Doctor Who Kickstarter

[Kratos3]

See, this just smacks of a deep pockets attitude. Why can't the little guy ever have nice things too? It's like if suddenly everyone was given a Ferrari, yours suddenly sucks? Only this isn't being given a Ferrari, it's floor mats that came with the upper package Kia model that had the leather seats. You still get to keep the leather, but more people get the floor mats.

Shoot, make it a thousand. Watch the pledges roll in!!

Whatever it was for TAF is what it should be.

 

[L33]

"We're targeting a release date of September 2016 for the PC and mobile version, but it's possible this date might slip if we encounter unforeseen problems in dev"..........

From the Kickstarter notes.

Ah right, cool, cheers for that

 

[Kolchak357]

It's over $15,000 now. Anyone have a sense of how this is going so far? This KS worries me like T2 did. I fear we will be white knuckling it right down to the wire.

 

[Slam23]

https://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1067367405/pinball-arcade-doctor-who/#chart-exp-trend

Don't be fooled by the projection, it's skewed by the first two days. I think you can look at it two ways
1. We already have nearly 30% of the target in four days
2. But at this daily rate we won't make it

I'm not worried yet because it's normal for a KS to have a lean period after a good start, there will be better days when we get to the last 5-6 days. I just hope that this KS will pick up steam in updates, reward adjustments and maybe even stretch goals to pique interest. As said before, Farsight KS'ses are relatively quiet.

 

[HotHamBoy]

It's over $15,000 now. Anyone have a sense of how this is going so far? This KS worries me like T2 did. I fear we will be white knuckling it right down to the wire.

Farsight is awful at self promotion.

 

[Lostboy]

I'd like to think of myself as an average TPA gamer. I don't have a lot of spending money, so I have a hard time putting money towards TPA Kickstarters. I think the biggest fault of the TPA Kickstarters are the weak rewards. If the rewards were to improve, I think it would have great benefits for those tables.

In the past, the only decent reward I've seen was TAF Gold. I'm somewhat of a completist, and was tempted. But at $100, it was just a bit too much for me. I think $50 would have been the highest I would have gone. The beta reward was also a nice idea, but it didn't appeal to me. And the special TAF balls sounded neat, but I only play with just the standard ball.

The biggest reason people pledge is because they want the Kickstarter to happen. I put in $1, just because. But unless there was a risk that the table wouldn't happen, I probably won't pledge more then that.

The second biggest reason people pledge is to get something cool that they normally wouldn't be able to get (or to get a deal, but that doesn't really apply in this case).

The lower tiers get me the game. But as I'd be buying the season passes anyway, I'm not interested in that. I also have no interest in my name in the game, special tournaments, or wallpapers.

I don't have use for the mid tier rewards; prints, shirts, or hoodies.

The higher tier rewards give you an invitation to a party, which I would never attend.

So, what rewards would be good to add? How about a TPA seasons 1-5 box set containing a physical copy of the game and other goodies? How about a neat pinball themed bottle opener (maybe it has one of those simple little pinball toys, with an opener on one end, or just a simple one shaped as a flipper or bumper)? How about a pinball toy Christmas tree ornament? Pinball night light? How about a simple extra table that's not in TPA, like the 1932 Play Boy? But don't price people out like the TAF Gold. Unless it's something really cool that's worth it.

 

[Lostboy]

Actually the more I think about it, the more I would love to see some Kickstarter reward only tables. Simple ones that are easier to do, no license, and aren't exactly top-100. Realistically priced, at say $40. The completists like myself would want that. Only available with the Kickstarter pledge (and re-offer on future Kickstarters with a new reward table).

 

[Mark Miwurdz]

Taf gold is free on ps3 :thumbup:

Is that true?

 

[pm1109]

Season 6 pass as a $30 reward..I would definately jump on that in an instant!

 

[Pinetwig]

Is that true?

It's got the option to toggle gold mode on/off. I did get taf as a kickstarter reward but i sure didnt pledge 100 bucks.

 

[vikingerik]

Season 6 pass as a $30 reward..I would definately jump on that in an instant!

Same here... but the problem is that this doesn't actually make Farsight any money. You'll buy the season 6 pass eventually anyway. You just bump the same money into the kickstarter but out of Farsight's future regular revenue. They must know this and that's why season passes are never kickstarter rewards.

 

[canuck]

$50K for Dr. Who? pricey...I guess this doesn't bode well for LOTR

 

[rehtroboi40]

If I'm not mistaken, the $100 level was where TAF Gold was offered at the last kickstarter. Plus I remember seeing somewhere on the boards that FarSight wanted to keep TAFG exclusive (maybe the December podcast?).

And "deep pockets attitude"? Really??? Shutyertrap, I have lots of things but "deep pockets" aren't among them. I can't afford either car you've offered in your analogy. I can't even afford that $100 level.

Okay, maybe those pockets are deep, but they darn sure don't have money burning a hole in them.

 

[David T. Melnick]

Actually the more I think about it, the more I would love to see some Kickstarter reward only tables. Simple ones that are easier to do, no license, and aren't exactly top-100. Realistically priced, at say $40. The completists like myself would want that. Only available with the Kickstarter pledge (and re-offer on future Kickstarters with a new reward table).

----
Very good reasoning. That is, 'everyone' doesn't have to rely on multiple big $ every time. Every one wins.

 

[shutyertrap]

If I'm not mistaken, the $100 level was where TAF Gold was offered at the last kickstarter. Plus I remember seeing somewhere on the boards that FarSight wanted to keep TAFG exclusive (maybe the December podcast?).

