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2013/02/19 11:56:47
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
NGTM-1R wrote: That is not a reveal trailer. It's something all right, but it's not a reveal trailer.
MWO's 2012 Debut trailer should be an appropriate comparison. It is, after all, their most likely competitor with Heavy Gear Assault. So, let's break it down comparatively.
MWO presented to us a design that has been one of the two iconic faces of the franchise for over a decade. Even people who don't play MechWarrior or BattleTech might recognize an Atlas. Anyone who has played either game and doesn't at least get a flicker of recognition from the Atlas wasn't paying very much attention.
Yes, I understand that the trailer wasn't everything everyone was expecting. I am one of them. Believe me. But I'm willing to wait.
I don't recognize this Gear. It's not, for example, one of the Scopedog derivatives that the franchise started with. It's not (that I can tell) my good buddy the Ferret. Now, granted, most Gear models aren't that visually distinctive but if you want people's attention, you're going to need that recognition.
It's a Warrior. Peace River model of the Hunter. That or its a Hunter carrying a Paxton Industries logo.
If DP9 wants to raise funds for a new Heavy Gear game, I've got a rather pertinent suggestion: release Heavy Gear 1 and Heavy Gear 2 via Good Old Games. Drop an ad or two into the internets. Watch hordes of people like me who remember the old days fondly buy them for five bucks. Fund new game with profits.
I remember it, too. Whether or not Activision allows it is the question.
And these same suggestions have been made elsewhere on the MekTek forums and the Facebook posts.
This is to update everyone as to the status of Heavy Gear Assault, the new video game that is now announced.
Jack Mamais, the creative director for the game, also director for Heavy Gear 2, Far Cry, and Crysis, has fielded some questions from folks on the Facebook page for the computer game.
For all those who are interested in reading what he had to say, or posting questions and comments and suggestions of their own, feel free. God bless, all.
-Brandon F.
The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn't; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all
We love our superheroes because they refuse to give up on us. We can analyze them out of existence, kill them, ban them, mock them, and still they return, patiently reminding us of who we are and what we wish we could be.
"the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king,
2013/02/20 10:36:59
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
See, this was needed from the start. Actual (Necessary) information is being drawn out on the facebook page. Very Slowly. And actual useful details are even slower.
To prevent others from having to dig for this info, I will throw some relevant looking quotes up here.
We've heard some some concerned voices about security within the Heavy Gear website, but want to ensure that from this point forward, ALL connections through the site are encrypted via SSL. For those avid users of PayPal, we will also soon have PayPal integration to be able to pledge as well!
We've also updated the website to include an About page to address some of the direction in which we are taking the game! Please keep checking back for new content, as we'll always be updating!
That's a step in the right direction. I would prefer that the company promise something, put a number on it, and refund people if they don't hit it. IE Kickstarter.
I am shocked that a AAA games company( ) would run credit card transactions without SSL or digital signing. But they fixed that up quick enough.
We are in full development mode right now! Cool stuff to show coming very soon!
So it is in development, they aren't waiting for our money to begin. THAT is good to know. If this is the case, the pledge system would be better utilized right before beta, just like MWO.
Nick Lind Do you guys have any forums so that we can chat about the game with others who are excited for it?
11 hours ago · Like..
Heavy Gear Assault I'm not sure Nick, I think I saw a post on reddit.
11 hours ago · Like..
Heavy Gear Assault However, I'll ask our web guys and see if we can start a forum. If so, I'll post details here.
11 hours ago · Like · 3
The guys on the Mektek.com forum (which if you go there directly still exists, and has a post outlining that the website will return in some form after they are happy with all the redirects they have sent to the heavy gear website.) should probably be afraid of this.
Joseph Dufault Reposting here from the Heavy Gear II page:
I don't see how you can include Microtransactions and not make them unbalanced in some way. That is, after all, the whole incentive to buy them unless you're simply going for aesthetics (which I doubt). Which means inevitably you'll still have the "Gold Tank" Scenario WOT deals with- players who would rather spend 50 dollars on an overpowered, or intentionally unbalanced tank so that they can have an advantage over other players. It entirely undermines the competitive play of the game which, being THE core dynamic of the game, essentially fractures what it's built upon.
Microtransactions are not the answer here.
10 hours ago · Like..
Heavy Gear Assault I must differ from you there Joseph. I play a lot of World of Tanks and it has fantastic gameplay. Rest assured, we will work hard to balance the game and insure that it is fun for every single person who plays it.
This Developer likes WOT. Depending on your views of WOT, this gives you an idea of what they will be doing.
The page currently has 618 Likes.
I still think they have a long way to go before they should have asked for money, but slowly details are emerging.
2013/02/20 10:43:48
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
As they described, GBL, it was a soft launch. Now, though, I hope that the fact that all of these questions and answers on Facebook will encourage folks around here to look into what's going on.
The Developer there was Jack Mamais, the director, answering off HGA's page while fielding questions and comments and suggestions from folks. He might still be open to asking, if you or anyone else would like to.
