Alright, I'm out.

[misterff1 29]

The gameplay video is what kept me around, but after seeing this....thing....that they call gameplay, I am out. 

I honestly cannot believe people are defending this. Yes, game development is hard, but we've seen a few square metres of an area now that was already made a long time ago. Same goes for the few props that were in this environment. Now there can be lots of reasons for this, but just think:

months and months and MONTHS ago, they told us they'd do a video soon(tm) showcasing some gameplay. In those MONTHS, they used stuff that was definitely already there when I pledged to mock up a video of UNDER TWO MINUTES. Say what you want, but that is sheer incompetence, whether you like it or not. 

I had high hopes and honestly want this to succeed, but I cannot support development of a game that could STILL be fake at this point. I STILL have not seen anything substantial that proves to me we are not just seeing some random concepts but an actual game. 

 

Requested a refund. Hope I'll get my money back soon, because I don't support this anymore.

[JoeyDawson 42]

I agree with some of your points, but you must understand that you cannot make a game over a night.

They have promised a lot of things they haven't finished yet.

I am sure everyone is mad certain things like that, but we have to understand that they are working their buts off to make a game that doesn't suck. The gameplay trailer is an early development game clip. They are fixing stuff such as the way you walk, combat and more. They are working on all of these things daily.

You do not have to support them or stay here, but I wouldn't give up just like that if I was you.

 

[misterff1 29]

15 minutes ago, JoeyDawson said:

I agree with some of your points, but you must understand that you cannot make a game over a night.

They have promised a lot of things they haven't finished yet.

I am sure everyone is mad certain things like that, but we have to understand that they are working their buts off to make a game that doesn't suck. The gameplay trailer is an early development game clip. They are fixing stuff such as the way you walk, combat and more. They are working on all of these things daily.

You do not have to support them or stay here, but I wouldn't give up just like that if I was you.

 

You see, I fully agree that it takes time to make games. I just don't agree with the fact that they worked their butts off for this video. It was their number 1 priority, remember? Look up videos on youtube on creating a realistic environment in unreal or unity within an hour and you'll see that this bit of environment in the vid comes awfully close to that. Also, what exact animations caused a 1 to 2 WEEK delay on the video? Because I hardly saw any. And then there is their own statement that this is all placeholder stuff.... So how the hell did they decide on showing this instead of some town square gameplay then? Since this is confirmed to be fake anyway. 

 

All of this can only bring me to one conclusion: I have still not seen ANYTHING that proves we are not just getting mockups and random props, but a real game. Game development costs time and making something of this scale and size is an immense job for such a small team, yes. But this video is literally just some hot air and was an absolute waste of time. 

Defending the game is not my problem. Defending this video or using this video to defend the game IS a problem imo.

Edited February 17, 2018 by misterff1

[JoeyDawson 42]

Fair opinion to have.

I still have faith in the game and believe it will become something great, even if we have to wait longer than expected.

[LordBenji 210]

1 hour ago, misterff1 said:

I honestly cannot believe people are defending this.

Because we see potential in it, and I pledged a lot of money for this project.

1 hour ago, misterff1 said:

months and months and MONTHS ago, they told us they'd do a video soon(tm) showcasing some gameplay.

Yep it's been half a year since John have first mentioned about a game play video he wanted to make, on the Dev Blog #008: "and now we want you to see vehicles, drug production and weapon systems." But things didn't go as he expected, as all the charge was on him when the others was busy on Town Square, as mentioned on blog #010. On #012, he seems to get back on the plan of working on that short game play video. On #013, he thinks that the video might be released, then work on Town Square video. Then finally, on #014, he said days not weeks, due to a set back with animations (I believe the guy working on them didn't give it on time). Another note which wasn't in the blog was that the animations was also causing the Unreal engine to crash, and it took quite some time to troubleshoot. Along with a bit of polishing, transferring things, making the build on multiple computers, recording several times, tweaking things out, etc.

1 hour ago, misterff1 said:

that is sheer incompetence

Incompetence is the lack of knowledge and skills. Things out of control doesn't count. Also that's not a wise word to chose to describe the team of Asylum. Have you seen some of the cool stuff they make? There's quite some talented artists and modelers.

