Project 1999 Pantheon Pledge Drive!

[KwwBall]

hahahah 144 sheep:cool:

Or 144 people who hope that Brad, no matter his flaws, will be able to bring back the magic that was EQ before it went to shit!

But I respect your opinion.

[Clark]

Isn't a bad idea; nothing game breaking aside from fungi staff.

[Nocsucow]

Fumble

[funhorroryes]

this is a terrible thread

[Sarajo]

Looking at that concept art of (whatever)town, the one with the natural land bridge that's has city built on top of the bridge, I want to play at least long enough to jump off of that bridge into the channel a mile below.
Maybe in 2017 I'll have an oculus rift too.

[Nirgon]

Or 144 people who hope that Brad, no matter his flaws, will be able to bring back the magic that was EQ before it went to shit!

But I respect your opinion.

144 people that would rather donate 60$ to a game that will be what EQ players want rather than....

getting another WoW clone -> paying 60$ for the box and 14.99$ for 3-5 months and INEVITABLY coming back here dissatisfied.

This community, jokes aside, isn't the lowest common denominator when it comes to game content / a truly persistent world. Games like WoW will NOT last for you, which isn't much to say about WoW's clones.

If you got something personal with Brad? Set him up for one more shot. I watched his interviews and he still remembers content way better than you'd think. He also played his game. You think diamond dick Kotick plays WoW? HEH.



You wanna buy another WoW expansion and support this guy (seriously read these articles):

http://i.neoseeker.com/n/5/bobby_kotick_activision_thumb.jpg

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-04/activision-ceo-kotick-threatened-to-quit-if-buyout-role-nixed.html

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-26/activision-ceo-s-64-9-million-puts-him-in-top-ranks-of-pay-1-.html


Or do you want to support this guy (yes, read interview):
http://www.wolfsheadonline.com/wp-images/BradMcQuaid.jpg

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/9/feature/5971/Building-EQ-The-Brad-McQuaid-Interview.html/page/1



If you're concerned about later EQ expansions (trust me I was) or Vanguard? Try to realize Brad had to deal with the same marketing people who brought you WoW but on a much tighter budget. He had to try and cling to what he wanted EQ to be and what the corporate overlords wanted it to be. He does not have to do that here. He has to make a game that meets a niche group's wants (that's us) in HOPES he will gain our trust enough to fund/support an expansion. So, yeah, I think it's one of his last big shots to do something big on his own without being a creative director for some WoW clone factory. I think he will treat it as such.

As far as P99 and xp pots and guise raffles go? Rogean/Nilbog are making the fungi stick no drop. The guise is pointless beyond aesthetic appeal in Velious. A handful of 50% xp pots could go down the drain in a few bad groups. Not to mention what's 14 people have another couple of 60s? I agree there's way too much gear on this server and too many 60 characters, trust me. However, if Brad were trying to get donations going to get the rights to Classic EQ's original code to start a server... I would think P99 would be doing the same thing here to support him.

Here's another fun fact on that note. Even if that "true perfect" classic server came out, I've realized something and this came up at the stirrings of EQ Classic's alpha announcement. No matter how good or classic another server is, most people are going to stay here with the community, their guilds, pals and pixels.

So again. Consider the 60$ in your wallet and where it will go this year. Read the Brad interview and check out the Kotick blurbs. My donation came out of what I would have spent on the Diablo 3 expansions.

[heartbrand]

Early velious release is game breaking for red99

[Nirgon]

Early access you mean? Heh. Ain't gonna do much either way bub. I got u tho, signin' into AIM.

[Olscratch]

So hire Salim Grant, a man abhorred by eq/vg vets for turning vanguard into a WoW clone and openly compromise P99's integrity by implementing RMT.

Great strategy Brad really. You're winning all the right votes.

[Nirgon]

A man hired and told to turn it into a wow clone. Continue tho.

[Olscratch]

A man hired and told to turn it into a wow clone. Continue tho.

Even if he was forced to, he's universally hated. Every decision he made was terrible. I'm far from the only one that isn't going to touch anything Silius is associated with after having to deal with him on Vanguard.

Bringing RMT on p99, wow that'll show us Pantheon is really gonna be a classic EQ type game.

[heartbrand]

More than happy to make some big donations to pantheon to help get it moving to 800k. Thank the lord I have been blessed. Maybe some 10k+ tiers. Would also like to see Talendor not @ 6am on red99.

[Olscratch]

This is like Mitt Romney going on fox news to drum up election support and telling the viewers if they support him he'll provide free abortions, and work on more gun and environmental regulations.

[Nirgon]

Yeah that's what this is like LOL ok.

Cept this game will get made if they hit 800k minimum. And there will be a fungi staff raffle/guise raffle and you will get xp pots.

[heartbrand]

Here's hoping to see raid mobs on red99 not @ 6am

http://imageshack.com/a/img836/6855/zjri.jpg

[Nirgon]

Even if he was forced to, he's universally hated.

Well get your checkbook out for Kotick, he's a SWELL guy.

15 or so people at the moment getting a few hours of 50% xp + one guise + 1 more no drop fungi stick on a server that's already been in 3 years of Kunark. The server will never recover :cool:.

[Trebeh]

As usual tradeskills being left out again lol. Why cant we get maybe a mod pot for tradeskill? Maybe something along the lines of a better chance to level up? Exp pots are great for toon leveling, just want same for us guys that like tradeskilling.

[Kergan]

With HBs generous donation surely we have hit 10k so where is dat exp bonus?

[Hawala]

Pay to Play

[Rec]

exp bonus without knowing if they will meet their goal or not? that's a good one

[Artaenc]

how many of each item are you giving out?

[Wrench]

how many of each item are you giving out?

you failed bro

The number of Guise of the Deceiver's and Fungus Covered Great staff's raffled off will be dependant on the number of entries. Only one Guise or Staff can be won by each player.

[bionicbadger]

How much do we have to donate to get the server reset and all characters wiped?

[Nirgon]

Someone having a 6 hour 50% xp bonus is pay to play.

Lul.

Meanwhile the entire server gets that bonus for a week if a certain goal is met (currently looks like it is).

In case you don't catch my drift: it is possible by others donating and you having more time during the xp bonus event from Nilbog/Rogean to get more bonus xp than the people who got potions. Complaining = lol on this. If I cared more I'd go through the whiner's post histories to see if they were excited about bonus xp weeks/weekends and are being hypocritical here.

[Tenlaar]

Someone having a 6 hour 50% xp bonus is pay to play.

Lul.

You should read more carefully. Pretty much everybody that has a problem with it is talking about the rare items and/or early Velious access.

[Artaenc]

you failed bro

Thanks but that doesn't tell us much though, what is it 500,000 entries = 1 guise to be raffled off or 50 entries = 25 will be raffled off?

Just curious, don't really care that much if I win or not. More interested if Pantheon would live up to the promise.

[Millburn]

I fucked up this response lol

[Nirgon]

You should read more carefully.

I very clearly understand that a single guise and no drop version of prenerf fungi stick is the end of the world for some people.

4 days of Velious beta when its already playable and largely unchanged on live. OH NOES.

Your choice of who to call out in forumquest is what needs a more careful look here bub.

[Tenlaar]

I called out the guy who was mocking people for being mad about what people weren't really mad about.

Seems right to me.

[Nirgon]

Yes and anyone who thinks any of this stuff is pay to win is as wrong as the person agreeing with them.

[Kluren]

To all the people complaining about it, why are you even here on Project 1999?

If you have any glimpse of liking for Classic Everquest, how could you want nothing but for this project to succeed 100%. Thank you to the Project 1999 team. Thank you to the Pantheon team aka Verant. Classic Community: band together for a shared vision or band for nothing.


EQ Next is SOE's Next.

Pantheon is Verant's Next.

Take your pick.

[Kayso]

Which one should I pick if I don't know what you mean by "glimpse of liking", "want nothing but for" and "band for nothing"? Did google translate this for you?

[KwwBall]

Which one should I pick if I don't know what you mean by "glimpse of liking", "want nothing but for" and "band for nothing"? Did google translate this for you?

Classy response... english might not be his first language.

[Awwalike]

really interested to know how much if any of brads personal wealth has gone into backing this

[Kluren]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rooj
"Because SOE will swoop in and save the day again"



SOE won't save anything. They will try to destroy the vision once again with Pantheon as they did with Vanguard. They don't want anything Verant related to succeed because a Classic play style does not fit their corporate agenda.

Wake up people.

Corporations only care about money. No more bullying from SOE. I really think Brad may be able to get funding this time from the true followers of Classic Everquest.

[JackFlash]

Everquest, as said before, is/was a fluke. Its inception was more rooted in passion for their idea than making money. They didn't get paid well and slept at the desk from what I've heard......

