While everything from wide-open strategies to environmental manipulation to 22 character classes to challenging AI has been implemented already, the game still needs some fleshing out on the artistic side of things. That’s where the Kickstarter campaign comes into play. Stern is trying to raise $25,500 for the following purposes:

• Hiring a sound designer to create all of the sound effects for every last button click, movement, attack, character death, item usage, and action in the game.  Estimated cost: $12,000
• Hiring a composer to flesh out the game’s soundtrack with more music.  Estimated cost: $4,000
• Hiring artists to create more art: tilesets, destructible objects, character portraits, NPC sprites, and a second gender for each character class.  Estimated cost: $4,000
• Promoting Telepath Tactics* at PAX East.  Estimated cost: $2,000
• Hiring a web designer to build a proper website* for Telepath Tactics.  Estimated cost: $1,000

As you can see, a lot of these items are aimed at giving the game the kind of polish that takes a good game and makes it great. As with all Kickstarter campaigns, Sinister Design is offering their backers something in return for their much-needed funds. While the usual rewards like a copy of the game or listing in the credits are available, some of the more notable rewards include having your likeness placed in a dramatic scene, appear as an in-game villain in the single-player campaign, and getting the chance to design an in-game mission or multiplayer mode.

Sinister Design is doing fairly well with its campaign, having raised over $9,000 at the time of this article’s publication. There’s still a long way to go, though, and less than two weeks to reach that goal. Readers intrigued by the video below can contribute to the cause directly through the Kickstarter page which also includes links to the alpha demo.

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