Episode Content

[GlaucomaPredator]

I was wondering why you decided to take the Episode route, instead of releasing an entire game?
How many Episodes are you expecting to complete the game?
Will the Episodes end on a cliff hanger, or will they have some closure to them?

[Cloudheadgames]

There's a longer answer here we'd love to get into on an AMA but the short version goes something like this;

We've been iterating on the game since 2013 with everchanging prototype hardware. Every few months new hardware granted us different capabilities and challenges. What this meant in terms of production was having to constantly iterate, reinvent and or create new systems to account for new capabilities. In some cases it meant rolling back months of work. Ultimately we were creating design rules for a completely new medium, from scratch, and have set some important industry standards along the way.

When Valve brought us into their circle, 2015 gave us our first real glimpse of a solid foundation. Once we had assurances that motion control was a shippable reality, that gross positional tracking was a reality, we were able to lock down key design elements and focus again on core content.

Episodic content made the most sense for us from that perspective because it allowed us to remain nimble, to adapt to ever changing standards and to iterate content quickly. We also came to realize over the course of development that there is a sweet spot in terms of VR experience length. So breaking things into digestible, enjoyable playlengths made a lot of sense for the medium. That being said, we're still one of the larger games, with a narrative available at launch and we're proud of what we've achieved.

The above is just the tip of the iceburg in terms of the decision making process involved. We'd like to get into that more with the community as it grows. Its been a journey!

How many episodes? We've announced 4 episodes previously.

Episodes follow a linear story, so yes, there are cliffhangers but we're trying to make them fun.

[GlaucomaPredator]

Thanks for taking time to answer I appreciate it.

[Fulguro Geek YouTube]

Originally posted by exist2resist:

Thanks for taking time to answer I appreciate it.

Just to give you a true and fair answer, they decide to go with episodic way because, they can charge 30 dollars for each 5 episodes. They would have a hard time to charge 150 dollars for a full game in one payment.
Also getting on the episodic way allow them to profit from the New factor of the Vr. Because its new they think they can chare that much money for a game.thas the true answer

[Fulguro Geek YouTube]

Originally posted by Cloudheadgames:

pldesy: Yes, we're all super greedy at Cloudhead...lol.

like all company. if you can say to me without laughing that its not a profit opportunity to be able to come out with something to sell at the launch of a new generation of devices like VR, i will retire al my words. I just think that no game worth 159 dollars thats it

[Cloudheadgames]

pldesy: I dont know you as a person or friend but if I did, I would take you out to lunch and we could talk at length about the journey, the risk, the investment, the innovation that we took as a small indie to get here. That being said, nothing I can say right now will convince you or make you feel better about our pricing considerations/costs associated with production.

Being a longtime gamer myself I can understand why it will take consumers time to understand the differences in production for high-end VR titles. But I get it, you want it to be lower, and I can respect that but overt greed is not a part of the equation. Cost recovery? Sure. The VR market is extremely small right now and there are a number of special considerations we have to make.

[Fulguro Geek YouTube]

Originally posted by Cloudheadgames:

pldesy: I dont know you as a person or friend but if I did, I would take you out to lunch and we could talk at length about the journey, the risk, the investment, the innovation that we took as a small indie to get here. That being said, nothing I can say right now will convince you or make you feel better about our pricing considerations/costs associated with production.

Being a longtime gamer myself I can understand why it will take consumers time to understand the differences in production for high-end VR titles. But I get it, you want it to be lower, and I can respect that but overt greed is not a part of the equation. Cost recovery? Sure. The VR market is extremely small right now and there are a number of special considerations we have to make.

Im supposed to receive my occulus by next few weeks. I can understand that some new tech require new way to develop. I maybe try this game too see those innovation myself. Maybe i was a bit rough in my comment, but if you say that all the new mechanics will be awsome and be a first step in a future more complex type of gameplay, maybe the expwrience worth the price . thank to respond to an angry customer that is less angry by now.

[L3ros]

You should have just charged 15-20 for the episode or 60-70 for a season.

I understand your reasoning, but from a business perspective, that is guaranteed to make you more money, even if there is a limited userbase and hardly any competition right now.

[Cloudheadgames]

Originally posted by pldesy:

Originally posted by Cloudheadgames:

pldesy: I dont know you as a person or friend but if I did, I would take you out to lunch and we could talk at length about the journey, the risk, the investment, the innovation that we took as a small indie to get here. That being said, nothing I can say right now will convince you or make you feel better about our pricing considerations/costs associated with production.

Being a longtime gamer myself I can understand why it will take consumers time to understand the differences in production for high-end VR titles. But I get it, you want it to be lower, and I can respect that but overt greed is not a part of the equation. Cost recovery? Sure. The VR market is extremely small right now and there are a number of special considerations we have to make.

Im supposed to receive my occulus by next few weeks. I can understand that some new tech require new way to develop. I maybe try this game too see those innovation myself. Maybe i was a bit rough in my comment, but if you say that all the new mechanics will be awsome and be a first step in a future more complex type of gameplay, maybe the expwrience worth the price . thank to respond to an angry customer that is less angry by now.

Hey thanks for listening pldesy :) We know we have to earn peoples respect by bringing them into our circle and explaining the journey. And hopefully giving them a great experience. We'll get there over time!

[GlaucomaPredator]

Originally posted by L3ros:

You should have just charged 15-20 for the episode or 60-70 for a season.

I understand your reasoning, but from a business perspective, that is guaranteed to make you more money, even if there is a limited userbase and hardly any competition right now.

I have to agree with you, the price is the one thing that is turning me off this game. $39 CAD for one episode, with 4 episodes that is $156 CAD. There is no way I am paying that price, whatever the reasoning for it may be.

I was going to purchase the Episodes, but now I will be skipping this game.

[Ebok]

Originally posted by exist2resist:

Originally posted by L3ros:

You should have just charged 15-20 for the episode or 60-70 for a season.

I understand your reasoning, but from a business perspective, that is guaranteed to make you more money, even if there is a limited userbase and hardly any competition right now.

I have to agree with you, the price is the one thing that is turning me off this game. $39 CAD for one episode, with 4 episodes that is $156 CAD. There is no way I am paying that price, whatever the reasoning for it may be.

I was going to purchase the Episodes, but now I will be skipping this game.

I'm in the same boat. I really want this game. It looks great. $39 cad is alot per episode. Wish there was a bundle to buy all the eps at a discounted price at least or something.

[HunterRose]

This is not charity , you are game developers and the consumer does not owe you anything. You must not come from a country with a free market , the kickstarters wanted to be charitable that is their choice. I am more afraid of when other dev's make the same decision and suddenly VR goes spiralling out of control on price. So why are other VR games not expensive, you are not even providing a full game and then expect folks to pay $150 dollars?

[Soda Popinski]

To be fair, the other less expensive VR games, while many are compelling don't have The Gallery's level of production. For God's sake, "Selfie Tennis" cost $20. None of them have the amount of voice over acting / motion capture characters. The most I've seen for mo-cap are shambling and running zombies and some surprisingly good stuff from Spell Fighter (actually made by a mo-cap studio).

Also compared to the cartoony looks of many of the other VR titles, the world fidelity is impressive. That takes time, effort and money to build. Hiring real actors also costs money.

You need to make your money back, maybe make enough to produce the next episodes, and hopefully have a profit so you can pay the mortage and eat.

Now you have a small market of early adopters who could afford to shell out $800 for a toy. Seems fair to ask on the high side. See what the market bears (or is it bares?), adjust price accordingly if needed (See "Final Approach").

Great video Cloudhead put out on the performance capture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R0TVLGne3U