Project Phoenix

[Flintlock]

Project Phoenix is, according to its Kickstarter page, "a fantasy themed squad-based real-time strategy game combined with Japanese RPG design influences."

It's going in this week's roundup. Here's why: "Project Phoenix is being produced by some of the greatest creative talents in the video game industry, with credits including several Final Fantasies, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Valkyria Chronicles, L.A. Noire, Diablo III, Halo 4, Crysis 3, and much more."

If you're wondering which of the project's "creative talents" has worked on Final Fantasy, here's your answer:

Yes, it's the great man himself. The Kickstarter page calls it "Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu's FIRST indie game project EVER!", although he won't be solely responsible for the game's score.

The project's original funding target was $100k, which was easily reached on the first day of the Kickstarter. They are still gathering money for their "stretch goals", however, the first of which ($300k) would get additional music from Uematsu, among other things.

I've never backed anything on Kickstarter before, and although I was tempted to pledge some money to this, I decided I'd like to see some proper gameplay footage first to determine what the RTS/RPG balance is like. But what do you think? Will you be throwing a few dollars its way?

 

[Shademp]

I think I'll go with your plan Flint. Waiting for gameplay footage until I actually donate.

Still. MEGA EXCITED.

 

[AvecAloes]

I'm with you and Shademp here, Flint...if I were to donate, it would only be after I see progress made on the game in the form of gameplay footage. Trailers aren't enough, words aren't enough...I've heard of too many failed Kickstarter projects to want to get my hopes up too high too quickly for this. It sounds really interesting, don't get me wrong, but it's way too soon for me to open up my wallet.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

I can see something like this being legit, since I just backed Little Witch Academia 2 - an anime that utterly DESTROYED its Kickstarter goals, and talked a lot about how Japan wasn't really aware of Kickstarter by and large. If their development team is the real deal, I wouldn't worry too much about it. For example: Colossal Kaiju Combat was a project that I backed on the basis of their team, and their team's past work on the same style game.

I'd wait a week or so until they overcome the initial shock and get a little more open about who's involved at as many levels as possible, but don't hold out for gameplay footage, because VERY few teams have the resources or organization to get that together before a project has any funding. CKC is just starting to show of their playable stuff, and they've been funded for a while now.

I'll dig into this some more, but after a week or two with them hitting it this big, if there's anything shady going on, it'll come creeping out pretty soon, once game sites pick up on the news.



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[Lex]

I really like the sound of this game. Gameplay footage purease.

 

[Alex Strife]

Wow. I'm impressed, if this is true (which it should be).

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Finally got to dig into all the details about the project (since my earlier post was made from my phone while I was still in bed xD ). I checked the press information as many places as I could and it all checks out on all fronts, so I dropped in a contribution.

Despite the number of people that they have already assembled, there's pretty much no way you're going to see any gameplay footage within the next 30 days. I can say this with a fair level of confidence, because the Developer Level Tier doesn't even get access to the dev builds of the game (which are pre-alpha) until May 2014.

That's the thing about some Kickstarter projects for games, you have to have a lot of faith in the development team who's setting out to do what they're doing. While there are a lot of passion projects that will be able to show footage of a W.I.P. that they're Kickstarting to turn into a proper career and get finished/officially made, it's also to legitimately kick start projects entirely from the ground up, and that's what Project Phoenix is looking to do. They're building off of the reputation that their staff has, and using their ideas to push for the project that they don't have yet. They're not a little dev team that's been building this for a long time, these guys are some big guns who are looking to get serious about making something happen.

It's a sure thing, and the Stretch goals are really what'll help make this project shine, so I'd say if you're looking to contribute to a Kickstarter for the first time, and get a feel for how it all works with something that you're guaranteed to get something back from, this is a damn good place to start.



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[Tetsujin]

Looks like there are some big guns working on this. May or may not pledge. :p

omg, Donna Burke too D:

 

[Alex Strife]

I do have a question... What happens if you contribute and the project doesn't happen? Just wondering, I'm a noob at this. Not that I'm thinking of contributing, though. My economy is a little bit worse than I'd like it to be. I'm genuinely curious, and it's good to know information in case I decide to do it some day, either with this project or something else.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I'm contributing next payday.

 

[Tetsujin]

I do have a question... What happens if you contribute and the project doesn't happen?

On Kickstarter, if the project doesn't meet the goal, no money will be withdrawn from you.

If the project does meet its goal but it doesn't happen anyway because the project starter decides to make off with the money, you're boned.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

On Kickstarter, if the project doesn't meet the goal, no money will be withdrawn from you.

Exactly. That's what makes the timing and marketing important, and knowing how to manage your main amount, and what to make a stretch goal.

If the project does meet its goal but it doesn't happen anyway because the project starter decides to make off with the money, you're boned.

Another reason why I cited that this would be a good first contribution is that it IS getting funded, and the people involved are all really legit and reliable, (not to mention that it'd have HUGE repercussions if they didn't follow through).


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[Alex Strife]

Thanks guys!!

 

[Flintlock]

I don't need to see actual gameplay footage, but with the talent they've got assembled, they could at least show a concept video of the gameplay. I'm just worried that it will merely be an RTS game, and that they're mentioning the RPG elements to attract attention from fans like us. Not that I hate RTSs by any means, but I still play Age of Empires II every now and then and I don't know if I need another one

 

[Alex Strife]

I guess it'll be similar to Age of Wonders... but being Real Time instead of just Strategy...

 

[Hisako]

LOL Donna Burke y u so fahnee XD

I'm super hype for all of it! But I have a feeling though that Uematsu's on the team, I have a feeling that he'll be composing only a minority of tracks for the game just so they could credit him with doing work for the game That's what so many developers do with bringing big-name composers in these days, lol.

