Town of Salem is back in business

[Bruno]

The forums and the game database aren't related. We could possibly jerry-rig something that might resemble a login system, not sure how well that would work though. The reason this will be a beta feature isn't that it is necessarily hard but that we just don't have money to continue development on the game full time, pay artists, pay for marketing, etc. Without large investors, we aren't able to quit our day jobs to work on this as much as we want to. Hopefully we will get funded on kickstarter so we can finish the game, polish, test and balance in only a couple of months since we can go at it full time. Most indie developers are in a similar situation.

You need artists(NOTICE THE PLURAL S) for this game? What? And what marketing is there to do? Isn't this game free?

[oops_ur_dead]

The forums and the game database aren't related. We could possibly jerry-rig something that might resemble a login system, not sure how well that would work though. The reason this will be a beta feature isn't that it is necessarily hard but that we just don't have money to continue development on the game full time, pay artists, pay for marketing, etc. Without large investors, we aren't able to quit our day jobs to work on this as much as we want to. Hopefully we will get funded on kickstarter so we can finish the game, polish, test and balance in only a couple of months since we can go at it full time. Most indie developers are in a similar situation.

Of course the forum and game databases aren't related, but you can add something into the server that does SQL queries to verify a phpBB login. It's like a 5 minute job to fix an enormous issue.

[BlankMediaGames]

Of course the forum and game databases aren't related, but you can add something into the server that does SQL queries to verify a phpBB login. It's like a 5 minute job to fix an enormous issue.

That may be true, I will have to consult my co-founder and get his opinion on the topic. If it really is as easy as that, you can be sure that we will put that in ASAP.

[Slaol]

The game is now live for alpha testing! Go play and give us feedback on the forums:

www.blankmediagames.com/townofsalem

Forums:
www.blankmediagames.com/phpbb

Looking through it I have a legitimate, non-rage, question. What would you say is the goal of the Transporter (Bus Driver) role in a game? What is the player trying to achieve by utilization of his ability? Also, if you would like, extend this question to Escort.

[Mateo]

what kinda stock options does dell offer its employees? or do u have to work there at least 6 months

[Apocist]

what kinda stock options does dell offer its employees? or do u have to work there at least 6 months

Huh? Derailed thread?

[Bruno]

Hahaha oh my God. Apo, you wouldn't understand.

[Apocist]

Hahaha oh my God. Apo, you wouldn't understand.

No Apo supposes he wouldn't...... He doesn't like being left out...

[J]

what kinda stock options does dell offer its employees? or do u have to work there at least 6 months

Investing in it again? lol

[BlankMediaGames]

Looking through it I have a legitimate, non-rage, question. What would you say is the goal of the Transporter (Bus Driver) role in a game? What is the player trying to achieve by utilization of his ability? Also, if you would like, extend this question to Escort.

The Transporter is best utilized when he swaps a confirmed town power role (sheriff, doctor, etc) with someone that he deems to be suspicious. If an evil role would attempt to kill this confirmed role then the attack would instead be swapped to the person deemed suspicious. It is a great way to protect your fellow town members. This is of course a double edged sword however. If a vigilante would try to shoot the suspicious person he would instead kill your confirmed town role on accident. The Transporter also must pay special attention to who they swap each night as this may throw off investigative roles and get a fellow town member lynched on accident.

The Escort is most effectively utilized by role blocking the Godfather or other mafia power roles. This can prevent the mafia from being able to kill at night as well as give the Escort a clue as to who the Godfather might be. If the Escort role blocks someone and there are no deaths that night then there is a chance it was the Godfather or Mafioso that they role blocked. The Escort of course must be careful of role blocking the Serial Killer as this will end up getting the Escort killed that night. A good Escort could leave a message in their last will of who they are role blocking so that if they are killed by a Serial Killer the town will know who their last target was.

