Pantheon kickstarter

[Thulack]

Interesting interview tonight.

[phacemeltar]

$15 a month, still a terrible subscription model

[Swish]

$15 a month, still a terrible subscription model

Better than a cash shop, don't even try to argue otherwise :p

[phacemeltar]

sirken is such a nerd. in that video of the stream with BMQ, he sounded like such a fanboy i had to turn it off.

[constelllations]

^ judgmental as phuck

[A1551]

so the project hit the halfway point time-wise earlier today at $313k (about 39% of goal).

I still feel pretty good they're going to make 800k and wouldn't be surprised to see 900k-1 mil when all is said and done. Looking at any "similar" kickstarter I can find on kicktraq (large budget games where they didn't fund almost immediately or obviously fail by this point) they almost universally show pledges being skewed (heavily) towards the end.

So two projects that were at a similar point at the halfway mark were The Mandate (was at 41% at half time, goal of 500k) and Godus (44% at halftime, goal of ~740k if converted to USD). Obviously both were doing slightly better at this point in time, however not by a lot.

Godus ended up getting 72% of its original goal in the second half.

The Mandate got 99%(!!!) of its original goal in the second half after being essentially in the same spot Pantheon is now.

If Pantheon were to perform similarly to Godus in the second half you'd be looking at something like 889k. If it were to perform like the Mandate we'd be looking at something like 1.105 million.

Now obviously Pantheon is its own project and the results could be very different -- but with that said, I believe as long as the team keeps up their efforts this has a high chance of funding.

Note if anyone can think of any other kickstarted games that were in a similar situation at the halfway point, with similar goals, let me know and I'll break them down too. I went through all the similarly scoped Kickstarters I could think of but most funded early on or failed completely or had to be relaunched.

[Nuggie]

If brad makes this comeback and succeeds, imagine where he could take this. The mmo genre could be heading down a very healthy road.

[Grozmok]

That better be one hellova cash sprint to the finishline like some people have been saying is common with kickstarters...

[Whovian]

If anyone is interested, there is a Pantheon G+ Community...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mLXYEwjw2dA/UvBCduTuAXI/AAAAAAAAXNQ/hyfqBVxqyFU/w441-h190-no/pantheon-community.png (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/110096911690016320495)

Inb4 flames... not trying to supplant p99 forums, just a place for anybody to share info about Pantheon.

[Nydan]

Just found out about it yesterday. Pledged $250. Some of us make significantly more money than we did in 1999 and would be happy to pledge but aren't around gaming much anymore. It's a small miracle I heard about it. I hope they are doing something to try and get the word out to very part time gamers like me.

I haven't played a single MMO other than EQ for more than about a month before getting bored and quitting. Looking forward to this.

Going to install project99 for the first time once I get moved in a week or so. I heard a Pantheon guild was created. I would love to join it.

[Eldaran]

Just found out about it yesterday. Pledged $250. Some of us make significantly more money than we did in 1999 and would be happy to pledge but aren't around gaming much anymore. It's a small miracle I heard about it. I hope they are doing something to try and get the word out to very part time gamers like me.

I haven't played a single MMO other than EQ for more than about a month before getting bored and quitting. Looking forward to this.

Going to install project99 for the first time once I get moved in a week or so. I heard a Pantheon guild was created. I would love to join it.

Do a /who all pantheon in game and ask a member for invite. We would be glad to have you!

[Nydan]

Thanks Eldaran. I will. Just have to find a place to live and get my computer out of storage. Actually, what am I thinking, my windows tablet will probably run the game just fine. Ok, I will look for a copy of classic EQ after jui jitsu tonight.

[Grozmok]

Thanks Eldaran. I will. Just have to find a place to live and get my computer out of storage. Actually, what am I thinking, my windows tablet will probably run the game just fine. Ok, I will look for a copy of classic EQ after jui jitsu tonight.

You need Titanium.

