I’m on the plane back from a media tour in San Francisco where I demoed Elemental and talked on a wide variety of issues. This next week I recommend keeping an eye on the Elemental site as most of the coverage will come around there.
A few quick highlights in no particular order:
Re DRM:
I talked to Chris Remo at Gamasutra at length. I explained to him that our anti-DRM policy isn’t because we’re a bunch of hippies. In fact, I told him that if Stephanie (my PR minder who was about to become horrid) wasn’t there, I’d be trying to harvest his organs right then and there. As a greedy, cold blooded capitalist, my job is to maximize profits and I do that by trying to maximize sales. Piracy pisses me off emotionally and if I thought requiring retinal exams would increase my sales I would. But reality is, piracy is an overblown excuse.
Re Steamworks vs. Impulse::Reactor:
I may prefer Valve to Microsoft as a the gate keeper to digital distribution on the PC but you know what’s better than Valve as a gate keeper? Having nobody as a gate keeper. The problem is that right now, there’s no real alternative to Steamworks. The publishing market is divided into three groups. The indies who want to sell their stuff in as many places as possible. The titans who have the capacity to exist within themselves (think EA and Blizzard) and the guys who basically could care less if the PC became a closed platform because they see it as just another place to sell their cross platform stuff.
The main advantage of Impulse::Reactor is that it doesn’t require a game developer to bundle a third party store with their game which is a pretty big deal.
Re Elemental:
Elemental is a strategy game that exists in an RPG world. The thing is, Elemental’s release is the beginning of the adventure, not the end. We plan to keep working on Elemental for the next year or more after release. There’s just so much there we can do, especially with the modding tools and such.
Re Consoles, iPads, etc.:
Huge markets. My main issue is that the games I like to make the most require a lot of memory (by console terms). Elemental uses a gig of RAM to deliver its world. I can’t do that on a 512MB console and I’m not willing to sacrifice the game for cross-platformness.
Re Can NEW (i.e. non-sequel) turn-based PC-only strategy games thrive:
Yes. Our demographic is highly selective. But if you deliver a good game, you will see the sales.
Re Random House:
Having Random House’s Del Rey writing team develop the fictional lore of Elemental definitely made a big impact on the game’s design. I think users will very much like the way the game almost feels like an RPG even though their “role” is to be king (or queen).
Have been looking out all week for the articles to start coming up as a result of the media tour you did, Brad! Glad to hear we should start seeing 'em soon!
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As to the content of yer post, one thing strikes me as bein' a lil odd. Not that I'm at ALL complaining mind, because this comes out in my favour. But I was just trying to reconcile your decision not to cross-platform-ise and your so called 'cold blooded, greedy capitilist' nature. I think that in truth, you just us too much.
Seriously though, I know the console market probably isn't best thought of for their attraction to the slower more calculating games. I wonder though how much is simple stereotype though, or whether the stereotype exists for a good reason and the sales gained by going cross platform on the title wouldn't even outweigh the additional development costs / licensing costs etc to get it there?
I do wonder though, pending stellar sales (insofar as single platform (and PC platform at that) sales go), are we likely to see a scaled back edition of the game to make some headway into the apps explosion for the iPhone/iPad? I could see more of a market here than perhaps on console, and even on consoles I could see there being some room for a TBS. Given the turn nature of it rather than being RTS the controls become significantly less of an issue as well.
Sounds good! Watching the site
We have both money and minds. Where to spend either is the issue.
(Waiting for brains to explode... maybe implode too...? BOTH!?!?!?!?)
That's all very good news for Stardock and fans I think .
Two questions if I may.
1. Do you think you'll enter the market selling iPad or Phone games?
I'm sure some of your earlier games might run on these platforms and you could probably make a Lot of money there. There isn't any "Big Name Game Developers" making phone or iPad games that I know of (admittedly I don't know the market for those).
2. Will you ever, or do you think you'll ever have any plans to sell Stock Options? Please say "Yes" . I would Love to invest in Stardock's future my-self, even if only monetarily (and no I don't mean with a donation ).
