Jane Austen MMO Reaches Kickstarter Goal

[Fanghawk]

Jane Austen MMO Reaches Kickstarter Goal

It is a truth universally acknowledged that gamers in possession of good fortunes must support a Kickstarter. So they did.

Ever, Jane, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/129378-Jane-Austen-MMO-Sensibly-Seeks-100K-On-Kickstarter>the Jane Austen-inspired MMO that debuted on Kickstarter, is certainly one of the more unique game ideas warranting a crowdfunding campaign. Instead of offering an MMO fantasy world of elves and magic, Ever, Jane takes place in regency period England as characters improve their wealth and standing by attending social events, playing mini-games, or simply spreading gossip about rivals. It's a original concept that even drew attention from those who don't follow MMOs, which gives it a good chance of becoming a finished product. With just a day left on the clock, Ever, Jane exceeded its $100,000 goal by $9,000, compiled across exactly 1600 backers.

3 Turn Productions will be tweaking one aspect of Ever, Jane's proposed gameplay: <a href=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/30564009/ever-jane-the-virtual-world-of-jane-austen/posts/680509>The hierarchical subscription model. With this system, players could pay into a preferred subscription tier, automatically lifting them into higher strata of English gentry. After hearing concerns that players might miss out on content simply because they cannot pay, project head Judy L. Tyrer stated that free players will be allowed to climb Ever, Jane's social ladder.

"This is not a zero sum game so 'winning' becomes self defined," Tyrer writes. "Still, there is a difference in game play and it is reasonable for someone to want to play a Baronet and yet not be able to sustain that subscription level financially in the real world. So we will be allowing even the free-to-play players to eventually, and through a great deal of in-game effort, rise as far up the hierarchy as anyone paying a higher subscription rate would be able to.

"It may take a F2P player much longer to achieve what someone can buy a subscription for now. But the full experience of the game will be available."

It will still be some time, January 2016 at least, before the finished version of Ever, Jane becomes available. In the meantime, backers will still be able to play Ever, Jane's prototype, while new players will be able to join by donating to an upcoming website.

With thanks to <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/view/GundamSentinel>GundamSentinel for the <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/7.833241.20368770>rather appropriate Kickstarter joke.

Source: <a href=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/30564009/ever-jane-the-virtual-world-of-jane-austen/posts/680951>Kickstarter

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[JoJo]

Crazy starving peasant, here I come! How many tea parties do you think they'll let me disrupt before I get sent to the gallows?

 

[lacktheknack]

All my dreams of becoming Mr. Darcy: REALIZED.

Then again, I suck at being a socialite... so...

 

[bliebblob]

So basically, when faced with the typical free-to-play issue of dividing your playerbase into two (or more) social strata, their answer was "Hey! Let's make that a gameplay element!" ?

That's... bold, if nothing else.

 

[War Penguin]

This is one of those things that I can now sleep more soundly at night knowing that it exists.

All my dreams of becoming Mr. Darcy: REALIZED.

Reminds me of that Hark! A Vagrant comic of Mr. Darcy fan fiction:

Spoiler

So if you're ever gonna be Mr. Darcy, be warned... xD

So basically, when faced with the typical free-to-play issue of dividing your playerbase into two (or more) social strata, their answer was "Hey! Let's make that a gameplay element!" ?

That's... bold, if nothing else.

I dunno. I feel like this is one way that the free-to-play model might actually work, since this is based in a time period where social structures were more contrasting and noticeable. This seems like one of those great experimental art games, where if it fails, we now know that free-to-play is just broken beyond repair. However, if it succeeds, then we can hopefully follow in its footsteps to properly use this model.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Interesting idea, too bad my High School senior year english teacher turned me off of that period of literature because of her insistence that Jane Austin was the best writer ever and would lecture incessantly on the subject. So anything remotely Austen related makes me somewhat nauseous and heavily annoyed. Too bad because the concept is rather different.

 

[Albino Boo]

Crazy starving peasant, here I come! How many tea parties do you think they'll let me disrupt before I get sent to the gallows?

You could always be Mr Bingley's bit of rough, Jeb the blacksmith.

 

[kailus13]

So basically, when faced with the typical free-to-play issue of dividing your playerbase into two (or more) social strata, their answer was "Hey! Let's make that a gameplay element!" ?

That's... bold, if nothing else.

Wasn't that the way it worked in real life? Those with money having an easy life, while those with no money have to work really hard to even think of addressing the gentry?

I think I'd pretend to be a mad hobo if I ever played this game. "Heyo Mr Darcy, how's your lil'un?" "I don't have any children." "Who was 'at you wer' 'olding yesterday 'en?" "That was a bag of flour" "Well you treat little A Bag Of Flour well now y'hear?"

