"Your World", an upcoming MMO with "everything"

[Scold]

This has to be an elaborate joke.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/120873716/your-world

http://www.yourworldinc.com/

The first entry on their Kickstarter FAQ is "You have millions why not fund this project yourself?"

Why not indeed.

[Scold]

OH MY GOD IT'S THIS GUY.

http://www.baltimorestyle.com/index.php/style/people/p_life_lesson_bunky_bartlett_ma09/

For the first part of his professional life, Highlandtown native Elwood “Bunky” Bartlett worked as a bookkeeper and accountant, keeping track of other people’s finances. These days, Bartlett has his hands full managing his own money. In September 2007, he won roughly $27 million (after taxes), thanks to a winning Mega Millions ticket purchased at a Parkville liquor store. Since then, Bartlett, a Wiccan high priest, has quit his job, bought seven new cars, vacationed in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and become part-owner of Mystickal Voyage, the New Age gift shop and holistic center in White Marsh where he teaches classes on Wicca and Reiki. He and his family also have moved from their 2,000-square-foot house in Dundalk to a 5,000-square-foot house on 23 acres in Westminster. Style looked him up a year after his big windfall to ask him what he’s learned about life, people and, yes, money.

[Tairnyn]

I was was going to post some awesome quotes from the description but the whole thing is a trainwreck worth reading.

[Numtini]

OMG I recognize that guy from Pagan stuff down in MD.

[Quinton]

Wow.  Just the spelling errors alone are amazing (different rewards mention special "venors", "vedors", oh "VENDORS"!, as well as "currancey").

I will be terrified if this makes it even 10% to the 1.1M goal.

I mean, sure, eventually we'll see a high profile kickstarter project that manages to deliver *nothing* to anyone, but I would expect it to be less obviously telegraphed. 

Notable that all the rewards are for intangible virtual goods for a beta promised in 2014.

Reward categories including 500k or 1m "gold" or 50% xp bonus.  Brilliant!  People definitely want to pay for stuff like that up front, before there's any idea how the economy or mechanics will shake out.

[Furiously]

Seriously? Is this a troll kickstart?

[Redgiant]

Partner with GL-Jeff and get them fetapults launching.

[Scold]

Seriously? Is this a troll kickstart?

Nope.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-04-03/news/bs-ae-bunky-lottery-20120402_1_lottery-winner-nature-based-religion-reality-show

A pizza franchise that Bartlett bought with the sole purpose of ensuring that he could get delivery to his rural home has beaten the odds and is about to celebrate its second anniversary.

Here's how he tells the story of how he came to own Westminster's Mustang Pizza & Subs:

"Basically, we're out in the boonies and no one would deliver to us, so I said, 'Honey, do you mind if I open a Mustang's in Westminster?' Now, we have a 10-mile delivery radius, which is unheard of in the business."

The Bartletts also own investment property consisting of four houses and four commercial spaces.

And he is finally using his lottery winnings to finance a dream of his own — creating the ultimate video game. True, Bartlett is being criticized for asking the public for contributions instead of bankrolling the project entirely himself. But that hasn't deterred him.

"I'm never bothered by criticism that I shouldn't do something because I don't have the experience," he said. "I'm an idea man, and I can hire the people who can make my ideas reality."

[Quinton]

Wow, the updates and comments tabs are full of amazing material...

Avatar creation: You will be able to create your own race. You will be given a set of body parts. Each of these body parts can be place into a model to create your race. You may also once completed submit your design to us and we may, if we like it, set it up as a premade for others. Allowing them to change things like hair color, skin tones, eye color like most of the games now just a little more extensive. You will be able to create up to 10 Avatars on each server. So if you want Elf ears, Human Hands and arms, Orc trunk, dwarf legs, and a human head you may do so. Then change things as stated above. Now to show off your race you will be able to run off all your armor so your race could be seen as is. Well with underwear that is. You can’t run around buck naked. Or will you in some areas? We have got to give you some mystery to think about. We may even use your story about your race for our premade if yours is selected. Avatars will be able to marry other avatars and sex of the couple or race will not matter. Once you are married you will be able to share a home and town with your significant other. We may allow you to have children, either through sexual relations or adoption, who will grow up to be your next Avatar.

...

Space and Beyond: As your world (server) you will gain access to space travel. You will be able to travel from one world (server) to another. You will be able to buy or create your own space ship and go on space battles against the horde of creatures that have also leveled to the point of space travel. This is where the world will have to work together. There will be quests and puzzles that will need to be complete and materials gathered and turned in to the world council. Once your world reaches certain levels you will gain space travel and be allowed to participate in multi world quests and PVP events.

There will be no limit to the number of professions your Avatar will be able to master. Again in this there will be no level cap. As you grow we will be growing the server and the content within your world. All professions start at level 1.

1. Quester: Great for those of you who wish to quest a lot either on your own or in a group.
a. Apprentice Quester: This will give you a 1% boost to quest experience.
b. Journeyman Quester: 2% boost
c. Master Quester: 3% boost, Faster move speed, and 3% Dodge boost while not in combat, and Summon others to your location. Can create quests for others in around your home or in your town.
d. Ascended Quester: 5% boost to all master skills, summon group members to your location.

2. Dungener: Great for those who love to do dungeons and raids.
a. Apprentice - 1% XP Boost, 1% increase to all resistances
b. Journeyman - 2% boost
...

Here is what I am looking at from a cost stand point.

3 Game Designers, 2 Concept Artists, 8 programmers, 5 3d artists, 2 texture artists, 4 2d artists, 3 3d animators, 2 cinematic Animators, 1 graphic designer and 1 project manager/producer.

