ThunderPeel2001

Yes, you're totally right. Wow. (Yeah, I really made a dumb mistake with my equations - duh.) Anyways, I guess it's not just three people's salary, it's three people at a game studio. There are overheads there. If they were making a game for a publisher, they wouldn't just go, "here's three people's salaries", they'd say, "this is how much it's going to cost you to make the game here". So I'm guessing that the money does include a profit (or mark up) of sorts. That's certainly how Graphic Design Agencies I've worked at do it, and I'm sure it's the same for other businesses.

Not sure where we've got our wires crossed. The annual thing was only to illustrate the salary they were paying themselves in terms we could relate to. But you're right, I made a rather silly mistake in my calculations

Yes, he's kidding.

I believe Tim Schafer does... for a *cough* modest donation.

Now at $1.6 million.

Huh? Who else besides Schmidt has been portrayed as a child? Did I miss some episodes? Anyways, the show seems to be getting better.

In other news, George Lucas has revealed that Greedo ALWAYS shot first... it just wasn't clear because of the editing or somesuch. http://gizmodo.com/5884061/george-lucas-now-says-that-han-never-shot-first-as-he-shoves-star-wars-3d-down-your-throat

1980 is generally considered the point when it went to shit, although obviously it returned to form at various times over the years.

I've always had an account with Amazon.com (since like 1999), long before I had a Visa debit, and I've never had a problem with any of my debit cards. Anyways... It's interesting to see people learn about how much video games cost to make. $300,000 (the original budget for "Adventure" -- not including the $100K for the documentary) was for "three people for six months", according to Schafer. That sounds insane until you break it down: Three people earning $33,000 per annum, each, for six months. In other words, they're earning ~$33K a year, but are only getting six month's work. It's not like they're paying themselves a ridiculous sum... and that's all the money gone! Makes you wonder. According to Schafes: DOTT (1993) Cost "$300 to $600K" ($300 for base game. $300 for voices. Although he's not 100% sure.) Full Throttle (1995) Cost $1,500,000 Grim Fandango (1998) Cost $3,000,000 Costume Quest, Stacked, and Iron Brigade cost about $2 million each to make.

Could it not just be a loving gesture? Also, why are you asking US?

I don't believe there's a thread for this, but for a non-game activity thing, this looks like a lot of fun... Especially for $10. vPIZ5EuTRJo

I also like the bit before that, too: A wonderful juxtaposition!

I know. This is the most excited I've been about the possibilities of the internet as a force for good since I first logged onto it. Hurrah for cool people And here's a heart-warming pic of the Double Fine staff celebrating:

I get you now. I agree. That IS an interesting thought. Hmm. I wonder if you're right. That's a given if the same number of people interested in this game are the same number who are interested in Firefly/Serenity, but I'd wager it's not. My guess would be that Firefly has a MUCH wider appeal than old LucasArts adventures, though. I certainly wish they'd try it!

They've nearly broke $1 million! Seriously, where's the Firefly KickStarter? Heh! The KickStarter site keeps crashing because of all the people wanting to see it break 1 mil This is the largest amount of funding ever raised on KS, incidentally! Edit: They've done it!

I think Jake has covered this, but what you're describing is INVESTMENT. This is merely FUNDING something you would like to see happen. It's completely unreasonable to request a further return as it was made clear from the outset that that's not what this is about. Kickstarter allows endeavours to offer "rewards", but these cannot be financial in nature. In short: If you don't like the deal (pay for a game upfront), then don't do it. That's business!

According to their FAQ: What fees does Kickstarter charge? If a project is successfully funded, Kickstarter will apply a 5% fee to the funds raised. If funding isn't successful, there are no charges. So I'm guessing that the figure is pre-KS, because they only take their money if the project goes ahead. Also from their FAQ: Does Amazon charge any fees? Yes. When a project is successful, Amazon will apply credit card processing fees, which work out to roughly 3-5%. For details on how the fee is calculated, please view the Amazon Payments fee details. In the case of this particular Kickstart, however, Amazon will only be charging 1.9% + $0.30 per transaction, because of the "volume discount". That's absolutely standard credit card processing fees that goes on behind the scenes every time you use your card, though. It's not Amazon being greedy or anything.

It's worth remembering that Braid cost $200,000 to make, and that was just two guys. I guess Jake is right to point out that this isn't going to be an adventure game that rivals Grim Fandango in size... although at this current rate, the budget could be $30,000,000 Note: To hit Full Throttle's 1995 budget in 2012 money would be $2,000,000. I guess if they hit $3,000,000 (which doesn't seem unfeasible) we might actually get an adventure of similar size and quality with today's graphics?

I think that's the best thing that could be said... If the money means they end up with far more than they anticipated, then surely the scope would be increased? So does the money have to include a profit, or are they trying to factor that in afterwards? Hmmm.

You should grab it on Steam, you get some fun achievements with it, and they made the Meat Circus slightly easier. http://store.steampowered.com/app/3830/

FAQ Q: What happens if you go over the goal? A: The extra money will be put back into the game and documentary. This could result in anything from increased VO and music budgets to additional release platforms for the game.

Happy birthday Mr. Vania! I hope it was completely pleasant (Drive is a great movie!).

Yeah, I guess the bit where "she laughed and got my sense of humour" was lost when you wrote "Her face went white and shocked."

You can't buy anything from Amazon? Weird. I saw the higher levels of donation on the DF site, too: Pledge $15,000 or more: Dinner with Tim Schafer and key members of the dev team. Pledge $20,000 or more: Dinner and BOWLING with Tim Schafer and key members of the dev team. Pledge $30,000 or more: Picture of Ron Gilbert smiling. Pledge $35,000 or more: Undoctored picture of Ron Gilbert smiling. Pledge $50,000 or more: Become an actual character in the game. Pledge $150,000 or more: Tim Schafer (that’s me) will give last four remaining Triangle Boxed Day of the Tentacles, in original shrink-wrap.” (Limit of 1) (Holy crap, what am I thinking? I only have four of those!) Oh to be rich! Also: They've done it. The game will be made.

It's an exciting time for Double Fine