[Formula Bei] SILVER SHELL: KICKSTARTER - Final Hours!

(Feb. 07, 2018  2:31 AM)Jinbee Wrote: @[K1D], your quotes are too big, please avoid doing that in the future.

Sorry mate, (it crashed mah phone posting it)
(Feb. 07, 2018  1:05 AM)K1D Wrote: Oh no, what have I done, Beylon you sent me the pm that was meant for Kai and I didn't tell you. I'm really sorry. Now that that's out there, let's all sit down and converse in a calm, fashionable manner.

Ha! Not your fault at all, mate. Good advice, going forward.

(Feb. 07, 2018  2:05 AM)TrainiacJ Wrote: @[Beylon] Did you ever consider using social media to advertise instead of hedging all of your bets on a forum with a limited audiance? Posting on about it on WBO makes sense considering it originated here and is tangentially related to Beyblade, but making a Twitter, Tumblr, or Facebook page and asking everyone to share the Kickstarter from those sites would probably catch a wider audiance than just WBO...

Yeah, of course! You can connect with me here. You'll see that there's actually quite a bit going on with the Facebook page - and its a very different audience. Story is the same elsewhere on the internet too. The WBO is certainly the primary channel for the exact reasons you've described but I'd have thought it was kind of expected that there were other channels at work too. They're just not as big or reliable (!) as the primary one. I mentioned before that when the primary channel dies, it has a domino effect on the other channels because fixing the issue sucks resources away from an already small audience elsewhere. Never hedged all my bets on the WBO, but it was certainly the primary channel. That's not really unusual for a one-man Kickstarter.

It'd be awesome if you connected with me on FB. Updates there are often quite different from the ones the WBO gets though. A lot of it happens through messaging, which was a curious surprise to me. You can find other networks through the FB page too, but a lot of them never took off, precisely because I was dealing with this issue here.

(Feb. 07, 2018  2:05 AM)TrainiacJ Wrote: I must say, I'm not terribly impressed with how you're making a scene out of the issues brought on here though. I definitly think the communication on the Committee's part could be called into question, but making a scene by tagging a bunch of people in a PM to Kei and now what's going on here quite frankly looks bad. I will still support Silver Shell, but by doing what you've done you're coming off as unprofessional to a lot of people and that has probably done more to damage your reputation than anyone on the Committee could have.

Totally agree it looks bad. I should never have had to do it. Standing up for yourself is often frowned upon for less than a good reason but I don't think anyone could reasonably say I didn't try to fix this now. I really do appreciate your ongoing support. And I also appreciate the Committee finally talking about this publically. It's essentially a community project and I think the community deserves to know what's happening either way.

Hopefully the re-launch on Friday will show how I've handled the ongoing problem logistically. I'll get that preview link fixed asap.

Ah, finally, the preview link is fixed:

PREVIEW THE RE-LAUNCH HERE

This link gives you early access to the Kickstarter page to see what's changed. You cannot pledge yet. But if there's something missing that you'd rather see put back in, let me know and I'll see if it's feasable.
Given that the Silver Shell Kickstarter will be re-launching this Friday, I want to make my personal support for the project itself as a member of the WBO clear and without distraction, so I’ve just sent my latest reply to Beylon’s previous post privately and let him know that he can post it publicly if he would like.

The Silver Shell Kickstarter Relaunches this Friday


As Beylon showcased above his Kickstarter is re-launching this Friday, February 9th, 2018! It isn’t often that you see someone turn their passion into reality. I’ve spent years working on a photobook myself that was released last year, so I certainly understand the immense effort that goes behind something like this and want to encourage everyone to at least visit Beylon’s Kickstarter page and consider backing this innovative project.


Preview the Re-Launch


Thanks Kei, and on that note, here's a look at what you can expect from the new campaign:

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You'll see a kind of Dranzer homage in Raptor. It's the stamina shell of the trio. Magestic soaring eagle kind of deal.

You get all these parts in the kit. The final bolts will be more compact and won't stick out the bottom like that (no time to reshoot!). The standard eight-sided base in this series is inspired by the traditional Japanese beigoma.

