There have been two extra Kickstarter updates since I last wrote, pertaining to the effort to get both Leisure Suit Larry and Fester Mudd approved via Steam Greenlight. If you haven’t voted for them, and you’re willing to do so, I’d take it as a great favor…especially with Fester Mudd, because that game’s lead designer, Paavo Harkonen, is a talent waiting to be celebrated, and it’s been a privilege for me to work on that game with him.
As you probably know if you read the previous update or two, we’re having a contest, and five of the six prizes are pieces of original art from the game I did with Al back in ’93, Freddy Pharkas, Frontier Pharmacist. I want you to know that those pieces, original Freddy Pharkas talkers lovingly painted by ex-Sierra artist Ruben Huante, are near and dear to my heart. I’ve never made any of the Freddy artwork available before this year, I’ve been caring for them and showing them off for about 20 years now, and I think it’s time to spread some of the joy around.
The video that accompanied Kevin’s first update dropped eight full, complete backgrounds on you:
Lefty’s Exterior
Lefty’s Bathroom
Lefty’s Secret Room
The Come ‘n’ Go Interior
The Alley right of Lefty’s (got that?)
Mugger alley
The Telephone close-up
Lefty’s Video Gaming Terminal
For those of you keeping track, that’s not nearly all the backgrounds that’ve been finished. Others include Lefty’s interior, Lefty’s hallway, Lefty’s upstairs, the exterior of the Come ‘n’ Go, the close-up of the Hooker, the Taxi, and the Video Gaming Terminal at the Wed ‘n’ Ready (the while-you-wait wedding chapel).
You also got a taste of Larry’s animation and some of his “idle cycles,” the movements he makes randomly and habitually when you’re not telling him to do anything specific. We’re fully cognizant of the sliding issue with Larry’s walking. That’s a fine-tuning task that came standard with pretty much every Sierra adventure: matching the scale of the walker to the scale of the background.
From a narration-and-dialogue standpoint, I’m still keeping up with artwork. I’m going to talk a lot more about my procedures and choices with the text next time, but since there’ve been so many updates in the past two weeks, I’m going to keep this one brief and give you something entirely different today: the video from N-Fusion that I’ve been talking about for so long.
Now you’ll get to see a bit more of the process, put some faces to names, and so on. I love these people, and we’re lucky to have them working with us. They go above and beyond every damn day…weekends included.
Some of you may have managed to relax a little since our “photo finish.” I managed to sneak away for a few days to play bridge in San Francisco (“Relax? Hah!”). Besides handling requests from our backers, Lori and I have spent most of the last two weeks planning the project and adding to the game and story design.
And we’re still staying up until 2 a.m. most mornings. Sleep is for the weak!
Final Kickstarter Results
The Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption project is now underway, and the Kickstarter funding period is closed. There were only 21 failed payments out of almost 6,100 backers, which is amazing – Thank you, everyone, for staying committed to this project.
The funds have not yet been released to us, but we now have solid numbers. Some of our expenses – notably backer rewards – are coming in higher than anticipated, but we still have a very solid starting budget for the project. There are three ways we can add to the budget in order to increase art and other resources:
If necessary, we may look for additional investment at the halfway point of the project. We’ve had several inquiries from investors.
We are not currently offering add-ons on the PayPal page. When we start producing items such as the t-shirt and toy meep, we will add a store page to purchase them. Those items will ship immediately, rather than being added to the game shipment.
Cascade Falls Bridge, acrylic painting by Terry Robinson
Team and Design Changes
We are delighted to announce that Terry Robinson has joined the Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption team as Lead Artist. Terry is an incredibly-talented artist who led the art team on Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire, created box and promotional art for several of our games, and has created art for many other game projects including King’s Quest 7 and The Realm. Eriq Chang remains on the team as a Senior Artist.
Terry’s first “modest” change was to scrap the square tile interface in favor of an isometric art style. The game will still be 2D, but this will give it more of a 3D look. In particular, characters and objects on the screen will look more natural. The change will require a significant engine change, but will greatly enhance the visual appeal.
Lori and I, and the whole development team, are committed to making Hero-U a great game. We have a tiny budget by current big game standards, but we know how to use it efficiently. If it comes up short, we will increase the budget with additional investment rather than cut game features. We’ve promised you a game as good as – or better than – any Quest for Glory, and we won’t back down on that.
Also joining the team is Chris Fong as Assistant Producer. Chris recently received a Masters degree in game production from Full Sail University, where he was also Valedictorian. Chris will assist me with planning, tracking contractors and project tasks, and making sure that all Kickstarter rewards are correctly fulfilled.
Other Game Projects
I mentioned Antharion in a previous update. It’s an “old-school, turn-based, party-based RPG set in an open fantasy world.” Unfortunately, they came up slightly short of their modest $15,000 goal, but now they’ve relaunched with an even lower $10,000 goal and several more hyphens in the description. This time they’ll make it for sure, but they will be able to make a better game with more funding. Check out their Kickstarter page at http://kck.st/YwRiKl.
The Last Door project has promised to Kick It Forward. They are making a free-to-play episodic horror adventure “combining orchestral music with pixel art”. If that sounds intriguing to you, check it out at http://kck.st/UJZqQN.
I’m sure there are a lot of other worthwhile projects of interest to Hero-U backers. If you see one that we should share, please send me a Private Message (click on the “Contact Me” link next to my picture on this project’s home page) and let me know why we should support it. As we will be doing much less frequent updates (approx. every 2 weeks), I would prefer to learn about projects that still have a few weeks to run.
A Decent Proposal
Everyone was in for a surprise at our AnyMeeting talk a few days after the Kickstarter closed. One of our backers asked if he could make a speech. As it turned out, Charles used his time to propose to Christiana, also known as Elsa von Spielburg. Elsa founded the Quest for More Glory web site that helped convince Sierra to let us develop Quest for Glory V. She has kept the spirit of our games alive ever since, and we were thrilled to learn of her engagement.
