We have two ongoing major adventure kickstarters(Jane Jensen's and this) and another major one coming next month(Tex Murphy). The kickstarter craze is really not crowded when it comes to adventures. Plus we can't really tell if any other heavyweights are planning a comeback or if there will be another big project announced this year. We know the Willians aren't returning, and that is probably the same for most.

I guess if you are really not that excited about a LSL remake, why not think about the near future? These guys plan to get the rights to the series back and probably plan to do other things Sierra related. And Josho obviously has a bug about bringing about his Legend Entertainment work. I would say supporting this "really matters" if you want to bring more quality to the adventure market and if you are a fan of their work.

Even if I didn't want a LSL special edition(I do), I would support them on the grounds of what they can after this. Their team of Sierra veterans has huge potential. And if your are a fan of LSL, this is really the last ditch attempt to get the series back on track.

This. Replay Games have reached out to Scott Murphy for a Space Quest game. They're all ex-Sierra employees who want to take off where Sierra left us. They just need a leg up - a kickstart if you will - and this Larry reboot is the answer because then they can go to investors and show they have a successful product... and believe me this will be successful.

I strongly agree with the two previous posts, and hope that the people being negative about this being a remake can look past that.

I REALLY hope both Al and Jane's projects get funded.

Is it me, or is this not looking good? We're at $213.5K as of 10:33 PM eastern on Saturday night. Let's see what we have in 24 hours.

Edit: Obviously they are well ahead of pace, but the vast majority of it came in the first 24-48 hours.

I would say it is doing excelent. Nearly half the funds in less than week isn't bad at all.

As long as it can raise an average of 11-12k a day we'll be fine. There's plenty more updates and PR to do. It's only the beginning. The Jane Jensen concept is doing just as well so we have a lot to look forward to!

Well it's made $2.5K in the hour and 16 minutes since I wrote that.

That's great news, no? Or am I missing something?


As for this project: it's good that the latest update explained more about WHY it's a remake. Makes me more interested in this Kickstarter than I was at first...
If a future Sierra-reboot hinges on this, then this is WAY more than "just a Larry remake".

Anyway, I'm glad to see the campaign steadily going up. They'll reach the goal without problems, imo...

I wouldn't look that much into the future.

First they have to raise the money on this Kickstarter, then they have to deliver the game on time, then it has to become a hit, then they have to negotiate further rights, then they have to talk other people into doing SQ7, PQ, etc etc...

If everything goes perfectly we may see a new game some year after 2013

I'm getting jittery by their language. First they talked as if they had all rights in the pocket. Later we learn they only have remake rights.

Now the tone is like they are almost ... this close ... to a new SQ, PQ, KQ, and LSL. All thats missing is your backing for this project.

I wish they wouldn't promise the moon. I hope I'm wrong about this, but it just sounds like a cheap tactic to get backing for the remake.

And if everything goes well, they will most probably come back to kickstarter for the new game, and then you'll feel like an idiot for being asked for your money twice.

Back the project if you want to see the Larry remake. Any expectation more than that is setting up for disappointment.

I really want to see this project succeed, and see a Sierra revival, but they are just not being clear and up front with their communication and that is making me stay back.

If you ask me, they should have done the remake with their own funds (or investors or whatever was the original plan).

Then once its done and delivered, come back to Kickstarter around October to do a new game. It will also give fans a break from all these simultaneous Kickstarters.

Never understimate the power of hope. Kickstarter preys on emotion and nostalgia. They've just upped the stakes.

I agree, but I don't think the "simultaneous Kickstarters" will stop. There's always going to be new campaigns...

I hope this one makes it, not really interested in this remake but a "re-imagination" of 2 and 3 would be awesome.

No pledges of $2500 or more, no rich people fan of Larry!!!

I think it most certainly is. I don't think Josho can put the cart before the horse here and talk about his plans for after this project, but knowing that he is interested in continuing his work is great. I loved CCS and Freddy Pharkas.

They have made it clear from the start that they plan to make adventures and the LLS remake is their start at this. I think it is a good enough reason to support them. I don't get the pessimism though, looking at the team they put together I have no doubt that the new Larry will be great. It can't be not great. Why not support it if you enjoy the LSL games?

