Kickstarter 1: Updates

A list of updates from the first Kickstarter, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1045484633/project-gorgon-an-indie-mmo-by-industry-veterans.

Return to the Developers page.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Citan, 11/3/2012

The Kickstarter campaign is over! Even though we didn't make it, the game goes on. Watch for updates at our website. Thanks to everyone for their support!

Play pre-alpha now, no account needed!

Citan, 11/2/2012

There's been a slight change of plans. It doesn't seem like we need to restrict access anymore, so we've turned on "guest mode" which lets you create new accounts on your own.

Just go to http://www.projectgorgon.com and let the game load. When it asks your username and password, don't enter anything, just leave 'em blank and press Login.

(Once you're in the game, you can give yourself a permanent name and password, so you can log back in to the same character later.)

Have fun, and hope to see you in game!

Pre-Alpha: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow!

Citan, 11/1/2012

Well, gone after this Monday that is!

Our pre-alpha test will end after this weekend. We'll be accepting requests for keys up until Friday, 11/2/12 at 6pm EST.

Email us before it's too late!

36 Hours to Go-Go!

Citan, 11/1/2012

Time is running out! If you have any rich family or friends now is the time to point them our way! :)

Please spread the word and thanks for your support!

Enjoy the following pics from our pre-alpha test...

The End is Nigh!

Citan, 10/30/2012

Our campaign is winding down and at this point, unless someone convinces Mr. to contribute, it looks like we won't meet our goal but we are still hopeful.

We still have time so please continue to spread the word to everyone you know who might want to support us... and remind them the point of the campaign is for us to improve the art.

Even if we don't make it, Kickstarter has helped spread the word and gotten us some great feedback on the game. The pre-alpha test will continue through this weekend and we still have a couple of content updates we're going to do before the end.

Thanks to everyone for your support!

Pre-Alpha Updates

Citan, 10/27/2012

It doesn't look good on the Kickstarter front -- there's a week to go, and 79% of the goal left to make... so that's a bit grim. There's still a slim chance, though, so if you haven't pledged, please do so now! If nothing else, you can get into the pre-alpha for the next week.

We're updating the pre-alpha server each day with new bug fixes and content. If you haven't had a chance to try it out, or if you tried it out and got stuck on a nasty bug, give it a try again!

Over the course of the week, we'll be rolling out Necromancy, plus a bunch of new quest content. And a few days after the Kickstarter ends, we'll do a "mini-apocalypse" event to close out the pre-alpha session.

The data and feedback we're collecting from you is really valuable -- that's why we're working round the clock to improve the game! Sure, we're doing it to entertain you, but we're also greedily lapping up any feedback you have to offer.

If you've played the pre-alpha and sent bugs or feedback, thank you very much. We really appreciate it!

If you've pledged in the past couple of days and haven't gotten a pre-alpha key, please contact us! Thanks!

Pre-Alpha!

Citan, 10/22/2012

Pre-Alpha will be open to players shortly! We'll be sending out keys on a first-come, first-serve basis with Kickstarter supporters getting priority!

Kickstarter supporters will get their keys automatically. Anyone else interested should email [email protected]

Please let your friends know and spread the word!

There is NO NDA so share whatever you like... just remember it is PRE-ALPHA!

Thanks and hope you enjoy your first taste of Project: Gorgon!

Two Weeks To Go! And...

Citan, 10/19/2012

Time is running out and we have far to go. Please tell everyone you think will be interested in our campaign. We need your support!

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement...

Will I Feel At Home?

Citan, 10/17/2012

Several people have asked us, "I love <game X>, will I like your game too?" And, well, we can't answer that! We aren't really making a clone of any particular MMO. But we can give you a few ideas that might help you decide:

Asheron's Call 1 fans will like that the game has no classes, and you continue to add new skills to your character as you advance. You'll also find combat experiences akin to AC1 dungeons, where you're neck deep in multiple angry enemies.

Asheron's Call 1 & 2 fans will like the repeatable "centerpiece" quests, each with their own unique rules, tricks, and puzzles. You'll also like that quests aren't as lock-step and level restricted as they are in games like World of Warcraft.

