Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Video Game - Season 2
Created by Handelabra Games
The remaining expansions for Sentinels of the Multiverse are coming to the Video Game! Vengeance, Villains, OblivAeon, and more!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Mobile Discount Reached, and Sentinels Development Diary #1
almost 9 years ago
– Sat, Apr 30, 2016 at 12:24:46 AM
There’s just 2 weeks left in the campaign, and as of now we are now over 76% of the way to our goal. Thank you!
Mobile Discount Reached
First of all, as of this writing, there are 524 Mobile Backers (MOBILE levels, ANDROID levels, COLLECTOR level and $5.01 Add-Ons) which means that we’ve reached the number of backers needed for the Mobile discount!
At the end of the campaign, if we still have over 500 Mobile Backers, then Season Pass 2 will be discounted by $5 on mobile for 24 hours when it goes on sale. But we’re not done yet! The more Mobile Backers the better, because every 500 additional backers increases the length of the discount by 24 hours.
Just a quick note - we realize that some people might be thinking “well the discount is happening, I’ll just cancel my pledge, get the discount and save $5.” Don’t do that! If you cancel, the number of backers could drop below 500 by the end of the campaign and then the discount wouldn’t happen.
So why should you still back us on Mobile? For just $5 for a mobile pledge (or $15, $5.01, Android or Collector level):
You get the mobile exclusive multiplayer avatar.
You get the mobile exclusive wallpaper pack.
You get any unlocked funding or stretch goals like the free Season 2 Soundtrack already announced.
The final tally of Mobile Backers will happen at the end of the campaign. If we can get even more backers by then, the discount can be extended - 24 additional hours for every 500 additional backers.
And don’t forget, if you back us for $5, then buy Season 2 at a discount for $20, you are paying the same price that Steam backers are paying, you get the mobile, funding and stretch goal rewards - PLUS all sales of Season Pass 2 during the discount period will be counted towards any unmet stretch goals. A longer discount period means more stretch goals unlocked!
As we’ve said several times, we know that mobile fulfillment isn’t ideal. But you can see there’s lots of reasons to back us, even though we can’t send you Season 2 directly.
Development Diary #1 - Deck Building, the Coding Game
On Tuesday, we posted Update #5 which gave you a small peek behind the curtain of the financing of a project like Sentinels of the Multiverse. The response was phenomenal! It seems like you really like hearing about the nitty gritty of what goes into creating the games you love. So in that vein, we’re going to show you a bit more. Over the rest of the campaign, we’ll be putting together a few videos that go a bit deeper into our process. Later we’ll be showing how we create environments and music, and today we’re going to go deep into how we build a deck.
There’s a lot of work needed to go from a stack of cardboard cards with words on them to the digital decks that make up the video game. Below, you can watch a video showing you the actual process we use to create a card. See how Wager Master’s card “Who Are You Fighting?” is coded, tested, and brought to life. The video begins with some overall discussion of our tools and architecture. At around 10:00, dive into the engine programming with Jean-Marc, and at around 44:45, join John for a quick look at the UI in Unity.
Keep an eye on this space for more deep dives into the development of Sentinels!
Social Goal Updates
We are growing ever closer on the Social Goals as well! Take a look below to see how much more we need to do to get over the hump. With over 1800 backers now, all it takes is a single share from everyone to get us there, and then some. Plus, people can’t back us if they don’t know about us so the more people you share with, the more likely it is that we’ll hit our stretch goals and beyond!
YouTube: 1 / 10 – Make a video using SotM music and send us the link to be counted!
Thanks again for all your support, let’s keep this moving in these last 2 weeks!
Squish Goal #1 Unlocked! New Squish Goal at $65k!
almost 9 years ago
– Thu, Apr 28, 2016 at 09:50:02 PM
We just crossed $60k bringing us to 75% funded. You did it! Thank you! And so you have earned the first Squish Goal™.
We revealed the Squish Goals in Update #6 but if you missed it:
Squish Goal™ #1 - $60k: Freedom Six Bunker Revealed
We’ve received many a request to reveal the official unlock condition of Freedom Six Bunker. The community has drawn close to finding the exact condition, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades! In order to make peace with the Multiverse, when the campaign reaches $60k we will reveal the official unlock condition for Freedom Six Bunker, and you can all groan about how close you were.