Now it seems to be delicate balance between being able to bring your project to the public or it never seeing the light of day. Kickstarter will only get it so far. After that we'll see what influence the big money brings. If it ever comes.

[Nirgon]

EverQuest was a fluke but those ideas were created and exist. Brad and company are going to do their best to implement them again (multi-css class, open world, pull mechanics), and try to make things new and fun rather than just a Pantheon themed EQ re-skin.

Go buy Mists of Pandaria and tell me you didn't wish you donated to this instead, whatever it becomes.

I'll gladly accept your opinion one way or the other.

[Bamz4l]

kickstarter only takes amazon? amazon only takes US citizens?

I think I figured out how.. i'll donate tonight

[Vamael]

As much as I want this game to happen, I am looking at how the cash support is slowing down, with only 16-15 days left. I fear we wont hit the 800,000. Will he just present this game to a big company if he can't do it with fan support?

[MikeXG]

When will we get the rewards?

[MikeXG]

As much as I want this game to happen, I am looking at how the cash support is slowing down, with only 16-15 days left. I fear we wont hit the 800,000. Will he just present this game to a big company if he can't do it with fan support?

In my experience on kick starter, games usually get most of the funding the last few days before the pledge closes. I've seen over 50% of the goal pledged the last 24 hours. Don't concern yourself with whats been pledged, concern yourself with the product and if you want to be part of it by supporting it.

[Wrench]

In my experience on kick starter, games usually get most of the funding the last few days before the pledge closes. I've seen over 50% of the goal pledged the last 24 hours. Don't concern yourself with whats been pledged, concern yourself with the product and if you want to be part of it by supporting it.

name the projects please

be honestly shocked to hear of an 800k project going down like that

[Kayso]

name the projects please

be honestly shocked to hear of an 800k project going down like that

How would it not go down that way?

If it were my kickstarer and there was $340,678 up for grabs, I'd have an investor "help us" make our goal on the last day. And by help, I mean pay him 10% of all the money we take in from the outside.

No way I'd leave free seed money on the table.

[Wrench]

How would it not go down that way?

If it were my kickstarer and there was $340,678 up for grabs, I'd have an investor "help us" make our goal on the last day. And by help, I mean pay him 10% of all the money we take in from the outside.

No way I'd leave free seed money on the table.

good way to get your project closed and refunded by kickstarter (against ks rules)

but i get your point, surprised it doesnt happen more often

[phacemeltar]

almost halfway there! we need a will it happen: yes/no poll

[Jingis27]

THIS IS SIMPLY A SHAME. BAN THOSE RMTrs!!!

[MikeXG]

How would it not go down that way?

If it were my kickstarer and there was $340,678 up for grabs, I'd have an investor "help us" make our goal on the last day. And by help, I mean pay him 10% of all the money we take in from the outside.

No way I'd leave free seed money on the table.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This
A lot of kickstarter projects that dont BLOW beyond the goal in the first few days end this way.

I dont remember the projects off the top of my head. Regardless the whole idea behind kickstarter is to back things you support. It isnt like you dont get the money back if they dont make it. There really isnt much risk on your end. The only bad outcome possible for someone who backs a game on kickstarted is either A. the game doesnt get made and you get your money back or B. the game does get made and you dont like it. Either way if you support Pantheon support it, if you don't then don't. Dont worry about what other people are or are not doing.

[Bamz4l]

just backed... Pre-Alpha game tester here I come!!

http://i.imgur.com/pMNnwFo.png

[Recycled Children]

I think it's shameful you are encouraging RMT.

[Rust1d?]

LOL @ these nerds backing a game they know nothing about. LOL @ 2017 start date (3 years away minimum)

Go tell your wife/GF/Dog that you just donated $10k on a fucking game developed by a drunk. Let's see how she reacts.

[Wrathis]

LOL @ these nerds backing a game they know nothing about. LOL @ 2017 start date (3 years away minimum)

Go tell your wife/GF/Dog that you just donated $10k on a fucking game developed by a drunk. Let's see how she reacts.

I like how you generalize one guys accomplishments by looking at his deficiencies.

[Bamz4l]

2017? My pledge includes pre-alpha tester bro, that could start tomorrow

[formallydickman]

2017? My pledge includes pre-alpha tester bro, that could start tomorrow

I'm confused how you think a pre-alpha version will be worth playing. That's going to be a very rough version.

[Artaenc]

I'm going to pledge eventually because I definitely want to back this project but was wondering if there is any way that both my EMU and my wife's can be allowed to share the items? I'm torn on which EMU to use because we have characters on each other's EMU accounts. I really don't want to double pledge @2k just so that we can both have stuff on our EMUs.

[NachtMystium]

With all the vehemence against non-classic and RMT shit, this entire thing is laughable.

[Nuggie]

I'm confused how you think a pre-alpha version will be worth playing. That's going to be a very rough version.

Some people take sick pleasure in finding ways to crash a game. Color them testers and we're good to go.

[Nuggie]

LOL @ these nerds backing a game they know nothing about. LOL @ 2017 start date (3 years away minimum)

Go tell your wife/GF/Dog that you just donated $10k on a fucking game developed by a drunk. Let's see how she reacts.

This isn't RnF.

[jarshale]

If there was an option to be able to buy an insta lvl 60 with raidable gear I would donate.

[Wulvie]

How bout throwing in being able to be bound at firepots? Maybe make the mask, staff or pots BTA instead of BTC?

Oh yeah, whats the chance in the lotteries? I think, by law, you are required to post the odds before people buy a ticket.

[anthony210]

Just donated 100 myself under p99JinshoBLUE

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a53/anthony210/RiseofFallen.jpg (http://s9.photobucket.com/user/anthony210/media/RiseofFallen.jpg.html)

[imajester]

As the pledge drive nears the end, if it appears that Pantheon may not make its goal, folks may pledge large sums to get the in game rewards knowning they won't actually have to contribute the pledged money.

So, maybe make the rewards diminish with time as we near the end of the drive, or just stop the rewards without notice sometime before the end of the drive. Force folks to pledge now, rather then right at the end.

[Artaenc]

As the pledge drive nears the end, if it appears that Pantheon may not make its goal, folks may pledge large sums to get the in game rewards knowning they won't actually have to contribute the pledged money.

So, maybe make the rewards diminish with time as we near the end of the drive, or just stop the rewards without notice sometime before the end of the drive. Force folks to pledge now, rather then right at the end.

Why so negative dude, a lot of us want this game to succeed. we're tired of these fail game clones. If it fails so what at least Brad and team tried.

I just pledged under P99-Artaxerxius-Blue

[imajester]

Why so negative dude, a lot of us want this game to succeed. we're tired of these fail game clones. If it fails so what at least Brad and team tried.

I think you misunderstood my posting. I contributed $200 to Pantheon and I want it to succeed as much or maybe more then you.

[Kefo]

I think you misunderstood my posting. I contributed $200 to Pantheon and I want it to succeed as much or maybe more then you.

Have faith. I have followed games that I swear would never make their funding goal in time and they have blown past the goal and some stretch goals in the last 48-72 hours of the drive. I myself have donated 250 to the cause and really want this to succeed. Down with the wow clones and bring back the golden age of mmo's!

[Artaenc]

Have faith. I have followed games that I swear would never make their funding goal in time and they have blown past the goal and some stretch goals in the last 48-72 hours of the drive. I myself have donated 250 to the cause and really want this to succeed. Down with the wow clones and bring back the golden age of mmo's!

I approve this message!

[conFIGured]

rofl

[Droog007]

What is the preferred method to call the P99 staff's attention to my Pantheon contribution? Or is that even necessary?

[Limpy]

Just pledged $250, under P99GnopiesBLUE

Droog - you need to edit your kickstarter name (edit profile, button on upper right of KS page) to be: P99<yourcharactername>BLUE or RED if you are on pvp server.

They can then just look for all those starting with P99.

See the first post in this thread for more details, its been updated

[BahamutDF]

I plan to pledge tomorrow or Tuesday. Probably somewhere between $100-$300.

[Daddori]

Why is'nt the amount of $ donated for a p99 reward convergent with the amount of $ donated for a Pantheon rewards? (I hope that made sence) /sadface

[Verdir]

I pledged 1000 with P99VerdirBLUE

https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/p99verdirblue

[OngorDrakan]

Can I request that if I pledge Rogean will finish SMS Authentication so I can reset my account password?


PLEASE ROGEAN!

[gooliusboozler]

money hungry fucks

[Kefo]

money hungry fucks

Well it takes money to make a game so the pantheon devs need it to make their goal. Unless if course you are talking about the p99 devs in which case you need to learn to read

[gooliusboozler]

yea thats what studios and publishers are for. they get their own funding based on how well they pitch their game. they didnt have people donating to kickstarter for everquest did they? no. and are we still playing the game today? yes. it doesnt take a lot of money to make a good game. it takes good ideas, good developers, and pure dedication.

