Comments on: In response to the pricing question/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/ Commercial gaming for Linux Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:53:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Michael Simms (CEO and head of Development)/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-358 Michael Simms (CEO and head of Development) Sun, 31 May 2009 09:39:00 +0000 /?p=209#comment-358 I can't say just yet but it, and the LGP sale, has given us a good amount of information on how pricing affects sales, and we'll be analysing this over the next few days and making some decisions I can’t say just yet but it, and the LGP sale, has given us a good amount of information on how pricing affects sales, and we’ll be analysing this over the next few days and making some decisions

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By: Aniruddha/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-357 Aniruddha Sat, 30 May 2009 19:49:12 +0000 /?p=209#comment-357 Too bad the Tux Games sale is over already. I just wanted to buy another 4 games :( Anyway I do think the current prices are to high especially now I have a ps3. I don't mind buying a Linux games once in a while for around $ 20, max $ 30 (defcon, darwinia, uplink, world of goo, savage 2, eschalon: book one, the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness etc). Anything above that I rather spend on a ps3 game. With the exception of (then) brand new games such as UT2004, Doom 3, Quake 4 and ETQW, X-plane etc. "30 May 2009 Due to sales levels being quite different to expectations, we have had to end our sale early, and all LGP prices are now back to pre-sale prices" http://www.tuxgames.com/ What does this mean? Where the sales a huge success? Too bad the Tux Games sale is over already. I just wanted to buy another 4 games :( Anyway I do think the current prices are to high especially now I have a ps3. I don’t mind buying a Linux games once in a while for around $ 20, max $ 30 (defcon, darwinia, uplink, world of goo, savage 2, eschalon: book one, the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness etc). Anything above that I rather spend on a ps3 game. With the exception of (then) brand new games such as UT2004, Doom 3, Quake 4 and ETQW, X-plane etc.

“30 May 2009
Due to sales levels being quite different to expectations, we have had to end our sale early, and all LGP prices are now back to pre-sale prices”
http://www.tuxgames.com/

What does this mean? Where the sales a huge success?

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By: t_u/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-338 t_u Sat, 16 May 2009 14:09:46 +0000 /?p=209#comment-338 Yep, I quite agree with Max... I gave Runesoft a chance many times, but I was always disappointed. Frankly, I don't know who is to blame : linux, xorg, nvidia, the original games developers, Runesoft... But all games I purchased had issues. Even the latest title, Jack Keane, has problems with lightning, no special effect, and is a little slow. (that quite ruins the experience IMO) Similar experience with Ankh 1 & 2. Northland doesn't work properly either. (no music, very slow unless a second 16 bits X server is launched). However, I still think developing for the Linux platform may be difficult, especially because of gfx drivers that are not all of optimal quality. Anyway. No problem so far with LGP port. (apart from the little quirk, the bad file rights on the Jets'n'Guns CD :) Anyway, thanks for the special offer. But I really think prices should be a little more affordable, the rest of the time :) Yep, I quite agree with Max… I gave Runesoft a chance many times, but I was always disappointed.

Frankly, I don’t know who is to blame : linux, xorg, nvidia, the original games developers, Runesoft… But all games I purchased had issues. Even the latest title, Jack Keane, has problems with lightning, no special effect, and is a little slow. (that quite ruins the experience IMO)

Similar experience with Ankh 1 & 2. Northland doesn’t work properly either. (no music, very slow unless a second 16 bits X server is launched).

However, I still think developing for the Linux platform may be difficult, especially because of gfx drivers that are not all of optimal quality.

Anyway. No problem so far with LGP port. (apart from the little quirk, the bad file rights on the Jets’n'Guns CD :)

Anyway, thanks for the special offer. But I really think prices should be a little more affordable, the rest of the time :)

