Post news Report RSS The Indie Dream

The Indie Dream is the idea that over 20 passionate individuals can collaborate and devote everything into something that we love. It's about creating a brand new universe, developing new characters and relationships - and bringing worlds to life. We invite you to come experience the ORION game series like you have never before.

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We are back this week with something incredibly special for you. We have crafted one of the most intimate and revealing updates that we have ever posted. This is an unparalleled look into the ORION universe - and we are showing it off with tons of never-before-seen artwork, footage and information. We call this The Indie Dream.


Through years of design, creation and just brutally hard work - we have crafted this video in order to give you a better awareness about who we are - what we do - and what we want to accomplish.


The ORION game series has been around for a lot longer than most folks are aware about - the first game design dates back to 1998. We are here to display where that time was spent - and how we are going to use what we've developed to not only benefit you as the gamer - but the industry as a whole.


We invite you to take an incredible look at ORION - and the folks over here at Spiral Game Studios - like you never have before. Welcome to the Indie Dream.

THE ROAD AHEAD - KICKSTARTER

We have a lot of work ahead of us. We are wrapping up our incredible KickStarter promotion and we are calling for your help and support. While we have reached our 'pledged' goal, it is important to understand that this was not only a "safe" limit - as you have to AT LEAST reach your pledged amount in order to take any funding from KickStarter. If we were to have reached only $9,999 - we would have received $0. On top of this, KickStarter and Amazon take a total of 10% - and just around $1,000 is being spent on preparing the KickStarter gifts.


We at Spiral Game Studios are preparing immense update and a plethora of content to demonstrate our passion for this - but to also make you more comfortable about donating to a worthy cause. We are hoping to reach the desired limit of $15,000 USD and we can only do this with your help. We ask that you tell all of your friends, family, online friends and even share it on your personal blogs and social networks. Helping spread the word is just as appreciated and effective as it is to contribute.

THE ROAD AHEAD - GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE 2011

We are gearing up for an incredible presence at this years Game Developers Conference. It is the 25th anniversary of the GDC and we are going to be arriving with a bang. We are currently in full production on an incredibly updated pre-alpha game build - utilizing all of the new content such as the new characters, new weapons, new dinosaurs, new maps - new everything!

We are in the middle of removing ALL placeholder content and the game is going to look even more beautiful, believe it or not. We are going to be holding meetings with quite a few companies out there already - and we encourage any other companies interested in talking or drinking with us to get in contact with us by shooting over an email to:
gdc@spiralgamestudios.com

THE ROAD AHEAD - INCOMING UPDATES!

We're not done with our consistently awesome updates - no way. We have tons of updates planned for this week, including an insider look at the new weapon styles for both teams coupled with the artist behind them. On top of this we will be exploring the audio with our Lead Audio Engineer, Marcus Zuhr. We will be coming back next week and making a rather LARGE announcement next Monday that we think quite a few people will enjoy - so get ready!

INTERVIEWS & PREVIEWS

This was a busy week with the press. We conducted interviews with Rock, Paper, Shotgun and OXCGN - as well as had the game previewed by Italy's huge gaming website, Multiplayer.it. We also have included the links that allow you to go read the full articles. However, we encourage you to take Italian-language reading glasses when skipping over to Multipalyer.it:

Interview @ OXCGN:

Oxcgn.com

Interview @ Rock, Paper, Shotgun:

Rockpapershotgun.com

Prelude Preview @ Multiplayer.it

Multiplayer.it

We are going to be back in a few days with another incredible update - we look forward to hearing what you think about our new trailer in our brand new Spiral Community!

Post comment Comments
YamahaAlex37
YamahaAlex37

(buried)

WRONG! the Indie Dream is that I can make an MMO as good as, or a little better than WoW, by myself! I will prevail! Guys, what is a good engine to start with?