[Nuggie]

yea thats what studios and publishers are for. they get their own funding based on how well they pitch their game. they didnt have people donating to kickstarter for everquest did they? no. and are we still playing the game today? yes. it doesnt take a lot of money to make a good game. it takes good ideas, good developers, and pure dedication.

Kickstarter is pretty simple. If you like the idea, donate. If you don't, then don't.

Not to mention a little money during creation goes a long way towards keeping ownership of the IP. As the project grows and gains value the publishers they bring in later have less of a controlling interest. Meaning the game is developed according to brads vision instead of a cookie cutter money producer.

Interesting opinion you have though.

[kylok]

yea thats what studios and publishers are for. they get their own funding based on how well they pitch their game. they didnt have people donating to kickstarter for everquest did they? no. and are we still playing the game today? yes. it doesnt take a lot of money to make a good game. it takes good ideas, good developers, enough money to have complete creative control and pure dedication.

ftfy

[Thulack]

So how is the serverwide xp bonus gonna work? Is it going to be during velious beta? between beta and opening? I mean if you do the xp bonus during the beta that is really gonna hurt the beta testing as people rather play live and get xp bonus.

[phacemeltar]

when pantheon fails to meet kickstarter goals, is this going to affect the estimated release date on velious? also, will BMQ be joining p99 staff to help deliver content?

[Kefo]

If you think 800k is a lot of money to make a mmo then you need to have your head checked. The pantheon devs have great ideas, devs and pure dedication but they probably prefer to keep eating while they create their masterpiece

[gprater]

doesnt look like they will make their goal.

[Kefo]

doesnt look like they will make their goal.

Until that timer reaches 0 never say never. Games have hit funding goals at the last second lol

[Bamz4l]

I pledged 1000 with P99VerdirBLUE

https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/p99verdirblue

dude ur gonna get a phone call from Brad!

[Nikon]

I may be out of the loop but has it been confirmed by a guide/GM that the rewards won't happen unless the kickstarter succeeds? I would figure the first post here would say whether or not it matters, but it doesn't.

[Derubael]

If the Kickstarter fails, these rewards won't apply.

Updated OP. I thought that had already been posted but putting in that clarification in case it hadn't.

[Nikon]

If the Kickstarter fails, these rewards won't apply.

Updated OP. I thought that had already been posted but putting in that clarification in case it hadn't.

It may have been, I just didn't want to sort through 35 pages of people whining to find it. Thanks for the update!

[Sektor]

gonna be sad if it fails. This was my only legit way to go through my fix!

[Elderan]

gonna be sad if it fails. This was my only legit way to go through my fix!

They will find other funding if it fails. They also could just wait a few months and relist it once they are much further along with the project.

[BarackObooma]

It's only got 11 more days to more than double where it's at now (from $365k to $800k). I hope some big backers swoop in soon!

[Kayso]

It's only got 11 more days to more than double where it's at now (from $365k to $800k). I hope some big backers swoop in soon!

They will. And they'll gut a cut of the "legit" money pledged by players in good faith.

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

If the kickstarter fails, these rewards won't apply? Originally it was if you pledge, now 'if it fails forget it?" Laughable.

[Recycled Children]

2017? My pledge includes pre-alpha tester bro, that could start tomorrow

Enjoy those assets purchased through the Unity store. LMAO!

[Wrench]

If the Kickstarter fails, these rewards won't apply.

wrap it up folks, nothing to see here

[Derubael]

If the kickstarter fails, these rewards won't apply? Originally it was if you pledge, now 'if it fails forget it?" Laughable.

If it fails, you don't pay a dime to the kickstarter.

[Bamz4l]

ya ppl bein dumb as usual.... obviously we don't pay anything and we do not get any rewards at all if the game doesn't fund

[HippoNipple]

Kickstarter is to help underfunded companies or ideas. It doesn't mean the people owning the project shouldn't be putting in money as well. I think getting half of the goal GIVEN to them with 0% ownership is great. I wouldn't be surprised if the goal was met still. The owners of the project only need to put up 1/2 the money, that is a good deal and they will lose it if they don't fund it themselves.

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

If it fails, you don't pay a dime to the kickstarter.

I understand (and understood) how Kickstarter projects work. My displeasure was to where I felt we were told that the rewards were part of a pledge drive, and not a funding drive.

Project 1999 Pantheon Pledge Drive!

As part of our P99 Pantheon Pledge drive we are offering a number of rewards for our players that pledge to the Pantheon Kickstarter Project. ...

The idea being that if in good faith players pledge to help support the MMO community and one of the original creators of EQ.

If you enjoy playing here on Project 1999 please back the Pantheon Kickstarter. We feel it is our responsility to give back to a group of developers who have given so much to the MMORPG industry and the people who play their games.

So as to where I am against RMT from a in-game economic integrity standpoint between players but am definitely opposed to players receiving undue benefits from a game's staff, the idea here was if we show our support to the MMO community by pledging, we receive rewards for doing so.

As opposed to if it gets funded and you actually pay, then you receive rewards. So it goes from if you pledge to fund Kickstarter we will give you rewards for your support to if you actually pay money we will give you rewards. And then you're back on that slippery slope.

I understand the pros and cons of both sides and can argue it from what should be your point of view as well, but this is from the player side who may have pledged under the idea there were certain terms. Changing the terms now only serves to hurt both sides. Perhaps this should have been thought through beforehand with what rewards would still be given in event funding isn't there, or this stated at the start. Because it reads 'pledges' and 'closes'. It didn't read 'pay' or 'fund' or 'not 'fails'.

What I find laughable is that the terms were altered so late in the game as it were which shows me this wasn't thought through, or perhaps someone is attempting to renege on something they said. I can see wanting to avoid people pledging once they know it won't fund but for me, if you say something, you stick to your word.


Yes yes I know, Thanks 4 Shaere, TLDR, you mom wears combat boots.

[Sirken]

I understand (and understood) how Kickstarter projects work. My displeasure was to where I felt we were told that the rewards were part of a pledge drive, and not a funding drive.



The idea being that if in good faith players pledge to help support the MMO community and one of the original creators of EQ.



So as to where I am against RMT from a in-game economic integrity standpoint between players but am definitely opposed to players receiving undue benefits from a game's staff, the idea here was if we show our support to the MMO community by pledging, we receive rewards for doing so.

As opposed to if it gets funded and you actually pay, then you receive rewards. So it goes from if you pledge to fund Kickstarter we will give you rewards for your support to if you actually pay money we will give you rewards. And then you're back on that slippery slope.

I understand the pros and cons of both sides and can argue it from what should be your point of view as well, but this is from the player side who may have pledged under the idea there were certain terms. Changing the terms now only serves to hurt both sides. Perhaps this should have been thought through beforehand with what rewards would still be given in event funding isn't there, or this stated at the start. Because it reads 'pledges' and 'closes'. It didn't read 'pay' or 'fund' or 'not 'fails'.

What I find laughable is that the terms were altered so late in the game as it were which shows me this wasn't thought through, or perhaps someone is attempting to renege on something they said. I can see wanting to avoid people pledging once they know it won't fund but for me, if you say something, you stick to your word.


Yes yes I know, Thanks 4 Shaere, TLDR, you mom wears combat boots.

im sorry that you were expecting something for nothing. the entire pledge drive is to help Pantheon get funded.

[HippoNipple]

im sorry that you were expecting something for nothing. the entire pledge drive is to help Pantheon get funded.

The guy has a point as far as the wording from the original post but whatever. They didn't word it right, you still aren't being ripped off in any way. It was a pledge for a game. If it ends up costing you a donation you will get your rewards.

You can't get too upset for not receiving something you didn't pay for.

Also worry not about not reaching the goal. Heartbrand, leader of Red Dawn from Red99, has taken it upon himself to fund the project to shower all of Project 1999 with glorious exp bonuses and ensure the entire guild will be in Velious 7 days prior to launch.

[Mezzmur]

Just Pledged, GLHF.

I hope someone wealthier than I throws in a few hundred k.

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

No one was expecting something for nothing, this isn't the point. Passive aggressive much?

You have become better at reading comprehension! (1)

[Nuggie]

No one was expecting something for nothing, this isn't the point. Passive aggressive much?

You have become better at reading comprehension! (1)

You're bantering semantics. The spirit of the rewards should have been understood by everyone from the beginning. If it wasn't then your reading comprehension was lacking. :rolleyes:

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

Fallacy.

[Nuggie]

Intellectual snob.

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

doo doo head!

(what are we doing, trying to get this into RnF?)

