KickStarter Phoenix Point - the new game from X-COM creator Julian Gollop

[Excidium II]

^ Wrong.

 

[TC Jr]

Really looking forward to this, seems like the best aspects of both games.

 

[Polanski]

I just backed!

The amount ambitions of this project reminds me of X-Com Apocalypse and the original X-Com.

Despite the gameplay video looking very underwhelming, it really feels good supporting these kind of aspirations, and I have enough believe in Gollop to think that he would not take on a project of this magnitude, if he was not going to give everything to get it through.

 

[pm_675]

After playing ( pirated) Xcom and TFTD like crazy in the 90´s now that I can pay, why no back it?

So I did

 

[Infinitron]

Well, it's over.

 

[Space Satan]

I bet they expected it to be 300% and more. Because revival of old classics, like PoE, PoEII, Torment and Wasteland gathered much much more. And X-Com is a renown classic. Yet they barely could get 700k with people not quite interested and wit no rush we saw in other kickstarters. Given that other kickstarters aimed for bigger initial sum, usually starting from 1kk. Given they are just reskinning nuXcom and don't have to create everything from the scratch they can save monies, plus living in Bulgaria means cheaper wages.

 

[ArchAngel]

I bet they expected it to be 300% and more. Because revival of old classics, like PoE, PoEII, Torment and Wasteland gathered much much more. And X-Com is a renown classic. Yet they barely could get 700k with people not quite interested and wit no rush we saw in other kickstarters. Given that other kickstarters aimed for bigger initial sum, usually starting from 1kk. Given they are just reskinning nuXcom and don't have to create everything from the scratch they can save monies, plus living in Bulgaria means cheaper wages.

Of course they are creating everything from scratch, what are you talking about?!
Just because it looks similar to nuXcom does not mean they bought or stole their art assets.

And why are people so hung up on art or UI, those were never the problem in nuXcom. Nobody is going to be making a new Xcom game with 1994 graphics, if you are expecting that and that is most important to you, you might as well never open any topic about any other Xcom like game so to spare yourself needless stress.

 

[thesheeep]

I bet they expected it to be 300% and more. Because revival of old classics, like PoE, PoEII, Torment and Wasteland gathered much much more. And X-Com is a renown classic. Yet they barely could get 700k with people not quite interested and wit no rush we saw in other kickstarters.

I also think they expected a bit more, but 300%? Not really.
All of those you listed were either direct or indirect sequels to some great successes more than 10 years before. Except PoEII, whose campaign succeeded on the success of the first part, not really on any kind of nostalgia anymore.

And about X-Com: Believe it or not, most people are pretty happy with the new XComs. They don't want or need all the stuff that many here see lacking in the new titles.
There simply isn't really such a big demand for another "oldschool" X-Com.
Besides... even if most of them have been all but forgotten by now, there were actually several other X-Com games released over the years. So it's not like there was a very long drought here.
And none of them were ever great successes. This particular genre is nowhere near as "strong" as the ones catered to by PoE, for example.

 

[luinthoron]

Yeah, based on the Polygon interview, I'd say that while they may indeed have thought they might get somewhat more, they already got a bit more than they really wanted out of the campaign:

Gollop said that he’s excited to bring the opportunity to invest in his team’s vision to X-COM fans. He said that his studio has invested around $450,000 in the project already. In addition to the $500,000 ask, $300,000 of which will be open to equity investors, his team will need at least another $100,000 to $150,000.

“We've been pretty conservative about our projections,” Gollop said. “As far as we're concerned, we can do the game if we get the $500,000. You have to bear in mind that development costs in Bulgaria [where Snapshot is based] are about a third that in the U.S.”

Another $100k to $150k in addition to the initial goal needed? They got an additional $265k, so it certainly got them more than enough to properly finish the game. Now let's hope it brings in enough for Snapshot to give us those underwater battles in the future as well.

 

[Alienman]

Also this is before paypal. I can't be the only one a bit skeptical of fig

You are not alone.

 

[luinthoron]

Campaign update 19:

All of us at Snapshot games would like to thank our backers and investors for a remarkable crowdfunding campaign. Well done!

Slacker Backer is now available!

This will allow those who missed the campaign to pledge for some of the digital rewards we offered during the campaign.

