Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Sir, You Are Being Kickstarted

By Jim Rossignol on November 2nd, 2012 at 11:00 am.


WARNING: Entirely self-promotional announcement ahead. (Love you!)
Over the past couple of years I haven’t just been blogging, I’ve also been making games. I’ve been making those games with two friends, Tom Betts and James Carey, with help from a bunch of other splendid people: artists, programmers, actors, musicians, and designers, all of whom I’ve been lucky to know. It’s been a strange experience, but it has also been with a very specific goal in mind: to make the kind of games that I want to play. The culmination of our efforts in this regard currently reside in Sir, You Are Being Hunted, a procedurally-generated first-person stealth, combat, and survival game which we’ve been making for most of 2012. It’s been going brilliantly, and despite all the complexities of making such a game, we have a working prototype. Now though, I need your help. With the launch of Kickstarter in the UK, we’ve pitched the game for funding. I will be profoundly, personally grateful if you would back it.

You can watch our pitch video – which includes loads of footage from the in-development build of the game – below.

Again, thanks for taking a look at this. It’s terrifying, and it really means everything to me. Here’s the Kickstarter page.

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218 Comments »

  1. 02/11/2012 at 11:03 Sp4rkR4t says:

    I threw my money at the screen, did you catch it?

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:13 Tuimic says:

      I was all ready to do the same, until I noticed the prices are in pound sterling as opposed to dollars, making everything that much more expensive. Would have paid for the sound track version except it works out as nearly €75. The basic version will have to do :(

      • 02/11/2012 at 11:19 benjymous says:

        Us UK peeps have had a similar problem with KS since it started. $20? Awesome! Oh, wait, “Add $20 for shipping outside the US”. Never mind then.

        • 02/11/2012 at 11:47 Tuimic says:

          The first five tiers though are entirely digital. While I agree that it’s annoying to have to pay shipping costs for items from the US, both the euro and sterling are much stronger than the dollar.
          Anyway, cheapest option backed for now. Would possible go for a higher one if something was done about the cost, but I don’t see that happening and don’t really expect it.

    • 08/11/2012 at 05:11 G_Man_007 says:

      Jim, Jim, Jimmy Jim-Jim… I wish I wasn’t unemployed, I’d give you some cash, But well done on reaching your goal already.

  2. 02/11/2012 at 11:03 Discopanda says:

    Darn, and here I was expecting an announcement of a 10-year franchise agreement on Sir, You Are Being Hunted from EA or Activision to come at any moment. Better luck next time, Jim :’(

  3. 02/11/2012 at 11:04 moocow says:

    Just wait until John Walker hears about this, yet another unoriginal nostalgic remake on Kickstarter.

  4. 02/11/2012 at 11:06 GallonOfAlan says:

    TAKE MY DAMN MONEY

  5. 02/11/2012 at 11:06 benjymous says:

    Writers will never report on companies or products in which they have financial interest, or on companies which employ family members or close friends

    (From VG247′s doritosgate discussion)

    Hmm?

    [edit] Game looks fab, btw – just thought it might not be the best kind of promo, considering recent happenings!

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:09 Shakermaker says:

      Looks like you’ve missed THE BIG DISCLAIMER at the beginning of the article.

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:11 Shadram says:

      It’s not like he’s writing a review. He just wants you to give him money… :P

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:11 Jim Rossignol says:

      It is an odd one. But I see honesty as the best policy here. I am completely implicated in both RPS and Big Robot I don’t see any reason to be anything other than direct about it.

      • 02/11/2012 at 11:16 benjymous says:

        Agreed – you’re not hiding anything, and I can’t suggest any way of doing things differently, but it still brings up the same whole issue that came up with dorritosgate in the first place.

      • 02/11/2012 at 12:01 Meat Circus says:

        The best policy is full disclosure. There would be no conflict of interest if people were entirely upfront about their connections. And there it is. RIGHT AT THE TOP. If in doubt, disclaim.

        And it’s not like we didn’t know Jim ‘Big Robot’ Rossignol and Jim ‘Jim Rossignol’ Rossignol are the same person.

      • 02/11/2012 at 13:31 Stevostin says:

        I have to agree on the “it’s transparent, so it’s ok”. Moreover, it’s a bit more than a conflict of interest. Readers of RPS are here because in good part they enjoy your take on gaming. So being interested in the game you’re working on definitely makes sense. If we feel good to find a place on the internet where STALKER’s gamedesign is praised, we have to feel good when a game inspired by those values is being created. We always like to know where game creators come from. Here it’s especially traceable!

      • 02/11/2012 at 14:52 Mattressi says:

        I’m very interested in Sir, You Are Being Hunted and I think it would be a huge shame if I never heard about it simply because you (Jim) felt compelled to not mention it. You’ve never shown preference to Sir, never tried to hide your association and you’ve certainly reported on other games significantly more than Sir. I just can’t see a problem with this. Some might say that getting another RPS staff member to write about it would be more ethical, but to me that would seem to be more dishonest.

