Pan'Theon: Rise' of th'e Fal'Len - #1 Thread in MMO

Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 33 minutes ago

Hey folks. Got some time to answer some Qs for a bit. AMA

--Ben.



Matt Shannon 28 minutes ago

@Ben Will you need to sub if you purchase a high level tier. How many Advisors are you releasing on the new site.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 27 minutes ago

@Matt We're working on implementing a system where your tier will reflect your subscription level to the site.



Convo 26 minutes ago

Ben-is the team aware of the lack of confidence that is out there towards their ability to deliver on pantheon? And what type of things are you discussing to avoid some of the past blunders that have plagued the KS,
And to regain the confidence that was lost?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 19 minutes ago

@Convo yes, we are aware. Which means we will be working hard to show what we can do. The team has plenty of experience in game development, so it's just a matter of showing y'all what we've got. The initial funding will help with that.

We're also upping the team size in our efforts to address concerns and answer questions. We've learned a lot from the KS and also have new team members coming aboard with plenty of skills to help in avoiding any oversights we initially had. So, moving forward, you'll see some more streamlined rollouts and faster turnaround to get out the kinds of information and adjustments the community is looking for.

We are also looking into making some public appearances where we can talk about any concerns that may have come up during the Kickstarter funding.



Buccaneer 15 minutes ago

@Ben

Just one more question. If this KS fails are you planning to do another one at some point?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 13 minutes ago

@Buccaneer Right now my focus has been to get more eyes on the Kickstarter and the project. We're pretty confident that we've reached a large segment of the gaming audience who have been looking for a game like this (that's verified by the 3k+ backers). So right now I'm working on ways to get more eyes on the project - the people who have been waiting for a game like this but aren't necessarily reading gaming sites or forums. It's a bit tricky to get those eyes here, but we've been making progress. This kind of outreach will be going on not just for the next few days, but beyond the kickstarter.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 11 minutes ago

@Buccaneer - Doing another Kickstarter is not currently in the plans. We do have some other options in addition to our crowdfunding efforts on the game site, but I can't get into details about that right now.



Jave Nova 14 minutes ago

Hey Ben, I was curious how long it will take for Pantheon to acquire future funding? Enough to at least get a year of development under your belts. The investor market for MMO's is pretty dry right now with the disappointing sales of SWTOR and the lack of interest in GW2 (considering the amount they invested in development). Its going to be an uphill struggle. I will not be donating to the Pantheon site directly until I can see that the game has a financial future, but if I see a realistic plan my wife and I will be all in. We just want to see this isn't vaporware. Thanks in advance



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 7 minutes ago

@Jave This kind of goes in line with my comments to Buccaneer. There are some options right now, but it's too early for me to go into detail. I can say though, that we have received a great amount of interest in the project and things are looking good. And I totally hear you - we don't expect anyone to make an investment that they're not sure of. So we will be working hard to show you something much more substantial in the near future to ease your minds a bit. And hey, even after that, if you're not convinced - no worries. We don't want anyone jumping in where they're uncomfortable, and we'd be ecstatic to see you at launch if that's the case.



Brunt 14 minutes ago

Ben - Just wanted to take a minute to say that you have been impressive with how you have handled your roll thus far. You've seem to be the bridge between the other team members and not afraid to take on some of the tougher questions. I think part of the key is for the team to continue to show unity and that there is a clear plan during all phases of development. Especially as the project continues to request crowdfunding.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 4 minutes ago

@Brunt thank you for your kind comments The team has been doing what they can to keep transparent and keep everyone up to date - that's going to be much easier in the near future with more team members aboard so that everyone can focus on their personal skill set.



Buccaneer 10 minutes ago

Thanks for taking time to reply Ben but I suppose what I was trying to ask is are we are going to see a big push from the team over the next couple of days.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 2 minutes ago

@Buccaneer We're going to keep pushing here. We're aware of the numbers, but we're also not ashamed in the least bit of having over 3,000 backers and over $400k in pledges for such an early stage of the project.

If you're asking if there's going to be a demo unveiled or a teaser vid within the next few days, no, that won't happen unfortunately, but we are going through all our connections to make sure everyone knows the Kickstarter hours are few remaining.



Adam Iommetti 9 minutes ago

@Ben - Two questions if you don't mind answering...