If you are not into piracy, someone has a copy on eBay:

http://bit.ly/1c0CxSJ

[A1551]

so found another good comparison project -- actually an MMO with a 1 million goal, pathfinder online, so I like this one as a comparison point.

They funded on the last day with a 221k(!!) closing day.

Their average daily pledges for the first 46 days was about 15.4k (compared to pantheon now at 13.6k/day). They averaged 94.7K over the last 4 days.

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1675907842/pathfinder-online-a-fantasy-sandbox-mmo/dailypledges.png

If we look at the other 2 example projects I used earlier in the thread

The Mandate: 36.3K/day over last 4 days vs 9.9k/day for rest of project

Godus (converted to USD): 70.4K/day for last 4 days vs 22.2k/day for rest of project.

The point is that pretty much all projects get a major (and I mean really major) uptick in funds right at the end. It's no guarantee Pantheon will fund. Pantheon is trending behind where all three of these projects were at this point in time (although not by a lot) which is a little concerning, but all three of these projects comfortably beat their goals.

[Gaffin 7.0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rsTmjTUGug

[beentheredonethat]

I prefer P99, because P99 doesn't constantly move the goal post, it stays the same.

Commercial stuff, on other hand, has to constantly come up with expansions, which means quitting leaves you behind or having to learn a lot of new stuff. I don't want to learn new game stuff.

I'll only pledge if they promise to keep a classic server.

[phacemeltar]

if only kunark and velious items scaled the same stat-wise as classic items..

[Grozmok]

I prefer P99, because P99 doesn't constantly move the goal post, it stays the same.

Commercial stuff, on other hand, has to constantly come up with expansions, which means quitting leaves you behind or having to learn a lot of new stuff. I don't want to learn new game stuff.

IIRC Brad talked about this very issue and said that they plan keeping their itemization from succoming to MUDflation.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[beentheredonethat]

IIRC Brad talked about this very issue and said that they plan keeping their itemization from succoming to MUDflation.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I should check out their KS page then. It's not just items though, it's the whole world changing. Some people need world changing to keep them interested, but someone like me needs it to stay the same. It's whats great about P1999, it won't go past velious, so that goal post will never move. It seems like just leaving one server in perma classic would be simple, but I don't see anyone doing it, so who knows.

I played WoW at some point. A million expansions later, I gave up, way too much to keep track of. EQ... that went down hill long ago as Kunark/Velious were the glory days. Diablo... that's inflation bonanza too.

[Nuggie]

I should check out their KS page then. It's not just items though, it's the whole world changing. Some people need world changing to keep them interested, but someone like me needs it to stay the same. It's whats great about P1999, it won't go past velious, so that goal post will never move. It seems like just leaving one server in perma classic would be simple, but I don't see anyone doing it, so who knows.

I played WoW at some point. A million expansions later, I gave up, way too much to keep track of. EQ... that went down hill long ago as Kunark/Velious were the glory days. Diablo... that's inflation bonanza too.

Nilbog said custom content is a possibility when he has velious fine tuned the way he wants it.

I agree, keeping a server classic would be a good idea. If for no other reason than to keep a copy (so it's possible to make more years down the line.) I also hope he/they keep records of what changes go in when and the code to go with it. I'm not sure how the auto launcher would work that way, may have to have a seperate one, like EQ1 did for Test.

[Swish]

Just upped my pledge from $20 to $75.

They've got a mountain to climb with only 2 weeks to go!

[stormlord]

I should check out their KS page then. It's not just items though, it's the whole world changing. Some people need world changing to keep them interested, but someone like me needs it to stay the same. It's whats great about P1999, it won't go past velious, so that goal post will never move. It seems like just leaving one server in perma classic would be simple, but I don't see anyone doing it, so who knows.