        It’s a dilemma, but, to me, you’ve handled it very well. Please keep reporting on Sir – I truly am interested in it.

      • 02/11/2012 at 16:39 The Tupper says:

        A bloody gamekeeper turned poacher, eh?

        Sir, YOU are being hunted! I’ll take the blasted horsewhip to you!

      • 03/11/2012 at 09:20 lcy says:

        I’d rather know up front about a conflict of interest than have to read about it later – that way I can make an informed judgement.

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:11 John Walker says:

      Hello! We’re not VG247!

      • 02/11/2012 at 11:17 benjymous says:

        Indeed, just came to mind that they’ve explicitly banned articles such as this on their own site, as it puts people in an awkward position

        • 02/11/2012 at 11:27 John Walker says:

          I don’t feel awkward. I feel… sexy.

          • 02/11/2012 at 12:12 pepper says:

            Hello sexy!

          • 02/11/2012 at 12:24 MajorManiac says:

            [Edited to be even more clever]

            Sir, You are being Sexy!

          • 02/11/2012 at 13:01 Colonel J says:

            Is this the first one of a ‘Sir you are being…’ series? You know, like Carry On films.

            But please don’t make that one ^

          • 02/11/2012 at 17:30 The Tupper says:

            Title: Sir, You Are Being Served.

            The pitch: Try to find Molly Sugden’s pussy while John Inman hunts you with a tape measure – his chilling battle-cry of ‘I’m free!’ echoing around a procedurally-generated haberdashery department.

            It’s solid gold, I tell you.

          • 02/11/2012 at 17:38 Phantoon says:

            Me too, John. We should open up a club for sexy people only.

        • 02/11/2012 at 11:30 RaveTurned says:

          Not sure who would be put in an awkward position in this case. Jim’s been very open about his involvement with the game. The article is clearly marked as promotional. The article doesn’t even seem to make a value judgement on the game itself (e.g. saying it’s particularly good etc.) – Jim merely states that it exists and asks people to please look at the video and consider funding. The decision of how the game looks and whether they should fund it or not is left to the reader.

          VG247′s rules are designed to eliminate conflicts of interest. Clearly Jim reporting on his game is an instance where there is a conflict of interest. However, given that Jim is has such a vested interest in both the game and this site, there’s no way any RPS contributor could report on Sir without causing such a conflict. All in all I think this post is probably the best way for this site to report on the game – the alternative would be for RPS to refuse to acknowledge the game’s existence, and I don’t think that’d be a satisfactory result for anyone.

          • 02/11/2012 at 11:38 Jockie says:

            The way I’d put it is that this is exactly the kind of game RPS readers are for the majority interested in – Quirky british sense of humour, survival/stealth focussed gameplay in a procedurally generated open world… It’d be doing a disservice to the RPS audience if this game was covered on every website but here AND would mean the game isn’t reaching it’s core audience (us). Everybody loses in that scenario.

            As long as there’s transparency and an admission of bias I don’t think it’s out of place.

          • 02/11/2012 at 11:39 benjymous says:

            Yeah, it’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type scenario here, and I’ve said I can’t suggest any way they could do things differently :-\

          • 02/11/2012 at 17:14 Sassenach says:

            People have a responsibility to think for themselves and not expect journalists to be suspicious on their behalf. The conflict of interest was openly declared and thus it is up to the reader to decide if what they’re reading seems credible.

          • 02/11/2012 at 17:48 Phantoon says:

            I don’t see the problem when transparency is the entire problem. Coming up front and saying, “this is something I have worked on, I am going to be biased for it of course” means a lot more than doritogate.

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:15 Moni says:

      The timing of this announcement is perfect. I thought the big silly debate was petering out, now it can just go on and on forever.

      • 02/11/2012 at 11:41 D3xter says:

        It’s not “silly” at all, it is rather relevant and important, and it’s not “petering out” either luckily, in fact earlier today Gamesindustry.biz did this article on the matter that I can recommend everyone to read: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-11-02-the-games-media-must-renew-the-trust-of-its-audience

        That said, I don’t have anything against this on RPS, since “WARNING: Entirely self-promotional announcement ahead. (Love you!)”. Trying to hide any connections would be bad.

        • 02/11/2012 at 12:22 Moni says:

          Disclaimer: I have invested in Sir…, my views may not entirely be my own.

          The issue just seems trivial to me, because it boils down to someone saying “I like this game”, then someone else saying, “No, you don’t”.

          • 02/11/2012 at 12:39 Jockie says:

            It really doesn’t boil down to that, you’ve oversimplified the issue beyond my own comprehension… I suggest you read one of the dozens of articles published on the issue in the last week.

