Why is the Citizens of Earth Kickstarter failing?

[Cat Cloud]

Based off all the comments, I would say that you guys really need someone to promote your game! There are a lot of games out there that I wouldn't play based on their art style, but once you see how much fun it is or how it works with the narrative it catches on you. I was even a little put off by the game until I heard more about it and saw it in action. I think it looks great! You could try asking Jesse Cox or DMJared, they tend to look at more indie things, although I don't think they're really into rpgs... Also, have you tried Siliconera? They tend to focus more on Jrpgs.

I think another problem is that there are quite a few other high profile games on kick starter now, although a few did just end. They've probably diverted away some attention away from your game.

Another thing... Rather than focusing on how the kickstarter isn't doing well, I would say try to focus on things to get people excited! Tease a new character or a boss, maybe have a mystery class or have a fan vote for an extra class in the game. Add some new character skins. Even if you don't want to add things, you could still reveal things about the game to make it more exciting. Maybe talk about any progress your making?

Last thing for advertising: show off how wacky the game can get. Is there any contrast in the game between the normal people and the world they live in? Do their personalities and expectations clash with the world around them? idk

Good luck!

 

[RandV80]

This is the first I've heard of it.

To be honest, if people are responding well to your demo then marketing is almost certainly an issue. Probably the biggest issue. Though I have to be honest; JRPG's are a lot more niche than they used to be, especially on PC. And a JRPG made by a Canadian team that, if I've never heard of you before, a lot of other people haven't heard from either is going to struggle. I think you may have also over reached with the $100k goal as a result. I'd imagine more people would be willing to kick in if the goal was a bit more modest, and that momentum may carry through to after it's fully funded.

Yeah JRPG's are a much more niche genre right now, but if you look at more modest series like Fire Emblem or Etryian Odyssey there's certainly enough to sell games on.

In regards to the kick starter though I gotta wonder... while the general gaming community often complains that the fantasy genre is tired and overused, can the same really be said for the niche JRPG fan or is this still the primary setting of choice? I know Earthbound is a classic of the genre, but that game/series was one of a kind.

Anyways though for the kickstarter it's probably too late now but it may have been a good idea to use the 'limited' feature to sell say first 1000 backers at $10, then $15 for the rest of the way. $15 as the starting point seems kind of high. For recent comparison Hyper Light Drifter starts with a $10 option and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero had a 1000 limited $12 selling point before going to $15. I don't know exactly how it works but with kickstarter I'd imagine you need to get some kind of momentum going from the start, people are more likely to spend if it looks like the project will reach its goal. And that 'limited discount' option should be a good incentive to get people to buy in early.

 

[Soundwave]

Regarding the concern that the "kickstarter wasn't doing well", that's really just my take on the situation. In that they're almost 25% funded about halfway through the campaign. There is still plenty of time that they can turn it around, and if it's mainly an issue with advertising, addressing that could easily turn everything around and make this into a success.

I spose it should be mentioned that I personally have no financial stake in this kickstarter beyond the amount I pledged into it. As for my personal stake, I'm interested in seeing new and different games; earthbound, pokemon, and suikoden occupy a place close to my heart. Also Ryan seems like a genuinely nice human being, and I like that in a game developer.

The only criticism I've got is that the combat feels a little slow at times, but that can certainly be playtested out.

 

[Ickorus]

Probably because many think like me: this game looks really bad. Obviously this is my opinion but based on the lack of funding it is the opinion of many.

Okay, so define "looks really bad". Are you talking about the concept or graphics? Are you saying this from the perspective that you don't like the games this one derives it's nostalgia from? Do you normally like games like this one, but not this one, for some reasons?

The average Kickstarter browser will have a glance at a game and if something seems interesting will skim read it and then have a more in-depth look into the game.

For me personally none of the pillars of the game (Aesthetic, Setting, Plot, Gameplay) grabbed my attention, the only thing that made me look further is the reference to Suikoden and the game seems a far cry from that.

I'm not saying it looks like a bad game, it just isn't a game that grabs the imagination and makes people put money down on blind faith.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I checked out the video on the kickstarter page and I gotta say, I don't find the game stylistically appealing. It just looks too cartoony. It may fit the feel or tone of the game, but at first glance I don't like the look of it.

 

[Mr. Happy Face]

I'm kinda torn here. I've played the demo, and I REALLY like this game. It's got a great sense of humor, with an old school rpg feel that I love. On the other hand its over halfway to deadline, with only about a quarter of its funding secure. I want to fund this, but unless it can gain momentum there really doesn't seem to be a point.