Hey Josho, I noticed you were just online. If you are reading this thread, could you please comment on this?

This is from Jane Jensen concerning Gabriel Knight 4. It seems like pretty much the same situation you and Al Lowe had when trying to get the license for a new Larry. Can you please elaborate on what is the rationale behind these executives being so uptight?

I don't know how to put it better, but it sounds really "bizarro world like" and "monty pythonesque" to ask that you guys prove yourselves before getting your hands on the licenses. Don't these suits know that you were the people that made these games they are sitting on in the first place? I mean, seriously.

I don't really care for Leisure Suit Larry, but I pledged to support the genre.

That makes me happy - I did the same for Pinkerton Studios, though I've never played GK.

There's something about supporting the community even if not every idea is up your alley.

I supported LSL, too - I'm now including a Kickstarter portion of my monthly finances. I hope it makes it. It's going so sloooow!

Hi, Banter,

I agree; it seems very odd. But perhaps it's a little less odd if you factor in the knowledge that the adventure game genre strikes fear in to the hearts of publishers. I would venture to say that the more successful and experienced a designer is at creating adventure games, the more the publisher will be concerned that the designer's games are only going to appeal to a niche market. Remember that, as opposed to the heyday of adventure games (when sales of 100-200K were considered successes), games are now expected to sell vastly greater numbers than that, and anything that doesn't rise to that level is considered a failure.

Having said that, I think that the success of Kickstarter adventures may be what we need to demonstrate to publishers that the desire is out there, in sufficiently viable numbers to warrant more real adventure game development.

Fingers crossed, anyway.

Well, we are no longer in the "heyday". Sales of an indie such as To The Moon, which may have sold in single digit thousands, is considered a success.

Sales of a "major" such as Gray Matter didn't come close to the numbers you project.

I don't have access to the data, but I would guess that the last (most recent) adventure game selling in triple digits was probable Still Life.

To me, Kickstarter is a ""fans", who want to see their favorite designer, be it Al Lowe, or whomever, put another game on the street." It doesn't seem to matter whether it's a new game or a retread.

Me, and it has been discussed here before, I'm not a fan who wants to do this for fun. I want a return on my investment. Kickstarter doesn't give that, and I will not participate.

I guess the fact that the Larry franchise has been used recently in "modernizations" also factors in. It gets really bizarre when we talk about series that have been cast aside for over a decade, though(i.e: most other Sierra ips).

If I were an executive I would see value in licensing a sequel instead of letting company property rot and be forgotten. Specially if said licensing involves the original developer and has fan appeal. Usually a franchise falls into the limbo after either flopping commercially or critically. What could possibly be their concerns for licensing a sequel?

HA! Ever heard of Machinarium?

Why? It is not charity, you are paying for a game. It is even better than that because you are paying for the game you want and you are having a say in that. I can't fathom a better return for your money.

I think you are delusional. If you invest more than the street price of the game when it hits the market, it's charity. If you honestly think you are going to have a say in the game, at that investment level, you're flat out wrong.

Investing is investing. If you want to donate some money to a Kickstarter enterprise, feel free to do so. If I choose to do so it's because I expect to get a better return on my investment than the 2% I get from my local bank. And that scenario isn't happening here.

So don't participate. What on earth is this investment talk about anyway? Kickstarter is all about crowd funding, and it never pretended to be anything else.

Erm.. so just don't? 15 bucks is a fair price for a game, and if you think the higher options are not worth the goodies associated with them, don't pay it. It is not charity at all.

How much do you pay for new games anyway? Please send me links to the stores you use, I feel like I must be missing out on potential savings :crazy:

$15 is more than a fair price for a game. Are you under the impression that your $15 investment is going to get you a free game?

Erm... yes, that's how it works. It's essentially a pre-order.

Yup, 15 bucks for a DRM free game. You pay more if you want a physical commercial copy of the game or other extras(collectibles, etc). Consider it a pre-order.

I don't want to insult your intelligence or anything like that, but you really should read the prospects of the kickstarter projects and the rewards associated with each pledge tier. Supporting projects isn't charity at all, you can actually get great value for your money. Unless off course you are in the habit of pirating games... then I can certainly see why you would think 15 bucks for downloading a legal game is outrageous.

