ACCOUNTABILITY & COMMUNITY

As opposed to a typical video game crowdfunding campaign, our goal is deliver Precinct Backers solid accountability, more funding flexibility, and true collaboration between Precinct Backers and the Precinct game development team.

Instead of reaching a single funding goal and then asking our backers to simply wait and see what they get, our staged funding approach allows our Backers to weigh in heavily during the entire development cycle. Precinct Backers are NOT charged for a pledge unless the next funding goal is reached (currently $25,000).

Precinct Backers can pledge ANY amount they wish, at any time, and ALL backers receive a digital download of the finished game whether they pledged $1 or $10,000 throughout the project.

We have provided a full-featured community area, accessible only to Precinct Backers. We maintain a persistent dialog with our Backers, constantly seeking their opinions, suggestions, and feedback through forums, web chats, and online polls.  But that’s not all we’re doing on this front.  We are extremely happy to have SierraChest.com founder Rudy Marchant as a member of the Precinct development team.  Rudy will not only manage the Precinct community but also attend design and production meetings to make sure the voice of the fans is heard loud and clear.

We also decided to make the campaign about the game, not elaborate and costly reward tiers that ultimately take away from the game development budget.  Doing this has allowed us to reduce our minimum funding requirements for the full game by approximately $100,000.  For those interested in items beyond the digital downloads, we have set up a store that will offer Precinct badges, T-shirts, etc.  To learn more about how and why we are funding our game this way, please visit our FAQ’s section for more info.

$25,000 – Proof of Concept
This allows us to build and deliver you a short but playable sample of Precinct.
This Proof of Concept will clearly illustrate how the user interface will
operate and how the basic navigation of the game will function.  During this
phase of development we will be working closely with the Precinct Backer community,
conducting polls and discussing basic elements of story and gameplay.

$90,000 – Vertical Slice
Hitting this funding mark will allow us to build and deliver you a more comprehensive
example of the Precinct experience without actually building the entire backend components.
This will likely be a partial or complete mission that shows off how you progress in the game.
Some of the game’s novel features and  gameplay “hooks” will also be present.  During
this phase we will be working with the Precinct Backer community,
incorporating feedback and suggestions from the Proof of Concept build.

$250,000 – Game Demo
This funding level allows us to complete many of the required tools and tech
needed to deliver a final game.  This is the official demo that is meant to immerse you
into the world of Fraser Canyon and the type of adventure that lays within.  This
build of the game is to include a reasonable level of gameplay polish as
well as story elements.  Backer collaboration will be critical at this stage as the
game will be very much solidified on its course to a final version.

$400,000 – Full Game
This is the official release of Precinct, which is a product of our team’s hard work
and  our collaboration with the Precinct Backer community.

JIM WALLS PRESENTS

ABOUT THE GAME Precinct takes players on a police adventure as Officer Maxwell Jones through the mean streets of Fraser Canyon, CA. Starting out as a rookie and then moving up the ranks, players face adrenaline charged scenarios and conduct real police procedures while solving crimes and arresting perpetrators.

 

In-Game Screenshot – On Patrol

 

Written by Jim Walls and some of today’s brightest Hollywood talent, Precinct features a gripping crime story based on true accounts of real police activity.  As players clean up the crime ridden streets, the plot thickens with corrupt cops, greedy public officials, and a deadly struggle to break up Fraser Canyon’s criminal underground.

 

 

Gameplay Concept Sketch – Alley Confrontation

 

Gameplay Concept Sketch – Weapon Drawn

 

Playing in the first person perspective, Precinct’s real-time 3D environments and gameplay deliver significant realism to the classic police adventure style Jim is famous for creating. Along with staple elements such as adventure and puzzles, players also encounter intense fast action gameplay sequences that include shootouts, high speed car chases, investigations, foot pursuits, hand-to-hand combat, and more.

 

In-Game Screenshot – Arriving at Scene

 

Gameplay concept sketch – Bar Fight

 

Gameplay Concept Sketch – Non-Lethal Force Being Used

 

Jim is leading an effort to successfully combine original Sierra-style adventure with modern video game technology. The Precinct team is poised to redefine the cop-game genre by making a game that both classic and modern gamers can enjoy.

