The project lead did try to engage in these forums, but the project had the misfortune of launching at the same time as Eli's crusade against Kickstarter, and was all but blacklisted as a result. I guess Payton got the message and decided to engage other gaming communities. Well, Republique has its five star Toucharcade review now, so I guess the Kickstarter blacklist drops as soon as a project ships. Need to make room for all the breaking news about how Nintendo still isn't selling games on iOS somehow, I suppose.
JFYI following quite a few debacles that predate Republique, it's been our policy to not post about Kickstarter games until they exist. I know it's more fun to get all mad though, being the internet and all. We'd rather focus our efforts on games you can download and other interesting industry news. The psychological phenomenon of how monumentally personally invested Kickstarter backers get in projects is pretty interesting- Particularly if the reason you're mentioning the Nintendo news is because you're upset we weren't posting news about Republique's Kickstarter instead?
What exactly is the backstory to this? I only tend to read the TA frontpage so I'm a bit ignorant to the inner-workings of the site, but I'd noticed the lack of mention of kickstarter games in the past and had been curious about it for a while. Just a case of their development being unreliable, or..? Enjoying the hell out of this game by the way, great work by all involved
I come to this site for relevant news and discussion on iOS games. You've decided that all Kickstarter news is irrelevant, even if what's being Kickstarted is one of the most ambitious iOS games ever conceived. Nintendo news however, isn't irrelevant. Even though they have never published a single iOS app (kinda-sorta excepting the Pokedex published by Nintendo subsidiary Pokemon), we need to be reminded on a monthly basis that Nintendo still isn't developing for iOS. Seriously, July, August, September. A focus on games we can download? How about Mew-genics. Team Meat has never published on iOS and has already failed to deliver on one announced iOS project (your main concern in reporting on Kickstarters), yet Mew-genics has no fewer than ten(!) front page posts. Please don't misunderstand me. I want you to report on games like Mew-genics. I'm genuinely interested, and I hope its zany ideas pan out. Good thing for Team Meat that they never took Kickstarter funds so they can get this kind of awesome coverage on Toucharcade. In the past, you've cited one of the main reasons for the Kickstarter blacklist being the sheer number of new iOS projects, but sorting the wheat from the chaff is why news exists. Sifting through the dreck on the App Store is Toucharcade's raison d'être, extracting a few gems off of Kickstarter is impossible? I just don't see the dogmatic exclusion of all Kickstarter projects as benefiting anybody. It devalues this site by making it less relevant to iOS gaming. It provides a disservice to readers like me by forcing us to look elsewhere to get news on interesting iOS Kickstarters. It devalues the site to any iOS developer even considering taking crowdfunding money to make their project reality. To end on a positive note, thank you for lifting the blacklist after a Kickstarter project ships and giving them a fair shake at that point. After seeing how passionately you hate the idea of crowdfunding, I really was wondering.
Yeah, I would totally love a random post about interesting games that are close to being funded on Kickstarter. Other sites will post every now and then about a game close to being funded and it gives me a heads up in case I'd like to help fund it. I definitely wish I would have been reminded about Republique close to its funding. But thankfully they made it without my small funds! Thanks for the great coverage of it now. You've sold me on it!
Didn't want to do such a long quote, but I felt that it had so many valid points. I think TA's stance on not posting about KS campaigns is fine, but mostly only before they are funded. Once they have the money, or at least once they are showing some kind of results of their work, I don't see how a KS project is any less valid or real than other unpublished games that get previewed on TA all the time.
I understand the "why not" approach to KickStarter, and the "why" approach to news like that from Nintendo... But Eli you are smart enough to know blanket decisions in either direction make little sense. If we fully broke down failed KickStarter iOS projects versus failed non-KickStarter iOS projects (need I say more than dungeons at this point?) do you honestly believe that the decision to, carte Blanche, nix any mention of KickStarter projects no matter how valid they might be? I honestly believe that if you made a decision to not report on projects that might not actually come out, we would no longer see anything regarding potential games. Most things in this world would be better served on a case by case basis. Not all companies, no matter how great, are perfect nor are all terrible. So maybe instead of banning everything from KickStarter, take it case by case? I will admit that KickStarter is very hit or miss, but I also see some amazing things coming from them, Shadowrun, Small World 2, Fists of Awesome. I don't understand why the decision is so digital.
