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So guys, I am going to put my reputation on the line and everything.  8)

As soon as I am finished with a multiplayer tetris game and can put it in maintenance mode(fix bugs and all), I will be working on my next video game project. It will use bitcoin, require bitcoin, and be funded with bitcoin. It will be placed under the public domain.


The Game

Here's a brief description from another thread:


I will have a site up and some codebase up as soon as possible when I reached 1200 BTC in pledged funds. If you're not confident about my coding ability, you will see my multiplayer tetris clone game pretty soon.

Pledge Rewards

What's in it for you to pledge?  Well, there's several levels of reward for pledging and more information will come up as soon as I figured out the pledge level. But here's the initial levels:

Level 0: Any BTC amount: You will get energy credit and an account as soon as the game enter beta.

Level 1: 5 BTC and higher: You will get your name on the credit page.

Level 2: 10 BTC and higher: Access to the game forum. 1 memory slot.

Level 3: 25 BTC and higher: alpha tester. 5 memory slots.

Level 4: 50 BTC and higher: You get a map named after you! 10 memory slots.

Level 5: 75 BTC and higher: coding session via skype for an hour. Views my coding at work and chitchat about the game for an hour. 15 memory slot.

Level 6: 100 BTC and higher: 30 memory slots.

Level 7: 250 BTC and higher: 50 memory slots.

Remember, the more BTC you pledge, the more stuff you get. However, only memory slots don't accumulates.

Note: Memory slots are simply genetic information that you can carry to each and every game. It give you great advantages if you can utilize it to save effective design. Otherwise you will only have human memory to save the design, which in the heat of battle, can be hard to remember.

Note2: I won't be responsible for holding your money in escrow. If you are a trusted member of the community, this is your opportunity to earn some reputation by being an escrow agent for this project.

How Will I Use The Money

What would I used the money for? It will be saved for "rainy day" fund and I'll use the money to sustain myself to work on this game. This way, I will be able to work on the game full time.

The Deal

When I complete this project, the game will be public domain and its source code glory will be revealed for all to see. Plus, pledgers get goodies.

The Price

I am funding this game "kickstarter style". I am looking for 1200 BTC in pledges.

Stay tuned for more information in the future.

The Pledgers
Pledge:

1. em3rgentOrdr - 50 BTC
2. molecular - 25 BTC
3. BlueMatt - 5 BTC
4. hozer - 50 BTC
5. diablo - 10 BTC
6. SmokeTooMuch - 10 BTC
7. dirtyfilthy - 50 BTC
8. ducki2p - 50 BTC
9. EvanR - 10 BTC
10. BioMike - 50 BTC
11. AtroXious - 5 BTC
12. noagendamarket - 20 BTC
Total: 315/1200 BTC.
Percentage Raised: 27.9166667

I think it will be great if you'll make some art before people start paying for your game.

I love the concept of only being able to use indirect operations!!!  Makes for very interesting and unique gameplay.  Looking forward to it.

I pledge 5 BTC.

You can start pledging now. There is no risk.

There will be no art in this game. I designed the game so that everything is procedurally generated so that I don't need artists.

pledging BTC 25

So, any reason for not pledging bitcoin to this project?

Not my kind of game, but I'll send 5 just to support the idea of a bitcoin-funded game.

Thanks for the support!





And....everyone who read this thread...If you have doubt or feedback, I would like to hear from you!

Pledging 50 BTC now, and I want to pledge more once the git repo for the multiplayer tetris code is up. I find this fascinating enough I just might buy some miners with real money and pledge the output ;)

Thanks. Will work my butt off to finish the last leg of this multiplayer tetris project tomorrow. Now I have school.

Bring in a serious art director with gaming experience or something similar and I will certainly get 200 BTC going your way.

Sir, the art is procedurally generated to limit the necessary work have to be done.

An art director would eat into my bounty and represent a large portion of my expense. Artwork creation is as labor intensive process if not more than the programming. The crowdfunding target would needs to be higher.

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

I'll go for 5 BTC for now. If you release anything nice (screenshots) I'll probably go for more.

I'm going to give you 10 BTC when this is finished.
Make sure to let me know via pm when this happens.

EDIT: kiba has cancelled this project so I retrace my pledge.

We reached a very small milestone: 100 BTC.  ;D

Now, I have 1100 BTC to go. Let keep the pledge drive going!

Procedurally created or not, someone decides what looks good or doesn't. Not that I think that's really the main thing with this game. I'll think about pledging later, I'm not in a state of mind somehow to decide if I see this working out or not.

If you have any questions...ask me.

Pledging 50 BTC for interesting concept alone

(adding thread to my watchlist)

I added more reward levels for those who pledge lot of bitcoin.

