Author: Sarah Northway

  • Rebuild 3: Kickstarter postmortem

    Rebuild: Gangs of Deadsville was just successfully funded on Kickstarter, raising $41k from 2200 backers. Breakdown from Kicktraq:

    Rebuild stats from Kicktraq

    Like most campaigns seem to go, it started strong, then totally lost momentum, then suddenly leapt forward at the end of the run. Looking at my referrals (full breakdown here), I’m guessing this is in large part because Kickstarter was featuring it at those times. A whopping 53% of my pledges came from people who were browsing Kickstarter when my campaign caught their eye.

    It was a success, in that it surpassed my $25k goal, introduced new players to the game, and raised an average $19 per backer. To be honest I was hoping more existing Rebuild players would take an interest, but due to a marketing snafu it’s possible they didn’t even know it was going on. Either way, I knew it’d be a challenge to convince free Flash and $2.99 mobile players to back a PC downloadable game for $10 (no iOS version in the rewards either).

    The campaign didn’t come close to actually funding the game in it’s entirety, which would have required more like $150k with my time at cut rate. But I was upfront in saying I didn’t need to fund the entire game, that this money would go towards extra art and extra content and stretch goals. Of which we made a couple, but I’m somewhat relieved that we didn’t make the voice acting stretch goal.

    Rebuild backer numbers from Kicktraq

    My advice for anyone else doing a video game Kickstarter campaign:

    Read Lobster’s guide to Kickstarter from start to finish.

    Don’t use IndieGogo. I really hate Kickstarter for being so revoltingly US-centric and I know it’s not easy to make or fake a US company (or UK, or Canadian which is what I am). But if the referral numbers are truth, then over half my pledge money came from Kickstarter regulars who bumped into my game on there, mostly while browsing in the video games section. I shouldn’t be surprised; I do it myself. IndieGogo and other crowdfunding sites sadly have much smaller communities.

    Make your video pure gameplay footage set to music. Recent uber-successful campaigns have done this, implying that people are more interested in the game than the story or people behind it. Filming yourself is way too much trouble, especially if you freeze up in front of a camera like me. But Colin was a very patient director and we eventually did get through my lines after 5 mornings of filming. We thought my story of being a (mostly) lone female dev living in the jungle in Panama might catch some attention, but backers seemed to be more excited by the gameplay.

    Don’t bother with physical goods at all. Other devs report they are too much trouble and talked me out of doing a board game as a reward (I know: awwwww). Despite an early poll that showed my fans had no interest in t-shirts or stickers, I did them anyway because dammit I like those things. It was only possible because I found a company (Teelaunch) that would produce and ship them for me.

    Put people into your game at all levels. Stick their names in the credits ($1), on randomly generated characters in the game ($25), draw stylized versions of their faces for random characters ($100), or make them full named npcs with stories and events in the game ($500). Offering these rewards was one of the reasons I wanted to do a Kickstarter campaign in the first place.

    Offer exclusive in-game content. I felt torn about my $20 reward tier which gave players unique starting stats for their main leader. On one hand, it smelled like DLC to me to write content for the game but withhold it from regular players. On the other hand, backers were genuinely excited about it and it cost me little to do.

    Plan something to talk about. I listed the npc gangs, announced the soundtrack, talked about the art and my travel/work lifestyle… but then it devolved into short notices about milestones peppered with gratuitous character sketches from Sara. I wish I’d prepared more in-depth articles about game features since backers did (surprisingly) seem to read and enjoy them.

    Add rewards in the middle of the campaign. My theory: once backers have read a few updates and are getting excited about the project, they’re looking for a reason to increase their pledge. I did additive “everything above, plus” reward tiers so when I added the soundtrack at the $35 level, all the higher tiers included it too.

    Invite backers to vote on something. I had some controversy when I added the Relationships & Kids stretch goal. I didn’t explain it very well, I think I made it sound like playing house in The Sims. Anyway it got backers talking which seemed like a good thing even though they were angry, so I told them they would instead vote between that and the Seasons stretch goal. Half the comments in my whole campaign probably related to this.

    If you don’t need the money, don’t worry about the money. Unlike many projects, I had other options for funding. I used the campaign as a promotional tool and to gauge interest so I wouldn’t kill myself making the game perfect if nobody wanted it. I chose a relatively low goal ($25k) and reached it in the initial rush. I did promotional stuff for 2 hours every morning plus one full day a week, but didn’t feel the incredible stress that most teams seem to. It may not have been a huge financial success, but I did raise awareness for Rebuild and started a sense of community that I hope to carry over into the alpha & beta test.

    rebuild3_ksthanks

  • Rebuild 3: Only 2 days to go and new $40k stretch goal added!

