An 8 or 16 bit shooter. Yeah, THAT would sell. Side scrolling retro game, yes. Shooter, no. It's a genre that kind if needs higher end graphics and horsepower, ESPECIALLY if you want it to be a tactical game with cover and the like.

Seriously, I have some issues with the overall Kickstarter concept, but saying that putting the decision on what may/may not make the cut (at least in terms of getting a start. Let's be honest : very few of these game concepts are fully produce-able with just their Kickstarter funds) in the hands of consumers isn't one of them. And it certainly isn't indicative of something globally wrong with the industry.

I'm going to back with at least 50$ as soon as this is official on the kickstarter page. "We're looking into..." is just a little bit too vague for me.

Why are so many kickstarters for games so vague about the form of distribution and DRM? I trust them to make a good game and give them my money for a product that doesn't exist yet and may never even exist at all, so why don't they trust their backers and release a DRM-free version that I can install and play locally without depending on some on-line service (which may go down in a few years or any minute, maybe for a day, maybe forever) for key checks, cloud saves and crap like that? I take a risk in supporting you with my money, so I do expect you to take a risk in releasing the game in a form that doesn't restrict me in the ways I want to enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong, I want Ground Branch to succeed! I love tactical shooters! I can't count how many hours of fun I've had with the Infiltration MOD for Unreal Tournament, which IMHO still has the best weapon handling of any game ever and seems to be very close to Ground Branch in its philosophy. I'd like to be able to enjoy Ground Branch in 6 years and install and play it whenever, wherever, just as I can do with Infiltration now (6 years after its last release).

You don't sound like an old man, just an ill-informed person that has no idea what he's on about.

Also, I'm not sure if you've ever tried taking a loan out at a bank recently, but -- we had a bit of a financial crash in the states, mate. Not sure if you heard? It's a bit tricky to go and take out a loan, these days; especially when you already have.

Had you done any bit of research before condemning us to the depths of Hades, you would've read that publisher talks failed, and that community funding seems like a last resort, for us. We tried your methods for many years, mate. Believe me. We met with every publisher, and not a single one of them wanted to fund the idea of a game that isn't turned into an annual crash-grab, or a free-to-play microtransaction title. We explained that we intended to revive the tactical shooter genre, support the product for multiple years, and to avoid player fragmentation (exclusive items or maps) at all costs. Imagine the look on their faces, dear boy.

And we have taken out loans, and spent our own money; how do you suppose we were able to afford to pay for motion capture cameras and the like without any money? How do you suppose we got to pre-alpha? This isn't charity, it's the crowd-sourced democratization of game development; you're paying for change, for an idea; you're paying for someone to bring back the style of games you miss playing.

Not sure if you've taken note lately, but: currently, there is only one game in our genre. It's called "Armed Assault". Look it up, and then read many of the complaints people have with it. Our goal is to address those complaints, and bring back the feeling of the old Ghost Recon and Rainbow 6 games. On top of that, we offer some unique innovations not found in any retail product, in terms of our game modes, sound design and animations.

The point is: games take a lot to be made. More than you're probably prepared to realize. Our asking budget on KS is actually criminally low. What we've made so far, we've made with an impossibly small budget. None of us are getting rich. Sometimes, you just make things for the passion of making them.

Comparing us to EA asking for handouts is pretty insulting. Perhaps, someday, you'll be on my end, and you'll understand that.

Also, get real: you think that an "8-bit" or "16-bit" title (I'll assume you meant pixel-art) doesn't take a lot of work? Check out "Cortex Command". Go ahead and google that, for a second.

Games are a lot of work, and it takes a lot to make an impression. Those that played this genre of games know what to look for, and that's who we're catering to. It doesn't work for everyone (clearly, you), but it doesn't have to. That's the beauty of indie game development.

You don't have to support us with your money, but do your research before you shit on someone, please. When's the last time you saw someone from the games industry come into a public space, and publicly address concerns like this, eh?

Either way, you've made up your mind. That's fine. You're not the first person on the internet to be negative. Just realize that it's insane to think that we'd rip you off; can you honestly believe that? At the very least, if you walk away with one bit of knowledge, walk away with that. There are much easier ways to scam people, than to crucify your name, your company and your IP.

Cheers.

Well, thanks for your potential support. :)

I'll tell you why the topic isn't first-and-foremost: because to most people, honestly, it doesn't matter that much.

I am with you, in that I dislike DRM. However, what I hate more than DRM, is a game that doesn't remain functional. Online connectivity is the lifeblood of most of these games (along with mod support). Look at INF, for example (one of my all-time favorite games): the master server is down, and now, you can only direct-connect to servers if you know the IP. So, if you're just now finding out about this game, because I name-drop it in our design and think, "Oh man, that must be a cool game" -- well, good luck playing it. The few servers that are still up are not listed when you open the server browser.