1 hour ago, misterff1 said:

I cannot support development of a game that could STILL be fake at this point.

If you believe this is potentially fake, I can argue it is not. With Q&A Twitch streams since October the 11th, and a few other developers like @Jade also stream their work. You can check all the Twitch clips that @Beach_Ball takes the time to put together: 

 

 

[Jinx 166]

10 hours ago, misterff1 said:

The gameplay video is what kept me around, but after seeing this....thing....that they call gameplay, I am out. 

I honestly cannot believe people are defending this. Yes, game development is hard, but we've seen a few square metres of an area now that was already made a long time ago. Same goes for the few props that were in this environment. Now there can be lots of reasons for this, but just think:

months and months and MONTHS ago, they told us they'd do a video soon(tm) showcasing some gameplay. In those MONTHS, they used stuff that was definitely already there when I pledged to mock up a video of UNDER TWO MINUTES. Say what you want, but that is sheer incompetence, whether you like it or not. 

I had high hopes and honestly want this to succeed, but I cannot support development of a game that could STILL be fake at this point. I STILL have not seen anything substantial that proves to me we are not just seeing some random concepts but an actual game. 

 

Requested a refund. Hope I'll get my money back soon, because I don't support this anymore.

So...you supported this for four months, or should it be MONTHS lol. In all honesty I could take the time to point out the gaping holes in all your statements but I think it's obvious that you don't actually have the first clue about game development.

[misterff1 29]

Figured some people would say I don't know anything about game development. Sad news for ya: I probably know more about it than you think. 

As for those twitch clips: yes they all show someone developing something. But you don't get to see any of those things work together, right? Again, it cán still be fake and someone is just making random stuff to make you believe it is real. Not saying this is true, but it cán be.

[LordBenji 210]

Just adding some screenshots in here. Some may not be the final product, but are pretty close to what you'll see in game.

 

I think I've seen Jade work on one of the apartments, not sure if it was one from these blueprints:

Then there's these lovely screenshots, but contains a few placeholders. It'll be polished before the module releases don't worry.

 

[James_Miller 59]

just wait and come back when the game is finished

[Notic3 84]

The video was a BIT of a disappointment, but let's wait and see how the actual game is before we abandon it. Only a few more weeks (fingers crossed)

The development process is worrying me but I have what I like to call - FAITH

[LordBenji 210]

I don't know why people still think the game could be fake. I have something that I call Faith (like @Notic3 just said ) and Patience. This is one of the rare game that I've spent so much money (because I regret most of the other ones that I did), because I actually want to see it succeed. I want to enjoy it, I want to spend a lot of time on it when I can. But I know there's still so much to do.

[Raysofhopes_ 2]

I just hope the game is not fake. Perhaps a little more communication from the Developers could help solve this problem along with some more frequent official updates for the community. 

The idea of the game is absolutely amazing and something we always wanted. A little more Gameplay footage instead of just pictures might help a lot actually, they should have at least 10 mins+ gameplay ready if they want to release the first module by 2018. Is there any Official confirmation on when this module is going to be available? 

[LordBenji 210]

2 minutes ago, Raysofhopes_ said:

I just hope the game is not fake. Perhaps a little more communication from the Developers could help solve this problem along with some more frequent official updates for the community. 

The idea of the game is absolutely amazing and something we always wanted. A little more Gameplay footage instead of just pictures might help a lot actually, they should have at least 10 mins+ gameplay ready if they want to release the first module by 2018. Is there any Official confirmation on when this module is going to be available? 

I know it's not fake, but yeah that could help if they could get someone to manage media, especially video wise. I don't mind the length, because it's what they show us that is important, not how long the video is. But I can't wait for module one, which will come out on the 21st of March 2018.

[misterff1 29]

See, this word you're using is the problem: faith. 

I have faith in a lot of things. Some people call me too optimistic about many things in life. However, gaming is not one of them. Why? Because faith has NEVER worked out in gaming. never. There are literally zero instances where faith on its own turned out to be all you needed for games in development. Sure, this could be an exception and, again, I sure hope so. But to have faith and faith alone in game development is a grave mistake.