Coincidentally I just now searched the internet for an "html5 dungeon crawl" and I stumbled upon this fun (but uncompleted) HTML5 Dungeon Crawler called "Cardinal Quest" (http://www.tametick.com/cq/).  It turns out that the developer "received $4,800 ($4,421 after 8bf's 5% fee + paypal transaction fees) which should go a long way in helping finishing the game" (http://blog.tametick.com/) by using some website called http://8bitfunding.com/ (http://8bitfunding.com/) to crowdsource investment funding for his game.  Unfortunately, they use paypal, and charge 5% fee ontop of paypal's 2.9% + $.30, but it's a great idea.  I'd like such a website that accepts bitcoin...

I suppose you should feel free to post your game there once you have a working demo, if you care for paypal USD.

I want only bitcoin!

:)  Here here!  That's the spirit!  8)

But yeah...it would be nice to have some automated way to fund such things as setting bounties for software development, putting pledges in escrow, and collecting the money once a final product is actually released...

bitstarter.com is already taken, damn!

Look like crowdfunding this project won't be so easy.

Well, you could sell the game and offer dividends to investors.

The reward I am offering:

1. A public domain game.

2. Exclusive access.

3. In-game virtual goods.

You don't just pledges and get nothing. You'll get something.

Also: I added a new level.

For those who are interested in....proof that I can code, here's the image below:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5846/proofuh.jpg (http://img138.imageshack.us/i/proofuh.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

For those who wants to view my code repository: https://github.com/kiba/jstet

It's not the most nice looking code in the world, but I been working on this project on and off for several months. With the Automata RTS, I'll work on it harder and faster than I work on JStet.

But, there's still some outstanding bugs that I have to fix with jstet before I can move on.

wtf javascript?!

didnt know thats a serious option in game programming...

Javascript engines are becoming faster over time.

Kiba, what am I doing wrong?  I created a multiplayer game with one browser tab, then tried to join it in another browser tab, but nothing happened:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22971844/kibajstet.png

Did you start the server? You will need couchdb too.

http://jstet.kibabase.com/jstet.html

The JStet game is online! Somebody will probably crash it though.

Single and Multiplayer will works with varying level. However, custom game support is broken in the sense that it doesn't require a password to join.

It will works only on Google Chrome and Safari 5.

Firefox 4 disabled websockets by default.

I guess I don't have couchdb...

Awesome!  Works on my Google Chrome!  A bit jagged movement, but I guess some indication that kiba can code (I assume you coded this).

Yes, I coded everything except the coloring for tetris shape. (originally it was all white, but my customer didn't like it so he wrote it himself)

Bumpy bump.

I talked to a lot of people. There's lot of reason why they don't want to fund my project. It ranges from disinterest, being broke, not enough time to analyze, and don't wanna fund the competition.

Still, I am going to be a stubborn about it! There gottach be enough people in this community to fund my project. I just need to get the words out.

I pledge BTC 50

Thanks for the pledge! Now I reached 16.67 percent of my goal.

I realized that I need alpha tester to provide me quality data about the game. I also saw an opportunity to reorder the reward level to make it fit and how much.

I'm throwing in 10BTC.
I'll also give you 100BTC when it's done.
Done means you can put it in a box at supertarget next to world of goo.

I guess that mean you're only going to give me 10 BTC.

100 BTC is like several years later. I mean, it takes Angry Bird 9 years to be an overnight success.

I'll raise mine to 10 BTC then. Now stop using the foot in door trick.

Thank you for increasing your pledge!

Actually Kiba, I suspect you could use the stock exchange to raise funds for this, set up an organisation and sell shares(ownership) in it to raise the capital to develop the game, then the company can generate income by running a server for the game, charge a monthly fee or something with bitcoin. May dividend payments to shareholders of profit.

I am not selling ownership. I am selling a product, along with exclusive access and virtual goodies.

For Eris' sake, it's public domain! When I am finished with the hardcore month long coding marathon, you guys can set up your own servers independently of mine and charge for how much bitcoin you think you can get.

Even when I am finished with pounding intensely the game out, it will still need lot and lot of polishing. Hopefully, I'll earn some additional money that will support me. If not, next game project!

increase my pledge from 5 to 50 btc.  but i want a nice product.

Thank you!

(though I want to build a high quality game from the start)

I saw that I was not generous about memory slots, so I decided to upped the items.

Memory slots are great if you save great designs. Great against players who only utilize only human memory to remember designs.

The following is kind of related to your concept of crowdfunding where the "investor" gets early access to the final product.  

I hadn't known of this cinemashares approach before so I'm sharing the link:
  http://www.cinemashares.com/about.html

Apparently they believe these ideas to be patentable:
   - Patent: 6,792,411 http://1.usa.gov/gPXxvx
   - Patent: 7,885,887 http://1.usa.gov/hyXWmK

Oh my god! Those patents are downright hilarious!

