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Votive-reactors are lit, plasma jets are activated.

TITANOMACHINA KICKSTARTER LAUNCH!

Got a preview up, this time from A Pawn's Perspective:

A Pawn's Perspective

Got a video preview up, from Down the Vent:

An interview! https://www.gamerleafgo.com/how-do-you-pronounce-this-word-titanomachina/

Looks like you've got much better publicity for the relaunch! That's great!

The campaign page looks so much better! You can really see the extra work that went into it this time around.

However, until you update those titan sculpts, I think unfortunately it's going to be a very strong uphill climb =/. I've backed quite a few games just for cool mechs, but never a game where I didn't like the mechs, especially when it's such a central focus. So, just something to consider as you gauge the reception this time around.

Best of luck no matter what, the progress has been inspiring!

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I can dig your design reasoning there, for sure - I'm talking detailing rather than overall style. It just needs "more" I think!

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 Nurglitch wrote:
Alright, so I've lots of interesting feedback since I launched the Kickstarter and now I'm asking for even more.

Keep in mind there's an option to support the Kickstarter by pledging a dollar. If 30,000 people pledged $1USD the project would not only fund, but I would have 1,000 copies of TITANOMACHINA that I could then sell. If 500 people pledged the Adherent level of 1 box, I would have 500 copies of TITANOMACHINA that I could then sell. The more copies I can sell, the more funds available for the next steps (more Titans, more buildings, more content).

What would I need to do to earn your pledge?

For me, my biggest issue with the game is its aesthetics. I do not like the art style or the way the mechs look. I have seen you mention the bottom heavy look of Godzilla as inspiration, and while that look works for kaiju (especially monsters with tails), I think it makes the mechs look clunky. Without the visual appeal to draw me in, the game would have to be incredibly engaging to get me to invest in it, and I'm not getting that vibe from the gameplay videos.

To answer your question, there isn't anything you can do to earn my pledge in your current campaign. I do not mean to sound harsh, it is just that there are so many new games coming out, and so many good mech games already available that it is hard to justify buying another one that doesn't really stand out to me.

Good luck with your game. I hope you are able to find a way to publish it.

@Visceral_Mass:

Thank you for the feedback!

I get the intent for kaiju proportions. Elephantine legs/feet with lighter arms/torso make sense, but this isn't a "hard" SF game, either. As I've been actively cutting back across the board, so I'm really dialing back pledges. Sorry.

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I think Visceral Mass said everything I could, just more elegantly.

Also with getting 4 of the same mechs just different colors I think I’d personally really want more of my aesthetics choice to be there. Also your facing off versus Adeptus Titanicus with beautiful models. It might not be exactly the same, but if I had a choice of playing one of the other, titanicus would win for a few reasons. Style of design, being able to find someone willing to play it and something gorgeous to paint.

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 Nurglitch wrote:
The intention was to hit an under-exploited sweet-spot between the labour-intensive miniature war-gaming crowd and the casual/hobby board-gaming crowd.

Miniatures boardgames are a big market where a game can break out, but I see it as competing with things like Malifaux on the wargaming side, and CMoN / Memoir '44 on the boardgame side. Plus GW's constantly releasing new gateway games like Necromunda / Kill Team / Shadespire (sp).

I suspect the root of the problem is that your minis aren't sexy enough for the wargame crowd, but too expensive for the boardgamers who would be just fine playing with chits and tokens.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:

 Nurglitch wrote:
The intention was to hit an under-exploited sweet-spot between the labour-intensive miniature war-gaming crowd and the casual/hobby board-gaming crowd.

Miniatures boardgames are a big market where a game can break out, but I see it as competing with things like Malifaux on the wargaming side, and CMoN / Memoir '44 on the boardgame side. Plus GW's constantly releasing new gateway games like Necromunda / Kill Team / Shadespire (sp).

I suspect the root of the problem is that your minis aren't sexy enough for the wargame crowd, but too expensive for the boardgamers who would be just fine playing with chits and tokens.

In addition to that, the component art might not be sexy enough for boardgamers. The board is extremely plain and doesn't do much to help evoke the sense of a battle in the middle of a city.

Does the game use or even have rules for terrain?

I may have used AT as the main competition, but there’s also Battletech, which has decades of source material to use. Either Thoseor other mech games have multiple robots to face off against each other, not just one body with changeable weapons. I’m not trying to be mean, but your models are not competing in style, price, ability with other manufacturers. I just don’t see anything new/innovative or jaw dropping that would pull money out of people’s pockets. There’s plenty of rules out there to be had for free that can be adapted.

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Given all the feedback I've received about the Titans I thought it might be worth digging back into their development to figure out a new direction. Here is the artist's first sketch of the cover art, following a fairly loose set of specs. I had it worked over to better resemble the models in the box as I felt it was important that was people see on the cover is what they get in the box. But apparently people aren't thrilled with the models in the box, so maybe this is a better direction?

Visually, this is a much bolder vision. It's more dynamic (lighter, quicker), less plodding (elephantine). Also, much sexier.

