SC Universe("World of Starcraft")Kickstarter - funded! Few hours to unlock Zerg class

[Mighty_Chicken]

Hey GitP!

I'm really excited about SC Universe Kickstarter campaign getting funded. They're pretty close but I wouldn't say it's guaranteed.

Here's a boss raid gameplay (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do2lefwCLdE). The first chapter (which is free to play) of the story is very well produced too, but I was reaally interested in the project's stretch goals like the Zerg character and the MOBA arena. They're probably not making any of the stretch goals, though.

But the best thing that could happen if this project gets funded is that it could help the Starcraft 2 custom map scene to grow and become as interesting and full of life as the Warcraft 3 custom map scene was.

In the very very least, we'd have a 3D RPG campaign based on Starcraft Lore! Who needs Starcraft:Ghost anyway?

So what do guys think about it?

(here's the Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/747939120/starcraft-universe/) link. 1 day to go right now, 99% funded)

[Mighty_Chicken]

Hey, I think the project is going to make it! But I hope it could make it to some of the stretch goals. If it reaches 100k there will be a Zerg playable character, and if it reaches 135k there will be a MOBA arena. Even if the creators don't reach the stretch goals, I'm sure the closer they get to it right now, the easier it will be to advance the game later.

Here's a FAQ the creators posted on reddit about some of the most common concerns people have about the project:


F.A.Q.:

Why do you need $80000 to make this mod? Why can’t it just be for free like all other mods are?

In the beginning we worked on this mod just for fun and in our spare time. However, we were looking forward to the map marketplace which Blizzard talked about before releasing Wings of Liberty back in 2009 at Blizzcon. We hoped that at some point all our work would pay off and we would have a huge advantage compared to other modders if we started early.

However, over time it turned out that developing a game of this caliber is a lot of work and that we will need forever to release content if we can only work on this project in our spare time. There was no chance of quitting our jobs or school simply because we didnt have any financial support. In addition, the marketplace was delayed far into the future and currently is sheduled to be released around Legacy of the Void, but there is no detailed information available right now.

We need $80000 right now to be able to continue working on this project and being able to spend way more time doing so than in the past. Until now we were able to survive with our savings but those are depleted. We want to release way more content to the public and actually make our dream of a true Starcraft RPG a reality.

How do we know that we can trust you? How can we be certain that the quality will be good?

So far we have already been working on this project for over 2 years without any funding or monetary reward and we already released two playable parts of SCU over battle.net, Chronicles of Fate and Final Testament.

Chronicles of Fate is an introduction to the lore of the game and teaches you how to play. You have to complete various missions under assistance of NPCs in singleplayer. The game features voice acting and epic cinematics.

Final Testament is a demonstration of how a boss fight can look like in SCU and demonstrates how multiplayer will work/is already working. We made this part way more difficult than Chronicles of Fate to demonstrate that we can do both, easy and hard content.

We have proven that our game works and that we have the skill and the passion to finish what we have started. Now its your turn.

What qualifications do your team members have?

Ryan „Creation“ Winzen (Founder and lead designer):

Has 17 years of modding experience with Blizzard tools
Created tabletop games in first grade and played countless different games all his live
Is a perfectionist and learned discipline in the Marine Corps
Philipp „Mille“ Meyer (Co-Founder and lead programmer):

Started Modding back in Warcraft 3 and released RPG maps
Studies computer science in 5th semester in Germany
Works for a professional software development company in his spare time
Played World of Warcraft for years, starting back in WoW-Beta
Kiefer „Ghostnova“ Traub (Modeler):

Is one of the best known modelers in the SC2 modding community
You can view some of his work here: http://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/development/artist-tavern/38630-showcase-ghostnovas-models/
David Orr (Sound composer):

Award winning composer for games, animations, television and film
Already did work for: Castle Crushers, 5 Souls, Flight and many other games and films
Eric „Zeus“ Dieter (Voice Actor):

Professional Voice Actor
8 years of experience in SEO, social media, radio broadcasting, proofreading, copywriting, graphics, web design, audio production, voiceover, customer service, and internet security
Danielle McRea (Voice Actress):

Professional Voice Actress
Already did work for: World of Warcraft, Skullgirls, League of Legends and many other games
Chris „Freespace“ Scubli (Cinematic Artist):

Released the famous „Starcraft: Final Metamorphosis“ movie which got almost 1.5 million clicks on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kAJSswZPvI

Works for a professional CG company in the UK
Harrison "DarkRevenant" Snodgrass

Has created the famous Arcade game "Mafia"
Studies computer science in the USA
Do you have permission from Blizzard?