As for not understanding why people still think this is fake, let me explain why I still consider this an option. All those screenshots above, all the live streams and all other communication towards the outside world have shown the same things: words and still images of "stuff and things". For hundreds of thousands of dollars I would sit behind a screen for several hours a week as well, working on random mockups that could potentially be used in a game, wouldn't you? Just wait until the buyers protection is no longer in effect and you have yourself a ton of free money. Considered that option? Because I did.

 

Now let me state this once again: I am not saying this is the case, but I do consider it to be an option. Actual proof is still not present and until it is you have to rely on this thing called faith in the gaming industry. Yeah, no thanks.

[dimin69 36]

the thing thats suprising me is that they are showing these "place holder assets"
while there is no footage on the town square.....

Edited February 19, 2018 by dimin69

[KIRBYDUDE 24]

People don't get it, do they.

[LordBenji 210]

7 hours ago, misterff1 said:

See, this word you're using is the problem: faith. 

I have faith in a lot of things. Some people call me too optimistic about many things in life. However, gaming is not one of them. Why? Because faith has NEVER worked out in gaming. never. There are literally zero instances where faith on its own turned out to be all you needed for games in development. Sure, this could be an exception and, again, I sure hope so. But to have faith and faith alone in game development is a grave mistake.

As for not understanding why people still think this is fake, let me explain why I still consider this an option. All those screenshots above, all the live streams and all other communication towards the outside world have shown the same things: words and still images of "stuff and things". For hundreds of thousands of dollars I would sit behind a screen for several hours a week as well, working on random mockups that could potentially be used in a game, wouldn't you? Just wait until the buyers protection is no longer in effect and you have yourself a ton of free money. Considered that option? Because I did.

 

Now let me state this once again: I am not saying this is the case, but I do consider it to be an option. Actual proof is still not present and until it is you have to rely on this thing called faith in the gaming industry. Yeah, no thanks.

I've never ever talked about how faith by itself would help Asylum and their project. When I first found out about Identity, I was interested with the values of it, immersion, changing the definition of RP. Then I pledged for it, so that means I give my support for the development of this game. Even though the module isn't out yet, I still gave my feedback on a few things about the game. I'm fully aware this is not a triple A company behind Identity, in fact this is the second large project they're working on (you can check the Asylum Entertainment website). The reason why I invested into this project is because I want to see it succeed. I'll put my heart into it.

And I'm wondering, did you get a lot of bad experiences with scams, or even games that never came out? I understand, some people are cautious and really want to be sure that this game is definitely true. In fact, there's quite a lot of fake stuff in the Internet sadly... But if you look at the amount of details they put on those "things and stuff", and putting them together. Also it surprises me you haven't mentioned about any videos at all. For now, what you think is up to you and your judgement and past experiences in the gaming industry. But what I know is that one of the big moments will be about Town Square (video and module). I strongly doubt that they would just sit in their chair just to make fake assets, they are ambitious people who love gaming and role play. I've even chatted with Sean (Motown) and a few moderators in the Discord voice chat. They are really nice people to talk with. Also, Brandon (Beach_ball) came and asked me one time if I had questions for the stream, which is very nice in my opinion. Asylum is very implied and do listen to the community. I'm not saying they're doing it 24/7, because of course they are very busy sometimes.

10 hours ago, dimin69 said:

the thing thats suprising me is that they are showing these "place holder assets"
while there is no footage on the town square.....

It was said multiple times in the Developer blogs that John wanted to make a video showing crime, shooting and arrest. The Town Square video will come before the module and will be much better. They're not going to tell any estimated dates to avoid over hyping people and plans to release it when they're ready for it.

[LylePyle 22]

When you have hundreds of people constantly riding your ass to produce something they can see or else they’ll request a refund, then you have no choice. You say that it’s currently your top priority so people will relax. Have everybody continue to do their job and take time making the video because that shit isn’t important right now. And then release it and have everybody complaining about it anyways. 