With Steamworks, we tie into Valve's backend. So when we're long gone (man, I hope we're around for a while), the game will live on. As a former employee of Valve Software, I can tell you one thing: they aren't going anywhere, ever. That company makes such an obscene amount of money, that it is impossible for them to "vanish". They make such a disgusting amount of money, per second, that you would likely throw up if I told you how much it really was. The only way that company will cease to exist, is if the board just decides that it's not worth it anymore.

While I was there, I made a big push for a better "Offline Mode", which would allow users to authenticate locally, somehow. However, it was decided that "Offline Mode" functioned as needed, and that it wouldn't be revisited. I pushed for this, because, when we launched The Orange Box, many of our fans who were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan could not install the CD Boxed copy (and their internet connections were limited to slow satellite connections).

To me, that's extremely lame. But you know what? I'm not Gabe Newell. I don't make the decisions. I'm just a cog in the machine. And unfortunately, there is no service that is up-to-par with what Steamworks provides to game developers. It is simply the best system out there; though, like you, I dislike certain aspects inherit in Steam.

I agree with you, wholeheartedly, that you shouldn't need to be online to install and enjoy a game. However, I could also show you the argument that online connectivity is a crucial part in most games (especially ours).

Either way, it's a moot point. We will provide a secondary binary for LAN-only support, for when your connection is down, alongside the Steamworks release.

Cheers. :)

P.S. Nice to see a fellow INFer.

Jon, You've swayed me; I just pledged (at the $60 for four copies level). Please do the right thing. (I'd rather live in a world of direct IP without central servers, as your INF example lists -- where you have to find the community and organize yourselves -- than this vendor locked, DRMed, customer-be-damned dystopia that Valve has constructed.)

.. Ha-ha! No, seriously thank you all for the great laugh. I'm not so called ill-informed. If you had actually noticed I was not talking about any one particular kickstarter at all. Infact I do not a give a single fuck about any of them. They are not worth knowing about. You act like I do not live in the present - news flash! - I live in the states, am actually considered below middle class on basis of my income, and the world sucks donkey-dick. Do I care? Sure, but it's not my fault morons (yes, morons) want to blow hundreds of of thousands of dollars on trying aesthetically apeal to the majority who somehow believe graphics are everything. Simple is sometimes better. If they want the money start small. Save your flippin' glorious so-called masterpiece. So no, I am not going to fork over money to them. If talks with various publishers failed, and they could not afford a loan; not my problem. Asking for handouts in the form of a kickstarter is in my opinion pathetic. Did I actually go reading this particular kickstarter? No. Did not care, and - yes, it does show a huge problem with the industry. If you do not believe so, or cannot, or even are not willing to see the problem(s) that is on you. Not I. I am an opinionated individual, and unfortunetly I am the minority because, I refuse to be a sheeple, or give in to conformity, and peer pressures.

The world is cruel bitch. Deal with it... Mate.

Still. Thanks for the laughs. I knew no one here would understand the plight, and I knew people would hate. Bring it on. I live on being hated.

.!.. ("-_-") ..!.

Thanks for your support. I hope you enjoy the game, one way or the other (as you will get a Steam key for when you decide to come and play online, either way). :)

Cheers.

Oooooo...check it out, world! We're in the presence of someone all edgy and shit! He doesn't care, because he's just too damn cool. What a special, special guy!

He's a real maverick, for sure. Mom and dad were away for the night, and it was the opportune moment to take to the internet, while listening to Linkin Park, and telling an indie game dev "how it is!" I can assure you, we were all thoroughly impressed by the display.

Here's the official post about the DRM-free binary: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/670743543/ground-branch/posts/252919

So does this mean the game will be released on GOG?

Possibly. We're still looking into that. Our plan, initially, is to offer a torrent of the DRM-free binary (so that we're not buried alive in bandwidth costs), alongside the Steam Key for the Steamworks version.

I certainly do like GOG, though. :)

And pledged! Thank you!

Chances are, it will even work with Wine, as it uses Unreal Engine 3 :) Can't wait

No disrespect to Christian, but Takedown's KS funding was not to develop the game -- it's simply funding to get the office going, and to hire a few people. His goal was to attract VC investors, which he claims he already has lined up. And to that, I must say to him "good luck". He's quite the salesman, but I am doubtful of that plan coming together, without major concessions to the vision of the game.

This puts us at a disadvantage, because people will look at his project and say, "Well, how come he's doing it for half of what you're asking". Well, he's not. That's the difference.

I hope he's able to pull it off though. It's an extremely limited market, and I'd love to have more than one game to play.
Thanks!

It might, yes. We didn't want to get anybody's hopes up, but if we have the budget, we will look into supporting Linux, as soon as Valve decides to officially support Steam.

But for now, Mac/PC. :)

Cheers matey, that's really good news.