    The Rebuild: Gangs of Deadsville Kickstarter campaign made its first stretch goal with no time to lose! I’ll be adding 3 extra faction, including the 1337cREw gamer faction who were so busy having a weekend lan party (do people still have those?) that they didn’t even notice zombies filling the streets outside. Here’s Dara, their leader:

    dara2_550

    And here’s Madison, a bit of a rebellious youth who joins The Pharmacists. Not for the drugs, not for the protection, but because he likes their style:

    rebuild3_madison_550

    Now there’s only 48-ish hours to go, but in a fit of crazed optimism I’ve added another $40k stretch goal: Relationships & Kids. Somewhere in all this killing-the-zombies, saving-humanity, rebuilding-civilization, people surely must be getting on with the daily friendships, feuds and flings that make life worth living.

    The basics are: the more time two survivors spend together, the more they’ll like one another. If something bad happens to a person (for example, they’re ripped to shreds by ravenous undead), their friends will be sad. If one of them is happy, they’ll give a happiness boost to their buds. And if two people really, really like eachother, and happen to be opposite genders, perhaps like magic a baby will appear!

    Kids will stay safe in the fort of course, we’re not going to send them out to crawl into those tight little spaces and scavenge everything their tiny fingers can grab until they’re at least 14. Maybe 13. It’s a tough world out there.

    Okay, on a less depressing note – here’s a sneak peak at one of Sara’s zombies, who she calls Cutter. I think he must have gotten into a face-biting match at some point, but I can’t quite tell if he lost or won.

    rebuild3_cutter_550

  • Rebuild 3: Sketches & a video tour of my office

    rebuild3_masaiThe Rebuild: Gangs of Deadsville Kickstarter is ending in just a few days on Halloween!

    rebuild3_rufioI’ve been gearing up for the Alpha test which starts next month. This first build will only be available to backers at the $15 level and above, so you’ve only got a few days left to secure your spot if you haven’t already. After that you’ll still be able to preorder on the official site and get into the beta, which will start sometime next year. The game is due for release around May 2014.

    rebuild3_gustavSara Gross did some live character sketches on Twitch TV last week. It’s so much fun watching her bring Rebuild characters to life. I know they’re just concept art but I’m so thrilled, I want to use them as loading screens or something in the game.

    rebuild3_luddiesAbove is her Masai (nicknamed “Nipple Fist” by watchers) of the Granville Riffs, Young Rufio of St Micheal’s School for Boys, a few interpretations of infamous trader Gustav who also appeared in Rebuild 2, and some ideas for the Luddies. The Luddies are half hippie, half luddite, and make their own clothing out of hemp and goat wool. Sure there’s still plenty on the racks at the local mall, but hand sheared goat wool just feels better.

    UI_ResultsMeanwhile Adam’s been busy on the new buildings. Finally the last scraps of my old art (all the way from Rebuild 1) is being banished from the game, though he’s putting in references to some of it. He’s also taking fan suggestions to heart and re-evaluating the scariness of our zombies. It’s all a work in progress folks!

    People have been asking how I manage to write games while travelling. The key is we aren’t really “travelling” in the sense of running around doing tourist stuff all day. We just move to another country every 2-3 months and live there like the locals do. We really are in a remote island in Panama right now, which is beautiful and wild and, well, kind of boring, so I’m working long hours and getting a lot done. Colin filmed a little walk around tour of the property we’re staying on:

    We’re definitely ready to withstand the zombie apocalypse out here!

  • Rebuild 3: Announcing the soundtrack!

    I’m super stoked to announce I’ve just signed a licensing deal for the music for Rebuild: Gangs of Deadsville! The game’s soundtrack will feature a full hour of music from Rupert Lally and Espen J. Jörgensen – aka No Studio. Here’s a teaser:

    Rupert, a Swiss/English electronic musician & sound designer, and Espen, a Norwegian electronic artist & filmmaker, have been collaborating for the past year and a half on a range of albums. From experimental circuit bending to ambient synthesizer noisescapes, their music has a kind of grungy post-apocalyptic feel to it that drew me in. The Gangs of Deadsville soundtrack will feature tracks from their whole discography including their upcoming final album This is Art:

    I met Espen during his collaboration with Bill Gould, who worked on the Rebuild 2 soundtrack. I wanted something similar for the new game, but with more intensity and rhythm. I’ve been listening to this music for the past month while programming and I think it’s a lot of fun and a great fit for the new game.

