Takedown on Kickstarter - only 6 days left

You've probably seen this link thrown about randomly once or twice in the past month, and here it is again:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/355932838/crowdsourced-hardcore-tactical-shooter

Takedown

"A thinking-person's shooter"

The Project page has been heavily refreshed. There is a new video coming up shortly (today) according to the developers.

If you love SWAT3/4, Rainbow Six and squad based shooters in general, please support this. They only have a matter of 5 to 6 days left to make this happen.

On reaching 200k: If the project somehow manages to reach 200k from the fans wanting this type of game, it will receive support from investors in order to bump the budget the required level to make this title AAA.

Good luck Serellan and Takedown.

I don't think it'll live up to Raven Shield and I still don't think this game needs to be made. I gave the duder $15, but the games he's worked on that I've played I haven't particularly enjoyed. I also think making people pledge him $100 to have the option to give him free assets is kind of scummy.

@WilltheMagicAsian: I guess that's one way of looking at it. For others I think it provides an opportunity to showcase their talents, anything from modeling a weapon to making music, and receive actual credit for it in a real product. Looking at all the mod communities there are, I guess this isn't taking advantage of folks.

If it was set in a sci fi setting I might have supported him since a realistic sci fi shooter is very rare. I however dislike modern settings and especially modern guns, except for Max Payne.

With 6 days left I don't see them getting the $200,000

Wow, that's certainly a big update. I remember looking at this the other day and it seemed like a complete joke. No actual team whatsoever (only people who were on-board but he couldn't reveal their names because they would be fired from their current jobs - way to cultivate confidence there, bud), no screenshots, no preview of the game whatsoever, not even a name. Just a few extremely vague ideas and basically asking for 200K to help him start his business. At least when other developers do kickstarters they already have established teams (Double Fine, the Wasteland 2 guys) and something to show for it (The Banner Saga).

Now he has some bad concept art pieces and a video of his voice "talent." Well at least the name is solid... Also it could be worse.

Anyways, lets just say that I won't be surprised 6 days from now when the time expires and it's well below $200k.

@Enigma777 said:

Anyways, lets just say that I won't be surprised 6 days from now when the time expires and it's well below $200k.

Of course you wont be surprised, it's fucking obvious.

With 6 days left I don't see them getting the $200,000

It's a cool idea, but there's no way it'll be funded in 6 days.

it could be worse.

I think he started the project all wrong. Showing some random videos of weapons/shooting stuff. Sure that is to show that he is hardcore, but hardly useful for game development. Also that top-tier reward just seems out of place.

Granted the updates make this way more attractive. Now he is actually talking about the games that we all (well some of us) want.

@Enigma777 said:

Wow, that's certainly a big update. I remember looking at this the other day and it seemed like a complete joke. No actual team whatsoever (only people who were on-board but he couldn't reveal their names because they would be fired from their current jobs - way to cultivate confidence there, bud), no screenshots, no preview of the game whatsoever, not even a name. Just a few extremely vague ideas and basically asking for 200K to help him start his business. At least when other developers do kickstarters they already have established teams (Double Fine, the Wasteland 2 guys) and something to show for it (The Banner Saga).

Now he has some bad concept art pieces and a video of his voice "talent." Well at least the name is solid... Also it could be worse.

Anyways, lets just say that I won't be surprised 6 days from now when the time expires and it's well below $200k.

This. His earlier entries were very vague and using words like tactical hardcore shooter doesn't help since those terms are used by most big publishers when they are promoting their games.

Can we get a Kickstarter sub forum please?

@kalmis: True. I think this is the correct approach that is to be expected from the very beginning of a project if only to show that you've put effort and thought into the concept before pitching it. Some of the information that is on the current page is a result of forum feedback.

@Enigma777: Yeah. I agree with you in that the concept would have benefited from a better, more direct presentation to begin with. There is a new video coming too (he mentions it in Comments), although I'm not sure whether it is supposed to explain, illustrate gameplay more in-detail or if it is a revised version of the initial video on the page.

If all of the components of the page had been there from Day 1 I feel 200k would have been almost guaranteed for something like this.

@NekuCTR: That's not an entirely crazy idea.

@Gargantuan said:

a realistic sci fi shooter .

isn't that pretty much an oxymoron?

@Gargantuan said:

a realistic sci fi shooter .

isn't that pretty much an oxymoron?

Can we get a Kickstarter sub forum please?

@Gargantuan said:

@DeF said:

@Gargantuan said:

a realistic sci fi shooter .

isn't that pretty much an oxymoron?

Nope. The Deus Ex universe would be perfect for a realistic multiplayer shooter. Interesting guns, gadgets and implants and a realistic combat system in a cyberpunk world would be awesome.

I don't get it, how can the Deus Ex universe be "realistic"? A science fiction setting full of nano-tech, half-robot people and "superhumans" can't be called realistic in my book. The sci fi element nullifies the potential for realism, as I understand it.

