Adverts On Loading Screen In Free Games For Pandora

[Kramy]

It would make it available to everyone, but I would still have the option of buying it and all that. I like it. I DON'T like multi-level game content systems, where people who pay more get more content. Either all or nothing, please. So yes, I would very much think this would be a good idea.

Done properly, multi-level content is the way to go. Proper execution would be a game, with free downloadable addons, and then an expansion pack later. Improper would be a game, and you can pay a monthly fee for access to better items and higher exp gain. If you don't pay, your character will never be awesome, and you'll never get to the final areas of the game.

I'm in favour of this. Ad-supported is better than a demo, IMO. Full game, for free, and it covers the web hosting of the creator - win!

But there are some stipulations that must be met:
CODE
Terminology:
starts/starting -> game loading when starting
loads/loading -> game loading during play (not applicable to all games)

-Software will automatically connect and try to download new ads when the game is starting, if it has not done so within a week.
-No downloading shall occur during loading - only when the game starts.
-If WiFi not available, continue with old ads.
-If no ads are downloaded, default to "Default Ad" and continue loading. (this could be a filler Pandora ad, or a fixed ad)

Starting ads:
-Max 2
-Ads must be skippable after a maximum of 3 seconds. (each)
-Ads may be skipped by pressing any key. (...that isn't in-use: ex. for alt+tabbing, program closing, etc.)
-Ads may not be displayed more than 6 seconds. (each)
-Ads must not for any reason cause a game to take longer than +15 seconds to load.

Loading ads:
-Max 1 per load*
-*(doesn't apply if your "load" is doing something fancy, like generating a world or random area, which could take a long time)
-Ads may only delay loading up to 3 seconds.
-Ads may not affect the loadtime in any significant way.
-Loading ads are considered "auto-skipped".


Anyone got additions or changes? That's what I find acceptable. I just hate EA games with their unskippable minute-long intro logos. The first thing I do is rename all the video files. :lol:

 

[PoisonedV]

I have absolutely no intention of paying for any software for the Pandora, ever. I got burned when I donated to Zod for the GBA emulator on the '2x - paid to get a preview of it, only to find that the games I wanted to play either were unsupported or completely unplayable.

Never again.

D.

I wish you would POST never again.

E.

 

[puppydee]

So Streak are you releasing a game but you don't know wether to charge people or give it away for free? or is this just a poll to pass the time?

 

[Vorporeal]

So Streak are you releasing a game but you don't know wether to charge people or give it away for free? or is this just a poll to pass the time?

Did you bother reading the original post or is this just a reply to increase your post count?

 

[arrrgh]

I'd much rather buy my game outright than have ads.

 

[streak]

So Streak are you releasing a game but you don't know wether to charge people or give it away for free? or is this just a poll to pass the time?

Just probing the community. I dont wanna say , im doing something because its always sounds like declaration

 

[lulzfish]

We've had too many polls lately, the data miners are going to get lazy at this rate!
Make them work for their information!

edit: I was joking, obviously. I love taking polls.

 

[cools]

Loading screens?

I don't want loading screens (if possible), nor unskippable splash screens. There is zero reason for them and they're the primary reason I'm sick of modern games.

ED's ScummVM video shows how it should be.

 

[lulzfish]

Good point. The Pandora is pretty powerful as handhelds go, but it's still using solid-state media, and it's not going to be loading a huge amount of graphical data. There probably won't be much load time unless you put ads in between levels when it's 'loading'.

 

[valhalla]

I hope that there won't be many loading screens, since they are an obstacle for the quick and easily interruptible gaming sessions I will often have on my pandora. Adding back unneeded loading screens just to show a few ads would be pretty annoying.

 

[Monk]

I hope that there won't be many loading screens, since they are an obstacle for the quick and easily interruptible gaming sessions I will often have on my pandora. Adding back unneeded loading screens just to show a few ads would be pretty annoying.

Yeah, it kinda feels wrong to have extra seconds loading time to play a "casual game". Casual games should load QUICKLY or they may end up simply not getting played.

 

[Butterman]

I hope that there won't be many loading screens, since they are an obstacle for the quick and easily interruptible gaming sessions I will often have on my pandora. Adding back unneeded loading screens just to show a few ads would be pretty annoying.

Yeah, it kinda feels wrong to have extra seconds loading time to play a "casual game". Casual games should load QUICKLY or they may end up simply not getting played.


From what I understand. StreaK is planning on quite a large project. In his own words, for a large product, you need cash incentive (ok, not his exact words).

Already, on my gaming machine, loading a TINCS model, with about 250 frames of animation, (about 1mb, half a million different verticies), takes around 1 - 3 seconds, because JModel is a text format, so it can take quite a while to parse. I'm pretty sure TINCS will have loading screens, it will probably only last 5 - 15 seconds. Most of this time will be talking to the server too. I can't see us having more than 100,000 polys in one scene, with an average of 20 frames of animation per model, we're looking at around 2 million polys, so 4 times the 1.5 seconds. 6 seconds. Spent loading the textures and the mesh data.