He might still be open to asking, if you or anyone else would like to.
Challenge Accepted
Matt Osborne What are your exact milestones for release. Levels, Gears Etc. I would like hard facts before I put my money toward anything. Things like "More levels" and "10% more in game currency" are absolutely meaningless without an idea of your actual plans. Also: What guarantees to people have that you wont take their money and run? Paypals protections only last 30 days. Kickstarter would let you name a number of dollars that you need, and if you don't get it, we get that money back. Can you match that?
2013/02/20 11:05:35
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
Yeah, that was surprising for me too... lots of suggestions and detail there.
But I also think that Mr. Mamais is the game design guru, not the producers themselves, so that might be a question for them. He wasn't able to answer questions pertaining to pledges:
Mr. Paul Parke wrote: "I have 2 more questions. First will there be a deadline on Pledge funds. aslo if I were to pledge, could I upgrade it to a higher amount later on?"
Mr. Mamais answered: "I'm not sure Paul, this is another question for our producer, I'll bring it to his attention."
Mr. Sammy Busby wrote: "I would love to see Single Player become available as I loved both Heavy Gear 1 and 2 and even still have them. Everyone make sure to Pledge some MONEY so we can get Single Player!!!! It would be so awesome to have a new Heavy Gear like that. Thats my dream game. If SP is implemented, will it play like HG 2? If so Im sold! Take my money!"
Mr. Mamais answered: "I'm happy you both like HG2, it is obviously a big influence on are gameplay (especially since I directed it) but I think you will see much more agile Gears in HGA (at least for the smaller classes). We will have jumping and our SMS mode will be much more advanced than anything we've seen in a Heavy Gear or Mech game yet. Terrain will play a big part in the game with respects to gameplay. I hope this answers your questions, at least in part "
Another tidbit, concerning weaponry that Mr. Mamais answered: "Perks and Flaws will be part of this game. Some Gears will not be able to use some weapons for various reasons. I love your comments on TV and how we did not get it quite right for HG2, I will take a hard look at your suggestions for inclusion into our design."
One thing we won't see, hopefully and thankfully, will be the previous designs where everybody was running around in the multiplayer maps with railguns and lasers all the time.
So in regards to funding, Mr. Mamais is making the producers aware of the questions, but he seems very enthusiastic about sharing the design concepts and hints about the future of the game with everyone. : )
-Brandon F.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/02/21 11:16:05
Enthusiasm is nice but attention to detail is more important and they don't seem to be demonstrating that. The website wasn't working for hours after the end of the 20 day countdown and I don't buy the "sudden demand crashed the server" excuse for a game with less than 1,000 likes (unless their server was an original iphone on a 2g network). The video they posted still has a typo in the little text that they bothered to put in it (seriously, no body spell checked the 3 lines of information they put in???). They did however finally answered some but certainly not all the initial important points that should have been addressed at the very start of the campaign before taking the first pledge... I guess that's progress...
Attention to detail is a huge part of what makes a game sink or swim. If they can't apparently to put correct spelling in their lackluster promo video and have trouble setting up a simple website given 20+ days of notice, how can they be trusted to publish a good AAA game that isn't riddled with bugs on their first attempt out of the gate? Like I said, 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration is the key but they seem to be going for the inverse ratio.
Either way, Brandon, I sincerely hope that your optimism ends up trumping my realism in the end like a Kodiak stomping on an Asp.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/02/21 21:47:47
2013/02/22 08:18:22
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
warboss wrote: Enthusiasm is nice but attention to detail is more important and they don't seem to be demonstrating that. The website wasn't working for hours after the end of the 20 day countdown and I don't buy the "sudden demand crashed the server" excuse for a game with less than 1,000 likes (unless their server was an original iphone on a 2g network). The video they posted still has a typo in the little text that they bothered to put in it (seriously, no body spell checked the 3 lines of information they put in???). They did however finally answered some but certainly not all the initial important points that should have been addressed at the very start of the campaign before taking the first pledge... I guess that's progress...
Attention to detail is a huge part of what makes a game sink or swim. If they can't apparently to put correct spelling in their lackluster promo video and have trouble setting up a simple website given 20+ days of notice, how can they be trusted to publish a good AAA game that isn't riddled with bugs on their first attempt out of the gate? Like I said, 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration is the key but they seem to be going for the inverse ratio.
Either way, Brandon, I sincerely hope that your optimism ends up trumping my realism in the end like a Kodiak stomping on an Asp.
Its not even that.
At this stage, they should already have their critical path to release. If they don't, this will not be a AAA title. All I see them releasing is vague hopes and ideas, and promises that the title is in development.
This leaves me with 3 potential ideas on how this project is being run.
1. They have everything set up perfectly in the background, however they don't want to release their insubstantial goals before getting enough money to surpass those goals.
2. They are cowboy coding this, and it will be delivered over budget and well past schedule. They have begun development with no goals or idea where they are going.