@Gargantuan said:

@DeF said:

@Gargantuan said:

a realistic sci fi shooter .

isn't that pretty much an oxymoron?

Nope. The Deus Ex universe would be perfect for a realistic multiplayer shooter. Interesting guns, gadgets and implants and a realistic combat system in a cyberpunk world would be awesome.

Are you stupid or something??

Here are just a few thoughts that popped in my head when I visited the kickstarter page.

• Hell, who knows, maybe it'll be great.
• Man, this promo art is fugly.
• Oh, he is making a swat game.
• Why do/does most/this realistic tactical based shooter(s) take place in a close-quarters battle setting?
• Why do I fell that in the end this will be just another COD clone but with squad commands.

I pledged 30$, I really want to see a proper Raven Shield successor.

Haha, check out the new video. :)

Please check out the video.

Here is a youtube version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE0gMYDrapQ&feature=youtu.be

@Serellan01: Great video. I'm really happy to see the honesty and optimism. Even if the $200k goal can't be reached in the time that's left, I'd like to see the final pledge tally get as high as possible -- show as much support as we can, so you guys can hopefully take another shot at this. I'm really disappointed by the cynical nature of the replies in this thread, even if I can understand the reasoning behind it -- I just wish people could get as excited for this as they did for the Double Fine and Wasteland 2 projects. Hopefully if the word spreads far enough it'll eventually reach the ears of people who have been waiting for a game like this, and are willing to take a chance and throw some money down.

Shameless bump, this project needs more attention.

If they get $200K then the investors will make it an AAA game?

How would that small amount of money convince someone to chuck $30m+ at it?

why would they make the game to different genres from a third on ps3 to a first person on pc and they will ask the xbox 360 community. it just seems too much work to change the camera angle around for different platforms.

we do need more tactical shooters. i enjoyed rainbow 6 vegas 2. it was a pretty fun game.

@NekuCTR said:

Can we get a Kickstarter sub forum please?

We have enough sub-forums as it is. So many that nobody ever reads 99% of the stuff on this site, because it's relegated to the "name of developer" forum or the "GOG forum" or whatever else, where only two people will ever even randomly stumble upon it by accident a year or two from now.

@Masha2932 said:

@Enigma777 said:

Wow, that's certainly a big update. I remember looking at this the other day and it seemed like a complete joke. No actual team whatsoever (only people who were on-board but he couldn't reveal their names because they would be fired from their current jobs - way to cultivate confidence there, bud), no screenshots, no preview of the game whatsoever, not even a name. Just a few extremely vague ideas and basically asking for 200K to help him start his business. At least when other developers do kickstarters they already have established teams (Double Fine, the Wasteland 2 guys) and something to show for it (The Banner Saga).

Now he has some bad concept art pieces and a video of his voice "talent." Well at least the name is solid... Also it could be worse.

Anyways, lets just say that I won't be surprised 6 days from now when the time expires and it's well below $200k.

This. His earlier entries were very vague and using words like tactical hardcore shooter doesn't help since those terms are used by most big publishers when they are promoting their games.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there wanting to join in on the success of kickstarter. And they should. But they should take it slow. Kickstarter will be there tomorrow. And next year. They're not doing themselves much of a favor to cram in alongside everyone else who is jumping in right now and by waiting, they can observe what works and what doesn't, as well as prepare more content.

A great example of how to do a kickstarter right is Zpocalypse. Have something to show. Even if it's just a mock up. Even if it's just a sketch. Have some icons and logos and really understand what you want out of your reward tiers. And do something smart like these guys did (unlock more stuff for everyone when the total amount gets beyond certain points).

The real problem his particular kickstarter has, however, is that it's just so vague - as mentioned. "Me and some ... other guys ... want to make a ...insert genre... game. We need way more money than we're asking for, but $200k is what it will take for us to make a beta to show publishers to prove there is interest in the game". But we don't know what the game is, other than the genre.

He needs to ask for much more money and not attempt to make it a convoluted "to make a demo to show publishers". Ask for what it might take to actually make it. And have something to show for it ahead of time, so people will want to chip in. Anyone can have merely a concept, of course.

@Branthog: You've missed a very crucial aspect of this project. It is a delicate situation. The team of veterans he has pooled to join him will have to leave their current employers to go to work on Takedown. Allen clearly said that he can not risk this move without the financial backing. The investors needed some sort of fan proof in order to see that there is interest in this type of game, and that's what this project is to them, a sort of polling system.

If they reach 200k. They will get investor backing. The team members will join the project that is now funded.

Their main error in this was not to get in touch with someone to handle their PR/Project page in advance of entering Kickstarter. They even admit that in their latest video. Even if they can't make their target, I like these guys for trying to make something they as developers would like to make instead of just making mainstream shooters.