Slacker Backer pledges will count towards our stretch goals.

What’s Next for Phoenix Point?
We are now busy recruiting new members for our team, with 4 confirmed appointments already - all due to start in July. The Fig campaign has helped immensely to attract some very talented people. The aim is to reach around 30 developers before the end of the year. You can rest assured that we will be able to build a super team here at our Sofia studio.

The team will be focussing on several areas of the project over the next three months

• Realistic ballistics system for combat
• Destructible environments
• Faction haven structures
• Humanoid animation and mutation systems
• Strategic game systems and geoscape view

We will shortly be setting up an official Phoenix Point discussion forum.

In the meanwhile, please check the Phoenix Point subreddit for discussions - developers will be there!

We will keep you updated on our progress every monthy with videos, concepts, interviews, Q&As and more.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

No Paypall for slacker backing.
Pity.

 

[Zombra]

It isn't that it can't be done - it will just take some preperation.

It's sad that they think this bullshit answer would convince anyone.

I'm confused. What's your theory, detective?

 

[Destroid]

The main 2 issues with using PayPal are...

1. Users can reverse payments. This is not only bad if some rewards have already gone out - but the company also has to pay the card reversal fees - therefore spending money which could be spent on the game.
   
   
2. We would have to have the infrastructure in place to be able to collect backer information and allow them to select reward tiers at the time of payment.

It isn't that it can't be done - it will just take some preperation.

It's sad that they think this bullshit answer would convince anyone.

What stops people reversing their card payments on the main Fig?

 

[thesheeep]

The main 2 issues with using PayPal are...

1. Users can reverse payments. This is not only bad if some rewards have already gone out - but the company also has to pay the card reversal fees - therefore spending money which could be spent on the game.
   
   
2. We would have to have the infrastructure in place to be able to collect backer information and allow them to select reward tiers at the time of payment.

It isn't that it can't be done - it will just take some preperation.

It's sad that they think this bullshit answer would convince anyone.

1. Really sounds more like an excuse, for sure.

But 2. sounds pretty convincing to me. PayPal has none of the mechanisms in place that such a funding would require, you'd have to do it yourself.
Slacker backing has never amounted to much, so outside of very small projects, it might simply not seem worthwhile to project leads.

 

[luinthoron]

Update 20:

Phoenix Point Comes to E3
Julian travelled to Los Angeles on Sunday to head up some business meetings at E3. On Tuesday, Snapshot Games will be teaming up with Alienware and a new, zero latency streaming service called Caffeine. Julian will be streaming the developer build of Phoenix Point LIVE from E3. The stream will take place at midday PST (3pm EST / 8pm BST / 9pm CET).

You can check out this new service at www.caffeine.tv from your browser, or download the interactive app on iOS.

We suggest you create yourself an account in advance of the stream if you'd like to participate in the chat, or alternatively you can sign in with your Twitter account.

Feel free to follow the official Snapshot Games Caffeine channel to receive a notification when the stream goes live at www.caffeine.tv/snapshot



Snapshot Games Launches a New Discord Server
While we are still making the finishing touches to our new forum system, we have gone ahead and created a Snapshot Games Discord server where you can hang out with other Chaos Reborn and Phoenix Point enthusiasts, along with some of the Snapshot development team (when they're not busy working hard on Phoenix Point!).

You can access the Discord server by following this link: via your desktop browser, or the dedicated desktop app. You can also download the app for iOS and Android. You will require a free Discord account with a validated email address in order to chat there.

We also have a dedicated Chaos Reborn Discord server with multiple channels, all dedicated to Snapshot Games' first title, Chaos Reborn. The link for that can be found here:



Chaos Reborn Keys
Some of you have been asking when you will be receiving your Chaos Reborn Key. We are still waiting for the last few Fig pledges to finish processing, and we intend to start sending out an email survey to backers next week to establish if you require a GoG key or a Steam key. Once we have your replies, keys should start to be dispatched via email in the following weeks.