 

In-Game Screenshot – Approaching Crime Scene

 

Precinct will be released as a DRM-free digital download for PC and Mac with distribution across platforms such as Steam and our own website. If our stretch goals are met, we will be able to release Precinct on additional platforms (more about stretch goals below).

 

OUR CAMPAIGN  Precinct Backers can pledge ANY amount they wish and every Backer will receive all prototype downloads, including a DRM free version of the final game when it is completed. Because we removed reward tiers that are typical in most crowdfunding campaigns, every dollar you pledge actually goes directly towards developing Precinct.  We have also created a private community and polling system that will allow you to be a true contributor to the development process. As opposed to most crowdfunding campaigns where you are asked for money and then left with little knowledge of what’s going on, we have created a staged funding system for Precinct Backers, which is meant to deliver better clarity and accountibility throughout the Precinct development process.

Each Precinct Backer will have the option to include their name and Backer Level in the game credits.  All Backers can also choose to proudly display their Backer badge within the online community on PrecinctGame.com too.  The Precinct Backer Levels are as follows:

 

STRETCH GOALS  If we are successful with our fundraising we are going to be able to make a great game.  However, the more money we get, the better the game will be.  Every dime we receive goes directly towards building Precinct!

$500,000 (Awesomer) – At this level, we will be able to provide a more immersive gameplay experience.  We will be able to produce hours of additional content and achieve a higher level of detail and beauty throughout the game.

$600,000 (Mega Awesome) – If we get to this level, we will be able to include more locations, more characters, a deeper story, and deliver a very high level of polish.  We expect to release a Linux version at this level as well — if we hit this goal we will dedicate an engineer, tester and art person to Linux.

$700,000 (Badonk) – This level allows us to pretty much do everything we want to do for Precinct.  In addition to more gameplay, more characters, more story, more polish, we expect to bring Precinct to iOS, Android, XBLA and PSN as well.  You can also expect subtitled versions for the French, Italian, German and Spanish markets at this level too.

HISTORY

“There are few more storied franchises in adventure gaming than Sierra’s Police Quest series.” – Kotaku

CREATING POLICE QUEST Jim is a retired California Highway Patrol officer who left the force in 1984 after being traumatized in a violent shootout. During his recovery from the incident, Jim serendipitously met video game pioneer Ken Williams who was in the early days of growing Sierra On-line with his wife and company co-founder Roberta Williams. Ken asked Jim to design gameplay and write a story for a realistic police adventure series Ken wanted to make. Police Quest was born.

 

Jim Walls (second from right) with the early Sierra On-line design team. Company co-founder Roberta Williams in front.

 

Upon its release, Police Quest was an instant hit, wowing early gamers with a unique point-and-click adventure style and unprecedented realism for the time. Police Quest went on to have five sequels, selling millions of copies.

Most games fade to black in the game industry but the interest in Police Quest still burns brightly almost thirty years later. Possibly because of its deep storyline and the dedication it takes to play Police Quest successfully, the series has amassed a legion of fans from all over the world.

ABOUT SIERRA Located in the small mountain town of Oakhurst, CA, Sierra On-line was founded in 1979 by husband and wife team Ken and Roberta Williams. Through Ken and Roberta’s hard work, vision, and talent, Sierra became a pioneering force that was instrumental in shaping the video game industry and bringing home computer games to mainstream culture. Since the 1990’s, several mergers, acquisitions, layoffs, liquidations, and the departure of Ken and Roberta effectively rendered Sierra defunct. The company’s brand and remaining assets were last owned by Activision.

 

PRINCIPAL TEAM MEMBERS

JIM WALLS Jim has been in the video game business for almost 20 years and is considered one of the original pioneers of the adventure game genre. His game titles include Police Quest 1, 2 and 3, Codename Iceman, Blue Force, Blade Runner, Pirates – Legend of Black Kat, and Earth and Beyond.