3. Its a scam. There is nothing going on here, and they want your money. If something is released it will be worse than 2.
I am leaning towards 2. It fits with MekTeks background. Its not that they are trying to be bad, they just don't know better.
2013/02/23 18:05:16
Subject: Re:[Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
Honestly, the main reason I think this isn't a scam is that most scams would try quite harder to look legit !
Website not ready at the end of the countdown ?
SSL not ready at launch ?
Undisclosed amount of pledges ? No estimation of release date whatsoever ?
No email confirmation at sign-up and no password retrieval interface ?
Seriously, in 16 years of internet, this is the first time I see a supposedly professional website with so many critical features missing !
All the questions related to pledges during the FB Q&A were left unanswered by the lead designer, and still are, nearly one week after.
I just can't imagine a project raising more red flags at once, unless it was trying hard to.
Virtus in extremis
2013/02/24 00:53:39
Subject: Re:[Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
It is very telling when Paulson Games new mecha combat tabletop has released more concept art than this "AAA Game" and he hasn't even put his kickstarter up yet.
2013/03/11 07:20:38
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
Well, three weeks after this soft launch, the pledge is at 100,000 and the ticker is up. They are also open now on PayPal, for all those of you who were concerned about putting in your money into a site that wasn't secured. So congratulations.
For those who register with the actual website, they also sent out an announcement e-mail that should be in your mailboxes with whatever profile you signed on for. Some extra art in there, as well.
BrandonKF wrote: Well, three weeks after this soft launch, the pledge is at 100,000 and the ticker is up. They are also open now on PayPal, for all those of you who were concerned about putting in your money into a site that wasn't secured. So congratulations.
For those who register with the actual website, they also sent out an announcement e-mail that should be in your mailboxes with whatever profile you signed on for. Some extra art in there, as well.
-Brandon F.
Paypals protections only last 30 days.
Is 100,000 with or without the financial backing they said they had received from real investors or is it all crowd fund?
I ask here because they don't like specifics on facebook.
2013/03/11 15:27:02
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
BrandonKF wrote: Well, three weeks after this soft launch, the pledge is at 100,000 and the ticker is up. They are also open now on PayPal, for all those of you who were concerned about putting in your money into a site that wasn't secured. So congratulations.
Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear that they've been making some progress on the items that realistically should have been working at launch. I suspect that they'll get a big surge of donations when they show in game screenshots as opposed to concept art.
2013/03/13 07:22:56
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
Some dude on 4chan (yea yea I know, 4chan ) claims to be a dev and is taking questions. He's on /m/ right now, was on /v/ a while ago (why would you ever go to /v/!)
Spoiled the link since I'm sure people might cringe from seeing a 4chan link
While that's more cutscene than gameplay, it's good to see something working and not just the intro teaser with the typo. The hunter does look spiffy and I do hope they'll make a completely new sculpt that resembles it as the Hunter XMG in the tabletop game. Hopefully the video will spur some donations as the last two weeks have netted less than $1000 (they were at $104,400ish on 3/12/2013).
2013/03/29 20:34:28
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
No, Jack Mamais said that was real, from in-game Unreal 4 engine graphics, warboss. So... I leave things for a week, and look what happens? Maybe I should be gone longer, but then I wouldn't be able to see more. : )
I like Heavy Gear. I really do. It's got a lot of great elements in the gameplay and setting. I really do love it, and enjoyed the old Activision games.
However, this is probably the saddest thing they've tried.
Honestly, this had trainwreck written all over it from day 1. An unknown studio, with no design details, no prototype, just some generic 'concept art' of a game that ALREADY had concept and designs. Those are the things serious businesses actually require to pursue an ambitious and complex project such as a computer game. The era of even somewhat sub-AAA titles coming from nowhere is all but gone, with the cost of passable assets, and the increasing architectural complexity of modern action titles. Good wishes and desire won't make something happen, nor are Kickstarters a silver bullet. Every single highly successful kickstarter came from people who knew how to drive them, and who had already had the cash to produce prototypes to increase faith in investors.
Sorry DP9 and MekTek, this isn't how you play with the big boys.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2013/05/21 08:46:52
2013/05/21 10:54:57
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
Killionaire wrote: I like Heavy Gear. I really do. It's got a lot of great elements in the gameplay and setting. I really do love it, and enjoyed the old Activision games.(...)
Good wishes and desire won't make something happen, nor are Kickstarters a silver bullet.
We'd all like DP9 to straighten its act and Heavy Gear to succeed, however good wishes and desires, both theirs and the fans', are exactly what the company has been running on for the last few years.
The results speak for themselves.
Virtus in extremis
2013/05/21 11:53:31
Subject: [Heavy Gear Video Game] The Countdown's Almost Over...
As I said before, I wish them well but I also wish they had set more realistic starting goals like a small dowloadable 3rd person isometetric action game. The odds are stacked against winning the the Indy 500 with your first race as a team.