So many of you were SOOOOO close, but now you can see below exactly what it takes to unlock Freedom Six Bunker:
This unlock condition is now posted in the Variant Files on SentinelsDigital.com as well. Great job folks, let’s keep it moving so we can find out Skinwalker GloomWeaver’s second condition in the $70k Squish Goal, and then - on to fully funded!
But wait, what’s this in the title about a new Squish Goal?
New expansion content isn’t the only thing we work on at Handelabra Games. Since the original launch of Sentinels we’ve brought it to Steam, added cool damage animations, implemented cross-platform multiplayer, delivered Weekly One-Shot challenges, and plenty more. There is a really interesting item that we’ve been working on, in secret, in a hidden bunker near the center of the earth, and it’s at a point where we can show it to you… when the campaign reaches $65k!
Now go unlock Freedom Six Bunker, and we’ll go back to our bunker for another $5k. Hope it doesn’t take too long (it’s cold down there)!
Note: We’ll post an update on the Social and Mobile Goals tomorrow. Some are getting VERY close, so let’s see if we can get past them by then!
Initial Stretch Goals Revealed, Social & Mobile Goals Fast-Forward!
almost 9 years ago
– Thu, Apr 28, 2016 at 12:26:11 AM
Well Sentinels, we are nearly to the halfway point of our campaign and more than 66% funded and many of you have asked, “what kind of stretch goals can we expect once we hit $80k?” Read on for your answer!
But first, we’ve got a brand new concept for you, never before seen on Kickstarter (we think) - Squish Goals™! These are pre-funding goals that we know you want, so we’ve found a way to include them here.
Squish Goal™ #1 - $60k: Freedom Six Bunker Revealed
We’ve received many a request to reveal the official unlock condition of Freedom Six Bunker. The community has drawn close to finding the exact condition, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades! In order to make peace with the Multiverse, when the campaign reaches $60k we will reveal the official unlock condition for Freedom Six Bunker, and you can all groan about how close you were.
Once upon a time, an evil zombie variant villain was unlocked and partially figured out by the community. But the clever Christopher had provided two ways to unlock this demon, and the community has never discovered the second mysterious method. When the campaign reaches $70k we will reveal the full official unlock condition for Skinwalker GloomWeaver, and Donovan’s dark mission will finally be accomplished.
Funding Goal - $80k: Environmentalist
Once we are fully funded, Season Pass 2 will be a reality. Aside from getting your selected reward, and securing the future of Season Pass 2, all backers will receive a free copy of the first volume of the Season 2 soundtrack (which we already revealed). This goal also unlocks a free wallpaper pack of environments from the core game for everyone! Players never get to see the environments without characters, cards and other UI elements over them. We think Video Game fans will really like how these brand new, high-res captures of the environments look on their desktops or tablets. The pack will include several brand new scenes from Megalopolis, Ruins of Atlantis, Insula Primalis and Wagner Mars Base.
Also as previously announced, all mobile backers (Mobile Sidekick, Mobile Tachyon, The Android We Need, The Quickest Android We Need, or $5.01 add-on) will get the Mobile-Exclusive Multiplayer Avatar and the Mobile Wallpaper pack.
Stretch Goal #1 - $85k: Skip the Queue
We know how much you love variants, so we worked directly with Greater Than Games to sneak one through the pipeline as fast as we could, especially for this Kickstarter. If we can reach $85k, we will release a digital-first Variant from the series announced by GTG in their OblivAeon campaign.
Not "soon"...
Not when the campaign ends...
Not later this summer...
At the moment we hit this goal, this variant will appear in your copy of Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Video Game!
Which variant, you ask? Now that would really be telling!
Stretch Goal #2 - $90k: Show-Off
All backers get an exclusive multiplayer avatar for use in-game. This will be different than the Mobile-Exclusive avatar and will let everyone know that you were part of making Season 2 a reality!
We’re still working on how it will look exactly, but it should be something a bit like what you see in the image just above!
Stretch Goal #3 - $95k: Rift in Time
Vengeance will be the largest undertaking in the development of Sentinels of the Multiverse: The Video Game since the development of the original game, and OblivAeon will be even larger. As such, these will likely take longer than regular expansions to be completed. In the interest of keeping people playing while we’re hard at work, if we reach $95k, we’re going to be offering a preview of Season 2 in the form of a special Mini-Pack!
