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[Pineapple]

hey bleak, did I ever tell you that I love you?

[gimymblert]

If you make a kickstarter be sure to differentiate from the competitor:






You will be inevitably compared too and people might question your game because those where up on the news before you

[eobet]

If you make a kickstarter be sure to differentiate from the competitor:






You will be inevitably compared too and people might question your game because those where up on the news before you

Whoah, looking at those videos, the big question is what differentiates Timber and Stone from Stonehearth? 

[Seiseki]

I'm pretty sure Timber and Stone came first

[BleakProspects]

If you make a kickstarter be sure to differentiate from the competitor:






You will be inevitably compared too and people might question your game because those where up on the news before you

Don't care. I knew what I wanted to make and I made it. I didn't even know about "Timer and Stone" when I started, and I'm 100% sure Stonehearth started 2-4 months after I did. I mean, apply this principle to any indie game and nobody would make "just another puzzle platformer" or whatever. This genre is currently low-hanging fruit.

[Kurt]

wow u copyed minecraft :/// notch is gunna here about tihs!!!1 1!!

[gimymblert]

Well I was talking in the context of a public campain on kickstarter and avoiding backlash since it looks like a "genre in the rise" (the minecraft fortress genre)

[Seiseki]

I don't care which order the games came in either. Nor that they all use blocks in some way.
Dwarfcorp has it's awesome pixel art with 2d sprites and focus on dwarves.
That makes it stand out compared to Stonehearth and Timber and Stone which look pretty alike with their voxel approach.

I think that with pixel art Dwarfcorp has an edge when it comes to details like crafting, since you can have detailed icons for everything and small graphics like the archery practice targets.

[BleakProspects]

Well I was talking in the context of a public campain on kickstarter and avoiding backlash since it looks like a "genre in the rise" (the minecraft fortress genre)

You're right about that. Hopefully it isn't too much of a problem.

By the way, here's a little preview of a thing on the kickstarter. Keeping mum about everything else!

[Quarry]

Right side is very empty, I'd suggest lowering the balloon to cover that area

[Eigen]

That image makes the game look very flat. Almost like a sidescroller. The real game is anything but that ... you might want to reconsider and show the wonkyness of the terrain, underground rooms and all that good stuff, things that make DwarfCorp's look.

[BleakProspects]

Right side is very empty, I'd suggest lowering the balloon to cover that area

It's my kickstarter's goal meter. The right side is covered in text. I just took the text off to see what it would look like as a poster.

[Chris Koźmik]

Your screenshoots are far more beautiful than this 2D thing (plus it does not convey the 3D nature of the game at all). I suggest using screenshots instead.

[eobet]

Right side is very empty, I'd suggest lowering the balloon to cover that area

It's my kickstarter's goal meter. The right side is covered in text. I just took the text off to see what it would look like as a poster.

I think it's messy with that blue sky. Why not have only the blue sky on the top where the logo is, and then have all the kickstarter goals digging down, with the last one being "WE'RE TOO DEEP" or something. Sticking with the theme and creating a clear look, imo.

[Netsu]

It would be balls if instead of a 2D image you would layer 3D layouts of underground complexes, each below the previous one. But that's probably way too much work for just a meter.

[Seiseki]

It would be balls if instead of a 2D image you would layer 3D layouts of underground complexes, each below the previous one. But that's probably way too much work for just a meter.

Actually I don't think stuff like that should be underestimated.
Giving a clear feel for the dwarven underground mines and various rooms is definitely something you should attempt. Without dark tunnels lit by lanterns and underground treasure, you're missing out on a lot of classic stuff the theme has to offer and what fans will expect.

In the image there's a ladder that goes on the side of the dirt, instead of in a tunnel.
There's also only one cave, it would be much more interesting with lots of tunnels going all over the place with dwarves and goblins at each others throats.

[BleakProspects]

Interesting, thanks for the advice guys! I've thought about going down instead of up with a dwarf tunneling down and revealing new levels of fortress over time, but I was a bit concerned about the confusion of "more money means down". I guess that makes sense in the context of the game as well! (since deeper ores are usually better). I might do that a bit later, since it took me so long to make this one anyway

I thought you might enjoy these bits of art we made to composite into images for the kickstarter:

The king of the Dwarves delivering the Royal Charter (from a cutscene):



A beautiful new balloon from plasticware:

[BleakProspects]

New Balloon in the game (and reflection of dynamic objects in water). Also, we now have a facebook + twitter!

[Conker534]

Looks great!

[Seiseki]

I'm still concerned about the camera, how will the balloon look from above and below?