Elsa lives on Cyprus (not too far from the location of Hero-U), and Charles lives in the Northeast United States. This is definitely a made-on-the-Internet match. Lori and I are very happy to have played our small role in their online meeting through our games.
Bashar Speaks Out
At the previous Google+ hangout (shortly after we closed funding), another backer gave a presentation that we would like to pass on to all of you. Bashar kindly provided this transcript:
Here in the United States we will soon be celebrating our day of national thanksgiving. But in this instance we have cause to be thankful that breaches all borders. Not just for the Coles, who have returned from obscurity to the industry where they so deservedly belong, nor for Brawsome Studios who have given them the capacity to do so. Not just for the deeply rooted community that has coalesced around this project and put so much effort into promoting it, nor to the more than six thousand individuals who made a difference in funding it. What these things, in combination, have brought us is more than a game. It is the confidence that tomorrow, the sun will shine a little bit brighter.
We live now in the digital age. Where we were once influenced by books, and then cinema and television, games will play an ever larger role in shaping who we are as individuals and as a society. Hero-U is a reminder that transformational change is made up of many small instances of heroism, sacrifice, and faith in a greater good. It is also a message to the next generation that life is string of choices, choices that define our character and have a real impact on the world around us. Today we have made our choice. We have chosen the Coles over corporations, we have chosen compassion over compromise, resolve over reflex. We have done so for more than our own well being, but to bring substance to those struggling under the weight of social ennui.
Whatever impact Hero-U may have on the industry, what I believe in is the impact it will have on those who play it. Lives that have been empty shall be filled. Eyes cast to the ground will be raised. The hopeless shall receive purpose. If Hero-U benefits one person in the same way that the Coles work has elevated my life, I shall hold my head high in knowing that I was there, I was part of it; that mine was one of the many instances of heroism that helped make transformational change in the lives of people I will never meet, in ways that I will never know. For that privilege, it is my privilege to give thanks to you all.
Thank you, Bashar! We hope we will be able to add one more tiny addition to the spirit of Heroism around the world. While we’re working on it, we encourage each of you to think about some small act of heroism you can do to make your part of the world just a little better… then do it!
It’s our birthday today! December 8th, is when the first LarryLaffer.net site was born onto the web! It’s gone through quite a few revisions! Thanks to all of you who swing by and enjoy whatever content we have on the site! And thanks to Al Lowe for creating this lovable character!
Happy CyberMonday, Larryettes. (May I call you that?)
Before I get into this week’s bits and pieces, I want to thank everyone who supported Corey and Lori Cole’s HERO-U Kickstarter project. Though they made it a nailbiter, they DID reach their goal, so the project is a big thumbs-up. In fact, projects from ex-Sierra designers have a 100% success rate on Kickstarter (Jane Jensen, the Coles, the Two Guys, and the Larry project)…and in the games category, the general success rate for funding is under 40%. We’re hoping that this fact isn’t lost on the major publishers.
Now onto Larry news.
We’ve got the additional final backgrounds for:
Mugger’s Alley
Fire Escape Alley (Right side of Lefty’s building)
The Payphone closeup
The Video Poker closeup
The Come ‘n’ Go exterior
Mugger’s Alley called for some clever thinking on Colin’s part. This alley actually appears in numerous places throughout the game, and we wanted to make sure that it matches up well with all its locations. In the best of all possible worlds, and with an unlimited budget, each alley would look completely different, but that’s neither practical nor really necessary, as you never get to spend more than a few seconds in these alleys.
The Video Poker Machine will actually have several skins depending on where it appears, because we’re putting it in several places throughout the game. This is a departure from the game’s earlier incarnations, simply to reduce the number of cab rides that a player has to take.
Speaking of departures from the original design, we’re also taking out the concept of death due to going broke. There will always be a way in the game to get a buck or two with which you can rebuild your funds (I’m not going to reveal that methodology; it will become apparent only when and if it’s needed). This is borne out of our feeling that running out of money should just be another obstacle to overcome, not a cause for death.
That’s not to say we’re caving completely to current trends and removing death from the game. There are still many ways to die, but three that we’ve removed are:
Going broke
Bringing an alcoholic beverage into the taxicab
Running out of time
Many people might not remember (or might never have discovered) that the original Larry was timed, and you would die if dawn broke without your finding true love. But with our emphasis on being able to try vast numbers of actions, that naturally can add to exploration time, and it would be cruel to give people more opportunities for exploration and then punish them for taking advantage of those opportunities.In the original game, some deaths would result in Larry being taken to the “Larry Factory” underground. In the very first LSL1, it was an assembly line, and you could see other Sierra characters also waiting to be reassembled. In the VGA remake, it was more of a blender-and-mold affair. Our Larry Factory is neither of those; it’s a concept which I’ve actually hinted at obliquely many times throughout my updates. This new Larry Factory will return you to the exact point you were at in the game *before* you made your fatal error, so it’s as pain-free a death as possible.
We are *this close* (making pinching gesture with fingers) to signing our composer, and if it hadn’t been for the usual Thanksgiving shutdown of everything in the United States except for retail sales, we’d probably have it by now. We’re so excited about this that I’m going to put out an extra Update as soon as we can release the info.
Along with Windows and Mac builds, N-Fusion produced its first iOS build of the game last week. I had it up and running on an iPhone, and it’s absolutely beautiful. Jeff had it running on his iPad, and we were arguing on the phone about which looked cooler, and why.
That’s the news for now. Take care, keep warm, don’t fight, and thanks again for your support, not just for our game, but for all the resurgent Sierra-related projects. Those of us who are anxiously watching the Sierra renaissance are looking forward to a truly memorable 2013.
Yesterday was “Thanksgiving Day” in the U.S., and we are very thankful for all our wonderful fans and supporters. Thank you again, everyone! We are very excited about moving from the uncertainty of the Kickstarter phase to the chaos and overtime of the design and production phases. Most (99%) of the payments from backers have cleared, and we will have access to funds in about two weeks.