Like the Season 1 Mini-Packs, it will include 1 hero, 1 villain and 1 environment, but unlike those mini-packs, these decks will be sourced from the upcoming expansions in Season 2. The Season 2 Preview Pack will include:
Hero: Setback (included with Vengeance)
Villain: Chokepoint (included with Mini-Pack 4)
Environment: The Temple of Zhu Long (included with Villains of the Multiverse)
If we can get to the $95k stretch goal, the Season 2 Preview Pack will be the first content pack included in Season Pass 2, for release some time this summer (well ahead of Vengeance). The decks in the Preview Pack are available in Season Pass 2, but they will also be included in their associated individual expansions. The Season 2 Preview Pack will not be sold individually - you will need to get Season Pass 2, or the individual expansions as they come out, in order to get these decks.
Stretch Goal #4 - $110k: New Challenges Await
It’s one of the most requested features and if we can get to $110k, it will be coming to the video game - Villain Challenge Modes. Take on every villain in the game, but with a new twist specific to that villain!
Can you defeat Citizen Dawn when she retaliates for the death of a citizen? How about an Akash’Bhuta that is immune to Environment AND Villain damage? Or Kaargra Warfang when her gladiators are granted titles automatically? Or even Spite with no maximum HP? You can read about all of them in the official Challenge Mode PDF here (20 MB).
For those unfamiliar with this feature on the tabletop, Challenge Mode stacks with Advanced Mode for an even more ridiculous confrontation! Think Baron Blade is a pushover? How about a Baron Blade who discards extra cards every turn AND whose Impulsion Beam doesn’t get disarmed when he flips? All these challenges and more will await you in Challenge Mode if we can get to $110k!
Stretch Goal #5, 6, 7... - ?
We have plenty more ideas for stretch goals, which we’ll be able to talk about when the time comes! Those four hints found in Update #2 still apply...
Spreading the word
Based on our internal projections, these first 4 Stretch Goals are totally reachable given our current velocity, as long as we can keep the momentum high. So be sure to spread the word far and wide!
In fact, we’re going to make that even more attractive now by performing a one-time recalibration of the social goals, making them a bit more realistic given our current momentum. The total required shares for every stretch goal will now be reduced by half, and you can see the new numbers below:
YouTube: 1 / 10 – Make a video using SotM music and send us the link to be counted!
Mobile Math
And finally, a bit more about mobile. We’ve found a way to get Android players in on the action but iOS is still in a tough spot. When we began, the only additional incentive to back was the potential of a discount, which wasn’t guaranteed. To make that goal more reachable, we are also reducing the number of mobile backers required for the discount by half as of this update, to only 500. This is already well within sight thanks to the new Android levels, and so mobile backers can now look forward to the following:
That warm fuzzy feeling that comes from being a part of something great
A $5 discount once we reach funding
A free Season 2 Soundtrack
The Mobile Wallpaper Pack
The Mobile-Exclusive Avatar
Plus any additional stretch goal bonuses we can reach as listed above, and potentially more!
Current status: 389 / 500 (+76 backers) – Back at the $5 or $15 levels, Android levels, or add $5.01 onto your pledge to be counted and help unlock the discount!
Let’s keep up the momentum, Sentinels! With your help, we can all save the Multiverse!
Birth of a Hero(ic card game)
almost 9 years ago
– Tue, Apr 26, 2016 at 11:24:30 PM
We are really happy that yesterday’s update has given Android players the opportunity to participate more fully in the Kickstarter, and judging by the response, you are too. Hello $51k!
Today’s update is not about looking forward, but instead looking back. We know there’s been some discussion about what it really takes to make a digital adaptation of a game like Sentinels, both in terms of effort and money, so we thought we would pull the curtain back a little and let you folks in on some Sentinels Digital history. Today’s update will only be about this look back, but stay tuned tomorrow for some more looking forward!
For context, we’ve decided to be a bit more open with you about our development costs so that potential backers can get an idea of the real dollars and cents of developing a game like Sentinels. We are very proud of the fact that it took us less than 7 months of full scale development to go from initial prototype to 1.0 product, but it was only possible due to the hard work of a team of 8 people (some full time and some contracting). To build the game took plenty of code, artwork, design, 3d modeling, texturing, shading, audio, music and more, not to mention the support from Greater Than Games.
The original, very, very rough prototype.