          • 02/11/2012 at 13:28 Sparkasaurusmex says:

            None of those articles have anything to do with a blogger making his own game and blogging about it.

          • 02/11/2012 at 21:19 njursten says:

            Surely you meant “a games journalist at a fairly well-known gaming news site making a game and writing about it”?

            For the record, I think the disclaimer is enough.

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:21 tumbleworld says:

      Methinks, sir, you are being a little obtuse…

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:38 f1x says:

      I’m not too fond of personal adverstising in a website as important and respected as this one, but its a bit different here

      I think it reflects part of what RPS wants to be, dont get me wrong, and I’m not talking about overtaking the world, but I think RPS stays always a bit close and personal (even comfy) and this is definitely a personal project of Jim made with a lot of love, and is shared in a direct way because there is a sort of trust and honesty between RPS and the reader base, if you get what I mean

      Also there is no publisher involved, no big companys, its just a kickstarter which is basically ensuring that the game is definitely published so in the end is no different from any other kickstart article here

      So, I wish you guys the best of luck with this game project and if my finances for this month (or the next) allows it I will try to contribute

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:51 Sleepymatt says:

      Sirs,

      I request that you BAN THIS SICK FILTH!!!1!1!! with pugnacious alacrity, or I’ll have the butler release the hounds.

      Yours somnolently,

      Mr Sleepymatt Esq.

      • 02/11/2012 at 17:12 The Tupper says:

        Indeed.

        This ill-conceived project is nothing more than procedurally generated moral turpitude. I note with alarm that the authors subversively (and shamefacedly) pervert the natural order in presenting the dominant party as faceless automatons.

        As all gentlemen of breeding know, the ruling classes are easily distinguished by their calmly-understated chins and full-blooded ears. I trust no more attempts at sleight of hand ‘socialism’ are introduced into this otherwise reliable electronic bulletin.

        Yours,

        Rear Admiral (ret.) Godfrey Smallholding-Le-Tupper

    • 02/11/2012 at 13:31 woodsey says:

      Perhaps we should delay our worrying until RPS gives it 10/10 for having all of the graphics. And hey, let’s not forget that RPS is just a glorified blog.

    • 02/11/2012 at 15:28 The Random One says:

      I will only give Jim my money if he takes a picture of himself next to a table full of Doritos and a full-size Warfighter promo.

    • 02/11/2012 at 15:49 ucfalumknight says:

      I think there is a huge difference between: “Hey everyone, I am helping to make this game, it is really good, and I think you will like it.” and EA invites (and transports) game journalists to LA to shower them with gifts and perks and ask them to write a review on it. I appreciate the candid nature of the post, and I have a huge interest in this game. Following Jim through RPS and Twitter, this is a game designed for PC gamers. To me, this is completely transparent.

    • 02/11/2012 at 17:01 Dances to Podcasts says:

      I bet he gave himself a nice cup of tea in return for posting this. Perhaps even a biscuit!

    • 02/11/2012 at 23:54 Sugoi says:

      The same VG24/7 that is notorious for regurgitating press releases and amongst the worst abusers in said debate?

      The irony is positively overwhelming.

  6. 02/11/2012 at 11:07 philbot says:

    As soon as I saw “First person Stealth” I was expecting a STALKER influence straight away.

    “A British indie S.T.A.L.K.E.R.” might have been something we said in the design meetings…”

    Sounds great! Will follow this one closely… I would love to throw money at the screen right now.. but the recent stream of good releases has left my wallet a bit empty.

  7. 02/11/2012 at 11:07 Discopanda says:

    Oh, also. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT TENTACLE THING AT THE END OF THE TRAILER?

  8. 02/11/2012 at 11:08 MuscleHorse says:

    Sir, you have a pledge.

    (When I get back from work).

    Looks fantastic.

  9. 02/11/2012 at 11:08 Lemming says:

    Not even sure I’m that bothered about the game, but a) it’s British and b) It’s Jim, so of course I backed it.

    PS. Please spend some of the money on a suitable voice actor for that narration voice. It totally needs a fine famous British actor! (Stephen Fry?)

  10. 02/11/2012 at 11:09 Shadram says:

    Backed without hesitation. Looks awesome fun. :)

  11. 02/11/2012 at 11:10 Jams O'Donnell says:

    Wot, no superbacker reward tier that includes a cup of tea with Mr. Rossignol himself?

    • 02/11/2012 at 11:23 tumbleworld says:

      I will admit that I was hoping to see a £25 tier that added, to the Digital Download, the postal delivery of a brace of Earl Grey teabags to the domicile of your selection.

      • 02/11/2012 at 11:32 KikiJiki says:

        I’m sad that there’s no physical Tea set tier. A teapot and saucers festooned with gentlemanly robots is the one thing every household should have.