Okay this is funny, because for the first time my wife and I are talking about starting a portfolio. Her job is offering stock options so I have been doing alot of research into that avenue. And one bit of advice that constantly comes up when starting in the markets is "Invest in what you know".
Well being a gamer for going on 20 years plus at this point I would have to admit this would be a great place to start. Pick a company you beleive in the values of in a feild you know, do a little more research and go.
Ohhhh. I expect to hear something about Elemental on Idle Thumbs soon, then.
Delicious info, come to me!
hahaha Indeed!!! You and I should talk more, XeronX. I've been unable (medical issues) to do any physical work for a little over 2 years now. My income comes solely from what Beta Testing Jobs, Tech repair Jobs, and my Investing/Stock Portfolio. That plus my wife works part-time. Roughly almost 1/3 of our income comes from our stock profits. I buy and sell things weekly, and check them daily.
Learn to follow trends. Even better try to "predict" trends and if you're successful you can make a wind-fall....or you could loose it all. I won't say some things aren't risky. If you watch a lot of companies, read business blogs, and know when new technologies are going to "hit the market" you can start seeing a consistent income. I'm not gonna lie to you though, I don't see a profit Every Week. Sometimes I loose money.
Follow your rule for gambling. Never invest what you can't afford to loose, or "play big or don't play" if that's your style. Far be it from me to tell you how to invest your money. If you ever want any advice (unless you'd rather pay for it) feel free to shoot me a PM and we'll chat.
I started out doing exactly what you're talking about. I would recommend though to always have a "safety net" or "fall back" stock that is a usual Consistent money maker (believe it or not Some exist). As long as you can afford to avoid it, never put all your eggs in the same basket. I'm sure you know what I mean.
Quite a few of the old generation developers are now attached to the Phone games, and facebook games (Farmville, etc). Its casual gamers market in extreme, and I'd hate for stardock to start focusing on that kind of platforms, instead of being what it is now, a champion of good games made exclusively for the pc.
One thing about the news though - You mention steam yourself - will Elemental be available on Steam as w ell as on Impulse?
Tonight i saw game card for Mafia Wars and Farmville game card being sold at my local 7-eleven. If there is such a thing as a waste of money, that definitely takes the cake.
On the piracy issue, there is an interesting book call Software Piracy Exposed. by Paul Craig. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Software-Piracy-Exposed-Paul-Craig/dp/1932266984
The piracy problem are really two separate issues, one is those who just love to get their hands on software and crack the copy protection and telling the whole world for bragging rights. And..then there are those who pirate games via the efforts of those who crack copyright protections. The book's implicit premise is that for the hard core bunch who enjoys the challenge of cracking copy protection as an intellectual challenge, they should not be lumped with those who pirates games. I am not exactly certain regarding the legality of the issue of cracking software protection for non-commerical purposes. See, commercial decompilers and disassemblers exists, such as IDE Pro and SoftIce, programs on Java can be decompile using Jad.
As for Steamworks vs Impulse reactor. In all honesty, i don't like having to buy a game where i am being forced to install Steamworks. If that is the case, then after impulse reactor is fully functional, then consumer should have a choice of playing the game via impulse reactor, if i can't, because of some legal contract that game publishers have with Valve, then really, i think SD should make a case against it. It is a different thing with say a game like Diabolo 3, because Blizzard gamers are playing on Blizzard's own server.
Well, I wasn't meaning they should FOCUS on it. Even now, Stardock doesn't Focus on Game Making. They Focus on Windows Applications. Gaming comes in as "second place" in their money making list still I believe.
What they would do would be to take 4 or 5 employees and put them to work making apps for phones and iPads. They wouldn't shift the Focus of the whole company unless it started making them more money then all the other stuff they do. I too would Hate to see Stardock stop making everything else and Just Make phone and iPad games. At that point I wouldn't be a customer as I don't buy apps for my phone and I don't have (or want) a iPad.
My wife wants a iPad but honestly I'm afraid if I get her one she'll crash into a tree while driving because she'll be too busy texting one of her girl friends on the dumb iPad. No "Toy", no matter how fancy or what it can do, is worth my wifes life to me. Trust me....she's addicted to texting. Her phone sleeps in our bed....it doesn't get any worse then that.
