Expected more

gavku

So according to the last Kickstater update I am supposed to come on over to the forum to check out the state of the game, get updates etc....There doesn't seem to be anything new of note here, and actually more discussion over on the KS page. If smaller teams manage to keep folks up to speed on the progress of their project, or at the least, answer backer queries etc, its quite surprising that Massive Black seem unable to. I pretty much backed this project based on it being made my Massive Black. I've enjoyed projects you've worked on in the past and have attended massive black/ca workshops where everyone seemed passionate about things they work on its a pity that enthusiasm doesn't translate to KS projects.....

LokiEliot

There used to be a vibrant community here suggesting ideas, stories, addons and characters. But then i think it slowly dawned on many that this wasn't going to be as expected. Especially since the Kickstarter showed pretty good videos of what was already developed, and the awesome gritty concept art. But it seems they binned all the work they had done up till then to start over in unity4, took ages for the alpha to arrive which was bare bones gameplay and some nice lighting effects but lacked the grittiness i at least expected. I joked last year about ZPG ending up like Aliens: Colonial Marines, not laughing anymore.

Silvernis

Not gonna lie, I'm sorely disappointed with how this has turned out. I dumped, well, more money than I probably should have into this project, and all I've got to show for it is a very small, very underwhelming alpha build. I don't want to be a Negative Nancy, but frankly, it's hard not to be one at this point.

TeamZPG

Hey guys, we understand your frustration, no doubt. It may be obvious by now that that game has been quite the undertaking to complete with such a small team (average of only about 4 people on the project at any given time), and extremely limited funding - At the very least, we've internally already invested an equal amount to that which was raised through KS, and honestly, the game needs a lot more. That said, we're still working on ZPG, and plan to get the sucker out. There will be a KS update discussing it in more detail, but the plan is to have all backer rewards (and features in the game) out as soon as we can. We wish we could give you a definitive timeframe, but that's the reality, and the plan, at the current time. Thanks for hanging in there everyone, more news at 11 (figuratively speaking of course).

LokiEliot

Did MassiveBlack seriously miscalculate the cost, work, time and allotted manpower needed to create the game that was proposed on Kickstarter? I think at this point no matter what MassiveBlack says, the project is tarnished. What were they thinking? , that they could just take the money and slowly make the game over the next decade as a side project to their other projects?

Will be interesting to see wether the next update actually shows any progress, not just apologies & excuses and the announcing of some obscure software package being used to build the Closed Alpha.

jcruz523

Hi, MassiveBlack.

I'd like to echo some of what LokiEliot said above. You guys are not providing any feedback to your backers, which means that instead of this feeling like a painful, grindingly slow part-time "when we feel like it" development effort (which is apparently what it is), it rather feels more like a death march through concrete.

I gather that you vastly underestimated the requirements for the project. At some point, can you discuss with your backers (on the forum that you used to *get backers*, not on a private forum that requires a separate login to keep track of) something a little more concrete than vague reassurances that you're still working on some arcane aspect of the project, with an undefined set of deliverables, to be expected at some nebulous point in the future, maybe, if you can maintain some undetermined level of unknown staff for an unknowable length of time?

gavku

MassiveBlack I understand your position ( I work in game dev, and am also part of a team who's game was successfully funded on KS ) however, the way you guys have just shrunk away from any sort of community that had formed around your project is not helping and the lack of communication is just unprofessional and sad.....

LemiLime

The lack of progress and updates shown really hurts. I was looking forward to playing this game with the dozen friends that I gathered to help kickstart this project, and as a result, I feel kind of responsible for the money they've spent years ago. There is really nothing to show for it and even your most supportive members are starting to feel a little bit betrayed.

Jonnvoll

We should gather a mob and show up at their offices with pitchforks and torches :P

jcruz523

Pitchforks and torches? We can do better:
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140504/07153727119/washington-state-files-first-consumer-protection-lawsuit-against-kickstarter-project-that-failed-to-deliver.shtml

jcruz523

Also worth noting:
http://venturebeat.com/2013/01/22/why-this-jilted-kickstarter-backer-decided-to-sue-why-he-was-right/

jcruz523

Why not one more for good measure?
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-06-22/when-a-kickstarter-project-threatens-to-fail