I played WoW at some point. A million expansions later, I gave up, way too much to keep track of. EQ... that went down hill long ago as Kunark/Velious were the glory days. Diablo... that's inflation bonanza too.
Sadly, I have to agree. BUT I'd like to see Pantheon succeed. Why? Because without MMORPGs having evolved and being greedy, THERE WOULDN'T BE A P1999 to talk about. Without all of the mudflation commercial mmorpgs experience and the constant need they have to mimic each other and chase after more users for more money, there wouldn't be the leftovers they produce which is what allowed p1999 to exist.

OK, there might be MMORPGs without a large commercial industry, but they'd be less impressive. Frankly, the "free" mmorpgs rarely are very good. Their quality is usually low in terms of graphics and fancy things. Yes, they're not as quick to change themselves to chase after $$$, but the truth is they suffer a lot. The commercial industry is like a giant machine and it produces mmorpg ideas and real world working examples.

Greed, in moderation, is good. Without it, I don't think we'd even exist. It helps to motivate us to produce. We need production to make things. It encourages us to make them better so we can more money. Removing greed from the equation of life is like removing sexual desire from the equation of sexual reproduction.

People need money to live. Game makers make games not just because they like to, but because they need to make a living. Otherwise, all you get is what they make in their spare time. People DO make things and do not expect anything in return, but that's an exception, not the rule. Our society is about give and take.

Believe me - please - I know exactly where you're coming from, or I think I do. I've talked about mudflation and greed in these forums and in others for years and years. I don't like it either. MMORPG makers are always copying each other to get more users and it's a dog eats dog world out there. Many times decisions are made not by the programmers or artists or story makers or designers but by the people who're financing it and managing it. They're single minded in their desire to make money and increase the size of the business. The worst companies will bulldoze their loyal customers just so they can have a chance to grab a larger audience. Not only will they do this like hitmen, but they'll make it all sound like it's beneficial and desirable.

BUT the difference between the worst and best companies is blurry. This is because the market is always changing and trying to adapt itself. Expansions and game changing things will always happen.

If you want something to stay the same your best chance is to cut out the profit. HOWEVER, that something, like p1999, likely depends on others NOT cutting out the profits. Industry needs profits.

And btw one good example of an mmorpg copying another to grab users is what Anarchy Online did with Shadowlands. Shadowlands was essentially a ripoff of Everquest. I recall reading writings by the developers of AO explaining how Everquest was such an awesome invention. It had more group mechanics and open world and less of the features associated with Rubi-Ka and old-style Anarchy Online. You know what the IRONY is????? The OLD Anarchy Online used lots of instances and yet Shadowlands tried to be more open world, and this all happened just before or during the time when instances exploded in popularity. Now, doing this may have helped Anarchy Online to be more like Everquest and increase its userbase, but I wonder how much?? All of this sounds so familiar and yet so ancient, as it's common to see modern mmorpgs copy each other.

[beentheredonethat]

Believe me - please - I know exactly where you're coming from, or I think I do. I've talked about mudflation and greed in these forums and in others for years and years. I don't like it either. MMORPG makers are always copying each other to get more users and it's a dog eats dog world out there. Many times decisions are made not by the programmers or artists or story makers or designers but by the people who're financing it and managing it. They're single minded in their desire to make money and increase the size of the business. The worst companies will bulldoze their loyal customers just so they can have a chance to grab a larger audience. Not only will they do this like hitmen, but they'll make it all sound like it's beneficial and desirable.


I think video game companies haven't evolved enough to simply figure it out. They are still just copying each other, their product is usually out there for an average user, and everyone else sort of has to fall in line. But I bet if some game maker came out and made something that works for different type of players, they could be the new cool.

I think many of them simply haven't figured it out yet. They know how to launch a game, and how to make expansions. But they really have no idea how to keep the player base interested once world scales too large. Like you said, P1999 wouldn't exist if they actually covered that base.

[stormlord]

I think video game companies haven't evolved enough to simply figure it out. They are still just copying each other, their product is usually out there for an average user, and everyone else sort of has to fall in line. But I bet if some game maker came out and made something that works for different type of players, they could be the new cool.

