This is one of those projects I would back even if there were no reward simply because I want to live in a world where Cyan is making Myst-like games again. Very excited to see this.
Someone made a great word that I forgot and can't find that described this feeling. Of being unstuck in time and space, a sort of vertigo upon realization that the universe is huge. Cyan Worlds manage to nail that effect while removing fear or tension. It's a childlike feeling that is rarely focused on, and they're masters of it.
Heh, I spent too many words in that, but Rand had trouble describing it too, so I don't feel too bad.
A freely-released product would be very expensive for the developer. The crowdfunding would have to cover all of the development costs, since the project would have no further direct revenue. There's probably a clever way to fund a free-to-play or DLC-supported platform that way, but that only makes sense for a subset of games.
Whoa, what? You've just described every single Kickstarter. Sounds like you have a problem with Kickstarter, not this campaign.
Isn't WeFunder your target?
Not at all. There have been numerous campaigns that released their product to the community upon reaching their goal, like Cards Against Humanity, The Pirate Bay - AFK documentary, the Open Goldberg Variations, and many more projects.
I hope this will be a turning point for this struggling company.
They've been struggling under the shadow of Myst. Hopefully this will get them back on track.
"You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here"
Regardless, we can hope!
I tried firing up Myst a couple years back, I was shocked to realize it was all still images in small sizes, I would have sworn that I used to be completely immersed in a real size 3D world :)
How much is a license for the Unreal Engine?
http://www.unrealengine.com/udk/licensing/commercial_license...
>If you create a games or commercial applications using UDK for sale or distribution to an end-user or client, or if you are providing services in connection with a UDK based game or application, the per-seat option does not apply. Instead the license terms for this arrangement are US$99 up-front, and a 0% royalty on you or your company’s first US$50,000 in UDK related revenue from all your UDK based games or commercial applications, and a 25% royalty on UDK related revenue from all your UDK based games or commercial applications above US$50,000. UDK related revenue includes, but is not limited to, monies earned from: sales, services, training, advertisements, sponsorships, endorsements, memberships, subscription fees, in-game transactions, rentals and pay-to-play. You or your company will only need one commercial license to cover all the UDK based games or commercial applications you develop.
>Here are some examples:
>A team creates a game with UDK that they intend to sell. After six months of development, they release the game through digital distribution and they earn US$60,000 in the first calendar quarter after release. Their use of UDK during development requires no fee. At some point prior to the UDK Applications’srelease they would to secure a royalty-bearing commercial UDK license with its US$99 license fee. After earning US$60,000, they would be required to pay Epic US$2,500 (US$0 on the first US$50,000 in revenue, and US$2,500 on the next US$10,000 in revenue). On subsequent revenue, they are required to pay the 25% royalty.
> We are excited about Oculus Rift (we have a dev kit) and VR in general, and we'd love to have a stretch goal that heads that direction.