Still, glad to be informed of its existence, and I'll be keeping an eye on it over the next few days. If it can gain momentum, I'll certainly chip in. This seems like a game I'd buy, and I'd be glad to support it.

 

[Fox12]

Hmm, a bit of a pity, I would have played it. I know Inafune has been promoting it on his kickstarter.

I know Broken Age is going through Steam Early Access, maybe you could try something like that? I admit I don't know what all goes into it, but it's a thought. Best of wishes, regardless.

 

[Fox12]

If I'm going to be critical, my main complaint is that it's not clear what the conflict is. Even if it's a comedy, there has to be a sense that something is at stake in order to give the player motivation. There needs to be a sense of existential threat, and I don't get that from beating up protesters. Earthbound and Mother 3 both had an overarching threat that had to be faced, and both games actually had some really dark moments that stood out specifically because the games were so light hearted. Gathering mailmen and hobos to fight aliens? cool. Demons? awesome. But there has to be something. It's not enough to tell me, you have to show me, and you have to make me care. Comedies are subject to the same rules of tension, character development, and plot advancement as everything else. Even if a game is whimsical, I need to know what my motivation is. It doesn't have to complex, but while I get a sense of the general feel of the game, I still don't know what it's really about, per se. Incidentally both Earthbound and Mother 3 were surprisingly smart little games, with important themes and philosophies mixed into the goofy fun.

I hope you guys pull through, it would be nice to see something light, witty, and happy amidst the ocean of brown and grey shooters.

 

[StriderShinryu]

I'm not a fan of Earthbound, and while I do enjoy Pokemon and love Suikoden, I really don't see anything more than a passing similarity to either of those. That's the problem when you stand up and name such lofty titles as inspiration. You're going to be inviting direct comparisons and you need to be sure that your game actually stands up to what people are going to be comparing it to.

Anywho, after watching a stream of the demo, I will say that the game itself does look okay. The problem is that it just doesn't look like something I want to invest any time or money in. Given the subject matter, it looks like the kind of thing I'd check out for free for a couple hours of low level fun. It doesn't, however, look like the sort of thing I'd be at all interested in spending 20 to 40 hours playing. If the appeal and humour is already wearing thin after just watching a 30-45ish minute stream then there's a major problem, and it's one that's shared by pretty much any game based in comedy. Maybe the game opens up and becomes more interesting after that point, and that's cool, but if that's the case then they really need to switch things up and show less of the game's premise and more of the meaty stuff from later in.

 

[Windcaler]

Hadnt heard of it till earlier today and I tried out the demo. Its just not my thing so I wont be putting down money for it. However if lots of people get into it Im sure it'll get funding, especially since they have a tangible demo that people can actually play. Right now getting word of mouth out there is the best thing you can do

 

[NiPah]

On the one side you're targeting two pretty distinct audiences, JRPG fans (like myself) tend to lean towards more Japanese (for lack of a better word) anime art style, you've gone with a political stylized caricature route but I don't really find that appealing. I'm sure there are people who do love that art style, but are they fans of JRPGs? That may be an issue since you're targeting an audience that has to be fans of two niche genres so the potential buyers might be a bit scarce.

The political comedy slant is also risky, there is a lot of potential for this to turn into your classic right wing or left wing bashfest, especially in America the political scape is just tiresome. Now maybe this game has great writing and it's not just a platform to bash the political platform you disagree with, but I'm not willing to gamble my money to find out.

One issue with having monsters beyond the generic animal or creature is that it becomes apparent real quickly that assets are used again and again. Looking at the gameplay video and I see a lot of the same enemies (I'm sure there will be more in the later build) but there is no getting around the fact that you can only see so many same people running around with a sign in the same exact way before it breaks immersion and becomes annoying.

Also that combat system looks complicated and not intuitive, I'd really recommend getting someone thats not on the design team and let them play without explanation, if they can't figure out how to play then you need to rework it a bit.

I really wish you the best, I'll pass this along to some friends that may be interested, but I can say this just doesn't seem to be for me.

 

[GoaThief]

Never heard of it before so one would guess your biggest hurdle is promotion.

That said I'm not a big fan of JRPGs, although your aesthetics are far more appealing I wonder if you're stuck between two camps and neither are biting the bullet when it comes to backing.

I hope you succeed as it's clear you really love the vision and conducted yourself very well in communications here.

 

[Miss G.]

Just watched the demo on VGA, and I have to say it looks great. I may just have to hope for that 3DS/WiiU/Vita/PS4 port, yet.