Me, I'd lighten up the models even more, narrower shoulders, thinner waist, thinner arms, more curve in the thigh, narrow knees. More hourglass, diamond and cone shapes than barrel/cylinder shapes.

There you go. That's positive.

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
Visually, this is a much bolder vision. It's more dynamic (lighter, quicker), less plodding (elephantine). Also, much sexier.

Me, I'd lighten up the models even more, narrower shoulders, thinner waist, thinner arms, more curve in the thigh, narrow knees. More hourglass, diamond and cone shapes than barrel/cylinder shapes.

I must agree. Sleek robots sell, and there’s a reason for it. The “Godzilla” aesthetic works for the movies because when the camera looks up, it creates a forced perspective that makes him look massively tall. For minis that your looking down over, it just makes them look like they have a lot of baby fat. If you want them to look massive and pondering on the tabletop, I’d suggest the reverse - large on top like the GW mechs of AT, slimming downwards towards somewhat spindly legs.

Also, while I’m not familiar with the world you’ve built for TITANOMACHINA, might I suggest you make a plug-in for the head. The current mech looks Roman/Greek, and I for one would be much more interested in heads that were Egyptian styled, like one that had an Eagle’s or Bull’s head.

I'd prefer gender netural models myself - the bottom heavy design looks like it coykdnt support the weapon mounts on the arms, and “breasts” on a giant robot as in the art above looks ridiculous.

Carlovonsexron wrote:
I'd prefer gender netural models myself - the bottom heavy design looks like it coykdnt support the weapon mounts on the arms, and “breasts” on a giant robot as in the art above looks ridiculous.

Exactly

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 Nurglitch wrote:

 Stormonu wrote:

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
Visually, this is a much bolder vision. It's more dynamic (lighter, quicker), less plodding (elephantine). Also, much sexier.

Me, I'd lighten up the models even more, narrower shoulders, thinner waist, thinner arms, more curve in the thigh, narrow knees. More hourglass, diamond and cone shapes than barrel/cylinder shapes.

I must agree. Sleek robots sell, and there’s a reason for it. The “Godzilla” aesthetic works for the movies because when the camera looks up, it creates a forced perspective that makes him look massively tall. For minis that your looking down over, it just makes them look like they have a lot of baby fat. If you want them to look massive and pondering on the tabletop, I’d suggest the reverse - large on top like the GW mechs of AT, slimming downwards towards somewhat spindly legs.

Also, while I’m not familiar with the world you’ve built for TITANOMACHINA, might I suggest you make a plug-in for the head. The current mech looks Roman/Greek, and I for one would be much more interested in heads that were Egyptian styled, like one that had an Eagle’s or Bull’s head.

That weird perspective thing where a giant robot game involves a change in perspective from a movie is one of the things that was part of the design. I don't think trying to imitate GW is really a good way to go; they already do it, y'know? I'm not sure how to successfully avoid imitating success though...

It's worth mentioning I originally designed the game so the Titans would be more like the MkII-VIII Space Marine armours, modular so players could swap bits in and out. It might be good work putting in a choice of heads though. One of the neat things is that the heads (sensor system) can be functionally different as well as cosmetically.

Well, I'm not sure if you're aware, but you are already somewhat mimicking a look that already exists in Gigantor.



and... (which I actually like better)




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, your aesthetic somewhat reminds me of the robots from Mazinger; I have a fondness for the ol' "Shogun Warrior" toys of the 70's, and if you could pull the design more in the direction of that look, I would find that more appetizing.

 Stormonu wrote:

 JohnHwangDD wrote:
Visually, this is a much bolder vision. It's more dynamic (lighter, quicker), less plodding (elephantine). Also, much sexier.

Me, I'd lighten up the models even more, narrower shoulders, thinner waist, thinner arms, more curve in the thigh, narrow knees. More hourglass, diamond and cone shapes than barrel/cylinder shapes.

I must agree. Sleek robots sell, and there’s a reason for it. The “Godzilla” aesthetic works for the movies because when the camera looks up, it creates a forced perspective that makes him look massively tall.

For minis that your looking down over, it just makes them look like they have a lot of baby fat.

If you want them to look massive and pondering on the tabletop, I’d suggest the reverse - large on top like the GW mechs of AT, slimming downwards towards somewhat spindly legs.

Also, while I’m not familiar with the world you’ve built for TITANOMACHINA, might I suggest you make a plug-in for the head.

The Godzilla look is partly tied to putting a man in a suit, partly tied to being as tall as the typical building in Tokyo - which is why modern Godzilla is ridiculously tall compared to OG Godzilla, and the American GINO didn't work at all.

I.e. "elephantine", as I put it.

The GW look is a good one, and it's got 20+ years of design refinement behind it. There's no need to copy the details, but the proportions aren't bad. IMO, tjhe Epic 2E proportions were awful - don't do that.

A plug-in head would go well with the plug-in hands, and could be another draftable component. I like the suggestion as a SG because it opens up gameplay. .