 

[lacktheknack]

This is one of those things that I can now sleep more soundly at night knowing that it exists.

All my dreams of becoming Mr. Darcy: REALIZED.

Reminds me of that Hark! A Vagrant comic of Mr. Darcy fan fiction:

Spoiler

So if you're ever gonna be Mr. Darcy, be warned... xD

Way to scare me, man! xD

Now, who will be Elizabeth...?

 

[War Penguin]

This is one of those things that I can now sleep more soundly at night knowing that it exists.

All my dreams of becoming Mr. Darcy: REALIZED.

Reminds me of that Hark! A Vagrant comic of Mr. Darcy fan fiction:

Spoiler

So if you're ever gonna be Mr. Darcy, be warned... xD

Way to scare me, man! xD

Now, who will be Elizabeth...?

Well, if you don't want to be Darcy, then I'll happily take that role. That sounds awesome! xD

 

[lacktheknack]

This is one of those things that I can now sleep more soundly at night knowing that it exists.

All my dreams of becoming Mr. Darcy: REALIZED.

Reminds me of that Hark! A Vagrant comic of Mr. Darcy fan fiction:

Spoiler

So if you're ever gonna be Mr. Darcy, be warned... xD

Way to scare me, man! xD

Now, who will be Elizabeth...?

Well, if you don't want to be Darcy, then I'll happily take that role. That sounds awesome! xD

NO, MY DARCY.

I just need an Elizabeth to act as a bodyguard partner.

 

[War Penguin]

This is one of those things that I can now sleep more soundly at night knowing that it exists.

All my dreams of becoming Mr. Darcy: REALIZED.

Reminds me of that Hark! A Vagrant comic of Mr. Darcy fan fiction:

Spoiler

So if you're ever gonna be Mr. Darcy, be warned... xD

Way to scare me, man! xD

Now, who will be Elizabeth...?

Well, if you don't want to be Darcy, then I'll happily take that role. That sounds awesome! xD

NO, MY DARCY.

I just need an Elizabeth to act as a bodyguard partner.

I would volunteer as Elizabeth, but... well, you read the comic.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

Again, THIS gets its money and Project Awakened doesn't?! I get more bitter about it every time...

 

[inzesky]

Again, THIS gets its money and Project Awakened doesn't?! I get more bitter about it every time...

Because an open world game about superheroes and a MMO based on the works of Jane Austen have so much in common and practically share the same potential audience, right?

 

[Azaraxzealot]

Again, THIS gets its money and Project Awakened doesn't?! I get more bitter about it every time...

Because an open world game about superheroes and a MMO based on the works of Jane Austen have so much in common and practically share the same potential audience, right?

My point being this is so much more niche that I can't comprehend why this would be supported more than a game with customizable superheroes with customizable superpowers, which Saints Row 4 is currently the only one. Not only that, but project awakened didn't even ask for a million dollars, while most kickstarters ask for around that much. It's baffling and infuriating at the same time.

 

[Objectable]

White chicks with lots of cash complain and whine about their lives.
The video game!

 

[kailus13]

My point being this is so much more niche that I can't comprehend why this would be supported more than a game with customizable superheroes with customizable superpowers, which Saints Row 4 is currently the only one. Not only that, but project awakened didn't even ask for a million dollars, while most kickstarters ask for around that much. It's baffling and infuriating at the same time.

The Jane Austen MMO only asked for $100,00 though, and it didn't exceed that by much. There's also the fact that there are no other games like this, whereas those who are interested in superheroes still have Saints Row 4.

This game is GOLD for trolls. Oh my god. I'm going to have so much fun trolling/roleplaying in that game.

It'll be so easy as well. "And what are you talking about?" "We were just talking about how much of a ***** you are, Lady Florence."

Or give yourself a really horrible username like Lady Siphilis or something and then play it stright.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

My point being this is so much more niche that I can't comprehend why this would be supported more than a game with customizable superheroes with customizable superpowers, which Saints Row 4 is currently the only one. Not only that, but project awakened didn't even ask for a million dollars, while most kickstarters ask for around that much. It's baffling and infuriating at the same time.

The Jane Austen MMO only asked for $100,00 though, and it didn't exceed that by much. There's also the fact that there are no other games like this, whereas those who are interested in superheroes still have Saints Row 4.

That's not a fair comparison, though, since at the time Saints Row 4 was just a thing that we knew was coming but we knew nothing about. It was still in its nebulous "Enter the Dominatrix" stage. Most kickstarters I see succeed are asking for a million or so and then get over 6 million in funding.