In the case of the 3,336,371 dollar Double Fine Adventure (I guess the hype passed you by, Mr. Rtrooney... that's Tim Schafer's Kickstarter project, backed by 87,142 people) the $15 tier is a real bargain. Not only will the game be much bigger than originally planned because so many people supported it, but you also get on-line access to the monthly episodes of the Making Of documentary, exclusive access to the Beta on Steam, and access to the private discussion forums where you can ask questions, post ideas, etcetera.

...not counting the potential risk of the developer "taking the money and running"...
A pre-order is for a game that's already in the ending stages of its production, but not released yet. A Kickstarter is for funding a game that is yet to be developed.
If a pre-order gets postponed indefinitely (*cough* Bracken Tor *cough*), you'll get your money back. If a Kickstarter fails (for whatever reason), your money is gone.

Kickstarter is in the first place based on trust. There's risk involved, and that makes it closer to an investment than to a pre-order.
I definitely understand what rtrooney is saying.

People like Jane Jensen and Al Lowe won't make a run with our money... you people can be ridiculous sometimes. These people have been working in the games industry since before most of us were born, they are not the kind of person you wouldn't trust to develop a game.

There are already cases where small developers didn't deliver(kickstarter has been on for a while), but that is expected from people without a track record. Use your common sense and all will be fine.

Btw, this is of interest:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012...t-kings-quest/

According to the Replay Games website, Al Lowe will be doing a user contributed interview on Reddit this Friday (the 13th) at 6pm Pacific Time.

Here's where it will be posted: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAMA

A good chance to clear up questions you may have and reminiscence over the better days.

I'm afraid that common sense really is not enough, as I've tried to argue in the Heather Logan thread. I did back someone with a fine track record. Kickstarter is only one form of crowdfunding and a very risky one at that. For backers.

Having said that, I am now supporting three Big Names: Tim, Jane and Al. What am I, crazy? :crazy:

Paul Trowe tells all!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...v=d5zom_UtgRE#!

I'm glad you came around. I think the Logas situation (which i only know from the thread on here) is unfortunate. I do, think, though that Tim and Jane can't afford to not produce - their careers depend on it.

Heathers nor Plotkins do not - they're doing these projects as hobbies, not business.

I have backed a couple of Kickstarters, notably "The Dead Linger," where I have a bit of fear. Not just at it not going through, but of the concept being too bad, but I take my risks there.

I have very little doubt Tim, Al, Jane, and Brygo at Interplay will come through - hence much larger pledges.

Brief animation demo:

http://www.adventuremob.com/wp-conte...Hit_v08CS4.swf

I think you guys are out of your minds if you are going paranoid on Lowe and Jensen because some unknown indie took your money and ran. It is utterly preposterous to think that an industry professional with a reputation to uphold and a career to mantain would bury himself like that.

Really... It is actually quite unfair to put kickstarter and these developers we love down because of what Logas did.

Like I already have said many times, I backed someone who is well-known in his field of expertise, whether you've heard of him or not. That was the context when I used the words Big Names. And yes, I do think that lots of things may go wrong with big projects, even with a 3.3 million game. But although I am bitter about the whole Kickstarter thing, I don't mean to hurt the Pinkerton and Larry projects.

Interestingly, you're the one who told Logas she didn't need to apologize as long as she was still working on the project. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that!

Kickstarter protects project creators in many ways. You don't want the world to know that your project is not going well? All you have to do is make your updates accessible to backers only. Of course Kickstarter does absolutely nothing to protect backers, that's not in their best interest.

Backers don't sign any non-disclosure agreement, nor is there language like that in the terms of use. So disgruntled backers can just leak the updates and there's not much the developer can do about it.
Contrariwise if the developer does not deliver on time you can file a claim through your credit card company or payment processor as you would for any online seller.

That's called revenge. Yes, of course. But I was talking about protection.

Sorry, I really don't think that's a viable option for Kickstarter projects in general. Especially not after two or more years. Should backers start filing claims when they have received nothing by the *estimated* time of delivery...? That doesn't spell any good for Tim Schafer, with his outdated October 2012. :P

Did anyone here see the Reddit interview? They love Al! And damn, him and Josh are still funny. These guys need to be working on games.