Yes we have official permission from Blizzard and they are rooting for us! They even posted an article about our new multiplayer demo on their official facebook page showing their support:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151858599572457&set=a.305747407456.191804.178337772456&type=1&theater

Will this game be free to play?

Yes! You do not need to own Wings of Liberty or Heart of the Swarm to play Starcraft Universe. The free Starcraft II: Starter Edition is all whats needed to play!

I don’t even want to play this game. Why should I donate?

If this Kickstarter is successful it will not only allow us to create this game, but also potentionally motivate more professional developers to join the modding scene. It might bring fresh wind into the Arcade and also brings people into Starcraft who didnt consider playing it before since it can be played with the free Starter Edition of Starcraft II.

There has been lots of discussion on TL recently about what can be done to make the Starcraft community bigger, and one key to that are casual gamers playing Arcade games. If you guys want to help Starcraft to grow you have to invest some efford supporting modders and the Arcade system.

What about the delay in controls I’ve heard about?

Yes, there is a slight delay in controls in Starcraft Universe, just as there is in any other game of Starcraft. People realize the delay more in SCU than in other games because of the third person camera perspective and the WASD controls. The delay comes from the synchronous game engine which Starcraft is built on and ensures that all clients always see the exact same thing and are in the same game state.

However if you have an average or better internet connection the delay will not effect your gameplay at all. Just make sure that you play in your native game region (Meaning if you are from the United States make sure to play on the US server) and to turn off any broadband intensive programs such as streams or filesharing software like Dropbox and you will be fine.

In addition, Blizzard is aware of this issue and is eventually releasing a solution for this problem in the future. Until then we highly encourage players to just try it out themselves and make their own judgement.

I really don’t have any money to spend. Can I still help?

Yes! Tell your friends about this game and play it on the Arcade. After playing make sure to give the map a rating so we get up the most played/top rated lists and more people will recognize the game!

Is this just going to be another WoW-clone?

NO! Even though we use lots of mechanics from WoW (Simply because we think they are awesome and shouldn‘t be changed) we have a ton of unique stuff in the game, such as the ability, the skill, the combat and the physics system, which makes Starcraft Universe play differently from WoW!

However, players who are familar with World of Warcraft should be able to get into our game pretty quickly because the User Interface and controls are quite similar.

What happens if the Kickstarter fails?

We will most likely have to stop development on the project, because it will take too long to develop new content. Our money reserves are gone and we have to get back into our everyday lives. As you might know we needed a long time to release what we got so far. We really want to focus on creating this game but we need your help to do so!

If your question isnt amongst the others make sure to check our official AMA on Reddit (Link: http://sv.reddit.com/r/starcraft/comments/1kgdd4/ama_ryan_winzen_here_starcraft_universe_lead_dev/ ) or simply post your question in this thread. We will try to answer all your questions as quickly as possible.

We also released gameplay videos of all 8 character classes showing of some of their high level abilities:

MEDIC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvftWfa2kk0
DARK TEMPLAR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ5Izw7zDA4
GHOST: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6IaDNzwp0w
ZEALOT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEGl5lQEodY
PRESERVER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmFbPzNHDZ4
MARINE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FF5dnRfKX8
HIGH TEMPLAR: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHsHlAqsedQ
FIREBAT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMhpTXuJ4Q4

[Mighty_Chicken]

Sorry for the triple-post. I swear that's the last one.

The project is funded and they just revealed how the Zerg class will look like if they reach 100k.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/747939120/starcraft-universe/posts/594455

Final edit: the kickstarter is over! See you in battle net.