1. Will free forum users have any interaction with the development team at all? I'm worried that gating forum access into subscriptions will just create an environment where any criticism at all will go unheard and as a result negatively impact Pantheon in the long run.
2. Any plans of offering bonuses when the game releases for each month people pay for a forum subscription? As of right now, I'm admittedly not willing to pay for forum access only, but might be persuaded if things like a simple cosmetic item would be offered for each month (or multiple months) I subscribe.


Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 1 minute ago

@Adam Free members of the site will not be able to post on the development forums, no. The site is being created as a place for construction of the game, and not general forums. This serves a couple of purposes -- first, it allows those who want to be a part of the project be a part of a forward-looking community, and secondly it allows the fan sites to continue to grow. They've put in a lot of work too and we don't want to take focus away from them. We'll also be continuing to participate in those forums and websites, so we'll be getting the feedback from everyone, subscribed or not.

Addressing your next Q in my next comment.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. about 1 hour ago

@Adam We want to recognize the long-term backers and are looking at ways we can do that. Currently we do have a plan for getting rewards at a cheaper rate the earlier you back. There will also be flash sales of items that will only be available for a limited time - so it will pay to stay caught up.

Also, I want to reiterate that we're not selling subscriptions to forums - though it has been misinterpreted as that. What we are doing is giving our monthly subscribers the ability to be a bigger part of the game development. Dev forum access is a component, but you'll also receive more opportunities to provide your feedback via live chats and roundtable sessions which will only be available to Apprentice Developers.

We just want to make sure that the forums we do have are used for development ideas and discussions, and not general forums.



Deathbishop 7 minutes ago

Ben don't you feel you are alienating potential new backers by closing your forums to a subscription service?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. about 1 hour ago

@Deathbishop your question has pretty much been answered in my past few posts (I'm still working on catching up) but to reiterate, the forums are not general game forums, they are development forums. The community has already built great game forums that we still plan on participating in. It may be considered as alienating by some, but in reality we want to focus on the game creation and not forum moderation - so we will still be taking feedback in other publicly available forums, but when it comes to design and dev stuff, that's what will be on pantheonrotf.com.



P99 - Hannarr - Blue 6 minutes ago

Ben, do you anticipate all tiers at the official site being based specifically on one time lump sum payments, or do you plan to implement pay-as-you-go or cumulative tiers that encourage players to continue funding beyond the subscription as development continues?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. about 1 hour ago

@Hannar Pay-as-you-go and cumulative tiers is something we *want* to do - very much. But given our time constraints and resources that won't be available at site launch. We do, however, want to reward early backers by giving them a discounted rate on the items that will be available in the shop.



Buccaneer 1 minute ago

Sorry Ben another question.

Do you think it would be a good idea to link the forum subscription to tier rewards, for example if you pay the sub for 10 months it would allow you access to the $150 tier reward. Just feel it would be more palatable for people on the fence regarding subbing.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. about 1 hour ago

@Buccaneer I hope your question was answered now with my previous answers - let me know if not.



Xandarra less than a minute ago

@Ben Any news on alternative payment methods other than Paypal?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. about 1 hour ago

@Xandarra - Wish I could give more info on alternative payment systems, but I just don't know. I DO know that Tom and his crew have been working on it - I just don't know the results yet. It is something that we want to have happen. Hopefully we can give a more definitive answer soon.



Andrea "Cioffaz" about 1 hour ago

Thanks for your answer Ben, really, but atm a free member can't post in the forum. Basically you're reserving official forum discussions to paying people, and send the free member to fansite.


Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. about 1 hour ago

@Andrea The forums are still being tweaked. They were originally posted when Tom came aboard and put up some general interest forums. Some of those forums will disappear while others will come in. Until we launch next week it's still in a (albeit minor) state of flux.

Overall though, the forums will be used for dev discussions, and they will not be general access forums.



Buccaneer about 1 hour ago

@Ben I promise this will be my last question.

I want to ask this due to some of the bickering I've seen in this comment section.

Do you feel constructive criticism from potential players is good for the games development process? I've seen people voice valid concerns / criticism's be labeled as trolls and I feel answering this question may limit some of the hostilities in the comment section.

Just want to wish you and the team the best for the future.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 42 minutes ago

@Buccaneer Absolutely! Constructive criticism is paramount to making a good product. That being said, not all criticism is constructive. And some topics like "shoulda' done it this way" isn't IMMEDIATELY beneficial, but can help sometimes in an overall view. We hope that we get a lot of constructive criticism on the new site while maintaining a forward-looking momentum.