[Slaol]

The Transporter is best utilized when he swaps a confirmed town power role (sheriff, doctor, etc) with someone that he deems to be suspicious. If an evil role would attempt to kill this confirmed role then the attack would instead be swapped to the person deemed suspicious. It is a great way to protect your fellow town members. This is of course a double edged sword however. If a vigilante would try to shoot the suspicious person he would instead kill your confirmed town role on accident. The Transporter also must pay special attention to who they swap each night as this may throw off investigative roles and get a fellow town member lynched on accident.

The Escort is most effectively utilized by role blocking the Godfather or other mafia power roles. This can prevent the mafia from being able to kill at night as well as give the Escort a clue as to who the Godfather might be. If the Escort role blocks someone and there are no deaths that night then there is a chance it was the Godfather or Mafioso that they role blocked. The Escort of course must be careful of role blocking the Serial Killer as this will end up getting the Escort killed that night. A good Escort could leave a message in their last will of who they are role blocking so that if they are killed by a Serial Killer the town will know who their last target was.

What, specifically, are the player's trying to do with their abilities? Disregarding all minor subtleties, what is the goal of the role?

[louiswill]

Transporter: Redirecting members of enemy factions with a night visiting ability. Win as town.

Escort: Stopping members of enemy factions with a night visiting ability. Win as town.

I think I miss some meta or some sort.

[Slaol]

Transporter: Redirecting members of enemy factions with a night visiting ability. Win as town.

Escort: Stopping members of enemy factions with a night visiting ability. Win as town.

I think I miss some meta or some sort.

I'm specifically asking the maker of the game. I don't agree with every direction he has gone in, so i'm hoping to find something we can agree on.

[BlankMediaGames]

You can check out the roles list at https://www.blankmediagames.com/roles Maybe that will help clear things up for you

[louiswill]

You can check out the roles list at https://www.blankmediagames.com/roles Maybe that will help clear things up for you

wouldn't that makes the goal of town roles to be wining as town then?

What did you actually disagree about? citizen? OoO?

[Slaol]

You can check out the roles list at https://www.blankmediagames.com/roles Maybe that will help clear things up for you

It would if what you posted matched the game link, or if what you posted matched your claims in this thread.
https://www.blankmediagames.com/TownOfSalem/
Also, what exactly has changed since the original release?

[ika]

I'm specifically asking the maker of the game. I don't agree with every direction he has gone in, so i'm hoping to find something we can agree on.

I second on louis with this, what is it that you are disagreeing on? There are some things that i also disagree on but what i see is you are disagreeing on some things because its that you don't like it vs not liking it as a player.

I just want some clarity on this, because maybe i am misunderstanding something but some of the disagreements seems to be personal disagreements vs player viewpoint disagreement.

[TurdPile]

As a web developer myself, I can state that creating a separate login is hardly any work at all. Implementing one into an already existing project is like a 20 minute task, if that.

[BlankMediaGames]

Alpha Testing Event starting in 1 hour! https://www.facebook.com/events/1457103367837717

[BlankMediaGames]

Hey guys, we are working on the Kickstarter video as I type this. We think everyone will will like it Until we finish it, check out this concept art for an in-game baby dragon pet!

https://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...s13/dragon.jpg

[Aldaris]

Glad to see that the kickstarter is coming soon. Can you elaborate on these pets?

[oops_ur_dead]

in-game baby dragon pet!

Will you be adding DLC roles and microtransactions for extra power role charges?

[Mateo]

the more u pay the more likely u get ur preferred role

be sure to send me a royalty check for my ideas

[Orpz]

every 100 dollars u donate, it takes 1 more vote to lynch u

[Cryptonic]

what happened to the first kickstarter

[Helz]

I hope the kick starter shows at least one implemented graphic/animation. I can't imagine that I would be willing to blindly support the project given the track record..

I think the last one was for 20k and didn't hit its goal

[Mateo]

The last one was for 20k but only raised 5k. Now they start a new ks with a lower goal that's obtainable.

Can I send my pet Dragon for night kills?