I will start sending Backer Surveys in the next few days so that you can provide a shipping address, tell us which add-ons you want, and so on. If your rewards include keys to previous games, we will try to get those out in December.
Meeting Tonight
Lori and I will host a meeting tonight at 8 pm EST (Saturday 1 am GMT). Visit http://www.anymeeting.com/HeroU1 at that time and enter your name, location, and email to attend. This is a free site and we haven’t used it before, so we’ll all learn as we go. Up to 200 people can get in to the meeting, there is a chat window to ask questions, and you can visit the site later to hear the recording.
Post-Kickstarter Store
We now have a PayPal page for people who missed, or were unable to contribute to, the Kickstarter. It allows you to back the project with reward tiers identical to the Kickstarter $20 – $500 tiers. We will also add a Donate button soon if you just want to contribute.
Visit – or send your friends to – the Hero-U KS Store at http://www.hero-u.net/get-hero-u.html#storetop. You can purchase with a PayPal account or with any major credit card through PayPal. All purchases made at the KS Store through February will count towards project stretch goals.
We are not selling add-ons through the store at this time. We will be adding a separate page for them later. For now, there are some school-related items available at http://www.cafepress.com/herobazaar. Purchases at the Hero Bazaar are print on demand, so you will get them quickly, but we can’t count them towards project stretch goals.
Partner Projects That You Will Enjoy
Some people have the idea that there is a “gaming pie” (mmm, pumpkin), and one slice of it for all the adventure game sales. So if a lot of people buy one adventure game, all the others suffer. To this I say, “Stuff(ing) and nonsense!” Each successful adventure game gives players more fun and helps the rest of us too. So please support these games if you can.
The other three games I will mention were all successfully funded on Kickstarter, and are being created by “Sierra On-Line Alumni”. Ken Williams got behind us because we are part of “the rebirth of the spirit of Sierra”. All of us made fun games in the 90’s, and now we’re showing you what we can do with modern computers. (We give thanks for not having to ship a game on 8 floppy disks!)
The folks at Replay Games, and especially Josh Mandel, gave us a lot of valuable publicity towards reaching our goal. They are making a new and improved version of Leisure Suit Larry 1 over at https://www.replaygamesinc.com/.
Jane Jensen – designer of the Gabriel Knight games – has a new game studio, Pinkerton Road. Her first new game is Moebius, and she has several other games planned. You can join her CSG (Community Supported Gaming) group at http://pinkertonroad.com/join-csg/.
That was so close! And what that means is that every single one of you, every effort large or small, every interview, post, link, and share was essential to Hero-U getting funded. You all deserve gold stars!
Thank you to every backer. Large pledge or small, you all contributed to reaching the goal. Lori and I feel honor-bound to give you the best game we can make to justify your faith in us.
Thank you to our active commenters. People like Robert (our first backer), Candice, SD, RSF, Micartu, Ratatoskr, Serena, Thom, Nelson, Michael, Elsa, and a host of others who haunted the Comments, kept spirits alive, shared links, and answered other backers’ questions.
Thank you, Sierra veterans who helped us reach other Sierra gamers – Ken Williams, Al Lowe, Josh Mandel, Paul Trowe, Jane Jensen, Chris Pope (honorary Sierra alumnus), Scott Murphy, Mark Crowe. and Cindy Vanous (who convinced several backers to raise their pledges in the final hours).
Stretch Goals:
I’ve added three stretch goals to the main project page. You can help us reach them by continuing to back us by PayPal (http://www.hero-u.net/KS-store) and by send your friends to the Kickstarter Store at Hero-U (links under the video on main page) .
It will be a few days before we have the store ready. Please be patient.
One feature of the store will be a button that lets you upgrade your Kickstarter pledge. If I can find a way to make that work. 🙂 You will provide your Kickstarter name and pledge amount, then you can order a higher-tier reward by adding more to your pledge.
All PayPal sales at http://www.hero-u.net/KS-store as well as our final Kickstarter funding amount will apply towards reaching the stretch goals.
The Companion Meep is a Tamagotchi-like pet that you need to feed, groom, and be nice to. Your Meep will get in your way occasionally, and might even be helpful sometimes.In addition to the listed feature, every stretch goal will give us additional funds to devote to more and better content – additional art, music, design, and programming for your pleasure.
Projects That Still Need Your Help
I’m sure most of you are as exhausted as I am, and many are tapped out. But if you still have a few dollars in your pocket, please visit these other worthy Kickstarter projects and see if you want to support them:
Shadowgate by Zojoi (http://kck.st/VsUwJ9) – Great remake by an excellent team. All through our respective campaigns, Zojoi pointed backers our way (as we did theirs). With just four days left, Shadowgate looks good to fund, but every dollar will help them make a better game.
Spud’s Quest by ChrisD (http://kck.st/PFLUCc) – This is a side-scroller, but it’s charming and has Zelda-like adventure game elements. If you enjoy the combination of action and adventure, check it out. ChrisD has promised a free art book PDF to every backer who also backed Hero-U. 8 days to go.
Furcadia: The Second Dreaming by Dragon’s Eye Productions (http://kck.st/RUc172) – Dr. Cat is involved in this one, and it looks like a cool project. They are in excellent shape, but you might back it just because the game will be fun.
Divine Space (http://kck.st/Qi6MuO) – With 55 hours left, this project is in trouble, but could still make it with a major final push. They’re making a game with educational value that looks interesting and fun.
World of Steam (http://kck.st/TFrFjg) – Lori is backing it because she likes the style. It’s already funded, but ending in 50 hours. Some cool rewards and a fun stretch goal.
Sui Generis (http://kck.st/PkmGrD) – The graphics engine looks awesome. Will the writing and game play be as good? If it doesn’t reach its goal, we may never know. Currently at 45% with 8 days to go. I’m backing it because I think it has serious potential for future “sandbox” RPG’s.
There are many more great projects out there. These are just a few that caught my attention and might be of interest to Hero-U backers.