[dre]

terms were altered so late in the game as it were which shows me this wasn't thought through

[Bamz4l]

sometimes u just gotta get stuff done and can nitpick about the wording later

[Nirgon]

Camelot Unchained got 2.2 million without P99's help

[Wrench]

Camelot Unchained got 2.2 million without P99's help

unheard of

[phacemeltar]

9 days left and only $412321 to go! oh, the suspense..

[Erati]

they are $200 closer now look out!

doin what i can bros

[Thulack]

they are $200 closer now look out!

doin what i can bros

cheap bastard :D

[Nuggie]

cheap bastard :D

If it were two years down the line I would have opted for atleast the 3k option. if not the 10k. but right now it would be irresponsible of me.

Not everyone is a rich young doctore!

[Thulack]

If it were two years down the line I would have opted for atleast the 3k option. if not the 10k. but right now it would be irresponsible of me.

Not everyone is a rich young doctore!

he a buddy was just giving him crap. its gonna come down to the wire if i can donate 300 or not. got some bills to pay. i'm not a rich doctor either lol

[Rec]

They are in the process of setting up a monthly subscription system and the tiers on their website in case the kickstarter does not fund.

[Nirgon]

I think many people have a problem that they don't have more to show up front.

I'm also wondering if P99 has anything done to show us for Velious so far.

A little peek would be nice.

[baalzy]

If 300 dollars has even the chance of making the difference between paying your bills or not, you shouldn't be donating.

[phacemeltar]

getting pretty close to the halfway point as far as money goes..

[Thulack]

If 300 dollars has even the chance of making the difference between paying your bills or not, you shouldn't be donating.

It's not on Needed bills. Just things i would normally spend money on every month for recreation that i would have to cut back on ;)

[justin2090]

It's not on Needed bills. Just things i would normally spend money on every month for recreation that i would have to cut back on ;)

drugs are bad mmkay

[Thulack]

drugs are bad mmkay

It's a plant. Thanks :D

[khanable]

lol kickstarter hacked

so sick of this shit -- deleted my account/my pledge

[Artaenc]

lol kickstarter hacked

so sick of this shit -- deleted my account/my pledge

how do you know? link info plz.

[khanable]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/15/5414970/kickstarter-hacked-with-data-stolen-for-an-unknown-number-of-customers

password is whatever, I use different shit for everything, but my fucking junk e-mail and phone number? Fucking christ, this is like the third place this has happened.. I get spam texts and spam e-mails out the ass. Just sick of it. Gotta change to a new junk e-mail and then add that shit to all the other dumb fucking shitty websites that are going to get hacked next. FU.

Kickstarter needs to kickstarter a security fund or something.

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

Thanks for the heads up on that, crap.

[Rec]

they've made like 500 bucks off the monthly subscriptions!

[Pringles]

250 from P99 on kickstarter.... 3 days to go to raise 375k.... I hope Brad has a secret last minute backer lined up!

[Thana8088]

250 from P99 on kickstarter.... 3 days to go to raise 375k.... I hope Brad has a secret last minute backer lined up!

Oh cool! Did you count all of the P99 usernames under Backers? I was going to do that, but my attention span is too short. :(

[Pringles]

i did - i just go to the backers page, hold spacebar to scroll to the bottom (so it'll load all the names) then hit CTRL F and search P99. Its possible im off a few but I get 249 that way (and I just re-pledged so we're 250 now :) )

I was curious:
P99_Thrunk_Blue
RyanCain(WelgrimonP99)
P99RyeenaBlue
P99FaphoBLUE
P99-Xazenya-Blue
P99FearstalkerBLUE
p99_ExmoBlue
P99KefoBlUE
P99ArcalaxBLUE
P99BlancahBLUE
P99DreventhBLUE
Lukas(p99ProkarBLUE)
P99HesperaxBlue
P99-Vocalius-Blue
p99MalvasiusBLUE
P99PuddemsRED
P99_Archestratie_Blue_Troy_Costisick
P99ZeddiculisBLUE
p99GrundwaldBLUE
P99GnopiesBLUE
P99ObeastieBlue
p99odeezyblue
P99--Ashenor--Blue
p99Yonkec
P99DanteniusBlue
P99PackageBLUE
P99VergBlue
P99MustaineBLUE
P99ZhakeBlue
p99AppyBLUE
P99EnsaineBLUE
P99MirxBLUE
p99GraxisBlue
P99CatterineBLUE
P99OcideBLUE
P99-Redok-Blue
P99SalamarioBlue
GregCummings(p99SokoBlue)
P99-Lizard-Blue
P99baldandersBLUE
P99SinazBLUE
p99GregoriaBLUE
P99CazethBLUE
P99BaladasBLUE
p99TeroBLUE
P99DrexenBLUE
P99-Bargearse-Blue
P99KyloBLUE
P99AenvarBLUE
P99PonsBLUE
P99LiuduBLUE
P99Blue-Callahan
P99KejoBLUE
P99_Exeran_BLUE
p99JhuildBLUE
P99PrindanBlue
p99jeewizBLUE
P99LoraminBlue
P99SturmenBLUE
P99-Kutark-Blue(Hrimnir)
p99kinidinblue
P99Man0warrBlue
P99SorocBLUE
P99HarlockBLUE
P99KalderonBlue
P99TorackBLUE
P99KovegaBlue
P99SessBLUE
P99-Hallucine-Blue
P99-Nirrtix-Dayna
P99DumeshBlue
P99Zisamrenblue
p99-Sannois-blue
P99GrizzledBlue
P99-Forelis-Blue
p99BatreBLUE
P99EldaranBlue
P99-Aldaran-Blue
P99XikiBlue
P99BaditudeBlue
P99CathexBlue
P99KorbendallasBLUE
P99-Aposi-Blue
p99mysigRED
P99GrisoBlue
P99ReneeBlue
P99PaladiniaBlue
P99CyntiaBLUE
P99semarriBLUE
P99...CaynEnable…Blue
P99TarskBlue
P99_Zavien_Blue
P99-Xardor-BLUE
P99KotasothBLUE
P99AleathaBLUE
Ketsp99blue
P99EadrenBlue
P99MotuboBlue
P99MuglugBlue
P99ShemakBLUE
P99-Swishx-blue
P99NysanaBlue
P99SelorfBLUE
P99-Hannarr-Blue
P99MaleickRED
P99ArgamBLUE
P99MukarsnBlue
P99CthuleBlue
p99EQLandmarkBLUE
P99AhlmanBlue
P99MettleBLUE
P99NydosaBLUE
P99KyndreadBLUE
P99BolderBlue
P99ApphroditieBlue
P99NyzeirBLUE
P99SizaBLUE
P99Zeshtariblue
P99TechnyzeBLUE
p99AnsomanBLUE
P99-Xalibur-Blue
P99ShadowslainBLUE
p99VexosisBlue
P99SaranethBLUE
P99TorogBlue
p99NuggieBlue
P99PherionBLUE
P99JsdahBlue
p99OdorfBLUE
P99JauntBLUE
P99spiteBLUE
p99-Azarya-Blue
P99RauruBlue
P99SaphrinBLUE
P99FadetreeBLUE
P99JarulekBLUE
P99ParmesanBLUE
P99_Permahoo_Blue
P99HognipplesBlue
P99SonglaBLUE
P99SkrillahBlue
P99-Ceesed-Blue
P99TezaalBLUE
P99IzadunBLUE
P99MiniaturemelBLUE
P99KatanagatariBlue
P99RindaienBlue
P99HypureBLUE
P99CantizBlue
P99_Amra_Blue
p99-Ceredin-Blue
P99CarniolanBlue
P99FeldsincBLUE
P99SchlankBLUE
p99_kalzuid_blue
p99blue_Desverger
P99HearoBlue
P99MihungBLUE
P99SnackumsBLUE
P99ElmarniehBlue
P99mobstararBLUE
P99CurruptBLUE
P99SkullmonkeyBLUE
P99UltimaBLUE
P99SektorxxRED
P99VisceralBlue
P99FlippieBLUE
P99DafyddBlue
P99RUDOSHRED
P99GronimoBlue
p99NephelineBLUE
p99StanleyBlue
p99Mugu_blue
P99LithoBLUE
P99CumuloBLUE
P99TegellanBLUE
P99DolicBLUE
P99CanablissBLUE
P99QwestwicBlue
P99LartaninRED
P99-Solarwolf-Blue
P99MgellanBLUE
P99AmaxBlue
P99HipponippleRED
P99DinfalasBLUE
P99KearyBLUE
P99TerrifyBLUE
P99-Artaxerxius-Blue
p99VelandrosBlue
P99AceartBlue
P99ElderanRed
P99WinkoBLUE
P99SteppedBLUE
P99TredwellBLUE
P99MisalignedBlue
P99ZatuticBlue
p99Francescablue
P99HermaphroditeyBLUE
P99KraegusBLUE
P99BamzalRED
P99DongshowRed
P99ZilxBLUE
P99MacbreBlue
p99ShamnastyBlue
p99BaellBLUE
P99FaulkenBLUE
p99LowwdownBlue
p99ObwinBLUE
P99isengBLUE
P99GarzaBLUE
P99GilksBlue
P99KetrianaBlue
P99HookrsBLUE
P99WeggieBlue
P99_Checkraise_Red
p99StrakenBLUE
P99KyrianBLUE
P99CarisaBLUE
P99FountreeBLUE
p99OlobBLUE
P99TranzporterBLUE
P99Zebe
p99TyrolfBLUE
P99DetoxxBLUE
P99LazergunBLUE
P99JizzarRed
P99DrumasBlue
P99GoatsnakeBLUE
p99JinshoBLUE
P99GrizlukBlue
P99HughmanRed
p99VerdirBLUE
P99MinchBlue
P99PokingmonBLUE
P99DoselBlue
p99CyrusRED
P99sycotic11Blue
p99PsychokBLUE
p99DibandicusRed99
p99ErataniBLUE
P99MezrBLUE
P99TuneRED
P99darynaBLUE
p99KarmrBLUE
P99SekzBLUE
P99SkellieBlue
P99TrengestBLUE
P99HashtagRED
P99BrieggonBLUE
P99BodageRED

