Crowd Funding for WG4 ?

[Nerdfish]

I made a post about how Eugen can make money in the long term by teaming up with the WOT people.
but Eugen might need some money in the short term before they are completely broke.

Maybe a crowd funding campaign for wg4 is exactly what they need ? Since people have a different game in mind when they talk about wg 4, there is a potential to raise an emergency fund by allowing everyone to support their vision of wg4.

Spoiler : Here are some ideas on on how it can work. :

40$ to become a backer. a backer gets access to Closed beta, a copy of the game at release, special coloured text in Warchat, and 4 votes. (additional votes cost 10$ each)
100$ to suggest a unit, units that reach minimum number of suggestions goes to vote by backers. if backers approve it gets checked over by Eugen. Eugen does not have to implement every unit accepted by backer, but every person that suggested that unit gets a full refund if the unit is rejected by backers or by Eugen.
500$ for nation, coalition, maps, or SP missions. It has the same voting process as units.
1000$ to suggest a change in gameplay mechanic. Things like if AT guns can go into houses. However the backer that propose the change does not receive owership of any unique mechanic they propose, and must sign an waiver. Eugen is still responsible for designing the game, but the backers should be able to point out protentially better ways to model things.

If people are throwing money at the screen to make WG4 happen, might as well give them a way to do that. rite ?

[FrangibleCover]

How much would I have to pay to ensure you have no say over the gameplay of Wargame 4?

[Nerdfish]

How much would I have to pay to ensure you have no say over the gameplay of Wargame 4?

What's the total market value of Eugen stocks ?
they will love you if you save them, do it

[varis]

Maybe it's not such a crazy idea as it sounds at first. We have Star Citizen, Elite Dangerous, and even Duke Nukem Forever got eventually released. WG4 is a bit of a community dream so the crowdfunding model might be suited.

Still I think you're maybe trying to solve the wrong problem. If Eugen wanted to make WG4 today, they'd be able to raise the money, with Steel Division not being a flop and probably another title being ready to be announced at some point and so. Is WG4 really the best opportunity that they should commit all their developers to?

The specifics can be tricky. Probably you wouldn't want to return money received, esp. if you already spent it. What kind of liability is there if you promise things and give control to backers - how to make everyone feel they got what they paid for? There could be brand risk with creative crowdfunding schemes. Why not just sell virtual spadochroniartze and T-80U for hundreds or thousands of bucks so you can view them in your hangar years before, like Star Citizen did - and got away with? Or maybe pump out DLC after DLC instead of all that crowdfunding trouble? After all Wing Commander and Bruce Roberts had more of a following than MadMat and WarGame.

What's the total market value of Eugen stocks ?

That's a bit of a tricky question. If a tree falls in the forest, how many wooden chairs hit the ground?

For companies not listed, you get anything like market value only if you approach them with the interest to buy and with convincing amounts of cash in hand. Or, if you somehow get their financial figures and other business information, you can make highly educated guesses. You can do some math yourself: games sold x sticker price of game x discount - what goes to Steam, Paradox, marketing, etc.

[molnibalage]

Maybe it's not such a crazy idea as it sounds at first. We have Star Citizen, Elite Dangerous, and even Duke Nukem Forever got eventually released. WG4 is a bit of a community dream so the crowdfunding model might be suited.

Still I think you're maybe trying to solve the wrong problem. If Eugen wanted to make WG4 today, they'd be able to raise the money, with Steel Division not being a flop and probably another title being ready to be announced at some point and so. Is WG4 really the best opportunity that they should commit all their developers to?

The specifics can be tricky. Probably you wouldn't want to return money received, esp. if you already spent it. What kind of liability is there if you promise things and give control to backers - how to make everyone feel they got what they paid for? There could be brand risk with creative crowdfunding schemes. Why not just sell virtual spadochroniartze and T-80U for hundreds or thousands of bucks so you can view them in your hangar years before, like Star Citizen did - and got away with? Or maybe pump out DLC after DLC instead of all that crowdfunding trouble? After all Wing Commander and Bruce Roberts had more of a following than MadMat and WarGame.

What's the total market value of Eugen stocks ?

That's a bit of a tricky question. If a tree falls in the forest, how many wooden chairs hit the ground?

For companies not listed, you get anything like market value only if you approach them with the interest to buy and with convincing amounts of cash in hand. Or, if you somehow get their financial figures and other business information, you can make highly educated guesses. You can do some math yourself: games sold x sticker price of game x discount - what goes to Steam, Paradox, marketing, etc.

IMHO the problem is many people wish so many different type of WG. For example I wish to see a WG about CW of '70s and '80s without fantasy units and not what RD choose and many ppl wish to see more advanced units in WG world. Considering how OP and fantasy / unicorn units are in DB of this WG it would be quite "interesting" any new WG with '90s+ era units.

The foundation of WG is not so bad but the engine needs serious upgrades in modelling and stats remodelling is also desirable from my POV...

[varis]

Come to think of it RD might have worked better with an ARMA model where the developer provides the engine with a handful of core assets - expanded over the years with updates updates and DLC content - and the community provides the game modes, additional assets etc.

A roadmap could be extending the SD series into the late cold war technology and enabling high degree of moddability so wargamesque conversions are possible. Possibly with community oriented crowdfunded expansions? I mean something pretty generic, like map editor at $1.5 mil, cold war unit repertoaires with MadMat at $2 mil, etc.

[molnibalage]

StDV2 is announced while the playebase of WG is much higher.
Good luck for the bankruptcy...

[Nerdfish]

Still I think you're maybe trying to solve the wrong problem. If Eugen wanted to make WG4 today, they'd be able to raise the money, with Steel Division not being a flop and probably another title being ready to be announced at some point and so. Is WG4 really the best opportunity that they should commit all their developers to?

Great point, not sure what's going on at Eugen. Haven't heard from their devs for a while, at least over here.
From the news article that they are on strike since the last SD DLC.
My point was if they are that strapped for cash then crowd funding is a good way to help them out, regardless what they end up doing.