And thank you, thank you, thank you again! Without you, Shawn would have flunked out of Hero-U before the school even opened. Now he’ll get his chance to graduate.
Even the Kickstarter Campaign Was a Game
John Garretson: Man, this is too cool. This is the first Kickstarter project I’ve backed. When I started, I was happy enough to contribute to a worthwhile cause by standing up in support of the type of game I love the most and sorely miss. I was happy enough standing with other adventure game lovers in support of two game design legends that had significantly impacted my youth with the magic of their craft.
But as the days wound on I discovered that the journey toward the funding goal was much like an adventure in itself. I started off alone and excited at the prospect of the game being proposed. Instantly after pledging, I was connected to a network of all of the worlds biggest Quest for Glory fans. Through the comments system I have been able to relive so many of my favorite gaming moments as all of you have shared your experiences with one another. Together, we watched and together we hoped for a happy ending.
Backers went out of their way to scour the net in public support of the project. We balanced our pledges against our personal budgets, and we found ways to sacrifice and skimp and save in order to stretch our pledges by $2.00 (a coffee) or $5.89 (joining the league) or in the case of an inspirational hero, by $2,500. We left to go about our business, returning each day to bear witness to the progress we had made. We waited with baited breath.
At one magic moment, the Coles actually responded to one of my comments. These people were legends in my house when I was growing up, and all of a sudden, here I was conversing with them! (Thank you for giving of your time so generously to share this experience with your fans.) Before I knew it, I was scouring the Hero-U website and watching a live stream playthrough of Quest for Glory 1.
Now, so close to the end (or the actual beginning), I have come to the conclusion that for me at least, this journey, and everything I have experienced through it so far, has been worth every penny of my pledge. At this point the game is going to end up being the icing on a very sweet cake. Thank you everyone for being so awesome! Looking forward to this happy ending!
In the previous post, just six hours ago, I asked, “What can we accomplish in 20 hours?” Part of the answer is now in. In the last six hours, we gained 200 new backers (over 5,600 of us now!) and cut the distance to the goal from $33,000 to less than $17,000. Wonderful work, everyone!
This is just a quick post before I get a few hours of sleep.
Will we accept PayPal pledges for Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption?
Yes, we will. We are waiting until after the Kickstarter closes before offering PayPal contributions. Then we will start accepting them on the Hero-U web site: http://www/hero-u.net is the home page, and will have a link to the “Hero-U Store”. We expect to offer Kickstarter-like reward tiers for two or three months. All of those purchases will count towards project stretch goals.
The store will remain open after those 2-3 months, but purchases will count towards “game sales” rather than our stretch goals. This is an important distinction for developer royalties, possible future investors, and the Kicking It Forward campaign I mentioned in the last update.
What can we accomplish in just 20 hours? The fast answer is, “a lot!” We have 20 hours in which to bring in $33,000 in additional pledges. We’ve already gained 700 new backers and twice that amount in the last few days. 5,400 backers – You’re fabulous! We will do this.
Two Challenges
One of our backers issued a challenge – He suggested that each of you use the “Manage My Pledge” button to add just $8 to your pledge. If we all did that, we would pass the project goal in minutes.
Of course many of you have already contributed as much as you can. I’ll not ask you to harm yourself by putting in more than you can afford. So I have a slightly different challenge:
More than half of our backers have chosen the $20 Freshman level that will get you a copy of the game. To all of you, why not “kick it up” to the Sophomore level? For $15 more, you will get the game, a gorgeous digital art PDF with illustrations and information about the making of Hero-U, and a digital version of the game sound track. Listen again to the project video and you’ll hear how good that will be!
Kicking It Forward
As a reminder, we support Brian Fargo’s Kicking It Forward movement. This does NOT apply to Kickstarter pledges, but when we start actually selling Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption next year, we have committed to using 5% of the profits to support other future Kickstarter campaigns.
You can learn more about the Kicking It Forward movement at http://kickingitforward.org/.We believe this program meets the heroic ideal and are inspired about being part of it.
Clarifications
The toy meep reward (which we expect will be a plush toy) was added mid-project at the $125 level. Everyone at a higher physical reward tier will also get a toy meep.
We added the “meep keychain” very late. Since it is a small item, if you have selected any physical reward tier and want the meep keychain, don’t add any money for shipping – We will include it in your game box.
Similarly, if you are at a digital-only tier, but have ordered several physical add-ons, don’t count the keychain when calculating shipping.
Finally, if the only physical item you are getting is the keychain, just add $5 for shipping anywhere in the world. We will mail it First Class in a small padded envelope in this case.
Your Picture in the Virtual Yearbook
If you pledge at any level $175 or higher, your picture will be included in the digital yearbook as part of the reward. (You may supply any appropriate image, and one of our artists will touch it up to match the style of the rest of the game.)
If you are pledging at a lower level, we’ve added a new add-on. For $50, you can have your name, picture, and a short comment in the digital yearbook. We have to charge this much because of the artist time.
The Add-On T-Shirt
We have a design for the add-on t-shirt. This is a $30 physical add-on. Please also calculate your shipping charge and add that amount to your pledge. See the main page for more details.
Lori and I are looking forward to making an exciting, funny, and fun game for you that is also filled with a powerful story, great characters, and the perfect balance of adventure and role-playing gaming. With just 20 hours left, let’s make this happen! This game is for you just as much as it is for us.
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is a classic 2D role-playing adventure for Windows PC, Macintosh, and Linux by award-winning game designers Corey and Lori Cole (Quest for Glory, Castle of Dr. Brain, etc.).
Hero-U combines the rich character relationships, story and puzzles of a classic adventure game with the exploration and excitement of a role-playing game. Bringing all these features together makes Hero-U a completely unique game experience.