This alone will cost for a year about $2.2 million. This will get us to the point of beta testing in about 12 months or so after funding has been secured and the team picked. That doesn't include all the other costs of equipment, servers and other things. If you want in on the beta you better get to donating. Even if this doesn't get funded now and I do find investors to do this only those who donated $10 or more will get beta testing. So all you $1 people who did it just to comment sorry! Some of the better comments may still get in, but the negative ones will not.   
...

...
Currency: Your World will have only one type of currency that will be used for everything from vendor items to PvP gear. I hate that you have PvP currency and special event currency. Some games even have you take one currency turn it into another currency so you can buy this special item, one world one currency end of story!

We will be able to carry or have in your bank the following copper (max 99), silver (max 99), gold (max 999), platinum (9999), and trillium has no max. So once you go over the max of any one currency it will turn into 1 of the next level of currency.

Now here is something that you may or may not like. Currency is bound to your account. Any currency you have cannot be traded to another player. You can use it to purchase items from vendors, and the auction house (see auction house for specific rules), but cannot be given to another player. You can’t even put it in the guild bank.

The guilds currency will be increased via completion of quests and anything that gives you currency. So say you go out and kill a Pirate and you get 100g for that kill. The guild bank will get a % of that amount, We are not saying you will get less. The Pirate will give you 100g and then let’s use 10% will go to the guild bank so it will receive 10g. You will not get a lower amount like 90g to you and 10g to the guild bank, you will still get 100g and the guild bank gets 10g. 

[Kitsune]

So basically he's achieved the game design level of a 14-year-old and has no concept of the actual work involved.  There's no way that ship can sink!

[Spiff]

I assume he will use the money to hire a thousand monkeys sat behind a thousand computers, who will soon develop the greatest MMO of all time!

[Lucas]

Shut up and give him money!

 

[Sparky]

Something Awful have a pretty fun thread dedicated to this guy and his terrible back of a napkin giev 1 million bucks plox idea http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3472464

Fun fact: Until he started his project he handn't backed a single kickstarter

[Simond]

Do we get golf clubs and/or t-shirts with this one?

[HaemishM]

A COMPANY IS AT STEAK!!1!!!1

It had to be said.

[Zetor]

(snip)

There will be no limit to the number of professions your Avatar will be able to master. Again in this there will be no level cap. As you grow we will be growing the server and the content within your world. All professions start at level 1.

1. Quester: Great for those of you who wish to quest a lot either on your own or in a group.
a. Apprentice Quester: This will give you a 1% boost to quest experience.
b. Journeyman Quester: 2% boost
c. Master Quester: 3% boost, Faster move speed, and 3% Dodge boost while not in combat, and Summon others to your location. Can create quests for others in around your home or in your town.
d. Ascended Quester: 5% boost to all master skills, summon group members to your location.

2. Dungener: Great for those who love to do dungeons and raids.
a. Apprentice - 1% XP Boost, 1% increase to all resistances
b. Journeyman - 2% boost
...

So it's like being a gardener but instead of the garden you have dung. Where can I sign up?

[Sky]

No level cap?

Level 4672434 Dungener LFG!

[Xuri]

Pledge $10,000 or more
 2 Backers  • Limited Reward (18 of 20 remaining)

[Scold]

Pledge $10,000 or more
 2 Backers  • Limited Reward (18 of 20 remaining)

Guessing they're not actually imagining anything will come of this.

[Furiously]

Pledge $10,000 or more
 2 Backers  • Limited Reward (18 of 20 remaining)

Guessing they're not actually imagining anything will come of this.

Or family members who shared the lottery winnings with him.

[SurfD]

(snip)

There will be no limit to the number of professions your Avatar will be able to master. Again in this there will be no level cap. As you grow we will be growing the server and the content within your world. All professions start at level 1.

1. Quester: Great for those of you who wish to quest a lot either on your own or in a group.
a. Apprentice Quester: This will give you a 1% boost to quest experience.
b. Journeyman Quester: 2% boost
c. Master Quester: 3% boost, Faster move speed, and 3% Dodge boost while not in combat, and Summon others to your location. Can create quests for others in around your home or in your town.
d. Ascended Quester: 5% boost to all master skills, summon group members to your location.

2. Dungener: Great for those who love to do dungeons and raids.
a. Apprentice - 1% XP Boost, 1% increase to all resistances
b. Journeyman - 2% boost
...

I am somewhat confused as to what one would do with a 3% boost to dodge while not in combat.

[Zetor]

Maybe it's Artful Dodging.

[Kail]

It's a graphic design term.  It makes everything 3% lighter.

[tazelbain]

This thing looks 100% dodgy to me.

[Merusk]

It's a graphic design term.  It makes everything 3% lighter.

That's racist!

 

[Lantyssa]

Oooh, burn.

[IainC]

Oooh, burn.

Now you're making it darker again.

[Bunk]

A COMPANY IS AT STEAK!!1!!!1

It had to be said.

Yes, yes it did. Thank you.

[Nightblade]

I hate this Earth. I hate this Earth so very, very much.

[Furiously]

Oooh, burn.

Now you're making it darker again.

Thankfully with Photoshop you can do it non-destructively now...

[Draegan]

I think we should make the same exact game, with the same exact goals to try to make money.  The only difference is that we end every sentence in the design docs with "with some boobs".

I bet we can win.

[UnSub]

I bet we can win, with some boobs.

[Tarami]

Actually, you should just stick the cupsizes as reward tiers. Want those triple-D's and that 22" waist for your toon? No problem, just pony up the dough!

[SurfD]

Do we get golf clubs and/or t-shirts with this one?

You get t-shirts.  It's listed as one of the second or third rewards for kicking in some cash.

[Sky]

You get t-shirts.  It's listed as one of the second or third rewards for kicking in some cash.

But our game will offer t-shirts with some boobs.

Also, golf clubs will have boobs.