Counting only development, not sales, marketing, or promotion (e.g. PAX, Gen Con, trailers, ads, etc), Sentinels Digital cost more than $150,000 to get from prototype to release. That $150k is what created the rules engine and user interface, built the environment backdrops, composed the music, and implemented the 10 heroes, 4 villains, and 4 environment decks that made up Version 1.0. 18 decks, no Variants, no multiplayer. Not to toot our own horn, but that is actually a pretty low budget for a game as complex as Sentinels. (toot, toot)
The full time Handelabrats at PAX Prime, 2014 (and Christopher)
When it came time to begin working on expansion content, we estimated that each new deck might cost us between $3-4k to develop. As we have worked on Sentinels, we have streamlined our development process, learned some ways to do things more efficiently, and frankly, we’ve simply gotten better at what we do (however, we can thank Christopher Badell for making newer decks more complex over time, so it kinda evens out. Thanks Christopher!)
At this point, we estimate that creating a new deck from scratch, using only mechanics already existing in the game engine costs us around $2,000 per deck. Creating a deck involves much more than just programming; there’s music to make, environments to construct, graphics to create and optimize, lots and lots of testing, and more. Some decks are relatively straightforward, but others (like Kaargra Warfang most recently) cost quite a bit more. Sometimes they are just more complex (hi Guise), and sometimes they need additional UI work to support (hi Guise).
The mathematicians out there have probably already figured out that, all told, the 41 decks in Season 1 cost us at least $80,000 to create (and we’re still not quite done). While creating new content is always important, we have also spent at least as much time and money on adding new hero and villain variants (which includes character cards, unlock condition programming, music, etc.), new features (like online multiplayer and the Weekly One-Shot), bug fixes and optimizations (like the size reduction patch from a couple months back) and of course sales, marketing, and promotion.
This number leads us directly to our decision to Kickstart Season 2. At the time we began sales of Season Pass 1, we had developed only 3 expansion decks: Unity, Ambuscade and Silver Gulch. As such, we didn’t yet have a full understanding of what we could expect an average expansion deck to cost to develop. Looking back, we now know that the day we sold the first Season Pass, what we were actually doing was taking out a $150,000+ loan from our future selves while signing a contract with all of you that if you gave us $20 today, we would deliver you 41 new decks for your game at some point in the future. We were making a bet that we would sell at least enough copies of the game, the expansions, and the Season Pass each month to keep development moving until all the content was complete. It was a risky strategy.
Sales of Season Pass 1 were good, but the truth is, they were sometimes not good enough. More than once, the team had to tighten their belts, or simply go without salary. (I’m happy to say it was only myself that ever didn’t get paid. The price of being an Indie Game CEO is sometimes steep, but it’s one I pay out of love for what I do.)
We are happy with our investment in ourselves during Season 1 despite a few bumps in the road. But given what we know about our development cost for new decks, as well as what we expect it to cost to add new gameplay like villain teams and OblivAeon into the engine and UI, we looked at the numbers and decided that the self-funded Season Pass model is too risky if there is a better way.
Enter Kickstarter. If we had tried to Kickstart Season 1 for the actual cost of development, we likely would have failed. We were still a relatively new team, and as mentioned, we would have been essentially guessing with regards to cost. But our time working on Season 1 has given us the knowledge and experience to know what Season 2 will cost, which is why we feel confident in bringing this directly to you the fans.
In terms of risk & reward, Kickstarting Season 2 is just like buying a season pass, but with extra benefits for both parties. In both cases, you pay money up front in trade for a promise from us to deliver the whole thing. The Kickstarter benefit to you is that you get bonus content and have access to special rewards. The Kickstarter benefit to us is that we can be confident in having the financial resources in order to deliver what we promise.
This is exactly what Kickstarter is for - projects that would not happen without support. A great example comes right from Sentinels history - Rook City. It was the first major expansion for a successful game, and Greater Than Games’ first Kickstarter campaign. It wasn’t an overnight success, but it managed to fund and hit a small number of stretch goals too. Without the backing of fans like you, Sentinels of the Multiverse would have been a really great standalone card game and nothing more. Just like GTG did then (and several times since), we need to make sure we can afford to make the product before diving too far in.
By backing us for Season 2, together we will guarantee that Season 2 will be a reality, and hopefully a bit more if we can get to some stretch goals - tune in tomorrow for more information about that!
- Jeremy Handel, President of Handelabra Games
Well on our way to funding, plus mobile backer news!
almost 9 years ago
– Tue, Apr 26, 2016 at 03:10:06 PM
1 week in, we have over 1,500 backers and more than $48,000! We are well on the way to funding, thanks everyone for your support so far!