Classic adventure game characters, story, and puzzles
All the exploration, skill development, and choices of a classic RPG
A rich story that changes based on the way you play
Tactical turn-based combat
Characters with unique personalities and their own agendas
Fun, Funny, and Punny
There is danger and intrigue within the hallowed halls of Hero-U. Danger? Ha! Rogues laugh in the face… well, actually, they sneak up behind danger and bop it in the head, then run really, really fast.
To select any of these add-ons, add the cost of the add-on to your pledge at any tier. When the project closes, we will send you a questionnaire you can use to tell us which additional rewards you have purchased. We will also ask you for additional information, such as a picture, headstone epitaph, biography for the Yearbook, your operating system, and so on.
Important Note on digital keys to our previous games: We are actually buying these keys from the respective sites. Since Kickstarter and Amazon payments take a percentage of our proceeds, and the purpose of selling these add-ons is to raise money for Hero-U development, all of these keys are more expensive than if you buy them directly. If this concerns you , please buy the previous-game keys directly from Steam, gog.com, or another site. We are offering them here solely as a convenience.
Virtual Add-Ons, No Shipping Charge
$10: NEW – Downloadable game music soundtrack
$10: NEW – Art book PDF
$15: Steam game key to Jolly Rover (PC or Mac)
$15: Steam game key to MacGuffin’s Curse (PC or Mac)
$20: gog.com game key to Quest for Glory 1-5 package (PC only)
$18: An additional Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption game key for a friend
$18: Pre-order the second planned Hero-U game featuring a female Wizard main character
$20: NEW – Set of 4 high-resolution game art images in PDF
$100: In-game Head(stone) of the Class. See below for details
$200: In-game School Spirit. See below for details
T-Shirt add-on ($30)
Physical Add-Ons Requiring Shipping
Note: There are two changes here since Update #10. Baseball cap price lowered to $30 and Meep added at $35! See below for shipping charges.
$10: NEW – Meep keychain
$20: NEW – “Erana’s Tribute” poster 11″x17″ (art without poem)
$30: Hero-U logo t-shirt
$30: Embroidered Hero-U baseball cap
$35: Your very own Toy Meep!
$50: Extra standard boxed copy of Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption
$50: (Extra) copy of the physical yearbook.
$50: NEW – Set of four 11″x17″ poster prints of Hero-U game art
$100: (Extra) copy of the Kickstarter-only premium boxed game plus Graduate-level inserts (game DVD, manual, music CD, varsity letter, and Hero-U backer’s button)
T-shirt detail
Physical Add-On Shipping Charges
In Update #10, we stated that these items would be shipped separately from the game. Since this greatly drives up the shipping costs, we are changing that decision. If you have not chosen a physical goods tier, you will need to provide your shipping address on the post-Kickstarter questionnaire and add the following to your pledge for custom shipping: $10 U.S., $15 Canada/Mexico, $20 other countries.
Next, whether or not you are paying that extra shipping charge, count the number of add-ons you have selected, and add the following to your pledge:
1 item, US/Canada/Mexico $5, Other countries $10
2-4 items, US/Canda/Mexico $10, Other countries $15
Each 5 items, US/Canada/Mexico $15, Other countries $20
Example: You are pledging a physical tier, and want 8 add-ons. If you live in North or Central America, add $15 + $10 + cost of items. If you live elsewhere in the world, add $20 + $15 + cost of items. We apologize for these charges, but international shipping from the U.S. is very expensive.
Head(stone) of the Class (Add-on $100 to any reward tier): In the catacombs deep beneath the hallowed halls of Hero-U lie the monuments to those who gave their all in the service of heroism. Are you one of those who quested for Good and Glory? Then you too should be honored by all those who come after. Add $100 to your pledge at any reward tier, and our skilled artisans will engrave your name and epitaph on a headstone hidden deep within the catacombs. Those who seek, shall find you. They may regret it.
School Spirit (Add-on $200 to any reward tier): The catacombs are filled with the restless spirits of those who came before. They haunt the passages and guard their secrets. Is your fate yet unfulfilled? Do you belong among the ghosts? Then add $200 to your pledge at any reward tier. Not only will your epitaph grace a headstone in the catacombs, but your restless spirit, ghoul, or revenant will haunt the area to terrify lesser adventurers and guard your hidden treasure.
Classic adventure game characters, story, and puzzles
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption combines role-playing, puzzles, an immersive story, and rich character interactions. As in our acclaimed Quest for Glory series, every element works together to create a unique game experience that you will love.
In Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption, you take on the role of Shawn O’Conner, a would-be Thief who has had a rough life. As Shawn, you will attend Hero-U, a school that tries to teach young adventurers to be heroes. Shawn can continue his quest to join the Thieves’ Guild, or he can strive to become a Rogue Hero. He has a lot to learn to succeed at either path.
All the exploration, skill development, and choices of a classic RPG
Hero-U plays like a classic RPG, with turn-based tactical combat and exploration of the environment on top-down, 2D maps. There are traps, obstacles, and enemies for you to overcome as you explore the school and the ancient catacombs beneath it. Key scenes feature beautiful painted backdrops to let you see from Shawn’s perspective.
Shawn has skills and attributes that improve through game play. He will also acquire possessions that give you additional options. Your choices determine which skills Shawn learns. He can improve them through study and practice. Explore the school and catacombs as Shawn fights monsters, avoids trap, finds hidden items, and solves mysteries.
A rich story that changes based on the way you play
Your life has not been an easy one. Caught red-handed during your thief guild initiation, you have a choice – Go to reform school or rot away in prison. The teachers and students are intent on making your life a living hell, while trouble lurks in the catacombs below. It would help if you didn’t need to worry about being killed and passing midterms.
In your hands, Shawn has real choices. If he does someone a favor, it is because he figures they will be useful to him later. If he wants to unleash nameless horrors of destruction upon the world, well, hey, that’s his business… and yours.
Along the south coast of Marete to the east of Silmaria, there stands a great sprawling castle built in ancient times when demonic creatures sought to dominate Gloriana. Long abandoned, the castle was greatly feared by the people of Silmaria. There were rumors of hauntings, curses, and a great Evil buried within its rocky walls.