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By: Max/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-328 Max Wed, 13 May 2009 01:26:05 +0000 /?p=209#comment-328 Please please please don't call RuneSoft a "Linux game company"... RuneSoft is a company porting games to MAC and then creating a linux binary in 5 minutes if anything at all. All the Runesoft games are bugged to crap and don't even run at full funtionality, except for Knights and Merchants, which couldn't be any better, but then again, LGP had their fingers in that one. Seriously, both Ankhs are bugged to shit and shadows don't work properly. Northland is also bugged. I did not test Jack Keane and i think i won't test it anymore, the experience i made with RuneSoft is quite enough. And seriously, I like the LGP logo animation and sound. Why does everything has to be super fancy these days? LGP's logo and the background sound are easily recogniseable, they are just the perfect mix of plainness and fancyness. I'd prefer if they were not changed at all. I'm already used to that LGP logo and the sound, the sound is always calming. :P Please please please don’t call RuneSoft a “Linux game company”…
RuneSoft is a company porting games to MAC and then creating a linux binary in 5 minutes if anything at all.
All the Runesoft games are bugged to crap and don’t even run at full funtionality, except for Knights and Merchants, which couldn’t be any better, but then again, LGP had their fingers in that one.
Seriously, both Ankhs are bugged to shit and shadows don’t work properly.
Northland is also bugged.
I did not test Jack Keane and i think i won’t test it anymore, the experience i made with RuneSoft is quite enough.

And seriously, I like the LGP logo animation and sound.
Why does everything has to be super fancy these days?
LGP’s logo and the background sound are easily recogniseable, they are just the perfect mix of plainness and fancyness.
I’d prefer if they were not changed at all.
I’m already used to that LGP logo and the sound, the sound is always calming. :P

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By: Michael Simms (CEO and head of Development)/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-327 Michael Simms (CEO and head of Development) Tue, 12 May 2009 19:55:49 +0000 /?p=209#comment-327 Well, the scaling is cos of a bit of software I wrote about 12 years ago that I use to auto-scale inages right now, it just uses pixel scaling with no smoothing, I need to fix that soon. Its on my todo list {:-) Well, the scaling is cos of a bit of software I wrote about 12 years ago that I use to auto-scale inages right now, it just uses pixel scaling with no smoothing, I need to fix that soon. Its on my todo list {:-)

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By: Iggi/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-326 Iggi Tue, 12 May 2009 18:45:11 +0000 /?p=209#comment-326 I have to admit i have to agree that I love to see it on my boxes - as I obviously know it's a Linux game then! Apart from that the logo seems not really very creative to me. And the logo animation / sound when starting a game are just horrible and creepy... Just have a look at other logos of Linux game companies like Loki Software, Hyperion Entertainment or even RuneSoft - all of them are way better, and Hyperion even has a great logo animation :-) So, enough ranting for today, I'll continue somewhen else ;-) I have to admit i have to agree that I love to see it on my boxes – as I obviously know it’s a Linux game then!

Apart from that the logo seems not really very creative to me. And the logo animation / sound when starting a game are just horrible and creepy… Just have a look at other logos of Linux game companies like Loki Software, Hyperion Entertainment or even RuneSoft – all of them are way better, and Hyperion even has a great logo animation :-)

So, enough ranting for today, I’ll continue somewhen else ;-)

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By: RK/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-325 RK Tue, 12 May 2009 16:27:15 +0000 /?p=209#comment-325 Simple doesn't have to mean bland and unimaginative. ;P I think my main problem with the logo is the overabundance of whitespace within the circle. It's like the letters were just plonked down methodically, with little thought given to the aesthetic. Perhaps the characters in a triangular formation would be more pleasing. As my old dance teacher used to say; "use the space". It doesn't appear scale down to be very well recognisable either. Eg. the logos in the "LGP News" right-side panel of the home page. And to prevent my posting yet another reply here, I'll just quickly jump on the suggest-a-game-to-port bandwagon, and proffer: Silent Storm (+ Sentinels). Simple doesn’t have to mean bland and unimaginative. ;P
I think my main problem with the logo is the overabundance of whitespace within the circle. It’s like the letters were just plonked down methodically, with little thought given to the aesthetic. Perhaps the characters in a triangular formation would be more pleasing. As my old dance teacher used to say; “use the space”.
It doesn’t appear scale down to be very well recognisable either. Eg. the logos in the “LGP News” right-side panel of the home page.

And to prevent my posting yet another reply here, I’ll just quickly jump on the suggest-a-game-to-port bandwagon, and proffer: Silent Storm (+ Sentinels).

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By: wasdf/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-324 wasdf Tue, 12 May 2009 14:32:44 +0000 /?p=209#comment-324 hm ok now I at least know gothic is a no go. what a pitty, great game! hm ok now I at least know gothic is a no go. what a pitty, great game!

