No, it's a special 150$ tier where you get a short - go read it. See, it IS confusing ;)

If you take away the extra copies to give away, doesn't sound much different than a standard collector's edition.

even though it might not be much more than a standard collector's edition, the problem that i see is in relation to the profit made from the sale.

lets say i set my kickstarter target at $1,500 to make a game.

I can get that by selling 100 x $15 - the "cost" of setting up the distribution network (download) is say, $1 per game. The "profit" i make is therefore $1,400.

or I can get that by selling 10 x $150 special editions. the "cost" of setting up the distribution network (download) and making CDs, T-shirts, miniatures, etc is $30 per game. The "profit" is therefore $1,200.

Although I made the same amount of money, the "profit" is $200 less. I think that is the biggest issue that developers need to be aware of.

Htown, that's correct, however, the people pledging for the collectors editions are probably not the ones that were pledging for just a game. And there are people who won't pledge unless there is a physical copy available.

I don't think that it's common for pledges for the higher end stuff to out do the pledges for the lower levels, especially the minimum needed to get the game.

I agree with you, tejozaszaszas, sometimes what the developers are offering is going to cost them a huge percentage of donations plus they're going to spend tons of time administrating all that stuff - emails, packaging, shipping etc or have to pay someone to do it.

That's why, when I give money to any Kickstarter project I usually just pick the lower level $15-25 then add a little extra to it, but not enough that it reaches the next level. That way, I usually get the downloadable game (which is the only thing I want anyway) and the developers get a bit extra cash.

Some developers go overboard after the Kickstarter campaign has finished sending updates on what they're doing too. I gave money to The Banner Saga and, so far, in about 2 months we're on UPDATE NUMBER 17.

I'm still looking forward to the game but I don't even read the updates anymore. There is such a thing as too much information :)

If the concern is them spending it on expensive rewards, you do have the option of opting for a lower level reward if you so choose. Just because you contribute enough for say a $50 doesn't mean that you can't just opt for the $15 or even $5 reward if you so choose.

Just a thought if that's the concern rather than the actual cost.

Hah! Pinkerton Road has a whopping 32 updates! Honestly, every day I got an update. Now if only each update had that cute daughter in it <.<

It was actually shipping costs that got them (and the labor of packing, which they did themselves).

I am of the mind that when it comes to rewards, kickstarter ventures should stick to digital goods. Things like soundtracks, wallpapers, previous games in the catalog, and so forth is a good way to entice people without being saddled with producing physical material.

Now, I would argue that there should be something along four or five tiers for selling things:

$5 - Wallpaper
$10 - Previous game
$20 - Kickstarter game
$30 - Game + Soundtrack
$40 - All previous tiers

An ideal kickstarter is the one that eases people into buying things, and keeping tiers simple and to the point is important in my opinion. I have passed over some kickstarters due to them having dozens of rewards in differing configurations. If you need a chart to show the rewards you are offering, you have failed to get my attention.

While i agree with, whats wrong in some extra swag with your order? Too many cheap publishers don't give a physical copy of the software, no box and sometimes not even a printed manual. The part that really sets me off is they still charge full retail, geesh, talk about a ripoff.

oldschool, these publishers are independent developers who are, in many cases, producing amazing games at a fraction of the cost of what a big publisher would have to spend. So they can't afford to produce a physical copy as well like a big publisher can. Not if you want the game to be as good as they can possibly make it.

Besides, a very small percentage of gamers nowadays want a physical copy, so in the small numbers they have to print them, it's just too expensive.

I don't blame them at all and actually am surprised when someone wants a physical copy. It's no different than a downloadable copy, except it comes with a manual and a box. Both things which take up space in your house and which can be easily reproduced on a computer.

And sure, I'd say it's an age thing with people who want a physical copy. But I'm in my late 40s so I'm one of the 'old fogies' too :) But I never buy physical copies of a game. Don't have the room to store them all.

Hedwards, that's true. Thanks for pointing that out :)

No, my reason is purely financial. :) I own several websites and one of them is a new site for computer games so, even though I do get some game companies sending me things to review at no cost, I also buy a LOT of games (new and old) for review purposes so $20 is pretty much my limit on gaming purchases right now.

I'd love to give indie developers a lot more money on Kickstarter, and plan on doing as my business grows but owning your own business is often touch and go so I have to watch what I spend (although I haven't done so well this week what with buying 8 games on GOG in the last 3 days :))