Have you considered recruiting others to help create the project?

Advertisers, coders, ect.  Some people might be interested enough to do it for free.. Take FPSBanana's (Now GameBanana) old "MegaMod" for example.  Though it failed due to the site being DDoS'd everyday, the project managed to gain some-13+ people and create some truly fantastic work. 

I know a guy who created the game called Subvein entirely by himself.  His biggest regret was him not having anybody on board.

I am not sure if the complicated relationship is worth the labor.

Come on guys! Even a 5 BTC pledge helps!

I want to help, but still have some questions.

1) In what programming language will it be coded?
1a) What libraries will be used?
1b) Will I be able to run it on a Linux system?
2) Will it be open sourced or not? (Not a requirement for me to donate, but still good to know).
3) What are your plans after releasing the game? Support and more games?
4) When do you consider it to be finished (and have the funding being paid out)?

100% javascript except the deployment mechanism and other various miscellanea background development tasks.


Primary in coffeescript, processing.js, node.js, and some type of database that I have yet to picked out.


As long you run a modern browser(Chrome and Firefox 4), you'll be fine. Not sure if I can support IE9.


Even better. It will be public domain addition to being open source. No string attached. It will be tripled public domained for good measure. CC0, Unlicense, and WTFPL. Choose whatever make you free the most.


I'll continue working on it either in maintenance mode or in steady development. It won't be the intense development cycle that was in alpha. It really depends on how commercially successful this game at that point.

Otherwise, I will be looking at freelance jobs or asking money for my next game.

When I completed gameplay features and entered beta. Every week, users will get to test out a version. Pledgers can pay all or pay partially. This process continues until the game is completed.

P.S. I really need to complete the rails site I was building for automata-rts and put all the answered information and stuff into one slick marketing copy.

Ok, I pledge 50BTC (want a map named BioMike ;) ).

BTW, is there still someone as an escrow needed?

Nobody volunteers to be an escrow.

And thank you! That push me beyond 25% of bitcoin raised!

I have a client running on my server, but no coins in there. I'll make a new address for this tomorrow and post it here as an escrow account.
Unless someone objects...

kiba, one question: will bitcoin be usable as an in-game currency to allow players to purchase units, upgrades, trade with other players, or as prizes, for example?

Designs(memory slots) are tradable but there is no new units or upgrades.

I pledge 5 bitcoins.

Thanks for your pledge.

People who want to make use of the escrow, PM me for an address. I'll generate an unique address for every person to keep track of who paid what.

Currently in the escrow:
- BioMike: 50BTC

At the rate I am raising money for this project and the current saving I have, I don't think I'll be able to work on this project full-time for a month.

Unless the price of bitcoin grew significantly, I am going to have to work other jobs and save up some money. That will mean I have to work outside and inside the bitcoin economy.

I would love to be one of the first indie public domain game developer supported by bitcoin, but unfortunately I will have to delay that ambition. Thank you for your understanding.

10btc now and another 10 when its finished - for motivation

By "now" I mean when you start on it.  :)

I listed your as 20 BTC. Thanks for the pledge!

http://automata-rts.com/

Automata-RTS site launched! It only have the bare minimum: the homepage.

Will it need a web server OS or people will be able to play with a local copy in their desktop machines without needing a dedicated webserver OS? How would the paying for extra energy with real bitcoins work when playing offline?

Update for today.

People who want to make use of the escrow, PM me for an address. I'll generate an unique address for every person to keep track of who paid what.

Currently in the escrow:
- BioMike: 50BTC
- noagendamarket: 10BTC

web server OS?  ??? ???

The stuff many web hosting companies use instead of regular desktop OS, like could your average joe can just download the files, pull out the internet cable, double click a file or two and start playing the game?

???


It is a bit more complicated than that.

You said people would pay to play, but also that it would be open source and freelly distributed; i wanna know itwo things here, if people will be able to play without sending you money (and play completly offline), and if in order to play offline people need to setup a webserver on their machine or just loading the html file from the disk into their browser of choice (given it's one that is compatible with JS etc) would be enough to play the game.

Yeah, whatever. It's public domain. Do whatever you pleased with the game.

They need to start a web server + node.js.

Still looking for funding!

Bump!

I would like to lower my pledge from 25 to 5 BTC, I hope that's ok (it's still more USD-wise)

Kiba, have you thought about lowering the goal of 1200 BTC?

At beginning of April, when you started this thread, the exchange rate was 0.8%, it's now almost 10 times that.

I don't have any plan to start this project I don't have enough cash reserve to work on such project.

So let this thread die. When the time is right, I'll restart my crowdfunding effort. For now, I am focusing on making bitcoin weekly a profitable and high caliber magazine. Should I get enough money from bitcoinweekly, I can start thinking about doing this project.

(edit) bloops, managed to not read your last post.