I think many of them simply haven't figured it out yet. They know how to launch a game, and how to make expansions. But they really have no idea how to keep the player base interested once world scales too large. Like you said, P1999 wouldn't exist if they actually covered that base.
My response to that is:

1) You're contradicting your own statements which are that COMMERCIAL mmorpg's are always moving the goal post and changing themselves to make more money, right? If so, then how can they make something like p1999 which depends on the goal posts staying in place? I addressed this in my reply when I stated if you want something to stay the same then you cut out the profits. BUT I also mentioned how p1999 would not exist if it hadn't been for greedy companies creating the whole EQ franchise and abusing it. The greed and commercial activities act together as a giant machine which produces ideas and working examples.

2) Making games for minority populations isn't profitable until you have easy answers. The big companies focus on the majority populations because that's where all the money is going to be. They don't have easy answers yet. ALTHOUGH they can make grindy gameplay for hardcore 24/7 gamers at the end-game. Those're hte kind of gamers who have lots of time and/or money and are extremely competitive and willing to grind. Grindy content is easy to make. You just make some content and then you repeat it. Cheap and easy, so they do it.

MY belief is some people play p1999 not because of nostalgia but because of the gameplay. And finding this sort of gameplay is hard to do in the commercial industry because of the above reasons. It's hard for them to focus on the majority AND the minority in the same game. It's also hard for minority games to make enough money to survive. And because money is driving them, they're constantly tempted to move the goal posts and change their game to expand their business - all of which would threaten something like p1999.

In my particular case, I don't like the grinding or camping or button-mashing in classic EQ, but I like how kiting works and some other things. There's not a lot of summoning in classic EQ, versus the modern game, so you can get really creative in killing things. I also like how non-players are scripted to move around and talk, rather than just standing still. I like how the game doesn't try to be convenient on every level, but instead just exists. I am a visitor, as opposed to someone being serviced. I like how the dungeons are so tight and twisting and even maze-like. I like how in-game maps aren't yet glorified and the UI isn't as cluttered as the modern game. Because of all this, you're focused more on the world around you. I also like how the movement works. Point-and-click is so much less natural. I could say some other things. Some people really like how it's group-oriented because they think it puts the emphasis on being social. However, I think this can also be a weakness because it's completely population-dependent. Furthermore, because classic EQ is open world, that can also create problems for a game that's already strongly population-dependent. I first played EQ in early 1999.

[Grozmok]

lolwut

[mrgoochio]

Considering pledging $250 for the kickstarter.. but honestly doesn't seem likely this will get funded. I realize everyone posting about kickstarter trends, but from where it stands now.. idk. Game needs over $34,000 per day for the rest of the run. Seeing as how there is only a few more hours left in today, it actually needs more like $37,000+ per day... got my fingers crossed though, would love to see this project funded

[Swish]

It's true they need to pull a rabbit out of the hat at this point, its barely moved today.

[mrgoochio]

I feel like perhaps most of the original classic era players are much older now and aren't playing games or haven't heard about pantheon (EQ, DAoC, FFXI, etc. players) and brad doesn't have a large enough name or legacy for newer era players to know or even care about his new project. I've been waiting for this for like 10 years and I'm super excited and I still haven't pledged.. not hard to believe other people less excited aren't pledging either.

[A1551]

I feel like perhaps most of the original classic era players are much older now and aren't playing games or haven't heard about pantheon (EQ, DAoC, FFXI, etc. players) and brad doesn't have a large enough name or legacy for newer era players to know or even care about his new project. I've been waiting for this for like 10 years and I'm super excited and I still haven't pledged.. not hard to believe other people less excited aren't pledging either.