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Some more stuff from the upcoming re-launch, in case you've missed the link:

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"Dragon" requires no introduction really. It's the most aggressive in the series so far.

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You can imagine how combining Dragon with Raptor might create a balance-type shell.
Just hours left, guys. Relaunch is on it's way!

In the mean time:

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This is Crypto, a fierce warrior when provoked. Based on the stalwart form of the tortoise suborder "cryptodira" this shell harks back to ancient Asian deities the likes of Kurma, Xuan Wu and Genbu. With a centralised weight and balanced aerodynamics, only the most aggressive shells will shift Crypto from the ring.

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Well, we're launching on schedule. Again.

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You'll see the Silver Shell Kickstarter has had a name change. The new "Fighting Tops" name is just more accessible. You'd be surprised how often people saw the "shells" and didn't realise what they were looking at until their kids told them. The phrase "Combat Automata" is now reserved for the gameplay system, which you can still get for free from the previous Kickstarter, if that's your cup of tea.

Click the image above to visit the new Kickstarter or share this link.

You can also sign up for updates on Facebook.

And finally, I've been posting Silver Shell videos on YouTube for a while now.

Don't let the lower funding goal fool you. The number more accurately represents what is now achievable but this doesn't mean it's going to be easy. For some perspective, I'm hoping for around 20 backers to bring this project to life. Yup. Twenty. In total. So please, if you are thinking of pledging, go ahead and ask me as many questions as it takes.
Before the name change, I made a whole series of videos explaining the basic mechanics of Shells and the Power Unit. Figure I'll post them here as I gradually expand the range under the new name:

3 backers and already at 30%
we've beaten the first 24hrs of the original campaign

Big thanks to those special VIPs who got in early and pledged for the whole set.

Below are some HD examples of what you can build from each Shell kit - the people who've pledged so far can further combine all the pieces from each set together, making one mammoth set of modular parts.

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Don't forget to share the link on Facebook or whatever.
What about for those who could not able to fund your kickstarter, if its succeeds, whill they still be able to buy your Silver Shell Fighting Tops after the Kickstarter ends successfully?
(Feb. 10, 2018  5:14 AM)Flame-Tiger Wrote: What about for those who could not able to fund your kickstarter, if its succeeds, whill they still be able to buy your Silver Shell Fighting Tops after the Kickstarter ends successfully?

Good question. This will depend heavily on the outcome of the Kickstarter. That's why it's so important to pledge early if you can - because a pledge for just one Shell could make the difference between being funded or not. If we exceed our funding goal, I might then be able to produce a few more to complete the collections of those who could only pledge for one Shell during the campaign, see? But we have to make the money first - so every little bit is crucial in the early days.
Silver Shell kits are deeply detailed and let you design each individual blade, but they're still easy to build and use.

Once you have a shell design you like, the most common change you'll make is its height.

All shells come with a 10mm stainless steel core and two height adjustment plates. The plates allow you to set the height of your blade in single-step increments, for basically any height you might want. Setting your lock (the part that holds the core) high or low on the fuselage (the body of the shell) increases your options even further.

See the video:

Glad to see this is off to a good start! I should be putting in my pledge within the next few days.

One thing I've been wondering: is there plans for any different bottoms/tips for Silver Shells in the future @[Beylon]? Not sure if I missed any discussion on this detail before, but for Dragon, Raptor, and Crypto the bottoms seem identical.
(Feb. 10, 2018  10:05 PM)Kei Wrote: Glad to see this is off to a good start! I should be putting in my pledge within the next few days.

One thing I've been wondering: is there plans for any different bottoms/tips for Silver Shells in the future @[Beylon]? Not sure if I missed any discussion on this detail before, but for Dragon, Raptor, and Crypto the bottoms seem identical.


That's great news, Kei!