EverQuest 1 fans will like that the dungeons aren't instanced -- monsters respawn behind you, and you can see and interact with other groups of players. The dungeons are also fairly vast and complex. (However, combat is faster than classic EQ1, where you could literally spend hours working your way down a single hallway!) EQ1 fans will also be instantly at home with various systems like food and diseases.

EverQuest 1 & 2 fans will like the random boss encounters, which occasionally spawn in dungeons and then run about causing chaos. These unique monsters earn you bonus XP and special loot rewards, but they're often a bit too tough for a single 3-man group to defeat on their own -- two groups may need to band together to defeat them.

Soloers will like that there's lots of things for a solo player to do, ranging from classic kill-ten-rats quests to exploring an extremely deep crafting system. We expect the typical player will spend a fair amount of time playing alone, intermixed with group dungeon exploration. Some rare materials and crafting recipes are only available in group dungeons, but those items can always be traded or purchased from other players, so if you really hate to group, you don't have to.

There are other familiar elements for Ultima Online, Guild Wars, and Star Wars Galaxies players, too. But there's also lots of new stuff that's not from any other game. Actually, everyone will have to do a lot of learning while they play... which is a good thing!

World Lore: Tok's Report

Citan, 10/15/2012

See: Tok's Letter

Video Diary Catchup

Citan, 10/13/2012

In case you missed them, here are our first two video diaries. This one explores a newbie dungeon a bit and shows some behind-the-scenes.

Equipment can now be seen in the game! Plus, I show how the Meditation skill improves the Unarmed skill. I also punch a snail to death.

Three Weeks to Go!

Citan, 10/12/2012

Hi all,

Thank you for your support, we really appreciate it!

The clock is ticking so please tell your family, friends, guildmates, dog... anyone who you think might be interested in our game and this campaign.

Don't forget, there is also still time to vote for us at KickAssist - Impulse is giving us a run for the money (literally) so we need your help. Vote now... vote often! :)

As a thanks for your support, here is a previously unreleased screenshot.

Thank you again!

On armored women, Linux ports, and stealing!

Citan, 10/11/2012

We wanted to answer a few questions that we've been asked a bunch!

In your video, the women are all wearing chainmail bikinis. Why are you so sexist?

The models in our videos are all using placeholder art. It's actually very difficult to find pre-made female models that aren't over-the-top like that. Rest assured that our custom artwork will provide comparable body protection for both males and females. For more background and some stories about this problem, check this blog post. Here's what I said at the time:

I can’t imagine a woman sitting down to play my game, creating a female elf character, and then getting in and realizing that she has to live her entire virtual life in high heels. This is why we can’t have nice players.

We won't do that.

That said, there is some relatively skimpy clothing in the game. Elves of both genders wear more revealing clothing (when not in battle armor) than humans. They're also more sexually open and immodest than humans... which creates a lot of cultural tension between the two races. The blog post talks about how this happened; since then we've explored the story questions that arose and found them pretty interesting.

But even our skimpiest street clothes won't look like the ridiculous placeholder art we're using now. Those metal bikinis and high-heel boots look incredibly uncomfortable!

Will there be a Linux version?

We fully expect to have a Linux version of the game at launch. We use Unity 3D as our middleware, and the next version of Unity will support Linux. That makes a Linux port sound like a no-brainer!

However, we haven't actually used this new version, so we can't officially promise it'll happen. Creating a Linux version might require a ton of work, in which case it won't be ready at launch time.

But we're excited about supporting Linux, and we do expect it'll happen. We just can't officially promise it yet.

Did you steal this game engine from Turbine? It kinda looks like Asheron's Call 2!

Nope! We've seen this pop up in several places across the internet and it really ... well, it hurts! First, it'd be incredibly dumb: Turbine is owned by Warner Bros. and they have attack-lawyers in the wings. Second, we really like Turbine, and we have a lot of friends there, and we'd never dick them over like that, even if we did somehow have their game engines.

Lastly, come on guys, these game engines couldn't be more different! We wrote ours in Unity 3D and Java, and Turbine's engines are written in C++. Ours runs on Windows and Mac, and AC2 was hand-optimized solely for Windows. Their server architecture is zoneless and ours is entirely zone-based. And on and on.

Not a single line of code stolen, borrowed, derived, etc. from any other source. We've also licensed all the artwork in the game; none of that is used illegally either. So please don't worry about that!