[Artaenc]

All the 10K pledges are gone!

[BigHurb]

the depth of the problem u people create with disposable income is frustrating... your money could go a lot farther

im surprised so many who play a free emu just throw cash, its wierd... can you guys just make a new server with level 50 cap and no expansions, let everyone get guised ogre shaman, obv they will still play with lack of "content" ...

WIPE IT every 6 months!!

[Artaenc]

the depth of the problem u people create with disposable income is frustrating... your money could go a lot farther

im surprised so many who play a free emu just throw cash, its wierd... can you guys just make a new server with level 50 cap and no expansions, let everyone get guised ogre shaman, obv they will still play with lack of "content" ...

WIPE IT every 6 months!!

If they had an soe server that's PoP locked using the original code I would play there instead and pay a subscription. It's not that it's free here it's just that the devs have something good going minus the carebear raiding policy. Maybe we can crowd fund a Blue2.0 non carebear version? I would play there in a heart beat.

[Pringles]

the depth of the problem u people create with disposable income is frustrating... your money could go a lot farther

im surprised so many who play a free emu just throw cash, its wierd... can you guys just make a new server with level 50 cap and no expansions, let everyone get guised ogre shaman, obv they will still play with lack of "content" ...

WIPE IT every 6 months!!

the depth of the problem u people create with judging others is frustrating... your energy could go a lot farther

[Brad_mo123]

54hrs to go and another 37k needed.... I am extremely saddened. I had high hopes for this and I still do hope it will be funded but I really don't see them getting that kind of money in 54hrs. Just hope im wrong.

[Wrench]

54hrs to go and another 37k needed....

think your math might be off there chief

[Bamz4l]

370k u mean?

[Juhstin]

I'm sure the game will still come out eventually with or without the funding from Kickstarter.

[Brad_mo123]

I'm sure the game will still come out eventually with or without the funding from Kickstarter.

Maybe. They said kickstarter is mostly to see if there is a large enough hype and players for it. Doesn't appear to be enough sadly. They also mentioned they may need to get help from investors. If Sony picks it up, we know they will turn it into crap. Most other companies will wan't to turn it into a free to play. I have had high expectations for many free to play games and they end being trash too because the item shop is pay to win.

[Wrench]

Most other companies will wan't to turn it into a free to play. I have had high expectations for many free to play games and they end being trash too because the item shop is pay to win.

poe has been a pretty awesome f2p

[Juhstin]

I think the problem is we're all old fashioned. The new generation of gamers want f2p, we come from the days of EQ/UO where we paid the same every month and you got what you put into it. Now the newer generation is a f2p and you get what you're willing to spend on it (to a degree it still requires amount of playtime for you get the jist)

[Brad_mo123]

poe has been a pretty awesome f2p

That's true. They are an indie company though and most of the player base come in and out. It's not the type of game where many stick with it for a long duration.

[HippoNipple]

It is now in Emperor Heartbrand's hands on whether or not we see glorious exp bonus on project 1999. We are at his mercy.

http://cdn3.whatculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Commodus.jpg

[Artaenc]

I was looking forward to naming a POI :(

[Nirgon]

Brad doesn't have enough to show for me right now.

Pulled.

Sorry :(.

He needed everything on the kick starter page right now on day 1 with more coming from there.

[Bamz4l]

damn you nirgron!
we can do it guys

[Roofie]

Project 1999 Pantheon Pledge Drive!
If the Kickstarter fails, these rewards won't apply.


So no raffles in 23 hours?

[JayN]

so this shit is failing hard.

we don't get the benefits?

i worked an extra shift to make sure i had money for this and now im being FUCKED??

NEED 7 DAYS EARLY VELIOUS FUCK

no soup for you nerd!

[Tobius]

Will we still get the rewards for donating if they don't reach their 800k target?

If I do donate what do I need to do different to normal just password and e-mail? What with the hacking....

[Thulack]

Will we still get the rewards for donating if they don't reach their 800k target?

If I do donate what do I need to do different to normal just password and e-mail? What with the hacking....

No reward if it doesnt reach. Just use a spam email and a pass you dont use anywhere else.

[Juhstin]

Conspiracy to get people to donate to a fake project that they use their password to login and then hack said site for password to steal P99 lewtz

[Sektor]

5 hours to go. So lame were not gonna get anything. Done donating at this point.

[Juhstin]

5 hours to go. So lame were not gonna get anything. Done donating at this point.

You can donate to me and I'll send you autographs and singing grams. Make you wet

[Sektor]

You can donate to me and I'll send you autographs and singing grams. Make you wet

naw

[Champion_Standing]

Don't be so negative guys, they only need a little less than 100k an hour, they will pull it off.

[Heebo]

http://i.imgur.com/NTIys3r.png

[Artaenc]

http://i.imgur.com/NTIys3r.png

that's unfortunate.

[Brad_mo123]

that's unfortunate.

Yeah. Im pretty disapointed it wasn't funded. Hopefully it will still come out somehow with the same dreams they and we all have for it. I am worried someone is going to pick the game up and turn it into every other crap shoot mmo out there.

[Oleris]

Hello again!

Please allow me to welcome you to Pantheon’s new home! And please also indulge me as I take some time to talk about this new site, Pantheon in general, fund raising, and all sorts of other related and hopefully interesting details and explanations. It’s a long read, but please bear with me.

A Quick Re-Cap

In my previous welcome letter back in January, I told you all about the emails I’ve been receiving for years. People have made it abundantly clear to me that they want an MMO that brings back memorable experiences. They want to be challenged again. They want to make new friends and reunite with old friends to work together as a team to overcome difficult environments and encounters. They want us to not forget what made EverQuest and other early MMOs so great. They, like us, strongly believe there’s a real demand for an MMO that builds solidly on the principles of the past, reaching back to EQ 1 and even the MUDs before it. But they also believe, as do we, that such a game must still be modern… modern in terms of the technology used and modern in terms of new ideas, approaches, features and mechanics. On one hand they’re not looking for a game that attempts to be all things to all people, but on the other hand they also don’t want a just re-hash of an earlier MMO with some new graphics thrown into the mix.

So what I did, as many of you know already, was to form a new company called Visionary Realms, Inc. I reached out to the right people and the right people reached out to me. We’re now a small but incredibly dedicated group of veteran MMO developers and we’ve been working on a game called Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen since September of last year. And we’ve made quite a bit of progress (due both to the team’s efforts as well as the technology we chose, the Unity 3D engine). We also have another larger group of veteran developers waiting to join us when we have the funding to bring them on board. In fact, we actually have more people who want to be part of this effort than we will end up truly needing.

In January of this year we announced publicly that we were done just listening and we started spreading the word about Pantheon, an MMO with a well defined target audience, including features and game mechanics with a focus. Pantheon indeed uses as a foundation games we’ve worked on in the past, including EverQuest 1 and Vanguard, but it also takes advantage of modern technology and ideas. We want to make sure that what made those older games so compelling and rewarding is preserved, but we also don’t want to simply rehash the past.