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By: Maxim/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-323 Maxim Tue, 12 May 2009 10:33:41 +0000 /?p=209#comment-323 GBP ...o ... I was wrongly assuming that Brittan was using Euros as part of the UN :( , how well, 9 GBP is still cheap. Isn't £ is Euro ? Anyways I agree that some people who used the "sales day" to buy games for 9 GBP would have bought them later on at their original higher price, but then again - wouldn't they have bought it by now before the "sales day" ? As you've said most of the games bought this day where old titles - so if they weren't bought by now at their old prices and only bought when the prices dropped - doesn't it tell you that they wouldn't have sold if the prices weren't dropped ? I do however agree that new titles as Sacred Gold might have sold more in the future and you "lost" profit in the sales day for those titles. But older games that cost just as much as the day they where released wouldn't sell much - I mean it's been a few years ;) There are some very old titles I want to buy (now it's mostly from Tuxgames as you don't sell them for some reason) - but the prices are still just as high as in the release day , wouldn't it be logical to drop them after several months or even a year ? the Windows titles drop dramatically after 1-2 years. And other issue on this notice ... Maybe you should have a poll of titles you would want to port (not talking about new windows games that cost much to license) and users can submit what they want to see ported , then you can "save" yourself from titles that sell much less then others. BTW when Sam2 is comming (dunno if you will sell it but tuxgames have it on their list and I can't wait for it to be completly and officially ported), 20th of May as planned ? (I've tried the beta iccus port and for me it didn't work) Thanks again for your replies. GBP …o … I was wrongly assuming that Brittan was using Euros as part of the UN :( , how well, 9 GBP is still cheap.
Isn’t £ is Euro ?

Anyways I agree that some people who used the “sales day” to buy games for 9 GBP would have bought them later on at their original higher price, but then again – wouldn’t they have bought it by now before the “sales day” ?
As you’ve said most of the games bought this day where old titles – so if they weren’t bought by now at their old prices and only bought when the prices dropped – doesn’t it tell you that they wouldn’t have sold if the prices weren’t dropped ?

I do however agree that new titles as Sacred Gold might have sold more in the future and you “lost” profit in the sales day for those titles.
But older games that cost just as much as the day they where released wouldn’t sell much – I mean it’s been a few years ;)

There are some very old titles I want to buy (now it’s mostly from Tuxgames as you don’t sell them for some reason) – but the prices are still just as high as in the release day , wouldn’t it be logical to drop them after several months or even a year ? the Windows titles drop dramatically after 1-2 years.

And other issue on this notice …
Maybe you should have a poll of titles you would want to port (not talking about new windows games that cost much to license) and users can submit what they want to see ported , then you can “save” yourself from titles that sell much less then others.

BTW when Sam2 is comming (dunno if you will sell it but tuxgames have it on their list and I can’t wait for it to be completly and officially ported), 20th of May as planned ? (I’ve tried the beta iccus port and for me it didn’t work)

Thanks again for your replies.

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By: Michael Simms (CEO and head of Development)/2009/05/07/in-response-to-the-pricing-question/comment-page-1/#comment-322 Michael Simms (CEO and head of Development) Tue, 12 May 2009 09:30:21 +0000 /?p=209#comment-322 One of the staff here has the job of upodating this information, and I see they need a kick {:-) The release date is still a bit nebulous, I'd expect 'soon'. As for the systems for interest, that wouldnt work. We don't just base our priorities on what people want. We have to take into account business needs, staff availability and skillset, lots of factors. As for interest in potential ports, no, because people will just go 'yay yay huge game that is so expensive to license it would put us out of business'. Kindof self defeating {:-). LGP doesnt even have a system for preordering, but some of our resellers do offer preorder discounts, we leave that to them. We have to be careful on our sales direct to the public, as we do not want to compete to the point our resellers cannot, as destroying the reseller chain would be a huge mistake. One of the staff here has the job of upodating this information, and I see they need a kick {:-) The release date is still a bit nebulous, I’d expect ’soon’.

As for the systems for interest, that wouldnt work. We don’t just base our priorities on what people want. We have to take into account business needs, staff availability and skillset, lots of factors. As for interest in potential ports, no, because people will just go ‘yay yay huge game that is so expensive to license it would put us out of business’. Kindof self defeating {:-).

LGP doesnt even have a system for preordering, but some of our resellers do offer preorder discounts, we leave that to them. We have to be careful on our sales direct to the public, as we do not want to compete to the point our resellers cannot, as destroying the reseller chain would be a huge mistake.

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