    • 02/11/2012 at 12:30 Crazy Hippo says:

      i am still hoping for the smoking edition, includes a pipe and lovely maroon smoking jacket!! to be enjoyed with a large glass of ones chosen tipple.

    • 02/11/2012 at 12:36 westyfield says:

      Mm, there definitely should be a “pints with the developers” tier.

    • 02/11/2012 at 13:55 Colonel J says:

      That would be particularly apt as the very first project to launch on UK Kickstarter this week was a mobile tea wagon http://kck.st/V9Swtz (looks like they’ll make it too). Top tier: Big Robot delivers you tea and the game.

  12. 02/11/2012 at 11:11 Acosta says:

    CORRUPTION! *opens the wallet and start throwing money at the screen*

  13. 02/11/2012 at 11:13 Wodge says:

    ITS IN POUND STERLING! MAGNIFICENT!

    • 02/11/2012 at 12:03 YogSo says:

      I noticed this part almost at the end of the Kickstarter page:

      Every dollar brings us closer to making this the game it deserves to be.

      Nitpicking, I know, but I think Jim should change that to ‘pound’, if only to preserve the British flavour of the text till the end.

    • 02/11/2012 at 12:16 MajorManiac says:

      This somehow feels appropriate for the game. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it came down to £s or Tea & Biscuits.

      Perhaps the in-game currency could be teabags and chocolate digestives.

  14. 02/11/2012 at 11:14 Bob says:

    What’s 10 quid in real money? *checks exchange rate*
    Okay for $15 Aussie and few cents, you’ve got me. It’ll be in 2 weeks time though.

  15. 02/11/2012 at 11:15 Donncha O Caoimh says:

    Love the scenery. Reminds me of the west of Ireland too.

    My credit card made an imprint on my monitor screen in my haste. That’ll be awkward when I have visitors …

  16. 02/11/2012 at 11:16 communisthamster says:

    Sir,
    I expect the final game to be delivered promptly by means of binary telegram.
    Yours Sincerely,
    J. Gamer Esq.

  17. 02/11/2012 at 11:18 edwardoka says:

    Sir, You Are Being Funded.

  18. 02/11/2012 at 11:18 Shakermaker says:

    Backed the 30 quid early access edition. Can’t wait for the beta to arrive on my hd. Very excited for this.

  19. 02/11/2012 at 11:18 Ilinx says:

    Dammit, Jim, I had just managed two weeks of swearing off Kickstarter. That’s that wagon gracelessly dismounted then.

  20. 02/11/2012 at 11:25 Crainey says:

    Shall give this a read during lunch. From the video I get a procedurally-generated British STALKER. Perfect, NOW TAKE MY MONEY!

    I love survival scavenger games like STALKER, one of my favourite game series, so this looks very, very sexy.

    As for the whole sticky issue of self-promo and what-not. I don’t really care, though I imagine others will. At least you were honest and published this yourself instead of letting a colleague do it for you.

  21. 02/11/2012 at 11:26 Alexander says:

    One reward should be an evening with you or the entire RPS team. Also, the game sounds better every time I hear about it.

  22. 02/11/2012 at 11:26 realmenhuntinpacks says:

    Ah, Jim – the environments! Looks just like where I grew up. Up on the moors last weekend in fact. There’s nowhere quite like it. Brooding and that. SYABH looks genuinely brilliant. Pledgi-o.

    • 02/11/2012 at 17:59 johntheemo says:

      I’m profoundly hungover, so it’s hard for me to to say what I’m trying to say, but I just clicked on your name and went to your blog. After several minutes of complete disorientation, I ‘figured it out,’ and I have to say, this is quite the thing. I’m going to show it to all of my friends.

  23. 02/11/2012 at 11:26 StranaMente says:

    Odd, it’s the first time I kick something in the UK, and it does not use the amazon payment system, but your credit card. I had to check a couple of times that I accidentally didn’t end up in a spoof site.
    Anyway, backed!

  24. 02/11/2012 at 11:27 GreatUncleBaal says:

    This will be the first Kickstarter I have ever funded, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this game turns out. Good luck, Jim.

  25. 02/11/2012 at 11:28 nasKo says:

    Would love to back this, though I am not able to due to the lack of a credit card (not really common over here).
    Any chance for a PayPal?

  26. 02/11/2012 at 11:33 Zeewolf says:

    I do hope you’ll give some attention to another interesting british Kickstarter, Sui Generis. Looks very neat.

    Edit for link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1473965863/sui-generis?ref=category

  27. 02/11/2012 at 11:35 Hidden_7 says:

    Backed. But if the CAD to GBP exchange rate gets all crazy between now and Dec 2, I may have to back out. Or up my pledge. I suppose it depends which way it gets all crazy. It’s a quantum pledge!