Over the years, a few desperate and foolhardy souls dared to explore dark towers and musty hallways in search of forgotten treasures. Even fewer returned; they whispered of eldritch horrors best left buried beneath the ancient stones. The castle’s grim silhouette upon the cliffs warns us that there are dangers in this world that mere mortals are not prepared to face.
So what better place than this to build a University for Heroes?
Besides, the rent was cheap.
Catacombs Concept Art – Built with Tiles!
Tactical turn-based combat
One doesn’t just wander around an ancient, possibly haunted, castle and expect to have an easy time of it. Your hero must learn the cunning, deception, and just plain Rogue skills, then use them to survive. “Hack and Slash” won’t cut it for a Rogue. Shawn must outwit and outmaneuver the creatures that lurk within the ancient catacombs beneath Hero-U.
Our turn-based combat system features an action point system that will make you choose between slow, powerful attacks, tactical movement, or a mixture of defense and quick attacks. Shawn will supplement his Roguish skills with clever use of traps and other items. Between battles, you will explore the catacombs, setting and avoiding traps and other challenges.
Characters with unique personalities and their own agendas
Many of the characters you encounter have their own reason for being there. They aren’t there to serve you, only themselves. Shawn will meet with these characters as you choose what he says to them, and how he relates. Conversation is an important part of Hero-U. It is a way for Shawn to gain information, make friends, and try to stay out of trouble.
Challenging puzzles that are an integral part of the story
We believe that puzzles are an important part of a good adventure game or RPG. Hero-U is filled with challenges that will make you think and that enrich the story. The problems Shawn faces are all closely linked to the story and characters at Hero-U.
Elective system that lets you customize Shawn’s abilities
All rogue candidates study basic techniques such as stealth, picking locks, and setting traps. But Hero-U also offers elective courses that will allow Shawn to customize his to assist his extra-curricular activities. These electives will give you choices on how you like to play.
Lori and Corey Cole have been making and playing games for… let’s just say, “forever”. At Sierra On-Line, we created one of the first hybrid graphic adventure/role-playing games. Our award-winning Quest for Glory was one of Sierra’s most successful game series. Corey’s Castle of Dr. Brain puzzle adventure game was another top-selling, critically-acclaimed game that spawned a successful series.
Game Designers: Lori and Corey Cole, creators of Quest for Glory, Castle of Dr. Brain, Shannara, Mixed-Up Fairy Tales, and Tower of Indomitable Circumstance.
Programming: Andrew Goulding and the Brawsome team, developers of Jolly Rover, MacGuffin’s Curse, and many other games.
Art and Animation: Eriq Chang and Eric Varnes (Fable Foundry Creative Studio), Paul Bowers, and John Paul Selwood.
Music and Sound Design: Ryan Grogan, composer of music for film, animation, and games including MacGuffin’s Curse.
Marketing Maven and assistant combat designer: Michael Cole
YOU! Your support makes this game possible, and your feedback on the Hero-U forums will help us shape and perfect the game.
The Kickstarter revolution has changed all that. Now you, the players, help decide which games get made and which go back to the drawing board. We are very excited about our plans for Hero-U and think you should be too. This game will be the spiritual successor to our Quest for Glory series.
We have a file drawer full of great game proposals that we couldn’t convince traditional publishers to support. In one case, the publisher decided instead to design their own game. Millions of dollars later, they created a dismal failure that sold under 1,000 copies. Alas, we didn’t get a chance to tell them, “We told you so!” They were out of business after that.
We think you’re a lot smarter than most of those publishers. You know the kind of game experiences you want to have – Ones in which substance rules over form. You want well-designed game play that rewards thinking, with an immersive story, meaningful character development, and intelligent puzzles. Killing monsters is fun too, but it all needs to be part of the story.
You can help make Hero-U become a reality. If enough people support our Kickstarter project, we will be able to bring a new type of game to market. But if too many people choose to wait and see what our game looks like, we may never have the opportunity to make it at all. Your support here is important!
We know that you are taking a leap of faith by supporting our new game, and we want to assure you that we will use the money wisely. Our goal is the minimum budget with which we can make a high-quality game. Here’s our breakdown based on reaching our minimum goal:
65% – Art, programming, music, and design of the game
10% – Kickstarter and Amazon Payments fees
10% – Reward Premiums and Shipping Costs
5% – Repayment of pre-Kickstarter loans and expenses
10% – Marketing and Project Overhead
If your generosity helps this project exceed its minimum goal, it is likely that a higher percentage (possibly as much as 20%) of the funding will go into reward premiums, but most of your support will go directly into the game. We will add features such as voice acting, and we will add more content including additional art, music, locations, story, and dialogue.
Kicking It Forward
We support the “Kick It Forward” program. Brian Fargo of InXile, developers of the Kickstarter-funded Wasteland 2 project, started this initiative to ensure the future of gaming on Kickstarter. We wholeheartedly support this initiative, and believe it is the responsibility of successfully-funded games to Kick It Forward.
Your contributions to our campaign will not be used to fund other games. When we complete and ship the game, we will regularly take 5% of the net revenues from game sales and commit them to other Kickstarter projects. Lori and I intend to pick projects that we believe promote heroism and value characters and story over violence and twitch action.
Friend ($5): Thank you for your support! Your name will be added to the Hero list on www.hero-u.net/leadersroll.php, a small first step towards immortality. Access to project updates.
Freshman ($20): You will receive a DRM-free digital game download, access to discussion forums to help us improve the game, and your name will appear on the Hero list.
Sophomore ($35): Digital Reward 2: Receive everything from the Freshman level, the downloadable Hero-U Soundtrack, and the gorgeous Hero-U Art Book in PDF form. The art book contains production sketches, final art, and insider commentary on the making of Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption.
Junior ($50): Get a head start on your education by playing one of the development team’s previous award-winning games. You will receive all of the Sophomore class benefits plus a digital key to your choice of MacGuffin’s Curse, Jolly Rover, or the complete five-game Quest for Glory collection.
