What platforms will Age of Grit be released on?
We are focusing on releasing PC, Mac, and Linux versions and will then target on iOS . We are developing AOG using the Unity engine so porting to different platforms isn’t a huge issue. We are also considering Android as well as other platforms. For iOS we will certainly have an iPad version of the game, but we are unsure if a universal app (one that supports both iPad and iPhone) is feasible. Its a question of whether or not the UI will make sense on the small screen of an iPhone. It likely will work just fine but we won’t know for sure until the game is in beta and can be extensively tested on smaller screens. Last updated: Sun, Aug 24 2014 8:14 pm EDT
Where will the game be sold?
Our goal is to get on Steam and we’ll soon launch a Steam Greenlight campaign. Greenlight has made it a lot easier for smaller devs to get on Steam, but its still an uphill battle. In the event that we don’t get on Steam we will consider other distribution venues. Assuming we get on Steam you will receive the game via a Steam key for either PC or Mac. If we don’t get on Steam we will have to find another way to get everyone their copy of the game–depending on where the game ends up. Unfortunately we can’t offer reward copies of the game for iOS. I wish we could but the App Store just doesn’t support developers giving out free copies of their game. So to be clear: your reward copy of Age of Grit MUST be for either PC or Mac. Last updated: Tue, Aug 19 2014 9:20 pm EDT
Who is the main character?
The main character will be “The Captain.” He has a deep back story and will develop as a character as the game progresses. Additionally the ship has a whole crew of characters–each has a rich personality and will play important roles in the overall story. Each crew member gains experience individually and can be leveled up separately. They each have their own special abilities and unique skills that will help you both in combat and other scenarios. Last updated: Tue, Aug 19 2014 9:20 pm EDT
How long will the game take to beat?
This one is hard until we have a working beta and can really test our how long its going to take. But we’re estimating the main story-line of Age of Grit will be roughly 15-25 hours in duration. Part of it depends on how many side adventures players want to pursue and the pace they set for themselves. One of our stretch goals will be a New Game+ for extra replayability. Last updated: Tue, Aug 19 2014 9:28 pm EDT
Why does your budget seem lower than that of some other games?
If you take a look around Kickstarter you’ll actually find a lot of games with similar funding goals. Of course there are some with much higher goals as well. Those are the games that tend to get a lot of coverage so it’s easy to understand why some people use those projects as the standard by which they measure other games. But its really like comparing apples to oranges. Wookies to Sasquatches. Wampas to abominable snowmen. Every game is unique and every studio is unique. There have been some amazing games made by just one person and there’s also been great games made by teams of thousands. Its difficult to compare one studio to another or the budgets of different games. Even when two games seem similar when you get under the hood they differ vastly in complexity. That being said, we are keeping costs to a minimum a few different ways. First, I (Andy) will be doing a lot of the work myself and I won’t be taking a salary. As an indie developer I’m very used to making much much less than US minimum wage for an extended period of time. For Age of Grit, I’ll be working on the game full time making $0/hour. I hope that upon release the game will be financially successful and I can make some money for myself at that point in time. It very well might not be, but I really believe in this game and I’m willing to take that risk. Second we’ve really narrowed the game down to its core essence. Age of Grit will really consist of only a few basic game systems–the combat engine, dialog system, a simple first person 2d town system, a quest/job system, inventory/crafting mechanics, and over world traveling mechanics. The entire game will be built on these very simple and basic systems. Once we get those basic systems in place we can do tons with just a minimal amount of programming work. Third we have very low over head. We are all working remotely–we don’t have a physical HQ or anything like that. As for the other members of the team, none of them will be working full time on this project. Some of them have other jobs and will be working on Age of Grit on the side. Others are full time contractors and will be working on other projects in addition to this one. I’ve worked extensively with everyone on the team before and can attest to their ability to stick to a given budget and get things done. Each member of our team will be tasked with specific jobs (specific artwork, programming help etc.) and I’ve already negotiated things out with each of them. Our base funding goal of $12,000 covers those costs, Kickstarter and payment processing fees, and also includes a healthy contingency fund. If the contingency fund isn’t used up it will go into more artwork and music. Hopefully that helps explain things a bit better! We are hoping to reach some stretch goals so we can expand on the core concept for Age of Grit and include some additional features and content. Last updated: Thu, Sep 4 2014 6:39 am EDT
Do you get to create your own party from the beginning of the game?
In the early planning stages of Age of Grit we played around a lot with the idea of character customization from the outset of the game. We considered sort of an Oregon Trail approach–where you customize everything single detail about your starting crew. The problem with this is approach is it would detract from the overall narrative of the game. For Age of Grit we really want to tell a deep story about the ship’s Captain and his crew. Each character has a back story, a unique personality, and a character arc throughout the course of the game. To make this work properly we had to forgo the idea of character customization at the start of the game. Of course once the game begins Age of Grit will be heavily focused on customizing the ship’s crew. Each character has a unique skill tree and his/her own individual stats and abilities. And of course as you progress through the game you’ll be heavily customizing your ship in just about every way possible. This is my absolute favorite thing about RPGs–the elements of player directed progression. It allows you to make each character your own and lets you put your own personal stamp on the game. So while everyone will start off with the same set of characters, by the end of the game each player’s crew will be quite personalized and unique. Last updated: Thu, Sep 4 2014 6:39 am EDT
What is BackerKit?
BackerKit is a service that crowdfunded project creators use to keep track of hundreds to tens of thousands of backers—from shipping details, pledge levels, preferences and quantities, whether they have paid or had their card declined, special notes, and everything in between!
The BackerKit software and support team is independent from the campaign’s project team—BackerKit does not handle the actual reward shipping. For more information about the preparation or delivery status of your rewards, please check the project's updates page.
How does BackerKit work?
After the campaign ends, the project creator will send you an email with a unique link to your survey. You can check out a walkthrough of the process here.
I never received my invitation. How do I complete the survey?
The most common reasons for not receiving a survey email is that you may be checking an email inbox different from the email address you used to sign up with Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Tilt Pro account, or it may be caught in your spam filter.
Confirm that the email address you are searching matches the email address tied to your Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Tilt Pro account. If that doesn’t work, then try checking your spam, junk or promotions folders. You can also search for "backerkit” in your inbox.
To resend the survey to yourself, visit the project page and input the email address associated with your Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Tilt Pro account.
How do I update my shipping address?
BackerKit allows you to update your shipping address until the shipping addresses are locked by the project creator. To update your address, go back to your BackerKit survey by inputting your email here.
When will my order be shipped, charged or locked?
That is handled directly by the project creator. BackerKit functions independently of the project itself, so we do not have control of their physical shipping timeline. If you want to check on the project’s status, we recommend reading over the project's updates page.
I completed the survey, but haven't received my rewards yet. When will they arrive?
As BackerKit does not actually handle any rewards or shipping, the best way to stay updated on the shipping timeline would be to check out the project's updates page.