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Kickstarter money...?

J

jakejake_

Guest
This is something that’s been in the back of my head for a while now.

What exactly do developers typically use Kickstarter money for?

I’ll use good ol Heart Machine of HLD for an example.
The initial Kickstarter trailer for Hyper Light
looked great. If you watch it back, it basically looks very similar to the finished project, art and gameplay-wise.

On a project like that with the amount of money they made, I find it hard to believe that they purely used the funds just to pay themselves.
While I understand that only they really know how they used the money, I’d like to ask anyone with experience or knowledge in the field: what are some of the main points of game design and development Kickstarter money helps out with?
 

Kyon

Member
It's really up to yourself though.
Anyway, a part goes to kickstarter. But next to funding yourself, living, rent etc. you also maybe have hired employees, and licensing, publishing costs, promotion costs etc.
Even though it looked similar to the finished project. Polishing a game takes long and is tough. Also, creating content. Most developers finish the game engine before creating most content.
 

YellowAfterlife

ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ
Forum Staff
Moderator
KS trailers and demos are commonly vertical slices - that is, short, but highly polished portions of the game. There might be 2000 hours of work ahead on the actual game, but people will not give you money for anything that looks short of amazing as-is.

For the same reason, there is inherit cost to attempting KS in the first place
 
A

ajan-ko

Guest
Actually, making complete games is different than making vertical slice games. You can test the water using kickstarter.

The problem is game development is a curve progress, not a linear progress.
The end game gamedev problem is the compile time (and burnout).
I think HLD put their map outside the GM so they can cut their compile time. (CMIIW)
Also the refactor, it's a dull and grindy progress. I think they refactor all their code into deltatime at some point to achieve 60 fps?
Also: Music. The good ones are pricey.

I envy for some guys who can test the water, my country does not have kickstarter support. (but hey, I can't give up like that... :D)
 
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D

Deleted member 13992

Guest
Making games can be expensive if you set the bar high. Even indie ones. Sometimes there are unplanned circumstances that require half the team to do some work over. You sometimes have to pay for testing or outside support, etc.

I think HLD put their map outside the GM so they can cut their compile time. (CMIIW)
Poking through the install folder, I'm noticing most of the environment art/backgrounds are outside. Confirmed.
 
A

ajan-ko

Guest
Making games can be expensive if you set the bar high. Even indie ones. Sometimes there are unplanned circumstances that require half the team to do some work over. You sometimes have to pay for testing or outside support, etc.
Yep, that bold one are tough.
The problem is when I want to make the project, at first glance I think it's easy, but when the project goes on, it's gets crazier and crazier due the technical limitations, compile time and code complexity.
I can think some improvement for my next project. I think I should try to put the data map and data files outside the GM so I can compile faster. I need to keep in mind about compile time when I get new engine or project.
 

YanBG

Member
Outside GM as in "included files"? They are loaded externally and the code leads to specific folders(install directory) but they are in the resource tree of GM. I'm doing it that way for my game and compile time is less but there might be slowdown on starting the game(i switched to the yoyo compiler so all is fast right now). If you have artists they can test the graphics straight up by just replacing the images(like a mod system).
I envy for some guys who can test the water, my country does not have kickstarter support. (but hey, I can't give up like that... :D)
lol i just checked and my country is out too, didn't think about that. They added very few countries, whole EU should be there(or atleast the ones with euro currency). I did saw some projects from my country from ~2013, so idk what is that about.

I read that you can ask someone from US etc to post your campaign for you. Idk how would that work though :D
 
A

ajan-ko

Guest
Outside GM as in "included files"? They are loaded externally and the code leads to specific folders(install directory) but they are in the resource tree of GM. I'm doing it that way for my game and compile time is less but there might be slowdown on starting the game(i switched to the yoyo compiler so all is fast right now). If you have artists they can test the graphics straight up by just replacing the images(like a mod system).

lol i just checked and my country is out too, didn't think about that. They added very few countries, whole EU should be there(or atleast the ones with euro currency). I did saw some projects from my country from ~2013, so idk what is that about.

I read that you can ask someone from US etc to post your campaign for you. Idk how would that work though :D
Wait, did YYC still supported until today? I never heard tools like this exists.
 
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