Hmmm. I wanna put in a couple dollars *now*, but I also want to put in moar dollars if it looks good f'later. WOT TO DU

What I'll probably end up putting in: Probably Artisan once I scrounge up the monies, maybe Composer if I got really hype from footage

What I'd spend if I had all the monies in the world: DEVELOPERCITIZENMANAGERENTREPRENEUR oooh maaaaaaai gooooooort

 

[Alex Strife]

I've been thinking about the significance of the name "Project Phoenix". It is obvious that they want to push the genre again. But if they do succeed... It could truly shake the world of JRPG as we know it.

If this really is successful, these guys could cause the whole Japanese RPG industry to re-think their ways and start making games with "soul" in mind, instead of going crazy with the technology. I am partial to hand-drawn looks, as they look great and possibly remind me of pre-rendered Final Fantasy backgrounds, and as far as I know, it's a lot cheaper to do that, instead of going crazy with 3D and "rock-polishing".

But oh well... I really want to see what they can do with this.


On a related note, I would SO like to have my own playable character... Sadly I do not have $10k to spend... Oh well.

 

[Flintlock]

playable NPC

Eh?

 

[Alex Strife]

Oh wait. HAHAHA.


YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT. Editing, editing...

 

[Hisako]

Hnnnngh I have to pay off uni fees first

 

[Tetsujin]

LOL Donna Burke y u so fahnee XD

I'm super hype for all of it! But I have a feeling though that Uematsu's on the team, I have a feeling that he'll be composing only a minority of tracks for the game just so they could credit him with doing work for the game That's what so many developers do with bringing big-name composers in these days, lol.

Got it exactly right:

$300,000

We've already achieved this stretch goal, but let me elaborate a little on what this actually means for you and the game. Nobuo Uematsu, aside from composing the main theme of the game, will compose all major motifs.

So in other words, originally he was just slated to compose the main theme.

I honestly hate it when they hire famous composers just for one song. =/
At least now Uematsu gets to do more.

I wonder what it actually costs to hire Uematsu.

 

[Hisako]

It's always been in the past, like OOOO HANS ZIMMER FOR MODERN WARFARE or CLINT MANSELL FOR MASS EFFECT 3 SPARKLE SPARKLE

but lol nope main theme only wot

"major motifs" sounds like they basically scrounged up the money for him to write for a few character and location themes. The majority of the soundtrack will still probably be written by the other two randoms listed,

 

[X-SOLDIER]

New gameplay mechanic information:

Please be aware that the following gameplay will be going through extensive playtesting; not just by us, but by our Kickstarter Developers, Alpha Testers, and Beta Testers be included. If we find out a mechanic does not work the way we intended, we will modify or change it completely for the betterment of the game.

Leveling & Skills

We are still deciding on a level cap between levels 80 – 100. Each level cap offers their own set of unique advantages and disadvantages. We don’t want to make the cap to high to where you have to needlessly grind the last 20 levels just to max out. We want our content to match your level, and provide you with a challenging yet fulfilling experience.

Leveling will work similarly to other RPGs. When you obtain a set amount of experience, you gain a level, and your stats increase. You will also gain a skill point that you can apply to one of two skill trees. We are not yet certain if you will receive a skill point upon gaining a level, or every two levels, etc. Either way, our intent is that it not be possible to max on each skill tree, even after reaching the level cap. This should provide multiple ways of customizing each character for any specific role that you require of them.

Character Classes

Although each class will start off with similar basic abilities, each will have their own different set of unique skill trees. We have announced four playable classes so far: Templars, Paladins, Pathfinders, and Battle Mages. More detailed information on Classes will be announced in future updates.

Squad Formations

During combat, you will control your characters by their appointed squads, and not as individuals. There will be around 10 playable characters on the field at any given time, and it will be up to you to maximize the party’s effectiveness to defeat the enemies. Any way that you choose to accomplish this is your decision.

Example: You create 3 squads for 9 characters. In the first squad you place 3 tanks, the second, 3 ranged, and the third, 3 healers. Then you set up the party formation so that the tank squad faces the enemy, the healer squad stays center to provide support to the other squads, and the ranged squad protects the flanks and rear.

You can mix and match the squads and characters as you wish. Include a tank, ranged, and healer in each squad, and then change their stance to match their role.

Squad Stances & Movements

Stances are applied to each squad, not an individual character. Stances are adjustable AI parameters that your squads will revert to when you are not directly controlling them. We currently are considering implementing three Stances: Aggressive, Defensive, and Stealth. Even while not in combat, your squads will still retain their stances, and actively choose formations and take up the appropriate positions when halted.

The reason for this update is because I want to give you a more clear idea of what we intend our combat system to include. We will finish the art and text for our major gameplay update next week, so I hope this teaser has gotten you excited for more

-Cronus

New interview: http://www.dualshockers.com/2013/08...s-his-vision-for-the-game-jrpgs-ps4-and-more/



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[Hisako]

Now I'm not sure what to think. While it still looks like a great concept, Hiroaki Yura seems like an incredibly opinionated and close-minded person.

While he's apparently trying to reinvent/refresh/whatever the genre, he's also got some very strict, well-defined ideas about what's 'fun', what's 'more important' and what's 'terrible'. Maybe it's just due to the brevity of the interview, but there seem to be a shitload of sweeping generalisations and opinions in his design thought process.

I dunno. Was going to throw some money in but now I'm going to hold back a little, see where he's going with this.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

One more update: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects...japans-indie-rpg-feat-aaa-talent/posts/574532



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