This needs to be a different thread as by all accounts we are derailing attention off a great product due to differences on pre-launch coverage.
It's really kind of astounding how amazingly conceited this statement is, given the context. Everyone knows the first successful gaming Kickstarter was Double Fine's Broken Age, and Republique was posted roughly two months after. Yet in those two months, we're supposed to believe there were just a myriad of "debacles" on Kickstarter so obviously you made a policy to not post about Kickstarter games. You were actually helping the community... It had nothing to do with your bizarre hatred of Kickstarter with rants like this one. Yet, if you just had the gumption to say you wouldn't post about Kickstarter games I don't think many people would have cared that much. However, you couldn't do just that, you had to act like a petty child throughout the ordeal. Here's you referring to Kickstarter as "shitfarter" when asked about coverage for the game: http://i6.minus.com/ibrF9adjAgL5uH.PNG You also claimed you didn't post about games with no gameplay (even though that's obviously not true) and repeatedly referred to the game as vaporware. When Ryan Payton apparently offered to fly to you and show you the game, your incredibly mature response was to mock him on twitter. http://sadpanda.us/images/937222-O5FT084.png And let's not forget when the game was doing poorly in its funding so you chose to mock it again. https://twitter.com/hodapp/status/194441830828490752 Shockingly some of us are passionate about iOS gaming. We believe in ambitious iOS games and that games on the platform can be more than just Angry Birds. And judging by the review on your very own site, we were right in this case. We could've been wrong, sure, but some of us would rather take a risk and get burned than never see the platform evolve to see its true potential. I wish you were one of those people, because unfortunately, you have a lot of power. If you aren't going to do that, I would at least like it if you didn't try and blow smoke up everyone's butt.
Can't TA just have a kickstarter forum and let it be what it is? I came to this thread as I just purchased the game and was quite impressed at the build quality, but yet I come in here and all I see are people getting upset with each other about kickstarter games.
What's all this crap. I'm here to try and find out about whether I should get this game or not. Can't you guys move this argument to another thread please so those of us who want to enquire about the actual game can get some info? I looked at the title and the graphics and people say its good. What do you actually do and is it boring? Do you just crawl around trying to not be seen or is there more? What kind of things can you actually do? Are there puzzles? I'm a bit unsure about what di you do in this game. Got the cash ready and do like stealth to a certain degree. What do you guys advise?
After reading the hateful comments Eli has for Kickstarter projects it upsets me hugely that I do anything to line his pockets by browsing this otherwise great forum, but it pleases me beyond measure that his website has had no choice but to give this game he went out of his way to talk rubbish and be downright rude and offensive about FIVE STARS. Ha. Ha. Ha. Go Ryan! Who needs TA, eh?
This. I don't see any reason why really promising iOS games from KS don't get coverage. Even if you just cover ones that get funded. The problem, and Eli can post here all he likes saying its because there's too many or they're unreliable, is that Elu has a demonstrable irrational hatred for people daring to "rattle a tin" for coins. Despite TA and AppSbopper having had funding; I'm sure...
Wow, so much heated talk about kickstarter stuff in this thread. Cool game though, awesome intro and game concepts.
Dude the forums have been nuts lately! I don't comment too much, I just sit back and enjoy a good read. Some interesting points, but everyone should remember that opinions will always differ. And the difference is what we are entitled too.
Edited because it was a really childish and insensitive post by me. Still I'm sorry for his recent loss.
I'm... fine? I'm not losing any sleep over this. The game came out, we posted our review, and we're moving on to cover other titles, like we... Always do? You guys are the ones making a big deal about this, dredging up year old tweets, and all sorts of other crazy stuff. Why not just enjoy the game and be done with it? I don't get it.
Um.. I agree with the general sentiment of some of the posts in here, but it's a bit low using an event like this to score points :/
Yeah it was and I'm ashamed I posted it. Should have been way more sensitive about something like that.