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C&C-Pickled
C&C-Pickled

(buried)

why are there so many of you people, you think you have the next big thing etc. but really you need TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FAIL

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ponpat
ponpat

I think he meant it ironic or even sarkasm.
Nearly everyone knows, that all "kids" always dream bout "a masterpiece of mmo" because they can not imagine how much work there will be "only" in the coding part...
Also saying "by my self" is for me a phrase that let me know he can not mean it like he said.
So there are two possibilitys: trolling or ironic. And trolls usually are some how harder with their comments.
So do not give him - just because you didn't understand the "joke". I write often ironic comments and if other people gets - for it, this scars me bout writing my own comments :/ *crying*

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Paxton
Paxton

So living in Indie dream is basically the best thing ever.

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Tatsur0
Tatsur0

I'd say it's both a great and terrible thing. There are numerous indies and more so with the UDK out. I've seen small teams do great things (look at Uber Entertainment congrats again to them and Monday Night Combat) and larger teams take on too much. A virtual developer model is also quite difficult as it's very similar to a mod development team where it's easy for some to lose interest after a time and need to be replaced quickly or things can slow to a stop if you're not too careful. In other words it's the dream job but requires a lot of work even for the simplest projects. Good luck Spiral :)

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Lord_of_Sausage
Lord_of_Sausage

Somehow, getting your name into Orion as a character is quite amusing.

"Noo! Master Bation!"

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Neon-Ghost
Neon-Ghost

Can't wait for GDC :D

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Anddos
Anddos

begging developers is bad

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_dhk_
_dhk_

Good update.

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Kamikazi[Uk]
Kamikazi[Uk]

I like your game but i think your going about this all wrong. For me indies is all about a hobby game not begging people to pay for you to make a game. You havn't even really showen us a demo yet and already people are paying money to you guys.

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Desiderium
Desiderium

Firstly - what they have shown so far stands up heavily along the side of a demo, if not more. Developing a game is not just about having fun - it's hard, it takes time and it costs money.

Secondly - that's really not some constructive critics right there. How about some understanding and respect towards people working hard to create a product you can enjoy? Have you considered the fact that they need to pay their bills by chance? Or eat something? Being it small or big game, it still costs time - and time is money. Everyone just rants - don't do big games, you'll fail! But hey, Spiral guys know how to stick to their goal, and look where they got!

Spiral Game Studios is a prime example of how to put down a goal and stick to it. No matter what.

So next time you start insulting people that are giving up a lot of things to accomplish something great as this - please sit down, think a bit, and then talk. It was really not nice what you just wrote there.

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Kamikazi[Uk]
Kamikazi[Uk]

I do know what it takes to make a indie game. I have created my own Indie game and worked making mods for past 7 years.

I wasn't saying they suck or insulting them, at making games etc. All i was saying is you don't need $10,000 plus publishers that they were saying are sponsoring them and Microsoft tools etc. How can you possibly need that much money when they are using UDK which is free to use.

Good luck to them anyway though i'm sure game will be great. Don't want to argue about it was just saying is only my opinion of it.

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Praz Author
Praz

We appreciate the kind words at the end, however, we need to straighten out a few facts:

A. - No publishers are helping us. Yes, there are many publishers interested in the game but our main focus is the actual game build, and retaining it's creative vision before ever signing any deals.

B. - $10,000 is not much - when it needs to cover 20 key developers, the preparation for GDC, the development towards the Multiplayer Beta. Also, it will cost just around $1,000 USD to simply create all of the KickStarter gift packages. On top of this, a total of 10% is given to KickStarter AND Amazon - so roughly another $1,000.

C. - We do have partners, yes, both Microsoft (through BizSpark) and NVIDIA. However, they don't fund us - only save us money in some regards. We get free software for the company from Microsoft, and NVIDIA will supply us technology here and there. Otherwise, we fund and support ourselves, whether its technology, passes, flights, software - everything.

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linfosoma
linfosoma

That's not really the best kind of PR in the world.
The guy made a comment that you didnt like in a polite and civilized manner and you react accusing him by saying he's insulting you?

