would be amazing to have friends alongside you interacting with the world and working together to complete missions and help each other. Or you could compete to see who can amass the most pirate kills, or the most credits! It's technically challenging but perfectly achievable given the time to make it work.
£250,000: GROUND MODE
If there's enough demand, I'd *love* to allow players to walk around planet surfaces, cities, their own ships, and the interiors of space ports and space stations. Actually meet other characters in seedy bars, overhear conversations and learn information. Walk on the surface of the planets and moons, explore caves and find rare artifacts. Board huge drifting space wrecks and salvage valuable cargo. This is a large piece of work and will require a lot of artist time, which makes it a big stretch goal. It's definitely achievable though.
There's more about the game at our website and social media accounts - check them out!
http://soltrader.net
http://twitter.com/soltdr
http://facebook.com/soltrader
Thanks for considering me! Come and join the adventure!
The risks associated with a long solo project such as this one usually come down to motivation and burnout.
A successful Kickstarter should actively help to stop that from happening as much of the game is already done.
It's possible I won't be able to hit the dates that I've set due to unforeseen development problems, but if that's the case, I'll communicate about it as soon as possible. I care deeply about this game, and would love to have the time to make it all it can be.
Learn about accountability on KickstarterI started the game off as a basic trading/mining/exploration game but quickly realised that wasn't enough - there are too many others out there doing the same things. Along the way I fell in love with Dwarf Fortress, particularly the history generation, and discovered Liberal Crime Squad's character generation. I decided to build a rich world history which allowed players to discover and forge their own story in the context of their family, upbringing and childhood. I wanted players to uncover secrets about their rivals that go back seventy years and use them against them. I wanted them work their uncle's contacts in the senate to secure lucrative diplomatic missions. I wanted them to meet school bullies on the space lanes, and teach them a lesson.
This is what the game's about: it's not just an arcade game or just a sandbox open-world game. It's a role playing game where the player knows just where they've come from and figures out who they want to be.
It appears to be that way but it doesn't go as far as you think!
First, I need to pay 5% Kickstarter fees (plus VAT), then 20% VAT for all European purchasers. I have to assume worst case of paying 20% for everyone when budgeting.
Then there are costs: I need another £2k of artwork done, and you can spend what you like on marketing - I've budgeted £4k (which isn't really enough). That makes just under £10k, which after 20% UK corporation tax is £8k.
Hopefully I'll be overfunded, which makes things a *lot* easier :-)
Good question. It's mostly about momentum. Let me give some more detail on the development history:
2012: I did a bunch of work for 6 months, released an Alpha, got all excited with the feedback. Then I spent another 9 months on it evenings and weekends.
2013: I was concerned for the market for the game then Star Citizen and then Elite: Dangerous were announced. I stopped for 6 months and did a web based prototype of the history code to check feasibility, and to organise my finances to the point where I could spend time in the day on the game.
2014: I worked on the game more steadily during the daytime and I built lots of momentum.
2015: Now momentum is high, but my period of being able to work in the day has come to an end. I could take another six months off the project and build finance like in 2013, but I'd rather ship a game, and the Kickstarter seemed like a good way of freeing up enough time to finish it.
Linux support is a stretch goal - I'd love to make it happen!
Yes.
There will absolutely be modding support!
It's already possibly to easily mod all the art and the solar system layout without any extra tools.
I have some tool programs to convert text files into game-readable data, and will release these open source, allowing you to rewrite the whole AI and retune all the ships and components.
Yes. I can't stand DRM and will avoid it wherever possible.
Yes, absolutely: and you'll be able to own more than one at once.
There will be before the project ends - keep an eye for a future update.
- (30 days)
