Crowdfunding is different from pre-ordering in nature even if similar in some details. Both are paying in advance, but that's where the similarities end.

Pre-ordering is done by studios which already have funding for the game, and they don't need money to create it. It's essentially an interest-free loan. I.e. you pay in advance and developers can use that money any way they want (like investing them in the interim), and the product won't arrive until later. Do you usually like paying before getting the product? I think not. But if you respect those developers so much that you want to give them a benefit of an interest-free loan for the period between your pre-order and release, so be it.

Crowdfunding on the other hand is done by those who can't create the project without it (there can be exceptions to that, but generally it's so). So you enable the project by paying in advance. That's exactly what investment is and that's how I always view the crowdfunding process. If you like the project - back it, but keep risks in mind. If you don't like investing and risking to get nothing, then settle with having less unusual projects which can't otherwise be created with publisher funded approach.

In my perception however, way more Linux games are created with cruwdfunding now than with publishers backing. And they are more likely to be DRM-free than publisher mentality infested ones. That's why I don't mind backing such projects despite the risks. We need more of them.

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Quoting: neowiz73Crowdfunding as it stands is a lot of open promises that may or may not be met. there have been many examples from features not quite making into games as intended to Linux versions that were promised and not released to being released years later.
At least with early access if there is at least a beta version for Linux available then there will most likely be a final stable release at or about the same time other OS versions are released.
I'd rather pay for a beta copy than a possible vaporware any day of the week.

As was said above, it's like that with any investment. Investors pay before the project even exists, and whether promises will be kept, and how confident you are in result would depend on what project you invest into. If you aren't confident - don't invest. I'll probably support Divinity: Original Sin 2, since despite mistakes Larian aren't some fraud and they will deliver.

Early access on the other hand is totally weird in my view. In the past people were paid to test games. Now people pay to test alpha / beta builds. The world upside down.

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Quoting: tuubi

Quoting: ShmerlCrowdfunding is investment, early access is paying for beta testing (which is weird).

Not really. Fully agree on the idiocy of early access, but investment implies expected profit for the investor. I'd say crowdfunding is the bastard child of pre-orders and misplaced charity.

No, investment in general implies any kind of interest in the project and willingness to support it based on that interest. Either for profit or other benefit, or any kind of other purpose. In case of crowdfunding, investment implies interest in creating the project which can't be created otherwise (i.e. without such investment). Or to put it shortly, you invest because you like the idea and want to see it come to fruition. Investment also implies risks, which applies to crowdfunding too.

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Quoting: Mountain ManJust treat Kickstarter and early access as scams, and things will make more sense.

No, that's completely wrong. Crowdfunding is investment, early access is paying for beta testing (which is weird).

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Quoting: wojtek88I know this attitude is not right but I hope this studio will fail.

This attitude is wrong. Nothing more to add. When some make mistakes don't with them to fail. Try applying it to yourself to understand it better.

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Anything MS touches turns into garbage.

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Quoting: OlliC$ mpv 'http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/70729406'
Playing: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/70729406
Failed to open http://tcdn.ustream.tv/video/70729406.

Does not work for me... :huh:

Not sure why. Here is what I see:

mpv --version
mpv 0.9.2 (C) 2000-2015 mpv/MPlayer/mplayer2 projects
 built on UNKNOWN
ffmpeg library versions:
   libavutil       54.27.100
   libavcodec      56.41.100
   libavformat     56.36.100
   libswscale      3.1.101
   libavfilter     5.16.101                                                                                                                                                                  
   libswresample   1.2.100

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To watch the recorded version without any Flash, try this

mpv 'http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/70729406'

That's it ;)

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Some slides on Vulkan / WSI and Wayland:

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I'll ask GOG to give credit to MojoSetup and add it here: https://www.gog.com/thanks [External Link]

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