[Lazers]

can i get a dragon dildo instead

[BlankMediaGames]

Haha, thanks everyone for your interest in our pets. You will be able to have 1 pet "equipped" at a time, everyone who likes the FB page when the Kickstarter is funded will be given a blue fairy pet so you will at least have 1 pet without have to spend any money.

About DLC roles, as we add new roles to the game, we will never have a role be pay to play. It is not part of our motto. You will be able to play all of the content of the game without spending a penny. If you want to buy cool cosmetic effects, then you can but nothing that is bought will effect the gameplay.

We have been fooling around with the idea of having an item that when you equip it you get a higher chance to get your preferred role but we haven't made a final decision on that yet. It will definitely not be paid for, most likely they would be unlocked by achievements. Ex: win X games, get an item that gives you 10% higher chance to be your preferred role. This is something we are very wary about however and would test this at length if we decided to implement it.

[Apocist]

The last one was for 20k but only raised 5k. Now they start a new ks with a lower goal that's obtainable.

Can I send my pet Dragon for night kills?

They raised only $1,375

[Bruno]

Yeah. Adding pets will make up the 18k difference in the last Kickstarter.

You know, I gotta say. I feel this needs said.

There is SO MUCH that needs done, like connecting accounts to the forums, bypassing Facebook, balances, UI changes, roles, etc.

I'm so FUCKING GLAD you decided DRAGONS are worth the time though, those other issues are shit.

What the fuck do Kickstarter donators know anyway, right? It's clear they only want dragons, fuck gameplay and shit.

[BlankMediaGames]

Yeah. Adding pets will make up the 18k difference in the last Kickstarter.

You know, I gotta say. I feel this needs said.

There is SO MUCH that needs done, like connecting accounts to the forums, bypassing Facebook, balances, UI changes, roles, etc.

I'm so FUCKING GLAD you decided DRAGONS are worth the time though, those other issues are shit.

What the fuck do Kickstarter donators know anyway, right? It's clear they only want dragons, fuck gameplay and shit.

You are right Bruno, there is a lot that needs to be done. This is why we need the kickstarter funds, to get all of that working. The dragon was just a quick thing that a friend did for us, no money spent. It was meant to introduce one of the future features we think people will enjoy.

[clementine]

Hi Blank Media Games, I'm going to re-post my question here since it didn't get answered in the other thread: https://www.sc2mafia.com/forum/showth...f-Salem/page2?

As someone who has done freelance graphic design, I can confirm that $20/hr is on the low end of rates. Maybe if the blank media crew could itemize the number of graphics purchased and hours billed it would give us confidence in their money managing skills. Would you guys be willing to provide this information?

I'm also interested to know how much money was "wasted" on the first background artist since in my experience someone will hire me for a small portion of a project to make sure our business arrangement is working before moving forward with a significant graphic design order.

I know a lot of kickstarted projects (even ones that get funded!) end up failing due to lack of business experience. I think it's not unreasonable to ask to see itemized past expenses, as good records show that y'all are organized and can help increase confidence in the project.

[Helz]

Just to throw it out there information like that as well as showing what the funding gets in terms of contributions to the game is exactly where your team should be focused. Without that kind of transparency you can expect to see funding on par with your last kickstarter. For what its worth I hope this one makes it.

[BlankMediaGames]

Hi Blank Media Games, I'm going to re-post my question here since it didn't get answered in the other thread: https://www.sc2mafia.com/forum/showth...f-Salem/page2?



I know a lot of kickstarted projects (even ones that get funded!) end up failing due to lack of business experience. I think it's not unreasonable to ask to see itemized past expenses, as good records show that y'all are organized and can help increase confidence in the project.

While I am not sure that companies should really be putting their financial data out there for all to see, I will see what I can do about getting relevant information and sharing it.

[Apocist]

Hi Blank Media Games, I'm going to re-post my question here since it didn't get answered in the other thread: https://www.sc2mafia.com/forum/showth...f-Salem/page2?