  28. 02/11/2012 at 11:36 mingster says:

    Backed..can’t wait.

  29. 02/11/2012 at 11:37 Thirith says:

    ‘Till I read the Kickstarter description I was under the impression that this was MP and thus not my cup of tea.

    Still not entirely sure about the latter, but being somewhat less ignorant now I’m happy to support such a cheerfully weird, interesting project. Even if Jim’s surname makes him sound like the pair of skis I never had as a kid because my parents didn’t want to spend that much money.

  30. 02/11/2012 at 11:39 Snids says:

    This genuinely looks amazing. Jimothy and chums should be very proud of what they’ve done. Can’t wait to play it.

  31. 02/11/2012 at 11:39 mickygor says:

    Just a quick question, the wording on that first tier – specifically the or. Does this mean that we can download for one of three platforms, but not the others?

  32. 02/11/2012 at 11:43 Lord Custard Smingleigh says:

    I HAVE GAZED UPON THE FACE OF ROSSIGNOL

  33. 02/11/2012 at 11:44 Museli says:

    You can have eighteen of my quids for now. If you added a £30 tier with just game and soundtrack, I’d upgrade to that, but £60 to get the soundtrack is too much for me.

    EDIT – Having posted a similar comment on the KS thread, I’ve already received a reply stating that this will be considered. Nice one, Big Robot. :D

  34. 02/11/2012 at 11:45 zeroskill says:

    Jim the game looks fantastic so far. Congratulations to you and the team. Also backing this as soon as possible.

  35. 02/11/2012 at 11:48 megazver says:

    Kickstarter UK doesn’t want my credit card, apparently, even though Amazon’s fine with it.

    Oh well, their loss.

  36. 02/11/2012 at 11:48 jamienobes says:

    The Music is Awesome!!

  37. 02/11/2012 at 11:50 Miltrivd says:

    £2,500 in 15 mins. NOT BAD! My own pledge will have to wait a bit, but it’ll be there. Too many spots being touched at the same time with what this game wants to do.

    And yes, this is the correct way of doing things, is not when there is people related working on it that we have a problem, is when there’s the intent of hiding it and dishonesty when talking about the product. I see nothing of that here.

    Best of luck Jim!

  38. 02/11/2012 at 11:51 Jakkar says:

    As far as this grateful reader is concerned, please feel welcome, if not outright encouraged to share your personal projects here. There’s no feeling of bias here – you share the most obscure indies, change the fortunes of smalltime developers overnight by exposing them to a massive audience… you’re entitled to something in return.

  39. 02/11/2012 at 11:54 McDan says:

    Saw KG (KG!) post about this earlier and immediately put my fist through my screen trying to give money to you.

  40. 02/11/2012 at 11:57 HexagonalBolts says:

    I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t back anything more on kickstarter but I’ll compromise my morals for this – with you all the way, Jim!

  41. 02/11/2012 at 12:02 rustybroomhandle says:

    Might I suggest that upon release you have a guest Wot I Think.

  42. 02/11/2012 at 12:02 Lambchops says:

    Pledged.

    Quick question Jim, are you intending on a physical release of the game, perhaps at around the 30-40 pound tier? While I’m never particularly enamoured by t-shirts and other such tat (I mean glorious stuff!), I do quite like having nice disc based copies of things from Kickstarter.

  43. 02/11/2012 at 12:07 Lambchops says:

    Actually looking through Rossignol’s Kickstarter backed projects I’ve noticed he didn’t back Double Fine Adventure. This clearly makes him a bad man who deserves none of my hard earned pound sterling!

  44. 02/11/2012 at 12:07 Jambe says:

    $100 USD is a bit much to get the soundtrack and game. I wish there was a cheaper tier featuring it.

  45. 02/11/2012 at 12:08 Shaun2406 says:

    I hate to be that guy but:

    “I’ve been making those games two friends, Tom Betts and James Carey” in the second sentence is missing a ‘with’ I think Jim?

    Looks really cool though! Just watching the video now!

  46. 02/11/2012 at 12:08 caddyB says:

    This article is full of bias.

  47. 02/11/2012 at 12:08 Lolmasaurus says:

    10/10 would bang. I mean.. buy. Silly me.

  48. 02/11/2012 at 12:09 Tony M says:

    I heard they only put tea in the game to meet the government Britishness Quota. SCANDAL!

  49. 02/11/2012 at 12:10 Ergates_Antius says:

    This’ll be my first kickstarter.

    Must get round to reading your book sometime too – I’ll move it up a couple of places in my unread book pile.

  50. 02/11/2012 at 12:10 kwyjibo says:

    Can’t UK based kickstarter projects be priced in dollars? You want the most familiar currency for the largest audience. I mentioned this in The Ship’s kickstarter too.