One opinion we’re seeing a bit of and want to address is “It’s not worth kickstarting, I’ll wait till it comes out and buy it then.” We’ve talked about this on the campaign page and in the comments, but we want to make the financial situation as clear as possible:
If we do not fund, there will not be a “Season Pass 2” discounted bundle.
As stated on the campaign page, the purpose of the Kickstarter is to secure the funding to make ALL of Season 2, up front. Without that, we will have to evaluate the cost of each expansion against ongoing sales as they come, while potentially taking on other projects. The release of Season 2 content will be slower if at all, and as such, we will not be pre-selling a bundle at a discount in a Season Pass. If we cannot raise the funds via Kickstarter, we would consider that a pretty obvious sign that sales of a second season pass would have trouble covering development costs. At $48k a week in, we think we’re still in pretty good shape to hit funding, but every pledge counts!
Let’s Talk Mobile
We knew going into the campaign that it would be difficult to try to include mobile players in the campaign, due to the rules and restrictions we must abide by. We’ve read too many horror stories of companies deciding to “kickstart first, figure out fulfillment later” only to run head-on into those very restrictions. However, we knew that we wanted and needed the support of mobile backers to get this done, so we tried to create a way to keep our awesome mobile players interested. Lots of you are, but some obviously are not.
We’ve got 3 things to announce today to help make things better!
Mobile-Exclusive Multiplayer Avatar
When we fund, every backer at a mobile level, or any backer who adds $5.01 to their pledge, will receive access to an exclusive multiplayer avatar! This mobile-only avatar will only ever be available to players who backed this Kickstarter for mobile. It will probably look a little something like this:
Who doesn't like a good selfie?!
Mobile-Exclusive Wallpapers
When we fund, every backer at a mobile level, or any backer who adds $5.01 to their pledge, will receive a special mobile Sentinels wallpaper pack. This pack will have completely different images from any other wallpaper pack, and will be sized for tablets and phones.
Google Play Promo Codes
One thing we discovered in our research before launching the campaign is a relatively new feature on the Google Play store offering IAP promo codes, much like Steam keys. However, unlike Steam keys, we are severely limited in how many we can generate, and keys generated this way have a mandatory expiration. Given these limitations, and that it would create a divide between Google Play players and other mobile players, we weren’t sure if we should use this feature for the campaign. Given the obvious interest from mobile players, we’re going to give it a try.
If you are a Google Play customer, we have added 2 new backer levels for you: “The Android We Need” and “The Quickest Android We Need.” They are at the same price points as the Steam levels, and will allow you to participate in the campaign in exactly the same way as Steam players. The ultimate number of spots in these pledge levels will be limited based on the limitations of Google Play, so you may need to pledge quickly! Plus, these backer levels will count for the total number of mobile backers, and receive any mobile-specific bonuses (like the avatar and wallpaper mentioned above).
Apple & Amazon
Some people have also asked about iTunes promo codes. At this point, there is no public system available for IAP promo codes via iTunes. If there was, we would be using it already! We’ve already been in touch with Apple ahead of the campaign. Now that we’ve launched and can show them the level of demand, we are reaching out again to see if there is anything we can do.
Unfortunately, Amazon does not have any mechanism for promo codes. If that situation changes, we will let you know!
What about a rebate?
Kickstarter explicitly forbids the offering of financial incentives, so a refund system and/or rebate is not possible for mobile backers.
What about iTunes gifts?
In-App Purchases cannot be gifted, and even if they could be, that would carry a hefty financial cost.
What about Star Realms or (insert game name here)?
We're well aware of their approach, and it's not feasible for us for a number of reasons. It's risky; they have to very carefully sneak around the edges of the App Store rules, and have had the app rejected numerous times for their efforts. It's also a significant development cost to build and maintain the infrastructure for that.
Social & Mobile Goal Status
There’s been more progress since the last update; even an amazing video! If you haven’t shared the campaign with your friends, you can easily do so now by just clicking the links below! If every backer on the campaign shares it just once, we’ll smash through the goals in no time.
YouTube: 1 / 25 (+1 video) – Make a video using SotM music and send us the link to be counted!
Mobile Backers (including Add-Ons): 313 / 1000 (+34 backers) – Back at the $5 or $15 levels, Android levels, or add $5.01 onto your pledge to be counted and help unlock the discount!