And "deep pockets attitude"? Really??? Shutyertrap, I have lots of things but "deep pockets" aren't among them. I can't afford either car you've offered in your analogy. I can't even afford that $100 level.

Okay, maybe those pockets are deep, but they darn sure don't have money burning a hole in them.

I just don't see how putting what is arguably a $2.50 add-on, but what most would acceptably pay $5, into the upper stratosphere of pledges. I also am not a fan of locking out portions of a game so others can have bragging rights. This goes for any game, not just TPA. I feel this way about pre-order exclusives too, especially when multiple options are available depending on where you purchase from. Tell me, who does this really make happy? Certainly not consumers.

Giving away developer shirts or hoodies, hey that's great. Giving away timed exclusives that eventually will be made available to the public? Fine with that too. I have no idea if or when TAF Gold will be made available for general purchase. I whole heartedly think it should be. In the meantime though, FarSight is not earning ANY money off it. And while the numbers of lower tier dollars may not help much in the big picture, it does increase the number of people suddenly interested in it succeeding, which in turn increases the buzz. Buzz and excitement are what juice a kickstarter.

I doubt there is anyone out there who either hasn't pledged or did so at a sub $25 level that would look at TAF Gold being added to the $100 or above tier and think, "oh, well now I'll increase my pledge!" That's why I mentioned the deep pockets. I am all for upper tiers getting good rewards, as they should. I don't believe in this "let's have tables exclusively for us" mentality. It's exclusionary and hurts the community.

Is my logic not sound?

 

[zmcvay]

I started the last kickstarter at the $15 level (pretty much the range I'll devote to any Kickstarter I end up backing) and was eventually enticed into the Gold level. I see your logic, but I think adding the Gold ROM to the $100+ level *worked* last time. Adding just the $100 and $150 pledges from the last campaign gives you $36,150, over a third of the money needed to reach goal and I'm not convinced those backers would have pledged that high without it. Backers that can afford higher ranges I think may want to help out, but still feel like they need something to show for dropping that much on a pinball table they will likely buy the season pass for anyway (And a T-shirt or mug ain't cutting it). And that enticement can't be an expensive one or it cuts too deeply into the money they need to produce the table. The Gold table is perfect in that regard. It's basically a ROM swap with I imagine little work needed to make it happen. It will appeal as a bonus to those to contribute, but if you didn't...honestly...it's not that big a deal unless you're a completionist. It's not remotely the same as producing a different table and keeping that for the big spenders. It isn't even close to the differences between say (P*B and J*B or HH and Ghostbusters, or even the two different El Dorado tables) I swap between the Gold and normal ROMs playing TAF and the differences aren't too pronounced.

I think they are going to eventually, probably around the halfway or 2/3rds point when the going gets slow, include an enticement at the $100-$150 range. Not sure what that will be, but the TAF Gold table wouldn't bring back those backers that already have it, and a completely new table wouldn't cut it unless it was extremely easy to produce for some reason. They might add TAF Gold at say, the $50 level for those who couldn't afford $100+ last time but might be willing to go that high now.

And I'd also be perfectly fine with them selling the Gold table for $2-5 or whatever. They never promised anything more than a period of exclusivity.

 

[Spork98765]

Let's see, you think "giving away" T-shirts, and hoodies, for $250+ is OK, and making beta testing a $400 paid exclusive is alright, but somehow the TAFG is the one thing you'll plant your flag on and make it a battle for?

This logic is not sound.

First you claim TAFG is a mere add-on then you say it's equivalent to a "let's have tables just for us mentality". It's either one or the other in the face of things you've deemed as OK to have as exclusive rewards at much deeper pocket tiers.

Either you should have supported TAF in order to get TAFG, or you'll have to wait. It is the one time FS has held to their word on exclusivity wrt their KS promises; beta testing aside.

What FS needs to do is to take an active role in the PR of their kickstarters, not leave the heavy lifting to the same people who are funding the campaign. Yes, better rewards will bring higher backers, but more exposure, and an active presence, from the creator goes a long way to how the project is received too.

 

[EldarOfSuburbia]

What would entice me to jump from $20 to $100+? I don't know. I do know that iOS and Steam beta testing was offered at the $400 tier for T2 (some digging and PMs got me that info), so if it's offered for Dr Who, it's going to be at a similar price point, no? And $400 is too much, for me at least. I do know it's what helped put T2 over the top, but I don't see the same trick working twice. Same with offerering TAF Gold at $100, since anyone who wanted to pay $100 for it... already have.

There needs to be more Dr Who-themed prizes. The BBC sells tons of the stuff! Mugs, Sonic Screwdrivers, books, T-Shirts, whatever - just go on the BBC Store and buy a crap ton of it to give away! I mean, FS were negotiating with the BBC to get the licenses, it didn't occur to them to ask the BBC for some swag? Are the BBC going to run a story in their Newsbeat or Tech sections? I've not seen a sign of one yet.

There's one blogger/freelance writer who I'm friends with on Facebook who I can reach out to, he writes regular posts for Metro.co.uk (under the name "BrianOfMorbius" - anyone else familiar with his work?). I'll see if I can persuade him to at least think about doing something.

 

[karussellbremser]

TAFG would definitely be an incentive for me to spend 100$, because I wasn't into TPA yet when the TAF kickstarter was active. If they don't include that as a reward (or something else that has some value to me) I will spend some money as well, but most likely in the range of 20$ or so.

 

[Crawley]

The biggest reason people pledge is because they want the Kickstarter to happen. I put in $1, just because. But unless there was a risk that the table wouldn't happen, I probably won't pledge more then that.

Just an FYI you only get charged after the Kickstarter completes AND it meets it's goal. If the Kickstarter doesn't meet its goal then you don't get charged.