Then pledge! If it doesn't succeed it costs you nothing and sitting on the sideline just makes other people say the same thing and also sit there....its a self perpetuating cycle that kills these things. The kickstarter certainly isn't doing as well as I'd like, but it ain't dead yet either -- as mentioned earlier pathfinder online got $221,000 in literally a single day (its last day)

In fact at this time (13 days to go) Pathfinder online still needed 454K in funding. As of this second Pantheon needs 446K with 13 days to go, and pathfinder ended up funding about 100k over target.

I expect the pantheon team is hard at work generating a blitz of press, info releases, etc for the final week to try and push this over the edge.

[mrgoochio]

Anyone know if the $250 tier free year + $1/yr applies to both copies of the game you receive or just one? I'm assuming just one, but would be cool if it was both

[deezy]

They need to get over 46k per day in order to reach their goal. They still haven't reached the half way mark in overall pledges. I'm not confident they'll reach it.. but we'll see soon.

[JayN]

They need to get over 46k per day in order to reach their goal. They still haven't reached the half way mark in overall pledges. I'm not confident they'll reach it.. but we'll see soon.

id bet anything they wont reach it, brad should not be leading the project. Maybe head consultant of lead designer.

Def need a new leader, brads to toxic

[Swish]

id bet anything they wont reach it, brad should not be leading the project. Maybe head consultant of lead designer.

Def need a new leader, brads to toxic

Without him I wouldn't have heard of Pantheon.

[HeallunRumblebelly]

Brad McQuaid ‏@Aradune 3h
If anyone knows an angel investor or other type of investor who might be interested in investing in VR, please let me know.


http://parkinglotconfessional.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/assets-images-gawker-2008-07-lowered-expectations.jpg

[deezy]

Brad McQuaid ‏@Aradune 3h
If anyone knows an angel investor or other type of investor who might be interested in investing in VR, please let me know.


http://parkinglotconfessional.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/assets-images-gawker-2008-07-lowered-expectations.jpg
Source
(https://twitter.com/Aradune/status/433780724060024832)
Yeah, not looking promising.

[NextGenesis88]

=(

[JayN]

pls god money anyone! lawl

[Swish]

If I was a lottery winner I'd totally throw some money at investing in the company :D

[Swish]

About a week to go!! We can do this guys!11

http://schoolcommunicationarts.com/files/2013/08/Letsdothis.png

[mrgoochio]

Pledged $250, expecting to get my money back when the kickstarter doesn't succeed :p

[mrgoochio]

Btw, no clue how these addons work. How do I add these shits onto my thing? I'm not understanding how this works even after reading their "how to"

[citizen1080]

Not looking good

[Nuggie]

66k per day to fund. looking bleak. prob break poor brad's heart.

[Bamz4l]

goto kickstarter > discover > ending soon (top right) > then look at all of the projects ending soon. They either fail miserably or else they fund above and beyond the goal. Barely any finish between 50-95%, meaning once they are half-way, the community doesn't allow failure. So I still have hope!!

[Nuggie]

past the halfway mark. unless someone pulls out.

[Grozmok]

Six days left!

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1588672538/pantheon-rise-of-the-fallen/#chart-daily

When does p99 get Velious again?

[Sobee101]

If i win the loto on tue this game will be funded ;)

[Grozmok]

Corpse runs are back:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/17/pantheon-brings-back-the-fun-of-a-corpse-run/

[mrgoochio]

Hey guys only need 100k per day to fund! cant wait to see which stretch goals we meet!

[stormlord]

Corpse runs are back:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/17/pantheon-brings-back-the-fun-of-a-corpse-run/
Pantheon: Rise of the Corpses.

Honestly, I'm fine with it if they can put it in a new light or change it to make it more appealing. It's not the idea of running to get a corpse that's bad, it's just not offering anything new.

I'm split on this. I think it can work, but yet it also tastes bad in my mouth.