/random ramble (procrastination will kill you all)

I can see most, if not all 3D projects, requiring similar loading times.

 

[lulzfish]

I find it a little odd that you have half a million vertices, but I guess you're using keyframes on a per-vertex basis, rather than skeletal animation?

And it loads at 0.3 - 1.0 MB / s.
Something about that doesn't sound right.

But anyway, yes, if you're loading a large shooter level, ads are acceptable. The screen isn't doing anything else, you might as well have it help pay the developers.

But where it's a casual game that doesn't have load times, and where you might change levels frequently, loading screen ads hamper gameplay. Hopefully billboard ads can pick up the slack in such games.

 

[christo930]

I hope that there won't be many loading screens, since they are an obstacle for the quick and easily interruptible gaming sessions I will often have on my pandora. Adding back unneeded loading screens just to show a few ads would be pretty annoying.

Yeah, it kinda feels wrong to have extra seconds loading time to play a "casual game". Casual games should load QUICKLY or they may end up simply not getting played.


Who would be the proposed advertisers? I can't really imagine anyone wanting to pay for ads for a machine with such a small number of users. Maybe a few websites directly related to emulation or classic gaming, but aside from that (which I doubt), where are the advertisers?

Chris

 

[Butterman]

I find it a little odd that you have half a million vertices, but I guess you're using keyframes on a per-vertex basis, rather than skeletal animation?

And it loads at 0.3 - 1.0 MB / s.
Something about that doesn't sound right.

But anyway, yes, if you're loading a large shooter level, ads are acceptable. The screen isn't doing anything else, you might as well have it help pay the developers.

But where it's a casual game that doesn't have load times, and where you might change levels frequently, loading screen ads hamper gameplay. Hopefully billboard ads can pick up the slack in such games.

Yeah, I already explained that that was how I was doing things. I explained it takes a while to load because it's not a binary format. I'm parsing each line of text. Also, it wasn't 1mb, I just checked, it's 15mb :blink: . One of my modelers forgot to set his last frame at 1. He included like 300 frames of empty animation.

 

[christo930]

Complaing about this would be like complain about someone tipping a waitress. They have to make money some way.

As long as it isn't obnoxious i don't mind at all, in fact i encourage it if it gives the devs a bit of money back.

I don't like the idea of tipping, I think the waiter should be paid by the establishment. When I was young I worked as a waiter and the tips were great when it was busy, but on Tuesday night you could end up making $20 for a 6 or 8 hour shift (I'm talking the very late 80's). Then the government wants to tax you on 20% of your sales, but maybe you didn't get 20% tips. It's a terrible system and they should get paid just like any other job.

Chris

 

[streak]

Who would be the proposed advertisers? I can't really imagine anyone wanting to pay for ads for a machine with such a small number of users. Maybe a few websites directly related to emulation or classic gaming, but aside from that (which I doubt), where are the advertisers?

Chris

Pay attention , what the target we have here in the community [ mostly people from 20 to 30 years own the pandoras, also i think half of them are sceners / devers or hardcore gamers / retro gamers, that would be advantage for some software devs like BORLAND / Games studios that aims in creating big online RPG games [ for hardcore gamers ]. And dont forget that everyone here have a PC with linux or windows onboard so that create many possibilites for advertisers.

I expect that by the end of the 2009 year we will have 10.000 [ or more ] user database, and this is enaugh to catch atention few software studios [ hopefull ]

 

[christo930]

Who would be the proposed advertisers? I can't really imagine anyone wanting to pay for ads for a machine with such a small number of users. Maybe a few websites directly related to emulation or classic gaming, but aside from that (which I doubt), where are the advertisers?

Chris

Pay attention , what the target we have here in the community [ mostly people from 20 to 30 years own the pandoras, also i think half of them are sceners / devers or hardcore gamers / retro gamers, that would be advantage for some software devs like BORLAND / Games studios that aims in creating big online RPG games [ for hardcore gamers ]. And dont forget that everyone here have a PC with linux or windows onboard so that create many possibilites for advertisers.

I expect that by the end of the 2009 year we will have 10.000 [ or more ] user database, and this is enaugh to catch atention few software studios [ hopefull ]

Are you sure we are not a little older than that? Most of the gamers here appear to be a little older (25-40), gamers who grew up with Nintendo, Atari, c-64, amiga, Genesis... I do know the Pandora has attracted a younger crowd, but I still think the base is a little older (GEN X'ers). I think 10k by the end of the year for a product that isn't shipping is a bit, well, early too tell. The economy is getting worse by the day and that may effect sales, or it might not, like I said "a little too early". But I still think you are going to have difficulty finding advertisers.

 

[lulzfish]

"Most of the gamers here appear to be a little older (25-40),"

I feel a poll coming on.

 

[Monk]

"Most of the gamers here appear to be a little older (25-40),"

I feel a poll coming on.

Indeed. Alas, I would need an "over 40" option