After their page got updated they've gathered like 18.000 dollars the past day.

@WilltheMagicAsian said:

I don't think it'll live up to Raven Shield and I still don't think this game needs to be made. I gave the duder $15, but the games he's worked on that I've played I haven't particularly enjoyed. I also think making people pledge him $100 to have the option to give him free assets is kind of scummy.

Produce assets for a commercial game and get full credit for it ? I think its worth the 100$ if someone wants to get into game development business.

I guess it could be cool, I may pledge

@NekuCTR said:

Can we get a Kickstarter sub forum please?

Agreed ^ I think a forum dedicated to interesting kickstarters would be great.

@NekuCTR said:

Can we get a Kickstarter sub forum please?

Agreed ^ I think a forum dedicated to interesting kickstarters would be great.

It'll never succeed! brawrwarara. (I kinda hope it does)

Just pledged 25$, it saddens me that this project is failing.

Sadly, they're not going to make it.

we need more optmism!

I really like the new video, let's hope for a big push in the final days! we're halfway there (almost!)

Come on ! halfway there !

another 100,000$ is possible if this gets enough media coverage.

@Liber: They've removed all of their concept art for some reason? That's an odd move when time is this critical.

@Funkydupe said:

@Liber: They've removed their all of their concept art for some reason? That's an odd move when time is this critical.

Legal issues, Christian explained it on the forums.

Their concept art were basically real photos Photoshoped into concept art. Seems like these photos were copyrighted and had to be pulled.

This seems kind of weird because these are photos of law enforcement officers which technically makes them a public domain.

I have a question. If your Kickstarter fails. Does anything stop you from trying again a month later?

For example. Many things have went wrong with this one. I believe that there is an interest in this kind of game (I am not one of those) but so many things went wrong. Bad communication, a lackluster pitch video and let us not forget how many other game pitcjes are beging made right now, people only have so much money they can pledge. They have clearly owned up to their misstakes (he even admits they fucked up in the video...cool that they did) but the problem now is that time is running out when things a looking better on their side. Could they if they wanted make another attempt 1-2 months later with more experience in the backpack now that they may know how to market this?

@Dogma: I was wondering that myself. Hopefully that's possible AND all the investors and devs would still be willing to do it.

@Dogma: They can re-submit even the day after it expires, there is nothing technical that is stopping them from trying again.

However, Chistian said that Kickstarter statistics suggest that the chances to fund are lower on the second run.

@Liber said:

@Dogma: They can re-submit even the day after it expires, there is nothing technical that is stopping them from trying again.

However, Chistian said that Kickstarter statistics suggest that the chances to fund are lower on the second run.

I am willing to believe that. But as we said, they did a pretty bad job of marketing the pitch from start. Mabey it's worth a second try?

@Liber said:

@Funkydupe said:

@Liber: They've removed their all of their concept art for some reason? That's an odd move when time is this critical.

Legal issues, Christian explained it on the forums.

Their concept art were basically real photos Photoshoped into concept art. Seems like these photos were copyrighted and had to be pulled.

This seems kind of weird because these are photos of law enforcement officers which technically makes them a public domain.

I think all of the current artwork was made by people on the forums he put up. I know the current logo was. Someone probably grabbed some stock photo through Google Image search. Maybe it wasn't actual law enforcement, just mock.

Why didn't Serellan put effort into the page initially? I didn't think it would be possible to mess things up this much, even with the concept art they've messed up. Aren't Mr. Allen and his "team of industry veterans" on paper too experienced to be fumbling around like this? It strikes me as very odd. Unprofessional like.

Their ideas are fantastic and hits me dead on with regards to what a new shooter needs as opposed to what is out there. Their initial pitch was vague and didn't seem serious. It has improved, but it still isn't what it should be and now they've got problems with the concept art and the fact that they only have 3 to 4 days left, and they need 95k dollars.

There's so much weirdness to this. If this was their dream project and has been their dream for so long why wasn't this a more planned operation.

I don't know...the concept in general sounds awesome. It would be cool to play something where you're taking 3 minutes to round a corner because your life can be taken out with one bullet to the face. And when you throw in some voice chat in there to boot....yeah, sounds good.

@Matthew: Well yeah. Imagine the scenario of finding 1 dangerous person hiding in a building as opposed to killing 400 random generic enemies running at you. There's a different approach to the whole thing compared to most action shooters.

@Liber said:

@Dogma: They can re-submit even the day after it expires, there is nothing technical that is stopping them from trying again.

However, Chistian said that Kickstarter statistics suggest that the chances to fund are lower on the second run.

Make it a post-apocalyptic tactical shooter? Something other than just Military Dudes: The Game.

I'm more likely to put money into concepts driven by fiction than I am concepts driven by gameplay.

Or hell, how about an art direction? Something?