Inner Chains, yet another Kickstarted title to delay Linux support

Not to forgive the developers, but I've been using the Unreal Engine for a while now on Linux and they don't make it that easy to develop on the platform.

To install you have to use the Source, no binary available. No launcher and although 4.16 is quite good, in previous version there were bugs constantly crashing the Editor. Imagine the pain of someone that never worked on Linux before.

Again, this does not forgive the delay of the developers. These problems should already have been tackled and fixed prior to release.

I wish these companies would be sued for this. It still sounds like fraud to me.

Maybe they mean they now have and extra $5000 in the back of their heads.

I wish these companies would be sued for this. It still sounds like fraud to me.

I agree. Lack of accountability is the biggest problem with crowd funding.

It would be interesting if someone of GOL community backed up the project and they received a better explanation or an easy refund for the pledge.

I wish these companies would be sued for this. It still sounds like fraud to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_scheme

Schemes simular to these are illegal in most EU countries also China! But i don't think they are as well controlled in the US.
It might not be looked at by authorities as a typical Pyramid scheme, but it must feel like that for those who get robbed of money on a wish and a prayer. I think they continue because technically most people benefit and there is usually a product at the end, even if it's a crappy one.


Last edited by on 10 April 2017 at 1:59 pm UTC

Wow , yet another " burn the witch " title

First of all , i couldn't see anything that leads people to thinking "first day Linux release" at their Kickstarter page. It only says Linux support

Second ; if you promised a Linux version that "back in our heads" term is wrong. Keep your promise

Third; that kind of toxic approaches won't help. In fact , if you keep "No Tux , no bux " approach you won't mind that Kickstarter things.

I think the last kickstarter project from an unknown developer/publisher I supported was back in 2014 or early 2015. If memory serves me, I have backed 13 projects, of which 7 have delivered. Some of them with considerable delays (a year to two years). So I have a return-on-investment of more than 50% which is not too bad. So, naturally, I've now become more discriminating when it comes to investing money into uncertain ventures.

Having said that, I *always* support any project by King Art Games, if they promise a linux port, which they so far have always done. Not only do they always, and I mean ALWAYS, stick to their promises, but they always, and I stress ALWAYS, deliver on time. Must have something to do with the well-known German work ethics. I take their word at face value and they have never disappointed me.

So, yes, while kickstarter projects are a risky proposition, we should not shun the platform outright. There are some good, responsible developers, who get the freedom to experiment with new ideas without the pressure of having to get approved by publishers, who are by nature risk-averse and prefer sequels of successful franchises to interesting, but perhaps not so marketable ideas.

If memory serves me, I have backed 13 projects, of which 7 have delivered. Some of them with considerable delays (a year to two years).

In case of memory troubles, this link can help! :D

So I have a return-on-investment of more than 50% which is not too bad.

A good success rate indeed! (Not a pun) I personally expect somewhere near this number (I'm currently on 14/29, some projects still ongoing).

Having said that, I *always* support any project by King Art Games, if they promise a linux port, which they so far have always done. Not only do they always, and I mean ALWAYS, stick to their promises, but they always, and I stress ALWAYS, deliver on time. Must have something to do with the well-known German work ethics. I take their word at face value and they have never disappointed me.

There are a few proven developers, yes. But "KING Art Games" is an exception even among them. Currently, it is the only company to deliver on time. The exact same day as was promised!

So, yes, while kickstarter projects are a risky proposition, we should not shun the platform outright. There are some good, responsible developers, who get the freedom to experiment with new ideas without the pressure of having to get approved by publishers, who are by nature risk-averse and prefer sequels of successful franchises to interesting, but perhaps not so marketable ideas.

I wish more people could understand this... Kickstarter is not pre-order system. One should not go there if (s)he is not willing to part with the money for (potentially) nothing at all.


Last edited by Alm888 on 10 April 2017 at 3:16 pm UTC

So along with the insightful statement above (kickstarter funding is not a pre-order) I would like to offer that when you use Kickstarter you become a stakeholder in the development process. As a side-effect, you are much closer to the business end of things. Taking that in consideration, note that $5K does not pay for a whole lot of development time.

In fact, if we rate an hour of development at $50 (which is really low, considering taxes and costs) the devs gave themselves a whopping 100 hours of development time to complete a Linux port. It follows that on-launch linux support was indeed a stretch (pun intended). As an "investor" you have to understand this basic business logic. On the other hand, on the developers end we can often see the classic entrepreneurial error of exagerating performance/profits and underestimating development time/costs.

Anyway, all of this to say that overruns or underdelivery are part of the entrepreneurial process and therefore part of the Kickstart experience for investors (even if they would rather see themselves as end-users).

Does the game support Windows 7 / 8.1 and Linux?
Yes, the game support both Windows 7 and 8.1.
For the Linux, the support won't be available at the release. Might be added in the future.

What a load of crap, it might be added in the future.

Sounds like one of those company's that promise support for all OS's, gather all the money they can from people who are excited about the news of their platform being supported,release a buggy piece of shit, and abandon it a month after release.

So, yes, while kickstarter projects are a risky proposition, we should not shun the platform outright. There are some good, responsible developers, who get the freedom to experiment with new ideas without the pressure of having to get approved by publishers, who are by nature risk-averse and prefer sequels of successful franchises to interesting, but perhaps not so marketable ideas.

Fully agree here, I will support certain Kickstarters if the conditions are right :)

Taking that in consideration, note that $5K does not pay for a whole lot of development time.

While I agree of course, they set the price for it, not us.

No matter what, I don't think developers on Kickstarter should get a free pass when it comes to not delivering. We will continue to note on GOL when developers don't deliver for numerous reasons. The most important being: to help people decide who to support in future.

Not to forgive the developers, but I've been using the Unreal Engine for a while now on Linux and they don't make it that easy to develop on the platform.

To install you have to use the Source, no binary available. No launcher and although 4.16 is quite good, in previous version there were bugs constantly crashing the Editor. Imagine the pain of someone that never worked on Linux before.

Wait, are they trying to develop on Linux, why?

I agree with others, Kickstarter is not a pre-order system, its a funding system and has inherent risks of the loss of your investment. I learned the hard way that Kickstarter makes no guarantees whatsoever for the money that you pledge, they will just leave to contact the project owners and if you have issues with contacting them, they wont help you out.

Only offer a pledge if the developer has a good track record, and even then don't assume you will get anything on time, or at all.

Not to forgive the developers, but I've been using the Unreal Engine for a while now on Linux and they don't make it that easy to develop on the platform.

To install you have to use the Source, no binary available. No launcher and although 4.16 is quite good, in previous version there were bugs constantly crashing the Editor. Imagine the pain of someone that never worked on Linux before.

Wait, are they trying to develop on Linux, why?

They say nothing about developing on Linux (although it would be cool to see), but even if you don't develop on Linux you have to test the game.

If you have a game build for Linux made on Windows and it doesn't run, it may be something simple like a not installed dependency, but if it isn't then installing UE4 and build directly on Linux is the best option to bug fixing.

It's still a very slow process.

Certainly that would be a slow process to fix issues, but unfortunately judging from devs comments on Steam forums they just export for Linux from the Windows editor and call it a day if it doesn't work this way.
More often I see the simple OpenGL build (for Windows) being the first roadblock where they give up.

swiggity swooty how bout that booty

Well, that's one way to make use of the notifications system, smart person

Sounds interesting, if you see more positive stuff in future let me know :)