    • 02/11/2012 at 12:12 Jim Rossignol says:

      Apparently not. Both pricing and payments seem to be different for UK Kickstarter. It’s frustrating for us, but there it is.

      • 02/11/2012 at 13:28 Lemming says:

        I’m sure I remember there being a positive reason you want it in your own currency. Something to do with banks possibly taking a slice at the exchange rate. I think you having it in your native currency means those slices come at the consumer end, rather than yours. Could be wrong.

        • 02/11/2012 at 21:28 kwyjibo says:

          Yes, it does mean that the currency exchange happens on the backer side, but with the amount of foreign currency exchange that Kickstarter could do, they could establish rates for their projects at better than retail.

          Strike Suit Zero are based in Guildford and have just raised a 6 figure dollar amount. I think they launched before Kickstarter UK did, so maybe they’ve got a bank account ferreted away stateside.

    • 02/11/2012 at 12:20 RaveTurned says:

      Surely it should list the amount and currency that’ll be charged to the backer’s credit card? If someone in the US backs a UK project, they should be made aware that their card will be charged with GBP rather than USD – presumably using whatever exchange rate they get from their credit card provider on the day the kickstarter ends.

      I suppose some people might prefer to have equivalent rewards in their currency, but then you’re asking the project creator to absorb the risks of backers who donate using different currency which may or may not be stable. Keeping pledges in a single currency mean those risks are kept with the backer.

      • 02/11/2012 at 12:27 Tuimic says:

        Before your final payment it will tell you how much you’re being charged in your currency, though that could be because of amazon or my card. However the pound is very strong right now. Most people in the US are used to paying what they see on the screen and most of the europeans (those who use euro) and brits would pay less than they see. In this case most people will pay more. It put the higher tiers out of reach for a lot. £60 is already a lot to ask for a DIGITAL copy of a game and a DIGITAL soundtrack. Other KS projects would usually have more at that price or sell the soundtrack in a cheaper package. And because the others were in $, it worked out even sweeter.

        The jumps in tiers are a bit steep I think. I love soundtracks, but I’m not putting down £50 more for one, especially if it’s just audio files. I could buy two AAA price PC games for the same price.

        • 02/11/2012 at 18:21 Deston says:

          I don’t think the pound is particularly strong against the dollar at the moment. It’s 1.6 dollars to the pound today, it’s more or less hovered around 1.5 – 1.6 since The Troubles.

          In the years leading up to Moneygeddon it was much stronger, between 1.8 – 2 dollars to the pound.

          http://www.google.com/finance?q=GBPUSD

          • 02/11/2012 at 20:03 Bob says:

            A couple of years ago it was going to cost not quite three Australian dollars to get one pound Sterling.
            Currently it’s about $1.54AU to the pound, so the ten quid asking price as a minimum to get a copy of the game is pretty much equivalent to most Kickstarters. The Us and Canadian dollars are at a parity (pretty much) with our dollar, so we overseas types can just multiply the tier price by 1.5 for a rough estimate of the cost.

    • 02/11/2012 at 12:24 fencenswitschen says:

      Uh. I hate to spread my Credit Card account details like everywhere. Why do I have to give it to Kickstarter UK again – if I use Amazon Payment on Kickstarter US? Doesn’t make sense.

  51. 02/11/2012 at 12:13 kieranxp5 says:

    Looks great, backed. Goodluck!

  52. 02/11/2012 at 12:16 phelix says:

    Do the robots have British manners?

  53. 02/11/2012 at 12:18 fencenswitschen says:

    Sir, you have my shotgun.

  54. 02/11/2012 at 12:21 Timmeister says:

    First time i’v backed something on Kickstarter (can you believe it)

    Game looks awesome, best of luck!

  55. 02/11/2012 at 12:22 MajorManiac says:

    This feels like a momentous occasion. I’ve been reading Jim’s work for years, and to finally see him making money from creating games is brilliant.

    Not that they must, but I look forward to seeing what John and Alec make in the future. I’m always more than happy to throw money at them as they are fab.

  56. 02/11/2012 at 12:26 princec says:

    The Puppygames massif has backed your shenanigans. Now go! Write code! See if we beat you to the release.

    Cas :)

  57. 02/11/2012 at 12:37 pupsikaso says:

    What is this… I don’t even… And right after the scandal with Rab?
    FFS just take my money!

  58. 02/11/2012 at 12:39 Lord Custard Smingleigh says:

    Is there an option to get the supplemental art grimoire .pdf as a physical book bound in human skin with a cast iron spine and horrific scratching at the confinement of space-time in the minds of those nearby?

  59. 02/11/2012 at 12:45 Greg Wild says:

    Sir, you are being funded.

  60. 02/11/2012 at 12:54 SocraticIrony says:

    It would appear Mr Rossignol was sadly born without ears.

