Kickstarter

[deathwinged]

I know for sure that this has been suggested before (it died after one post), but in light of the recent Steam Greenlight application and the fact that it wasn't very clear at all, I felt the need to post it here again. Kickstarter, in case noone knows, is a crowd-funding site. (Link http://www.kickstarter.com/start?ref=nav

Kickstarter is a no-risk method of fundraising, and it seems a chunk of funding is what Virtrium could really use for Istaria. The previous thread mentions the Furcadia kickstarter, link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...econd-dreaming which, as you can see, successfully raised $106,000 (almost twice its original goal). For a -browser game-. Istaria is a timeless game with a still-thriving and awesome community, but with a little work it could be back as a Big Thing. I am asking that the devs take some time to look into the possibility of a kickstarter for a upgrade/remake to Istaria; with Kickstarter, many options could open up; my suggestion for main and 'stretch' goals (a term you quickly become familiar with on Kickstarter.)

1. Developing a new engine! Priority one, as it would open up a huge number of possibilities that the devs have shot down in the past (riding dragons and better flight come to mind), including a more modern free-to-play model.
2. New engine+Graphics upgrade. Personally, I think Istaria has fairly nice graphics for a game its age. But it certainly does show that age...
3. New engine, Graphics, and UI. By now, it -looks- like a whole new game, with that same fantastic community, multiclassing system, immersive lore, and housing system.
4. A whole new game? Revisiting and modernizing every aspect of Istaria, for the modern day. A huge stretch goal.

I, for one, would make the largest contribution I could to fund such a project, and given the community, I'm sure many other Istarians would as well; further, if the kickstarter failed, nothing would be lost. Other players, please comment with what you think!

[Arzel Rashemi]

I would so be for this! Thinks my other half will kill me for contributing a good chunk of savings to this if they did put it up on kickstarter or another site like it. They could even offer little trinkets for it, like a limited shoulder pet or something.

[Racktor]

I'd certainly like to see an Ista update to kickstarter. KS would also get attention to Istaria and maybe even you could ask for staff hands on there, too, if the staff is short. (I know Planetary Annihilation did that. They had an initial goal of like.. 250k and now have 2 million.) ^^

[Calyndrell]

I would so be for this! Thinks my other half will kill me for contributing a good chunk of savings to this if they did put it up on kickstarter or another site like it. They could even offer little trinkets for it, like a limited shoulder pet or something.

Actually as long as your not planning to sell an arm I am all for it. We all play this game so why not contribute more if we can?

[LOVWYRM]

Anything that supports Istaria is fine for us.

So why not?

[Terao]

I think this is a great idea, I would support this.

[deathwinged]

All support so far, nice! ^^ Does anyone have the dev lamp? Give it a serious rubbing for us. ^^

[Racktor]

I'd certainly like to see an Ista update to kickstarter. KS would also get attention to Istaria and maybe even you could ask for staff hands on there, too, if the staff is short. (I know Planetary Annihilation did that. They had an initial goal of like.. 250k and now have 2 million.) ^^

Rather, their lowest goal was 250k (initial), and their largest stretch goal was 1.2 million. Got 2 million in the end, tho.

[Dracillion]

I would rather see bugs and existing content tuned out. Hardware upgrades, revamp the existing code so you're not so resource bottlenecked, i.e. spawning of mobs, or sending NPCs to forbidden zone to make more.

Graphics and rewriting on an engine is a grand endeavor, not something I've seen many programmers enthusiastic about.

+1 nonetheless

[silverth]

If a kickstarter became a reality for Istaria, it would be the one I'd be for supporting it. I think this is the only game I'd be willing to spend my money to try and help support, it's the only one I've kept returning to even after getting other 'pretty' games (GW2, WoW, and EQ2)

Here's hoping this gets some serious consideration~

[Pharaxes]

If that ever comes to kickstarter I'm heavily against anything like "You paid this much, you gain benefits others won't get" because then Istaria degraded itself to a pay-to-win-game, a reason to quit.

[deathwinged]

If that ever comes to kickstarter I'm heavily against anything like "You paid this much, you gain benefits others won't get" because then Istaria degraded itself to a pay-to-win-game, a reason to quit.

There are other free-to-play models that rely on convenience items in addition to subscriptions, without making the game pay-to-win. For example, speed potions and experience boosters, perhaps cosmetic items like masks and capes.

[Arzel Rashemi]

If that ever comes to kickstarter I'm heavily against anything like "You paid this much, you gain benefits others won't get" because then Istaria degraded itself to a pay-to-win-game, a reason to quit.

I don't think it would have come down to that Phar. The perks could be as simple as a limited shoulder pet much akin to the phoenix of loyalty which doesn't give any benefit, rather just something cute. Or a tech that just changes the look of your armour or shield. An item you can use to make a banner on your plot. Maybe even, forbid, you get to help create an item that goes into game (not unbalancing obviously) but like you might supply the name for it and maybe the information that might go on the customization part of it or something. The perks don't have to equate on pay2win.

[Kida]

As someone who thinks Istaria needs a HUGE overhaul in order to compete with the other MMOs of today, I definitely support this idea. The game desperately needs a new engine, new graphics, update to UI and maybe even interfaces for things like crafting (GW2 can automatically detect the tools I have equipped to gather, I think it would be nice if Istaria could at least locate the tool in my inventory to use, or the skill as a Dragon...), a Kickstarter would be a wonderful way to gather funds. Though I don't think many people would be interested in supporting if they realized it would still be a subscription-based model afterwards, so there's that... -cough-

[deathwinged]

*Waves a glaringly purple flag to attract the attention of the devs*

[deathwinged]

More bumps please?

[deathwinged]

*Groans tiredly and resurrects his pet project*

[Calyndrell]

*Groans tiredly and resurrects his pet project*

What i find really disappointing is the total lack of interest by the devs in this subject you'd think players offering to throw money at a project would immediately raise heads.

[velveeta]

the gods move when they will. they generally don't speak until they are ready to say something.

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that being said, I would totes support any kickstarter project that involved the improvement of horizons. I can subjectively state that it worx a right treat. I am part of the larry elmore art book project, and it was a more than resounding success.

[Kyala]

It sounds like quite a nice idea. Anything to help enhance the experience I have of the game is a definite plus for me. And like some have said, it is one of the few games I always end up coming back to, despite the overwhelming options I have.

I certainly support this!