I know a lot of kickstarted projects (even ones that get funded!) end up failing due to lack of business experience. I think it's not unreasonable to ask to see itemized past expenses, as good records show that y'all are organized and can help increase confidence in the project.

This is a for profit business. It would not be in their best interest to release all information they have.

[oops_ur_dead]

You are right Bruno, there is a lot that needs to be done. This is why we need the kickstarter funds, to get all of that working. The dragon was just a quick thing that a friend did for us, no money spent. It was meant to introduce one of the future features we think people will enjoy.

It probably took more effort to do Facebook logins than it would to do forum logins. Balances are things that'll come over time, from player reports and not from any amount of money pumped into a kickstarter. Not sure what UI changes bruno wants but those are probably trivial too. Roles can take time, but probably not even that much.

While I am not sure that companies should really be putting their financial data out there for all to see, I will see what I can do about getting relevant information and sharing it.

This is a for profit business. It would not be in their best interest to release all information they have.

It is if they expect to get any amount of funding. Most kickstarters put up info about how they're going to use the money they get. It looks to me like these guys have spent a bunch of money making a game, then the game fell flat on its face, and now they're making the kickstarter so that they can get back some of the money they've thrown away. They're listing costs such as artwork (which has already been made) and programmers (they ARE the programmers, they don't need to hire anyone). They don't need any money to actually finish the project, from what I can see.

[BlankMediaGames]

This is the chart we made for the Kickstarter. Asking for 15k after taxes we will get about 12k or so to actually work with. I hope this answers some of the questions The funds will be used over a 2 month period to get ToS from Alpha to Release

[Space Milk]

Well I was going to try it but it asks for my facebook login? Do people even use social networking or is that just me.

[oops_ur_dead]

This is the chart we made for the Kickstarter. Asking for 15k after taxes we will get about 12k or so to actually work with. I hope this answers some of the questions The funds will be used over a 2 month period to get ToS from Alpha to Release

"Operating costs"
What is this? $7500-9500 for something as vague as that? Can you give us any idea of what "Operating costs" actually is?

"Legal fees"
What kind of legal issues are there here? Is this money going to a lawyer? Is it to pay for royalties?

"Artwork"
What kind of artwork is there left?

Also you mention that you'll only get 12k after taxes. That isn't true, because in the US at least if you spend that money within the first year of the Kickstarter then you don't have to pay any taxes on it. You said it'll be spent over a 2 month period so you should have the full 15k to work with.

[clementine]

I feel like my question wasn't adequately answered. I am not sure if you are unwilling or unable to provide this information. If it's unwilling, thats one thing, unable is another. Ever since the "Doom that came to Atlantic City' kick starter ordeal, I won't be funding any kick starters that won't be transparent about where the money is going. "Operating expenses" sounds awfully similar to one of the reason the Doom that came to Atlantic City wasted a bunch of the kick starter money.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to give the benefit of the doubt. But my personal policy is not to kick start projects that can't pass my risk of investment assessment. Best of luck, ToS.

[BlankMediaGames]

Operating costs include server expenses for 2 months, bandwidth and programming costs (ie. so we don't starve since we are quitting our day jobs, or in my case already quit it, to make this game). I understand if you think we are trying to go for a money grab but most games they get funded have to give at least of the funds to the programmers so they don't become homeless.

We just launched the Kickstarter! Check it out and play the game for free! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...e-browser-game

[oops_ur_dead]

Operating costs include server expenses for 2 months, bandwidth

What kind of servers are you looking at that'll cost that much? For what you're using it for, the most money you should be spending is like $100/month. You can run Minecraft servers on $30/month, and I highly doubt ToS is much more taxing than Minecraft.

programming costs (ie. so we don't starve since we are quitting our day jobs, or in my case already quit it, to make this game)

Diverting money from a kickstarter towards money for yourself is irresponsible and greedy. This is a project that, once completed, will bring revenue to you through your pets or whatever you plan to sell. It's really, really scummy to take $9000 out of a $15000 kickstarter, hide it under "operating costs" and take it for yourself, while telling people that you're going to spend it developing a game you already plan to profit off of.