I dont want to start an argument here but replying to every comment like that is going to accomplish nothing but giving you a bad name.
Hope you dont take this the wrong way.

Alex-

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Kamikazi[Uk]
Kamikazi[Uk]

ok that is good then :p. Well yah i guess if your going to GDC etc it probley will cost quiet abit. Good luck with your game though :D.

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Praz Author
Praz

@linfosoma

What are you talking about?

I thanked him for the kind words and gave him the appropriate facts in order to establish a more "appropriate" view of why we are holding this event and how we operate.

___________

@Kamikazi

GDC ain't cheap - that's for sure :)

We appreciate that, and we hope to see you in the beta killing dinosaurs by our side :)

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Kamikazi[Uk]
Kamikazi[Uk]

Yah i can't wait to kill some dinosaurs either in origin or primal carnage :D. Loved the old turok games so been awhile since i slayed some dinos :D.

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TomTodia
TomTodia

No, Kamakazi was spot on with his comment. He didn't offer it in a rude or insulting way, and you are way too sensitive for a developer. As far as showing respect to people working hard, that's what you do to get a game made, work hard. It doesn't appear that you are doing it for free right? Is that what you plan on showing publishers at GDC? Good luck! (not being sarcastic)

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Xienen
Xienen

Squelching this misunderstanding: Desiderium is not an Orion developer, but Praz is. Desiderium is a developer standing up for a fellow developer, but none of the Orion developers have responded in a harsh fashion to the criticism expressed above.

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wolfbrother9393
wolfbrother9393

The Indie Dream is working on a game that you can finish and share with the community.

I've recently become a part of that, and it's wonderful.

Keep it up guys. You're game looks awesome and it sounds like you might even end up with a AAA Indie. It looks the part and it's becoming quite a big deal.

I wish you luck and plan on purchasing it at some point to support you guys.

Great work!
-E

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p0w3rs
p0w3rs

this made me cry

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tank10000
tank10000

i've just found this and i love that you guys have a global indie team whuch supports it's self and makes games fore both pc xbox and ps3 gamers :)

just one question will this pop up under they indie games list on xbox live?

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Praz Author
Praz

We are scheduling for release on Steam, XBLA and PSN - so it would be located under the Xbox Live Arcade games tab :)

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omgpwn
omgpwn

You should add a "Thanks for the donations" section in the credits, and list the names of donors. I'm sure that would get you more donations. Anyways, very nice job guys, I wish you the best of luck!

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Praz Author
Praz

We are going to do them one better - they are going to be in the game credits, the official game website (when it goes up) and get some awesome "thank you" letters with some incredible artwork.

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Greatdictator
Greatdictator

Quick question the video above seemd to be abit too much from what ive seen , so far ive mostly seen colorfull enviroments , and dinosaurs really .

Any explanation as to how these worlds and aliens will fit it all toghether ?

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Praz Author
Praz

The deeper story elements will appear via the trilogy, which we've mentioned quite a bit. ORION: Prelude is simply that - a prelude to a brand new game series.

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noderunner
noderunner

I don't see how this business model is that different from a start-up seeking investors to get going. The investors in this case are simply gamers interested in the game. For all the people making negative remarks about the developers "begging for money", I'd like to know why this is any different from asking a bank for a loan to start a small business?

In my opinion, what makes "investing" in a game like this an odd business model, is competition. Consumers can purchase dozens of high-quality games that are already finished and available on the market, and this number grows on a weekly basis.

That said, there will usually be a small, niche segment of consumers interested in supporting indie game development who find personal value in such investments, so I don't really see why insulting anyone is necessary or reasonable.

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Stevoisiak
Stevoisiak

One thing I really HAVEN'T seen yet is actual gameplay. Yes, I've seen the trailers, but trailers can make ANYTHING look good. I want to see RAW GAMEPLAY before I put money into this.

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Praz Author
Praz

We'll be hooking you up with that sort of goodness shortly after GDC. That is what the KickStarter funds are attributing to.

