Why the lack of interest in the Hepler RPG Kickstarter?

[jklinders]

Never heard of it. I also have bad credit so I couldn't shovel money at this if I was inclined to.

Hepler is not the great Satan that her hate brigade would have us think she be but she doesn't have a great track record either. the idea looks neat but it hinges as much on execution as it does on concept. I seriously doubt they can set up an AI companion to work the combat (yes there is combat planned) in the way she promises on that budget. Wouldn't mind seeing how it turns out but this is not something I would crowd fund in advance.

 

[Nymi]

The reason for the lack of interest is probably that to most people, mentioning this would get a response along the lines of "Huh? What?"

 

[somonels]

Calling it the "Hepler RPG" does it major dis-service. She isn't some big name to catch pledges and what the devs offer for the kind of money being asked for is a pretty clear-cut case don't give a rat's ass.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

I pointed this out in the thread of the original story, but they are clearly over promising with 3D-fully-voiced-localized-cutscenes-with-indepth-character-and-armour-customization-and-choices-that-actually-matter(lol) all for $500000. People have gotten very cynical over the Ouya and Broken Age debacles and the view that Kickstarter is "the future!!" is dying hard.

Also, you know, Hepler. Nobody likes her anymore.

I don't know, Mighty No.9 is still raking in no less than 25K a day, Shante is on track and that unknown Hyper Light Drifter is going strong.

People are however are no longer taking big risks, which this project definitely is.

 

[WanderingFool]

I'm curious why Ambrov X, the sci-fi RPG isn't doing very well? It got a lot of media attention when it was announced that Jennifer Hepler was going to be onboard as a writer for a stretch goal and the concept seems sound and they've got some fairly good looking footage (for pre-alpha) up already.


I can see some possible reasons but I'm wondering what the reason is that has stopped people going for this one?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aharon/ambrov-x-a-sime-gen-roleplaying-game

Well, seeing as Hepler isnt even on the team, but is a stretch goal, calling it "Hepler's RPG" seems kinda unfair to the people that are actually on the team, working on it.

Plus, most people dont like Hepler, so attaching her name to it will turn people away.

I personally dont like the idea of her "Hepler Mode" but I didnt attack the women with threats of rape...

 

[Quellan Thyde]

I won't say that the game doesn't have some appeal, but there are two issues that I feel really holds this title back: it's based on an IP that doesn't seem to have that big a following (I'd honestly never even heard of Sime~Gen before this), and the few gameplay videos featured on the Kickstarter page makes the game look like some bizzare amalgam of Mass Effect, Diablo and UO. Third person isometric camera angles with brawler-type controls -- really? The overall feel is that of a game that hasn't really figured out what it wants to be.

Even if I had money to spend on a Kickstart, I'd have to think pretty hard about supporting this one. Best of luck to the devs, though.

 

[ERaptor]

I just rechecked after the first one mentioned it, and she really IS a stretch goal!

Well, seeing as Hepler isnt even on the team, but is a stretch goal, calling it "Hepler's RPG" seems kinda unfair to the people that are actually on the team, working on it.

Especially since the "Hepler stretch goal" is prolly gonna cause the opposite effect than getting more backers. I wouldnt exactly advertise with the fact that a certain amount of money will cause the game to go worse.

Im laughing way to hard at this right now.

 

[ngl42398]

Why would you support this?

Facebook shares as a stretch goal?
Looks pretty mediocre to me.

 

[Erttheking]

Eh...my love towards Bioware has kinda dried up. Not to mention I never played Dragon Age so I have no exposure to her work, good or bad.

 

[Brian Tams]

Because its Jennifer Hepler. While I certainly didn't condone the threats she and her family received after her work on ME3 and DA2, I still maintain that she is an abysmal writer. Tacking her name onto a project is actually a negative, and I'm certain its a negative with a lot of gamers who are familiar with her "work".

EDIT-I actually just took a gander at the kickstarter page for this, and noticed Hepler is a stretch goal. Are they out of their minds with this?

 

[Abomination]

Because it's possible to receive unwarranted threats and STILL be a bad writer at the same time, maybe?

I did enjoy the Anvil of the Void questline but at the same time that's probably the only work of her's I've enjoyed.

I also don't subscribe to the clear undertones of the pity party they're trying to sail home on here. Everyone knows Hepler is famous for being (rightly or wrongly) a victim. While I sympathize that she has received serious negative backlash from some despicable people that doesn't mean I'm going to show my sympathy with financial contributions.

 

[seditary]

After having a look at the Kickstarter, they're talking out their ass surely?