[BlankMediaGames]

What kind of servers are you looking at that'll cost that much? For what you're using it for, the most money you should be spending is like $100/month. You can run Minecraft servers on $30/month, and I highly doubt ToS is much more taxing than Minecraft.



Diverting money from a kickstarter towards money for yourself is irresponsible and greedy. This is a project that, once completed, will bring revenue to you through your pets or whatever you plan to sell. It's really, really scummy to take $9000 out of a $15000 kickstarter, hide it under "operating costs" and take it for yourself, while telling people that you're going to spend it developing a game you already plan to profit off of.

Any game that is on Kickstarter, some of the money is going to the Devs so they can live. See those big games getting 1 million? Most of that is going towards salaries for the companies employees. For example take this Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...2?ref=category). Most of the cost of creating digital games is in the people. I assure you, having 8k going to 2 programmers for 2 months of work is the bare minimum we need and we would not ask for a penny more than what is required. We will be eating ramen for the next 2-6 months but itll be worth it in the end.

[oops_ur_dead]

Any game that is on Kickstarter, some of the money is going to the Devs so they can live. See those big games getting 1 million? Most of that is going towards salaries for the companies employees. For example take this Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...2?ref=category). Most of the cost of creating digital games is in the people. I assure you, having 8k going to 2 programmers for 2 months of work is the bare minimum we need and we would not ask for a penny more than what is required. We will be eating ramen for the next 2-6 months but itll be worth it in the end.

Yes, in other Kickstarters the money is going to the devs. You aren't the devs, though, you are the founders. In other kickstarters the devs won't make any money from the product when it eventually goes on sale, they'll only make whatever they were paid while the game was in development. You guys, on the other hand, are going to be directly profiting from this game when its finished. Also I dunno what the hell kind of ramen you're going to be eating for $4000. I mean, shit, you could eat out every day for two months for that kind of money. And I also have an issue with you guys hiding it under "Operating costs". You're making it sound like the money is going to go towards buying computers or some shit, when really you're literally spending about 60% of the money you receive on yourselves. Doesn't that sound at least a little bit dishonest to you?

[BlankMediaGames]

Ok...now this thread seems to be turning into a match of Mafia... We have a lot of deception on our hands... And... this is almost turning to be fun. Originally BlackMedia claimed to place almost $10k in funds towards artwork... Now they are saying they didn't....

This has just been getting more and more fishy...

(On a lighter note: OH how would be nice to quit my day job so Apo could work full-time on eMafia instead of whenever he has time, anyone willing to pay him? xD )

We did, in the past, put 10k into artwork/music. The chart provided is for how we are using the money from the Kickstarter.

[BlankMediaGames]

I don't see how it is dishonest when we told you when you asked? In order for the company to operate, in order for us to be able to code this thing in the 2 months promised, that's what we are using the operating costs for. If I told you that we needed that money for other things and lied, that would be dishonest.

[BlankMediaGames]

I believe that this thread is getting a little off track. If you want a full report of our past spending, I will not supply it. If you want to know what we will be spending on, I told you. If you don't like it, you don't have to back us. If you believe in the product, then back us.

Thanks

[Dark.Revenant]

Sometimes the producer is the developer. A man's gotta pay the bills.

[BlankMediaGames]

BlankMediaGames. I had asked what changed from the original release some months ago. This was never answered. Oops _ ur _ dead raises question that you are covering for lost funds with this Kickstarter. Seeing as the product hasn't changed, and contradicts itself in multiple cases, how can you contest this accusation?

The product has changed, we have made many bug fixes, added some new features we knew wouldn't break the game. Kickstarter requires you to finish the product after you are funded. If you want to help us make the game, then please do so. If not, that's fine too. Someone who is extremely skeptical wouldnt use a crowdfunding website anyway so I don't want to spend time convincing you of what Kickstarter guarantees.