The Funding Plan(s)

We also made some decisions as to how we would like to fund the game, especially given that we’d been working since September completely pro-bono. We ended up deciding that crowdfunding made the most sense short term. It would hopefully allow us to bring in some much needed money while we continued development, enabling us to reach out to investors and publishers if needed, at a later date when the game was farther along in development. We ended up choosing Kickstarter as our crowdfunding vehicle of choice. We also came up with several different possible scenarios, and, depending on which scenario came true, created several short-term plans.

Our first plan we knew was a long shot: develop the entire game using Kickstarter money first and then money raised on our own web site after that. We knew, of course, that only a couple of other campaigns had achieved anything like this (Star Citizen being the big one that comes to everyone’s mind). They used Kickstarter quite literally, as a vehicle to ‘kick’ them off, after which they have done an amazing job raising money on their own web site. In fact, the vast majority of funds they’ve put together came after the Kickstarter campaign was over. Raising $10M or $20M via Kickstarter only in ~40 days simply isn’t realistic.

Our plan #2 was to raise several million dollars on Kickstarter, enabling us to lease an office and then work together daily for the rest of the year, and when we were ready, show off a playable alpha of the game to investors and publishers. The alpha would include the game described on the Kickstarter site as well as many/most of the stretch goals. Plan #3 was to raise the Kickstarter goal of $800k, after which we would build the playable alpha during the remainder of the year, and try to fit as many of the stretch goals in as possible. Regardless of the plan, we knew that the bulk of money would be brought in using our own web site and then, after that, by reaching out to investors and publishers as needed.

As you probably know by now, we were able to bring in a little over half of our Kickstarter goal during our 40 day campaign (~3100 people pledged, ~$450,000 raised at the time of this writing). Obviously, we would have preferred to have met our goal of $800k because the way Kickstarter works, if you don’t achieve at minimum your goal, you end up with nothing. In 20/20 hindsight we should have both used a smaller goal and also one of the other crowdfunding sites out there that lets you keep the money, even if it’s short of the original goal. A smaller goal would have been fine – we came up with $800k as it would have given us a good amount of time to find some office space, get the game itself further along, and then issue some much needed paychecks to the team. That said, $400k would still have been great. Isn’t 20/20 hindsight a wonderful thing?

Why Didn’t the Kickstarter Fund?

As to why we didn’t reach the $800k, there are a lot of theories and opinions and I’m sure many of them are correct. We think there are three main points:

1. People are leery about investing in three+ year projects and we should have broken the development process down into smaller chunks instead of simply talking about the full three-year development cycle.

2. We approached Kickstarter as if we were revealing an MMO to the press and public much closer to the game’s release date. We didn’t launch the Kickstarter with enough game info, with the intent of revealing a lot of details over time as well as using feedback from the community to help us come up with some of the features and mechanics as well. While this is the way you build excitement up with the public and press towards the end of an MMO’s development cycle (something we’ve all done with the MMOs we’ve worked on to completion in the past), it is not how you conduct a crowdfunding campaign. Potential funders want to know as much about the game as possible up front and right away.

3. People who pledge also want, and rightfully so, very attractive, well thought out, and meaningful rewards for their pledges.

We had done some research into Kickstarter campaigns, but clearly not enough. Our efforts and focus since September were on building Pantheon, not getting ready for a Kickstarter campaign. Experts we were and are at building MMOs, but Kickstarter campaigns? Not so much, at least not back in January, but you’ve taught us a lot.

So What’s Next?

Which brings us to today. We are now moving onto the next phase of crowdfunding: setting up our own website with all of the info we’ve put together thus far and enabling people to fund us directly. And, because we don’t have that initial money we’d hoped to have, we’re also simultaneously moving into the ‘reach out to investors and publishers’ phase. We would have preferred to stay completely crowdfunded, but this is by no means a showstopper. We’ll have to scrape by without personal income for a while longer, and we’ll have to keep working at home for a while longer. No paychecks or offices quite yet. It’s tough, but then the entire process of creating a start-up company and raising money is tough. A lot of developers don’t want to do it and are content to work for larger publishers and the like. We’ve been there, and certainly respect everyone’s personal choices and the risks they are willing to accept or not. But we’re committed to the path we chose back in September: a small, focused, lean and mean studio dedicated to turning the dream that is Pantheon into a reality.

What about investors (angels, VCs, etc.)? Those with whom we’ve spoken don’t seem to care as much if our goal was $800k and we didn’t reach it, or if it were $300k, in which case we would have exceeded it. They are looking at the raw numbers and know from experience that for every person who is willing to pledge in support of a game in its early stages that there are then significantly more who will pay for a completed product. What exact metrics are they using? They’re not telling, but I think most people would agree there is a big difference between how many people are willing to pledge money on a project that is three years out vs. how many people are willing to pay to play a game that is not only out, but they’ve been able to play the first several levels for free and are having a great time.

What is the Team Feeling? What about the Press and the Public?

Honestly, we’re more excited and convinced that Pantheon needs to be made than ever before. Yes, we really are. When we look at the number of people who pledged and the amount you all were willing to commit to a game you’ve never seen and don’t know an awful lot about (especially early on before we released more detail), we are extremely encouraged. Additionally, Pantheon has an amazing amount of momentum and critical mass. Over 155 very positive write-ups (not just a re-post of the press release) were posted over the last 40 days, including articles by PC Gamer, IGN, Massively, Destructoid, MMORPG, Kotaku, Ten Ton Hammer, Gamasutra, ZAM, Rock Paper Shotgun, Curse, Polygon, VG247, GamesBeat and many more.

Pantheon is also the topic of conversation just about anywhere you look on the Internet that has anything to do with massively multiplayer games. People are talking about the game, whether they are personally interested in it or not, and why. There’s a debate now out there about mass-market big budget MMOs vs. smaller projects with target audiences. ‘Niche’ is no longer a bad word. People are wondering where the 10s and 100s of millions are going and if such expenditures are necessary (I had a potential investor ask me just that: where is the money going and is it being spent on the right thing?). Also, Pantheon is not being looked at as if it were just some indie game; rather, it’s talked about in the same circles as EQ Next, ESO, etc.

So here we are, starting this next phase of our journey. We want to welcome you to our new web site and humbly encourage you to pledge or re-pledge your support (remember that no money will be taken from you by Kickstarter in that the goal was not achieved). This money you pledge or re-pledge now will be invested immediately into helping us find some office space, to continue work on Pantheon, and to help our team members pay some bills.

What’s Up with this Crazy Web Site?

Allow me a moment to switch gears then and talk a bit about the new web site and our overall goals that include not only making a great game but also creating a fantastic community and a development environment where YOU can be involved – I mean really involved. Take a good look at the site. There’s a lot of information there, and we will continue to add more. The pledge tiers we think are better thought out now. I still don’t think we are masters at crowdfunding, but I do think we are learning fast. Do you? If we’d launched this site back in January as opposed to what we had on Kickstarter, would you look at the project any differently? Would you have more confidence in what we’re doing and more understanding of why and how we’re doing it? Please let us know.

We are very serious about wanting to involve our future players and customers in the development process. Rather than simply creating a site where you can find out about the game and pledge money, with perhaps a message board tacked on for good measure, we’ve gone much farther. We’ve created a real portal into Pantheon’s development. We’ve created a Think Tank where you can run ideas by the developers and where we developers can run ideas by you. We’ve included community-building features where you can write blogs, create guilds and friendships, upload videos, contribute to the Wiki, and much more.

Personally, I’ve always been hesitant to add forums to an official site, especially early on, because it can actually hurt community. If we have our own forums, and that’s where we’re posting, then why should any of our future players spend time making fan sites and forums of their own? Or, conversely, if we have our own forums, but we only post on fan site forums, then why did we waste our time putting forums on the official site in the first place? So this is what we are doing: we are identifying fan sites with forums who are committed to helping us get the word out about Pantheon and who are also willing and capable of moderating their boards so we can post there too and have the discussions be constructive and beneficial to everyone. Then we’ve taken our own site and implemented a fully featured forum with direct access to the team, where participants can up or down vote ideas and suggestions. Instead of general forums where anybody interested in Pantheon can post, well, really anything the moderators of those sites permit, we’ve created specific forums for those future players who really want to be part of the development process. Access to the Think Tank is given either to those willing to pay a monthly fee or to those who’ve pledged for one of the higher tiers. This not only helps ensure that participants are very serious about being involved and contributing, but it also helps us pay our hard-working team. And, of course, it also helps us to continue Pantheon’s development in general.

We realize a lot of this is relatively new. We understand that some people might initially react with some suspicion, wondering if this is just another way for us to get another dollar out of them. We get that and that’s why we encourage you to take a closer look at what our website offers – it is certainly one of the most sophisticated and powerful sites out there related to game development. We also ask that you watch what we’re up to going forward as well (you can view most of the site for free – the subscription or pledge is what allows you to contribute). The bottom line is that if we do not make the Think Tank and other web features worth the subscription fee, then it’s simply our fault and we don’t deserve your help, involvement, or money. It’s on us to make sure we are adding value above and beyond what you find on a typical MMO fan site and forums.

