Help bring Carmageddon back
Discussion
Hi - I'm Patrick Buckland, the MD of Stainless Games Ltd, and a user of this site since it was called PetrolHeads in the 90s. Back then, we produced the classic PC and Mac game Carmageddon, which I was personally lead programmer on. I got a right b*llocking from Ben Samuelson at TVR for including my Cerbera in Carma II without licensing it from them ;-)
Anyway, we're still around as a completely independent developer, and recently bought back the rights to Carmageddon. We've just launched a Kickstarter campaign to try to get it funded without involvement from any big corporations or interfering publishers:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stainlessgames...
Do what you can to help! Please pledge some money if you can, and send this link to all your mates. Tweet it, Facebook it, blog it, spray it in gold paint down the side of your Veyron, do anything to help us bring Carmageddon back to greatness!
And I'll put the Tuscan 2S that I'm restoring in it this time. Those front splitters look like blades anyway...
Thanks!
Anyway, we're still around as a completely independent developer, and recently bought back the rights to Carmageddon. We've just launched a Kickstarter campaign to try to get it funded without involvement from any big corporations or interfering publishers:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stainlessgames...
Do what you can to help! Please pledge some money if you can, and send this link to all your mates. Tweet it, Facebook it, blog it, spray it in gold paint down the side of your Veyron, do anything to help us bring Carmageddon back to greatness!
And I'll put the Tuscan 2S that I'm restoring in it this time. Those front splitters look like blades anyway...
Thanks!
It's a strange model - we don't get a penny if the target isn't reached! Luckily though, the shape of the curve on other similar projects has seen a big up-lift during the last few days, which to be honest we're rather relying on at the moment!
In the meantime, I got the splitters on the Tuscan last night - and hey, they look like Carmageddon blades! It's as if it was meant for the game :-)
In the meantime, I got the splitters on the Tuscan last night - and hey, they look like Carmageddon blades! It's as if it was meant for the game :-)
Although we're just over 50 people, they won't all be working on Carma. Regarding the amount, yes of course you're right, but firstly we're hoping to get over $400k, and secondly this is actually just part of the funding - we're ploughing in all our profits from our other work into Carmageddon as well.
Kickstarter will help swell the coffers and get the game done quicker. We've been skunkworksing (good word...) it anyway you see. But the more money we can get in, the quicker it'll get done, plus we can get straight onto consoles as well, if we get enough in.
Kickstarter will help swell the coffers and get the game done quicker. We've been skunkworksing (good word...) it anyway you see. But the more money we can get in, the quicker it'll get done, plus we can get straight onto consoles as well, if we get enough in.
You're making me blush now! And yes, the 600bhp Rangie must go in there - although we'll have to modify the shape enough for Land Rover to not get nasty with us. That's what we did before though - a lot of the cars were clearly inspired by real ones, but with enough changes that we wouldn't get in trouble. Except from TVR...
Oh yes, don't worry, Reincarnation will (and in fact already is) very much more of the original, including the stunts, whacky powerups, and Action Replay. It already has me crying with laughter whilst developing it, which is either a good sign or further evidence of my own insanity. Probably both.
Of course if I gave you any details here, I would have to drive over to you and then drive over you, so I'll just have to be irritatingly obtuse at the moment. Keep an eye on Carmageddon.com though, as we'll be posting regular updates all the way through development.
Of course if I gave you any details here, I would have to drive over to you and then drive over you, so I'll just have to be irritatingly obtuse at the moment. Keep an eye on Carmageddon.com though, as we'll be posting regular updates all the way through development.
Please put TDR2000 in your microwave and zap it until it bursts into flames. We had NOTHING to do with that pile of crap. SCi asked us to do Carma 3 literally days after doing five months of seven day weeks of 16 hour days on Carma 2 and we said "Whoa there, hang on, let us have a breather first, please!". Next thing we knew, we saw the announcement in the trade press of TDR2000 being developed by somebody else (SCi had treated our verbal exclamation as formal first refusal to develop the sequel). Not my happiest day, I must admit.
Get pledging! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends! Help us to get it back out their with out any of the crap I've just recounted about what SCi did to us (which believe me was just the tip of an iceberg that included us not receiving any bloody royalties). Independent developers FTW!