If you think back to EQ in its heyday, I think the biggest things against corpse runs were:
1) If you fail to get your corpse after ~7 days, it's deleted
2) If you can't get it yourself or someone else can't get it then there's no last resort
3) Having to run all the way back, sometimes through several zones
4) If you died in a out of the way place, who'll rez you or help you return to it?

What they need is a system that has options, like:
1) Summon your corpse from anywhere, but it costs experience and money
2) Respawn at the corpse, but it costs some experience
3) Respawn as a ghost and can get your corpse with minimal danger and it costs you minor experience.
4) Respawn without your gear and return to your corpse and it costs no experience

(there should be no ONE answer for everyone... all the options depend on the circumstances)

The above system would only be in-place in certain zones, not all zones. Maybe they could be called "champion" zones. The lore could be about how your soul is trapped to your corpse in those special zones, so it must be retrieved. In the other zones other systems could be in-place, allowing for flexibility in design. This would help to take the focus away from EQ and bring it into the new era without dragging mud into it.

Something like that, but with more thought put into it.

And note that the respawning and/or travel in Pantheon will be more convenient, more than likely. Corpse runs won't be the nightmare people remember from EQ where they might have to run from one end of the world to another. There're a variety of ways they can do this. I hope it has emphasis on player choices.

I think this game will NOT be EQ1 by any stretch based on what I've read, so I'm not afraid of this game making that mistake, BUT even a newer version of EQ might be too outdated for a modern niche audience. I think they have a target audience of some 25,000 - 50,000. Can they reach that population with these mechanics? Keep in mind they've mentioned Pantheon will be a combination of ideas from EQ and Vanguard and other games, so there're indications it'll be founded on a richer tapestry of ideas. Indeed, with discussions of cross-server travel and instances and "mega-server" concepts, I think they're trying to be as modern as they can.

[mrgoochio]

Only 125k+ per day needed! Lawl :o

[Swish]

Hopefully Brad will find or has found an investor.

[beentheredonethat]

Pantheon: Rise of the Corpses.

Honestly, I'm fine with it if they can put it in a new light or change it to make it more appealing. It's not the idea of running to get a corpse that's bad, it's just not offering anything new.

I'm split on this. I think it can work, but yet it also tastes bad in my mouth.


Same here. That was one thing I never liked, it's like hell levels, or staring at the book (it had no point to it).

[Bamz4l]

ya of course they had points - immersion !!!

[beentheredonethat]

ya of course they had points - immersion !!!

Staring at the book was not Immersion, it was just a bad idea lol.

[Thulack]

Immersion is overrated.

[jarshale]

$421,963 out of $800,000
45 hours to go.

Does anyone think this is going to make it?

[Sobee101]

Sadly No :(

[Swish]

Short of some millionaire trolling the kickstarter from day 1 and funding the rest at the last minute... it's not happening :p

[Kayso]

If they don't make it, this will be a worse fail than Vanguard. What kind of assholes leave $423K of other people's money on the table?

38 hours is still plenty of time for someone to cut a check in exchange for a nice chunk of nerd change.

[Swish]

That;s just how the kickstarter works... if they don't hit the target they don't get to use what was half gathered.

[Kayso]

Put yourself in their shoes. Wouldn't you be calling grandma now asking to borrow $377K for a few weeks so that you can pocket $423K of free money?

None of these people have friends, relatives, or their own money? If they don't, its really really sad.

I'll personally fund the difference for 25% of the funds raised prior to the point of my contribution. Call me, Aradune.

[Swish]

Put yourself in their shoes. Wouldn't you be calling grandma now asking to borrow $377K for a few weeks so that you can pocket $423K of free money?

None of these people have friends, relatives, or their own money? If they don't, its really really sad.

I'll personally fund the difference for 25% of the funds raised prior to the point of my contribution. Call me, Aradune.

Sorry pal, send your complaints to wecare@kickstarter.com

[Potus]

For a game that said subscription model only, they sure do sell a lot of crap in their "game store" now like J-Boots and "hero" items.