I know that I am personally very happy about how this has all come together. I love interacting with players in forums, answering questions and discussing next-gen MMO ideas. But it’s hard oftentimes, because when I go and devote a lot of time to one site or another, people from all over show up. Most are friendly and add to the experience, but then the inevitable trolls show up as well and really hurt the signal to noise ratio. Eventually I have to move on. Or, if we are hosting our own forums, we end up having to implement strict rules and assigning a small army of moderators to keep things productive. Then, of course, you end up limiting and discouraging the majority in an attempt to control that small minority of troublemakers.

With our web site in general and the Think Tank specifically, we’ve set up an environment that will hopefully help limit the problems and scenarios I just described. By charging a subscription and/or requiring a significant pledge we know that only those very serious about being part of our process will sign up. By allowing subscribers to vote and give feedback regarding others and what they post, the ideas with true merit should rise to the top, the result hopefully being a MUCH better signal to noise situation. I know this is a set up where I will thrive and totally enjoy interacting with people, and we hope you check it all out and come to the same conclusion.

And, of course, if this isn’t for you and you’re just looking for information and updates and the like, then you can get as involved or uninvolved as you’d like. We are also most certainly not abandoning fan sites, as they are just as important for community building. Fan sites that register with us (more on this soon – we’ve not set this up yet) and commit to implementing themselves reasonable moderation efforts will continue to get our attention. We will happily continue to support you, provide you with the latest news, and the dev team will continue to show up and interact.

In Closing

So that’s really where we’re at now. We remain as stoked as ever about Pantheon. We continue to look forward to interacting with our future players and customers. We can’t wait to see how people like this new site and all of its features and functionality. We remained undeterred and as committed as ever to building and delivering one of the first MMOs ever to target a specific audience of gamers, ensuring that the gameplay experience will not be watered down in an attempt to appeal to everyone. The Kickstarter experience was extremely helpful and we’ve learned some invaluable lessons. Sure, we wish we could have raised the dollar amount we targeted and it would have made things easier in the short term, but ultimately it will have very little negative affect on our future fund raising efforts, and it most certainly will have no effect on our commitment and promise that, no matter what, we will do whatever it takes to make Pantheon a reality. We want this game big time, just like you do. It’s a part of our lives now, not just a job. And we don’t just want to have a great time developing it – we want to play it along with the rest of you. I remember playing EQ 1 after release with a bunch of people who’d worked with me on the game… that was an experience so rewarding I don’t even know how to verbalize it.

-Brad “Aradune Mithara” McQuaid
February 22nd, 2014

[Nuggie]

holy long post....

[JayN]

Hello again!

Please allow me to welcome you to Pantheon’s new home! And please also indulge me as I take some time to talk about this new site, Pantheon in general, fund raising, and all sorts of other related and hopefully interesting details and explanations. It’s a long read, but please bear with me.

A Quick Re-Cap

In my previous welcome letter back in January, I told you all about the emails I’ve been receiving for years. People have made it abundantly clear to me that they want an MMO that brings back memorable experiences. They want to be challenged again. They want to make new friends and reunite with old friends to work together as a team to overcome difficult environments and encounters. They want us to not forget what made EverQuest and other early MMOs so great. They, like us, strongly believe there’s a real demand for an MMO that builds solidly on the principles of the past, reaching back to EQ 1 and even the MUDs before it. But they also believe, as do we, that such a game must still be modern… modern in terms of the technology used and modern in terms of new ideas, approaches, features and mechanics. On one hand they’re not looking for a game that attempts to be all things to all people, but on the other hand they also don’t want a just re-hash of an earlier MMO with some new graphics thrown into the mix.

So what I did, as many of you know already, was to form a new company called Visionary Realms, Inc. I reached out to the right people and the right people reached out to me. We’re now a small but incredibly dedicated group of veteran MMO developers and we’ve been working on a game called Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen since September of last year. And we’ve made quite a bit of progress (due both to the team’s efforts as well as the technology we chose, the Unity 3D engine). We also have another larger group of veteran developers waiting to join us when we have the funding to bring them on board. In fact, we actually have more people who want to be part of this effort than we will end up truly needing.

In January of this year we announced publicly that we were done just listening and we started spreading the word about Pantheon, an MMO with a well defined target audience, including features and game mechanics with a focus. Pantheon indeed uses as a foundation games we’ve worked on in the past, including EverQuest 1 and Vanguard, but it also takes advantage of modern technology and ideas. We want to make sure that what made those older games so compelling and rewarding is preserved, but we also don’t want to simply rehash the past.

The Funding Plan(s)

We also made some decisions as to how we would like to fund the game, especially given that we’d been working since September completely pro-bono. We ended up deciding that crowdfunding made the most sense short term. It would hopefully allow us to bring in some much needed money while we continued development, enabling us to reach out to investors and publishers if needed, at a later date when the game was farther along in development. We ended up choosing Kickstarter as our crowdfunding vehicle of choice. We also came up with several different possible scenarios, and, depending on which scenario came true, created several short-term plans.

Our first plan we knew was a long shot: develop the entire game using Kickstarter money first and then money raised on our own web site after that. We knew, of course, that only a couple of other campaigns had achieved anything like this (Star Citizen being the big one that comes to everyone’s mind). They used Kickstarter quite literally, as a vehicle to ‘kick’ them off, after which they have done an amazing job raising money on their own web site. In fact, the vast majority of funds they’ve put together came after the Kickstarter campaign was over. Raising $10M or $20M via Kickstarter only in ~40 days simply isn’t realistic.

Our plan #2 was to raise several million dollars on Kickstarter, enabling us to lease an office and then work together daily for the rest of the year, and when we were ready, show off a playable alpha of the game to investors and publishers. The alpha would include the game described on the Kickstarter site as well as many/most of the stretch goals. Plan #3 was to raise the Kickstarter goal of $800k, after which we would build the playable alpha during the remainder of the year, and try to fit as many of the stretch goals in as possible. Regardless of the plan, we knew that the bulk of money would be brought in using our own web site and then, after that, by reaching out to investors and publishers as needed.

As you probably know by now, we were able to bring in a little over half of our Kickstarter goal during our 40 day campaign (~3100 people pledged, ~$450,000 raised at the time of this writing). Obviously, we would have preferred to have met our goal of $800k because the way Kickstarter works, if you don’t achieve at minimum your goal, you end up with nothing. In 20/20 hindsight we should have both used a smaller goal and also one of the other crowdfunding sites out there that lets you keep the money, even if it’s short of the original goal. A smaller goal would have been fine – we came up with $800k as it would have given us a good amount of time to find some office space, get the game itself further along, and then issue some much needed paychecks to the team. That said, $400k would still have been great. Isn’t 20/20 hindsight a wonderful thing?

Why Didn’t the Kickstarter Fund?

As to why we didn’t reach the $800k, there are a lot of theories and opinions and I’m sure many of them are correct. We think there are three main points:

1. People are leery about investing in three+ year projects and we should have broken the development process down into smaller chunks instead of simply talking about the full three-year development cycle.

2. We approached Kickstarter as if we were revealing an MMO to the press and public much closer to the game’s release date. We didn’t launch the Kickstarter with enough game info, with the intent of revealing a lot of details over time as well as using feedback from the community to help us come up with some of the features and mechanics as well. While this is the way you build excitement up with the public and press towards the end of an MMO’s development cycle (something we’ve all done with the MMOs we’ve worked on to completion in the past), it is not how you conduct a crowdfunding campaign. Potential funders want to know as much about the game as possible up front and right away.

3. People who pledge also want, and rightfully so, very attractive, well thought out, and meaningful rewards for their pledges.

We had done some research into Kickstarter campaigns, but clearly not enough. Our efforts and focus since September were on building Pantheon, not getting ready for a Kickstarter campaign. Experts we were and are at building MMOs, but Kickstarter campaigns? Not so much, at least not back in January, but you’ve taught us a lot.

So What’s Next?

Which brings us to today. We are now moving onto the next phase of crowdfunding: setting up our own website with all of the info we’ve put together thus far and enabling people to fund us directly. And, because we don’t have that initial money we’d hoped to have, we’re also simultaneously moving into the ‘reach out to investors and publishers’ phase. We would have preferred to stay completely crowdfunded, but this is by no means a showstopper. We’ll have to scrape by without personal income for a while longer, and we’ll have to keep working at home for a while longer. No paychecks or offices quite yet. It’s tough, but then the entire process of creating a start-up company and raising money is tough. A lot of developers don’t want to do it and are content to work for larger publishers and the like. We’ve been there, and certainly respect everyone’s personal choices and the risks they are willing to accept or not. But we’re committed to the path we chose back in September: a small, focused, lean and mean studio dedicated to turning the dream that is Pantheon into a reality.