    The Kickstarter campaign is reaching its halfway point, and just got fully funded over the weekend. There are some new stretch goals we’re now trying to hit (seasons!!), and I’m going to entice backers to raise their pledges now by adding a $35 reward tier which includes the game’s 1 hour soundtrack. This will ship on November 4 when This is Art comes out.

  • Rebuild 3: Meet the gangs

    Whooo! The Rebuild: Gangs of Deadsville Kickstarter campaign is 50% funded after only 3 days! You guys are amazing. :) To celebrate, I’m announcing the project’s first stretch goal: 3 Extra Gangs! These NPC factions will sometimes appear in the city with you. Some are easy going and will help you out so long as you don’t scavenge all the best stuff near their fort. Other factions are… not so nice. Let me introduce you:

    The Granville Riffs

    Ever seen the cult 70’s movie The Warriors? Well I was a little drunk when I did (it helps) but afterward I couldn’t get it out of my head. This faction is a play on the Gramercy Riffs, a badass gang of tall black karate dudes with mirrored shades. They value discipline, have a strict code of ethics and take a little too much joy in killing zombies with katanas and well-placed roundhouse kicks. You can hire them as mercenaries once you prove your honor.

    The Last Judgement Gang

    These guys are just the opposite of the Riffs, and the two are always at eachother’s throats. The Judgement are a good old fashioned Hells Angels type biker gang, except… they dress like catholic priests. They’re all fire-and-brimstone and set to cleanse the world of zombie and human alike. If you’re alive, you’re probably a sinner, and that’s all the excuse they need to roll in and raid your fort.

    The Last Judgement Gang

    The Luddies

    Part hippie, part luddite, these vegan farmers live off the land, and are so much happier now that civilization has collapsed and they can take off their tinfoil hats: there are no more radio, tv and wifi waves flying around to cook their brains or control their thoughts anymore. You’ll clash with these guys if you’re truly intent on bringing back the evils of technology.

    Church of the Chosen Ones

    Another callback to Rebuild 2/Mobile, this zombie-worshipping cult have formed their own fort in this game. You could say they’re a little eccentric but mostly harmless… or are they? If their infectuous new religion takes root among your own survivors, watch out – because the ultimate goal of any Church follower is to join the “Chosen Ones” and become a zombie themselves.

    Church of the Chosen Ones

    St Micheal’s School for Boys

    Still living in their former boarding school, this gang of kids is lead by a 16 year old (Rufio! Rufio!) who is the oldest of them because he was held back a year for bad behavior. But it’s not quite Lord of the Flies over there yet, and they get by on their ability to sneak, hide and steal.

    The Pig Farmers

    I introduced these guys in the Rebuild Mobile winter update. Avid meat merchants, they’ve got all these cuts of pork to trade at surprisingly good prices. Well, that is kind of a funny color for pork, and it does taste a little odd, but hey beggars can’t be choosers, right? They really don’t like people snooping around their pig farm and will shoot at anybody who gets too close. Everybody’s got a right to privacy, right?

    The Pig Farmers

    The Government

    These beurocrats are the last remnants of the actual local government. They claim to have contact with a central organization via a secret government network, and are under orders to regain control of the area and will mercilessly comondeer any supplies they need to do that.

    The Rotten

    Not all zombies are alike; in fact some of them manage to keep their wits about them, more or less. Unfortunately they still look and smell like rotting walking corpses, so most of them get shot on sight by humans. But a few have moved underground and are living a marginal life, hoping someday to find a cure for their illness.

    The Rotten

    Stretch Goal Factions

    Now for the stretch goal: if we make it to $35,000, I’ll be able to add 3 more factions to the mix. These guys are more than just names & faces: each faction comes with a bunch of new random events and at least one major plotline that involves them. Stephen’s been coming up with some great storylines that I’m eager to see play out.

    1337cREw (stretch goal)

    These gamers had gathered together for an epic lan party on the night the zombie infection reached their town. They didn’t even notice the dead roming the streets outside until the Internet finally went down. Now they quest to get it back online.

    The Pharmacists (stretch goal)

    Drug dealers, anarchists, hipsters. This gang is in it for the money and not too concerned if a few people get hurt in the process. They’re makers of the hot new drug Bath Salts, which makes you feel strong and fearless but is terribly addictive.

    The Suffragettes (stretch goal)

    These women have had enough of a male-dominated society putting them in second place, and don’t think you need “superior upper body strength” to kill zombies or do what it takes to survive. Tired of being told to do the laundry (have you seen the The Walking Dead?), they’ve got big plans for a brave new world.