 

 

ROBERT LINDSLEY  Robert began working at Sierra On-line at just fifteen years old. Although already precociously well versed in programming, Ken and Roberta Williams brought Robert into the company to help box games and copy floppy discs.  Robert was eventually given a shot at programming and it wasn’t wasted on him.  Robert soon began coding professionally and eventually began producing.  At Sierra, Robert worked on several classic Sierra titles including King’s Quest V & VI, Laura Bow 2, Mixed Up Mother Goose, and Phantasmagoria 2.  After Sierra, Robert worked for Microsoft Games where he wound up on Microsoft’s Xbox launch team.  Robert has also led development at Atari and Harmonix, shipping over 80 games in his career.  Most recently, Robert’s credits include Rock Band, Ghostbusters, and Dance Central.  Robert is currently Jim’s partner for this project.

 

SCOTT BUTLER  An early employee of the pioneering game studio Argonaut Software, Scott has worked in the video games business for over 24 years. 11 of those years were spent at Sony Computer Entertainment as a senior artist and art director. Scott has shipped over 50 games in his career, including Kingsley’s Adventure (PS1), Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS1 & Sega Saturn), Neopets: The Wand of Wishing (PSP), Eyetoy: Play (PS2), and Ren & Stimpy (SNES). At just 17 years old in 1989, Scott began his career making games for the Amiga and Timex Sinclair computers. Over the years, as game technology, tools, and business models have evolved, so has Scott. He has worked on virtually every game platform possible, Scott holds a US patent for a game engine technology he invented in 2009.

 

JASON CRAWFORD Jason has spent nearly two decades as an entrepreneur and creative professional in technology. The last 12 years of his career have been in the video game industry.  Jason has launched multiple companies, including a game development studio in 2001 with Precinct’s Executive Producer, Robert Lindsley.  Jason has played influential roles in shaping the vision and logistics for several games and interactive initiatives with clients such as Acclaim, Hasbro, IAC, Atari, Sony, Samsung, Sesame Workshop, and Walt Disney Imagineering. Jason is currently the founder and studio director of Tiny Castle Studios, a new Unity3D focused game development studio located in Glendale, CA.  Jason and his team have been instrumental in creating this fundraising campaign.

RUDY MARCHANT Rudy is a hardcore fan, collector and curator of everything related to Sierra On-Line. He was introduced to Sierra in the late eighties and became a collector from the mid-nineties on. By 2003 he joined other fans on the official Sierra forums, where he became moderator in 2006. His claim to fame came in 2008, when he created the Sierra Chest, a massive fan site covering everything about Sierra On-Line in detail throughout its entire history – his “life project” as he calls it. He is also administrator of Sierra Gamers, Ken and Roberta Williams’ personal Sierra fan site. Through his passion and work for Sierra over the years, Rudy has become a representative of fans worldwide. Being involved to some extent with basically any Sierra-related project in recent years, he connects the fans, alumni and game developers.

 

DILIGENCE OVERVIEW

RISKS AND CHALLENGES GAME DEVELOPMENT The biggest issue in development is keeping the game within scope and making sure the project never goes over-budget. Our entire team is intensely aware of this issue and know we must be vigilant in managing it responsibly. Leading this effort is Precinct’s Executive Producer, Robert Lindsley, who has over 20 years experience producing video games. Working on small games up to hundred-million dollar AAA titles, Robert has a proven and unbeatable track record for shipping products on-time and on-budget. As with any game development project, Precinct will undoubtedly throw out its own unique challenges but those challenges will be met by a team of seasoned video game industry veterans that know how to solve problems effectively and responsibly.

TECH &PRODUCTION DESIGN It’s going to be an enormous undertaking building a lot of our own tech and tools above the already robust Unity3D platform. We created a game prototype of the world that not only shows off the art style, it was as an exercise to vet if Unity3D and our proprietary game editor will be possible given our minimum budget range.

GAMEPLAY Although upgraded to modern gameplay standards, we believe audiences will enjoy the fun of a realistic police adventure because of Jim’s past success with Police Quest. “If you’ve played Police Quest, you know exactly what Jim Walls is like, because that game is Jim Walls.” – Al Lowe, creator of Leisure Suit Larry and programmer on Police Quest.