If you know somebody who's nervous about pledging because they think we stole something, please get them to read this, and ask them to contact us if they have further concerns! Thanks!

Soundtrack Preview

Citan, 10/10/2012

Conor Brace has been working with us to supply some excellent music and sound effects for Project: Gorgon. Today he was kind enough to post a preview of the soundtrack on his blog, including the Main Title Theme and some Quiet Countryside music. Pledge $40 or more today and receive a digital copy of the full soundtrack album when we launch!

New Video Diary

Citan, 10/9/2012

Here's a quick update about what we've been working on in the game over the past few weeks.

Fiction: Sylvia in Halvue

Citan, 10/7/2012

Interested in the game's lore? Here's a brand new short story that gives a glimpse into the world of Project: Gorgon.

Sylvia in Halvue

Thanks, - Eric and Sandra

About the Tone of Project: Gorgon

Citan, 10/5/2012

We've had a few people ask us about the tone of Project: Gorgon. From isolated examples it may seem like we’re going for a zany slapstick game, or weirdness for the sake of weirdness. We aren’t.

Immersion Comes Before Jokes

Project: Gorgon’s world of Alharth isn't anything like the real world, but it does have its own internal logic. This is crucial so that the characters in the world can behave logically and predictably. Otherwise, you can't care about them.

We do hope the game makes you smile. There are some pretty silly skill mechanics, and lots of light-hearted item descriptions. But immersion is more important to us than humor. One thing this means is that we don't make pop culture references. There aren't any homages to famous movies, or quests that parody novels, or characters that spout internet memes. That's distracting.

Humor Hides Darker Themes

The game world itself isn't a very happy-go-lucky place, and many of the humorous elements are hiding more serious – and dark – themes. Necromancy is a good example. It turns out skeletons are susceptible to psychoanalysis. Pretty silly! But this follows from the logic of the world. Undead are powered by hatred for their former friends and family, and Combat Psychologists can diffuse that hatred, literally weakening them.

Another example: When the treasure system hands you a sword that does extra damage to goblins, it might well be called a "Sword of Goblin Racism." That follows from the idea that hatred is a dark power source, so naturally the people in this world see a weapon designed to kill a specific race as a racist weapon – powered by hate. Which is, actually, pretty unnerving.

The inhabitants of the game live in a somewhat twisted world, so naturally, they've developed a twisted way of thinking about it. But the most important thing is that once you're immersed in the world, we try to keep you immersed. It can be hard to tell that from random screen shots, but it's there.

To sum up: The tone we’re aiming for in Project: Gorgon is often funny – and sometimes very darkly funny – but not frivolous.

10%! Woo!

On another topic, we’re now 10% funded! Thanks again to all our backers!

And on yet another topic, we forgot to mention in the $500 reward description that the backer will get a copy of the epic weapon they design. It will probably be a high-level weapon, though, so your newbie character will need to put it in storage until you grow into it!

- Eric and Sandra

First day: over $3000! Let's talk cows for a minute

Citan, 10/4/2012

We had a good first day: over $3000 pledged so far. We're excited by your support! Thanks!

After talking to several of you, we realized that the Kickstarter page doesn't really show how our game is quirky and weird. Let us give you one example now.

What happens if you find a bucket of curdled milk while you're exploring a wizard's laboratory? Would you drink the milk just to see what happens? In Project: Gorgon, that would be a bad call. The game will try to talk you out of it repeatedly, but if you insist... you get turned into a cow.

It can be lonely in town as a cow. Most NPCs won't take you very seriously, so you'll have to search around for those few vendors who are willing to do business with a talking cow. (That is, after you learn how to speak again. At first, everything you say will just come out as "moo".)

But don't give up hope! You're stuck as a cow and can't use swords or other weapons, but you do have hooves. As you gain Cow XP, you'll unlock additional kicks, moos, and grass-foraging abilities. You can also use combat skills that don't require weapons, such as Psychic Blasting or Combat Psychology. It's not the easiest way to play the game, that's for sure, but you can do it! Hey, it's better than being stuck as a pig...

Check out this blog post for more details about how cows works and why this is part of the game.

Thank you again to our backers!

PS: to the people who asked, yes, we do have stretch goals, but let's get a little further down the road before going there! :)