Chaos Reborn Crowdsourcing Translators
Chaos Reborn has already been translated into many different languages. However, we'd like it to be accessible to as many players as possible in their native language. Snapshot are reaching out to our multilingual community to ask for your help in translating Chaos Reborn into a number of other tongues. If you can speak another language and are interested in helping to translate Chaos Reborn, then send us an email to contact@snapshotgames.com



Snapshot Games Welcomes You To Twitter
Snapshot Games as a brand new Twitter account. You can follow us for regular updates about the progress of Phoenix Point, Chaos Reborn, and news and updates about Snapshot Games as a studio. The account really is new, and we have few followers at the moment. I really want to see that number increase in the next few days - so head on over to Twitter and follow @snapshot_games

 

[ArchAngel]

I tried that streaming service link, it asked me to register to use it. I closed the tab. I guess I will not be watching that stream.

 

[thesheeep]

Yeah, that's a bit weird with streaming services like Twitch, YouTube or Mixer not requiring any registration.

 

[ArchAngel]

Yeah, that's a bit weird with streaming services like Twitch, YouTube or Mixer not requiring any registration.

Seems if you directly click Gollop's channel it does open (but no stream there currently) but going to main page you need to register. Strange site.

 

[Space Satan]

Unexpected incline

 

[ArchAngel]

I tried to watch the stream but this caffeine.tv is just terrible. Compared to twitch it would be like trying to play Starcraft 1 on a Xbox with a controller...

 

[thesheeep]

it would be like trying to play Starcraft 1 on a Xbox with a controller...

Sounds fun for a special kind of challenge, though

 

[Modron]

I tried to watch the stream but this caffeine.tv is just terrible. Compared to twitch it would be like trying to play Starcraft 1 on a Xbox with a controller...

Didn't starcraft get a playstation 1 port?

Edit: My bad it was a Nintendo 64 port kek.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

There is PS1 version of Warcraft 2.

 

[luinthoron]

Campaign update 21:

E3 week is coming to a close
It has been a very busy week at E3 for both Julian and David, who have been dedicating all of their time to driving the exposure of Phoenix Point and planning for the future. During this week, Julian and David were able to take a very short break from business meetings to perform an exclusive live stream and engage with the community. Considering this was Julian's first ever live stream, he did amazingly well. He managed to both complete the game scenarios and answer a lot of your questions too.

The stream was presented from Alienware's truck at E3 and streamed using Caffeine.tv's new streaming service. As Caffeine doesn't currently include a VoD service, one of our community members, PhoenixGR, kindly recorded and uploaded the stream to YouTube so that those who missed it can still watch. So a big thank you to PhoenixGR.


Two generations of XCom designers raise a glass
During E3, Julian was able to grab a quick lunch with Jake Solomon of Firaxis, lead designer of the modern XComs. Julian's original works have long been a great inspiration to Jake, and the two took some time to talk about XCom, Phoenix Point, and of their passion for creating fantastic squad tactics games. Before parting ways to make other appointments, the two generations of XCom designers share a well-deserved drink together.

The following day, Jake gave an interview to PCGamesN, where he talks about the new XCom 2 expansion and his relationship with Julian. Jake discusses how the success of XCom and of Phoenix Point are both good for one another. You can find the interview on YouTube here.



Chaos Reborn key surveys
Surveys for Chaos Reborn keys have been sent out to backers via email. When you open the email, it will take you to a survey page. Here, you select if you would prefer a GoG key or a Steam key. The keys will hopefully be sent out next week to the same email addresses, and you will receive a key for whichever platform that you selected in the survey. If you haven't received the email, please let us know at contact@snapshotgames.com

Chaos Reborn has also received an update this week. The update is currently on an optional beta branch of the game which is being tested. We plan to have the update live around the same time that the keys are distributed, to give you the best experience.



What happens next?
At the weekend, Julian will take the long journey back to Sophia to continue development on Phoenix Point. Over the next three months, Julian and the team will be focusing on adding the following features:

• Realistic ballistics system for combat
  
• Strategic game systems and geoscape view
  
• Destructible environments
  
• Faction haven structures
  
• Humanoid animation and mutation systems

Julian will also be preparing to welcome the latest members to the Snapshot development team and set them to work. Snapshot Games are also still hiring talented people, and intend to take the total team size up to around 30 members. If you have games development or art experience and would like the chance to work on an exciting upcoming game which will be played around the world, then check out the available positions over on the Snapshot Games website.