Beta Tau Initiate ($65): All-Digital reward. Everything in the Junior package, including your choice of one game key. PLUS you get early access to the Hero-U Beta and Combat-Balancing tests. Help us shape and tune the game the way YOU want it!
Senior ($75): Get physical with a high-quality boxed copy of Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption containing the game on DVD and a printed game manual. You will also receive all of the Sophomore benefits (including an additional digital copy of the game). While you wait for your box, enjoy a preview with early access to our Beta and Combat Balancing Tests. All Seniors may add any of the Junior-level previous games at $15 each.
Big Man On Campus ($100): (Super Digital Rewards) You’re special, and everyone should know it. Your name (or your favorite character’s name) will appear in the in-game DIGITAL YEARBOOK along with a brief statement of your/their accomplishments. We will also email you the Secret Thieves’ Guild Password. (Other players will need to discover this in the game.) You will also receive everything from the Sophomore level as well as early access to our Beta and Combat Balance tests. (NOTE: This tier does not include any physical rewards. It’s highly International-Supporter-friendly.)
Frat Rat ($125): New Halloween Special Reward! You love Meeps, and that’s why you will get your very own Toy Meep along with your boxed copy of Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption. That’s on top of all of the Senior-level physical and digital rewards and eligibility for add-ons. You will also receive your own entry in the in-game DIGITAL YEARBOOK.
Graduate Edition ($150): Unique Kickstarter-Graduate-only Collector’s Edition Box containing the game DVD, manual, a Music Soundtrack CD, your own Varsity Letter, Hero-U button, and everything in the Big Man On Campus digital reward tier including your very own entry in the in-game DIGITAL YEARBOOK.
Exchange Student($175): NEW! The ultimate all-digital package, perfect for international backers. You will start with everything in the Big Man on Campus edition. Then you will have the chance to follow the development of Hero-U with insider access to developer discussions and Alpha tests. To give you more insight into our games, you will receive digital keys to ALL EIGHT of our currently available previous games (Quest for Glory 1: So You Want to Be a Hero EGA and VGA versions, Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire, Quest for Glory 3: Wages of War, Quest for Glory 4: Shadows of Darkness, Quest for Glory 5: Dragon Fire, MacGuffin’s Curse, AND Jolly Rover). NOTE: The previous game keys are part of this tier only; we are not adding them to the higher physical tiers.
Research Assistant ($200): You’re practically a team member, so you will receive a very-limited-edition Team Meep Hat plus insider access to developer discussions and Alpha tests. You will also receive everything in the Graduate Edition, and your chosen picture (subject to team approval) will appear in the in-game digital yearbook.
Alumnus ($250): As a proud Hero-U Alumnus, your chosen name, preferred photo (or other image of your choice, subject to team approval) will appear in the Very Limited Edition physical Hero-U Yearbook. Of course, alumni like to collect signatures from their University friends, so Lori and Corey Cole will autograph your yearbook and Graduate Edition premium game box. You will also receive Research Assistant privileges and a Team Meep hat.
Master Rogue ($500): The rewards of your advanced education include a limited-edition art print of the school on Canvas, everything in the Alumnus package including the autographed premium game box and autographed yearbook. You will also receive a Limited Edition Kickstarter Superfan T-Shirt, and digital keys to ALL SEVEN previous games – the five-game Quest for Glory Collection, MacGuffin’s Curse, and Jolly Rover.
DFA (Doctor of Fine Arts)
DFA (Doctor of Fine Arts) ($1,050): You will be featured on an in-game painting. When players click on it, they will see your chosen name, image (this could be you, a favorite character, pet, or other approved image, converted by our artists to look like other in-game portraits), and humorous description. You also receive all of the benefits of a Master Rogue, You will have a listing including your chosen image in the yearbook, and of course will receive an autographed copy of the physical edition. We will send you a canvas art print of your in-game “portrait” in addition to the school art print, and you will be one of the proud few to complete a graduate school education at Hero-U. We’ll also provide you with the secret location and key to the Faculty Lounge. (Other players will be able to break in later in the game.)
Monster Lair ($2,500, limited to 10 backers): You are so diabolical, you are the master of a dungeon den. We will collaborate with you on designing your own custom monster lair, likely including a sculpted image of yourself or a friend. Your lair, complete with the monsters and traps you select, will be placed somewhere in the catacombs. You will also receive all benefits of the PhD reward tier. Free shipping worldwide!
High-Roller ($5,000): You’re a serious role-player, or just really want to support our game at a high level. In addition to all of the PhD-level rewards, Corey and/or Lori will run a D&D game for you and friends at a convention anywhere in North America. Or add $1,000 for our additional travel expenses, and we’ll join you anywhere in the world. Does not include the Benefactor reward – The school doesn’t have enough wings. Instead, you’ll have a large statue in the main wing celebrating your or your hero’s accomplishments.
Philanthropist (reduced to $7,500!): You really care! And we care about you too! Spend a day visiting Yosemite Park and touring famous Sierra landmarks such as the Talking Bear in Oakhurst with Lori and Corey Cole. We’ll share a nice meal (or two) and discuss game design or anything else you want. You’ll also receive all the rewards of the PhD level and we’ll find a prominent place in-game to thank you for your awesome support. We will cover a one-night hotel stay, but you are responsible for transportation to and from Oakhurst, California.
“We choose to go…not because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” – John F. Kennedy establishing the Apollo space program
Creating a new computer game is hard. Making one up to our standards is harder. Hero-U will require an intensive development schedule that includes game design, writing, programming, creating art, creating music and sound effects, and constant quality assurance. But it’s not rocket science.
Fortunately, our team is up to the task. We have created multiple best-selling, award-winning games with budgets ranging from $250,000 to over $4,000,000. In particular, our team members led the development of six acclaimed projects – all comparable in budget to this Kickstarter project – that shipped on time and under budget. We know exactly what we can and can’t accomplish at various budget levels and schedules.