These were the grip (spin tip) options that were part of the previous "unlock" feature:

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The current range uses the "performance" grip (polished ball made of welded stainless). The blocky one is the stainless "infinity" grip, a defensive low-rpm grip which never falls down (spin-stealer). The black "grinder" grip is a prototype, made of nylon, which increases its grip as it gradually wears down. Was originally planning to make them all available with each shell as a stretch goal.
A note on how Kickstarter works:

Kickstarter won't charge you any money unless the campaign is successful. That means if you pledge now, you won't be charged anything until the end of this month (when the project ends) and only if we reach our funding goal.

A note on how your Power Unit works:


The final Power Unit design just arrived, so I'll snap some pics in a bit.
The whole point of the Power Unit is that you can configure it how you like:

  • Left or right handed.
  • Multiple ergonomic handling modes.
  • Left or right spin.
  • Variable bearing tension.
  • Customisable string length.
  • Any string type (you can even use your own string).
  • Multiple feeder modes (or no feeder).
  • Universal hardware (use you own bolts/nuts or interchange with shell parts).

But if you look closely, you'll notice the single "cap" which keeps the whole thing together and fastens the axel is actually an "infinity" grip, as detailed earlier. The idea is that you can use one grip on your shell while the other grip type holds the Power Unit together. When you want to switch, you just change them over.

...Meant to say that in my last post.

If you pledge in the Kickstarter for a reward with a Power Unit, you're essentially getting two grip types. Guess I was hoping people might figure that out on their own. Maybe you did?

50%
in the first 48 hours

Congratulations everyone, we've reached 50% in just the first few days! As promised, here is the new splash for the updated Power Unit:

[Image: oUxa7gF.png]

This thing is a monster. At 125 grams, the update makes the body slightly wider, with a more substantial feeder and finger-grips to help you pick up and use the unit without even looking at it.

Don't forget to visit the actual Kickstarter page as well. When you visit the page, it helps others find the project online.
I can't believe the Kickstarter got so much funding already, when the bey tubers get their hands on the prototypes the Kickstarter will be funded 10 times over
(Feb. 12, 2018  2:47 AM)K1D Wrote: I can't believe the Kickstarter got so much funding already, when the bey tubers get their hands on the prototypes the Kickstarter will be funded 10 times over

Ha, spoiler alert! But man I hope you're right, K1D. You and everyone from YouTube have been really awesome with helping out and I can't wait to see what's in store over the next two weeks!

So, after today's announcement, I thought I'd share one of the cooler features of the Power Unit: adjustable string length. This video shows just one of the many ways you can modify your Power Unit string:

Watch this in HD, guys.
Did you know...? Everyone who's pledged so far has pledged for the full Silver Shell set. You guys rock!

But even with just a single shell, you can make dozens of different designs. You're not stuck with just one, the limit is your imagination. Silver Shell kits are complex and detailed. Usually you design, build and test the main parts of your shell at home before heading out to find someone to fight. Then you can just make easy minor adjustments after each round, to counter your opponent's design.

Here's a few full-length spins and some tips on how to make those minor adjustments:

Seriously guys, HD is best.

Had some exciting news this morning too! SUSPENSE... But we'll pick that up in the next day or two. I'm also testing this button, which Kei graciously made, with many thanks to him, and which I'm quoting from his post above because I didn't even know this was possible. Let's see if it works:


Yup, it works. Thanks Kei!
Also uploaded the relaunch trailer.

Just a slimmed down version of the original - but to the point in under 2 minutes:



60% FUNDED
HOME STRETCH?


Just a few extra supporters can make a big difference - we've smashed 60% and we're on the way to being funded! Big thanks to everyone who's pledged so far, everyone who's liked and shared the Facebook page and everyone who's subscribed on YouTube. You're all making this happen!

In case you somehow missed it, this is what you're pledging for:



Wow, this got funded fast
70% FUNDED
Wow.


We're making some amazing progress, guys. Keeping up this momentum will be a real challenge, so make sure you visit the Facebook Page, the YouTube Channel and the Kickstarter Project to get this baby over the line!

Also, look what the amazing JoJo found:


I came from JoJos video! These look so awesome