Hey all! I really appreciate that you've taken the time to give me your feedback and concerns. I was really hesitant to post to forums but I'm very thankful I did as it has opened up the line of communication I was missing.
So first I'd like to express that as awesome as Anki is, the only thing that gaijiN5 has in common with it is that they both use a SRS. Though Anki is the most popular in the SRS field, it is not alone, not the first and isn't without its flaws. Other SRS like WaniKani, Memrise, or SuperMemo(which is at least a decade older than Anki) are based of the system proposed by Mace in the early 30s and applied by Pimsleur and Leithner in the 60s and 70s.
Other than the fact that Anki is not a game(though the AnkiEmperor addon gamafies it a little) and not very fun, I was not a fan of the X cards/day system which takes a fair amount of motivation to stick to and can quickly get overwhelming if you miss a day or two. gaijin5 uses the 5 minute timer and gauge system that is incorporated on old MUDs and Facebook games, not only as the addiction mechanic to keep people saturated but also to evenly space the game for people. As per a line that FinancialWar edited out, this is in no way related to or using Anki source code and is not a scam, as a programmer I can assure you that concept of an SRS isn't that hard implement(and as someone who's made an addon or two for Anki, I know that navigating their code is awkward as hell).
Anyways SRS is only an afterthought compared to the immersion click system, multiplayer and card game. I've never seen something like this attempted in another game or language learning application. The fact that you are not only surrounded by Japanese but also having to type in to navigate and communicate is pretty cool. Please show me the setting in Anki where I can talk to an NPC about their family or the weather, ask for directions or the price of something. How do the free decks(which gaijiN5 cards have more info than) teach about Japanese culture, history, currency or geography(actually AnkiEmperor does this last one, awesome addon). I hope that was enough to convince you this isn't Anki. If anything, it is language learning disguised as a MUD disguised as a Visual Novel.
As far as charging goes, this is largely to be able to get a team to make the best possible experience for as you said why should you help if I'm not paying you. Also, it is to help seed the rest of the series. But you'd be glad to know in a couple years(2018 at the latest if my Kickstarter passes and I don't have to do this part time as I've been doing) gaijiN5 will be free to play!
And no, even if any individual foreigner might not like being called a foreigner the word gaijin is not an offensive term, this is a common misconception much like people assuming hentai directly translates to pervert(it is more like odd or weird). If you don't believe that, just Google the term 'is gaijin offensive?' Anyways, it is a more commonly known word by foreigners and has a much better ring to it than gaikokujiN5, and it's not like I could use amerikajiN5 or hakujiN5 as I strongly doubt that my entire client base is entirely American or even Caucasian. Honestly, I thought it was a clever word play.
You are completely right about Japanese and Chinese not being the same which also goes for pronunciation, which is why I can't speak Chinese. But as kanji is derived from the Chinese alphabet(several dynasties worth) it still retains a lot of the same meaning. So I assure you, I can understand the gist of a Chinese headline(not the article) which you'll be able to do also with more kanji under your belt.
Out of curiosity, what did you find wrong with the sentence in question? Either way, I'm not infallible which is why one of the stretch goals is to get a native Japanese writer on the team. Also, anything that anyone says(including game text) is correctable. This is how people who know the bulk of the games words will get experience and yen as they won't be utilising the click/ghost system. Honestly, I love the concept of the click system as it instantly scales to the user. For by clicking the words you don't know, you are just reading the words you do.
And nahadef, thanks for the wishes of luck! It really means a lot!
With the whole taking advantage part, I don't see that's what I'm doing. I am just entering into an oversaturated niche with what I think is a really cool idea. I've already explained how this is beyond traditional SRS and why I am charging. There are plenty of other free and paid methods, but free doesn't always mean better(and neither does paid).
On the topic of dreadlocks, I love the style and I find it has more flair than the average programmer ponytail. It doesn't make me any less capable of a programmer or designer. And trust me when I say that they are the least eccentric thing about me. And no, I don't smoke weed, though I used to like a lot of lower-middle-class New Zealanders.
Yes, I am using those old level 4 lists, but modified with
these official books and also words that the game uses like locations and game mechanics.
Phew, almost done. I'm sure if the Kickstarter was too long for you this reply will have been also. So I stand by with what I said. If it's too long, it's probably not the best system for you and God forbid you ever read anything longer than a tweet or Facebook status(not mine, they can get long =p). Though a lot can be said for brevity, a lot more can be said for communicating. I could've replied with haters gonna hate but that would have done nothing for anyone. Even if the original posters don't bother reading this, I'm sure whoever does will understand where I stand a little more. If you want the Kickstarter summed up, watch the video. But I can do it in one sentence. gaijin5 is a game to teach Japanese by immersion using various memory and psychology tricks to make it stick.
Once again, thank you so much for the feedback and if anyone has any more questions or concerns please don't hesitate to ask!