JonJon 41 minutes ago

@Ben is there a system in place to easily end my subscription if I so choose? Nothing irks me more than needing to hunt down the correct area to end a subscription.

Also is there a plan to provide those who use donation subscriptions with other tier rewards based on their length of subscription? Example: if I subscribe as champion for 3 months and have donated $45 would I also receive the Explorer pledge rewards?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 39 minutes ago

@JonJon I believe the sub is non-recurring. I'll have to check into that though - very good point, and I'll be sure to bring it up - I hate auto-billing too!

Your other Q is answered deeper in this thread, but to give you a short summary: That's what we want to do, but we don't have the tech set up for it right now.



Xandarra 41 minutes ago

@Ben When will we find out who else joined your team?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 36 minutes ago

@Xandarra That's a question for Tom. He brought on some team members recently, but I'm not sure when the announcement will go out - it should be evident on the site soon though.


Semper 40 minutes ago

@Ben Will there (and when) be future interviews and a continuation of the Developer Series on the Rob&Dan show? It left with a cliffhanger, and I would like to see how it all turns out



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 35 minutes ago

@Semper I still want to do stuff with Rob&Dan - they've been awesome. But for the most part, you can expect that sort of thing from the Apprentice Dev level. We'll still be doing stuff like that publicly, but you get it weekly as an app.dev.



Killian Kincade 39 minutes ago

Ben, I apologize for posting this a second time, but I think my first post got crushed in the influx after you announced you were here

Is the plan to have a payment gateway in place by Saturday, to take CCs in addition to PayPal? Or, will PayPal be the de facto payment option for the short term? Need to get my funds situated for Saturday pledging!

Thanks!



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 34 minutes ago

@Killian I can't answer when the secondary payment gateway will be in place. I do know it's being worked on, but I have very little to do with it. Sorry I can't be more specific



JonJon 35 minutes ago

Good to hear, I very much am intrigued by the round tables and such. What are the format plans for the round tables? Just a live chat or more of a visual stream that we can chat/comment on during the meetings?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 32 minutes ago

@JonJon there are some team members that want to do IRC, but others that want to do vid. Video takes more resources and setup, but we're going to see what we can do with the resources we have without spending a ton. It's still in the works, but at the very least I expect we can do at least a screenshare with voice chat.



P99 - Hannarr - Blue 34 minutes ago

Ben - late night community management go to? Red Bull and Pizza? Chinese? Copious amounts of donuts?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 30 minutes ago

@Hannar All of your suggestions sound AMAZING.. but I'm trying to lose weight myself (down 50lbs in the past year - woot!) So, for me... and don't laugh, but I'm a big fan of celery and light peanut butter.



Dosi 31 minutes ago

Will the Pledges on the Prof site have limits on them like on the KS?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 27 minutes ago

@Dosi - man... I'm really hesitant to answer that because it's something we were JUST discussing yesterday.

But... you've been troopers today, so...

We're probably not going to have limits on most tiers. However, we WILL have limits on some things, like flash sales and unique items.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 26 minutes ago

That's subject to change btw - hasn't been finalized - (my small print required PR message now conveyed)



Convo 26 minutes ago

Any update on angel investors? I see you guys are expanding the team, has some outside funding come in?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 22 minutes ago

Before I go -

@Convo I can't answer questions about investors whether positive or negative. If we do have or get investors, it is up to, or would be up to them, as to whether they wish to be known or not. Sorry man!



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 24 minutes ago

Alright all, I need to jet for a bit - thanks for the Qs, and awesome talking to you. Look forward to seeing much more of ya's in the next couple of years to come!



PhoneticHalo just now

flash sales and unique items for money. This doesnt sit well with me



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 12 minutes ago

@PhoneticHalo think of it as a thank-you for early backers. Get a reward for keeping up-to-date with Pantheon.



P99 - Nirrtix - Dayna Gilbert 1 minute ago

@phonetic halo, if you mean item malls, I agree I am not cool with item malls.

P99 - Nirrtix - Dayna Gilbert less than a minute ago

@ phonetichalo if you mean special items for donating I doubt the items will give a significant advantage to anyone.



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 1 minute ago

They won't. They'll just be cool collectibles.





kevin jardine 5 minutes ago

when can we make donations thru website guys if kickstarter don't work?



Creator Visionary Realms, Inc. 1 minute ago

@kevin soon! After the Kickstarter for sure. May be opened slightly before for testing.