I have budgeted out the entire game development with contingencies depending on the amount we raise. As long as we reach our Kickstarter goal, we have a specific plan for making the game – a budget for art, for programming, etc. Most of use are working at “cost-of-living” rates so that we will be sure to finish the game.
We don’t just believe we can make this game, and make it great. We know we can! With your support and feedback during development, we will show the world that there is a place for well-written, well-crafted role-playing adventure games. More importantly, we will deliver to you a quality role-playing game that measures up to our standards and yours.
FAQ
I see several different art styles in the video and project page. What will this game actually look like?
What are your target platforms? Will you support Linux?
The $1,000 tier sold out in hours. Will there be a new tier at $1,000 or $1,500
Is this a game “episode” or a full game?
I’m still confused – Is this an RPG or an Adventure Game?
Will Hero-U be a floor wax or a dessert topping?
Can I play Hero-U as a female Rogue?
Which tiers include previous games? Will they run on Macintosh? How are they being fulfilled?
Is Hero-U a puzzle game like MacGuffin’s Curse, since you are “using the MacGuffin’s Curse engine”?
How large are the canvas art prints of the school from the $500 (normal) and $1,000 (supersized) tiers?
As I post this at 4 a.m. (sleep is for the weak!), we’re up to 5,160 backers and almost $352,000 (that’s $48,000 more to reach the project goal) with 32 hours to go. This is definitely the home stretch, and it’s looking good. Not that any of us will be able to relax until the closing bell… and probably even less so then! 🙂
Lori and I plan to make two public appearances Monday night. We will do a Google+ hangout (as “Hero-U”) at 7 pm EST. A few people can join it, and everyone can watch and type comments. The chat will then be posted to YouTube.
Then we will move over to reddit, where we plan to do an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) in the www.reddit.com/r/gaming subreddit at 9 pm EST.
Lori has updated the project video. We wanted to say thank you to all of the backers who are helping us cross the finish line, and to show a bit more of what you can expect from Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption.
I ran into an interesting post about Kickstarter projects in which the author said that people who support Kickstarter games are stupid because there are no guarantees they will receive anything. He had a point, but…
Kickstarter tracks these things. Many projects ship later than their projected date, but almost all of them do ship. The projects that get funded usually depend on the reputation of the project creator. People who come to the Hero-U project know that Lori and I have a history of delivering what we promise… and more.
There are many kinds of risk. Every game you buy entails risk. If you get that heavily-advertised AAA game, you are putting out $50 to play something that might be a bad game. And it’s probably a lot like the last three games you played, because the big publishers love to make sequels.
Here’s the risk of NOT supporting a Kickstarter game – If you sit back and decide to wait until the game is released, it might not be made. Most of your money on Kickstarter goes directly into product development. If we come up short of our goal, there is no funding and no game. If we’re funded, we promise a game next year. Lori and I made eight adventure-style games at Sierra and Legend, and all of them won approval from both critics and players.
If you like the kind of games Lori and I make – games that applaud heroism and the human spirit – you will win by supporting our drive to make new games for you. Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption will be just the beginning.
Personally, I think that putting $20 into the Hero-U Kickstarter is much less risky than paying $50 for Yet Another First-Person Shooter. And it’s way cheaper than spending $13 a month on an MMO subscription.
So far, over 5,150 gamers agree. If you are not yet among them, why not join the winning team? Besides, Tuesday is Eriq Chang’s birthday. It wouldn’t be a very nice birthday present for his game with us to go unfunded, now would it?
Two Testimonials
krieghan wrote: There have been several of these Kickstarter-funded game development projects over the course of the past year. This campaign is unlikely to generate the attention or funding that that one guy from Double Fine did, but I wanted to clarify a few points that only apply to me personally.
Quest for Glory 1 (Hero’s Quest, I guess my dad and I just called it “So You Want To Be a Hero”) was my first game ever. This was back in the days when the F4 key was reserved for an option called “High Speed Hero” (anyone else remember that? I noticed that it disappeared from the anthology/gog version. It’s kind of a small detail, but I always wondered why that disappeared).
Every game to come out since then (Adventure Games, RPGs, First Person Shooters, First Person Sneakers, RTS, TBS) has had to be measured up to that game in my eyes.
For many games, being measured against QFG is frankly an embarrassment. Some of them do okay. Few come close. None can really match it in terms of charm or humor. The Adventure/RPG combo is powerful, but there’s a personal touch that is extremely rare.
I waited for this campaign to register with Kickstarter. I have no intention of funding anyone else’s projects. I acknowledge that I am a bit biased by having my entire gaming worldview shaped by So You Want To Be a Hero.
I remember no time in my life with more gaming-generated exuberance than when I walked by the PC game section in a Best Buy back in December 1998 and saw that Dragon Fire had been released. I’d heard no release announcement, it was just kind of there.
This campaign kind of brings back that exuberance.
Jonas Kyratzes wrote: I’m still writing a blog post to try and put it all into words, but let me just say that the Quest for Glory series has been a massive influence on me as a game developer and writer; and of my own games, the ones that are perhaps closest to my heart (the Lands of Dream series – http://www.landsofdream.net) would never have been what they are without what you and Corey created.
That I am here, years after falling in love with Shadows of Darkness on a friend’s PC, making strange and unusual games with my wife, with fans who love what we do and look beyond the occasional rough spot… it’s amazing despite often being very hard, and you deserve a very big thank you. You inspired me and you helped shaped my imagination.
You have no idea how nervous I was about writing this. You and Corey are, well… heroes to me.
(And Lori and I are suitably embarrassed at that. Being a game designer takes a fine balance between confidence and standing up for your vision of the game, while also keeping ego out of the way and listening to suggestions, advice, and constructive criticism from others. Knowing that we have just as many character flaws as anyone lets us smile and accept being called “heroes” or “legends” without letting it go to our heads too much. We’ve been called much worse. 🙂 )