[Kayso]

Sorry pal, send your complaints to wecare@kickstarter.com

Are you stupid? I don't have any complaints. I think kickstarter is great.

[deezy]

2 hours left and only $345K left. WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!1!!1!!!one!!!

[jarshale]

>24 minutes to go

[Swish]

5 minutes to raise $340,000

#ibelieve

[Swish]

Meanwhile, Superman has no interest in saving Pantheon...

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9qpw1eAJi1qzrlhgo1_500.gif

[jarshale]

2 minutes. Anyone got a spare 350k lying around somewhere they don't want?

[Erasong]

inc everyone upping their contribution to 1k for p99 rewards

[jarshale]

Aaaand it's over

[Nuggie]

oh well

[Swish]

Well I'm gonna play Captain Hindsight, and say that all those incentives that were offered by the Pantheon devs were contrary to what "classic" players want out of a game.

No cash shop, subscription model... all very good.

But what if 3000+ players are running around with vanity titles/items for backing the kickstarter etc? Kinda goes against the world that older players want to play in... put them in to reward hard work and achieving something meaningful instead I'd say.

Just the thoughts of 1 backer, I felt that might have driven a bunch of people away.

[Swish]

inc everyone upping their contribution to 1k for p99 rewards

I don't think Rogean is putting out as it never hit its target. Maybe we'll get a small double XP weekend or something for trying.

[Nuggie]

as people leave/make alts those titles become less and less usual to see. as time goes on that all fades.

[Sobee101]

Well... Bummer

[deezy]

poor pantheon tripped when he tried to mandrop... he won't become a baker....

[Agno]

Another thing to keep in mind is that just a few months ago Pathfinder Online was funded with the old school gameplay philosophy at the core of the game. A lot of the non EQ fans probably already backed that game.

[HeallunRumblebelly]

I don't think Rogean is putting out as it never hit its target. Maybe we'll get a small double XP weekend or something for trying.

http://static3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130917044502/glee/images/b/bc/You_tried_.png

[stormlord]

There're some MMORPG's out there with old school mechanics, so it's not that this kind of thing can't work, but they're not big. I think $400k+ is pretty good. If they had run a better kickstarter by giving better incentives and allowed paypal donations via their own website to contribute to the kickstarter and had more information about their game to prove their commitment, I think they could come close to $800k.

One example of old school MMORPG's (with sandbox features) that have corpse runs and death exp loss and full loot on pvp servers are Wurm Online and Mortal Online. Wurm Online doesn't even have an in-game map yet, let alone a mini-radar or fast travel. There're many others with varying amounts of old school features. HOwever, the active population in Wurm Online is probably only around 1500+ players.

Here's a quick short list of hardcore-lite to very casual-unfriendly games:
1) Wurm Online
2) Mortal Online
3) Xsyon (formerly known as Xyson)
4) Eve Online
5) The Repopulation (1)
6) Secret World
7) Entropia Universe (expensive mmo and real cash economy)
8) ArcheAge (2) and other asian MMORPG's (tend to be hardcore-lite)
9) DayZ
10) World War II Online
11) Demon Souls/Dark Souls (single-player/multi-player)
12) Dwarf Fortress (single player)
13) The Dark Mod (3) (standalone version of the Thief series single-player games)
14) Path of Exile (more like diablo 2 than diablo 3)
15) GoG.com (sells older classic games)
16) Hundreds or thousands of small scale single-player and multi-player games

(1) - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/therepopulation/the-repopulation-a-sandbox-mmorpg/posts/726772
(2) - http://nobodyplaysgames.com/forums/index.php?/topic/124-archeage-review-from-february-2013/
(3) - http://www.thedarkmod.com/main/

[BahamutDF]

Mortal Online and Wurm online are awesome MMO's btw.

[Ahldagor]

darkfall still has the best enemy aggro i've ever seen.

[phacemeltar]

cmon guys donate! this game looks great..