This game was announced three years ago. It takes soooo much time to make a game. Even if it’s a 2D game or a game like Minecraft. It takes time. UI, Animation, Models, Graphics, Bug Fixing and then actually creating the things they promised is hard as all hell, especially when half the community is yelling at them threatening to take their funding away from them. 

You knew what you were getting into when you donated. You knew that they said everything was a work in progress and doesn’t represent the final game. 

Leave them the hell alone, let them make the game they wanna make. Don’t pressure them to release shit for you if you’re just gonna shit on it. You’re lucky they show you anything at all. Stop complaining 

[LuckyDuck 1,444]

On 18/02/2018 at 4:52 AM, Raysofhopes_ said:

I just hope the game is not fake. Perhaps a little more communication from the Developers could help solve this problem along with some more frequent official updates for the community. 

The idea of the game is absolutely amazing and something we always wanted. A little more Gameplay footage instead of just pictures might help a lot actually, they should have at least 10 mins+ gameplay ready if they want to release the first module by 2018. Is there any Official confirmation on when this module is going to be available? 

March 21st 2018.

They stream every week on a Tuesday and Thursday. They give more communication than you think. 

 

[misterff1 29]

14 hours ago, LylePyle said:

When you have hundreds of people constantly riding your ass to produce something they can see or else they’ll request a refund, then you have no choice. You say that it’s currently your top priority so people will relax. Have everybody continue to do their job and take time making the video because that shit isn’t important right now. And then release it and have everybody complaining about it anyways. 

This game was announced three years ago. It takes soooo much time to make a game. Even if it’s a 2D game or a game like Minecraft. It takes time. UI, Animation, Models, Graphics, Bug Fixing and then actually creating the things they promised is hard as all hell, especially when half the community is yelling at them threatening to take their funding away from them. 

You knew what you were getting into when you donated. You knew that they said everything was a work in progress and doesn’t represent the final game. 

Leave them the hell alone, let them make the game they wanna make. Don’t pressure them to release shit for you if you’re just gonna shit on it. You’re lucky they show you anything at all. Stop complaining 

See, you're thinking about this the wrong way around. 

Imagine a large publisher hiding their product from the shareholders. Not the public, but the shareholders. Do you honestly believe those shareholders would stick around? No, they want to see what their money is used for and they have évery right to demand it (not getting into the whole aaa bs now, just focus on this one aspect). 

Now imagine a game where people on the internet pour money into the development of a game and demand to see where the hell that money is put into. Sounds awfully the same as the example above, doesn't it? And how is it then suddenly no longer a valid point to say they deserve transparency? 

Oh fun fact in case you didn't pick up on this yet: those people are you and me (well, soon only you) and that game is Identity. Who would have thought.

 

You rule yourself out of an equation you deserve to be in mate. Your money, your rules. It is not us who knew what we were getting into. It was Asylum who choose this way of funding. It was Asylum who knew the consequences. And it is Asylum who now fails to be as transparent as some of us demand. 

 

Edit: to clarify this for the ones wondering... No, I have not once been scammed by game companies. Common sense is what saved me from making wrong investments up to this point. Kinda want to keep it that way, which is why I am pulling out of this one for now.

Edited February 20, 2018 by misterff1
Additions

[Danthecancerman 20]

I have to say, I do agree. Now I'm not one to refund or pull my support, but I was beyond disappointed by the video. They promised it within the month of January. They said middle of January it was definite and they were just polishing it. Then January passes and they claim days. In fact, they even mentioned it wasn't going to be weeks. Then almost two weeks go by and finally, I get the notification that they posted. So I rush to see it and I get a sneak peek at some neat mechanics in a police vehicle; then some honestly shitty walk animation (there is no transfer animation from normal pose to walking animation, it looks rushed tbh) then I get to see some GMod level meth system and a dude firing his gun, a dude getting handcuffs put on him, and then nothing. Not to mention it was in a portion of the map not even accessible to us until the full game release (I think). So yes I agree here. Also for anyone who tries to defend this, go ahead; you have the right, but please think of a better argument than "A game isn't built overnight" or "they have pressure". No shit it isn't built overnight and no shit they have a lot of pressure. The reason for that is because they continuously underperform and disappoint people. Every day it seems we are becoming more and more into a situation such as No Man's Sky. (Devs promise a bunch of cool features, never deliver on any of them, basically false advertisement.)