What about investors (angels, VCs, etc.)? Those with whom we’ve spoken don’t seem to care as much if our goal was $800k and we didn’t reach it, or if it were $300k, in which case we would have exceeded it. They are looking at the raw numbers and know from experience that for every person who is willing to pledge in support of a game in its early stages that there are then significantly more who will pay for a completed product. What exact metrics are they using? They’re not telling, but I think most people would agree there is a big difference between how many people are willing to pledge money on a project that is three years out vs. how many people are willing to pay to play a game that is not only out, but they’ve been able to play the first several levels for free and are having a great time.

What is the Team Feeling? What about the Press and the Public?

Honestly, we’re more excited and convinced that Pantheon needs to be made than ever before. Yes, we really are. When we look at the number of people who pledged and the amount you all were willing to commit to a game you’ve never seen and don’t know an awful lot about (especially early on before we released more detail), we are extremely encouraged. Additionally, Pantheon has an amazing amount of momentum and critical mass. Over 155 very positive write-ups (not just a re-post of the press release) were posted over the last 40 days, including articles by PC Gamer, IGN, Massively, Destructoid, MMORPG, Kotaku, Ten Ton Hammer, Gamasutra, ZAM, Rock Paper Shotgun, Curse, Polygon, VG247, GamesBeat and many more.

Pantheon is also the topic of conversation just about anywhere you look on the Internet that has anything to do with massively multiplayer games. People are talking about the game, whether they are personally interested in it or not, and why. There’s a debate now out there about mass-market big budget MMOs vs. smaller projects with target audiences. ‘Niche’ is no longer a bad word. People are wondering where the 10s and 100s of millions are going and if such expenditures are necessary (I had a potential investor ask me just that: where is the money going and is it being spent on the right thing?). Also, Pantheon is not being looked at as if it were just some indie game; rather, it’s talked about in the same circles as EQ Next, ESO, etc.

So here we are, starting this next phase of our journey. We want to welcome you to our new web site and humbly encourage you to pledge or re-pledge your support (remember that no money will be taken from you by Kickstarter in that the goal was not achieved). This money you pledge or re-pledge now will be invested immediately into helping us find some office space, to continue work on Pantheon, and to help our team members pay some bills.

What’s Up with this Crazy Web Site?

Allow me a moment to switch gears then and talk a bit about the new web site and our overall goals that include not only making a great game but also creating a fantastic community and a development environment where YOU can be involved – I mean really involved. Take a good look at the site. There’s a lot of information there, and we will continue to add more. The pledge tiers we think are better thought out now. I still don’t think we are masters at crowdfunding, but I do think we are learning fast. Do you? If we’d launched this site back in January as opposed to what we had on Kickstarter, would you look at the project any differently? Would you have more confidence in what we’re doing and more understanding of why and how we’re doing it? Please let us know.

We are very serious about wanting to involve our future players and customers in the development process. Rather than simply creating a site where you can find out about the game and pledge money, with perhaps a message board tacked on for good measure, we’ve gone much farther. We’ve created a real portal into Pantheon’s development. We’ve created a Think Tank where you can run ideas by the developers and where we developers can run ideas by you. We’ve included community-building features where you can write blogs, create guilds and friendships, upload videos, contribute to the Wiki, and much more.

Personally, I’ve always been hesitant to add forums to an official site, especially early on, because it can actually hurt community. If we have our own forums, and that’s where we’re posting, then why should any of our future players spend time making fan sites and forums of their own? Or, conversely, if we have our own forums, but we only post on fan site forums, then why did we waste our time putting forums on the official site in the first place? So this is what we are doing: we are identifying fan sites with forums who are committed to helping us get the word out about Pantheon and who are also willing and capable of moderating their boards so we can post there too and have the discussions be constructive and beneficial to everyone. Then we’ve taken our own site and implemented a fully featured forum with direct access to the team, where participants can up or down vote ideas and suggestions. Instead of general forums where anybody interested in Pantheon can post, well, really anything the moderators of those sites permit, we’ve created specific forums for those future players who really want to be part of the development process. Access to the Think Tank is given either to those willing to pay a monthly fee or to those who’ve pledged for one of the higher tiers. This not only helps ensure that participants are very serious about being involved and contributing, but it also helps us pay our hard-working team. And, of course, it also helps us to continue Pantheon’s development in general.

We realize a lot of this is relatively new. We understand that some people might initially react with some suspicion, wondering if this is just another way for us to get another dollar out of them. We get that and that’s why we encourage you to take a closer look at what our website offers – it is certainly one of the most sophisticated and powerful sites out there related to game development. We also ask that you watch what we’re up to going forward as well (you can view most of the site for free – the subscription or pledge is what allows you to contribute). The bottom line is that if we do not make the Think Tank and other web features worth the subscription fee, then it’s simply our fault and we don’t deserve your help, involvement, or money. It’s on us to make sure we are adding value above and beyond what you find on a typical MMO fan site and forums.

I know that I am personally very happy about how this has all come together. I love interacting with players in forums, answering questions and discussing next-gen MMO ideas. But it’s hard oftentimes, because when I go and devote a lot of time to one site or another, people from all over show up. Most are friendly and add to the experience, but then the inevitable trolls show up as well and really hurt the signal to noise ratio. Eventually I have to move on. Or, if we are hosting our own forums, we end up having to implement strict rules and assigning a small army of moderators to keep things productive. Then, of course, you end up limiting and discouraging the majority in an attempt to control that small minority of troublemakers.

With our web site in general and the Think Tank specifically, we’ve set up an environment that will hopefully help limit the problems and scenarios I just described. By charging a subscription and/or requiring a significant pledge we know that only those very serious about being part of our process will sign up. By allowing subscribers to vote and give feedback regarding others and what they post, the ideas with true merit should rise to the top, the result hopefully being a MUCH better signal to noise situation. I know this is a set up where I will thrive and totally enjoy interacting with people, and we hope you check it all out and come to the same conclusion.

And, of course, if this isn’t for you and you’re just looking for information and updates and the like, then you can get as involved or uninvolved as you’d like. We are also most certainly not abandoning fan sites, as they are just as important for community building. Fan sites that register with us (more on this soon – we’ve not set this up yet) and commit to implementing themselves reasonable moderation efforts will continue to get our attention. We will happily continue to support you, provide you with the latest news, and the dev team will continue to show up and interact.

In Closing

So that’s really where we’re at now. We remain as stoked as ever about Pantheon. We continue to look forward to interacting with our future players and customers. We can’t wait to see how people like this new site and all of its features and functionality. We remained undeterred and as committed as ever to building and delivering one of the first MMOs ever to target a specific audience of gamers, ensuring that the gameplay experience will not be watered down in an attempt to appeal to everyone. The Kickstarter experience was extremely helpful and we’ve learned some invaluable lessons. Sure, we wish we could have raised the dollar amount we targeted and it would have made things easier in the short term, but ultimately it will have very little negative affect on our future fund raising efforts, and it most certainly will have no effect on our commitment and promise that, no matter what, we will do whatever it takes to make Pantheon a reality. We want this game big time, just like you do. It’s a part of our lives now, not just a job. And we don’t just want to have a great time developing it – we want to play it along with the rest of you. I remember playing EQ 1 after release with a bunch of people who’d worked with me on the game… that was an experience so rewarding I don’t even know how to verbalize it.

-Brad “Aradune Mithara” McQuaid
February 22nd, 2014

LOL TL;DR

to bad the project was lead by a failure of a crackhead! Better luck next time chaps

Hows dem xp pots treating you all you RMT'er trash!

did you get your monies back?

[Kergan]

TLDR version 2: We can't even build a successful kickstarter campaign for this game, let alone the actual game, please do not trust us with nonrefundable pledges through our website.

[Fern]

Very well put, I donated because they did give me a place of wonderment for so many years..Appreciate everything the team does on making a wonderful game and cant wait to try a new one. Thanks

[mhoward48]

I donated $300 and my daughter $300. I hope it gets made. Even if the KS did not make it, I am putting some money up for a game I would like to see them make.

[JayN]

these exp potions rock!

[Pringles]

Well that sucks, I guess that saves some money though.

[Nuggie]

If it didn't take so long to get money into PayPal I'd have donated also. Coming soon though.

[jarshale]

Now that this didn't go through, any other opportunities for me to RMT for pixels or xp? Only for a good cause of course.

[phacemeltar]

Now that this didn't go through, any other opportunities for me to RMT for pixels or xp? Only for a good cause of course.

banned

[Gongshow]

Bump.