  61. 02/11/2012 at 13:13 JBantha says:

    Sir, you are being funded…Oh wait,this is almost exactly as the title. No fun in here-
    …
    Yeah, that. I wan’t my name on a gravestone wrote down on Handwrite-like type, so the fools can not know my name. (?)

  62. 02/11/2012 at 13:15 cptgone says:

    caveat emptor! we don’t want Bi9 Robot to become too successful, do we? we are entitled to our daily RPS, are we not? i’ve no time for games anyway, i’m trying to work my gaming backlog.

    also, the only in game phallic symbols seem to be the trees. notice how they look? pretty weird for a phallic symbol, if you ask me. pretty dead, too.

    just cause this isn’t a f2p game doesn’t mean i can’t complain about the disadvantages of f2p games either. and where is our vanity shop? huh?

    the trailer brags about how “everyone who plays the game is gonna get a different world”.
    do these guys think we’re stupid? that we won’t realise that means we only get a tiny part of the game each?

    however, the £45 pledge’s award is a good deal:
    “your name will appear on gravestones and monuments in the world”.
    i’ll send the names and £ shortly.

    oh and thumbs up for including a dead rabbit as loot. i do hope the game isn’t one of those linear affairs where all you can do with a dead rabbit is cook it.
    *ducks for cover*

  63. 02/11/2012 at 13:24 Hodge says:

    Oh, it is not a good day to be my wallet.

  64. 02/11/2012 at 13:35 rapier17 says:

    Alright Jim, alright, fine, here’s my money. Fortunately I shall now have a game to look forward to for 2013.

  65. 02/11/2012 at 13:37 Jim Rossignol says:

    Thanks to everyone who has pledged so far. We are honoured.

  66. 02/11/2012 at 13:38 Sparkasaurusmex says:

    Will this game have NPCs that don’t attack or hunt you?

  67. 02/11/2012 at 13:44 HothMonster says:

    Hehe look at him standing there pretending to be a real person. We all know your a digital construct of an elite gaming hivemind Jim. Quit trying to fool us with all your standing about and talking. Also, your creative lead is showing.

  68. 02/11/2012 at 13:44 daz_uk says:

    Pledged £60.
    Love the idea Jim, been reading about it a lot.

    When I’m ready, can you return the favour for my proceduraly generated 1st person dungeon romp?
    Keep watching this space!

  69. 02/11/2012 at 13:46 Tacroy says:

    When James Carey showed up to talk, I thought his title was “Lord Designer”.

    You should change his title to Lord Designer.

  70. 02/11/2012 at 13:49 derbefrier says:

    very cool. I really like the look of this game. I may have to finally back something on kickstarter because of this. Good luck!

  71. 02/11/2012 at 13:50 oceanclub says:

    Backed; really love the look and genre of this game. Was tempted to pledge £50 to get my name on a tombstone, but the cat needs a tooth out this month….

    P.

  72. 02/11/2012 at 14:16 Maldomel says:

    Backed, and I might add that it’s a pleasure to back this, even though I usually hate this kind of self promotion. I think you are being very clear and transparent about the whole thing, so it’s cool.

  73. 02/11/2012 at 14:21 frightlever says:

    So… what do we reckon? £200k+? Let the sweepstakes begin…

    £222,000

  74. 02/11/2012 at 14:27 frightlever says:

    What payment processor do Kickstarter UK use? Do they take Paypal or Google checkout?

  75. 02/11/2012 at 14:48 Shakermaker says:

    Over 10K already in less than six hours. Kudos, Big Robot team!

  76. 02/11/2012 at 14:54 jonfitt says:

    Backed.
    I’ve been watching Sir since the early postings and I’m very keen to explore that landscape.

  77. 02/11/2012 at 15:11 Walsh says:

    What, no left handed robots? This is outrageous discrimination!

  78. 02/11/2012 at 15:14 BathroomCitizen says:

    I’m SO gonna fund this with my next paycheck!

    …not with the whole paycheck, mind.

  80. 02/11/2012 at 15:18 clownst0pper says:

    This looks absolutely fucking brilliant!

    Apologies for the language (but it warrants it)

  81. 02/11/2012 at 15:24 Salix says:

    Oh so very backed, been waiting for this for a while.

  82. 02/11/2012 at 15:40 udat says:

    Backed :)

  83. 02/11/2012 at 15:42 Beastbaron says:

    Pledged 18 quid, use it wisely.
    Also dying to support RPS directly by subscribing, but the paypal requirement is stopping me. Can’t be arsed to set it up mainly but they are also evil etc, any chance that you guys can set up an alternative payment method?