I do believe that unfortuantely, there is a TON of money in casual games, which is why I react like the above
Just look at the horrible, horrible games like Cevony and Farmville, which have millions of users everyday. I'd hate for the company I respect the most to go that way, purely because of the money.
heh, and yeah, Ipads seems like pretty fun toys...I'm just oldfashioned I think, and think games should be played on PC's, or consoles for that matter
lol very true, and well said. My wife plays that insipid Farmville crap all the time. The day she starts paying Actual Money to play that will be the same day I Lock Her Out of our bank accounts and go file for divorce. Those games are back-door virus loaders anyway. Why any "Sane" person would want one running on their PC (or phone for that matter) is beyond me.
Still, if Stardock can make a few extra bucks to help them make a better PC game, I'm all for them selling crappy 2$ phone apps all day long. Just so long as they KEEP MAKING awesome PC games and Apps too.
Sounds like a successful week for you and the team Frogboy, good work!
Look forward to seeing more.
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Re: iPad
I am thinking of the iPad for my wife, fortunately (so far) she does not get into the Facebook-type games. It would be helpful for her writing and all. Now if Stardock got into some iPad and blackberry/cellphone games, that would be cool.
And indeed continue to make awesome PC games. My son Connor (7) is a Age of Wonders SM fanatic and when he saw all the goodness of Elemental he now asks me continually when it will be available. Looks forward to all the editors. He has some mixed feelings about switching to turn-based tactical combat as he likes RTS (Age of Empires etc.) as well, but he is willing to wait and see how it works.
Uh oh...firstly my friend, congrats on being a father. It sounds like you are a Good Father, and the world doesn't have a lot of them left anymore.
The reason I said "Uh oh" ?
Now that Stardock knows a 7 year old is waiting for Elemental...we might see it get "toned down" to something a BUNCH OF 7 year olds would want to play it....J/K...kinda. I don't think they would "Aim" for a market audience that young.
BEFORE anyone get pissed at that statement...Understand THIS:
I was playing MoO 1 at...around 11 or 12 years old and I UNDERSTOOD ALL the Game-Play mechanics (playing on a friends computer, I didnt have my own PC back then). MoO1 WAS NOT intended for 10 year old players. There were a few exceptionally smart young kids though, who played MoO1 and MoO2 and were great at the game. Even at 11 years old, I was a "Tactician" and a "Strategist". I wasn't just playing "Mario Bros" and having fun jumping on Bowser's head and sending him into the Lava below.
That's excellent stuff there though, ThreeKings
Edit Note: I made a typo up there I fix. The first time I said Good Father, I accidnetly said "Goof Father". That was a TYPO. I fixed it. Just didn't want 3Kings thinking that was on purpose. My bad, brother. Fixed it now.
GOOD FATHER...not Goof Father. GOOD.
I think it's a fairly easy typo to make, considering "D" and "F" are right next to each other on a QWERTY keyboard.
"I don't grin like a moron, I grin like a sociopath." | Clinicalizing everything makes you sound like a genius or an ass.
Nice!....perhaps we will have an in-game, tactical combat related EWoM video as well?
Lol, well, the way you broke up your own monopoly on Desktop Enhancements I'd say at the very least you are a warm-blooded capitalist.
Gee, I hope they never offer stock options. Don't fix what ain't broken is what I say. And if you bring in a bunch of people who think they know the games industry better than you get their way, well, you're going to make console FPSs for the rest of your life. There's something about public trading that turn companies into enormous douchebags. I'm not an expert on the subject, of course. Just opinionated.
If I was ever lucky enough to get my hands on enough Stardock "Stock" to be able to affect decisions like that. they'd NEVER make a Console FPS....EVER.
PC All the way...FTW!!!
raven you are WRONG
PC the ONLY way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
harpo
ALL the way...ONLY way...when talking about Stardock games that I would play. Those ideas are one in the same
I also still think Stardock "could" get into the market for these things Without Compromising their Windows/PC Games. Anything that makes them more money so they keep making Awesome PC games is A-OK in my book.
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