[JamesLuck01 1,531]

1 hour ago, misterff1 said:

Now imagine a game where people on the internet pour money into the development of a game and demand to see where the hell that money is put into. Sounds awfully the same as the example above, doesn't it? And how is it then suddenly no longer a valid point to say they deserve transparency? 

I wouldn't compare ourselves to investors in publishers, for what reason you might ask? Well 1. We never invested Thousands of Dollars did we? We put a small amount. Yes we deserve a bit of Transparency and we do get it from these developers. Now we are also allowed to be annoyed but, If you back something pre-release and that is "Donating/ Pledging" like we have for Identity. Well we don't have the right to a refund because we are "Donating". You cannot compared yourself to an investor unless you pledge/ donated/ invest Thousands of Dollars etc into the game.

1 hour ago, misterff1 said:

You rule yourself out of an equation you deserve to be in mate. Your money, your rules. It is not us who knew what we were getting into. It was Asylum who choose this way of funding. It was Asylum who knew the consequences. And it is Asylum who now fails to be as transparent as some of us demand. 

Asylum have been saying to everyone, if you don't believe/ feel like it is sufficient with evidence on the game and are not confident about the project, then you were supposed to hold back and not pledge. It is purely your decision to pledge and is not any fault of Asylum's that you are not pleased about what you are getting. They give sufficient information, and sufficient transparency. It is the people who demand things that games fail hard like "NMS" The community demanded it and also the publishers pushed it out also because of the community and so it failed on launch.

1 hour ago, misterff1 said:

Edit: to clarify this for the ones wondering... No, I have not once been scammed by game companies. Common sense is what saved me from making wrong investments up to this point. Kinda want to keep it that way, which is why I am pulling out of this one for now.

Next time hold off until the full game or at least your standard in evidence on the game is available before pledging into a project because you pledging makes it difficult as when you pledge, that money gets taken into account of the budget. Then because it is counted in the budget, if you go for a refund, it screws on the calculated budget for the developers. 

Sit back until Module 1 releases before you pledge again as that means you can get your evidence from Fans/ YT'ers.

[misterff1 29]

You have some fair points there, not going to argue with that.

However, one thing I do want to add here is this: people somehow mix up what it means to be transparent and what is means to promise things.

NMS failed not because of its tons of communication in itself, but because of the nature of this communication. I am not asking Asylum to throw empty promises. Heck, all I want to know is what they're working on and see that with my own eyes. Transparency means that they're open on what they are working on. Getting a video of under two minutes only showing placeholders that are not even tied to what they are actually working on at that point is NOT transparent. If they'd have shown me a video of Town Square systems functioning and failing miserably, I would have stuck around. Why? Because that is honest. That is transparent. Every single bit of content they show now is far from that. 

Literally, if development would cost them 20 years and they'd happily share everything inclúding what goes wrong, I would stick around for the full 20 years and I would gladly support them all the way through the development cycle.  And yes, I do think the ones who pledge have the right to know this. Even though we all spend less money than some big investor would, we as a collective are the ones who made the development possible in the first place. If only developers would dare to be actually transparent. I think you would actually build a very strong and caring community that way.

[Vinnie_Schmittburg 7]

They made a million dollars

1 million for models, unreal engine, and promising a game. They can provide more than just ideas and talk about the game at this point, because from what they showed, they've done nothing but model props and brainstorm

[LordBenji 210]

15 minutes ago, Vinnie_Schmittburg said:

They made a million dollars

1 million for models, unreal engine, and promising a game. They can provide more than just ideas and talk about the game at this point, because from what they showed, they've done nothing but model props and brainstorm

They don't "just" do props and brainstorm. Even though there's only a very few videos showcasing the game, it still shows that they've done some back end stuff too. If you wait four weeks, you'll be able to see more videos (mostly community), if what we have isn't enough of a proof that the game does exists.