Not a chance in hell they're going to produce what they promise for that amount of money unless its totally worthless.

 

[runic knight]

The project looks uninspired and crappy, why the hell would I back it? Nothing seems to appeal to me as a gamer nor as a desire to support for potential sake. Also, seems to boast a bit much for what they ask for.
Who the hell is Hepler?

-reads comments-

Ah, I see. Yeah, I am with Abomination on this one then. From the sounds off most people, she is a crappy writer (I remember the DA Dwarf Commoner quest, so sort of agree) and the drama about threats just repels me more. No, I don't condone the overly harsh criticisms and threats she may have gotten, but every sane person doesn't and it shouldn't have to preface when criticizing her work every time, like it does now.

Now, wasn't their a megaman spiritual successor or a modern update to a GBA classic I could support that actually looked like fun?

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Now, wasn't their a megaman spiritual successor or a modern update to a GBA classic I could support that actually looked like fun?

You mean Mighty No.9?

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9

Just passed the stretch goal for PS3 and 360 versions.

 

[Mycroft Holmes]

1) Jennifer Hepler really isn't that great of a writer. Shes about average for Videogame writers which means shes really not very good, as far as writers in general go.

2) I can only speak for myself but even when I'm "gambling" I don't gamble. When I look at kickstarters I only do ones that have people with track records of quality. These people don't have that at all so why would anybody give them 500,000$?

 

[TheIceQueen]

Anvil of the Void questline, Branka and Hespith especially. - This was probably one of the creepiest questlines I've ever seen in a game and I recently played a game that had questlines that got very rape-y and dealt with suicide.

Wasn't that the point, though? I got the impression it was supposed to be creepy. (What's with all the cannibalism and rape.)

Just because something was meant to be creepy doesn't mean I'm going to add any points in its favor for that. Great, you meant to be creepy. You were still creepy, and badly-written creepy at that.

 

[00slash00]

Yeah this thread is the first I've heard of it. I like the story focus but what little game play they showed didn't really give me much of an idea of what the game would be like. I care more about story than combat but I do need to know that combat will be at least somewhat enjoyable. But I have never given money to Kickstarter. It is very much a gamble and I don't have much money to spare

 

[ForumSafari]

I can see some possible reasons but I'm wondering what the reason is that has stopped people going for this one?

Well I don't know about everyone else but:

1. I didn't know this game existed.
2. I hate Kickstarter as a way to buy in to projects.
3. After so many Alpha games I've just got exhausted with playing a game so early in development.
4. It looks like Mass Effect. I already own Mass Effect.
5. If I'm going to buy an indie game I'd rather buy something cheaper and a bit more unique.
6. One of the writers is supposed to be a weeny bit lame.

 

[gavinmcinns]

Most of her previous experience comes from writing characters in games and a -few- storylines. We don't have much to go on for what she wrote on Dragon Age: Inquisition, but I don't exactly have the highest of hopes for that game.

So, let's see, and this is all going to be so dearly subjective:

Dwarf Commoner Origin. - My least favorite origin. So very uninteresting.

Anvil of the Void questline, Branka and Hespith especially. - This was probably one of the creepiest questlines I've ever seen in a game and I recently played a game that had questlines that got very rape-y and dealt with suicide.

For Dragon Age 2, she did a bit more. Anders, Bethany, Leandra, Elthina, Cullen, and Sebastian Vael. - in other words, pretty much all of the game's annoyances in one spot.

Legacy DLC - mediocre at best. Bland overall.

Then, she apparently put out a bunch of work on The Old Republic, but that's not too much of a plus.

~~~~~~~~~

Others will say it's because of her comments on gameplay, and they'd be right because gamers should definitely be worried about a lack of focus on gameplay in their video games (That doesn't mean you should threaten her, though, people; that's just rude), but for me she just doesn't have the sort of pedigree that would make me want to throw money at her or anything involving her, especially seeing as how she's not that great of a writer.

Thanks for feretting out her work, the writing in Origins wasn't on par with say George Martin but at least it was cogent and with a decent amount of depth and substance, along with some stunning moments of brilliance (the werewolf arc). The story was good in spite of her. Her expanded role in dragon age 2 and presumably mass effect does a lot to explain the stupidification of those series'.

A good story takes a long time to write, and I'm thinking whoever wrote Mass Effect 1 wasn't exactly fitting with EA's timetables, and they just happened to have this cake aficionado on staff somewhere capable of writing reams of toilet grade dialogue in a night, so they promoted it, much to the dismay of quality loving people everywhere.