  84. 02/11/2012 at 15:47 Ghoulie says:

    So Warren Ellis just tweeted about Sir, You Are Being Hunted.
    I didn’t know you were friends with Warren Ellis, Jim.
    You need to tell us these things. And if you’ve already told us then you need to tell us more often.

  85. 02/11/2012 at 16:08 newprince says:

    It’s an open-world sandbox where everything that happens is a result of chance encounters with evil robots.

    THAT’S how you pitch a game, noobs.

  86. 02/11/2012 at 16:17 GallonOfAlan says:

    12 grand and most of the planet is still in bed as of yet. Looking good.

  87. 02/11/2012 at 16:25 Brainkite says:

    Just sent my bank a request for a 40 000£ credit.

  88. 02/11/2012 at 16:31 Brainkite says:

    The answer is that I owed them aproximatly that money.
    Try to choose wiser your audience next time.

    (Awsome, i’ll take you one piece of that 40£ version just can’t wait for your game. Hope your pledged amout will be blown away.)

  89. 02/11/2012 at 16:41 Urthman says:

    My only concern is that you say you want to money to hire an artist. But I really like the look of the game right now and I’d hate to see another artist come in and give the game a makeover.

    Also, whoever you’ve got at Big Robot picking music for your games needs to be Vice President in Charge of Music For Life. I love the music in Fallen City and the trailers for Sir.

  90. 02/11/2012 at 16:56 the_fanciest_of_pants says:

    Sir, you are being handed my money!

  91. 02/11/2012 at 17:29 tomnullpointer says:

    Hey all,

    Just had to pop in to say thanks so much to everyone who has pledged,
    and for all the kind words. Exciting times…

  92. 02/11/2012 at 17:31 Simian9 says:

    I love the fact that it’s just so British!

    Good luck. You Sir, have been funded, at least by me.

  93. 02/11/2012 at 17:48 Vorphalack says:

    I will be funding this game at the last second, as is the style of the time.

  95. 02/11/2012 at 18:46 fenriz says:

    Unless there’s some kind of adventure puzzles drill, my 10bucks bill stays still.

  96. 02/11/2012 at 18:50 Soon says:

    Were the robots originally developed to protect all those ash trees?

  97. 02/11/2012 at 18:59 Zarunil says:

    Sir, You Are Being Flaunted?

  98. 02/11/2012 at 19:59 wodin says:

    Will it take debit cards? Credit card only is really restrictive I feel.

  99. 02/11/2012 at 20:21 TaroYamada says:

    Why do you need money from us when your co-worker is Jim Carey? He’s one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. Quit scamming us.

  100. 02/11/2012 at 20:32 Scandalon says:

    Curse this infernal exchange rate – Doubling the price to $30 to go from (tasty looking) digital bits to bits + bits in .PDF format is a bit steep, alas, so I may have to stick w/ Tier 1.

    Just explaining the connections and “bias” up front, simple and direct is the way to go – the only “awkwardness” will be if the game turns out to be a bit pants – then any WIT or Verdicts will be interesting. :)

  101. 02/11/2012 at 20:38 Bob says:

    Holy Crap! In the few hours since Sir has been kicked it’s nearly reached the 20,000 mark.

  102. 02/11/2012 at 20:45 Klatu says:

    Any chance of one of the stretch goals being a couple of Jeeves and Wooster style robots? Voiced by Fry and Laurie of course.

    • 02/11/2012 at 21:10 Lord Custard Smingleigh says:

      At £50,000 Jim gets a digestive biscuit. £55,000 means Jim gets a custard creme, and at £60,000 he’s upgraded to a chocolate bourbon. If the total reaches £70,000 he gets a chocolate hob-nob.

    • 02/11/2012 at 21:24 lasikbear says:

      I would give at least $100 for Statler and Waldorf

  103. 02/11/2012 at 23:06 strangeloup says:

    Being of somewhat uncertain financial status at present, I had to click “Remind Me”. I fully expect to receive an email in due course reminding me that RPS is pretty much my favourite gaming site and that I really liked AVSEQ (despite being quite rubbish at it) and if I don’t support this I’ll feel guilty forever.

    At least, I’m assuming that’s how it works.

  104. 03/11/2012 at 01:02 edwardoka says:

    Not yet 24 hours gone and already more than half-way!
    Incredible!

  105. 03/11/2012 at 05:12 I want to stab you to death and play around with your blood. says:

    I hope this game features copious amounts of stabbing. Also, the string quartet music in this alpha trailer is outstanding. Hopefully it appears in the game:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xsETDtHE5NM

  106. 03/11/2012 at 11:14 wsworin says:

    This looks great, love your work on the procedural generation and the A.I looks interesting, we’ve tweeted it. :)

  107. 03/11/2012 at 11:56 Inigo says:

    PIPE SMOKE DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY
    SHOTGUNS DON’T USE CLIPS
    WHAR ANTI ALIASING

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