As of now, everything you've seen in the footage, whether it's the dinosaurs, characters, weapons, UI and plenty of other things - is all placeholder.

We are currently putting in all of the new and official content and the game is looking incredible.

In a month or two, you will be seeing some incredible game play :)

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Sierra-93
Sierra-93

*rubs hands together Mr Burns style*
Cant wait!

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eirhjien
eirhjien

good stuff, never forget though, keep it simple stupid. You don't have to blow your creative wad the first time through, save something for the sequel.

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Praz Author
Praz

The trilogy is already designed - ORION 2 is personally my favorite in terms of story and feature-sets.

We've planned accordingly :)

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formerlyknownasMrCP
formerlyknownasMrCP

If someone pledges money to you what exactly happens? Is it treated as a donation or is it treated as an investment (where each investor is then promised a return either in the form of the game itself or in the form of a cash return?). You've not given much information on that and I'd have a serious problem if you weren't offering anything for their trouble.

I'm just concerned, I want to know that you guys are doing the right thing here. If there was to be a return of some kind then that would mean you're doing the right thing, as Community Funding should exist to benfit both parties mutually.

EDIT: I just read, you guys aren't offering proper returns, just access to multiplayer betas and DLC.. that's a bit unfair given these people are effectively providing you guys capital to develop. My opinion is they deserve more, especially if they donate $1000. At the $100 mark they should get the game for free IMO.

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formerlyknownasMrCP
formerlyknownasMrCP

I just realized the entire series is split up into 4 parts.. making it even more concerning. So in the end the only content if they "invest" they receive is for the Prelude? which you said is priced at $15..

You guys are capitalists, you're not accepting donations so don't treat it as such. Definately give your investors a better return, because DLC and a Multiplayer Beta simply doesn't cut it.

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formerlyknownasMrCP
formerlyknownasMrCP

Ok I realize now that the $100 pledge gives you the Prelude for free my apologies for not noticing this earlier and sorry if I have offended, but that's still a lot of money for something that is worth $15. I want to know that in the end you guys are doing the right thing by your investors and that the community funded model is being done justice.

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Praz Author
Praz

@Mr Cyberpunk:

There is a story to tell - that spans 3 games - yes.

There are rewards from KickStarter that DO carry over to ORION 1 - yes.

We are aiming to release Prelude @ 14.99 across all three platforms - with TONS of free dlc.

_____

The donation packages act as a way to get rewarded. If you take a look around KickStarter - you'll notice tons of package. Hoewever, the main "big" one they all use is "putting you in the credits". We offer A LOT more than that. In fact KickStarter themselves (among many others) have praised our level of rewards - which is going to cost just over $1,000 to create all those gift packages and send out. Some of the rewards include:

-Exclusive Jetpack particle color
-In-game icons & decals
-Custom weapons
-Custom armors
-T-Shirts
-Digital Soundtracks
-ORION: Prelude the game (platform of choice)
-Being made into a video game character (ORION 1)
-Achievement named after you

We really wanted to be able to include the full game within the $50 mark, but the overall expense compared to giving the game away in that package woudl negatively affect the company.

On top of this, people are donating for the rewards and the game - yes, but they are also donating because they believe in what we do - or the game itself - so they ARE throwing some extra dollars just towards us.

I hope I helped clear some things up - if you have any other questions please feel free to ask - as I would be more than happy to answer them :)

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formerlyknownasMrCP
formerlyknownasMrCP

Thankyou for the detailed reply. I hope you can excuse the negative attitude of my posting, I've been a huge campaigner on this site for community funding so its a pretty important subject for me to see done right, and if things go positively you might actually be able to use ModDB's services in the future to run operations like this.

It's a big gamble to leave to just faith in the product and team, I honestly hope though that it pays off for you and your customers. You've got a promsing product and its always great to see another indie out there succeeding.

Thanks again and I wish you luck with your launch. If there's any criticism I can give to ensure that the investors get the best deal possible, I will not hesistate to give it ;)

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