Notes

Massively Exclusive: Jacobs on Camelot Unchained’s Kickstarter home Stretch

Camelot Unchained's Kickstarter odyssey is almost complete, and as of press time there's just a little more than a day remaining. City State's fantasy RvR sandbox is at just $1.82 million out of its $2 million target, so Mark Jacobs has penned a diary of development that aims to push the game's funding to the highest levels.



He outlines the many difficulties that come with managing the Kickstarter campaign and an ambitious MMORPG project. He explores the highlights of the former which include three factions of RvR, Minecraft-style building options, and an engine designed specifically for the project that has easily handled hundreds of concurrent players at more than 200 frames per second. In the end, Jacobs thanks CU's current supporters, who he claims have shown unmatched support to the tune of a $160 average pledge.



Jacobs' full diary is available after cutting.



Dev diary



As I write this as I write this, the Camelot Unchained Kickstarter is getting close to the end with just 38 hours to go. The total is $1.73 million. Every similar game has had a great final day, and while we're not quite at our goal of $2 million however, we're optimistic.



Whatever happens, I will always be grateful to our supporters. They've been absolutely amazing. Right now, our average pledge is around $160. This is a total snooze. I've looked at several games that have been funded by crowds but none of them has been in the same ballpark. Some have raised more total dollars, but they've all done it by attracting more people for a lower cost per head, which is more like $55 to $60. Camelot Unchained is a niche game so we expected/hoped that our average would be higher. But as they say, "never in our wildest imaginations ..."
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This is only one aspect that can be quantifiable. How do you gauge the level of enthusiasm? Or emotional acceptance? Or positive attitude? I can't, but if I could, I do believe our fans would be out of the ordinary. They have been a source of inspiration for me and my entire team, far beyond what we could have ever imagined or imagined. This is the reason I am forever and forever grateful.



I'm also incredibly satisfied with our team. Every person here has given more than I could have been able to imagine. We knew at the time we began that, with only 12 of us, planning and running an Kickstarter campaign would involve many hours of work. We were prepared for this... or we thought. The sheer size of the job exceeded our expectations. Thankfully, everyone rose to the challenge, putting in not just for long hours but weekends as well to keep us on track. We had to contend with the usual amount of injuries and illnesses, and today's excitement with Amazon Payments servers being down four hours was certainly a surprise difficulty.



If we keep the course and get the money, we'll shortly begin an even bigger adventure, which will involve the actual development of the game. Making an MMOG, even a focused one, is a massive task. It's not going to be easy, but I don't think that it will be. It will be enjoyable and rewarding. It's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to meet the vast majority of gamers in a community. With their help I am convinced that Camelot Unchained can be something unique. My job is to be sure it is. I reaffirm my commitment to my team that we will do everything possible to fulfill the trust shown to us by our supporters.



I'm happy to report that we've already made some very positive strides in this direction. Andrew Meggs' early work on our engine is a prime example. When we considered a variety of commercial options it became clear that we'd require something optimized to our focus on large-scale battles and not a "jack of all trades" that could be used to support a variety of kinds of games with various requirements. Anyone who has seen or played our tech demos can be able to tell you that we've made a lot of progress in a short time. We've seen hundreds of players running around and fighting in a small space, and particle effects, and consistently clocked more than 200 (well it's not to be boastful , but we peaked at over 1200) frames per second, all the while playing with other users across the globe.



Our building system is a further highlight. Crafting will be an integral element of our game and our crafters will be able do a lot more than make weapons as well as armor and other pieces of equipment. They will also build houses as well as other structures, and defensive structures. using a very flexible construction block-like system that makes use of a combination of individual "cells" and larger "pre-fabs". They'll also be able "blueprint" their creations so they can be duplicated, rebuilt , or repaired faster than starting with a new design each time. This is unlike anything I have ever seen in an MMOG. Actually, it's more similar to sandbox-like building games such as Minecraft.



Camelot Unchained's heart will be RvR between the Arthurians, Tuatha De Danann and Vikings. I encourage anyone who likes this type of gameplay to look into what we're hoping to create. If you're pleased with what's displayed and read, you can sign an offer. :)


Website: https://www.occities.org/