Too damned right! Of the eight people that developed Carma 1, five of us are still here, including 3 of the 4 programmers (myself included). And the other bloke was crap anyway ;-)
We've also got additional bods from Carma 2 still working for us.
Even SCi eventually recognised that by separating Carma from Stainless, it completely lost its guts (literally). You can't just have another company take over something so unusual and surreal. They just didn't 'get' it.
As Nobby says in the Kickstarter video, "We've got our baby back!".
We've also got additional bods from Carma 2 still working for us.
Even SCi eventually recognised that by separating Carma from Stainless, it completely lost its guts (literally). You can't just have another company take over something so unusual and surreal. They just didn't 'get' it.
As Nobby says in the Kickstarter video, "We've got our baby back!".
At the time of writing Carma 1 and 2 I was hugely active on the pre-Petrolheads TVR forums and then on the original Petrolheads (which then became Pistonheads). I actually wrote the Cerbera FAQ that is still floating around the 'net.
Lately though, I just don't seem to have time, hence my pitiful number of posts since re-registering a few years ago :-(
I must try harder.
Lately though, I just don't seem to have time, hence my pitiful number of posts since re-registering a few years ago :-(
I must try harder.
Nice to hear :-) We kept playing LAN multiplayer (especially Fox 'n' Hounds) in the office for years after developing the game too - that's got to be a good sign, eh?
The great thing is that the world has now caught up with us, and everybody is on-line. So most of our players will be able to enjoy multiplayer now, not just a select few.
Oh and here's the URL again:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stainlessgames...
The great thing is that the world has now caught up with us, and everybody is on-line. So most of our players will be able to enjoy multiplayer now, not just a select few.
Oh and here's the URL again:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stainlessgames...
Thanks for all the fantastic positive comments guys. I'm about to bugger off on holiday for two-and-half weeks and will only have sporadic access to the 'net, so please forgive me if I go a bit off-and-on in replying to your questions.
Oh, and we were only having the "buy" vs "random chance of salvage" debate at work today! And yes, the salvage option came out on top.
Oh and we knew we cocked-up the missions in C2 bloody years ago. Sorry :-(
Oh, and we were only having the "buy" vs "random chance of salvage" debate at work today! And yes, the salvage option came out on top.
Oh and we knew we cocked-up the missions in C2 bloody years ago. Sorry :-(
Ace-T said:
One of my favourite games ever was Carma 1. Utterly bonkers, but beautiful physics, which quite frankly you cocked up in Carma 2. Carma 1 was one of the few games where you felt the car hitting stuff and (weirdly) felt like it handled like a real car would. Just brilliant to play. Carma 2 had that sliding over ice feeling that an awful lot of car games had (put me off the car game genre permanently to be honest)
Will pledge, but what I want is Carma 1 on a state of the art graphics engine - same gameplay, same physics, same wet yourself hilarity, same Daily Maul baiting evilness!
Don't f
k this up please!
Trace
Our latest generation driving physics engine is our best yet (we still have the same guy working for us - got his doctorate in physics at only 22, whilst already coding Carma 1). The handling in the Reincarnation prototype is brilliant, and although I'm obviously biased, let me stress that I was always quite critical of our work in this respect. It's such a difficult paradox - trying to do a proper physics sim whilst simultaneously making it fun to play. And all without that most critical sensory input of all: the inner ear.Will pledge, but what I want is Carma 1 on a state of the art graphics engine - same gameplay, same physics, same wet yourself hilarity, same Daily Maul baiting evilness!
Don't f
k this up please!Trace
The Reincarnation handling feels fantastic though. It's as if it knows what you want it to do without you even having to control it. Definitely Dr Kev's finest hour.
If I remember rightly, everything is unlocked when you complete the game, but it is quite likely that I am wrong!
For the record, this structure is something else that we've already identified as a bad design decision. Future releases of Carma will not prevent you from replaying 'old' events.
This stuff is a lot easier with 15 years of hindsight, I can tell you!
For the record, this structure is something else that we've already identified as a bad design decision. Future releases of Carma will not prevent you from replaying 'old' events.
This stuff is a lot easier with 15 years of hindsight, I can tell you!
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